Our Texas sage bush bloomed! This is supposed to be a sign of coming rain, but it has not panned out. I’m pleased to see blooms, though. This little bush has seen some trauma; it originally lived in the flower beds by the house, but that was too much water and its roots were wet. Not a happy plant. When a freeze came through and we thought we lost it, we moved it to the meadow, just in case. We were quite surprised when the following spring it sprouted leaves. That was two or three years ago; this is the first time it has bloomed since the transplant.
Photo description: light purple blooms on a Texas Sage (Leucophyllum frutescens) with trees and the chicken coop in the background.
This summer has been hot, so very hot. Our plants and yard have definitely taken a hit and are looking quite sad. I was surprised therefore to find that the pepper plants have actually been producing peppers. Small, yes, but still there. I saw a couple that had turned red and started to decay. These were mid-planter and high up against the fence. Where the dog can’t reach. Ah. That is where all the rest of the peppers went. To test my hypothesis, I tossed this pepper to him. He picked it up and took it off to eat it. Yup. Pepper pup. Sigh.
Photo description: Small red pepper with brown spots surrounded by semi-chewed pepper plant leaves and a couple white blooms.
The hibiscus out front is also putting out an effort, despite receiving a full dose of Texas summer sun and being host to a myriad of insects. It has produced a couple small blooms despite the scorching temps.
Photo Description: Hearty Hibiscus in bloom with a white flower with red center surrounded by green and yellow-green leaves.
I know technically we have passed the autumnal equinox and are in fall, but nobody tells Texas.
Mr Tom, our neighbor’s outdoor cat, has taken to hanging out in our back woods, rather than just the meadow between our houses. I went back to see where he was hanging out and found that our ATS system sprinkler had a pool. Oops. Something (probably an armadillo) dug a burrow near the sprinkler head, and the hole filled with water. A problem for us, but it made a nice cool “beach” for cat lounging in 100 degree weather.
Photo description: White cat laying in the mud around a broken sprinkler head
My husband collapsed the hole, repaired the sprinkler head, and filled the area with rock to support the head and discourage digging. I asked him to also get a large flat paver, so there was still a place to lounge.
Photo description: Same area, but now filled with rock, a new sprinkler head, and a large flat rock.
The next water woe happened when the hose feeding water to the garden and the coop split, in the middle of the night, and flooded the area around the coop. That was not fun to find at 5:30 in the morning.
Photo description: Garden hose with a two inch slit at the top of the bend where it connects to a brass manifold.
I bought a new hose, and rather than running it along the ground, so the hose had to come up and make a tight bend to attach to the manifold, I used heavy duty cable ties to run the hose along the top of the metal fence, so it would come down to connect, thus avoiding stressful bends. We’ll see how it holds up.
Photo description: New black hose coiled on the fence above the manifold, secured with black cable ties.
The waterways around the coop still work, and the flood went around the hens’ doors and food. The birds in the woods were particularly happy that day. We really need rain.
I hadn’t seen my little tree frogs in my garden this season. I was afraid that since I chose not to grow melons, they left for other places that were more friendly for perching. Turned out they just blend into the basil better.
Green Lynx spider on a pink and white Hibiscus flower
We have a spider that hangs out on our Hibiscus bush. It is a very welcome spider, and especially welcome to eat the insects that come to eat my flowers. I am pleased with this photo because the backlighting really highlights the spider and the petals.
Critters and Craft 