Oddities and I'm not talking family pictures

At times here on Buhlaland - strange things appear. Apparently these fruits of galls are an incubator/hatchery for a wasp of some kind. I am curious about the whats and whys - my fanciful name for this oddity was Oak Tree Limes. They are about the size of a lime and certainly a lime color. When you pull one open it is filled with strange tissue. I didn't find a larva supposedly inside each one (and I didn't mind not finding a wormy thing - trust me - it is not my goal in life to find more yucky stuff) but I'll take the word of various internet experts. Just thought y'all might need something weird in your life today - if not - chalk this up to my having a computer and a camera and a little too much time this week.

Psalm 146:5-6 (New International Version)
5 Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD his God,
6 the Maker of heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them— the LORD, who remains faithful forever.

We might find or even do odd things here on Buhlaland but being one of those whose help is the God of Jacob - it is GOOD.

What it looks like on a Sunday in March

Welcome my friends to Buhlaland - a small bit of Texas and on days like this a preview of how heaven would be (for me at least). The wildflower is called a breadroot - apparently used by native peoples as a food source. The steers are in one of the pastures adjoining our property. The pansy basket is flowering with plants from last fall - enjoying the cold morning we had!

First rose of 2009 in our yard - a tiny blossom of our Jacob's Coat climber rose. Our silly Ellie goat - stuck in the fence - the goats do that a lot during the spring, things just look so tasty on the other side of a fence.

You didn't think I'd fail to put up some peeps pics - the one I'm holding already has wing feathers showing up - ah the babies grow up quickly. The peeps are out in their coop and I'm SOOOO glad. It was a good day on Buhlaland - fine worship at church today, delicious pancakes and sausage, some work completed around here and a very quiet day.

No chicks were harmed in the making of this blog post

As a bitter cold front was blowing in from the west (such timing huh?) we went to the feed store and picked up eight chicks constituting our new poultry endeavor. IF all eight survive and are definitely hens----long digression here --guy at feed store kept telling me only 90% guarantee of pullets - but these are sex linked chickens and the males are a different color at hatch - doesn't matter says he - only guarantee 90% will be hens - alrighty then back to our story. IF they meet the above mentioned requirements - in 4 or 5 months we should be getting a minimum of 28 eggs a week. Woo Hoo!They are peeping,pooing and generally making a royal mess in the small bathroom off our laundry room. We were going to start chicks in nice enclosure we put in our new coop but temps were dropping so drastically we chose to keep them in the house until spring returns. (according to the weather gurus that'll be late Sunday afternoon).

I'm big lately on better safe than - well better safe than most anything else I guess. No shark feeding,bull fighting, base jumping, sky divers in this household - life has enough challenges if you do it right!

The weird colored picture is the chicks ensconced in their temporary home with a red heat lamp.

No little peepers were injured when Conan decided to check the chicks. After sniffing and licking - he moved smoothly on to teeth closing over a chick but responded instantly to a Drop It command. Poor fellow - he thought we'd provided animated new toys!
No doubt I'll do more pictures of the peepers - I'm grateful for new lives and potential here on Buhlaland - oh yeah - and I'm really grateful for a recently refilled propane tank 'cause it is COLD here today! The cold weather won't last long but feels all the more painful after recent lovely days. This too shall pass (kind of like a kidney stone at the moment - painful in the process but OH how nice it will feel once it's gone!) It is still very good on Buhlaland - peep peep peeeeeeeppppp.

Delays,Delovely,Delightful

Today was marked on our calendars as "CHICK DAY" - well this chick has had a good day but didn't get any peeps. Feed store said there was a Delay. The Rojo Casita awaits our 8 Golden Comet pullets.

This morning was foggy and overcast, seemed primeval (if primeval could include hearing a radio playing in some neighbor's barn). The goats grumbled a bit about damp grounds and wet nibbles.

I went out early with my camera while things were still drippy and the humidity was 102%. Macro setting for the newly budded out oak leaves and lichen and maybe mosses (I'm not good on flora/ fauna) on trunks of other oak trees.

Psalm 117
1 Praise the Lord, all you nations. Praise him, all you people of the earth. 2 For he loves us with unfailing love; the Lord’s faithfulness endures forever.
Praise the Lord!

It has been a delaying, delovely, delightful day on Buhlaland - pretty cool huh?