I used to think all of WA was as wet as the Seattle area, but there are areas that are basically desert. If I remember, the SE corner is one of the drier areas. Is that right? Many people tend to set the timers on their sprinklers at the beginning of the season and then forget about them. I test mine at least once a month. Sometimes sprinkler heads get partially or completely clogged or get stuck and spray one area instead of the entire zone they're supposed to cover. One thing that is a little tough to gauge is the true coverage you'll get. I water during the wee hours of the morning (1 AM to 5 AM), but I test during the day. There's better water pressure when I water than when I test, so I may not be adjusting exactly as I should. To get a good test of your watering rates, do the tuna can test. Set some tuna cans around the lawn and run the sprinklers as you normally do. Measure the water in the cans. The goal is about an inch of water a week, preferably all at once (although I think it's tough to keep a lawn in good shape in the desert with once a week watering). If most of the lawn is in good shape, I would hand water the brown spots. Bring the hose to the brown spot, set it on the ground, and let it run at a little more than a trickle, but not so much that it puddles for about 20 minutes to a half hour. Do that about once everyh two weeks. That's a lot better than increasing the water you give the entire lawn. You're right on how easy it is to overwater. Almost everybody in my area has automatic systems. Everything I've read says that the biggest problems faced by Utah lawns is too much water, and I believe it--my next door neighbor waters so much there are dead spots in the lawn, and I have to shut down one of my stations due to overflow from their lawn. If you really want to cut down on watering, you could consider replacing your KBG with wheatgrasses. Western, Streambank and Thickspike are natives and all are rhizomatous (thickspike and streambank are similar except that thickspike prefers sand vs clay for streeambank). Crested wheatgrass is an import. Most crested wheatgrasses are bunchgrasses, but newer varieties (such as roadcrest and ephraim) are rhizomatous. Another drought tolerant grass is sheep fescue (I've seen conflicting reports on whether this is native or imported).

I have personally seen one egg hatch on the 21st day (nest cam) but that is very unusual. There were 3 in that nest and only the one hatched. Diane, just to be on the safe side I'd probably leave them another day or two but it's probably unlikely they'll hatch. I'm sure that extreme cold or heat can be a factor in a failed nesting. I understand how you feel, not wanting to be the "bad guy" by removing her eggs but they do forgive and forget quickly and buy cleaning out this one, she might have another go at it. I think I'd remove the eggs but leave the nest. Lisa, I also suffer from CRS! On a daily basis! :D

Cathy, A week is not very long - she's still adjusting, and like cats who've come from other high-stress situations like some shelters it just takes time for them to relax andfor their true nature to come out. Dont worry about in breeding or whatever - it just sounds like typical kitten behavior to me. Young animals simply dont understand about people trying to sleep and they dont know that they're hurting someone, esp if they were taken away early and didnt learn from sibs/mom how to inhibit their aggression in play situations. ... or in this situation which was probably quite chaotic and stressful. I dont care for spray bottles - like you're going to have one at your finger tips at all times? Suppose you could get a holster for it, but as Cooper wrote a simple yell of OW accompoanied by shrugging her off will suffice. I had a cat who for whatever reason liked to take a flying leap and climb me like I was a tree. This was bad enough in winter, with layers of clothing on, but in summer - claws digging into bare skin - ouch! A couple of loud yells took care of it. If you arent already doing so, Id still be keeping them separate and then switching their spaces periodically so they can start getting used to each other's presence and scent but without having to confront each other all the time. Putting up a screen door temporarily is a good idea too. Let your old guy set the pace for how quickly the process takes. As much as possible, keep up your routines with him and he should have the esteemed positions like sleeping with you at night or whatever your routines were before the kitten came.

Kate - I think I've had everything that can plague daylilies in the last year -except earwigs. You laid out the main list of plagues in your comment. But I'll add two more: deer and burrowing varmints. I was out spraying deer repellant by the light of the moon last night. And I'm trying to repair damage in my red bed by an unidentified burrowing animal that has dug tunnels straight through the middles of some of my biggest clumps and has also caused a cave-in. I actually saw a groundhog running in the neighbor's ditch two days ago. I guess this could be the culprit. I live in the city, so why am I getting all this wildlife? Debra