Barns on Hillsides

We've lived here at High Meadow Farm for 19 years and how quickly that time has flown! It's been long enough now that when I look about our land, I see many memories and hear many stories. Children were raised here and now grandchildren come. Our children's friends that came now come with their own children, taking riding lessons on the same pony that my children rode. What a blessing to my soul!

Our farm is only 10 acres and is evenly split; 5 acres of flat land in front, and 5 acres that consist of a hill in back. Our home sits down on the 5 flat acres, along with paddocks, kennels, gardens and a tiny orchard. The horse barn and pasture sit on the hillside. Originally, about 100 years ago, the barn was a dairy barn. About 25-30 years ago, horse-owning residents did some remodeling to make the barn horse-friendly, and we've done more redmodeling over the years, too. It's a pretty cool barn all-in-all, but having barn and pasture on a hill is a continual battle against the effects of nature.

As has happened many times, we had a hum-dinger of a storm roll through a few days ago dumping a few inches of rain in a short period of time. The gravel lane rutted out - again - washes were evident in the barn and pasture - again. And again we have to go back to work to restore the damage. Not that we didn't work hard to prevent the damage in the first place! It seems we are constantly striving to maintain a barn and pasture on a hillside!Another big storm is predicted for this evening, so this morning I was busy doing all that I could to prevent further washouts. As I was lugging rock around, it occurred to me that it will be the land that wins in the end. It will be the forces of nature that win in the end. Despite all our work, we cannot make nature take another course.

It brought to mind the words of God to Job, who had questioned God's justice and goodness. In various places in the book of Job, God said, "Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?" (38:4) "...who shut in the sea with doors when it burst out from the womb?" (38:8) "Have you commanded the morning since your days began, and caused the dawn to know its place?" (38:12) "Have you entered into the springs of the sea, or walked in the recesses of the deep?" (38:16) "Where is the way to the dwelling of light?" (38:19) Have you entered the storehouses of the snow, or have you seen the storehouses of the hail?" (38:22) "Who has cleft a channel for the torrents of rain and a way for the thunderbolt?" (38:25)

Towards the end of the questioning, God asks Job, "Shall a faultfinder contend with the Almighty? He who argues with God, let him answer it." (40:2) And Job answer Him later, "I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted."

And we toil on, working hard to live within the forces of nature, but never able to fully tame her. So how is it that so many believe that what we do in our daily lives will kill the planet? Should we be good stewards of God's good earth? Yes! Christians should be the first to proclaim it, but do we really think that mankind can cause the glaciers to melt and the oceans to rise? We think far too highly of ourselves when we do, and we ignore example after example that we are not the ones in charge of natural forces. Too many earthquakes, hurricanes, tsunamis, floods, tornadoes, blizzards, and on and on tell us that we are small indeed.

And yet God invites us to Himself. He establishes us and gives us a hand in the glory of creation. We see this in what the Psalmist has written:

"When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers,

the moon and the stars,

which you have set in place,

what is man that you are mindful of him,

and the son of man that you care for him?

Yet you have made him a little lower

than the heavenly beings

and crowned him with glory and honor.

You have given him dominion

over the work of your hands;

you have put all things under his feet ...

O LORD, our Lord,

how majestic is your name in all the earth!" (Ps.8:3-6, 9)

So we will keep working to make our own little garden a glory to God and a haven for man. But in the end the land will win, and all of it - including us - go back to Him who gave it.

September Surprises

September has been packed with surprises, and it's not over yet. We ended the month of August and began this month celebrating Alan's graduation from Chaplain Training (blog and photos to follow) and had a great time with the McClellands and E&K Scherrers. Knowing that the McClellands would be posted to Germany 2 days after we left made our farewell rather difficult to say the least! But knowing that Justin had arrived home for leave while we were gone, made our home-going something to anticipate!

The first of our surprises was that John and I got dead-dog sick with Bronchitis (why do they always say "dead-dog sick"?) and poor Justin had sick parents to start out his leave with! Fortunately, that was the only bad surprise in the line-up, because a week later, who should just show up at the door? KATIE! John, Justin, and I just couldn't believe our eyes! When she had heard that Justin could possibly deploy before Christmas, she made reservations to come and see him while he was home. It turned out to be a pretty fun week - as you might imagine - and it was such a blessing for John and me that we got to see our older kiddos (and the babies) on one weekend, and then got to see our younger kiddos the next weekend! It did us good!

This is Andy and Ryan. They were Kate's accomplices in the surprise and had picked her up at the airport. And Ryan said he just wanted to return some books!!The next set of surprises came from the garden. The green bean vines that had done absolutely nothing all summer long, and that I had given up for loss, were suddenly dripping with beans! How had that happened? The first picking yielded about half a bushel, so we got dinner and several future dinners out of it; and though the second picking (below) yielded less, there will still be plenty for dinner and some to put up. The second garden surprise came when I went over to the long neglected compost pile and found acorn squash growing! And I didn't even plant them! Apparently some seed from last winter took root, along with the seed of some tomatoes. What fun! One of them is pictured below with the green beans.Just a few nights ago, Jupiter made his appearance in close proximity to the full moon. It was a beautiful sight to behold and I was surprised that my camera was able to capture at least a semblance of it. It was such a night, so clear, and even with binoculars we could see every detail of the moon's surface. Then just this morning I had the nicest surprise when I walked out in the backyard and found my old friend, Gail, on her way up to the barn for granddaughter Felicity's riding lesson. How fun is that to step out your backdoor and find an old friend? Gail's daughter, Megan, loved horses and riding as much as Eric, Katie, and I did, and spent many, many hours (years?) out here and with us at horse shows. Between horses, homeschool, and FCS, we spent lots of good times together. So, it sure was fun catching up - and what did we talk about? Grandchildren, of course. What else?

And finally, before September is out - and there are a few days left - we are hoping, hoping for another surprise - that being one of employment. But, yes or no, the Lord has blessed us and kept us fully to this day and He will in the days to come as well.

Evening in May

I can think of nothing nicer than to share this honeysuckle-scented evening with you.

The Thomas Affleck rose has just burst into bloom.

Dwarf Foxglove and Pincushion Flower.

The valley beyond.

Pretty pink Bright Eye looks down the walk.

Our newest rose, Lavender Lassie, overlooks Ladybug while she overlooks who-knows-what. Lavender Lassie will eventually grow to 20+ feet!

As they say here in Tennessee, "Come and set awhile!"

I was SO delighted to get this picture of such fun symmetry! Tweety (in the middle) looks like he's giving the game plan to the rest of the team.

Still chatting.

THE END!

Autumn Surprise

Every spring the Williamson County Garden Expo is held right around the corner from us and it is so much fun to go. There are so many different types of plants and gardening implements, workshops and exhibits, home and garden decor. My pocketbook could get into so much trouble there!

This year I picked up only a few things: a few different types of Basil and Thyme; some Swamp Grass, which was really cool-looking, like a thick bundle of fiber optics; a Caped Sundew - which is a little carnivorous plant that is fond of fruit flies; and a trio of miniature Foxglove. The herbs did marvelously and the Swamp Grass looked good draping over the edge of a rock wall. The Caped Sundew is in a pot by my kitchen window as is an Aloe and Jade. I think it's fun having two plants from totally different environments (swamp and desert) in the same window. And the Foxgloves.....?

Well, the Foxgloves just sat there all summer. They were nice and green and vigorous-looking, but didn't produce any blossoms. So, I surmised that they just needed a year to get established and then they would bloom. But, guess what happened in October? First one bloomed, looked beautiful awhile, and then faded. Then the second one followed suit. And now the third Foxglove is blooming! Did they forget that they are summer bloomers? Nevertheless, I am enjoying their staggered performance immensely!

Here are a couple of photos of Foxglove bloomer #2. I hope you enjoy this beautiful little plant in its backdrop of autumn color.

Here's a close-up of the blooms.

Ginger in the Leaves, or Camo Kitty

Early evening yesterday was cloudy and wet, just perfect for causing the fall colors to stand out vividly against the grey. As I roamed about the farm, Ginger the barn cat followed me around for a while and became a camera subject herself. It was fun to see how her tiger-striped tabby coloration made for very good fall-leaf camouflage. (To get a better representation of the colors, click on the image to enlarge it.)

All Dogs Go to Heaven

"Scripture says a great deal about animals, portraying them as Earth's second most important inhabitants. God entrusted animals to us, and our relationships with animals are a significant part of our lives." - Randy Alcorn, Heaven.

Last week, we laid to rest our four-legged family member and friend. Chloe was a 5-year old, 145 lb. American Mastiff, who in life was literally a huge presence, and now in death leaves a huge hole; both in our home and in our hearts.

John and I first met her as a 2-week-old, and I had the opportunity to bottle-feed her. She was small enough then to lay easily on my lap with her head and bottle in my one hand. Once she was grown, my hand could only compare to the size of her paw. She had a massive head and jaws, but would take a treat from me in the most ginger of ways. I always thought she had the head of a bear and the body of a lion - she was beautiful, and it was a joy to watch her long, easy stride as she walked. It was also terribly impressive to feel the house shake when she leapt into the air to catch a toy. One of her favorite games was to chase the flashlight beam, and every evening she would stand patiently in front of John asking him to get the flashlight. If he didn't get the flashlight when she wanted, she woofed at him - and her woofs were hard to ignore.

Chloe woofed a lot. Her woofs were very distinct, as anyone with a dog knows. She had an "I -am-sitting-down-now" woof, a "let me out" woof as well as a "let me in" woof. (Pet owners are, after all, simply doormen.) Her "someone is here" woof was extremely intimidating to whomever was outside the door, and she also had lots of complaining, whining noises, too. We thought she sounded a great deal like Star War's Chewbacca when she was complaining about something. We miss the sounds she made - her woofs, her whines, and her human-sounding walking in the house. We miss her.As we drove home from the vet the day she was put to sleep, I found myself wondering - as if I were 5-years old - where was Chloe now? Was she romping the hills of heaven? Or was she simply gone? Who can say for sure? We do know that God considers animals to be very important, not made in God's image as man is, but a part of His creation upon which he pronounced good. Eden wouldn't have been Eden without the animals, created as helpers and companions for men. They were given a special relationship to man, and he was to care for and nurture them. In fact, of all God's creation, He gave to man the right and responsibility to name the animals. Considering this unique kind of relationship man has with the animals - perfect in Eden - it seems likely that when God brings us finally to the New Heavens and the New Earth, He will restore the animals right along with the rest of the earth and creation. Does this mean I get to see my Chloe again? I don't know, but I'd like to think so. Is it wrong to grieve the death of our pets with whom we have such a unique relationship? No. God gave them to us to love and it is a true loss when they're gone. God gave Chloe as a blessing to us, and I'm thankful for all that that means."In her excellent book about Heaven, Joni Eareckson Tada says, 'If God brings our pets back to life, it wouldn't surprise me. It would be just like Him. It would be totally in keeping with His generous character ... Exorbitant. Excessive. Extravagant in grace after grace. Of all the dazzling discoveries and ecstatic pleasures heaven will hold for us, the potential of seeing Scrappy would be pure whimsy - utterly, joyfully surprisingly superfluous ... Heaven is going to be a place that will refract and reflect in as many ways as possible the goodness and joy of our great God, who delights in lavishing love on His children.'"

"In a poem about the world to come, theologian John Piper writes,

'And as I knelt beside the brook

To drink eternal life, I took

A glance across the golden grass,

And saw my dog, old Blackie, fast

As she could come. She leaped the stream-

Almost-and what a happy gleam

Was in her eye. I knelt to drink,

And knew that I was on the brink

Of endless joy. And everywhere

I turned I saw a wonder there." (Randy Alcorn, Heaven)

Maybe I'll see my Chloe in heaven after all.

Tour of Roses

The lily has a smooth stalk,

Will never hurt your hand;

"But the rose upon her brier

Is lady of the land.

There's sweetness in an apple tree,

And profit in the corn;

But lady of all beauty Is a rose upon a thorn.

When with moss and honey

She tips her bending brier,

And half unfolds her glowing heart,

She sets the world on fire."     The Rose - by Christina Rossetti

Let's continue our walk around the garden and visit other roses that have bloomed.  First today is Crimson Glory, royal among roses.  It is huge - as large as a small grapefruit, with petals of deepest blood red velvet and a fragrance so rich it's baroque.  This is it's first year in the garden, so I am looking forward to it's more mature years as it begins to cover the archway.  On the opposite side of the arch are two young clematis (clematii?) that are burgundy and purple.  The colors on this archway in years to come will be spectacular!

In contrast to Crimson Glory, and only a few feet away, is Bloomfield Dainty.  It truly is a dainty rose, looking much like it was composed from the finest tissue paper.  It's fragrance is appropriately light - sweet with a touch of spice.                                           Here's a close-up of Bloomfield Dainty."You love the roses - so do I.  I wish

The sky would rain down roses, as they rain

From off the shaken bush.  Why will it not?

Then all the valley would be pink and white

And soft to tread on.  They would fall as light

As feathers, smelling sweet: and it would be

Like sleeping and yet waking, all at once."     Roses - George Elliot

The next little rose is the well-named Sweet Pea.  If it were not already named so, you would naturally called it by that name!  The blossoms are small, but profuse, with a fragrance that distills the air.  You only have to be in the vicinity, or down-wind, of Sweet Pea to enjoy it's fragrance.  Here you see it loaded down so heavily with it's first flush of bloom that it can no longer maintain it's compact form.

This is Sweet Pea close up.  Doesn't it have just the sunniest center?In this photo Sweet Pea is in the background, and we see Republic of Texas up close.  Every native Texan must have a yellow rose in the garden, and this one is an excellent choice.  It blooms profusely, is easy to care for, and is heavily scented.  Between Republic and Sweet Pea, the whole front yard smelled of roses.  "As a flower in the garden

Bending toward the sun,

Unfolds it's tiny petals

One, by one, by one...

So faith expands it's beauty

Until at last it grows

Into life's lasting flower...

The heart's fair perfect rose."   - Rebecca Helmann

This beauty, with all it's hundred petals, is Pioneer Spirit. When it's fully open, it reminds you of a fluffy, pink powder puff.  In fact, it has that light rosy powder scent.  When this rose burst all it's blooms, the trellis looked like a little girl's birthday party.  It was so cheerful!And finally, we have New Dawn.  This is a vigorous climber, reaching 15-20 feet, so we have planted it on the old basketball goal at the back corner of the little barn, behind the dog runs.  Why back there, you ask, where it's not easily seen?  But, I say, why not?  When I drive the truck and trailer down the back lane, or am caring for dogs in the run, there is something beautiful to enjoy.That completes our tour of the roses.  At least for this year!  Next year I should have a new one to show you, Lavender Lassie, which was just planted in front of the porch.  It, too, is a vigorous climber and in years to come should grace the column and top-edge of the front porch.  I can't wait!  Till then, here's one more poem, and thank you for letting me show you the roses.

"It is only a tiny

rosebud,

A flower of God's design,

But I cannot unfold the petals

With these clumsy hands of mine.

 - The secret of unfolding flowers

Is not known to such as I,

The flower God opens so sweetly,

In my hands would fade and die.

- I cannot unfold a rosebud,

This flower of God's design,

Then how can I have wisdom

To unfold this life of min?

- So I'll trust Him for His leading

Each moment of every day

And I"ll look to Him for His

Guidance

Each step of the pilgrim way.

- For the pathway that lies before 

me

My heavenly Father knows

I'll trust Him to unfold the 

moments

Just as He unfolds the rose."    - Anonymous

May Flowers - First Blush

Nothing is so beautiful as spring -

When weeds, in wheels, shoot long and lovely and lush;

Thrush's eggs look little low heavens, and thrush

Through the echoing timber does so rinse and wring

The ear, it strikes like lightnings to hear him sing;

The glassy peartree leaves and blooms, they brush

The descending blue; that blue is all in a rush

With richness; the racing lambs too have fair their fling.

What is all this juice and all this joy?

A strain of the earth's sweet being in the beginning

In Eden garden. -Have, get, before it cloy,

Before it cloud, Christ, lord, and sour with sinning,

Innocent mind and Mayday in girl and boy,

Most, O maid's child, thy choice and worth the winning.

~ Spring by Gerard Manley Hopkins

April showers indeed bring May flowers, and May is possibly the most glorious of all the months of the floral year.  Rose, Rhododendron, Clematis, Iris, Peony, Honeysuckly, Lily, and more; they all in turn burst forth in colored array, taking our breaths away as they revive our breath again with their sweet fragrances.                                                                     

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 This sweet little rose is Cleotilde Soupert, a small creamy white-to-soft pink cabbage rose.  It has 100 petals and a fine perfume.  The rose pictured above is also Cleotilde.  It has a hard time in humid weather (which we have), but it's worthwhile, for  Cleotilde is like having living porcelain in the garden.                                                                                                                                            

Yes, the Rhodie is really this brilliant!  It's bright fuchsia color is simply stunning.

Next to the Rhododendron is an equally brilliant Clematis combination.  I must confess that I don't remember the names of these two vines, but now that they are in their 3rd year, they are just remarkable.  When my Mother saw them, she commented that they looked like a silk floral arrangement.  These flowers are also pictured at the top of my Blog.This is a view overlooking Cleotilde, blooming Sage, and the Rhodie.  You can also see a Boxwood along with the PeeGee Hydrangea tree and Stella Del Oro Lilies which are both yet to bloom.Moving to the front yard, you can peek through foliage to see the white Azaleas in full bloom while the Sweet Pea rose is just beginning to pop.  In a later posting, I'll show you Sweet Pea in all her glory - so heavy with blooms that she is bent over.For now we'll end with the Thomas Affleck rose.  This rose, like all my roses are Texas Pioneer or Antique roses which can be found at the Antique Rose Emporium.  Check out their site and order their free catalog - you'll become an addict, too!  Here's a closer look at Thomas Affleck.  It's a semi-double bloom rose that was developed in Texas in the 18th century.  It's intense pink really pops in the garden, and it's fragrance is beautiful.  It's thornless, too!Thank you for strolling in the garden with me and enjoying the delights of Spring.  In the next couple of postings, we'll see more of the garden.  Springtime blessings to you!

Unlikely Beauty

Springtime in South Texas where I grew up is just glorious!  Texas wildflowers are an amazing sight to see along the roadsides, in fields, and stretching forever across prairie land.  You'll see Texas Primrose, Indian Blankets, Indian Paintbrush and of course, the famous Bluebonnet, among many others.  The citrus trees are blooming, too, along with gardenia and jasmine - absolutely filling the air with perfume.  But one flower you may not expect to see is the sunshine yellow bloom of the cactus.  It's always a surprise and delight to see them, because you just don't expect a cactus to be beautiful!  Even if you've grown up with them.  I am thankful for my Father's sweet reminder that beauty comes even from prickly, painful places.

So, I was surprised and delighted once more to see these cactus blooms in an email my brother sent this morning.  He found this beauty near Gregory, just northeast of Corpus Christi.  I hope you enjoy their beauty, too.

More High Meadow Creatures

High Meadow has been overrun!  In our 17 years here, I've never seen soooo many caterpillars!  They are everywhere.  You can't take a step without encountering them which is really, really gross.  They're on fence rails, gate latches, door mats, you name it.  They seem especially drawn to water, so I guess they're at a very thirsty stage of development.  Fortunately, the organic pesticide I've used has kept them from my garden.  Time will tell whether they'll be butterflies or moths, but if they're butterflies we're in for a spectacular summer sight.  

                                              Caterpillar-go-round.

                                                     Marching, marching, marching.

                                                      Caterpillars with ladybug and spider.

It's tricky getting through the walk-through without getting caterpillars on you.  

                                             Horses and caterpillars.