Texas Birding Trip, Spring 2014

Oh, how do I begin?  It's been a long time and as each day goes by, I seem to be more intimidated.   Anyway, here goes. 

The last few weeks have been very full.  I traveled to High Island, Texas in mid-April for my annual bird migration trip.  Had a great time, as usual.  After a few trips, you get familiar with the area and terrain and its like going home.  You never know what you'll see on these trips and that is the thrill of it.  

Male Red-Winged Black Bird showing off for the ladies 

Besides, catching migrant birds as they just reach the shore after their trans-gulf flight allows to seeing things you might not ever get to see at home.   

Male Scarlet Tanager (with leaf in the way!)

Male Rose Breasted Grosbeak

I have to admit that I like being in the presence of so many other birders.  It's the same among anyone with a shared passion, I suppose, whether its birding, painting, or baseball.

Heck, you don't even have to get out of the car to see good birds, as evidenced above.  

Anybody care to count how many birds are in this next photo?

Rookery at Smith's Woods, High Island, Texas 

In addition to the obvious birds, there was lots of other interesting and gorgeous scenery to take in. 

Bluebonnets

This was the only patch of bluebonnets anywhere around, but there was fields and fields of Mexican primroses.

Thistle in bloom

I'll quit boring you for the moment.    Y'all take care. 

Yard Work and Stuff

This is one of those days when you can't sit inside.  I mean, the sun is shining, there's the tiniest of breezes and its about 70 degrees outside.  The yard calls.   Hubby helped and we trimmed up some plants and shrubs that had been neglected.    My fatsia bush has been overtaken by sooty mold and was looking quite ragged, thanks to old age and disease.  I whacked it down to the ground where new shoots are already appearing.  I also thinned out the ragged cast iron plants next to it.  Now, I have to treat both areas with some kind of horticultural oil in hopes of killing whatever is attracting the mold.

The fatsia is the big plant right behind the tree.  Didn't look like that now, though.  This picture is from May 2010.   I love those plants.  The stand up to our heat and humidity well and to our cold weather, too.  Although I think the extra cold we had this winter helped speed along its demise.  But, the thing is about 13 years old, so I'm not complaining.  And the little ones are sprouting up already.    I'd recommend both the fatsia and the cast iron plant because they thrive on neglect and in shade.   Once a year or so, I'll do a clean up and throw a handful of fertilizer of some kind on them and forget about them.  My kind of gardening.   

We're trying to empty out the garden house and use up the bits and pieces, but I ran out of fertilizer, so had to make a dash out to get some more so I could finish feeding all the plants outside.   I am so lazy.  Shoulda put out some kind of organic compost during the winter but didn't do it.  I have access to free horse manure and I'd bet he'd even haul it down here, provided I took a truck load.  But then, what the heck am I gonna do with a truck load of manure?!?!?   (Oh, he's my brother, so he could be called on for that kinda thing.)  I don't know if he still has these two horses or not.  You know how horse traders are.   But, he'll have horses till his dying day. His wife, too.  

The oak leaves are falling like rain.  We've already raked the west side of the yard about four times and it may need another one to finish them off.  The trees don't lose their leaves at the same pace, so we're raking leaves in the spring for a good two or three months.   I sure hope the oak blossoms hurry up and finish doing their thing.  Hubby has a real problem with them.  He's wearing a surgical mask for the first time this year and it is really helping.  

I have absolutely no pictures to fit in here but what the heck.  Here's an oldie that I like. 

This child (oldest granddaughter) is now a freshman in college!!

Y'all take care and I hope spring gets to your house real soon if it hasn't shown up already!!

Utter Chaos

You oughta see my garage!!  Looks like a junk shop, albeit what I'd call a high class junk shop.  Finally getting around to that garage sale I first mentioned back in October.  I'm committed now, so no backing out.  Most everything is priced, unless I find more stuff to add.  

The bad thing is that you have to gather everything up, put it on tables and price it.  Then, on the morning of the sale (in the wee hours, I might add), you have to put empty tables out on the driveway and then move every-little-piece out to those tables, and then move those tables out to the driveway and move more little pieces to them!   Whew.  Makes me tired to just think about it.  Got friends coming the afternoon before and staying over so they'll be here to help with the stepping and fetching the day of the sale.  Thank goodness. 

We've decided we're going to keep the stained glass window.

This is the very first garage sale I've ever had so it ought to be a real learning experience.  Wish me good luck. 

Y'all take care. 

C.O.W. Jumped Over the Fence

Can I just jump right back in here after my absence and be a C.O.W. for a minute?  (That's Cranky Old Woman, in case you're wondering.) There was just a story on the local news about whether cursive writing should be taught any more in schools.   Well, color me old fashioned and backwards, but nothing ticks me off worse than to see someone in high school, college or beyond struggle to write something a fourth grader should have mastered!!!  Are you impressed by a sharply dressed and coiffed executive who can't write their name legibly or put together an intelligent sentence?   Me neither.   Being computer literate and proficient is not enough.  This is not an either/or situation, people.  Success requires both "real" writing (as we used to call it in second grade) and computer savvy.  Don't even get me started on people who don't read beyond grade school level and think they're all educated.  Okay, the C.O.W. will jump back over the fence and go on about her business now. 

Hoping to have several of these blooms this year.

I'll be back shortly with much better vibes, I promise. 

Y'all take care. 

Our Winter Storm

We truly did have a winter storm.  It was nasty no matter how you looked at it.  We got freezing rain first, then sleet and then a tiny bit of snow. 

The birds and squirrels were feeding at a feverish rate, trying to take in enough calories to help keep them warm. 

The first thing I noticed when the temperatures started dropping was the formation of icicles on the bird feeders. 

They finished off the feeders in one day.  When I went outside the next morning to refill them, I crunched on the ice the whole while.   Our temps stayed below freezing from Tuesday until early on Thursday.   The ice in my yard didn't all melt until Friday.  I recall times like that while growing up here in northwest Florida, but this is the only time it has been like this in the past fifteen years.

Now, its just cloudy and dreary but quite warm - in the low 60's.  You can bet if it stays this way, our plants will start springing forth in the next couple of weeks.  It's a few weeks early, but if we don't get any more freezing spells, it'll be okay. 

No other exciting news to share at the moment.  Hope my northern friends stay warm and safe with all these storms coming through. 

Y'all take care. 

Yup. It's nasty outside.

Just looking out the window and noticing that the water drops on the leaves of the oak trees are turning to ice!!!!  Already noticed the icicles forming on the bird feeders from the drizzling rain.

Bummer.  I'll be back soon. 

Y'all take care. 

Mumblings

I'm struggling these days.  Posts whirl around in my head but somehow don't make it here.  

The trip home from Iowa was just like the trip up there--tiring and stressful trying to outrun a storm front containing nasty weather.  But, we were successful and even had time for a fun stop at Missouri Star Quilt Company in Hamilton, Missouri.  

Carl Sandburg's Writing Room, Flat Rock, NC 

The time since then has been filled with various stuff. 

I've been working on a Friendship Braid quilt using shabby chic colors and its coming along.  No pictures of it yet, though. 

I'm trying to clean up my sewing studio so it doesn't look like a tornado hit it.  That's easier said than done since I've run out of storage space.  

I've noticed that there's a few new followers and I am so happy to see that.  Being the lax blogger that I am, I don't always acknowledge the folks I appreciate the most.  Anyway, thank you!! 

Y'all take care, and stay warm.