We had several rainy days in a row last week so I didn't need to do any watering and it had been a while since I'd really been in the backyard except to check for ripe tomatoes and fill the squirrel feeder. It was surprising to discover just how much had changed in such a short time: an acorn squash is starting to actually look like an acorn squash and I have hopes of it ripening without falling off the vine and rotting like the ones I saw earlier in July; the peas are trying to escape, perhaps with the goal of joining the beans, which are tall and blooming, in the box next door; the ground cherries suddenly bushed out and searching for ripe fruit on the soil beneath them has become a bit of a challenge - the consolation is the huge quantity of fruit still ripening; the squirrels are just as noisy but seem to have realized that I'm the one providing them with peanuts and will let me get a little closer; there is grass growing on the ground beneath the bird feeder; there is a peanut growing in the pot that houses my sweet peppers; a pansy is volunteering on the edge of my compost pile; and I filled a bucket with dinner.