The tree that the raccoon lives in is outside of the dog fence and a row of bittersweet bushes. I thought she was gone. She usually takes off across the street and goes into the farm field then timber and doesn't return until fall. My border collie barks at things that go by but when he is looking up, it is a squirrel or the coon. Well, she hasn't left yet as I discovered last night and one of her offspring is sitting there on her back. It was 91 degrees or more and at eight o'clock last night they must have been hot.
I am not going to complain, because I would never harm her or her young, but I don't have a single fish left in my outside water feature. I should not be so dumb but I thought since it is a buried stock water tank that it would be too deep for her to get to the fish. I am dumb, and I probably won't quit beating myself up over this but she and her young one has eaten them all. I really thought she had taken off, as I hadn't seen her for a month. I know that she feeds off of the neighbors cat food on the porch. My two koi and three large goldfish are not there anymore. I hadn't been monitoring them as we were gone a few days, and some say during mosquito season, just let them eat larvae, you don't need to feed them.
To add to my dismay, I do remember that raccoons swim, so she probably just went in, hand fished them out with her nimble little claws. It is all my fault for putting them out there. Well, I feel that I won't put fish out there anymore. I might by some twelve cents, feeders, and see if she is still hungry.
I will stop the whine now and tell you that I was out all morning staking up oriental lilies, regal lilies, and some phlox. I got the path cleared a little so one can walk down it again. The plants have gotten so top heavy in areas that they needed to be tied up so they won't get drowned out at the next rain.
I mowed the dog's backyard and pruned and cut back the wild, Iowa rose. It has day lilies growing at their base and I think I can still get them to bloom by giving them some light. I need to pick raspberries for a pie. I planted a red raspberry plant, bought at the library plant sale, and now four years later I have a lot of plants. I may have to pick once and freeze them and then pick again to get a pie.
The tomato plants in Iowa are growing in this heat by leaps and bounds. I have glads up and my pepper plants look like they are going to make it. It feels good to get trimming done and weeding done.
I took out a very old juniper evergreen today to the disgust of a large garter snake. It had become shaded from a tree and a fence and it was almost dead. I only had to cut it out with one stem and the whole thing came out at once. I never did see where the snake went but I am glad to get the juniper out of there.
Well, cloudy and hot today, 85, and we are heading to the arts festival this evening. Very large event, set up in the streets of downtown Des Moines. Artist from all over the country are featured. We will be taking water bottles with us as it won't be too cooled down by four o'clock. Thanks for reading. . . .
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