The Caregiver’s Tales
Tiny essays on life, nature, grief and other things that catch my fancy in the Texas Hill Country. Here’s how it all got started.
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Flower Time
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…
Flower Show
I’m still tending my gardens. Pulling up errant grasses, henbit and Velcro weed (Galium aparine). The latter is truly a weird pest in that it adheres to anything it touches except metal.
Part Four: The Springs
Tomorrow. It came. Wet and cold. Clouds swarmed down and hung over the hills as if to say, enough, you’ve thought about us enough. Time to move on. And we did.
Yesterday
The cleaning continues. Pharaby’s rose at the east end of the house was getting choked by the Orchid Tree and the Yaupon Holly. I pushed them both back and trimmed up the rose. It should get a bit more sun, but we’ll see how it goes.
Spring
We had no rain to speak of this past winter at our house. No winter grass sprouted in the yard. For the longest time I despaired of seeing spring. But like love, it found a way.
Wet Days
Goodness. The rain. It keeps on coming. I’m this close to saying, enough. But I’m not looking for a rainbow. I hope we have a wet summer.
In the Forest
This is the spring of the two blooms. My oaks are putting on new leaves, again. Nice.
First Movement
The wild onion. A treasure in the natural garden.
Playing Again
Spring is like the movie you love to watch over and over, with every appearance a director’s cut so that there is always something new to see.
Good Friday
The swallows are back. All the old nests have occupants. Out in the garden the spiderworts are in bloom. And we have a few bluebonnets. It’s a muted spring, however, the profusion of previous years is missing.
Book News
A new book is in the works. The Seasons: A Caregiver’s Tale. It will be a nature book about the hill country from the vantage point of my little home, which is a tiny spot, but so was Walden Pond, and I’m making no comparative claims, except that you can sit in one place and think.
Spring Symphony
Once again, it’s the small things. Went on a tour of the yard yesterday with my son, the arborist, and discovered the Mexican Buckeyes are blooming. Delicate little flowers, and another spring joy …
What You Have
The spineless cacti in the beds on either side of the drive are as limp as melted butter. The recent freeze did them no favors. But the peach tree. Oh, my. In a day or two, I do believe it will put a redbud to shame.
Another Day
I know spring is coming, because I can see the discrete little signs, budding leaves are all around, on the roses and on the trees. But for some reason, the start of the season seems disconsolate,,,
Dead Leaves
I never really think about how many leaves are on the branches of our big oaks. They just hang there, swaying in the breeze, providing shade and shelter to me and the birds and the cats. Then comes the spring molt.
Look Who’s Here
Keeping On
Went for a short walk this morning. Down the drive, out the gate, and back. It was the Tuesday morning taking out the trash walk. I noticed someone did a lousy job of turning around by my driveway. T
Surviving
It appears the natural order is reestablishing itself. Mama cat spent the night outside after having spent the previous eight days bunked down on the king bed with me while the rest of the world froze.
Almost Done
Woke up to the sound of snow melt this morning when I went out onto the porch. Our temperature is 33 and promises to go a little bit higher today. We’re still scheduled for hard, cold nights, but it seems the weather picture is shifting back to our favor here in Central Texas.
The Brightest Flower
Last spring, I transplanted all my schoolhouse flowers. Moved them from the bed in the southeast corner of the yard to new spots around the house. There were enough bulbs that I was able to start three new beds.