GROWING TAKES GRIT!

Trying to grow food requires more guts than I ever anticipated. I was lulled into thinking John had solved the deer problems with his latest motion-sensing gizmo, and was focusing instead on worms and caterpillars. I had tried growing broccoli and cauliflower back in the spring, without much success, but everyone said "Don't worry. It's much easier in fall when it's cooler!" I've also been more proactive with the diatomaceous (sp?) earth this season, keeping everything well sprinkled right from the beginning. Did it help, you ask? Ha!

Earlier this week I went downstairs for my daily tour, and guess what I found? Hoof-prints in the two lower beds, strawberry plants with all their leaves chomped off, Pac Choi popped out of the ground and left to die, and all the broccoli, kale and cauliflower were writhing with little wormy things. Help!

CRAZY FRIENDS MAKE FOR CRAZY FUN

Fiber Woman thought we needed party hats for my birthday celebration. And eye patches.

The Fiber Arts exhibit in San Antonio was amazing. We unknowingly arrived more than an hour before the gallery was to open, but they were there for a meeting and let us come in anyway. We didn't want to push our luck by trying to take a bunch of pictures, but I couldn't resist snapping one of this piece called Chihuly's Kitchen. I love Dale Chihuly's blown glass creations, and the fact that this Chihuly-inspired sculpture was made from a bunch of colorful pot scrubbers really tickled me.

New Braunfels wasn't even on the agenda. Still not sure how we ended up there, filling the back of Outdoor Woman's SUV with thrift store finds!

CAUSE FOR CELEBRATION

Today is my 57th birthday. As if that weren't enough, I just happened to glance at my blog stats a moment ago, and it said I now have One Thousand Posts under my belt! I plan to wear sequins all day long, in honor of this dual celebration.

To tell you the truth, I really don't feel 57. In fact, it feels like the clock is going in reverse these days, and that I have become one year younger each year since I came to Wimberley. Guess that's what happens, when you're finally living the good life.

I celebrated with the boys all weekend, then Lex surprised me by stopping by on her way back from Dallas, and spent the rest of the day with me. She brought me a special tea mug that she painted herself, after hearing me complain about how ridiculous it was that mugs were always white inside, and were ruined as soon as you put coffee or tea in them - especially since one can't use bleach products when one has a septic system. Notice the nice orange interior of this one. And, to go with my tea, she brought me a Day of the Dead cookie (Kuh-yoot!), and not one, but two mini pies from Texas Pie Company. She's helping me to eat them all, since I didn't think I could handle it by myself.

Today I'll probably be heading over to San Antonio with two of the Muses, for lunch and a fiber arts exhibit. Unfortunately, one of the Muses is out in California dealing with a family crisis, and can't join us. We miss you Buffalo Woman, and will do our best not to have too much fun without you. Now I'm off to don those sequins!

THE OTHER SIDE OF SALT LICK

I tried to take my sister and brother-in-law to The Salt Lick once, in nearby Driftwood. The minute they saw the mob outside at the picnic tables, and realized those were just the people waiting to get real tables inside, they did a quick u-turn and exited the parking lot. According to Bud, "No food is that good!" What they just don't get is that, at Salt Lick, the wait is half the fun! You meet up with favorite friends, or make new ones at whatever table has a couple of empty seats. You enjoy good music. You bring a cooler full of snacks and beverages, or you sip a glass of the best fresh-squeezed lemonade you've ever tasted in your life. You watch little tots dancing and laughing, while older ones compete to see who can find the most bottle caps. And, in the end, you're a wee bit sorry when your buzzer goes off.

But, for those of you who just can't abide a mob scene (especially one where 9 out of 10 are sporting Longhorn colors), there is another, more mellow side to Salt Lick. Just follow the signs around to the right side of the buildings, where you will find a secluded oases with quiet tables, grape vines, bocce ball courts, and the new Salt Lick Cellars tasting room. Here you can while away the time sampling wines from some of the best Hill Country Vineyards. Try it. The wait will go by in a flash, I guar-rone-tee! And, sorry to break this to ya Bud, but the food really is That. Good.

SOMETHING STRANGE GOIN' ON

Have you noticed? First I ran into that friend at the grocery store, who invited me to the lovely autumn dinner. Then I ran into another couple I'd recently met at Inoz', and they insisted I join them at their table. I ran into quite a few people I knew at the last Wimberly Valley Art League opening, and I've just realized that the staff at several local shops and eateries are starting to recognize me and know my preferences. In fact, when my sister and I stepped into Brocante recently, the saleslady said "Hey, I know you. You're the gal with the blog!" Wow. It's almost as if...well, as if I were a "local" or something! That's a feeling I haven't had since I was a kid in Dallas, going to the same high school my Dad went to, and the same church my grandparents went to. To tell you the truth, I hadn't realized just how much I've missed that feeling - the feeling of actually belonging somewhere.

Who knows? Maybe fifteen or twenty years from now, people will be pointing me out over in my special corner at Mima's, as I sit hunched over my crossword puzzle, and they'll say something to their out-of-town visitors like "Oh, her? Why, she's just one of our colorful local characters. Everyone calls her Hill Country Hippie, but I have no idea why."

COLOR MAD MONDAY: I CAN'T BELIEVE I MADE THIS MYSELF!

Remember the leaf sculptures we made at the Muses concrete play day? Well, mine has been sitting around on the porch ever since. I wasn't sure how I wanted to paint it, where or how to use it, etc. You know how it goes. Anyhoo, I was in the craft store the other day and happened across some little bottles of acrylic craft paint that said they were meant for outdoor stuff. Soooo, I grabbed a few in my go-to colors, brought them home, and just started playing. Somehow, it all came together into something I love.

When I was finished, I walked over to the porch rail and stood gazing down on the Cantina Garden for a few minutes. Next thing I knew, a lightbulb had lit up in my head, telling me just where to place my new "birdbath", and even what to display it on!

Picture me doing my giddy squeal dance.

SUNDAY INSPIRATION: AGING PARENTS

So many of my friends are having to deal with aging parents these days, I thought perhaps I should share the best bit of advice I ever received. We once knew a very wise counselor, and I had a discussion with him regarding my mother. As she grew older, she also grew more and more self-absorbed, unable to fathom how her actions might affect those around her. I told him that I was having a hard time dealing with that, since I was raised to believe we must honor and respect our parents. His reply has seen me through many difficulties, and not just the parental ones!

"Parents are a lot like babies. Just because you love your baby,
doesn't mean you have to love their shit." ~ Dr. John Jacobs