A Trapped Raccoon + Photos from My Garden

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Today I wanted to show you a trapped raccoon and photos of my garden out front. I love taking photos of plants and nature, but I sure felt sorry for the poor raccoon.

Smitty from next door was trying to catch a male cat to have him neutered, but caught this poor guy instead.

I just ordered a couple of bags of potting soil because that little Japanese Maple tree below needs to be planted in a bigger pot. It blows over in the wind. I can probably get Greg to help me with it.

I’m glad I planted more perennials this year, so I don’t have as much to do next year. Perennials are about investing in future gardens.

My Garden Beds:

The variegated vinca is thankfully filling up most of the garden bed on the west side of the house. Which means I don’t have as much weeding to do in my container gardens.

On the other side, it is violas that are starting to overtake the endless weeds. Which is good, because it’s hard to step over the plants to get to the weeds.

It is overcast today, and cooler. I can hear those birds outside, causing all kinds of trouble on my porch. Not only are there grackles, but there are also mockingbirds diving down on the stray cats when they come to eat.

It is hard enough to deal with the ants that get in the cats’ food. Now I have the hassle of birds too.

Daisy is lying in front of the living room window in her usual perch, staring those birds down. I think she’d be the best hunter of the three cats. She instinctively responds more to the sound of birds chirping. Daisy has more of a visceral response.

This plant has grown quickly, and I think it is a cucumber plant. It’s growing among the flowers, looking really out of place.

Pink Geraniums:

The pink geraniums are looking pretty. Every few days, I go out there with snippers and snip the spent blooms to encourage more growth.

Zinnias + Petunias:

The zinnias are putting on a good show, as they always do. You can almost always depend on zinnias to do their job. The pink and yellow petunias resemble inside-out umbrellas.

These are down below the porch, where there is more sun.

Yarrow:

The pink and yellow yarrow looks nice against the bright blue of my house exterior.

Purple Balloon Flower:

I’m really pleased with this purple balloon flower plant, which is one of the best late summer perennials to grow. I’ve been looking at balloon flower seeds online. I’d like to plant white or pink ones. I might order some from Swallowtail Seeds.

Dental Problems:

Apparently, the root canal I had a few weeks ago either didn’t work or it was the wrong tooth. Remember, these teeth are underneath a dental bridge. I rue the day I got that dental bridge. The pain is not constant, but transient.

I went to see the dentist who took care of an emergency crown last August to have him look at it. His suggestion was to try a steroid pack to get inflammation down. He said though the pain was just like before the root canal, it might still be healing.

So he ordered a steroid pack and I go back to let him look at it again next week. Though the dentist I was previously going to said I needed a crown and needed two cavities filled, he disagreed. And I almost got that done a fee months ago.

It sure is hard to put the condition and health of your teeth in someone and not know if they’re telling you the truth.

Rhonda News:

Rhonda’s mother finally got to leave rehab. She’s been in the hospital or rehab for three weeks due to a heart attack. For now, she will be living with Rhonda in Sapulpa, as she can no longer live alone.

Rhonda’s sister came from Alabama to help out and will be driving home this week. The original plan was that their mother would live with the sister. But she decided she didn’t want to move to Alabama.

The apartment where their mother was living will have to be emptied, so they’ve got a lot of work ahead of them.

What I’m Reading:

I’m reading “Mad Mabel” by Sally Hepworth, an Australian author.

The book is both funny and suspenseful.

Book Summary

Meet Elsie Mabel Fitzpatrick: eighty-one years old, gloriously grumpy, fiercely independent, and never without a hot cup of tea―or a cutting remark. She minds her own business in her quiet Melbourne suburb, until a neighbor turns up dead and the whispers start flying.

Because Elsie hasn’t always been Elsie. Once upon a headline, she was Mad Mabel Waller―Australia’s youngest convicted murderer. But was she really mad, or just misunderstood? Either way, she’s kept her secret buried for decades.

Enter seven-year-old Persephone, a relentless little chatterbox who has just moved in across the road (armed with stickers, questions, and no sense of personal boundaries); Joan, who appears to have it in for Elsie; and a healthy dose of public interest―the cops are sniffing around, and the media is circling like seagulls at a picnic.

So Mabel does what she’s always done best―she takes matters into her own hands.

Is she a cantankerous old lady with a shady past? A cold-blooded killer with arthritis? Or just someone who’s finally ready to tell her side of the story?

What I’m Watching on TV:

I’m still streaming Chicago P.D. I think I’m in the 8th season, with about five more to go. I’m watching it on Peacock Premium, which is $10.99 a month.

I let Netflix go for now because they raised the prices again.

I suppose I’m ready for my daily cup of coffee now. It’s nice to sip a cup of coffee with a mid-morning snack.

I had my usual oatmeal with blueberries and a piece of toast for breakfast, but I’m a little hungry now.