Question: What kind of Texas blogger would I be if I did not include an annual picture of some Bluebonnets. Forget budding trees and warmer temperatures. It is the blooming of the Bluebonnets that hearkens the official arrival of spring.
Of course most people find time to drive out into some part of the Texas Hill Country to find pictures of fields full of the traditional spring bouquet. This year I only had to go as far as the Houston Arboretum. When you reach the part of the trail near the big pond with all the turtles, snakes and at least one alligator, the walking trail is aligned on both sides with the little blue blossoms. It has now become a social media tradition for everyone in this state to post bluebonnet pictures on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc.
This year, while strolling the Arboretum, I found a most unusual sign. No, I don’t consider it a sign from the Universe, but an interesting sign to be sure. In case you can’t read this, it says, “We Are Using Prescribed Fire To Manage This Landscape”. I have never seen this sign before during all of my nature strolls in this lush landscape. I have to admit it was a lot cuter when they brought in goats to trim some of the wild growth around the area. Goats draw crowds of walkers, hikers, and families. Fire is not so cute, but apparently necessary. I only worry that this is a sign that Houston is flirting with drought conditions and we are preparing for possible wild fires within city limits. My, what interesting times we live in here in 2022.
To calm my worries and anxieties, I went to my new favorite coffee and tea spot. It’s called 7 Leaves and it’s located in the strip near the corner of Richmond and Weslayan across from the Costco. This delightful beverage is a large Sea Foam Black Coffee with an added shot of espresso. Yum! They also serve Vietnamese coffee, Thai green tea and macaroons. Every table is close to an outlet so all of the students and young professionals can plug in their laptops or tablets or whatever. At this point I have been going there a couple of times a week. Service is great, staff are friendly and java is delicious. What more could I ask for?
This is the eye chart that is hanging on the wall. It definitely spells out the vibe of the establishment. Why don’t you go to 7 Leaves and let me know what you think?
Be the change!
Until next time.….
Happy New Year all you dear readers! With Covid still at the top of all news cycles, I actually do have some good news to begin with for my first blog of 2022. You may remember that at the beginning of the pandemic in March of 2020, I had a piece of collage art work that was accepted for exhibition at Rice University. I was thrilled. I was delighted. When everything shut down, I was devastated, disappointed, and forlorn. There was a virtual reception of the art, but there was no public showing.
What’s the rush you ask? This premature display of hearts and flowers is all ready beginning to crop up. It’s just as if Cupid was hiding behind Santa’s sleigh holding on to his bow and arrow just waiting to jump out and start working his love magic. Good grief. By the time Valentine’s Day actually gets here, I am going to be quite sick of all the red and pink decorations. At least I haven’t seen any goofy decorations popping up in my neighborhood.
Contemplating this conundrum and planning my future meeting, I went to the Arboretum to receive some solace from nature; including trees, squirrels, and turtles. I found that solace, but also found a path where apparently the armadillos had enjoyed a dance party the night before. Obviously they hide out during the day to rest up after all of their raucous partying.
Happy Earth Day!!! Since the weather was clear and cool, I couldn’t resist going out into the wilds of the Houston Arboretum and visiting with some of my favorite plants, trees and animals. As soon as I arrived, Mr. Squirrel met me and beckoned me on. It looks as though all of nature decided to sprout, blossom and show off just for this particular occasion. What Mr. Squirrel was trying to tell me here was that there were many other nature elements waiting for me just inside. While this isn’t exactly a yellow brick road, I wasn’t hoping to meet any great wizards either. Not to worry, though. I always have my own flying monkeys if they are ever needed.
As always, there were many turtles. During this particular visit, I toured as many of the different ponds as I could find. The majority of the ponds were home to a wide variety of turtles. This particular reptile was most happy to sit on his favorite log and chat with me a while. He was also enjoying the fine spring weather. We both agreed that we were dreading the heat of July which was sure to come. This gentleman also made mention of the fact that there were many more turtles in the arboretum now than there used to be. More ponds, more room for more turtles. I wonder if the real estate market for arboretum wild life is as volatile as it is for us humans. I can understand birds wanting a nice high rise in the trees, but I don’t see that for four-legged creatures.
Next, I met Ms. Rabbit. She was most polite about sitting still while I took a good picture of her. Actually seeing a series of animals all sitting very still made me think. I began to envision a “union” of arboretum animals. Their job is to show up everyday just before sunrise and entertain the humans. Their duties include, but are not limited to, posing for pictures, looking cute and trying not to scare small children. At the end of the day.…say around dusk.….they all punch their little animal time clock and go home. Over dinner, they talk about the humans they saw that day just like we discuss our adventures in the arboretum.
Finally, I saw this beautiful egret. She stood very still admiring her domain. Then she did a bit of a dance where her neck went in one direction while her head and body went in another direction. Yes, I was very entertained. I wonder if this was her version of an “Earth Day Dance”?
her home. She assumed it was maybe a squirrel or a raccoon or something small. At some point the sounds got louder. This was an animal with large feet which made Sue wonder what the animal could be. Guess What? It was a 
