Swamp Bunny

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On Easter Saturday, my very talented husband went to a local nature reserve, and spotted this delightful baby bunny. It was only when he came home that he realized it was a new species of rabbit (to us). The Swamp Bunny (Sylvilagus aquaticus) is a SWIMMING BUNNY!!! Just when I thought he had the cutest image ever, it just got better. They live in the southern states in swampy areas. Then he spotted the adult below –

When I googled this darling creature, I found an article about a Swamp Rabbit swimming ‘menacingly and aggressively’ towards President Jimmy Carter’s fishing boat in 1974. The media had field day with this story. Think ‘weak president’ vs ‘aggressive bunny’. There is an real photograph out there of the President splashing his oar in the water to make the bunny go away. There are five different types of rabbit/hare in Texas. I have seen a jack rabbit and one Easter Sunday (really!), a brown bunny visited our old house. I thought it was a cotton tail but maybe it was the Swamp Bunny?

I sent the image to some of my relatives in Ireland and Scotland. Two replied that they hadn’t seen rabbits in years because the population was decimated by a virus – myxomatosis. In Scotland I frequently called my local RSPCA worker to kindly euthanize wild rabbits that I discovered with this terrible illness. The virus was deliberately introduced to rabbit populations to reduce numbers, although it occurs naturally also. In Texas we have coyotes and foxes – nature’s answer to population control.

On the same day he took this image, above, of a purple pleat-leaf flower with a turret bee inside. Texas is home to about 1000 indigenous bees, perhaps as many as 1,500.

Above is a Mexican Bordered Plant Bug – I see these quite often. They are regarded as minor pests and love strawberries,

Above is a black tailed Laphria. This is a robber fly that masquerades as a bumble bee.

Finally, he captured a new species of dragonfly or more accurately skimmer (to him) – a Black Setwing. What a fabulous photography day he had and thank you to him for sharing his images. 💌

Please do not reproduce any of the images

A Moment of Serenity

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TWO GREAT WHITE SOUTHERN BUTTERFLIES ON DAISIES IN ROCKPORT, TX.

I thought y’all might need to see a peaceful image after March Madness. What happened? One minute I was planning a vacation to Mexico, then El Mencho was killed resulting in some cartel violence in parts of Mexico. We cancelled that and rebooked a very tame trip to Rockport, in the south west of Texas. Rockport is one of my favorite places on the Texas coast but this trip was inspired by a trilogy I recently read. It was set in the 1800s when German settlers flocked to settle in a place named Indianola that was destroyed by two hurricanes. I enjoyed the books and my curiosity was piqued. There will be future posts about Indianola.

THIS IS ALL THAT REMAINS OF INDIANOLA

Our nearest town is Tomball, also settled by German immigrants. For 20 years we have been planning to visit a down home restaurant halfway between our new house and Tomball. Finally we made it on a Tuesday, thinking it might be quiet but it was packed with locals. There was mostly family groups and some small company get-togethers. I got out my phone to check the opening times and realized that not one person was using their cell phones. How unusual is that? I quickly hid it in my purse and focused on my catfish!

I was driving along the country road by our house when I spotted a big black and white bird. It was the bald eagle again! I slowed down to a crawl which must have annoyed the car behind me but he was a good Texan and did not toot his horn. It is not okay to toot in Texas, unless there is real danger. We travelled hundreds of miles for our wee vacation and not a horn was blasted.

We regularly visit a coffee shop, a couple of miles from home, and loved this sign at the book shop. The dog is a lovely old gentleman with rheumy eyes. This bookshop has all the books currently banned in certain institutions in our part of the world. More reading; less judgement.

Our local Walmart is close to the bookshop above. I was sitting waiting for my Shingles vaccination when I spotted the menstruation crustacean. Isn’t that the cutest product? I would have loved one of those when I had eggs!

Finally, a lovely shot of dawn from our living room window. It faces east. Sometimes there is mist rising from the pond which adds to the atmosphere.

Hawk Whistling

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RED SHOULDERED HAWK

In retirement we learn new skills. Sometimes it’s crochet or mahjong but in my case it’s hawk whistling. Our new house, with it’s open outlook over the water, is a perfect place for viewing raptors or hawks. I was standing in the drive when I heard ‘Squeaky’, one of our noisy red shouldered hawks. Sometimes she is screeching in a panic, as she did when the bald eagle visited for a fish lunch. This day she was just talking, gently.

RED SHOULDERED HAWK

I could see her in the distance and started to quietly whistle, as you would a dog, or in my case, cats. She soared closer and closer until she was right above my head. She looked at me curiously and I looked at her in wonder. It was a very bright day but I could still see the dark grey banding on her tail.

COOPER’S HAWK

Yesterday, I was in the back yard and noticed a hawk in the distance. I wondered if my hawk whistling talent was all in my neurodivergent head. Again, I gently whistled and this hawk came closer and closer until she circled above my head. I watched her continue to soar and hunt. It was difficult to see her as I was looking at her undergarments from below but noticed that she flapped and glided. This type of flight and her little dark head identified her as a Cooper’s Hawk. Over the next hour, I whistled to her and she came back. How exciting!

COOPER’S HAWK PANTALOONS
RED TAILED HAWK

Last week Teddy and I went to our local mall and had lunch at Nordstrom’s restaurant. We had delicious halibut with fries and a glass of wine. As we walked across the car park there were THREE red tailed hawks circling above our heads. Delicious lunch avec bird spotting, albeit in a car park.

My animal whistling has got me into trouble in the past. Both batches of our deceased cats responded to a whistle (when they chose to…) We were living on a cottage on a farm and my cats were playing in the barn. The farmer was trying to herd the cattle into the barn with his gorgeous border collie – who adored me. I thought my cats might get underfoot so whistled them. A few minutes later, I had three cats and one border collie at my side. The cattle were in disarray and the farmer gave me that look. Not only had I stolen his dog’s affection but had ruined his hard work.

HEIFERS AT THE FARM 1990
PUSS, ONE OF OUR CATS AT THE FARM 1990

I named all his cattle, even though they were going to market later. One, Pal, was a smart cookie and would come when I called her name. I swear she laughed when I poured cold water on her on a hot day. Moo, would moo when asked to. The sheep were pretty dense but when walking past a neighbor’s farm, I whistled and two hand-fed lambs ran to me to get a cuddle!

Teddy and I had a wonderful trip to the Florida Keys many years ago. One of the Keys (Islands) has evolved unique miniature deer and rabbits. I was standing next to another tourist at a little lake and she shared that she hadn’t seen any wildlife. In a second, I pointed out the osprey that was looking at us and the alligator that was feet away. She looked at me as though I was Dr Doolittle but sometimes we just need to stop and be aware of all the wonderful animals that surround us

FLORIDA KEYS OSPREY

The Glen Clova Wedding

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We were delighted to be invited to a wedding in July 2025 in the Glen Clova area of Scotland. It precipitated our trip to Scotland and Ireland to see our families. Astonishingly, on the wedding day it was so hot that we had to open our windows in the hotel. That’s air-conditioning in Scotland…

The photo of me with the sheep above was somewhat tongue in cheek. It was a reference to our own wedding in July 1982 where we posed in hilly area in North Wales, on route to our reception in Corwyn.

Teddy and I, July 1982 running together like Cathie and Heathcliff in Wuthering Heights with a bewildered sheep watching us. We did not have an official photographer – is it obvious??

Back to Glen Clova 2025. Above is the scary single track road that we drove on to reach the idyllic destination. It was even worse at dusk. The location is truly lovely with those gorgeous old hills all around.

The hotel had the prettiest reception hall with a bucolic view through the windows. Our meal was delicious and was local Scottish cuisine. My chicken with oatmeal stuffing brought back many happy memories of my mother in law’s cooking.

Teddy is next to a lovely old stone dyke (wall). You see them all over the UK, still standing after many years.

This was our wedding day in July 1982. Teddy is rocking his long hair with moustache and that is my natural hair color and texture. My dress was an ivory ballgown because all the bright white dresses made my sallow skin look awful. My mum sewed up the neckline to protect my modesty but as soon as I stepped out of the wedding car (inelegantly), the stitches gave way. Teddy was happy…

I will leave you with a couple of images of those beautiful hills where Teddy and his Grandad would walk up the sheep trails. The ceremony took place in the field above where the people are walking. Just sheep and hills – perfect.

Glen Clova is in the north east of Scotland, north of Dundee and east of Perth. It is located within the Cairngorms National Park.

“The Bluebird of Happiness”

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Our Bluebirds and other critters wish you a Happy New Year!
This is a cheeky wee Fox Squirrel. They are more peachy than the grey squirrel and a little larger.
This is one of the many Pine Siskins who have arrived from Canada! We also have large flocks of migratory sparrows. Y’alls are welcome in our back yard. The recorded temperature on this video is incorrect. It’s warm but not that warm…

Our new community has put bird boxes at all the mailboxes. Here is one of them

Thank you to Teddy for splicing and editing the videos!

Merry Christmas from Moody Mansion

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The Willis-Moody Mansion was completed in 1895 on Galveston Island, the barrier island south of Houston, Texas. The architect, W H Tyndall, was English, and designed the 28,000 ft mansion in the Romanesque Revival style. The original owner was Narcissa Willis, a Galveston socialite. After her death in 1899, the mansion was put up for sale but in 1900 a devastating hurricane hit Galveston killing an estimated 6,000 to 12,000 people from both the impact and flooding. It is still the deadliest known natural disaster in American history.

Stained Glass Panel on the Staircase

The Willis family had to sell Narcissa’s home for a fraction of its worth – $20,000 instead of $100,000. The lucky bargain hunter was William Lewis Moody Jr, a scion of the Gilded Age in Texas. He made his fortune in cotton and diversified into banking, railroads, insurance and hotels. The family created a charitable trust, the Moody Foundation. Members of the family owned the house until the 1980s when it was turned into a museum. The mansion is on the National Register of Historic Places and is a Recorded Texas Historical Landmark.

The Butlers Pantry – zoom in for flamingo porcelain on the bottom shelf
The Guest Bedroom

The !900 hurricane did some damage to the mansion but it was mostly intact. There was further damage in 2008 from Hurricane Ike which flooded the basement. There will always be potential hurricane damage on a barrier island.

Original lathe and plaster in a bathroom being renovated
A toilet and a bidet! They were real fancy…

It was truly a beautiful house which seemed comfortable to live in. None of the rooms were oversized and it had a family feel.

Galveston is a favorite destination at the holiday season. They have a festival, Dickens on the Strand, which is the historic district. Participants dress up in Victorian garb which has evolved to include steam punk.

In a strange twist of fate, we had neighbors who originated from Galveston when we lived in a tiny hamlet in the north east of Scotland. The lady of the house had previously owned one of these Victorian homes in Galveston and loved all the Christmas events. I was enchanted by these tales (circa 1987) and imagined how much fun it would be to visit Galveston at Christmas time. Dreams can come true!

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Galveston, Oh Galveston

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Teddy and I had a mini visit to Galveston in November. The weather was still hot, with a coastal breeze, and there were NO TOURISTS! We stayed at the Harbor House Hotel which is the opposite side of the island from the beaches. It is a short walk from there to the historic district. We were going take a harbor boat tour but the dolphins came to see us! They were playing just a few feet behind us in this photograph.

Bottlenose Dolphins

Brown Pelican landing…

This was such a lucky capture of a brown pelican landing in harbor – they are resident year around. His landing was a tad ungainly but he swam off elegantly.

Brown Pelican in the fishing boat harbor

A cormorant is surveying his kingdom below. Galveston is such a strange mix of industry and seaside views. Wildlife seem to thrive amongst the tankers and cruise ships.

Battleship Texas at dusk

Above is Battleship Texas – click on the link for museum details. Below are the visiting white pelicans. White pelicans breed in the north at arboreal lake locations. Then, like all snowbirds, they go south for the winter.

White Pelicans – snowbirds!

I loved the silhouette of the boat tailed Grackle, below, amongst the fishing nets. They are southern birds who love the heat! They also have very loud voices, y’alls.

Boat Tailed Grackle in the Fishing Nets

We went to our favorite roof-top bar at the Hotel. I liked the juxtaposition of the old rooftops and brick walls with the giant cruise ships behind. You couldn’t pay me enough money to get on a cruise ship…

Cruise Ships and Historical Rooftops

Red Letter Visitor

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I was putting the washing out to dry on the back yard when I heard one of our neighboring hawks screeching. They were very insistent and I wondered if there was a coyote. Normally all the big birds live together quite happily – red shouldered hawks, Cara Cara, red tailed hawks and even an American Kestrel. Teddy came out with his long lens camera and we scanned the skies. Suddenly, I spotted a large bird wheeling above our heads and just below a light plane.

After Teddy took the image we looked at the camera to see the capture and it was a Bald Eagle. Woo Hoo!!! There were some nesting pairs in the previous area that we lived in but we had never seen them. Construction work in the town center has disturbed their habitat. Bald Eagles don’t normally live in this area but we do get winter visitors from up north.

We were amused by the hawks’ understandable anxiety. There is plenty of fish in the pond for them to share. This morning Teddy heard the hawk screeching again and our visitor is back. I think he has found a nest site on the other side of the pond. Bald Eagles have a wingspan up to 7ft and can live between 20 and 30 years. Santa doesn’t need to bring us anything for Christmas this year!!

I wonder if our eagle is from Canada? If so, he is probably our first Canadian tourist this year, eh? 😊 Perhaps our hawk was screeching, “Tarriffs on Texas Fish”

G.C. Chesterton

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I know, I know – it’s GK Chesterton, the author but this is GC (Gulf Coast Toad) Chesterton who resides in our garden. Neither GK or GC were lookers but both have a certain charm. Teddy had just lifted up our patio umbrella which was laying flat because of wind, when something landed on his head and then on the patio. I was so concerned that our newest pet might have been injured but as Teddy pointed out, his head broke his fall… After he regained his composure, he jumped off to wherever he normally lives.

The baby toad above is Junior and he has been living on our front door for weeks. Our Halloween lights have been attracting flying insects so he has been gorging on them before winter arrives. When they are digesting their prey, their little mouth quivers. Do you see the size of the poop next to him?? Geez Louise, how many insects did he eat? Late at night he changes shift with a bright green tree frog, who may be one of the poo-pertrators. We haven’t managed to get a photo of tree frog yet.

I was sitting in the living room, watching TV, when a small movement caught my eye. Was it a pine needle moving in the wind? No, it was the tiniest stick insect who moved quite fast when it saw the cameras. ‘Stick’ was barely an inch long and perfectly camouflaged – isn’t nature amazing.

Another day, I was attempting to wash the windows when this very cheeky Praying Mantis refused to move. I cajoled her into going into the grass but didn’t lift her in case she bit me! She kept trying to go back to the window, even when I was drying it. I have named her ‘Mother’. Praying Mantis eat other stick insects and anything else they can bite, so watch out little one!

It’s getting cool enough to walk around the pond behind our house. If you zoom in you can see a solitary heron on the edge. The grass and trees are suffering somewhat with the drought but it did rain last week and the pond filled up again. There are farms and homesteads behind the trees – I love hearing roosters crowing or a horse snuffling.

Above is a juvenile white Ibis with his protective darker coloring. He will turn pure white as he matures. An Ibis, a Heron and an Egret were sitting together – sounds like the start of a joke!

I was the first in our street to celebrate autumn with a fairytale pumpkin and my fall flag. Within days my display looked minimal – I am surrounded by full size headless horsemen, gigantic black cats, spooky trees and skeletons everywhere. I was looking at my across the street neighbors display and thought ‘have the skeletons moved?’ Daddy moves them every few nights so that the kids get a thrill – me too!

Happy Halloween!

If only I had a brain…

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Teddy and I had a grand day out at our local country town, Brenham, Texas. Over the years we have visited many times and even considered moving there. Like everywhere else in this part of Texas, the town is booming with new construction. The main square, however, is still wonderful. The townsfolk were having a scarecrow competition.

We chose to eat at an Italian bistro located in a craftsman style home. It was quite charming and the tomato bisque was the best I have tasted. Our eyes were bigger than our tummies, however, and we could only manage a third of our dessert. This was my first big drive in more than a year and I was surprised at how well I managed it. We took the country roads and enjoyed the pastoral ambience.

It was fun to browse through the shops, looking at clothes I would never wear. We both bought tops at the thrift store. There are some wealthy ranchers in this area and Houstonians who have second homes in the country. Their cast-offs can be high quality.

There are some lovely murals throughout the town center and they look so good in the vivid sunshine. It is still far too hot here but it isn’t humid so it feels more pleasant.

The scarecrow was my favorite character in the Wizard of Oz. On a tangential but funny note, when my obsessive compulsive disorder was at it’s worst, I had a problem locking the front door. In real life, Teddy had accidentally closed the door on our cat who was unharmed but wailing. I would spend many minutes locking and unlocking the door as we left, whispering ‘no cats, no cats’. Teddy would sometimes break the tension by whispering, ‘no brains, no brains’. Most of the time I laughed and it stopped the compulsion. It lasted for decades, until all the cats were dead. Now I don’t even care if the door is locked…🐈‍⬛

October is OCD awareness month – a spooky month to choose but fits right in with my compulsions! In our new house we have a local small trash collecting company. They don’t have any of those fancy lifts for the wheelie bins, just two young lads on the back of the truck. I kept wondering why there was small bags left at the bottom until I saw them in practice one day. One of the lads opened my bin with his right hand, reached for my bags (missing the small stuff at the bottom). In his left hand was a half-eaten popsicle (ice-lolly) – he must have the immune system of a Komodo Dragon! My OCD fixated on that all day, oh to be so carefree…