Philomena in her teacup

Dear Diary,

Philomena has her own feeding area, complete with a nice pool.  I made this teacup birdseed feeder for the birds.  I tucked it into the tree peony but somehow Philly has discovered it.  She climbs up the peony and perches of the rim of the cup and, well, this is the result.  So much for my clever deception!

The hot temperatures of the last few days have sent the black flies packing.  Yesterday I saw my first dragon fly, my extra photo today.  This morning the air is filled with them.  It is one of my favorite moments...the return of the dragonflies!  In Celtic mythology, dragonflies are fairies in disguise.  This allows the little people to be near humans without being recognized.  They will land right on you if you sit still.

Someone once told me that this was because our exhaled carbon dioxide attracts other flying bugs so they hover nearby to catch them.  I, on the other hand, prefer the Celtic explanation.  To each his own!