Visitors and The Tree

I woke this morning to a solid much-needed rain. The grass and the little tree are happy, as is my water bill.

Yesterday morning I looked up while typing here to see a pair of geese just strolling down the sidewalk–in the back of my house.

It didn’t bother them at all for me to go out and take this little video. There are numerous little water basins on the property. Do they have a nest in one?

My little tree out front finally leafed out. I was sure it was dead. A plant identifier says it is 89% certain that it is a Willow Oak–which makes sense given its leaves. They are common here and very hardy here–especially given the low water levels. Other possibilities were below 5% possibility.

Here are the leaves:

And

There will be some type of acorn in 15 years. And the shape will stay conical for some time. In 30 to 50 years, it will be as tall as 50 feet with a full canopy.

I am totally loving the back screen porch outdoor room. Being out there is addictive. It is so fun to see all the activity on the street, but the porch is also serene and peaceful–and with the shades when needed, private, but with a screened view outside. The view from the outside in is totally opaque–as you can see from this picture from before I planted shrubs to the left of the door. And the shades definitely lower the temperature on the back of the house.

And, on most days, there is a breeze that comes straight onto the porch. So far, it’s been cool.

I did get some sewing done yesterday. The Churn Dash quilt is close to coming off the design wall. I can’t wait to see Traverse BOM up there.

Enjoy your weekends!