Thursday, August 26, 2010

This and That

I have a rather disjointed post today because we all got a wonderful surprise this morning. I opened the back door to let the pups out and it was cool. Not just not hot, but actually cool. It felt great. It's warmed up a bit, it's now 79 and heading toward 82, but after the weeks of hot, hot, humid days, this feels fabulous.


The dogs have been racing back and forth across the yard all morning using up some of that energy that built up over the days when it was too hot to move. When I came in to post, they all found spots around the room to stretch out and nap.


I want to congratulate my young friend Henry. He set out to collect 40 blankets in 4 weeks for the homeless animals at the shelter. Here he is with the car loaded with blankets and toys for the shelter.


The four weeks are almost over and Henry collected 55 blankets plus bags of toys for the animals. Here's one of the recipients enjoying a comfy warm blanket to nest in. Well done, Henry, you did a really good thing and you should feel proud.


I walked around the yard this morning to see what survived and what couldn't handle the heat. It looks like we may lose a couple of young trees. Even though we gave them extra water, the hot sun burned them badly. We'll have to wait and see if they can come back. The Crepe Myrtle did well despite the heat. This pink one is in the side yard.


The white one, though not as showy as the other, actually grew higher and had more flowers. They both showed some signs of stress, but they'll be OK.


The dark butterfly bush didn't do well, but the lighter one, shown here, has had a lot of visitors all summer. This afternoon it was loaded with butterflies and moths.


From the things knocked over on the deck this morning, I guess we had visitors last night, probably the giant raccoon that prowls the neighborhood after dark. He goes searching for food and we all make sure the trash containers are shut tightly. He's been know to rip open bags looking for treats and he's not very good about cleaning up after himself.

While wandering around I found this feather on the ground. I was attracted by the spot. Isn't it interesting how active the yard becomes at night when we're all safely tucked in? There's a whole community of animals that come out to play. Besides the raccoon, we have an opossum, lots of frogs and toads, deer and probably lots of other creatures, too. Don't forget the skunk!!


Last week Carol showed a display of designer dog houses on her blog. They were part of a fund raiser for a shelter. This one caught my eye and she helped me find someone to send the plans. It looks like a similar doghouse could be in the future for the Porties. I know Tess would love it.

18 comments:

♥♥ The OP Pack ♥♥ said...

It has been the nicest feeling to greet the day with a blast of "cool" - we have had it for three days now, but we hear it will be short-lived. Can't last too much longer. Our yard took a big hit this summer, we finally decided to let the lawn go. A new sprinkler system is going in today and reseeding in September. Mom is wondering how she is going to control Ciara:)

Woos ~ Phantom, Thunder, and Ciara

Granite State Pet Sitting said...

We are also so very happy for the cooler weather. What a Awesome thing Henry did for all the dogs at the shelter.
Your Friends
Geisha,Grover,Lily,Bailey,Wrinkles

Scrabblequeen said...

Glad you and yours got some cool, and could go out and play.

the teacher's pets said...

I agree with you about the weather...it has been humid and uncomfortable lately and today's weather was a welcome surprise.
How great that your friend Henry collected all of those toys and blankets for the shelter! What a wonderful lesson he learned about giving back to the those in need!

Mad about Craft said...

That dog house looks very posh, we could live in it in style as well as the dogs!

Bella Roxy & Macdui said...

We love those cool mornings in the summer. We know the pups had a great time running around.

Kudos to Henry. What a lovely thing to do.

XXXOOO Daisy, Kendra & Bella

♥I am Holly♥ said...

It was a bit cooler here too although they say it's going to get hot again. The cool is great isn't it! Lots of love, Holly and mom

Maggie Mae and Max said...

We had a nice cooler day here too! LUVS it! Yay for Henry!

Woofs and Licks,
Maggie Mae

Henry said...

Thanks for everything Sue!

LizzieJane said...

I am so happy that cooler weather has come to your little corner if the world. The dogs must have had so much fun! I often wonder when I am tucked up safely in bed at night who or what is roaming around our garden. I think the sound of the trickling water in the pond attracts a lot of visitors. Way to go Henry! That is just great!
x

The Daily Pip said...

40 blankets, WOW! Henry did a great job!

Your pal, PIp

jen said...

Our boys are enjoying the cool down here also. Too bad it's not staying!
Beautiful pictures of your flowers!

Molly the Airedale said...

Well done, Henry!
We are getting cooler temps here and it's feeling absolutely delightful! We so hope the cooler temps stay!
What a pretty doghouse!

Dianne said...

Way to go, Henry!!! Hugs and kisses to your young friend from Emma, Tara and Cooper!!!

SissySees said...

We're enjoying the cooler weather too. Too bad the 90s come back tomorrow.

Congrats to Henry.

Love that doghouse, but Sissy would want to eat whatever went on top...

the many Bs said...

we're glad you got a bit of cooler weather. we have a butterfly bush in our yard too.

of course you have a lot of animal night life in your yard, since you are a wildlife sanctuary. we're glad that the pups got to get out a romp around a bit.

congrats to your friend, Henry, on his gift to the shelters. those animals need nice cozy blankies.

woofs.

Lola and also Franklin, too said...

It's a little cooler here, too. I hope it lasts a while, but it's supposed to get pretty hot again in a day or so.

I don't think we have as many creatures at night as you do. There aren't nearly as many as their used to be, my humans tell me. But when we go out in the early evening we can see bats flying around in the twilight. That kind of freaks Blog Mom out, although she tries to keep in mind that they're just up there doing their job on the night shift.

lotsa licks, Lola

Anonymous said...

cooler weather is the best! nice job Henry, those dogs are going to be so comfy.