Watered last evening, checked this morning.

 Didn't take my sprayer with me because I watered last night around dusk as I wanted to. Startled a lizard that was hiding between the peppers and the one in the bucket isn't looking so good.

Looked better last night but I suspect it was due to it being much cooler and in the shade. This morning, not so much.

The soil was likely very compacted and most definitely was warmer on one side than the other. Having lighter soil that breathes would have made a difference. 

Where the buckets are now and the collection of bark pieces around the cucumbers. I should stack the two empty buckets since they're not being used, one has the empty bag from the soil that needs to be thrown away. I guess I can call this an experiment to see if growing in plain buckets with holes works.

The difference in the two pictures is rather stark. Evening versus midday. I loosened the soil in the pepper bucket then moved it to the shade and watered a little. It will hopefully be recovered this evening when I check on things again.

I'm not the only one having gopher issues, which it not to say it's okay but gosh darn it.

Please let these plants live! The cucumbers are growing fine, there's flowers on the pepper in the ground, I just want to see them survive and grow. Thriving I can't do right now so, much like my situation, making do with what I've got and surviving.

The sunflowers are about the only things that are just chugging along despite all the other carnage going on in the garden. The bean is hanging in there so far as well. Poor pitiful thing. Should be twice that size and trying to flower like the peppers are. I am beginning to dislike gardening in dirt.

 In nature news, the parrots are slowly easing back on their morning and evening migration. There was even a news report about it for our area of town specifically. The route they take changes but by fall and winter there will be hundreds flying overhead. Even though there are flocks in other parts of town as well. There are two varieties of green parrots that sort of eased over the border from Mexico and it is suspected that one variety may be from an escaped pet years ago. 

The two types are Lilac Crowned Amazon and Red Fronted Amazon. Without seeing them up close they look and sound identical. One obviously has more red just between the eyes and the other not as much. They are both native to the Pacific coast of Mexico so here we are literally a stone's throw from the border and some 'experts' still think they're escapees. It's possible but most likely they're just taking advantage of not having this imaginary line and doing a border checkpoint with a passport.

Also, I heard one of the hawks calling and possibly circling around so it's definitely summer now for the birds and other things.