Stay "healthy, active and engaged!"

I am a senior. I don't know when that happened. It seems others should be aware. Apparently, others must look after me, to ensure I stay "healthy, active and engaged!" I can't believe how people talk about us as if we aren't in the room. 

OK, rant over! Here I am being engaged in looking at nature. Peony, Allium with a Swallowtail, and the first roses.

After the first, there were more!

This is one of the Eastern Comma and Question Mark butterflies. They are very similar. They both like the Hops Vine.

Phoebe is nesting under the deck. She was quite keen on the Eastern Comma butterfly who wants to lay eggs in the Hops vine. The butterfly got away! 

butterfly attacked from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

Another mystery. There was a small critter  on the sidewalk, I put the camera out there. Look who I found!

Hare tails from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

To quote Barb: "– after 2 days of forecasts that were fabrications..."  <= We had that as well. 

Finally, we had rain! A grand total of 3 storms flying by 45mm, AKA 1.75". 

Our doe still looks pregnant.

Pregnant doe from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

So does Fred! May 31st, Fred was still nest building📹.  May 28, Fred was caught in the rain📹. 

 

Fred June 2 from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

Allium, rhododendron, lady slippers, account fraud

Awake at 4:30 a.m., pondering our banking issues, I was happy to have slept in until then. 

It was a buggy, rainy day on Tuesday, and I must admit I accomplished little else than worrying. Lots of phone calls and emails, trying to resolve the account fraud. There have been lots of emails from my automatic payments. They didn't have my VISA number, just my bank account number. My VISA was still whole. Our old accounts are frozen, deposit only. 

We've been trying to keep ourselves entertained. CNN has been quite the deal, with the Hush Money Trial, as well as tennis. Bugs and spotty rain all day. We fretted indoors. The trick with tennis is figuring out which of the games we'd like to tape at 5:30 a.m.., with the men and women's on various TSN channels. It helps to have insomnia. 

We chilled out with a new show, After the Flood. It is good to have a murder mystery, plus a disaster. It puts one's own issues in perspective. 

🐈 🐦 

With the new doorbell, I am trying to retrain the cats. If a bell rings in a TV show, Cinnamon would wake up and look for danger. With the old bell, Nutmeg would run away from the door. It is handy in trying to keep her indoors. The new one wasn't having that effect, with its Windsor chime, so I keep entering loudly after ringing the new bell. Cinnamon watched Nutmeg run by him when I did so. He really glared at her!

They meow! Catbirds:

  

Gray catbird from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

This is with my phone. May, 2024, with my camera, in the evergreen behind the horse chestnut tree.

grey catbirds from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

Up in the sky, is it a bird? Is it a plane? 

I was reminded by someone who posted lady slipper photos, to put on bug spray and go see if ours were blooming! They are.

This sad one was horizontal to the ground. The next had no flower. 

The weigela is in blossom, despite Fred nibbling.

People are posting amazing photos of their rhododendrons in bloom. I wrapped this plant over the winter and it graced me with two blossoms. For that I am grateful.The red one didn't bloom at all. 

Allium:

Fred update

Freda is still nest building. She is quick, though. I am not sure of Fred is still around. They are solitary critters, and I think he's already knocked her up. I've a video of him chasing her! Her belly is lovely and round.

 

Fred nest building from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

We shall see what this new day brings.