They prefer the heat

to an air conditioned room.  Hardly eating which is routine for them when it's this hot, but when they do it's a quick bite and back to the outdoors.  Why?  The rest of the day is spent lounging in the shade, or grabbing an occasional chipmunk.  Petey is a real hunter and rather than torture the helpless little creatures, he starts eating them immediately.  I like chipmunks and all other little PITA creatures, but when my cousin saw one steal a cardinal baby right out of its nest, they moved down a few notches.  The nest was in a burning bush outside her office and she was horrified as the munk came back until they were all killed.  I couldn't believe they would eat a baby bird so I researched and found they are nest raiders, eggs or chicks.  Nature is so cruel on many levels, but my hope is for deaths to be quick and free of suffering.  You can't fool Mother Nature nor can you control her.

Another thing about critters, the really big ones are fussy about hydrangeas.  They devour Annabelles and don't touch Limelight.  Right next to each other, but never any damage.  Annabelle has some foliage left on the house side, but the back side is bare.

 These are next in line but usually manage to avoid destruction.  The Vista variety is not at the top of their petunia list.  Of maybe they don't like Fuschia.

And for some good news, Petey is now allowing me to scratch his neck and head when he's on the bench getting food.  And I didn't fall out of the door.  Once off the bench I can't get near him.  He did not try to bite or scratch, just recoiled from fear, but after several times he is now enjoying it.  I know he was someone's cat.

We got Carole's umbrella for her wrought iron set (I gave her a choice of two, she kept both) and Mark drilled the pole for a bolt to keep it secure.  Matt Jr. has been staying there for a few days and you don't know how bad autism can be until you deal with 24/7.  He has meltdowns and has not been bathed, won't put shoes on, and a multitude of other issues that can't be forced on him.  I bought him bright green water shoes and attached a tag that states "can only be worn by kids that like dinosaurs, will not fit anyone else".  We'll see if that helps.  He hides from us now.  Last fall he made great progress and played basketball, had friends, and was fine on the bus.  The break from school has set him back two years.  He still thinks he did something wrong because none of his teachers had visual contact, just the weekly email.  This fall will be traumatic because he panics if you try to put a mask on him and it's mandatory, let alone leaving home on a bus full of kids.

Steak splurge and grilled veggies tonight.  Hope your day is a good one.

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