Mequite, scissortails and thief ants

Apparently spring has sprung in west Texas. I gotta tell you about some of the sure fire signs that we're safe to plant our crops, our gardens, our anything.
First of all, my friend Max (who says he knows nothing about plumbing, but knows it all) says; "it ain't spring until the mesquite trees bud out." Well Max, I got news for you. The mesquite at the Windmill Ranch Preserve are buddin' out!!
Another sure sign that the season's changing is the arrival of the scissortails. They're here! Not many, but definitely a few. You can't miss 'em. They use their 'scissor' tails to speed up, slow down and change direction.
And finally, the thief ants are back. I didn't know what they were until Burr Williams from Midland visited the other day. He said, "yep, you got thief ants and that's good." I didn't know why, but Burr said so and that's good enough for me. Seriously though, the arrival of the thief ants means the soil is warming and they're ready to open their tunnels and holes.
So there you have it. The mesquite are blooming, the scissortails are arriving and the thief ants are digging. And one more sure sign that it's spring in west Texas.. the wind is blowing and blowing and blowing.
Bill Robertson