Author: rakeeter

Natural observations
by rakeeter
  • Wild flower
    May 4, 2013 Caprock Canyon

It appears the hummers have abandoned us.  We replaced the old feeder they were used to with a new one and for some reason they wouldn’t sip from it.  After examining it, they would fly off.  That is the black chin(s) would.  I saw a transient visit it but the black chin ran it off, a dog-in-the-manger attitude if there ever was one.  We bought the new one last year in Red River and the store proprietor told us the one we selected was the favorite of the hummers around there.   We finally went back to the old one but have had no customers since.  It’s been several days so it doesn’t seem that our regular(s) are just in a snit but have moved on completely.  With the dry spell the flowers are sparse so you’d think a steady source of sustenance would be attractive. Continue reading “Natural observations” →

April wrap
by rakeeter
  • feathered dahlia
    feathered dahlia

Friday (April 20) we finally got some rain.  It was predicted to start at 7 p.m. but didn’t start until 7:06.  There was a little more on Saturday and altogether I emptied .73 of an inch out of the rain gauge.  Yes, it’s true that isn’t much but when it has been six months without anything more than a wetting, it seems like a fair amount.  That is more than I can put down running a traveling sprinkler around the tree line and rain waters everything.  Needless to say our rain barrel was empty and had been so for months.  I was interested to see how much water it collected and was mildly astonished to see that it was full.  It only collects the runoff from the front of the garage.  If we don’t have to go weeks without any more rain this one will be a good start to recovering from the drought. Continue reading “April wrap” →

Orchid in bloom
by rakeeter
  • orchid
    Orchid

Probably a decade ago or more Grady gave Joyce an orchid, maybe one he’d raised in his greenhouse.  It has prospered in spite of depredations by little people over the years.  Those little people have all reached an age where they don’t present a threat to orchids or other tender things around the house and Joyce thinks this year’s bloom is the prettiest to date.   If not, it’s got to be hard to tell the difference. Continue reading “Orchid in bloom” →

April fools
by rakeeter
  • Jill

It finally rained. No, that’s not an April fools joke. Earlier in the week I emptied .27 inches of rain out of the gauge, enough to clean out the bird droppings and wash dust off the grass.  It didn’t stop me from continuing watering, though. I run the traveling sprinklers around the perimeter any day it isn’t too hot or cold. It’s a slow process and only time will tell whether it makes a difference. Much to my shame, there are still trees standing along the perimeter that perished in the drought of ’11.  I’m hoping we don’t lose any more. Continue reading “April fools” →

Honky-tonkin’
by rakeeter
  • March tulips
    Sunday, March 27, 2005

It was supposed to be a pleasant day here in the Panhandle for St. Patrick’s Day, but nooo.  The predicted calm didn’t last past sunrise.  And it’s cloudy to boot.   No rain since October, in case you were wondering. Continue reading “Honky-tonkin’” →