Beep-beep, Road Runner!

 
When I was growing up, Saturday mornings were the only days I eagerly got up without wakeup calls from my parents or siblings. Cartoons were on and we got to watch all morning until Kung Fu Theatre came on at noon. After that, the TV was turned off. :-) I loved the Bugs Bunny, Road Runner Show. I mainly just loved Bugs Bunny. I was often irritated by how futile the Coyote's efforts were to capture Road Runner. When I moved to Texas, I learned the Road Runner was called a Chaparral. Hmm. And it was not tall with long legs. And it did not run around, going "Beep, beep." :-) Bummer. But every time I see a Chaparral, I hear the beeps in my mind. And it makes me smile. When I go with Mark out to Deadman Creek bee yard, I get to see lots of Chaparrals so I get to smile often. Have a SUPER week, friends!

The Palace, A Goat & A Turtle

This evening we actually had time to rest and work on things around the house and prepare for our bee class tomorrow morning. Then we drove around town to see what was happening here and there - the Palace was nicely lit. We wish it could be a current run sort of theatre - would LOVE that! But any time it or the Texas Theatre are lit up it's beautiful. Below is a shot from a friend of ours when he wandered around the fairground last weekend when he came by to visit us at the GBR booth his honey was working with me at the time. I love turtles and I think goats are cute when they are small. This picture just cracked us up! Crazy goat! They do the funniest things ever. Like one minute they'll be standing there and then the next minute they kick up and trot around. Hilarious. Makes me laugh every time.

 

Rain Gutters & a Dove's Nest

 
You never know when we'll get rain but you do know you want to be prepared. We've neglected the gutters for a while now so Mark took advantage of the 80-something degree weather to clean them out and guess what he found!?! Dove's nest! The mama flew off and managed to avoid Smokey's clutches (thankfully). I did yell at Smoke and throw sticks at him to distract him from hunting the poor mama dove. :-( I was just wondering the other day where this shell came from and what came out of it. Now I know. 

 

Camo Lizard

Anybody know what kind of lizard this is? He was very fast when he saw me coming and I barely caught sight of him before he dashed up the tree truck and went up pretty high. He changed colors very quickly which I thought was pretty neat. I spotted him while I was visiting a friend out in the country.

Squirrel Family Love

These two were sooooo cute yesterday over by the honey house in our backyard. I came home to grab lunch and Mark told me they had been hanging out in that tree for some time already and at first he thought they were yelling at him to go away. Our squirrels are like that in the backyard. They think they own the great outdoors and they will let you know when they want you to leave their area. :-) Anyway, Mark watched for a while and he said the Mama had been trying to Baby to follow her and for some reason he would not. Maybe he was scared. Maybe he was hurt. We're not sure. At one point, she had a hold of his little paw and was tugging at him. CUTE! I wish I had caught that. By the time I was snapping pictures, she was showing him how to jump from the tree to the top of the honey house. That's probably about three feet but the drop to the ground is a lot farther, maybe ten feet. Poor thing. When I got home after 5p, they were gone. I guess she finally got him to follow her. Good for them. I'm not a huge squirrel fan but they were cute.

Don't forget today is Spring Fling at Maldonado Nursery on Highway 90. It looks like the perfect day to stroll around for great deals on plants and other products. We're headed over there after lunch. Hope to see ya!

Peaceful Sleep of a Kitty

Ah, to be this chilled out, right? I came home yesterday to this sight and it brought a smile to my face, which I sure needed; rough day at work, friends. Smokey is capable of falling asleep almost anywhere, at anytime and at any moment. And when he sleeps, he is OUT to the world. Plus he has interesting positions, like this one. I think it's adorable. He is like our kid - mischievous, loving, chatty, demanding, hilarious and almost bringing home a friend. Last night I couldn't stop laughing because he has a new "friend" who hangs out with him and even follows him up to the back door! Before I went to bed, I looked out the front door and who's sitting in the middle of the street but Smokey and friend. Just sitting, staring at each other, wagging tails...crazy cats. I wish I knew what they were doing out there. Speak of the devil, here he is sitting next to me. Probably means he wants me to go hang out with him. Or snuggle time. Or food. He's a simple cat. Y'all have a great day today!

Happy Friday From the Llamas!

Have you seen a llama lately? Up close? I had not until last weekend when we went to visit our newest bee yard off Capote Road just outside the city limits a bit. It's so lovely out there that I can never turn down an opportunity to be out there now that my allergies are better. And I'm so glad I went because these two llamas were really making me laugh with their inquisitive nature. They were really fun and I'm glad they are the bees' new neighbors.

Hope everyone has a great weekend - enjoy the gorgeous weather if you're in the South Texas area. It's going to be another great weekend.

Sheep, Sheep, Sheep

Recently I got to visit a dear friend of mine and her kids breed show sheep. I have often wanted to stop by and snap shots of the little, little ones but haven't managed to do that yet. At least we have some grown ones to oh and ah over. The babies are even more adorable! I love these black face sheep. Something about them that appeals to me more than the pale face ones.

Fun fact: You can "rent" male sheep for breeding. TRUE! :) Just like breeding other animals to maintain a high caliber stock. Interesting. I just never thought of it until they told me that during my visit.

Peekaboo Animals & Unidentified Flower

Last week Mark and I went for a ride just outside of town so he could show me some flowers the bees are working right now. While we were looking in a pasture for the flowers, I spotted these little wild piggies. There were a lot of them! And they looked different from the domestic pigs - well, at least to me. Kind of cute but they ran off when they heard us coming. As did some of deer we saw - good points of them, too.



The baby cow didn't seem to mind me and he did well when we called for him to look at the camera. :-) And below is the flower we have been trying to identify. I zoomed in as far as I could since they seem to be located in pastures to which we do not have access. boooo! If you have any idea what it could be, please let us know. It's always nice to know what our bees might be feeding on since they are still making honey.

Hope you all have a GREAT weekend! Another hot one around here - upper 90s into next week and still no rain. Let's pray for some relief SOON.

Walking Stick

A couple of weeks ago, before I started traveling, I accompanied Mark out to one of new bee yards, affectionately called Pizza Yard. I love going out to the country around here because you just never know what you're going to see. This year, there's an abundance of flowers AND bugs, insects, and creatures bigger. :-)

I loved this walking stick! I had not seen one in so long and I don't recall seeing one this big before. I believe he was perhaps 4-5 inches. I saw a smaller one in a different part of the yard but it was too hard to get a great shot because it was on the move. Anyway, wouldn't you know it, Mark went to another bee yard without me on a later date and he saw one that had to be about 9 or 10 inches! WOW, that would have been so neat to see and photograph. From what I saw on his phone, it looked a little menancing or at least freakish. I'll see if Mark will send it and I will share.



I want to say hi to a couple of ladies who have stopped by the house within the past several weeks to discuss our bees and honey (I didn't ask you so I didn't want to put your names on here but you know who you are!). They are fans of the blog and told me how much they enjoy looking at it, which made me feel so bad I have not been able to post as often as I'd like. THANK YOU SO MUCH for reading the blog, for your kind comments and for introducing yourselves to me either at the house or at an event or virtually. I love those encounters and they encourage and inspire me to keep blogging. Hope you have a fabulous Sunday and upcoming week!

Caterpillars & Butterflies

This season seems to be packed with beautiful creatures of all sizes. I love butterflies but before they become those beautiful creatures, they are these multi-legged caterpillars that aren't really my favorite things to encounter. I don't kill them; I just don't want them on me. Yet, for some reason, karma or self-fulfilling prophecy or chance or wicked joke of Mother Nature...they end up on me at times or I see them a mile away, wiggling across the road or near the hives in the bee yards. lol

So, I don't know why but I've been wondering what drives these caterpillars to cross the roads as they are doing now. A LOT OF THEM. Especially on the way to Gonzales. We see many fuzzy caterpillars booking it across. What makes them do that, I wonder. Anyway, they have been turning into pretty butterflies that flutter all over the place, especially out in the countryside. A friend pondered aloud on Friday what butterflies eat. I was happy to tell him that I know the ones we've seen enjoy nectar from flowers, just as the bees do. So, they are competing with our bees for food! Good thing there's plenty to go around this year.

Butterflies Galore

Here's another something I notice we have an abundance of this spring - butterflies! They are everywhere! And of course, so are the caterpillars...my favorites. Not! :-)

Miniature Donkey & "Quotation Marks"

I didn't even know there were mini-donkeys!!! Poor little thing. If you can help them, please do so. Otherwise, isn't this just a great way to kick off the week? I love great signs. :-)

That reminds me, I need to check on one of my favorite blogs - the "blog" of "unnecessary" quotation marks. If you have not read this and you want a GREAT laugh, then go there. It's hysterical!!!

It's Spring!

Well, guess who's busy running around the yard being a nuisance? No, not Smokey. The squirrels!!! LOL. This guy has a weird sort of smile, in my opinion. After I snapped this, Mark threw a rock at him and actually hit him! That was sort of funny. Not to worry animal lovers, he was FINE. He just moved and resumed staring at us. Smokey was with us and was not amused whatsoever.

Hope you guys have a wonderful weekend. I hear tomorrow will be wet and chilly! Yay! A good day to snuggle on the couch with a book, knitting or your love. Enjoy!

Beautiful Birds on a Beautiful Day

Does anyone know what these birds are called? I don't recall ever seeing them here in our yard before last weekend and I am fascinated by them. They're gorgeous. And they provided me with my first photography session in a long while. I saw a bird commotion while looking out the kitchen window and after a few shots from inside, I went out, accompanied by Smokey. That was interesting.



Got some great shots and a cool video of them (on YouTube if you want to see it) doing their bird thing, whatever that was. I couldn't tell if they were drinking or eating. I have never seen birds gather like that in that hole in the pecan tree. I have, however, seen squirrel activity up there. Perhaps the birds got into a stash hidden by the squirrels. Not sure and it's too high up for me to check. Darn.

The beautiful blue sky day last just Saturday. It's been cold, gray and rainy since Sunday and we are all ready for some sunshine. The great news is that the rain will hopefully mean gloriously rich fields of color as the wildflowers bloom this year. I'm hoping for millions of wildflowers. I miss them so and our drought last year meant very few flowers. It was so sad. Here's to a better year this time around.

Speaking of starting off a new year, guess what Sunday is? NOT just Valentine's Day. Guess.

Goat Sighting

So here's a sight you just don't see everyday, right? Well that's what I thought last week when the goats had gotten out from a nearby field and were grazing on the luxurious field across from our mill. At that time, there was too much traffic to stop and get a shot. THIS week, they are at it again! And since they were right next to the road, I just stopped at my stop sign, lowered my passenger window and snapped a shot or two. It made me laugh to see them. Reminds me of that Brady Bunch episode with the goat in the attic...

A Friendly Friday Face

Happy Friday everyone!! :-) I was a bit under earlier this week but thankfully it was just a 24 hour bug and not that yucky stomach virus going around (knock on virtual wood). Yikes. That one sounds bad though a friend of mine said he lost six pounds and used it as a launching pad for his purge and the beginning of hardcore dieting. What a great way to look at a stomach virus, right? lol

Here's a sweet new friend I made while I was photographing Mark out at the bee yard at My Father's Farm. I've seen this horse from afar but last week he actually came over and let me say hi and pet him a bit. He seems very calm and peaceful and he comes over to check us out now and then when we are looking at the bees.

This is one of the wonderful things about living in a small town like Seguin and being very near "the country." You can drive a few minutes and see some great landscape and all sorts of farm animals. And wild ones here and there. It's very peaceful and I enjoy it despite missing San Antonio and other cities of my past. But I only miss them occasionally. :-)

Green Pastures

Shot this one on a trip around the outskirts of Seguin one weekend. I love seeing the new babies out in the field - they're so cute! And even cuter when they stare at you from the field.

Butterflies & Moths Abound

Happy Thursday, everyone! Lots of butterflies and moths have been meandering through the area as of late. I just feel terrible when they kamikaze themselves in my windshield. Elevate, butterflies! Elevate.

Do you think these two are sharing or fighting for the right to enjoy the bloom solo?

Happy Friday

Made it through another week and it was a pretty great one overall. And to celebrate my uplifted spirits, I chose this shot because this little guy looks happy to me. Work is still a bit rough but I'm just trying to get through as many projects, assignments, etc. as possible without getting all stressed out. So in an effort to de-stress, I have made it a point to do things I have always enjoyed doing but moved away from for a while. Here are my highlights fo rthe week:

1. Took pictures. Even if it was just with my Blackberry! Not at all satisfying but it allows me to document something significant in a pinch. Wouldn't want to be a photo snob, right?
2. Spent a little time each day reconnecting with a friend.
3. Called family members. Got a lot so I still need to make the rounds.
4. Set aside time each day to meditate, pray and center myself.
5. Met Hope for lunch. What a sweet lady! Hi Hope! :)
6. Met Josh for the first time. He's been an online friend and so it was wonderful to meet such a nice person and great photographer. I love his work.
7. Went to a SPURS game!! Yes, it was preseason. And no, we didn't win. But I had a blast with Mark and we enjoyed seeing the new players.
8. Sold out on our honey. Can you believe that?!?
9. Laughed a lot. I love to laugh. I don't like it when I realize I hadn't laughed all day. Luckily, if this EVER happens, all I have to do is tell Mark and usually he has me in stitches pretty fast.
10. Started a book -- Ice Hunt by James Rollins. So far, so good.

And now? I shall go check out a new website to see if I want to print some of my photos for Christmas gifts. I'll let you know what I think later. Goodnight and I hope you all have a really wonderful weekend! Tomorrow's suppose to be gorgeous!