Verbena flowers

Mosquitos are out and vorocious already.  I go to the freezer multiple times (minimum of 5) each day to deposit ticks in a glass jar I have there for that purpose.  They are everywhere.  When Brother Russell delivered eggs to me last night he pointed out that I had one climbing up my shirt.  The saving grace of mosquitos and ticks are birds like to eat them.  I watched a tree swallow who has a nest in on of the bird boxes do a lazy circle to the left and then hang from the bird house to feed the brood.  He then did a lazy circle to the right and land back at the bird house for another feeding.  Another circle above the house and he had enough mosquitos to land again to stuff into hungry chick's maws.  It all took about a minute's time.  I wait until dusk to bring in the bird feeders since the hummer's all want a "last call' drink  before heading home.  As I headed to the back door I could see the humped shadow of a coon run across the deck.  He's not waiting until it's dark anymore.  I'll bring in the seed feeders earlier and keep more hummingbird feeders on the tall shepherd hooks on the other side of the deck.  That should thwart the coon and satisfy the hummer's thirst.  The deer are dropping their fawns about now.  Just like other years, there are some that are smart enough to hide them in the meadow around the house.  The does know that preditors shy away from human habitations.  Last night's constitutional took a bad turn when Whip noticed a deer heading into the woods.  She backtracked the does scent to her fawn.  It was the bleat of a frightened fawn that got my attention.  Whenever we go for walks in the months of May and June, Whip has her shock collar on.  The 'tone' setting didn't phase her but a spin of the dial on my remote transmitter did - enough anyway for me to grab her harness and walk her back to the house.  I didn't check on the fawn but Whip did this morning.  She couldn't find anything so I'm assuming no harm no foul.  Am ready now for the drama of spring to be over and the halcyon days of summer to begin.