Around OakMeadows

 

The hummingbird migration is underway. We have had 3-4 hummers at the feeder all week and this morning there are 6. I must get the second feeder filled and out for them. It seems a bit early but there is no arguing with the fact that they are here.  We have had a lot of butterflies too--Monarchs, Gulf Fritillaries, and Tiger Swallowtails with some skippers and sulfurs. Nice to see.  

What is not so nice has been the bazillion mosquitoes of the past 3 days!  I wear a pullover hoodie and spray myself with Off when I go out to feed the birds. West Nile virus has been found in mosquitoes at 80 percent of the mosquito traps set by the county health department.  So one must be careful. 

Joe and I are going to the North American Butterfly Association meeting in Mission, TX in November and I finished the registration and reservations today.  
Joe will be attending the Butterfly Landscaping class/tour and I will be taking the Butterfly Basics class at the National Butterfly Center which is in Mission. There is a 2 hour class on moths from 7-9 pm. I haven't signed up for it because I'm not sure how tired I will be; but I do hope to go to that one too. The next day is a leisurely riverboat nature tour. I wasn't sure that it was handicapped accessible but received confirmation that it was today. So that will be interesting. 

My sweet kittens are now eunuchs. They had their surgery yesterday and seem to be fully recovered this morning.  We gave little Henry his last dose of the 6 week course of terbinafine for his ringworm; it is completely cleared up and his coat is so smooth and shiny that he no longer reminds me of Charlie Brown's Christmas tree. 

I am working on the corner pieces for the lattice for my quilt. I need 72 corner blocks and each corner has 9 pieces. When I finish the corners, I can start assembling the quilt top.  I have aspirations to make matching pillow shams but that remains to be seen. 

Wild Hogs

 

 

We live out in the country and one of the joys of living here is that we get to see the beautiful creatures who live around us.  However, there are some that are not so lovely, such as the wild hogs. They grow to be 350 pounds of bad tempered destructiveness as they root around looking for food.  On the good side though, they make absolutely delicious sausage.

Green Lynx Spider

Look carefully to see it on the rose.  I have never seen a green spider before.

 



What is it???

Found this little creature crawling on Joe's chair under the big live oak and have no idea what it is. 

Around OakMeadows

 

Saturday afternoon Joe and I took BBQ and all the fixings to Paul and Wendy's house for all the people who have been watching over Aunt Liz. It was a wonderful time of food, fellowship, and relaxation for those who were physically and emotionally exhausted. I am so glad that we did it because Liz died late that evening. At least everyone had a good meal and knew that people cared about what they were going through. The funeral is set for Wednesday.

We seem to have lost our sweet MistyKitty. She went out Friday evening and didn't come back. She could have been killed by an owl or coyote. We hope that she comes back home but really don't expect it. 

Now for some good news. 

I decided to make a baby quilt for my next quilt and found just the perfect fabric in blues, yellows, and cream colors. I've made the pattern before and it goes together easily. There were a couple of of fabrics that I really liked and I thought about going back and getting them but decided against it because after the baby quilt, I already have pieces cut for another scrap quilt. I also bought a new rotary cutter. Rotary cutters are one modern invention that is a real improvement. 

I made Slow Cooker Homey Chicken Stew from the Slow Cooker Revolution cookbook. Man was it good! I have yet to make anything from that cookbook that hasn't been just delicious. I made biscuits to go with it to sop up the juice, so good!
I also made a big pot of beans and rice and sausage. We ate it and had some for leftovers and then froze the rest of it. For dessert, we had leftover pecan pie.

Reading has been really good. I finished To End All Wars by Adam Hochschild. It was one of the best history books I have ever read. I also finished A Week in Winter by Maeve Binchey; it was her last book before she died and it was a typically sweet Binchey book. Unfortunately, there will be no more. Currently, I am reading Mr. Churchill's Secretary by Susan MacNeal and Hot: Living through the Next Fifty Years on Earth by Mark Hertsgaard. 

I haven't made any progress on the guest bedroom makeover because we are still waiting for the new blinds and for the antique map prints to come in. 

Lots of birds at the feeders. Hummingbirds are stopping by for a feed on their way north. Unidentified warblers occasionally. Lots of blackbirds, doves, and a few sparrows. The usual mockingbirds, cardinals, blue jays, and titmouse. I saw one squirrel this week; it puzzles me why we don't have more squirrels here. 

Around OakMeadows

Joe's Aunt has been in declining health for several years and has been residing in a nursing home. She was hospitalized where her condition was stabilized and returned to the nursing home. She rapidly declined and is now on palliative care. She seems to be in no real distress although it is hard to tell. Her daughter, Joe's cousin, has been caring for her and is very stressed. My SIL is helping as much as she can. But there is little anyone can do. Joe has been asked to be one of the readers at the funeral. It is hard to see someone who was so full of life fading away, especially since she is the very last of her generation in the family. 

Other bad news is, of course, the horrible oil spill in Galveston Bay. I can't watch the news and see the poor struggling oil covered birds. Just can't watch it. 

Now for some good news. 

We have two pairs of barn swallows. One nest on the back porch and one on the front porch. We also have at least two hummingbirds coming to the feeder. Mockingbirds are all over the place, chasing each other out of their territory. I suspect a cardinal nest in the bottlebrush bush. Lots of the usual suspects at the birdbath and feeders. Warblers, who remain unidentified, continue to thwart me.  Blue jays, collared and mourning doves, titmouse, and a few red winged blackbirds. 

I finally finished the table runner.  I will post a photo soon. I want to do a baby quilt next. Must go fabric shopping. Pastels. 

Reading in To End All Wars. What an excellent book! I've finished 1915 and started 1916. I can hardly bear to read about the senseless slaughter and the horrific conditions. It is amazing that there was very, very little opposition to the war. It was all patriotism and glory. How can I criticize it though--the U.S. has been in a stupid, senseless war for going on 13 years now with very, very little opposition. And truth to tell, there are those in Congress who would involve us in any number of others wars. 

Lots of blooms around OakMeadows. The  redbuds, crab apples and Mexican plum trees are covered in blooms. The azaleas are loaded with buds just beginning to open. Wildflowers are lovely--lots of Indian paint brushes, something that has purple blooms, but very few bluebonnets. The pink and yellow primroses haven't really started blooming yet. 

My church is starting an ESL class and is looking for volunteers. I am thinking seriously about volunteering. I will look into it a bit more before making a decision. 

Cooking has been rather sketchy this past week. Nothing new, just same old, same old. Need to look through my ATK Cookbooks. I love ATK. 

Around Oak Meadows

 Birds around OakMeadows--It was unusually cold last week so we really kept the feeders stocked. We were rewarded with lots of feathered beauties. 

     Ruby-crowned kinglet
     Bluejays 
     Cardinals
     Savannah sparrows
     Goldfinches
     Collared doves
     Titmouse
At the pond we spotted
     Great blue heron
     Great egret
Joe says that he saw a flock of 70+ trumpeter swans flying directly over the property. At one time they did winter down here but are not common. Perhaps last week's polar vortex blew them down here. He won't let me add them to the OakMeadows list because he is unsure. 

Joe is counting days to retirement--18 days to go.  He says as the time gets shorter, it is harder and harder to go in each morning.  He has worked so hard all his life that I hope he has years and years of happy retirement.  He had his 67th birthday Friday.  I baked a German Sweet Chocolate cake for him. We had Sunday lunch at The Olive Garden with family and friends totaling 18. It was so much fun. 

Quilting project is a table runner for the dining room. I have the top pieced.  This week I want to get the backing and batting cut and get it layered, pinned, and basted.  When I get it finished I want to get some new candles and holders to put on the runner. 

Lots of good books in progress
     Empire of Liberty by Gordon S. Wood
     Countdown by Alan Weisman
     Mrs. Tim Christie by D.E.Stevenson
     Sometimes You Win, Sometimes You Learn by John Maxwell

Last week was so cold that soup was a necessity. I made Turkey and Wild Rice in the Slow Cooker.  Oh Lordy, was it ever good. JMM brought home a loaf of sourdough bread which we toasted and buttered.  Oh so good. 

We are dog-sitting the world's best dog, sweet Daisy, while her companion people are off to London and then to Spain.  Fortunately, it is not raining so walking her hasn't been a problem; I simply cannot manage the scooter, the dog, and an umbrella, not to mention closing the door after we go out.  Anyway fingers are crossed for continued sunny weather. 

We had a load of mulch delivered for the flower beds and around the trees. Joe is taking a few wheelbarrows to the beds each day so he won't hurt his back.  Right now with everything killed back by the freezing weather so it is hard to picture how beautiful and green everything will be. In the meantime, mulch, mulch, and more mulch. 

     
     

Wild Boar Out Back

 

 

 

We live out in the country. One of the great pleasures of living in the country is the wildlife we see--raccoons, birds, possums, an armadillo now and then. But one critter we don't like to see are the wild pigs. Wild boars are not your cute little piggy; we have trapped them up to 300 lb. of fighting mad meanness. This is one of many we have trapped and turned into sausage.

 

 



Spider Webs

Everything is covered in heavy dew these cool autumn mornings.

I live with cats

Bandit

Bandit is our tuxedo cat.  I am convinced that Bandit picked us to be his family.  I remember the first time I saw him, he was sitting in our driveway just outside the garage door. I stepped into the garage and there he was. For all the world, he was sitting there waiting for me to come outside. I was surprised but it was love at first sight on both our parts. I walked over to him, he did not even try to get away, and I picked him up. I took him inside and he purred and looked around. He was probably about 12 weeks old and I have absolutely no idea where he came from. He looked like he was well nourished. No one ever came to claim him. And I sincerely doubt if I would have given him up even if they had. 

Bandit is Mr. Personality. He loves people and always wants to be where his people are. Once, our neighbors gave a big party in their back yard. Bandit sat in the empty lot all by himself watching the party. When my housecleaners come, the other two cats disappear but Bandit sits on the kitchen bar and watches. 

He is very affectionate. Loves to be on my lap or beside me when I am quilting.  He watches me cook and mooches bits of meat, milk, or cheese. 

However, he has one disturbing characteristic. He is a mighty hunter. He loves fresh field mouse and he wants to share his kill. He will bring his kill to the back door, meowing loudly for us to open the door so he can bring it in. We have learned to recognize the sound of the meow that means he is bringing in a kill. I suppose he just likes to eat fresh and local. 

We have come to the conclusion that Bandit is a once in a lifetime cat.