more fry, and stuff-

Looked in the 20H this morning and actually yelled in surprise: hey, more baby guppies! Two new fry. Didn't expect that. Counted on my fingers- it's been just about six months, so this should really be the last lot they're able to have. Seeing the fry prompted me to (carefully) do a tank cleaning, and move the babies into the mesh box (which has been empty for a while, but still in the tank).

Lost my few pepper seedlings yesterday. They had just come up, and it was seventy degrees, so in the greenhouse well over a hundred. I ran to shift plants out of the greenhouse, everything else was okay but the little peppers had wilted from the heat. However there are more seeds in the tray that hadn't sprouted yet, so I might still get some.

Noticing the birds this morning. Mourning doves didn't nest in the squirrel tree after all, they went elsewhere. But some robins are raising young nearby- at least two pairs are in the yard frequently, and I found half a bright blue eggshell in the garden. There's sparrows around, and the wren hops about on the deck in the early morning. Cardinals haven't stayed in my yard to nest this year, but there's a pair of blue jays and what I'm pretty sure are brewer's blackbirds. I think the jays and blackbirds are nesting nearby- either my yard or adjacent one, because I see them foraging on the ground and darting about in shrubs almost daily. I'd like to think I'm seeing more birds because I've got about more natural mulch, materials and plants that insects live on.

Also saw a skink yesterday! Young one, bright blue tail. Heard familiar rustling sound in dry leaves and peeked behind a pot- the lizard froze, then darted into a crack. Made me smile to see one.