RAIN!!!

Well.....not from this cloud.  This cloud happened last Monday.  It didn't drop any rain on us.

But, last evening...when it was too dark to photograph...we had more clouds come through.  We had the thunder, like we seem to have most evenings.  But, this time.....it rained.  It really rained.

Well.....sort of.  We had two showers.  Together they added up to .04 inches on our digital rain gauge.  It's been so long since we had any rain at all.  We're very grateful for this little bit.

There is no gutter on our garage.  I put a bucket under the drips, and even though it was a small section, I got a half bucket just with the last shower.  We have to quit stalling and get some rain barrels.

I'm always amazed that no matter how much water you put out from a hose, it doesn't do as much as a tiny bit of water from Heaven.

I hope you all have a great weekend.

 

If you're in our area, I hope it's a wet one.

Wordless Wednesday...well...sort of

Blue Land Crab

cardisoma guanhumi

Let's Hear It For The Man

Who, you say, is this handsome gentleman?

His name was Willis Haviland Carrier. And, I want to thank him. He's known as the inventor of modern day air conditioning.

How on earth, did people survive this withering heat before air conditioning?

There are others who did some inventing of air conditioned air and refrigeration. But, this man was the most influential. He was awarded a patent for his invention...which he called "an apparatus for treating air"...way back in 1906. It was mostly used back then in large buildings, like banks and theaters.

But now, it's everywhere. And, we're ALL grateful to him for getting the ball rolling.

We're 58 days of over 100 degrees here in Central Texas, and counting.

So, let's hear it for the man.

Thank you, Mr. Carrier. Thank you.

Garden Bloggers Bloomday~~August 2009

Summer marches on. We're still in a severe drought, and have had a LONG string of days, with temperatures in the triple digits.

But...there are still things hanging on out there.

As you see above, the Texas Sage, cenizo, is finally blooming. This is my first experience with this plant. Others in our neighborhood have been blooming on and off all summer. Ours have not shown a sign of blooms until this last week. I have no idea what made this happen, but the bees and I are quite happy. Other things are blooming as well.... The Upright Ruellia A Black-eyed Susan, Rudbeckia goldstrum, brought from the old house. I hope she goes forth and multiplies. As you can maybe see, she lives inside a cage of deer mesh for her protection. A bright periwinkle, back from being chomped after last month's Bloomday. A fuschia colored autumn sage, salvia greggii. The ever dependable begonia.

The 'ballerina' blooms of the Pride of Barbados, dancing on the deck.

And, then there's this:

The dry creek behind the house is still.....well....dry~~very, very dry.

We've had less than 3/4 inch of rain, since mid-May.

But, look closely. There are flowers! Blooming flowers.

According to 'Native Texas Plants' by Sally Wasowski, this is Snow-on-the-Mountain, Euphorbia marginata. It says you can propagate it from seed. This may be what I need in my garden. I'll be going out to harvest some of those seeds later on, for sure. The deer don't eat it. It has that white, latex sap that they don't like. These are beautiful flowers. They look fresh and happy blooming away in the heat. They must love the sun, because there are none in the shade of the Live Oaks.

Nature is indeed a wonderous thing.

By the Sea

We just spent a glorious four days at the beach, relaxing and hanging out with kids and grandkids.

It was hot there, too. But, somehow, it didn't feel as bad.

The morning view across the bay was beautiful and calming.

Castle building on the beach in the afternoon, with refreshing dips in the water, was fun for all.

I'm already missing the relaxing fun. We're back to the heat and the drought.

But, we have those days by the sea to remember.

~*~Wordless Wednesday~*~

It Ain't Easy Being Green...

So....what do you do, when you've already had 44 days of triple digit temperatures...and, less than 3/4 inch rain in two months?

How do you keep your cool???

When everything around you is turning brown...how do you stay green??

Well....if you're a Green Anole, you can hide in the fig bush.

...or behind an electric box.

If you're a Red Eyed Devil, Greater Arid-Land Katydid, you hide from the sun on a big blue pot, at the Wimberley Glassworks studio.

Or, you just hang out as a member of the cactus family.

I don't know these agave's names, but they're hanging in there, and actually growing in this horrid, dry summer.

This one, is our newest plant family member. He's a Golden Barrel Cactus. We haven't found a proper pot for him, yet. But, he looks very pretty on the deck.

Here we are just starting into August. That's historically the hottest...and dryest...month for Texas. I think we're headed for our 45th triple digit day, today. There are a few fluffy, cotton ball kind of clouds, floating around in a bright, blue sky. But, no rain clouds in sight.

We'll just keep on plugging....dragging the hose around to give drinks to the plants and the critters. We'll try to keep some life out there...

but, it's not easy being green....