Flower Time

Mountain Laurel

I’m coming down from the mountains today, even though I spent most of yesterday reading about them, the ones in Big Bend. Today I’m back in the Hill Country where the highest peak is just a little south of where I live, Circle Benchmark, standing tall at 1,901 ft. I might see if I can climb it one day. Its only got a rise of 91 ft. A baby brother to Guadalupe Peak, the highest peak in Texas, standing tall at 8,751 ft. with a rise of 3,000 ft. But that’s not why I’m back writing about the Hill Country. This is.

My Mountain Laurels are having a blooming party. I think it helped that I took down the old fence behind them. They’ve had full sun for about six months. They’ll be disappointed when the new fence goes up. Meanwhile, other spring gems are showing up, as well. The Salvia Greggi and the Spiderworts are flowering as are the Bluebonnets. The latter have really proliferated since we moved in back in 2009. They’ve nearly taken over one of the yards and the backlots. We got a great rain last night, and that might encourage them further. I hope so.

I’m glad I don’t have to fuss with an HOA because when you give your yard over to wildflowers it can look pretty rough if you’re used to tightly mown grass. And I’ve been remiss in my flowerbed care because of my medical issues. Can’t do a lot of lifting and strenuous work. But I’m getting that fixed and I should be back in the game shortly, six to eight weeks. Which means it will be a merry month of May for me with a big burst of yardwork. I’ll be replumbed, rejuvenated, ready to go. And I like getting my hands in the dirt, doing the work. It’s soul satisfying, gratifying. Something to anticipate, a thing to get me from here to there.