Every morning I water the tomatoes. While it was hot they got a double dose, watering can and then included in the sprinkler coverage. Since we have been in a cooler period, just the can.
It’s August. Late August. And I can count on my fingers the number of ripe tomatoes we have harvested. There was one that fell victim to a squirrel or raccoon, and they only took a few bites.
Following the critter harvest I added some netting around the base of the planter. It would not stop a determined thief, but it should discourage a casual browser.
Suddenly, the cherry tomatoes are ripening. There are a lot, so if they all follow suit it will be tomato central soon. The larger variety (Early Girl – NOT), is still dawdling along, although I picked one yesterday, and Carl included it with the turkey tacos.
While I was outside watering this morning I heard some chirping. It seemed rhythmic and repeated and I figured it was a fire or some other alarm going off. I was scrutinizing the neighboring houses through the backyard, figuring if someone was not home to address the situation, like smokey tater tots, it was good to be paying attention. Our houses are all close together and a fire in one often impacts others. I checked the fire department dispatch app on my phone and there was a new dispatch to an auto fire alarm. But not 1 block away, 6 blocks away. I wonder how loud it was there!
In addition to the alarm chirps there were three Stellar Jays talking up a storm. They were flitting between the houses and garage roofs through the backyard. And not just chirping. Clicks and beak beats. It was quite varied. I think it was a family group. One seemed to be a slightly different shade, and a bit smaller.
Raincharm's Weblog 
August 27, 2021 at 9:04 am |
It seems like with all the sun we’ve had that the tomatoes would have ripened early. Especially Early Girls which have one of the shortest growing seasons.
August 27, 2021 at 3:24 pm |
I have chirping on my deck every morning. It’s the resident chipmunk. Not sure who he’s talking to, but I can count on hearing him every day. Then again, sometimes he just sits at the edge of the deck observing his domain.