Carolina Wren on Pieter's Arm

 On October 29, 1994 a Carolina wren Thyrothorus ludovicianus flew against the window and it recovered on Pieter's arm...

At the end it also flew onto the side of my pigskin pants...Lovely for being able to touch such darling birdie!
Related link:{For Mom & Dad's Visit in 1996 We Tamed a Mockingbird} | How we tamed birds to come inside our veranda...

Oh we TRIED HARD to have Jacarandas and Roses

 For several years we tried so hard to grow Jacarandas from seeds...

They did grow well but then once in a while a bad frost came and killed them.

In this short video from October 31, 1994 you can see our attempt in growing Jacarandas...That dream never came true in our garden!Still LOVE their blossoms and wherever we encountered them, we admired and loved them.

Acting like a CAT for Retrieving Pieter's Glasses

 Wearing glasses is not always a blessing...

While doing some pruning and cutting of the underbrush, Pieter did swing the branches on the growing, large pile alongside the creek.

Oops, no glasses on his face... Where did they FLY off to?

This is just a photo from a beginning, rather flat pile...

This photo indicates better, that right there was the creek.

Now imagine a tall pile, where the glasses somewhere HUNG inside...

I had to climb on the pile along the creek's edge, for getting to them, without cracking too many of the branches so the glasses would not SHIFT.

Then reaching deep inside the pile for actually retrieving them.

GOT THEM with several scratches on arms and legs, but Pieter was so grateful!

Never a dull moment for both of us and lots of 'unexpected — not planned for' incidents.

~

One other incident where Pieter was carrying away pruned off branches, he flung his glasses off and retrieved the frame but one lens was missing...

So at the end of the day, after weeding, and before coming inside for a shower and supper, I thought hmm, WHERE could that lens be?

Obviously it fell down, so I literally went down on my belly and peered over the path, where Pieter had walked and dragged off those branches, before flinging them onto the pile.

And yes, there was something glistening in the dirt between the dry leaves.

Got the lens and walked inside with my hand behind my back, telling Pieter that I had a gift for him. 

You should have seen that HUGE SMILE!

Have any of you ever lost your glasses, or a single lens, at a very odd place?

Weeding and the fight against Dollar Weed (Hydrocotyle spp.)

 Living in a subtropical region has advantages but also lots of disadvantages in having more invasive weeds growing FAST!

So weeding them out is a constant battle...

Any little piece of rhizomes and/or tubers overlooked, will start new growth fast!Yes, we got lots of DOLLARS but they certainly are the wrong green color... 😉What a fight for getting a nice clean patch for planting our strawberries!This very short 1:42 min. video is best watched on YouTube and you find clickable points below with English text.
Related link:Pieter Building Wood Trail with Rabbit and Chipmunk Nearby | previous post of Pieter's work same day...

Pieter Building Wood Trail with Rabbit and Chipmunk Nearby

 Early March of 1996 Pieter is preparing our wood garden for the arrival of Mom & Dad the next week.

So they would not trip or stumble over an uneven trail.

Pieter build a kind of a bat bridge.

This video has the usual clickable points built in with English text.So best viewed on YouTube and then scroll for reading below.At clickable 1:00 I show our Apricot blossoms, followed by the bridge over the creek.Now Pieter can ride his wheelbarrow a lot better and he's grading the soil before adding the newly built wood trail segment.At 3:39 I'm talking to our 'tame' wild rabbit whom I named Snuffy and also a chipmunk that I named Munky.They both made me very happy, as Mom loved wildlife, and now she would meet them within a week!
Related link:Plug from Extension Cord GONE... | previous post where Pieter also wore his Moonlight Mushroom farm t-shirtBuilding a Bridge in Two Days | previous post by meChipmunk photo captured with my new iPhone 13 Pro | newer post where I actually hold a teenage Chipmunk

Tiny Eggs Maybe from Chickadee

 Our Garden has plenty of birds and thus also birds nests.

One can come upon little surprises...

There is a US penny next to those tiny eggs for comparison.

Here Pieter held his index finger next to the eggs...

Always a joy to see lots of birds in our garden and we continue to feed them throughout winter.

UPS 2nd Day Air Delivery from Louisiana Nursery + Fight against Tuberous Roots of Greenbrier!

We  found very special trees and shrubs in Louisiana from Albert, Dalton, Ken and Belle Durio in Opelousas, Louisiana.

Louisiana Nursery 

We got the largest size available, five gallon pots, for getting a good start of an established shrub or tree.This is where our special Magnolia Namnetense came from and our beloved Quercus Virginiana Grand View Gold.Again, I've built in clickable points with English information as we always talked to Mom & Dad to whom we mailed these videos in The Netherlands.

Their Catalog of MAGNOLIAS and OTHER GARDEN ARISTOCRATS, has been the most impressive and comprehensive one, we ever saw...

Love their quote: FOR THOSE WHO KNOW THE ECONOMY OF QUALITY

We sure treasure their special Magnolia (see post below) and their Golden Live Oak (see also below).

At the end of the video Pieter mentions the mean thorns on those Greenbrier, standing backwards. ←click link for seeing such a thorn.

Related links:{Digging up Huge Indian Hawthorn and More...} | previous post where Pieter also dug up tuberous roots of Smilax (Greenbrier){Our Fragrant Magnolia Grandiflora 'Namnetensis Flore Pleno'} | previous post by me{# 1111 - Our Golden Live Oak 'Quercus Virginiana Grand View Gold' changing color} | previous post by me

Green Anole (Anolis carolinensis)

 Being outdoors here on our own property, you almost daily can observe our garden critters.

Here below is the Green Anole (Anolis carolinensis) ←click link and it is about 5-8 inches long or 12-20 cm.

Nicely basking in the sun on an agave leaf!

They can either be green or brown, depending on environmental conditions.

Our Green Anoles are rather at ease with us...They even made love in our presence!
Do you have any lizards in your garden?

Pieter Using the DR Trimmer Mower with Beaver Blade and String

On December 20 of 1995 I did make a video when Pieter again did use the DR Trimmer Mower with Beaver Blade at first and changing to String.

So finally the remaining wilderness succumbed!

Tackling such a reclaiming job, you need some special equipment so Pieter got himself this DR Trimmer Mower

Short video and with clickable points when viewed on YouTube direct.

This is what Pieter was using...

First in video he shows the use of the Beaver Blade for tougher things and latet with the strings as seen clearly in video.

Related links:

Planting, drainage, more burning and hacking | previous post by me

From Jungle to Reclaimed Parcel of Land | previous post by mePlug from Extension Cord GONE... | previous post by meControlled Burning of Underbrush Cuttings | previous postBuilding a Bridge in Two Days | previous post from bridge ready the day before Controlled Burning...Jungle Clearing and Discovery of Tires | previous postJungle Clearing | previous post from two months earlierOur Garden at the Time we had Access to Spent Mushroom Compost | the Vedder Estate on video by Middle Georgia Magazine after ALL the hard work got done...Non Glamorous Wheelbarrow Job for Filling and Raising Swampy Parts | previous post by meThe FIGHT of Growing Grass in Subtropical Georgia/USA | previous post by me

Eastern Kingsnake or Lampropeltis getula

 The Eastern Kingsnake or Lampropeltis getula is harmless!

When I spotted this one, I ran to grab my camera...

It turned its head as if to say: Hurry up, I don't have all day, waiting for you!

Okay okay, I follow you, just move on...

Of course it went straight for the creek!

It never looked back at me again and went head first into the creek...

Knowing they love to be in the water, makes you realize how easily they could hid on the edge of the pond, in the mud... as well as snapping turtles.

Pieter sure has been very brave for: Cleaning Our Pond and Fountain ←click link

Have you 'followed' once or more times a snake?

Planting, drainage, more burning and hacking

The  mega task of reclaiming the land of the adjacent lot, is showing that the end is in sight!

Pieter partly has begun planting shrubs to replace the ugly underbrush that he cut out.

Also drainage for letting the wet areas run dry over time.

Of course, still more controlled burning to do and hacking thicker branches with the long handled machete.

IF someone knows its correct name, please let us know!

Again as usual, best viewed on YouTube by using the clickable point below, with detailed description.You bet we both were looking forward towards the end of all this!Oh, digging up all those ugly tuberous roots from the Greenbrier, was quite a challenge...
Related links:{Digging up Huge Indian Hawthorn and More...} | previous post where when scrolling down you see tuberous roots from GreenbrierFrom Jungle to Reclaimed Parcel of Land | previous post by mePlug from Extension Cord GONE... | previous post by meControlled Burning of Underbrush Cuttings | previous postBuilding a Bridge in Two Days | previous post from bridge ready the day before Controlled Burning...Jungle Clearing and Discovery of Tires | previous postJungle Clearing | previous post from two months earlierOur Garden at the Time we had Access to Spent Mushroom Compost | the Vedder Estate on video by Middle Georgia Magazine after ALL the hard work got done...Non Glamorous Wheelbarrow Job for Filling and Raising Swampy Parts | previous post by meThe FIGHT of Growing Grass in Subtropical Georgia/USA | previous post by me

Bandido (Dido) did bring us this just Morphed Cicada

 Bandido (Dido) boy for sure did not get scared from the noisiest insect...

He brought us this just morphed Cicada inside!

Would you know what you were looking at?

Placed it on a piece of paper towel...

On Austin Bug Collection Cicadidae ~ Cicadas ←click link and scroll down for seeing some very good images and 'lookalikes' for the above.

Cicadas spend most of their lives underground, eating roots and other plant material. Some emerge after some 17 years for morphing, mating and laying eggs and the cycle starts all over.

Strange insect...

You can see here a 1 minute short video: 

A couple of Magicicada cicada nymphs at night (2016, WV, Brood V, Magicicada) ←click link. Towards the end you see the holes in the ground from where they came up...

Guess Dido stripped its wings...

Underside...Lots of legs it looks like.

Those eyes...!

Incredible 2:22 minute video: what the 17 year cicada sounds like INDIVIDUALLY and as a group ←click link

The sure did not scare Dido!

Neotibicen winnemanna (Davis, 1912) aka Eastern Scissor(s) Grinder ←excellent link to click on and it looks so much like Dido's catch!

Both of us are no experts in Cicadas but guess the above is interesting to check out.

This was another catch... a good month later.

Did you know Cicadas?

Related link:

{CICADA} | previous post by me

From Jungle to Reclaimed Parcel of Land

 After coming home from work in Mexico, now some serious reclaiming is being done!

Slowly husband Pieter is turning it from Jungle to Reclaimed Parcel of Land...

Pioneering work at its best!But we are getting to see the fruits of hard labor.We had just been two weeks in Mexico from November 27 till December 12.If viewed on YouTube there is English translation below. 
Related links:Plug from Extension Cord GONE... | previous post by meControlled Burning of Underbrush Cuttings | previous postBuilding a Bridge in Two Days | previous post from bridge ready the day before Controlled Burning...Jungle Clearing and Discovery of Tires | previous postJungle Clearing | previous post from two months earlierOur Garden at the Time we had Access to Spent Mushroom Compost | the Vedder Estate on video by Middle Georgia Magazine after ALL the hard work got done...Non Glamorous Wheelbarrow Job for Filling and Raising Swampy Parts | previous post by meThe FIGHT of Growing Grass in Subtropical Georgia/USA | previous post by me

Incredible Imperial Moth and LARGE

 As husband Pieter wrote to his Mother early on, we live in a region where birds have the size of a butterfly, like the hummingbird. But also where a butterfly or moth has the size of a bird!

Just like butterflies, moths also belong to the group Lepidoptera.

The Imperial Moth Eacles imperialis imperialis has a wing span of 3⅛ - 6⅞ inches (8 - 17.4 cm).

Imperial Moth as captured by husband Pieter...

Quite an impressive size.

Have you ever seen the Imperial Moth?

Plug from Extension Cord GONE...

 When Pieter wanted to start working in our wood garden, he discovered that some garden critter (?) was against his clearing activities...

It will remain a mystery!But Pieter repaired it and started working again.Pieter is wearing his Moonlight t-shirt: THE WORLDS LARGEST MUSHROOM FARMWORTHINGTON, PAWe both visited there on November 25, 1991 and were quite impressed by their cave mushroom farm in trays. There were some 150 miles of underground caves in total...That brings back memories of Dr. James Sinden...
Related link:Dr. James W. Sinden was one of Pieter's mentors | previous post by meControlled Burning of Underbrush Cuttings | previous postBuilding a Bridge in Two Days | previous post from bridge ready the day before Controlled Burning...Jungle Clearing and Discovery of Tires | previous postJungle Clearing | previous post from two months earlierOur Garden at the Time we had Access to Spent Mushroom Compost | the Vedder Estate on video by Middle Georgia Magazine after ALL the hard work got done...Non Glamorous Wheelbarrow Job for Filling and Raising Swampy Parts | previous post by meThe FIGHT of Growing Grass in Subtropical Georgia/USA | previous post by me