Lanky Libidinous Lizards~

On March 29, 2015October 21, 2015 By cindy knokeIn Conservation, HOLLER HAPPENINGS, MY PHOTOGRAPHS, REVERIES197 Comments

The Holler always has drop in visitors. This is a quite large Southern Alligator Lizard species, scientific name, Elgaria multicarinata, who popped by to say hi!

The Holler has room for all sorts of critters, including LOADS of lizards.

This guy is around 20 inches in length.

My husband thinks he is bigger, and he may be right, because The Holler, as I may have mentioned to you before, is a very strange place. Do you notice him giving me the stink eye?

These aptly named “alligator” lizards will stand their ground and bite and latch on if threatened. I know this because they did it to me when I was a little kid. They have a hook in their upper palate that enables them to hold fast once they have bitten, errrr……something.

I have made it a practice, since I grew up, not to threaten lizards named after alligators. This guy was chillin’ in our garage. The Holler has lots and lots of different types of limber lizards who are not the least bit leery of us. These lascivious lizards are always busy making new little lizards!
Cheers to you from The Holler and it’s languorous lusty Lizards~

Lavender, Passion & Furbees~

On March 25, 2015March 25, 2015 By cindy knokeIn Flowers, GARDENING AT THE HOLLER, HOLLER HAPPENINGS, MY PHOTOGRAPHS, REVERIES220 Comments

Fuzzy Wuzzy,

was a bee!

The bees are buzzin,

cuz The Holler’s bloomin…..

Furbees favor passion flowers,

and lavender.

But this buggy-buzzer likes blooming blue sage!

Soon we can eat the passion fruit too!

Cheers to you from the Holler furbees, flowers & fruit~

Las Rosas del Holler~

On March 21, 2015March 21, 2015 By cindy knokeIn Flowers, GARDENING AT THE HOLLER, MY PHOTOGRAPHS, REVERIES281 Comments

The Holler is rural and rustic, so when I first moved here, almost seven years ago now, I first planted roses.

It was an act of faith. Roses are civil, and I wasn’t sure this place was.

Somehow I knew from the very beginning to encase their roots in chicken wire to repel the gophers who turned out to be legion.

This first day of spring, The Holler roses are in wild, exuberant bloom!

At night I hoot in communion with the owls, in the morning I wake up to be greeted by the hawks.

This is the most civil place I have ever lived.
Cheers to you and Happy Spring from The Holler’s Bloominng roses~

Anza Borrego Desert Wildflowers!

On March 16, 2015 By cindy knokeIn Conservation, Flowers, MY PHOTOGRAPHS, REVERIES262 Comments

Spring wildflowers,

carpet the desert,

with fragile blooms.

Some live only for a day.

No matter how brief,

they fill the arid desert,

with the joyful beauty,

of Life!
Cheers to you from the fragile desert~

Move Over Lady~

On March 13, 2015 By cindy knokeIn Birds, Conservation, MY PHOTOGRAPHS, REVERIES218 Comments

We geese are climbing stairs and it ain’t easy for us!

What do you entitled human think?

That stairs are made for you?

Not hardly! We geese have places to go and ducks to see.

What? Now you’re feeding ducks?

What about us?

Silly human, don’t you know?

Treats are for geese~
Cheers to you from the confident geese, handsome ducks, and cluelessly entitled human.

Flying Rainbows~

On March 8, 2015March 8, 2015 By cindy knokeIn Birds, Conservation, MY PHOTOGRAPHS266 Comments

Talk about PDA!

These guys perfect it.

It’s enough to make your head spin!

Rainbow Lorikeets are affectionate, comical and congenial birds, as sweet as they are pretty.

Of course this grumpy guy might disagree, it’s no fun waiting for your feathers to grow, you can hardly fly and the big birds are having all the fun!

There is always some minor bickering among birds, come to think of it, among people too, but that’s another story….

What personalities these guys have. They hammed it up on my hand for my camera! They know how handsome they are……

Some day I’d be over the rainbow to have a rainbow of my own.
Cheers to you from the free flying Lorikeets at Lorikeet Landing~

See Bee-knees!

On March 6, 2015March 6, 2015 By cindy knokeIn Conservation, Flowers, GARDENING AT THE HOLLER, HOLLER HAPPENINGS, MY PHOTOGRAPHS, REVERIES178 Comments

The grapefruit orchard is blooming.

Perfuming the air with intoxicating scent,

and bringing hordes of honeybees.

At night I drift,

drunk on grapefruit flower air,

dreaming of the buzzing bees.

Cheers to you from the Holler Orchards and all the humming honeybees~

Holler Sunset & The Rains Finally Come!

On March 2, 2015March 3, 2015 By cindy knokeIn HOLLER HAPPENINGS, MY PHOTOGRAPHS, Sunsets252 Comments

A rainstorm is forecasted to arrive at The Holler.

All we can see is a spectacular Holler sunset progression.

The sky is lit with fire.

The next day the rain clouds are here, so we head to the ocean to watch the squalls move in.

Soon they are moving in with attitude!

We race back to The Holler, where the rains have finally come!

Cheers to you from the happy Holler plants and critters who are still, at this writing, being blessed with RAIN!