Spring Signals

Okay the bunnies dont really match the rest but they are soooo cute.

Not a great picture. My baby's breath wasnt as full as usual this year. Phlox always does well.

How in the heck did the Robin's egg get in the bird bath? I assume it was another bird? Some sort of furry? Who knows.......

We need rain desperately. The fires worry me to death. Everytime I see someone casually flick their burning cigarette out the window I could SCREAM!

I put my hands in the dirt again today. God, it is one of the few things that really makes me feel human. Every time I head to my local nursery, I make a beeline for the "dead" plant clearance rack. I havent lost a patient yet. Some water, the right light and a bit of food and my beauties are back on track in no time. Expect lots of yard photos. (not of the best quality, I am NOT a good photographer) You can sorta see my big pine in the front. Tree people keep stopping by to tell me about the pine bark beetle and that my tree needs to be removed. I cant do it at the moment. I am very sentimental about my trees. I am planting a few seeds this year. Normally I hate messing with seeds but I will give it a go. I am planting Poppy, Delphiniums, Batchelor Button, Cleome (sp?) and Canterburry Bells. I will wait patiently for them to appear.

What I love about this time of year:

Everything wakes up

Hummingbirds come back

Fat bumble bees bzzzzzzzzz

Reading on the patio late into the night on weekends

Flowers, flowers, flowers.

Robins

My mean ass Mockingbird, we call her the yard boss

Fat toads

Butterflies zipping from bloom to bloom

Ahem

Uh, okay friends. I thought everyone would notice the highlighted date (April 1st? April fools) on my post today and the use of the word "fool" twice. Instead I got everyone worked up and ticked off. Sorry friends. If a snake that like ever came into the yard I would be laid out flat from fainting.

Pix, Carmen, and Lisa - I want you on my side in a fist fight ladies.

What in the hell is wrong with people.

I go outside yesterday afternoon to water my pretty new tree and see something strange moving through the yard. All snakes send me right into la la land except for the little garter snakes and I find them to be sketchy at best. I just stare as this serpent from hell slowly slithers its way towards me. Then I do what all smart people do, I run into the house and become hysterical.

I call my neighbor to "hurry your ass" over here. There is a snake the size of Texas in the backyard. He remains completely calm, the fool. After taking at least 3 minutes to come over, he takes one look and says "oh, thats a Boa Constrictor" A boa? A boa? Excuse me, did I just wake up in another country? Some sweaty jungle where you can die from dysentery. Crap. He tells me to go into the house and call animal control.

I get a hold of the animal control officer and tell her she must come NOW! There is a man-eater in the yard and we are all going to die. (okay I didnt really say that) After taking her forever ( I know it had to be at least 10 minutes) She mosey's up and says "oh, thats a Boa Constrictor" Wow, impressive hearing that twice. Animal control lady figures someone let the critter go when it got too big to handle. I would love to find that "someone" and kick them right in the face.

Now I am a little scared to go into the backyard and work in the flower beds. What if there are Anaconda's back there? Alligators? Grizzly Bears?

Where in the hell is Elmer the Hawk when you really need him? Elmer's no fool, that snake was 10 times his size. The bastard.

This and That

I didnt take the bird photo. But I could have, I had this exact view sitting on my fence last week. He was using my bird feeders as his own personal dinner buffet. (he was NOT eating seeds if you get my drift) So the feeders have remained empty for over a week now. The research I did says to keep them empty and the Cooper's Hawk will move on. I had a talk with him and told him while he was very handsome, to go away! There are plenty of places for him to hunt and I dont want to watch my beautiful birds being slaughtered in my backyard. I havent seen him in a couple of days. If he returns, I am driving to Missouri and borrowing those 32 Turkeys at my friend Pix's place at http://waterloofarms.blogspot.com/ . I bet that would surprise the hell out of Elmer.

A couple of years ago we lost a big ole oak tree in an ice storm. This spot has remained empty for quite a while. It is a dry, hot place in the yard and I didnt know what I wanted to do with it. I have been adding some peat to the soil and finally found earthworms so I decided to plant. (too early I might add for the the flowers) The tree is a Leyland Cypress that I hope does well. I am a huge fan of evergreens. The little plants are called Catmint. I have never planted it before but it is supposed to be drought/sun tolerant. We will see. I love my little turtle. It still needs a bit of work. Dont know if I want to put in a more uniform border or leave it like this. What say you?

The buns are good. We have been fighting problems with Miss Millie. Besides her teeth, she has had some weakness in one of her backlegs. A new vet gave me some Adequan injections to help with inflammation. It supposed to work well on horses so we will see. She is getting a round of Panacur just in case. (you bunny folks are all familiar with the dreaded E.C) Then she had a touch of infection around her vent area. Sheesh, I want my girl to be well. Haven is hanging in there too. He has good days and bad. I think he sticks around just for me. These kids are both past 7 years old and I want them around for a long time.

The local news here did a spot on the rescue. I could not get the video to load no matter how hard I tried. You can watch it here: http://heartlandbunnyblog.blogspot.com/ it was a very nicely done piece.

On another note: Jake's best buddy in the world, his older cousin Gunner is leaving next month to join the Army Rangers. He is a great kid and has been like a brother to Jake. (much more so than his own brother) I am very proud and excited for him but worried too. Please keep him in your thoughts. Young men know no danger.

Happy Spring to everyone and I want to thank Bridget at http://heartofacowgirl.blogspot.com, she donated a gorgeous piece of her jewerly for Heartland's craft fair which sold before it made it to the table. Check out her blog and her work sometime. They are both gorgeous.

Monday Mantra

Its not torn, its art!

The day after tomorrow is the third day of the rest of your life.

George Carlin

Halfway House For Hooligans

Dudley "Demon" Doodlesplunker

He may seem innocent, dont be fooled. After a rash of produce thefts, Dudley was sent to the pea farm where he spent more time on snack breaks than working. He was transferred to a halfway house in an attempt to re-introduce him to society. All efforts have failed.

Millie "The Mouse" Macaronionioni

A nervous and twitchy con. She never sits still for a minute. She paces her cell and has flashbacks from her crime spree.

Haven "Hammerhead" Hornswoggler

Do NOT let the sweet face get to you. This grifter tricked many a person out of their carrots. Notorious for running shell games and was trained by the infamous Keyser Soze.



Tango "The Terror" Tarantula
She is armed and extremely dangerous. Before she was captured she spent her days holding up puppy spa's and demanding pedicures. She made grown men cry and was known for scaring raccoons just for kicks.



Mojo "The Menace" Macanooder
Perhaps the worst of the lot. A voodoo priestess, she used her skills to turn out countless numbers of Zombies. She commands her undead minions to maraud around at night stealing vegetables from hardworking people's gardens.


If you spot any of these criminals on the loose, do not try and apprehend them. Just call their mommy and I will come and get them.

PSSSSST! Dont Tell Millie Mouse

Shoot I think she heard me. My silly girl is off to the vet this evening. Somebunny has been less interested in her food lately and overall not feeling her best. A trip to the vet last week discovered a sore on her tongue and some nasty points on her molars. She is scheduled for a dental tonight. She is going to be mad at momma.

Notice that ear? Mmmmmm, Does that remind anyone of a certain finger people use to express themselves?