Snakes, Cement & Gardens

The bluebirds are gone! Stangely, we wondered, why is there no bluebird activity at the nesting box? Normally either the male or female are flying in or out every few minutes. We first noticed this on Thursday but thought it was due to the workmen busy on our new driveway. Then, on Friday, while Susan and I were enjoying a break from working on the second garden bed we spotted a snake going into the second nesting box. This was a box used by a pair of titmice. After this rascal, a black rat snake, departed we checked both nesting boxes and found them devoid of any eggs or young. We are certainly saddened by this but it is a part of living "on the fringes". Snakes are rare but a way of life, and they do keep the any rodents away, so we must take the good with the bad. By next year I will have the nesting boxes mounted on slippery, snake-proof, skinny poles.

I mentioned work on a driveway. Our house has a small garage door, called a boat door, that accesses the basement. Unfortunately there was no way to get to anything more that a wheelbarrel to the door. Hence, we decided to put in a second driveway. It took three large loads of dirt, lots of grading, two cement trucks, and four experience men, but it was done in one day.

Susan and I built the second raised veggie bed yesterday and now it must be filled. So far we've put in a 1/2-ton of gravel for drainage and another ton is sitting in the bed of my pickup truck calling, "Susan? Newt?". Maybe later. This old body is wearing out right quick and needs some rest.