We had a cold snap, a welcome drench of rain, and all the flowers think it is spring again. Hello Texas.
The grape hyacinth and paper whites are also stretching up their green leaves to the Texas sun. I’ve had paper whites bloom in December, but not grape hyacinths. We’ll see what they do. I should have planted more peppers.
We are finally cooling down here in Texas. We actually had a freeze warning in October, which seemed unusual. I did a few additional things this year in addition to shutting down sprinklers and disconnecting hoses. Basil turns black if the temperatures drop below 40 degrees. In past years I’ve tented the raised bed with plastic, with minimum success. This year I actually gathered my remaining basil and brought it inside to dry.
I also cleaned out the cat bench and put in new straw. I don’t think any of the neighborhood cats use it, but just in case, it has fresh bedding and a handful of dried lavender to deter bugs. I made this bench with the insulated compartment several years ago.
I added a rider to my meadow deer for Halloween. The deer was purchased as a holiday decoration a couple years ago, and I liked having it in the meadow so much I decided to make it a year-round ornament. I have a few more projects on my plate this year than last, so an ornate Halloween sculpture wasn’t going to happen. But a simple three foot plastic skeleton twist tied to the back of the deer, with a length of scrap white ribbon for a bridle, well that was very doable.
Our Texas sage bush bloomed! This is supposed to be a sign of coming rain, but it has not panned out. I’m pleased to see blooms, though. This little bush has seen some trauma; it originally lived in the flower beds by the house, but that was too much water and its roots were wet. Not a happy plant. When a freeze came through and we thought we lost it, we moved it to the meadow, just in case. We were quite surprised when the following spring it sprouted leaves. That was two or three years ago; this is the first time it has bloomed since the transplant.
This summer has been hot, so very hot. Our plants and yard have definitely taken a hit and are looking quite sad. I was surprised therefore to find that the pepper plants have actually been producing peppers. Small, yes, but still there. I saw a couple that had turned red and started to decay. These were mid-planter and high up against the fence. Where the dog can’t reach. Ah. That is where all the rest of the peppers went. To test my hypothesis, I tossed this pepper to him. He picked it up and took it off to eat it. Yup. Pepper pup. Sigh.
The hibiscus out front is also putting out an effort, despite receiving a full dose of Texas summer sun and being host to a myriad of insects. It has produced a couple small blooms despite the scorching temps.
I know technically we have passed the autumnal equinox and are in fall, but nobody tells Texas.
Critters and Craft 