She's Baaaack!

Yes, she is.

I hope all who participated in the A to Z Challenge had a good time, made new friends and became reacquainted with old ones.

It took some doing, what with spring arriving (which meant pleasant mornings weeding and prunning) but I did manage to finish the first round of edits to my book A Piece of the Sky. Now on to second round. Here's my messy work area which I submit as proof.

It's kind of amazing I got it done what with yard work, running errand, and generally being lazy.

One of several weed piles. Hubby takes care of all the plants - watering, planting, fertilizing, etc. I weed, prune, and work with rocks... we make a good team.

Left to right: Pavonia, brown-eyed Susan, horse mint, standing cypress, purple cone flower, in the back on the trellis, a purple morning glory. Behind the Cone flowers, a purple sage. (Do we like purple or what?)

 In the tropics we call it coral shower, in Texas it's queen's wreath.

 More brown-eyed susans and corn flower - volunteers.

 More cone flowers and yarrow putting on buds, with rain gauge waiting patiently.

 Honeysuckle and, on the fence, clematis aka leather cap. We have a total of nine different kinds of vines in our yard. I'm in charge of vining and pruning - except for the ivy, Hubby and I have to work together on that one!

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Being Thankful

Today I'm thankful for, what else? SPRING! As Eloise would say, Ooooooooooo I absolutely LOVE spring!

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What are you thankful for? Been working on any writing projects? Working in the yard? Do you like to weed and/or prune? And tell me, how do you feel about vines? :) 

Z, Y, X...C, B, A and Further Signs of Spring

The count-down is underway! The third A to Z Challenge begins Sunday and YOU still have time to join. Click HERE to learn everything about it. Arlee Bird, is the originator of the challenge, and this year he has a host of team members to help him out. Way to go Arlee!

At last count over 1200 bloggers had signed up! YEAH!

This is my third year. The first year I jumped in late,  not really knowing what I was doing. Even so I got her done. Last year I had more of a theme. For every word chosen I somehow managed to relate it back to writing.

This year my theme is all about books. For every letter I've picked a character or mythological figure, an author or a book, that influenced my life, both as a writer and as a person.

Hope to you'll join me!

And remember, HAVE FUN!

And now, a little eye candy as I share further signs of Spring in our back yard.

Blue bonnets as we see them from our porch.

 Up close

Blue-eyed grass, a volunteer.

 Up close

Columbine.

From the side. 

From underneath. Look at that blue sky!

 Cactus

Up close.

 Straw flower

 Happy Spring!

Spring...

...is arriving early this year. She has not crept in quietly either. She's just sort of barged her way in, muscling winter aside. Winter's been puny, not that I mind the mild weather. We've even had a little rain, a couple or three inches. It's not near enough to break the drought (we need over a foot to do that) but it's a start. But with Spring showing up on the doorstep so soon, and already having days reaching 80-82 degrees, one wonders what the summer will bring.

Signs that Spring is in our yard.

For the first time since we planted it, several years ago, the native mountain laurel is blooming. To most people it's sprays of purple blossoms smell just like grape bubblegum. That's Ursa, our dog.

 For the first time, these native blue irises are putting on buds.

And, the agaritas have burst into bloom. The tiny flowers, not much bigger than a pencil eraser put off a heady honey-like aroma that we can smell through-out our yard. Maybe this year I'll try to harvest some berries and make some jelly.

Anything springing up in your yard?

Signs of Spring

Here she comes. Where I a poet I'd craft an ode or sonnet in her honor. But as I am not I must content myself with pictures, proof that her robes are brushing the ground, warming the sap with the passage of her feet.

In our area, pear trees are among the first to bloom. I don't know what kind of pears they are, nor have I ever seen them produce fruit. However, they are a welcomed sight. I love how they stand out from the crowd of still leafless trees. Despite the fact that there could be another freeze or two, pear trees brave the odds. It's like they are calling to us, reminding us, not to give up hope.

I have heard noises in the dead leaves and underbrush, but this big spiny tree lizard is the first one I've seen. He's a good 6 or 7 inches long. I keep wondering where they go in the winter, where they hibernate.

Elbow bush is so called because its branches bend at odd angles and can eventually plant themselves in the ground.

Close up of the elbow bush.

The agarita looks something like a holly and the ends of its leaves have sharp points. The little flowers, not much bigger than an eraser head, exude a heady sweet aroma that permeates the air. Bees love it and it makes excellent honey. The berries also make wonderful jelly, though harvesting them is a prickly task.

Agarita bushes can get quite large. This one is about 3 feet tall and 5 feet across.

And this is the first blue bonnet to appear in our yard. It isn't fully opened, nor will it be the only one.

Lastly we went for a drive on Saturday in Abilene, our 1957 Chevy. The local high school football team is called the Antlers. Their mascot, since 1932, has been Scrappy the Deer. This sculpture, built entirely of scrap metal, is dedicated to the school.

Here I am at a place called Wildseed Farms. (If you're ready for some eye candy check out their website!) They grow fields and fields of wildflowers and package the seeds. Of course the fields aren't blooming yet but when they do, it's beautiful. Those cacti I'm sitting in front of are metal!

Ahhhh Spring....

The Edge of Spring

To those of you in colder climes, I'm here to tell you, Spring is on the move.

Here in South Central Texas, in the lovely Hill Country, we are daily seeing evidence of the edges of her robe. This morning a male white wing dove was courting a fair lady. A sparrow was seen with nesting material. A pregnant squirrel has been raiding the bird feeder for the last week. The blue bonnets on the back of our property have formed large mounds, a promise of flowers soon to come. After two years of one of the most severe droughts on the books, gentle rains have softened the earth and raised the water level of the Guadeloupe River.

Soon the mallards and pintails will leave this, their winter abode, and head north. Soon, perhaps as soon as this coming week, the first ruby throated hummingbirds will arrive and we will put out sugar water for them, food for the hungry travelers. Soon wild flowers along the interstate, a gift from Lady Bird Johnson, will delight the eye with their swaths of color; blue, red, yellow, orange.

Soon my dears. She's on her way. The edge of Spring is here.