I’m envious Pan. I can barely get the lawn to look good.

These are absolutely beautiful Pan! You are so blessed to live out in such a beautiful area! You're a hard worker and it sure pays off!

Matter's Knot: I'm not sure why we have no chimpmunks, seen a couple about twenty years ago in the woods, coyotes maybe, habitat, my favorites are Chip and Dale; when the Queen and I wiggle our fingers like cheerleaders at a ballgame, and remark, "spirit fingers" then yeah, it's a Chip and Dale day.

I'm sorry about you losing your apex predator, that is the reason we do not raise corn; Otis has gotten old, used to wear the rows out on patrol, barely hand to weed, sooo, heck, if you lose your apex predator and dog is getting old, what's a kind hearted man supposed to do?

Cool about the hawks; I sit out late, one comes around as the lightning bugs begin; tried to take some pictures the last two nights, did a SORRY job.

Smiling, laughing about the Quality of Mercy, and heck yea, it is not strained, but "TWICE BLESSED".

And now, this:

"I was in Mercy, Australia, recently and was served tea made from the hair of a koala bear."

"You're kidding! How was it?"

"Oh, it was awful. It was filled with koala hair!"

"Well, you know, the koala tea of Mercy is not strained."

Up here, smack dab between the 42nd and 43rd parallel, where we're typically well into April before winter finally and reluctantly releases its grip, cleome assumes all its glory right about now, first week in July. And so I've long associated those bursts of red, pink and white with fireworks.

Plus, they smell like pot, which I like.

No chipmunks?! How can that be? They're everywhere.

Almost two years ago we lost our apex predator, our cat of 20 years. Still hurts. He wasn't a family pet. He was family.

As he slowed down over those last years, the rabbits, squirrels and chipmunks began to make hay. Now they freely multiply and wreak havoc.

Cause and effect: Two red-tailed hawks now visit quite frequently, go talon-to-talon when they happen to be here at the same time. Put on a terrific show. Have a great shot of Larry (Bird -- the other one is Atlanta -- as in Hawks) swooping in and snatching a baby bunny. Shot video of Larry de-furring the poor little bastard and begin to pull at its flesh while it was still alive. The quality of mercy is not strained.

But between them, Larry and Atlanta do a small fraction of the population management work our George used to do.