Found a little frog hanging on to the top of my patio umbrella, as I was lowering it for the impending storm.
Very white in color, not green at all. And it was sitting on top of the umbrella, basking like a snake...
Someone told me recently here that one of the signs of overuse of pesticides was the lack of frogs. Not a problem here; I've seen four in two days.
spent some time with my Gravely down mowing the roadside at the far end of the property, on the other side of the pond and got the mower hung up on the rear hitch while crossing the ditch. All I could do was walk to the house next door, where my helper lives, and borrow his shovel. As I was digging somewhat unsuccessfully, and watching the wheels just spin around, and was in the process of shoving stuff in front of the wheels as digging from behind under the extended hitch was proving hard to do.
And then the cavalry arrived...some nice guy and his wife slowed down, took one look at me sweating with a shovel in my hand, and asked if I'd like a pull out. You bet. That took all of two minutes; long ago I had installed a heavy duty pull ring on the front of the little tractor. Not its first rodeo getting pulled out, but boy would I have had a hike all the way back to the barn in that heat. So, now thoroughly soaked, I finished my mowing and headed for the shower.
But on the way, for the second time in a week, I got stung on my left hand. Hand was filthy so I sure wasn't going to suck on it, got the stinger out. Never did see the bee after I instinctively swatted it off. Took me a while to get back to the house, take a shower, hand was really starting to itch. And swell. And swell some more until the knuckles were just a memory. Ok, now I have to pay attention, on goes the 1% cortisone cream, on goes the ice bag. Doesn't seem to be getting worse, and the itching has slowed down. I wonder if two stings in one week has amped up my sensitivity. If one of them could do this to me, getting stung twenty or thirty times would sure mean a ride to the ER. My older brother has carried an epi pen for years. Wonder if I'm getting more sensitive as I get older. Gosh, that's what I tell the women at the bar and it seems to work so well...

I wish.