Can Penny come out and play?

No, we're so sorry . . . Penny doesn't live here any more.  But we'll let you know if we hear she is coming to visit.

Every day we learn something new (Not everything is bigger in Texas)

So here’s the deal . . .


It’s Sunday afternoon, Debbie is sitting on our newly refinished glider on the patio, reading, writing in her journal, enjoying the beautiful weather and watching our furry friends drop in for a corn treat (cf. previous post) . . .

when much to her surprise (and my delight) a Texas thread snake leptotyphlops dulcis appears on the patio, only to be promptly whacked by her handy sandal. We’ve seen these critters before and thought that they were baby snakes, but, this being a quiet Sunday afternoon, and with nothing more pressing to require my attention, my curiosity drew me to see if I could learn more about this creature. So if you are curious too, follow these links to learn a little more about the wonder of God’s creation (what better way to spend a Sunday afternoon?)

http://insects.tamu.edu/extension/publications/epubs/eee_00002.cfm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leptotyphlops_dulcis

(Now that we know how beneficial they are, Debbie has agreed not to be so quick to whack the next one she sees [but the snake had better be quick to move on, or she might change her mind])

Jenny dropped in for lunch

While we were sprucing up the patio furniture today, our furry friend Jenny dropped in for lunch.  If Penny were here, our friend Jenny might have been lunch.  So for Penny, here's a tasty sounding squirrel recipe:

Squirrel Casserole
4 Squirrel; quartered
4 Ham slices; very thin
4 md Onions; thinly sliced
4 Carrots; thinly sliced
4 lg Potatoes; thinly sliced
4 sl Bacon
4 oz Apple cider
4 tb Flour
Salt and pepper
Water
Rub the squirrels with salt and pepper. In the bottom of an earthenware casserole with a tight lid, arrange the slices of ham, then a layer of squirrel, then a layer of onion, a layer of carrot, and a layer of potato. Continue building up layers, seasoning each with salt and pepper until casserole is filled. Arrange slices of bacon across the top. Add the cider. Place the lid on the casserole and seal it with a paste made of flour and water.
Place the casserole in a 250-degree oven for 3 hours.

Breakfast Tacos and BBQ

David is one of the cooks in the cafeteria at work.  He greets me every weekday morning with a friendly smile and great food (often, made-to-order breakfast tacos!  For me, he uses olive oil instead of butter and corn tortillas instead of flour).  He is also a fireman/EMT in the Medina Lake Volunteer Fire Dept and invited us to "come out" for their annual BBQ fundraiser.  We made the drive out to Lakehills for our lunch and had a great Texas treat in a firehall much like the one in Cooperstown.  Slow smoked brisket and sausage, ranchero beans, potato salad, sweet tea (Mrs Baird's white bread) and "all the fixin's".  Pretty good stuff.

Spring is blooming in Richmond

The first photo is as close as we get to Texas Mountain Laurel here in VA. It's pretty but, unfortuntately, does not smell like grape Kool-aid. We still prefer the Texas variety.

We've never seen these pink trees before, but they are beautiful with blooms that look a lot like carnations. They line the streets in our neighborhood and make our spring walks even more enjoyable.

The squirrels are in full action and as you can see, like in Texas, they love to taunt Penny.

Easter People

Old Fellas

These old fellas across the drive from our home are fine examples of Texas Live Oaks.  Live oaks have a typical lifespan of 80 years, but many individuals live much longer.  At maturity, they reach 40ft tall and may have a canopy spread of 50ft. They are able to survive drought and are generally quite hearty, but are susceptible to oak wilt.  These guys have beat the odds.