Um. . .

It’s the end of school.  We are all about wiped slap out.  I want to sleep for a week, get up and eat breakfast, then take a nap.  Other than that, I finally made the kids help clean up the fort they built last weekend.  Something about having every single blanket and kitchen chair in your home all in the middle of the living room floor just makes things feel a bit messy–never mind that the kitchen and laundry have taken on a life of their own.  It’s nearly 9:00 p.m.  The kids are just now eating dinner and watching Phineus and Ferb.

On a school night.

See?  nearly summer.  We did the fort early this year, so I guess we’ll do everything else early too.

Now for some random photos, because I WANT to blog, but that’s just not happenin’.

Happy cat

Saturday morning burn pile

The SHARPEST pencil I’ve ever seen in my life.

Homework

Wildflowers on FM 362 near my house

This is Texas. Also on FM 362 on my way home.

Queen Anne’s Lace growing wild on Hwy 59

I’d never seen it before–but I normally don’t travel that far north in the spring.

Bayou Desiard

Humongous, old, live oak on Loop Road

Lost this tree in our clearing. It’s what happens when it rains a lot on sandy soil, then the wind blows really hard.

Mother Daughter lanterns

Mother Daughter flowers

Mother Daughter Aftermath

Thad enjoying a gift from Doc Suze

Chaos

May 1st

While this day is celebrated in the Pacific as Lei Day, and across Europe and the United States as May Day, for me this year it is simply the first day of May.  That means I am very, very close to the end of school.  And once school is out, I will have a week at home, and then Tony and I will pack our kids up for our first REAL vacation ever.  We have gone to see my mom.  We have gone to Galveston to stay at my in-laws’ house.  We have all gone to church camp together.  The kids and I have even gone to visit my friend, Carolyn, in Arkansas.  But we’ve not ONCE been on a vacation going to a place we know no one–where we just headed off to see what adventure might await.

Our destination?  Palo Duro Canyon near Amarillo.

“Palo Duro is so big, so deep, it can create its own weather, and on this trip a furious March snowstorm blurs the horizon on the rim, then turns to rain during the nearly 800-foot drop in elevation to the canyon floor. A blistering north wind is sucked down into its gullies and draws, and after ricocheting off red rock and sand, it blows from every direction at once.” Mike Leggett

We have reserved a cabin on the rim of the canyon that will look a little something like this.

The stone cabins were built during the Roosevelt administration’s work program.

Tony and I have been looking forward to this for a long time–and the kids are excited as well. This next photo is a picture of Tony in Colorado last summer–but I expect the smile this summer to be just the same or possibly a smidge bigger since we will, after all, be in Texas.

We will be there for Thad’s birthday. Normally we go to McDonald’s for his birthday breakfast, but his year, he will feast at a Texas landmark on good ‘ole Route 66.

This three minute shows what we’re in for–a good time with some gorgeous scenery. We’re all just a little excited.

Indian Autumn

Yes. . .I know the actual terminology, but this lovely fall we have is still showing off. Victoria and ran into Magnolia today, and I took these photos on the way. I would apologize for MORE autumn tree pictures. . .but they are JUST SO PRETTY. I can’t help myself.

At our neighbors' house. These leaves look like poinsettias!!!

Again with the oaks that aren't "Red Oaks" turning red!!!! SPEECHLESS. And this tree is HUGE.

We pulled into the driveway of an abandoned house so I could go back to photograph the huge oak with all the red leaves, and found this patch of clover. See what I mean? AMAZING. Clover. And RED LEAVES. In December. (I also forgot to mention that our neighbor delivered a home-grown watermelon from their garden to our door step last Sunday while we were at church. So add watermelons in December to the list.)

Victoria wanted to run through it. . .and I said, “Go for it, girly.”

Lovely, lovely day.

Phone Call Photos

Earlier I had a long talk with my friend, Carolyn. As we talked, I made the bed and walked around and folded clothes, and then went outside to take some photos for her. And here they are. . .explanations will follow. . .or you can just make up your own. (But she will understand them.)

Obviously, greenery on front porch rails. . .methinks we need some red bows though.

Afternoon kitty-cats

THERE are the red bows.

We hope the holly tree will survive. . .there are some green leaves still. Fingers crossed.

More colors. . .including a big ‘ole patch of some tender, green ground cover.

Not sure what it is, but it’s BRIGHT. I did NOTHING to that photo but take it.

Tony is building Thad his long promised and awaited fort. It’s TALL (10 feet clearance) and BIG (100 square feet). If Tony can survive building the stairs and the railing, we will all be happy.

The path the kids cut from the house to the fort. The entry to this path is very near the entry to the official path, but THIS path makes a bee-line to the fort. . .they will eventually be able to run down the trail and up the stairs at speed.

This is going FROM the clearing TO the house on the official trail that Tony and I cut three years ago. The clearing is a natural one–a low spot in the land, so it is where the rain water collects when there is any.

Yaupon is a type of native bush/shrub that grows all over the place out here. THESE yaupons have obviously become more like trees and are years and years old.

These last three are on the trail back to the house but looking back toward the clearing. The close-up yaupon photos above are of the clutch to the right.

Have I mentioned that I love where we live?

It’s Still Fall until December 21st or AMAZING Nature

As I’m sure you might recall, we had a fire here in September. It was awful and devastating, and I’ve still not really written about it. Mainly, because as blessed as we were personally to keep our home and as a community to suffer no loss of life, it’s still a bit depressing. The landscape has changed, and it won’t be the same as it was–at least not in my lifetime.

Tony and I knew a guy a long time ago who had a unique way of phrasing things. He was just a unique individual period. I can’t deliver the line at its best since you can’t hear me and since you didn’t know Joel, but he said the following in all seriousness as though it were a new concept, “Ya know? The thing about rain is. . .it makes the grass GROW!” And he was right. Look what some rain will do.

I took this photo today. . .middle of December and about four nights of below freezing temps, yet the grass is all gussied up as though it were April.

I took these next two photos today as well. The nutrients left by the fire do amazing things for ground cover.

Long before the fire, our poor area of Texas was parched like the rest of the state. The grass was just crunchy black-brown from being scorched by the sun. The ponds were completely dry–and they were ponds that, as it turns out, were 6-10 feet deep. When I went out about a week after the fire, there were trees that looked as though they had been burned–but they hadn’t. The only way you could tell was to look at the bark. The sun and high heat had scorched leaves and pine needles just like the fires had. Houston and the surrounding area has lost something like 20% of its trees–and that’s hundreds of thousands of trees. We’re talking serious, serious drought.

Losing the trees has been particularly sad. Huge pines and oaks have died all over and are being cut down by the hundreds each day. Many trees went into shock this summer and lost or dropped their leaves in an effort to save themselves. The ones that kept their leaves sort of drooped and sagged. We don’t normally have a lot of fall color in this part of the country. There are always a few sweet gums or tallow trees that put on a show–Bradford pears (which I don’t count because they are interlopers) are good for some color, but for the most part the leaves turn brown and fall.

So imagine our surprise when we got some rain. . .and then some more, and some more, and a little more. And the temperatures dropped a bit, and there was some serious cold and low and behold if the trees that are left didn’t give us something to cheer about.

This is an OAK tree. I didn’t even know oaks TURNED red. . .at least oaks that aren’t Red Oaks. And this is NOT a Red Oak.

The past two weeks have been like something out of a dream as far as southeast Texas goes. At least my little section of it.

Oh. . .it’s not Vermont. But we’ll take it.

Fire Map Photos Saturday A.M.

Full view of fire containment lines at of this a.m.

Our house in relation to containment lines. Still lookin' good.

Just saw a photo on Facebook of a firemen sleeping on concrete next to his truck. He had his walkie-talkie next to his head and had managed to get his boots off. That man deserves a bed and a special star in his crown.

Ummm. . .yeah.

So. At 9:15 on Monday night, we were evacuated from our home due to wildfires in our area–which is the juncture of Waller/Grimes/Montgomery counties. We grabbed the cats, the kids, photo albums, pictures, medicine and hit the road. Tony and the kids have been out of school all week. I missed two days. We are with his mom and dad in the Houston area. Right now our home is safe and so are we, but we are still unable to go home due to the fact that our house is CLOSE to the fire and in the middle of the evacuation zone for our county. Below is the thermal image from the fire YESTERDAY (Thursday 9/8). Due to winds, etc. the situation changes frequently–hotspots pop up, etc. A DC 10 that had been doing fire retardant air drops on the Bastrop fire near Austin was diverted to our area to do some drops. There are also helicopters doing water drops and A LOT of firemen and police officers doing their jobs and keeping people safe. We would, of course, covet your prayers for us and everyone else affected. So far, there has been no loss of life–which is AMAZING and evidence of God’s work. See photo below.

Gone to Galveston

Back soon. . .

What I saw THIS Sunday

Which, by the time you read this, will be yesterday. (And, Sarah, the car was either STOPPED at a red light or PARKED while taking all of these photos.) Last Sunday was sunny and in Texas. . .this Sunday was cloudy and spanned two states. I’m a gypsy, I tell ya!

I ACTUALLY saw this at about 6:15 on Friday evening.

A barn on the Perryville road. I would like to move that oak, and I was too well brought up to scale the fence and trespass to get a better shot.

Plus, this stallion was in the paddock, and though I am not traditionally scared of horse, I think he might have been cussing me out. He was, at the very least, snorting. His mare was nearby.

This does not even do it justice. I will try again this summer. . .it's a lovely curve.

Directives AND Directions from the Louisiana Highways Department

And all of that information is at the border of Morehouse. . .

. . .and Ouachita Parishes. (That is "Wash-ih-taw" –short i in "ih"–for those of you that live in counties.)”

This is BARELY over the border into Texas. I coveted.

Overlooking the gorgeous wisteria, I do believe this house has a story.

Wish I knew what it was.

This particular visit was like good medicine. . .and I missed the kids being with me, but it was nice to have Momma all to myself!!!

Bug-a-boo

We have been without computer access since last Wed. or Thurs. when a computer virus/bug/thingy jumped up and bit us despite the spyware and firewalls and anti-virus stuffage we have in spades. So you missed my post about buying this t-shirt for my husband, ’cause while I was writing it in my head on the way home, I suddenly realized I had nowhere to put it. Alas, the moment has passed–but the shirt. . .well, the shirt is forever.

As I have made PERFECTLY CLEAR, I am not a Texan. I married one and gave birth to two and find it a lovely place to live. Despite the fact that I have seen some state pride go a bit TOO FAR, I also completely understand the hubris and chest-pounding that goes along with being a Texan. Therefore, I find the shirt hilarious and so totally appropriate for my wonderful husband.

And tomorrow I leave to go to Not Texas–although the people I plan to see there are either transplanted native Texans OR have lived in Texas at some point in their lives. I am going ALONE, and I am very happy about that. I love my family dearly, but just like so long ago when I thought that a trip in a car with a cd player was LIKE a vacation. . .well, this is the same–though it’s REALLY a vacation. Hoorah! I’ll catch up with all of you next week.