“Jings, Crivvens, Help ma Boab indeed!”

The front of the Patch is quite an eyesore at the moment as we approach our bulk pick up date.

I have a suspicion that the distinguished “Sir Digby Chicken Caesar” and his counterpart “Ginger” have taken up residence in the inner-pallets below the tarp.

A cold snap finally arrived in Central Texas this week, taking care of most of the outdoor mosquitoes.

“Spike”

The ones current dwelling in our house are another matter. My daughter and I have become so close to these insects that we have given them names, we are constantly amazed just how punctually our daily blood-letting get-togethers are performed.

Mosquitoes mid-December, that is ridiculous.

It got so cold the other night that “Kreature”, our grumbling house elf wasted no time bedding himself down into his stinky robes.

One plant that will visually warm you up on a brisk Texas day:

Crimson passion vine,

Passiflora coccinea

This vine dies back to the ground after a hard frost, but it has returned reliably for the past six years in the Spring.

Celosia always looks festive at this time of year.

The birds have been going crazy eating the seeds from these plants. I thought I had better seed a few to ensure next year’s harvest.

I paid my hired hands the ever increasing fee and set them to work extracting the seeds from the husks…“you can stop when your fingers turn purple.”

Her expression says it all.

Muhlenbergia lindheimeri fire cracker.

I would have decorated this Arizona ‘blue ice’ cypress,

but I do not own a step ladder large enough. That is my story and I am sticking with it, besides I just know this Darwin award winning activity would have ended with me taking an impromptu icy dip in that stock tank.

I couldn’t stand it any longer…yes it was out with the brushes and rakes this week to execute my least favorite of garden chores,

…must not think,

…must not think,

must not think about…

I have had an irrational phobia about assassin bugs lurking in the leaves ready to assassinate one of my fingers ever since I researched them. I won’t even go into Chronic Chagas’ Disease:

http://theassassinbug.com/2009/12/26/a-chagas-disease-primer-part-1/

Brrr.

A quick glance down at the current condition of my work gloves did nothing to fuel confidence.

Come on Santa!

The leaf cleanup uncovered piles of pecan nuts that were immediately stamped on and eaten or chewed up in Kreature’s case.

Other observations this week:

Keep still.

Seeding mist flowers looking misty,

crispy sea oats and

an up-to-no-good gate keeper. The plumosa fern that I planted earlier this year has almost reached the top of the gate.

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