The Battle For Elms No More

Armed with chainsaws, chipper at hand, under a clear blue sky, they made their first assault on the army of elm trees controlling the southern border. Boom! The aerial attacks from inside the bucket methodically cut down the enemy elms. Blasting chips from shredding limbs, trunks turned into mulch. Dumped in piles that will be spread on paths over cardboard the earth will reclaim.

Storm clouds started building in the early afternoon.

The sky turned dark to the east, the south and to the west. Thunder rumbled in the background.

The sky started to clear to the east and west before sunset, but clouds were exploding to the south.

The winds were pushing and reshaping colorful clouds to the south and west as the sun put itself to bed.

The Week: March 23rd — 29th

Last week’s daily photos found some nice surprises, especially with the kittens trying their paws at film photography.  Photo of the Day, Etc for the week of March 23rd — 29th includes:

March 23rd: The kittens, especially Spunk, get into old-fashioned film photography — http://photos.tandlphotos.com/blog/2015/3/when-kittens-take-up-photography

March 24th: White tulips — http://photos.tandlphotos.com/blog/2015/3/yesterday-today

March 25th: Another personal record and a happy kitty — http://photos.tandlphotos.com/blog/2015/3/02-48-20-on-the-48th-climb

March 26th: Spunk tries paw, tooth and nail at developing film — http://photos.tandlphotos.com/blog/2015/3/spunk-does-film

March 27th: Morning Angel — http://photos.tandlphotos.com/blog/2015/3/angel-of-the-morning-angel

March 28th: Smoke and personal records — http://photos.tandlphotos.com/blog/2015/3/smokin

March 29th: Spunk has positive reviews of his negatives — http://photos.tandlphotos.com/blog/2015/3/positive-notes-on-negative-development

Manx in Mulch

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I had the catio closed while I painted the floor, so Mama Manx took advantage of the sunny day to go out and have a roll in the mulch. After a few rolls, she paused to yawn, and then acted embarrassed about the yawn by putting her paw over her face. When she finished rolling in the mulch, she nestled into a dried catnip for a catnap.

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Bungle in the Jungle

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Our yard has gone from a parched desert in the beginning of July, when we had less than 9/10 for an inch of rain for the entire first half of 2013, to a colorful jungle since we have received over 6 inches of rain since the beginning of July. I took the photos just after sunrise, before I spent the day pulling morning glories off of rose bushes and other plants, clearing paths, laying cardboard on the paths and spreading mulch on the cardboard. It’s still a jungle out there, but at least we don’t need a machete to cut our way from one end of the garden to the other.

 

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Middle March

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Here we are nearly to the middle of March and the temperature was 15 degrees F this morning at our house. Despite the frosty mornings, the crocus are blooming and the tulips are poking through the mulch, teasing us with anticipation of their first blooms.

 

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