Warm mid-winter

January and February were warm... too warm...

The plums burst into bloom.  These are just a "wild plum" my great-aunt and uncle had on the property forever.

A thoroughly dry February (not good!) made for some pretty nice yardworking days.  The "waddle" fence along the new road is now mostly done!  We started making it last winter, utilizing the wood from our property (mostly acacias,  a fast-growing and invasive tree, which bears the common name "waddle") to create a visual block.  When a colony of acacias get going for a couple of decades, as they did at this property, it is quite a project to keep it in check.  But finding a use for the wood made the chore into an even more rewarding process!  We saw this type of fence on a show about living a traditional English farm life.  Acacias are an Australian native, so I think the Britain-Australia connection is at play in the nickname.

Teddy helps slash!

Car's-eye view from the street.

My dad made this sweet little birdhouse kit which I assembled and put up on the east-facing wall of the house.  I am hoping it might attract an oak titmouse or a white nuthatch, both of which I have observed around the house.

We also finally got around to installing the bat box that Charlotte and I made for her dad, Hal, for his birthday back in October!  We are very pleased with how it turned out aesthetically and we did our best to adhere to the recommended dimensions and overall design.  I think it should be very accommodating for any prospective bat family.  Hal and Selene have seen bats in their yard before, so that is promising. 

To hang the bat box we had to drill four holes into stucco siding.  Sounds easy, right?  NOT!  😂  Charlotte and I took turns leaning with all our body weight into the electric drill.  Whew!

The weather was so mild that we even took the boat, Lady Goldenrod, out to Lake Sonoma with our friends Jake & Melina.  The lake was desolate on a weekday in February!  We cruised around and ate lunch and had a very pleasant day.

Fun reflection picture

Fun Charlotte picture :-)

Well that is all for now!