Life is Good on HeartSong Farm: April 2015

Recent rains made mud

In driveway, pastures, yard and

then mud came inside.

It came down from the

Sky, traveled down the driveway.

Puddles everywhere!

It has been a very muddy start to Spring 2015. In the past month, we were inundated with monsoon-like rainstorms and, in no time at all, there was no where for any more water to go in many places around HeartSong Farm. We sit atop part of the Carrizo Creek aquifer which is less than a foot below the surface in quite a few places. For two weeks, the pastures and yard were completely saturated with the rains and the runoff, above and below the surface. I am not a fan of mud and muck! I tend to get my vehicle and/or my shoes stuck in it. Ben tends to tromp it through the house.

Yucky!

Way too close to the back door!

For awhile there, I was beginning to think the sun had completely deserted us! I love hearing the sound of the rain on my metal roof, but enough is ENOUGH! You can't do much in or with mud, after all, unless you are particularly fond of mud pies! I guess you could use the red clay that it is the pastures for making pottery. Hmmm, maybe I need a pottery wheel in retirement?!

Fortunately, I did not get stuck in it with my car .... or shoes. Neither did my son. We are grateful for that. We are also grateful that the sun has finally decided to stick around for more than a day or two. Even when it wasn't raining, the sun was being shy.

We are planning to rework this area from right to left so that water will
flow across the driveway at this point and into the bog area where
Gloria, the bald cypress, stands. This will keep a lot of it from heading
towards the house!

In between rainstorms, we were able to identify additional places where we can redirect the torrents of water that run down the driveway heading towards the parking pad and the back door. We will also be working on a solution to the water coming from the neighbors' yard, especially when they drain the stagnant water from their in-ground swimming pool. Yuck.

Hopefully, we can use the water flow to our advantage in the veggie gardens of the future!

The seasonal creek runs to the far right in this photo where you can see
that the land slopes downward somewhat.

Way out in the back pasture where Armando, Moonshadow and Texanna currently reside, water drains from the road and lots to the west of HeartSong Farm, and flows into the seasonal creek that begins on my property and eventually ends up in Carrizo Creek to the southeast. Further along, it flows into the Angelina River and eventually makes it to the Gulf of Mexico. Recently, I have seen a great blue heron stalking the swollen creek bed back there, hunting for bugs and worms. I was unable to get a photo in the rain, unfortunately. You will just have to take my word for it.

I would love to have a pond back in that area to catch some of that rain and runoff. I could have ducks and geese again like I did in Missouri and Illinois. I loved watching them waddle around my property, quacking and honking, and playing in the ponds. Great entertainment on a summer day, viewed from the back porch swing. I hope that some day I will have that pond .....

There is also an area back there that is lower than the rest of the pasture and stays quite wet for most of the spring. I have noticed crawfish "castles" quite often most years, and have seen crawfish a few times, too. In fact, one of my favorite memories of life with llamas here on HeartSong Farm includes a poor little crawfish being surrounded by the female herd and several crias, curious as to what this tiny armored creature was.

When I went out to see what had gotten the lady llamas excited and concerned, there it was right in the middle of a circle of huge beasts. It was standing upright and had its claws extended like it was just daring one of them to pick it up! While I stood there, a cria named Cisco got close and tried to sniff it. The next thing we all knew, the crawfish grabbed Cisco's nose and wouldn't let go, until he was finally able to sling it off and into the pasture somewhere! I can still see the ferocious look in that crustacean's eyes!

Bluebonnets in a yard in town where I pass by on my way to work.

Bluebonnets begin

To bloom along the roadsides.

Dogwoods, redbuds, too.

Redbuds blooming in the front of my home.

Wisteria at the back of the parking lot at my workplace.

All of the rain was perfect for the blackberry vines, and I hope to have

a nice batch of berries to pick later in May!

Lots of recent rain

Makes yards and pastures glow in

Technicolor greens!

Meanwhile, absolutely nothing has been happening in my little greenhouse on the back porch. We have had very little sunshine until this past week. Even when it wasn't raining, the sun stayed behind clouds and kept the world looking quite gloomy. The greenhouse needs sun to warm it up, of course, and I am remembering that last year at this time my two little greenhouses were overflowing with plants grown from seeds planted in March. We had an abundance of sunshine then, even when the temps were cold.

Another curious thing about this Spring is that we have had no robins or starlings. I missed the robins, but definitely NOT the starlings! They usually invade and stay way too long in my estimation, covering the trees and yard and fighting the hometown birds over the seeds in the feeders. Starlings don't play nice at all!

The pair of Eastern phoebes have been back on the front porch defending their nest for several weeks. Their first brood is almost ready to hatch. My hawk, Token, finally found its mate in the sky above my home. I suppose they have flown off on a honeymoon of some sort. I rather miss the "scree, scree, scree" sound as they call out for one another. But, they will be back soon. Meanwhile, the white wing doves that perch on the chimney continue to call and coo as they do for most of the year, and the notes echo into the den as I knit or read to keep me company along with the cats.

Speaking of cats ....

Godfrey claimed the box first.

Oh, there is nothing like a new box!

Last week I received the charkha that I had ordered from The Woolery (photos coming soon!) and, as usual I put the empty box down on the den floor for the cats. It turned out to be just about the most perfect box ever! Godfrey claimed it first, stretching and curling up and fitting quite nicely into it. He did NOT like it when he saw Axl trying his best to fit his huge body into that same box! A fight ensued, but Axl was determined he was going to get in it and take a nap. Which he did a few times, but then he handed it back over to Godfrey.