It Stopped Raining..... For about an hour

OK it stopped raining for more like 3 hours or so. Just long enough for me to jump in the truck and run into my dad's house and get the push mowing and weed eating done around his place then come back to the Small-Hold and enjoy a few brief minutes out by the marsh that used to be my garden and yard.

The bees took the opportunity to come out in force and relieve themselves making enough racket that I thought a swarm was starting up again. This time of year is usually prime swarm season around here. When the bees have been mostly cooped up inside the hive by rain and then it gets hot in between storms these relief flights they do often turn into a full blown swarm.

Not today though thankfully.

Every minor depression in the ground is a puddle or mini-pond. Can't really walk around the yard without rubber mud boots on unless you want wet feet. Even my waterproofed hiking boots eventually get enough water kicked up while walking to soak my feet and legs.

The Buckwheat is blooming but as yet I have not seen any honey bees working the blooms. Nothing to worry about yet as they have other stuff they are still working and most of the Buckwheat flowers are only partially opened. The rain is really taking it's toll though and even some of the strong plants are beginning to look a little droopy now.

My garden guardians were out in full force between the storms however.

I put up two new Bluebird houses this year and all four couples from the houses I have each raised a brood already. One couple is still feeding their pair and most of it comes from the garden. I have not witnessed a better garden pest guardian than Bluebirds. They station themselves on a trellis or pole and constantly flit down grabbing some insect back and forth all day long. For a while there the cats almost drove all my nesting Bluebirds off but now that the cats have gotten a little older, along with being fat and lazy, the Bluebirds have come back strong. I have at least two or more in the garden constantly eating and feeding their young. I wonder how many pounds of insects they capture each season out of my garden?

This little juvenile Ruby Throat lands on this same trellis every couple of minutes between flitting around looking for tiny insects, nectar or getting a quick pick-me-up from one of the feeders. Most of the full grown adults I think are nesting right now so we won't see them as often until July but there are enough of the younger ones still around to make watching them fun.

So I got to enjoy the garden for a few minutes with the accompaniment of the thunder rolling in from the distance from the next storm wave heading our way. Maybe after this next one rolls through I can go out and get some weed trimming done.

Keep Prepping Everyone!!!!!!