-
2012 In Review
My word for 2012 was Prolific. I’d say the first half of the year was pretty good word wise but the last half went downhill, unless you count endless work on the house and yard as being prolific! I definitely find that the first half of any year is better word-wise but some years are better than others. The year I turned 28 I had a list of 28 things I wanted to do. I made my way through the list pretty well but didn’t manage to get them all done. Oh well, but the point was having something tangible, writing actual goals down instead of something general. Picking a…
-
A Quick Crochet Project
I was in my studio before Christmas thinking that I really needed to make something. I pulled out some blue and grey alpaca yarn I had on hand and decided to make a scarf for my brother in law’s girlfriend. I was hoping it would turn out longer but the shorter length ended up being perfect for her to use. It was a nice to feel the yarn through my hands, turning a skein into something usable. I think I’ll be making more projects soon!
-
SNOW!
In the early morning hours of Christmas morning the rain started in heavy with a bout of hail sometime in the night. It rained most of the morning and stopped sometime after noon when we went to visit my grandmother at her assisted living facility. We checked the radar and the snow line was coming closer and before we left our visit the snow had started. We didn’t expect it to accumulate but it did! All afternoon the snow fell in heavy flakes and finally when it accumulated enough Chris and I went outside to play! Our heavy winter wear was not with us so my dad let us bundle…
-
The Buzz
Yesterday our beehive arrived! Yep, we’re going to delve into the world of beekeeping! A couple of weekends ago I went to a beekeeping forum at one of our local nurseries and it really set us off about getting our bees set up for the spring. We put our order in with R. Weaver Apiaries and we can pick them up in Navasota, Tx on April 13th! Chris put the hive together yesterday and will be adding a few things to make it nicer over the coming weeks, including building a stand for it. As for what else is going on around here, nothing that I can think of worth…
-
The View | Lost Maples State Natural Area
After leaving campsite A the East Trail climbs steadily for maybe a quarter to a half mile before plateauing on top of the ridge (which I wouldn’t really call it a ridge, definitely let’s go with plateau…hence plateauing). The climb itself isn’t difficult, just steady, and since I am a slow hill climber and because my nose loves to run when I’m climbing a hill, I take my time. Up top we were rewarded with sweeping views in all directions. The trail itself stays level on top for maybe a mile, probably a smidge less, before descending down towards the West Trail and Can Creek. There wasn’t a whole lot…
-
Pecan….Butter
A couple of months ago I was looking through my parent’s second fridge in their garage. I noticed several large ziplocs full of pecans from their yard circa 2010. Yep, time to be used. I think that was also the last time they harvested a good crop. The last few years the squirrels have hoarded the pecans for themselves. Several years ago when I started reading about the do-it-yourself food movement I found out how to make your own nut butters. It is super simple and this time around I went with the same nut I tried last time…the pecan. It isn’t a nut butter you would normally see and…
-
Hale Hollow Creek | Lost Maples State Natural Area
Hale Hollow Creek branches off the Sabinal River near Campsite A and heads west through the northern portion of the park before running into private property. We didn’t walk that far down it, but to kill some time before setting up our tent and waiting on our friends we decided to explore the creek bed a little bit. Maidenhair fern line the walls of the creek, some in better shape than others. Virginia creeper provided a nice contrast in color along the way. Even the maidenhair fern were providing some fall colors throughout the creek. We are fairly certain this is an orchid, in particular I think the chatterbox orchid.…
-
In The Leaf Litter
Parsley Easter egg radishes Olive leaf broccoli The leaves in the garden are creating a second layer of mulch throughout. I poked around this evening, still dressed in my work clothes. The snap peas are coming up, a few radishes were ripe for picking and found themselves cooked into our stirfry tonight. A day of rain on Tuesday produced good conditions for the fungi to grow. I’ve gotta start learning to identify them better as our yard seems to proliferate fungus after a good rain or several dewy mornings. We’ve had rather warm days lately with a couple of cooler nights interspersed, but my brother is warning of a real,…
-
Hoh River Trail | Olympic National Park
A continuation of our trip to Washington state back in August…. We packed up our campsite and set off early down the Hoh River Trail, early enough that everyone in the campground was generally still sleeping. The forest itself was relatively quiet with a few birds chirping here and there, the sound of the river faintly heard in the distance. If we continued on this trail we could eventually end up at Mt. Olympus, however our destination for the day was only about 3 miles down the way to waterfall. A short hike and waterfall??? Sounds like a winner to me…and the sights—-oh the sights were truly magnificent! Little bits…
-
Along the Sabinal River | Lost Maples State Natural Area
We arrived at Lost Maples, which is pretty much in the middle of nowhere west of San Antonio, to find we were definitely not the only people at the park. This park is known for its fall color and people from all over flock for day or overnight use. A line to check in, lines for the bathroom up front, a full parking lot—this place was busy! There are few and far between state parks that I have been too that have ever been this crowded and usually they involve a beach (Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park comes to mind). We found a parking spot and got our gear…