Another one bites the dust

Another swift summer type storm popped up and blew through last night. Lots of color on the weather map and one loud boom of thunder. You can set your clocks to the chainsaws starting in the morning after these wind storms. Aaah, "hackberry heaven", I will miss you so.

How much rain did I get? Well, about 1/2" in the rain gauge. If you count the rain accumulated in my garbage can that I left open under the eave of the roof - about 1 foot.

Update for my Sweetie

With the once a week watering, there is some green peeking through the brown spots. Looks like you will be soon be mowing again.

The chinquapin is looking a little browner than it did last month. Sigh. (As my sweetie reminds me -- this is the second year it has been in the ground. It did look much worse last summer.)

Golden Rain Tree

Koelreuteria binpinnata or Koelreuteria paniculata (not certain which one this is - but I have one of the other type in a pot - needs to be planted.)

Sweetie, I think I see the beginnings of a flower spike!

We planted this tree several years ago and so far no blooms. Upon looking for the correct spelling I discovered it is a slow growing tree and many are disappointed at its lack of blooms. I think it must need a few years before it is ready to bloom.

Hopefully, this spike will be covered with small yellow flowers that will fall (thus the Golden Rain) to create pinkish-brown papery capsules some think resemble small Chinese lanterns. These branches with the papery capsules are pretty in dried arrangements.

TopTropicals.com says: Known as Luan in China, its flowers are used both as a yellow dye and in traditional medicine, and the tree is planted over the graves of scholars.

It is my day to water - good thing I am off today otherwise I guess I would be out in the dark trying to do this. The rusty palm was my birthday present last year. (As my sweetie called it something like a major milestone. I am certain he meant that in a good way.) It is the only yard art we have in the front yard. You can see all the baby trees we have planted over the last five years.

Crispy brown grass. Chinquapin Oak (Quercus muhlenbergii - white oak group) struggling to the left of the hackberry stump. Golden Rain tree trunk can be seen in the leafy clump on the right of this photo. The rest of the leafy clump is the rose Sombreil and a white buddleia.

We have removed almost all of the hackberry trees from our front yard. The neighborhood is full of these each 50-70' tall. Every time we have a wind storm the local tree trimmers know exactly where to go to get some work. This photo show the neighbor's trees. Nice specimens, huh?

Seems like some really tedious photos for a blog. You may actually wonder why I am telling my sweetie what I have discovered in my writings. Actually, I created this blog so if my sweetie had to move away to get a job he could see what was happening around the yard.

A month ago we moved him into an apartment in Arlington for the fourth job in as many years. He is a tool maker. To us regular folk - a person who makes the molds that make all the plastic pieces in the world. As each manufacturing plant in the area closed or slowed he would be out looking again each time settling for any job in his field. This time I told him to not settle for a job here but to go get "the job" whereever it was.

So, he now has "the job" and luckily for us it is in Arlington (between Dallas and Fort Worth) - just a 4 hour drive away. Not to worry - the blog will continue. I told him this job had to make it past the one year mark before we should consider making a move. Besides who knows what the world will bring in the next year.

Occassionally I will post my outrage regarding legislation on small farmers. That is a direct connection to my day job. I do not post my feelings about my sweeties' world because I would most certainly become "one of those blogs". I will say... "Buy American" whenever possible. Know what your legislators stand for. Hold the Bill of Rights and the Constitution close to your heart. Pray for peace.

First crop of walnuts

Currently the walnut is a shrubby little tree we have planted in the front area between our driveway and the neighbor's driveway. I have been watering the main areas of the yard once a week and just lay the hose by the walnut tree on a trickle a little more often. This is the first year for fruit and now it looks like I am losing one! (Sorry, sweetie, I will keep an eye on them.)

Not certain which variety this one is... was marked a "Hill Country Walnut".