That Blows

Feb 25th - Our ranch was hit with 50+ mph wind.  And I'm not talking wind of that speed for an hour.  This was ALL day.  It was really scary.  I have never EVER experienced wind like this.  Not only was it loud and made me and the kids feel like we were blowing away to OZ, it also did quite a bit of damage.  

For us - the windy day meant a loss of 7 of our trees.  6 of them were dead anyway (remember our fun drought from a couple summers ago?)  But 1 oak was as green as it could be.  It was really sad to see them falling.  Loud - and sad.

JL came home early from work so we could move the boat out into the middle of the driveway away from any potential falling trees.  We also parked his truck in the middle of our front lawn for the same reason.  It was quite a day.  

As I mentioned, 6 of these trees were marked to be cut down because they were dead anyway.

Alas, our trampoline was struck down.  Luckily, it didn't put a hole in the black top - just the net.  We are still able to use it.

JL cut up the trees and harvested the wood for our smoker/fireplace.  But the branches and twigs met another fate...

We all enjoy watching a bonfire!

April 2 - This spring has been unusual.  In our 12 yrs here, we have never had a spring like this.  We've been abnormally cool!  It's been wonderful!!  And we have been getting some rain!  Not lots of rain (we are still behind and technically still considered to be in a drought) but every drop is precious and we enjoy it anyway!

On this particular day - a big storm blew over and dumped over 2 inches on our place in just about 3 hrs!

100% Homegrown!

Our fig tree has been producing like crazy lately!  We were a little worried about it earlier in the season because the figs were falling off early and dying before they were ripe.  We figured it was a residual effect from last year's terrible drought and figured this growing season would be a bust.

But then, things changed!  And fast!  It was like figs were suddenly everywhere on the tree and we couldn't keep up with the production!  JL was bringing in bowls full to the top with beautiful figs!  I didn't know what to do with all of them, so JL researched a fig jam recipe and I got to work.

The result was magical!  Something between a plum and a strawberry jam.  Much sweeter than both. (In fact I ended up putting in half the sugar and it was still super sweet!)  And it is a beautiful apricot reddish color.  The kids gobble it up.  Well, what's left of it after JL and I are through, that is! ;-)

You start with about 5 cups of figs

Remove the stem and the end and then cut them in half.  I loved it because there is no peeling required!

Throw in some water, pectin, and a little lemon with the halves and begin it all boiling.

When the figs are soft, smash them up, add the sugar and let it boil hard for 5 minutes.

That's it!  The result is beautiful looking and fabulous tasting jam!

If you think it looks good, you should be here when it is cooking!  The aroma is  wonderful!

This baby has my domestic juices flowing.  This same week, I also made a homemade pot pie.  It was delicious!  The kids gobbled it up, JL gobbled it up, and I couldn't get enough!  I love a successful meal!

There is something super satisfying about taking something you have grown on YOUR land and turning it into something wonderful for people to enjoy.

Updated Fig Pictures

As promised, here are a few updated pictures of JL's excellent pruning job to our fig tree. I am beyond pleased that we did this - it actually looks like a tree now! It's a beautiful edition to the yard, rather than a source of "what exactly is that weird bush thing?"

See before pictures of our fig here.



Also, notice the excellent mowing job!

Planting Time

Last week was Spring break. JL was able to take some time off work, so we decided to have a staycation and do a few chores around the ranch.

We'd been talking about putting up a screen on plants along our back fence. Something to help drown out the neighbors and what little light peeks through the fence. So, we purchased 6 Wax Myrtle bushes. We also picked up a few Leland Cypress Trees. They look like little mini Christmas tress - and they have to be my favorite find of the season. (I am seeing decorations going up on them right around December time... hehe) Plus, they make an excellent screen and are suppose to grow fast!

In addition to the screen, I wanted a bit of color added to the front of the house. I chose 2 Red Buds to flank the front gate. I can't wait until they grow a bit so the entrance can be showered in pink color! JL also picked him up a Pecan tree. Never can have too many of those.

Our project. Seems like an easy task, but have you ever dug in TX soil?
It is mostly ROCK! Solid limestone! There is about 2 inches of dirt and then plates of rock. JL was out there doing his best to bust up the rocks (see them piled to the right of the plant? Those are the SMALL ones!)
While I supervised, I took the opportunity to take this lovely picture of our grass! I told you we had some. :)
I wasn't the only one that noticed this lush patch...
Buffy, back on her feet and taking advantage of the green food.
The beautiful part of the week was having James home from school. What an amazing help he was! He was outside with JL EVERY day! With his shovel and his work gloves. Ready and willing to help with every plant!
Here they are putting in my sage. Did I forget to mention we had 2 of those also?
By day 2, the boys were putting in planting soil and applying root stimulator. This was probably one of James' favorite parts. He loved the pile of dirt!
I'm so pleased with what we got done. Now we just need the rain to continue and hopefully things will start to take off!
Me and Big Wy helped out by delivering dirt and shovels! :)

Time to Prune

A few weeks ago, JL dedicated a Saturday to getting our trees ready for Spring. His first object: the fig tree. Ours resembled a bush, really. So JL carefully pruned it until it was transformed into a really pretty tree! I'm really liking the shape, especially now that the leaves are starting to come out. (I'll update my pictures and post them soon.)



He also took after our oak trees that had suffered a few years of pruning neglect! He cut away all the low branches so the trees look tall and pretty now!

All this cutting and shaping left him with this:

The brush pile to end all brush piles!

He can't wait to burn it all. But that will have to wait for another day...

A Blessing

Something wonderful has been happening here on the Buffalo Clover over the past few weeks. We have received RAIN! Not just a passing shower, but a good, soaking rain that lasts over many days! JL has recorded at least 1 or more inches EACH weekend for the past three weeks!!

Suddenly our brown dirt is becoming a carpet of baby grass, clover, wild flowers, and weeds (hey, at least they are green!). Also, our trees have come back! Of the forty two that we thought were a complete loss, I'd say the more accurate figure is more like 5. We won't be certain until spring, but at least we aren't talking about 42 anymore!!



It is so nice to look out my windows and see green for a change! The other person that has noticed the new green is June Bug! We've let her out a few days here and there to graze. She is a huge fan - but we're trying to preserve some of it for future growth. So, for the most part, June is on Hay until Spring.

A foggy morning on the ranch. It is beautiful here.