Wildorado Wind Ranch
Creating fields of renewable energy themselves, a herd of cattle leisurely does what cows do best on a warm summer day, twenty five miles west of Amarillo, just outside Adrian, Texas at the Wildorado Wind Ranch where there are 70 wind turbine generators spanning the horizon. Each turbine measures 450 ft. from ground to the tip of one of three blades. Wind will generate power to parts of eight southern States: Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Louisiana.
Blue Jays, Cardinals, Grackles, Chickadees, Woodpeckers.. and other birds too numerous to list.. seem more noticable during winter at the Dallas Arboretum, a perfect place to visit during any time of year.
In the midst of winter we are back to Nature’s basics; we are to see the beauty of Structure, and the structure of Beauty.
Our windy December garden still has a few frost-bitten Cosmos.
…splashes of color on the Cotoneaster ”Cornubia” in our next door neighbor’s yard… branches are redder on the other side of the fence! They will remain this way most of the winter, minus a few berries plucked by birds.
Watermelon, apparently seedless…
One of the fun things about gardening is that you can never predict the outcome of a planted seed. Even seedless things still insist on having seeds in them sometimes. Such was the case with the mother of this watermelon, apparently seedless, it had only one. This series of photos were taken on Sept.19th, 25th, Oct. 25th and 27th, and Nov. 16th (2008).
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I haphazardly plunked a few avocado pits into the soil six years ago and one of them is now over seven feet high. However, it’s too close to the house and if I had known it would grow three feet in height and width this past summer I would have transplanted it somewhere smarter early last Spring.
In the South there are no basements and the foundations of houses are more susceptible to cracking and deterioration; maintenance and prevention is critical. Now, Avocados are supposed to develop fruit the seventh year…this one possibly next year. What to do? Should I move it next Spring to some location with completely different light and soil conditions and risk it dying, or allow it to do what it will and perhaps enjoy a few home-grown avocados (a dream come true for a northern gardener), knowing that next year’s roots will be anticipating serious business as far as where they establish themselves…most likely in our foundation and the accompanying sprinkler system. The best decision is to move it sooner than later. We may not live here long enough to enjoy the fruits of our labor, but hopefully this tree will reestablish itself and produce fruit sometime soon, and it’s cool to think that someone – whoever, whenever - will enjoy fresh avocados from it.
If you can grow tomatoes in Texas you can grow anything. Even if the plants survive Summer’s 105* F heat they will still not produce tomatoes on those leggy vines until November. One day in July when I was outside tending to yard work, my neighbor came shrieking out of her yard with a tone higher than her usual typically high octave that native Texan women have. All the fuss was about a tomato presenting itself in her garden, and she was mighty excited about it. She told me that someone told her that someone else told them that throwing used coffee grounds on the base of the plant will do the trick. I had heard about putting coffee grounds on rose bushes and do know the goodness that composting provides, but for fear of attracting snakes or scorpions into my yard -which I’ve never seen but apparently they exist here- I have not kept a compost at all in this garden. I don’t mind the critters, love them in fact, but even the fire ants are not enough to convert me to wear shoes and socks in the summer and I’m not fond of the idea of Snake Surprise. Anyway, coffee grounds have regularly been sprinkled on the tomato patch since July, plus this particular plant was propped up onto a bird bath stand. It’s November on the verge of frosty nights and the fruits are looking quite healthy. Next year the tomatoes will have the advantage of this years’ supply of the ol’ Texas coffee-ground-trick a lot earlier in the growing season. I can hardly wait for next year’s giant tomatoes to appear in June.
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Here’s an excerpt from “Heaven’s Here On Earth” by Tracy Chapman from her CD, “New Beginnings”:
…Heaven’s here on earth In our faith in humankind In our respect for what is earthly In our unfaltering belief in peace and love and understanding I’ve seen and met angels wearing the disguise of ordinary people leading ordinary lives Filled with love compassion forgiveness and sacrifice Heaven’s in our hearts…
The changing seasons in Texas are not as dramatic as in the North. There’s more time to appreciate the cooler weather and enjoy the colors of lingering leaves. Autumn here is all about extremes though; AC on during the day and furnaces on at night.
Petals in the wind blowing off the remaining white Crepe Myrtle flowers remind me of the snow already flying up north. It’s so beautiful today.
Propane tank made in the USA.
Valve may be imported.
Anole made in the USA.
While tidying the garden today I picked this up, and for a split second I wondered how a dead leaf could be so soft and powdery…and fluttering! If my camera would cooperate I could have taken a great macro because the moth let me get as close as I wanted. So pretty!
My old Canon AE1 would snap pictures no matter how close I got to something, but even on ‘manual’ the Canon EOS 20D will only allow me to get about 4 inches away before the shutter refuses to close. I miss my old fashioned (1980) Canon sometimes, and even the new Canon AE1s cannot compare to it. I don’t miss developing though, and the other restrictions.
