Nesting time

I am sitting at my computer procrastinating writing my dissertation. The birds outside the window seem to hold my attention better then analyzing my cotton plant heights and yields for genetic effects.

There is an annual vine that seems to attract chickadees, sparrows, cardinals, grackles and mockingbirds. It has no fruit yet or flowers, but plenty of dead twigs from last years growth. They all take turns hopping up and down the main stems and tugging at the last year's growth until they can pull a branch free. Then triumphantly they take off. I assume that they are making nests.

It is that time of year. Even here, for me. We are getting the house ready to sell. Leila has cleaned out the flower beds. We've washed the cabinets in the kitchen, painted the living room, painted Emily's room and the office, put up crown molding, repaired the damaged drywall in the closet, and still there is a growing list of things to do.

The worst of them is replacing 4 tiles in the kitchen. They had bubbled up and in a feverish fit I tore them up, fearing water damage or an invasion of tile eating ants. Instead we found nothing. This was supposed to be easily fixed with matching tiles saved in the attic, but now I can't find them. Apparently we have unique tile. It is almond colored, smooth, and THIRTEEN inches x THIRTEEN inches. Who ever heard of 13 x 13" tile? We found matching 12" tile, but no luck on 13" tile. So if anyone has 13" uniformly almond color, no texture, no pattern, just smooth, tile please have pity on me. Send them to me!! I beg you.

The crew and I. That sounds like the title of a musical.  

Measuring the plants and taking notes. The biggest difference between the experiments here and there is that in Mexico there were no day length issues. The F1 yielded well. The BC1F1 did very well, but the G. mustelinum parent did not have any bolls yet. Apparently it has not only day length sensitivity but also a juvenile period. Not to mention that it grows slow. But, some of the random mated material did great. 

Dawn in Mexico with my plants and I.