I'm missing Frankie more and more every day. Not just for his chatty companionship, but for the way he chipped in to help the family…
Our house has been invaded by gnats – just a given around the Lake Travis area in the summer, but I swear we haven't had them this bad since before Frankie adopted us. I had forgotten how bad they could be, but the memory is irritatingly back, buzzing me in the face and swimming in my glass of wine. (Who knew gnats liked cheap Pinot Noir?)
Frankie would never have allowed them to slip past him. Every one I bat away from my face or dip out of my wine with the corner of a napkin makes me think of my funny little bird. He would be squealing in delight, snacking on these things.
Oh, Frankie. I miss you!
I came across another bird on our walk this morning. It pays to give in to Belle and head out early – this is what was waiting for me at one of the ponds…
It's a Yellow-Crowned Night Heron (I wish I could say I just knew that – but I admit, I Googled it. And I might be wrong. Anyone know for sure?) Even though it didn't seem inclined to follow me home, it gave me joy just getting a glimpse of it.
Another surprise… not exactly joyous, but interesting in a Stephen King novel kind of way…
I think from the markings on his back he/she is a Giant Lichen Orb Weaver, although mine isn't nearly as pretty as the ones I saw on Google. I'm grateful it (and the others I'm now noticing all over the place) prefer to spin their webs about 15 feet off the ground.
Just in case, I'm keeping my spider stick handy on my walks…
The ponds along Long Hollow Creek are slowly drying up. We need rain. It amazes me how quickly they can fill and how quickly they can empty. It might not look very pretty, but thanks to a a few springs feeding into it, at least we still have water. For now…
While I'm at it, here are a few surprises from our walk yesterday afternoon…
Well, the beautiful sunset wasn't a surprise, but catching a portrait of the grasshopper sure was! (Oh, Frankie would have loved him!)
couldn't figure out how and finally gave up, don't feel alone! Typepad
doesn't make it easy, that's for sure, and I've heard this complaint
often enough that I decided to write the instructions down. If it
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- In light gray teensy letters way, way down below the post … below
the small square Link Within pictures and just above the next post …
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Long Hollow 
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