Spiny invasion

Once it stopped raining on Sunday I went out to harvest some cherries before they all rot. Such delicate fruit - they go from not ripe to rotten in just a day when it's wet out. I got pretty soaked from shaking the water off the leaves higher up, but such is the sacrifice for cherries. My next free evening is Wednesday, and anything left by then will certainly be moldy. 

At one point, I moved the ladder and provoked the shrieking of the hedgehog who was hanging out in the tall weeds along the fence. Another one!

Or maybe one I'd seen before. It's hard to tell them apart. The only way I know there are at least three of the little guys is because I saw three at once the other day. Perhaps there are thirty.

Well maybe just three. They get around. This one quit the cherry tree proximity and proceded to waddle along the edge of the mowed area to end up by the grape. Just waddled along, bold as you please. Not hiding in the weeds or anything. Took about ten minutes, so one could cover the whole yard in a day if it wanted the exercise.

Bandersnatch was out keeping me company, and Natalie came by once or twice, but neither cat paid any attention at all to the hedgehog. They must have a deal set.

Now when I look around the yard I'm likely to notice the small, grey-white, potato-shaped things nosing around in the flowers and the weeds. They're everywhere. They're taking over.