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First Camping Trip of the Season | Martin Dies Jr. State Park
Previous posts for this park: +Campsite Scenes +The Slough and Forest Trails | Martin Dies State Park +The Wildlife and Island Trails | Martin Dies State Park The first campout for the season didn’t start off quite on the right foot. Rain was predicted for at least Sunday but we ended up having a little of it on Saturday while we were setting up camp. We drove over early on Saturday morning and were making it a long weekend with Monday off. The last time we were at the park we had stayed at campsite 218 across from Gum Slough. I remember liking that little circle because there was no…
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Return of the Monarchs
It was another camping weekend. This time we drove an hour and fifteen minutes east-northeast to Lake Livingston State Park for a single overnight camping trip. Being so close to the house permits this kind of camping trip, getting up early Saturday morning and spending the weekend at the state park. Saturday was glorious, still warm but fall blooms were amped up—swamp sunflowers and goldenrods were beacons of brightness along the roadways. Fall foliage was nowhere near peak but the golden yellows of the flora made everything better. I had been reading that the main monarch migration was in southern Oklahoma late last week, making a beeline for the DFW/North…
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Return of the Orange Dogs
Back in the summer I noticed giant swallowtails laying eggs on our citrus. This was late May/early June and we were still trying to get our citrus trees to rebound from the harsh freeze last year. I still hadn’t purchased alternative host plants such as prickly ash or rue. Luckily another butterfly loving friend had host plants and was glad to take them on so when they hatched I gathered the caterpillars up and drove them to her the weekend before we left for Florida. Last week I had noticed that something had nibbled my rue, which I had bought back in August. The pot had several plants growing in…
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A Short Jaunt on the Lone Star Trail
In early September we hit up our spot in Sam Houston National Forest for our annual family photos with Forest. The photo session, as it was last year, went very quickly with many grumpy faces all around. Actually, Chris and I weren’t as grumpy as last year, just Forest. He’s been better about taking photos the last few months so I expected it to be easier this year than last. Nope, not easier. We made it quick and then moved the car a quarter mile back down the road to the intersection of the Lone Star Hiking Trail so we could do a short hike. The hike was indeed short…
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August & September 2018 Book Report
If you include the books I’ve read to Forest this year, I am well over my goal of 50 books. I have not logged all of his books into Goodreads so the total is even higher than what is listed there. Plus you have to take into account how many books I read over and over and over. We average 2-3 books a night. Without all of his books I’m definitely on the lower end of where I would want to be to have read 50 books. I’m at about 32 books. I expect I can get to 40 books, maybe 42-43 books, by the end of the year. If…
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Closing Out September
I know that I write every month (almost) that I can’t believe a month has come and gone. And truly, September breezed by. I feel like we were just having a holiday weekend in Galveston for Forest’s birthday and then bam! we’re celebrating Chris’ birthday while camping. Again, I was a bit lacking in the photography department for the garden but such is life. I wasn’t very inspired out there this month. By the hide of its hair, the Tithonia pulled through from deer browsing this year. I wasn’t sure how it would fare a few times but eventually the brugmansias hid it a bit and the deer avoided chowing.…
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A Monday that feels like a Sunday
It’s quiet right now. The air conditioner is humming. Chris just left for the grocery store to get food for the week. Forest is taking a nap on the couch. Leo is…well, I’m not sure where Leo is at. The house is a mess from the mess we left it in when we went out for camping on Saturday and from all of the post-camping unpacking that needs to happen. Laundry just ran in the washing machine and need to get switched over and the coolers and storage containers with food from the weekend need to be put away before Chris gets back with more food to put away. And…
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Life Lately | September 2018
Thinking: View this post on Instagram Dr. Christine Blasey Ford. May all of our daughters grow up without her trauma but with her strength. A post shared by Jessica Dolan Clarendon (@jessicaclarendon) on Sep 27, 2018 at 10:03am PDT I’d like to add that may we raise our sons to assist us in dismantling the patriarchy and misogyny that currently guides our society. What the fuck — Jon Favreau (@jonfavs) September 27, 2018 Basically my same response when Lindsey Graham went down his spiraling tirade today. That is all. I spent the afternoon listening to NPR and I wish I hadn’t. I hadn’t planned on listening to any of it…
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Lovely Lycoris
The timing came together perfectly last weekend, the blooming of the yellow lycoris and the moody autumnal skies. The lighting was perfect post afternoon rain, when after keeping an eye on the lycoris flower buds for several days, the blooms burst open. I always forget that we have these planted here, tossed into the location sometime after we moved here and before we renovated this bed and built the others. They’ve done well though, reminding us for a few weeks every year that they still exist.
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Sunday Sips
My cousin Elizabeth used to do Sunday Morning Coffee posts (bring them back, Elizabeth!) and I used to do variations of something called ‘Sunday Reads and Listens’ but that just seems too long and cumbersome so in a nod to Elizabeth I’m changing it to Sunday Sips–a few things for you to read, watch, or listen to on your Sunday morning or afternoon. Watching: +Nanette on Netflix. When it came out back in the summer I saw several people and news stories talking about Hannah Gadsby’s stand-up act but I didn’t have a chance to watch it until last week. It is thought provoking while also funny because: comedy, but…