Chic Chic Cicadas...

The sound fills the air on hot summer nights, like a deep breath, and relaxed sigh. Chic, chic, chic--it grows louder, then stops, louder, then stops. It's the sound of the cicada, a sound I know well as I've listened to it every summer since I was a child.

Cicadas are fascinating creatures, and I feel a little guilty about the way I have spoken of them in the past. I have frequently photographed cicadas in their exoskeleton stage (see photos) and entered them in my personal Facebook "Ugly Bug Contest." Well, the exoskeleton of the Cicada may be a bit creepy, I suppose, but they are all creations of God, and deserve my respect.

In 1933, Stanley Bromley wrote that East Central Texas, where we live, is "a veritable cicada paradise. I have never visited a region where so many species are as abundant." And if you walk around outside in the dark--which is not advisable, considering the millions of other strange creatures that abound in East Central Texas--you will hear this abundance of cicadas, like a choir of bugs filling the air with their, um, sweet, angelic bug calls! (I know, I know, but I said I was going to try to speak nicely about them now!)

Actually, Bromley describes the singing of cicadas more accurately when he says, "they may be silent for long intervals, when suddenly the whole population will burst into song simultaneously, resulting in an ear-splitting din which subsides as suddenly as it arose."

Cicadas are rather large insects that look like flies with very long wings. They lay their eggs in cracks in tree or tree roots. Nymphs crawl underground and feed on roots, but do no perceptible damage to plants. They can stay underground for years as their hard shells develop, then eventually, they crack out of their shells and the winged creatures emerge in a similar fashion to dragonflies. It is common for millions of cicadas to hatch at once, in cycles, like locust. There are 2500 different types of cicadas around the world--the world can be a very noisy place at times!

The male cicadas are the loud noisemakers. They have what are called "tymbals" at the base of the abdomen, like ribs, which they contract. The sound is created as the tymbals move inward, and when they relax, and the tymbals go back to their original position, a second sound is created. The body of the male is fairly hollow, which make the sound resonant. To me, it sounds as if the earth itself is breathing when cicadas sing.

I have seen the fully-grown cicadas flit about the yard, but I've only been able to photograph their exoskeletons, so photographing a winged cicada is now my personal goal...but I will display my photos of the exoskeletons to the right, and I cannot promise to exclude them from my ugly bug contests!

Love and Chihuahuas

“I have found the paradox, that if you love until it hurts, there can be no more hurt, only more love.” --Mother Teresa

Chihuahuas are an interesting breed. They can never seem to get enough affection. I write for ten to twelve hours a day, and the entire time I am working, Chewy is sitting on my lap, nudging my hand with his nose, begging for love. There seems to be no end to the love and affection Chewy can give, or for what I feel for him, and the other little creatures God has brought into my life.

The chihuahua is the smallest breed of dog, named after the State of Chihuahua in Mexico. Its history is a mystery. It has been traced to the Techichi, companion dogs to the Toltec, according to the American Kennel Club. It is also believed that the appearance of Chihuahuas in Europe began in the time of Christopher Columbus.

Chewy, our chihuahua, first made his appearance last year, creeping out of the forest during a thunderstorm and walking up to my stepson, shivering in the rain. We were convinced that he was lost as chihuahuas are very popular in this area, but we tried for over a month to find his owner and finally concluded he was abandoned. Abandonment to dogs is an unforgivable act of cruelty as dogs want nothing more than to love and please their owners, as Chewy demonstrates from the time he wakes up until he goes to sleep.

Chewy thinks of himself as a big dog, and I have read that most chihuahuas do believe, in their minds, that they are larger than their actual size. I like to tell people we have our two chocolate labs for companionship and the chihuahua for home protection. They supposedly attach themselves to one person--and that would be me, though Chewy does show affection to my husband and stepson, and eventually warms up to others. Because they are fiercely protective, they are known for being temperamental, but this is just their protective nature. Chewy's alternate names are Chewchewcabra and Chichihuahua.

Chihuahuas are long-haired and short-haired, but Chewy is short-haired. This does not, however, prevent them from shedding. (Insert sigh here.) Their fur can be any color normally found on dogs. Chewy is fawn, but we refer to him as the "yellow dog," since he compliments the chocolate labs so well with his coloring. Chihuahuas are also prone to eye injuries because of their protruding eyes, and to hypoglycemia, particularly when puppies, because of their size. They live to be around 17 years old, and sometimes older.

Chihuahuas like to burrow. Chewy loves to wait until we are sleeping, then he jumps onto the bed and burrows beneath the covers. I find him on my feet every morning. Sometimes, if I get up in the middle of the night, he will jump onto my spot, slide beneath my pillow and pretend to be asleep.

Our little Chewy has brought a tremendous amount of joy into our lives. Adjusting to a small dog has been a challenge to a family more familiar with large breeds, but the love and affection shown by chihuahuas is contagious. I believe God's creatures instinctively love until it hurts, then love some more, and as their pets, we learn to do the same.

The Flamingo

My son and his family visited us this weekend and we spent our time at the local Marriott resort in Horseshoe Bay near Marble Falls, Texas. They have a stunning botanical garden with rivers, waterfalls, ponds and lakes, turtles and frogs, and one beautiful pink flamingo.

At first, when I saw the flamingo, I thought he was fake. He held very still, standing on one leg in the middle of his pond, his beak tucked into his chest. Then he slowly raised his head and changed position. I glanced down at my grandson, and when I raised my head again, the flamingo had turned its body around. I was wondering if it would put down its leg to turn around. I didn't see it happen, so I don't know! We walked around the gardens and I photographed some turtles and frogs, and when I returned, the flamingo was, once again facing us.

It looks like cotton candy. It has some red on its body, but these are under-feathers and more like highlighting on a work of art, accents to bring out the softness of the pink. Its feathers swirl around its body as if perfectly placed by a painter, or feather-stylist. I think it has a pink eye, too, from what I can tell in the photographs.

It made me sad, in a way, to see it standing alone as flamingos are gregarious wading birds. In other words, they love to socialize in large flocks, standing along the seashore, hanging out with their friends. I think this one is a Chilean Flamingo because it has gray legs and pink knees. If I am correct, and it is a Chilean Flamingo, its species is considered Near Threatened, most likely to human encroachment and habitat destruction, which are the two main reasons animal species are threatened, but flamingos are also threatened due to egg harvesting by humans.

No one really knows why flamingos stand on one leg, but in the pictures I have posted beside this blog, you can see the second leg tucked underneath. They eat shrimp and algae. They are usually about five feet tall, weigh six to seven pounds, and have a wingspan of 55 to 65 inches.

It is possible this flamingo is not alone. I plan to call the hotel tomorrow and try to find out more information about the animal and its care. It looked healthy and very content, but I am curious as to whether or not it has a mate. If it does have a mate, the mate could very well have been hiding in the gardens somewhere.

The Buzzing Humble Bumble Bee

I will be returning to Colorado soon, in June, the best time of year for Colorado. Yes, it is also tornado season, but June is when the flowers bloom, the birds sing, the baby antelope prance and play on the prairies, and the parks are filled with laughing children.

It is also the best time of year to photograph one of my favorites subjects, the Bumble Bee. They photograph very well. I love those "grab" moments when a bee pulls it's head from the center of a flower and is covered with pollen, and I love listening to their buzz as they move from plant to plant, completely oblivious to the camera's lens.

In Shakespeare's time, in fact, right up to around World War I, Bumble Bees were called Humble Bees. Charles Darwin referred to Bumble Bees as Humble Bees in The Origin of the Species.

I much prefer the Humble Bee. They are not pretentious creatures, begging for attention, flapping and calling and showing off the way some geese might do. No, they simply move from flower to flower, sharing the love.

I haven't seen a single bee this year, that I recall. Though we seem to have a shortage of flowers around the house we are renting, we certainly do not have a shortage of wasps! The red wasps are everywhere, and in Texas, some of these wasps are as big as longhorn cattle!

And I miss the sound of the Humble Bumble Bee, though I know I will hear it again soon. A remarkable little bit of trivia that I just learned: The Humble Bee's humming sound does not come from the beating of its wings, but from the vibration of its flight muscles.

Another bit of trivia, contrary to popular myth, it is not a scientific mystery as to why the Humble Bee manages to fly in spite of its heavy body weight compared to the lightness of its wings. The wings of the Humble Bumble Bee function in a similar fashion to those of the hummingbird, like reverse-pitch, semirotary helicopter blades. Hummingbird wings are often compared to helicopter blades.

I can picture the moment when a bright, young scientist, perhaps an aviation engineer, a dreamer who believed in miracles, who understood the perfection of all God's creatures, sitting on his back porch, his coffee cup in one hand, a piece of toast in the other, glanced over at a flower, at the Humble Bumble Bee moving near his head, just close enough for the scientist to see the rotation of its wings, and the scientist said, "Hey, I wonder if..."

Dogs, Cats, and Crawfish

My dog, Holly, has a bug bite on her tail. She was trying to nibble at it with her teeth, lost her balance and did a backward somersault into the closet, landing on a pile of dog pillows.

I was worried at first, but she walked out of the closet just fine... then turned around and looked back inside, staring at the pillows and sniffing around as if trying to figure out what had pulled her in there in the first place!

There was a big bin of live crawfish at the grocery store and they were all crawling around on top of each other so of course I started filling up a container to take them down to the creek and set them free and my husband made me put them back! What is up with that? It makes perfect sense to me. If I pay for them, I should be able to do what I want with them.

My chihuahua usually picks and teases and snips at my cat, Niblet. He's like a pesty younger brother, and Niblet, who is 60+ in cat years, takes it all in stride. A few days ago, my husband shaved the cat to get ready for our 105+ Texas summers. Now that Niblet is shaved, though, Chewy doesn't tease him. It's as if he thinks Niblet was Samson, and without his hair, he's lost his manhood. Now, Chewy walks up to the cat and rubs noses, as if to say, "I'm sorry, dude. You just look...goofy."

After spitting repeatedly on the ground to try and teach my chihuahua the meaning of the words "drop it," as he started into my eyes, then gulped down whatever piece of garbage was in his mouth, I finally figured out why my neighbors all think I'm a nut.

My bed is too tall, and my cat is too fat to jump onto the bed. The vet claims he's not fat, just big, but when he jumps and drops and jumps and drops...

Instead of reaching down and helping him, my husband would laugh at him. "The big, scary, Niblet, Boo Boo Kitty Black Fang is too old to jump on the bed," he would say, and the cat would sit and glare at him. (Yes, my cat has many names.)

Today, I bought Niblet Black Fang Boo Boo Kitty a step ladder. He has a right to his dignity.

I Love Bird Legs!

I love bird legs. They are so cute. Tall ones, short ones, skinny ones, big thick ones on vultures--such tremendous variety, too.

I like catching shots of birds taking off, flying over my head where I can see their tiny legs tucked beneath their body like the tires of an airplane. The legs of House Sparrows look delicate and small when viewed from beneath, then they pop those legs out as they come in for a landing and the tiny toothpicks hold their bodies perfectly. They do not wobble, stumble, or fall, in spite of the fact that their legs are clearly no where near the same weight as their bodies.

Hummingbird legs are especially delicate because they are so small, and they tuck beneath the body in a different way-they are so small, they don't even appear to fold, they look as if they just flap down onto the bird's belly, then stretch out again. And yet, when they land on the ledge of the feeder, those teeny legs are not only strong enough to keep them in place while they eat, but also hold them in place in out harsh, Texas winds.

I watched a blue heron at the park yesterday afternoon. It's legs appeared to be longer than its body. It stood on a rock near the water's edge as fierce gusts of wind battered its body, but it stood strong, solid. It didn't even appear to sway with the wind.

Vulture legs are like tree trunks, but they seem to disappear when they land, covered by the vulture's massive wings. I suspect the vulture's legs are thicker because their body is much heavier, especially when you add in the weight of those massive wings, which are sometimes 6 to 8 feet across! I think their legs are the reason why it's a bit more difficult for them to take off than other birds. When on the ground, they have to get a running start.

I like bird feet, too. I like the way they curl their talons around tiny twigs to hold them in place. When I take the dogs out, I always knock on the back door to warn the birds that we are coming, and sometimes the smaller birds, like the chickadees and sparrows, and even cardinals, will hop onto the sides of the trees, gripping the bark with their little talons and watching the dogs sideways as the dogs stare back at them, neither really frightened or intimidated, just...curious.

Edited to add: After I posted this blog, I looked out my bedroom window and watched a baby cardinal land on a tree branch. I have two crape myrtles that we bought for our old house, but we could not find a place to plant them because there was so much rock on the land, so I put them in pots, hoping they will survive until we find a house in New Mexico. The trees are only five feet tall, and the branches are more like twigs. When the baby cardinals land on the twigs, they bob up and down, but the babies hang on with their tiny legs and talons firm and strong until the bobbing stops, confident that their legs, and the tree, will hold.

A Walk in the Park

I took a walk in the park today. There is always a wide variety of birds and other creatures down by the water, including snakes--I was very careful!

The first thing I noticed was a scissor-tailed flycatcher on the telephone wire above my head when I got out of the truck. He had the longest tail I have ever seen on a little bird. He turned his head from side to side, posing for the camera.

Also known as the Texas Bird of Paradise and the Swallowtail Flycatcher, the Scissor-Tailed Flycatcher is among the most exotic-looking birds in Texas. These birds are truly stunning, but in a delicate way, not quite as eye-catching as the equally popular Painted Buntings. They have soft gray heads, pale pink flanks and dark gray wings. Their most distinguishing feature, however, is their long, forked tails that are black on top and white beneath.

Scissor-Tailed Flycatchers are in the Tyrannus genus, in the Tyrannidae family, and are also known as kingbirds. They are beneficial, insect-eating birds, mostly grasshoppers and dragonflies, and convenient to have around, especially if one lives near the river. They are 15 inches or longer when fully grown, though juvenile birds have shorter tails. I photographed both adult and juvenile birds at the park today.

It grew very windy this afternoon, so I started back toward the truck where my husband was fishing. A few feet from his pole, standing tall on a rock, was a large blue heron. My husband didn't even notice him until I started photographing the bird--he stood so still he looked like a statue. One of the more remarkable aspects of herons is their huge wings. They don't seem very large when they're standing still, but as they fly away, you quickly realize how big they are. Their wings span as much as 80 inches!

Just before I got into my truck, I noticed two white ducks beneath a tree. They were huddled close together in the wind, digging through the grass, looking for bugs. I took their picture and when I checked it later on my computer, I would swear one of the ducks is smiling contentedly, snuggled up beside its mate.



There was surprisingly few grackles. I usually see grackles everywhere I go in Texas!

A Family Meal

When we moved into this house, I placed a cart on wheels next to the bedroom window. I put a tray filled with bird seed on top and a glass pan of water on the bottom so the birds could bathe. I didn't really believe the birds would like this feeding station. The house is old and the windows are very low. My large black cat likes to sit in the window and watch the birds, and the dogs enjoy this, as well.

Surprisingly, the birds seem to understand that there is a screen between them and the inside creatures. The only time they flutter off is when they see me move toward the window! I wish I could take pictures of them while they eat, but I think the only way I will be able to do this is if I hide behind the fence and wait. However, they do seem to respond to my voice. I will call out "pretty bird," when the large female cardinal arrives, and she hops closer to the window to look in through the screen. I also sing to the fish whose tank is on the dresser near the window. He comes to the edge of the glass to stare at me when I sing, and the little black-capped chickadees hop into the seed tray when they hear me singing, too, moving closer to the window as if they are trying to hear me, while still chattering away at each other. I think my speaking voice is perhaps a bit abrupt for them, but they do like the singing.

This afternoon, my husband walked into the bedroom where I was typing. He held up his finger for silence then pointed out the window where we watched the most magical moment between a family of cardinals.

There were two baby cardinals perched on the edge of the feeding cart. You can tell baby cardinals, even when they are larger, because they don't have all of their colors, and their beak isn't the bright orange of their parents. The parents were there, though. Both the mother and father were sitting in the tray of seeds. Each parent picked up a seed, cracked the shell, then fed the meat of the sunflower seed to the baby birds.

At first, they appeared to be simply feeding the babies, but they stayed there for at least twenty minutes, and it became apparent that they were trying to teach the baby birds how to break open the seeds on their own.

The moment was hypnotic in its beauty and for that brief period of time, all my worries and concerns seemed to disappear as I watched the tender, compassionate sharing of food between this little family.

When we first started to watch the cardinal family sharing their meal, I wanted to reach for my camera, but I knew, instinctively, this would scare them away. Then I remembered something a very good friend once shared with me. She said, "Sometimes I think God sends us these special moments at times when we don't have a camera in our hands because he wants us to focus all of our attention on what is happening before us, in the beauty of the action, and not the act of taking the picture."

Mother's Day is for the birds!

It is spring, the time of love in bird land. Early this morning, as my husband handed me a lovely bouquet of orange roses, I glanced out the window in front of my bed and watched as a tiny female house sparrow hopped onto the fence. Her mate hopped down beside her. He had a seed in his beak, which he gently, lovingly, placed in her beak.

I have seen this often between birds during mating season. At our last house, with the two ponds in front, the females liked to sit in front of the water as the males hopped up to the food dish, then brought seeds to their mates, placing the precious food in the beak of their mates just as gently and compassionately as a husband placing a bouquet of flowers in the arms of his adoring wife, feeding the love in their relationship, strengthening the bond, saying "thank you for being my partner in creating a family."

I am not surprised when I see affection between animals, what does surprise me is the obvious depth of emotions. I love watching vultures, who mate for life, land on a post then slowly inch closer to each other, nuzzling necks, preening feathers. Sometimes, one of the vultures--I am assuming it is the male--will fly up and around the other, then land beside his mate again.

The Northern Cardinals are wonderful to watch. They follow each other closely, flitting from branch to branch, bright flashes of red amongst the ever-greens, never more than a few feet away from each other until, of course, it is time to watch over the nest.

Some of the most precious observations are spent watching the parents care for their baby birds. I love watching the mother and father sparrows fly up to the nest every ten to fifteen minutes with a bug in their beaks, gently lowering it down to the chirping, gaping mouths of their babies.

Road Runners are fun to watch, too. When the baby is ready, the parents will take the young Road Runner out to hunt lizards. They strut across the fields with their heads moving carefully from side to side, and once they spot their prey, they pounce so quickly it is faster than a finger snap, and the baby watches carefully, awed by the hunting skill of its parents.

I hope you all have a very happy Mother's Day with all the little hatchlings in your bevy of quail, your peep of chickens, your palette of painted buntings, your venue of vultures, your host of sparrows, your dole of doves...

The Turkey Vulture

There is an exceptionally large turkey vulture who lives in the forest across the road. She flies out and over our house a few times a day, very low, calling out as she flies, which is something new to me. We had vultures living near our last house, but I never heard them call out as this one does.

I suspect she is the reason why the baby squirrels no longer sit at the very top of the dead tree in the yard. They still visit the house, but very early in the morning, before the dogs are awake, and they tend to wander around the trees that are thick with leaves instead of sitting out in the open.

The interesting thing about this turkey vulture is that I only see her with a flock on occasion, and turkey vultures are social creatures. They tend to hang out in large flocks that include black vultures.

I did see a black vulture fly over our house a few days ago with a small, gray, furry creature in its claws. It looked like a baby rabbit. Some vultures will eat small animals if there is a shortage of food. With the wildfires we've been having in Texas, and the extreme drought, combined with the fact that many of these birds are feeding babies, and there seems to be an overabundance of vultures this year, I do suspect there might be a food shortage.

I doubt that it would, or could, fly off with my chihuahua, but I do not allow him to be outside alone...just in case.

Birds!

I counted nineteen birds on the back porch this morning and twelve on the front patio--our house is now a home. The interesting thing about these birds is the remarkable variety. At our old house, we had a flock of at least fifty house sparrows living in the Mustang grape vines. We also had an equally large flock of white winged doves in the back yard and regular visits from cardinals, titmouse, Mockingbirds, and one lonely, little male Painted Bunting.

I think one of the reasons why we had less of a variety of birds at the old house was because we had such a large quantity of birds! Now, we are seeing birds that leave us breathless.

A few days ago, I saw a large black bird in the backyard with a shimmering blue head and neck. It was, like most birds, very fast and difficult to photograph, but even with a blurry picture I could tell it is a type of grackle.

This morning, my husband saw a small bird that was completely blue. A deep, beautiful blue that caught the brief rays of sunlight shining through the clouds with a shimmer on its wings.

Later in the morning, we saw a deep green bird that resembled a female cardinal, though I've never seen a green cardinal before. We also saw two female Painted Buntings. They are easy to identify. Their color sparkles like the males, but their backs are a shiny green and their bellies lemon yellow. They seem much smaller than the males.

And, of course, dozens of house sparrows and doves. There is a pair of ringed-neck doves that likes to lie down in the dirt by the brick patio in the early morning.

There are two birds that interest me the most, though. There is a Mockingbird that follows me from tree to tree, just like the one at our old house. We have many Mockingbirds, but this particular bird clearly follows me around. I took the dogs out a few days ago and sat in one of the porch chairs. Buddy was on one side of me, Holly on the other, and Chewy the chichihuahua jumped onto my lap. The Mockingbird flew onto a branch directly above our heads, about ten feet away and sang and sang. Sometimes it appeared as if its beak was shut, but it was still making a trilling sound. I think we were out there a full half hour, and it never stopped singing. It also follows me to the front of the property when I go for my walks then stops at the last tree and calls to me as I walk down the street. It is always in the tree, waiting, when I return.

The other bird is the large female cardinal, the mate to the large, bright male who disappears the second he sees me move through the window glass. She is not at all shy. In fact, she will land on the table and eat seeds when I am standing a few feet away with my camera. Sometimes she lands on the ground while the dogs are walking around. At first, I though I was imagining her boldness, but my husband told me the same thing this morning, that he will take the dogs out early in the morning and the female cardinal will land on a chair, the table, or the ground, just a few feet away from him.

Each day I feel more comfortable in this house. It's amazing how the little creatures can make a person feel welcome. We just have to be aware of their presence.

The Toad on the Back Step

My husband opened the back door and found a toad on the back step. It was obviously a female, judging from her size. Female toads are much larger than males. When he opened the door, the dogs hopped right over her and went about their business in the yard. My husband called me over to show me the toad and she was trying to hop inside of the house. I suspect she may be the toe toad from our old house, the toad that spent her days sitting in the toe of my garden shoe.

I was worried that this might happen. She wasn't in the garden shoe when we moved, and odds were great that she was inside of one of my potted plants, but there was no way to tell. I couldn't dump out each plant and sift through the dirt trying to find her. We didn't have time.

As I worked on repotting a few plants yesterday I dumped a large pot with a plant that had died. I sifted the dirt gently with a hand shovel trying to loosen the dead plant roots without harming any creatures that might have made their home inside the pot. I only sifted through half the pot since that was all I needed to do to loosen the roots. I think it's possible the toad was in the dirt inside this pot.

I filled a bowl with water and set it by the back door, but the toad hopped through the yard, beneath the fence, and headed for the creek, which is on the south side of our neighbor's house. Toads need water, just like frogs. Perhaps not as much, but they still need water.

I suspect this might have been Mrs. Toady, the toad who lived inside my garden shoes, because she was completely unfazed by the dogs. Mrs. Toady would hop around the dogs as they walked across the patio and they never even stopped to sniff. I'm not sure how they came to this agreement, but it's always been that way. The first time I saw Mrs. Toady she dug her way out of a garden in the back yard of our old house and hopped up to my chocolate lab, Buddy, then hopped between my shoes. I knew then that we would have a long and happy relationship.

If it is Mrs. Toady, I hope she finds her way to water and a safe home. I preferred having her on our patio because of the constant flooding in this area. It seems much safer for her than living down by the creek. I will leave a bowl of water by my back door, just in case. At the old house, when she climbed out of the shoe at night, she would hop into the bowl of water to cool off.

A New Adventure

We are in the new house in Marble Falls, Texas. It is cozy and we have neighbors, but there is a dense forest across the street. There are also peacocks nearby. I can hear them calling in the early evening. I will introduce myself to my neighbors soon and ask if I can photograph their pets. It's been many years since I've seen a peacock.

There is a lizard who lives in the backyard. He is big and friendly, the type that resembles an alligator. He likes to sit on the side of the tree near the back door and bask in the sunlight.

There is also a family of squirrels living nearby. A mother and four babies. There is a large, dead tree in the middle of the backyard and the squirrel family sits at the top of the tree in the morning and early evening. The babies like to chew on the bark and the mother sometimes reaches her paw around their backs to keep them from tumbling from the branches. They are very affectionate. Sometimes, the babies will scramble up to their mother to touch noses as if they are giving her a kiss. I have corn cobs and little cups of sunflower seeds on two of the trees, but they only pick at the food. The squirrels at my last house would sit at the sunflower seeds and eat until every last seed was gone!

I've also hung two hummingbird feeders and we have nonstop action with the birds. I've photographed hummingbirds with violet-colored throats, gold backs, green backs, white throats, and so many more. There is a tiny, gray hummingbird that likes to chatter before she lands on the feeder to eat as if she's warning me that she's coming in for a landing! I just added another feeder, but the birds don't seem to like it as much. They prefer to wait in line on the tree branches and take turns at the feeder by the back door.

There is a large, beautiful cardinal that sits on my bedroom windowsill in the mornings. In cardinal flocks, the largest and brightest male is the leader. He usually eats first, and has the best choice of food, which explains his bright coat and large size. This particular male, though, has a large mate, as well. She is the biggest, brightest female cardinal I have ever seen. He prefers to sit on my windowsill, but he watches me through the window and the second I reach for my camera, he disappears. She has hopped onto the backyard table or the backs of the chairs when I was standing only a few feet away, but she also disappears as soon as my hand starts to focus the camera. They are sensitive to the slightest movements. I plan to hide behind the back fence for awhile one of these mornings and photograph the couple when they're not looking.

There are so many amazing little creatures stopping by to visit. I never would have imagined that I would be so blessed to see such great beauty.

Houses, Squirrels, Birds, Raccoons, Hummers

I am at the old house, cleaning. I was waiting for a sign, something that would let me know that everyone would be okay. As I checked my email on my computer, the little bird who built her nest in the grapevines near my truck flew in the back door, which was only open a crack, landed on the rock bar, turned and looked at me, then flew back out the open sliding glass doors. I think she was saying goodbye.

I left the sunflower seeds, bird seed and corn here so I could continue feeding the little creatures while I finished moving and cleaning and someone broke into the container and ate all the sunflower seeds last night! Yes, I am certain it was the twin baby raccoons! They do like their seeds. They were also nibbling on the corn. They ate all of the seeds on the tables, as well, but the corn cob hangers are almost empty of their corn, so I know the squirrel who just had babies has been nibbling this morning.

Last night, as I drove away from the house, I found myself facing a most spectacular sunset! The colors were stunning in their variety and intensity. I stepped out to take a few pictures, then someone pulled in behind me so I had to drive away, but I noticed numerous cars and trucks stopped along the highway with their drivers standing by the door, taking pictures of the sunset. Apparently, I'm not the only one who is in awe of God's nightly masterpiece!

When I arrived here this morning, I started to say something to my husband, then noticed a little creature buzzing around my head. Apparently, I was blocking the hummingbird feeder! I took a step back and a bright green hummingbird sat down at the feeder and drank her fill, then flew off, with two others chasing her! Hummingbirds eat every ten minutes, and we have so many here right now. I bought a new feeder for my new house so I can leave these here until the new owner is ready to set up her feeders.

Last night, as I was closing up, and the air around me turned orange and pink with the setting sun, I heard a rhythmic buzzing sound and realized a hummingbird was doing a mating dance over the grapevines. They fly from side to side, as if swinging on a swing. I tried to film it, then my camera battery died! I quickly replaced the battery, and the little hummer resumed its dance as if it was waiting for me! I love those little birds. Such a precious gift.

Saying Goodbye to the Big Round House

This is our last night in the big round house on the hill. I spent the afternoon saying goodbye to the house sparrows, photographing the baby squirrels, and listening to the mockingbird as she followed me from tree to tree.

I took the dogs for a walk and the mockingbird followed us down to the road, chittering and chattering and making every sound one could possibly imagine.

The rose bushes are starting to bloom. They are filled with dark red Abraham Lincoln roses so thick and velvety and rich that I can smell them from the bedroom patio. The pink rose bush is covered with buds and the old fashioneds are starting to bloom, as well.

I cleaned both ponds and checked to make sure no baby lizards had fallen into the water.

I filled the hummingbird feeders and the seed dishes. Hopefully, they will have enough food to hold them over until the new owners settle in.

My husband moved the couches to the new house. He saw three pheasants scurry to the side of the house when he walked up. I don't think I've ever photographed a pheasant. I wonder if they are friendly?

New adventures are waiting.

I can still hear the mockingbird singing, even though the door is closed.

Scorpions, Doves, Armadillos, Lizards

I was stung by a scorpion the night before last and my body still hurts. I couldn't figure out, at first, why I was in so much pain, then I realized it stung me on my ankle, three times on my wrist, and once on my hand. I originally only noticed, and treated, the wrist stings. I pushed my socks off my feet in bed, then jumped out of bed when I felt a pain shoot up the right side of my body. I felt something in my pajama sleeve and it stung me the last four times as I tried to shake it out. It was a strange feeling--we've had many problems with scorpions in this house, but they generally sting my husband! I guess this was their way of saying goodbye.

Our house is once again surrounded by white winged doves. I think they see this property as a safe zone from the hunters. It's also possible that hunting season is over--I haven't checked--and they are simply returning to their favorite places. I love listening to them coo in the trees. Yesterday, I glanced out the bedroom window and the oak tree was filled with doves on every branch. Unfortunately, I couldn't get a picture from inside and I knew they would all flutter up onto the telephone wire as soon as I opened the door.

There was a whining sound on the back porch in the middle of the night and when we looked outside with a flashlight we found a small armadillo that appeared to be lost, trying to push its way through the trellis. It finally found the door. It was much smaller than the baby raccoons. Of course, I generally see the raccoons standing on their hind legs when they're on the patio, eating seeds. The armadillo was smooth and tan colored. Perhaps that was the light, though. I seem to remember them as gray with hard backs from my time in New Mexico. It also had a striped tail. We turned off the lights and left it alone because it appeared to be frightened.

I tried to rescue another lizard from the pond and failed. The precious little creature had already died. I am draining the pond today and plan to discuss it with the new owner. It was originally intended as a reflecting pond, and a place for the frogs to sit during hot summer nights. It is about 4 ft by 2 ft, a rectangle with a sitting area dug out in the corner for frogs. It is deeper on one end. The frogs and snakes love it, but it seems to be a trap for lizards. Perhaps the new owner will have ideas on how to rearrange things so the lizards have something to grab onto.

Cardinals, Squirrels, and Songbirds

It is springtime in Texas, there is no doubt. The bluebonnets are blooming, the trees are sending smoky clouds of pollen from the forest and the cardinals and other birds are all paired off, building nests, and waiting. I love watching the birds as they visit the feeders with their mates. I was watching cardinals through my bedroom window and one male picked up a seed in his beak, flew to the pond where his mate was drinking water, and fed her the seed. Ahh, romance!

The pregnant squirrel visiting my porch before I left for New Mexico has disappeared. I suspect this means she has babies. She is probably visiting the porch when I am not in the room. When I am in the room, my little chewchewcabra is in the room with me, and he likes to growl--from the safety of the foot of the bed. If I was a young mother, I would steer clear of him, as well.

This morning, very early, I stepped outside to fill the seed dishes. I could hear a bird singing so loudly I was certain she was right outside my bedroom door. I quickly realized she was on the other side of the creek. When I tried to take her photograph, though, she would throw her head back and sing so loudly that I couldn't get a picture of her face! She is beautiful, though. Truly a gift from God.

Note: Shortly after I posted this blog, I noticed a squirrel sitting on the table on the patio. Yes, it was the pregnant squirrel, considerably thinner. She appears to be nursing, too.

Anoles and Road Runners

I heard a mockingbird on the bedroom patio this morning so I carefully slid the glass door open and crept outside in my pajamas, camera in hand. As I tiptoed toward the sound, I suddenly felt something scamper across my foot and up my leg!

At first, I was afraid it was a scorpion. I have been stung before and know I am not allergic to the tree bark scorpions that are so numerous around this house, but we found a red scorpion on the ceiling yesterday, a type I'd never seen before and could not find on the internet, so of course my heart was pounding!

I started to carefully remove my pajama pants and the creature moved on my leg once more. That was when I realized it was a lizard. For the second time in a week, a lizard had run up my leg! I really couldn't help but laugh. And sure enough, when I reached into the waistband I found a lizard on my thigh. A tiny, bright green anole.

I placed the anole on a branch of the wisteria and it looked down at me calmly as I took many pictures. It turned its head to the left, then the right, showing both profiles in case one was better than the other. Then he apparently grew bored of the paparazzi session and closed his eyes to take a nap. When I went inside, he was still sitting on the wisteria, enjoying the morning sun.

I checked on him a few minutes later and the red part beneath his chin was puffing out. This generally means he's being territorial, or that he's showing off to a nearby female. Either way, I knew there was another anole on the wisteria. I had to leave, but it was comforting knowing he was having so much fun!

I don't think the anoles live long around our house. We have plenty of them, but we also have two road runners who show up every spring with a baby, teaching their child to hunt. They like to strut in front of the house where the anoles hang out in the ivy. I saw one catch an anole once. It broke my heart. Fortunately, it is very quick. The road runner snatches the lizard so fast you can't even see it happen, then slaps it on the ground to knock it unconscious. It is a fast, painful death for the anole and a plentiful meal for the bird.

Birds, Bees and Butterflies

I am in a constant state of awe, from the moment I wake up until I finally fall asleep to the sweet scent of wisteria drifting through the room. Even with the doors and windows closed, the scent is so strong it flows through the house like a gentle breeze.

The flowers are alive. They hum and buzz as if singing their own song. I can hear them as I open the door. Swarms of large, black bumblebees with bodies like torpedoes dance between bouquets so thick they tumble and fall like water from the rooftop of our house, the sides of the trellis, the vines standing tall upon our front slope. I have never seen so many bees and wasps in one place, and the variety is astounding. I photographed a scarlet-striped wasp today as it walked across a leaf and when it turned to face me, all I could do was stare and marvel at its beauty.

I stood beneath the bulk of the wisteria this afternoon with flowers tumbling around me, listening and taking pictures. It is interesting to see such a large variety of creatures moving through the flower bouquets without conflict between them, knowing there is plenty to go around. The feeling of abundance must be thrilling for them this time of year when the other spring flowers that make Texas so famous are just beginning to bud.

The birds are hovering near the wisteria, as well, waiting for the opportunity to snatch up something tasty. The birds nesting between our driveway and back door fly into the forest and back to their nest every fifteen minutes--it is hard work feeding baby birds, particularly if you have four or five of them, but they do their job without complaint.

Yesterday, I photographed a yellow swallowtail as it drank from a wisteria flower. Its wings slowly closed then opened again, like the hand of a sleeping infant. Whenever I watch the gentle movements of a butterfly, or a dove with its eyes half closed as it bathes in the sun on a rock by the pond, or the hand of my grandchild stroking his mother's chest, I know that they are experiencing His grace, that they are feeling His blessing, that they are resting in the arms of God.

Butterfly Swarms

The wisteria that has taken over the northwest corner of the house is blooming and covered with bees. It is only partially in bloom. When it reaches full bloom the flowers drip from every branch and the heavenly scent fills every room in the house.

The cascading rosemary on the side of the house is also in full bloom and every morning when I walk outside there is a new variety of butterfly swarming over the plants. The bees, of course, are everywhere and the plants still sound as if they are humming.

Last night, as the sun was setting, a giant lizard darted across the driveway. At first, I thought it was a mouse because it ran with its head tilted up, but it paused in front of the sliding glass doors and I could see a tail. Of course I took pictures, and the lizard is rather unique compared to the usual variety we see around here. Its face has a square shape.

Last night, as the love vultures circled around the roof, I heard another large, loud bird calling nearby. The bird received an answer from the forest across the road and soon the two black birds were circling about the forest behind the house. They sounded like crows.

This morning, the house sparrows, grasshopper sparrows, titmouse, chickadees and other birds that congregate in the grapevines started arguing. There was fluttering and chirping so loud I could hear it in the kitchen. I ran outside and stood next to the vine with the thought that this might calm them down, but they kept on fighting until I finally shouted at them to behave. As funny as that may sound, they did stop the chatter...