Zephyr the Guard Cat (April 30, 2024)

When the construction workers next door go home, Zephyr keeps watch over their wheelbarrow until we make her come inside at night.
 

Cactus flowers at Cornerstone (April 27, 2024)

The bees love yellow prickly pear blooms. 

 Prickly pear cactus blooms will become red, fleshy, cone-shaped fruit by mid-summer. You can eat prickly pears, but they're impossible to pick without getting a palm full of hair-thin needles. 

New ba-bees and blackberries (April 20, 2024)

We picked up our four nucleus hives at The Bee Supply apiary in Round Rock.

Blackberries grow wild at Cornerstone

 We were lucky to gather a few before the deer and birds ate them all.

New-bees prep (April 13-14, 2024)

I built hive boxes for the four nucleus hives we would pick up on April 20. After the pick up, we'll have eight hives. For the agricultural exemption, we need seven hives and a five-year history. We're in our fifth year: almost there!

We set up the empty boxes, ready for our ba-bees.

Yea!  As with most projects, the prep work is the hard part. I especially think of painting the house exterior: all the power washing, sanding, board replacement....
 

OK, the kitties DO like catnip (April 2024)

I bought a catnip plant for the front garden because our stray cat friend GiGi loves to roll in it. To preserve the plant overnight until I could plant it, we left it on the kitchen island. What were we thinking? We woke up the next day to the plant knocked on the floor and Zephyr rubbing her head on it. 

Where did it go?

 

Ah!  The humans hid it in the sunroom. They thought I couldn't squeeze through the branches to reach it. Bwa-ha-ha!

Mmm! Catnip.... (Homer Simpson cat voice)

What will this be? (April 2024)

I couldn't find an exact matching image for this caterpillar but it might become a black swallowtail butterfly. It's definitely not one of Papa's dreaded tomato worms so it will not have to die. (I can't stand killing them).
 

Another sky event (April 9, 2024)

 Tuesday, April 9, started with rain and pea-sized hail. The day ended with rain and marble-sized hail. In between, the afternoon thunderstorm dropped golf-ball sized hail on us.

The top of Max's liftgate took a direct hit!  Who knew the part is plastic?  Max will get a beauty makeover on June 11, thanks to State Farm.

Solar eclipse (12:17 p.m to 2:58 p.m., Monday, April 8, 2024)

TxDOT Wurdle: "Solar eclipse Monday."  TxDOT admonished us not to stop on the highway to watch the eclipse.

Eclipse glasses over or under regular glasses? We needed both to see the eclipse.

And so it began. I used a filter over the cell phone camera. Disappointed that photo isn't sharp.

Very cloudy skies. Fingers crossed for no cloud cover at totality.

Bernie, Connie, and Tanner

Totality: 1:37 p.m.  Not midnight darkness as expected. More like dusk.

The moon is moving on.  Jimmy is in the background. Tom, Bernie, Connie, Tanner, and Sharon

 Our menfolk. Tom, Bernie, and Jimmy

"Preclipse" party in Austin (April 6, 2024)

How can nearly 40 years have flown by? We all worked together at the Williamson County Sun in Georgetown from 1986-88. Connie (left) now lives in Las Vegas. Jack lives in NYC. Sharon (right) is in Sun City outside Georgetown. Connie, Sharon, and I have taken several trips to NYC together over the years. Thinking Oaxaca, Mexico, next time.

 The New Yorkers and Las Vegans (?) were in town for the upcoming April 8 eclipse. Left to right: Jack's wife Vivian, Sharon's husband Jimmy, Connie's fiance Bernie, me, Connie, Sharon, Jack, Tom. Vivian's cousin's devil horns are above Jack's head.

Change is the only constant (April 2024)

We used to see pecan trees against the sky from our bathroom window. No more. Just a blue band above the roof. At least they didn't install a picture window.

 (April 4) When no water came out of the tap, we discovered it was because the city was installing a "smart" water meter out front. Tom made sure we'll still be able to turn the water off and on during freezes. You could opt out and keep your analog meter for an initial fee of $75 plus a $10/month "read" fee. No [water] pressure to go digital!