Tiptoeing To The Garden.... The Pitter Patter Of Little Paws

When I awakened this morning, the first thing Mr. Snoots told me was that there are TWO foxes and the new one is much larger. He'd seen them out in the garden this morning and was shocked, since we've only ever seen the one, and the pups that one time a few years ago. This really excited both of us!





I ran the water in the garden for most of the morning and into the afternoon, as it dries out quickly in the West Texas sun. I also hoped it would provide our foxes with some thirst prevention.



The rest of today we spent finishing the cleaning of the patio and preparing to have friends over for dinner tonight and we worked exhaustively to finish in time. Then as we were preparing dinner, I looked out the kitchen door to see Felicia sauntering along the back sidewalk as I've seen her do so many times before. I watched as she gracefully glided over the fence to the garden and disappeared.





At that moment, our friends arrived for dinner and sat around the kitchen island, talking, as we finished the preparations for said dinner. We told them about the new fox we've never seen before and they were as fascinated as we were. At that moment, the hubby was looking out the door and said, "Hey, it's the fox." Then she quickly disappeared over the fence that leads to the vegetable garden. His wife and I crowded around the door and we decided to put dinner on hold as we all tiptoed out to the garden for a closer glimpse of her beauty.





Like little children, we made our way to the garden as quietly as possible and were graced with the most precious glimpses of the Felicia's pups. We only saw three total, but that doesn't mean there aren't more. Immediately, I mentally named them Huey, Dewey, and Louie for some odd reason. But, you should have seen the look on Felicia's face. It was that "Don't make me hurt you" look. So, we quickly bowed our way out of the garden and returned to our final dinner preparations.





Still, we could barely talk of little else, even throughout dinner. So, of course, we had to steal another silent glimpse of the babies. I could shoot myself for not having the camera with me. I was in dinner mode, not guest mode. Anyway, they were still out playing and she still had that stern look on her face, so I shooed everyone back to dinner on the patio.





So, I think I'm going to have to get a strap to carry the camera around my neck, in order to have it at the ready. I'm bound to see them again tomorrow evening when I attempt to tend my vegetable garden. If they're there, then I'll try to get some decent shots and blow off tending the garden. Water will do it sufficient good right now, which I turn on in the backyard by the guesthouse. So, I'm good with that.





Good Grief! I feel like a grandmother! And, maybe this means we'll have less destructive little rats squirrels around now. I mean, the fox pups have to learn to hunt, right? Meanwhile, I'm keeping Trouble The Cat inside, for safe keeping...

The Timely Return Of Felicia The Fox And Other Things I Haven't Been Blogging About...

For many months, we've been wondering if Felicia The Fox was still alive and well. We didn't see her all winter and I was beginning to think she'd met with some sort of fatality. Then it dawned on me.



Our son has visited FOUR TIMES with his dog since Christmas. Being the smart fox that she is, Felicia was avoiding the Pit Bull Terrier *Deja*. Come to think of it, I realize that I didn't spend much time outside until I knew the dog wouldn't be here again. I'm sorry about Deja's fate, but she was taking a definite toll on my backyard. My yard, vegetable garden, and plants are like my babies. I love them and they love me back.

Today I've been up since dawn planting my vegetable garden (beyond this garden gate) and didn't see Felicia all day. I finally came in to shower and get cleaned up before Mr. Snoots got home. When I finished, I went in to the kitchen to start dinner and when I glanced out the kitchen door, there she was in all her beautiful glory. She really is a stunning creature.

When we came home from Las Vegas, Felicia had left her *calling card* of rather grainy looking poop, out by where I park my car. That was my first and only clue that she was still with us. Hey, I speak that language. It was just her way of letting me know that she's still here and marking her territory.




I was so thrilled to see her this evening I almost ran over and hugged her. Of course, that would not be a good idea, considering that she's a wild animal. However, we've lived harmoniously for so long, I feel almost as if she's an old friend, returned for a visit.




So today, my heart soars for the return of my old friend, Felicia. Damn! I really need to get a life, don't I?


I wonder if I'll get to see her pups this year…





I spent the weekend repotting plants and just trying to get the patio into *summer mode*. Scraping off the West Texas dirt is always a challenge. Too bad you can't pay someone to do this... I mean the way I would do it. You know. Like a *mini-me*. Wouldn't that be wonderful?




Why is it that you can pack for a five day trip in 24 hours and yet have it take a week to get unpacked and back to normal? Oh, that's right. Laundry and ironing. Bleh!

As soon as I get caught up around here at home, I'll get up to snuff on everyone's blogs. Once I get the patio in order and the vegetable garden planted, I'll be back to maintenance and thus, blogging.

The next task I have to tackle this year is separating my bed of Day Lilies and my bed of Columbine. I'll either have to give some away or transplant to the backyard. Or both. Both beds are totally out of control and I've let them go for several years now. I can no longer dilly-dally for fear of losing them altogether.

West Texas Wildlife On The Golf Course... A Chaparral AKA The Roadrunner

Since our son is visiting for a few days, we decided to play golf at one of the local public courses this morning, since our course is closed on Mondays. We were also lucky enough to have one of Mr. Snoots' geriatric golf buddies play with us. I think he's up around 75 or 80 years old, but he can still kick all of our butts at golf and he's really funny. Also, I had the pleasure of riding with him in the cart so that Mr. Snoots could ride with our son.

Only moments after we teed off on the first hole, I was thrilled to see a West Texas Chaparral (or as we call them, a roadrunner) just walking around looking for bugs to eat. We never see these on our home course. I couldn't really get close enough to him for a truly decent shot with my crummy Olympus Stylus, but I think if you click on the pictures. you'll be able to see him much better. I thought surely he'd run off as we neared him, but apparently, he is very accustomed to being around golfers, sticking around long enough for me to get a couple of shots. He has bright orange & white stripes on either side of his head and I thought he was a rather pretty fellow. He eventually ran off and we never saw any more wildlife for remainder of the 18 holes.

This public golf course is far more difficult than our club because the rough at this course is REALLY rough, as you can see. I haven't played this course for at least two years and had forgotten how it defeated me the last time. Oddly enough, I stayed in the fairways and never lost even one ball, which was a true shocker for me. Normally, if I slice or hook one into the "rough", I refuse to hunt for it unless it happens to be in clear sight. You see, rattlesnakes love to hang out in the mesquite bush, wildflowers, and tall grass.

Anyway, this course also has a different kind of grass on their greens, which always makes for a rocky transition, for me at least. Oddly enough, I was able to shoot a 108 on a course that is much harder and much longer than ours. So, I'm a happy camper today. I also took a picture of our city skyline so that you could understand how really flat it is out here in the West Texas desert. Of course, the mesquite bush and the Prickly Pear Cactus are taking over once you leave town, but I did notice today that the mesquite is budding, which is the signal spring has sprung. In all the 33 years I've lived here, Mother Nature has only fooled the mesquite once. So, I'm off to my favorite nursery to start buying plants and seeds for my vegetable garden.