First Mowing of 2009

Today I did some mowing. My sinuses were shot anyway so what the heck. We were winning the long grass contest on our street. Most people on this street have lawn services that mow and weed-whack year-round. Not us. My yard man is on his way home from Santa Fe tonight.

I also whacked some of the azaleas so the gas meter is now visible.

I got the troops to clean the live oak leaves and catkins off the driveway, wash down the carport. The troops will come home from the movie with more girls to sleepover, so the enlarged troop can drag my pruned azalea branches to the street for Monday pickup.

I didn't get the whole back yard done; just the part visible from the patio. It's not as long there anyway.

After mowing, I can just sit and smell the perfume from the citrus orchard. Each kind of tree is sweet, and just a little different.

And.. the honeybees are starting to show up after going missing for about two years. Still not as many as I saw in 2005 but it's good to see the ones that are here.

My amaryllis is blooming too. I have three flower shoots with two big flowers each.

Steak Night

I had a perfect spring evening yesterday. The weather cleared, the lemon tree is blooming and filled the yard with perfume. We had some very nice aged ribeye steaks so I sat on the patio with my bottle of Molson and grilled them. The neighborhood was quiet except for the bees in the lemon tree and the birds. The house was quiet because the daughter was napping and the husband wasn't home. The pets kept me company on the patio, supervising the grilling. The steaks were so tender I used a butter knife to cut mine. Mmmm.

Tippy asked for a walk around dark so we took our normal round, smelling the jasmine as we went around the block.

What Does This Sign Mean?

I keep passing a telephone pole with this sign on it. I ponder the meaning. Though it seems random, it must mean something or they wouldn't put up a sign. Readers, please add any thoughts you may have. Is it a command directed to potheads? Is it simply a descriptive declaration? Why do we need this caution? What happens if potheads don't feed the overhead line? It seems slightly ominous to me.



I have a hint - the city is currently installing fiber optic cable in a fiber-to-the-home initiative. And - I learned long ago that POTS means Plain Old Telephone Service in communications lingo.

Anyway, this sign has intrigued me for a few weeks.

Mardi Gras is Over

We're well into Lent now - springtime is here with the peaking of the azaleas, Bradford pear trees, and bridal wreath. Here's a final Mardi Gras picture of the husband on the Mamou Mardi Gras band wagon on Mardi Gras Day. He's the one with the silly yellow headgear and the guitar.