§ Come around thru the Gate to our Yard...

As I type this up for pre-scheduled posting, it's a dark and stormy day! Earlier, we had buckets of rainfall. The thunder is still rumbling in the distance, and the sky is black on the horizon. I was sure the power would be off any minute, but it never went off. Which was surprising. What is more surprising is the weatherman the night before -his forecast- was humid but dry [meaning no rain. Ha. I wish I would've continued my college education and majored in meteorology....90% of the time wrong, and still get paid a six figure income! [jk] Anyway, I am using my laptop in case the electricity goes out still, and will share my photos from the other day. A trip around the piece of property we call home....

...a little bit of our back yard:

Top left to bottom right:  1-cement bird bath I use for bird seed [the water pump is real, but only for decoration]  2-off the patio, the feeder station 3-my pelican island [and ducks] with crepe myrtle and indoor palm.  4-our pomegranate tree

Both front and back are full  of blooms:

Top left to right: 1-Ixora and Don Juan Climbing rose 2-Rose and hot pink crepe myrtle 3-lavender crepe myrtle and orange/yellow lantana 4-duranta [purple cluster] and yellow and pink lantana 5-my prized hybrid variegated hibiscus and close-up  6-pink crepe myrtle.

One of several wind chimes and a small sparrow sized bird  house

§ Ola Amigos! I Had Mexican Food...the Spanish Speaking Comes Naturally After Beans and Rice!!! ----

---and not only speaking the language, a bit of Gas!!! :::wink:::


Spanish to English:  Ola Amigos = Hello Frends [Amiga is feminine]

A cold front moved in with a 20-25 degree drop in temperature from mid week last week...with rain! For the most part of two days I stayed home. Before the rains came, I did a bit of work outdoors. Mainly on the patio and the bird feeding station. Three times now, one feeder kept breaking [probably with the weight of a half dozen or more heavy white winged doves on the perches at one time]...that called for a replacement instead of repairing it for the fourth time...

Now, we have a colorful BIRD HOUSE, with windows and chimney. It's kinda comical, the doves have a difficult time of steadying themselves on plastic instead of wood like the old one. It won't take long for them to get accustomed to the newer surface; they're not dumb!

I did some re-potting with some of the patio plants. I need to get more potting soil also! Next trip I take to the store. My Christmas Cactus is blooming again, and the geranium is getting new growth and blossoms [I love geranium scent]...

After pulling a few broad leafed weeds from the lawn, I just perused the yard a bit....the pomegranate tree is blooming, and is in need of trimming to get the 'weeping branches' off the privacy fence. Some amaryllis are budding. The tombstone rose [lady banks] is blooming. The purple bougainvillea is heavy with blooming. One of my favorite sub-tropical plants, the hibiscus, are beginning to get heavy with blossoms and buds....

When I figured I was done with the amount of yard work I was going to do for the day, I went indoors to see Isaiah in his basket....

"You can't see me, but I see you!!"

"boo!"

"Scare ya? Did I?"

After showering, Bud and I decided to go out for lunch, and then visit the book store. We went to a new Mexican restaurant...Something Del Sol of Mexico. Good food, but I was most impressed with the tables and chairs...very authentic style! Leather, upholstery tacks galore and beautiful rich laminated table tops. Each chair backing there was a painted scene. That part, I really liked. Plus the chair legs. Bud took a photo of it on his cell phone for me...

We watched movies, and finished a 2nd jigsaw puzzle to complete our days indoors. Home sweet home. Now, I'm ready for the weather patterns to get back to partly sunny to clear skies to get back birding.

§ Can Spring Be Far Away?

Another drab, wintry day here in South Texas. There was a cold front that moved into our area early this morning. When I got up from my long winter's nap it was 71 degrees. By breakfast time an hour later, it was 49 degrees. A thick mist falling from the gray sky and the wind was blowing. I am really tired of this season. It's been way too long since we've had a decent week of sunny weather that lasts more than a few hours!!! I want Spring to arrive...like, yesterday.

I was at Hobby Lobby the other day, with the intent of buying a couple of wrought iron stakes to hang my humming bird feeders. Usually I have them hanging from the eave of the house. This year I am gonna have them all within a 'birding feeder station'...in one area. Anyway, at Hobby Lobby I bought a small bird house plus two iron stakes. All natural wood. In hopes that maybe a sparrow [Lincoln Sparrow is pictured above] will occupy it this year. That'll give me something to watch...I'm keeping my fingers crossed!

...And since it's so yucky outdoors; nothing but browns, grays and darker gray, I did some archive search for colorful flowers to brighten my day....

Honestly?  I know just why it's a miserable day with rain!!!  Bud and I removed the hurricane shutters yesterday and washed windows!!!!!  That'll do it every time.  Lo and behold, I can see clearly now.