Brown out

After making a stunning show for the past few weeks, the blackeyed Susan are starting to turn brown. I can't tell what if anything is going to come in to replace them in the garden outside my windows. In the front, there are some purple cone flowers, also known as echinacea, filling in some gaps, and a scattering of cosmos by the garage. Day lilies continue to bloom like recovering alcoholics (one day at a time), but they are starting to look straggly. Fortunately some spikes of red gladiolas are helping out.

On the fauna front, we have caught about a half dozen mice in the traps this week and found a half-eaten one on the library rug. The cats also brought in a goldfinch and dropped it under the table. I picked it up in a paper towel to dispose of outside, but when I unrolled it, the bird flew away. A few minutes later Helen saw a green snake, another feline gift, making its way towards Tom's end of the dining room table. I got it scooped up and out the front door, and it too went its way.