After a Long Winter

It's been a long winter for Donna and me. It really hasn't been that long or that hard, as winters in this part of Texas are relatively mild. But we've not been able -- or willing -- to spend much time outside. As we age, we simply don't like the cold. Donna has always been cold-natured, and I find myself becoming more so. You know what they say about couples who have been married for a long time -- how they tend to become like one another. Guess that's true for me and the old woman as well.

But the past few weeks have been nice, and we've enjoyed sitting outside again each day. Temps have generally been comfortable during the day, even occasionally downright hot, and night time lows have been relatively mild. We even had an inch of rain about a week ago, though we are still well below our seasonal average. I am afraid we are in the early stages of a new drought. We'll see.

I've enjoyed watching life return outside. Trees have put on their new leaves, flowers are blooming everywhere, and people in our community are enjoying being outside. It's a great time before the heat of summer arrives.

I've really enjoyed watching the tree in our back yard come back to life. Below are a set of images taken over a period of about one month showing its rebirth.

Our oak tree as it is just beginning to put out new growth sometime in March.

Here is that same tree a week or so later.

And here is that same tree a week or two later, with all of its leaves. I included this picture to also show the blowing wind. On this particular day, the wind blew a steady 30 mph or so all day; the gusts were noticeably higher. Notice the smaller tree lower right.

I assume these are young acorns forming on our tree. They almost look like green grapes. Our front bur oak is also putting out a new crop of acorns.

As you turn off the highway into our community, there is a 5 acre tract of land that looks like normal pasture for most of the year. But for the past couple of weeks, it has been a beautiful sea of yellow. Below are some pictures I snapped of that tract. The color has peaked and the flowers are now beginning to fade, but the entire community has really enjoyed the color. Folks have even been turning off the highway to take pictures. No words are needed; the pictures speak for themselves.

At least once a week, Donna and I take a drive somewhere after eating lunch out. Often we go to one of the parks bordering Lake Nasworthy, but sometimes we go out to Twin Buttes or the state park. Below are some pictures from some of our drives.

This little girl posed nicely for us as we drove past at Spring Creek Park on Lake Nasworthy.

Some of her friends were loafing nearby.

And these two gals completely ignored us.

More yellow flowers. These were at Twin Buttes. The lake is visible in the distant background.

We are still working on the beds around the house, especially in the front. Donna has done most of the work. Yesterday she planted a few herbs. As soon as she is finished, I'll post some pics.

Happy Easter!