Quick trip...
Note to Beth: Snakes are mentioned in this post.
Just got back from a quick trip to Fort Stockton for Mother's Day. The weather today wasn't too bad, but yesterday the temperature hit 105° (41° C); fortunately, due to the low humidity, it felt like only 103. ;-)
We learned this morning that the church where I was baptized and my wife and I were married will observe its 100th anniversary in November. My family has been associated with it for exactly half that time, which is neat to contemplate.
Not a lot of news to report from FS. My brother said that he's already killed five rattlesnakes at their place ten miles outside of town, which is a lot for this time of year. Even more unusual, three of them had no rattles, which is never a good situation.
While we didn't see any snakes, we did see the following critters lounging in the next door neighbor's yard when we pulled up to my parents' house.
This is part of a rafter of wild turkeys that has invaded town, perhaps as a result of the drought. There have been as many as 12-15 of them in the group, but their numbers have been dwindling for reasons one can only imagine.
Hope you had a good Mother's Day, and that it wasn't overly filled with turkeys!
Maybe turkeys eat snakes - I hear they're feisty. :) (The turkeys, though snakes are feisty too). Thanks for the warning - I can tell I've scared you but good! My plan for world domination is taking shape. ;)
I thought you all'd gotten some rain? (Not that a little rain cures a drought.)
Posted by: beth at May 15, 2006 07:50 AMIs it just me, or do those "turkeys" look a lot like cranes? Surely nobody is shooting these poor things for their meat!
Posted by: Gwynne at May 15, 2006 09:11 AMJanie, drought causes all kinds of strange behaviors and changes in living patterns for wild animals.
Beth, we've gotten a fair amount of rain here in Midland, but Fort Stockton is much drier, even though it's only 120 miles or so south of us. Last year, it was just the opposite.
That probably sounds kind of strange, but out here, a few inches of rain over the course of a year can make a big difference.
Gwynne, we'll be confiscating that Audobon Society membership card now, if you please. ;-)
Wild turkeys are much scrawnier than their domesticated cousins, but any resemblance to cranes is due either to my poor photography skills or...well, something else. As to why people shoot them, I wouldn't know. I've never heard of anyone trying to eat one, so I guess it's for the sport (they are pretty sneaky out in the wild), but I'm not a hunter.
Posted by: Eric at May 15, 2006 04:42 PMOr is it Audubon? I guess I'll relinquish my card as well. ;-)
Posted by: Eric at May 15, 2006 04:43 PMOkay, well, only one looks like a crane. The others just look like skinny, wild turkeys, the kind that fly and attack rural postal carriers.
I'd prefer an Autobahn card anyway. ;-)
Posted by: Gwynne at May 15, 2006 05:28 PMAbout the publisher
Random Abbye photos...
Angry Clouds
I am Curious Llama
Ganglia & Brain Cloud
Cabeza del Diablo
Aurora Moreorless
Be careful Who you plagiarize
Coming Attractions
All Thorns, All the Time
Hitchin' a Ride
"...the flower fades..."
Finding meaning in random events
Random Thursday: The Thanksgiving Edition
A Matter of Perception
Reason #21 to wear shoes in West Texas
The Neighborhood:
West Texas Blogs:
[Midland unless otherwise indicated]
Other Texas Blogs:
The Business:
The Church:
The World:
The drought...hmmmm...that might explain why I saw a roost of Turkeys on Hulen Rd in the midst of a shopping center just south of I-20 in Fort Worth. I was so amazed to see them I made the block twice...I could not for the life of me figure out what would drive turkeys that close to civilization...
Drought - That is probably it!
Posted by: Janie at May 15, 2006 12:11 AM