Busy as a....

There are days when posting makes sense.  Then there are the days when there is so much to do before cooler weather is here to stay that sitting at a computer just isn't in the cards.

There is soil to be turned, weeds to be pulled with everything but the seed heads to be added in to the compost pile.  There are coneflower seed bombs to be launched into desired areas.  The list of what needs to be done is a long one.  Hopefully I'll be back soon with progress reports.

I am off to get started.  Bye for now!

Wishes for Your Weekend

Here we are, preCandyFeast, preTurkeyFeast, preTreeFeast...just a good old weekend coming up in a month finding many of us finally experiencing wonderful weather.   However it looks in your neck of the woods - have a good weekend.

TO: Cooler Temps

FROM:  Central Texas

SUBJECT:  THANK YOU!

Trio of hanging Pomegranate blossoms

House Wrens are nesting here in the palm fibers

Salvia basking in the sun

Salvia again - this growing in dappled shade

Yes more salvia - this is its time of year to shine

OK maybe I have a little Salvia "problem"

 American Lady Butterfly (Vanessa virginiensis)

Fall Obedient Plant (yeah, amongst the SALVIAS)

What we call "Lisa's Lantana", marking the final resting spot of  a beloved family pet.

Liar Liar Blog on Fire

To Each Their Own

I don't have giant spiders or enormous metal pumpkins.

Doesn't mean I don't enjoy them when displayed with panache.  I do.

What I do have is time and a certain sort of imagination.

I won't categorically state these are or are not wonderful to behold.

But so far they make me grin every time I look.

{Reminder:  Click on any photo to view a larger version with more detail.}

Begin Began Begun

There was an old man named Michael Finnegan,
He had whiskers on his chinnegan,
Along came the wind and blew them in again,
Poor old Michael Finnegan. Begin again!

There was an old man named Michael Finnegan,
He kicked up an awful dinnegan,
Because they said he must not sing again,
Poor old Michael Finnegan. Begin again!

There was an old man named Michael Finnegan,
He went fishing with a pinnegan,
Caught a fish and dropped it in again,
Poor old Michael Finnegan. Begin again!


This children's song has a lot to teach about blogging and gardening both.  


Circumstances change, a practice that was once easy is made more difficult, the gap between what should be and what is becomes stretched.  Nothing new under the sun there.  


Or here.


As is usual this time of year, I've kept an eye out on the hummingbird feeders.


Not to watch the birds when they feed, but to watch and see if there are indeed any birds actively feeding.

The two Special Ops Hummingbird Strike Force, the irritable guys who show up annually to resume staking out both a front and back feeder as their exclusive territory, seem to have moved on.  

No migrating stragglers have been spotted for at least 10 days in our little corner of the world.  


In fact, I've seen more butterflies this past week than I have hummingbirds.  Which is saying something.* So I took down our hummingbird feeders and put them in the dishwasher to get them clean for storage until they are needed again.  

[*This year, considering reports that GMO soybean planting has nearly eliminated milkweed thereby threatening the survival of Monarch Butterflies, along with the more obvious hardships caused by our drought and heat, we've seen very few butterflies.  Maybe one or two a day are working the Fall Gratitude Blooms along with a smattering of bees, but nothing like what we usually experience. ]

Move over feeder, it is the bird house gourd's turn.

So ends another S/Hummer season.  Pool floats are out of the water, a shovel leans against the house close to a garden bed that is past due for a thorough turning over.  The need for work continues even if the nature of the work has shifted gears.  


And, oh, yes, there is this one other shift of note.  I am back at the blog again.  Yup.  I suppose you can just call me Ms. Finnegan.