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Praetorium Honoris

Monday, March 28, 2022

10+ Ways to leave your Winter!

 So...juvat, how do you know when Winter is leaving and Spring is arriving in the Lone Star State?  Well, Dear Reader, there are at least 10 identifiers for that momentous occasion.  Let me run through them for you.

1) Hummers.  No, Beans, not HumVees.  These.


Hummingbirds, being smarter than humans, migrate south of the border during the winter and return during spring.  Mrs. J, being the kind hearted soul she is, puts her first hummingbird feeder out mid-February and we keep an eye on it for the "Scout".  Evidently, Hummingbirds when migrating, send out singletons to look for food sources.  Once found, the main body diverts to that source and feeds until moving on. We were out in the back yard this past weekend (more to follow) when this guy arrived.  Mrs. J has since put feeders on the dozen or so feeding poles we have in the yard and, if past years are any guide, we'll soon see lots of the little fellas.  They're great for keeping the mosquito population under control.  They're also pretty good at entertaining old air to air Fighter Pilots.  So, this guy is a key harbinger of Spring.

2. Deer.  Likewise, these guys play a similar role.  Since Winter has interrupted the growth cycle for plants, they get hungry and a bit more bold in finding food.




An additional function for these guys is to act as an alarm clock for us.  They come onto the property early in the morning in search of food.  The Dogs, being Dogs, sense them somehow and express their dissatisfaction with the intrusion on the property. Given that the Dogs are either in the house or in the fenced in yard, one can see that the Deer are not to concerned  by the cacophony. But, Mrs. J and I?  Further sleep being impossible, it's time to start the day.

3.  Bikers.  Thunder in the Hills is an annual gathering in the small town of Bandera TX. (It's about 50 miles South of here, Beans).  It took place this past weekend and, evidently, ~70K motorcyclists attended.  It's one of my favorite times of they year.  There's just something magical about driving along a two lane highway behind a string of 50 or so Harleys.  But, because the weather is improving enough to ride a motorcycle without much clothing, they're a harbinger.
Source



4. Bikers.  Well, to be honest, Cyclists.  These folks actually scare me.  Mrs. J expressed a desire to go out for lunch Saturday.  After a bit of discussing options (there are a LOT of Fooderies in our area, an awful lot!), we decided on Alamo Springs Café.  It's out in the boonies a bit, out by the old Railroad Tunnel (now a Bat Cave), and reached by a two lane, no shoulder, lots of curves and hills and dips resulting in very short sight distances.  Speed limit is 45. The weather was beautiful.  I don't know how many cyclists decided it would be a great idea to ride up to the Bat Cave and back (about a 25 mile round trip).  You know where this is going donch'a?  Holy Crap, speak of a Death Wish.  While I did end up with some bug guts on my windshield, I somehow managed to avoid adding cyclist guts.  But, the brakes and the steering wheel got a workout.  And, no, I've been down that road before.  I was well under the speed limit.

Arrival at the Cafe, and we're greeted by a guy.  He tells us there's a 30 minute wait to place our order as there are many bikers, of both flavors, making the journey for the "2009 Best Burger in Texas" place
Source

So we settled in the lounge chairs in the shade, listened to a decent country and western band and had a medicinal beverage while we waited.  I don't know if the Burger was the best I've ever had, but it's PDG!



RTB was almost as bad.  I came around one short sight distance curve and had to slam on the brakes.  A car was stopped in the middle of the road.  Shortly after I got stopped not very far from his bumper, an armadillo walks out from in front of his car.  Gotta love 'em.

5. Old Woodshed.  How is this a harbinger of Spring? Well, this time of year it's neither too hot, nor too cold to work in.  Mrs. J had a project for me this past week. and it involved wood. My new shop, while wired, is still in need of insulation which must precede interior walls which will make the shop operational, so...Back to the old, small, crowded shop.  But, the temperature inside was quite comfortable.  So, spring must be nigh.

6.  Shelves.  How are Shelves a Spring indication?  Well, work with me on this one.  As you, Dear Reader, are well aware, we have two guest cabins on our property.  Occupancy rates lately are well over 90% on weekends and better than 50% during the week.  One comment that has been made multiple times is that neither has a place for storing clothes that don't get hung on a hanger.  Mrs. J asked if I could install shelves.  A woodworking project? But, of course, my Dear!

Before

Installed (yes it's a different closet)

Completed

I spent a lot of time commuting between my woodshop and the cabin.  Fortunately, the Spring-like weather was cooperating. Got it?  

Yeah, I know, bit of a stretch.

7. Rain.  Usually we get quite a bit of rain in the Spring.  It's been forecast several times recently.  We got NADA!

8. Winds.  Usually, we get quite a bit of wind during the Spring.  This we got...in Spades!

9.  Burn Bans.  The vast majority of Counties in Texas have been under a burn ban for quite a while now because grass doesn't grow in the winter and is now dead and therefore a fire hazard.  Our County is an exception.  However, based on #7 & 8, the County Commissioners are expected to issue one as you are reading this.  Hence, there was a lot of "gotta burn my trash pile" going on lately.  The falling domino that you are no doubt sensing in this paragraph is:


Yep, the area Fire Departments have gotten quite good at responding.  They managed to get this one out in about an hour.  Yes, I was concerned.  A while ago on a weekend, one broke out near the local High School.  The Ag barn was very close to the fire and the animals had to be evacuated.  That made the local paper.

10. And my final harbinger of the arrival of Spring is...Mrs. J.  She breaks out her gardening tools and attire, borrows my truck and loads the bed with manure, other fertilizers and plants.  While she's gone, I take the opportunity to apply a healthy dose of Ben-Gay to my soon to be aching back.  Yesterday was spent resuscitating Rose bushes, planting Lantana and weeding. The next few days will be focused on developing a vegetable garden. I need to add Ben-Gay to the shopping list.

Plus a bonus. High temp last week was in the 40's. Driving into town yesterday, the car thermometer read 91.  Driving home, there was another grass fire about 5 miles west of our house.  
Fire Fighting Aircraft flying directly over our house.  There are 4 total about a minute apart and this is their second or third trip each.


So given all the above indicators being found, I'd say Spring in Texas (or my little spot thereof) is upon us. YMMV.

One final quiz question.

That's a Red Tesla with California plates,  Refugee? or Missionary?

😏

Peace out, y'all!

45 comments:

  1. final quiz question, answer
    Invader?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Well, the Conquistadors did bring missionaries with them, so that's an acceptable answer. Also, since he turned off the road at the gate of what I refer to as "California Hill", I think they're not refugees.

      Delete
  2. Blue Bonnets.....saw the first of them while driving I35 by a Round Rock exit.

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    Replies
    1. Steve,
      Good point. Although this year they haven't been as widespread in this area as usual. No idea why.

      Delete
  3. Perhaps a monthly subscription to Amazon for the Ben-Gay for the Spring and Summer months juvat. Going to second boron, got that truck gun set-up? Nice looking woodwork there. Good luck with the insulation on the new shop.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Nylon,
      Do they give a bulk discount? Just kidding (I think). Thanks.

      Delete
  4. Spring in Philly.
    It went down to 23 last night, it's 24 at 0700. We will climb only into the middle thirties today.
    After Wednesday's "wintry mix" possibility, it will be 72 on Thursday.

    The doc prescribed a steroid gel for my occasional knee problems, and it's now over-the-counter as Voltaren. I heard that the generics work just as well and I will find out after I've used up my current stash.

    Very nice looking storage project and I will file the idea away.

    Two wheeled bikers. It's the awful ones that give the rest a bad name.






    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. John,
      Thanks for the knee info. I'm going to look for that when I head into town later. Knee has been aching for a week or so now.

      Two wheeled bikers...yep, one would think they would ride defensively as if everyone was out to kill them. Yes, you have the right to use the road. So do I. But if either one of us makes a mistake, you're the one ending up injured or dead. Only one person has ever come back from the dead and you ain't him!

      Delete
    2. John, It was right there on the shelf. Picked up a tube. Anything I should know?

      Delete
  5. A pleasant weekend here, woke up to 25 degrees this morning. Blah ...

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    1. Had my quarterly Lab work done first thing this morning. Beautiful morning. Truck said OAT was 72. Should be a nice day. Mrs. J has decreed it's weed and feed our yard. Probably make my 10000 step goal easily today. Now, where did I leave that tube of Ben-Gay?

      Delete
  6. Juvat, Spring at The Ranch is the Turkey out strutting and doing their thing and the return of the song birds. And green - glorious glorious green.

    I am always worried about cyclists when I see them on the road from both sides of the equation - drivers are not always as careful as they ought to be and (frankly) not all cyclists are as careful as they should be. A bit of of carelessness and/or arrogance on either side and things go poorly.

    The shelves look great!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. THB,
      As you can see from the pics (and the fires), there's not much green out here yet. Would love to see that.
      Re: Bikers. Agreed!

      Thanks.

      Delete
  7. Answer: target of opportunity. You do wire the inner two fifties to a switch for the juicy target on RTB don't you? I mean six fifties is enough for anything... with two for the return trip.

    Yes sir it has been warm. Then cold, then warm, then cool..... Spring has definitely made it here. Bird calls are really pretty in the am now, too. Once they start up, sleep is nigh impossible for me.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. STxAR,
      Saw something somewhere on the internet yesterday that showed how to modify a muffler to look like a GAU-8. That would be fun to have. Cops would probably frown on it though. If you could get the barrels to spin and maybe put a laser on it that could put a dot on the windshield....

      Delete
  8. Another sign is the return of purple martins from South America. This morning I counted 40 purple martins distributed around the six bird houses I have on my property. Noisy little things and a pleasure to hear in the morning as the sun rises over the horizon.
    -Barry

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    Replies
    1. I don't know that I've ever seen a purple martin. We do get a pretty large variety of birds around here from humming birds to Eagles, so maybe.

      Delete
  9. Juvat, my experience with bikers (engine or human powered) around the ‘Burg makes me approach 'em with extreme caution. Even on busy 16 N. around the Pecan Grove Store the engine powered guys think they can stop and "squat" in the middle of the road to make a right turn into the parking lot.
    The human powered two wheelers get an acknowledging "honk" when I approach them from the rear...too many act as though they're wearing ear buds listening to eardrum busting rock and unaware of their surroundings. Once I approached a group of bicyclists with small children parked under a tree and had a toddler run right out in front of the truck while the supervising adults had their thumbs in one of two places with their mental facilities in neutral. Thankfully, past experience had my speed down to dead slow preventing a terrible situation.
    I'm always thankful when the weather is too hot for 'em to leave their a/c in Austin to haul their bicycles to the Hill Country.

    Cletus

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    Replies
    1. Cletus,
      Agreed. Although I don't give them a honk, I'd be concerned if they're amongst the unaware crowd, the honk might wake them up and cause them to make a sudden change in direction. I just give them as wide a berth as is possible under the conditions.

      Delete
  10. Spring is here because the damned skeeters are back. Grrrrr...

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    1. I can send you a few hummingbirds if that'd help.

      Delete
  11. We have a couple of year-round hummers here in the land of perpetual drought.
    But, then it is springlike more than winter.
    Anyway, these two birds… l call them Buzzy and Perchy have laid claim to our feeder.
    Buzzy won’t land because Perchy is a bully, who won’t allow anyone else around when he wants to feed.

    Bicyclists come from two camps:
    About 5% know the rules of the road.
    All the rest have decided they need to exercise, a d wouldn’t cycling be fun.
    They don’t understand that they aren’t in Amsterdam, and don’t have the right of way.
    I try not to ride my bicycle when they’re on the road.

    Nice shelves.

    No comment regarding California Teslas… oh wait: a friend and his wife drove theirs to Calgary last week; posted lots of pictures from charging stations.
    ‘Nuff said!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Skip,
      Two of the best things about California are the weather and the views. My Mom's family are natives. Used to be my favorite state, Then....I know a lot of ex-residents that have moved here, the vast majority are in the "Refugee" group and I welcome them. "Missionaries" or worse "Invaders" a pox on them!

      Good point about Bicyclists.

      Thanks, That was a fun project and I learned a couple of new techniques. Mrs. J's happy, so, like all good husbands, I'm happy.

      Delete
  12. I don't it's in keeping with the rules applied hereon to post pictures of luscious burgers. Especially when there is slim to none chance of either beans or myself ever getting one.
    Also, I was wondering how you prepare the hummers. Fried, they'd be bite-size, I suspect, or maybe on a skewer, thence to a pita with babaganoush and harissa.

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    Replies
    1. Fuzz,
      You be nice, now hear! Besides the little bugger's can turn on a dime and top speed is well above mine, so bugging out of the fight is no problem for them.

      As to Burgers...C'mon Down/Over, I've even got a guest house where you can store your personals now.

      Delete
    2. We had a lot of them in Santa Cruz. They are fascinating to watch, they practice great ACM!

      Delete
  13. One of the signs of spring here is, of course, the arrival of the first hummingbirds. Also, the Harley hatch out of Birmingham, as the accountants and lawyers shake off the winter doldrums and disturb the peace out here in the semi-country

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    Replies
    1. GLT,
      Yeah, I'm pretty sure that the vast majority of that crowd was Austin, DFW, or Houston based. Takes some Bucks to ride a Harley in the style that seems to be required. Course it also takes some Bucks to keep the Audiologist's and ER Personnel in business also.

      Delete
  14. "Thunder in the Hills"! My frau and I are not enamored by the event. We live just a few miles east of Bandera about 1 1/2 miles as a bird flies from Texas Hwy 16. It is Harleys, other big bikes, Can-Ams (three wheeler with two wheels in front) and other assorted motorcycles from about Thursday through Sunday. You can't go into town because it is clogged with the participants.

    We met our daughter and grandson at the local "Italian" restaurant for lunch at about 12:15 on Sunday (we don't have the fooderies that the 'Burg has). There was a row of 20+ motorcycles in front. The owner said that there were 25 folks in there from that group. Fortunately we were able to get a table since it is also popular for the after church crowd.

    Most of the rest of your spring time items are applicable to us. We just finished an anti-deer fence around our front yard because the critters eat most of what people like to plant to make the front pretty. I will be moving the raised-bed garden beds from back to front this week. Mrs. BillB has been doing planting and will be doing more once that is done. Woodworking? After moving the garden I am going to build an 8 foot long work bench for our new shop. My gosh, the materials cost about $130 alone. It is just 2x4's for the frame and MDF for the top and shelf.

    We will have to try that burger place sometime when we make a foray to visit the 'Burg.

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    Replies
    1. BillB,
      I was pretty sure that would be the case. Heck, I'm not "enamored" with it 50 miles away. Main St here is pretty crowded on any weekend, but throw in a bazillion Harleys? No thank you very much.

      The road to Alamo Spring's Cafe is called Old Comfort Road (I don't know what the TXDOT number is), so maybe there's a way to access it from your side of the ridge and you can avoid the Bikers. Weekends are pretty crowded, but they've got a lot of seating. The delay in ordering was more to keep the kitchen staff from being overwhelmed. And as I said, there was music and adult recreational beverages to keep you occupied.

      Delete
    2. There is Friendship Ln. to avoid downtown. We use that when we pass through on our way to the Metromess(DFW).

      Delete
  15. Apologies for the late comment - was driving all day yesterday from Shreveport to north of Atlanta. Back to Raleigh today.
    Saw a video the other day of some dude holding what looked like a trumpet vine flower with one hand and slowly raising his flat other hand under the hummer that had its beak in the flower. At the end, the hummer lot on his hand and folded its wings back. Pretty cool. And I think I've related my mom,s experience of walking out of our carport and having a ruby throat buzzz up to her to see if the red lipstick on her indicated a possible meal. She felt the breeze from the wings on her face, he was that close.
    I was in OKC and Dallas area over the last ten days... cold most mornings until last Saturday, then 85-ish on Saturday and low 90's on Sunday. Lots of smoke from big fires in the area when driving from the former to the latter places the previous Sunday.

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    Replies
    1. Tom,
      Mrs. J has had similar experiences as she refills the feeders. The little guys come up and supervise. Unfortunately, she's occupied and they usually don't let me know ahead of time, so I can get my phone out in time.

      Yeah, It's been really dry down here this past winter. The Forest Service (the fire fighters) Crop Dusters have been doing a lot of flying lately. Hopefully we'll get some (or more than some but less than flood) rain soon.

      Delete
  16. I'm a little disappointed I didn't know the Alamo Springs Cafe was only a small jaunt to the south on my trip two years ago. We went through Luckenbach, meandered through Blanco, and then headed north to spend the night in Burnet before heading home. If I had known it was there, we definitely would have gone for a burger. It's just another reason to go back that way again.

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    Replies
    1. Jess, as they say "C'mon Down!" Spring/Fall are best, Summer's worst for heat and crowds, Winter's pretty good if the weather cooperates. They've got good food pretty much across the menu (Which is posted on their website (Linked in my post). Very good selection of beer and wine and they now offer frozen Margaritas. Just remember the drive up has to be reversed on the way back and doesn't need any additional hindrances.

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  17. Hummers in Naval aviation vernacular is what we call the E-2C or D Hawkeye. That would be weird if they were flying around your house. Don't complain about those bicyclists too much, or some of these transplanted Californians who have brought their politics will attempt to regulate something to fix that. Entire roads out here have been declared dual use so we find ourselves driving at 10 miles an hour behind one or two bikes quite often. They've also taken out all the street parking in some business districts so that the bikes have a safe Lane. That only upsets the business owners as their customers have nowhere to park.

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    1. I knew that about the Hawkeye. Given that Kadena was a joint USAF/USN base, there were usually a couple on the other side of the field. Which was good because the AWACs squadron there deployed frequently. Heck, we even used the USMC GCI units when none of the others were around. If Uncle Kim had decided to try to vacation in the south, we were pretty well able to make sure if he flew, he wouldn't fly long.

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    2. Sorry, hit publish too fast.

      Knew that about the bicyclists. Pretty good description of the difference between "Refugee" and "Missionary".

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    3. I like that. I've heard that the first thing the refugees must do is change their plates!

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  18. Bandera is always throwing some sort of party.


    We've got a place on Bandera Creek down that way.

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