Winter woe

Lately I've been feeling nervous and irritable, like my blood pressure may be high. So I checked it on our home kit and it was higher than normal - 138/97. Then I decided to go for a walk and take it again. After my 20 minute walk it was 122/85. That tells me that my cabin fever is slowly getting to me. I guess tomorrow I'll force myself to go somewhere, maybe Marathon. Lajitas would be better but that's a long drive to do in the winter when hardly anything interesting will be happening.

Here's a fresh looking female Checkered White I photographed during my little walk.

Here are a couple of photos I found online that I really like. Every time I see a photo of the Window in Big Bend National Park it reminds me of my daughter's wedding there some years ago.

The Window by Rick Turner, date unknown, but obviously not recent

Lost Mine Trail at midnight by Mike Rice, June 2018

This mustard weed is about the only native flower species I could find to photograph today at our home in Alpine, London-Rocket (Sisymbrium irio). Normally, I would pull them up but I didn't even bother to do that. It's one of our most common weeds. Brian tells me this weed is a host for Checkered Whites. Good to know it's not totally worthless.

Hugh is selling his rent houses so that'll be a burden lifted from us both.

On my previous post someone commented a link to more info on that Calera church. I found the site fascinating. If you're interested, here it is:

http://www.caleratexas.org/index.htm

When you get to the site, cliick on "Mission Mary."

Mission Mary is not quite as intriguing as the Ruidosa church nestled in the mountains along the Rio Grande River, but interesting nevertheless. Below is a recent photo of the Ruidosa "Sacred Heart of Jesus" church.

UPDATE: After I already posted this blog my husband called me out to the patio, where he grows pansies in the winter, to see a pretty butterfly on them. Indeed it was a pretty one, a female American Lady. Sure made that pansy look pretty too!