It's a Beautiful Day in This Neighborhood

(All together, now!)
...A beautiful day for a neighbor
would you be mine?
Could you be mine?
...
Won't you be my neighbor?
Hi neighbor!



Indeed a lovely day here at The Resort and Zoological Gardens*, much to my joy. Today, after work, I watered the front garden roses then moved to the back yard where I did my routine trajectory around the perimeter, dedicating each tree, pot and flower its individual time and attention.

The dog, cat, bird and flying insect population was out in all its glory. Two very large Junebugs and one bee stayed stubbornly around the apple tree. Two hummingbirds, and a number of mockingbirds and sparrows (the regulars) relayed between the mandarin, the guava trees, and the rose trees, where their nests are, eager to get a taste of the mist coming off my water hose.

I alternate yard activities, so as to keep everyone involved and interested. Tomorrow is grooming day and everyone is getting brushed. They do enjoy that, as do I. I highly recommend the Furminator. No, I don't have stock in it. I've just been through every comb out there and for the purposes of shedding, it's the best I've found. It's not a flea comb. I still use a flea comb to keep the critters pest-free, and that's a separate step in the grooming dance. But for cutting down on the shedding in the house and keeping our fur-babies cool as the weather is getting noticeably warmer, the Furminator is the fastest and safest way to get the job done.

Coco is a 90 lb Yellow Lab. Cleo is a German Shepherd mix. All the cats average about 11 lbs. This is an expensive comb, so rather than get the large for the dogs and the small for the cats, I got the medium and hoped for the best. Sure enough, it has served everyone equally well. The handfuls of fur at the end of Grooming Hour are distributed throughout the garden, tucked into the lower branches of the trees, free for any of the birds to use to line their nests, if they wish to.

Such is our little paradise now that we're averaging 80 degrees again, and the trees are full and green, lending shade and not looking so skeletal.

Hammock weather.

*As penned by Friend-a-rific Matthew.
**Image: findthebestdeals.com