Help Me Rhonda (or anybody else)

In the continuing effort to at least create the appearance I garden - I cleared out 3 not great roses (note to self - don't buy any roses except those disease resistant ones). A few years ago DH built this trellis for us out of pieces of copper tubing. I love the weathered color since shiny new has worn off ('cause it feels more like me - my shiny new wore off LONG ago!). Now trying to decide what to do with this corner. Still have to get that one ugly gnarly shovel resistant clump of former rose bush out. Do NOT want to plant anything resembling morning glories - still pulling out volunteer morning glories from a foolish indulgence years ago - morning glories go from pretty plant to invasive and all consuming monster too quickly. No more roses, too small a trellis for wisteria or grape vine. Wondering what to do here and thought to self - Self - who do you know with creative minds and great garden skillz! YEP - I'm asking y'all - I will sincerely appreciate your suggestions. My thinking has ranged from hanging bird feeders (I have never done bird feeders - figured they got enough feed from what they steal out of the goat pens), hanging plant containers, putting a bird bath under the trellis and letting the soil underneath turn to swamp (we have a layer of good, imported soil on top of solid clay!) or hanging bells and banners and driving us all crazy with the noise.

This isn't a contest - just a plea to you from me - help me Rhonda - or Sally or Sue or Tom, Dick or Harry! It is good on Buhlaland but I'm dry on ideas.

Facing Tomorrow

Proverbs 3:5-6 (NIV)

5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
6 in all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make your paths straight.

It is very good on Buhlaland - a little rain forecast and lots of weeding, egg gathering, home renovation, doctor appointments and prayer to do!

When Pigs Fly

I believe that event will coincide with the date I get caught up on blogging - both entering and reading! Bought this little metal "art" flying pig recently and it migrates around our garden spot - you never know where Senor Cerdo will land - he just makes me laugh.

Daylilies - ya gotta love'em - multiply like crazy and almost anyone will take a "little clump of lilies I was thinning out"!

Dragonfly - sitting on lavender but next to huge rosemary bush.

Buhlaland is fully in summer mode now - just experienced a brief and delightful summer storm - no measurable rain but it cooled off about ten degrees. Our tin can garden (my term for an all container attempt to raise a few tomatoes and peppers) is finally going well - may already be too hot for the strawberries to prodce much.

Chickens get to wander around our yard from 6 pm until dark - they come running up to me when I go out to get them back in their pen and coop. They are certainly good at tearing up layers of oak leaves piled under trees and finding whatever tasty morsels lie there. I use the rosemary you can see in dragonfly picture - delicious on any kind of chicken or pork barbecue you might be trying - add to a small can of apricot nectar, half a cup apricot-pineapple preserves and juice of one or two limes , minced tablespoon of fresh rosemary- heat it up and put on something you want to taste delicious!

Hope your summer is going well - life is good on Buhlaland.

Sun Rise

I promise I didn't photoshop or adobeshop or stopnshop this picture - straight outta camera photo of sunrise this past week. Makes a person glad she dragged her entirely inordinately tired self out of bed and opened eyes to God's glory. I am not blogging much - sometimes not even leaving comments on the blogs I read. Must be in one of those learning seasons - where keeping my mouth shut (or keyboard quiet) benefits my brain and soul. Life continues a blessed and confusing path through Buhlaland - DH still doing too much and working hard (also known as standard operating procedure). I am still enjoying my part time job. Goats are growing up fast and I'm unwilling to get off the dime and sell some of them - too many right now for our pasture. Keep hoping some of the people we know and love will actually buy places in the country and we can place our goats with trustworthy people. Listening right now to iPod music playlist called Praise and Worship -- Amy Grant's older cd of hymns - loving the glory of voices, instruments and words.
Hope to do some cooking this weekend - meatloaf meal for DH's father's day. Staying cool by getting up before the sun and staying in shade or air conditioning as much as possible.
Things are good here on Buhlaland - especially when we rise up early in the morning

I'm fond of fawn

Went out this morning to let goats outof their pen and look who decided to hang around very cautiously for a short visit. We are pretty sure the doe is same one who showed up here last year with a severely injured left front leg (and a fawn) - appears she has given birth in a stand of trees in back pasture . Healthy and cautious - big ears and makes my heart just pitter pat - God made so many wonderful creations - but baby critters are close to the best! It is Great on Buhlaland to have dear deer.

Natural Lessons

(New Living Translation)

John 15
Jesus, the True Vine
“I am the true grapevine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn’t produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more. 3 You have already been pruned and purified by the message I have given you. 4 Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me.
5 “Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing. 6 Anyone who does not remain in me is thrown away like a useless branch and withers. Such branches are gathered into a pile to be burned. 7 But if you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted! 8 When you produce much fruit, you are my true disciples. This brings great glory to my Father.

Jesus taught using images which could be seen all around us, to help our very weak minds and hearts to grasp eternal meaning. In recent years I've felt the Lord's "pruning" of my branch, and I only can trust Him that it may produce fruit of the spirit and in deed. It is good on Buhlaland - grapes aplenty for the birds and pruning might hurt for a season to be part of His harvest - it is a very good result.

Picture was taken in our back pasture -
Mustang Grape
'Vitis mustangensis
Vitaceae
Mustang grape favors disturbed ground, fence rows, woodland edges and sandy slopes in the eastern half of Texas, east to Louisiana and north into Arkansas and Oklahoma. Althought its fruit is usually pungent and unpleasant, the fruits of the variety diversa are actually sweet and have often been used in wine-making. This is a high-climbing vine which tolerates great heat and drought. The lower surface of its leaves is very white and densely hairy, a noticeable ornamental feature. It is reported to be largely resistant to Phylloxera and hybridizes with several other grape species. 'source

June? how can it be June??

Graduation celebrations, a ton of June birthdays, a garden not planted (tiny tomato is still in the planting POT not in soil), spring blooming wildflowers fading.

Big oak trees fully leafed out - mustang grapes so big and round just tempting birds and raccoons to come get'em.

June

In Texas - how can I fail to mention sky - sky getting cloudy, sky with jet contrails streaking across as if there is a crack appearing (no folks - no sky is falling believers here!). Sky looking as if God is about to peek through the clouds and His Shekinah Glory is already breaking through.

It is really June here on Buhlaland - and so very good - DH is doing reasonably well, we are blessed beyond belief by friends and prayer warriors and big unpredictable skies!