The Hermits' Rest

Enjoy the Present but Plan for the Future

What are your future travel plans?

Oh yes. I’m traveling in the future. It’s what I promised myself to do while I still can.

Here I am, traveling down the county road in the rain. Does that count?

But first I need to enjoy the present. Indeed, I enjoyed today very much. Who doesn’t enjoy a July day in Texas when it rains and doesn’t get above 90°? I admit to sitting on the porch and watching the rain after work. That felt great.

Other than muddy horses I have no complaints at all. They are pretty happy with the grass not being so straw-like, too.

And the dogs had fun outside. Carlton decided grass runners I’d pulled up were toys and tossed them around gleefully. Unfortunately Alfred decided the extra-dead armadillo was a toy and rolled in it. Oh that smells bad. The armadillo carcass is now unavailable to dogs.

Enjoy a happy live armadillo who lives nowhere near me. Source: free WordPress photo library

As for travel, we have camping trips, two condo stays, and a cabin rental coming up, in addition to the Master Naturalist conference. I’ll share more information as the trips take place.

And I’ll have to cancel some if we don’t have caretakers for the ranch. That (and security) is why I don’t share travel plans here. Things tend to change with no warning around here with so many folks in fragile health and such!

All is well. I’m just going to enjoy each day as much as I can without counting on any future plans coming to fruition until it’s time to go! That’s being flexible and embracing change, all right. Right?

Things Fall Down

Only two things fell down today. Both mattered to me, though!

If the overflow is overflowing, that means the pond is full again!

Yes, rain was the second thing that fell down. Lots of it. It’s like Mother Nature is trying to make up for last year’s endless string of dry 100°+ days. The forecast is for more rain, which should cheer up the frogs. Just this morning the frog pond was completely dry.

That pond doesn’t have multiple sources draining into it like the front one does, so it’s harder to fill. I’m glad the hard rain waited until the bulldozer was finished in the creek bottom. I checked both lower ponds (tanks) today and they look so good. The rain will start new growth on the bare ground.

When it started raining, it really rained. I ignored the fact that four dogs were in my office breathing hard and shaking as long as I could, but they sure looked pitiful.

When the satellite connection went down I told them we could go upstairs and they all ran by me to get up. It was so noisy startled Lilia, who cleans the house, as she was cleaning the bathroom. I said I had to protect them. So, I read a magazine while Goldie shook next to me, Penney tried to crawl inside me, and everyone else hid under the bed. Thunder is hard on dogs.

Goldie is back in bed now, but just to sleep.

So, I said rain was the second thing to fall. The first was me. I did what I knew I’d eventually do, and I stepped in a dog hole. You see, they did little holes then the super-spreading coastal Bermuda grass leftover from when the yard was a pasture grows over them. Once the grass is mowed, it looks all smooth. But no, there are hidden holes.

Looks like smooth lawn. Is full of jokes, poop, and dead things (just one currently)

And I was in a hurry to empty the rain gauge of yesterday’s rainfall before today’s rain began. I walked fast. Big mistake. Down I went. Luckily I only slightly twisted my ankle and wrenched my back. I’d have fallen better, but I had my phone in one hand and my computer glasses in the other and didn’t want to break them. So my wrists are paying the price.

My wrist looks good, though, with my upgraded watch on it (the other one was getting wonky after many years of faithful service).

I didn’t even tell my friends today, because another one of them had a much scarier fall, making me feel grateful I wasn’t slipping in the bathroom. I’m also grateful my friend recovered miraculously and no worse for wear. I’m barely hurt.

Back to the rain, the creek has been rising since this afternoon. It’s supposed to keep raining the rest of the week, so who knows how high it will get or if I’ll get to ride horses again anytime soon. They’re probably all right with that, as well as with the cooler weather.

Rain annoys fire ants and they make these weird lines.

Who’d have guessed we’d have a rainy week in July when there isn’t even a hurricane!

This gal is ready to see what washes up.

Have a Good Evening, Readers

Today was just fine. Not too hot, had some rain, horses were well behaved, and I saw lots of plants.

Heck, even Mr and Mrs Bluebird of Happiness visited.

Lee and I watched golf on television, because it relaxes me but does have exhibitions of skill. Then we watched the news a while. Then I was outside enjoying the cool-ish weather until time to make a meal with a lot of mushrooms in it. I guess yesterday’s food post made me crave umami.

Note: I’m thankful for my husband and a couple of friends who were there for me today! Good folks.

That’s all I have for public consumption. Sleep well, everyone.

Taking Comfort, Making Plans

What’s your go-to comfort food?

Hmm. Lately no food comforts me much. But I’d say I usually reach for something cheesy. These days it’s either those little red laughing cow rounds or cottage cheese (preferably full fat, large curd). Full fat yogurt with good fruit, like Noosa, also works. Creaminess seems to be a key. Naturally, creamy ole ice cream also does the trick. I guess I help finance the dairy industry.

Cheese. I like it (also bread—I can eat wheat and dairy just fine, being all European.

My anxiety has ticked down a notch, which I can tell because I’ve allowed myself to plan for the future (other than camping and condos; I do plan that). But today I figured out what I’d like to do with my volunteer time. Well, in addition to endless flower and insect photos.

I visited the new bird observation way station thing that’s been started by our Master Naturalist group today. I’m very impressed by how hard Gene at the Bird and Bee Farm has been working on it. He’s even obtained outside funding that is helping with fencing and future mulching.

My friend Ann is the mastermind behind the project, but she can’t do most of the heavy work. She is the expert on birds, though.

I sat on a log out there for a long time and watched a little Downy Woodpecker digging a hole, maybe for a nest. Then I watched dung beetles rolling some poop quite industriously. I realized that this was A Good Place and that I’d like to help.

So, I told Ann I’d be the chronicler of the project. I’ll take pictures and record the bird species seen and heard there. I can blog about it on the Master Naturalist blog, too. I’m feeling brave for making a plan.

Logs mark the boundaries. They’ve already run water out here, too!

It will be a great reason to be outdoors in peace and quiet while contributing to something positive. And maybe I can take some cheese out there and have a comforting picnic.

Bonus piece of oddness. There’s a crawfish in our pool. It’s just going around eating stuff.

Games People Play

What’s your favorite game (card, board, video, etc.)? Why?

I admit it. I like word games. My two favorites are Scrabble and Big Boggle. No one will play me because I’m a word professional. I’m NOT the best at either game, honest. I’m above average. I’d probably be better if anyone would play with me.

I don’t like the kind of games people play with interpersonal relationships. That’s why I enjoyed today. I spent much more time than usual talking to friends. It was a nice mix of light-hearted stuff and serious conversation. I’m sure glad I have friends to just hang out with sometimes!

This is me getting ready to go out, with a lurking husband. I was trying to show a friend my coordinating ensemble.

After talking with folks and hashing out some of my angst, I’m feeling a lot more balanced and able to act the way my principles tell me to. That made it worth a Zoom call and driving to Rockdale for fish tacos!

I’m calmer than this poor doe who was so rattled by my presence that she ran off quite flatulently. Here she’s resting between gas attacks.

Go off and enjoy your weekend. That’s my plan.

Do You Need a Bird Book?

If so, I recommend The Sibley Guide to Birds, Second Edition. It’s by David Allen Sibley. Not a surprise. I mentioned earlier this week that I read it from cover to cover (literally, since the covers and end pages are also interesting).

Sibley is an incredibly talented illustrator and I have found his detailed photos of similar birds like sparrows and warblers very helpful. His descriptions of birds and their calls are quite accurate but also funny at times. I love how he tries to write out what a bird song sounds like, then calls them dull or wheezing or whatever.

The maps are also helpful in trying to see if a bird is likely to be seen or heard where you are. I found a few to look out for here!

It’s a bigger book than many bird guides, so it would be hard to carry around in the field, but I like to really be able to see the images. I carry Merlin Bird ID with me when I’m out. This book is for more detail.

Look! Flickers! They are woodpeckers, you know.

I loved this book while reading it and will refer to it often. It’s a great addition to any nature library.

By the way, we got some reasonable rain. I love how this Eastern Pondhawk glistens against the wet leaves.

Next up? Animal tracks! I do already know dig, horse, chicken, and deer.

Companion Animal Preferences

Dogs or cats?

First. I like both dogs and cats. I’ve had both as pets, though never more than two cats at once.

Vlassic points out he has cat-like reflexes

I had cats when I lived in apartments and when my children were small because it was easier. They aren’t much work unless you really work at interacting. I don’t see all the moods and personalities others see in cats. They all make the same two or three faces and look nice curled into a ball. This makes me sound like not a cat person. But I’d have one if Lee wasn’t so allergic.

This is the only cat I know now, Potato. She lives with my son.

What I don’t like is cat pee and dirty litter boxes. My sister’s houses always reeked of cat poo. I could never stay long. And I had a cat that got all annoyed at us and peed all over my house, mostly in hidden spots on plastic bags. It was horrible. Once we let him go outside he was fine. We were sure he’d get killed quickly and die happy, but no. He held out forever. He lasted longer than any of my marriages (though Lee only has two years to go to last longer).

Mostly I’ve had dogs. I get along with dogs. Many of my early playmates were neighborhood dogs, back when they all roamed the neighborhood. Our black spaniel dog Maggie was my nice big sister, and Pumpkin, the dachshund mix who came afterwards, was so much a part of the family that we’d forget she couldn’t talk. She was there for my dad and brother while my mom was sick, and was the perfect emotional therapy dog, before that was a thing.

Carlton has been my emotional therapy dog. Here is the day we took him home.

Since we got our family dogs when my kids got older, Gwynn the Corgi and Scrunchy, the pug, I haven’t been without a dog. Well, make that “we” haven’t been without a dog. They are mostly Lee’s dogs, but I enjoy all six of them, too.

I’d feel weird without a dog. However, it hurts so much to lose one. I just looked at all my photos of dogs. Sniff. I miss our past companions. But here are random shots of the ones we have now, who are just as good!

PS: it’s looking cloudy out and there is rain predicted. That would sure be good.

Not much left of the little pond except crawfish and bullfrog homes.

Lost in Time

Which activities make you lose track of time?

Ah, I’m answering this question rather than sharing my current thoughts. They’ll be more refined tomorrow.

For certain, what my husband will tell you makes me lose track of time is nature walks. I just disappear and re-emerge with no idea how long I was gone. I’m completely enthralled by the sights, sounds, and smells of new places or new things in familiar places. I don’t want it to end.

Here’s a new thing I found in the driveway! It’s delicious common purslane, a portulaca (*Portulaca oleracea*) just like the cultivated one below.

Look at the beautiful Texas Striped Sweat Bee in my volunteer portulaca/moss rose

Hanging out with the animals also can make me lose track of time. I’ve just spent twenty minutes thinking about how beautiful Carlton is to me. My love for this guy never ends.

I ended up spending more time with Drew today than I’d intended, too. I’d walked to the next-door unused mailbox to drop something off, and decided to come back through the horse pasture, you know, in case there were any interesting plants or insects. So, I was concentrating on plants when I got a feeling I was being followed.

I kept going until I felt something hot on my neck.

Then I realized Droodles was sneaking up on me.

We ended up hanging out for quite a while just enjoying each other’s company. He didn’t push me around looking for treats, just rested his head on me and asked to be scratched. It’s so good to get along with each other again!

Mostly. That ear is showing some mischief is afoot.
Yes, I’m not much of a fashionista in this weather. That shirt is very orange and the head covering looks silly but keeps hair out of my face.

Not surprisingly, the other activity that leads me to lose track of time is reading. I’ve been reading Sibley Birds, Second Edition since I bought it in New Mexico. It’s only 600+ pages. I can’t stop looking at all the birds, learning new things about familiar ones and finding out what else might be out there in Texas (and wherever else I go).

I will admit to skimming Arctic residents and ocean birds. Otherwise, I’m reading it all. But I’m in the oriole section! I’m almost done! Do not worry. I have a nice long book about animal tracks lined up. That’s what happens when people stop mailing me novels, I guess. (I’m fine for novels! I have some enqueued.)

If I’m repeating myself, forgive me. I’m working on changing my mindset and that can wear me out until I’m through the hardest part (letting go of an unproductive mindset).

Thanks for being there, friends and family. You are appreciated even when I don’t show it well.

People Bother Me So Let’s Talk about Weird Stuff

What bothers you and why?

Right now, people bother me. Sometimes the isolation out here in a sparsely populated rural area gets to me, and sometimes I’m glad I’m not around fellow humans too much. I’m so iffy on this! Humans both fascinate and repulse me. I find individuals fascinating and groups (political parties, religious denominations, single-focus nonprofits) frightening the more I get to know them. That bothers me.

What else bothers me? Inexplicable behaviors of non-human living beings, like today’s puzzling behavior involving bees and birds.

[Some of this I also posted elsewhere, but I’ve changed it a bit.]

First, bees. For the past week or two I’d been noticing a lot of honeybees around my legs. It seemed like the earth was buzzing. Upon closer examination, I saw dozens of bees crawling on the tiny blossoms of the grass (I think it’s Dallis grass) that is blooming now. The bees were all very busy, zipping from flower to flower (not leisurely sipping as they usually do), and they were loaded with pollen.

This went on for a few days. Yesterday, there was no buzzing as I walked along the field in my daily bird-watching patrol. Then, late in the afternoon I was over by the trees listening to a Yellow-billed Cuckoo when I heard something that sounded like one of those annoying drones people fly these days. I looked up and didn’t see a drone. I saw a large mass of tiny things moving along at a rapid clip. It was hundreds and hundreds of bees swarming. I guess they were moving on to better pastures. I’m not sure where their hive was before, because I hadn’t heard one in a couple of years. I hope they find a nice new dead tree!

Did you know bees swarm in giant balls o’ bees? No, they do not. This FAKE image is what WordPress AI gave me when I asked for a swarm of flying bees. Sophisticated it is not.

Moving along, I’ve also been dealing with birds overhead, specifically the beautiful but omnipresent Barn Swallows. Now, normally they hang out on our porches, building mud nests, raising babies and pooping. They also eat numerous insects, so they get to stay (also it’s ILLEGAL to mess with a nest of wild birds; you can ask Mike Mitchell about it if you don’t believe me). We coexist just fine, looking into or out of the windows at each other, and enjoying the swimming pool area.

However, lately, the little darlings have not been at all happy with me. They aren’t nesting anymore, just flying around the ponds and in the air catching food. They are always there, and for some reason they resent my presence. When I go for my morning or afternoon walks, I often hear a very loud CHIRP, with a Doppler effect as the chirper moves away. The swallows ambush me from behind, for the most part, but occasionally they fly right at me and veer off just before they make contact with my head.

They are fast little guys.

I have absolutely no clue as to why they are dive-bombing me. I’ve had Mockingbirds and Red-winged Blackbirds do this when they are nesting nearby. But, hey, do they think I want to home in on their mosquitos?

Bwa-ha-ha. This is AI’s best attempt at “giant mosquito.” One big eye and antennae on the side of its head. Well, that was a fun experiment.

All the other animals and plants are absolutely not bothering me. I enjoyed seeking out small flashes of peace and beauty around the property today. This stuff is literally saving me, y’all. If things go to hell in a hand basket, at least I’ll be able to enjoy wherever we end up!