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Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Wordy Wednesday {Texas Sage Bush}

Texas Sage Bush

I am going to miss this bush. It is an evergreen shrub, native to Texas, which is not a true sage. As you can see, this one was left to grow “wild”. This is how we are – just let them be and grow as they please with a minimum of fuss.

I love the beautiful flowers that bloom all over the bush.

And, I love them for attracting the bees...

Bees...

and more bees.

Bees are a passion of mine. I have always had an interest in them since the days of my youth when my dad kept honeybees. I want to have a couple of hives here on this new land of ours.

Since this plant is native to Texas, maybe we will plant a bush or two here on our own piece of heaven. I am a huge proponent of wildscaping – gardening for wildlife. My main interest lies with the birds, butterflies and bees. However, I do love the other beneficial critters (e.g. lizards) that live off the land. So, I desire to stick to plants and trees that are native to Texas with the exception of the fruit and nut trees.

{All pictures taken on May 26, 2012.}

Monday, October 29, 2012

Macro Monday {Sticker Burrs}

{Participating in Macro Monday, I heart Macro, and Your Sunday Best.}

Sticker Burrs 10/17/2012.

{To see a larger image, go here.}

I first posted images of clusters of these plants and of being hurt by one of these things in A Week of Pictures (#4).

We have since mowed the yard. My Chessie now has trouble with sticker burrs getting on her paws and her fur. She prefers to roam the back and sides of the house; but, I have been forcing her to go to the front because there were not as many of them out there. We also have to brush her before going back inside. She loves to be brushed; so, no problems in that area. However, she often refuses to go back inside after the brushing because she wants to stay outdoors!

Saturday, October 27, 2012

Link Roundup

  • Scrappy Patchwork Shoelace Tutorial Sewing

    If this really works out like pictured, it’d be cool for kids (and adults like me!).

  • Apple Core Pincushion Sewing

    I would think one can make this without a die cut machine. Just make your own mockup of an apple core and cut out fabric in that shape.

  • Pincushion Ring Crafting
  • Heating Pad Cover Sewing

  • Pin Cushion Tutorial Uses tiny cute wooden frames.
  • Easy Raggedy Yarn Wig Tutorial Cute! I want one! Ha!
  • Ladybug Identification Image
  • How to Stop Those Scandalous Thoughts in Your Head Christian; Inspirational
    You think, “How could I think this? What is the matter with me?” You wonder if you’re a fraud. What would everyone think if they knew? And God does know, what is He thinking? You whisper a quick prayer for forgiveness and carry on with your day…only to have it happen again.

    Here’s the good news: you’re human. This happens to all of us. And as long as we’re on this side of eternity it’s going to continue.

    Those thoughts aren’t you {at least not the real you}. So you don’t need to beat yourself up for them or spend time trying to figure out what in the world is the matter with you and how could you be such a bad person and Sunday School Susie certainly wouldn’t think that and now the day is ruined because you can’t believe what you just thought.

Friday, October 26, 2012

A Week in Pictures (#5A)

I am changing the weekly pictures to be posted on Fridays instead of Sundays. This means you will get a partial week’s worth today and a partial week's in addition to a full week's worth next Friday. The pictures will run from Fridays to Thursdays (instead of Sundays to Saturdays). The reason for this change is due to the fact it will be easier for me to find the time to do my blogging on Fridays and it will not take time away from being with Dan.

The Circle of Life isn’t always Pleasant 10/21/2012

I was doing my usual spider identification with my camera and was surprised to see this one eating a tinier spider. Life isn't always pleasant. However, life can also be amazing at times. For example, I discovered that some kind of dead critter was teeming with ants. I mean covered from head to toe. Those ants took a whole day to decimate it leaving behind a fragile skeleton. And then, some kind of beetle came along and started working away at the skeleton. That skeleton was gone by the next morning. There was no evidence that a critter once existed.

Pale Yellow Flower 10/22/2012

I have not been able to identify these flowers. My books are still packed away in a box somewhere. I spied this one near the mailbox late one evening. And, of course, I had my camera with me. I have not seen any of these on our land (yet). They look like grass type flowers and very fragile.

Chessie 10/23/2012

I had to force her to explore the front yard due to problems with sticker burrs after we mowed the land last Saturday. She was not a happy girl with me; although, she was happy to be outside.

Gracie 10/24/2012

Do you see her? I searched for Gracie and could not find her. Much to my surprise, I finally discovered her tucked away in the sleeping bags that Dan set on the office chair. However she managed to do this I will never know. I thought it was humorous and yet, at the same time, I was irked because it means more work for me to do. (I have to vacuum them or use a lint roller to get rid of the fur).

No Picture for 10/25/2012

I went into town with Dan and ran around like a mad hatter doing shopping. Dan’s company had an event called Racktoberfest that is all about German music beer and food. By the time the party was underway, I had a headache and just did not feel like snapping pictures. I now regret not doing so because I ended up having not taken any pictures for this day. This is okay as long as I get back into the groove of taking pictures. This means, I need to take a break sometime today and just pick up my camera. Hopefully, life will provide a wonderful reason for me to do so. :-)

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Wordy Wednesday {Gracie}

Gracie 9/1/2012

On this day, I could not find Gracie anywhere. She had disappeared for hours and I was getting concerned because cats that tend to disappear are often sick. After what happened to Calvin (who suddenly got sick with a severe case of diabetes and congestive heart failure), I am ever vigilant.

I finally found her in a very unlikely place – on top of our stored kitchen chairs. Our cats are not allowed on the tables, countertops and/or kitchen chairs. I guess Gracie felt that the bottom of the chairs was an exception to the rule. Since I felt sorry for her (due to the chaos of packing and whatnot), I left her alone.

Monday, October 22, 2012

Macro Monday {Dragonfly}

{Participating in Macro Monday, I heart Macro, and Your Sunday Best.}

Dragonfly 10/7/2012.

{To see a larger image, go here.}

I haven’t had time to do research on this critter; but, I do believe it is a Dragonfly. I first posted an image in A Week of Pictures (#3). But, I saved this one for a Macro Monday because I believe it is the best one!

Sunday, October 21, 2012

A Week in Pictures (#4)

Snout Nose Butterfly 10/14/2012

{To see a larger image, go here.}

While out “walking” Chessie late in the evening, I noticed a lot of these butterflies flittering about and I made Dan go get my camera and managed to snap a couple decent shots. These Snout Nose Butterflies are making their annual migration all over San Antonio – thousands upon thousands of them all heading somewhere in a northerly direction.

Tiny Pink Flower 10/15/2012

I was exploring outside in the morning and noticed this oddly curled petal flower. There were others that did not have curled petals. I am not sure if the flower was just opening or wilting; but, I found it really pretty and interesting.

Alternate view of the same flower:

Note: I could not decide which picture I should use. Dan liked the first and I liked the second. So, I decided to post both. Ha!

A View of some of our Land 10/16/2012

{To see a larger picture, go here.} This is land beside our house that is covered with lovely little yellow wildflowers. This viewpoint will be changing a tad in the future. I am planning to put gardening beds further on up on this spot. That big old brown round thing inside of the fence (near top left in picture) is actually a compost tumbler. This item most likely will be moved to be near the gardening beds. But first, landscaping plans need to be made and ironed out first before lifting a single finger. The white fencing will be done away with in the future as I am not a fan of that kind of fencing. Mold is already forming along one section that is in the front of the house as it is just cheap plastic/vinyl material. There is a section along the driveway that is just plain annoying. We are going to remove the sections of the fencing ourselves and then hire someone to remove the posts. We do what we can ourselves to cut costs.

Sticker Burrs 10/17/2012

{To see a bigger image, go here.}

These Sticker Burr plants are in huge clusters all over our property. We have a huge fight on our hands to get them gone.

Interesting Flowering Grass 10/18/2012

{To see a bigger image, go here.}

I have no clue to what kind of grass/plant this is; but, it sure does have some interesting flowers.

My Darling Brat, Gracie 10/19/2012

I was searching through some jeans and laying them on the bed to determine which ones I wanted to wear. I finally decided on a pair and then left leaving some jeans on the bed to head to an estate sale (which was a huge disappointment as it was more of a rummage sale). When I returned, I discovered my Gracie being a brat lying on a pair of jeans. I had to get the tripod because it was fairly dark in the room. Fortunately, Gracie doesn’t mind noise or the camera. She completely ignored me. After I took the pictures, I fussed at her; but, I pretty much let her sleep. Yes, I spoil her rotten.

Bark Scorpion 10/20/2012

Dan came in from outside and told me there was a Bark Scorpion on the driveway. I was surprised because they are usually not out in the daytime (it was still morning). Apparently, he/she was disturbed and came out of hiding near the detached garage. I quickly grabbed my camera to see if I can finally take some half-way decent pictures of one of these critters. I finally got somewhat decent pictures of a Bark Scorpion.

These things scare me half-to-death. Fortunately, I had on my snake proof boots on (because we were getting ready to mow the land), which made me feel somewhat brave. This one did not even stir. I thought it might be dead. But, Dan got a long thin piece of lumber and touched its tail and it scurried away. These things are lightning quick.

Bonus Picture: Sticker Burr Injury taken by Dan 10/14/2012

Sometimes there is the price to be paid for taking pictures out there on our land. As you already have seen, there are tons of annoying sticker burr plants around the property. I had slapped my leg hard in frustration and one of the “petals” with a kajillion sticker burrs happened to be resting on the leg of my jeans. Yeowch! I screamed bloody murder! Ha! In spite of the pain and immediate evidence of blood, I kept snapping because I wanted to get that one good shot of a Snout Nose butterfly. I counted ten little tiny wounds the next morning.

Photography, especially in nature, can be hazardous to your health. Ha!

Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Wordy Wednesday {Chessie}

This is Chessie. This snapshot was taken way back in May at the rental house. She was playing with the oversized straw ball and then decided to lie down. I only wish the cables and the black bag was not behind her. It would have been a good picture without those things in the background. But, I’m still pretty pleased with it considering she hates the camera.

Monday, October 15, 2012

Macro Monday {Moth}

{Participating in Macro Monday, I heart Macro, and Your Sunday Best.}

Estigmene albida Moth taken on 10/6/2012.

{To see a larger version, go here.}

There is another version of this same moth in A Week in Picture (#2). This beauty was discovered in the bed of Dan’s truck. Sad to say, he/she did not survive with the broken wing.

Sunday, October 14, 2012

A Week in Pictures (#3)

Dragonfly 10/7/2012

We took a casual walk around the property and Dan spied this little fellow. Of course, I had my camera with me and snapped away.

Chessie 10/8/2012

This is Chessie’s first outing at our new house. She absolutely LOVES this place.

Promenade White Wildflower 10/9/2012

I spied this lone wildflower and it brought back tons of memories. These grew in abundance on the front lawn of my childhood home and I would pick them for Mom. I loved these little flowers.

Neighbor’s Flag Flying High on a Cloudy Day 10/10/2012

The Ugly Duck 10/11/2012

Shot at Brackenridge Park (San Antonio) during Dan’s Company Picnic.

A Colony of Asiatic dayflowers 10/12/2012

These flowers are found all over our property. They tend to wilt in the heat; but, are very colorful in the mornings.

A Birthday Gift {from Dan} 10/13/2012

I fell in love with this some time ago and showed it to Dan. I forgot about it until he gave it to me in the morning. I love it! I should have polished it before taking a picture of this; but, I was rapidly running out of daylight.

Bonus Picture Taken by Dan: Free Birthday Brownie Sundae from Chili’s.

Saturday, October 13, 2012

Updates {& Today is my Birthday}

Source

Today is my birthday and we will be spending the morning with Stanley Steemer. Joy. NOT! On the positive side, we should be finished with the rental house today. Hurray! The only minor things we will have to do is cancel utilities and give the keys back and a copy of the receipt to the Landlord next week.

We have moved! We have been officially living in our home for almost a week now. I have been slowly and steadily unpacking and feeling frustration because I am not sure what will go where yet. But, most of the kitchen stuff is unpacked and there is still plenty of space left to use! It is almost half empty! I am even using some upper kitchen cabinets to store candles. If you know my love affair with Yankee candles, then you understand. Ha!

I must say that the last week or so really stunk concerning the internet. The internet choices out here are extremely limited. We are using a AT&T 4G hotspot; but, we have rapidly discovered that our activities eat up gigabytes (GB). And, I even stopped watching new Youtube videos before we moved out here. In spite of my reduction of many things, five gigabytes were reached in a hurry.

Much to my sadness, I have decided to stop following many blogs. And, I have had to limit even more of my activities on the internet. As a result, Link Roundups will be on a limited basis. Also, I am feeling very isolated. I am missing my “friends”. And, I do not know what the heck is going on in the world. It is driving me batty.

You have to understand that deafness prevents me from participating within most real life community activities. I am unable to give voice to my thoughts due to the fact I misunderstand so much of what it being discussed. In fact, I actually fear real life discussions. The discovery of the internet opened up my world to a wide variety of people without fear of being misunderstood. Instead of a world of isolation and silent observation, I became an active participant. There is no fear of misunderstandings through writings. And the biggest perk, there is no rejection and/or impatience on their part due to the fact I am deaf. I would say that 98% of the people I “talk” with do not even know this fact about me.

I can only hope that a solution to this internet problem is found. I am feeling truly isolated and I do not need that deep dark depression in my life again. We have satellite TV. Dan originally did not want satellite internet due to the fact the speed is not all the great. He wants great speed in order to keep on F1 racing on Fridays through the Xbox with the guys from work.

Anyway, I suggested that we get satellite internet for me/us as I will not mind any sluggishness and he can have the AT&T hotspot for those gaming times with the guys. Last I heard, Dan is going to check out the prices and whatnot. So, here is hoping that the current situation improves.

Company is coming over in a couple of weekends. I am so excited and looking forward to the visiting! Of course, I am stressing because the house is still a mess with boxes and whatnot. But, it is okay. They understand that we have just moved and nothing will be perfect. I just need to kick my perfectionist inside of me out to the curb and just relax. However, this does give me the motivation to get as much as I can get done before they arrive. I can only hope they will enjoy their stay with us.

Now, I must be off to celebrate my birthday in style. Or not. Ha!

Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Wordy Wednesday {On the Tractor}

First time on the Tractor 9/23/2012

Did you see my boots (in the third picture)? Those are waterproof and snake proof which can be found at a Bass Pro store. It is well worth the cost. I must say that they are cheaper than any I found online. Anyway, I will not need Wellies because these will do in a pinch.