Shaking my head...

It just never ends...We must have some type of animal magnetism as they just keep coming...and no I do Not leave food out.

This German Shepherd came in about 3 weeks ago. He's been running the neighborhood and making rounds as I know of others who are or were feeding him. He's shy but not aggressive. I've seen him walking down the road and tried several times to get him in the back of the truck. He's been to the house a few times and hasn't bothered the chickens or cats, I find that amazing as he is starving and all skin and bones. Well today when I got back from trying to find the feral hogs he was sitting at our yard gate. He didn't run this time. He just sat there. I went in and got him some of Jake's food and a bowl of water. He ate (more like scarfed down) the food and drank some water and then just laid down, sigh! Poor guy. I didn't attempt to pet him but he did come over to me. I just talked to him. He has no collar and I would like to take him into our vets office to see if he has a micro-chip but I don't want to push him either. I sent Fred the photos and Fred fell in love. So if he stays around and I can get him in the truck we'll take him into the vet to get checked over. I don't want him around Jake until we have him checked over. He does have an eye infection, is limping on his left leg and is malnourished but I didn't see any ticks on him and hopefully he doesn't have mange either. I really didn't want another dog right now but maybe God has other plans, we shall see.

I'm declaring...

War on the Feral Hogs! They've taunted and teased me enough! Last night they were right directly in front of the house rooting up the pasture! Michael and I set the new Hog trap and then 5 minutes later watched a raccoon set it off, grr...So not only do I have to set the Hog trap, which this new trap is a pain to set, I have to put out the live animal trap and catch a raccoon. I'm sure there is more than one raccoon out there too, ugh! The animals seem to be taking over.

This morning right before taking Michael to school I watched 20 to 30 Feral hogs, 7 Cows and about 6 deer out in the pasture. And there was nothing I could do...I had to get Michael to school and I can't shoot the Hogs when they are mixed in amongst the cow and deer, sigh!

I came back home called Fred to tell him what I was doing and grabbed the 270 and went for a walk...I walked and sat quietly for 2 hours and didn't see or hear a hog, it figures!! I told Fred if I had not taken the gun and just grabbed the camera I would have run into them, just my luck!

On a positive note I did find a Hawks nest...too cool! There were two baby Hawks in the nest and one sitting on a branch near the nest. I'm not sure but I'm thinking they are probably Harris Hawks, they are not Red-tail hawks

So something positive did come out of my walk, just wish it had been a few dead feral hogs!

As you can see...

I haven't stopped taking photos and I hope I don't bore you to death!

This evening we went down and put feed/bait in the Hog trap and after we got back to the house I saw Julie out amongst the mesquite trees and thought I'd try to capture some good photos of her. She's looking good, a little bit heavy, but for being 24 yrs old I guess she has the right! In horse years that is 72 years old.

One of these days I'll have to dig up some photos of what Julie did as a youngster. She definitely earned her keep and a good retirement.

~

Okay so not only do I have 3 cats following me out to where Julie is, I have a chicken too, yikes!
~

The rain helped the grass
~

Are you taking photos of me? I've learned through the years that horses are just like people and they each have their own personality. Julie is a bit...hmmm how shall I say this...prudent with a little bit of contentious kicked in there just to shake up things a bit? I've been spoiling her and giving her alfalfa cubes, soaked in water, after dinner and she absolutely adores them...she has an addiction and it's baaaad!! So she has really been sweet to me, lol...another words she's been kissing butt! But seeing how large she is becoming and that the grass is greening back up, I might have some bad news for her, ekk. She won't be happy with me at all but I try to keep her weight in check so she stays healthy. I'll get the cold shoulder for a few days but she'll get over it!
~

Oh Lydia you always have to get in the picture, sheesh!!
~

KitCat was out there with us too!
~

And Ralph (the old man)

I'm not a cat person and I still wonder..."What am I doing with 3 cats?", ekk! They've all pretty much been staying outside which is nice...(not having to change a litter box is grand!) KitCat is all 4 declawed and suppose to be inside only, but over the years he kept getting out and I finally gave up trying to keep him inside! He stays outside most of the time now. Ralph he's been with us since we moved here. I brought him over with us as a kitten and he's roughly 6.5 yrs old. He's always been outside and has all his claws. And as you know Lydia is the newest addition and she is a year old now. I had her front declawed so she wouldn't tear anything up and she does a pretty good job of using her teeth when she needs too. She comes in during the day and naps and then comes back in at night to sleep with me. I've never had a cat quite like her, she's definitely got personality.
~

I couldn't get too close to Momma Cardinal as she has been sitting on the nest religiously and I don't want the cats to know she's there. So I stood back aways and used the flash. Daddy Cardinal has been busy keeping Mr. Mockingbird away. We have a Mockingbird that has claimed the yard and area around it as his, sigh! I sure hope the baby Cardinals make it!
~

LOL...I turn around and there's Julie with her nose right on the lens, ekk. I guess she decided to investigate the camera a little closer, ugh! Got any carrots Mom? Perhaps, Maybe some of those alfalfa cubes (as she drools)?
~

Then back to the house and Lydia jumps in her wagon for some playtime...Yep Michael lost his wagon, it's now Lydia's new perch. Perfect for laying down in and watching the hummingbirds!
~

She looks comfy and she also looks like she is thinking, Uh Oh!
~

Now I'm really going to bore you...Lydia decided to attack KitCat while I went out to take photos of a beautiful sunset...

Buddies?

Not even...Poor KitCat. She just pounces on him! Ouch!

She's weird, she loves to have things up against her head...KitCat's paw, my hand, a blanket.

But it doesn't last long and they're back at it, rolling around in the dirt!

Kit's trying his best, poor guy!

And he's managed to get her off him, sheesh! I am sure KitCat wonders why did you bring this little Monster home? Why? She's a pain in the you know what!

And that's it for the animals...Not sure if it's a circus or a zoo at times but it's always entertaining!

~

And here was our Beautiful South Texas Sunset!!

Day is done and I'm off to read a book, y'all have a good night!

Yep! I did it...

I wore snake boots tonight! Just call me sexy (Hot-sweaty) Momma, lol. Actually I wore Fred's snake boots as his are zip up and mine are slip on. Slip on snake boots are a pain to get on but Fred's zippered ones aren't. Maybe I should have retied them though as they look a bit sloppy, oops!

We haven't seen any snakes yet but I haven't run the feed/bait down to the Hog trap yet either.

~

We actually went down to the property and I did some measuring and mowing. We have a project in the works and I'll post photos as it develops. (P.S. I'm not telling what it is either, y'all will just have to wait and see :o)

And No I am not practicing my crop circles either, lol...
~

Afterwards we headed down to the creek. I didn't have the lens I wanted but I thought I'd take some photos anyways and Michael wanted to practice his rock throwing skills. By the way he is NOT wearing a necklace it's a holder for his bullets, ya know the kind you sling over your chest, lol...He has quite the imagination!
~

Nice Form...I made him keep throwing rocks until I caught the splash...I think it took 3 rocks and Michael getting disgusted with me before I said enough, lol. Really need the tripod and a different lens perhaps?
~

White Top Sedge, it grows on the banks of the Creek.
~

Hmmm...Michael what are you doing?..."Trying to catch minnows, Momma."
~

He wasn't having much luck...
~

"MICHAEL!!! Don't you dare kill those minnows!" I think he's picking things up at school and I don't like it, sheesh! He's been coming home and telling me that so and so tried to kill a toad or so and so stomped on a bug, ekk.
~

We also found this den by the kids pool. Not sure what dug it. I did find some tracks but couldn't match them with anything in Michael's Texas Animal track book...If it floods it will be under water so I hope what ever it is that it can swim.
~

Reflection on the kids pool...We saw a good sized bass in the kids pool. If the water level gets any lower we may have to catch him and put him in the bigger part of the creek.
~

Hot, Wet, Grouchy Boy!
~

Queen Annes Lace
~

Saturday evening nature walk...

I got chewed out tonight (Monday) by my husband about how careless I've become. I don't wear my snake boots and instead of leaving an area where there are dangerous animals I sneak in for photos, gulp! I had a close call tonight with a Copperhead snake. A very dangerous snake and one that blends in quite well. I went to put more feed in the Hog trap, as right now I have left it open hoping the hogs get comfortable enough that they just walk right in. Last night something ate all the feed, deer or hog I don't know. But when I stepped over to the Hog trap this evening there was a Copperhead, ekk. Thank goodness it chose to flee and not strike or I would have been in deep doo doo. Also thank goodness I told Michael to stay in the truck! And Saturday afternoon/evening I had another close call with Feral hogs...So I guess it's time I start paying attention, backing down and wearing my snake boots, ugh! They're very hot is one reason I don't like wearing them. But I suppose it's better to be dripping with sweat than have an IV dripping in me.

As I am sitting here drinking de-stressing tea and waiting for the adrenaline rush to go away I thought I'd post photos from my nature walk Saturday, enjoy!

I told Fred that I saw a buck with his antlers starting to grow. He didn't believe me so I managed to snap a photo of him while I walked down the driveway. Normally they don't let me get this close but I think they are just getting used to me and know I'm not dangerous. I love that as it makes for good photo ops!

~

This is a crab spider. I am always walking into their webs when I am out walking the trails. They are not dangerous but their webs are annoying!
~

As most of you know we have a group of Feral hogs running around here. 3 Large Hogs and about 15 to 20 piglets. As I was walking I heard a deer snort and run and then I heard Hogs. They had been lying down under some oaks. I stopped and watched and waited. They moved off so I continued...I got to a large tree and saw movement straight ahead about 20 ft. I stopped and looked and it seems the Hogs didn't move off they were right there...Uh Oh! They didn't see, smell or hear me so I just stayed still. The one pictured above was eating and the others moved off again so I stood there and took photos...I had also stopped next to a large tree that I could climb if the need arose.

This pig just kept eating and was totally oblivious to me being there. I stood there for about 15 minutes trying to get a decent photo of it through the grass but I finally decided it was time to leave. I backtracked and headed up a hill on a different trail. Well when I got to the top of the hill I heard hogs...As I looked around I had piglets all around me rutting in the ground, just great! Where were the Big Sows? I couldn't hear them and I couldn't see them but I knew they had to be there. I stood quietly and didn't dare try for photos. I was too close and was afraid the noise from the camera would put them on alert. As I was standing there looking at which trees I could climb one of the piglets (a white one) started walking down the trail right for me, ekk. I decided it was time to do something, it was going to walk right into me. So I said "Hey" and that got their attention...Thank goodness the Sows were in the brush and ran the opposite direction and all the piglets scattered and headed toward the Sows, whew! That was a bit too close for comfort...I decided it was time to leave and went back to the house. I told Fred what had happened and he grabbed the gun and asked me to take him out there. So I took him back out there but we didn't find them, sigh! Then Fred wanted to go over to the tank and sit for a bit to see if they came in for their evening drink...

While we were at the tank I spotted a painted bunting and his mate taking baths. They are one of my favorite birds. So many different colors splashed all over the males. I tried for a decent photo but it wasn't easy as the sun was pretty harsh and I wasn't suppose to move either...remember Fred was waiting for the hogs, lol...

Not a great shot but you can see the colors, aren't they gorgeous?

And the female painted bunting taking a bath.

We didn't see the hogs but I did manage to have a prickly pear cactus slap me on the way back to the truck, OUch! So glad Fred was there to pull the spines out of my foot, that hurt! Guess it's time to break out them snake boots and wear them! Save me a lot of pain and discomfort!

I need to stop...

taking photos!!

Sheesh I am so behind on posting. I have photos from Saturday and Sunday yet to share and here I am with more photos from today!!

Rain Lilly, as the name implies they come out after it rains! Aren't they gorgeous! The roadsides here a blanketed with them at the moment!

~

Percy a Friend's puppy, he's adorable!

~

This is the friends back porch and I love this Lilly she bought at Market days! I saw it at Market days but knew it didn't have a chance with me and no shade, sigh! I'm glad it found a good home and I can admire it!
~

A closer view of the Lilly
~

It was a gorgeous Moon tonight. It's been awhile since I've taken a photo of the moon, so I had to see if I still knew how to do it!

Hope y'all had a great day! Michael went to the dentist and no cavities, yeah! Then I took him over to the neighbors this evening to play ball with her boys! He loved that!
It was a pretty good day!

And we shall call her Persistence...

I've been watching a doe, knowing she was going to have her baby soon. My persistence paid off and this morning I managed to finally capture some photos of a fawn, Yeah!! It was so sweet and even though I knew the general area it laid down in, it still took me a few minutes to find it. I always forget how small they really are when they are newborns and this one was oh so tiny.

Last year the doe had twins, she is not tame but she knows us around here and tolerates me and the camera fairly well. She stood off in the distance snorting at me and I did Not touch the baby ( I know better than that). I tried to hurry and snap as many photos as I could in a few minutes so Mom could get back with the baby. I'm praying the Hogs and Dogs don't find it. It would be nice to be able to take photos of it throughout the summer.
~

Sweetness, plain and simple!

Market days...

On the second Saturday of each month Goliad has Market days where vendors set up their wares...We don't go enough but when we do I love to peruse the different items!

This past Saturday Michael and I took a trip over there...so many neat things! And lots of people too, just what I need to practice my street photography. Street Photography is not a strong point with me. I detest taking photos of strangers, it makes me very uncomfortable. Recently I had read an article on Street Photography and had several discussion with friends regarding the article. I wanted to try putting the camera on Auto and shooting from the hip. But first as I was studying the crowd I noticed Michael had taken his shaved ice and found a seat...

~

He was really enjoying his shaved ice but I wondered if he had any idea what he was sitting on? So I walked over there and we had a history lesson regarding the monument. Michael is very interested in World War II so he found this monument intriguing. I read the inscription to him, we counted the number of Men that died from Goliad, we then read all of the names and looked at the engravings. He doesn't understand death as of yet so reading the names of the Men who died didn't touch him like it did me. He was excited that they got to fight in battles, sigh! He is so naive at this age but I know as he gets older he'll understand more about death and war. I'm just glad he took an interest in the monument and the history behind it...

I wonder if any of these men also sat on or near the town square enjoying their drinks when they were youngsters?

~

The artwork was very detailed...

~

Someone put a lot of TLC into building this monument and it shows! The Men that fought and died for our freedom deserve this and a lot more...

~
Now back to the street photography...

I took a few shots at the hip but wasn't real thrilled with them, so I just put the camera up to my eyeball and shot! Not so bad when it seems no one is watching, lol.
~

Then I spotted Michael on the courthouse steps eating/drinking his shaved ice...Oh what a perfect shot! I loved the doors, the colors of the trim, the hand rails, textured of the steps and stone walls...too cool! Okay so it's my son and not a stranger but he was in the right spot...This is my favorite photo from the day!! and he was totally clueless as to what I was doing!

~

~

And one more before we hit the road...As I didn't get too many people photos maybe I need to practice a bit more. It was a gorgeous day and we enjoyed ourselves!