Texas style photography and words
These mourning doves were in the feeders last week.
They are so beautiful I love looking at them.
Most of the times the doves are not easily scared off. They just drop by to eat some seed and then they go on their merry way.
I love it when the wildlife comes to visit.
Peter cottontail is around our house most of the day. I think he sleeps here in a flower bed.
I get to capture his pics fairly easily because he is not skittish. This will probably be a bad thing later on for him.
Today he came from the pasture down the road and was just resting in the shade and listening to what we were saying.
We are surrounded by wildlife and sometimes I get to capture in on camera. This truly makes my day.
I have always loved the look of Polka dots.
This little plant will give you a bang for your buck. It is sold as a house plant but does wonders outdoors in the sun or the shade. I had some come back 3 years in a row.
Hypoestes Splash is the formal name of this plant.
It comes in several colors but this is my favorite combination. I have some in a planter in the front and the backyard. I think the backyard one is going to get planted in a new flower bed. I bought a flat of it when I bought it.
Add a splash of color to your yard with the Polka Dot Plant.
I see the ducks all the time they wander around in the pasture.
They are in the trees and the feeders eating the seed.
My favorite thing is to see one of them in the duck house. I feel sure they are nesting but have yet to climb a ladder to look in the house and check it out.
My friends the duck couple need names.
Our garden has been doing great this year that is until all this rain hit us the last few weeks.
To much rain makes the ground soggy and when the sun comes out it steams the plants so they go through a spurt of looking like heck for awhile. Hopefully the tomatoes survive it seems like we waited so long for good tomatoes.
We have given away about 100#s of produce so far mainly yellow squash, zucchini squash and cucumbers. We have put quite a bit up in our freezer and eaten squash 2-3 x a week since it started making. We eats lots of cucumbers and tomatoes as well. I made some zoodles to put up as well.
We put up 7 quarts of dill pickles yesterday that is only the start.
We share a good amount with Jacks brother, sister n law and mother n law. My mother n law loves tomatoes.
This pic is from a few days of picking this was not quite all of the squash and cucumbers but it was enough to make a good picture. We had eaten a few tomatoes already as well it is so hard not to eat them they taste so so good.
Jack has put a lot of time into the garden this year and it has really paid off. I think we have 53 tomato plants maybe more. My favorite tasting one is the mater sandwich and beef steak.
Planting a garden and watching it grow brings us both great pleasure. Sharing with friends and family makes it even better.
Getting to photograph the harvest really makes my day.
On Thursday my cousin Sam’s wife Suzanne passed away she was only 64 years old.
She was more like a older sister to me than a cousin in law. I call her my sister cousin.
Suzanne had been in and out of the hospital numerous times over the last few years. She had some health issues but she was always able to fight back. I think this time her body was to tired to fight.
After my dad passed away she was the one person who was always there to listen to me and let me cry on her shoulder. She was close to her dad and had lost him a couple of years before I lost mine. Anytime you have someone who has been through what you are going through it always helps.
She was always doing things for other people and trying to bring a smile to someone’s face. Her faith was very strong and she would let you know it.
I will miss her so much we loved talking on the phone and making each other laugh. We could always brighten each others day when we were feeling a little down.
I believe there are Angels put on this earth to help guide others they leave their mark on each person they touch this was Suzanne. I am so glad she touched my life in a way I will never forget.
Love you girl was always the last thing we said to each other when we hung up the phone.
This female redbird was glad to see some birdseed in this feeder.
I love it when the birds are molting so they have those fuzzy feathers in the pics. The wind was blowing a little so it really accented her feathers.
She was quite curious about my camera so she posed for a few shots as she was eating some black oiled sun flower seeds.
The wildlife in our area is as curious about us as we are them.
We have this same variety of crossvine in several different locations in our yard and this year it is blooming like crazy.
The hummingbirds love this vine and you will see them often getting nectar from the flowers.
The paperwhites, wisteria, azaleas, and now the crossvine have all bloomed this year. I honestly thought the freeze would stop everything from blooming. It just goes to show you never doubt mother nature.
Flowers come in every color and shape plant different varieties and colors so you will always get to see something new.
Squirly shows up pretty often in our backyard this time he was in the birdbath getting a drink. His facial expression was priceless.
After I saw him standing in the birdbath I knew I needed to refill them normally I can see the water from the den window.
Cricket chased him the other day she thought she could catch him I knew he would be fine.
If it were Zoee I would have been concerned because she is super fast.
The days we have a chance to see wildlife and photograph it is amazing.
Even after the great Texas freeze of 2021 the George Tabor azaleas are blooming their hearts out.
I have two of these plants on the right side of the front door. On the left side in the front of the house is the Pink Formosa they are not blooming. I feel like they will not bloom this year due to the freeze. They were hit much harder by the 13 degree temperatures.
My azaleas are 38 – 40 years old. I wanted Azaleas so badly because my grandmother had them. Every time they bloom they make me think of her. My grandmother had some planted under pine trees she said they liked the acidic soil the pine straw created. She also had some in the front of the house. She told me to give them coffee and tea grinds for the acid and she said they would thrive. I always give our plants the coffee and tea grinds.
The beauty of flowers in the landscape can put a smile on your face and joy in your heart.
