The second group of baby swallows is getting ready to fly the coop.  They are so cute sticking their heads out over the edge of the nest.  My grandson happened to get a picture with the mom landing.  He's only 3! 

A big hawk landed in the mesquite tree by the pool the same day that we took the swallow pictures.  He did not stay long enough for me to capture him on film.  Beautiful bird.

It has been cloudy and overcast most of this week but we haven't gotten much rain.  It has stayed a little cooler, in the 90s instead of the 100s.  So that is something.

I have not been feeling great this week.  I have a pain in my side and lots of aches and pains, more than normal.  I think that I need to go back to the doctor and have my thyroid medicine re-evaluated.  I got a new book about natural cures and the causes of various ailments.  I seem to have a lot of the low thyroid symptoms.  So we shall see.

My tomatoes continue to grow and produce more fruit.  None of them have turned red yet though.  I continue to water them every day.  Morning glory vines have taken over my other garden area.  They are climbing up everything including my blueberry bushes.  They haven't gotten any blooms on them yet either.  Steve wants to cut them down as he says they are weeds, but I won't let him.  We have a pact.  He can cut down whatever he wants outside of my gardens but nothing inside my raised beds.  Seems to be working ok so far.  I would let him cut them down if they were anywhere near the alpacas or goats.  Morning glories are toxic.  So are oleanders.  I thought that was common knowledge but found out it is not.  At the Tucson Zoo recently they lost a big male giraffe.  It was discovered that one of the zoo employees had fed him and the female a bunch of oleander which is planted all over the zoo!  I guess the USDA inspected and now the zoo is removing all the oleander.  Thank goodness.  You'd think all those zoo officials and biologists would know what plants would harm their animals.  Just blows me away!  The female giraffe survived and is doing well now.