DOING THE MOON WALK

Another step in our mayor's plan to make Wimberley "the fittest little town in Texas" has been to organize various activities that encourage Wimberleyites to get out and do something fun together.  One of these activities is the monthly moon walk.  Every time there is a full moon, a bunch of people (including the mayor himself) meet up in the town square, then take a brisk little two and a quarter mile walk together, just as the moon is coming up over the horizon.

Since this month was to be the first time in twenty years that the moon would be at its closest point to earth, and since seeing it just as it was coming up was the very best time to view it in all its hugeness, we decided to join them.  What did we see?  Clouds.  Nothing but clouds...until, right as I was climbing into bed that night, I glanced out the window, and noticed that the yard was all lit up.  I thought John must have left the porch light on, so I went to check...

FRIDAY'S GRATITUDES: A HAPPY BOY

WAIT FOR IT...

Remember when, oh, two or two and a half years ago, that antique store right across the road from us went out of business?  And I told you that someone bought it, and it looked like they were turning it into a Mexican restaurant?  Then, about a year ago, when I was making plans for my little family reunion here, I told you that it looked like they had finally finished renovating the space, so surely they would have it open in time for us to hold our big family dinner there?  Well, I was wrong.

But then, a few months ago, at long last, they finally gave the place a name -- Agave -- and we thought, "This is it!  They are finally going to open that dang place!"  Well, we were wrong.  It's still just a-sittin' there.  No visible signs of life.  Dear Hubby says "Well, if they ever do open, I hope they manage to stay open for at least as long as it took them to get ready to open!"

WHAT HUBSTER'S BEEN UP TO

We're hoping these new beds along the outside of the Cantina Garden will make it just a little more difficult for the deer to leap the fence.

And if that doesn't work, maybe the icky-smelling (to deer) stuff John is planting in them, will distract the deer from the enticing smells that are coming from the veggie patch within.

Keep your fingers crossed!

P.S.  By the way, this was totally his inspiration, from start to finish.  I had absolutely nothing to do with it.  The Boy has an eye for design, does he not?

THE HOTTEST NEW THING: WATER BARRELS

Our own rain tank being installed a couple of years ago.

Can someone tell me, please, when rain barrels went from being utilitarian necessities for those without a reliable water source, to being the latest thing in decorative accessories?

My sister brought me an article from the Dallas Morning News this weekend, and it got me to thinkin'.  It was about a couple who decided it was time to let the world know how much they cared about the environment.  They tore down their previous two-story 1940's residence there in North Dallas "to make way for a low lean Texas-modern design with a metal roof, exterior walls of stone and a sustainable, low-maintenance landscape plan." I have to give them credit for using mostly native plants and replacing their former water-thirsty lawn with one of zoysia grass, but it would have been much more admirable if they didn't still have everything hooked up to an automatic watering system - one that is not fed from that rain barrel right by their front door.

When the homeowners told their architect that they wanted rain barrels positioned around the house's exterior, he told them "Why don't we do something a little bigger, make a bigger statement that [water conservation] is important to you?"  According to their architect, "a cistern can be buried underground or placed in a far less prominent position than one's front yard, but that wouldn't be as dramatic."

Just for comparison's sake, our barrel holds almost fifteen thousand gallons, and we are in danger of it going dry if we don't get some rain soon.  The spiffy galvanized model they installed holds a little over fifteen hundred gallons.  What do they use that water for?  To bathe their dogs and top off their water feature near the front door.  "It's like a piece of yard art, a piece of sculpture," says their architect, "and a lot of their neighbors have sculptures in their front yards."

Within hours of reading this article, my sisters and I drove past a house that managed to top even that Dallas couple.  This family had taken their fancy galvanized tank, attached it to the front of their house, cut a doorway through it, and made it their entryway!

Dear Hubby says they're gonna be real sorry they cut a hole in it, when water prices follow gas prices right off the charts.

P.S. Don't tell couple number one, but Dear Daughter says "the greenest house is the one never built."

COLOR-MAD MONDAY: MY NEW FAVORITE PLANT

"The Big Freeze" that we had this year gave me reason to reassess some of the plants that were in my garden.  I don't want any plants that I have to run out and cover each time it dips below freezing.

This Heuchera/Coral Bells came through with flying colors.  This particular one is a newish relative of the Palace Purple and Chocolate Ruffles varieties that became wildly popular some years back, and it looked fantastic next to the zonal geranium, toffee-colored sedge, and trailing burgundy sedum that I planted next to it.  The sedge and geranium pooped out within a few months, but the sedum and heucheras were real troopers, requiring no effort from me whatsoever.  At the end of winter all I did was trim off the outer layer of leaves, which had become a bit faded, so that I could better enjoy the rainbow of colors provided by the new growth underneath.

In other parts of the country, they can take full sun to partial shade, but here in Texas, with our strong summer sun, they are a great shot of color for our slightly shady areas.  The do eventually send up airy sprays of flowers that seem to float above the foliage, but they are a mere afterthought, when you have striking foliage like this, year round.  I'm off to the nursery now, to see how many different varieties I can find, for I plan to fill all my shady spots with them!

WEEKEND IN REVIEW: LESSONS LEARNED

• Never offer anyone a bite of your peach fried pie - especially if it came from the Monument Cafe.  I would drive all the way back to Georgetown just to have one of these, all to myself.
• Do not gloat when you beat the pants off your sisters at a game of Shanghai.  They will just make you switch to a different game, and double up against you.
• Though staying up late and talking with one's sisters is still a lot of fun, once you pass the age of 55 or 60, sharing a small bed with them is not.  It was unanimously agreed that wherever we go on our next T.A.I.R., it must be someplace where we can each have our own bed!

WEEKEND IN REVIEW: DINNER ON LAKE BELTON & A FESTIVAL

Dead Fish Cafe

My two big sisters (who happen to be half a foot shorter than me!).

Disclaimer: The sun was in her eyes.  She normally looks much more cheerful than this!

WEEKEND IN REVIEW: LUNCH IN GEORGETOWN

WEEKEND IN REVIEW: STROLLING GEORGETOWN

WEEKEND IN REVIEW: DINNER IN SALADO