Gardens, Birds and Texas Hill Country Living

2009-05-11T19:11:00.001-05:00

A bench I want DH to make for me. Kthnx!

2009-05-11T19:11:00.000-05:00

Another Garden of the Gods picture.

2009-05-11T19:10:00.000-05:00

A window at Garden of the Gods.

2009-05-11T19:09:00.000-05:00

The same Magpie showing off his beautiful colors!

2009-05-11T19:08:00.001-05:00

A Magpie.

2009-05-11T19:08:00.000-05:00

This is the rock called Babel.

2009-05-11T19:07:00.000-05:00

We came back to our cabin and had lunch and I went out alone to Garden of the Gods. This is the only white stone in the whole place. It doesn't look spectacular until you see all the other red rocks in the same area.

2009-05-11T19:06:00.000-05:00

The same sign from afar.

2009-05-11T19:05:00.000-05:00

So we woke up this morning and Mom had some coffee and I had some green tea and we both had breakfast. We left fairly early this morning for the drive up Pike's Peak. Oh, what a glorious drive we had! We only made it to mile 18 as the last and final mile is still closed due to snow. Here's a picture of the snow as we entered the Alpine Zone.

Onward to Colorado Springs

2009-05-11T18:56:00.003-05:00

So on Mother's Day we had some coffee (yummy) and some cereal, packed up and headed out for a long drive. It's Spring in the mountains so I had a difficult time with my allergies so a hike in Riuodosa was out of the question. I just needed some time in the car to let the Benedryl wear off. Boy did I get some time in the car! We drove straight up to Colorado Springs and it was a long day of driving. There were a few stops along the way including an antiques place specializing in those carved wooden doors we see come out of Mexico. We headed up through Las Vegas, New Mexico which was nice because my Great Grandparents were stationed there right before they retired to be close to their friends at Fort Sam Houston. We drove to Colorado Springs and the campgrounds we were planning to stay at were closed! Right across the street is the Sunflower Lodge with individual cabins. We have a darling little cabin with a bedroom and kitchenette and 1.5 baths. After sleeping in sand one night and suffering with allergies the next night (without a shower) I was ready to shower and climb into bed for a really good night of sleep. Did I forget to mention the park in Cloudcroft didn't have running water? ...

2009-05-11T18:55:00.000-05:00

My stash of pinecones. I know I'm supposed to take only memories but I could not resist!

2009-05-11T18:54:00.000-05:00

The view from behind our tent pads. Gorgeous!

2009-05-11T18:53:00.000-05:00

The campground has a nature trail and Mom and I enjoyed it together Saturday afternoon. Here is a picture of a wild mountain strawberry!

2009-05-11T18:50:00.000-05:00

Here's a campsite belonging to two Texans. It was chilly at the site as soon as the sun began to dip behind the trees. We sat around this campfire enjoying the heat and the sound of the campground winding down for the night.

2009-05-11T18:48:00.000-05:00

We're on vacation this week and started out at Monahans Sandhills State Park. The park is magical, really. I fell in love with it driving in even though it was 8:30 at night and the sun was about to set and it was right at 100 degrees. It's the oddest thing to see dunes and not smell saltwater. Against the darkening sky the white sand hills were gorgeous and it was minutes before I had my own and mom's tents up and we sat in our chairs looking at the full moon. We discussed not knowing the name of the full May moon and I googled it on my iPhone commenting that roughing it has changed a little since I was last an active camper. I couldn't sit at my site and surf the Internet because we really didn't know what it was back then! Seriously, it was gopher sites and a place to do research and we never dreamed it would be available almost anywhere on the planet! Oh, it's the Full Flower Moon in case you were wondering. ;)

So we went to bed as happy as clams but soon after getting into our tents the wind began to blow and blow and blow and pretty soon it felt like 40 MPH sustained winds! My tent, which I normally associate with peace and quiet was VIOLENTLY loud as it blustered in the wind. The thing about my tent, the beauty of it really, is that the top is mostly netting. I can lie on my back and look up at the stars, cowgirl style almost. But that netting, in the wind, acted like a sieve and sifted sand from the wind into and onto me! Mom didn't have that problem with her tent, but pretty soon mine was full of a fine layer of sand! Each time the wind blew I'd get a sifting of sand as if I was a pound cake topped with powdered sugar. Only, it wasn't that sweet in reality. Well, the wind blew and blew all night and by the time morning came about we were up and out of there. Mom sat in each tent as I took it down around her because the wind would have tossed them about like kites and there is no way to stake a tent in sand. Folks, we were packed and out of there by 5:30 that next morning. We paid for our sites and hit the road without stopping to take a shower! We just felt we needed to get out of that darned sand. Thus there are no pictures even though I can tell you the sand dunes are gorgeous and the setting sun turned the sky purple and before the wind started blowing the park was stunningly beautiful. After the wind started blowing I can't tell you how it looked because I had sand in my eyes!

So we drove up to Carlsbad and over to Cloudcroft and watched the temperature drop 40 degrees as we drove. We saw a fox, a jackrabbit with ears the size of Dallas, and a ground squirrel on the drive. The scenery was gorgeous on the ride up to Cloudcroft and the town was as adorable as I remember from my last trip there in 1998. We even stayed at the same campground in Lincoln National Forest I stayed at last time. The picture above is of our tent pads under the protection of the giant pine tree. At this site it wasn't long before we were visited by Juncos, Mountain Chickadees, Stellar Jays, and Ruby Throated Hummingbirds. The entire campground was visited over and over by an American Crow the local crowd called Fat Albert because he has food on his mind and in his beak most of the time.

Let me load some more pictures!

2009-04-01T20:22:00.000-05:00

I'll bake a pie for whoever can figure out the variety of daisy!

2009-04-01T20:20:00.000-05:00

Daisies but no Bluebonnets yet.

2009-04-01T19:49:00.000-05:00

This is a site I thought I'd never see again! Rain lilies on our road.

2009-03-28T13:54:00.000-05:00

Asta

2009-03-28T13:49:00.000-05:00

Evinrude the pillow sharer

2009-03-28T13:37:00.003-05:00

DH and I spent the morning at Guadalupe River State Park shadowing the interpretive guide on the Honey Creek State Natural Area Saturday tour. It was a windy morning in the forties so there weren't many birds out and about. We're under a wind advisory and we just heard we're under a freeze warning and it will drop below 32 tonight! Let's hope for the best but since there isn't a cloud in the sky it will probably be a chilly night. I'll drag in some wood and we can have the last fire of the season.

We broke down and bought a bag of protein pellets so the deer will have something to eat since it has been so dry. It's out on the porch and last night an opossum bigger than Evinrude mosied up to the porch and climbed right in the bag to have his dinner!

Speaking of Evinrude I might just post a picture of that little rascal.

2009-03-28T13:36:00.000-05:00

Belly up!

2009-03-28T13:34:00.000-05:00

Hound dog smooch.

2009-03-28T13:33:00.000-05:00

Scarlett runners almost ready to climb the trellis.

2009-03-28T13:32:00.000-05:00

Sunflowers!

2009-03-28T13:31:00.001-05:00

Mysterious holes are appearing in the backyard. The soil isn't deep enough for gophers so what can it be? Notice the dirt is missing? It's not on the outside of the hole.

2009-03-28T13:29:00.000-05:00

DH's potato plants. They aren't nearly as large as the ones growing in the compost bin but they will have to do!

2009-03-28T13:28:00.001-05:00

Two strawberries!

2009-03-28T13:28:00.000-05:00

Blueberry blossoms!

2009-03-28T13:26:00.000-05:00

Here is a fennel plant that keeps getting nipped on by either squirrels, opossums, rabbits, raccoons, or possibly birds. DH thinks it is being trampled by the dogs.

2009-03-22T07:59:00.002-05:00

Remember the bee picture below? Did you figure out what kind of bee it is? Well, I heard back from our expert and she said it is actually a fly!

Check out the Hover Fly and see the similarities: http://pick5.pick.uga.edu/mp/20p?see=EL_DP723

The Hover Fly looks like a bee or wasp to ward off predators. The bonus is they are great to have in the garden since they kill aphids and leaf hoppers when they are larva and are great pollinators as adults.

How exciting!

2009-03-21T14:24:00.000-05:00

Agitha. Isn't she beautiful?

2009-03-21T13:29:00.000-05:00

Another garden visitor. Everyone loves strawberries it seems. I've lost one plant to squirrels already! Can you identify the type bee? Me neither but I emailed an expert so we'll see what she says.

2009-03-21T13:27:00.000-05:00

Even the prickly pear cactus can hardly contain themselves. They will be busting into bloom in a matter of days!

2009-03-21T13:24:00.000-05:00

This is my new trellis made from the bloom stalk of the thin leaf yucca. These grow wild along the road in the Hill Country so I just pulled over to the side of the road, yanked them out of the yucca, and shoved them through the back passenger window of my Cadillac. DH and I dug until we hit rock (not very far I assure you) and sort of dirt posted them into the lower garden. I tied the entire thing together with kitchen twine and planted Scarlet Runner and Romano pole beans at the base of each stalk.

2009-03-21T13:14:00.001-05:00

I decided to finally update with this photo of a beautiful Huisache just beyond our fenced yard. It is spectacular in full bloom especially with the Cedar Elm in the background.

2008-10-26T11:41:00.001-05:00

Okay it was a very busy week and then a very busy Saturday since I ran errands and then slept the entire evening recovering from a flu shot.

However, I just had to rush in and report 4 Red Eyed Vireos in the tree right next to my back door. One of them was VERY loud. How exciting is that? They are not your typical backyard bird!

2008-10-19T20:27:00.002-05:00

No pictures of the homestead unfortunately as I slept most of the afternoon. I did get all the narcissus in pots and hopefully they will be in bloom for Christmas. DH and I put all new batteries in our weather center so I can tell you it is currently 66 degrees with a relative humidity of 57%. The cooler temperatures are taking their toll on the okra and it looks like we may have gotten the last of our harvest with just a few stragglers.

In celebration of the most prolific plant in my garden I offer up this tune by Ray Blount, Jr. who sums up perfectly this delightful vegetable.

"String beans are good, and ripe tomatoes,
And collard greens and sweet potatoes,
Sweet corn, field peas, and squash and beets--
But when a man rears back and eats
He wants okra.
Good old okra.
Oh wow okra, yessiree,
Okra is Okay with me.
Oh okra's favored far and wide,
Oh you can eat it boiled or fried,
Oh either slick or crisp inside,
Oh I once a knew a man who died
Without okra.
Little pepper-sauce on it,
Oh! I wan' it:Okra.
Old Homer Ogletree's so high
On okra he keeps lots laid by.
He keeps it in a safe he locks up,
He eats so much, can't keep his socks up.
(Which goes to show it's no misnomer
When people call him Okra Homer.)
Okra!
Oh you can make some gumbo wit' it,
But most of all I like to git it
All by itself in its own juice,
And lying there all nice and loose--That's okra!
It may be poor for eating chips with,
It may be hard to come to grips with,
But okra's such a wholesome food
It straightens out your attitude.
"Mm!" is how discerning folk respond
when they are served some okra.
Okra's green,
Goes down with ease.
Forget cuisine
Say "Okra , please."
You can have strip pokra,
Give me a nice girl and a dish of okra."

I'll post when I can. Have a great week!

2008-10-16T19:03:00.002-05:00

Oh, it is almost Friday! My folks are coming in to party all weekend. There's the Herb Festival at Aggie Park in the big city on Saturday morning and a family get together at the cemetery on Sunday followed by Octoberfest at Anhalt.

But before then it's tamale time and I'll be picking ours up for the holidays tomorrow and then sharing a bunch with my co-workers at a potluck.

I'm tired from getting up before 4 all week to work out. I've been up since 1:50 this morning so I'm headed to bed as soon as I eat. Have a wonderful evening!

“Nobody trips over mountains. It is the small pebble that causes you to stumble. Pass all the pebbles in your path, and you will find you have crossed the mountain.” — author unknown

2008-10-15T04:02:00.002-05:00

Oh man what a busy few days. My lettuce is gang busters even though I've been eating it every day since Saturday it doesn't look like I've even put a dent in it.

Really I'm very tired. I haven't slept well for a few nights and it is starting to wear on me. I need another three day weekend!

I've got to get to the gym. More postings later! Until then, remember, "Comparison is the theif of joy."

2008-10-13T06:52:00.002-05:00

Happy Columbus Day! Up and down the continents of the Americas people are celebrating the joining of the old world with the new world. So cheers to Christopher Columbus, Amerigo Vespucci, Leif Ericksson, and Zheng He and all their crewmates for sailing the ocean blue and discovering our wonderful land! We thank you gentlemen for your efforts.

It's 73 and raining in the Hill Country this morning.

I have the day off.

2008-10-12T22:59:00.003-05:00

Well, it's late Sunday night but I just got back from the Neil Diamond concert and had to write about what an incredible show it was! The energy was palpable. He sang so many of his songs including Solitary Man, Cherry, Cherry, Kentucky Woman, Sweet Caroline, I am I Said, I'm a Believer, Play me, Brooklyn Roads, Forever in Blue Jeans, You Don't Bring Me Flowers, and many more. Missing from my favorites list were Red, Red Wine, Song Sung Blue, and Coming to America but that's okay since you know I have them on my iPod. What a stellar performer and really just an all around good guy!

Did I mention I'm off tomorrow? Yahoo!

You didn't think I'd leave you without a Neil Diamond quote did you? From Song Sung Blue:

"Song sung blue
Everybody knows one
Song sung blue
Every garden grows one
Me and you are subject to the blues now and then
But when you take the blues and make a song
You sing them out again ..........."

2008-10-12T11:32:00.000-05:00

Fall at our homestead. Happy days!

2008-10-12T11:25:00.000-05:00

I lost the peanut pumpkin but fortunately was able to save most of the seeds. Here's the fallscape for our porch to welcome all visitors. Wontcha come and sit a spell?

2008-10-12T09:05:00.001-05:00

Just in case you thought summer was over, here are the remnants of my summer garden. Beans, okra, and a lone cucumber I didn't even know was out there.

2008-10-12T09:03:00.000-05:00

Last but not least the unmistakeable okra blossom. I'm a sucker for yellow flowers but the okra blossom is just one of my all time favorites.

2008-10-12T09:01:00.000-05:00

Someone needs a photography class. Still since there are actually black eyed peas in the background I'm sure you figured this is a blossom of a cowpea! This one was too easy.

2008-10-12T08:59:00.000-05:00

A legume blossom. You knew that already. I can tell it's not your first rodeo.

2008-10-12T08:56:00.000-05:00

A toadstool! Okay, he's not a blossom, but still it was an unexpected discovery!

2008-10-12T08:54:00.000-05:00

Another morning glory.

2008-10-12T08:53:00.000-05:00

Morning Glories mixed in with cucumber blossoms.

2008-10-12T08:51:00.000-05:00

A pumpkin blossom. What kind of pumpkin? I don't know since I thought they all died out after they accidently received the sprinkler treatment.

2008-10-12T08:49:00.000-05:00

What's great about this picture is you can see raisins, corn, peanuts and sunflower seeds and you probably already guessed this is beneath the feeder. The flowers? Well, those are miniature sunflowers from where the sunflower seeds took root!

2008-10-12T08:47:00.000-05:00

Lantana on a rock wall.

2008-10-12T08:31:00.004-05:00

It's Sunday morning and it's a beautiful Sunday morning in the Hill Country. It's 69 degrees and looks like rain. I went out to sit on the porch at about 7 this morning to let the dogs run and about 10 feet away from me was a scrub jay. He chatted with me a bit but he was after suet on the feeder. Yesterday evening I saw all our usual suspects including Carolina wrens, Carolina chicadees, black crested tufted titmouse, and of course the cardinals. They were not interested in the feeders though. They were interested in the long dead sunflowers and took turns pecking at the seeds.

Here's the really great news about today. I won tickets at work to see Neil Diamond in concert tonight. I have a parking pass and suite tickets - the whole deal. Having been Jonathan Livingston Seagulled to death growing up I just can't wait. I even took Monday off from work!

I have some photos of what is blooming on my allotment today so I wanted to leave you with my favorite quote from Anais Nin.
"And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom."

2008-10-11T19:18:00.000-05:00

Black Swallowtail (Papilio Polyxenes) on what looks like Lantana from a recent visit to our family cemetery in Austin.

2008-10-11T18:57:00.000-05:00

Arthur, King of the Brits, enjoying a beautiful day in the sun.

Just on the other side of the fence deer have emaciated a morning glory vine so Arthur is investigating. Yesterday he saw a rabbit on the other side of the fence and commenced a bawling fit you would not believe.

2008-10-11T11:31:00.001-05:00

Here's a better picture of him. Talk about your beneficial insect......

This reminds me of the line in The Winter's Tale. "I have drunk and seen the spider." Leontes is the speaker in Shakespeare's play.

2008-10-11T11:29:00.000-05:00

A visitor to my garden this morning. Can you see the spider? He's about the size of my hand!

2008-10-08T20:42:00.004-05:00

Well, more of the pieces of my fallscape fell into place this afternoon. My visit to Chicho Boys Fruit Market yielded some cornstalks for the cedar pillars in front of the house. DH and I tied them to all five pillars with kitchen twine and you'll see how adorable they look here:

The components are all together I just need some daylight to put the bench out. If you look closely you can see the scarecrow waiting to take his place on the bench.

I put some fall decorations in the house as well. We're skipping Halloween here and going straight for Thanksgiving to give my favorite holiday its' due.

Today I sent my application in for the Master Naturalist class starting later this month. Let's hope I get chosen!

Happy Fall to All!

"Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns." - George Eliot

2008-10-06T20:19:00.000-05:00

As you can see, it's starting to take shape. I have a few more elements to gather and then I'll be ready to assemble!

2008-10-06T20:15:00.000-05:00

This is the Buckskin Pumpkin. Could it be any cuter?

2008-10-06T19:59:00.000-05:00

I believe this is the One Too Many Pumpkin.

2008-10-06T19:36:00.000-05:00

Hrmmm. The blog may be offline but I can still post so I wanted to write about my adventure today! I took a quick trip during lunch to River City Produce and picked up a few jack o'lantern pumpkins, a one too many pumpkin and a oh drats I cannot think of what it's called! I'll have to check my receipt. Regardless, DH was kind enough to pick up a few bales of hay for the fallscape I'm putting together and it's coming along marvelously. Suspiciously missing from the scape are the scarecrow and stalks of corn, but the Hunter's Moon has yet to set so I still have plenty of time!

Oh, and I finished all 750 pages of Brysingr only to find out it's not a trilogy and now I have to wait for a fourth book! Argh! Can I just say how much this author has grown during the three books so far though? It was truly a great read.

No rain today although there were dark clouds about most of the day. My chance of rain tomorrow is down to 20% so it looks like I'll be driving with the top down!

Before I go I'll leave you with some words by my favorite poet, Walt Whitman who said, "You must not know too much or be too precise or scientific about birds and trees and flowers and watercraft; a certain free-margin, and even vagueness - ignorance, credulity - helps your enjoyment of these things."

2008-10-05T10:01:00.000-05:00

Only in Texas can one grow Okra in October. The tall stalks on the left are part of a row of okra still producing about 6 per day. On the left are some pole beans and black eyed peas left over from the summer. The new crop includes Brussels sprouts, several kinds of cabbage, arugula, and some carrots and radishes grown together. This is a raised bed made with 1x8x12 boards. It took so many wheelbarrows of dirt and compost hauled in I lost count!

2008-10-05T09:55:00.000-05:00

Lettuce garden. We have to grow lettuce in the fall here since it's a winter crop in Texas. Mine is even planted under an oak tree so it gets morning sun, dappled afternoon sun, and full shade in the evening when the sun is most blistering. The rock is just an outcrop of the limestone so prevalent in this area. My backyard is about a quarter outcropping and I hope to turn it into an herbal rock garden.

2008-10-05T09:50:00.000-05:00

The peanut pumpkin, a white pumpkin, and a Cinderella pumpkin (Rouge Vif d’ Etampes, C. maxima). It looks like my bench needs a white wash before I put together the fallscape.

2008-10-05T09:43:00.001-05:00

Peanut Pumkin (Brodé Galeux d’Eysines). Looks kind of odd and is the first one I've seen. I'm saving the seeds and we'll see if I can grow them next year.

2008-10-05T07:29:00.000-05:00

Well, it's Sunday morning coming down just like the Johnny Cash song except I'm not hung over and I didn't have beer for breakfast. Okay, it's just Sunday morning but not really like the Johnny Cash song at all.

Outside it's 65 degrees and cloudy although we won't get any rain until tomorrow. Since rain is coming I'd better get the peas planted and the last of my winter vegetables put in by the end of the day. Still, it's hard to get outside when I'm three quarters of the way through Brisingr, the last book in the trilogy by Christopher Paolini.

I started a holiday planning calendar off the organizedchristmas.com site and have tons of things to do before the end of the month. November brings hunting season so most of my holiday chores need to be done before then.

My friend Arti and I went in search of pumpkins on Friday and we found a variety I'd never seen before. It's a peanut pumpkin and it looks like it has a serious case of eczema. At some point today I'll need to head into the city and pick up a few more from the odd assortment of pumpkins at the Central Market. My next chore is to put together a fallscape on the front porch with a scarecrow. I'll post some pictures here.

Maybe I'll get a workout in while I'm in the city ...