A thirst quenched....

An eruption of color lit up the late afternoon sky
after a steady rain this afternoon. Driving home from work,
I phoned my husband and said "Get the camera. Now.
There's a rainbow outside like you would not believe!"
One of these days, I'll learn to take my camera with me,
but after seeing these images he captured,
I'm thankful he was the one behind the lens.

Wow.

It's been a brutal Summer here in the Texas Hill Country;
the water supply has been substantially depleted as a result
of the extended drought. It's also gone down as one of the
hottest Summer's on record, with temperatures lingering
well over 100 degrees for weeks on end.
Crops and gardens dying. Wells drying up.

And then as if by divine providence.....

Prayers answered.

We've received a good soaking this past week,
and the parched earth audibly heaves a grateful sigh.

Just beyond a grove of trees 

across from our property.

There are no words, except "thank you, Father...."

Requiem for a Garden....

My beloved husband is many things....
handsome, intelligent, strong, a good provider.

But alas, a gardener he is not. At least not yet.

This entry serves as an ode to what might have been~
to tomatoes not yet tasted, to onions which will never make me weep.

This, my friends, is a requiem to my husbands dearly departed Summer garden.

Sad, is it not?

Oh, the countless hours he spent working
the unforgiving Texas Hill Country soil...and in 100 degree weather, no less.
I never knew how adept my science teacher hubby was
at swinging a pick-axe as he pulverized rock after limestone rock
just inches beneath the surface. Now mind you, we're not talking
about pebbles here~many of these rocks are more accurately described as mini-boulders!

And so he began.

After weeks of tilling the stubborn Texas soil, he was ready to plant.
Hooray!
Visions of succulent salads brimming with home-grown onions
and tomatoes and squash began filling my head.

Pertinent information: My husband is not a Hill Country native,
nor is he a native Texan. I try not to hold this against him.
But he sure is cute, dontcha think?

Me and Handsome Hubby on wedding day, July 2007

But I digress.

We have a 4 foot perimeter fence around our 4 acre property,
and I think he genuinely believed that this would be sufficient
to keep the deer out. Shhhh, I can hear you native Texans chuckling already.  ;-)

I warned him that the perimeter fence would not suffice,
that he would also likely need at least an 8 foot fence
to keep the hungry critters out. No, he said, let me just try this
and this and this first. I bit my tongue hard and swore
that in the very near future, I would mightily resist the overpowering urge
to utter those four little words known and loved by husbands worldwide....

I told you so.

And so he began. All was well for a while,
but he wasn't prepared at all for THIS. (cue ominous music)

Meet the ever-hungry Texas whitetail deer.
I personally find them beautiful and a joy to watch. My husband, not so much.

After all they did do this to his labor of love...

That would be trampled upon chicken wire.
Perhaps it's better suited to keep chickens out than deer.
Hey, what do I know, I'm a city gal....
Handsome Hubby and I are like Green Acres personified.

He believed that our two beautiful Siberian Huskies
would act as steadfast sentries, ably and efficiently shoo-ing away our white-tailed trespassers.

Uhhh, yeah, right.

This is what they can be found doing any given Texas afternoon, 

deer or no deer. Oh, and kindly ignore the half-painted deck. 

Dutiful Husband is in the process of finishing it, 

but his darn day job as a physics teacher keeps getting in the way.

Feeling wistful over salads we shall never share,
I went on a mission of mercy yesterday afternoon and managed to unearth one lone survivor.....

Not much to look at, but a survivor nonetheless!

Handsome Husband has now wisely seen the error of his ways,
and has wisely has chosen to wait and re-plant next Spring
after erecting an 8 foot fence. Smart man, that husband of mine, I do think I'll keep him!

Here's hoping that your gardens bloom and grow in your little corner of the world!

~Anne

Tree of Life....

I am completely mesmerized by this tree.

I pass it each day on the way home from work,
and it's long been my intention to photograph it and share it with my readers.

There's something so tragically grand about it ~
arms lifted Heavenward, spindly, thirsty fingers twisted
and reaching downward for sustenance.
Mind you, this is not the result of our recent drought,
it has been dead or dying for many years now.

By trade, I am a Respiratory Therapist in a hospital setting;
it has been my lifelong vocation to offer
comfort and healing to the sick and dying....is it perhaps for this reason
that I feel empathy, daresay even a kinship with this tenacious survivor?

It brings to mind the venerable words of poet Alfred Joyce Kilmer...

I think that I shall never see

A poem lovely as a tree.

A tree whose hungry mouth is prest

Against the earth's sweet flowing breast;

A tree that looks at God all day,

And lifts her leafy arms to pray;

A tree that may in Summer wear

A nest of robins in her hair;

Upon whose bosom snow has lain;

Who intimately lives with rain.

Poems are made by fools like me,

But only God can make a tree.

Amen.

From the quaint little town that gave you Carol Hicks Bolton and Homestead...

I'm aware that many of you bloggers and shop owners are well acquainted with the enchanting work of designer Carol Hicks Bolton and Homestead. I'm abundantly blessed to live just a short 20 miles down the road from this iconic store in Fredericksburg, Texas, and have been inspired by the creativity of Carol and her husband Tim for nigh on 20 years now.

Please allow me to introduce you to yet another inspiring shop nestled in the Texas Hill Country, Red.

Link to store:

http://redinfred.com/

Link to blog:

http://redinfred.blogspot.com/

So what are you waiting for? Click on their links and go get inspired!

Pax,

Anne