The First Lizard of 2023 plus Birds, Bugs, and Peace

We've hit that time when it is too darn hot. As I type this, it's 103 degrees outside. Yeesh! So I decided to adjust my schedule a bit.

After coffee this morning with los gringos viejos y locos, I headed out to Mae Simmons with a bike, a couple of cameras, and some bug repellant the flies really enjoyed.

Morning light

RWBB

Agile mallard hens foraging 

unknown songbird (updated: Red-breasted meadowlark)

I have no taste but I'm quite tasty.

Dam grackle

Old Faithful

Spoiler alert: unlike most years, the first lizard I spotted was not a Mediterranean gecko...

I've not done enough of this lately. I've been too worried about bills, work, keeping machines working, maintaining my stupid pride, and mourning those who've passed. Just a few miles from home I found God's glory where I usually find it - just a little further than the pavement.

I hope you're smarter than me and know when it's time to get out of your head and into the places that feed you.

Be well, friends, and take care of one another!

(One other note, the night after I posted this, I spotted a Mediterranean gecko on our mailbox. Better and better!)

The First Lizard of Spring (2022)

 Woohoo! This one came much earlier than most AND it's not a Mediterranean gecko! (Although, I'd be just as excited to see a gecko - after the big freeze we saw almost no geckoes last year.)

For those of you who don't love the herpetological version of Where's Waldo, let's try that again.

No, I don't see many these days, so I was thrilled to see this tiny horned lizard.

The little brother and I went for a mountain desert bike ride at at Mae Simmons yesterday and saw the newborn horny toad. They were extremely common when I was a kid, but pesticides, fire ants, and cats have decimated the little anteaters. These days I am lucky to see two per year, so I'm thankful for each one I see.

May you (and the little guy in the pics) thrive and prosper! Be well, friends!

More Save the World Resolution Denial

I sat down with my journal today to make a list of my "causes". I have come to realize that my causes have me overwhelmed a bit lot. So I decided to tackle the mongrel horde.

wildlife conservation
growing renewable/clean energy
reducing carbon release (petroleum and coal)
reducing hunger
reducing class disparity
reducing homelessness/serving those who are down
reducing gun violence

It's different when you see it as a list. It's different when you realize how closely related they all are.

I was a member`of the Horned Lizard Conservation Society for a while. It is a great organization with a very small focus. I love their mission, but the more I looked the more I realized that the cure for their little picture was a big picture change. If you specifically want to save horned lizards (that's a "horny toad" for you locals) you need to reduce petroleum-based pollution and and farming/sprawl-based environmental destruction. You also need to eradicate the feral cat population that we have so lovingly fostered. Big picture changes are needed to save these iconic lizards that have a very specialized diet (red ants) and are very slow and easy to catch. Yep, it's overwhelming, especially when cats are phenomenally successful hunters and chemical companies (like Monsanto) have a more powerful voice than our general populace.

What does it all mean?

I don't know, but here is where I hope to focus my efforts:
I will stop supporting retailers who sell guns. (Academy Sporting Goods, I will miss you.)
I will ride a bike more and do all I can to avoid carbon release in all forms.
I will educate myself and vote more responsibly for those who believe this world is in need of and worth saving.
I will educate myself and vote more responsibly for those who believe human beings are more important than corporate profits.
I will step up my own organic gardening and and support others who try to do the same.

Hunger, homelessness, and disparity - I need to find a better focus.

May you know your causes and may you work for what you believe.

Cool things I saw in Lubbock this Weekend: Local Wildlife and a Cargo Bike

My lovely wife and I ran by the shop to pick up a few bikes to take to the swap meet, and this little fella was running around out there. It was my first horny toad sighting this year, and it did my heart a great deal of good!

(Learn more about these West Texas icons here: http://www.hornedlizards.org/ )

A very friendly gentleman named Paul Moore had this diamond-in-the-rough for sale at the swap meet.

Special thanks to Sun Adventure Sports for hosting the bike swap meet, and more special thanks to Brittany for my new Horned Frog t-shirt for father's day!

May you see cool stuff too!

Local Event Tomorrow!!! (Local Wildlife!!!)

Okay, so this blog is very much about local and very much about wildlife, so you can imagine how happy the Mesquite Hugger is to promote this event:

Tomorrow, Saturday, December 21st, from 11am-2pm, the South Plains Wildlife Rehabilitation Center is having their open house. If you want to see local wildlife and meet the people who volunteer their time and efforts to care for local animals that have been injured or orphaned, this is the event for you. The link is below.

http://www.spwrc.org/ 

While you are on their website, please take some time to read their mission statement. Thank you, SPWRC!!! (Tell 'em the Mesquite Hugger sent you!)

And your bonus material for the day, Imagine coming home to find a bobcat in your blinds. I love this story for a number of reasons.
1.They called in the mounties.
2. "MacGyver" is used as a verb.
3. I learned another use for two broomsticks, a roll of duct tape, and a knife that does not involve jousting.

Honey, There's a Bobcat in the Blinds!

May your day be filled with pleasant surprises!

Last-Minute Mesquite Hugger Gifts - Texas Wildlife Conservation

Does anyone else see a resemblance to Smaug?

For those of you looking for a last-minute gift for the nature-loving mesquite-hugging wonderful people in your life, here are some suggestions.

Donate money in their name or buy a membership to one of their favorite wildlife conservation groups. Below are some of my faves:

Attwater Prairie Chickens

Bat Sanctuary in Texas

Horned Lizard Conservation Society

Texas Land Conservation

Now, some of you are thinking, "That's great and all, but I want to give a REAL gift, something they can hold in their hands. Come on, Mesquite Hugger, man, be for real!" (My inner voice has a some strange speech patterns.) Well, you are in luck, many of these organizations actually sell tangible gifts. One of my favorite gifts from last Christmas is a black t-shirt from the Horned Lizard Conservation Society. I love to wear that shirt because people ask about it often and I have a chance to talk to others about the ongoing struggle to save these wonderful creatures.

Horned Lizards Store

Or let's say that you share an office with someone who talks about wine all the time. Wine, wine, whine! What better way to let them know they are driving you batty than a bottle of Bat Wine! (Just kidding, JG!)

Bat World Wines

May this list help you in your shopping dilemmas, and may your purchase help to create a better world.