Just took a quick photo of the back yard, in AFTER mode. We've been here two years now!
Compared to BEFORE:
Happy trails!
bobbi c.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
After a little bit of work
Just took a quick photo of the back yard, in AFTER mode. We've been here two years now!
Compared to BEFORE:
Happy trails!
bobbi c.
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
The earth is shrinking, and here's proof....
An article on a subject that's ignored by the national media...the rising numbers of environmental refugees who leave their homes because of food shortages, global warming and/or climate change, population issues, etc. by Lester R. Brown, Earth Policy Institute.
On the Permaculture site...
Also, there's a free PDF download of the entire copy of Mr. Brown's book, Plan B 4.0: Mobilizing to Save Civilization.
bobbi c.
On the Permaculture site...
Also, there's a free PDF download of the entire copy of Mr. Brown's book, Plan B 4.0: Mobilizing to Save Civilization.
bobbi c.
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Vanishing Texas Lakes
Husband and I just returned from a short anniversary trip to Lake Buchanan, in the Texas Hill Country. We knew that the water was down, but had no idea it was this bad.
The green that you see is the former bottom of the lake. Now grass and weeds are taking hold and growing there.
Another view:
What does this have to do with gardening? Well, a lot. I'm amazed at people who continue to dump water on their lawns, pooh-poohing any thoughts that we might run out of water here in central TX. After all, they say, we have TONS of lakes in the area. Yes, we do, but if it doesn't rain, those lakes dry up. All lakes in Texas except one, Caddo Lake in East Texas, are man-made lakes. In this drought, many of them are drying up, businesses next to them are suffering (including the Lodge where we stayed overnight for our anniversary)and the Lower Colorado River Authority has put mandatory water restrictions on lawn watering.
People ignore those, though. Our immediate neighbor continues to water their lawns on their "off" days, and couldn't seem to care less about any water shortages.
Rain is predicted for the next few days, but it will only be the proverbial drop in the bucket from what we really need.
bobbi c.
The green that you see is the former bottom of the lake. Now grass and weeds are taking hold and growing there.
Another view:
What does this have to do with gardening? Well, a lot. I'm amazed at people who continue to dump water on their lawns, pooh-poohing any thoughts that we might run out of water here in central TX. After all, they say, we have TONS of lakes in the area. Yes, we do, but if it doesn't rain, those lakes dry up. All lakes in Texas except one, Caddo Lake in East Texas, are man-made lakes. In this drought, many of them are drying up, businesses next to them are suffering (including the Lodge where we stayed overnight for our anniversary)and the Lower Colorado River Authority has put mandatory water restrictions on lawn watering.
People ignore those, though. Our immediate neighbor continues to water their lawns on their "off" days, and couldn't seem to care less about any water shortages.
Rain is predicted for the next few days, but it will only be the proverbial drop in the bucket from what we really need.
bobbi c.
Saturday, August 22, 2009
Still no rain
Dear friends,
It's times like this when giving up on the garden crosses my mind. We've had two months of 100-degree temperatures in a row, with very little rain, and the plants are stressed...even my Xeriscape plants! And to boot, the Lower Colorado River Authority has put watering restrictions on everybody in this area.
But I'm just one of those people who are genetically incapable of giving up. For one thing, we never drench our yards using sprinklers anyway. I collect water from the cat bowls, catch rinse water from the kitchen, and am about to stick a bucket in the shower, too, to catch water there. Our grass has been dead for months, and for that, I'm grateful. It just saves me some work. LOL. Two of our three rainbarrels are empty right now.
I've been researching Native American methods of agriculture and gardening, and that lead me to a book I'd like to recommend, Buffalo Bird Woman's Garden, which is online now to read. It also comes in printed form, and can be ordered from bookstores.
Buffalo Bird Woman's Garden is about a Hidatsu Indian woman who lived in what is now North Dakota from around 1839 to 1932. She was interviewed, and this lead to the documenting and writing of her tribe's methods of growing food. Fascinating reading!
I suppose giving up isn't in my vocabulary! And reading about how people gardened back then with very little resources, well, it makes me feel very lucky. I think I'll go dig up a new bed for planting in September, when hopefully, it'll be cooler, and we'll get some rain!
Dig it!
bobbi c.
It's times like this when giving up on the garden crosses my mind. We've had two months of 100-degree temperatures in a row, with very little rain, and the plants are stressed...even my Xeriscape plants! And to boot, the Lower Colorado River Authority has put watering restrictions on everybody in this area.
But I'm just one of those people who are genetically incapable of giving up. For one thing, we never drench our yards using sprinklers anyway. I collect water from the cat bowls, catch rinse water from the kitchen, and am about to stick a bucket in the shower, too, to catch water there. Our grass has been dead for months, and for that, I'm grateful. It just saves me some work. LOL. Two of our three rainbarrels are empty right now.
I've been researching Native American methods of agriculture and gardening, and that lead me to a book I'd like to recommend, Buffalo Bird Woman's Garden, which is online now to read. It also comes in printed form, and can be ordered from bookstores.
Buffalo Bird Woman's Garden is about a Hidatsu Indian woman who lived in what is now North Dakota from around 1839 to 1932. She was interviewed, and this lead to the documenting and writing of her tribe's methods of growing food. Fascinating reading!
I suppose giving up isn't in my vocabulary! And reading about how people gardened back then with very little resources, well, it makes me feel very lucky. I think I'll go dig up a new bed for planting in September, when hopefully, it'll be cooler, and we'll get some rain!
Dig it!
bobbi c.
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Wild sunflowers
For years I collected seeds of these giant wild sunflowers from the side of the road, planted them, and....nothing. All of a sudden, these pop up almost overnight in the back corner of my yard, right beside the fence. I'm sure my neighbors aren't pleased, but I, and the birds, love it!
dig it!
bobbi c.
Sunday, August 2, 2009
Climate change is real, folks
Dear friends,
I'm still amazed at the numbers of intelligent people I talk to who do not believe that our climate is changing. Any gardener can see with their own eyes that things are not the same as they were even ten years ago.
Take a look at this map from the Arbor Day Foundation. It shows the changes that happened from just 1990 through 2006. Make sure you click the button to show the map changing.
Amazing, isn't it?
dig it!
bobbi c.
I'm still amazed at the numbers of intelligent people I talk to who do not believe that our climate is changing. Any gardener can see with their own eyes that things are not the same as they were even ten years ago.
Take a look at this map from the Arbor Day Foundation. It shows the changes that happened from just 1990 through 2006. Make sure you click the button to show the map changing.
Amazing, isn't it?
dig it!
bobbi c.
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Free garden newsletter from Texas Gardener magazine
Our friends at Texas Gardener magazine publish a free weekly "Seeds" newsletter with short articles, news items, and a state-wide event calendar with links for more information. Sign up or check out the free archives online, HERE.
Enjoy!
And don't forget.....
Dig it!
bobbi c.
Enjoy!
And don't forget.....
Dig it!
bobbi c.
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