"Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life and attend to your own business and work with your hands........" 1 Thessalonians 4:11

Thursday, August 4, 2011

A Texas prairie, for some folks,

is nothing more than an eye sore, especially during severe drought,................
full of thorns from the cactus and the weathered mesquite trees,.......
 rock hard ground, dry drab grass, and venomous creatures, like the rattlesnake and scorpion...........

much of this natural prairie is being plowed under..............for cotton or maize or other crops............leaving nothing but dry dust...........
now.....hang on................
 this is not a post to bicker over what folks do with their land............
and I am not going to be chasing a tractor out in the field with a "Save The Land" sign...........
no, I won't be doing that..............

I will just take care and enjoy the small acreage I live on ...............which to me holds so much beauty..........one just has to look to see it all.  There is so much more to this prairie than the eye can see..........in the above photo is a bush that grows abundantly on the grounds. It is a Joint Fir.
In plant talk, the Latin name.........Ephedra antisyphilitica.
It is a shrubby, squat, conifer. During  a wet season, it has a blue green color.  It is more like a bush than anything.
However, the deer love to eat it..........we had a buck in our front yard last year.......which makes me glad that this bush is growing on our grounds.

Throughout the whole grounds are wildflower ..............and weeds.
However, some , even if they are weeds, hold such a beauty of their own.
I fell in love with this plant/weed pictured above. I have not found the name of it yet,but isn't it cute with the little pod that almost, (to me) looks like a miniature Chinese lantern?? 

This is what it's small bloom looks like.

There is also tall and strong weed- like prairie grass. The rabbits and mice love to hide in this.. Among it grows this plant/weed, with clusters of pale blue.

A look closer and one can see the soft petally flower that grows on it. Even though we are dry as over cooked toast, I still leave a large pan, about 3 ft wide and 2 ft deep of fresh water out where I feed the birds.
 We have quail, two types of dove, road runners and quite a few different type of birds come to bathe and drink daily. I know we also have the scary wild critters at night...........
But I love the fact, that in the middle of this dust bowl...........there is a prairie..........
a prairie,........ that when I am an old lady, asleep in my bed.........
, among the memories of the one I love and the babies that came and grew up............
 will remember and dream about.
That is the sweetest of dreams for me............. 

20 comments:

Paula said...

I love all the amazing little plants and flowers that grow around you, Kathleen... those must have quite the determination to survive!

Gingerbreadshouse7 said...

That's a pretty plant, gives one inspiration to carry on when you see them looking so pretty in their harsh environment.

Tammy@Simple Southern Happiness said...

Dont worry, I would be a bit miffed too if I was in your shoes. Especially when the wind blows the dry soil your way. BUT you sure have found some awesome flowers to pass the time. MY goodness, those are lovely. Sending prayers your way for rain.

Connie said...

Lovely post, Kathleen. It's true there is still much beauty to be seen there even during this severe drought. Still praying you'll get rain soon. Thinking of you.

Ladybug said...

Prayers for Texas Rains.....
Many Blessings
Trish-Ladybug

The Woodbury's said...

I love the way that you see beauty in everything. I know that the Lord loves a grateful heart, and you sure have one!

Elaine/Muddling Through said...

It just gives you a fresh appreciation of God's great wisdom and love of diversity, doesn't it? I am always blessed to see His hand in creation around me.

lil red hen said...

Bless you Kathleen, for leaving water out for the critters. I think most birds have left this area; the crows drink from the stock trough.

Home is home, isn't it? no matter the surroundings. We just take the good with the bad. We've had cooler temps today after reaching 116.5* yesterday!

Beatrice P. Boyd said...

Hi Kathleen, the first plant that looks like a lantern may be the chinese lantern plant that we also have growing in our yard. There's a seed pod inside the lantern which becomes transparent as it dries out. The second (purplish) bloom is horse nettle. It has lots of tiny thorns, making it a real pain to pull out. Both plants are quite invasive.

Bev C said...

Hello Kathleen,

You have learnt to look beyond what you see and you have seen nature at its best.
Happy days.
Bev.xoxo
p.s. I wouldn't like to come across some of the rattlesnakes though!!!

GardenOfDaisies said...

Hoping you get some rain soon and your drought ends. But I agree with you... I love the wild, natural look. It would be nice if Texas could preserve some of it's prairie.

American Home said...

I know how you feel about the drought. We live in southern Oklahoma and feel the same way. It is a test of patience and faith to wait for the rain. I loved reading your blog.
Blessings,
Donna

Michaele said...

So good of you to find and share what is good. I wanted to comment on the weed with the pod. We have those here too. I also have tomatilos in my garden. They have the same blossom and the same pods. I wonder if the weed aren't wild tomatilos or something. Probably not edible. I will be watching these more and let you know.

Unknown said...

I think the one is ground cherry! It is a weed but who cares, it just means it planted itself. We had it growing in our yard in MI and we let it grow. I love the weeds and am allowing some in my flowerbeds while others I pull. It's wonderful that you find the beauty in the environment, just as we all should.

Vickie said...

Glad you have your little piece of prairie to relish, Kathleen. Survival of the fittest and you have some pretty fit little plants there. They even manage to show some color in this drought, but that's the way they are made. Enjoy!

Diana said...

I love your blog, it's so warm and homey, Diana

Terry and Linda said...

Ground cherries! Horrible little weed, but like you I love it. Although, I try to not let it get a hold in my yard...it is VERY hard to get out of flower beds and such.

Linda
http://coloradofarmlife.wordpress.com

Agrigirl said...

I'm laughing that I actually water something that you call a weed! Different geographies!

Suma Subramaniam said...

Love the beautiful plants that are growing and surviving the heat around you Kathleen. I hope the summer brings you happiness!

Best,
Suma.

Brenda Kay Ledford said...

Kathleen,
I love all the plants in your blog. I know how you feel about the land. I sure hope you get rain soon and the drought lifts. We'll contine to pray for rain for Texas.