Kit Today

 Whenever possible regardless of the reason I like to keep any of my Icelandic Sheepdog pups that are returned to me. Icies bond with their "owners" and I think it's probably hard for most of them to easily adjust to yet another new home.

Kit came back to me at about two years old. At first she was extremely shy and would hide from anyone who visited. It took about a year for her to accept that this was going to be her real new home. She is the smartest Icy I have ever had - and I've had a lot of very smart Icelandics. We are doing agility and rally now but even if we don't actually title, we are having a lot of fun together. I'm getting kind of old to be running around the ring doing obstacles with her. Class is fun. And maybe - probably - enough. The drive to class takes just under two hours each way so it's a commitment. My other Icies don't appreciate being left at home - even though some of them also go to rally class, again almost four hours on the road. Traffic ranges from non-existent to very light do that's not the issue. It's more the gas and the travel time.

Speaking of Kit, here's "my" cat (get it? Kit Cat??) This is one of the feral cats that hangs around my yards.

The smoke from the Canadian wildfires continues. I wonder how that's affecting the health of folks, especially those with compromised breathing issues. Most days I don't notice issues but on heavy days I have throat problems. This is Lake Huron this morning.

There are at least three pairs of House Wrens raising families this summer. This house is close to my windows so I have a "bird's eye view" of their comings and goings. One of the babies is seen at the entrance so I'm guessing that soon they will leave home. Each time one of the adults, they share feeding and cleaning chores, brings back an insect, the nestlings poop and the adult carries the poop out of the nest and drop it far away from the nest box. (To keep the nest clean and to draw predators away from the actual house which could end up kind of smelly perhaps.)

Speaking of birds, this substantial (chunky) nestling crashed into one of my windows. I'm guessing a Whip-Poor-Will? Any help? It was only stunned and flew away soon after.

Of course some garden photos: -

I have several Cornelian Cherries (Cornus mas) around the yard. This is a type of dogwood that produces edible fruit (hence the name Cornelian Cherry!). The yellowish fruits on this shrub aren't ripe yet. Last year the birds got all of them. Of course. I don't mind. Really. But it would be nice to taste a least one, wouldn't it? I believe this species of dogwood comes from the middle east, Turkey perhaps?