This is ridiculous!? but it is certainly true.? When I moved into this house in 1992 – 20 years ago – the day lilies bloomed in early July.? During Wimbledon, in fact.
Here it is late May – the French Open hasn’t even started – and the first day lily of the many in the many beds bloomed today.
In more nature news – the chipmunks are taking over the estate.? I loved having a few in the stone walls, little vacuum cleaners that they are.? But in our super-warm winter, they never really slept the way they usually do.? I would see one or two at random here and there.
And there mysteriously appeared some sort of tunnel pushing up the grass in the front yard,? Not skinny and long like a mole hill – and with a bigger exit hole than that.? Yet I doubted that the winter had been warm enough for snakes to stay awake that long.
A couple of weeks ago, I stuffed the entry hole with magnolia leaves, which are behaving normally and raining down into the yard, as they do this time of? year.? When I looked out from the big window – there was a chipmunk fussing around.?? Eventually he gave up, and the next day dug a new hole.
I’m thinking pouring water down the hole may accomplish a move.? They are already in every stone wall, and may be deciding to take over the yard as well.? That is not going to happen.? I’ll just try whatever comes into mind until they move on.