SUNSET IS THE ULTIMATE STRESS RELIEVER

Fiery sunset

Was looking at some photos I had taken and found these.  This was the sunset at the farm a few weeks back when I had to drive back out there on a Sunday evening because I forgot my wallet.  Yep, drove all the way back into town, 45 miles one way, stopped to fill up with gas for the week, and realized I had left my wallet on the dresser at the farm...

It was frustrating to say the least.  I certainly can't go all week driving back and forth to work without that, so I turned around and drove back out there.

Nothing like a 90 mile round trip for one small thing that was your own fault.  But me, never one to let a moment slip by, decided to stay for a bit and watch the sunset.  The last time we were out there at sunset, it was very cloudy.

Above was the view from the porch and below is the view from the back of the house.  It certainly made all the stress of the day go away and reminded me of why we bought the property in the first place.

It just doesn't compare to the city, that's for sure...

Farm Sunset

Oh how we love a fiery sunset!

WIND CHIME GARDEN, INSPIRATION THURSDAY

Wind chimes in flower garden, image courtesy of Southernliving.com

Here is something we've been thinking about and recently, Jaz over at Octoberfarm posted photos of her beautiful gardens.  In one of the pictures, she had a shot of all of her wind chimes and we had never thought about them scattered around like that.  I always associate wind chimes with hanging from a porch or a window or the eave of a roof, never thought about them just scattered about as she did.  And of course as in this photo I found at Southern Living, put in the middle of a flower garden.  

I'm not sure if there is such a thing as too many and I wouldn't want the sounds to compete with each other, but I think a few of them here and there would be a nice (and easy) addition to the property.  I believe in this one, it is hanging on a  shepherd's hook type pole?  I will have to keep my eye out for a few of those....and of course some wind chimes.

Be inspired!

A HOLE IN ONE

Glove!

OK...so I put on some rubber/latex gloves because I couldn't find my regular garden gloves.  When I'm potting things or planting in our 'clay' holes in the yard, I like to wear gloves.  If we are having dinner afterwards, it makes for cleaning up much easier (and getting to the food faster, ha).

Glove with a hole

I pulled my gloves off when I was done and, um, yeah, I guess there was a hole or tear in one of the fingers.  I never even felt it or noticed it.  

Well, hey, at least the cleanup was STILL pretty easy, LOL!

Side note...does anyone know why bags of soil, compost, etc always have dire warnings on them about wearing gloves while handling?  Again, that's not why I wear them, I usually only have gloves on when I'm just doing something quick and have other plans right afterward...normally I like the feel of the soil in my hands...it connects me back to nature.  I was just curious as to why they have to warn people not to handle it without gloves?

WATERING HANGING BASKETS

We have wanted to have some ferns for the porch and I was in just the right place at the right time.  Found these on sale (2 for $10.00!) at the local garden center.  I couldn't resist that deal...

Hanging Boston Ferns

...so we took them to the farm, they fit perfectly and look great on the porch (isn't it amazing how plants bring a space to life?).  Anyway, we are asking for suggestions for keeping these watered during the week.  Now that the weather is heating up quickly, it will be 100 before we know it and they'll need water more often.  Since we aren't there during the week, we were wondering if anyone has ever used one of those things you add water and stick in the soil?  

Or anyone else have a DIY idea?

We don't really want any sort of drip/tube type system because we only have these two plants and don't need any sort of semi-permanent solution.  

Any suggestions or thoughts?

MOWING AND EDGING

Not as much zen as it was hard work, ha.  My normal mowing time is about 2 hours for all of it...Saturday it was a little over 5 hours.  I went through two tanks of gas.  I just had to go so slowly, and even though we have the largest mowing deck, I could only go back and forth about a foot wide at a time.  

Half mowed

It was SO much to mow.  I took the discharge chute off the zen machine so that it would just shoot straight out and we have the extra blade on the mower that chops up the grass pretty finely, but still, at times it was just so thick, it would get clogged up.  It was about 4 weeks of no mowing. 

Mowed

When it was done though, it looked good.  Yep, I cut it pretty short, just needed a head start on the growing season.  I also left the clippings where they lay, they will add nutrients back into the ground, and it was too much to rake. 

But hey, at least it was all dry!!

Edging before

Saturday was mowing, and since it took up most of the day, Sunday was edging.  I love to edge because it's a big bang for your buck.  Here is what it looked like around the large barn before I edged...

Edging after

...and here it is after.  Almost like the day it was built.  It looks so nice...for a few days anyway, ha.  Looking at this picture reminds me that one of my upcoming projects (that's not on the list) is to make ramps for the large doors on each barn so we can roll things in and out easily.  And some steps on the side door (might buy the prefab ones for that).

Cattle grazing on the fence line

And lastly, we love this picture...as I mowed along the fence line, the neighbor's cattle realized that a free, good meal was just on the other side of the fence!  I would mow so the grass blew their direction and they were happy cows!  

I might just get them trained to follow me along the fence, ha. 

END OF WEEKEND

It was a great weekend.  A lot got done, and there was a lot of resting.  It is SO hot.  OMG, 90's with "feels like" temps approaching 100.  Skies were partly cloudy but nice and blue.  Rain in the forecast again for later on in the week.

I'll have updates in the coming days with things that were done.  We even got some more things scratched off the list.  Oh, did I mention it was HOT?

Hope you had a wonderful weekend doing what makes you happy!

SAVE THE WHEAT, VINTAGE POSTER SUNDAY

Eat More...Save the Wheat, image courtesy of US National Archive

We realized recently we haven't posted any images of vintage posters in awhile because of the crazy weekend weather of the last couple of months, so I scoured the Internet the other night to find some more.  For those new to the blog in the last few months, every Sunday we would usually post images of food/gardening/conservations related vintage posters.  Click the HISTORY label at the bottom of this post (or over to the right in the sidebar) and you can see others that we have posted in previous weeks.  

This one comes from WWI, about 1917 or so, from the US Food Administration.  It urged people to "Eat More Cornmeal, Rye flour, Oatmeal and Barley" so as to "Save the Wheat for the Fighters".  We love the canisters they use in the image.  Nice graphics on this one.  

While this posts, we are at the farm enjoying the clear weekend weather.  It's HOT though, but still, I won't start complaining about that for a while...at least a couple of weeks, LOL.

Update tonight and will catch up on comments!!

FINALLY

NO RAIN IN THE FORECAST!

BLUE SKIES!

AND LOTS, LOTS TO MOW!

ROCKS TO BRING, EDGING TO DO, BEES TO CHECK, PLANTS TO PLANT, TREE LIMBS TO PICK UP...THE LIST GOES ON AND ON AND ON. 

Now to see how much we can get done in this first weekend in weeks (months?) that we can spend both days doing stuff.

AVERT YOUR EYES

WARNING:  

If snakes creep you out, please click HERE TO SEE A KITTEN post from last year instead.

If you're still along for the ride, scroll down...

Texas Rat Snake

...and down and down, ha.  2nd Family emailed us the other night and the subject line was "open attachment if you dare".  

I thought, 'oh, cool, what could it be?'.   

Um, it was this!

This is "R" from 2nd Family holding a Texas rat snake.  This snake had gotten into the chicken coop and was after some eggs and then tried to get one of their young chicks.  They realize (and so do we) that although the rat snake is non-venomous and can take care of rats and mice...it can also be aggressive.  Sure enough, when "R" was trying to remove it, it turned on him and tried to bite several times.  At that point, it was as he said, a tough but necessary decision. 

Part of the circle of life in the country I suppose.  Still, it's enough to give us the heebie jeebies, that's for sure.

Do snakes freak YOU out?

RIVER STONES AND FOUNTAIN, INSPIRATION THURSDAY

River stones around a fountain, image via Pinterest

On the last post, I talked about the river stones we have started bringing from the house in town to the farm so we can save them for future use.  You all had some great ideas and this is one I found based on some of your suggestions. 

Granted, we don't have a patio like this (and never will) but a fountain done in a corner of the yard, surrounded by beautiful river stones and some greenery like this one, would be lovely. We've always liked these vase/urn style fountains and the water running down the sides and over the stones would be nice...not to mention the color of the stones would shine.

Be inspired!

ROCK STARS

ROCKS?  

HUH?  

Here's the back story:  At the house in town, there is one spot in the backyard, along one side of the fence, where the previous owner put a bunch of  rather large and beautiful river stones instead of a flower bed.  I guess it was an easier to take care of landscaping solution at the time.  When we moved in, we put some large clay pots amongst them to have some interest but otherwise they've just been sitting there all these years.

Because we will sell the house in town eventually, we were thinking that since we own them now, we'd rather keep them for our future use at the farm instead of letting them go to the next owner (who might not even want them).   

River stones

Here is the first batch.  I just realized there is no frame of reference for size in this photo.  They are not small by any means.  Each one is pretty large...easily about the size of a cantaloupe.  I sprayed them with the water hose to bring out their colors and as you can see, they are quite beautiful, reds, golds, greens, even some blues.  Not even sure what kind they are.

We are guessing the previous owner paid quite a bit to have these hauled in.  We decided that every time we go to the farm, we're going to take about 20 with us (because they are so large) until they are all at the farm.  

They are just too pretty to leave behind!

First thing we have to do is find a place to keep them at the farm so they are out of the way until we need them.  An ever growing pile of rocks could quickly get out of control.  Not sure what we'll do with them of course but hey, five years from now, we don't want to look back on this opportunity and think to ourselves, "damn, sure wish we had kept those rocks", ha.

Any suggestions?

METAL HANG TAGS CRAFTING BARGAIN

Now that our monsoon season is over, let's get back to fun stuff, like these cool craft related items I found while out shopping yesterday.  For those with a TARGET store nearby, I thought I'd give you a heads up for these pretty neat craft items.  They are metal hang tags that could be used for any number of interesting craft projects or maybe even organizing.  

Chalkboard metal tags

Above is a set that is made with chalkboard paint so you can write on them with chalk and to label and/or identify something.  They have twine string to tie them onto whatever project you are using them for.

Galvanized metal hang tags

This set is galvanized metal, pretty neat and old fashioned looking.  You could of course write on them or better yet, use an adhesive label of some sort to identify whatever you use them for.

Metal storage tin

They are only $1.00 per package and with four per package, that's really only 25 cents per tag, not a bad deal all things considered.  I bought four of each (they also had copper) and then I found this little metal storage container that was also only $1 as well.  I need to hit another Target store to see if I can find a few more (occasionally, the Target Dollar section has 50% off all items).

Just in case anyone is near a Target and would like to get these, I wanted to give you a heads up. 

Now I need to figure out what to use them for.

WEEKEND HAPPENINGS

We were curious to see how wet it was at the farm after the epic rains we've had.  The insurance adjuster came out Friday to look at the roof from the last windstorm we had, but only a few missing shingles, not enough to be over the deductible.  As a side note, he got his car stuck in the yard, and had to get pulled out by a wrecker!  That's how wet things are out there.  Of course, we know where the "high spots" are to park but in all fairness, I did tell him to wait until it dried out, but he took the chance.

So first thing Saturday, we loaded up a few things and headed out.  

This is a major river that is several miles from the farm and we decided to swing by and see how high it was.

It was high!  We had to park at a rest stop area and walk over to the bridge.  This is the view looking toward the North...

...and this is the view toward the South.  This is the direction it is all flowing and sadly, for those downstream, that's where the worst of the flooding is.  Below is the view from the bridge looking down to the trees, those with the tops sticking out are on the banks and more than 20 feet tall.

I was able to mow, but not much.  The yard was SO wet and muddy.  As you can see in the photos (the spots I couldn't mow) it was completely out of control. I did the center part of the driveway so we can at least get in and around the house and some of the front yard but that was it.

These 'ruts' are where I chanced mowing through a really muddy spot with standing water and got the back tires of the zen machine stuck in the mud.  Oops!  Took some pushing but we got it out. 

The house was OK, so that's good.  The bees were good as well.  I took the roofs off and inspected and they were happy and doing their thing.  Even with the rains, they were coming back to the hives loaded up with pollen.  Once again, it was starting to sprinkle so I didn't want to leave them open too long.  

As has been the case, for days weeks on end, the clear skies of the morning gave way to the ominous gray skies of the afternoon.  Right after I took this picture, there was a loud clap of thunder and by the time we got back in the car, it opened up and started raining...and we had several more inches of rain.

Regular reader Colleen posted this link in one of her comments and I thought I'd put it here.  Click on THIS LINK to read some mind-blowing stats about the Texas flooding. 

But LOOK!!!

This is the just released forecast of for the next 4 days.  Can it be?  No rain?  Today is overcast, but the radar for the whole state looks to be clear of storms.  We aren't going to the farm, it really is just too wet, instead we'll stay in town and start cleaning out some closets and cabinets.  Time for some Spring cleaning...no telling what fun things we'll find.

If the weather holds all week, it should be nice and dry next weekend and it will be a yardworkapalooza, ha.  

Hope your weekend is going well!

HERE WE GO AGAIN

UPDATE:  It is 6:30pm local time and we are in the midst of a torrential downpour all across the city of Houston.  We are safely back home in town, left the farm just before it hit.  

There has been over 5" inches of rain in the last hour and a half and it's STILL raining.  Lots of lightning, our power has flickered a few times but about 50,000 people are without power currently.

Roads are starting to flood and cars are starting to get stranded in the water.  Several of the Bayous that flooded homes on Monday are now about to top their banks again.

This is just insane weather...I just really don't know what else to say.

They SAY that after this round, we're going to clear out and start to dry up.

Farm and picture updates tomorrow, now back to the TV.

EYE ON THE SKY

Rain chances starting this afternoon into tomorrow...

Not what we need, especially that "5-7 inches" possibility at the end of the warning.  Off to the farm to check on the things, feed the bees and see what's happening in general.  The farm is also a few miles from a river that is cresting today, so we'll check that out. 

More later today!

FISH OUT OF WATER

OK, so after the crazy events of the last few days, we woke up to MORE rain.

No kidding...

This is the radar when we went to bed last night, and it moved through while we were sleeping and dumped another inch or so.  It is slow to leave the area and there is more in the forecast for the afternoon!  Flash Flood Watch in effect, and this is not what any of the streams or rivers need.

We called 2nd Family and asked how things were out there.  Wet and muddy and sloshy...imagine that!  Then "J" said "we've been picking up fish out of the driveway".  

Excuse me?  Fish?

Yep, minnows and a couple of other species.  I said "send me a picture!" and she sent this to me:

Not sure what this one is, but it was one of three just like it that she saved and moved to their backyard pond.  She also gathered up another random small fish, and a cup full of minnows, including a few in the chicken coop/yard!

Where do fish just come from out of nowhere?  The only thing we can think is washed out of ponds on nearby properties?  The water was standing and rushing down the driveway for the last few days so it's no telling where they came from.  Still, kinda fun that fish are just appearing.

It's been a busy week at work (insurance biz) and so I am looking forward to the weekend.  Of course, there is a strong chance of...wait for it...

RAIN...

Sigh.

HOUSTON HEROES, INSPIRATION THURSDAY

For today, after the tragic events in our city over the last few days, I decided that for inspiration, we would put it where it belongs...on all of the first responders who came to help residents in Houston as they faced an epic storm.

The Houston Police Department

The Houston Fire Department

The American Red Cross

And of course, the thousands of Houstonians who risked their lives to help rescue people from cars, helped get them out of flooded homes, who worked in the hospitals, and brought food, and donated clothing...they are the 'everyday heroes' that always inspire!

It makes us proud to call Houston home.

WATER WATER EVERYWHERE

162,000,000,000 gallons of water...

That is how much water fell from the sky in just a few hours.  Yep, that's 162 BILLION gallons...isn't nature amazing?  Now if we could just get that spread around to the places that need it.

Click HERE to read a fascinating article from our local paper about Monday's historic flooding and just how everything converged to form the perfect storm.

Just a quick post today because last night we came home from work, watched the days news coverage and crashed.  Were up the night before during the storms until 3:00AM and then got up at 6:00AM to see what had happened in the light of day.  Busy day for me at work, lot of customers calling in with claims.  As my good friend "R" said yesterday (he works at another office) "that's what we signed up for".   True, so very true.

Thank you to all who have written either directly or commented in posts, to check on us.  We are fine.  Rattled, but fine.  I will catch up on comments and replies tonight.  Thank you all for the well wishes!


Updated the link to the article (thanks Texas Rose!)


   

HOUSTON FLOODING WHAT A NIGHT

Unprecedented flooding event happened in Houston overnight.  Haven't heard from 2nd Family yet, been trying to reach them about the flooding at the farm, but this has been one for the record books in the city of Houston.  We were up until 3:00AM keeping an eye on things but just couldn't stay up any longer.  Woke up to a city under disaster status.

We are blessed that our house in town is in the higher part of the neighborhood but the city has been hard hit...

...we've had funnel clouds, wind gusts upwards of 100mph, hail, lightning like we've never seen before, and rain...lots and LOTS of rain.  Almost 8 inches at our house, many parts of town in excess of 10 inches.  This fell in just a couple of hours.  Bayous are overflowing, thousands of cars flooded, hundreds of homes flooded.  Entire freeway systems are shut down, across both sides, because water is covering all the main lanes.

During the night, the NWS issued a rare "Flash Flood Emergency" and the city went to "Level 1 Emergency Status" for the first time since Hurricane Ike, seven years ago.  The photo above is the freeway about 2 blocks over from our house.

And by daylight, it was surreal...

I-45 at North Main

This is the on-ramp we get onto to get to work.  I walked over this morning to take this picture. Needless to say, I won't be going this direction.  I'm in the insurance business, so I need to get to work to start taking claims, once I can make it to work this morning of course, I'll find out how bad it is...and it will be a long day...a very long day.

More tonight when I get home...

For those who want to see more pics, use Twitter, you don't have to have a twitter account.  Click here:  #houstonflood

WEATHER UPDATE

Several of you have emailed us to ask how we are doing, the Texas flooding is making national headlines.  The really bad, tragic stuff in the Wimberly and Austin area is about 120 miles from the farm.  

However, that being said, it has all moved this way and expanded in intensity.  

Here is the farm at this moment....

...2nd Family called to tell us it's been insane out there this evening, over 5 inches of rain and counting.  Here in the Houston metro area, it is hit (or is that "spread" this direction), the city has told everyone to get off the roads immediately, massive street flooding is occurring everywhere.  We've also had reports of possible tornadoes in the area, 60mph wind gusts, and large hail all over town.  Our rain gauge shows 3 inches in just the last hour, and it's showing no signs of slowing down. 

As I type this, it's raining so hard and so loud, we've had to turn the volume up on the TV.  Trees down in our neighborhood.  Just while I was typing this, the rainfall went from 3 inches to 4 inches, in about 10 minutes.

Update tomorrow, we'll see what happens overnight!

Fingers crossed!