I have a front porch and a back porch.  The back porch has a rusty freezer, old school chair with metal legs I found on loop 456…..yes, I stop and pick up things off the side of the road, don’t judge.  It was, and is, a perfectly good chair!  There are several rocks of great value (according to Addie), a hoof pick, a half-used bag of charcoal, 2 bags of pecans (still in the hull), a set of rattling horns, a painting that says “Home Sweet Home”, tadpoles in various stages of development, a cat toy aka VBS creation from the summer of 2015 and 900 pairs of mud boots.  All covered in mud because it has been raining all spring.

Then, there is my front porch.  My own little haven of flowers, potted trees, birds and other lovely creatures.

I thought it would be fun to see what kind of pictures I could take without leaving my front porch.

This little mama lizard didn’t pay me much attention.

So I took a picture of Addie’s science project.  It started out as a bean sprouting experiment.  Then, when most of them sprouted, we had to find anything and everything they could be transplanted into.  Which meant lots of coffee cans.

And a clay pot from pre-school.

Up-date: we now have 9 bean plants growing.

Addie is ready to pick them.  I told her it may be awhile.

Patience could be learned from Peaches.  Who worries about NOTHING.  EVER.

Meanwhile, a friend gifted me with a Jack Fruit seedling a year or so ago.  It started off in a small, clear plastic cup.  Upgraded to a coffee container about 8 months ago and has spent its entire, young, life on my kitchen counter.  I decided it was time to have some real sunshine, so I transplanted it yet again and put it on the porch.

And, I know, given its tropical orgins, I will have to babysit it its entire life.  And I can never just plant it like a ‘normal’ Texas tree.  Because it’s not a ‘normal’ Texas tree.  But that’s what makes it special.  And I hope I don’t kill it.

So far, so good.

I love my flowers.  And my little crepe myrtle Addie gifted with a bird’s nest she found……

So fun!

Not as fun as the Hummingbirds though!

“Zip”, the male hummingbird we have had come back for years, never fails to entertain.  And the girls, they aren’t impressed.

The lizards on the other hand…….

 The male finally found his way across the porch.  And the female watched him. At least she didn’t run away.  That’s a start.

It seems no matter what I do, there are mudboots everyhere!

Oh well.

I hope you and yours have a blessed, relaxed and lovely holiday weekend.

And, don’t forget to thank those who gave all, so you can enjoy the freedoms we have.

Their sacrifice is great, and our thanks should be as well.