BFF's

Our neighbors had a baby pig show up in their yard. They were never able to figure out where it came from, so it stayed.

Now it is a great big pig and thinks it is a horse... it's name is Pig. Best Friends Forever!

Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly

We have a Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly that loves to nectar on the Lantana. I've read that their host plants are willows and deciduous trees. We certainly have some of those around but seldom see more than one Tiger Swallowtail at a time. I enjoy them because they are not flighty and stay eating or resting for longer periods of time than some other butterflies. They make my heart sing!

Red Dragonfly

This Red Dragonfly hovered over the hot tub last week. It really seemed to be enjoying the water.

We are Coconut Nuts

 

While reading some nutrition books, I found that coconuts and also the coconut milk is really good for you. So when grocery shopping, I saw fresh coconuts and decided to buy one. I haven't eaten a fresh one in a long time. We put a hole in one of the three eyes and used the little straw that came with it to taste the milk, then drained the rest of the milk into glasses.

 

Rather than smashing it as the poorly translated instructions advised, I thought it would be a good idea to cut it. Hubby took it up to the shop and cut it on his band saw. That way I have two nice little bowls to use for something or other. Hummm... one side has holes from where we punctured the eyes to drain the milk out. Note to self:  next time cut the shell the other way so the holes are on the side, not the bottom.

After  a quick rinse, we started cutting out the coconut meat. The taste of fresh coconut is much milder and not nearly as sweet as what you get with shredded coconut in a bag. They add a lot sugar to the bagged stuff. One average size coconut has about 1000 calories, so those two pieces come to about 100 calories. What a treat and a good change of pace snack.

I think I will use that coconut milk in a curry dish I plan to make later in the week.

Red Winged Blackbird

The Red Winged Blackbirds hang out in the wet lands. They are usually in flocks and come and go as a group. Occasionally, they fly into our back yard and feast on seeds and just as suddenly they are gone. The red color on their wing is amazingly bright, almost florescent. Come back, Black Birds with the crimson on your wing, we haven't seen you for a while!

Milkweed for Monarchs

 Milkweed is the plant that Monarch  Butterflies must have to lay their eggs and the caterpillars eat the leaves as they grow and form their chrysalis.

We have planted many pots of Milkweed from seeds to get some started around our yard. This has been a labor of love and we bought seeds from several different places.

 

We went to visit our daughter and grand kids in the Los Angeles area recently. Look what we found growing by her house... Milkweed... growing wild... without all the drama!

SIGH... Some things in life really are not fair. lol

Living Dangerously

Now, what are these guys thinking? There must be moss or plants growing between the rocks that would lure them out on the wall of the dam.

I wonder how many fall in a year.