My Bluebirds

   Yesterday I saw a Bluebird flitting around the yard. So I went and inspected my seven bluebird boxes. Two have a few swirls of dead grass in the bottom of the nest. So I know they will return this year to make their nests. This is a picture I took last year. Those little fellows were so indignant that a peeping tom was intruding on their privacy.  They are quite ugly now but soon will be beautiful.

It is way too early for my Morning Glories to poke their heads through the brown windswept grass of winter. But today is such a beautiful day that it reminds me of what is to come. Two weeks ago, we had sleet and 10 degree weather. This week is sunny with soft southern winds breezing along. The temperature today is 72. The weatherlady (Ha, fooled you. You thought I was going to say weatherman) has promised close to 80 by Friday. Then a hint of possible rain showers this weekend. We need the rain so badly. Our dry parched earth is critically exposed to fires. Here in the prairie land the fires spread so quickly expecially when the wind is strong. Today I will concentrate on spring flowers and birds building their new nests. I think I will go on the back porch with a glass of iced tea and say "Ahhhhh:.

Scratchy

Scratchy is a female box turtle that came to visit our back porch  for sixteen years. The first summer that we saw her she was scurrying around on our back porch catching flies or bugs. Our back porch is  covered and is fifteen feet by seventy eight feet. So she had quite a large dinner plate. My husband and I have always had our morning coffee swinging on the porch. We would watch the sun come up and converse about the cattle and sheep grazing in the pasture. The three roosters had long ago finished their morning reveille. One morning as we settled down on the swing cushions we could hear an eerie high pitched cry. We looked down and there was a small snake tying to swallow Scratchy. The chicken snake had  his mouth over Scratchy's left leg and over on her back. We went into a swat team position and pull Scratchy from the jaws of death. The snake's fang' had scratched her back trying to swallow her more. You can see the battle scars on her back. Her left front leg was immobilized. The only way she could walk was to start with her right leg and drag the rest of her body. The recouperation of her injury took all that summer. The result was very slow. Her body would clunk as she tried to walk. Needless to say, Scratchy has lost her ability to outrun her snacks. I got a flyswatter and started swatting bugs and flies. I would gather them up and place Scratchy before her feast. She relished them all. She would not eat bugs already dead. I got tired of every morning going out and hunting down the small game for her to eat. So I started expermenting with concoctions from the fridge. She soon let me know her desired delectables. Canteloupe, sandwich ham, tomatoes, and cheese. Then off she would travel to the front yard to sleep covered in soft dirt under the Crepe Myrtle Tree.  Every June we anticipated Scratchy's arrival. One summer she didn't show up. We searched in her favorite spots. She was quite a rambler. No Scratchy any more. What a delight she brought to us. And no, we did not kill the snake. He was gathered up in a tow sack and carried to the north end of the place

I so appreciate and commend all the volunteers that are on the coast lines of our country saving endangered sea creatures during this time of oil spills and record cold.  

AGAIN?!

Well, here we are in our third or fourth cold spell. The one last week kept kids, pets and adults stuck in their houses. At least the kids could get out to play in the snow. I remember when our son was little and alway wanted to play in the snow. Snow in our part of Texas is about as rare as hen's teeth. So out  he would go. Most of his playing outside was helping his Dad feed the cattle. Having to clean up the mess when everyone came back in the house was a chore. Dirty wet boots, and snow falling on the kitchen floor. The dog getting close to someone so he could shimmy shake to clean his fur. Now after all the years looking back, snow is a good thing for making memories.