#back patio

A gecko trapped in a orb weaver's web. I didn't think this was possible given the relative size of predator & prey:

Our kale got ravaged by cabbage white caterpillars so I gave it a severe cut back. The caterpillars & leaves they infested were drowned in water & added to the compost:

When your echinacea blossoms start fading like this, you might be tempted to dead head them. In our experience, it is better to leave them alone. The second flush of blossoms are never that impressive and, if you leave them be, the flowers will make seed that the birds, especially goldfinches, will love more than sunflowers:

Friday's cucumber harvest:

The star of Friday dinner - New York strip steaks:

Dear Gus,

At the end of my tennis match Monday night, I felt something in my hip pop, but didn’t think much of it because the match was over. Yesterday when I woke up, my lower back was incredibly stiff. We happened to have a pain management specialist teach a lunch & learn at work today. I hung back afterward and let him go to work on me. Dude moved my leg around a lot, then said, “There it is,” and he touched a place on my hip that gave me a sharp pain. “It’s not your back, you did something to your hip.” I was blown away. He dry-needled around the spot and when I stood up, I had a full range of motion. I went into the deal pretty skeptical, but he won me over, even if the pain eventually came back. He told me it would and he gave me a stretch to do that would help me recover more quickly.

Dad