Thursday, January 10, 2019

another day (or two) in the life


Our nice 'spring' weather has continued and I've been out in the yard doing some pruning and clearing out of late summer's bloomers and did some weeding in the front garden. I dug up the spiderwort and a clump of Nile lilies (agapanthus) and switched their places in one of the flower beds. My neighbor Gary gave me some heritage amaryllis bulbs and some clumps of magenta heritage petunias that grow like weeds from his garden and I gave him some of the oxblood lilies in return (will take him some of the poppies that are coming up too). Dug up hand fulls of hay grass and unwanted weeds in the Big Backyard (a drop in the bucket), raked up some of the oak leaves and spread them in the small bed with the Easter lilies.

Yesterday I headed into El Campo early (yoga at 5:15) to take my sewing machine in for repair and to get some vacuum cleaner bags, go to the HEB grocery store there to get the rice milk I like that our store never seems to have, to the Walgreens (which we don't have) to get the potato chips we like that the HEB quit carrying and the CVS we do have doesn't carry, and take the recycling to the drop off that has piled up while the container was out of service. Such is life in a dying small town, can't get what you want and no services. And it's not like the population of El Campo is way bigger, 11.69K to our 8.77K. The main difference is that the founding 5 families or so have a stranglehold on Wharton and don't want it to grow or even provide any amenities for that matter. El Campo has a 3 screen movie theater, a bowling center, an indoor aquatic center, a huge public park with a lake and sports fields among other things, they have two lumber yard/building supply stores and a real hardware store (we have one combo lumber/hardware store that never has what I go in there for), a plate glass and mirror shop, and a plant nursery among other things. Wharton is going to get a truck stop. In town. Seriously, they are letting a truck stop be built in town. At least that's what the billboard says is going on that vacant lot in town.

I haven't done anymore work with the modeling glass or even my regular work as I'm taking advantage of these blue sky days with low humidity. If this is truly spring in January, we are in for a brutal summer. I shall have to get over to the shop where my raised beds are and try to wrangle them back in shape if I plan to plant a spring garden. I saw some little birds at the tea cup that I thought were the little pale yellowish warblers that winter down here but couldn't find them in the bird guide. Realized today when I saw them that they are goldfinches that haven't got their bright color yet.

Haven't taken any pictures the last couple of days so here's another pic looking east across the fallow cotton field that I took last week.







16 comments:

  1. Wow! Your photo is good medicine. My consciousness needed that room to expand. A "giant step" outside my mind. Love the shadows and the light.

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  2. I live in a small town also but our problem is now becoming growth and too much of it. We are losing our farmland to developments and traffic has become horrible. I have to admit, though, that I can travel just 15 minutes (on good days) to three different movie plexiglass which didn’t exist 15 years ago.

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  3. It's funny - we moved back to a larger city (40.6k), but we live further away from everything. In Xenia (26.5k) we were 2-3 miles from All the Things (Walmart, Lowes, Rite Aid, Walgreens AND CVS, Kroger...). Here we're at minimum 10 miles from anything other than a gas station. It's been an adjustment!

    We had mild temps for a few days, but now we're back to winter. Supposed to get snow of some variety this weekend. Yay?

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  4. "Agapanthus" is one of my favorite words in the world.
    Woman! You are so industrious! I'm going through one of my hibernating times, I think. "Maybe tomorrow" is my credo, my mantra right now. Jessie and I went outside yesterday and as usual, I despaired over the giant spread of the nasty, invasive Clerodendrum which has taken over in a spot where I foolishly dumped ones I'd pulled to get rid of in years past. Of course they just rooted and spread. I told Jessie that if I'd just go out there and work for fifteen minutes a day at pulling them and putting them ON THE BURN PILE that perhaps eventually, I could get rid of them. Sort of. I was pulling one of them which did not want to let go of its place in the earth and August said, "Does that hurt?" "Yes," I said, and gave up on my puny effort.
    That sky picture doesn't even look real. I love it.

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  5. That is some sky you live under. Spectacular.

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  6. Well, at least you're having some pleasant weather. Can you get any shots of the goldfinches?

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  7. I can so relate to the strangled town. Mine doesn't even have a water system or waste system. To quote them, "we drink each other's pee". Actually, all their water is purchased. Fortunately, it's not really "my" town; I live in the township, not the village. I would like that warm sunshine, but won't beg for it. Winter season is required to keep our trees healthy and the farming cycle in order.

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    1. true on the cold weather. I don't think we'll have much of a peach crop this year because we haven't had enough chill hours. at least down here. maybe up in the hill country.

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  8. Love that pic at the end, you can see forever. Many think it is that flat around me and are shocked to see some hills

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  9. We had a nice three days here and now the snow falls! Spring seems just a fantasy I long for!

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  10. That's a gorgeous sky you have. I was interesting in your comparison of Wharton and El Campo. I've never been in Wharton proper -- or maybe I have and didn't know it. But I always am pretty impressed when I drive south to north through El Campo. Seems like a nice town. But you have something El Campo doesn't -- a Buc-ees! I just looked at the list of stores, and sure enough: Wharton's on the list. Yee-haw.

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    1. El Campo has a Buc-ee's but it's much smaller. I've been in Wharton's twice. it does have great bathrooms but for the rest it's just expensive candy and souvenirs.

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  11. Only in Texas is a "small town" over 8,000 people;) Our small town has just under 3,000. There is a small hardware store, a gas station, a store that's not a store anymore but sells pizza and lottery tickets, and the Town Landing restaurant that has been sold to a successful local entrepreneur who plans to open a small pub/eatery. I miss living in a city, albeit small with about 18,000, where I could walk to everything I needed. Your photo is stunning with the capture of the clouds hanging in the sky.

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    1. well, small to me coming from the 4th largest city in the nation re population.

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I opened my big mouth, now it's your turn.