The Eye of Sauron has shifted his gaze in the patch…
Could the eye be focusing on this tiny dove feather that somehow miraculously was caught by a single strand of feather grass? A feather caught by a feather grass! Ahh the irony! Another feather I caught this week had a much more tragic scene orbiting around it.
This “crying” drowned paper wasp in my rain-water collection tank looks like a scene from Titanic. If only it had found the feather raft in time. Goodbye Jack!
Sauron’s eye actually turned its attention this week to a rather small area of the patch, an area that has for quite some time troubled me. I just had to wait until the temperature dipped (at least slightly) below triple digits to tackle it. Today it seems was my “lucky day”, I had a plan…hot sauce festival in the morning, then a couple of iced turbans strapped to my head whilst hauling rocks in the afternoon… a perfect late summer’s day in Texas!
This area lacked any visual cohesion, it had different elements and a myriad of mediums all colliding at awkward angles, and those radial Home Depot bricks, I have now really come to dislike. All of this area nonsense had developed over time, and for numerous reasons, but today this was about to change…I was about to restore order, It was time for change.
Recycled bricks, Home Depot circular bricks AND moss boulders?…something had to give, starting with the location of these two grasses.
The Home Depot circular bricks began to annoy me over time, I am not really sure why or when this started, but I think it has something to with the fact that, oh yeah,… THEY ARE UGLY!
SO OUT THEY COME… Lots of unmentionables were lurking below, and in-between these rocks, along with at least thirty geckos, lying in waiting to eat all of the unmentionables.
I decided to extend the edging with the same brick laying design I have used in some other beds in the ESP, snaking them around my papyrus filled stock-tank.
Here is the final, less frantic scene. Finally the stock-tank looks like it is “incorporated” into the design. Taking out the grasses has alleviated the sense of clutter…quietness is once again restored in the patch, at least this part of it. Only another five more areas to tame! All I need now is for Jack and Rose to angle themselves precariously from the front edge of this stock tank, and I will be finally done with this area.
“look at that new ESP bed and brickwork Jack”! “Calm down Rose it is only a central Texas garden blog.”
Now, if I could only get that sticker off my stock-tank!
Moving on…
Click on any image in the patch then click again for a full-resolution shot.
This Texas Red Wasp looked on intently as I worked on the Patch’s hardscaping.
It seems like all the activity made it thirsty! A tiny piece of wayward Popsicle warranted a veritable feast for this old man, perhaps his last supper, and ooo, how sweet it was.
It turned out that the Eye of Sauron belonged to this gulf coast toad I found under one of my rosemary bushes.
The “Whirling Butterflies” Gaura, aka, White Indian Feathers are in full bloom to the delight of my oldest elf, (I think she just likes the name).
I caught this Reakirt’s Blue Hemiargus isola flitting around on the tiny blooms.
One of my favorite visitors in the patch…and so tiny.
And as for this nosey Damsel? Talking of eyes!
Happy 2nd “Notty Dreads” and he loves his new dump truck tchnic tchnock! ty.
Stay Tuned for:
“Fahrenheit 911”
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Inspirational Image of the Week:
‘Photo curtesy of Ruth and Dave on Flickr’
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ruth and dave/407501928/
Underground gardening. This garden is in a subway in Japan. It is surrounded by glass, lit by sun lamps and is watered by misters…amazing.
