Almost Christmas: July 2023

Tuesday, July 4, 2023

Independence Day (July 4, 2023)

Ripening mariachis. Mariachi peppers are moderately pungent, with Scoville readings in the 500 to 600 range when grown under non-stressful conditions. Add stress, such as extremely hot weather or overly dry soil, and Scoville readings may rocket to 1500 or 2000. Thinking that heat dome might have zoomed these into the hotter range.

Jalapeño peppers: Green and red jalapeños are crowd-favorite spicy snacks. If you're preparing to enjoy these Mexican peppers, you can expect a Scoville heat ranking of 2,500-8,000. We love to add them to chicken and cauliflower rice. First we saute them with garlic and onions.

Harvesting (June 30, 2023)

It's like an Easter egg hunt!

Die, fleas! (June 28, 2023)

Vet's Best spray! Flea traps! Not pictured: vacuum cleaner. Don't let Papa Tom's gentle, friendly look fool you, fleas!

Our weapons of choice. Cowgirling up against the six-legged biting critters.

In the garden and the sunflower tent (June 21, 2023)

No, that isn't mini-me. The sunflowers are twice my height.

A shady sunflower tent is between me and the heat dome that hovered over Texas sending temperatures into the triple digits for days.

Papa's peppers are doing well too.

The great flea kill (June 9--present, 2023)

This is what happens when you switch from effective flea drops on the neck (which the cats don't like) to flea collars that allegedly last six months. You end up with a flea infestation! We packed up all the carpets, a lot of pillows and cushions, etc. and put them in the greenhouse with the door shut. Fleas can't live above 132 degrees. The greenhouse gets up to 160 degrees. Die, fleas, die! We aren't bringing anything back inside until August, after the Costa Rica trip.

All bedding, curtains, towels, etc. were washed in hot water and dried on the hottest setting in hopes of killing whatever eggs/larvae/pupae/adults were there.

We're spraying each room and mattresses daily with Vet's Best, a plant-based product that is harmless to humans and pets but hopefully not harmless to fleas. A lot of great reviews on Amazon.

We're vacuuming daily and throwing the bags into the outside trash can. We've also set flea traps not so much to catch fleas but to see if any fleas are left. As of the end of June we were still catching them. Tom catches them daily by wearing white socks through the house. They hop aboard, thinking the socks are a host. Tom's been dropping them into a bottle of rubbing alcohol. July Fourth was the first day we counted no fleas in the house. Happy Independence Day! But the vigilance continues until we are sure all eggs have hatched. Meantime, the cats are quarantined outdoors or in the sunroom.

Storm flowers (June 17, 2023)

Wind gusts from last night's storm permanently bent the sunflowers to the ground.

Strange construction, strange sky, thunderstorm (June 16, 2023)

The night ended with pouring rain, wind gusts, lightning, thunder, and nickel-sized hail. Fox stood on the front porch with us to be misted by the rain.

Earlier, on our way to Kerbey Lane with Fox, we all commented on the strange and beautiful sky.

I was a day too late. This free standing cube contains a staircase to . . . heaven? By the time I took the photo, workers were walling in the cube and the stairway wasn't as visible. Carpe diem! An apartment complex for about 300 people (I think) is being built around the staircase. Strange order of construction, yes?

28th anniversary eve (June 9, 2023)

We started out at the Liberty Bar in East Austin because of the James Beard award winning food truck on the patio. Alas, the food truck is gone. So we headed back to the car but simply had to stop at this ramen bar for a photo. We ended up at Kebabalicious at 1311 East Seventh. Not kebabs on a skewer but lamb, chicken, beef, or falafel with incredible yogurt sauces and others in a pita wrap or a rice bowl.

Papa needed an apple fritter for dessert. We stopped at the Voodoo Donuts that recently opened near us. Shades of Portland!

Owlet (June 9, 2023)

We've enjoyed listening to Mama and Papa owl hoot to other neighborhood owls while raising their young in a pecan tree next door to us. At least one owlet flew the nest on June 9. He could fly a few feet in the air. Mama owl watched us closely from overhead. We didn't interact with the owlet except to photograph him. He was gone the next morning. Did mama fly him back into the nest?

Owlet tried his wings but seems to contemplate how much more convenient it would be to hitch a ride in our neighbor's car.

Watching TV with Colette (June 5, 2023)

She was so interested in the ghost town documentary. We didn't have the heart to ask her to please move.

June 1st tomato harvest (June 1, 2023)

Ah, nothing like homegrown tomatoes. Only thing better is to go out right after a thunderstorm and eat a warm, rain washed tomato right off the vine.

Double timing beekeeping education (May 29, 2023)

Yes, the beekeeping book is for dummies. Not saying Papa Tom and I are dummies but we definitely still have a lot to learn 4 years in. Our basic approach is to trust the bees and their 30 million or so years of doing just fine without human intervention. I've been studying a chapter a day. I'll go through the book several times until the information sticks.

Papa's basil plants (May 27, 2023)

Papa's basil plants. Fresh basil in salads, cauliflower rice, baked with chicken....so yummy! May I recommend spinach basil pesto (nut free)?

Blend 1/2 cup olive oil, 4 cups packed spinach leaves, 2 cups packed basil leaves, 2 cloves garlic, 2 TBS lemon juice, 1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp black pepper. Once basil is picked and washed, the recipe takes all of 5 minutes. So delicious on salads, pasta, chicken, etc.

First 5K ever (Sunday, May 21, 2023)

Sista Donna flew over to run my first ever 5K with me. We did the Wine Run at the Vineyard at Florence. Here, we're signing up the the Charleston Half Marathon to be held January 20, 2024. A lot of training to do between now and then! 3.1 miles in 5K v. 13.1 miles in a half marathon.

Before the wine run. Reward at the end? A glass of wine, of course.

Across the finish line! The fastest runner ran the entire 3.1 miles in a little over 16 minutes. I took about 16 minutes per mile. Ja vel. A lot of room for improvement.

Donna wanted some real Texas BBQ. We ate at Stiles Switch, near our house. Nice to contrast Texas v. Tennessee BBQ almost exactly a year after our Nashville trip.

Amon and Fox came over to visit before Donna had to catch her flight home. Next: the Red Dress Run on August 11 in NOLA.

The season's first ripe tomato (May 17, 2023)

Luscious and sweet! Papa Tom should be called "Tomato Tom." This one is ready early in the season because Papa started the plants in the greenhouse in late February. He put them outside on warm days and back inside on cold nights. He gradually moved them to larger pots into April until they were finally ready to transplant into the front garden. He says an early start is key; you want the roots established before the heat arrives.

Preparing for the Red Dress Run in NOLA (May 13, 2023)

Donna, Martha, Tom, and I have signed up for the Red Dress Run to be held August 11 in NOLA. The only rule for this group that describes itself as "drinkers with a running problem" is that all participants must wear a red dress. I'm going with a skirt and red t-shirt. Maybe devil horns and a tail? And yes, Papa Tom must find a dress that fits his 6'1" frame. I also got red Converse high tops but they aren't the most comfortable for running. The course is only a couple of miles, zigzagging from bar to bar through the Quarter.

Wildflowers at Cornerstone and at home (May 12, 2023)

I call these "snowflowers." They're thick and wild. Someone else already named them "Queen Anne's lace (wild carrot)." Wild carrot?

Oh happy days for the bees on acreage next to Cornerstone's driveway.

Wildflowers at the House of Light and Joy too! Delicate evening primrose in the foreground and coreopsis towering behind.

Murchison spring concert (May 10, 2023)

See the trumpet player at roughly the center of the photo? That's Fox!

DnD with Fox and Amon (May 7, 2023)

Fox aka Freia neatly stacked her die. My character, Destiny, is a moon elf ranger (level 4) who is wreaking havoc in Star Point thanks to inhaling pixie dust.

New hives, rescued turtle (May 6, 2023)

We picked up two new hives at the Oakley Family Apiaries in Elm Mott, bringing our total number of hives to four. We'll need to have seven in place by 2024 to qualify for the agricultural exemption in 2025. We've enjoyed taking classes with Randy Oakley and meeting some of his 12 (!) children.

On our way to install the new hives, we found this little guy in the 9/10 mile long drive from CR 316.

Tom (nicknamed "Tommy Turtle" in school) placed his namesake in the wildflowers next to the pond.

Naptime (May 4, 2023)

TC and TC, napping.

First leg ablation (May 1, 2023)

Papa Tom's left leg ablation went well. He's propping his leg up on the Dave and Buster's boxing glove that Fox won for him a while back. He has to wear a thigh high compression stocking on the leg for 21 days while the incisions heal. The right leg ablation is scheduled for June 2. The hardest part for Papa Tom is the 10-lb lifting restriction. He is used to lifting more than that daily in the garden, at the bee hives, around the house. Endovenous thermal ablation is a way to get rid of varicose veins without surgery. Providers use a laser or radiofrequency waves to seal off veins. This procedure requires a small incision and usually has a shorter recovery time than surgery.

HB 2006 passes without opposition! (April 28, 2023)

Rep. Cody Harris (with beard, at the lectern) sponsored HB 2006, which would give Texas-born adult adoptees unrestricted access to their original birth certificates. Currently, adoptees must either obtain a court order or provide the birth parents' names to Vital Statistics to obtain a copy of their uncertified original birth certificate. HB 2006 passed without opposition. Sadly, SB 2237, the companion bill, was not even heard in committee. Had the relevant Senate committee approved the bill, it could have gone before the Senate for a vote. We believe if a clean OBC bill ever makes it to the Senate floor, it will pass. Unfortunately, one Senator with a lot of influence with Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick has been able for several sessions to kill the bill. A 2021 poll shows that 77% of Texas voters approve of a clean OBC bill. Come on, Senator! Listen to the voters!