Lunch, pineapple and 56

So, today it was 100 degrees, again. That makes 56 days now with temperatures at 100 degrees or more!! That is 20 days past the old record of 36 days at 100 or more set back in 1998. They're thinking we may get to 60!!!!

I had lunch today with friends I used to work with from Elrod Elementary. We spent over 2 hours at Cracker Barrel enjoying the good food and each other's company. In this picture is Macleta Clark, myself, Sue Widsten and Betty Wagner (from left to right).


In the evening, Guillermo cut the little pineapple that had been growing by his garden. It's teeny, but it looks good. We'll cut it open tomorrow.




The little corn plants, (that were saved by the bridal veil earlier), are getting a little bit bigger!

A few nature scenes

The blue of this flower looks so striking. It is growing on the fence on the side of our house. Every day there are one or two blooms on this Morning Glory plant.


We saw this funny-looking lizard (an Anole and I say funny-looking because of the half-tail) dining on a small butterfly. It seemed to be struggling with its catch.



The temperature got to around 102 again today. That must make it now 54 days this year at 100 or more.

Random garden shots

So, if the buyout DOES happen, they will knock down certain homes, and take some land to make the creek wider. When I took the picture of the view from where we THINK they are going to take land, the big Cypress tree that Andrew gave us was right behind me. We think that Cypress tree will probably be saved. Good thing we planted it so far from the creek. We are sad to see that our two White-Thorned Acacias (along with several other nice trees that Guillermo planted back there) are probably going to be bull-dozed. But Guillermo has taken some seeds from those acacias and will start some new trees later. Actually, Guillermo planted most of the trees out in our field (there are 4 mesquite trees he didn't plant), so whatever tree is in the buyout area, it probably is a tree that Guillermo planted. :-(

Some pictures of the garden

The beans are growing - using the bridal veil cover worked!

Doing a little weeding

Fall tomatoes

Checking the plants for pests

The only watermelon that survived.  Something ate all the others.

Guillermo by the White Thorned Acacia, grown from seeds he picked up at the U of A when Rebeca was going to school there.

From this spot all the way back to the creek will be how wide they are planning on widening that creek.

A rabbit has been eating on this plant

Slide scanner and bridal veil garden

About two weeks ago, we bought a slide/negative scanner and finally, today, I decided to tackle getting it installed on the computer. Of course, it's never easy. The laptop acted like it wanted nothing to do with it, so I tried to install it on Guillermo's computer. At first, it appeared it was going to be rejected there, too, but with enough perseverance, FINALLY the computer was able to recognize the scanner. So, YAY, I've been able to start scanning our slides. We've got about 6 boxes of slides, and in each box, there is probably at LEAST 50 slides (if not more) to scan. The scanner does 3 at a time, so it will be a time-consuming process, but at least we'll be able to see all those old pictures again. :-)

And a few days ago, Guillermo and I went to Walmart and he (not me) bought 30 YARDS of bridal veil material!!  Anyway, he is using it to cover his sprouting seedlings of beans and corn. Guillermo has declared that those rabbits and grackles are NOT going to have a free lunch this season. Here's a picture of the bridal veil garden.

This next shot is from up close.  Using the bridal veil is working, because nothing ate his newly sprouted green beans, and the corn is being left alone.

Fast approaching 50

Today is 48 days of temperatures of 100 degrees or higher.

Also, day before yesterday, I had dinner with the people I used to work with at Elrod Elementary. Very enjoyable time at Johnny Carinos.

The ball is starting to roll

Last month, Guillermo and I attended two meetings concerning the flooding issues on our street. One was held in the city of San Antonio and the other was held here in Leon Valley. At the first meeting, we were told that the buyout was moving forward and at the second meeting, we were told there would be a meeting in August, at which time we'd receive letters requesting permission to access our property to do an appraisal. Well, we received that letter today. It has to be signed and returned within 5 days. It also included a Bexar County appraisal figure for our house, and we will fight the buyout if the amount we are offered is the figure on that letter. WAY too low. Supposedly, the appraisals will begin in mid-September.

39 and counting

Today makes 39 days so far that we have hit 100 degrees or higher. And at this point, it looks like that will continue for several more days. Each additional day at 100 or higher is just making a new record.

Who knows, maybe it was this weather and the lack of rain, but one of our red-tipped photinias slowly dried up even though we gave it water periodically. That photinia had been there in front of our house since we moved in. Guillermo chopped it down the other day, and we placed some of our potted plants in the spot where the photinia had been. We like the way it looks with the new plants. Guillermo might even chop down the other photinia that is left!

Moon Flower

Some pictures of the nice moon flower plant that Guillermo has by his garden. Every year it blooms so beautifully!
A close up view. And they smell good, too!
Today we matched the record that we hit in 1998, for 36 days so far with the temperature being 100 degrees or higher. Hopefully that will be it as far as similarities to '98.