Curse or coincidence, who is to say? Friends and family know that when I travel, have out-of-town guests, or plan a party, a weather event occurs — often an apocalyptic weather event. This is not an exaggeration. A volcano eruption, several tropical storms, too many unexpected downpours, and a 500-year flood are example interruptions to my … Continue reading A Flood of Tears, But Not for the Flood
On most visits to the ranch lasting more than a day, I gather plant material — whether bare branches or full blooms — and make an arrangement to display at the house. It might be a simple zinnia or fern frond in a vase, an oversized arrangement of fall leaves and grasses, or a quickly … Continue reading Seeking Flowers, Finding Spiders, Considering the Lilies
Crunch, crunch, crunch. Anyone with unirrigated land in South Texas knows how it feels and sounds as you walk across dry parched grass. Crunch is the sound I heard as I walked to see the sedums this week. That was unexpected. Just last week at the Lost Madrone Ranch, I walked through a bright yellow … Continue reading Saturday Sedum Watch: That Was Unexpected
Spring rains are here, the ground is wet, and overcast skies dampened my expectations to find many blooming sedums this week at the Lost Madrone Ranch. So, as I planned to head to the ranch, I thought about what else I would look out for on this trip. Last week was week six of watching … Continue reading Saturday Sedum Watch at the Lost Madrone Ranch: April 15