Goodness surrounds us, one only needs to pause and notice its presence.
The day is warm and sunny here in North Texas. We are emerging from the winter routine and preparing for the long, hot summer that may arrive sooner rather than later.
This morning, I cleaned the winter algae out of the horse troughs and found two toads who recently woke up from their winter hibernation. These toads are part of our pest control plan. A bug smorgasbord lives in the damp soil under the troughs. The toads eat as much as they want from this food source and keep our bug level manageable.
I found a foot-long snakeskin in a flowerbed. I will keep a lookout for him because snakes eat toads. I don’t particularly like snakes. Ask Jon, my husband... it's not a pretty sight when a snake crawls by our place.
The bluebonnets are gorgeous this year! Last year, I allowed the plants to seed. Now, with all the extra rain, the blooms are vibrant. Normally in Texas, we would be whizzing along the highways admiring the blossoms of these radiant blue flowers. But with the shelter-in-place orders, the bluebonnets can only be seen by a few fortunate people. I'm thankful these colorful wildflowers grace my flowerbed with their beauty.
Natasha, a female Canadian goose, came off her nest to take a dip in the pond and do a quick fly over with her mate, Mountie. They are officially expecting. The gestation period for Canadian geese eggs is 32 days. I'll keep you posted.
Nest making has begun! Two bright, red male cardinals scooped up several delicate, white feathers that our Sebastopol goose lost in the backyard. These feathers will line the nests they are crafting for their mates.