More Signs of Spring at Salsipuedes

Even though we're expecting cold weather again tonight, Spring is here!!  The bluebird house down by the pond has new eggs. (I think the last ones froze when we had a low of 28). Hopefully these five beauties will hatch. I'm not a nest watcher for Cornell this year, so will just watch from afar. Maybe--I may not be able to resist peeking after they hatch. Bluebirds are just the neatest birds--the entire family helps feed the young.

Nature at its finest!

My blackberry patch is much larger this year--hmm, I can just taste blackberries and cream.

Lots of blooms - hopefully no snakes!

And the grafted pear is putting on leaves like crazy!

New leaves every day!

Who knows, maybe I'll be making pear preserves from the fruits of this new tree.

If my little garden ever begins to grow (it has been way too cold), I'll post pictures of my vegetables. I think I'll take my strawberry plant in tonight.

Stay tuned!!

Springtime in Texas

Dogwood Blossoms

Spring is my favorite time of the year--I begin wishing for it in January. This year it has been late in coming. But I treasure it all the more. The "special man" toured me around his property and showed me his dogwoods in bloom. Breathtaking!

Dogwood in the Woods

The bees are humming, butterflies are flitting about, hummingbirds have returned, and birds are busy building nests. Lest you think Henbit is just a weed, check this out--the butterflies depend upon it for a food source in early Spring.

Down the road from me is a field of canola--I never knew the source of canola oil before--breathtaking!

Wow!

This photo does not do it justice. It is a sea of yellow as far as the eye can see. Reminds me or Italy for some reason.

Stay tuned for more Springtime shots!

The New Tree-Part Two

Remember the grafting of the wild pear tree here at Salsipuedes? Well, two out of three grafts were successful (so far).

Success!!

See the tiny leaves emerging from the new grafts? How exciting--now we wait--my tree expert (the special man in my life) tells me we leave it alone until fall.  Then I assume we will unwrap it and see the final results.

Stay tuned!!

Overcoming Fear--a Helicopter Ride

There is one item that was not on my bucket list, but maybe should have been. I have always wondered what it would be like to ride in a helicopter and wished for one to see the land surrounding Salsipuedes. However, there was a major obstacle--I do not like heights. I don't even like flying in large airplanes!

Recently, I was afforded the opportunity to ride in a helicopter-the granddaughter of the special man in my life drew the winning ticket for a ride and gave it to me. I couldn't believe it myself when I grabbed it!! While walking out to the helicopter my heart was beating about a million miles an hour. I think the pilot could tell how nervous I was and was very reassuring.  I was determined to overcome this one fear at least. And surprise--as soon as we lifted off, I felt perfectly comfortable. What great fun!! The pilot gave us a very smooth ride--it was way cool to see everything from the air.

Can't believe I'm doing this!

The only drawback is that now I'm dying to take a ride around my place--but unfortunately no helicopter is waiting here to pick me up!

This experience has led me to think of other things that I have been afraid to try--who knows what I may do next??

You never know what the future holds--stay tuned!

A New Tree at Salsipuedes

I am excited--soon I will have a new tree here. That "special man" discovered wild pear trees growing near my pond and offered to graft cultivated pears to them. Last summer we picked pears from a grafted tree at his house--delicious--so of course I jumped at the chance to have producing pear trees here. The process is absolutely fascinating to me!!

Step One - Choose a tree. I might add that it certainly helps to have someone who can identify a wild pear. :)

He brought cuttings  from "good trees".

New "new" tree

He made his cut on the original tree..

Then carefully sharpened the donor twig.

He split the bark on the original tree, peeled it back,  and inserted the twig.

He then wrapped it with tape to hold it in place.

Next, he wrapped it with plastic and then foil.

Now we wait! I can't wait to see the new trees growing,  He grafted several, so it will be interesting to see how they develop. I'm still having difficulty understanding how this works. Luckily, I get to see it in progress. 

Stay tuned--let's discover together!!

Signs of Spring!

Spring is trying to arrive--I was sure we were through with cold weather, but today proved me wrong. However, there are signs --blooming redbuds, pears, plums, flowers, etc. 

 I spied this flicker in my back yard the other morning and raced to get the camera. I managed to get a shot from my bedroom window.

Breakfast?

Isn't he a beauty? I have seen others down by the pond every day. Bluebirds are nesting down by the pond also. I'll try tomorrow to get a photo of the eggs. That mother will need to sit tight--a freeze is predicted tomorrow night. I've filled the bird feeders and will give the horses extra hay. And I'll now need to cover my newly planted tomatoes and squash! I'm hoping this is our last cold spell. I'm ready to sit on the bench at the pond and do some serious bird watching.

Stay tuned!!

Puzzle Complete--What Fun!!

I am a little sad to see the puzzle finished--it was so relaxing!!

Can  you find the the three unusual pieces?

I'm saving that last piece for that special man to insert. We both worked on it. The three "unusual" pieces are ones that Rufus managed to get.  (I must have accidentally knocked them off the bar.) Thank goodness he didn't eat them--just chewed them a little. 

This has been such a relaxing experience--I've decided to just keep a puzzle going all the time. It's nice to  take a few minutes and mull over deciding which pieces goes where.  Thanks again, Laurie!!

Stay tuned for the next one!