BLUEGRASS ROOTS MUSIC
IN FREDERICKSBURG TX

I returned to my roots last night in Fredericksburg, TX at the Pioneer Museum. A bluegrass concert is what drew me there. I didn't discover bluegrass as a child but the first time I heard it, something came alive in me that had lain dormant and I had an immediate connection to this music. People who think they know me are surprised. Kind of like the time a co-worker asked me what my favorite pet was and I said, "I don't have any pets right now, but if I could manage it, I would have a horse." She looked shocked and said, "I can't imagine you with a horse," and I replied, "I guess you don't really know me then." So apparently I don't look like a bluegrass-horse-loving person but it's there and it runs deep!

Three bluegrass bands appeared as the first installment of the Pioneer Museum's Roots Music Series 2010. The concert was on a portable stage with a canopy on the grounds of the museum. We, the audience, sat on lawn chairs under tall trees with lush foliage that created much needed shade. There was a nice breeze and when it got dark, lights strung through the tree limbs lit up. It was a most pleasant evening. If there had been fireflies, it would have been a perfect night!

CHRISTY AND THE PLOWBOYS

The first band opened at 6:00 p.m. and called their music pre-bluegrass. It was a mix of old-time, country and hillbilly-styled music with an emphasis on obscure and unusual tunes. They closed with the very lively "Freaking at the Laundromat."

LONESTAR BLUEGRASS BAND

At 7 p.m., the Lonestar Bluegrass Band from Houston appeared and the crowd, which was small to begin with, had grown considerably. They were very good, not only musically but as entertainers, and the crowd couldn't get enough of them. Lonestar was founded by Chris Hirsch twenty-something years ago. It includes both the state flat picking champion and the state banjo champ. This group was voted “Best Bluegrass Band” in the Houston Press Music Awards three years in a row. They graciously took requests at the end. And if people wanted more, CDs were available afterward. I liked the other bands, but this was the headliner and they lived up to that billing!

ROCKIN' ACOUSTIC CIRCUS

The Rockin’ Acoustic Circus group with its young musicians aged 15, 16 and 17 years old closed out the concert for the night. Based in Tulsa, OK, this band calls itself "Newgrass." It sounded pretty much like bluegrass to me except for the “bluegrass cellist.” We were told the musicians were "classically trained." They and the vocalists were good and the cello sounded right at home there in the midst of the bluegrass!

AND ALSO

Food was also available and will be as the series continues. Guests can choose a rib-eye, pork chop or smoked brisket plate with trimmings for $9. Wine, beer, soda, iced tea and water are available. But be careful of those little round tables, they're rickety! Go for the long skinny tables instead.

Here's a link to the upcoming music gigs at the museum:
http://www.pioneermuseum.net/roots-music.htm

A TRIBUTE TO MY MOM

Just Like Mom

Just like mom, I raised my children to be good citizens instead of the dreaded “little hellions” she sometimes feared hers would become. Like her, I disciplined, directed, corrected and trained them. I gave it my all. Just ask them, they’ll tell you!

After I married, Mom respected the adult I had become and no longer corrected me. She treated me like a valued close friend and her input was supportive. She never meddled. She was a wise woman who set a good example. Now that my children are married, I hope to continue to be just like my mom!

Published Mother's Day, May 9, 2010 in the San Antonio Express News Life Section.

Are You Left Brained or Right Brained?

I often feel I alternate between two different mindsets: Sometimes I go with the flow and other times I stick to the tried and true like glue; I love order but I have a hard time maintaining it; I can do quality control on a huge project, strictly enforcing all the known rules but when the project is running out of time, I can throw all that to the winds and just wing it.

I once saw myself in my mind's eye actually wearing two hats. Somebody said to me, "You can't do that!" and I said "Watch me!" I felt like the picture was from God, smiling and saying, "Don't worry, I made you like that! I like you like that!"

The test below confirms what I suspected. There's a link at the bottom if you want to take the test yourself. If you do, I invite you to share what you learn in the comments section.

Oh! By the way, when you go to the link, you can skip that big Q at the top - it takes you to a link elsewhere. Start with the test right after the Q.

You Are 45% Left Brained, 55% Right Brained

The left side of your brain controls verbal ability, attention to detail, and reasoning. Left brained people are good at communication and persuading others. If you're left brained, you are likely good at math and logic. Your left brain prefers dogs, reading, and quiet. The right side of your brain is all about creativity and flexibility. Daring and intuitive, right brained people see the world in their unique way. If you're right brained, you likely have a talent for creative writing and art. Your right brain prefers day dreaming, philosophy, and sports.

Are You Right or Left Brained?

SUMMER'S END IN SCENIC VALLEY

TODAY'S MORNING WALK

Blue Heron
Originally uploaded by jgrantmac

DEER SIGHTING

As I walked through our neighborhood and toward the woods just past the water tank, I thought I spied at least one deer and possibly
two. They held their ground long enough for me to spy antlers of at least 8 inches on the one in the lead. Around here, that is worth noting. We seldom see large racks. As I approached I saw movement behind the first two and spied two more. Four! At that point they began to fidget and dance around and then suddenly turned their four white tails and ran. No matter, they had made my day! A day in our small Hill Country valley without a deer sighting is a rare one.

GREAT BLUE HERON

From there I cut through an absent neighbor's side yard (some people only live here seasonally) to the sidewalk along the creek in hopes of sighting other wildlife. And I was not disappointed. I heard a loud sound of flapping wings before I saw him: the lone blue heron that winters here is back. He is a shy one; it is very hard to get close to him! I regretfully watch him fly away and then turn my attention elsewhere observing that fully-formed pecans are beginning to fall off the pecan trees along the creek banks. As I turn a bend I hear flapping start up for the second time. Apparently I have disturbed the blue heron yet again. There he goes! How can he be both awkward and graceful at the same time?

DOC & BIG DOG

Next I see that Doc has completed his fence for Big Dog and is now painting it. I think Big Dog is going to like this enclosure better than being on a chain. His name isn't actually Big Dog but I can't pronounce his real name, it's Hebrew for Big Dog, so I just call him Big Dog. (Huge Dog would probably be more appropriate.) Doc is a retired neurosurgeon who makes ceramics and sells them at county trade days.

ELUSIVE BIRD STANDS STILL

As I come toward the dam at the edge of our small community lake I see the heron again, standing idly on one long stalk-like leg. And he doesn't move, he doesn't fly off! Now, that's a surprise. My path takes me over the dam and around the other side of the neighborhood. When I come back he is still there. This is the only time in my two years here he hasn't fled on my approach. I wonder why that is? Maybe he has just flown all day and night to get here to his winter retreat and he's tired. Whatever the reason, I am glad of this opportunity to admire the usually elusive bird.

THE STARS AT NIGHT . . .

We walked after dark tonight and for the first time in a long time, there was no rain and the sky was clear of clouds. Our path took us past our community to a dark meadow near a small creek and it was there that the stars jumped out at us. There's been so much rain here in the hill country that we haven't seen stars for a long time. I had forgotten how breathtakingly beautiful they could be on a clear, dark night! The Big Dipper was just overhead, positioned as if to pour its contents down on us. Off in the trees along the creek, two fireflies blinked off and on as clear and bright as if turning a light off and on. These were different from the ones we had earlier this year: not a cloud of them as before but their light was bigger, stronger, clearer.

On the way home I found myself singing, "The stars at night are big and bright, deep in the heart of Texas." Back in my grade school days every child of Texas learned that song. I found myself wanting to know more about the song. If you do, too, read on (lyrics are at the end):

RECORDED BY PERRY COMO & BING CROSBY

This 1941 song features lyrics by June Hershey and music by Don Swander. The song was first recorded by Perry Como with Ted Weems and His Orchestra on December 9, 1941 for Decca Records. It spent five weeks at the top of Your Hit Parade in 1942.

The song was also recorded by Bing Crosby in 1949. That version reached #3 on the Billboard charts that year. Other famous artists to record the song include Ray Charles, Hank Thompson, Bob Grant, George Strait and Nickel Creek. The University of Texas Longhorn Band performs the song during each football pregame, and the Texas Christian University Horned Frog Marching Band performs an arrangement during each pregame also. Fans sing "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" followed by "Deep In the Heart of Texas" during the 7th inning stretch of Houston Astros baseball games.

ALSO SUNG BY TEX RITTER & GENE AUTRY

The song's title was borrowed for a 1942 western film starring Johnny Mack Brown as a man instrumental in restoring Texas to the United States following the Civil War. It featured Tex Ritter singing the title song. Gene Autry sang the song in "Heart of the Rio Grande" in 1942. His version may be the most well known.

LYRICS HERE

The stars at night, are big and bright, deep in the heart of Texas, The prairie sky is wide and high, deep in the heart of Texas. The sage in bloom is like perfume, deep in the heart of Texas, Reminds me of, the one I love, deep in the heart of Texas.

The coyotes wail, along the trail, deep in the heart of Texas, The rabbits rush, around the brush, deep in the heart of Texas. The cowboys cry, "Ki-yip-pee-yi," deep in the heart of Texas, The dogies bawl, and bawl and bawl, deep in the heart of Texas.

We didn't see any rabbits rushing but we did flush out a white-tailed deer ahead that showed his "white flag" as he scrambled ahead of us.

Photo by Ben Borkowski

HILL COUNTRY SUNRISE

Photo by Jean Eastes

THE HILLS ARE ALIVE . . .

with deer - they are bounding all over the place, white tails flying: bucks, does, fawns. We've seen several sets of spotted twins. Not up close. The town deer let you get up close, but we live in a rural area, a small valley with a creek and small lake that is a haven for wildlife of all kinds. More than anything else, though, we have deer. That's always been true but even more so now.

UNUSUALLY HEAVY RAINS

According to the Kerrville Daily Times, unusually heavy rains here in the Texas Hill Country have brought about a record-breaking deer population.

“Last year was about the worst that anyone can recall experiencing, and this year is about the best year anyone can recall experiencing,” said Mitch Lockwood, a wildlife biologist with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department in Kerrville. “The conditions are so good that if it didn’t rain for the rest of the summer, we wouldn’t expect to see a rise in mortality among the fawns this fall.”

OVER 100 PERCENT INCREASE IN BIRTH RATE

The Daily Times continued, "The favorable weather conditions have helped keep deer populations healthy, and sparked over a 100 percent increase in birth rates; The average faun rate is between 30 and 35 percent, while estimates this year predict a birth rate between 67 and 75 percent or higher, according to Lockwood. The 2007 deer population could be the highest in living memory, which could potentially cause problems with local ecosystems."

"Deer consume a great deal of vegetation, and an over-abundance of deer could jeopardize a wide variety of plants and foliage. Lockwood said that any animals depending on those plants, including endangered species like the Golden-Cheeked Warbler, could also be at risk."

DEER POPPING UP EVERYWHERE

So we may have a problem developing. But for now, we are enjoying the deer, especially the young ones. My husband, father and I walked down a trail toward a meadow that we often see a few deer in. My Dad was visiting and wanted to see some deer. It was almost twilight, when they typically feed, but we didn't see any deer in the meadow. I thought he was going to be disappointed. The weeds, wildflowers and grasses on both sides of the path were extremely dense and at times shoulder high. Before we started out, I had no idea they were that tall or thick. As we walked, deer started popping up out of the vegetation, showing their tails like white flags to us and heading for the surrounding woods. As we continued toward the meadow, the activity all around us was unbelievable. It was a short walk, but all in all we estimate that we saw at least 25 deer, maybe more.

What a wonderful surprise!

FIREFLIES IN THE NIGHT

Last night D.H. (Dear Husband) and I sat on our back porch and watched the water in our small lake ripple as the fireflies came out. We then noticed the silhouettes of three deer in the moonlight munching grass in a neighbor's backyard. I sighed deeply several times and silently gave thanks to God once again for moving us to this beautiful small rural valley.

In the Cool of the Evening

Something of the joy I experienced in my youth returned to me. Back then there was much porch-sitting in the cool of the evening. My grandmother was usually shelling peas or cracking pecans. The rest of us sat quietly, talking little, just enjoying being together and watching nature's unfolding beauty as the sky turned various shades of dark. The best part was when the fireflies would appear and randomly light up, as if by magic. They were so plentiful back then, we kids would run around catching them and filling Mason jars.

They Seemed Extinct

Fast forward several years and they seemed to have disappeared. D.H. and I often talked about why we didn't see them anymore. They seemed to have become extinct, at least in our part of the world. He blamed fire ants. After hearing about someone buying ladybugs online, I thought about searching the Internet to see if they were available for sale anywhere. But I never did, and now I don't have to.

Twinkling on a Dark Hill

Twice lately we have walked to the back of our community at dark, flashlight in hand. There, where the cultivated property ends at a creek on one side and a ranch on the other, hundreds of fireflies on the dark hill beyond stand out against dark cedar and live oaks, twinkling like tiny Christmas lights, randomly blinking.

D.H. just read an article in the newspaper that in another part of the world - and only in that one place - there are fireflies that blink all at the same time. Everywhere else they blink randomly: here one and there another, all darting around leaving a light trail behind.

I've always liked watching lush darkness fall upon the waiting world but, without the fireflies of my youth, the joy hasn't been there ... until now. Sigh. Thank you, Lord!

Photo by Christine Wainwright

SCENIC 390 & BURTON, TX

We didn't plan on taking Scenic 390 but it was the closest way back to 290 after we missed it along our northwesterly path through the backroads from Conroe to the Texas Hill Country.

Detouring Through Burton

Our misadventure apparently started in Brenham but we didn't realize our mistake until we were well on our way to North Texas on 36 North. That's how we lucked into the happy experience of detouring through Burton via 390.

No Disappointment: Picture This

I am always interested in scenic drives and, I must add, often disappointed. But not this time! Scenic 390 was the first road in the state to get the designation of "Scenic" and it is well deserved for many reasons. Picture this: old oaks everywhere, tall and wide, sprawling over the countryside, picket fences along both sides of the road, fields of mixed wildflowers with bluebonnets giving the open spaces a blue cast, plentiful overflowing stock tanks, sleek horses, fat cattle of many different denominations, beautiful homes and farms with names. All this and more: most of the road hugs a ridge that affords a grand view of hilly terrain to the north.

Lovely Little Town

When we got to Burton signs were out announcing their 18th annual Cotton Gin Festival. It was a lovely little town with beautiful well-maintained "antique" homes and buildings. I don't remember seeing another small town that was as attractive and inviting as this one. I really wanted to stay but D.H. had already indulged me in a lengthy stop at the VF Mall in Hempstead, so I knew there was "no way."

Upcoming Events

But there's always next year! If this article has piqued your interest, the 19th Annual Cotton Gin Festival will be April 18-20, 2008. And if you can't wait until then, there's the Barn Dance and Gala Dinner October 20 of this year. For more details and extensive information on the cotton gin, click here.

1st photo by bennypix
2nd photo by Bob.Rosenberg

MONSTERS ABOVE AND BELOW

A few nights ago our TV viewing was interrupted by a weather alert stating that a tornado was sighted 20 miles from us and travelling in our direction. We were watching a show that I normally like but I felt drawn outside.

Ominous Sky

The sky to the northwest was dark and ominous looking but nothing was going on except the hint of a sunset breaking through. I decided to go for a walk because chasing sunsets has become one of my favorite things to do. Before moving to the Texas Hill Country I didn't pay much attention to what was going on in the sky, either good or bad. All I did about storms was prepare for and endure them. Back then I lived in a tall forest rooted in flatland and the sky wasn't accessible like it is here. Maybe that's the difference. I didn't know then all the interesting things that could be seen up above.

Watching for Funnels

I didn't get very far before strong winds came up and drove me back. Still, I stayed on the front porch and watched the approaching storm, with an eye on the clouds, looking for funnels. Strangely, I wasn't afraid. Inside I had an assurance that this particular storm wasn't going to harm us. I didn't see any tornadoes but a friend did. The people in her home all left and went someplace safer. We were all blessed that none touched down.

Lake Clearer Than Usual

The morning after the storm the sky was overcast. As I started out for my walk I realized there was a slight drizzle and it was coming at a slant, right on my face. So I went back and put on rain gear. Not a good day for a walk you are probably thinking. Ah, but you are wrong. I saw things that day I have never seen before although I walk every day, twice when the weather is good.

When I came to the dam I stood and looked into the lake and noticed that, while it is always clear, it was clearer than usual. I would have expected on a dark day after a storm the waters would have been churned up and darker. But the opposite was true.

It Seems Nothing is There

At first when you look into the water, it seems nothing is there but I have learned that if I keep looking, my perspective will change and suddenly I see beneath the surface. Almost every day I do this, both coming and going over the dam. So that's a lot of looking into this same spot.

I'm on the shallow end looking down at the green vegetation in the bottom when suddenly it parts and a monster turtle rises to the surface. It is the size of a huge Thanksgiving platter. Just as I am adjusting to this new thing, the submerged plants part and another monster turtle floats to the top. This is repeated a third time. Wow! I never had a clue those things were down there. I've seen lots of turtles around but none this size. This is a small lake for something that big to be here. (Actually, my uncle's stock tank is bigger but that's another story.)

Everything Out and About

And speaking of big. Three giant carp (five feet? six feet?) glide by the turtles. Then just to add to the show, numerous bass and perch of all sizes swarm around in those normally placid waters. It seemed the storm had caused everything to be out and about at the same time.

When I go by that spot now I stay a little longer than usual, knowing what's there and hoping for another show. So far, nothing!

Photo by Chris Cowan

AFFECTIONATE PAIRS

Previously - down the page a bit - I bid goodbye to our swans, thinking they would do as they usually do: head north in early April. But it turns out that I don't know much about "swanology." All seven swans recently reappeared and are still here.

After the young ones matured, they paired off and left, seemingly to nest in a more secluded area. But apparently the heavy rains we had washed away their nests and they came back to their home waters to enjoy the delicacies in the waters here. One of their favorite things is the corn our residents liberally provide them with. I've heard it said that if we feed them maybe they won't leave. I'd love it if they stayed but I think they will heed the "call of the wild" and head further north when it gets warmer here. So far we have had an unusually wet and cool spring.

Since I've already posted many photos of the "Magnificent Seven," this time I will provide something different. When the family returned, I noticed those that had mates doing something I can only call "necking." Maybe that's not what it's called but it does seem to be an exchange of affection among the pairs. See for yourself!

WILLOW CITY LOOP - 2007
TEXAS HILL COUNTRY

ANNUAL BIRTHDAY BLUEBONNET SEARCH

It's traditional on my birthday that we take a little trip and look for bluebonnets. We have countless photos of our children - and us - sitting in fields of bluebonnets. Now that it's just us, we skipped that part.

When we lived in The Megalopolis (Houston), there were always bluebonnets to be found on my birthday. Hubby usually spotted the first ones along T.C. Jester Boulevard while going to work. Then our annual trip would involve going to Chapel Hill through Hempstead so we could see fields of blue.

This year we live in the Texas Hill Country and we had to put forth more effort for less reward. Our only sighting was at a picnic area near Canyon Lake. It was a small patch but it was beautiful and I was glad for it. I picked one. Just one!

The THC is known for wildflowers - Lady Bird Johnson saw to that - but they are late this year. Last year we didn't have any and there was some talk that the continuing drought might have lasting effects. But experts say this will be a good year, there're just a little late.

Whew! I'm glad for that. I've seen gorgeous fields of them in Navarro and Ellis Counties on past birthdays, as well as Harris and surrounding counties. But my favorite viewing area is the Willow Loop, just north of Fredricksburg. It's spectacular. I'm looking forward to driving through there in another week or two.

Wherever you are driving this Spring, enjoy the view!

Photo by http://www.flickr.com/photos/tmmtx76


Originally uploaded by tmmtx76.

DROP-IN GUESTS DEPART

Yesterday I heard the beating of large wings and a unique noise I can only call a shrieking murmur. The noise was somewhat familiar. I rushed to the open patio doors just in time to see lift-off and the beautiful ascent of our two sometime-resident swans. This was the second of two short visits since they left with the Magnificent Seven (See October Archives).

Never before have they maintained the loud volume of noise for this long. After all, these are Mute Swans! I can't help but wonder if they were saying good-by and heading north now that warm weather is here.

See you again next year (I hope)!

Photo: Nature's own Concorde by Elvis Payne

FIVE "FIRST FISH" & MORE

LONELY LAKE

Twice now I have looked out at the lake and seen only ripples from the wind. The parade of regal graceful swans has ended. The absence of seven large white swans has created an unfillable void. After their leave-taking, I did take pleasure in the antics of the 35-50 wild diving ducks. But this morning marks the second time they, too, have flown off.

Oh, I think some ducks will come back. There are usually some here throughout the winter. And I have spied two of the swans from afar in a lake half a mile from here. It's not quite like having them in your own backyard, but it does bring some satisfaction, knowing they are alive and well.

SAD LADY

For a couple of weeks before they left, I watched them pair off: two here, two there, and another two yonder. And then the sad leftover swan (seven divided by two leaves an obvious and sad one). This "odd" swan had once been a member of the family but was now an outcast. The Boss, the daddy swan, chased her (or him?) away every time she came near. The babies were now grown and this process of pairing off was expected, since swans mate for life. My husband and I debated whether the leftover outcast was a male or female. He thought male but I reasoned it must be a girl because a male would have been more combative with The Boss and would probably have taken off to find his own mate.

MATING SEASON

Their going wasn't totally unexpected. Last year the few that were here left around the end of January, despite the sometime twice daily feedings of corn by several residents. Yesterday I spied one pair in a more remote lake half a mile from here. Obviously, they wanted their privacy through the mating season. Last year, one pair nested there, where it was safer, and in April were seen leaving with five babies, accounting for the magnificent seven that returned here September 1.

NEXT YEAR?

There are now seven that consider our backyard their home lake. I wonder how many will return next year?

NO ICE -- NO SWANS

This afternoon we were able to go outside and walk for the first time in days. No more slippery icy conditions, no more fierce freezing wind, and no more beautiful snow! The snow I miss. Both the fluffy falling of it (that was really beautiful!) and the white shiny banket that covered the barren landscape.

Where are they?

Because we back up to the lake and also have large sliding glass doors, we have had an excellent view through the seige of bad weather. Yesterday I was treated to a flyby of the seven swans that have lived here since Thanksgiving. They hovered just above the water. You wouldn't believe the clatter as 14 large wings beat the air together. Often they also drag their webbed feet in the water, sprayng multiple plumes skyward as they fly. Today I was anxious because I hadn't seen them.

My husband noticed, too, that we hadn't seen the swans. As large as they are and there being seven of them, they are hard to miss! So the first thing we did after bundling up for the walk was look for the swans. Although the lake is just a small private one, we don't have full view of it from any one spot. So as we walked we kept craning our necks, hoping to get a glimpse of a large spash of white, preferably several large splashes of white. Well, it never happened!

FUR NOT FEATHERS

I thought maybe the swans got tired of the cold weather and headed someplace warm. But if that were true, why didn't they leave earlier? Why wait until the thaw? The lake seems empty and lifeless without them. Well, almost. There are the lesser creatures: 30 or so diving ducks, 4 mallards, and 2 domestic ducks. And just a little while ago I saw something that was uncommon. Instead of feathers, it had fur. Was it a beaver? I'm not sure but definitely something like that. However, there is nothing to compare with seven swans swimming by like royalty on parade.

Sigh....I hope they come back.

ROBIN IN THE SNOW

Doesn't he look cold!

IT'S SNOWING!

This is our second winter in the Texas Hill Country and, to our delight, it is snowing. Not just fluffy flakes but big beautiful globs of snow are coming down. As I looked out the glass patio doors toward the small lake there, I noticed a robin perched amid the snow in the large live oak there. A robin in the snow! I knew it was a robin because of it's red breast. And also because I saw a whole flock of them when I was walking a couple of weeks ago. I did some research and learned that their love for the berries of our ash junipers brings them here in the winter. That, and because it is usually warmer here than up north where they came from.

I-10 IS CLOSED

The temperature has been hovering around 20. On the news I hear that I 10 is closed from Bourne, about 30 miles east of her, to an unnamed distance west. I actually thought I heard them say to CA but that seems a bit hard to believe.

We've had no reason to get out. Thank God! No mail delivery today or yesterday and we didn't get our newspaper.

SEVEN SWANS ARE STILL ASWIMMING

The seven swans are still aswimming in the lake and came up hoping we would throw them some corn. Raymond did but reported it was slippery to do so. I ventured out the back porch to take some photos and into the carport to look at the streets better but that is all.

DIVING DUCKS AND OTHERS

There look to be about 35 of the diving ducks that only come in the winter swimming back and forth in the lake. And I saw the 4 male mallards that live here year round. Raymond said he saw the two domestic ducks: Blackie and Whitie, he calls them. I like to call them Rae and X-Ray because they are opposites in their coloring.

That's my report on happenings in the frosty Texas Hill Country today.

Photo by richardrichard -
http://www.flickr.com/photos/richardrichard

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ROBINS IN WINTER?

It's Winter on the Edwards Plateau where I live. The night-time low is often in the 20's so imagine my surprise when I came across a large flock of robins in a grove of trees near my home.

"Robins!" My eyes said. "Impossible," my mind said back - "it's not spring. Everyone knows you see robins in the Spring." But the distinctive red breast of the robin was obvious.

I checked the Texas Parks and Wildlife brochure by Mark W. Lockwood entitled Birds of the Edwards Plateau, A Field Checklist, and found on page 11 that American Robins are found in abundant numbers during the months of January, February, and March on the Edwards Plateau. So, my eyes had not deceived me!

Shortly after, Bill Lindermann, who writes a column in our local paper called Hill Country Birding, had a long article about the phenomena. It seems the birds love the berries that we normally have in abundance. And though it may seem cold to me, the robins find it much warmer than in northern climes.

Photo by Lucina M

FIREWORKS OVER WATER

Fireworks
Originally uploaded by Michael R. Ross.

If we shot fireworks over our lake, they would look like this. But it's too dry here in the Texas Hill County for that . . . also we wouldn't want to scare away our near neighbors, the swans, ducks and geese. They give us too much pleasure.

So I'm settling for a digital display.

May you have a blessed and happy new year!

Angels in the Fire

Christmas 2005 180mini Originally uploaded by Hello Hillary.

Some people see angels in the fire in this photo. What do you see? Do you believe in angels? Not the kind that dance in the fire but the kind that are messengers of God?

More important, what do you believe about the Christ child whose birth we celebrate on Christmas day?

And in the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin's name was Mary...Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end. Luke 1:26

Photo by Hello Hillary

TOWN DEER

I've featured several of the deer that populate the rural small valley in the Texas Hill Country where I live in the past, but the deer in this segment are different: they may be cousins to our wild deer here but they live in town and are more domesticated. Not totally, but they do like to hang out in the large yards of the people there and they definitely enjoy the handouts. These photos were taken in the yard of our friends Margaret and Clare.


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GRANDBOYS GALORE

We finally got all six grandboys together. (We have no grandgirls.) This was their first cousins' reunion!* Their ages are 6, 4, 4, 1, 2 and 2-1/2.

They fished, fed the swans, got close to some deer, and fished again. Another favorite thing to do was to throw whatever they could find into the water: acorns, stones, pecans. The stones kept getting bigger and bigger - because, of course, the bigger the stone, the bigger the splash! We had to draw the line at boulders.

*I wasn't sure "reunion" was the proper term since this isn't a re-union but a first event. Dictionary.com seems to approve of this usage, not as its first offering but its third:

3.	a gathering of relatives, friends, or associates at regular intervals or after separation: a family reunion.

MORE FOLIAGE COLOR


These photos were taken near my home in rural Kerr County, Texas.

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FALL COLORS IN THE TEXAS HILL COUNTRY



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Lost Maples photos by IngaMun flickrCC

DOMESTIC DUCK DUO















These are the two domestic ducks that reside in the lake behind our house. I call them Salt and Pepper or Rae and X-Ray. They occasionally fly above the lake for a short distance but I have never known them to leave the lake. For some reason I think of Rae as being the female of the couple. I can't really explain why - just something in her manner. You never see these two apart.

LADY M UPDATE

Previously (August 9) I had expressed delight in the nest Lady M had made behind a bush in front of my house. She deposited 5 eggs there and several of us in the neighborhood dared to anticipate ducklings. Others dissed Lady M saying last year she had failed in her maternal duties.

NAUGHTY LADY?

Well, the nay-sayers were right! And I'm giving serious to changing her name to Naughty Lady. The truth is that she did not like being separated from her four male mates. She was diligent to make the nest and deposit the eggs there and I think she really intended to follow through with them. For several days the male mallards hung around the house, giving her moral support while she was doing her duty. Once I even found her companions asleep in the middle of the nearby road and tried unsuccessfully to urge them our of danger back to the grass.

DISHARMONY AMONG DUCKS

Then came the day my husband heard her screeching, squawking and carrying on. This was all directed at her male companions who had deserted her and gone for a swim in the lake. Contritely, they started toward her. She then thumbed her nose (beak) at them and flew petutantly away. That was the end of the lonesome duty of nest setting. The whole bunch of them not only abandoned the nest but this whole end of the lake for some time.

SAD ENDING

A sad ending to our hopes and dreams of fuzzy little Mallard ducklings to repopulate our lake! I'm not sure I dare to hope that next year will be any better...Well, maybe she is entitled to three tries before being ruled "out."


Top Photo by hddod @flickr CC

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