My Creature Feature...............Just when I think I have nothing new to show you or to tell you

something always comes crawling along

and captures my interest. As most of you know about me by now...........I love the world of nature.......especially reptiles and insects. Snakes I do not handle.........although I got too close to one like this one, a few years ago,  and was bitten on the hand. It is a Coachwhip, non venomous, and very fast.

The bite was not the usuall two fangs, but it left a ring of small holes on the top of my hand.

This one did not want me to get too close, so it quickly dashed up the tall mesquite tree that grows in the back yard. These snakes are excellent tree climbers.

They can easily stretch to another tree or limb without falling.

I love snakes....................only for their design and beauty. I know what you might be thinking............snakes have no beauty..............

but if you look close enough at any thing................every thing has it's own beauty............and we all look and find that in a different way.

 Just click onto the photo.............you'll see what I mean.

Just like the very common Horned Toad in our area. It certainly is not a toad............but a lizard covered in horns and spikes. I refer to them as little prairie dragons.

They blend in well with their territory and are famous for eating red ants.

Their skin and spikes are thick enough that they can sit in the middle of an ant den and enjoy a full day buffet without getting stung.

They are very gentle and don't bite. Sometimes, if they are frightend, they puff up like puffer fish and stay real still.

Out in the deepest part of the woods, I found this gigantic spider home.

The web stretches at least a foot wide. I am curious as to what kind of spider lives here.

I do not handle spiders, but I love the color and design that they possess.

They are such interesting creatures.

As you can see, they live in the deep hole in the mesquite tree.

I knocked on the door, but they would not come out.

I think not seeing them is alright..............their web is spooky enough

don't you think?

So............are there any bug lovers among you there??

What about snakes or any other creature???

I would love to hear!

For days, high winds and dirt from the cotton fields have been blowing,

leaving layers of choking dust on every flower, plant, and structure.

I was delighted to wake up to hearing thunder and seeing this...................

which brought this

and this.

I spent a while, outside on the porch, enjoying the cool air and the fresh fragrance that rain always brings............sending prayers of gratitude up.

The pumpkins I recently planted have sprouted, and hopefully this rain will make them strong and healthy.

 

How about you?

Are you under pleasant weather?

What are you planting or growing?

I would love to hear!

 

How hot is it here on the prairie??

Hope  this finds you comfortable and not popping hot!

This is the time of year that we have many feathered friends fly in to visit us

My hands are busy with the garden and embroidery work and there is not much of any thing new to write about this week. So I will leave you some photos of our feathered and winged friends with some quotes.

What kind of colorful visitors do you have?

I would love to hear!

Use what talent you possess: the woods would be very silent if no birds sang except those that sang best.

 ~Author unknown

 

My favorite weather is bird-chirping weather.

 ~Terri Guillemets

Birds sing after a storm; why shouldn't people feel as free to delight in whatever remains to them? ~Rose F. Kennedy

A bird does not sing because it has an answer. It sings because it has a song.

 ~Chinese Proverb

 

If you truly love Nature, you will find beauty everywhere.

 ~Vincent Van Gogh

Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.

~Albert Einstein

What would the world be, once bereft
Of wet and of wildness? Let them be left,
O let them be left, wildness and wet;
Long live the weeds and the wilderness yet.
~Gerard Hopkins

It happens every year............

In the dead of winter, I say to myself, and at times, announce out loud to anyone who might be listening, that I am only planting a small garden of zinnias and pumpkins when planting time rolls around.

However, by March, I am walking the grounds, dreaming up garden designs and taking notice of where the sun lands the most and where the shade stays. By the end of March, the garden spaces have been tilled and I have created a couple of new ones.

Through April, I scan through seed catalogs and place orders. Regular trips to buy groceries always includes some kind of potted flower brought home.

I have started making small raised beds inside of my flower beds. The plants seem to grow so much better this way.

Now with May being here, my small purchases have accumulated in a good size collection and now gardens are taking shape.

I moved the potted plants out of the greenhouse and placed them in and around the raised flower beds.

Containers of all kinds are being used to hold lovely blossoms.

I have had this wire basket for a while. I used pink netting to hold the soil

and then planted super bells and petunias of the same shade. It looks like a purse full of pretty flowers!

I even gave Gertrude a new wardrobe...........

and a hat. I think she would smile if she could............

How about you?

Are you filling up your shopping carts with plants and then filling up you gardens when you get home?

I would love to hear!

When I told my husband I wanted to "experiment" with cement,

he was so helpful in explaining about the different types and helped me pick out the right kind for what I wanted to do..................by the way,

how do men know these things??
He has never worked around the house with cement, yet he was right on the target.

Sometimes, I wonder.............

Since then, he has loved my "creations" and instead of bringing me home a box of chocolates, he brings home a bag of cement for me...........

Is that encouragement for my creativity?.............or

to persuade me not to eat any more sweets?.............

again, ............I wonder................

 

So imagine my excitement , when he brought home this wonderful, colorful bag!!!

It can hold tons of makeup, perfume, my camera............the kitchen sink..........

I love this color..........he's never bought things like this for me before...............

hmmm, I wonder.................

Now imagine my confusion and surprise when I found these tools inside of this bag.............

what is he thinking??

but look at the colorful handles!!! Look at that sweet little hammer! So cute!

They are not "man sized tools"

but cute and colorful.........."girly" tools!!

still...............I wonder.............

The sweetest little tape measure..............which I know I can use..........

 

and a sweet little level thingy..........which I am not sure what he is expecting of me.

Maybe he misunderstood???

 

Create.........and construct..........or two very different words.............

I think he is giving me way too much faith in learning certain skills.

However, I love, love this whole tool bag thing!

I even researched some of the tools to figure out what they are actually for.........

This morning, he kissed me goodbye on his way to his work.............

and told me he is bringing me a bag of stucco for our porch..............

stucco??
Sometimes.............I wonder.................

Rain dance instructions.........desperately needed!!!

 

It grew dark across the prairie,

the hard wind blew,

Rain clouds formed,

my excitement grew!

It thundered loudly,

Lightening lit up the sky

and then...........

no rain..........it was gone...........

sigh.

 

(K.M)

 

Hope you are having plenty of rain and pleasant weather.

Please keep Texas in your prayers..........

we are as dry as toast!