Poppies!

I've always wanted poppies. Not sure why. Perhaps watching Judy Garland running through them in The Wizard Of Oz, or the poem "In Flanders Fields..." or walking through the field of poppies at The Wildseed Farm in Fredericksburg--I just always wanted poppies! I ordered poppy seeds when I ordered my bluebonnet seeds last summer. I had no idea how to plant them, I just planted. I noticed a few little poppies in the side yard this spring---not very showy, but pretty. Then, early one morning I noticed something standing tall among the bluebonnets in the corner bed. I wasn't sure..but maybe with the size of the buds I saw...maybe it's a poppy I thought. I watched it for several days growing taller and getting bigger. Again early one morning as I went out to check my flowers--there it was. A beautiful BIG red poppy! The blossoms come and go and I enjoy each and everyone. No field of poppies in my yard, but one true beauty standing tall and proud as if to say, "I'm finally here!"

The bees are back!

Last year at this time there were no bees! Susan Albert brought this to my attention in one of her Lifescapes blogs. I began to watch for them in my yard, in my Mother's yard, at the Dallas Arboretum, every park I went to--and no bees! One of the best places in my yard to see bees is on the blooming Indian Hawthorns. Last year there were maybe 2 or 3. Where did the bees go? There were several schools of thought--parasites, mites, other "bee diseases." Whatever the reason, the lack of bees would have an impact on not only gardeners, but everyone that likes to eat fruits, vegetables and honey! I never heard if the entomologist found out the main reason the bees were not around last summer, but my beautiful blooming hawthorns are loaded with the buzzing creatures today, so hopefully the crisis is over. You can see one in the upper left corner of this pictures. The buzzing I hear the minute I walk out the front door is indeed a welcome sound!

It's here!

I have been checking the mail every day since April 1st--and today was the day my copy of Susan Albert's new book NIGHTSHADE arrived! I order my books from The Story Circle Network. A lesson in patience for me because I could go to a bookstore on April 1st and buy it, but I want to support this group as I really believe in what they are doing. This is the 16th in the series. The main character is China Bayles, a former attorney from Houston who moved to the fictitious hill country town of Pecan Springs and opened an herb shop. For anyone that loves gardening and solving mysteries, these books are a must read. For a real treat, visit the author's blog, Lifescapes. You will really enjoy her pictures and experiences about writing and living in the Texas Hill Country.

I've got Bluebonnets!

Well, it's not the Willow City Loop near Fredericksburg, or the spectacular fields of bluebonnets in Ennis, but it's my little Bluebonnet festival--right in the corner flowerbed in my backyard. I ordered seeds from the Wildseed Farm last summer. I soaked them the night before planting, and I had rosettes before the first frost. I watered when I should, and tried not to water when they started to grow. I babied them through the backyard re-do. And when I saw the first blooms--I celebrated.