Conversations in a garden

Sunday was a furnace, 90-degrees and pretty much the same is expected all this week. That is a drastic change from last weeks 60-degree temperatures. The soil is dry and my garden is pretty much in shock. Even the tough-as-nails sedum was limp and wilting in yesterday's heat.

I've seen very few bees so far this season. Yesterday two red admiral butterflies and one skipper were busy in the dames rocket.

To take my mind off the miserable heat, I sat outside and watched a pair of chickadees discussing the good and bad qualities of a bird house. One of them peeked into the entrance and studied the carving above the door while carrying on a conversation with the other who sat on a branch above.

Mrs. Chickadee: What a lovely little cottage this is.

Mr. Chickadee: It’s a wren house, precious, much too small.

Mrs. Chickadee: Not too small, dear, cozy.

Mr. Chickadee: Sweetest, the door is too small.

Mrs. Chickadee: Are you saying I'm fat?

Mr. Chickadee: No, never, my love, you are perfection. I’m just saying, there are holes in the wall.

Mrs. Chickadee: Those are decorative windows, dear.

Mr. Chickadee: Yes my little pumpkin, but it looks shabby. It needs painting.

Mrs. Chickadee: Shabby Chic, dear, and the house you liked was cedar with no paint. I love the view. From here, I can look through the door and see the bleeding heart and the foxgloves across the garden.

Mr. Chickadee: Before we decide, can we just look at a few more houses, love.

Mrs. Chickadee: We can look, but I really like this one.