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The Birds

Day before yesterday, right at sunrise, Linda watched a family of ducks using the pond and berm. They were dark like the Blackbirds, but she was so shocked that she failed to get a good description. Another interesting bird is a small Red-naped Sapsucker (woodpecker) that has been here for a couple of weeks. He spends most of the day hanging on the mirrors of whatever vehicles are parked in the driveway, looking at himself and pecking at the glass. I tried to take a picture, but would have to be at least 3 feet away for a good one, and he isn't going for that. My brother said that it also spends a lot of time chipping away at the aluminum vent pipes that are on his roof. I also noticed a smaller dove in the yard this morning. The Ring-necked doves moved in a couple of years ago and seemed to - not really take over, but invade the community in ways that other species never have. This other kind is unusual in town.

I mowed all day again. I am determined to protect the dogs (and the kid from kindergarten - necessary no matter what super powers he may have) from snakes.

My friend says that he comes here for serenity. Although I have never looked for serenity, or even felt that I stumbled across it accidentally, it seems to be an appropriate description.

It took me years to age that wood 

Sometimes the reflections interest me more than what causes them. 

More mowing. 

I am amazed by this plant.  

I regret not clearing out the old reeds, but too many birds are nesting in them now. They should disappear from view soon. 

Spring

Spent the weekend mowing, weedeating, carrying off debris and (once again) changing the small waterflow to the garden area. The plants that I was complaining about in the last post have appeared and I am shocked. I have never grown anything from seed before and looking back, Camron and I may have put out far too many seeds - if you can overplant flowers. These are very thick.

They mentioned on the news to expect a bumper crop of snakes, and my brother said that he saw six last week out on the leases that he works. Three had been hit on the road, but the other three were alive and well. All of them were rattlesnakes. My entire family has ambivalent feelings about snakes. We aren't fond of them, but we don't go out of our way to kill them the way that most of our neighbors do. Most of the people who work in the oilfield carry guns and kill every snake they see (assuming that all of them are rattlesnakes). I have usually killed the rattlesnakes that I find near my house - although I do remember taking one live one to the Caprock and setting it free during my more intense "every creature deserves to live" days. My sister lives in one of the most snake infested areas of the Southwest and she and her pets have managed to adjust. Anyway, Kilo, Marty, and Shady are too old to have to deal with vipers, and Ratdog, Buddy and Cleo are too young. Since I work from home, as long as I keep the entire place mowed and occasionally check the perimeter, I should be able to keep them safe. Another good thing, the large grey owl, the red tailed hawk, and a pair of kestrels are still hunting the pond. I watched the kestrels yesterday and they seem to always be after something.

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