When life gives you lemons... make lemonade!

Waiting, waiting, waitin... Our Meyer lemon trees are really growing and we see a few lemon "buds"! Not sure exactly how long it takes them to grow but we'll be patient - Cole won't be home for another 4-5 weeks - so maybe they'll be ready for him to make his "world famous" lemonade! Noah's famous too - he can slurp it down at world-record-breaking speed! Note: Barkley is a camera hog - he's always innocently sneaking in, like "oh, did I get in the picture? OOPS" He's a good boy... and photographs oh so well. Someday I'm going to get a photo of his Elvis impression and post it!

I have VEGIES!!!

Swiss chard, yellow squash, banana peppers and bells... ALL flourishing! I even see new squash plants popping up - seeds that laid dormant during the drought. And mingling among the vegies are some hardy, brilliant petunias. Thank God for petunias - beautiful and delicate but they can handle the brutal Texas heat :-)

Thank God for the rain!

Wow, my edible yard was looking really parched and I had no hope of harvesting anything... well, at least not much more than a handful of cherry tomatoes! But, I awoke to the sound of thunder, then the rain started to fall.. Oh, the sweet smell of rain! Yes, rain! Thank you God for the rain - so needed. My little lambs are so happy to have fresh blades of tender green grass to eat... AND, behold the beautiful sight of a growing garden! My basil went from pale and frail to lush, full and deep green - I can't wait to cook with it! And, how beautiful that the sunflowers have bent down to meet the basil!

A face without freckles is like a night without stars...

Two of my favorite things observed in the yard this evening... Noah (my grandson) stopped by after basesball practice to have a chocolate milkshake (after all, it was 90 degrees plus!), WELL ANYWAY - you would have thought I gave him the world - his little face lit up and his smile, surrounded by lots of freckles, was the biggest I've seen! It's so simple at my house - all of our guys are soooooooooo easy... just a little dessert and they are putty in our hands!

Once everyone was settled in, Shawnna and I enjoyed some time outside - although warm, the breeze was wonderful and so were the stars. That's one of my favorite things about living in the country - I can see the stars!

When I die and go to heaven - you can find me dancing or just hanging out on that very middle star in Orion. Yep, that's where I'll be - barefoot and fancy-free! Meanwhile, welcome to mi vida loca! AND, viva Fiesta!

God definitely has a sense of humor...

This is the place that I had my fall garden... however, while watering a few (I mean 2) surviving plants, the bluebonnets starting popping up. They start in the late fall and will survive if they have water. Since we've had no rain, the only patch is... yes, exactly where I would have placed my spring garden! Don't laugh at the make-shift fence put up to keep the sheep from eating the bluebonnets - after all, this fence matches the neighbor's chicken ghetto (pickin' up on the theme???).

I just couldn't till them up, in fact I hate to even step on them, so... they WIN! Once they have gone to seed, I'll plant some summer plants - in fact, it's the perfect place for okra and corn. Yummm... pickled okra! I think that canning is a pefect excuse for a day or two of PTO! My mother made pickled okra and German dill pickles for years - we all loved anything mom made (except liver)! That's the kind of junk food we grew up on - that's just how it was because we had the Kool-Aid mom! Oh, and happy birthday mom - see you tomorrow night to celebrate!

"The Girls"... and a Rooster too!

The hens were all huddled up but when I got the camera out, it was as though they began to get into position and pose for a photo! Too funny... they are now giving us 2-3 eggs a day, meaning one of the young hens has begun to lay eggs. I think we have two more that will start laying... and we should go up to 5 eggs a day. Meanwhile, our friend Pearl shares her hens beautiful eggs with us!

Now, when I originally talked to my honey about getting hens he was reluctant... however they have turned out to be so easy to have and care for! So, I imagined I'd have a pretty little "Chicken Chateau" but, unfortunately my hens ended up in a "Chicken Ghetto". Well, Charles just says, "They are chickens... they don't care!" I do and someday they'll have their dream home! ;-)

etto"

Thank you Josephine!!!

What is more beautiful than a friend that shares all of the beautiful things in her life, including larkspur and poppie seeds from her beautiful garden and yard. Oh, the free seeds are just a small part of what makes her a fabulous friend! I have about a half dozen blooms - with more buds ready to open. I don't think I'll have a "field full" but every flower will drop hundreds of seeds (note to self - look that up!). Enjoy these delicate beauties!