Neighbors

As we were unloading the truck on Monday, a gray long-haired cat wandered over to welcome us to the neighborhood.  We are not cat lovers, but Mom was here and spoke kindly to her which she apparently took as an invitation to wander into the house. Ornery took exception to that. Several times.  She was persistent!

Later that night, it was quite stormy outside and the cat was still hovering on our porch.  Actually, she had wedged herself between the storm door and the wooden door and was yowling loudly!  Her owners must have finally arrived home around midnight to let her in. I felt sorry for her, but I wasn't about to let her in the house.

Yesterday afternoon I met the man who lives across the street.  His name is Leon and he is semi-retired from his former job as the grounds manager of a golf course.  His yard is quite well manicured, needless to say.  He was a nice guy, funny and very personable.  He told me a little about the woman who had lived here, and about the owner of one of our next-door neighbors (he doesn't maintain his yard--horrors!--and is gone a lot.) I am pretty sure they were the owners of the aforementioned cat.

This morning I noticed a family of Brown Thrashers living in the flower bed in the back yard.  I don't know for certain that they live there, but there was a young bird on the ground whose beak hadn't quite grown long enough to fend for itself and who didn't seem to be able to fly, so I assume it wasn't far from home. It wasn't as sleek as it's mom who was busy digging amongst the bark mulch for its breakfast, and in fact had sort of a puppy-ish fluff to its feathers.

The reason I noticed those birds is that Ornery set up the desk for me and my computer is now on it--no more lap writing!--by the open living room window that looks out over the flagstone patio and directly into that bed.  I have spent a great many hours already looking out those windows past the shady pergola to the pretty, if a little swampy, back yard.  It is so peaceful here, and it is only rarely (during the storms) that I have heard any dogs barking--such a nice change from Miller Manor where barking dog was the background noise 24/7.

The temperature today is to be only in the mid 70's, and it is pretty chilly (62) with a light north breeze blowing in, but I am delighted to not be sweating as I have been over the last few days with the humidity so high from the rains.  I am making great progress with operation box removal!