My Woof-muffins are pretty happy about summer, too - no coats to be put on!  Sweetcakes loves to try to catch the birds that gather around the feeders, but, alas, she is never fast enough!  Jellybean always seems to spot the mommy rabbit we have around here and tries to catch her before she slips under the fence.  They both love the warmth of the sun on their backs, but are pretty glad to get back into the air conditioning after a while.  Here is a picture of them onTHEIR patio.

Here they lie at the "watch out" spot.  - don't want to miss any
of those birdies or bunnies or squirrels!
 

Guess what?!  While weeding in my backyard flowerbed, I noticed a section where the mulch and soil was all dug up under one of my boxwood shrubs.  Upon investigation, I found it was a nest with only one baby bunny in it.  It's eyes were not yet open and it didn't have any fur yet, either, but it was so cute.  I thought it odd that there was only one.  Usually rabbits have between four and six in their litter.  Well, I had to take a picture - but of course, I did not touch the bunny and carefully covered it up again, and left it as I had found it.  We have had quite a number of bunny nests we have found in our yard over the years.  It is always fun to watch them grow and see them scampering about with their brothers and sisters.  After I first find them, I do not disturb the nest, but check it's appearance on top of the ground.  That is how I know that mommy rabbit has come back to care for her young.  This time something seemed wrong, though.  The ground look undisturbed for a few days and I thought I should check it out.  To my disappointment, I found that the baby bunny had died.  This time, unlike when I first found the bunny, the nest was very deep and I had assumed that mommy rabbit found her baby had died and she dug a deeper hole and buried it.  Sad, but true, I guess that's just Mother Nature's way.
 
 

Did I mention that Sweetcakes is the resident bug catcher?  Well, she just loves to chase any bug she sees around and catch it and to our displeasure - she EATS it!  Yuck!!!  She is just too fast for us.  By the time we see that she has gotten one, we can't get over to her fast enough to get it out of her mouth and next thing we know - GULP! - it's gone!

One cool thing I've noticed in the past couple of years is that at twilight we see bats circling around in our neighborhood, oh, I guess at about fifteen feet or so above our heads.  They are looking for their dinner.  They are the best things to have around in the summer because they eat so many insects.  Most people are grossed out by bats, but I think they are really neat.
Find out more about them and how great they are to have around at these websites:

If bats aren't your thing, how about butterflies?  The Butterfly Newsletter is a great site which I think you will enjoy.  Did you know that you could raise your own butterflies?  - and guess what the latest thing is at weddings these days?  - not a balloon release, but butterflies!

Here's a picture I took with my digital camera.  It has a macro feature.  This pic was taken when it was completely dark outside.  I had gone outside to water the potted plants and noticed my little friend there on my Liatris plants, which are inbetween my Calla Lilies.

Well, Sweetcakes and Jellybean and I certainly hope you enjoy your summer.  But, hey, one more thing - don't forget about your pets during the hot weather.  They need to stay cool, too.  Don't leave your pets in a car or you could be risking their life.  Did you know that on hot, even warm, sunny days, the inside of a car heats up very quickly and on an 85 degree day, even with the windows slightly open, the temperature inside a car can get to 102 degrees in 10 minutes and in 20 minutes it can climb to 120 degrees!  A dog's normal body temperature is 101.5 to 102.2 degrees Fahrenheit.  A dog can withstand a body temperature of 107 to 108 degrees for only a very short time before suffering irreparable brain damage - or even death.  The closed car interferes with the dog's normal cooling process, which is evaporation through panting.

NOTE:  If your dog is overcome by heat exhaustion, immediately immerse or spray him or her with cool running water and continue until the body temperature lowers.  Give him or her water to drink, and consult with a veterinarian as soon as possible to determine if additional treatment is needed.

There are other things to remember, too.  Your dog (or pet) will always try to do whatever he can to please you.  Don't force your dog to run with you in hot weather, or to keep doing tricks or training your dog.  Your dog doesn't know when to stop and take a break, but you should.  Make sure cool, fresh water is always available and provide a shady area for your outside pets.  Also, pets who are hairless, or who lack pigment on their nose or else where should have sunscreen applied to those areas if they are going to be in the sun.  If you have your pet's coat cut very short or shaved for the summer, remember that they, too, can get sunburn, just like us.  A lot of people think that because dogs are decendants of wolves, they are use to being outside and able to cope with the elements, but they are NOT.  Today's pets (cats and dogs) are domesticated.  They are use to us taking care of them and being sheltered from the hot and cold.  Their bodies can not deal with extreme temperatures.
Take care of your pets so they will be around with you for a long time.