§ 12 months of Nature in 2019...

Once again, from my monthly recordings...a review of the past year. And again, the frame used was before I revamped my blog look. I think this is the last of my images that have the old framing.

Early sun on the bay


Toadstools after a week of rain


Raw Copper from Tucson AZ mine  [in our  yard....we bought it while on a tour of a copper mine when living in Tucson, and moved it here with us!!]  After all, copper costs a pretty penny!!!!


Cypress Tree seed pods


White Tailed Dear [and white in the background bushes...egrets]


Turtle at Lakeview Park


Dolphins in front of the ship's bow


Coral


Wiley Coyote on the beach


Autumn Splendor on a Nature Trail


Passionflower seed pod with dew drop


Coral Beans

§ Day Trippin'

A new title: My blog is now Hootin' Anni's DAY TRIPPIN'. 90% or more of my postings is about my walks and the scenery I see, so instead of recording by chronicles ... I am now trippin'....


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I couldn't take the absence away from Port Aransas and my curiosity was building, so yesterday I headed to see what has been done with their clean-up efforts. Of course I wasn't expecting to do any birding, I just wanted to see for my own eyes instead of relying on the "fake" news. [lol]

When I arrived, I was flabbergasted!! Just outside the town I witnessed mountains [literally] of trash in an open field. Along the residential streets, still piles of debris. I think more than last month when I was last there. AEP [American Electric Power] fleet trucks were still out and about restoring downed wires/power poles, etc. Most of what I witnessed was new roofing and then tearing down of damaged sections of homes and businesses and the beginning of rebuilding. Maybe 30 percent was re-opening, but still a long long way to go.

The two parks I frequent were still closed. I pulled into the town's Community Park since there was no warning signs "Closed". I got out and started to walk the path only to find power lines and poles ripped from the ground and lying on the turf. I stopped to take a photo of this ball park lighting fixture...

No sense in stickin' around here. The wires were strung over the path...too dangerous. I left for the beach. At least there I can walk...

The jetty is inaccessible these days...unless you have waders or don't mind getting wet traipsing through the sea. This area USED to BE a beach parking lot. But now-a-days, the landscaping has drastically changed...the sea near the jetty is now up to the dunes. And this was low tide. So I imagine the beach access road is water at HIGH tide.

I walked along the beach and continued until I reached the Magee Beach Pier and then some. The seaweed was scarce, but when I turned around to go back to the car, I walked along the washed-up sargassum in search for any sea beans.  A few weeks after large storms out to sea, the buoyant seeds will wash ashore and get lodged in the seaweed.  It's always a good chance of finding several kinds of seeds.  I've made jewelry out of some I have found!!   I found a couple of sea hearts! These particular two really weren't shaped like hearts, but I DO HAVE SOME that are!! Shown previously, HERE.

Under the pier pilings a lone Great Blue Heron was anticipating the biggest catch. But, alas, that one got away!!



Back at the jetty a lone Brown Pelican dreamed of better days when life was filled with fishermen lined up on the jetty with free hand-outs!

My morning wasn't complete until I sat and watched the ships come in and go out. It was quite busy; tankers and cargo ships lined up, waiting for channel pilots to board and guide them through. Perhaps I can spot a dolphin or two at the ships' bows!

While I sit and unwind I will wait for any more 'action' along the channel. I'll catch up with you later....

§ hi ho the derry-o, a beanin' we will go...

Like Alice of Alice in Wonderland, I seem to have lost some of my 'muchness'!!! I am having a difficult time coming up with 'new stuff' to post. Lately, it's been all about birding and health issues and the sultry weather around here. And I KNOW you're all bored to smithereens with that. I think perhaps, at least for this month, the drought has been broken. We have had some good downpours and street flooding lately. The yard has been saturated in the recent weeks to where we have had small ponds here and there. I'm not complaining. Tropical Storm, Ingrid, off the eastern coast of Old Mexico is supposedly going to be hurricane force by this weekend; which will perhaps give us MORE rain. Bring it on! Maybe, just maybe we'll have some water in the dried up tidal basins once again.

Taking a short drive to the islands the other day, we decided to go beaning. For the past three years or more, the drift seeds [even sea shells] have been very scarce on the beaches. We walked a few miles round trip and found very little that I could use to make some of nature's jewelry... [ link: a necklace I made from sea beans and glass]. The Sea Heart Bean [shaped like a heart] is what I really tend to search for, but they've been very elusive for a long time. I did find one that is reportedly 'coveted' by seed collectors; and that is the "Sea Purse" [or saddle bag] bean. Supposedly, again stated on web sites, this is an Asian seed....staying afloat across the oceans for up to four years!!! I personally think that perhaps the origins of the sea purse seed could be Asian....but I don't agree that the ones that end up in the Gulf of Mexico actually came from Asia!! Now here's my theory -- the sea purse floats along the ocean's current to land in Old Mexico, taking root there. And then, when the seed pods burst --in Mexico they then drift up to the coast of Texas. Just my thought. None-the-less I was pleased as punch to actually find one. The photo I share is the "Sea Purse" in my fingers. The ones laying down are a small collection from the day...the sea heart bean being a couple of them. By the way, the sea purse is very similar to the 'hamburger bean'...but more variegated and much larger!!


Oh, and y'all have heard of cicadas, right? When I was a kid, living in Nebraska along the river [oh we had a home, not just nomads and homeless...lol], in the long hot summer days the cicadas were so noisy sometimes it was deafening. I grew up hating them 'cause nearly 'round the clock they gave off that ear piercing mating song high up in the trees along the bank of the rivers. And up until we moved to Texas I had never ever seen one up close and personal. This past week, when I was out walking, one of those boogers flew right up into my face and glanced off my cheek to land on a branch. Luckily, I had my camera and zoomed in on it. I still don't like hearing them. Legend has it that when they start their noisy ritual there will be rain coming soon. I would much rather hear the raindrops falling from the sky!!

§ Out of the ashes...rises the Phoenix

We've been lazing around this week. Doing not much of anything. We did go beaning one day, and will probably be out on the beach again today if the tide's low...looking for drift seeds. Last year, we found VERY few. But this past week, Old Mexico has had their first hurricane make landfall from the Pacific side of the coast; heading eastward. So, it's kinda churning up the Gulf of Mexico and the wave action in our area is a bit 'rougher' than usual. At least the day we went out. Once the waters get to heavin' and rollin' a bit, the drift seeds show up on the beach. The other day, when we decided to go searching for some, the tide was a bit too high yet, and the seaweed was really a bit too soggy to go tromping through. But I did find three heart beans and one hamburger bean. I was surprised, and a bit happy to know they're returning to our area. The Sea Heart is my favorite. They ARE shaped like hearts.

We continue to return to one refuge to find some baby American Coots. To no avail tho. We can hear them chirping and calling out, but the mommies and daddies are keeping them well hidden in the back bushes along the canal. Oh well. If we're persistent enough, maybe one day...

We had a two day Robert Langdon movie marathon. LOL. Not really a marathon, but the last two nights we have sat down and watched THE DA VINCI CODE and ANGELS AND DEMONS. It's been quite a while since we've watched them. Even tho we know the outcome, they still hold our interest.

Why? Well, I'll tell you why. Monday I bought a new book that has just been put out on the shelves recently. At Target they had the book, Inferno, on sale for $17.95 [original price $29.95}...so, I bought it. And I tell you...it has been a page turner from the get-go!! I'm more than half way through the book already and I don't want to put it down, but have to to eat and sleep...oh, and do laundry. Wish I could just continue to read 24/7. It's that good. Another thriller/suspense novel by Dan Brown [he authored The Da Vinci Code and Angels and Demons and The Lost Symbol]. I've often wondered why The Lost Symbol hasn't been made into a movie. But I kinda figure, even tho the sites online tell me differently, I think that our government has a lot to do with this 'delay'....the story of the Lost Symbol takes place in Washington, D. C. See where I'm going with that thought?!! Y'all know the government has their sticky hands into everything these days.

Then, to end my short post for the day, I thought I'd share some sky photos I took the other morning, early. I went out to take a photo of the moon before sunrise, and found that there were 'storm clouds' high above. Ya, it threatened rain, but nope...not this time. In any case, the clouds and sky made for a good photo shoot. Oh ya, I designed a new copyright logo to paste into my photos with a Victorian Lady....

...this last one I'm sharing when I saw it through the viewfinder, I thought immediately of the folklore/legend of THE PHOENIX!! Do you too see the rising of the Phoenix?!!! In Greek mythology the phoenix is cyclically regenerated or reborn. The phoenix [usually depicted as a large black crow-shaped bird with artistic embellishments] rises from the ashes of its former self and obtains new life. The phoenix was adopted in early Christianity as a symbol and is referenced in modern day culture.

§ ...add pecans and dressing - Waldorf Salad!!

Ruby Tuesday 2 - and Tina's Picstory challenge this week: FRUIT



ALSO on the agenda today regarding 'fruits'....here are some of my 'fruits' of labor when out and about this time of year on the beach, combing the beaches. From about Mid-March through the summer months, if I'm lucky...I find drift seeds, fruits of tropical plants all the way from areas of the world like the South American Rain Forest, the Islands in the Caribbean and coasts off Africa. Granted, I haven't had too much luck in finding any so far [they usually come in droves during the hurricane season and after tropical storms mostly]...but, I have found a few. I added a couple of shark eye seashells here also:


Granade Pod

The buoyant fruits of grenade pod contain numerous hollow pockets which permit them to float for great distances. The raised pocket areas, which are exposed when the outer exocarp layer is eroded away, produce the faceted (bumpy) surface of the endocarp which superficially resembles a hand grenade. In Mexico these unusual fruits are often called "cojon de burro," a descriptive name that is probably not as appropriate as hand grenade. They are produced by a small tree native to the Amazon and Orinoco River basins of South America.

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Shark eye shells

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Seaside Hibiscus -or Water Hickory

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Tamanu

On this one, a drift fruit from the Tamanu Tree, I had to converse a couple of times with Wayne at Wayne's Word Drift Seed site [the curator, with link below], so he could help me identify this particular one. I have one in possession from a couple of years ago [now I have two], but never took the time to try and ID it. After sending him the photo, he emailed me "Tamanu". Mr. A [Wayne] also helped me last year identify the porcupine seed pod from my collection. The Tamanu seed/fruit is used for medicinal purposes! Drifting in from the Polynesian areas or as far as Africa.

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I posted this 'sea heart' bean a couple of weeks ago [link here to show you the ocean 'slime attached before cleaning] as I found it on the beach, nestled in the seaweed. Here it is now that it's been cleaned up and polished ---


sea heart bean [left] & sea coconut [right]


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ANNI'S WALDORF SALAD

...this is how I make it [altho, I never measure, so it's a guess-timation]:



Ingredients

1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/4 granulated sugar
1 apple - unpeeled but washed, cored, and chopped
1 medium banana, peeled and sliced
1 large orange, peeled and sectioned/chopped
1/2 cup raisins [optional]
1/2 cup pecan halves


Directions

In a mixing bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, sugar and lemon juice.
Add the apples, bananas, orange sections, and pecans. [and raisins if desired]
Mix together well and serve chilled.


OPTIONAL DRESSING
Just mix fruit and nuts in a large bowl with orange yogurt!!! Delicious.
I've also sprinkled granola on top sometimes.
Variations for waldorf salad is endless!!!










drift seed info from Wayne's Word
shell ID from GOOGLE






CONNECTING TO:

Picstory's next topic is *from above*

§ drifting along with the tumblin' tumble of tide...

If you can tolerate the 'stink' of rotting seaweed, this is the time of year to go a'huntin' for drift seeds. I think I've found a buried treasure when I spot one. Sometimes, their smooth as silk and somewhat clean [if you think like I do], while others can be quite slimy and in dire need of a good cleaning. These two, were hidden in shadows of seaweed at North Padre Island's Whitecap beach. One was not bad and quite 'clean' while the other one...the sea heart, needs a lot of scrubbin' and sandin' to get it glossy and pretty enough to add to my collection. If you'd like to see a sea heart after they're cleaned up well...here is one I have found in the past years...the link



sea heart bean [from Costa Rica waters]



Mucuna [drifting from Belize and Costa Rica waters]



In case you're interested [or curious like I've been when I find 'em...
the distance traveled - drifting in the gulf stream, would be as this site shows: 1504 miles/1307 nm *nautical miles] Now, if I could figure out the time travel, I'd die a happy lady. rofl [I know, I know, it depends on the current speed and the winds and tide, etc. etc. etc.]






I'm posting this early on Saturday 'cause I'm gonna be busy over most of the weekend...




CONNECTING TO:





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SUNDAY'S SUMMARY

Before I begin with my week's summary, I'm remembering an event that happened 43 years ago on April Fool's Day that changed my life forever....our firstborn, Irene, made her appearance at 4:14 a.m....I held my little girl for the very first time. April 1st is her birthday, she has given me the title mom and grandma by gifting me, giving birth to her own two boys!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY IRENE.

I completed the book "The Help" by Stockett in 3 days!!! I probably could've finished sooner, but yard work and Bud stopped me from reading day in and day out. Oh, and sleep had my name on it too. But what a book!! I read about the author after reading the book and she was raised in Mississippi, so all in all she probably had a good idea of what this was like back in the 60s, in times of equal rights and segregation. ONE EXCELLENT BOOK!! Or did I state that already. One of my favorite parts is the page at the end of Chapter 19...

"I worked for Mary Margaret for 38 years. She had a baby girl with the colic and the only way to stop the hurting was to hold her. So I made me a wrap. I tied her up on my waist, toted her around all day with me for an entire year. That baby like to break my back. Put ice packs on it ever night and still do. But I loved that girl. And I loved Miss Margaret." She takes a sip of her tea while I type her last words. I look up and she continues..."Miss Margaret always made me put my hair up in a rag, say she know coloreds don't wash their hair. Counted ever piece of silver after I done the polishing. When Miss Margaret die of the lady problems thirty years later, I go to the funeral. Her husband hug me, cry on my shoulder. When it's over, he give me a envelope. Inside a letter from Miss Margaret reading "Thank you. For making my baby stop hurting. I never forgot it."
no copyright infringement intended

Times like this reading, I cried. Other times, I giggled uncontrollably...to where tears of laughter showed up and Bud thought I'd lost my mind. I probably won't look at a chocolate pie ever again without thinking of Minny and Miss Hilly. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND READING THIS BOOK. It's a book that reads quickly [at least for me] and it's the best one I've read in eons. In fact the last one I read in only a couple of days was way back when John Grisham was at his career peak...with "The Client". Oh ya...and coming back to reading "The Help"... pecker pie. How can I forget pecker pie?!!!

Bud and I began working on some yard stuff...like putting in red bark mulch along the south side of the house foundation where I have climbing roses mixed in with a couple of hibiscus and roses and one blue plumbago. All outside the computer room window. We then moved on to the area of the foundation outside the guest bedroom where I have one hibiscus and a Mexican Bird of Paradise plant...BEFORE [soil only]-->







AFTER

Then, with rain water and the foundation soaker hose muddying up the area around the backyard gate [and the drought last year making lawn die off], we put in paver stones...[small bricks] to keep from tracking and getting stuck in the mud after a storm. It's not fun sinking in this heavily clay soil after rain. New lawn in this area is a next chore; coming soon, I hope. Bud will have to prepare the soil first and then get more seed before it gets too hot to start a new lawn for this particular area.

Speaking of new lawn...We're slowly keeping up the daily watering ritual in the new planted grass seed. We're doing small areas at one time to get the new growth started and strong before going on to another small patch of land...that way we're not over taxing ourselves and soreness isn't a big problem...it's coming along nicely. Someday we'll be able to call it 'pretty' again!!

After reading this last book, being such a good piece of literature, it's most difficult to pick another book to begin and find it of interest. I did, however, start reading "The Dogs of Babel"...as always fiction. Authored by Carolyn Parkhurst. I've not read enough of it to make any decisions to continue reading it...but so far, not bad; a bit quirky for a beginning, but who knows. We'll see.

Week in review by days...we drove to Aransas [Port A] Texas, to enjoy a bit of birding with very little success in spotting anything 'new'. Tuesday shopping for groceries [went twice in one day because I forgot something the first time - sans my grocery list]. Prior to that, I stopped and picked up four bags of red bark mulch. Wednesday seeding another small dried area in the yard. Thursday, worked on the brick by the gate after going early to buy 60 bricks at LOWES. Friday....LAUNDRY and of course I always like to mention at least one of my meals for the week...in the morning you could find me making marinara sauce for Italian Meatball subs [ground turkey], and mixed the Italian spices into to 'soak in the flavors' before cooking. Made peach jello with fresh peach slices. As always a tossed salad [we have a salad with our meals almost every night], steamed, buttered baby broccoli, and lemon bars for dessert [shown in photo to the right]. Early Saturday morning I worked some on the computer and my blogging posts and watched a favorite program...GRIMM, online.

PS....did you buy your lottery ticket for the estimated $640 million? I read online that three winning tickets were sold in three different states...better double check yours....if you live in Kansas, Illinois and Maryland ---or at least bought your ticket there. Of course, I didn't play. Forgot...too busy. I think I could live with myself if I were to share that kinda money...LOL

That's about it for this week....





I ♥ my daughter animated image courtesy of free GLITTER Graphics