from my kitchen window...

Someone mentioned at some point how much they enjoy their 'kitchen window'... and I remember thinking... "Yes! a kitchen window is a must for me too!" So much can be watched, observed, and enjoyed from one's kitchen window. I never mind washing dishes as my eyes are always entertained by the goings on outside.

One of my cousins once told me that she has her sink opened to the living area where she can watch TV while doing dishes. This while  expedient in her case, would never work for me.

Our backyard is just too fascinating to choose TV over the wonders of the outside world.  Watching kittens chase each other or mama raccoons and their babies splash and play in the large water dish is much more interesting. Sometimes the kittens, raccoons, possums, and turtles interact in the funniest ways. Watching a kitten follow a box turtle around the yard or watching 3 young cats circle around a tiny lizard that jumps at them is hysterical.  The fat squirrel that shimmies down the chain to the bird feeder makes us laugh... and the blue jays are the bullies in the backyard bird world (until the crows show up). Nothing bothers the possums... I read that they have both poor eyesight and poor hearing, so unless something is right on top of them, they don't back off. 

Anyway, on the list of *musts* when it comes to housing, it would have to be a kitchen window that opens to the yard. 

Happy Saturday!

New babies are everywhere...

Box turtle eating strawberries

When DH went out to mow the lawn this morning, he came in with this little fellow... one of our yard turtles... but this one wasn't marked.  I try to put a small red mark (nail polish) to identify the ones that turn up often. This one had no mark.  It's a fairly good size, so I'm suspecting that it's a female. Usually the males are a bit smaller. Anyway, we took her to a safe place in the back and gave her some strawberries.  They love strawberries and figs.

I also have a video to show you that my son took in the yard either last night or early this morning. Our mama raccoon apparently has decided to bring her 5 or 6 baby coons to eat with her at the local diner... aka:  our feral cats' dishes.

And the two little black kittens we took inside are all doing well.  They are eating on their own and are friendly enough to go to the Adoption Center soon.  They now hear my voice and come running, climb up on my lap and purr.   I keep telling them that I love them and their mommy loves them, but they have an adventure to go on...  and they must be brave.

On a different subject... I made a buttermilk peach pie this week with fresh peaches from Hamm's Peach Orchard.  It was so-oo good.  I've made buttermilk pies before... as well as peach pies, peach torte, peach cobbler, etc.  But this was a recipe in the newspaper for a 'buttermilk peach pie'.

We go to Ham's Orchard in Terrill, Texas twice every summer.  They open from May 15th to August 15th. Usually we hit them in May and then again in August.  DH's brother and his wife always come up to Dallas for the August hit.  They fill their portable cooler with fresh peach ice-cream.  We love the home-made peach ice-cream also, but we pick up other stuff too like: fresh peaches, frozen home-made peach cobbler, peach salsa, and an assortment of other things made from peaches.  They also carry fresh blackberries, blackberry cobbler, blueberries, strawberries, and even local pecans and veggies (onions, tomatoes, okra, etc.).   Oh... and they have a special "dark chocolate fudge pie" that is delicious. When you heat it just a little the chocolate inside melts... yum!

Our backyard sanctuary



Looking through our backyard arbor into the greenback beyond...

 

We don't go back there much anymore.  We did once when we first moved here and the kids were young.  We spent a lot of time down on the lower patio by the creek, lying in the hammock, talking,  and drinking wine.  But now it's pretty overgrown, and English Ivy covers everything (which is pretty, but can also hide copperheads and water moccasins).  The feral cats, raccoons, possums, and box turtles love it!  I keep thinking that one day we will reclaim the yard... but so far, we haven't.  (Another big problem that keeps us from enjoying the area is West Nile Virus, which is prevalent here in Texas.)




One of the box turtles that live in our yard.  He comes up to eat the catfood and figs




This pic is of one of our Mama coons and her 5 kits having supper

We do enjoy watching the wildlife. Like our cats, they make us laugh... and sometimes cry.  But we do what we can for them and look upon it as a way to 'give back'.  But I do worry that one day as we get further into our retirement years, we won't be able to maintain them.  And I do believe that if you can't 'maintain' an animal (give it the food, shelter, and health care it needs), then you shouldn't have it.  I read the question on another's blog once (and I think it was meant to be rhetorical), "Is there such a thing as too many cats?" And I have to say, "Yes!"  We now have 6 inside and a host of ferals outside, and for the moment we are able to maintain all of them.  But there will come a time in the future where it may not be possible financially (or even physically as we age). This does worry me.



"Pie fixes everything" dish towel

I found this dish towel in Fredericksburg, Texas when a friend and I were there visiting a few weeks ago.  Loved it!  Says exactly what my hubby believes.  Out of the blue when we are either sitting around watching TV or doing something around the house... he will say, "I need pie!"  It has become a mantra as has "Have you pilled Jack?" (another story, another time).  Told him that I plan to write these on our tomb stones: "I need pie" on his and "Have you pilled Jack?" on mine.

The tomatoes on the Aga are from my friend's garden.  Tomatoes are apparently doing well this summer. My daughter brought some up from her garden in the hill country and my friend brought these last week from just north of Dallas. Luckily for us, we like tomatoes. I especially like them broiled with a little seasoned breadcrumbs and butter on top. They can't compare to the creole tomatoes grown down in Louisiana, but they'll do.  I did miss those when we first moved to Texas... as well as creole cream cheese, pickled meat, and other delicasies that can't be found here.

We also picked the first figs from one of our trees yesterday. There's a trick to getting any figs from our trees. They produce a lot... but between the birds, squirrels, and box turtles... we have to be quick if we want even a few.  Of course we plant the fig tree for the little beasts, so we really can't complain if they take them all.  Our yard is a certified wildlife sanctuary... and we like it that way.

Hubby just brought me some fresh made sweet tea, so I've got to go for today.  I like my new made tea warm and fresh from the brew.