Here's Ma Cat on our deck in February 2011 -- after the two feet of snow that had previously been there melted.
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Monday, June 27, 2011 - When I talked to Granny last night, she said that she couldn't get the new update on my website. So, I'm going to put it on here and add a few more details.

Sunday's Journal Entry, June 26, 2011- Yesterday afternoon, before I started mowing the lawn, I
saw two kittens on the deck. They were very small -- and of course, I immediately knew who they came from!

The cat pictured up above is their mama. They scurried off the deck but managed to squeeze through the spaces in the fence and went UNDER the deck and then started "meowing." At least, the foxes Made no noises when they lived under there.

At first, I thought there were just the two. But later, when I was out in back yard mowing, I saw Ma Cat and her other offspring. There were either four or five going through the bushes to our neighbor's house. But the little grey one decided to run back under the deck.

These are definitely feral cats....you would understand what I'm saying here if you ever heard them howl and growl with a guttural screech that sounds like it came from the depths of hell.

WOW! And I love cats....but someone in the neighborhood is feeding them and NOT getting the Ma Cat neutered. I saw an ad about two NON-NEUTERED cats eventually being responsible for 5 million offspring in ten years. Yikes!

I wouldn't care if they weren't right under the deck and they weren't so damn cute. They are absolutely adorable. I would LOVE to have a kitty again. But then I think of Hobbes -- and I just couldn't go through that .....and I miss him so much!!! He was one mean.territorial cat. Those other cats wouldn't stand a chance if he were still here.... neither would the foxes.

Oh and speaking of the foxes -- the other night when I was talking to Granny, I saw Trey Fox sauntering around on the deck. When I started to open the screen, he left in a hurry. BUT, a few minutes later, he joined up with two other siblings.... THEN, another one joined them.

I can usually tell which ones are the females....because the males are ALWAYS fighting and rolling around in the grass with each other. So cute.

Then, there's the robin's nest next to the tree by the slide. The first set of baby birds are gone. Now, because of the recession, it's being used again! Never heard of that before. But seeing is believing.

It's like a wildlife center out here. I won't even mention the raccoon poop all over the deck, the carpet, the driveway, the yard..... They come to eat the mulberries -- here they go 'round the mulberry bush....

P.S. Ma Cat and one kitten just walked by the window in the computer room. They must think they live here......NOT!! Gotta go check on business. bye, djb

THE REST OF THE STORY: When I went upstairs and out onto the deck to tell Bob what I saw, he TOLD me what he HEARD. Apparently, one of the kittens sneaked into the garage last night and was in there all night hiding behind the pool chemicals and other stuff on the right side of the garage. That would explain the meowing I heard last night by the garage door and this morning when I went out to get the newspapers.... ah ha!

He could hear the kitten meowing and Ma Cat was outside yeowling for her baby. Bob opened the door so she could get in to retrieve her kid. But he didn't know for sure what was going on until I came up and told him I saw them. I immediately closed the garage door. This is way too hilarious. I "almost" had my kitten! Now, I know where all those paw prints in the driveway came from few weeks ago! Kitty cats. OMG!!!!

This is the map that was on Tom Skilling's weather page in the Chicago Tribune this morning (it's hard to see but it explains a lot to me). Source: Frank Wachowski, National Weather Service Archives.
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Thursday, June 23, 2011 - On Tuesday night, this was the weather situation in our area. When I first saw the Weather Channel right around 8 p.m., that orange blob on the map on the left side was bright RED. Plus, there was a bow echo and they mentioned the words "RAIN WRAPPED TORNADOES."

That night, it was raining and getting dark, so you couldn't see the clouds. But, in this morning's Daily Herald, I found this little tidbit:

A certified weather spotter reported a tornado in Yorkville about 8 p.m. Tuesday, and that a funnel cloud - but no tornado - was reported over Sugar Grove at 8:05 p.m. near Route 47 and Interstate 88.

Okay, I can drive to that last location in about 5 minutes. In fact, we left Blackberry Inn just before 8 p.m. Tuesday night. It was just sprinkling a little bit when we left there and by the time we got home 5 minutes later, the skies opened up and it poured buckets of rain.

This could have been a whole lot worse. Most of the people who were interviewed on the news yesterday, said that they definitely thought of the people in Joplin who lost everything after the storm was gone and they were outside surveying the damage.

They may have lost some trees, but at least they still had their home. Wow! This has been one crazy winter, spring and now SUMMER! Yikes! see ya later, djb

These tomato plants were the exact same size about three or four weeks ago. The one on the right was given Miracle Grow Tomato Plant Food. WHAT an awesome endorsement for that product!
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Monday, June 20, 2011 - Last week, I had a problem with one of my tomato plants (not pictured above). He was looking feeble and weak, and I thought he was going to die.

So, I decided to buy another tomato plant at Jewel in Batavia (where Shawna is in charge...she's my friend on Facebook) just in case it actually didn't make it.

Well, when I went in there, she wasn't working, so I wandered over to the patio tomato plants and lo and behold, they were having the same problem with theirs as I was with mine.

Still, I needed a replacement -- just in case. I picked out the little guy on the left in the picture up above. When I brought him home, the difference between the two plants was stunning.

Back Story......I was there in person at the Plant Tent when the tomato plants were delivered (warned by my sources)..... and they were all the SAME SIZE. I can't believe that simply putting the diluted tomato plant food on that plant almost every time I water it has made THAT MUCH difference.

Can't wait to eat some fresh tomatoes. I love summertime. see ya later, djb

This rather grainy photo was taken at 7:40 a.m. this morning. The quality is not so good because it was thundering, lightning and raining like crazy when I snapped this picture!
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Thursday, June 9, 2011 - It started raining during the night and as of 7:40, we've had 2 and a half inches of rain. When I went out to get the newspapers at 6:30, we only had an INCH and half.

This is quite a storm we're having. It's the result of 95 degree temperatures (for the past three days) running into very cold temperatures in the 60's coming in from the west.

At least we're not having wild fires like they are out in Arizona. That is so unbelievably tragic and so very sad. I always feel sorry for anyone in the path of a natural disaster - especially fires. There's nothing you can do but get out of the way and say a lot of prayers!

Better go. later. djb