Blog readers BEWARE.......this is not my usual cheery, butterflies floating.......

flowers blooming.......wild critters drinking..... post...........

because I am very upset

The photo above is a portion of our land that I call.........

"my meadow" 

where the butterflies float, the flowers bloom, and the critters find refuge.

Through the years,  I have had to come face to face and get into a shouting match with a farmer, on his tractor.....then again on his road grader.......to make him get off "this land" and to stop plowing it up.  After survey papers and a very severe warning.......he realized he couldn't just take it.......

then came the oil company folks.........NO NO NO.......STAY OFF.....

they did. 

Now this has happened to it............foolishly.........mistakenly.........

Last May, we were approached by a local electric company who asked to "rent" "just a portion" of an acre here to place a "temporary electric" pole . They PROMISED no land to be damaged and that they would be gone by Dec 31st.

Foolishly, we signed the papers. 

For months, we left them alone as they banged and clanged and did their work.........

on good faith we thought they were keeping their promise.

Because of the recent snow they have not yet left our land but yesterday I saw this and more things piled up on the land and decided to take some photos to tell them it was time to leave.

as I walked toward the debris my heart sank as I saw the torn up prairie grass and missing trees

then my anger started brewing as I saw the pile of trees

and the barbed wired fence .........in a pile.......on our untouched property.......

for us to clean up............

that is not going to happen!

Large telephone poles 

and electric poles lie everywhere as it they intend to keep the property for themselves.

It is a mess and all is ruined.

More dead debris, moved onto our land for us to take care of. 

I of course get onto the phone...........to the "Right of Way Agent" who made these promises....to find that they forgot to tell us that they are no longer over our land but that someone else is.  He knew how upset I was and had the new agent contact me. The man kept apologizing......sincerely........I know......

but this is a devastating mistake that they made.

He will be coming tomorrow..........bright and early to try to calm me down and to make this all right.........

but how can he???........

money?? 

how does that replace what was once here......sigh. and if so..............what value will he place on what is just considered " scrub land?"

I have only myself to blame..............not even my husband..........I am the one who always fights for the land protection.........I was the one who gave the " final okay" and signed the death certificate for my meadow. 

It's like trusting a stranger to take your child for a walk in the park.

But my optimism is still in me..........I can make lemon pie from lemons

I am going to see this as a blank canvas............

if I can restore old furniture.........

and old worn out linens.........

I  can certainly restore........damaged land.....

although........right now........I don't know how............

Through my sadness.........I see one tall tree........still standing as if to say

" I'm still here"......."still growing" 

..now that the fertile top soil is gone and all that is left is caliche...........

how do I undo what is done?

This is not the "footprint" I want to leave

I do not mean to offend anyone who is reading this, and I am not out to  rage war on the contractors, or anyone else.......

if anything.........it is to tell you..........be careful to rent anything you love for a handful of dollars..........

and some might say that this is not fertile land.......and ............

maybe I have not  done anything productive to it and have  just let it lie as it is..........

but I love this land that is like a 

  wild lady with the tousled and tangled hair.

Tomorrow, I will probably regret that I posted this............and may delete it..........

and then I will once again post about butterflies and flowers......

but for now.........I am upset.

The January days are not so dreary

because my Italian Jasmine has bloomed so cheery!

The common name of this plant is Winter Jasmine

Genus: Jasminum

Species, Hybrids, Cultivars: J. mesnyi- primrose jasmine;

evergreen vine with long, arching branches; lemon yellow flowers,

late January- April

Family: Oleaceae

Blooms: winter

Type: perennial

I loved watching the birds during our last snow storm........

They are such tough little creatures and can take pretty good care of themselves.

God gives every bird its food, but He does not throw it into its nest.  

J.G. Holland

Birds sing after a storm; why shouldn't people feel as free to delight in whatever remains to them?  Rose F. Kennedy

A bird does not sing because it has an answer.  It sings because it has a song.  

Chinese Proverb 

"Goliath" lived up to it's name.........

the storm visited here on Dec 26th,  pelting us with frozen pellets of ice, then high winds blew snow all across the grounds and the prairie

making a nice 6 inch blanket of white that hushed the woods and the grounds  in a quiet peacefulness. 

the ordinary gardens and chicken yard looked like a scene from Alaska instead of Texas

The ordinary cotton field looked like a frozen lake.

Every thing and any thing was covered and frozen.

Sophie found it very hard to walk in snow that was deeper than what she is used to.

The chickens and Homer the cat, had to stay for a week inside of the chicken house.........

but they were comfortable in hay with  a warm heater.

After the snow left, cold weather would not let it melt quickly.

Driving was scary because of the frozen fog and slippery roads.

But .......finally, the sun smiled his warm smile and every thing started to melt.

We still have a good amount of snow on the ground........but it is melting ........

the grounds are soggy, 

the cat and chickens are free to roam about, 

and Sophie is able to keep up with me better.

I hope that " Goliath"  passed over or  around you and that you and yours are safe and well.