May 24th, 2010
This nest is again improbably right next to my porch door in an abandoned planter that is against the brick wall. Every time we go in and out the door now, we have to be careful not to scare the mother away for too long. I got this picture while the mother was out.
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May 3rd, 2010
Clivia bloomed again this year! Thanks sister!
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May 2nd, 2010
Each petal brings a wish your way
I wish you have what you need today
This verse was inspired by my father. When I would worry about the future, he would ask,
“Do you have what you need today?”
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May 1st, 2010
Back again this year, undaunted by the hard freezes.
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April 30th, 2010
Oh! now I’m going to find her, for my heart is full of woe,
And we’ll sing the song together, that we sung so long ago;
We’ll play the banjo gaily, and we’ll sing the songs of yore,
And the yellow rose of Texas shall be mine for evermore.
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April 30th, 2010
The Peony is here and no other flowers can be seen — Issa
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April 4th, 2010
Happy Easter. The Empress blooms are stunning this year.
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March 23rd, 2010
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February 11th, 2010
Another snow day in North Texas!
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December 21st, 2009
Aromatic salts are popular condiments and smoked salt is one of the easiest to make. Start with pure salt and filtered water. I recommend Morton’s Canning and Pickling Salt because it does not contain additives. Kosher salt could be used but some brands contain Yellow Prussiate of Soda as an anti caking agent.
Dissolve salt using warm water until no more salt dissolves.
It’s OK if some salt is on the bottom of the container, that tells you that no more will dissolve. Pour the salt water in a glass Pyrex dish to a depth of about 3/4 inch and place in smoker. I use aged oak wood in my smoker.
The water depth is critical to achieving good salt crystals. If it is too deep, the crystals will be dense and not well formed. Less salt solution is better at first.
Do not shake or stir the salt after placing the container in the smoker. An hour later, here is the the result.
Break the salt cake using a flat kitchen tool.
Crumble the salt crystals to the desired size.
Sift the crystals to remove salt dust.
Finally, pour the sifted crystals into a jar.
Use the salt as a condiment. I don’t recommend using it in recipes where the salt will dissolve. Best of luck with your smoked salt!
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December 12th, 2009
It was 20 degrees the other night and the Frostweed “bloomed”. Frostweed (Verbesina virginica) is also called Indian tobacco.
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December 7th, 2009
Fractal patterns on a birdhouse gourd. As the gourd hardens, the moisture escaping from the interior remains on the surface and encourages growth of molds that make beautiful patterns.
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December 7th, 2009
…taste the fruit, and resign yourself…
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November 8th, 2009
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November 8th, 2009
This strange mushroom came up under the rabbit’s cage!
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October 18th, 2009
A surprising bloom in mid October now that it is cooler. I don’t know the name of this cactus or succulent; if you do, please let me know.
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July 10th, 2009
Two pairs, apples and pears. (One in twenty is the odds for two pairs in poker)
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July 10th, 2009
The last blush of color before the century degree days.
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July 2nd, 2009
This apple tree borders the garden. In the background are the broad leaves of Zucchini.
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June 29th, 2009
A drop of rain
In desert sand
A garden grows
Without a hand
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June 11th, 2009
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June 3rd, 2009
A gift from my sister, more than a year ago, at last, the first bloom of patience
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May 2nd, 2009
Heavy rain this afternoon
Watered the flowers in bloom
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March 23rd, 2009
Here is an update on the trellis I built last fall from Crepe Myrtel limbs. The wisteria was trained on the ladders and now it is in bloom. Our hope is that over the years, the wisteria will take the form of the trellis and become its own structure.
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March 19th, 2009
A daffodil beneath a tree
Swaying in the breeze
She lifts her face
Toward the sun
And so can we
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December 11th, 2008
Just a few gourds this year. I’m afraid the volunteers have run their course.
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October 25th, 2008
A contrarian amongst fuit trees, the loquat blooms in late autumn and bears her fruit in the spring.
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October 24th, 2008
“Hitch your wagon to a star” – Emerson
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October 16th, 2008
“There is a path which no fowl knows, and which the vulture’s eye has not seen”
And Malcolm Little was wrong about Capitalism amongst other things …
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October 8th, 2008
“Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears” – Shakespeare
Empty rhetoric echoes in a hollow.
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