Afternoon Walk...Birds, flowers, Giant Moth, Ants, Grass, etc...

After I finished cleaning the pool I needed to let the filter and pump run for a bit, I shut the pool off at night to save on our electric bill...I told Michael come on lets go for a walk...

 

Saw this Phoebe on the fence post near the pool...Now I know who is shitting on the pool rail!

 

 

 

The Phlox is coming up all around the pool...

 

 

 

Michael found some Leaf cutter ants...we sat and watched them for awhile!

 

 

 

 

Then while I had my eyes to the ground looking for snakes on the creek trail Michael called out to me and Wow!! He spotted these two on a branch, gorgeous and great eye Michael!

 

 

Yes they're mating but still so cool...Their colors were beautiful

 

 

 

All I had on me was the 300mm lens, sure wish I'd had the Macro lens!

 

 

Look at the design and color on the wings...We watched them for about 20 minutes!

It seems we always find something interesting on our walks!

 

 

This is what we saw while walking the trail...

 

 

Love the grass at the creek, so pretty!

 

 

 

Huisache (pronounced weesache) in bloom...

 

 

That was our walk...glad Michael went with me, it's been awhile and I so enjoy walking with him!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hunting Grasshoppers

 

I took Michael to the property with me this afternoon...I had to finish cleaning the pool. Wish it was warm enough to swim but the water temperature is only 60 degrees F. If it doesn't start warming up at night the pool water will never warm up. I have been trying to keep it fairly clean so it's ready! While I was busy cleaning the pool Michael was entertaining himself. First he had a PVC pipe and was harassing fire ants, then he was trying to dig up gophers, and then I caught him trying to catch Grasshoppers on the other side of the field...I wanted photos of him and love taking photos where he doesn't know I'm taking photos, lol...

 

 

 

He's not my little boy anymore...I haven't checked his height lately but he's grown! He's a young man now and boy he's got the mouth to go with it, lol...

 

Caught one!

 

 

Looking...

 

 

 

Uh Oh I've been spotted! I actually thought he'd smile for me but nope I was in trouble!! I was suppose to be cleaning the pool NOT taking photos of him!

 

 Instead of continuing to walk towards the camera he turned away and had a little smirk on his face...

 

Then he was off after another grasshopper and running away from the camera!! That's my Boy, oh I forgot "Young Man", lol...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



The Garden, a wildflower and some turtles...

Fred and I worked on the Garden this past Sunday...

 

 

Before he got there with the tractor...

 

I swear that man loves destroying stuff with the tractor...he disc'd up 3 times what we had for a garden last year...I can see what I will be doing all summer long!

 

 

We got part of the fence up. We need more post. Once we get the fence up we can start on planting. We are waiting to make sure there are no more hard freezes and then we'll get really busy!

~

 

 Today the temp was 83 degrees F and I had had enough of being sick and resting so I grabbed the bike and Jenny and I went for a 2.5 mile bike ride. I had seen some wildflowers on the side of the road the other day and thought I'd go take photos...

Dogweed

 

 

~

And a bit closer...it's so dry out I'm thankful for any wildflowers we have!

 

On the way back I stopped on the bridge to look at the turtles. There was a Huge softshell turtle but he went under when I stopped the bike. There sure are a lot of turtles in the creek.

 This one had his legs out and his feet up soaking up the sun!

 

 



Michael always counts the turtles on the electric pole when we come home from school. Today there was only 4 when I stopped but on the way home from school there were 8 turtles. I only had the Macro lens so I couldn't zoom in closer on them...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In the yard this morning...

It's pretty chilly outside and a cold brisk North wind is blowing...I was outside when I noticed what looked like a Moth wing blowing in the grass...

 

It was a Moth...and from my books it looks closest to the Cecropia Moth

 

Michael was in awe and shocked that it's wing span was over 5 inches...The Moth is in rough shape, not sure what got it...could have been a bird, chicken or even a cat...But the cold weather didn't seem to help it. It's perked up some since we brought it in the house but it's injuries seem to be too much for it...

 

 

 

 



And another....

 

 

Gorgeous South Texas Sunset!!

 

A bit chilly here this morning and I had to turn the heat on, ekk! Hopefully it will warm up a bit today! Hope y'all have a great day!

 

 

 

 

 



Just a few things to share...

 

 

 

I love creative people...picked this up on Etsy Sunday and it arrived today!! I absolutely love it!! It's actually a cup but I'm going to use it as a vase! I haven't bought any horse items in a long time but this caught my eye...and proudly made in the U.S.A.

 

http://www.etsy.com/shop/MorrisPottery

 

I am still not feeling well but tired of not doing anything too so tonight I worked on a couple of digital layouts...I got the idea from a blog that I read...She did a conversation that her and her husband had had...I thought why not make a memory of an everyday text that Fred and I have...Who would think texting would be a memory, lol. But then it's the only time Fred and I normally talk during the week too...

 

January 22 2013

 (In regards to what Wendy is catching in Coyote/dog trap)

Wendy: Damn Vultures

Fred: They hungry too

Wendy: Well they need to stay out and off the darn trap

Fred: Well quit putting rotten food in there

Wendy: You want me to put a fridge down there with a sign? Coyotes and dogs fresh food in fridge please help yourself

Fred: LOL if it will bring them in to catch, brilliant idea

Wendy: Whatever

 

(I love my husband and his sense of humor, he's so funny!!)

~

 

January 29 2013

Wendy: You coming home tonight?

Fred: Yes I am

Wendy: In time for dinner?

Fred: Yes, should be in around 6:30 or 7

Wendy: K

Wendy: Spaghetti or Chili?

Fred: Chili

Wendy: Puss

Fred: Don’t put so many darn nasty beans in it

Wendy: It’s my chili I’ll make it my way

Fred: Then you eat it, lol

Wendy: Your cruising for a bruising

Fred: Don’t need all those beans in it. That’s all you can taste

Wendy: I’ll put more chili powder in it then

Fred: LOL B.S. put more meat

Wendy: Earn more money so I can buy more meat

Fred: Get a job. I earn enough, you just over spend lol

 

(By the way Fred does NOT like spaghetti and all week long I had been giving him choices for dinner and each night he'd pick what ever was NOT spahgetti...he had me laughing! Did he get spaghetti for dinner? Eventually and he wasn't happy!)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



Sunday morning...

Before the clouds moved in and the sickness hit me I managed to take the Macro outside and play around...I love my Macro lens but since I've bought the 300mm lens I don't play with it much. Wildflower season is coming up, if there are any and I thought it was time to get out the Macro and see what I could remember...

 

 

The Pipevine swallowtails were all over the Jasmine...some of them even seem to have lost their head!

 

 

~

Butterfly bush is blooming too...

 

~

Not just swallowtails were in the Jasmine...I even spotted a Spinx moth out in mid-morning enjoying the Jasmine blooms! The one above is a skipper butterfly.

 

~

 

~

 

I'm not perfect and I don't always get a great photo of the butterflies, they're fast!

 

~

The bees were out too and the sugar ants were in the Jasmine too.

 

~

Sulphur butterflies were enjoying the Jasmine too but they're a bit more skittish and harder to photograph.

 

~

 

I spotted this Admiral butterfly in the greenery of the garden, not hard to spot and so beautiful.

 

~

I swear the bees were drunk on nectar...

 

~

After they'd come out of a flower they'd hang on for a few seconds to get their bearings...

 

~

Bottoms up!

 

~

 This is my favorite photo from the day...This bumble bee was slightly upset that this Jasmine bloom was NOT open!! He tried and tried and then just buzzed and hung around!! How dare that Jasmine bloom not open up for him Right NOW!!

 

~

 



 

~

 

 

~

 

Today I'm spending most of the day in bed, listening to the wind blow...