eddvick

We hosted our first party of the season, for Katie's 4th & 5th grades. About a dozen kids came by and played carry-the-ping-pong-ball and badminton and croquet, while the adults talked and sometimes played along. Katie's school has a lot of combined sessions for the uppermost two classes, so they're pretty integrated. Next year Katie's in 5th, so we'll have to start deciding where she's going for middle school.

It's almost a plague of wild rabbits around here. On my morning 2-mile walk to the local park and back I rarely see less than three of them. Cute? Certainly, but rapacious and overbreeding for their ecological niche. And as expected, they're being hunted by predators. I just didn't expect the predator to be our middle-aged kitty, who's killed at least two of them in the past week or so. The last one she tried to bring into the house, but Amy scotched that idea.

Our lovely new garden - seen here approaching completion - is planted in buckwheat and carrots and peas and lettuce. They certainly won't discourage the little beasties.

On Saturday I took the broken lawnmower in to the shop. One of the clerks looked at it, said "You know we have a 4 1/2 week waiting time now?" and told me it was an easy fix. So I bought the cable it needed. Yesterday I managed to put it on the mower using only a pair of pliers and a set of garden shears -- Amy's got most of the rest of the tools at the Center for Wooden Boats building an Ikyak.

And thus did I commit repair. To prove it I mowed the rest of the lawn. Why, if this were to go on I might even feel handy!

Amy was weekwhacking the back 40 when she came across a nest of wild rabbits. They're less than a month old (because at a month they're weaned and out of the nest). She didn't disturb them beyond getting a few nice pictures, but did as the website she referred to suggested, putting a couple of sticks crossed over the nest so she could tell if the mother came back to feed them or not. If not, we'll call a wildlife rescue operation.

I'll see if I can get a picture from her to post.