MICA

Some of you know Mica from when she was an itzy bitty puppy. She'll be turning five soon, and though she's not cute and cuddly like she was back then, she grew into a nice looking dog. We don't know what breeds she harbors in her genes, but one thing is certain, she is 100% dog. Not as cuddly as Zoey and Smitty, but every bit as capable of stealing your heart away.

A GUST OF WIND

Big winds. Big branches. Kind of scary, actually, as I'd been sitting close by seconds before the branch came crashing down in a violent wind gust. It's going to be this way, I'm afraid, until the wind and storms take the tree bit by bit, or we hire a tree company to take the ailing (probably dead) tree down all at once. But obviously, something has to be done, as this is scary as well as dangerous.

SHADOW ON TEXAS FLAGSTONE

No special story behind this one. Me taking a picture of my shadow, is all. This is apparently what I do when I've run out of subject matter. I must get into the habit of taking my camera with me when I go places. I've snapped pictures of every flower and living thing around the house. And now this.

Peas and Pods

A recent trip to our plot at the Sunshine Gardens was a big surprise! We found hundreds of blossoms on our peas; white, pink, blue. So beautiful. This can only mean we'll be finding lots of pods in the next weeks. Soon we will be eating bowlfuls of peas, adding them to stews, and sprinkling them on our salads, putting the rest up for later, when they are no longer in season.

SEYMOUR THE CAT

Meet Seymour, my cat with odd colored eyes, a blue one and a green one. This picture doesn't really bring out that particular trait, but for those of you who have read the first three chapters of my book, this is the spitting image of what I see when I envision Merlin.

He adopted us about seven years ago, left his old owner to move in with us. I personally think he liked our pet food better than he liked hers, but one never really knows what goes on in a cat's head. He's been a good companion, always showing up for his meals, never missing an opportunity for a good petting. When it gets cold he likes to hang out in my car, which is where he was lounging at the time this picture was taken.