Here Comes the Sun

I love watching the sun rise, especially on cold winter mornings.  This is what greeted me out my back door this morning. 

Have a blessed day all :)

Puppy Update

Ok...is it any surprise?  I kept them :)

And in just a couple of days, they have enriched my life more than I can describe.  The unconditional love they have already shown me is very humbling. 

When I took them to my vet, it was no surprise that they were malnourished and had worms.  Luckily, both conditions are easily cured.  The deworming medication began to work in a couple of days and they have already put on weight.  It's amazing to me what a little food, water, warm shelter, lots of love and attention, and a little medical care can do.  The puppies are thriving. 

We have named these beautiful girls and I'd like to introduce them:

Meet Gretchen:

And Laci:

What a joy they have been!  My vet is pretty certain they are Belgian Malinois.  The military trains this breed of dog to be bomb-sniffing dogs and they also train as K9s in police units.  I did some research on the breed and "they are bright, obedient, high energy dogs with strong protective and territorial instincts. They need a strong alpha to display a confident, natural authority and they make great family pets.  They are watchful, alert and loyal and good with children if property socialized."  Whew...I have my work cut out for me.  But I've already contacted a dog trainer who will meet with me this week to help me train these beautiful dogs.  I told my husband that when I decided to keep the pups, I made a 12-14 year commitment to them.  I also made a commitment to work with them to get them properly trained so they are a joy not only to us but to everyone who visits us.  I'm very excited about this new challenge for me.  And I firmly believe in Universal Law and to the terrible person/people who mistreated and dumped these puppies I say this:  "As you sow, so shall you reap."  

 So stay tuned!  But in the meantime, here are a few more photos:

And here they are after a morning of playing/training:  

As close as sisters should be :)

Found by the Side of the Road

Aren't they beautiful?!  My sister and I were driving home Wednesday afternoon when something in the tall grass off the side of the road caught our attention.  We both saw what appeared to be ears sticking up out of the grass.  So we turned the car around, got out and approached what we assumed was a puppy.  Well, it turned out to be two puppies.  So tiny and skinny and obviously starving.  We were able to pick up the little one right away.  But the larger girl ran off down the road.  I followed her and with the help of a passing truck who stopped traffic behind him, I was able to pick her up too.  I live in a very rural area of South Texas and people just do this kind of thing for each other.

What could we do but take these beautiful girls home.  I think they are some type of German/Belgian Shepard or Shepard mix and they are just gorgeous and so very sweet.  I can't believe how skinny they both are.   I assume they are sisters but one is much larger than they other and they have obviously been without food for quite some time.  Considering the freezing nighttime temperatures we've had these past few nights, it broke my heart to think how cold they must have been and how hungry they are.

I'm not sure what I'm going to do with them (although in my heart I'm pretty sure), but I know that for now, they are warm, safe, have food and water, lots of love and affection, and have a big crate with lots of warm blankets to sleep in.  Today I take them to my vet for a good examination.  Stay tuned :)

First Hard Freeze

The Hill Country was expecting its first hard freeze of the season last night so I closely monitored the temperatures.  At 8:00 PM, the temperature was 30F; at 9:45 it was 27F; and when I went to bed at 11:45, it was 25F.  At 6:00 AM this morning, it was 21F.  That meant it was below freezing for about 12 hours.  Yep, that's a hard freeze.  As soon as the sun began to rise, I grabbed my camera and went outside to take a look. 

As I crunched, crunched, crunched, my way through the frozen grass on the way to my garden, here's a look at what I found: 

The beets got hit pretty hard :/

But beets can be pretty hardy, so I'm hoping they might come back.

The carrots looked a little droopy, but they, too, are pretty cold hardy and are likely to recover.

The Brussels sprout leaves were frozen and crunchy, but I think the little sprouts on the stalks fared pretty well. 

My lone remaining cabbage was covered with frost, but it should thaw out and be just fine. 

But the beautiful, arching bougainvillea in the planter boxes by my pool were fried to a crisp.  This was not unexpected as this happens every year.  Usually the first hard frost around Halloween takes them out, so I'm pleased they lasted until after Thanksgiving!

 

Even one of the persimmon trees in the front of the property was dripping with little icicles this morning :)  It sure was pretty. 

 

All in all, I was not surprised or disappointed by anything I found this morning.  No damage done, really; except maybe the beets.  But we'll see about those.  They should come back.  Luckily, I brought all my tender plants that were on the back patio inside and my lemon tree has been living in the house for the past two nights.  I can't imagine losing my lemon tree to a freeze! 

So...not too bad for our first hard freeze.  And the temperatures are expected to rise into the mid 60's today.  God, I love living in South Texas! :)

Broccoli

My broccoli plants were gorgeous this year!  Each plant produced a big giant head...and all at the same time!  And they happened to be ready just before my husband and I were heading to North Carolina to meet our first grandchild.  So I had to do something with all this broccoli...and quick.  I only photographed one head, but I picked 4 heads of broccoli this size:

So the best thing to do with it all was to blanch and freeze it.  Easy enough.  Chop broccoli, boil a big pot of water, thoroughly salt the water, throw the broccoli in for 3-4 minutes, remove and plunge into an ice water bath, drain well, and place in freezer bags.  

 (As an aside, I "love" my FoodSaver at this time of year!)

 

And voila...blanched broccoli, ready to be frozen for future use.  I kept some out for dinner that night and some for my sister to eat while we were gone...she loves broccoli.

Now I have all this fresh broccoli to use this coming winter, mostly in soups...think Broccoli and Cheddar Cheese, Cream of Broccoli Soup with Roasted Garlic Crostini, Broccoli Soup Pureed with Onions, Garlic, and Potatoes...anyway, you get the picture; there are some good meals to be had with the frozen broccoli from my garden :)

Fall in South Texas

As most of you know, fall is my favorite time of year.  For me, it's a time of reflection and gratitude for all the blessings in my life.  And I love the colors.  I grew up in Southeastern Massachusetts so I know what fall color looks like.  Although the colors of the South Texas fall are much more muted, they are in my opinion, equally stunning.  I was up and out very early one morning last week just to photograph what my neighborhood looks like at dawn at this time of year.  In my opinion, it was breathtaking.  Take a look.  (But remember, I'm not a professional photographer, I simply tried to capture what I saw.)

 

And I had this beautiful creature watching me as I crept around in the tall grass.  It's an American Kestrel and I see her often in the mornings.  I think she's beautiful.

I thought Thanksgiving Day was a good time to share what I saw that beautiful fall morning in the hills of South Texas.  Happy Thanksgiving to all.