Electrical problems

All the Big Bend area had power outages this afternoon and Alpine again this evening, so my blog is late tonight. Not that there's much to blog about. I rushed to town to start drying apricots but with the power out they've been mostly languishing in the dryer thus far.

And I have a strange bush at the oasis. Years ago when I was in E TX I brought home seeds, or maybe a small plant, of a Coral-bean.  After watering it for years and never having it bloom, I gave up and quit watering it a week or so ago. Today I discovered it was blooming! Hidden down under acanthus that had overgrown it, but nevertheless, blooming. Go figure!

There's been a bunting at the oasis feeders that I can't quite ID. The wing bars made me think Indigo bunting female, but after Mac sent me these photos of it tonight, I'm thinking female Varied Bunting. To be sure I sent these pics to Kelly, but I don't see the throat as being white enough for an Indigo, or enough of an eye-line for an Indigo. 

Whatever she is, she seems to love the rope I installed for raising and lowering the bucket feeder.

UPDATE: Kelly confirmed it's a Varied Bunting.