Planted cow-peas in the vegetable garden, enjoyed our poppies in full bloom, and took my work to an arts festival.

Spring in the Hill Country This is the height of spring in the Hill Country of Texas.  Everything is in bloom, from fields of bluebonnets to fruit trees.  Even our pecan tree is dangling its pollen clusters.  In the garden, our herb and wildflower corner is in full swing.  We have daisies, poppies, irises, the mint is spreading, our thyme is nearly three times the size it was last year and covered in tiny purple flowers.  Our grapevines are blooming, the pears and peaches are starting to form fruit, and the figs are leafing out.   The back hillside is covered in purple verbena. Of course, all of this amazing growth means that all the weeds and grasses are growing fast too.  Paths are disappearing under a sea of green which encroaches on the garden from all directions.  The last of the winter crops are quickly going to seed.  (Funny that phrase, ‘gone to seed.’  One might use it to mean, ‘not looking one’s best’,  ‘Past one’s prime’  The thing is, when a plant actually goes to seed, that is being pregnant, bringing new life.  That’s not ‘past one’s prime, its a glorious and amazing miracle.  Yet our fear of death and worship of youth leads us to denigrate the whole idea and turn it into an insult.  Too bad we can’t praise the whole cycle of life). With the winter garden providing a fruitful harvest, it is now time to start planting the seeds of spring.  We will have a garden full of cowpeas, okra, peppers, tomatoes and sweet potatoes.  Its going to be a tasty season! In the meantime, here are some images of the garden and ranch from this beautiful...

Spooky Action Ranch Report: Week Eight 2015. This week we head to the state capital for lobby day, can a bit of spinach, watch our baby turnips grow, and get down to business in the closet.

We discovered the identity of some new weedy volunteers in the garden and attended a townhall meeting on the future of water in the hill county.

Spooky Action Ranch 2015 Week Six, we focus on winter pruning.