Progress on the mint

The mint is growing well, and it's a good thing, as the Kentucky Derby is not far off!  This year we have four varieties of mint--spearmint, peppermint, orange mint, and basil mint.  Sounds like the basis for some awesome mint juleps!

The Spring Garden

The spring garden is alive and well, and we are enjoying its bounty daily. 

I am still learning what can grow when in this new environment, so the picture represents both fall and spring plantings.  The carrots on the left were sown in October, and made it through our strange winter very well.  We have been eating the carrots from March on.  On the other hand, the beets sown at the same time did not make it through the winter, and the beets on the right were sown in March.  The Swiss chard in the pots at the rear were planted from seedlings in October, but they appeared dead as winter yielded to spring in February.  Then they started growing again!

The roses and clematis in the back of the picture (the front of the garden) came through the winter perfectly, and the climbing roses have already produced one profusion of fragrant flowers, and are now forming buds for the second bloom.  The big surprise was the Lady Banks rose:

 This profusion of blossoms was a wonderful surprise!  We planted an identical rose near the house which has to date produced one or two puny yellow flowers.  This plant--only a year old--was a riot of blossoms for several weeks.  How ironic that it is safe (from the deer) inside our fenced compound, since this is the one rose that deer will not nibble on!

The peach tree had many blossoms that are now tiny fruits.  The challenge this year will be to harvest the bounty before some critter does (as happened last year).  

The nectarine tree (planted bare root last year) had several blossoms which are now tiny fruits, but the apricot tree is still in its youth, and not yet producing.  I have big hopes for next year!

The pole beans are growing vigorously, and the peas began producing tender little pea pods almost as soon as the plants were out of the ground.

Hot weather is beginning to set in, so the spring harvest will take place over the next couple of weeks, and tomatoes and peppers will soon take their places.

Fiesta!

After a long respite, the blog is back!  And what better way to bring it back than the river parade at San Antonio's Fiesta!

 

Almost everyone has heard of San Antonio's famous river walk, the most impressive man-made tourist attraction of any city anywhere.  In fact, the San Antonio river is real, but before some genius dreamed up the river walk it was just a sleepy little muddy stream.  Now it is a year-round tourist destination, with all its trendy shops, hotels, and restaurants.  Well, not exactly a year round destination, as the city fathers drain the river in January to clean out a year's worth of gunk so that the rest of the year it can look pristine.  Don't ever make the mistake of a vacation to San Antonio when the "river"  is just a smelly trench through town!

 

And what is Fiesta?  A week-long party celebrating San Antonio culture--and the best event is surely the annual river parade.  Imagine a parade made up exclusively of people like the Shriners--those men in fezes who ride little motorcycles and have a very good time doing so.  This parade is made up of floats with a lot of participants having a lot of fun.

And, there are a lot of spectators, also having a very good time (this year the crowd estimate was 250,000).

This rather large family of ducklings was hoping for bread crumbs from the merry makers, but instead all that was thrown from the floats was candy!

The most fun for me, of course is watching the reaction of the children to the parade, and one child in particular.

Lest it appear that the parade is all fun and games, it is important to note that each float is sponsored by a firm or an organization and highlights one of the children's agencies in San Antonio.  This year the Cavaliers, the sponsors of Fiesta, will donate over $200,000 to support children's programs in Bexar County.  To date the event has channeled over $2.2 million into such agencies as Boys and Girls Clubs, Eva's Heroes (an organization founded by Eva Longoria for children with special needs), and Child Advocates of San Antonio.

 

 

My Christmas Offering--Franz Biebl

Christmas is so many things to me, and one of the most special aspects of Christmas is the music.  Everyone knows Schubert's  "Ave Maria," but the version by the German composer Franz Biebl, though lesser known, is even more sublime.  This angelic song may sound ancient, but in fact it was written in 1964.  The Biebl version was first brought to wide public attention by Chanticleer, but I think this rendition by the St. Olaf Choirs is even  better.  Listen to it now, and return to it often.  Merry Christmas!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aKMPfkbIZ1c&feature=related

Wassailfest

One thing I have learned after a couple of years in New Braunfels--this town likes a party!  And, given the German origins of the area, the celebrations are usually called a Fest.  Wassailfest is the official welcome to the Advent Season in preparation for Christmas.

Even though the original settlers were German, the town embraces multiculturalism.  No matter that wassail is an English libation:  put together the popular warm English beverage and the German heritage and we have a new coinage--Wassailfest!

As thousands of people stroll the cordoned-off streets, merchants offer free wassail, service groups offer all manner of food for sale, and everyone seems to be offering the music of the season.  How multicultural is the festival?  Well, as we drank English wassail, we were served a German bratwurst wrapped in a Mexican flour tortilla!

Most of all, however, the Wassailfest is about lights, decorations, and music.  It seems as if everyone is making music--from choirs to brass bands to a steel drum orchestra.

A children's choir singing in front of the most-decorated house in the downtown area.

     

A local handbell choir

Another children's choir on the town green

Music came from both young and old

And, of course there was a "living"  nativity scene:

What made this manger distinctive is that, rather than the shepherds watching their flocks by night, in this case it was the angels keeping care of the livestock.

Even the courthouse, scene of serious county business, is decked out for Wassailfest!

Backyard Drama

 

There is a reason that this fine specimen of a buck will likely go loveless during this fall mating season.  The reason?  This fellow who is also waiting patiently for the same doe:

Yes, the two pictures were shot on the same day, a few seconds apart.

Advent, 2010

Advent begins on Sunday, 28 November, which hardly seems possible.  Isn't there a lot more autumn ahead of us?   I think what is throwing me off is the recent warm spell in Central Texas. It just doesn't "feel" like winter is upon us yet!  The weather prognosticators are predicting a cold front will roar through on Thanksgiving afternoon, so perhaps that will aid in the seasonal adjustment.

Trinity Church Wall Street has for several years produced an online Advent Calendar which they offer freely to everyone.  The calendar can be accessed daily and can be embedded on blogs and web sites.  I discovered the Trinity calendar last year and found it a good devotional tool and I am happy to share it with others.  Access the Trinity calendar at this address:

Trinity Wall Street Advent Calendar

Blessed Advent!