Memorial Day...

Let us all pause for a moment,

on Memorial Day,

to remember those who 

paid the greatest price,

for our freedom.

Arlington National Cemetery

Remember,

Freedom isn't free.

Happy Memorial Day...

~~Linda~~

Remembering the Power of Water...

It's been two years,
since the Blanco River took homes,
and lives,
as it rushed through our area.

Some people are still getting their lives
back together.
Some gave up,
and sold their land.

Some of the victims were never found.

It's all very sad.

But, time will heal.

It will be a very long time
before the River gets back where it was.
Six hundred year old Cypress Trees
don't grow back very quickly.

People heal more quickly.
But, the memory of the
power of water,
and the power of people to rebuild,
will be with us a long time.

Here's what I posted then.

********************

By now, you've probably heard that there was a flood in

Wimberley, Texas,

There was a lot of damage....destruction...along the 

Blanco River.

I've shown you the beauty of that river before.

The giant Cypress trees turn beautiful colors in fall.

And, under most conditions, the river flows gently along.

But, Saturday night of Memorial Day Weekend, it turned into a monster.

We hadn't had much rain that day. We've had lots of rain here, but that day

wasn't bad, in our area.

But, to the west, in Blanco, it rained a foot of rain, in a short time.

All that water went into the river, and the river rose thirty feet

in less than an hour.

Houses that had stood solid for fifty or sixty years with no flooding,

were no match for this tsunami.

Debris...houses, cars, trees, boulders...came rushing down,

washing away everything in its path.

People's homes were damaged, destroyed, or simply washed away.

People lost their lives.

internet image. source unknown.

The deluge topped this bridge by at least ten feet.

The beautiful Cypress trees, which have stood for hundreds of years, 

were bowed over and shredded.

We pray for those who have lost so much.

We hope for them the strength it will take to get through all this.

We do what we can to help, with funds, time and energy.

Meanwhile...this small town of Wimberley is still 

A Little Bit of Heaven.

Stay safe...

God Bless...

~~Linda~~

Happy Mother's Day...

We all have lots of Mothers in our lives.  

We all start out with one mother,

and add more, along the way.

This is the one I started with.

She was a good mother.  A good wife.

She and my dad were married 56 years,

when he died.

She's the one who gave me my love of gardens,

and all things natural.

I wish I'd learned a lot more.

On Mother's Day, before we left for church,
she would always go out to her rose garden,
(She always had a rose garden.),
and get a red rose for me to wear,
because my mother was live,
and a white rose for her,
because her mother was gone.

Then, there's my Mother-In-Law.

Here she is, with my Father-In-Law,

at the Copa Cabana, in Miami.

She loved getting dressed up, and going out.

Movies, musicals...any kind of show.

She was NOT a gardener.

Her idea of fun outside, was a beach somewhere.

She grew up in south Florida.

She gave me the good man I married.

And, I thank her.

Next came our daughter.

She's a very good mother, to these two great kids.  

Always involved in their activities.  

Always busy.

She's becoming a good gardener, too.

They bought an old house, with a great garden.

She's learning that gardens can be fun...

and, lots of work.

Our Daughter-In-Law came to us already a mother.

She brought along two really great kids.

Twins...boy and girl.

Then, she gave us two more great kids.

Two beautiful girls.

She's another good mother.

Involved with her children. Teaching and 

urging them to do their best. 

She's a good gardener.  

Even took the Master Gardener classes.

We've gone on many garden tours together.

This year, we added one more mother.

Our oldest granddaughter gave us 

a beautiful little boy.

She's proving to be a good mother, too.

Maybe someday, when she gets a chance,

she'll learn to love gardening, too.

Enjoy all the mothers in your life.

They're all very special.

Happy Mother's Day...

~~Linda~~

Inside Austin Garden Tour...2017...

Last week, a few members of our Austin Area Garden Bloggers

got the chance to do a preview tour of this year's

Travis County Master Gardeners'

Inside Austin Garden Tour.

First up, was Peggy Hart's beautiful, hillside

garden, in west Austin.

The front is designed with lots of shade loving, deer resistant plants.

The back deck offers a comfortable place to enjoy a beautiful view.

And, below is a vegetable garden and an iconic Austin symbol.

Next, we visited Daphne Jeffers cottage/zen garden.

The front cottage garden is a riot of color.  Lots of beautiful spring blooms

Daphne explained how she turned a grassy yard, into a garden beauty.

In back, they've turned this area into a calm, zen-like garden.

Lots of bamboo and a quiet rock fountain.

Also, this clever re-purposing of a play area.

A fenced in bird feeding station.

Keep out those pesky squirrels and larger birds.

We moved on to the garden of Velia Sanchez-Ruiz.

Velia's front garden is chock full of beautiful daylilies.

 The back is cool and lush, with lots of shade plants.

Then, we headed out west, to Dorothy Thering's garden.

Dorothy has a lot of room to garden.  Twenty-five acres.

Of course, they haven't made the whole place gardens.

But, they have done a lot.

Look at this fabulous vegetable garden.

And, on the other side of the house...

..this wonderful garden shed/green house.

With paths for a stroll in back.

I really liked this place.

Last, but certainly not least, was Shari Bauer's whimsical garden.

Shari has taken re-purposing to the ultimate.

Something to see, everywhere you looked.

Shari's house overlooks the Pedernales River.

Her comfortable porch is a good place to rest.

On the other side of the house, Shari has terraced the steep hill and planted

a lush, shady garden.  

She's placed a shady dining table...

...under a teapot chandelier.

My favorite thing is this pond, with the grill of an old jeep as the waterfall.

The lights work.  

In fact, this whole garden has lots of lights.

How often do you find a piano, all planted up, in a garden?

More found objects.

Over the bridge,

...to the lavender garden.

Pause for a moment, under an up-ended sailboat.

And, back down to the house, through the lavender.

Some of us (where are the rest?),

paused for a group photo with Shari,

in her lovely greenhouse.

It is an amazing garden.

We had a wonderful day.  Gardeners in gardens.

Always fun.

Inside Austin Garden Tour is

Saturday, May 6.

Follow the link for more info.

You won't be disappointed.

Happy Gardening...

~~Linda~~