I think I may have waited too long to nourish the trees with hose water. I don't care about the flowers, the vegetables or the grass. I care about these trees. The first thing I noticed about this house was the four cherry trees.
Splendid - although to some they're grown too large and need to be scaled back. The constant arid days have replaced pruning shears. I would be devastated if I lost them. I was trying to conserve water, especially after my last water bill. I hadn't even been watering the yard. But now I have to.
After a couple of tries I finally found the best placement to get the most water out the lawn shower. As soon as the sparkling fountain hits the sunlight excited chirps bounce from the trees. The birds call to one another. They swoop from the browning branches and totter at the edge of the water, drinking and cooling off. When a puddle forms they splash and play. It's like a day at the beach for birds. The best part is they're not afraid of me. They sing to me. It sounds like "Thank You." Especially grateful are the wrens, sparrows, cardinals and black capped somethings. Sometimes they yodel "Fill the bird feeder!" -- especially the chickadees who perch inches from my face in the backyard dogwood, flying to and fro from the feeder. Ok, ok, I get it.
This heat has been hard on all the living creatures. Even kids. Especially ones who don't have a pool to cool off in. A rain puddle is just as good though. It's like swimming in the concrete without getting your makeup ruined. We haven't seen many puddles lately. The other day I drove through a monsoon in the Raleigh Court area. After the girls had ice cream they found their swimming hole. My daughter captured her friend cannonballing into it...
Splash!
We need more splashes...
