Fall temperatures, a surprise visit, babies and more weeds

RedMan and Beauty

Good morning on this fine Labor Day morning.  Well, actually, morning has slipped away and as I write this the time is approaching noon.  Morning got taken up with weeding the garden and an unexpected appearance by our farrier (you know the guy or gal who trims and/or shoes horses hooves.).  Due to a miscommunication, I thought he was coming on Wednesday and Sandra thought he was coming next Monday.  Anyway, he showed up just as I had finished chores and was in process of pouring myself a cup of coffee.  The point is......the horses and donkeys where out in the pasture enjoying the lovely, cool morning, not in the corral where they should have been awaiting their manicures.  I have never had a manicure....but my horses get one every 6 weeks.  Go figure!  Well, that all got taken care of, and as I was pouring my morning coffee at 11:30 (which turned into Iced Coffee), it dawned on me that I missed a great photo opportunity by not getting a photo series of the farrieer trimming the horses hooves.   Oh, well, he will be back in 6 weeks.

Miscommunication can lead to misunderstandings.  I have been reading passages of the book Being Peace by Thich Nhat Hanh.  Thich Nhat Hanh is a Vietnamese Buddhist Monk, who now lives in exile in France, where he teaches, writes, gardens, and helps refugees worldwide.  Misunderstandings cause so much heartache in our lives.....so let me share with you what this great master has to say about misunderstandings:

"Perceiving includes our ideas or concepts about reality.  When you  look at a pencil, you perceive it, but the pencil itself may be different from the pencil in your mind.  If you look at me, the me in myself may be different from the me you perceive.  In order to have a correct perception, we need to have a direct encounter.

When you look at the night sky, you might see a very beautiful star, and smile at it.  But  a scientist may tell you that the star is no longer there, that it was extinct ten million years ago.  So our perception is not correct.  When we see a very beautiful sunset, we are very happy, perceiving that the sun is there with us.  In fact it was already behind the mountain eight minutes ago.  It takes eight minutes for the sunshine to reach our planet.  The hard fact is that we never see the sun in the present, we only see the sun of the past.  Suppose while walking in the twilight, you see a snake, and you scream, but when you shine your flashlight on it, it turns out to be a rope.  This is an error of  perception.  During our daily lives we have many misperceptions.  If I don't understand you, I may be angry at you, all the time.  We are not capable of understanding each other, and that is the main source of human suffering."
Being Peace Thich Nhat Hanh



 Now come quietly with me to the garden and I will show you the new babies!

Eastern Cottontail
Sylvilagus floridanus

I found these adorable babies last week when I was pulling weeds.  The photo on the left is my attempt to give them some protection from the scorching Texas sunshine.



NO, Sandra you may not hold the babies!

 "The most common rabbit species in Texas is the Eastern cottontail, identifiable by its two- to three-pound body, brown or gray coat, white belly, and distinctive white tail.



These guys are now 2 days older than above photo.

 The cottontail is an essential element of the food chain, serving as prime prey for many predators. As a result, cottontail life expectancy is extremely short -- one year or less -- requiring the prolific reproduction so often attributed to rabbit species. In addition to their reproductive strategy, cottontails thrive because they are swift-moving and can jump distances of up to eight feet at a time when pursued, making split-second changes in direction to frustrate and elude predators. "
http://www.wildtexas.com/wildguides/cottontail.php


Well, obviously Momma rabbit figured my garden would be an extremely safe haven for her little ones.  And she was right.  I know these little buggers will reek havoc on my plantings.  But, sometimes we just have to share what we have sown.

 Next week, stop by here, and we will make some kind of herbal Jelly.

Until next time, remember, what we think is real isn't always reality.  Be patient and kind to all critters, two-legged, four-legged, many-legged and feathered.

Susan



"Me and My Shadow!