January

"January is the quietest month in the garden.  ...  But just because it looks quiet doesn't mean that nothing is happening.  The soil, open to the sky, absorbs the pure rainfall while microorganisms convert tilled-under fodder into usable nutrients for the next crop of plants.  The feasting earthworms tunnel along, aerating the soil and preparing it to welcome the seeds and bare roots to come."

Rosalie Muller Wright

How true Ms. Wright's words ring in the statement above.....

January is also the time for planning.....getting inspiration from seed catalogs that 

will soon come in and from garden books full of wonderful ideas.  

I have always loved miniature roses.........

Although nothing is blooming outside.........on my 

inside windowsill, this small pot of miniature roses

is still blooming and growing taller.

This was purchased in this whimsical container before Thanksgiving.

I am thrilled that it is doing so well. I need to transplant it to a larger 

container, but it seems to be happy at the moment.......so I will wait .

One of my "plans" is to somehow, create a miniature rose garden.

But where?..... is a the biggest question......as these little roses do not

seem to grow well when the Texas heat comes along. 

Any suggestions?  I will try anything that you tell me works! 

I was also able to find a few small colorful succulents for 

my garden collection.  I hope to keep these growing successfully......

and I hope, as they grow, that they keep their colorful appearance. 

I  am starting to plan more (dry climate)gardens with heat tolerating plants like cactus and succulents.

These plants seems to do well in the summer.........but seem to have 

difficulty in the winter.  Another thing to ponder.

January is also a great time to take inventory of your tools, fertilizers and 

other garden helps. 

Now is the time to till up your soil, (if not frozen) and to expose it to 

the helpful freezing to eliminate eggs of many insect pests.

I think this year I am not going to work on garden spaces for flowers,

instead I want to focus on the natural landscape plants that are growing here 

on the land.  I plan to make garden spaces and paths among them.

This will reduce the time of dragging a water hose everywhere, since the 

plants that are growing here naturally only rely on the rain that comes.

And it might reduce my frustration with pests like insects and rodents.......

since it seems, they only like to eat flowers and pumpkin plants and seem

to leave the natural plants alone.

Not sure if I can resist not planting pumpkin............this is yet to be seen.  

So tell me..........are you already pouring over garden and seed catalogs?

What do you hope to grow?  

I would love to hear!

No words.......................

just a pretty photograph......a memory to share....

a moment to just slow down, to savour, and enjoy!

Well.........instead of waiting until the new year to post , I still have some things to share

the last few days of this year........so I'm back. 

(our woods, a few frozen years ago)

This is the last day of fall........tomorrow, winter begins.

Although I am not looking forward to snow or extreme ice,

I still find beauty in the frozen woods 

and prairie.  

For those who love to work outside and in their gardens,

this time of year is usually a slow down time.

For me, it is the heavy work time;  it is the perfect time to "safely" work outside

and to clear garden spaces for the next growing season.

I can easily work in layered clothing and gloves 

easier in 30 degrees than to work in sweltering 107 degrees

in late spring and summer.

Also, the rattlesnakes will be very slow to strike in frigid temps, 

if I come upon one while clearing brush and cactus. 

This is also a time I love to look over garden books

and seed catalogs and dream about my future gardens 

that I would love to be able to build and grow.

So tell me......

do you do outside work when cold winter days come?,

or do you find yourself by a cozy fire and are perfectly content that way?

I would love to  hear!

Until I Return Next Year...................

Once again, my dear people,

      Merry Christmas is here,

      With holly and mistletoe

      And its good will and cheer!

With its joys and its heartaches,

      With its laughter and song,

      It comes as a reminder

      That time marches along.

Gertrude Tooley Buckingham, "When Christmas Comes" (1940s)

Wishing you a very merry Christmas!

A light dusting of snow came

giving the twisted mesquite trees a powdered 

sugar icing.  By noon, it was all gone.

I decided to  dress my worn and weathered scarecrow,

Gertrude, for the holidays.

This season she is wearing a dark floral print dress

with an embellished red jacket

instead of a straw hat, I placed a woolen knit

hat on her head and then tied a pretty scarf 

around that.

a spray of holly and pine cones work as an accent

she is holding a decorative basket of pine cones

her metal cat Zoey has a festive ribbon with a bell

and this year, a chicken has joined the group.

my little banty hens, along with my lone Ameraucana hen

are giving me a good supply of eggs, much needed for the upcoming 

holiday baking. 

If an egg is broken from an outside force, 
life ends.

If an egg is broken from an inside force,

then life begins.

Great things happen from the inside!

Here's wishing you the best 

inside and out!

I feel like Edith Macefield,

 the story about the 84-Year-Old Lady Who Refused a Million Dollars and Forced a Shopping Mall to Build Around Her House

This is what our graveled drive looked like a few days ago. It has looked 

like this since 1980.  We never have had to drive through mud. 

Even on rainy days, we can walk and never get our shoes muddy.

This is how it looks NOW, after our phone company came to prepare

for fiber optic lines to be laid.

One section is thick, heavy caked mud.........

For weeks, we have been called and visited by our phone/internet

company..........telling us how wonderful and better these

new lines are going to be.  (For 16 years we have had the worse

phone line and mediocre internet with this company,

but we have stuck with them. )

The only thing they avoided  telling us is how they would 

damage a good portion of our drive.  Even worse,

they refuse to see it as damaged and refuse to fix it,

telling us that it just needs time to heal.  

I growled and screeched and let them know how frustrated angry 

I am.........doesn't matter.......

they really do not care. 

 Instead of replacing the gravel, they want to just come 

and scrape the whole area all over again........

We, in frustration, told them to keep the machines off.

I could possibly go to an attorney.......but the time 

and my lack of trust in these situations will just be

dragged out.  If anything, I can just warn others........

stand out and over the work crews like a junkyard dog and

stop their damage.!

So, this is in the front of our home............

and...........as you may remember a couple of years ago

this meadow was damaged by our electric company 

on the side of our home.......however, 

they stepped up, accepted the responsibility of their damage

and repaired and paid for damages.

on the other side of our property........an oil rig

is being prepared to threaten our water supply and

peace of mind.

It makes me angry and sad that we have worked a good portion 

of our lives and we have our home "paid" for.

Now we have to be threatened constantly with

technology and progress.....

and 

thoughtless, uncaring people

but, in all of this, I refuse to let them rob me of my joy.

December is here along with it's chilly days.  The wind blew

so hard yesterday that everything now has a thick layer of dust.

And it is a time of  joy filled days, with

Christmas music (which I love) .......

Tasty treats and fond memories.

Sara Coleridge says it best............

Chill December brings the sleet,

Blazing fire, and Christmas treat.

Sara Coleridge (1802–1852), "The Garden Year"

Do you have your tree up and decorated?  

Do you have a favorite Christmas memory?

I would love to hear!

Thanksgiving wishes....................

I think Wilbur D Nesbit's words say it best.........

"Forever on Thanksgiving Day

The heart will find the pathway home."

Wilbur D Nesbit

Here's wishing that your pathway home will

lead you to a blessed and happy Thanksgiving!