I expect the plants to exhibit a burst of growth any day now.
Thursday, July 29, 2004
07/28/04
The rain seems to be letting up for a few days, although the humidity is still high, and storms build every afternoon. An odd thing about living in a desert is that although everyone wants it to rain and is glad when it happens, it can quickly become too wet. The land is so flat that the water just sits.
Local Wildflowers
The best of the wildflower season is the middle part of the Spring. As the summer heats up, it seems like only the yellow and white colored ones persist, and they are so small and delicate that I can't photograph them well. Maybe next year.
Llano Estacado
The plains are beautiful this year. This is the first green summer we have had in probably 10 years. These views are from the edge of the community, about 4 blocks from my house, and photos from the West and South edges would look the same. The subject matter makes it look a little more lush than it actually is. The only trees (or plants above 2' tall) outside of the town are where old homesteads used to be, and there are very few of those. Several years ago I was staying with some friends in an almost uninhabited region to the West of here. Some mutual friends came from New York to visit and called for directions to the house. I told them to travel West from the town for about 28 miles until they came to a tree. At the tree, turn North, and so on. They couldn't stop laughing. They couldn't believe it was 28 miles to the next tree. (There are actually a few more trees, but this one was significant, it had leaves and was taller than the prairie grasses.)
The place where Kilo and I walk is just a large pasture owned by the town, and the maintenance department has bladed a path around the perimeter. The path is almost a mile long and the pasture is fenced, so I can turn her loose to run (chase rabbits). I have to keep her on the leash in the Summer because of snakes, but during the Winter she can run freely.
The place where Kilo and I walk is just a large pasture owned by the town, and the maintenance department has bladed a path around the perimeter. The path is almost a mile long and the pasture is fenced, so I can turn her loose to run (chase rabbits). I have to keep her on the leash in the Summer because of snakes, but during the Winter she can run freely.
Tuesday, July 27, 2004
The Garden and the Guard Dog
The garden is amazing. I have never watered anything regularly or sufficiently before and had no idea where that could lead. Although the photos aren't good enough to show them, the plants are packed with tomatoes and peppers, and seem to grow more every day. Kind of exciting to watch.
And watching everything, all of the time, is one of my favorite creatures, Bill and Linda's guard dog. He is a great little dog and not overly destructive (it really doesn't matter if he steps on a plant, he isn't heavy enough to crush one.) The only bad habit is that he is so fast he occasionally picks off a baby bird and so the adult birds attack him non-stop if he isn't standing by one of us.
And watching everything, all of the time, is one of my favorite creatures, Bill and Linda's guard dog. He is a great little dog and not overly destructive (it really doesn't matter if he steps on a plant, he isn't heavy enough to crush one.) The only bad habit is that he is so fast he occasionally picks off a baby bird and so the adult birds attack him non-stop if he isn't standing by one of us.
Happy Birthday
The pond is 4 years old this month and has become much more that we ever thought it would be. For one thing, it is much more work. I think that I kind of imagined a little bit of work during the first part of the first year, then years of morning coffee, surrounded by large, nice plants that take care of themselves, watching animals that only do what pleases me. I was mistaken. The leisure times are nice but infrequent. I have never actually sat and finished a cup of coffee because there are too many things that need attention - weeds, grass and other organic debris that just seem to churn up out of the ground, as well as ornamental plants that need water or food. The rocks seem to move a lot also. Either Bill's grandson moves them, or they are running to escape him, either way I have to put them back in place.
All in all, it is the neatest project I have ever become involved in and as we gain the upper hand it is becoming more like a living sculpture. We actually can see a future where the pond is a contained oasis filled with plants that are beautiful and smell great, and where we will be able to relax and enjoy each other and our friends. Then again, this is just what my sister and I think about and plan for the place. Bill and his friends already enjoy the fishing and have never really seemed to care what it looks like.
I would do it again, but would probably hire more heavy equipment. That was entirely too much shoveling.
All in all, it is the neatest project I have ever become involved in and as we gain the upper hand it is becoming more like a living sculpture. We actually can see a future where the pond is a contained oasis filled with plants that are beautiful and smell great, and where we will be able to relax and enjoy each other and our friends. Then again, this is just what my sister and I think about and plan for the place. Bill and his friends already enjoy the fishing and have never really seemed to care what it looks like.
I would do it again, but would probably hire more heavy equipment. That was entirely too much shoveling.
07/27/04
Although I'm sure I'll be changing it forever, the majority of the irrigation route seems to be in place. I still have that problem with flooding Bill's shop, but that could also be from the rain. I probably have traumatized the plants and stunted their growth for this season, but if I quit lurking in that area they should recover. The Aloe plant started growing as soon as I left it alone. We still have at least 60+ really hot days left, and this is also a rainy season so far. (There is always a season where the potential for rain is greater, but for the past 10 years ours has come and gone and left only a few drops. I guess arid plateau is a real description.) I'm going to back off from large changes for a while and let these consolidate. The area should look really nice by the end of the Fall.
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