when the cat's away....

Finally we are home!!! An extra long visit to the USA was fun-filled and relaxing, but now i am so ready to get my hands dirty again!
From the looks of things around here, a lot has been going on. In a word: OVERGROWTH, of both flora and fauna. I expected the long spiraling vines, extreme weed invasion, bolting basil, and even the moldy film layer on all clothing and textiles in the house. this is tropical living in all its glory.
Rainy season came early this year, so the 4-6 months of photosynthetic bliss began without me. Most days, the air is thick with impending rain, not a stifling humidity though; it is like a warm haze, the sun glowing dimly somewhere in the sky, making the air almost visibly green. Then suddenly, a wonderfully refreshing breeze heralds RAIN, RAIN, and more RAIN, drenching everybody and everything in tropical wetness. So the plant profusion I anticipated. the barrage of animal life is another story. more than one actually.

You leave a house with only screened windows and doors for 2.5 months, what do you expect, right? And it is fly season after all. However, it was still startling (to say the least) when I interupted the very settled-in ANT COLONY that had moved in to my PAJAMA DRAWER! Big gross ants with eggs and all. Escaping the heavy rains, my bedroom window must have offered ideal access into my closet, i.e. the perfect nesting space.
I had no problem eradicating the ant community. Ants and i go way back, this was only one more skirmish in our ongoing conflict of interests.

The situation in the coat rack is entirely different. here's an initial glance.
Hmm. sticks and junk inside a hanging baseball cap? How strange.
Closer inspection reveals oh-so-much more:

BABY BIRDS!!!

Yes, real live wild baby birds. Did i mention the coat rack is IN the house?!? Her beak stuffed with tasty morsels, Mama Bird slips under the crack of our front door several times a day. Three little chirpers wait patiently in their baseball cap nest. Life was certainly less perilous for this birdy family before Chia the cat moved back inside. There's only so long I can carefully moniter the cat's actions. Twice now I've found Chia face to face with a baby bird; by some miracle the tiny winged-ones seem fully intact. Hopefully they will be fast learners and fly out of here soon!

The animals I was most happy to see are thankfully alive and well, if a tad on the skinny side.

Chia

Stella & Daisy