First tomatoes (May 15, 2021)

 Our first Sweet 100s are ripe.  Hundreds more blossoms and green tomatoes are on the vines.

Blackberries are ripening at Cornerstone (May 14, 2021)

Papa loves to pick blackberries.  We were sure to make a lot of noise and swish the vines with a stick to scare any snakes away.

Still so many red and green berries left on the vines.  We'll be picking for the next couple of weeks.
 

Cactus blooms at Cornerstone (May 14, 2021)

Can cactus fruit aka prickly pears be far behind?  I should learn how to extract the juice.  It's said to taste like a blend between bubble gum and watermelon.  Good on snow cones?

Some cacti make deep pink blossoms.  These were all yellow. 

The fruit has tiny prickly hairs (hence, the moniker prickly pear???) that are heck to pull out of your skin.
 

What do you do with a pound and a half of beeswax? (May 13, 2021)

When our hive died in April, we gleaned a pound and a half of wax from the empty frames, enough to make 10 candles.  You melt beeswax with coconut oil in a 2:1 ratio, add up to 30 drops of fragrance, pour into a jar with a wick, and voila!  Candles! 

I ordered candle scents from Brambleberry, a very fun site to shop on.  I used the cranberry fig scent for two candles; white tea and ginger for four of them; and oat milk and honey for the last four.  That meant melting the wax in separate batches so as not to mix fragrances. We're growing snapdragons in the front garden.  They make great cut flowers, lasting for a week or so.

French Market coffee cans worked well with my improvised double boiler.  Beeswax can't be melted on direct heat as it's very flammable.  Some people melt it in the microwave, but it's been known to catch fire there too, so I opted for the double boiler.
 

Sunset at the Oasis (May 11, 2021)

Lake Travis from the Oasis.  The food there is seriously terrible!  But the view....

Cheryl and I have tried to have dinner together at least monthly during the pandemic.  We're both vaccinated and have plans for a trip to Portland, Maine, in September.

 Hi from Lake Travis!

Hail damage repair for the Zoomer (May 11, 2021)

We dropped the Zoomer off on May 11 at Service King for hail damage repair.  Dozens of dents on the hood and roof, and dozens of divots in the window molding. We're driving a Nissan QX60, an SUV with three rows of seats, courtesy of State Farm, for the two weeks or so that the Zoomer will be in the shop. 

Remembering online school before it goes away. Forever? (May 11, 2021)

I just realized I'd posted no photos of online school, such a major part of the COVID experience.  Here's the screen from Otis's math class.  Very typical for only one or two kids to turn their cameras on.  One teacher forced a kid to turn his camera on and we all got to see the kid learning while laying in bed.  We hear dogs barking, other family members, and sometimes a stuffed animal will show up.  Otis and one other kid are virtual learning from outside Portland.  One kid signed in from France for about six weeks.  Poor Nico is having to do Portland schooling AND attend virtual school in Japan as one of his parents is Japanese and his parents want him to learn in both school systems.  He pointed out that the seventh-grade math here is like fifth-grade math in Japan.

The back yard was as far as Otis had to go for photos for his science project on erosion, weathering, and deposition.  I think the holes in the rock are from erosion??? (Photo by Otis)

A neighbor's sculpture is under one of our elms.  It's weathering nicely. (Photo by Otis)

Leaves and debris are deposited due to water runoff. (Photo by Otis)

Bigfoot! (My photo photobombed by Bigfoot)

 

Teenagers in the family again! (May 5 and May 8, 2021)

Danny was our teenager from August 24, 2013, through August 23, 2020.  After a less than 8-month break, the teens are back!  Mya, still living in Cedar Park, Texas, and Otis, flying in from Oregon, were here for Thanksgiving in 2008 at 6 months old.  We'll now have teenagers until Piper turns 20 on April 29, 2033.  
 

Happy 13, Otis! (May 8, 2021)

Happy 13, Otis!  Celebrating with maple bars from Voodoo Donuts.

Singing "Happy Birthday." Fox!  Stop it, Fox!

Otis Zooms with Mom and Dad.

The birthday boys on Zoom.

Pillow fight!

Mortal Kombat with Amon.

 Otis is catching up with Anjanette.

Happy 39, Micah! (May 8, 2021)

For your "I'm from Texas" collection, Micah. Boots.  Bluebonnets.  A cow.  And a wonderful little He-man!  Happy 39, Micah!
 

Checking on the bees (May 7, 2021)

Our new hive is thriving.  We're hoping for a late June honey harvest.

So much nectar and pollen for our new babies.

 Our neighbor's gate.  I was kind of scared to stand there long enough to take a photo!

Happy 13, Mya! (Cinco de Mayo, 2021)

Wish we could have been there!  Love you!

 

Ollie and Olivia have moved in (May 5, 2021)

 Ollie and Olivia Owl have moved into our elms.  We're finding feathers and bones under the limb where they perch.  Sometimes they hang out on the telephone pole at the street.  The blue jays regularly try to run them off.

What is it with red this year? (May 2, 2021)

 So may redheads in the family!  Brandy, Anjanette, Fox (cherry bomb red)....and Otis, of course.

Happy 8, Piper! (April 29, 2021)

 Wish we could have been in Asheville to celebrate with Piper.  

We have our new baby bees! (April 28, 2021)

We picked up our new nucleus from beekeeper Raul at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, April 27th.   It was getting dark so we couldn't install the hive until the following morning.  In the meantime, we set the bees next to an open window in our bedroom so they'd get fresh air.  Without fresh air, they can suffocate. We thought if we left them outside, racoons might investigate and get through the Gorilla Tape holding the hive shut.  

We're pretty sure this is a monarch butterfly caterpillar.  He/she was hanging out under the old beehive boxes.

The new hive is active and happy!  We filled the feeders with sugar water to tide them over until they can harvest nectar and cap honey.

Plenty of wildflowers for nectar and pollen.

 

Happy birthday, Jan! (April 24, 2021)

Sadie (9) and Miles (4), Beka's kids, and Henry and Luke, Liz's kids, at Bobbie Kay's for Jan's birthday celebration.  Beka and kids were in town from Seattle.

Due to COVID, Jan blew out a candle on a cupcake rather than candles on the entire cake.  Luke captured the moment with his new camera which instantly prints photos like the old Polaroids did.

Jake and Lucy with Sarah; Miles, Papa; Henry; Jim's head; Jan; Luke.
 

Early voting (April 22, 2021)

Papa and I took advantage of early voting on April 22.  Masks and social distancing were required, of course.  Even though COVID is not likely to be spread via surfaces, finger covers were available for those who didn't want to touch the voting screen after someone else.  But someone was wiping the screens with disinfectant after each voter.  Super careful!  Outcome?  Homeless people can now be arrested for camping in public.  I voted against that proposition.  I think it creates extra work for police and courts and doesn't prevent/solve homelessness. Maybe help those who want to leave the streets and designate camping areas for those who don't???