A few weeks back I posted a photo of a native wild berry bush

called the Algerita Berry.

Now the blooms have faded and the bees have buzzed away............

and sweet berries in the vibrant color of red are hanging in clusters, waiting for the birds and what ever wildlife to come along to eat them. Yes, I pick them as I walk along with Sophie. They are full of seed just like a blackberry, but so good!

I planted a young pomegranate tree last year, in the middle of the harshest drought and hot wind ever.

It survived and is now in full bloom! I just love the way pomegranates look..........don't you?

It seems that every tree and bush is budding and blooming

and no matter how many times I see this through the years..........I simply love it!

It's as if every tree has pulled out it's favorite beaded necklace and has cast it on.

As most of you know, I love to grow large gardens of zinnias. The photo above is from 2010 garden.

Last year no zinnias could be grown because of the drought and harsh weather.

This year I have planted large zinnia gardens once again, and they are in the process of sprouting and growing! I am so looking forward to seeing their colorful blossoms. In the photo above these are zinnias I am experimenting with in the "bag gardening method." They have sprouted and are growing quickly. They are mixed with Mountain Garland...........a new flower I have not raised before.

I also am planting one area with a giant "white" zinnia this year. I used to never care for white flowers, but have found them to be so wonderful in making up the color scheme of a garden.

How about you?

Any wild berries in your area?

What colors do you prefer in your flower gardens?

I would love to hear!



If you remember, I posted about beginning to try a new method of gardening

called " bag gardening" a while back before planting season.

I prepared the beds and the bags of fertilized soil, and quickly, flower and vegetable seeds sprouted!

The sprouts quickly grew.........

bloomed...........

got thicker.............

and produced well! Do I prefer it over regular gardening in the ground........not really. It sprouts and grows just about the same and the radishes taste the same. However, as a dear visiting friend pointed out, it is so much better for those who don't want to dig in the ground or who have small spaces. I will probably continue bag gardening in my smaller beds throughout the years and still use my wide open spaces as I normally do. Have you given this a try?

Out in the potting shed, I sprouted flowers

pumpkin, cantaloupe and zucchini. They grew well there for 6 weeks, I then hardened them off and planted them in the garden. That week, our temperature reached up to 106 and every plant burnt to a crisp................sigh. What the heat forgot to zap, the mice ate down.

However, I don't give up.

I replanted into the garden spaces. This week we have had a lot of rain and now, everything has sprouted! I guess this is the way it is in every thing that we face in life. We plant our seeds of hope and we sail on a cloud for the first few weeks, then some kind of hardship comes along and we find ourselves devastated and how it all failed. But we manage to roll up our sleeves and give it another try.

Don't we??

I also have green tomatoes! I love red............but I look forward to the green for a dish of fried green tomatoes in the making! 

How about you?

Have you planted something and are enjoying the fruits of your labor?

Or have you had a set back and are struggling to bounce back?

I would love to hear!

******visit my cooking blog for some wonderful history about Better Homes and Gardens and a vintage recipe! click on link to visit.

My Country Kitchen

A Tribute To Mother

M-O-T-H-E-R

"M" is for the million things she gave me,

"O" means only that she's growing old

"T" is for the tears she shed to save me,

"H" is for her heart of purest gold;

"E" is for her eyes, with love-light shining,

"R" means right, and right she'll always be,
Put them all together, they spell "MOTHER,"
A word that means the world to me

Howard Johnson.

Have a wonderful Mother's Day Weekend!

Through the years, I have introduced you to many Texas critters.......

Some of them quite bazaar and unique.........

From the thorned Texas horned toad.........who looks like lost miniature dragons..........

to the smelly Vinegar Roan, who is completely harmless. The worst it can do is spray you with a strong vinegar smelling spray and perhaps pinch you with those claws..............

then there is the whimsical rain toad that only can be seen after a large rain..........

and these large black bugs that I call Preacher bugs because of the white collar around their necks. They can bite and give off a high pitch screeching sound when held.........I know, because I have gotten too close............yes, I laid down on a wet patio to get this thirsty bug's photo.

(click on photo for better view)

Even though we have the common Cottontail rabbit............we also have the large Jack Rabbit.

They can get as big as an ordinary house cat..........

they have enormous ears and beautiful eyes...........

and long kangaroo type legs..........

and instead of a "cotton puff tail" they have a larger, longer black tail.

They are every where on the road side in our area. Just another unique and odd looking creature on the prairie.............although those that live here are so used to seeing them, they don't look odd at all!

How about you?

Any curious or unique creatures where you live?

I would love to hear!

The windows of our home are large and wide................

and I love to place old bottles that I have collected

through the years on top of the windowsill.

I have had these bottles for many years..........some passed down to me by family or friends.........

Some found lying half buried in the ground...........

Each one, well loved and looked after.

They all take me back to a more simple time..............

to sunny days, when my parents would load us kids into the back seat of the car and we would go for long drives on the dirt and gravel back roads of Texas. Stopping when we would see a falling down farm house (as long as there were not NO TRESPASSING signs), crossing over the over grown brush and high grass to walk around .................... exploring.

I have loved old houses like this since, wondering who lived there?, .....................what was in these old bottles??

How about you?

Do you have a collection of what nots or trinkets?

I would love to hear!

She was my childhood friend..................

and everywhere Jane would go...........that's where I wanted to go.

Which led me to spend my weekends with Jane and her grandmother, Lila Josephine.

Don't you just love that name???

Which led me to church, and led me to follow Christ all the days of my life.

At 74, Jane's grandmother would open her home to Jane and I on the weekends.Where she got her patience......on the good Lord knows.  We would spend Saturday with her , running about in the small quaint town, stopping by the Dairy Queen and then spending the evening hours watching Marty Robbins and the Grand Ole Opry together.

On Sunday morning, we all went to church...........a wonderful church, that no matter how hard I try, I can never find one just like it.  We would then head back to Grandma' house and have Sunday lunch, sometimes, along with Aunt Laverne, Uncle Merle, and Grandma's friend Evelyn.

All in all, it made me look forward to those weekends, and to look upon Jane's grandmother as my own.

The little case in the photo above belonged to Jane's grandmother...........and Jane brought it home to me!!!  She thought I would treasure it.............and I do!

It still has the bus traveling label on it from where she would take the bus to go visit relatives.

I am not removing the label.

Inside,  the little pouch is still perfect,

just a little worn.........

and although I restored and papered my grandfather's trunk,

I am keeping this just the way it is..........

the way Grandma used it.

It is the most wonderful case to store my crocheted doily collection in.

Years passed by, I grew up, got married, started my own family and only saw Grandma once in a great while..................how much I see now that I took for granted. She has long since passed away and how I would love to talk to her................

Now this little case is full of old crocheted pieces and it rests on top of my grandfather's trunk, where in the day, I can pass by and see , and remember those wonderful weekends long ago, shared with my childhood friend and a special grandma.

How about you?

Did you have a special grandma that you went to church with or spent the weekends with?

I would love to hear!

This is the view of my back yard

and all around my garden spaces, and the sweet smell of all of this blows through the open door and windows of the house.

The evening primrose...........buttercups....... along the back ridge of the grounds are so sweet and fragrant, that they are full of bees.  

Even a trip to take out the trash is pure enjoyment .

The prairie acreage of our farm is completely covered in bouquets,

and a thick carpet of flowers of every color. The smell is heavenly!

Even under the mesquite trees the flowers blossom.

Speaking of mesquite trees, this is how the woods now look............

going from the dark and grey barren, to the green and leaf filled.

(click on photo for a better view)

One thing about mesquite trees is that their sap starts oozing out and dripping everywhere. You don't want to park your car or place your chair underneath a mesquite tree during this time. It is very sticky and hard to wash off. This tree bubbled and hardened in the hot Texas sun that we have been having lately.

The sap looks like orange marbles this way and is semi hard on the outside, but still soft and gooey.

How about you? Are you enjoying the blossoms and buzzing around you?

I would love to hear!

****** On a special note******

Have you ever wondered what Stephen King or Vanna White likes to eat??

Well, our blogging friend Nancy Huggins knows!!!

How??

Because they personally told her!

And now she is telling all of us!!

That's right!

Nancy, at Inside Nana's Head blog has just completed and published a cookbook with not only Stephen King's and Vanna Whites, recipes, but many more other celebrities as well.

The cookbook also donates a portion of proceeds to animals in need.

How much better can it get?

Much more!

There are also photos and notes written to Nancy by these folks!!

Go over to visit Nancy and wish her the best will you?

You might even want to get yourself a copy of that cookbook!

I did...........it is amazing!

Just click onto to this link to visit her!

Nancy's New Cookbook