Wonders Never Cease…

I no longer trudge through mud.  There is no reason to cry about the drowned, and once beautiful Oak-leaf Hydrangea, nor the loss of the other plants and flowers that went by way of high ‘seas’, drowned a midst the inches of water that were unable to escape fast enough through the French drains.  We are very fortunate, for we were the ones left with only minor inconveniences.

Today while surveying the battlefield, I began pulling up the faded, weary, and the dead plants that had gloriously and proudly proclaimed our yard as a tropical paradise.  Yes.  It really was quite beautiful!  Many mornings and evenings I would look upon the butterfly garden in awe, so thankful for all that set the stage for the migrating Monarch and others that would come for nectar.  Probably all too often for some of you, I got my trusty little handheld camera, zoomed in for a macro shot, and shoved it in front of you after traipsing thru the soggy yard.  I’d apologize, but it wouldn’t be an honest regret.  Like many, we hovered down within the confines of a dry space and followed the news on t.v., or spent the day in galoshes and umbrella’s wondering if “forty days and forty nights” was once again upon us.

The saddest of news came, continues to, in fact.  It isn’t the monetary that saddens us to the core, but the loss of life, livestock, homesteads that had once survived generations.  It is one thing to live in Texas, it is another to thrive and never give up in the midst of this heat and humidity.  Often I will jest, “I will never understand how this State came to be; it is simply so damned hot in the summer, too dry, all too often.  Why would anyone not have considered moving further North to homestead?”  The answer is simple:  After winning the Mexican-American War, the land was free and poverty great, securing a foothold and making a living off this land promised you a piece of the pie.  A chance to carve out a dream and make something out of nothing.

Live here long enough and you will learn to appreciate the resilience of any and all things that survive its terrain.  You will also come to understand why we say, “Everything is bigger in Texas” ; it is simply as important as our famous litter campaign slogan, “Don’t mess with Texas!”  We joke about our lot, some of us even proclaim that we aren’t native to the area, for fear that folks will think we are out of our territory and maybe we should just shut-up, or better yet, “Get yourself back from whence you came.”  Actually, I’ve never met a Texan that would attack me for attacking the place they call home.  These folks are forgiving and above all, friendly.

And my heart belongs with them, proudly, as we go forward and help those who are doing everything they can to locate the missing, relocating the livestock and rebuilding the homesteads.  This past winter we watched in awe as we saw our neighbors back East carve their way through tremendous snowfall.  We sit, all of us, hoping that relief comes to those so desperate for relief from their own drought, and we are thankful to all who now have water where there was none.  Many may not know this, but there were towns that had exhausted their water supplies, one such city was Wichita Falls, where they took to reclamation of water and cleaned, purified and made it available for drinking and getting on with life.

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Let’s have some fun.  Take a breather from the heaviness and see what I discovered (OH YES!), with that camera this afternoon.  For my cheering section out there, National and International, this is my gift.  I came upon it quite by surprise.  Misha will know immediately what it is…and yes, I will try my best to keep close tabs upon it and see if I can capture its moment of flight, or as near to it as possible.

Are we a Monarch butterfly? I do believe we will be.

Chrysalis, attached safely to the post of the deck.

 

And over in the nursery I spotted only one remaining caterpillar.  Others are surely nested among the garden, but I won’t snoop.  I will let nature fine tune the elements for us.  From what I understand, the Chrysalis can be moved during this period of time, and it will not affect the cycle, but within this household there’s a party of three cats that might find them a bit enticing.  Best to leave them in the place they chose.

This caterpillar has a bit of growing to do; I wish I could plant a time lapse camera within the Dill plant and spy on my little friend.

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Let’s go visit the Daylilies.  They are beautifully and playfully dancing in the breeze. Capturing them with a handheld was a breath-holding challenge.

 

 

~ by coffeegrounded on June 3, 2015.