Good afternoon, everyone, and for those in the US – Happy Fourth of July.

Each country has its own way of celebrating its major milestones, and ours seems to be parades, cookouts, and the most dreaded…fireworks. I am not a fan of the loud noise from fireworks, especially when in the hands of the average person, who shows a careless disregard for people and pets. Even though we are a young country, only 250 years old, it is an important celebration, so I grin, bear it, and give my dog calming chews.

With the freedom we have in this country, we have many opportunities to share in what we DO love. For me, one of the major things is planting colorful flowers; however, this year it got kind of out of hand with the overabundance of the sunflowers turning the yard into a jungle.

I literally cannot get to my front gate without moving the sunflowers aside. While I laugh about it for now, I am looking forward to taking them all down to enjoy the potted plants. I will not allow it to take over next year. However, the sunflowers did help keep the potted plants from getting completely cooked by the high heat we had a couple of weeks ago, but the jungle effect is causing confusion for the birds. I had my first fatality of a Northern Flicker this morning against my front picture window. The reflections of the flowers in the glass gave the bird a false sense of how far she could go. I was heartbroken. I will have to get something put on the glass to keep the birds safe.

The gold finches are loving the sunflowers, which is why I have let them grow. There are multiple male and female goldfinches in the yard throughout the day. And as the flowers begin to seed, there will be more birds.

The house finches are abundant as well, but they prefer the feeder to the sunflowers.

I hope you are enjoying your summer and the nature that surrounds you. Remember the value of kindness with all of nature. Sharing it helps us all to be better people.