...of Jaunts and Journeys

Monday, December 31, 2012

OH MY!!!!

Oh My!!! I can't believe I haven't posted to the blog in AGES! I've taken many, many photos, but for whatever reason I've neglected to share them here. I resolve, with the beginning of 2013 mere hours away, to do better this next year! Here are some samplings of 2012....

Most recently I attended the Trans-Siberian Orchestra concert in Dallas on December 23, 2012.


Visited the lights at Vitruvian in Addison, Texas.


Toured the Dallas Arboretum to see Chihuly Nights (artist Dale Chihuly).


The last (EVER!!) photo of Big Tex. A few days later he burned because of an electrical short in his wiring.


An amateur attempt at painting. Took an art class with my sister and had a blast. Watch out, Picasso. Here I come.... NOT!!!


Here's a friendly looking fellow!!


My failed attempt at astrophotography!


Cedar Creek Lake. The most exciting thing I saw all day was this HUGE bullfrog.


Drove to Lake Murray, Oklahoma. Found a tractor graveyard.


New residents in the neighborhood....


There are many more memories from 2012 as well. The best one was traveling to Santa Fe, New Mexico in April to celebrate my birthday with my sister and her almost-husband (only a few days until the wedding as I type this).

The year could have been worse, I suppose. The biggest drawback was the health issue. My genetic predisposition to arthritis kicked in big time and I've had to relearn how to go slow enough so as not to aggravate the pressure points.

Regardless, here's looking forward to 2013!

Until the ball drops.....

Sunday, March 18, 2012

MY LATEST PROJECT(S)

It's Spring! Despite the magical rebirth of nature, the arrival of spring loudly heralds the imminent approach of the dreaded summer heat. Time devoted to working in the backyard garden has to be optimized now before the sun becomes blistering to both plant and animal alike.

The Bradford Pear trees were in full bloom a few weeks ago. The blossoms were dainty, yet non-fragrant.



The sky was a glorious, crisp blue color.



The reason I've spent time in the backyard has to do with the renewal of an unused area. The heavy snows in February 2011, followed by the scorching summer drought, caused the demise of a large pine tree. I removed the dead limbs and left some of the trunk (for later use as a multi-level bird feeder). The area around the stump was heavily composted after any leafy vegetation was destroyed. Hardwood mulch was hauled in and spread atop the soil.


Why was I going through all this trouble?


Let me backup a bit. During my lunch hour I walk around the paths of the community greenbelt near my office. Late in the autumn there were some pink roses blooming whose fragrance was so strong they could literally be smelled for quite a distance before and after the bushes were approached. Seeing some of the parks department employees at work one day, I asked if they knew the name of the sweet roses. I was given the name of the Landscape Manager for the area and told she would know everything there was to know about the varieties.


I contacted the woman and she instantly replied with the name... Quietness. She told me the nursery the city used as a source for the roses and I jumped into rose gardening feet first after that. I immediately contacted the nursery and ordered a Quietness rose.



Having invested a good chunk of change into buying the rose and having it shipped to my house, I figured it would be to my advantage to learn all I could about growing roses in this area prior to the arrival of the shipment. As I googled for soil preparation, bed preparation, watering tips, and more, I came across the name of a woman I used to know from our PTA days. She is regarded as a rose expert in the area and I immediately contacted her too, mentioning how surprised I was to find her name so frequently mentioned on the North Texas rose gardening sites.


She invited me to see her roses in a few weeks when the first bloom would be happening and also told me of a rose-gardening class that was currently in session at the rec center of the community in which I work. The Landscaping Manager who told me about the Quietness rose was the coordinator of the classes! I was thrilled and immediately started going to the weekly classes.


The best part was the ability to purchase more roses from the same nursery I'd purchased the Quietness rose, but without the additional shipping charges. They would be delivered to the rec center and we only paid for the plants!


I ordered SEVEN (yes, 7) more roses to go with the one I'd received via UPS shipment and then began planning my rose garden.


This weekend was planting weekend. I've added perennials to the bed as well. The overall diameter of the circular bed is about 20 feet. The bushes are spaced about 4 feet apart. The colors of the roses vary from light salmon pink to vibrant pink and yellow. The perennials will all be white and purple. (I've always wanted a garden that had the look of an English garden... lots of walkways between various showcases of flowering plants.. and very little, if any, lawn grass).


Here is a picture of the small plants on the day they were planted (today). I also installed a do-it-yourself drip irrigation system for the plants. I hope to show a progression of photos as the plants take hold and begin to grow and then eventually bloom.


As part of my sprucing up the yard project, I've purchased the supplies to repair some of the fence, have some awning material to attach to the gazebo frame, constructed an arch for a couple climbing roses, and have plans to convert the frame of the old swingset into a raised garden.


The onions, peppers, tomatoes, cilantro, and basil are all planted in the veggie plot. I really should take a photo of that area as well. Photos document so clearly the overall health of the plants.




Here's to happy gardening!!


Until the next time...

Sunday, January 29, 2012

IT'S 2012 ALREADY??

Well, at least it hasn't been 6 months since I last updated this site, unlike the last time! However, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and the New Year have all come and gone in the meantime. Therefore, I am behind.... again!

With the price of gas, ongoing household issues, scarcity of disposable income, and a score of other reasons, the weekend adventures have been few and far between. That also contributes to the lack of timely journal entries. So here is an attempt to get caught up to the present.

Again the fish store proves a wonderful place to take photos on a limited budget. This starfish has beautiful coloring.


And this fish!! WOW! The vibrant colors are amazing.




In early December we trekked to East Texas for the annual chopping of the Christmas Tree. With time to kill, we ventured to Caddo Lake, the ONLY natural lake in the entire state of Texas. The moss hanging from the trees was something I'd never before seen.




Marshall, Texas is home of the county courthouse. Each Christmas the downtown area decorates itself in colors, lights, and sounds of the season. The courthouse was beautiful. On the hour, the lights "danced" to music of Trans-Siberian Orchestra.




Speaking of Trans-Siberian Orchestra.... seeing their live Christmas performance at American Airlines Center was the highlight of my entire 2011. Seriously. Thank you, H. It was one of the best gifts ever. I hope I can see them again in the future.







The bridge that I used to get to/from work every day (and to the grocery store, and church, and the malls, and the gas station, etc) was demolished in October. It needs to be rebuilt to accommodate the highway expansion below. It has been a MAJOR inconvenience having that access cut off, but the new bridge is coming along nicely and is promised to reopen the end of March. It is fascinating (at least to me) to watch the construction. I must need a life if this is the best I can find to do on a weekend night!



This past week I took a day of vacation to visit the Fort Worth Stock Show. As always, I had a day filled with taking photos of animals. This bunny was about the cutest bunny I saw all day. He (or she) sat like a little statue the whole time I was near the cage, posing perfectly for its portrait.

This one gave me the giggles. The families that come in to show their livestock bring chairs, coolers, stereos, etc. to ease the long waits between contests and the shows. Do you think JoeBob Bail Bond is the sponsor for the Little League team? There is some reason the logo is printed on sport chairs!





And that pretty much brings me up to date with the photos. There are a few more adventures planned in the coming months so there will always be more pictures to follow.... eventually.


Until the next time....