June Blooms....and Frogs

Here is one of the resident frogs we have. Since it has been such a wet year there are hundreds of frogs. It is really cool when it rains and is overcast, the frogs start singing their mating song. It can get really loud and when they really get going they fall into a wonderful rhythm, there is not another sound quite like it!
I love this picture, this guy is in his element and in bliss!






The summer has been quite cool and very pleasant. All the plants are going crazy, they have plenty of water and moderate temperatures. It has been in the low 90s and upper 80s which is perfect for the jungle.
































Even some funny looking mushrooms!















The sky rockets are Happy!






















The back yard is filling in nicely, Yes! this is where some of our time has gone!















Passion Vine in bloom, BEAUTIFUL!!!
But beware, they are VERY invasive, they will take over and spread far and wide if you let them!















We planted Wax leaf along the driveway to create a consistent border and more privacy. I am spreading cedar sawdust as a mulch to deter weeds and hold in moisture. I know, you can barely see the truck and I am behind the camera! But I wanted to show how green it is!










The Day lilies bloomed on and on!! -















First year garden and the barrels are holding just fine!










And the closet is still on hold waiting in the background!!!

High speed internet comes to the Ranch

Even in the way out country you can be high tech! We were so tired of snail e-mail. I was not able to send very large files to my clients and the speed was pathetic to say the least. So we had a little dish set 50 ft in the air, pointed to the tower that was about 5 miles away. It took 3 men to get it raised and then it was tied with guy wires to secure it from the winds. We hid it in the trees so you don't really see it at all.
It took us about 2 weeks to clear the area of a dying tree and under brush so it wouldn't be so difficult to maneuver it up. It is always scary to bring down a tree , especially when they are 40 ft tall. We have a 40 ft extension ladder that we used. But balancing on the ladder holding a chain saw and cutting the limbs one by one is something to take very seriously. This is why it took so long to get the job done. We had to calculate where best to place the ladder, how the limb might fall and making sure Richard could keep his balance!