Spring has Sprung!

Cheesy title. Indeed it is. But, it's truth here in Brenham, Texas. Spring has arrived.

Locals round these parts know the winter frosts are over when the native pecan trees begin their buddin'. One of our two pecan trees alerted us a couple weeks ago that it was time for new life:

Now she is starting to show off for the other trees in the neighborhood.

Since the pecan tree let us know it was time, we obeyed and got to planting. The goal for our garden this year was simple. Make it smaller than last year. And fill it with things we are excited about eating. Last, year I made the mistake of thinking okra was a good idea. After it started coming in, I remembered I really only like it battered and fried. And we had 8 of them. I don't think I ate a single okra from that garden. SO, to remedy that this year we have: watermelon, cantaloupe, two kinds of tomatoes, squash, red pepper, cucumber and strawberries. I am also hoping to make some of Norah's baby food from these fruits and veggies, so we'll see how that goes! 

The strawberries are in two containers on my front porch. My awesome man thought they would serve to add color and foliage to our naked porch for the summer. So. Smart.

 

The red pepper plant is growing nicely. Though, I already see some evidence of critters. hhhmmm....

Yeah, no idea which one this is...Maybe the watermelon

I just have to document this tree in our back yard. It is gigantic. I would love to know how old it is. It's branches cover the back side of our home, which is a GREAT advantage during the summer heat. It helps keep us cool and provides great shade on our back porch. 

However. I have a love-hate relationship with this tree. I love the benefits it provides us, but despise...let me say again...DESPISE...it's little seedling children. Now, I love kids. I love other people's kids. Shoot, I have a kid! But this tree's kids just never stop coming. They fall, I sweep. I sleep. They fall, I sweep. I sleep. They fall. And the cycle continues for weeks on end in the spring. 

I spent hours in our orange-green yard last Saturday raking these suckers up, only to see the picture below a few days later. Alas. God bless the seedlings...

Saving the best for last. This is our old clothesline. No telling how many years it's been here, but it was looking kind of lonely and naked out there. A short trip to Lowes, and following my nose to the plant who's smell was filling the place, and we are now the owners of this fast growing extremely fragrant, Pink Jasmine. I love it thiiiiiiiiiiiiiis much.

I would love to say that I have beautiful pictures of our baby girl lounging in the Blue Bonnets this part of Texas is so nationally known for. Unfortunately,  thanks to what the media is calling an "Expansive Drought" - the Blue Bonnets are few and far between this year. For now, this picture is an example of what we normally see out here in Blue Bonnet Country.