The air is thick with the smell of hay

I wish we could bail our native grass like this!

Picnic at the River

Jackson and I needed a change of pace - so we marched over to the Rio Grande, We had a grand time!

ssssnake on my rocker!

I hear all this fuss from the kitchen window - the little brown jobs with their nest up in the porch corner...its so loud I look out the window - ahhhhh!!!! A gopher snake climbing my rocking chair to get the little birds...we stared each other down and finally he went back to his nest...under the Porch!

you gotta see the baby...ducks!

I know I have been slackin...the back 40 has been taking up all the time. Might just have to start another blog about that! Plus an art show and this and that. But today I had to say awwww, and share the little fluff balls with you !

Mr. Toad looking for his wild ride...

There he was still as can be...I could of stepped on him - Jackson didn't see him. The eyes say it all I think, he's looking for trouble on the side of the ditch!

Swine Flu and the mannequin

they keep this mannequin outback year round and dress him up for the holidays, football games, any festive theme that can involve a hat really...well in the spirit of our collective anxiety they have pretected their mascot from us walking breathers...I think my stuffiness is just allergies...at least thats what I keep telling myself!

Farmer Bill

Amending the soil after testing reveals we are nitrogen deficient....it must have been last years bumper crops of beans and tomatoes. We will rotate this year and see what happens!

Saltcedar

To bad it is another one of our noxious shrubs...it smells as sweet as it looks! can you find Jackson?

Roadrunner and fake mange show

Wow -
So this is the second time I have seen this. The first Roadrunner I saw was all ready in its mange position - looking very sickly and plucked and if I were an animal thinking of eating it I would think twice. I was feeling sad for it and wondering if Roadrunners could get rabies? Then today I saw the real show...It was on the other side of the ditch doing its thing and then it saw us and plumed out its feathers like this in all directions. What a great show! Then it ran away...

correction -
Just did some reading - The Great roadrunner as its called does this strange move to warm the dark feathers underneath the light ones, so it was not scared, just cold.

Jackson and the Hairy Vetch

We had tried to get this great nitrogen rich cover crop to grow the first year we moved into our house. With a yard full of nothing but goat heads and pigweed this seemed like a great idea...well it never took, and yet here on the banks of the ditch it seems to be thriving. Maybe the birds took the seed and came for a drink and dropped them along the bank. We did at least get native grass to take.

Jackson is saying come on all ready!

Creepy Baby Croc

If only I could of captured the scale...this is only 3 inches long...how is an infant supposed to keep these on? Booties I get but infant crocs....better then Minola Blancs I guess.

Ducks walking here!

Why swim when you can stroll?

Jackson was very interested in this odd behavior. Maybe they need to do more weight-bearing exercise since swimming only can do so much for your bones...
I was sad when I found out that all that spinning I have done has not helped mine one bit, so I am out here everyday pounding the dirt way.

Ditch is on

A little early this year - maybe because we had barely any precipitation this winter. Its a lovely day today warm and clear and its nice to hear the rush of water to my right. The light was so lovely on the trunk of this pine I just couldn't get the picture to exactly capture the glow that seemed to be coming out of the tree not just being illuminated by it.

circles of fire

Don't these remind you of the Dancing Shiva sculptures, the outer rims with the circle of flames representing the cosmos and especially consciousness. To Funny, We just tilled up the vegtable bed and will soon start planting so I feel we are right in line with the Cosmo's!

Siberian Elms blooming

Beautiful isn't it? Like the gathered ruffles on a handmade gown. To bad its just the beginning of endless raking of all those little seed pods, they blow all over city like confetti when the winds pick up. These tree's are so tough they just love growing between sidewalk cracks and up against your house. We had no idea that you never let these grow. Now we are doing backbreaking work of digging many of them out of the yard.

not an everyday thing

So look who was just hangin out on that old barn....

I mean yeah, we have these around the neighborhood but this guy just sat there 2 feet from me with my dog who didn't even get riled up because this guy was like a statue.

But he was looking right at me soon enough as I tried to get closer for a better picture. I think he just figured I was out for an autograph I mean he looks like Liberace!

Neighbors Cherry Blossom

Could not resist the draw of the new blossoms on the trees ... It brings out the amateur photog in all of us, I think the mailbox in this is the best part.

It will be fun to document all the new life bursting out all over. Too bad the wind is whipping up to 50 mph the last few days. So many AHH-Choo's in the air!

Mr. Sandman

Okay, so he's not one of the enormous chalk figures which are scattered through much of the landscape of southern England. But he was a surprise and standing over 15 feet. A little spooky - just appeared out of no where. I couldn't not bring myself to walk all over him. But I sung that song for the entire afternoon!

lookout for llama's - correction Alpacas!

So its way to warm for February and everyone including me and Jackson have Spring fever. We decide to drive a mile or two down the way to walk some of the ditches that are too far to reach from the house. Its always an adventure because you have to find the easements between and sometimes through other peoples back yards. Usually its not so hard - today it was impossible. We were wondering around a culdesac for a while till we spotted another dog walker, Pastor Joe and his dog Maestro, He gave me elaborate directions, through this palatial mansion's yard up ahead...I said do you think they will mind me passing on their property "its my house he said'! Off we scrambled down the path...and soon we came across the Alpaca's - don't get to close Jackson they spit!

3 Scotties

These guys crack me up - when they bark their chin whiskers waggle like and old man. They stomp their feet in a comedic tap dance routine. Jackson really wants to play with them and will whine and bow and would do just about anything if I would let him. I'm glad they are on the far side. Its bad enough to keep him reigned in over here.