Our first dahlia blossom of the year has appeared -- one of the "Bishop's Children" variety. It was a race between that one and this:
Remember how I said the "Iron in the Fire" dahlia appeared to have died over the winter? Well, I think that (above) is "Iron in the Fire," which means the dahlia that died was actually the purple one -- "Dalaya Dark Aruna." (You can see them both here.) I'm not broken-hearted either way, and I guess we won't know for sure until the flower opens, but that bud sure looks more like an orange flower than a purple one.
I spent yesterday almost entirely indoors. It poured rain in the morning, which was fantastic. It's cooler out there than I'd like it to be but I'm so happy for the moisture. I stayed on the couch reading about Bobby Darin and Sandra Dee, and in the afternoon I watched "A Summer Place," which is definitely a melodrama but better than I remember. I learned that the real-life house used in the film -- which was in Monterey, California, and not Maine as specified in the plot -- burned down last year. A shame.
Apropos of nothing, here's a quote I came across yesterday from author Michael Chabon, who wrote "The Mysteries of Pittsburgh" and "Wonder Boys" and "The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay" and "Telegraph Avenue," all of which I enjoyed:
"Every morning I wake up and in the seconds before I turn my phone on to see what the latest news is, I have this boundless sense of optimism and hope that this is the day that he's going to have a massive stroke, and, you know, be carted out of the White House on a gurney."
Let's just say that struck home.
And here's the sight that greeted me when I looked out the window yesterday afternoon. I don't know if you can see what's going on there, but that squirrel is head-down in the plastic interior tube of that bird feeder. Having emptied the peanut feeder, Houdini-squirrel found a way to unlock the lid of this one, which is supposed to be squirrel resistant. I can't turn my back for a minute!
No wonder your bird food disappears with a squirrel who can do what that one's doing. Amazing - but very annoying
ReplyDeleteIt's amazing how clever and dexterous they can be!
DeleteNothing is squirrel proof, all you can do is make yours harder to get in than next doors, having said that they are fun to watch.
ReplyDeleteOurs are apparently easier to get into than anybody's given how many squirrels we have around here!
DeleteI check the news every morning, looking for the obit. Hope springs eternal. My grandfather would have had a solution to the well fed squirrel challenge.
ReplyDeleteHope springs eternal, indeed.
DeleteAgain, squirrels rule the world and the rest of us just live here!
ReplyDeleteIt's true. They certainly dominate the garden, anyway!
DeleteYou have a motivated and highly skilled squirrel. Unlocking the feeder and then feeding upside-down is laughable. I'm thinking you will have to double your birdseed budget.
ReplyDeleteEvery morning I wake up and wonder: Where will it all end? The bombs are still flying, and the strait is still closed.
This is the strangest war. It's like war in slow-motion.
DeleteTime to send those photos of the squirrel to the feeder company! If you have chipmunks, they'll find it too! We are finally getting a soft and lovely rain. We had so much, then none. Very dry. So, it is welcome. (And straight enough that I don't have to close the windows!) Chabon nailed it. Oh, don't we all....
ReplyDeleteWe do not have chipmunks here, which is just as well. The squirrels are all I can handle! LOL
DeleteI agree ... you need to send the pictures to the company and ask that they come up with a better design!
ReplyDeleteThe dahlia is beautiful!
I keep hoping for that announcement on Morning Joe every day!
I actually don't even know who made that feeder with the plastic tube. It's something I got from a neighbor. But it's been squirrel-proof up to now!
DeleteMy pottery friend Lizzie first caught my attention with her t-shirt that said, "Is he dead yet?" And of course there is no doubt about who we are talking about. Surely, he cannot last forever. It's already beginning to feel very "Weekend at Bernie's."
ReplyDeleteYour squirrels are very much alive. That squirrel with his butt in the air is hilarious.
I kind of want one of those t-shirts!
DeleteMe too.
DeleteHoly cow, that squirrel is an amazing creature. Annoying too I'm guessing.
ReplyDeleteThat quote struck home for me too!
It IS annoying, but in a way that makes me laugh, too.
DeleteOh gosh that squirrel is a very determined little chap, at least if he got stuck you could yank him out by his tail. :-)
ReplyDeleteThat quote is really spot on, never have so many people been thinking what we would never have wished for before, but that needs to happen one way or another.
It's kind of appalling, isn't it? That we're all reduced to silently hoping the president has a medical crisis?
DeleteI rarely know the names of the flowers that bloom around my yard. I'm just glad to see them!
ReplyDeleteThat's a fine approach, too! I like knowing what things are called, but admittedly it's all a human construct.
DeleteI love orange flowers and dahlias! I also love purple though. I'm afraid of what might come after Trump. Will it be any better?
ReplyDeleteWell, that's the question. If he DID have a stroke, we'd be stuck with Vance, and there's no sign that would be an improvement. It's hard to know who these people really are outside of Trump's shadow.
DeleteI am buying fireworks in anticipation of our current President(?) leaving us for good.
ReplyDeleteLOL -- it will be interesting to see how the world reacts when he finally does shuffle off this mortal coil.
DeleteSquirrels 10, Steve 0. :)
ReplyDeleteI am ALWAYS behind on the scorecard!
DeleteI love Percy Faith's version of "Theme from A Summer Place". I also love seeing your dahlias since I think they're beautiful and won't grow here.
ReplyDeleteI love that Percy Faith theme too! It's in my iTunes!
DeleteI Delightful Way To Wake Up - Both The Quote And That Squirrel - Outstanding Photo For Sure
ReplyDeleteWell Done Brother Reed ,
Cheers
Glad the quote and the squirrel gave you a boost. :)
DeleteSquirrels!! (aka tree rats!!) this calls for squirrel gym construction....
ReplyDeleteThey ARE rats, really.
DeleteThat squirrel is hilarious! I love it (since I'm not the one paying for the bird seed). And that quote is a wish that many of us have. Truly.
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't mind feeding the squirrels if they could just moderate their intake, but they will literally cling to a feeder and eat and eat until everything is gone.
DeleteI know we all carry around that hope. It's kind of appalling, honestly.
Critters can out smart us.
ReplyDeleteThey're smarter than we think they are!
DeleteBeautiful dahlia ...
ReplyDeleteThat squirrel is amazing ...
All the best Jan
It's very determined!
DeleteIt seems squirrels win out over human inventiveness at this point in time.
ReplyDeleteMaybe they're destined to take over the world after our species declines. Everyone thinks cockroaches will be the survivors, but my money's on the squirrels.
DeleteMichael Chabon is married to ayelet Waldman. Pointless trivia time.
ReplyDeleteYes, I know! I think that's why I wound up reading about him, actually -- because you mentioned her on your blog.
Deletetry this as an entertaining read: https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/833817.Outwitting_Squirrels
ReplyDeleteHa! It's pretty impressive that someone was able to turn that into a book!
DeleteSquirrel appears to be very smart, perhaps he can read too? Put up a sign that says Birds Only and see if he takes notice. 🤣🤣
ReplyDeleteI also hope to hear very soon that a very large orange person has been carried from the White (trash) House or any other place where he falls asleep but doesn't wake up. Is that constant falling asleep called Narcolepsy?
There is a disorder called narcolepsy, but I think in Trump's case it's just old age, lack of adequate sleep and declining curiosity and interest in life.
DeleteNothing is really squirrel-proof, it seems. I guess even if you had a lock on the lid with a number code to open it, they would work on it until they'd crack the code!
ReplyDeleteA rainy day when you don't have to go out but can stay indoors and read - fantastic!
Ha! Yeah, I imagine squirrels would make good safe-crackers, as long as there was food on the other side of the door!
DeleteDon't know how I missed this post. I looked at that picture and thought what kind of weird creature is on top of that bird feeder, then I saw the rest of the squirrel. They are so clever. I have one of the square wire mesh boxes for pressed bird seed and suet. Went out one day and it was open and empty. Squirrel had managed to open it so now I have to use a twist tie to wire it shut.
ReplyDelete