Signs of Life.

I went out for a walk around the yard today to look for signs of life after our long cold spell. We had a record low of 8 degrees one night and several nights in the teens with days not above freezing. That is unusual for us and hard on our plants. I was pleased to see most things look pretty good. Nature is truly resilient.


Cast iron plant looks fine.

Bluebonnets are happy.

Oregano hanging in there.

Fig tree has some green tips so I am hopeful.

This butterfly was flitting around landing on leaves to sun itself. Wonder how it survived?

Christmas photos.

Snacking before opening.



The tree and presents.

Our White Christmas.

New Year.

One of my goals for 2010 is to update my blog more often.

The year is starting out very cold here with a severe freeze predicted this week. When temps stay below freezing for 50 hours or so in Texas we are bound to lose some of our usually perennial plants. I guess that is part of gardening - perhaps an opportunityfor something new in the spring.

We had a great Christmas with all the kids and grandkids here. It snowed on Christmas Eve and was still on the ground Christmas morning so I call that a White Christmas. Very unusual for us.
Well, I have tried several times to add some pictures to this post. No luck. I will try again in my next post.

Garden Blooms.

Our recent welcome rains have brought some blooms to the garden. The Cenizo (Texas Sage) only blooms after a rain (just watering won't do it). Mine burst into bloom the first day it rained!




I have several clumps of Blood Lily that bloom every fall. It's one of my favorite plants. There was no sign of them until the rain and they shot up overnight and are now in full bloom. Amazing!

Rain at last!!

Can't believe it has been a month since I posted to my blog. The month of August has been really bad as far as gardening goes around here. Had to water way too much just to keep things alive. I hope we have turned a corner this weekend with the beneficial rains we are having.

Now I can start thinking about some fall planting. Planning to plant lots of herbs and some fall veggies including lettuce, brocolli, kale, spinach, etc. First I have to clear weeds - they are the only things that have thrived this summer!

The photo above is from my yard earlier in the summer - a swallowtail butterfly feeding on a phlox bloom.

Class of '61

I have had so much fun the past 2 weeks catching up with some of my best friends from high school. Even though we are spread out over many miles, the internet allows us to talk like we are all together. We have exchanged photos and info about our lives, kids and grandkids. Such fun, and we all agree we feel much younger remembering our "teen years." Here is a photo of some of the graduates. Aren't they the cutest! Such promise in their smiles. (I am not in this photo, by the way.) We hope to have an "in person" reunion soon.

(photo courtesy of Judy W.)

Garden Survivors.

This has been a tough summer in Central Texas. Extreme heat and drought - a bad combination. However, a few of my plants are tough and doing pretty well. They are survivors for sure.

Rose Mallow perennial hibiscus

Verbena Bonariensis and Portulaca

Esperanza (Yellow Bells)

Gulf Fritillary on Passion Vine laying eggs.

Gulf Frittilary caterpillar on passion vine (passion vine and perennial morning glory growing on fence together).