Pumpkins - no frost yet!

We are having a beauty of an autumn season - - local Farmer's Market is overflowing with huge blooming mum plants, every squash and 'punkins sized from teeny little table decor to monstrous huge pumpkinpaloozas!

I am watching my "disposable income" expenses (whoever came up with that term never tried to live within their means) so didn't buy a great number of things - did purchase one of the supersized chrysanthemums and had a moment's hesitation on how to get it home safely. You see the solution - carefully squeezed in passenger's side of the car! It is October - not seeing much of what is traditionally called fall color - but on Buhlaland - we see blue skies, stars at night and lots of deer - that is all good. Hope your autumn is terrific - to everything there is a season.

Yep - it is autumn

Tried to find some clever theme for blogging today - not feeling clever but have been reveling in the beauty of our little bit of Texas recently. We've had unusual rainfall for September and October - resulting in a November

of rare autumnal color. We often have brown and beige autumns - after a long dry summer the poor trees are just wanting to shed those leaves sucking the sap out of them and heal over the winter. This year - looks more like the trees want to hang onto their finery a while longer.

We haven't had a frost yet - cool nights and mid to high 70's in the days. Good it isn't like this all the time - we'd be over run with people moving to Texas! As it is - here on Buhlaland it is GOOD to be enjoying autumn - we're grateful.

It is autumn on Buhlaland

Tap Tap Tap -- pecking on screen to get attention? anybody in there???

yes we are around - little going on other than day to day life. Cluckers continue to provide 6-8 eggs a day but DH beginning to grumble about the work involved (putting them up at night and now we put a load of sand in the run because they are digging to China in there!) so I'll enjoy them while I can.

On a totally different note - this song has been playing in my head for several days - in my head I sound just like Selah does singing it -- too bad in the physical world I sound more like one of my silly cluckers! Sit back a minute and revel in the wonderful merciful Savior.

All the beauty of the created world and heaven is promised too! It is good on Buhlaland and we are continually amazed by the mercy of our Savior.

Autumn Bounty

The local outdoor market displayed their fall merchandise this week - familiar smell of ristras (the dried red peppers hanging from ceiling) and wild versions of gourds - the one white with orange one looks like it has spider veins (some of us are more familiar with that beauty of aging than others!). We don't be doing a fall display - partically because nobody sees it (we live off the road) and also because the basic pumpkin in the big display goes for $5.95 upward to $25-30! Lots of money when they aren't even good for pies! I've posted a picture of the pie pumpkins display - $2 each or 3 for $5 .
What does all this have to do with Buhlaland? - well we like the fall weather we are having - cooler and more rain in the forecast and we get a kick out of the decorating lots of people are doing. God created beauty for us -





from Genesis we see God making things beautiful - for the sake of beauty
Genesis 2:8-9 (New Living Translation)
8 Then the Lord God planted a garden in Eden in the east, and there he placed the man he had made. 9 The Lord God made all sorts of trees grow up from the ground—trees that were beautiful and that produced delicious fruit. In the middle of the garden he placed the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

So for enjoying the fall colors and decorations - we can say thank you to the Creator and appreciate - it is good and feeling autumnal here on Buhlaland.

Newsflash or Hotflash - take your choice

Newsflash it IS autumn in Texas - I love the oak trees turning red colors instead of our normal green to brown sequence.

The up close and personal of a rose leaf is because I'm still loving the macro - takes a lot of motivation for me to practice something and the macro - it is doing it for me. Look at those dewdrops - so perfect and crystalline.

I think we have a winner in the contest( voting rights limited to DH, Linda Sue and our guest consultant from Montana but your opinions are always welcome!) for colors of paint in master bathroom renovation - crisp celery come on down. Dark wood stain on ash (type of wood not burnt stuff) is for the bathtub apron (whatever is not not tub or tile) and double vanity to be built by my super skilled DH. Tile is - well it is the tile. Accent color will be aubergine (I love that word! It is fancy schmancy for dark but bright purpley).

Christmas decor planning and purchasing resulted in artificial greenery for two door sprays (artificial greenery is practical in Texas - real stuff costs a fortune and dries to flashpoint fire danger in a week). Going with cardinals and semi natural looking decorations (we actually have cardinals who are on Buhlaland but I cannot convince our feathered friends to pose for an entire holiday season -or even to stay still long enough to have a picture taken!) Yes I know the Santa Cowboy is a little corny but you should know my corn level can be quite high. Garden Ridge has their usual 50% off sale and Michael's had a lot of mark downs. I'll go back this weekend (Michael's not GR) for more cardinalishness and perhaps a strand of nifty bells for our over the fireplace wreath.

About the hot flash thing - not in years but I thought it might be comforting to younger women readers(and random fellows who check blogs) truly the passage of years will make it better ! It is fun this week on Buhlaland - even the idjit goats getting stuck (actually only the one - Violet - constantly getting her horns stuck in the fence wire) results in laughter not irritation.

Nothing deep here and that is another item to add to my List of incredible things for which I'm grateful to God about.

"Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus" 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Depends on how close you are

From a distance - fall colors look like sweeps of color, groupings of identically shaded leaves.

But really close - you see the individual leaves of varying shades and shapes. Each is beautifully and intricately made.




Life can be like that - you see someone else's life and it looks so good or not good from a distance. Get up close and you'll see the veins and shapes and colors. Sometimes it will be a good thing - you'll get to know someone and form a connection. Others will be a disappointment, something looking so good from afar looks quite unreliable or phony up close.

I'm posting this about people, elections and trees. We try to look closely, not just see the blur of colors but really understand how a tree is up close. Some people and issues are not going to survive looking closely at them. Others will become even more precious - here on Buhlaland it is usually good when we can get close. I think in America - not so much right now - too many things won't survive real inspection. Trust you all voted and prayed. No matter what happens - look closely at things you usually hurry through or past - it all matters.

Matthew 6:26 Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?

How do I pronounce clematis?

The correct pronunciation is CLEM-uh-tis.

Of course I live in Texas and have always called these prolific blooming vines clem-AT-is. Pronounciation might be like tomato or toe-mah-toh, depends on your upbringing. No matter how you pronounce the flower's name, they are lovely, easy to grow and this time of the year a blast of color in our garden. Loving my CLEM-uh-tis (or purple blooming viney thangs) here on Buhlaland.

Matthew 6:28-30 (New Living Translation)
28 “And why worry about your clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, 29 yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. 30 And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith?
In these difficult times, with so much pulling at us from the world,if you find yourself a little short of faith - look skyward early in the mornings and see the beauty freely given for all to enjoy. Feeling grateful and a tad cornball around Buhlaland!

Clearing out picture files

Today (which is actually December 12 no matter where blogger says this post goes) is quite cold and rainy here in North Texas - I realized I never had posted some clear blue sky, warm autumn day pictures and with my normal contrarian streak - here they are! Non-Christmas and without real context - but I like'em! If someone reads this - be aware I'll be posting a few recipes in the next 3 days - Lord willing and the creek doesn't rise (borrowed phrase from Tennessee Ernie Ford - rest his sweet soul). It is time to get out in the weather here on Buhlaland - brrrrr!

Can't get enough of the morning light

The white fence in the background is our house - I am entranced with the golden light this fall. Rarely have such warm weather this late in the year and never have had all this grass. Supposed to get a cold spell Wednesday so it will all change. I promise to post some recipes and pictures of the finished product - just not today - today I'm praising God for letting us be in this place at this time. Am praying for some sick people and a couple of dying children - The Lord gives and the Lord takes away, Blessed be the name of the Lord. Amen. That's the update from Buhlaland - where the sun shines and flowers bloom and our hearts are grateful.

Aliens in the pastures?

See the strange light behind her? A goat with no horns and glowing Hmmm might something strange occur in our back pastures? Whoa! What's that? A crop circle (play along with me here) - see big bare round place where all the ground is covered with grass. Eeek - now a fluffy creature walking through the crop circle - oh really it is Moe Cat striding along. So maybe it isn't a crop circle but a place we burned tree limbs two years ago that is still sterile enough so the grasses don't grow there. The light - well it is autumn in north Texas and we get mornings like this very often. Nubiana being an alien creature - now THAT is a strong possibility. I am just silly here on Buhlaland today.

Can't have too much fall color

Never can have too much fall color, in Texas we often go from dusty greenish to dusty deadish when we've had drought. This fall has been a pleasant surprise - after all the rain this summer we are having a dry spell and colors are finally showing up. Top picture is a similar view to a picture posted last month - from the larger goat pen toward the back of our property. Closer up on oak leaves - yes it isn't the blaze of maples or sumac - but tastefully done don't you think?

Cannot get enough of the tall dried grasses - we've had this land for 8 years and haven't ever seen such tall pasture grass.

Psalm 119:89-90

Your word, O Lord, is eternal; it stands firm in the heavens. Your faithfulness continues through all generations; you established the earth, and it endures.

And all God's people said "Amen" - it is a good day in Buhlaland.