full pond and finished orchard

What more could a girl ask? We stretched the fencing and attached the gates--all seems to be holding. And my man and his truck retrieved a Craigslist bench for some relaxing in the shade-to-be. I still have a passionflower vine to plant along the southern fence-line.

Finally some rain, though not a drought-buster yet. The sound of it pounding down on the roof was such a delight. Now we'll get some bullfrogs in the next few weeks!

The pears in the orchard have both leafed out (though not the ones up by the house--less sun??), as have the pomegranates. The poor pears did sustain some damage from the deer before we got the fence up. What an annoyance. Hopefully they will heal and remain vigorous. The jujubes, persimmons, and one fig have green buds and have popped a couple leaves each. The little Arbequina olive, well . . . we'll just have to see. It did not like all the violent wind we've had, and was tiny to begin with. I am considering moving it into a pot up by the house until it is a bit bigger and planting a quince in its place. Still pondering.

clothespin dolls

We were in Houston last weekend and, in addition to a delightful trip to the zoo, Nana and Miss A made clothespin dolls. Just way too adorable. I love watching how adept Miss A's hands are at dealing with those tiny materials. Yet another benefit of the Montessori approach. That and the ability to concentrate happily for extended lengths of time. Contrary to popular belief, I think that type of focus is something we LOSE over time, not something we gain. The natural state of the child is not hip-hopping from one moment to the next, never investing. It is enthralled fascination.

We actually attended an Open House at Miss A's school last weekend, and had such fun watching our daughter operate in another mode. Instead of behaving the same way she always does with us, she really changed in the Montessori environment, almost like she couldn't control the change, and exhibited a Zen-like calm as she gathered and worked with her materials. Check it out below.

new pretty biddies

So, I managed to wear my husband down enough that he let me acquire another couple hens. Therefore, we now have four hens and our rooster, Pepper. We got them from a neat fella in Austin who used to work in the film industry and hopes to eventually open an organic hatchery in LaGrange. They are still subject to occasional rabid pecking from Penelope and Guinevere, and I am having a hard time convincing them to roost in the coop and not in the live oak . . . but all is generally well. I have named the White Leghorn "Pearl," and Miss A is calling the Barred Rock "Teaser" (don't ask me why).

Here is Pearl behind the Agarita.


And the lovely "Teaser," under the bare branches of the lantana.

messy expression

Who doesn't love fingerpaints?

a way to structure our days . . .

The skies have been glorious lately. They are such a significant part of our lives here--watching the clouds, the stars, shying away from the sun. I have not lived anywhere else where the sky so fully dominates the landscape.

Love this quote from this fabulous blog:

“Be sure your children each day have:

• something or someone to love
• something to do
• something to think about”

Karen Andreola

happy valentine's day!

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Here's a shot of my little Degas dancer in her Valentine's duds. Lots of love to you all.

i was right!

Finally got a big, bellowing rain. Not enough to totally fill the pond, but it's on the way!

dry pond, cloudy sky, pray for rain

I feel like the rains are coming. Maybe that's just wishful thinking. Or maybe it's because I just planted the last three trees in our little orchard and can't bear the thought of them not getting to taste real rain, just hose-water. The land is so thirsty.

Up top you can see the fence gates that I painted blue and hung broken glass from, because it catches the light. Behind you can glimpse the cedar fenceposts that we got on Craigslist, hair still on, for 2 bucks each. Just a little more work and we will have an enclosed sanctuary for our trees.

another reason to love austin

new bed

Finally decided to tackle a lonely stretch of west-facing fenceline. I built limestone raised beds with rocks from our property and backfilled with Garden-Ville Rose Soil. Then I planted these:
1 Vitex Agnus-Castus (chaste tree)
2 Nerium (oleander--yes, I know it is poisonous, my children have already been lectured)
2 leucophyllum frutescens (texas sage--not really a sage, though)
2 sophora secundiflora (texas mountain laurel)
3 dianthus (pinks)
3 santolina
2 setcreasea purpurea (purple heart)
1 bignonia (trumpet vine)

After planting I mulched with two inches of Ladybug Turkey Compost and then another 3 inches of Texas Native Hardwood mulch. Let's hope those lovelies get settled before the blast-furnace starts stoking!



And enjoy this link to a little winter gardening advice from Central TX Gardener:

wednesday's shots from the homestead: ice

A little ice storm blew through last night, and left a glistening sheen over everything. The sun is out and now all the baby icicles are dripping. That mockingbird perched on the chair has been haunting the prickly pear and moved over there when I appeared with my camera. He has decided that this is his spot. And the paperwhites are just beginning to bloom, stinky fragrance and all (actually, I kinda like it).

Rain!

Above are my sweetpea seedlings tasting the rain, and below is my new "Champagne Bubbles" poppy doing the same.

Just a little, but more than we've had in months. A steady drizzle all day. Hopefully enough to push some of those wildflowers along, and to wash away the mineral deposits from that hard water I've been irrigating with.

Spent the morning at an impromptu rainday playdate and will spend precious naptime surfing here.

i am so on board with this!

We are busy installing our orchard (four pears, two persimmons, two pomegranates dug in and mulched--and two jujubes and one olive on the way!!!), now the Pres (bless him!) should do the same! Check out the campaign here.


The Garden of Eatin': A Short History of America's Garden from roger doiron on Vimeo.

what a blessed day

photo borrowed from BBC UK, Obama taking oath of office

"Pineapple" Pear, planted by us all.

Gorgeous day. Watched the inauguration with friends and babies and planted trees. I hope they will grow and prosper along with our beautiful nation.

And here is a copy of the gorgeous inaugural poem, by Elizabeth Alexander.

Praise song for the day.

Each day we go about our business, walking past each other, catching each others' eyes or not, about to speak or speaking. All about us is noise. All about us is noise and bramble, thorn and din, each one of our ancestors on our tongues. Someone is stitching up a hem, darning a hole in a uniform, patching a tire, repairing the things in need of repair.

Someone is trying to make music somewhere with a pair of wooden spoons on an oil drum with cello, boom box, harmonica, voice.

A woman and her son wait for the bus.

A farmer considers the changing sky; A teacher says, "Take out your pencils. Begin."

We encounter each other in words, words spiny or smooth, whispered or declaimed; words to consider, reconsider.

We cross dirt roads and highways that mark the will of someone and then others who said, "I need to see what's on the other side; I know there's something better down the road."

We need to find a place where we are safe; We walk into that which we cannot yet see.

Say it plain, that many have died for this day. Sing the names of the dead who brought us here, who laid the train tracks, raised the bridges, picked the cotton and the lettuce, built brick by brick the glittering edifices they would then keep clean and work inside of.

Praise song for struggle; praise song for the day. Praise song for every hand-lettered sign; The figuring it out at kitchen tables.

Some live by "Love thy neighbor as thy self."

Others by first do no harm, or take no more than you need.

What if the mightiest word is love, love beyond marital, filial, national. Love that casts a widening pool of light. Love with no need to preempt grievance.

In today's sharp sparkle, this winter air, anything can be made, any sentence begun.

On the brink, on the brim, on the cusp -- praise song for walking forward in that light.

Elizabeth Alexander

fruit tree frenzy

If anyone else is hankering to plant some fruit trees for their children to munch on in the coming years, after some searching I found THIS great list of adapted cultivars for the Greater Austin / Central TX area. Another really useful link on growing edibles in TX can be found here. And I happen to know that The Natural Gardener will get their persimmons in Monday morning . . . Go go go!

To add to the list, I have heard that good persimmons for our area are:
Fuyu, Hachiya, Saijo, and Chocolate
and good Pomegranates are:
Cloud, Parfianka (sold as Garnet Sash), Granada, Sirenevyi, and Ambrosia




Above is a shot of my Moonglow pear, planted a couple months ago, and some swelling buds on my Arapaho blackberry! OOOH.