Squirrels, Hedgehogs and a Box Turtle

Look! We do have at least one squirrel wandering around our garden! This one was nibbling on our walnut tree yesterday, and I've seen it around a few other times recently -- but only by itself. Whatever squirrelpocalypse has befallen our other garden rodents apparently hasn't touched it yet.

I spent yesterday morning in the garden, reading and mowing the grass. I'm reading a book that I love called "Only This Beautiful Moment" by Abdi Nazemian, about three generations of an Iranian family. The action takes place in Tehran and Los Angeles, and at least two of the men are gay, which is an interesting theme. You don't read much about homosexuality in Iranian (or Iranian-American) culture. I've been enjoying it.

As for mowing the grass, we're doing "No-Mow May" again, but I've started it early -- so the area in back around the teasels we're not mowing at all. In fact, I may not mow it all summer. That's at least a third of the lawn, so the territory to be mowed is reduced significantly! Hopefully this will boost our population of friendly bugs.

In the afternoon I tried to get Olga interested in a walk, but she wasn't having it. She'd gone out that morning, so she was content to lie in the sun on her dog bed. I went by myself to Sweet Corner for a coffee and then walked around the cemetery and the neighborhood beyond. It's very strange to walk in the cemetery without Olga, but I must say it's easier and faster.

This smug-looking balloon was lying on the playing fields just beyond the cemetery. I think it was an escapee from a children's party, which I could hear going on in a nearby clubhouse.

And I passed this "hedgehog crossing" sign, which may be unofficial. I'd be impressed if there are hedgehogs in that area. I've lived in England 14 years and I've still never seen a wild hedgehog. There's a railroad line and some woods nearby, so maybe that's enough wilderness to sustain a population, or maybe it's just wishful thinking.

On the way home I popped into Waitrose thinking I'd buy a foxglove for our patio planter, but they didn't have any. They did have a Tiarella (foamflower) though, so I bought it to replace the one we lost over the winter.

And here's the princess, back home and sleeping underneath her blanket. She was really crashed last night, but this morning she seems bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. In fact, she's giving me the stare-down right now, expecting her morning walk. Must be off!

If you'd like some happy supplemental reading, check out the story of Rockalina, the half-a-century-old rescued box turtle, who hadn't been outdoors since 1977 but can now once again feel grass beneath her feet. (That's a gift article link so it should work even if you're not a Washington Post subscriber.)