A week's break from the heat and then...

We have had wonderful mornings here all this week (so far).  I even went out this morning and raked up tons of mesquite pods, raked the now-defunct strip of non-grass next to the driveway, and pulled more weeds out of my flower patch out front.  I'm trying to get that area ready for my fall plantings!  I can hardly wait!!!  But, in the meantime, I really do need to clean it out.  I've ordered the following seeds: California poppies, desert lupine, wild sunflowers (for next spring), and a couple of desert and full sun mixtures.

So, the front yard is starting to shape up quickly.

I have 4 hummingbirds (3 males and 1 female) who have managed to weather the summer heat here, so I have to clean out their feeders every other day.  I cleaned and filled them all up this morning.  I make my own mixture of sugar and water.  I don't like to use the commercial ones...too many artificial ingredients.

In the meantime, we have armies of ants in the house!  I found a trail yesterday after the damn dog emptied out the kitchen trash onto our living room floor!  Grrrrrrr!  I vacuumed up ants all afternoon.  I don't like to use pesticides at all.  First, my husband is EXREMELY sensitive to them and also, with all the birds around, I am hesitant to use them.  I did sprinkle diatomaceous earth on the carpet, and then I had to vacuum all of that up, too!  It did seem to do the job.  However, I see ant hills outside and I am going to have to spray those.  Otherwise, I have 10,000 ants INSIDE!  Ugh!

Our daughter is already back at school and our grandson, too.  My old district will start next week.  I'm so thankful I don't work any more!  (...doing the happy dance...)Ugh.  I doubt I would have made it through another year.  30 is long enough, don't you think?

~Cheers!

morning clouds coming over from Arizona yesterday morning...