Last of the Turkey Saga

When Steven asked if wild turkeys are eaten, I was reminded of a cowboy friend of mine who about 15 years ago rode off on his horse to investigate gobbles on his ranch. Billy Don with shotgun in hand rode his horse, Bugger Red, along the North San Gabriel River. I wish I had a photo of him on his horse. He is over six feet tall and was dressed in his ranch clothes, boots, jeans, shirt & rough jacket and a big felt cowboy hat and was sitting on his beautiful big palomino gelding.

Within the hour the two returned. Billy rode up with a huge grin on his face and a big ole tom turkey hanging from his saddle. He & Bugger searched out the turkeys along the river and Bugger stood stock still as Billy Don aimed & fired. This was the first time he had shot his gun while sitting on his horse and all sorts of bad things could have happened, but that horse was steadfast. The tom was retrieved, tied by its legs to the saddle & brought it back to the ranch house to pluck & cook in time for Thanksgiving. Now that was pretty darn cool!

Turkeys on the Roof - Sunday 160

Turkeys on the roof
Squirrels in the attic
Steven asks:
"Can you eat wild turkey?"
Lizzy answers:
A resounding "Yes!"
But, not sporting
to shoot such precious critters!

I am trying the "Character 160 Sunday Challenge" from Monkey Man. This came to me this morning when I visited Beth at What I Should Have Said - 160 Envy

Tomorrow I'll end up my "Turkey's on the Roof" story. Enjoy this fun little exercise for the mind.

Turkeys on the Roof

At 7 AM it was 12 degrees on the patio at our house. Pretty chilly for central Texas. As I was preparing the coffee the electricity went out... on, off, on, off, on... OFF for about 3 hours.

I left the G-man in bed, manually opened the garage, & drove to the local Starbucks. One of my neighbors was there. He & I drank coffee & visited for a while until he went to pick up his wife at jazz-ercise.

Back home with extra coffee to fortify us we built a nice roaring fire. Fortunately the electricity came back on about 10 or so & the house began to warm up again.

The turkeys reappeared around noon and flew onto the roof when the neighbor's dog, Mo appeared. Mo likes to tree the squirrels and I suppose he wonders what these big birds are doing in the yard.

The backyard has been busy with all sorts of birds this morning. A chickadee was hoping for a drink of water, but alas the water is still frozen. A pileated woodpecker was in the yaupon eating berries, but alas we have not seen either the male or female buff-belly hummingbird today. I hope they made it through the cold night.

Turkeys on the Roof

They are not fearful of me, but zoom when Mo appears.

Sweet ole Mo

Pileated Woodpecker eating berries

Arctic Air & Wild Turkeys!

Today along with the Arctic blast we got wild turkeys in the back yard. Usually there are 3 (a hen & her year old chicks), but today only the two younger ones came by for a visit. The G-man looked out the window and saw them on the patio. I was able to go out the side door & take a few photos of them. They seem pretty tame and didn't spook as I crept onto the patio. Fun things happen in our back yard.

Starting Out on the Annual Audubon Bird Count - January 1

The G-man is bundled up as we begin stalking around
Colovista & the Colorado River
in search of birds for the
Bastrop County annual bird count.

Looking for water fowl along the Colorado River.
Here we spotted a green Kingfisher as he zoomed past.
We also saw some Mergansers and Spotted Sandpipers along the shore.

The G-man, Josh, & Josh listening & looking.

It was an absolutely spectacular day with not a cloud in the sky.

We saw Cara Caras, sometimes called Mexican Eagles.
Vultures were in abundance as many fly in to spend the winter.
Hawks, Merlins, Kestrels, and Osprey were also spotted.

Above is an Osprey soaring above the river.

The G-man & I standing on the bluff
overlooking the old golf course & pastures at Colovista.

More views of the closed course.

The G-man & David discussing birds.

Cattle in the pasture.

Reflections.

An Egret in one of the golf course lakes.

Two Cormorants sunning on the lake.

An unidentified sparrow.

Some of the counters at the meeting following a day of birding.

We're a scraggly-looking bunch after a day of wandering the woods, fields, & town.

Most will reconvene at the Texas Grill next
January 1st at 7 AM to make the new year's count.

Resolutions for 2K10

Me leaving the Par 3 Tee Box on #12 at Wolf Dancer Golf Course.

Resolutions in three areas...

Personally, I should:

1. do all I can to keep my family & myself healthy & happy.
2. try to become more tolerant of people who have opposing views to my own.
   
3. make a schedule for working on my blog.
4. limit my time on FaceBook (some of those FB games are addictive).
5. read more.
6. walk more.
7. exercise & golf more.
8. learn to deal better with the frustrations of golf!
   

Environmentally:

1. Reduce - Lessen the amount of purchases I make even more than I have this past year. Give family items (heirlooms) to my younger relatives with descriptions and stories accompanying them.
2. Reuse - If I can't use something anymore then I should find others who can. If it is something that needs repairing to be of use then I should get it fixed & use-able!
   
3. Recycle - I recycle all that I can and now I should think of composting. We now have curbside recycling in my neighborhood and I only have to drive to Austin to recycle glass products.

Spiritually, I would:

1. like to learn to meditate.
   
2. like to gain a better understanding of myself & others as I continue my life journey.

What resolutions have you decided on for the new year & the new decade?

Happy New Year from Central Texas

Christmas was lovely at our home.
The G-man took this photo of
his two girls in their red sweaters.

We were in the backyard
on Christmas morning
filling the new bird feeders
and bird bath for our feathered friends.
We still have a couple of hummingbirds
flitting about the yard,
so we also refreshed the hummingbird feeder.

We at the Cato home wish you all
a very happy new year filled with
love, joy, happiness, & grace.

Happy 2010 or 2K10 as some are calling it.
Best wishes to all in the new year.

Greetings of the Season

Greetings of this Season
of love and caring
to one and all.

Peace throughout Earth.

Best wishes for happy, safe holidays
for you & yours
from the Cato family.

Happy Birthday Mother

Happy Birthday, Mother

Florence Elizabeth Haeseler Jenkins
1907 ~ 2003

Visiting Pablo & Saying Goodbye to Gail

This past September when the G-man & I were in California,
I dropped him off at the golf course early on Friday morning
and drove to Redlands (about 70 miles away) to visit my dear friend, Pablo.
We went to breakfast and then returned to his home
& orange grove for a short visit.
We have known each other 34 years from our days in San Antonio.
His wife, Gail, and I met in a weaving class at the Southwest Craft Center.
We became fast friends & kept up with each other over the years.
We visited in Spain.
We visited in Germany.
We visited in Abilene.
We visited in Dallas.
Finally we visited in Redlands in the early 1990s.
In 2002 Gail died suddenly, but Pablo & I have remained in touch
via phone calls, emails, and meets in Nevada.
At long last I was able to return to their home,
to see Gail's studio that Pablo so lovingly built for her,
to revisit the orange grove,
& to photograph parts of the house as a remembrance.

Pablo, the G-man, & I will get together again in Las Vegas or New Mexico,
but this was probably my last visit to their home in sunny California.
Below are photos of Pablo's abode.
When we visit it seems like we just pick up
the conversation where we left off.
That's the way real friends communicate.

Garzilla's Grove

Pablo & his truck

LF (Lizzy's chair)

Gail's Window

Adios my dear friend