Blister bug, stink bug, true bug

After backing out of the drive this morning (making sure not to hit any stray dogs, walkers or church attenders zipping off to services) I started down the street only to see a tangle of long insect-ish legs and antennae on the windshield. I could just see the palm-sized crawler out of the corner of my eye.

The first thought is always "Is that thing inside or outside?" [My dear MC watched a woman flip her SUV on a back road who explained the accident  in one word, "SPIDER."]

The creature was outside. And it was a beauty - what we used to call a blister bug, one of the "true bugs" (we learned all about them when the children were in biology - heaven forbid you call an insect a "bug" unless it was one of the "true bugs" easily identified by the triangular shape on its back). And it clung to the windshield as I headed off to catch up on a project.

I wondered how long he would ride with me and decided to take care to drive within the limits (I must say I do have a bit of a reputation although I do not rise to the level of a "scoff-law.") Still, I took care and my hitchhiker continued along with me until the speed limit rises at the edge of town, just as we passed the McDonalds. Perhaps the aerodynamics of the car were too much. Perhaps he had a craving for a Big Mac or Happy Meal. Whatever the case, he flew away and I suspect my speed might have inched just a little higher as I hurried down the road.

My project continued in pieces today - interrupted by chores and a family lunch (perhaps the best meat loaf I have ever made). Each time I left the building today I was in the midst of a flurry of cottonwood seeds floating in the air. They are lovely and strange. They pile up in small drifts just as does the snow. But the sun was bright and the day hot. There was no mistaking these flakes. And I am inevitably laid low by them - a reaction that almost negates my delight in the fluttering.

NOTES:

* The wildflowers are incredible - bluebonnets, foxglove, firewheels and more!

* Images of true bugs: https://www.google.com/search?q=true+bug&hl=en&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=b8x9UbOHMqnQ2QXWmYGgAQ&sqi=2&ved=0CEYQsAQ&biw=1120&bih=746

Ignoring the chores today...

Woke at 3 a.m. and had such a tough time getting back to sleep. So I didn't really worry about subsequently sleeping late and and getting a slow start on this day that was to be full of chores.

Our walk was marred by parents hurrying to drop kids off at the park. It was 7:30 in the morning (I should have written that in all caps) and it was already impossible to cross the street from the sidewalk to the park. [This prompted a discussion of whether or not we will be able to retire and stay where we are as we are both becoming impatient cranky older people.]

Oh, did I mention that DH slept late as well? He did. So he was stuck with humoring me and walking the pups.

I had planned to check out the wildflowers in the meadows, but I gave up any such thought as we were dodging all the "mommy cars" (sorry, but this is our family name for the Suburbans, SUVs and station wagons) delivering precious cargo to the playing fields. We just went home.

I did get a photo of some pecan leaves budding out that I will share here. I am also including snaps of the spear grass growing on the corner (for my dear sister) and the buds and blooms in my yard. We have been blessed by the rain and we are enjoying each flowering thing.

[After a hike around the courthouse square with purchases of veggies, bread and mustard at the farmers' market I hiked the gem and mineral show. I totally used up my "chore" time and will just have to work a little harder tomorrow. Stay tuned.]

Pecan trees budding out

Spear grass!

Louisiana iris

More bearded iris (and the chaos of the yard showing) about to bloom

Another Louisiana iris

Yet another bearded iris about to bloom

NOTE: With these spring rains we have had 4 or 5 different purple bearded iris (and 3 other colors), 3 German iris, 2 Louisiana iris, one amaryllis (two scapes) and multiple other plants bloom. I just need to clean up the stray pots and things and mow. There is also trimming and weeding to be done, but I am going to ignore that for now...

"Skip, skip, skip to my Lou..."

We woke to rain once again. At least I did not wake DH and send him out into the storm...once is enough.

Two hours later the rain had stopped and we crankily and creakily dressed for a walk. The clouds had parted and the sun was trying to break through.

We dodged the working men and women as they hurried to the office. Only a couple of folks were so busy or distracted that they managed to miss seeing a couple of people with two big dogs (and one of the people with red flashing lights on their cap!) walking down the sidewalk.

We were late for deer and knew our dirt road would be muddy (and DH has no patience for that kind of thing) so we decided to walk the paved paths around and through the park. We steered clear of the other walker with two big black Labs. I have been tired and sore from the "going, going, going" this week and I was afraid I could not control Scruff and Paddy had they wanted to hang out with their brethren. DH was tired and sore from his exercise routine and did not need much persuading to wait until the other walkers had loaded up and heading home.

The pups, in turn, found and followed the scents of the earlier walkers - I think of Paddy and Scruff as retrievers, not trackers, but they are curious dogs and fond of tracking too. And they can catch that sent of other creatures in the wind, even if they cannot see as well as I once thought. [Truth be known, Paddy will fetch until she is exhausted. Scruffy will watch in amusement. He was not taught to fetch and has refused to learn. What is that about old dogs and new tricks? I am proud he learned to sit on command.]


First sunrise we have seen in a few days...



DH walking ahead with Scruffy and Paddy



My gang. Aren't they a lovely sight?

I had just about decided I would not even write about our walk today. It was uneventful. It was a pleasant, but ordinary thing. We solved no world problems and did not even make plans for the day. We just enjoyed the surprisingly late cool weather and the opportunity to be together with our pets - not in a hurry or concerned about more than that.

We turned away from the river to head toward home and I stopped. "Deer!"

The underbrush and grass from last season has died and fallen. This year's grass is just taking hold. So our view down the hill to the start of the dirt road was almost unobstructed. There, casually grazing on the just sprouting green, was the deer herd. DH and I counted and watched and counted again as the deer moved in the clearing. I handed the dogs off to DH to see if I could grab some evidence.

Here is the best of my poor photography. We stopped a couple of times for photos and I used the telephoto option (remember, this is a pocket point-n-shoot outfit).




OK. I know you can see them here.




No? How about this?



And this?



And this?



We were surprised they did not run. This was taken from behind a tree much closer to the road.



As was this.



And this.



And this.



And, finally, this.

We counted five deer. I was never able to get a photo of all of them together, but I was pleased to have some proof.

Pulled a fast one

On a day I took off work I was up at 5. DH had said, "If you are up and it is not raining, wake me."

So, I was up waiting for daylight. It was not raining (yet). And I woke up the sleeping one so he could take his early morning run before the streets were filled with cars.

I had failed to watch the weather radar. He had not been gone long when the rain started. When he returned he reported that, mid-course, he had taken one step and the temperature was in the 70s. With the next step the temperature had dropped 30 degrees and the wind and rain started.

That first wave of bad weather passed as day dawned and the pups and I headed out for a quick walk. It was late for us. The older children were waiting for the bus. Dogs were short-leashed to prevent anyone for heading to school with paw prints (I am not so good at that. My co-workers often let me know that I sport unintended spots of mud from an affectionate dog).

We spoke with neighbors who were new to us. "Good morning," said we. A shy "Good morning" was returned and I could almost see the wheels turning in the child's head - "Mom says not to talk to strangers. The crazy lady with the big dogs seems harmless enough." I suppose it passed as neighborly conversation as mom was present.

The park was empty save the city workers. We heard noises in the woods, but we could not tell if it was deer walking gently or the loosely coordinated dripping of rain from branches as the wind blew by.

But we appeared to be the only beasts out in the wet cold. Although we heard the song of the "squeaky hinge" bird (I promise to ask my brother what it is) and saw one Mocking bird perched on the fence line.

We threw one paper on the porch of an elderly neighbor. There was no need for her to worry with walking down slick steps and sidewalk to retrieve it today.

We had already experienced the slick sidewalk. Our hustle across the street was too fast for the weather conditions. Even good hiking boots will slip in the right (or wrong) circumstances. But no blood was drawn - there will only be a bruise on one knee...a reminder of the need for caution in the rain.

So slow down out there on these slick roads. Consider the weather conditions (and watch out for crazy old ladies walking their dogs).

NOTE: I hesitate to mention any falls as I don't want to worry the children. Still...

A first

Sunday mornings can be so hard. No one wants to move. We have overdone and our achy bones tell us that we have walked enough, worked enough. But we know better, really. But there is an internal argument - walk or don't walk ("Stay home and put your feet up." or "Get up, you lazybones. You always feel better after a walk!").

And the good angel won the argument today - walking clothes were gathered, gear readied and walkers headed down the road in the damp, almost mist of a grey, grey morning.

A pickup entered the park as we walked the wood-line. The terrier and Labrador in the back stared at us. We wondered if we would have companions walking the park paths today. But they did not stay. So, once we were alone, we headed towards our dirt track.

But first I stopped to take photos of the dewberry vines in bloom. They were not as profuse (or lovely) as those at the springs, but I wanted to see if I could at least grab a photo. After taking a series of bad shots of dewberry flowers we heard a loud rustling in the woods.

To be clear - we hear "a loud rustling in the woods" all the time. We are usually confident that deer are about. But we never see them unless they break out of the woods and into the meadows. The saplings and underbrush in our woods provide sufficient camouflage. And the eyesight of the walker and two aging dogs always proves insufficient to distinguish deer hiding in the depths of our small forest.

But today we were stopped adjacent to a long clearing. We could see into the woods for about 60 or 70 feet. Having no reason to move too fast today, we watched and waited. And we were rewarded as three deer crossed the clearing. Camera in hand, foolish me, I counted deer instead of attempting to capture this event. [So, you will just have to trust me.]

I thought it too much to expect deer in the meadows as well, but we walked our road and the pups followed scents as we followed the turns in the road. The near meadow was empty of deer, but full of green and just blooming wild verbena.

See the deer in the meadow ahead?

Here, let me blow it up for you. NOW do you see it - there to the right side of the road? No?

OK. This all I can do. Do you see her now?

We continued down the road and glanced up to see a deer standing at the opening to the far meadow. It stopped, we stopped. I snapped photo after photo realizing that distance would work against me.

The deer ran as we approached, but was hiding close enough to us that we heard that loud warning snort as we entered the meadow. We watched and waited. It had been such a lucky morning already. Surely the deer would break from the woods and give us one parting vision. They have done so before...

But not today.

Dewberries along the barbed wire fence.



New mesquite leaves bright green against the cedars.

More dewberries near the entrance to the park.

Wild mustard blooming along the edge of the woods. It seems to be taking over the countryside.

NOTE:

Danger of frost is over. The native pecans have budded out. Spring is officially here.

Saturday, Saturday!

Six o'clock this morning! What were we doing up so early on a Saturday?

Spring is here.

We walked east towards a cold blue morning sky, dappled with dark scattered clouds. Little light shown from the sliver of moon still visible above us. There would be no golden and rosy sunrise, but we would trudge down the road to be greeted by the cacophony of morning bird songs in the park.

No people were visible during our walk to the pavilion and away, but three cars were parked near the playing fields.

For cautious walkers cars without driver indicate warning. But Padimus and Scrufimus and I had company this morning. So we did not walk alone into the park and we were all wary. But no one (man or beast) appeared during our walk - no runners, no walkers, no dog people, no deer, no park cat, no fox, and no skunk.

We only heard the morning bird song, the roar of traffic on the interstate in the distance and, finally, the clank and bang of the trash truck moving through the neighborhood.

I left the the pups and DH at the house and traveled on to the farmers' market. We have two competing markets in town. The tightly regulated one has yet to open. The "free for all" was just warming up.  I found local honey, loads of plants, field greens, goat cheeses, beets and field greens. I was surprised to see young Jesus, a now teenager who helps his parents sell flour tortillas and tamales.

I feasted on a goat feta and field cheese soft taco...a Greek-Mexican fusion-ish warm breakfast.

A new friend

It has been a rough week. Pups have had to deal with rapidly changing weather. And they were all distracted in their walk today.

At the springs there were almost too many distractions for man and beast. Every green thing was  growing crazy - budding or blooming or vining or fruiting. The wild mustang grapes looked like they will bear well this year. I have not found any in recent years - not enough water I suspect. Perhaps our rains this year have been timed right.

The dewberry vines were blooming their bright white flowers against the dark vines and leaves. Then, of course, the purple wild verbena were out and starting to spread themselves in the fields. The coneflowers were just coming up and leafing out. I noticed something that almost looked like a cross between a violet and a wild petunia. Some aster-like white flowers, yellow wild coreopsis (?), and dandelions of many varieties were scattered through the prairie. [But the dominant blooming event was the dewberry - stunning.]

We climbed over and under new tree falls - victims of the wild weather of late. It will take some work to clear a few trails, but some trees are always left to decay naturally. While this is the way of things, my heart breaks to see ancient trees broken - first weakened by the drought and then wrecked by the wind and rainstorm.

The dogs, however, ignored the changes to the canopy and the trail. They were more interested in a new scent, a low flying vulture, or movement in the meadow.

Along one trail we met a friend of TDW. C and his tiny dog, Snoopy, were introduced as we wandered to the bridge and then river for a quick swim (dogs only). Snoopy was young and energetic. And she smelled the cookies in my pocket.

We did not walk along the limestone ledges today. People were tired and dogs not themselves. My guys just stared at the car and had to be convinced to get in, then "fell out" in the yard when we arrived at the house.
.
NOTE:

We have no photos as the camera had no battery today. Our spring resolution - make sure the camera is juiced up for each walk. We don't want to miss a thing.

It was a cold and rainy night...

We made a mad dash down the street yesterday evening.

I thought the pups would be tired from the day, but they were full of energy as we headed east.

The streets were wet and a cool breeze was blowing - a fleece evening, odd for April.

Oak catkins knocked from the trees by the rain created a green carpet on the sidewalks.

The buttercups in Mohawk dog's field had twisted closed.

My companions followed scents or their imaginations up and down our street. And they struggled for position like children - who would walk on the outside of the trio and who would be in the middle.

The dusk hurried to dark as we hurried home.

Hugo, the Romeo? (A walking story shared by a friend)

Hugo the magnificent

It seems my friend, TDW, was out with his pups last Sunday evening.

He stopped to take a photo of a wild verbena, just up and blooming purple at the edge of the woods surrounding the springs. The dogs had not ventured far when TDW heard a small voice exclaim, "They're here!"

He got up to see what was happening. The dogs were moving down the trail towards a young girl and her father. As Hugo arrived at the side of the girl she immediately bent down and threw her arms around his neck. "I love you, Hugo!" she cried.

My friend caught up with the dogs and, smiling, said to the father, "I guess we have met you out here before."

A discussion ensued about how the dogs and my friend had met the father and daughter by the bridge (further into the park) a week before. And, it seemed the girl had been watching for the dogs during the entire visit that day. She had almost given up seeing them when they appeared on the trail.

And, of course, lovable Hugo with his soulful and compelling face received the relieved and affectionate embrace.

Close call(s)

You know how you start to leave the house or the office and something calls you back or distracts you for a few minutes? Most of the time you just talk to yourself about being more organized in the future or ignoring the irritating delay the next time.

But sometimes you wonder if the hand of fate just gave you a little shove backwards - a little protective nudge. Don't you?

Sunday, I had to clean up some work at the barn. One thing after another delayed my leaving the house. As I drove across the river bridge (near the park) I was forced to slow down for the flashing lights and cars scattered along the roadway ahead of me, the remainder of a wreck. It was a strange place for an accident. Visibility is clear. The road curves in spots some distance to the north and the south, but I was at a loss to understand an accident.

And my distraction/procrastination/delay kept me out of the chaos.

Yesterday, I left the office after a late consult with a co-worker and then a quick return to the office to lock a back door accidentally left open by another. As I approached my car I saw the flashing lights of emergency vehicles only a block away - in the path I would have taken home. The paramedics were still loading gurneys into ambulances as I passed the site.

Today I picked up that penny shining up at me as I walked the puppies. You never know...

Embrace the delay...




Much, much later...and JUST IN TIME:

Walker was home to catch up with oh so many things this afternoon. And the lightning flashed and thunder crashed. And a fightened Padimus cowered in the yard (Paddy really hates thunder). Both pups are safe inside now - out of the weather and noise.

TDW - Dogs and treats

Finally had a chance to check with the Temple Dog Whisperer and see if I could post these photos. The earlier photos were cropped and awkward.

So, here you go. Sorry we have been absent for a while. Life has been busy. We have taken walks, but have not written much. We need another adventure...

This is my lunch. You may not have it.

" I have treats, but everyone must sit. Guests go first."

Ruby waits patiently

Everyone enjoying their treat. Hugo  is ready for another.
Hugo is always ready for another.

(Detail of the photo above.) "Those treats were lip-smaking good!"