Journal entry - May 30, 2005
Morning Watch in the Garden

6:00 am - Early morning.  I am having morning coffee by the kitchen window.  I saw a pig-like animal, short legs, fat tubular sausage-like torso, long thin tail, no hair small thin face with a pointed nose.  It sprinted swiftly across the back garden and disappeared into the bushes at the side into the neighbor’s property and disappeared.  An armadillo!  It’s a bit far north for its range, but very exciting.  So I hunkered down by the window, hoping to see it again.

6:20 am - Baby bunny, 2 mourning doves, and some grackles.  The bunny was chomping on a short daylily in the upper garden, the small light orange variety called “Pudding.”

6:25 am - A grackle was trying to eat from the green feeder and was extremely frustrated!

6:30 am - A squirrel under the tree at the ground feeder.  Sits up, watches, climbs the Shepherd’s Crook, tries to eat from the flat feeder, but can’t get through the covering grates, except for a few sunflower seeds the birds kicked up.  Chickadees arrive for morning visit.

6:42 am - Two robins whip by in a cock fight.  One leaves and the winner takes a long drink in the lotus pond.

6:57 am - Lots of visitors: sparrows, grackles are back, doves strutting and fluffing out, walks proudly away.

7:00 am - Baby bunny finds the carrots.  And then a lull in the garden.  Total quiet.  The morning rush is over.  No more armadillo though.