Gallivanting gazelles

I pass this herd of gazelles everyday while riding my bike, but I'm rarely close enough to get decent footage.

The boys seem to enjoy playing chase games while the ladies wander around flicking their tails and gossiping about who has the biggest horns.

highway fatality

The movement caught my eye as I rode past: one butterfly had been hit––smashed to the asphalt, but still alive––as the other fluttered around trying to help.

When I got close with the camera, the healthy one moved a few feet away, watching while I pulled the stuck one off the pavement. Unfortunately, that action separated its abdomen and it died within seconds as I lay it in the grass.

As often happens, despite my good intentions, things do not always turn out well. 

I hope her mate realized I was trying to help. I suspect butterfly karma may be a powerful thing.

Busy busy

Just a quick scene from this morning's bike ride. It's a lazy Sunday for me, but the bees are always busy.

Surprise

This morning, I found a surprise in my watering can. A frog had decided to get in there and set up camp. He looked quite happy, so I let him stay.

Although I'd like to see his exit strategy, he may be planning to hang out for a while.
He said something about signing a 6-hour lease.

Scissors, please

I particularly enjoy seeing the Scissor Tail birds along the pasture fence. I got lucky today and got two sitting poses...

 

and one in flight. 

Horse torture

Today was worming day for Red.  He hates it, but knows 
he has to put up with it in order to get his breakfast grain.

Before clicker training, worming was nearly impossible with such a tall horse. When I first got him, he would panic and throw his head. It was a disaster. I was told his previous owner used to twist his ears to get it  done. My usually calm horse would freak at just the sight of a wormer tube.

To get him over this, I used equine clicker training and desensitization. I'd touch him all over with an empty tube. Once I could hold it against his face, I started hooking my little finger of the hand holding the wormer into his halter so even when he moved, the tube was still against him. When he finally relaxed, I would click, take it away and give him a treat. Finally, when it was time for the real worming day, he knew cooperation meant a reward. He's been a trooper ever since. 

In April, I used Panacur Powerpac, which has to be administered EVERY DAY for 5 days in a row. Red thought he was being punished or tortured, I'm sure. By day 2 he was suspicious when I put his halter on him before breakfast. By day 3, he was walking out of his stall. I had to wait him out until he chose to come back and be wormed if he wanted to eat. 
I think it was a very hard decision for him, but for me, it was worth the wait to finally have a calm, willing participant. Clicker training for horses is a great tool.

It will be a while before I worm him again, but when I do, I'll make sure the lighting and my technique are better.

An apple day

I spent most of the day at a bar.  The Genius Bar at the Austin Apple Store. 
It was worth it. They traced the problem to a corruption in my iTunes library (thank you, Limewire) and fixed it. 

So here's an apple in gratitude for the day. But in this case, it's not a MacIntosh, it's a candle.

The bee's knees

This may be the biggest bee I've ever seen. 

He was sitting on the fence while I filled the horse's water tub this morning, adding an additional barb to the wire. His lift-off was like a helicopter: straight up, then curving out in a slow, wide arc with lots of noise. Quite impressive.

Texas skyscrapers

In just a few months, these yucca stalks along the trail 

have grown to nearly 20 feet tall. They're quite spectacular.  

Here's a perspective shot of the entire plant compared to my bike. 

Serendipitous tomatoes

On my morning bike ride, I stopped to visit the palomino pony and his owners happened to be out in the yard.
They tell me his name is Biscuit and he loves snacking on tomatoes and figs. Peg and Gary invited me in for a cool glass of water, and shared these lovely home-grown tomatoes from their garden with me.
As soon as I post this, I'll try one. Thank you, Peg and Gary. And Biscuit for letting me out the gate with the bag intact.

Prehistoric visitors

I usually glace at the Sunset Tree when I go out, and today, it had a new surprise for me.


Talk about camouflage: at first, all you see is tree, right? The only reason I spotted this handsome guy is that he was silhouetted against the sky when I walked onto my side porch.


These Texas Spiny Lizards are plentiful right now and maybe too large (nearly a foot long) even for our resident road runner to catch and eat. Or maybe not--and that's why they're up in the trees watching the ground.

Red's new girlfriend

I used to think I was Red's best girl, but he's been seen with a new lady lately who's much better looking. I think they've been out on a few dinner dates, but it's not serious yet.

They make a nice looking pair, don't you think?

For you

I'm so pleased with my flower arranging and the afternoon light, I had to post this to share with you.


I hope my guest who's coming for dinner will enjoy them, too.

Comments anyone?

I haven't been getting any comments lately, and wonder why. 


Are the posts getting too boring? I feel like I'm just talking to myself lately. 


So today I'm taking it easy with a simple picture. I found this Walking Stick (Phasmatodea) on my wall before I put up the screens. When I learned they only eat leaves and not Daddy Longlegs (Harvestmen) he got transported outside where he can enjoy his vegetarian lifestyle.


BTW: Here's advice on how to comment for non-Google mail subscribers:
1. Click on "comment" at the bottom of a post and type a message into the comment box.
2. Click on "name/URL" underneath and just type in your name. 
3. Then click "publish your comment." Easy!

Morning vision

On my bike ride this morning, I was admiring the stone wall in front of an old farm house when I spotted this vision in gold.   

The pony seemed curious about me and the bike, but would not come over. He did toss his head defiantly a few times; I got the feeling he was challenging me to a race.

Here's a quick glimpse of when I first saw him, tail flowing in the breeze:

Through a horse's ears

My bareback strolls on Red Rabbit are a nothing like the stunning beauty and grace of a Stacy Westfall ride, but I sure do enjoy them. 

This is one of our early Passenger Lesson outings. I'm videotaping, so the lead rope is laying on Red's neck. He's exploring the area around the house and pool (good thing he waited until the end to poop).

I'd love to have a hands-free helmet cam like this one to record my daily adventures, bike rides or even an exhilarating gallop on Red.


If anyone feels generous enough to donate one to the cause of making this blog WAY more interesting, I'll add a Paypal button to the right, just in case. I'd be forever grateful--and even show you how I taught Red to play the piano.


Meanwhile, I'll post more interesting footage as it develops. Red should be ready for his first piano recital pretty soon.

Stop bugging me

I finally gave up on sleeping with the windows open.

Yesterday, I put up my screens, closed the windows and turned on the AC.

First time this year. Yep--I made it all the way to July 10 without air conditioning.

Some bugs want to leave but others are now more eager to get inside. This moth seemd to want to join me in my bedroom.

Although he's lovely, I'm happy to admire him from afar.

The joys of running water

Every morning, Purr follows me out to feed the horses and waits patiently for me to turn on the hose.

The horses probably think it's odd, but they allow him to finish before they take their drink.

July 14th will be my 14th anniversary with Mister Purr. He's been a loyal, loving and forgiving companion--more like a dog than a cat in many ways--and I love him dearly.

I'm trying to manage his hyperthyroid condition, and he's been such a trooper.

Grazing with deer

These deer happily graze near my horse, but as soon as a human steps outside with a camera, they get nervous and run away.

Deer seem to spend their lives avoiding getting shot--whether

 it's with a camera or a gun.

If horses started carrying rifles, would they

freak out at the sight of them, too?

"Any glimpse into the life of an animal quickens our own 

making it so much larger and better in every way." 
-- John Muir 

Sunset goodbye

Every night, the sun seems to set right in this tree. It's lovely and sad at the same time.

Just as the sun gets to this point in its journey is about the time my horse, Red Rabbit, comes by for his evening visit, hoping for companionship or a ginger snap cooke.

It's also the time I realize the day is over and I reflect on what's happened.

It's a sweet time of evening, and a view from the back porch I cherish.

Hanging in there

Sure, it's pretty, but where's the fruit?

We've had so much rain lately, you'd think my tomato plant would be happily doing its job of making delicious organic tomatoes, but so far, all it's made are tiny yellow flowers.

Has anyone had any success with the topsey-turvey tomato contraptions? I was tempted to buy one, but the package design and planter graphics are atrocious.

So for three months now, my little tomato plants have been languishing in the sun and breezes, happy and healthy, but not producing much. Sort of like me.

At least the rabbits and deer can't reach them. 

Good neighbors

There's a lot to be said for great neighbors. These two alpacas--as well 

as John and Kathy--make my view from the front porch always interesting.

And alpacas must be the quietest livestock possible. I never hear a sound out of them, but just about any time day or night, they're out there romping and playing.

Country solitude is wonderful, but even better when it's shared with 

such well-cared for happy animals.

Peaches of the past

This picture was shot just a few days ago, so I was shocked to find the peach tree I was visiting for breakfast totally bare of fruit today.

It's amazing what can change in a week.

I'm taking it as another reminder that you never quite appreciate what you've got till it's gone.

Independence Day

Freedom is a beautiful thing, but sometimes, 

you gotta go around a few times or even 

change directions to earn it.

Oddities in my garden

I was pulling weeds from around my poor, beleaguered tomato plant 
this morning and found this:

A prickly pear?


A mutant vegetable?


An iPod?


I don't know, but I love how you never know what you'll find when you're making room for new growth.




Right afterward, I spotted this interesting guy on my gate post:

Maybe he likes the oddities in my garden.

The art of rain

There is something so dignified and reassuring about tree trunks.

I love the pattern of rain on their bark

how the wet winds paint them,

leaving us quiet reminders of

their trials and their grace.

Guarding the garden

About once a week, the deer like to visit my garden and nibble the good parts off my tomato plant. Maybe Mister Purr senses my frustration because he's taken to lounging near it these last few days.

He's my little Garden-Guarding Cougar Cat; such nonchalant vigilance.

"As is the gardener, so is the garden."