Little Things about Texas

There have been many things that have made my heart sing lately.

As we prepare to move cross-country and leave Texas forever, my heart has been enthralled again with the natural beauty of our area, as if it's being experienced for the first time. This year has been a very wet spring, so the wildflowers are uncommonly thick, covering fields and roadsides with vivid color. I've taken particular delight in admiring the wildflower patches everywhere, and I feel very grateful to the Lord for letting me see such a spectacular spring one last time. I'll sorely miss the spring parade of color, and I know pictures of Texas wildflowers will forever tug at my heart and fill me with nostalgia.

And my trees. Oh, my trees. We bought this property just for the mature oaks that grace it so thickly. Ever since I was a young girl, my heart longed to have a sprawling huge tree. In my mind, a perfect childhood was one that had a giant tree to read in, to picnic under in the shade, to climb, to admire and embrace. I love old trees so much, and my heart always fills with deep contentment when I can be around them. I take walks around our farm just to admire our oaks. They are so old, they make my own timeline feel so small in comparison. The history behind an old tree fascinates me. I love to wonder what life stories have been played out under these branches. I imagine these trees with personalities, and I feel rather protected under their far-reaching arms. My two favorite trees are the very biggest ones, hundreds of years old. When we first moved in I named them without really meaning to. They are the Grandfather Tree and Grandmother tree. The Grandmother tree held up our giant tire swing- the first home improvement project we made on this property. I know I will cry when I say goodbye, but for today I am relishing their presence.

I have really enjoyed spending time in our goat pasture, sitting with our friendly goats. They always come running across the meadow to meet me when they hear my voice. Two nannies in particular are extremely social and always lean against me to ask for caresses. They nuzzle their heads under my hands and flicker their tails in contentment. I love it. They are all pregnant and very fat. We are looking forward to baby goats with great anticipation- it's just like the delicious anticipation of Christmas, except we're never quite sure when the delivery will happen. The children and I run out to the pasture at sunrise each day to check on the goats, looking for new kids. We know we won't have the babies for very long, so it's a bit bittersweet.

I cherish the sounds of nature here. Each day I'm blessed with a symphony of birdsong. I love to lie on my back on the tire swing and gaze up into the green leafy branches far above my head, listening to the birds. I try to count how many different voices I hear, but the talented  mockingbird always messes up my tally. I love the bright flashes of red plumage we see each day from cardinals flitting through the shadows of the oaks. When I was a child in Idaho I was familiar with robins and chickadees, but felt cardinals were especially exotic. What a delight it was to discover plenty of cardinals on our farm. Blue jays are my next favorite bird to see, perched on the fence outside  my bathroom window.

Our property is graced with a grassy meadow, filled with wildflowers of various colors. I have loved being bestowed with gifts of hand-picked blossoms presented by chubby children's fingers. Joseph always takes delight in picking the prettiest flowers for me, sometimes making special trips out to the pasture just to collect the blossoms from the far corners of the farm.