I've spent the past week enjoying the backyard. The fall perennials are in bloom and have created some new feeding areas for the bees and the butterflies.

I had the opportunity to rethink my front yard when undergoing new home construction a few years back. The ecoscaping done then is paying off as the butterflies and bees are being attracted by the beebalm, coneflowers, dogwood blossoms, false sunflowers and many natural flowers that came up on their own.

The bumblebees have worked tirelessly to remove pollen from each little beebalm petal. When done in that flower bed they move to the scarlet runner beans in the garden. I could see their plump little bodies sticking out of the bright red blossoms. The butterflies have shared the brilliant pink coneflowers with the bees. I watched the butterflies feed at the flowers and then perform their 'mating dance' amidst the dogwood branches.

The week brought a few days of rain; enough to fill all the rain barrels again. There were a few foggy mornings. I took advantage of the beauty that the fog left behind as it lifted. Tiny droplets of moisture clung to the leaves. They created little 'diamonds' that sparkled in the morning light.

The grasshoppers are abundant and seem to enjoy eating the blossoms off my petunias. The slugs have left their slimy trails over the rocks that border my garden paths. The caterpillars have been creating lacy edges on the shrub leaves.

I've left a tent set up in the backyard. Inside sits a camp cot with a pillow and a sleeping bag. It's my napping spot. There's nothing better than to curl up on the cot and listen to rain fall on the tent or hear the wind rustle the branches overhead. The rain and the wind are Mother Nature's sweet lullabies.

As I lay in the tent this afternoon I wondered what I'm going to do in a few months when the snow falls again. I may have to take up winter camping.