Drifting Along With The Tumbling Tumbleweed

Remember that song? {: I grew up listening to the Pioneers sing that Tumbleweed song and to Marty Robbins singing Dusty winds. Whoever wrote those songs must have passed through Texas at one time and got inspired! Even though spring has come to the farm and the

tough old mesquite trees are showing their best, the winds have blown up to 50 mph, whipping the dirt up from the fields to where you can't see 10 feet in front of you. Along with the stinging sand and howling wind,
come the stickery tumbleweeds. They grow big and green in the summer in some of the driest land one would ever know. Even when they are green, they are prickly to touch. They then dry to a strong wood like form and the prickles turn into stickers along the stems. Some tumbleweeds can grow to 3 feet wide.

The harsh wind breaks them free and they all tumble along like a stampede of blind cattle. They tumble across miles of pasture and pile up against fences and houses.

One needs to wear gloves to remove them or they will get a hand full of dry stickers.

If you ever drive through Texas on a dusty windy day and you see the car in front of you swerving this way and that on the road......no, they haven't had too much to drink, they are dodging the tumbleweeds that run into their vehicle in all directions.

Seems like Texas is full of stickers and thorns. Even the horned toads have spikes all over and let's not forget the stinging scorpion and the rattlesnake.

You can't wear sandals if you take a walk around here.

As you can see the mesquite tree thorns grow quite long as well. However, there is still much beauty in this dry thorned land. One only has to look to find it.

Now you know why Salem is in such a deep sleep. He has been dodging tumbleweeds and thorns all day as the wind pushes him along. So now.......what kind of troublesome plant do you have in your surroundings? I would love to hear! Everyone have a blessed Easter holiday!