Smoky Summer Skies 2017 – © Colehauscats.com

(Photo taken in late afternoon. Actual sky and sun color. Small black dot to right of sun is flying bird.)

Today, we *think* fall weather might be considering coming along but gone are the days when September meant cooler temperatures and the return of our fall/winter rainy season. Last weekend was the first in a long, long while that we hadn’t had record-setting temperatures and smoke-filled skies from the gorge wildfires some fifty miles to our east. Earlier in that week, we had actual ash falling from the skies for two days. Mom sure did have fun cleaning up after all that!

*grumble grumble*

Z comes a-visitin’ © Colehauscats.com

Z’s personal drinking fountain – © Colehauscats.com

We didn’t shut off our fountain over the ash-fall days but did refresh the water every afternoon. Somecat sure enjoyed that and the raccoons remembered where the fresh water was and made it part of their early evening/nightly rounds.

Raccoon babies taking a break from the heat – © Colehauscats.com

Raccoon baby cooling off – © Colehauscats.com

Raccoon baby washing up – © Colehauscats.com

Crepe Myrtle almost done flowering – © Colehauscats.com

Our crepe myrtle is almost done flowering already, only a month early. We used to count on this as being our fall flowering bush, but this year, as also happened last year, it went into bloom a full month earlier than ever.

Squirrels are stocking up on nut fat – © Colehauscats.com

Our hot weather hasn’t stopped the squirrels from stocking up on their nut consumption. Maybe they know something we don’t? Looks like it’s just about time for us to swap out their old feeder for a new one (we keep a new one in stock and switch it out every other year). Between the squirrels and raccoons, that feeder gets a serious workout!

2017 was a good year for Roma tomatoes – © Colehauscats.com

Our tomatoes loved our summer heat as did the last of the strawberries. Mom’s considering giving up on strawberries for next year. “They take a LOT of water,” she says, because she grows them in sunny hanging baskets and keeps the plants around for only three years.

***WARNING! WARNING! BIRD ALERT***

A Pigeon? At Colehaus? – © Colehauscats.com

Imagine our surprise when this not-so-little pooping machine fluttered into our backyard one day. We don’t live anywhere near where pigeon might hang out so, we’re thinking this guy must have stopped by for a drink of cool water before heading elsewhere. Like Chicago or New York or maybe even Rome!

Since Teese went to the No-Kill shelter for adoption and then, was adopted just this week (SQUEEEEE!) there haven’t been too many visiting kitties this month. We think the weather has just been too hot and smoky and we’d like to think people are being smart by keeping them indoors (no, really, we know people can be smart… if they want to be).

So, we’ll leave you in the soft, delicate paws of Miss Newton, who goes in for yet another blood pressure check this weekend (her fifth, or maybe her sixth?), and who is undoubtedly saying to Mom in this photo, “What? Again?? This needs to stop, lady!”

Miss Newton, September 2017 – © Colehauscats.com

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

A Colehaus Cats Flashback:

2016 – No post
2015 – Ruby Tuesday
2014 – Multicat Monday
2013 – No post
2012 – No post