Hummingbirds Texas Style

Hummingbird season is here, so we hung our feeder. That day 15 Hummingbirds showed up!!! The Hummingbird wars began, so we quickly hung a second feeder. We're enjoying their twittering frenzy, and seeing several at a time sit in the open branches above the feeders. Let the video download completely and enjoy.



I've discovered what I think is the perfect Hummingbird feeder. Check it out below. It has 4 parts that all snap apart easily for cleaning, and a wide mouth for filling. It holds 32 ounces. It is made by "First Nature" and can be ordered through several Internet sites.


Our Charm of Hummingbirds (Yep, that's a flock of them!) drink 3 cups of juice a day! Our feeders hold 4 cups each. We're making a gallon at a time now! Maybe it's my recipe that they like. The secret recipe is to boil one cup of water, turn off the heat, and add 1/4 cup of sugar. Do not add food coloring. The red plastic on the feeder is enough to attract them. If you make extra juice, it can be kept in the refrigerator for one week. Happy Hummingbird feeding!

Entomologists Must Come From Texas

I wouldn't have noticed this huge bug, except for looking to see what Odie was about to pounce on. He has a nose for trouble!


I don't care for bugs, but this one gave me a mixed ahhh - ewww response. Fascinating, but ewwww, it's a bug. You can see why it is called a Longhorn Beetle.


Here's another picture for some size perspective. It's body is about 2" long without counting the antennae. It is considered a musk beetle (ie. stink bug): No biting, stinging, or poisoning. It flies, so there could be heart failure concerns! Trivia facts: You can tell the male by the antennae being longer than the body. There are about 20,000 species of this bug, 412 of which are in Texas. Now we know.

Go Otis Go!!!

Otis has improved his walking tremendously in the last month. In this video he walks approximately 100 feet in about a minute. He generally walks down this drive and back up the hill twice a day. Notice the little prancing run near the end of the video. This is his Summer goal. Considering I wasn't sure he'd ever walk unsupported, he's convinced me he'll achieve his goal of being able to run Otis Style! Download the video completely before watching it, as he's moving fast! Go Otis Go, or maybe I should have said, Run Otis Run!!!