The Neighborhood Walk – Update 170810

While awaiting my return to Houston for the surgery which is intended to “remove all visible cancer from my lungs.” the doctor prescribed a brisk daily walk. The walk was to be “10 minutes out and 10 minutes back.” After a bit of experimentation, I fell into an every-other-day routine using the 2.5 mile Neighborhood Walk previously described in a 14 June posting on my blog:

https://ellisfprice.blogspot.com/search?q=neighborhood+walk

Having already described this walk in some detail in the aforementioned posting, I will only note the changes, mostly seasonal, that I have noted in recent walks.

The wildlife still includes a plethora of young rabbits, perhaps indicating a diminished coyote population. On the other hand, a few days ago I encountered a herd (is three a herd?) of javalenas crossing Acoma Drive. They looked especially fit and healthy, sporting what appeared to be new winter coats. It would seem to be a bit early for that, so perhaps the shiny new growth was due to the abundant vegetation caused by the relatively heavy monsoon rains we have received.

The century plant located on Brook Hollow Drive has now shed all of its gorgeous yellow flowers; however, the nearby Mexican bird of paradise shrubs are still in bloom, although not as profusely as before.

Angel, the owner of the house with all the old farm implements located along Christina Draw Wash, has been working diligently to keep the water from undermining the bank at his house.

The prickly poppies I saw earlier along the wash, and occasionally along the roadways, are all past the blooming stage now. Without their large white blossoms they are just another nondescript desert plant. The poppies have largely been replaced by silver leaf nightshade.

The short trail I built at the start of the monsoon season to ease the descent into Christina Draw Wash has held up well, requiring no repairs to date. I also took my clippers along with me on one walk down the wash and clipped a few branches that were overhanging the path. The walk down the wash from the end of Meadowlark Drive to at Brook Hollow Drive, always easy, now doesn't even require bending to avoid the occasional overhanging branch.

The large sunflowers that grew at the end of Acoma Circle are now past the blooming stage; however, another patch of smaller sunflowers are still in bloom in a yard along Brook Hollow Drive, between Elk Circle and Arrowhead Lane.

The most pleasing change during this time has been the removal of the old sedan that was slowly deteriorating alongside the street on Elk Circle. Thankfully, someone chose a tow truck instead of cinder blocks.

Back at our house the Texas sage is sometimes in bloom and sometimes not. The bushes are quite attractive when in full bloom, appearing as solid light purple masses. Unfortunately, they bloom only sporadically during the season and the blooms are very fragile, never lasting long. On the other hand, our two beds of lantana, one yellow and one red (or orange-red) bloom continuously from spring to late fall. The lantana is planted in beds with irises and starts blooming about the time the irises finish, soon taking over the entire beds and providing color all summer. We just cut the irises back in the spring and then cut the lantana down after it dies in the fall. It all comes back again the next year.