Catching up

Well its Friday and I need to catch up on whats been happening..
I finally got water delivered from The Water Drop at 1130pm on Monday night 13th. I made some spinach spatzle for Steve and Laura. They are starting their business in the middle of what may be the biggest drought in Texas History. He lived the other side of Kitzingen DE around 1982-5. Hindenberg Kaserne was his location where he worked as a diesel mechanic. I heard several Hohenfels and Graf stories as we topped off our big black cistern. Took a shower and ran the dishwasher.
Maggie (Henslee) Moody lives in South Austin in a new subdivision retro styled in bungaloes reminding me of the Heights and Montrose neighborhoods. Shes been my tour guide around South Austin. Went to the Zilker Botanical Garden to an annual Butterfly Count ( count or list the varieties found within a large circle arount Mt Bonnel). " Watch for a bunch of folks with big floppy hats", she said Everyone was carefully turning over leaves looking for various caterpillars and their eating marks. Further along there are nectar plants for the mature animals ( butterflies and moths) . We spotted about 6 varieties. Maggie and I took a break for breakfast at Motzarts on Towne Lake and split a bagle and cream cheese and a chocolate croissant. We continued tours of local spots from inside the car and eventually had an early dinner at Torchies on of Austins Trailer Restaurants.
The next day was the Cool House Tour a self guided tour of solar and energy aware homes and rebuilds around Austin.
Well what have I done on the house. Changed out the front window glass oval in the front door for the really nice one we got from Uncle Greg. Installed a new programable thermostat with settings for Morning, Day, Evening and night. It will also allow programmng for each day of the week. I added a sunscreen outside the masterbed room windows. Took the rest of the screen and made two trianglar sunscreens ( they dont get caught by the wind like the square ones). One shades the upstairs patio sliding glass doors. The second one is set to shade the Jasmine garden on the east wall. It's shade plants or watch them wilt before your eyes. Karen and Roberts tomatoes got moved close to the west wall of their house from the west edge of the slab.
The Kamenzind rainbarrels were nearly dry and Robert and I replenshed them a bit from our cistern. The wind continues as has the temperature stays in the hundreds. The plants are growing but very slowly. I picked up some straw and manure from the horses and the goats down the by Trails end and Johnson road. The Jasmine garden, the Burr Oaks and even the piracantha got a got dose of manure and some straw and bark mulch. The piracanthat will ventually be moved but its providing great shade on the west side.
I am cutting back the cedar to allow any other trees a chance to grow. I have trimmed the one out by the mailboxes and added some manure and mulch inside the rock enclosed area. I would sure like to have it as lush the Kamenzind area across the road. Neither is watered but the difference is night and day as some would say, will change when I remove the cedar trees and let the oaks and elm grow up more. Each time I cut a limb down I try to cut all the limbs off and they go to debris dams on the west side of the property along the road. When it rains.... the dams will slow the water and direct it to the property and our meadow. Our backyard meadow is the largest on Mount Chalet except for JW's lawn in the center of the circle. Its just "watered" by runoff from the circle and the spur and a tiny bit from our drainfield.
The hummingbirds are back at the feeder, the cardinals are diving thru the cedars, and there is a Road Runner who showed up and cruised the back porch. I hope he returns, very majestic. The hawks and vultures are circling higher and higher with the rise in temperature and wind speed.
-time for a quick nap stayed up late reading Water from Stone, the story of Selah, Bamberger Ranch Reserve