There are so many different wildflowers and native plants blooming here on the grounds

that if I show you all of the photos.....in one post....it would be a very lengthy post.

So I will share just a couple of lovely native shrubs, that often

at a glance, people  do not know that they bloom........or even exist.

There is so much natural landscape disappearing due to

the "oil bust" here in Texas. So many beautiful plants

are being destroyed........so many meadows and prairies are

being dozed over.......all of it lost, forever.  Look closely at the shrubs

beside the cactus in the above photo.  When the sun shines just right,

this plant has the loveliest lavender color..............

because it is blooming the prettiest ,purple, lavender ,and yellow, flowers

that have a "feathery" look.

That is why they are called

Feather Dalea 

(Dalea formosa)

It is a shrub that grows 2 to 3 feet high. 

It blooms in April, is deciduous, and grows in full Texas sun.

And it has a light flowery scent, which Sophie approves of.

Across the prairie grounds here, it springs up and is so pretty to see! 

Next, I have posted on this plant before........and a few months back, it

had tan color berries.........now that spring has come......

the berries have turned red.

This is the Joint Fir

(Ephedra antisyphilitica)

It grows about a 3 foot high shrub, is an evergreen ,and 

likes partial shade.

The deer love to eat this, and I love creating gardens around this.

At this time, the woods are filled with color from this

shrub that grows everywhere. 

It is such a beautiful and peaceful time .....here on the prairie

and I am hoping that this finds you under a blanket of natural beauty 

instead of snow!

I stood in the Maytime meadows

By roses circled round,

Where many a fragile blossom

Was bright upon the ground...

Volkslied (German folk song)

In between the weeding, planting, and gathering eggs............

I have a wonderful Easter salad/dessert recipe for you!

Easter is almost here and this is a time that I start trying different recipes;

especially for desserts and salads that I want to make for the holiday. 

Now that our children are grown and scattered, we do not have the

usual celebration that we did when they were small...........

how much I miss those sweet times!

However, I still make some kind of "special" dinner 

for this holiday time.  

I just made this wonderful fruit salad/dessert in the 

above photo, and it is so creamy and delicious, that I will fix it for

our Easter table this year.

It can also be made in a "sugar free" version if you wish.

Here is the link to my cooking blog and for the easy recipe

Mandarin Orange Vanilla Fluff

So tell me.........what are some of your favorite

Easter foods?

I would love to hear!

Advice from An Old Farmer

(an abandoned old farmstead down the road from our home)

(I have had this in a collection of poems and verses I have found and collected over the years.........not sure who wrote it or where it originated from, or who to give credit to,  but

thought is was just great to share here)

Your fences need to be horse-high, pig-tight and bull-strong.

Keep skunks and bankers at a distance.

Life is simpler when you plow around the stump.

A bumble bee is considerably faster than a John Deere tractor.

Words that soak into your ears are whispered… not yelled.

Meanness don’t jes’ happen overnight.

Forgive your enemies; it messes up their heads.

Do not corner something that you know is meaner than you.

It don’t take a very big person to carry a grudge.

You cannot unsay a cruel word.

Every path has a few puddles.

When you wallow with pigs, expect to get dirty.

The best sermons are lived, not preached.

Most of the stuff people worry about ain’t never gonna happen anyway.

Don’t judge folks by their relatives.

Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.

Live a good, honorable life… Then when you get older and think back, you’ll enjoy it a second time.

Don‘t interfere with somethin’ that ain’t bothering you none.

Timing has a lot to do with the outcome of a Rain dance.

If you find yourself in a hole, the first thing to do is stop diggin’.

Sometimes you get, and sometimes you get got.

The biggest troublemaker you’ll probably ever have to deal with, watches you from the mirror every mornin’.

Always drink upstream from the herd.

Good judgment comes from experience, and a lotta that comes from bad judgment.

Lettin’ the cat outta the bag is a whole lot easier than puttin’ it back in.

If you get to thinkin’ you’re a person of some influence, try orderin’ somebody else’s dog around..

Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly. 

Leave the rest to God.