Today, while feeding the hummingbirds and wondering where the rain was, Jack discovered baby walking sticks had hatched on our table on the porch.  They are about 1/2 inch in size.  The cap is a milk bottle cap.

Remember the bluebird eggs?   Five pretty blue eggs on March 23.  According to WhatBird.com Eastern Bluebirds incubate their eggs 12 to 14 days so .......

Get Ready      

Here they are on April 15th.  They were very shy!  They are probably a week or two old.  Click on the photo for a bird's eye view.  

Every year Jack and I look forward to all the wildflowers and especially the plant called Fragrant or Pink Mimosa.  The Wildflowers of Texas Hill Country book describe it as an erect tortured looking bush growing on hillsides and in brushy areas.

The flowers look like little pink puff balls and are about 1/2 inch.  

Another visitor to our fountain!

Sometimes you get lucky!   I was out filling the hummingbird feeders for the second time today and heard a familiar sound.   Sound!     I waited and then quietly went into the house to get the camera.  Here is what visited us today.  A male Summer Tanager

Yes that is a black-chinned hummingbird that came to see who was using his water fountain.

I learned how to sew with oilcloth last week from a friend.  Here is my first bag.  Of course, I had to go out and buy lots more oilcloth to make more STUFF!.

First it was a set of placemats.  Then I talked my daughter, Carolyn,  into buying more oilcloth and bringing it when she came to visit.  She made another  set of placemats.  The great thing about the them is is they can be wiped off and they are reversible.

Then my granddaughter and daughter-in-law came to visit and Carolyn and I were off making more bags.    Danae's bag has pockets on the inside and outside.  

And here is Katie with her new bag.  

Tomorrow I am off to cover composition notebooks, and anything else that doesn't move!  The great thing about oilcloth is you can use all the small pieces left over for coasters or wallets.  

Want oilcloth?  You can find it at El Interior or Zinger's in Austin, Valli and Kim in Dripping Springs, or Things In A Room in Fredericksburg.  

Hummingbirds and Bluebonnets

Here is the new fountain that Jack finished yesterday,  The calcium in the water coated the old fountain.    We thought we would reuse the old fountain after we soaked it in vinegar but alas on the way to its bath, it fell out of the tractor bucket.

The hummers found it this morning.  They didn't mind that we had changed it.  Do they think this is a big feeder?  It isn't even red!    The hummingbirds love to play at the edges of the fountain and they sometimes skate across the pond.

For our neighbor, Pete, here are some bluebonnets in our yard.  They are appearing everywhere. 



Spring is here!

I missed a day of blogging.  I have been trying to capture the number of hummingbirds that we have but they are being really shy this year.    We probably had about 60 tonight but I couldn't step out to get their picture.  They just scattered.  The cool front caused the hummers to "bunch" up before continuing there trek north.     We have five feeders up.  HEB is out of the big bags of sugar so I know everyone else in the hill country is feeding them too.   Hopefully tomorrow I can get a better photo.