Frankentater

This is for real, just as txrad removed it from the bag!

A Large Praying Mantis

Ready for Lemonade

txrad Squeezes His Balls...

...in the kitchen now making hamburger buns.

Flowers & Taters

Friday Critter Blogging

We've been seeing these frequently. I never gave them much thought because I just thought they were a piece of wood that fell off the rotting patio table, or a piece of tree bark.

One day txrad said he saw one move and thought it was some kind of bug. I went out to look and it was completely stationary. I even flipped it over and nothing happened. Then a few minutes later we went out and it was a couple of inches from where we had seen it earlier. txrad insisted it had moved and I said it might have just been moved by the wind.

Then this week I walked outside and saw one in motion. And what's really freaky is that it actually has a head like a tiny little snake that emerges from that piece of "wood" and drags itself around I suppose.

Texas might get the award for the most interesting critters I've ever observed.

Anyone have any idea what this is called?

How Sick Is This?

Giving basil some water prior to going on top of a pizza is like that sterile swab they do on the death row inmates' arms prior to the lethal injection, is it not? Wouldn't want to give them an infection moments before we kill them!

Last meal for the deceased!

Hibiscus Leaf Spider

A Pair of Walking Sticks

I saw these two on the patio wall this morning. They stayed there all day. I don't recall ever seeing two together.

A Spectacular Moth

There's much to love about Texas if you take people and politics out of the equation. Like the moths.

I awoke one morning this week and walked outside on the patio to find this beauty on the door with its wing very near where the door would close on it.

I moved it down to the patio where it stayed throughout the day without moving. txrad finally discovered it there late in the afternoon and started snapping pictures, not realizing I'd already snapped a few in the wee morning hours.

Actually, I thought it had died until Sweet Pea decided to play with it and I heard wings flapping. I rescued it and put it on a tree in the yard and it promptly fell to the ground with wings flapping. So I just figured it was dying.

Later on I noticed it on the side of the house, several feet away from the tree where I had placed it. I decided they must be very lazy during the day and that it was just waiting for night to fall. I haven't seen it since then.

this is us at night

I was digging out some LPs to play last night and found a Deep Purple Machine Head picture disk with a poster. txrad decided it needed to be displayed.

Red and Green

The broccoli and red bell pepper prior to becoming a casserole this week.

Texas Sage In Bloom

These plants can look quite awful and then suddenly, after a good rain, they put on an amazing show. I've decided I want to put several more of these around the yard later in the fall. Spectacular!

Freezer Art

Just something I ran across while cleaning out the freezer this morning.

Breakfast Is Served

Bird Nest

Because a bird built a nest in the garage on a shelf, we will not close the garage door until the baby can fly, fly away. I guess we'll have to keep an eye on the cats too during the training-to-fly session.

It's always "something" around kona ranch!

Showy Hibiscus

Photo taken this morning.

Fresh Cherry Tomatoes

Over a spicy cheese & rice casserole. Delicious!

Deep Dish Chicago Pizza

Joe can dis this if he wants but what a damn fine pizza presentation, with home-grown tomatoes no less!

Nothing wrong with New York; great city. Nothing wrong with Chicago; great city.

Different cuisine styles. That simple.

But this is Texas-style. HUGE jalapeño involved. Deal with it.

Sunrise

What's not to love about a day which begins like this?

Oatmeal Boiling

Breakfast is served ...rather late.

A Walk Around Our Block in Pictures

Our neighborhood and our rectangular block with our house in the southeast corner. It's very quiet and rustic out here which is why we love it so much.

Today we started our one mile walk by turning left (north) from our house to the corner of Lauralan and Claxton and turned west for roughly 4/10ths of a mile to the end of the street.

As we neared the end of the street I turned around and shot this next picture looking east on Claxton. That dog in the yard on the left was trying to scare us.

Once at the end of Claxton, we turn south on Pitter Pat which offers a very nice view. Also at this point we are about 50 feet higher in elevation than at our house, so it's all downhill from here. At roughly the point where you see the white speed limit sign on the right, that's where we turn east onto our street again.

At the corner.

Then we're heading east back home on Lauralan.

The street curves north here and our property is on the left.

In the last shot we are heading north on Lauralan, again with our lot on the left.

And thus concludes our daily one mile jaunt around the block. I'll probably do this again in the afternoon. I wouldn't mind getting up to 3 miles a day.

Purple Prickly Pear Flowers

txrad snapped this picture today of the purple prickly pear in blossom. Magnificent.

Jerusalem Sage

txrad took some photos of the Jerusalem sage in bloom a few days ago. It's beautiful!

First Snake Sighting of the Season

Can someone identify this? I got out my snake book and it may be a black-necked garter snake.

Roma Tomatoes In Progress

Sheldon's tomato crop is coming along nicely. We can't wait for our first harvest. I have a small heirloom tomato on one of my plants in a bed by the kitchen. The race is on to see who can harvest one first but I'm sure it'll be his since he got a head start on me by at least two weeks.

Fresh Onions

The first onion harvest of the season from our garden! These will be an ingredient in our Southwestern rice casserole tonight!

Garden Butterfly

This one spent some time in my tomato garden this morning but seemed to prefer something in the soil.

Birthday Floral (2 Weeks Early)

Moth

Dried Bay Leaves

Our bay tree got slightly stung by the last freeze so txrad harvested some leaves. They smell wonderful!

Mountain Laurel in Bloom

Our Texas Mescalbean photographed by txrad today.

We can't actually see it from our house unfortunately. It's on the west side of the property behind some trees. I was wearing Birkenstocks and was getting stuff in my shoe so I didn't walk all the way out there. txrad said it smelled like bubblegum within two feet of this plant.

Maybe the neighbors enjoy it since it's only a few feet from their property line.

Cremini

Once in awhile we deviate from the portobello, in favor of.... baby portobello. Tonight is such a night. Pizza in the works.

txrad is an onion fahmah

Chopped Veggies

The veggies in last night's southwestern rice casserole prepared by txrad. Gotta love that color!

Just To Annoy Nicole

This week's breakfast is ready. Blueberry muffins with one banana which was in the last stages. I was short one egg so that helped.

Broccoli Casserole

Maybe Bob isn't allergic to anything in this. txrad makes it two or three times a month. Great right out of the oven... loses something in the evil microwave the next day.