The last few days have been beastly hot and windy, but things cool down enough in the evenings that I can spend time outside.
I watered plants tonight. That led to some fun with Gaby, who likes to chase the drops. I train the stream back and forth across the lawn, making sure to hit patches of taller grass or–ahem–weeds so that they flutter. I don’t know if Gaby goes after the fluttering leaves in the hope that there’s a critter beneath, or if she wants to capture the drops themselves, but she followed the water back and forth across the yard, tracking and pouncing. It was like a cat chasing the light from a laser pointer.
Had a visit from some birds I don’t recall seeing before. Because of the way they darted and swooped back and forth, I thought “swifts,” and sure enough. Looked like cigars with swept-back wings? Check. Flying together/high-pitched chipping sound/sharp, angular turns? Check. Loud little things. Cool to watch. They’re “Near Threatened” according to the article in Wikipedia, which made it especially nice to see them.
Last but not least, onion blossoms:
Back in April, iirc, I was digging through the onion bucket and found a red onion that had sprouted. Stuck it in the ground just to see what would happen, and well:
I have to wait until the flowers brown and dry out before I harvest the seeds. Assuming the onion wasn’t a hybrid, I could be planting onions next year.
