Wonder Why...

We have one Texas Persimmon.  It's along the fence line, inside the fenced yard.

This year it is FULL of fruit.  Even after the hard winter, and this horrible summer.  The limbs are so full, some are bending down toward the ground.

The ones on the golf course seem to have very little fruit.  

The birds love them, when they're ripe.  They turn black.

  Maggie thinks they're pretty good, too.  We try to get them off the ground before she does.  Black whiskers are not so attactive, on a white dog.

Wonder why this year there are so many.

Have a good weekend.

Stay cool....pray for rain.

Happy Gardening...

~~Linda~~

A Different Point of View....

Our neighbors probably think we're crazy.  And...they're probably right.

We like the outdoors....no matter the weather.

So, when Mr P gets off work for the day (he works from home), we go sit outside....
a bit later, these hot days.

The porch is still a bit sunny, so we start in the yard.

Out here we have a view of the fenced yard.  That patch of green grass won't be that way long, if we don't get rain.  Our new water restrictions mean no grass watering.....sad.  It's our only grass.

When the sun gets off the porch, we move up there.  I usually sit in that rocker, looking out toward the cart path.  But, summer means sitting in the chair by the table.

It's right under the fan.  And, I have a whole different point of view.

I look out toward the swing and Elli's meadow.

Across the deck and over to Elli's yard.

A view that gives some color, with some of the few blooms out here.

Also, the trees in Elli's yard have a pretty glow to them in early evening.

They take on a painterly feel.  I played around with some textures on this shot, over on my photo blog. 

No matter how warm it gets, Mr Fishing Frog never breaks a sweat.

It's warm, but the fan stirs the air and cools us off.  A cold beverage and some music and we're fine.

Then again, we might just be crazy.

Stay cool...Pray for rain.

Happy Gardening...
~~Linda~~

You Can't Always Get What You Want.....

It's really hot here.  As I write this, our thermometers here at Patchwork Garden read 108F...actual temperature.  The heat index has to be more.  We won't think about that.

And, NO rain......

We've moved up to stage 3 water restrictions.  

That means no watering with automatic irrigation systems or hose-end sprinklers.  We can still use hose-end watering and "hose filled buckets", but only on designated days, at designated times.  Our days are Tuesdays and Fridays, up to 8:00 am, and after 8:00 pm.  

Luckily, we can use soaker hoses any day...but, only at certain times.  And, there is still a small amount left in the rain barrels.

If you look in the right place, things don't look so bad.  The golf course waters every night.  They have an exemption, because they have a business that requires it.  

But, turn to the right, and this is what reality looks like.  

The only thing alive in the creek is the Euphorbia 'Snow on the Mountain' (what a great sounding name.)

The deer gather in Elli's Meadow, looking for whatever they can find.

That is last year's grass.  And, turns out grass is something deer don't really eat.  That was a surprise to me.  I thought living on a golf course would mean they'd have plenty to eat and would not bother the landscaping quite as much.  Boy, was I wrong.

The deer wander into our yard.  Note the lovely lawn....dead grass, trampled by deer hoofs.

We make sure the birdbaths are filled.  

And, a bucket filled, for the babies, too short to reach the water in the bowl.  

This is i-Lean.  Notice her right front leg.  It was broken last year.  Mr. P named her.  He's a funny guy.

This photo is not zoomed.  She really does come that close.  And, she's looking pretty bad.

There's nothing much we can do for the deer.  Even if it wasn't a stiff fine to feed them, there are so many.  We'd never be able to feed them all.  

We're worried what the winter will bring for them.

On a brighter note....the few containers I have are loving the heat.

Thankfully, they don't require much water.

I think this little guy has the right idea. 

He lives on the porch...which isn't that easy, with Willow (who thinks this is his house), and Maggie chasing after him when he hops out of his hiding place.

Mr P filled the porch water bowl last night, with cool, fresh water...as soon as he set it down, this little frog jumped right in....dirt and all.

Too bad we don't have a bowl big enough for us.

Stay cool...pray for rain.

Happy Gardening...

~~Linda~~

It's HOT!!...

Robin

Even the birds are gasping for air.   

And, it's not getting any better, anytime soon.

Stay cool.

Happy Gardening....

~~Linda~~