The Power of Water...

By now, you've probably heard that there was a flood in

Wimberley, Texas,

There was a lot of damage....destruction...along the 

Blanco River.

I've shown you the beauty of that river before.

The giant Cypress trees turn beautiful colors in fall.

And, under most conditions, the river flows gently along.

But, Saturday night of Memorial Day Weekend, it turned into a monster.

We hadn't had much rain that day. We've had lots of rain here, but that day

wasn't bad, in our area.

But, to the west, in Blanco, it rained a foot of rain, in a short time.

All that water went into the river, and the river rose thirty feet

in less than an hour.

Houses that had stood solid for fifty or sixty years with no flooding,

were no match for this tsunami.

Debris...houses, cars, trees, boulders...came rushing down,

washing away everything in its path.

People's homes were damaged, destroyed, or simply washed away.

People lost their lives.

internet image. source unknown.

The deluge topped this bridge by at least ten feet.

The beautiful Cypress trees, which have stood for hundreds of years, 

were bowed over and shredded.

We pray for those who have lost so much.

We hope for them the strength it will take to get through all this.

We do what we can to help, with funds, time and energy.

Meanwhile...this small town of Wimberley is still 

A Little Bit of Heaven.

Stay safe...

God Bless...

~~Linda~~

Sunday Afternoon....

Friday, we had ice.

Yesterday, it got almost to 80F.

Photo by Bailee

We got together to celebrate our daughter-in-law's birthday.

Brunch at The Leaning Pear.

Corned beef hash, with poached eggs.

I had the same...without the birthday candle...delicious.

After a walk and some shopping on the Square,

we ended up at Inoz'.

They have good food, too.  And, a great deck, overlooking 

Cypress Creek.

Photo by Bailee

A good place to have a beverage, on a beautiful afternnoon.

We had come to see the Carvings.

Photo by Bailee

A couple of trees have died behind the restaurant.

Instead of just taking them down, they're being carved.

With a chain saw.

Photo by Bailee

Amazing, what can be done, with a clunky chain saw.

Photo by Bailee

The Grand Girls were having fun with cameras, taking pix of each other.

Photo by Bailee

And, selfies.

It was a very good day.

Today...another cold front has arrived.

We're forecast more 'winter precipitation' tonight.

Gotta love Texas weather.

***********

'Til later...

Take care...

~~Linda~~

Happy Friday....

And....Happy March 1st.

OK...I know you've heard me say this time and time again, but...

where does the time go?

Today dawned clear and cold....in fact, 24F cold.

I showed you another moon, just like the one above,

a month ago, today.

We had a full week....

We had a sunset party, at Driftwood Estate Winery.

The night before, a sad thing happened in Wimberley.

The Ace Hardware burned down.

A complete loss.  Nobody was hurt.

But, thirty-four people will be out of work, for a while.

We have Longhorn Baseball tickets.

So, we took in some games.

Do you know there are thirty-one home games?

Nice car, in the parking lot.

We had a very windy Monday.  Gusts up to 55 mph, here.

Now....lots of clean-up.

Thankfully, those winds didn't come the night of the Ace fire.

That same system, brought a second snow storm, to our Kansas kids.

Lots more snow and strong winds.

Our daughter sent these pictures.  As she said, "Nature made her own snowballs."

The wind blew that hard!

And, we spent some time here.  Locals will recognize this garden center on 

South Congress.

Now....more garden work is under way here.

Stay tuned...

It never ends.

Hope you had a great week.

And, have a wonderful weekend.

Happy Gardening...

~~Linda~~

Little Bit of Heaven....

A while back I told you a little about Wimberley, TX.

Well, Michael Barnes, who writes the Out and About column in the Austin American Statesman,
has an article about Wimberley's town square. 

It's a good article.

Go here, to read more about our Little Bit of Heaven.

Hope you're having a great weekend.

Happy Reading...

~~Linda~~

30 Day Challenge~~Thanksgiving~~Day 26...

Cat, at The Whimsical Gardener, has challenged us to a 30 Day Challenge of Thanksgiving.

A post a day, for 30 days, to celebrate the things we are thankful for, in our lives.

~~Day 26~~

Today, I'm thankful to live in a small town.

It makes it easier to

Shop Local~~Shop Small.

Today is Small Business Saturday.

Buy just one thing from one of your local small businesses.

 I have LOTS of shops I can visit, here in Wimberley. 

Every little bit helps keep money in your community

and helps small businesses stay alive.

Hope you find just what you're looking for

at your favorite small business.

~~Linda~~

30 Day Challenge~~Thanksgiving~~Day 4....

Cat, at The Whimsical Gardener, has challenged us to a 30 Day Challenge of Thanksgiving.
A post a day, for 30 days, to celebrate the things we are thankful for, in our lives.

~~Day 4~~

I'm thankful to live in a place I love.

Welcome to Wimberley....

It's been brought to my attention that I haven't taken you around town.

Welcome to Wimberley....A Little Bit of Heaven.

The quote comes from an article written in the New York Times a few years ago.   The author described Wimberley as a little bit of heaven in the Texas Hill Country.

We discovered Wimberley years ago, when our son brought us down here.  He knows how I love quaint little towns.

There are lots of shops and restaurants here.

Quaint little shops and boutiques....artist galleries and cafes.

Good breakfast places....

Ino'z

and casual outside dining, along Cypress Creek.

This courtyard is a showroom of sorts for an artist who makes animals from metal and 'found items'.  Very interesting.

There are more displays outside The Old Mill Store.  Inside, you'll find more art, in the form of pottery, furniture, rugs...on and on.

Stores display lots of things outside.

Look at this antique heaven, along the creek.

These are just a sampling of the shopping opportunities.

There are bed and breakfasts all over the Valley, and lots of other lodging.

There are several waterways here in Wimberley.  

Above is a fall photo of the Blanco River in 2009.  You can swim, fish or tube along the river.
Or rent a place and just sit and watch the water go by.
This year, the river is very low.  But there's still water.

We need rain.

Photo from visitwimberley.com

Another is Cypress Creek.  Cypress Creek is fed by Jacob's Well...an underground cave, formed and fed by a spring.   It's a famous and popular swimming hole.

High water 2009


The creek winds through our Woodcreek neighborhood and on to town.

Blue Hole is a popular swimming hole on the creek.

Giant cypress trees grow along the creek...hence, it's name...here behind Ino'z.

Those are our North Dakota grandkids, in town for a visit last summer.

Cypress Creek flows into the Blanco River.

I've shown you our nursery center...King's Feed.

Fourth of July parade.

Wimberley is a great place to live.  A small town, in a beautiful place.

There is always something to do.

Lots of parades and festivals

Market Day
is the first Saturday of each month.
Vendors set up their wares in a wooded venue.  More than a flea market, Market Day has lots of arts and crafts....metal, wood, pottery...and plants, too.

Emily Ann Theater
hosts a holiday Trail of Lights.  

This year it's open from November 26 to December 31.
Free and fun....not sure they'll be allowed to fire up the Yule Log.  But, singing carols and hot cocoa will still probably be part of the evenings.

In summer, they have outdoor theater.  Pretty good stage productions and Shakespeare under the stars.

The Corral Theater
is an outdoor movie venue, open in summer.
Bring your chairs or use theirs for first run movies....again...under the stars.

Wimberley Glassworks
is south of town.
You can watch artists produce beautiful blown glass.

Driftwood Estate Winery
is north of town.

Just a small sampling of things to do and see.

Or, just sit outside at Ino'z...sip a beverage of your choice..and listen to live music.
One of many live music venues in town.

Come visit Wimberley, Texas.

To us, it really is

A Little Bit of Heaven

Support Your Independent Nursery Month: King Feed Garden and Hardware

October has been deemed Support Your Independent Nursery Month by Pam at Digging.
Nothing like showing up at the last minute.

Here in Wimberley, our main place for all things garden is
King Feed Garden and Hardware.

This place has been here for a long time.  Back in the 1950s, this site was a cedar yard and sawmill, with a small store that sold hardware, feed and ranching supplies.

It's changed hands over the years, but still carries a large line of different feeds...from food for dogs and cats, to those deer creatures we all love.

They are also a True Value Hardware store.

But, my main interest is for the garden.
They carry veggie transplants...

and herbs.

They carry a nice variety of native succulents and bedding plants.

Grasses...

Trees and shrubs.

They have a nice supply of bagged soils and composts.  They carry the popular Lady Bug brands.

Their bedding plants are healthy.  And, they have an assortment of the colorful Mexican pottery that I like.

Their supply right now is lower than usual.  Maybe a sign of the times.

There are other garden accessories.  Windchimes and birdhouses, and feeders.

A focal point of the nursery is the ruins of the fireplace left from the home of the original owners.

All dressed up for the Halloween season.

They did a good job of black and orange arrangements.

There's a nice greenhouse, for tropicals and houseplants.

We've had some cold mornings, here in Wimberley Valley.  So, the cold tender plants are safe inside.

Hmmm....I just might have to have some of these colorful tomato cages and shepherds hooks.

Inside, you'll find a nice array of natural plant foods and pest control.  You'll find the other kind, too.
But, they seem to focus more on the natural products.

There's a small, but good variety of seeds.

You can find garden tools, irrigation supplies, gloves....almost anything you need for the garden.
Plus other tools, paint, plumbing needs, etc.

Outside again, they have a new addition of these little guys.
They didn't have any baby chickens, but there are usually some inside by the cashier stand.
And, don't forget that feed for whatever critter you might be feeding.

King's is a nice place to visit, whether you need something or not.  I don't usually leave empty handed.
It helps that's it's only a couple miles from my front door.  On the other hand...maybe not for the budget.

So, when in Wimberley, drop by King's.  It has that old fashioned, small town feel.

They're friendly and knowledgeable...they answer questions about what might or might not work for certain spots and they usually point out that 'deer resistant' doesn't necessarily mean MY neighborhood.
(Did I mention we have LOTS of deer in my neighborhood?)


Wimberley is worth the trip.

Be sure to visit Pam at Digging to see some other great independent nurseries.

'til next time..

Happy Gardening...
~~Linda~~