Wild Turkey Parade

Almost every day for the past week, this family of wild turkeys parades across the pasture feasting on grasshoppers. And every day, at least two of them wander into the corner between the fence and gate, newly perplexed each time about how to get out and rejoin the others. 

I can't imagine why Ben Franklin thought they were such smart birds. 

You've probably heard of a "flock of pigeons" and "gaggle of geese," but a group of turkeys is called a "rafter." 

Here's a list of collective nouns for birds. 

I particularly like "an ascension of larks" and "a storytelling of crows."

Summer moon

The summer skies have been glorious at dusk lately, 

and I love the way they make my moon mobile swing and glow.

Three months from now, I'll look back on these languorous days that linger into night 

and remember the sounds of cicadas humming in the trees, the breezes over tall grass, 

the redemption of salty, bare-skin sweat. And I'll miss it all terribly. I so love August.

"Summertime, and the livin' is easy...fish are jumpin...and the cotton is high..."

Fix yourself a tall, cool drink, then click here  

and listen to Ella Fitzgerald and Satchmo sing it 

in this lush, languid orchestration.

Telltale poops

This morning, I noticed a plethora of persimmon seeds in some deer droppings along the road and realized there must be a persimmon tree in the area. So today's bike mission was to find it.


My horse loves persimmons, and I was eager to bring some back in my bike pouch for him.


I rode around off-trail, checking every small-leafed tree and at last, found one full of round, purple fruit. And then I started seeing them everywhere––including one growing right by the driveway I've ridden down every day for months.


It's amazing what you can find when you set out with intentional observation--and what you miss every day when you think you know your surroundings.

Dog day afternoon

It hit 100 degrees today.  

I know there are lots of dogs in pens without water or shade, but this is the one I encountered on my Sunday bike ride:

No one was home.  Both buckets in his pen were bone dry. 

There was a hose nearby, but it was sretched far away, set up to water a tree they'd  planted, NOT where it might shade the poor dog, but way out front in their front yard. 

So I dragged the garden hose from the tree to the dog pen and filled a water bucket. 

The dog was incredibly thirsty, yet so grateful, he licked my hand before drinking. 

Then he stood in the water and drank for about 5 minutes, 

stopping only long enough to pant...

...catch his breath and start again. In between, he'd put his nose by the gate, 

politely asking to be let out. Water, freedom, shade. I don't know which he wanted most.

I hope the owners come home and are embarrassed to see that someone else had to 

give their dog water. It just kills me when people have acres of yard yet spend more money in landscaping than it would cost to put up a fence and give their dog a decent life.

My guess is that they were out enjoying the neighborhood pool 

while their dog sat roasting in the 100-degree August sun.

Bobcat girl

Today, I found a beautiful female bobcat hit in the road. I've always wanted to see a bobcat up close, but not like this. She was such an extraordinarily lovely creature, it was extremely sad for me to finally see one this way.

Some people find sublime beauty in death. I can appreciate that to some extent, but when a wild animal  is killed by a car, I don't see the beauty, only the horrible waste.


Still, I was mesmerized by her body, her huge ears and paws, her lush fur, and the way she felt exactly like my cat when I picked her up. She'd obviously just been hit: bright, thin blood dripped from her nose. Her eyes were still bright green and wide open. As minutes passed, those green, focused eyes turned cloudy, and then, oddly enough, went blue.


Soon after, the nicatating membrane advanced over her pupils. Mercifully, only then, the death flies came.

From what I could tell, she had been young and healthy. There was no sign of cubs or recent nursing. So I placed her body in the shady woods near where she'd been hit; if she does have family or a mate, they will be able to find her and know she is gone.

May she rest in peace.

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."

Horse with an attitude

I know my horse, Red Rabbit, pretty well, but sometimes 

it's hard to tell what he's saying.

Here, I think it's either, "Ha-hah, you look funny 

today" or "More ginger snaps, please!"

Playful in the pasture

The deer came out last night just as it started to rain. I love this picture--not only for the personality of the playful fawn; it also reminds me of an Impressionistic painting and I like how the shapes of the doe and fawn offset each other.


"It's beauty that captures your attention; personality which captures your heart."

A new view

I needed to change my perspective, so I changed my view.

From my desk, I can see the edge of the barn, part of the pasture, and now this new addition:

So far, two hummingbirds have found this giant glass flower, but they spend more time chasing each other away than actually feeding from it.

Meanwhile, my perspective has shifted to getting over a cold and choosing a new direction for work. It's not unlike wandering the trails out in the pasture. Do I take the familiar, well-worn path the horses travel daily, or one of the faint, unclear ones formed by the careful quiet movements of the deer?

Thanks and hugs to my horsey pal Sharon Murphey who 

gave me the unusual and decorative hummingbird feeder. 

Bad cat or bad squirrel?

I came home to a decimated spider plant on my porch.  

I'm posting this because it's a pretty good example of how I feel today. A little chewed up with only a few good leaves left on me. 

This is the second go-around for this plant and me. It got hurt once before, but I didn't take it out of harm's way.

 I shouldn't be surprised it got damaged again.

"If you keep on doing what you've always done, you'll keep on getting what you always got."

Mickey Freeman

Asshole indecision

There's just something about these guys that seems like an asshole with legs. And they're assholes for congregating in my ceiling corners.

Since they eat other bugs and are totally harmless, I've left them alone, but they're damn hard to ignore when they keep having parties every night and inviting all their friends.

I tried batting them down with a broom, but they just disperse and climb back up, doing a little squatty dance like they're laughing at my attempts. "Ha! Is that all ya got? You are so outnumbered!"

Sure, I have a flyswatter, but hate to kill anything that's not hurting me. So now I'm undecided. Live and let live, or pull out the heavy artillery: the You-Will-Die-A-Tortured-Death Vacuum Cleaner.

Life in the country isn't always pretty.

What is lard anyway?

Besides the dirty little secret of chefs everywhere, it's basically animal fat. So, here's my formerly tubby cat, Purr--now thin thanks to feline hyperthyroidism--and in need of...well...fat.  Living in Texas means you have access to things like a TUB OF LARD, so what better way to get his scrawny little hiney round again.

Maybe it's not the pinnicle of healthy calories, but it's gotta be better than the evil BPA-lined cans Purina uses in their crappy commercial cat food.

Meadow meditation

This jackrabbit seemed to sense the eye of my camera and stayed motionless for almost 20 minutes. I wanted some video footage of him hopping and browsing, but he didn't budge until the camera timed out and shut down.

That's a lot of patience, grasshopper.


"Patience is the best remedy for every trouble."

Titus Maccius Plautus

Ugly and misunderstood

The following piece by David Bottoms gave me a new perspective and appreciation for vultures.


Under the Vulture-Tree
We've all seen them circling pastures,
looked up from the mouth of a barn, a pine clearing,
the fences of our backyards, and stood
amazed by the one slow wing beat,
the endless dihedral drift.

But I had never seen so many, so close, hundreds,
every limb of the dead oak feathered black,
I cut the engine, let the river grab the jon boat
and pull it toward the tree. The black leaves shone,
the pink fruit blossomed red, ugly as a human heart.

Then, as I passed under their dream,
I saw for the first time its soft countenance, the raw fleshy jowls
wrinkled and generous, like the faces of the very old
who have grown to empathize with everything.

I drifted away from them, slow,
on the pull of the river,
reluctant, looking back at their roost,
calling them what I'd never called them, what they are:

those dwarfed transfiguring angels
who flock to the side of the poisoned fox, the mud turtle
crushed on the shoulder of the road,
who pray over the leaf-graves of the anonymous lost,
with mercy enough to consume us all and give us wings.