Five Inches of Rain - And the Squirrels Feast

"Is breakfast ready yet?"

We had 5 inches of rain in the last 24 hours, with misting and more rain on the way. All my rain-barrels and buckets were full this morning. The birds and squirrels were hungry, so hungry that the juvenile squirrels were eating at two levels, on the Lowe's bird-feeder above and the platform feeder below.

I could not get a good photo inside, so I went outside to try, knowing the squirrels would run. But they did not run away, only around the corner. I caught the same two peeking around the corner to see if they could travel back a few feet and eat some more. The brickwork makes it easy for them to travel along the house, up and down.

They really made me laugh.

The rain beat down the Butterfly Bushes, which are sagging with the weight of the soggy branches. The roses perked up from the rainstorm, and more will be blooming. Although the weather felt wintery this morning, we will contiue to have 70 degree days until the end of October. November and December will also be warm, if Accu-Weather lives up to its name.

The leaves are green on the trees and not falling at any great rate. Fortunately, the pine needles are falling rapidly, so we have plenty to gather for the Hosta garden.

Facebook friends really loved the three dozen roses I gathered for our chiropractor friend, so I will post it again.

Our Moline thought I ran out of bud vases, but I said, "No, this was a request for three dozen at once."

We never get used to the roses. The front yard is all roses or mulched places for a few more.