Adventures – Yesterday / Today

Today is Ostara (the Vernal Equinox).  Yea!  Spring is now officially here.  Quick while it’s sunny, go outside and enjoy all the beautiful flowers, the new “spring green” the trees are producing, mild temperatures, and blue skies.  Walk your neighborhood, work in the garden, visit a state park.  We’ve all been trapped inside with dreary, rainy, cloudy, chilly weather so go outside NOW!

Yesterday a friend and I had a day long of adventuring.  We left here early and drove to Brenham.  

Brenham is the county seat of Washington County in south central Texas and is known as the “heart of Bluebonnet country”.  It has one other major attribute.  It is the home of the Blue Bell Creamery (the-best- ice-cream-in-the-world). 

The highway between here and there tends to be bright with wild flower color from March to April.  There weren’t as many blooming as we’d hoped – probably due the late cold snap – but the ones we did see were beautiful.

We did see several large groves of Acacia trees in bloom.  I think I need one of these.  The flowers are cute little round yellow fuzzy balls.

First stop in Brenham, was, of course, the creamery. 

You can tour (sort of) the creamery and watch as containers are filled and sent along to the cold room (-40° cold).  It was interesting to watch and honest-to-god, if I worked there, I’d weigh 500 pounds.  I can remember when you could only get Blue Bell in Brenham and Houston (1960’s).  They expanded to the rest of Texas and then, by 1990

Nice.

And, yes, while we were there, at 11AM, before lunch, we had ice cream.  One scoop = $1.  One scoop was huge!  My favorite – Moo-llennium Crunch.  Full of all kinds of really good stuff.

Our next stop was to be The Antique Rose Emporium in Independence, TX. 

Independence is an unincorporated community northeast of Brenham.  It was founded in 1835 and was the center of the Republic of Texas.  In 1845 it became the first site of Baylor University and the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor.  Unfortunately, Independence declined giving a right-of-way to the railroad, saying the Brazos River would always be transportation king and faded into obscurity.

To get there, Siri took us via all the small back roads, which was nice.  While traveling down one stretch, we came across a number of large properties with gates guarded by

Honest-to-god, these guys were the size of

real live deer!

Ooookay.  Pass on driving
in there.

Maybe they're a rock band

Guns, Bucks, and Eagles

There was one more, which I didn’t get a picture of unfortunately ---- carousel horses.  Sort of didn’t fit with the others.  Still I like merry-go-rounds so those worked ok for me.

The Antique Rose Emporium is a wonderful place to visit.  Not only do they have an amazing selection of antique roses, they also have a huge assortment of anything else you might want.  And, if you don’t want to buy anything – go for the gardens.  The grounds are massive and include several buildings – like a small church, a farm house, two or three out building all nestled among well-tended flower beds.

Just a few of the things that caught my attention

Oh, and this.  I neeeeeeeeed one of these!

It’s like a million feet tall and made from rebar.  This one is planted with roses!  How cool is this!

Ok, now I have to stop and continue with the adventure tomorrow or, I’ll miss today.

20 Mar 2019

Sprung

I’ve spent the past many days moving plants outside, repotting many of those plants, plopping several in the ground (because now, they are officially too big for the biggest container I have that I can move), moving all the yard art back out and deciding on a place for it (nothing stays the same in my yard, year to year), and generally acknowledging that spring is here.  Yea!

Horta, welcoming Spring

I’d be perfectly happy if it would stay spring like (temps today range from 70 to 50 – nice, very nice, very, very nice) until June.  It could happen.  So far this year, I’ve had the AC on in January and the heat on in March – spring isn’t totally out of the question.

Did you remember yesterday was St. Patrick’s Day?  Wear green?  My father used to say that on St. Patrick’s Day, everyone was Irish – except my Mother argued, she was not.  Wrong.  Little did she know that her 2^nd great grandfather came from, yes … Ireland.

And, just in case you wonder about such things - Saint Patrick lived during the fifth century. He was born in Roman Britain, kidnapped at age 16, and brought to Ireland as a slave. He later escaped, but returned to Ireland and was credited with bringing Christianity to its people.  One legend has it that he drove the snakes away from Ireland.  Sounds cool but according to experts – there were no snakes in Ireland; that the snakes were a symbol for the druids, whom Patrick is said to have driven out when he established Christianity.

One of the symbols for St. Patrick’s Day is – Shamrocks (oxalis or clover, I hear you asking).  Even experts differ on which is what when it comes to that clover stuff in your yard.  But generally, the flower for clover looks like this

and oxalis, like this

Or

 My yard if full of oxalis.  That’s fine.  It doesn’t have to be mowed and it makes flowers.  I can live with that.

The trees are blooming, well, not the pecans just yet, but

Oak

Redbud

and, my Loquat, which bloomed last November

is covered with fruit.

When I look out my kitchen window, I see . . . .

Beautiful Wisteria blooms

18 Mar 2019

Good Luck and Bad

I think March is best known for 1 Wind (and, yes we’ve been having that – all the damn time); 2 The Ides of March (that’s today, the 15^th); and 3 St. Patrick’s Day (that’s the 17^th). 

So, the wind is just something we have to deal with.  The three-year-old that controls the thermostat, is also controlling the fan.  Honestly, in the past two weeks, we’ve gone from temps in the 30’s to temps in the 80’s to temps in the 50’s – all with wind.  Well, it could certainly be worse though I’m not going to speculate as I don’t want any of those “worse” choices.

Now, for the Ides of March, I can make a few suggestions. 

Although, these days, March 15^th, is considered unlucky, originally it was a day for religious observances.  Participants celebrated with food, wine and music and offered sacrifices to the Roman deity Anna Perenna for a happy and prosperous new year. 

Then, of course, came the whole Julius Caesar thing.  In February 44 (BCE) Caesar was warned by Spurinna that the next 30 days were to be fraught with peril, but the danger would end on the Ides of March. 

Beware the Ides of March

On the Ides of March, 44 BCE, Caesar was murdered, stabbed to death by the conspirators near the Theatre of Pompey where the Senate was meeting.

Since that time, March 15 has been considered unlucky – yes, well, it was certainly unlucky for Caesar but people being people, stuck with the thought that the Ides of March is unlucky or a portent of doom for everyone. 

Suggestions? 

Fighting weeds?  Well, leave the Purslane.  In ancient Greece, purslane was thought to attract good fortune.  If you found a patch of it, you would have a happy year.  In addition, purslane was used to sooth bee stings and snake bites, protect against osteoporosis, stimulate blood circulation, help with lung and mouth cancers and a number of other things.  Add it to a salad or with stir-fry dishes.  But, since we’re talking about luck – leave some around your home as it brings luck, happiness, and protection against evil.

Plant Lemon Verbena.  It is not only a wonderful herb for cooking, it has the power to change bad luck to good.  In addition to bringing good luck, lemon verbena leaves can be used in fish and poultry dishes, salad dressings, jams, puddings, sorbet, and beverages.  Medicinally, it can be used for digestive disorders (including indigestion, gas, colic, diarrhea, and constipation), for agitation, joint pain, insomnia, asthma, colds, fever, hemorrhoids, varicose veins, skin conditions, and chills.

Here’s one everyone knows and many plant – Basil.  Given as a gift, basil brings good luck to a home.  And, another – Parsley.  Never give away your parsley as you will be giving away your luck. 

How about Yarrow.  Yarrow was, for centuries, carried into battle as a lucky charm.  It was considered a strong protective herb.  In China, it is said that where yarrow grew, neither tigers nor wolves could venture and poisonous plants could not be found.  In Europe, it was grown by the front and back doors so evil could not enter.  Historically it was also a medicinal plant and chewed for toothaches, used as an infusion for earaches, as a tea for head colds, to reduce fever and aid in sleep. 

Ok, one more and then I’m done.  Lucky Bamboo (which isn’t a bamboo all but a type of Dracaena) is associated with Feng-Shui (a belief which claims to use energy forces to harmonize individuals with their surrounding environment).  Arrangement of this plant has a specific number of stalks, each with its own meaning: three means happiness, longevity and wealth; five stalks are for wealth; six will bring luck; seven good health, eight for growth and 10 for completion. If you’re “lucky” enough to have 21 stalks, then it’s believed to bring blessings of enduring health and great wealth.

OK, works for me!

15 Mar 2019

Today . . . . Tomorrow

I moved plants again today.  Ugh.  It is humid (like 90%, feels like 342%), overcast threatening rain (oh goodie, we haven’t had any of that lately), and windy (being pushed around by the wind is tiresome and generally makes me grumpy) outside.  Double ugh.  So, I came back in, where I discovered that . . . . Today

It’s Barbie Day!  Who knew - Barbie has a day.  And, just because I am generally curious.  Barbie debuted on March 9, 1959 at the American International Toy Fair in New York. She was a labor of love from Ruth Handler who was the wife of the co-founder of the toy giant Mattel, Inc. After watching children playing with baby dolls and paper dolls, she thought that the toy market needed something more.  She convinced her husband and the company to make the first ever mass produced doll with adult features. (adult features, really? a real live human adult?  hmmm, maybe not, maybe alien, as from the planet Zrog, adult)

 Ok, I like this one - Get Over It Day  Letting go and moving on is a difficult, painful process. Bad relationships, bad decisions—we tend to revisit the moments when we were not-so-smart (or when others were not-so-smart), beating ourselves up for our mistakes or blaming others for the ways they've hurt us.  Good advice – hard to do but good.

And, if you can’t do that, there’s always Panic Day  Panic Day is the day to recognize how stressful life has become and see what can be done to minimize the effects. Stress is dangerous to your health.

Genealogy Day  I’m our family genealogist.  I know, for instance, our ancestors came from Scotland, Wales, England, Ireland, Germany and France – mostly.  They arrived at the new world early and, with the exception of a few, lived in Virginia and points south.  There were leaders and followers; kings and bastards; witches and workers.  It is a most frustrating hobby and only genealogy enthusiasts do the happy dance when they discover some obscure fact relative to someone living 100 years ago. 

International Fanny Pack Day  Again, who knew such a thing existed.  So, it was started by a guy that, due to an odd happening, made a connection between a fanny pack and helping the hungry.  He began to give out food while wearing the pack.  Ok, well seems to me the fanny pack would have to be the size of a back pack but whatever works.

Joe Franklin Day  Ok, I had to look this one up having never heard of Joe Franklin.  Starting in 1950, The Joe Franklin Show was one of the longest-running TV talk shows in history. The program was on the air for more than 40 years and produced more than 28,000 episodes.  Hmmmm – nope, still never heard of Joe Franklin.

and, Tomorrow . . . .

Daylight Savings Time Begins

I hate Daylight Savings Time.  I’m a morning person.  I like the sun being up at 6-ish am.  I like it getting dark by 7pm (rather than 10:15).  Blech!  

9 Mar 2019

Honestly,

    a couple days ago (that’s Tuesday), the high temperature was 38°.  Thirty-eight.  Now, today (that’s Friday), the high is going to be 76°.  A forty-degree difference in just three days.   I swear, there must be a three-year-old controlling the thermostat.

I went out this morning and pulled plants out of the greenshed.  Again.  Though, this time I feel pretty safe with the plant moving (please excuse the whispers – I do not want the three-year-old to hear me).  The plants all seemed to take a deep breath.  That done, I came in – it’s really wet out there; wet, damp, drippy, misty, dewy, moist, soggy – you understand.  It’s a good day to read …..

The Devil and the Three Sons

(An Irish Tale)

Once upon a time there lived a poor widower who had three sons, and he loved those sons, he did. He loved his sons so mightily that he wished to give them all he could. He wanted to spoil those lads, he did. Sad to say, because he was poor and could not buy  them gifts, he worried about his sons' education and their future. One day he decided to sell his soul to the devil. That way he could provide everything his sons needed.

And so that's what he did.

He called the devil to him and he said, "The only thing I care about in all the world is my three sons' well-being, so I'm ready to sell you my soul, so long as you pay me well enough to educate my lads."

"Happy to do that for ye," said the devil, for he was always seeking souls to buy. He gave the man a pot of gold. "I'll return for your soul when I'm ready," said the devil, and he tipped his hat and was gone.

Many years passed. The boys grew tall and strong and handsome, and they were good lads, too. Their father cared for their every need, and this was easy to do, for he had plenty of money. The lads loved their father, though they never knew that he had sold his soul for them. They had no idea how he had come upon the money he used to send them to school, but they agreed to do their best to make him proud.

And so, the eldest son became a priest. The second son became a doctor. When it came time for the third son to decide what he would do, all four men gathered. "I'd say you would make a fine lawyer," the father said, and his other sons agreed.

"Lawyer I'll be, then," said the third lad.

Time passed, and all three young men did well in their professions. The father was growing older, of course, and so were his sons, and one day, the devil came to pay him a visit. As it happened, his eldest son was visiting that day, too.

"Time to pay up," said the devil. "I'll be taking you with me now."

"What on earth is he talking about?" the eldest son asked.

"Ah, I've a sad story to tell, son," said the father. He confessed to his eldest child what he had done so many years ago. "I regret it now. I'd like to be here longer, don't you know."

The eldest son was distraught to hear this news, and he had no desire to lose his father. He said to the devil, "We love our father a great deal. I'm a priest, you know, and I'll be praying now. Give him a wee bit more time. That's all we'll ever ask."

"Just a little bit, then," said the devil, for he was not in the mood for arguing, but as he was leaving the house, he turned to the old man and said, "I'll be returning in a while, and you won't be feeling well while I'm gone."

Sure enough, the old man became very sick, and the eldest lad called his brothers to their father's bedside and told them the tale of their father's bargain with the devil.

"Surely there is something we can do to change the devil's mind," said the second son. "After all, I am a doctor. I am certain I can cure our father of whatever ails him." He set to work and tried every kind of remedy he knew, but the father grew still weaker and more pale.

And then one day the devil came again.

"Now, devil," pleaded the son who was a doctor, "give me one more day to prove my skills are stronger than yours."

The devil smiled a devilish smile. "One more day," he said, for he knew the doctor's power could not match his own.

The doctor worked through the night to try to restore his father's health, but at dawn, when the devil came to reap his reward, the old man was no better at all. He doffed his hat and beckoned to the old man.

"Sir," said the third son who was a lawyer, "I'll make you another bargain. You have given each of my brothers a chance, and now it is my turn. I'll ask you just one favor, that is all."

"One thing, then," said the devil, though he was growing impatient with these foolish sons.

"You see this candle," said the lawyer, and the devil looked at the candle that burned on the table beside the father's bed. It had burned for many days and was but a nub.

"I see the candle," said the devil. "I'm not blind."

 

"I pray of you, please let our father live in health just until the candle disappears altogether."

The devil laughed. "A deal," he said, and the father could feel his strength returning, though the candle burned still. The lawyer leaned over the candle and blew out the flame. Then he picked up the candle and put it in his pocket. "That'll be all for you then, devil," said the lawyer, and the devil shrieked with frustration. The lawyer had outsmarted him, and away he went.

The father lived for many more years, enjoying his health and the love of his sons.

Favorite Folktales from around the World

Edited by Jane Yolen

8 Mar 2019

Birdies and Ents and Daffs

A few years ago, my sister, saw a teacup bird feeder and her “I can make that” kicked in.  She made one for herself, hung outside her studio window and proceeded to comment on all the birds that visited it.  And, so, I hinted (makemeone, makemeone) and she gave me one for my birthday.

I hung it under the eaves, just outside my kitchen window, filled it with birdseed and awaited the birds.  Then, several days later, as I walked through the kitchen, I registered movement through the window.  Looked and much to my surprise, I saw . . . . . . .

A BIG FAT SQUIRREL SITTING IN THE TEACUP EATING THE BIRD SEED!

Arrrgghhh!

To be honest, I made several very unkind remarks about the squirrel and just what it could do with itself.  I’m thinking the damn thing heard me through the window because it went flying off, knocking the teacup feeder off its hook. 

And, it broke.  Boohoo!  It was the saucer that broke so I took the feeder along with a new saucer to my sister – “Fix this please”.  That done, I returned home and roamed my yard, front and back, to try to find a place for it.  Where-o-where is there a safe, moderately squirrel proof place.  And, I settled on one of the supports for my gazebo.  No trees nearby.  Squirrel will have to balance beam walk across to it.  Ha! Safe place.  Until I looked out and saw this . . . . . .

Really?

Hanging by its toes, head in the cup.

And, so again I roamed the yards looking for a safe place.  So, finally, I just hung it, empty, on one of the branches of the Ent that lives on my front porch.

 Tendertrunk

Ent – you know - a race of beings in Middle-earth who closely resemble trees (Did You Know? their name is derived from the Anglo-Saxon word for giant) and are ancient shepherds of the forest. 

And, it hung there for some time until, I happened to notice a small bird land on the rim of the cup and look in.  So, I decided to try to find a safe place again.  Now, it hangs under the eaves in the front yard, close to the porch and surrounded by windchimes (which bother the birds not one bit).  (So far, so good – no squirrels)

And, I have birds!  I’d try for a picture of the birds feeding but with my solar screens, all the pictures look like this . . .

But, I have a pair of cardinals that visit regularly, a red-headed woodpecker, and several Carolina chickadees.  How cool is this!

Ok, here’s another – Did You Know?.  The flower of the month for March is Daffodil. 

Some interesting Daffodil facts:

o   The Daffodil's ancestors come from places like Spain and Portugal and the Middle East. The earliest record mentioned about Daffodils was around two or three hundred years B.C.

o   Grown extensively by the ancient Greeks and the Romans, Daffodils became a forgotten flower until about 1600 when a group of Englishmen took the Daffodil out of the weeds and put it into the garden.

o   Daffodils were brought to Britain by the Romans who thought that the sap from Daffodils had healing powers. Actually the sap contains crystals that can irritate the skin.

o   During the days of the American expansion west, Daffodils were well established as a "must have" in the garden.

They are a member of the Narcissus family.  They like lots of water.  They bloom in the spring.  They will multiply.  And, they should be planted in the fall.

Pretty – yes.  Personally though, I’m not a big fan of bulbs.  They’re a lot of work and don’t always produce consistently here in our Texas climate.  Many require more cold hours than we generally have.  Plus, I still remember, Once Upon a Time . . .

My aunt had given me a big box of various bulbs with instructions to do a “woodland” planting.  That is, put them all in a bag, shake them up, and roll them out into the flower bed, planting them where they land.  OK.  This I did.  At the time, my oldest daughter was about 2; her sister a year younger.  The youngest one slept peacefully on a blanket.  The oldest on the blanket with a variety of toys.  So, bulbs all in the bag, shaken, spilled out into a 10-foot bed and I started to plant.  Dig a hole, pop in the bulb, cover with dirt and repeat many, many times.  And, some time later - finished.  Yea!  Now, at some point in this process, I knew the oldest had walked over where I was working.  I know because she was chatting with me and her sister.  Looked back to see a planted flowerbed and saw that my daughter had come along behind me and pulled each bulb out of its hole and tossed it into the grass.  On the good side, she helped me gather them all up and back into the bag.  I think I gave all the bulbs away.

That was my last mass bulb planting!

6 Mar 2019

Laissez les bon temps rouler!

Happy Mardi Gras Day!

WooWoo!

Ok, that said, IT IS COLD HERE!  VERY COLD, AS IN NOT YET ABOVE FREEZING COLD!  This is south central Texas.  South.  Like close to the Gulf of Mexico south.  And, this is March.  The meteorological beginning of spring occurs on the first day of March and today is the 5^th.  Wrong, wrong, wrong.

I blame it on the fact that it’s Mardi Gras Day.  All the times I’ve been to Mardi Gras, it has been cold. 

And, although it’s supposed to warm up to almost 50°, it’s going to be below freezing again tonight.  However, there is a good thing in the midst of all this cold - it has cleared up a bit and, omigod, there is a burning ball of light in the sky!  Tomorrow, we should see the sun between the clouds – two days in a row - wow.  Annnnnnd, Wednesday it’s supposed to rain – again.  Looking at the long-range weather we’re supposed to have rain, clouds, rain, thunderstorms, clouds, rain, thunderstorms.  Sigh

We had such a warm February, toward the end of the month, I moved several plants outside.  I did it KNOWING in my heart of hearts, in all likelihood, we’d have another bout of chilly (chilly, not north pole cold) weather.  So, when the powers-that-be said 30-ish weather was coming, I moved a bunch of the plants back into cover.  I left some out thinking – “on the south side, close to the house, on the porch, all will be okey dokey.  Then, the 30-ish changed to 20-ish.  Everything got moved back in.

I’ve been quiet the past several days.  Stuff going on.  My two San Antonio grandchildren were here for a day.  Yea!  We got to watch a couple more episodes of The Haunting of Hill House.  I don’t watch it unless my grandson is here.  And, while it is nothing like the book (by Shirley Jackson) it is “based” on, it is alarming, scary, creepy, blood curdling, chilling, and so forth. 

How about something not related to 1 cold, 2 rain, 3 scary. 

OK, tomorrow is the birthday of Aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid).  It was first synthesized and manufactured in 1899 by Felix Hoffman who worked for the German company, Bayer (you’re not surprised, are you?).  And, Did You Know? prior to that people used the herb Willow (its bark in a tea) for fever, pain and inflammation.  Willows all have abundant watery bark sap, which is heavily charged with salicylic acid, slender branches, and large roots.  The leaves are typically elongated.  And they bloom.

Catkins!  Cute or what!

Want to make your own Willow bark tea?  Bring 8 oz. water to a boil.  Add 1 to 2 tsp. dried willow bark and continue to simmer for 10 to 15 minutes.  Remove the water and bark from heat and continue to steep for an additional 30 minutes.  Strain the bark from the water. Drink three to four cups of this tea per day for pain relief.

Today is, yes, Mardi Gras, International Pancake Day (oh goodie – I like pancakes), Poutine Day (a dish consisting of French fries and cheese curds topped with a brown gravy tho there seems to be some difference in opinion as to when Poutine day really is – maybe not until April), Saint Piran Day (born in 4^th century Ireland, worked/died in Cornwall, patron saint of Tin-miners, Cornwall, Tin-smiths, and Miners – in general, I guess). 

And, it’s Unique Name Day (This is the day to salute friends, acquaintances and loved ones who have a unique name. If you or anyone you know has a unique name, discuss it today! Celebrate it!)  My 2^nd great grandfather’s name was Frances Marion (try googling that and you come up with a zillion women).  I expect his name wasn’t unusual in 1825 but it’s certainly less popular now.  I always liked the names of those that live upon Pern (the third planet in orbit around the star Rukbat).  Lessa, F’lar, Piemur, Menolly, Mnementh, Ramoth (well, those last two are dragons but I like the dragon names too).  (The Pern Series of books by Anne McCaffrey)

Well, it’s finally gotten above freezing – a toasty 36°.  I’m going to have a cup of hot tea and not go outside.

5 Mar 2019