Foster dog Jacques has this thing where, if an insect comes near him, he’ll try to grab it. I’ve seen other dogs do that, but what I’ve never seen is a bird hundreds of feet in the air, and he will run all over the backyard to try to catch up to it and chase it away or perhaps attempt to reach it. Granted, tons of birds land in the backyard on the ground for various reasons. I’m afraid he will one day catch a bird and injure or kill it, but chasing them out of the yard or barking at them when they land on the fence or in a tree is one thing. I guess he burns a lot of calories chasing them out of the sky though, since that’s “his” territory.

Backyard hummingbird and birds visiting the fountain the other day. Before the house fire, I went through a very dry period with no hummingbirds, which I could not explain. I thought maybe it was because they were in love with some of my purple plants that fit their beaks well, but it used to be Grand Central when I first moved here, and most of my friends can’t keep up with the hummingbird feeders they have. I’m just glad to see them, and I’m thinking about getting one of those bird houses that record the birds while they eat, which is so cool.

Below is an updated video of the backyard after major bushes were pruned, many of which Shea did himself. I am a believer in a lot of “chop and drop” method, especially because the dogs are constantly walking on the brush in the “dog run” toward the back fence perimeter. That helps restore the same nutrients to the soil and helps with carbon sequestration, without removing tons of perfectly good organic material into the “green bin” for no reason. It’s nice to see more of the back fence and more exotic plants rather than just big green blobs. It’s also important to have space for vegetables and herbs, but in the near future, I’m putting in a back deck cover and new retaining walls, so there is going to be lots of reorganizing and fun things, especially after the inspiration I got once again from the recent Vallejo Garden Tour.