Chirping Cacophony
Habitually, birds chatter more than usual the mornings before a front blows through. They intrinsically know that food will become temporarily scarce or more difficult to get to when wind and rain obstruct their food source. On such a morning this week, as I sat on...
“The Early Bird Catches the Worm”
A common prover goes like this: "the early bird catches the worm." However, this morning, the "early bird" is me and I spy a new fangled caterpillar, not a "worm!" A favorite, low key activity I enjoy is rising early, drinking my jasmine green tea, and taking a...
Pecan Pralines
Mother's day is around the corner! What better way to show your mom how "sweet" she is than to make her some "sweets!" In Texas, whenever you go out to eat, inevitably, at the check out counter there is a display of Texas' favorite candy, pecan pralines. They are a...
Sisters, the Unbroken Bond
I'm resting peacefully in the after-glow of my sisters' visits this last week. The occasion was my brother's granddaughter's wedding shower. As part of the hostess team, we provided the flowers and snacks. There's nothing like baking and cooking in the same kitchen...
Dumpster Diving Gardening
These incredibly brilliant red flowers in the above picture are amaryllis. Guess from where I got them. I rescued them from my church's dumpster after the Christmas holidays three years ago! I brought two pots of them home, trimmed their wilting leaves, and put them...
Hold My Hand
I'm angry. I feel abandoned. I'm sad. How can my dear, dear friend have died so suddenly this week? Weren't we just laughing and talking a few minutes ago? I'm heart-broken. My homeland, Lebanon, is being torn to shreds. The blindness, the prejudice, the hatred is...
Swallowtail Butterfly Habitat
With the heartless slaughtering of innocents, ransacking of homes, destruction of livelihoods, and raping of life-giving lands, I find myself trying to heal the tiny, one quarter of an acre piece of dirt under my care. My garden has already earned the certified...
I Lost Myself
I miss my mind, body, and creative self. I lost them on a journey this past year. "How," you ask? My kind, attentive, life-affirming rheumatolotist retired the previous January. We had slipped into gray-haired senior citizenship together. He was diminutive in stature,...
January Gardening in Texas
Most of my garden is planted with perennials except for the vegetables. However, the asparagus and some herbs are also perennials so they're included in this category as well. Therefore, I spend most of my gardening planning with the new seed catalogues coming in and...
Succulent Personality
In the hush of any morning, while the humans in my household are still dreaming, my fur babies and I settle into the corner chair of the study and greet the morning with a cup of jasmine green tea. Today, it just so happens that the garden is resting under a blanket...