Oasis watering day

It seems really weird for there to be no birders here this time of year. Sad times for sure. I don't understand why they keep Big Bend National Park open, yet don't allow visitors to spend the night in the area. That's crazy. It's too far a drive to not spend the night. They should just close the park.

I tallied two pair of Elf Owls this evening but don't think the female has selected her nest cavity yet.

Having a fair number of blooms and butterflies. Only one ode species so far, a Familiar Bluet damselfly.

Here's a common species at the oasis, Northern Cloudywing (on Glandularia wrightii).

Another lovely flower, Baby Curls (Phacelia congesta)

Another Alpine day

Stuck in town. Life has really slowed down, but I can't complain as long as I stay healthy. If I don't get fat it won't be my fault.

The poor apricot tree is doing its best to recover as quickly as possible.

I need to go to the oasis in a day or two and water again. Hoping that birders will be able to visit during peak migration in a month. Currently all birders have had to cancel their visits.

Trying to stay positive

All winter the oasis looked so dead that it was hard to believe it would ever look lush again. So it was nice to see things starting to green up. I need to spend more time down there watering these days. The temperatures are getting into the 90s so the roots of the trees are vulnerable to the hot ground until the canopy fills out. I hope to water again in a few days. Meanwhile, this morning I worked in the stucco tank until I was exhausted.

Tough times

It's hard to stay upbeat these days. Even though 9/11 didn't personally affect every American, it changed all of our lives forever. So will this pandemic, which does affect each and every one of us.

This morning I came to the oasis to service feeders and water trees. It's hot and dry here. Quite a few butterflies and blooms. The pond-weed is trying to make a comeback. Hope this is the year it'll get well established. Maybe then the Mexican Amberwings will return. So far haven't seen an ode this year.

A Ladder-backed Woodpecker enlarged the new hole in the new agave, but it's not deep yet. I don't think. Too high up to see inside.

Speaking of Ladder-backeds, I observed one drinking from a hummingbird feeder this morning. Between the two woodpecker species here, the feeders are hopelessly covered with bees. 

Usually coming to the oasis recharges my batteries, Today it seemed like it wasn't, but finally toward dark, after I finished watering trees, my spirits lifted a bit. Tomorrow I'm going to start patching the stucco tank.

Birding groups have canceled their visits to the oasis, which is the wise thing to do, of course, but I'll be glad when life gets back to normal. We all will, I know.

My Alpine world

Staying as isolated as possible while here in town. At least we have a big yard to enjoy, and the weather is lovely.

Monarch butterfly

The apricot tree that bloomed too early, then broke off after my husband left the sprinkler on it all night, is now sprouting new branches. Poor thing! Eventually it'll make a nice tree and we won't sprinkle it ever again.

And here's the new Tilton Apricot tree we bought online. Shouldn't bloom too early.

This is the first year in many where we didn't have to cover the tomatoes due to late frosts. They're very happy.... so far.

Lots of Bluebonnets are starting to bloom around the yard.

My son owns the Triangle Market here in town so I'm good to go (no pun intended) during this pandemic.

Tree Tobacco

At least half of the Tree Tobacco I planted last spring around the tank is still alive and doing fine. I had expected last year's seeds to come up all over but so far hasn't happened. Maybe the summer rains will sprout them. Tree Tobacco seems to be very susceptible to fungus, or something, so I'm pleased that I have what I have. Now it's up to nature.

Oasis flower and butterfly activity improving

The Mexican Redbud tree is in full bloom.

I like native pollinators. Here's one on Littleleaf Sumac that's starting to bloom all over the oasis.

Littleleaf Sumac attracts butterflies too. Here's a  Great Purple Hairstreak on it.

Feeling good!

I'm so glad to have the road work finished. At least as good as it can be without paving it. And it's nice for birders to have the back-road experience without risk to vehicles. Hopefully, it'll hold up for a long time with little touching up.

Couldn't work the top of the big hill because it would leave it rubble-covered with no traction. Better be rough and people make it up than to not get traction. We had enough trouble on the less steep lower part of the hill after the work was done. It'll soon pack in with rain and traffic and be fine, of course.

Lighter part on top is the same as it was

Some places neither the dozer nor my rake could do much with, but at least we got rid of the high center for low clearance vehicles.

Some of you may remember how rough this slope was right up against the fence. Hoping it will never get as bad as it was before. There is still rough bedrock underneath the dirt, but he removed a bunch of it, so hoping that, and a few other similar places, will wear better now. Slopes are always the issue. Flat spots never have a problem. Between spinning tires and monsoonal runoff, the slopes wear the worst.

I'm none the worse for wear myself. A blister on the inside of my thumb is the only residual effect that I can tell. It's good to know that I can still do it.  Sitting in town all winter always sets me back. I'm not deluded enough to think I can climb my mountain or anything, but at least I can still do some maintenance. Patching tank is next on the list.

Still alive here

I only got in 3 hours of raking today. Still not recovered from yesterday I guess. My road manicuring standards have seriously deteriorated.

Birders today that had been here before said it was improved. They had a little trouble with getting traction on uphill slopes. Fortunately, I had kept the dozer off the steepest part of the big hill for that very reason. So the birders did make it up. The other areas are all powder now but as soon as it rains it'll pack in and be fine. Chance of rain this coming week.

Gonna do the best I'm able on the road in the morning and then quit. Can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear.

Then during the next month I need to focus on patching the stucco tank. That's always an annual thing. I don't see any holes, but in places where the coating is peeling off, it needs to be repainted with Drylok. No hurry as we shouldn't get a monsoon for months yet.

None of my attempts at keeping bees off feeders has worked so far. My last option it to fill a big heavy feeder that maybe the woodpecker can't tilt.

Orange tree in the house is in full bloom, filling the house with its heavenly aroma.

Pushed beyond the limit

The dozer work today went well, but my road is mostly rocks so has to be raked to be acceptable. Also the cleats on the dozer left it like a washboard to drive on even where I had no work done. So I raked until I couldn't. I had six spots of the road worked on and was determined to finish raking one of them today. Was close to making it, even though ready to collapse, when I got a terrible pain, like a Charley-horse in my left shoulder. Couldn't move after that. Came to the house at 7 PM and took ibuprofen. If I don't move, the pain is now bearable. Gonna turn in early tonight.

It's so wonderful to finally have someone to do road work. After my late husband passed away I didn't have anyone. Then I married my current husband, who lives in Alpine, and he got a little bobcat that he would occasionally be persuaded to bring down and do some work. But it was very contentious. He never could get anyone to work on it so sold it. 

Brian Kline lives locally and can do whatever I need done, so I'm a happy camper... once I get it raked. While digging out some large boulders a pin holding the blade came out. Brian cheerfully hammered it back in with a rock.