It’s EmJay, sweaty and wobbly after 13.1 in 2:35!!

Another from my father Jay,

“One does not come across trucks full of cash, dope, and dead Mexicans in no country for old men, one stumbles on aircraft full of cash, dope, and dead Mexicans.  Kinney County south of Brackettville. Beechcraft Model 18 after being stripped of cash, dope, dead Mexicans, engines, outer wing sections, radar, and instruments.  This is where mjba will be hunting deer, wild boar, and cougar.  It is a few miles east of dead cow crossing on smugglers’ run.”

For the record, I would never shoot a cougar.

From my father, Jay, on 3 November 2009, “Drought out in no country for old men along smugglers’ run.”

This is out in West Texas. Uvalde County, I think. My father is the one standing. I vacationed in West Texas recently, near Marfa, where No Country For Old Men was filmed. Photos to come…eventually.

My parents spotted this fancy red dragonfly in their yard in Houston. It hung around for a few days and then vanished.

This looks like a cross between a wasp and a wood bee.

Any idea what it is? It look so evil, doesn’t it?

In Austin, TX the air is on fire. Almost daily highs over 100F since the beginning of June. Many record breaking days. Wishing it wasn’t so hot outside. I want to enjoy my garden a little more. Here are few things that are doing well in spite of  (maybe in some cases because of) the heat.

Surprise, my grass is doing well. In the front it looks super awesome. In the back it looks good from this angle. The dogs still have some dirt beds, but the dog track is growing in. Also thrilled that my dry stack wall is turning green! 

I found this variegated St. Augustine in Dallas last year while visiting a gardening friend.

It came in a four inch pot and started looking pathetic last year, but now it’s looking quite lovely.

I fantasize about mixing it with my lawn grass. For now it’s in the trough planter at the edge of the patio. 

I bought this elkhorn fern (Polypodium polycarpon Grandiceps) about six years ago. My mother had it for a while and gave it back to me last year. My gardening attempts last year were more like a killing spree, and this guy nearly bit it. He is much smaller now, but reviving, thank goodness. 

This basil was purple-black and turned green. I’m a little unhappy, but so intrigued. 

I love checking a spot I don’t see often and finding lush plants. These airplanes are under heavy shade and not very visible. I’m happy to see this cutie poking its head through my wall. 

Thanks for this desert willow, mom! Those tiny buds finally bloomed.

I called a tree service on Sunday.

Got an estimate on Monday.

And got the trees trimmed on Saturday. The broken one is now significantly shorter and no longer a threat to our house.

Of three hackberry trees in the back, two were topped and the middle one was removed. This stump was cut level to the ground; see the picture below.  

I used Changos tree service and I’m really pleased. They were very careful in my backyard, moving pots and furniture out of the way and then back where they found them.

They were very easy to talk to and finished trimming all eight the trees on my lot in about four hours.

I looked out my backdoor this morning and saw this. Interesting how that tree has grown so close to the little pergola over the trough planter. 

Wait a minute. Something’s wrong. I went outside to inspect and sure enough the branch was really low. These branches are usually high over head. (Even Wally’s head.)

Then I saw this crack.

Then I called a tree company. Hard to tell between winter and summer—you’ve got to look close. 

To be continued…

After talking about it for eight years and sharing fond memories of childhood camping Walt and I finally spent a night in a tent. Last night,  friends of ours hosted a party at their new property—the site of the Sherwood Forest Renaissance Faire. We drank and were merry with many old friends and a hoard of future SWFF ren-carnies who were choosing booth sites and showing off their acts.

The new tent was a hit. It looks like a big mesh pumpkin and we felt even the slightest breezes. Here are the dogs on their over-night tie out.

Those are flamigo tent stakes so that everyone who walks by knows how cool we are! Buddies of ours stayed in the big green two-room tent near us.

We woke up long before them.

And so did others.

At first I thought someone stuck a little pirate flag in the shore of this pond. Then I heard Zane and Dara. They were navigating the pond in a home-made coroplast boat.

It’s been years since I floated around in a coroplast boat. They invited me to hop aboard, but I declined.

Banjo considered but stuck to scrambling back and forth along the reeded shore.

We left early. All four of us were sacked.

The dogs were covered in the fine silty sand of the future faire ground.

At home, Walt washed the dogs.

I washed the tent and our shoes.

Everything is ready to go for next weekend—a non-party campout at McKinney Falls!

A little bird told my that you loved rotary dial, Ida. I think they are cool too. In fact, one came with my house!! 

As you can see the cord is long. Look closely and you’ll see the fancy swivel no-tangle attachment. Remember those? My cord is so long I can cook, 

And let the dogs out, 

That’s Sadie, wondering what I’m doing. You can see Nigel’s tail out the door. He’s always ready to go out, but doesn’t necessarily know why he wanted to go out once he’s there.

It’s a fantastic phone because no matter what, it’s always in the kitchen. For the first few months (this time last year) we could dial out on it and it rang! So charming. As soon as it worked I dialed my dad in Houston. The ten-digit number took me more than ten minutes to dial.

But who cares, I don’t have patience to call anyone anyway, even on speed dial. 

Now the land line is part of our AT&T U-verse package. The cool kitchen phone won’t ring and we can’t dial out. However, I can still answer it!

Tuesday night: “Hey Mom. What’s up?”

Thursday night: “Mrs. Chavez doesn’t live here… No I’m not going to tell you my name [click]“

Friday night: “Mrs. Bootay?”

“This is she”

“I’m calling to…”

“take me off your list [click]“

And don’t say it! I know what you were thinking about those swivel no-tangle attachments. Mine’s not perfect either. But as you may have guessed, I’m not on the phone much. 

Ida, you can answer my phone whenever you stop by.