Glory Days of Spring

 

While Beatrix was outside playing this afternoon, I thought I'd take the time to upload photos to flickr and maybe find enough patience to sit at the computer long enough to chime into this place. Hello!! 

Well, it's spring time in Texas. My favorite time in Texas. Wildflowers are my thing in case you haven't noticed. I love the fields of flowers, the gorgeous light, the evolution of the blooms as the season warms. Mmm..everything is beginning and lovely and inspiring to me at this time of the year. 

My yard, oh my gosh, is kind of (almost) what my dreams are made of right now.  There are areas where I'd like the blooms to be mixed up more but instead they clustered in bundles of individual types. And maybe my backyard is donning just a little too much red and blue right now. A little more yellow, pink, and white sure would be perfection. But otherwise, it's somewhere between a wild meadow and overgrown cottage garden out there and I couldn't be more pleased considering what we started with a few years ago when we moved here. 

Today was 90 degrees. Ouch. It's suppose to cool off for the remainder of the week, but still, as a clicked the AC on this afternoon, I was reminded of the inevitable. Summer will be here soon. I'm hoping we can squeeze out six more weeks or so of spring-like weather.  In the front yard, we brewed sun tea and I'm started a solar calendula infusion as I am beginning to make soap and balms again. Actually, my blog name references a little soap company I had years ago, before Bea was born. Our brand was called Democracie Goods and our motto was Live Free,  Die Clean.  Once we adopted Bea, I stopped making soap and opened up a preschool instead. Now that a window has opened, Bea is older and she's beyond the scary combination of young child + lye, I'm dipping my toes back into that world. I lost all of my recipes, so I'm basically starting from scratch. I've even had a couple of botched batches.

There's a new tiny farmer's market just starting up a few blocks from our house. It happens on Thursdays from 3:00-6:00. Bea and I are thinking it might be fun to set up shop there once we get some inventory built up.  Maybe we could sell mini wildflower bouquets, or hand dyed silks, or soap, or whatever veggies we have growing, postcards, or balms and salves. You know, just to add a little extra purpose to our days. It's fun to dream! 

Also, before I close, I thought I'd list a few of some much enjoyed reads that she and I have had over the last couple of months. 

Beatrix's interests:

The Big Katie Morag Storybook

Katie Morag, Of Course

Rabbit Hill

The Pony Scouts (series)

Benny and Penny (series)

Album of Horses

Heidi

Nichole's Interest:

How To Be A Wildflower

To Kill A Mockingbird

Go Set a Watchman

Our Endless Numbered Days

Coyote's Guide to Connecting with Nature

The Edible Garden

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Comments

[Brittany]

Gorgeous flowers! Have you planted any veggies or fruits yet?

My garden's new this year, so I'm still waiting for my flowers to come up. I'm most excited about the yellow echinacea that I started from seed this winter, but it probably won't bloom until next year. It's super slow growing; after cold/moist stratifying for six weeks, my seedlings have only grown two true leaves in six weeks. My other flowers are, in the backyard, cosmos and zulu prince daisy and, in the front, agapanthus. I have high hopes for my yellow pear tomatoes, too; they're almost as tall as my shoulders with at least 20 green tomatoes on the vines. My only wish right now is for more rain! Maybe this week... :)

[Nichole]

It takes a lot of patience starting a new garden, doesn't it? It really does, especially here, where rain comes in unpredictable spurts, take several years to see plants mature. Every year, your yard will look a little more alive and that's so exciting to witness! I just put some tomatoes in the ground last week. I also have onions tucked into several bald spots. I seeded cucumbers last week too and I really need to get some beans planted but I"m scratching my head wondering where to tuck them in. I still have about half my winter garden in the ground, either flowering or just still growing strong. Bring on the rain!!

[Ruth DiPietro]

My goodness, how quick! My wildflowers have not grown three inches from the ground yet (Nashville), which the wild rabbit enjoys immensely. Thank you for the beautiful images.

[amanda]

so BEAUTIFUL! I agree- it is totally like a sweet little wild meadow out there. It was such a treat to wake up to those flowers each morning during our stay :)

Have fun with the market dreaming and possibilities- the day we left they were setting up (if it's the market at Monument Cafe, anyway) and a man came over as we were leaving to invite us to the market and we told him we were about to get in the car for three days but otherwise, we'd be all over it!

xo

[Lisa Coffee]

Oh, I read and really enjoyed Our Endless Numbered Days, too. Love the flowers pics, so gorgeous.

[Simon]

I totally love your shots! And that dog - so adorable!

[Blink]

I'm envious that I don't experience Spring here. :( I miss the United States already!