Swallows on the porch, milkweeds in the garden

Two barn swallows are building a nest on our front porch.  When I was a kid they would sometimes do that, and my mom would have a fit.  When the babies hatch, they stick their butts over the edge of the nest and poop on the porch.  My dad, who liked birds, made a small wooden platform to catch the droppings and keep my mom happy.

Now, since I am not much of a carpenter, we just let them poop on the porch floor.  It is worth it to watch them bring mud to build the nest, and later to watch them feed the hungry babies.  They are one of the prettiest birds around.

I also have milkweeds growing among my hot peppers.  With almost all of the local farmers using Roundup Ready corn and soybeans, there are few milkweeds left for the Monarch butterflies.  I don’t think the milkweeds will interfere with my habeñeros and jalapeños, so I’m letting them grow.

And aren’t you impressed that I’ve leaned how to do the tilde above habeñeros and jalapeños?