Sunday, August 19, 2012

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

I went outside this morning to snap a few pics of the yard to share with you...but I must warn you...Critter Alert!!

The Leucothoe is getting new growth...that's good...


...and it looks like a bumper crop of hickory nuts this fall...that's 
good for the squirrels...

...then, I walked near the drive way...
...yikes...a snake...that's bad...but it's dead...that's good...see the little teeth marks in it's middle?...Someone brought us a "present"...

...good kitty for catching the snake...

...this is "Newbie"...she's feral, but we named her.

Moving on...I walked out to the veggie patch and noticed something eating the tomatoes...

...bad tomato worm!.. it ruined two tomatoes... so I picked it off the plant and left it for the birds' breakfast...ick...

Well, if you're still with me after that...
here are a couple of good pics...

...the vinca and lantana reseeded themselves from last year, even 
though we pulled up all the plants last Fall...


The crape myrtles and knock outs are looking pretty good...just don't look at the weeds...as you can see...
I have a few projects to work on this Fall...

...out by the shed, the paint on the chairs has come off, and they're just flat out UGLY!!
I'll have to sand and prime them...it looks like I need to scrub the shed porch, too. 
Hugs, and come on over if you feel the urge to paint, clean or catch critters... :)
Babs

Joining...
The Tablescaper Seasonal Sundays
A Southern Daydreamer Outdoor Wednesday







20 comments:

Ann from On Sutton Place said...

I have 2 feral cats that roam around my neighborhood. They drive my poor dog crazy. I would probably faint though if one of them left me a snake. :o)I think your stuff looks great considering the heat and lack of rain.

Kim @ Savvy Southern Style said...

Glad your kitty caught the snake and didn't get bit. Looks like a harmless garden snake anyway. You come help me I'll come help you. lol

Ron said...

I despise snakes....
Enjoy the waning days of summer. I long for Fall:)
xo

Jessica @ Stay at Home-ista said...

Um, I'm going to admit something... when I read "criter alert" I just scrolled quickly to the bottom with my eyes closed! I'm super-duper scared of rodent-y critters, but I did want to leave you a comment, letting you know I was here!

I've really got to get these kids back to school so I can get back to my normal blogging routine:) One more week for us!

Jessica
stayathomeista.com

Susan Freeman said...

I am so glad the snake is gone but that the kitty is okay. Sorry to any snake lovers, but for me they need to stay far away from our gardens and our pets. Give that dear kitty a special treat!

Hugs,
Susan and Bentley

Carlene @ Organized Clutter said...

Cute post!
I would not like to come upon a snake, even dead. I guess the feral cats are protecting you. And the chair, Babs, that's yummy, chippy paint on the blogs!

Savannah Granny said...

I will chase critters with you if you give one hour in that shed. I think there's gold in them thar shed!
So glad you found the snake dead. Bob and I were sitting on the porch last week and watched a small garter snake cross the walk and slither into the flower bed. It was scary to realize, when he got in the grass you could not see him at all.
Have a great week. Ginger

Olive said...

I just came inside and thankfully we have had a lot of rain but now the mosquitoes have set in so I cannot work in the yard in the evening. I like the chippy red chair-set a pot of yellow flowers in it and it will be wonderful.

Kathy said...

The cycle of life is grand. It looks like everything in OK in your neck of the woods. Thanks for sharing, Kathy

Kelly said...

Gosh, snakes scare me. Good thing that one was dead. Cats are good hunters! Looks like you've got some pretty flowers still in bloom this time of year. Hard to believe that summer is almost over!

Suzan said...

Good Kitty!! Thank goodness it wasn't a rattler or coral snake! You have a wonderful fig tree too!

bj said...

Your flowers are beautiful...with no rain and high heat, all my flowers are fried.:(

Hate snakes..even the dead ones. :)

Wsprsweetly Of Cottages said...

I guess farel kitties come in handy..but we are overrun with them. The poor Mommy cat's just keep having babies. It's sad. They are at least making themselves useful where you are. :)

Unknown said...

Oh boy, so much happening in your garden! :) Lovely foliage all around and I think the caterpillar is a cutie, even though it did munch out your tomatoes. :P

Hugs,

Mary said...

Babs~ I'd rather have small snakes than those tomato worms any day, those worms give me the heebie- jeebies! Your cute feral kitty is doing a great job with critter control! We had a cat that was an amphibian catcher and brought up small frogs and snakes. I actually like your chair~ I'd be tempted to sand the back a little to match the seat and put a potted plant in it :)

Liz@ HomeandGardeningWithLiz said...

Snakes always freak me out! That's pretty cool that the cat killed it! They like to leave presents for you...I guess it's their way of letting you know what they've done!
Looks like your plants are all doing well despite all the heat! Darn tomato worms! I pick and crush! So far we're worm free but they always creep me out when I find them because they blend in so well!
We used to have a metal chair when I was a kid that sat out front of our house...it had holes to let water drain but it rusted frequently. I remember scrubbing on it and using that naval jelly. Seems like we used primer on it and painted it but rust still got through the surface! Oh well, I'm sure you'll make it look new again!
Hugs, Liz

On Crooked Creek said...

Babs,
GREAT Kitty...the kind to have around for your protection, indeed!!! Your yard might show a few weeds...but at least you have green and blooms! The drought nearly finished off every thing this year. Fall will be a time to begin, again! I enjoyed my walk!
Fondly,
Pat

Alycia Nichols said...

I'm going to have nightmares!!!!!!!!

Ivy, Phyllis and Me! said...

So glad "Kitty" has adopted you Babs and is protecting you from snakes. I love your vincas and lantanas. We used to grow them in Cyprus, it must be a similar climate. I had never heard of Crape Myrtles until I started reading blogs, they look a little like lilac bushes. Do they have a perfume, even if they don't they are beautiful. Best Wishes Daphne

The French Hutch said...

I enjoyed my walk with you through your garden. Love you gave the sweet kitty a name, and what a good friend to kill the bad snake. I just love it when the Vinca and Lantana come back, yours is beautiful. Yikes, that is one bad worm, you sure did have a lot of critters this morning!. Thanks for sharing your walk.

~Emily
The French Hutch