Chronicles

Okay, one more post about the weather and I'll quit. Maybe. Hee. According to an article by the AP "Since January, Texas has only gotten about 6 inches of rain, compared to a norm of about 13 inches, making it the most severe one-year drought on record." It goes on to state that this will harm a multitude of wildlife, which makes this nature-loving girl very sad.

Last night I went to my favorite nature area, Nob Hill, and witnessed shocking conditions. I was completely gobsmacked. I mean I know we haven't had any rain, but still...

3 WEEKS BEFORE:

Although low, on July 17 there was water.

3 WEEKS LATER:

A dried up dust bowl. All of what you see here is dirt. Not a drop of water.

I didn't realize until I uploaded the photos that a lonely turtle was stranded on the embankment. Poor fella! He looks parched.

The wicked sun fried some of the weeds and wildflowers. Hope no one drops a match or
a lit cigarette butt. :/

These sunflowers act as though nothing is amiss.
"Drought? What drought? We're doing great! No worries here."

With this photo I was trying to capture the zig-zagging of dragonflies but I didn't do a very good job. There were thousands, okay maybe hundreds of them, flying every which way. Normally they sit still and pose for me, but not this day. Little stinkers.

Finally, off to the eastern edge of the preserve, a small body of water. Perhaps this GBH has a fighting chance. He sure is a trouper to stay here and put up with these conditions. I wonder why he doesn't fly off to greener pastures...or bluer waters, I guess I should say.

Three more days and we will break a record for the most ever consecutive days for triple digit temperatures. Between the stock market, the heat, riots in London, violent flash mobs here, a dysfunctional government, and crumbling economy, it appears as though the world is spinning out of control. Seems the more intellectual knowledge we gain, the less wisdom and compassion we possess. I believe the world's moral compass is more broken than ever, which makes everything else off kilter. Lord have mercy on us all. This Bible verse comes to my mind frequently, and I know it well because I prayed it many times for myself:

2 Chronicles 7:14
If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin, and heal their land.

Feeling Springy!

Spring has got me going in full gear. Also, on my nature walks with Chance, I'm discovering new plants and learning new things about old ones. Even though we had a bit of a cold snap and some drizzly weather today, we still planted two new trees. Mud is everywhere, but our trees look amazing. We didn't get to put the Maple exactly where we wanted because of a gas line, but it really looks great where it ended up. Productivity and hard work definitely leads to a feeling of satisfaction. The real test will be if I can get out of bed tomorrow morning. :/

Below are some of my favorite photos from the week:

Double-petaled impatiens. About 1" in diameter, they look like miniature roses.

Mesquite Tree
Once I learned about all the wonderful attributes of the Mesquite tree, I no longer loathe it. You can read more about what I wrote here.

Chinaberry Tree 

Eve's Necklace, also known as Texas Sophora
So named because of the small black "beads" that form in fall. You can barely see one off to the right. They hang like a strand of pearls. Very poisonous.

Asiatic lilies for my garden. I bought yellow, orange and red. It's a riot of color. We were too tired from planting the trees to get these in the ground, but they will be going in sometime this week.

Autumn Blaze Maple
Our new backyard tree! The leaves are really a brighter green than what's shown here. In the fall, the leaves will turn a fiery red. Can't wait!

Snow Fountain Weeping Cherry Tree
This is another tree we purchased this weekend for the garden. It's an ornamental tree that shouldn't grow too wide or too tall. The branches "weep", cascading with small white flowers. If I can get it to look like the photo on the tag, it should be a show-stopper!

This mockingbird kept coming around as we were digging the holes for the trees. He wasn't afraid at all! We soon realized he probably wanted the worms and grub worms we were uncovering. There were so many! I guess his appetite for worms outweighed his fear of humans.

Okay, so that's a recap of last week. This week I get my first horseback riding lesson! Hubby set it up for me on Thursday evening. I'm beyond excited. Hoping I can get a little photography in also. Don't worry, I won't be riding and snapping photos at the same time. I'm not that coordinated. I know my limits. :)

Wow, 10 Inches!

Were you envisioning a naughty post? Shame on you. ;-p

I and the rest of the Dallas/Ft. Worth Metroplex woke up this morning to this:

So far we've had 7.9" of snowfall in a 24-hour period, which breaks the old record of 7.8" on Jan. 15, 1964 and Jan. 14, 1917. We're on track to get another 2" overnight.

I know how much people in the Northeast hate snow, but we rarely see it here, so forgive me for enjoying it. It's so beautiful as it falls, blanketing everything in pure white. There's something very peaceful and soul-soothing about it. Of course, it's very easy to romanticize when shoveling is not part of the picture.