We visited BT’s family in Las Cruces for Christmas. After going to Santa Fe twice this year, it was nice to visit southern New Mexico– it is very different. Much less expensive and less crowded! There was still a little bit of snow on the mountains while we were there. It was really beautiful. We gorged ourselves on red and green chile, of course. On Christmas Day we went for a walk along the irrigation ditches that go into town, which provide a great network of trails for hiking and biking. We walked all the way down to the Rio Grande, which has really low flow now that irrigation is slowed down. We walked past lots of tilled fields and pecan orchards. We had a great view of the Organ Mountains, which are east of Las Cruces.
We also went for a hike in Broad Canyon in the Robledo Mountains, which is a few miles north of town. The drive in was a bit rocky, but worthwhile. There were lots of cool rock formations.
An aerial photo of the area looks like an agate.
On the way back we had a great view of Tonuco Mountain with some fields in the Rio Grande floodplain in the foreground.
It was a great trip, and lovely to spend time with BT’s family.
Posted in Travel | 1 Comment »
Pepper was affected by a brain tumor and started displaying symptoms around Thanksgiving. He passed away today at the vet’s office.
Pepper came to live with me around 1999, from Town Lake Animal Center. He was in a kennel with another dog and seemed perfectly friendly. The other dog got adopted and I took Pepper home as a foster dog. Well, it turned out he was feral. He loved following the other dogs around but it took a long time before he would go through a door properly or let me touch him. I had to go through all kinds of crazy rituals to get him to go through a door– even recently. He did not get adopted, of course, and he just kept getting socialized little by little. Ten years later, he was a total couch hog and would let strangers touch him. He could go off-leash at the park and be trusted to come back when called. The other dogs will miss playing with him– he was a total play-hound. In the morning, when Brian would get ready to take Sweetpea running, Pepper would go nuts playing with everyone and then when he had them all whipped into a frenzy he would just start howling like a tiny coyote. I will miss the way his little ears bounced when he walked. I will miss his crazy excited spinning. I hope he is in doggie heaven playing with April, they always loved to play together. But his friends here will miss him dearly.
Posted in Dogs | 7 Comments »
Today at work I overheard a conversation about an athlete who was so badly injured that he was in a hyperbolic chamber. Indeed.
No bloom day here, folks! Nary a poinsettia to be found, even.
Happy holidays!
Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments »
Good news! Pepper is feeling better. He is not quite himself, but he seems a lot less confused.
The really good news is that Kitty is taking some steps on her own and has made enough progress that the vet thinks she doesn’t need surgery. So they still have her for observation, but we will bring her home later this week. We will have to keep her confined for 4 weeks and keep working with her on her walking. One way or another, I have got to get her weight down, too. I am thrilled that she is making such great progress! Thanks for all the good thoughts– they worked!
Posted in Dogs | 4 Comments »
Darned dogs. I knew having a bunch of old dogs was going to be bad news at some point. We are now at that point.
Last week Pepper started stumbling a little, and Friday he was diagnosed with a brain or spine lesion. He can still walk, but he is very slow. He is on steroids, but I don’t know what the outcome will be. He is at least 11 years old, but I don’t know how old he really is. Kitty hurt her back last night and is under close watch at the emergency vet. More than likely she will be having surgery tomorrow for a herniated disc. She is a fat dachshund, so it is not totally surprising, but I am really worried about her. She is 12 years old and has a heart murmur. She was my first dog, and she has a great sense of humor. Keep both of them in your thoughts, please!
Posted in Dogs | 4 Comments »
See what’s blooming all over at May Dreams Gardens, the wonderful host of Bloom Day.
It’s a gorgeous November here! There is a cold front moving in tonight, though, so this may be the end of things. We’ve been really enjoying the nice weather, especially after such a punishing summer. The plants have rebounded nicely, too.
The butterfly garden has blooming Mexican mint marigold, three kinds of shrimp plant, and rock rose– and Sweetpea over on the right sniffing around. I’m really pleased with how far this little plot has come.
The Gregg’s mistflower is still going strong, with butterflies constantly flitting around it.
In the fruiting plants we have the chile pequin thinking it’s Christmas already.
And a succulent… almost there! With basil flowers in the background–maybe Thai basil? It has very small leaves.
Some tiny blue salvia flowers next to the horse skull.
And what are these, paperwhites? I didn’t put them there, but I’m happy to see them!
Also blooming: esperanza, mutabilis rose, Gregg’s salvia, Blackfoot daisy, cedar sage, bridal veil.
Posted in Gardening | 5 Comments »
I have been looking for soft-leaf yuccas for a long time. I always see them in 5-gallon containers for like $45, and that is just out of my price range. This weekend I went to Shoal Creek Nursery and found THREE soft-leaf yuccas in small containers for $6.99 each. I bought all three that I saw, and they were all busting out of their containers– maybe next year I will have SIX soft-leaf yuccas! Anyway, there may not be any left, but it might be worth a look. The new little nursery/architectural salvage in the old Howard Nursery spot on Koenig and Avenue F has large soft-leaf yuccas for close to $20 or $25, too.
Posted in Gardening | 1 Comment »
Yesterday I went to Matagorda County for some work stuff, and took a detour to the beach there. It was very peaceful (other than people driving on the beach, which annoys me!). I picked up some neat shells and walked a long way.
Which brings me to today’s soap box…. There is an election on, did you know? It is for amendments to the Texas Constitution. Amendment 9 will preserve our access to beaches in the state. See this Surfrider Foundation page and this Galveston County Daily News article for more information. Vote YES on Proposition 9!
Posted in Travel | 2 Comments »
This weekend, the weather was so gorgeous it was almost surreal. I felt guilty staying indoors. We got our chores done Sunday morning, and headed to Bastrop State Park in the afternoon. The trail map is awesome, and the trails are well-marked. We found a route that was about the right length (almost 3 miles), and took off with Sweetpea to check it out.
It was gorgeous. I used to do field work in this area, so I feel very at home among the pine trees. I miss them.
There were lots of different kinds of mushrooms popping up everywhere, too. These pumpkin-colored ones were my favorite.
I’ve been scoping out other parks on the map for some more day trips. Actually, next week I’m going to Matagorda County for work so I’ll have to check that area for more.
And the good news… I hear more rain is on the way! Love it.
Posted in Travel | 2 Comments »
Because I can bring myself to look at the garden again. Everything bloomed when the rain returned, making the pollinators very happy.
I picked the satsuma that has been on the tree for almost a year. It was pretty tasty. I don’t think they are supposed to be green, but it was. Hopefully the tree will make more!
We didn’t even make it to the Wildflower Center sale this fall. I don’t have anywhere to plant things! There are some patches of dead grass in the front yard that I have been thinking about digging up, but I haven’t managed yet. My main goal this weekend is to get a gate for the vegetable garden so I can plant something in there. The dogs ruined so much last year, I don’t want to go through that again!
Posted in Gardening | 1 Comment »
