Rosemaling

We did a rosemaling project last Saturday at the monthly HOTT meeting. I painted it on a tin tray. At first I didn't think I liked it, but as usual after a few days I realize it's not bad at all! :-) It was an Arlene Newman design.

Flower update

Well the flowers in the bed aren't doing well. Most have been burned to a crisp. I know why though--the flower bed doesn't get complete coverage from the sprinklers! D'oh! Hopefully that will get fixed and I'll have better luck.

The pansies and snapdragons weren't doing well with the heat, so I pulled them out of the pot by the front door and planted Mealy Blue Sage (Salvia farinacea). It's a Texas native, and seems to be doing well with our 80-90 degree weather. It should bloom until the fall.

I also bought Texas Lantana (Lantana urticoides), and put that on the back porch. It's doing pretty well too. Although I think I'm going to need to find either a bigger pot or a permanent home for it. It was an impulse purchase, and it's really a shrub and not a flower. Hopefully this summer I'll work out a landscape plan using Texas natives.

Bird Entertainment

We've been getting a lot of birds since we put the feeder up. Sometimes the cats don't seem interested. Today there was a bird on the fence that just got them chattering up a storm. Meanwhile there were birds on the feeder, but I guess that's old news.

Evie sleeping

Awww...she's so cute. We rearranged the guest room, so we put her sleeping mat under the bed and she's found it to be a good napping spot.

New cat entertainment

Evidently the birds like the spring wreath on the door. Tony heard them chirping and flitting around in it the other day, and of course it startled skittish Moriarty. The birds are continuing to come to the wreath and now both cats realize this is happening. So you will occasionally see one, or both, of the cats sitting at the front door watching. The other morning I heard a loud thunk and I think one of the cats was jumping up to get at the window. We have a bird feeder on the back patio that they can watch from their cat tree, but I guess the front door provides a bit more fun.

Trees

Our little stick pistache and bur oak we planted last month are doing quite well. They have both leafed out and it's so nice to look out back and see green instead of dead sticks!

Herbs

When I planted the flowers in the front bed, I also planted some herbs in a strawberry pot. They are doing quite well. I have basil, parsley and thyme. I hope I can track down some rosemary for my last slot. It's so nice to just go to the back patio and snip what I need. Hopefully they will continue to do alright as it gets hotter here.