Right on Time

The hummingbird, a male, turned up yesterday at 11:48 a.m. My camera hasn't caught him in action, so far he's elusive.

I went back to check the records of the past 12 years. Here are the arrival dates:

May 5
May 8
May 7
May 5
May 8
May 8
May 9
May 9
May 9

There are 3 years for which I'm lacking data--1994, because we didn't take up residence here till mid-June. One spring we spent early May in England; another year we were in France.

My research study proved that May 9 has occurred with exactly the same frequency as May 8. So the wee fellow wasn't late at all, but exactly on time.

Yesterday I endured a blazing 87 degrees here at the Lodge. We skipped over spring and went straight to summer. Today will be much the same, but a front will bring cool air and rain and more seasonal conditions. It's odd, yet typical, to go from living in a flood zone to a desert.

The young dogs ran out of bounce by midday. Lola, burdened with her husky coat, napped on the cool Italian stone tiles near the kitchen area.

I've been picking my flowering bulbs fast and furiously, for fear they'll fry if I leave them on the plants.



Yesterday I braved the blackflies to pot up 8 basil plants. I repotted a hardy English lavender I've been growing indoors, rooted from a cutting taken last year. Someday it might even go into the ground. I've got several French lavenders, too, but they don't survive the winters here. Meaning I end up with loads of puny plants in little pots. Not a bad thing, but do I need so many? Perhaps I should donate them to the church plant sale--except for the special one I've experimentally tried to "bonsai" by twisting its central stems.