Hi fatties!

Just as I was about to  turn off the outside light and head to bed I heard a distinctive squeal and then a sound that only be described as a grunting oink. I called out the window, "Hi fatties' and then heard all sorts of scuffling as their little hooves raced over the sand, finally diving into the brush behind the hill. I didn't know Javelina's made these sorts of sounds so I was very surprised. Their reputation of not being pigs certainly doesn't follow when it comes to what I heard! In any case they devoured the seed block I'd put out only a few days before, hanging around long enough to eat some of the vegetable matter in the compost.

Meanwhile Buddha was going nuts. 'Can't I go out?' he panted, looking up at me with pleading eyes. 'No, Buddha. I don't what they'd do and besides, I like having them around.' Shortly after that I had to put my dog in the closet. He goes willingly when he can't control himself--all I have to say is 'closet' and in he goes.

The next night two of them came again, snuffling and huffing and again making very pig-like noises. They were smaller than the ones from last year and seemed more gray than brown and I wondered if they were fighting as siblings do.

This is the first javelina visit in many months and I was glad to see them--I'm planning to replace the seed block tomorrow. In the meantime the compost has a lot of delicious rotting lettuce and other wonderful delicacies to whet their appetites.

Fall is here with longer shadows and a sun that feels good on the skin instead of scorching. My walks have been taking me further afield and up into the canyons that lead toward the Catalina Mountains. I no longer have to get up at the crack of dawn to walk. this morning it was close to 8:00 before I left the house. And the nights have been cool, allowing us to shut off the air-conditioning. The fruit bats are still draining the hummingbird feeders every night but more than likely they'll be gone in another week or so. I don't remember them hanging around this long last year, but then again it seems as though the seasons are shifting.

I can't end this blog without mentioning the wonderful monsoons this year. There was no wild lightning, crazy wind or sideways rain, instead it was steady and soaking and there was a lot of it! Anyone living in the desert is excited by this and knows the satisfied feeling that comes after a good rain! This year our rains were enhanced by three hurricane turned tropical storm systems that came up from the Gulf of Mexico. But the funniest part about it was the weather predictions got it all completely wrong! The storm they predicted on the national news to be a gully washer turned out to be nothing  more than a fine mist! But the other two added a lot to our rain count.

This is the time to visit the Sonoran desert if you have any hankering to do so. It's more lush than usual, there are still flowers blooming, and the snowbirds have not yet returned!