Pond News!

This morning I decided to clean the pump and filters for the pond. I hadn't really checked the status of the fish in the pond, other than to note that when I released the 5 comets I purchased a couple of months ago, two turned up dead on the patio, leaving a possible 3 remaining. This morning when I removed the waterlily I found only two remaining. I don't know what happened to the third one. I never found a body for that one. Anyway, while looking at the two surviving fish, I noticed a couple of really tiny ones swimming nearby. Then I noticed a couple more. First I thought they might be tadpoles, but no, they are fish, and they look kind of like minnows, but one has a split tail like the goldfish. I don't know if the two older ones reproduced or what, but the fact remains that now I have 6 fish! The smallest one is about 1/16th of an inch, and the largest one is about 1/4 inch. I'm so excited that the pond will support life like that! After I cleaned the filters and returned the pump and water lily to the pond, I added a bit of fish food and they all showed up for dinner...even the tiny ones!

On the Farm

A friend from college, Dana, has a place out near Round Mountain. It's on roughly 40 acres of land with a beautifully restored 1800's farmhouse, a few out buildings, and 8 longhorns. She was at the farm last Saturday, so I drove up from Austin to see her. It is such a lovely place, and you truly feel like you have stepped into the past when you drive through the gate. We put some fish in the two stock ponds and fed the cattle. Sat on the porch and drank a couple of beers. Took a walk through the wildflowers. It was just heavenly. Here are few photos I took:

Porch Party

Well, the party was a big success. Had a good crowd, everyone seemed to enjoy themselves. Good weather, too, and thank goodness for that. The morning of our party our AC fritzed out. I just regrouped, and ruled out any menu item that involved using the stove or oven. I did make a batch of my famous queso, but I used the electric roasting pan so it didn't heat up the kitchen. Other than that, the party went without a hitch. The yard looked great, mosquitoes were not much of a problem, and there was a lovely cool breeze so people could escape the heat in the house.
Here's the queso recipe (I got it from my college roommate Margaret), in case any of you are interested:

Finely chop one large onion, three jalapeno peppers (seeded unless you want it REALLY hot!), and 3 cloves of garlic. Heat about 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a saucepan and add the vegetables. Cook over medium heat until onions are transparent, then add one can RoTel canned tomatoes & chiles. Lower heat and simmer for about 20 minutes, then add one block of Velveeta. When cheese is melted, add one small can roasted chopped green chiles. Deee-lish!

Every year I host two parties...one in the spring and one in the fall. It began as a celebration of the completion of my screened porch, and just became a regular thing. I've been doing this since 2002, and I really enjoy it. It's really more of an open house....I just invite friends to drop by and visit. Most everyone knows everyone else, but not always. The first parties were a bit stressful, because I hadn't done anything like that for many years, but now it has gotten so easy the parties almost throw themselves (thank god for Costco!). Anyway, I've got one coming up this weekend and I'm really hoping for good weather. That's really the only thing that makes these parties difficult. If the weather is bad, we all have to crowd into my tiny house. Nice weather means we can spill out into the backyard where there's plenty of room to stretch out. I love having my friends over for these shindigs, and if I'm late throwing one, I'll get questions about "When's the next porch party?", so I guess that means my friends enjoy them as much as I do. I went out today and bought another couple of strings of lights...one is just multi-colored globes, and the other is a string of pink flamingos. I just love them!

The Backyard (again!)

We had an unusually severe winter this year, and I lost quite a few plants. Many of them were tropicals, so I was prepared for that, but I was surprised at how many of the cacti took a hit. I've been working to get the yard back to its pre-winter state, but instead of using tropicals, I'm trying to use native plants instead. I really enjoy yard work. My paternal grandmother was from Germany, and she loved to putter around in the garden more than anything. She was not a housekeeper, that's for sure! I tend to be the same way...given a choice between cleaning house or working in the yard, I'll be out in the yard every time! There's just something so satisfying about digging in the dirt, planting a seed or seedling and watching it take off. And you can paint your landscape with color using flowering plants or plants that have colorful foliage. My favorite time of day is early evening, when the sun is going down and the sky goes from azure to indigo. This time of year (May), the fireflies make their appearance, and I love to sit on the porch and watch the flickering show. Now if only the mosquitoes would find someplace else to play......

Sweet Stripes, part 2

In an earlier post, I wrote about the two feral cats who live outside. I refer to them as the "Sweet Stripes". We feed them and they allow us to pet them. One of the dangers of feeding stray cats is that sometimes we get other strays who like to dine on the porch as well. I'll let this photo speak for itself.

More on the porch

I'm not the only one who loves the screened porch. Our cats enjoy lounging out there, too. And our smoking friends appreciate it, too. Although I've never smoked, I collect ashtrays of all shapes and sizes. I love the really big pottery ones from the forties and fifties...the ones with lots and lots of places to park your butts. I'm also quite fond of advertising ashtrays...the glass ones you used to find in gas stations and diners or restaurants. I also try to pick up at least one souvenir ashtray when I travel. So even though I don't smoke, our smoking friends have lots of options when it comes to ashtrays.