February 2013

Curve Billed Thrasher

Curve Billed Thrasher

There are a pair of curve billed thrashers who are expressing an interest in nesting in our big saguaro. When the crew installed the cactus in August, it had a couple of abandoned bird nests in the arms. Today, the thrasher was on the cactus singing a different tune. Instead of its usual wit-WEET call, it was making a warbling, squeaky, hurried song, which we think is a mating call.

We had thrasher chicks last spring and summer in a nest in a nearby cholla cactus. It was low enough that we could walk over to it and take photos with eggs and then chicks, in the nest. The saguaro is a different proposition; this nest is eight feet above the ground, so we won’t be able to get a camera up there. Click on the image to enlarge

Groundhog Day Dinner

Tenderloin steaks, scalloped potatoes au gratin and asparagus

Tenderloin steaks, scalloped potatoes au gratin and asparagus. This isn’t exactly a holiday weekend, but when Groundhog Day and Superbowl Sunday fall in the same weekend, it’s a good enough excuse to celebrate. Verna prepared this meal to perfection. She had a glass of Chardonnay and I enjoyed a Samuel Adams Winter Lager beer. Click on the image to enlarge.

More Cleanup

More Cleanup

I cleaned up one of the mesquite trees up on the hill above the RV drive last week. During the trimming, I noticed some deadwood still attached to the tree. I would have removed it, except the shears I was using weren’t big enough to get around the largest part of the deadwood.

Yesterday, I went into the hardware store and bought a hand saw. Today, I was on the hill hacking through the deadwood. Verna stuck her head out the back patio to catch this image of me between hackings. Click on the image to enlarge.