I'm back, dear Friends. I want to thank all of you who sent such kind words and condolences; that meant so much during a difficult time.
There's a saying about our weather (and I'm paraphrasing here since I can't remember it verbatim) that Texas is "a land of perpetual drought interrupted by brief periods of intense flooding". Sometimes that's true. After six very dry, scorching-hot weeks with temperatures in the triple digits, Mother Nature provided Central Texas with a nice five inches of rain over a three-day period. Luckily without any floods. The transformation has been remarkable! Pastures turned green, the rain lilies have popped up, flowers are blooming once again, and the butterflies have returned.
The gardens soothe my soul.
So do my gardening friends.
