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Sierra

I know so many of my blogging friends share with us the tales of their four-legged friends, so I thought I’d update you on my Sierra girl dog.

She had dental surgery last week and she has chronic IBD, so she came home from the vet and just didn’t want to eat for 4 days. I tried everything soft I could think of — her normal, back-up-for-when-she’s-sick soft dog food, other soft dog food, cat food, scrambled eggs, rice, oatmeal, baby food, cottage cheese. She’d eat about 1/4 cup of something and then never try it again. She was losing weight like crazy and weak. So, today we stopped the pain pills and at my wit’s end, I tossed her a few of my daughter’s cheerios. She gobbled them right up. So, on a whim, I gave her a handful of hard food and she at it all gone!

Go figure! I guess maybe the soft food was hard to eat and made her use the front of her mouth more (where the tooth was pulled). So she’d pick a kibbie up with her tongue and toss it back to the molars – no problem.

There isn’t anything I wouldn’t do for her, and I was about in tears trying to get her to eat. And all she wanted was regular food – ha!

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I wrote that last night, in ultimate relief that we had some progress.

But tonight I bring you unbearably sad news – Sierra died today. She was very sick this morning – vomited 10 times at home before 7:30 and I took her to the vet, where they ran tests and ultrasound and found a very large mass of cancer in her small intestine, what was likely cancer all over her liver and fluid in her abdominal cavity. Even with double doses, they could not get her to stop vomiting. They said there really was no hope, and they were in great fear of rupturing.

I took her in this morning, worried, but fully expecting to get her stable and start babying her back to wellness from the IBD with medicine and love just like we’ve been doing for the last two years while living with a chronic disease, but that was not to be. I went to the vet with my adult son to be with her and say goodbye and she left us at 3:30 today.

My heart is broken and her “brother” Tanner has been following me around all day, knowing something is not right.

So, I won’t be posting for a while. The world lost a wonderful, loving and amazing dog today, and I’m proud to have been able to love her for seven all-too short years.

By Diana C. Kirby|2017-11-29T23:27:55-06:00March 31st, 2008|Blog, Sharing Nature's Garden, Sierra|17 Comments

A few little pretties

Today, my husband and I cleaned out the garage. No gardening and no interesting photos there, although it’s nice to have to done and all clean with room for more plants and pots and gardening tools!

I took these pictures yesterday. This lovely, delicate white flower is from my Anacacho Orchid Tree (Bauhinia congesta ), which I planted in the front bed when we had to remove all of the shrubs because of the Oleander disease. It replaces a Redbud that struggled most of the year. In the Spring, however, it always seemed happy and bloomed beautifully for me. I am so glad that this new tree also has lovely Spring blooms that everyone can enjoy. For a great photo for a full sized tree, you can check out Pam’s tree at Digging and see how much prettier the blooms get as the tree grows. (I have a little tree-envy, can you tell?!)

I had to capture a photo of this Verbena – the color is just so striking and it just thrives in this cooler Spring weather. It will melt when the heat of Summer arrives, but for now, it’s in its full glory and makes me smile every time I walk by it.

I saw Mr. Cardinal drinking from the top of my fountain and grabbed my camera, but by the time I got back, he was gone. But he invited some friends for a cocktail. Shortly thereafter, two mourning doves replaced him at the bar to wet their whistles!

By Diana C. Kirby|2016-04-14T02:47:51-05:00March 30th, 2008|anacacho orchid, birds, Blog, Sharing Nature's Garden, verbena|8 Comments

The worms are here, the worms are here …

Photo by: Eric Siegmund

Well, they really aren’t worms, they are caterpillars of the adult moth, the Oak Leaf Roller. The moth is about 1/2 inch long and has brown wings and brown markings.

In May, the moths lay their eggs on Texas Live Oaks. The eggs stay there for an amazingly long 10 months, until they begin to hatch in mid-March. And they are here. Now. I had my first sighting in the back yard moments ago as I almost walked right into one dangling from an oak tree in the back yard.

And they do dangle — down from the oak trees by the gazillions (well, maybe a few less than that) and make it almost impossible to pass under an oak without having green, squishy, squirmy caterpillars in your hair, and on your clothes, and everywhere you can imagine. These little caterpillars feed on the tender new Spring growth of the oak trees through late April. They can literally defoliate an entire tree. But they are a sight to behold if stand a little to the side of them!

Then they form the pupae stage and in early May, and the moths come out and then they start laying eggs again and the whole cycle starts all over again.

While you can control them with BT, or Bacillus Thuringiensis, we’ve never really needed to use it. The oaks are hearty, and while I’m sure they don’t like being eaten on, they bounce right back for the most part, so we just watch where we walk for a month and leave the moths alone to complete their life cycle. It’s another part of Spring, much like the flowering of daffodils, quince and Texas bluebonnets.

Then there is the new oak growth and the neon-green, powdery pollen that covers everything in a thick blanket of green dust … but that’s another post!

By Diana C. Kirby|2016-04-14T02:47:51-05:00March 29th, 2008|Blog, caterpillars, oak leaf rollers, oak trees, Sharing Nature's Garden, worms|0 Comments

Spring has Sprung

Signs of Spring are everywhere.

Before my outside bulbs started to open, I’d ordered this little Spring planter from a catalog.

It’s a little wooden picket fence with potted bulbs in it. Very festive to have in the house over the Easter holiday. I set it outside for some fresh air and sunshine today. It was 64 here today and breezy. Supposed to be a little warmer tomorrow.

I’m amazed that the daffodil bulbs I planted in January opened up today. And I’m thrilled to report that two of the allium I planted in the fall have poked up through the mulch. I’ve always wanted some and this is my first attempt.

If you look VERY carefully, you’ll see a tiny, lime-green bud in the middle of this photo. It’s the first sign of life on my coral trumpet vine.
This is the full vine – so much of the woody stalks cut back and it’s still huge. It takes over the whole fence and it’s beautiful when it’s in lucious bloom.

A little structure here – these are my fabulous Gardener’s Supply Co. square, foldable tomato cages. They held up even the 7 foot tall and unwieldy tomatoes last summer. I love them.
These are strawberries, mustard greens, swiss chard, cilantro, peppers and in the back, green beans.
I had to show you my little wooden tee-pee trellis. I got it at the Natural Gardener – paid way too much for it, but it was so beautiful I just had to have it. I can just imagine beans dangling from those cute little wooden sticks!

After all, part of the fun of gardening is shopping, don’t you think? It is for me.
Look closely, high up in the tree that’s behind the bi-color irises and the iron fence, and you’ll see my crossvine – going exactly where I don’t want it to go. (The story of my proverbial gardening life!)
And, finally, this is where the day lilies, a vine, some annuals and something I’ve yet to decide on will go — maybe even this week. I’m going to plant in an arc from the left front around to the back right. Just above this photo is one of our two breakfast room windows, so it will make a pretty sight when we’re eating.

By Diana C. Kirby|2016-04-14T02:47:51-05:00March 24th, 2008|Blog, bulbs, cross vine, Garden, Sharing Nature's Garden, spring, trumpet vine|13 Comments

Easter Dinner

Our wildlife friends enjoyed a nice Easter Dinner today as well, thanks to my husband and daughter who filled all the feeders for them yesterday.

My husband captured some great shots today, here you see Mr. Cardinal – our dear friend and long-time neighbor – having a feast of sunflower seeds.
Mr. Squirrel, though technically uninvited, continues to come for dinner anyway! Neither dogs barking at the window nor feral/neighbor cats nor my husband cranking open the window and hissing at him seem to have much effect. In spite of his having broken my outrageously expensive Christmas gift cottage house feeder, I’ve given in…after all, squirrels have to eat, too.
Look closely, this is our first beautiful goldfinch of the season, right in the middle of the branch. They are so bright and colorful.

Not captured on film today (well, not really film, either!), were a scrub jay (similar to a blue, but without the white markings on its wings. We also had titmice, sparrows, house finches, and wrens. I think that the cliff swallows have come to reclaim their nest on the front porch because spots of bird poop appeared today just under the nest. I’ll have to keep an eye out for them – last year someone had two sets of babies up there and it was a joy to watch them grow up and learn to fly on their own.

Happy Easter to all~

By Diana C. Kirby|2016-04-14T02:47:51-05:00March 23rd, 2008|birds, Blog, Easter, Sharing Nature's Garden|8 Comments

oooh, oooh, oooh…

Ok, so thus far, I suck at seeds. Sorry. But that’s the ugly truth. My seedlings (round 2) are still alive, but I’m not holding out too much hope for them. So, I’m going to toss the seed catalogs, because tonight, I let my fingers do the walking at a Daylily farm!

Wow. I’ve always been partial to them, but never had a great place to put them. I collect a new one or two each year at the Zilker Garden Festival, but most of them have been over-run or eaten.

But now, I have a NEW bed – an empty bed – just outside the breakfast window, that needs something. And while it isn’t all-day sun – it is all afternoon sun and I am hoping that’s enough. (Cross your fingers)

I got purple and orange and yellow, short and tall, and early and late bloomers. And the bed is inside the privacy fence, so they will be safe from the deer.

(I’ve been looking at this bed for years, and just removed the two sad olive trees that the previous owners planted in a stupid place so tight they couldn’t even stand up straight any more – against the fence, against the house and bordered by a sidewalk — and two of them in 12 feet X 14 feet or so. Sheesh – I guess they were cute when they were 3 feet tall – aargh)

Pssst…don’t tell anyone – but I rush shipped them because I need them NOW! Inspiration came to me tonight and even drew out a plan!

So, now I need a nice but not too invasive vine to grow up the fence behind them … suggestions anyone? I already have cross vine, trumpet vine, Mexican Flame vine, morning glories and wisteria climbing around — I’d like something new. Pam — what was that white flowering vine you posted a week or so ago? Send me your ideas!

By Diana C. Kirby|2016-04-14T02:47:51-05:00March 20th, 2008|Blog, Sharing Nature's Garden, Uncategorized|24 Comments

Blog

Sierra

A few little pretties

The worms are here, the worms are here …

Spring has Sprung

Easter Dinner

oooh, oooh, oooh…

Escape in the garden