§ This and That....

I had a session with a chiropractor on Tuesday. As you know I try to do a lot of walking per suggestion of my cardiologist years ago. Lately, I have experienced a LOT of pain around my right hip!! At times, after walking, I couldn't even reach to close the car door without nearly screaming in agony. And I don't consider myself a whimp. I normally can deal with what I experience. I'm sure I will be returning for several appointments [and doing the exercises she showed me to do 3 times a day] to alleviate my misaligned pelvic bone on my right side!! Ugh.  But when the alternative is drugs and/or surgery, and this routine works, I definitely will opt for it instead.

I will finish out my yard flowers that I started in previous post...
These are my cactus blossoms on the patio


I mentioned one of my favorite flowers for South Texas is the Duranta bush. Reason? It's purple and the winter berries attract birds. This far south the cool colored flowers [blue and purple] don't thrive. Maybe that is why bluebonnets are such a favored flower with the Texans...


Lastly today, my amaryllis. Yes, they are planted in the ground, and thankfully didn't freeze!




- - - -

This is the book I'm reading at the moment...

The Elephant of Belfast tells the tender and harrowing story of a young female zookeeper and the elephant, and what they endure together during the German blitz of Belfast. The novel speaks the tragedy of the times, but also to the ongoing sectarian tensions that still exist in Northern Ireland today. In October 1940, the reader meets twenty-year-old zookeeper Hettie Quin when Violet, a three-year-old elephant, arrives at the Belfast docks from Ceylon. Soon, she becomes Violet’s dedicated zookeeper at the Bellevue Zoo. After the recent loss of her beloved older sister and the abandonment of her father, Hettie finds contentment in her care of Violet and work with her fellow zookeepers. Six months later, in April 1941, Belfast is attacked. One evening, over five hours, 674 bombs are dropped and almost a thousand civilians were killed. During the bombings, Hettie Quin fights to save her elephant and survive the destruction and escalating sectarian unrest of the city. Inspired by the true story of Denise Austin

§ Backyard Botany...

It's been yard work mostly the last two days. Altho, I figured we lost more again to the deep freeze of 2021-22, I do believe the plants are a bit more hardy this time around. I thought, early this Spring, we wouldn't have a surviving pomegranate tree [as you can see with the first two photos], and Bud drastically trimmed away most of it to near the ground. But, the last couple of days, fruit blossoms have taken hold, and some are now in full bloom. Sadly, I was warned that with the cholesterol meds I'm taking [statins], just like grapefruit...mixing pomegranates and meds is a dangerous combination. Bud doesn't like 'em, so either, if they mature well enough, the neighbors will get 'em, or the birds!! Bummer. While securing our Don Juan Climbing Rose, I gazed around the yard and so much is blooming. I grabbed my cellphone and hit the shutter icon...

I have a couple of pots with yellow marigolds and sweet william by one of the benches on the patio. The amaryllis are blooming! Yes, they are planted in the ground and didn't freeze!! The cactus I bought long ago and moved it here when we relocated to Texas from Arizona --I thinned it out several years ago and potted them in small clay pots...all are blooming. The Duranta is blooming [a favorite of mine...weeping purple clusters], the hibiscus are recouping and showing some growth again. My two Easter Lilies are getting buds! The Esperanza bush is flowering. The crepe myrtle are all leafed out, soon to bloom. And the gardenia, well it survived again, but little flowering so far. Here are photos of some that I took when I was supposed to be assisting dear hubby [lol]...

Lady Banks Rose [aka Tombstone Rose]

Someone asked why it's called Tombstone Rose. Well, in Tombstone Arizona, there is the world's largest Lady Banks ....'tree'! Read about its history HERE My bush is cut back often, but still measures about 1/4 of our 100' fence.

Don Juan Climbing Rose
My favorite rose!!!



Sweet William and Marigolds in pots on Patio




...and a biology FACT SHEET: Koalas have two thumbs on their front paws!!
They also have unique and individual fingerprints.
‘Koala’ is thought to mean ‘no drink’ in the Australian Aboriginal language
one source

A few asked in my recent comment section to share a photo of the new kitchen faucet. Why? I dunno. But since inquiring minds wanna know, here it is...

The brand is a Mohen [is that how it's spelled?]

I took a short drive to Packery Channel to see what the traffic was like. Not bad. Saw a very pretty sunrise over the causeway. But, I didn't stay away from home long as I had a promise to keep at home...

Then, I was out helping Bud trim all the crepe myrtle bushes in our front yard to get rid of the seed pods from last Fall. So, I took my cellphone and snapped a couple of photos of some bushes that are blooming now in our yard. So many [mainly the hibiscus] got frozen again this winter...two years in a row. And they were just coming out of the shock this past autumn, froze again, and I don't know if they'll come back. My hybrid hibiscus [the mini blossom, varigated leaves] has a lot of new spring growth. For which I am very happy. And the Tombstone Rose [Lady Banks] is beginning to bloom profusely...I'll get a photo of that too in a bit. For now, two I share...the gardenia's first blossom for the season, and the plant called "Mexican Fire Bush"...

My newest book to read is a twist on the assassination of the Lincoln conspiracy; a subject that has held my interest for decades. The author claims to be a distant relative of JWB, and he is proposing that perhaps John Wilkes Booth was NOT the one captured outside of Washington D C, but an accomplice. And that Booth lived under an assumed name. I am interested in how this comes about, the author's facts, the perhaps new evidence that could possibly be feasible. I doubt it, but I guess anything is possible. Especially if you consider today's times and how our government "covers up" many events to appease the American people. I will tell you want I think when I finish the book. Truth or "Fake News"?

To make a long story, short, for weeks I've been looking for Isaiah's favorite toy. The "tail" has long been chewed off and thrown away, but the ears still remain. He has played with this from day one when we brought him home after adopting him. But it disappeared. For good, I thought. Then, dusting the venitian blinds behind the entertainment center...there it was!! Trust me it's as small as it looks! Perhaps an inch and a half...two inches tops. I was pleased to find it, but not as much as El Diablo [aka Isaiah].

After quite a bit of yard work and picking up around the house, indoors, I was ready for a nice hot shower and a quiet evening with TV on and watching a new FBI on CBS. But first, hot BBQ pork sandwiches, home made potato salad, tossed salad and carrot cake for desert. By now, all clean and spiffy and ready for an hour or two of reading after watching TV, I will don my sleep shirt...

I don't give a rat's A$$
It's just how I feel these days.

§ Anni's HodgePodge...

Once again, since I've been staying home for the most part to stay out of the heat and getting caught in heavy rainstorms most mornings recently, I have made do with playing on the phone [a jigsaw puzzle app], watering plants on the patio, reading, and drawing some. The other day when I was out checking my flower crops, I noticed the incredible clouds that were storm clouds brewing...the higher up in the sky they go, the more moisture will fall...somewhere! I had my cellphone in my pocket so I snapped some photos. Also, once again, I took photos of some flowers blooming in the yard [and bushes]. When I got back indoors I thought I'd attempt getting a very short video of the newest 'gift' I bought for our daughter, Irene. She collects pigs [she has a hutch in her home filled with pigs, pigs, pigs!] This one I couldn't resist. In fact, I've been tempted to keep it for myself...but, I won't. I have enough collections going as it is!! Need to get it to UPS so they can package it and ship it to her!! In the meantime...this is just a few seconds long:

here is a still in case the video doesn't load and 'bobble'...

The morning sky:

Recently, after I uploaded and installed a new puzzle app on my phone...when it starts to get too hot outdoors, I come in to cool down and I usually end up reading my book [a new one I found on Olivia de Havilland -Melanie on Gone With the Wind from 1939] She recently passed away at the age of 104. Speaking of collections, I have tried to find over the last 30 years or so, biographies on all the main characters from that movie...I have Clark Gable, Vivien Leigh, Hattie McDaniels, and have been searching for a couple of good ones...one on Olivia and another on Leslie Howard [Ashley]. I finally found Olivia's Biography-Autobiography published just after her death. It's a good book. Full of Hollywood gossip and tidbits of her early acting career at the age of 16.
Okay, where was I? Oh ya, puzzles. Our puzzle table was torn down and stored for when Erik came to Corpus in May. We probably won't put it back up in the library until all our yard work is done. So, with this app I can get my 'puzzle fix' and I can choose the grade of difficulty. I choose 275 pieces. It's a VERY GOOD app. Many, MANY free puzzles to choose. Altho, it eats up a lot of battery! Maybe 3 to 4 puzzles before the phone's battery is near exhausted. Here are screenshots from the phone's app...

Same ol' flowers, different days from the last time I posted:

To close off for the day, I have to mention that we decided to do some electrical work ourselves. Luckily Bud did this kinda stuff in the Navy aboard ship. But, that was 60 some years ago!! Give or take a few years. A lot has changed. Arthritic hands and knees, eyesight not so good, etc. etc. But, we conquered the job and saved ourselves over $300. We [mostly Bud] tore our fluorescent kitchen light apart and replaced the ballast behind the bulb casing!!! An hour's job for a professional electrician, it took us 3 hours of up and down the ladder, trips to Lowes in the rainstorms, sore neck breaks often...etc. etc. But, it's now done. I haven't put the light fixture's cover back on yet as I need to get back to Lowes for a new light tube. One's very weak and needs replaced before I put the cover up...why put it all together when another job will come all too quickly!!

...and to continue showcasing my Trolls...

↓ My 18th Troll Share ↓

TROLL DOLL COLLECTION Holiday Themed Mr. and Mrs. Christmas LARGE Soft Scuplture circa: 80s?

§ Froggie Went-a-Courtin'....

85° - heat index 94° [7:30 a.m.]

Friday morning, I took it upon myself to pull weeds out of the foundation rock beds. I worked in the shade of the house and a slight breeze kept it more comfortable. The ground was still damp from the rains this week, and I figured it would be a bit easier on me. Besides, I couldn't do much to help Bud, who was busy sawing the pomegranate tree down to the new growth. About 12-15 feet above the new leaves were dead, dead, dead, branches. And the 'granate tree wood is HARD wood! I felt I had to do something besides sit and watch his labor. Eventually, I had to run back in the house to get my cellphone...a little baby frog was entertaining me! Justa scootin' around the rock, hiding, appearing, and hiding some more. Before I finished the entire rock-bed, I saw six different babies! All about the size of my index finger fingernail!!! Cute as can be. One tried its hardest to jump from the bottom landscaping timber to the 2nd, but never made it up that far with its tiny legs, and finally gave up, and crawled UNDER the timber. Like I said, entertaining. Ya, I was called a cheap date, 'cause it never took much to keep me happy.

Look closely, they're tiny and well camoflauged at times...

...and to continue showcasing my Trolls...

↓ My 17th Troll Share ↓

TROLL DOLL COLLECTION Holiday Themed Tan N. Baum circa: mid to late 70s?