A few pictures from this afternoon.
I get a lot of visitors after I feed but this cardinal was posing.
The beauty of the cardinal
A pair of house finches
I was looking out the french doors at the bird feeders and spotted this pair of house finches.
I have never understood the bird world and how male birds get all the bright colors.
A couple of birds just eating some seed on a warm Texas day.
Specialist Update
I went to the specialist’s appt. on Tuesday.
They admitted me to the hospital to get as many tests ran as possible I was released on Friday.
We did a 3D echo of the heart which was the coolest thing I have ever seen. Then a transesophageal echo is also known as a TEE, then a CT of the heart, lungs, and abdomen with contrast and without.
I have a leg doppler later this month and my cardio will discuss if I need a right-left heart cath.
It’s not an emergency that I do the surgery next week but, for my symptoms to go away I have to do surgery. My worst symptoms are dizziness and shortness of breath. Next up would be how worn out I get because of tiredness.
I am not a candidate for a valvoplasty there is too much regurgitation on the valve. I have to have a mitral valve replaced it can not even be repaired.
The surgeon I met with thinks my procedure can be done using robotics and thru the right side of the ribs. This would be a lot less invasive surgery than open heart surgery. He suggests the mechanical valve and coumadin for the rest of my life. With my age, this is the best option.
I already take Coumadin/ Warfarin so that is no change you just have to monitor it closely.
In the hospital, they put me on a Heparin IV drip because my blood was too thick they said a few weeks before surgery I will need to give myself shots in the stomach 2 x a day for a blood thinner. I am not at a therapeutic level at this time. My level is like 1.8 and for surgery, it needs to be between 3.5 and 4.5.
I really like this team of Drs and I love the less invasive surgery which would also mean less recoup time.
I am ready to get back to doing things I love like walking, photography, and playing with the dogs I feel like I have had to take a step back from everything I love. Our house in Livingston is about to be built and I want to be able to enjoy this time in my life.
Right now we are just chilling out about this and will make a decision sometime soon about when we think the best time might be.
The Cane Corso Studs of Shady Acres Leggett
Here are the two studs of our daughter’s Cane Corso breeding business in Leggett Texas.
Whiskey is much larger than Mako he is about 165#s and he just bred his first female Hippo.
Mako is Jeanelle’s number 1 stud people request him for breeding I think he is about 115#s. He just bred Storm again.
These dogs are large dogs but very sweet and lovable. Shady Acres is located in Leggett, Texas.
Black Eyed Susan
These Black Eyed Susan were growing on the property in Livingston, Tx.
They were in the middle of the pasture where there was nothing else to outshine them.
Wildflower seeds blow in the wind and the birds plant them but they always end up in the best places where they can stand out.
Yellow Squash recipe
We put up a lot of veggies in the springtime.
We usually plant 3 kinds of squash so there is always plenty of squash in the freezer.
We seal a meal the fresh veggies this seems to preserve that fresh flavor we love so much.
Thaw it and drain all the water out first this is very important.
I made up this recipe but 95% of the time I like my experiments.
Add a few tablespoons of olive oil to a baking dish and place the squash in a ziplock after it’s drained add two envelope packages of Italian seasoning salad dressing mix, salt, pepper, and about 1/2 cup of panko bread crumbs shake well in the ziplock to coat evenly.
Place in the baking dish top with chopped onion, fresh parmesan cheese, parsley, and melted butter bake at 375 degrees with foil loosely on the top for 20 – 25 minutes remove the foil to finish baking. Mine took a total of 40 minutes once the parmesan melted I recovered it.
Here is a picture of the completed side dish. We actually loved the flavor of this dish.
Taking turns
The mockingbird anxiously awaits his turn at the deep bird bath.
There are 4 bird baths together but the bigger birds prefer the deep one.
The mockingbirds can be aggressive but so can the blue jays I guess they figured out a system that worked out for them both.
Nature seems to get along just fine even when they do not know I am watching them.
The little red shed
Next door is a little red shed and it shows up good sometimes.
This field had recently been mowed and that’s when it can really show off.
The best part of the country is the free space that is only occupied by livestock.
I love it when the cows are next door.
Basket Plant
Callisia Fragrans Plant is also known as a basket plant.
My sister n law gave me a piece about 5″ long this was 6 weeks ago.
Mine is staked up and about 2 1/2 feet tall now. All those arms coming out the side are new babies there are currently 12 of them.
I staked it up to see what would happen because typically those babies droop.
This is one of my new favorite plants and I am about to take some clippings off mine to have more plants.
Share plants with your family and friends it is an excellent way to get a lot of different varieties of plants.
Lizard hanging out
I saw this anole lizard hanging out on the Agave Mangrove plant.
The colors of the plant and the lizard went quite well together.
I have not seen many geckos since the freeze a year ago and that upsets me.
I need to find a location and import some to the house.
The critters in your yard are always watching you but at times they can be quite sociable.
Sonya Lira Photography 