On a few small acres in the hill country of central Texas, we live by watching, feeling, and waiting. Together, we come to know by loving and love best when we care enough to understand. Our Loves: limestone, leaf-vein, scales, feathers, friends, and all their shifting reflections in the waters of a small Creek.
Before an unidentified source robbed the artichoke plants
of their thistley lives, we enjoyed what we didn't think was possible here.
Gallons.
Occasionally this solitary roadrunner ventures into the Stonefield.
Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) like we've not seen it yet.
Rio Grande Cichlids (Cichlasoma cyanoguttatum), we still think.
One source says the white head appears only when the fish are spawning.
Right or not, these two were guarding half a gazillion fry.
.
After deer ate a dozen or more chili poblano plants in the garden,
we planted these four in protected pots up on the deck. They, too, were
eaten by agile deer about three weeks after this photo was taken.
Just water.
The velvet ant (Mutillidae), sometimes called a cow killer.
The 3000 species of Mutillidae are actually wingless wasps.
The three most recent additions to the farm.
(Barbados lamb meat is lean and sweet.)
Not a true duck, this noisy black-bellied whistling duck (Dendrocygna autumnalis) and its mate have been staying close by the Creek for most of the month.
We've had several cold mornings recently, with stern ice on the windshield and roof of the pickup this morning (April 20). But the sunshine along the waters has been beautiful. Even if the quality of the video isn't:
Rabbitfoot Grass in Morning Light
One of the lessons of the Tao is that some things just should not be commented upon. Words fail us. And that's all I will say about a rain lily in April.
Note the small red dot on the main limb in the upper center of this image.
This fine live oak below the boulders of Whitman's Rough hosts mosses, lichens, ferns, and at least two species of cactus.
Under the roof of our back porch, a pair of eastern phoebes have built a nest and hatched out several young.
And we've gotten back in the bee business.
Leaves of a recently planted bald cypress in our backyard
