Autumn Reflections :: Turnin' From the Past, At Last

Now the wren has gone to roost and the sky is turnin' gold
And like the sky my soul is also turnin'
Turnin' from the past, at last and all I've left behind

                                                               Ray Lamontagne

The Invention of the Handle

Evening closes in gently.

A meandering country road snakes along the river carrying a couple, a long time married.

There are scarlet buckeyes in bloom and ephemeral beauties with slow beating wings nonchalantly gathering nectar...confident of tomorrow's abundance.

We give thanks for the invention of the
handle.  Without it there would be many
things we couldn't hold on to.  As for the
things we can't hold on to anyway, let us
gracefully accept their ungraspable nature
and celebrate all things elusive, fleeting, and
intangible.  They mystify us and make us
receptive to truth and beauty.  We celebrate
and give thanks.
Amen   {The Prayer Tree - Leunig}

An Alternate Point of View :: The Blanco River

Siblings :: I Sought My Soul...

I sought my soul, but my soul I could not see.  I sought my God, but my God eluded me. 

 I sought my brother and I found all three.  

                                                                                                              ~Author Unknown

Remembering the Coming Back and Not Crying About the Leaving

Mesquite tree, Agua Dulce, Texas

Listening to one of your favorite songs today, momma, in honor of your birthday and hanging tight to remembering the coming back and not crying about the leaving.  ♥

The Day My Ugly Turned Interesting

You'll notice I didn't title my post The Day My Ugly Turned Pretty.  This isn't about pretty... at this point though, interesting will suffice.

We all have them, I think.  The frustrating spots in our gardens that just don't ever look the way we envision them looking.  I plant with the expectation that this new plant will be the plant that will finally adapt to the treacherous spot I scathingly refer to as the cemetery.  Nothing thrives here for various reasons ... too shady then a long, scorching blast of late day sun, too dry, too near the fence where our dog likes to gossip with the wildlife {read trample whatever is planted} ... yada yada.

But oh, how my recent trip to Warrenton, Texas, changed all that.  Antique Weekend happens not too far from Austin ... half way between here and Houston off Hwy 290.  Twice a year treasure seekers scour hundreds of booths searching for the perfect finds.

At the booth of a favorite vendor who is sadly retiring from the show, I discovered this most fascinating of treasures.  A mask of some sort that makes the most ugly of cemetery corners into the most interesting of corners. 

He sits atop an antique ladder, also found in Warrenton.  Together the two pieces give the height, texture, color and interest I've been searching for.  And the best part was that it wasn't a planned experience ...  completely serendipitous!  The ladder was meant for another purpose and the mask, well, the mask was a total impulse buy.  I knew I'd find a place for him in my garden. 

He now sits gazing across the garden adding tons of personality and character.  He is seen from the kitchen window giving me a whimsical, half grin looking somewhat like he knows my secret.  The secret of how a chance encounter at an antique booth far, far away turned my ugly into awesome.

Let the Party Begin...Fall's Confetti

There is something immensely charming about walking amongst colorful confetti tossed willy-nilly by the breeze along a path...

A walk among aspens in Winter Park, Colorado two weeks ago.

Tropical Sage confetti at the front door.  Austin, Texas.

 Mexican Bush Sage confetti.  Austin, Texas.

Autumn Sage confetti .  Austin, Texas.

Esperanza confetti.  Austin, Texas.

Live Oak acorn confetti.  Unfortunately, my backyard.  Austin, Texas. 

Looks like we'll have plenty of new oak sprouts come spring.

What kind of party is going on in your neck of the woods?  Any colorful fall confetti?

In every walk with nature one receives far

 more than he seeks.

                                                                                                 ~John Muir

Wordless Wednesday ~ Colorado Shot At 50mm

Wildflower Wrangling

I'm a cautious sort.  This means at times living vicariously through others who aren't.  In this case, my friend Deb.

We were heading out of town to pick up some recycled glass mulch and I spotted these gorgeous purple wildflowers among the sunflowers along FM 1327.  While volunteering at the Master Gardener desk last week I was reading up on Texas wildflowers and came across wild foxglove in a book.  I hoped these might be them and we stopped to take a closer look.

I've written briefly about Deb before and alluded to her inquisitive, playful nature. She wasn't to be deterred from gathering up a few samples of these wildflowers. The home on the property was abandoned and the fence in disrepair.  It was as if the universe was graciously inviting her in...

Did I mention that I'm cautious?  And leery of snakes.

Stick in hand, swinging it to and fro to warn any snakes of her approach, Deb made her way out to the middle of the field.  She is clearly not cautious...careful, but not cautious. 

Cautious is still standing on the side of the road, iphone in hand, snapping pictures and prepared to call 911 if necessary for a paramedic.

Deb grew up on a farm and showed steers as a teenager so apparently has no fear of snakes and such.  Unlike myself who grew up in a big, metropolitan area on the east coast.  I watched, coached and cheered from the sidelines wishing I too was brave enough to tromp through knee high grasses in sandals and shorts.

A few minutes later, she returns triumphant and all smiles with a small cluster of flowers gathered to bring home to dry for seeds so she can spread the love of a beautiful prairie wildflower in a suburban landscape.

Turns out, these are not the wild foxglove we'd been hoping for but possibly bluebells, a Texas native.  Looks like she gathered a little something else there in the left of the bouquet. I'm not sure what that one is, maybe wild petunia?  Any ideas?

I learned a lot yesterday as I watched my friend carried by sheer joy into that field. 

One, always have my 'good' camera with me when I'm going on an outing with her because there is never a dull moment (these shots were taken with my iphone).  Phones have really come a long way, haven't they?!

Two, it would be a good idea to wear jeans and boots no matter the season or destination when in her company.  And, maybe carry a shovel and anti-venom.

And three, you can experience immense joy and satisfaction cheering on your brave friend as she marches forward to a task you'd like to do but just can't muster up the courage for. 

*By telling this story I am in no way condoning nor advocating wildflower wrangling*

Happy Friday!

Shooting into a cloud shrouded sun somewhere along FM 2323 in the Texas Hill Country.

No matter where your travels might take you this weekend,

I hope you meet lots of nice folks along the way.

Happy Friday! 

Have You Hugged a Tree Today?

At the risk of looking like a complete fool to my neighbor, I hugged my tree today.  Really hugged it.

I learned three things:

First, the girth of said tree is much larger than I anticipated.  As my arms circled the tree its generous volume completely filled my embrace.

Two, my initial feelings of utter foolishness were soon replaced by immense feelings of gratitude.  Gratitude for its endurance and tenacity for survival, the sheer magnitude of its presence, its fresh spring canopy and the dappled shade it provides. Uncomplicated gratitude.

And third, that the experience made me smile.  So much so that I chose to linger in the embrace and soak in all that abundant gratefulness and mirth the tree had to offer.

Do you think I'm a nut?  Maybe so.

Try it.  Hug your tree.  Listen to the gentle breeze through its leaves and feel the rough textured bark on your skin.  It's powerful.  And fun.  And if your neighbors laugh at you, you can tell them some tree hugger in Austin told you to do it.

30 Day Challenge ~ Thanksgiving ~ Day 28

These pressed and framed leaves capture and hold my imagination.

  I came upon them at Thompson & Hanson nursery during a girl's trip to Houston this summer.  Thompson & Hanson is without a doubt a small slice of gardening and home decor paradise in River Oaks.  There is also a sweet little restaurant on the grounds called Tiny Boxwoods that should not be missed.

 These pictures were snapped quickly while I was shopping.  Didn't think I'd be posting them but you might find inspiration from them too.  The frames are a simple design of clean lines fashioned from wood.

You can imagine that they are quite large as the leaves selected are big specimens.  They are really engaging in a subtle way and make a simple, elegant statement.  

Thankful today for simple elegance found in the most unexpected of places...decaying leaves.

Finding Gratitude in Flat Light

Things are looking up...there is rain in the forecast for this weekend.  Mostly for West Texas, but hey, we'll take what we can get.  If my western neighbors are getting rain, I'm going to rejoice along with them!  It has to fall here eventually.

I've been thinking a lot about gratitude.  Specifically, how my attitude has been lacking in it of late.   After a quick trip to Vail, there was no eagerness in coming home to my drought stricken city.

The weather was absolutely perfect in Vail.  Golden Aspens were brilliantly proclaiming the glory of fall. 

But even in dire times, there is always a bit of something to be grateful for in our own garden...

As a gardener who is captivated by the way light changes the mood of a garden, I rarely photograph my garden mid-day.  The light is just too sharp and harsh.  

But today is different somehow; promising cloud cover has mellowed the edges of the mid-day shadows and these lilies appear softer and more delicate than they have all summer. 

Sometimes, gratitude is found in the most subtle of moments.  I'm grateful for the subdued, relaxed feel the garden exudes as it exhales a prolonged sigh of relief from the blistering heat of summer.    Finally, this gardener too is ready to let go of the breath I've been holding.  With renewed gratitude, I embrace this respite.

Gratitude is an art of painting an adversity into a lovely picture.  

                                                                                                                                        ~Kak Sri

Wordless Wednesday ~ Golden Aspens, Vail

Wordless Wednesday ~ Summer Hues of Colorado

Genetics Perhaps?

A family reunion hosted by my mom's sister got me thinking about the genetics of gardening...

I've always suspected that this fascination and passion was passed down from my maternal grandmother.  She always had a little garden that she was tending and would lovingly tour us through describing the qualities and attributes of each plant. 

My aunt clearly inherited the gene.  My last visit to her lake house in Louisiana was 6 years ago and they had just bought the property.   Since then, she has transformed the garden into a lush and whimsical place where wandering is a pleasure and simple treasures are found around every corner.

Pieces of furniture are placed throughout and decorative displays are thoughtfully arranged.  One of my favorite uses of furniture was a sturdy, old chair she re-purposed as a plant stand.  

Her style lends itself to a cottage feel with picket fences, artfully placed birdhouses and swaths of colorful perennials.   There is a covered porch with plentiful, comfy seating and expansive views of the lake. It's the perfect setting for a relaxed family gathering.

Butterflies and dragonflies are at home here with seemingly endless supplies of nectar rich flowers to tempt them.  While there is a worrisome shortage of big butterflies in Central Texas, the numerous butterflies in her Louisiana garden bring me relief.

An eye-catching copper sculpture next to the front door announces to visitors that this will be an enchanting garden.

It was special to see how my grandmother's love of gardening has passed through the generations of our family.   My aunt's garden is uniquely hers with her personality woven in among the plants.  But there was also a bit of my grandmother's personality too in the way my aunt spoke to me about each of the plants that she loves.  Maybe others see that in me too when I walk them through my garden.