HAPPY NEW YEAR!

 

Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas

 

The gift itself is not so much—

Perhaps you've had a dozen such;

Its value, when reduced to gold,

May seem too trifling to be told;

But someone, loving, kind, and true,

Selected it—and thought of You.

The gift may have a hollow ring—

The love behind it is the thing!

Walt Mason (1862–1939), "Christmas Gift"

November is fading away,

 sunny days are shorter and hold a chill from the cold of the night before.  A couple of large hoot owls have decided to make their midnight lookout post on a large crooked mesquite tree that stands outside of our bedroom window.  I hear their hooting through the wee hours and they sound as if they are in conversation with each other.  One has a distinct deep and low hoot and the other has a light airy hoot.  

There is still so much that is a vibrant green all along the grounds even though it is late November.

There is an abundance of red berries on the wild bushes this year

The Turkey Pear cactus is at its best in vibrant red and green. 

The porch plants are now tucked away into the greenhouse to wait the winter through

and there is not much to do outside on these short chilly days.

Much of my time is spent cooking, cleaning, or stitching the hours away.  There is always something that needs to be done inside.  I hope this finds that you all have had a blessed Thanksgiving day and are looking forward to a happy Christmas season ahead.

 

 

Summer days have gone

 

and there is a cooler breeze that blows through the woods and 

 across the prairie.  Some days are still quite hot, but the 

sun seems to be a bit more gentle as it beams down. The 

flowers seems have gotten a refreshed spurt of energy since the relief of 

rain and cooler temps have come and have started to bloom once again.

In the late afternoon and all through the night, the moonflower

bloom their large white trumpet flowers...their fragrance drifts on the breeze.

By mid morning, these lovely flowers will have faded away

Deer are coming up to eat the wild bird grain.....even in the 

early morning. If you look at the arrow on the photo, you can see a 

third deer behind the tree. 

They are such pretty creatures!

I took this photo of the sunset on the first day of fall........

the day closed with the perfect autumn colors.

The night temperature is perfect for star gazing.......

and moon gazing. 

Fall.......I am so glad you are here!

Wishing you all happy and pleasant fall days!

I walked around the property this early morning

 

taking photos of the changing scenery of these late summer days.....although there is still much green in the trees and prairie,

I take a closer look......and  it seems that  everything knows ...summer will soon end.

The flowers that once were cheery and bright in the garden, now

take on a different beauty of September to come.

Anything that has been growing this summer  has taken on a darker color.

The "used to be" late evenings ....with the sun taking it's time to color the sky in vibrant hues as it sets, are getting shorter as dark greets us much earlier.

There is a coolness in the early morning.......welcoming me to take longer, slower walks.........

by noon the raging heat, reminding me it is still summer,  quickly takes over for the rest of the day.

For many, vacation time is over, school has started back up, and everyone

settles back into the routine of their daily lives.  

This summer , as hot and furious it seemed to be for most of us,

will soon be bidding us farewell and the breeze of autumn will soon

come whispering to us, promising cool days with a beauty in it's arrival. 

Here's wishing you fun and happy moments in these last summer days.

These very hot days........

 from what I am reading and hearing from television, social media , friends, and family

these very hot days are upon us all.......as we are all watching the July days

melt into August. How long must this go on??...........as we know here in Texas......

a bit longer

The flowers are struggling to stay perky and in bloom 

and I struggle to get out in the heat to water them.

yet.....as I hold the watering hose.....I am delighted to 

see the thirsty creatures brave enough to swoop in for a drink

They bring such beauty in just a few seconds of flight

some are still , quiet, and do their best to blend in.

Although it has been dry and we have temps up to 113 at times,

we have been blessed to get a relieving rain shower from time to time.

I spend a little bit of time each morning outside to weed and just to visit

the garden paths.  In the late evening.....it is still in the high 90s.......I drag

the garden hose around to each thirsty plant.

my embroidery blog

In the middle of the day, after the house cleaning and dinner dishes

are finished....... I spend my time with my needle.....stitching the hours away.

So tell me........what are you doing on these very hot days?

Are you vacationing.....are you on the lake or beach......enjoying the water, 

maybe you are enjoying your garden?

I would love to hear!

Keep cool everyone! 

 

 

Floating around in flood waters........

 If you have read my blog through the years........it seems I always talk about

how dry and in need of moisture our area is in...........

all of that changed a week ago........

you can click onto this link below....

Western Texas Flooding

We were safe from this kind of flooding.........though we have gotten inches of rain everyday

for a lot of days.  The above photo is a highway we use to go to Lubbock Texas.

The highway at this time is still closed because it has not stopped raining and the 

cars are still stuck in the middle of it all. 

For us, things have been much calmer.  Because of the constant rain

many of the wildflowers are in full bloom.  This seems to be a favorite of the bees.

They are always buzzing in and around them.  Of all things, this is called "hog potato"

Who really names flowers??  I cant imagine something so pretty being called hog potato.

The lovely Indian Blanket

Mountain Zinnia

Ox eyed Daisy

Prairie Aster

 We have so many different types of 

yellow daisy.  You think they are all the same type until you stop

to look at them.  Then you notice the difference. Some like

the Stiff Greenthread daisy

the Huisache daisy 

    and the Asteraceae daisy.....which I have to say is

one of my favorites. It's very tiny and so cheery!

The ground is also pushing up wild mushrooms,

They come in all shapes

and sizes with distinct features.

My own garden flowers are doing well......but that 

will be for a later post.  Because of the wonderful overload of rain,

there is an abundance of weeds and strong grass that has been overtaking

the garden spaces.  So for a good part of the morning and afternoon

I am bent down tugging and pulling.

So tell me.......how is your weather?  What is growing in your back yard? 

I would love to hear.

Here's wishing you the best of beautiful days ahead.

 

The cold winds of winter

 and the bareness of the surrounding trees are now just a memory as April has faded and May has made her sunny, warm, entrance.

There is now a warmth that blows in the wind....that on some days, can be very strong, carrying the dry dust of the neighboring fields............along with  the faint fragrance of the newly blossomed wildflowers that have pushed up across the prairie.

The woods....as I like to call it......which in reality, are acres of tall crooked mesquite trees......have lost the gray bareness.....and now, barely a twig can be seen........each limb is covered in billowy, light green leaves....thick and lush. 

On one of my walks, I came across this whimsical lizard...enjoying the warmth of the cement patio,

yet insisted on running ahead of me as I walked along....escorting me, in it's on way....I think it liked getting it's photo taken. 

The air is filled with the songs of so many wild birds that have come for feed and water.  The yellow headed blackbirds......I have to say , are one of my favorites.  They stay only for a short time and soon take to flight.

Large storm clouds have colored the evening sky bringing welcomed drops of rain.  With these rain showers, I always feel delighted that we have gotten so much......but the next day, I hear those who measure and know....talk about how little there was of it.....and how much more we need.

But for myself, I feel thankful.

This is a time for late evenings spent out on the back patio........to watch the sun grow weary of the day

as it lets the large glowing  moon and the bright stars take over the black canvas of the night. 

The mosquitoes have not yet found us as we sit out.......so for this small  span of time......we enjoy these late, quiet, nights.

Thank you all for the sweet anniversary wishes.  Mark and 

I have had such a long road to walk together.....with 

so many twists and turns.........and a lot of wonderful

paths on the side. 

Here's wishing you are having pretty and pleasant spring days

with much color and loveliness sprouting up in every space. 

 

 

This Day I Will Marry The One I Love

 The above title to this post is from the front of  our wedding invitation

40 years ago....

and we still love each other.

and I think we always will.

If one can get past the high wind and suffocating dirt

 and look close enough,

beauty can be found in these wild days of March.

Our back property has large dunes of wind swept sand

that gives the false sense that a body of salt water lies on the other side

but no........

 all that can be seen is the large acreage of the bare cotton field that stretches for miles as the 

dry dirt blows across it and forms these high dunes. We are in much need of rain.

yet, even in this dry climate.......the tough little

prairie wildflowers are starting to pop up and to show their color.

Some of these early spring days have been warm and pleasant, 

others have been chilly.  The wild birds are starting to fly in ,

some, like the woodpecker,  are native here. Some are migratory who come to rest their wings,

fill up on seed and water, and then , in a few weeks fly on their way.

In the woods, away from the sand dunes,  where the trees are still bare,

the gold color of the budding conifer 

shimmer in the sun.  These small buds will soon turn red.  This 

kind of conifer is a tasty treat to the wild deer who walk along the grounds

in the late afternoon.

The red berries of the Turkey Pear cactus look

so cheery and vibrant. 

This is a "look, but don't touch" plant... as it 

is filled with hundreds of tiny barbs and thorns.

Closer to the yard, the fragrant stock plant is blooming.

Taboo kitty loves sticking his face deep into the blossoms 

each morning on our walks. 

When the wind and dirt is not blowing, I have been outside,

planting flower seed and clearing garden spaces. On the wild windy 

days I am content to stay in and stitch the hours away.

So tell me.........how is the weather in your corner of the world?

Are you planning large flower or vegetable gardens?

I would love to hear!