THE FINAL STRETCH

I just can't believe it. My baby girl is getting married in less than a month. We've made it to the final stretch! Know what I love? My refrigerator door -- with its collection of out-of-the-ordinary invations. Up this weekend? The bridesmaid luncheon, hosted by my BFF Paula!

Paula and her hubby "Toad" come in tomorrow, and plans are to try a new Texas Tapas joint over in Kyle called Dark Horse. On Sunday Paula and I will head up to Chez Zee in Austin -- that fun place Hubby took me to for Mother's Day -- and the boys will head off in search of more manly food.

Sometime in the next couple of weeks there will be a luncheon shower hosted by her co-workers, and before you can blink an eye, it will be time for this...

 and this!

 Where did the time go? Wasn't it just a few weeks ago when we were first trying on these?

Wow. Time truly does fly!
 

A FEW MORE THINGS TO LOVE ABOUT FALL

This sedum.

If you don't have it in your garden, you are missing the boat. They don't call it "Autumn Joy" fer nothin', you know.

Blessed rain, after a long dry spell -- as was predicted by the sudden blooming of all our Texas Sage bushes.

Cool nights. Well, cool-ish. For us that's any dip into the 60s. We've even had a few that hovered, for a few moments, in the upper 50s! Which was just enough to tell all my succulents that it's time to shake off their dull grayish tones, and start taking on a bit of color!

The turning of our little Bald Cypress trees -- ever the early birds!

Last but not least, the berries on this little beauty...

which could be why they call it American Beautyberry, no?

THE END OF AN ERA

A lot has changed in this sleepy little town since we bought our house here almost ten years ago. At that time it was still "off the beaten track" -- not right off any major highways, so not terribly easy to get to. That's what we liked about it! But we weren't the only ones, and the more people came here, the more things began to change. We went from one stoplight to four or five. The name was officially changed from Village of Wimberley to just plain Wimberley. We finally went "wet" and our little grocery store doubled in size, in order to make room for wine and beer. Still, the people of Wimberley put up a good fight, managing to stave off the widening of RR12 between here and San Marcos, and trying to keep our businesses locally owned and operated.

Then sleepy little Wimberley showed up in a couple of retirement magazines, and droves of baby boomers from big cities, just like us, decided to move here. Unlike us, many of them just thought they wanted to live in the country. So they started building subdivisions with too many houses and golf courses, which depleted our water supply. Then they discovered that they missed their restaurants and grocery stores and coffee shops. Young families moved here too, and they wanted wider roads so they could commute to jobs in bigger cities. Which eventually brought us to this.

This is, or was, Bowen Elementary -- the first, and for a long time only, school in Wimberley. Many new ones were added over the years and it eventually became the administrative building. When they moved out, it was invaded by film crews shooting scenes for the TV series Revolution. Now it is being demolished, and I am feeling sad. Why? Because they are making room for a big, new HEB grocery store. I'm not saying I won't ever shop there. In fact, I'm sure I probably will. I too miss certain foods, and their prices are way lower than at our current store. Still, I really, really liked living in a village, and have a sneakin' suspicion that, if we continue on this path, we just might end up back in the burbs!

FOUR & A HALF WEEKS AND COUNTING: ACCESSORIES A' LA TWENTIES

Finding a dress for a "Speakeasy" themed wedding -- especially one for a well-padded mother-of-the-bride who's quickly closing in on her 61st birthday -- was not easy. However, it was a breeze compared to finding all the right accessories to go with it!

My dress has these rhinestone straps and cuffs.

So, instead of wearing the obligatory long strands of pearls, I started looking for something with rhinestones and a vintage feel. I was hoping for something long and multi-stranded, but finally I settled for this.

Wouldn't you know, just a short time later I stopped at Penney's to shop for undies, and stumbled across this long rope of silver chain interspersed with rhinestone doodads.

I just couldn't make up my mind which I liked better! In the end, I opted for both -- together!

And for the ears...

Voila! Instead of these Pippi Longstocking braids, my hair will be in a roll of sorts, with a rhinestone-studded comb and a black feather tucked in.

Unfortunately, that was the easy part. Next came shoes. Shoes which not only had a twenties feel, and were dressy enough for that outfit, but which also were comfy enough to stand around in for hours, and dance in, and have FUN in! I mean, what's the point of being 60, if it's not finally having acquired the confidence to choose comfort over sexy, right? Actually, I guess I always put comfort first. Just ask my hubby.

I thought I had set myself up with an impossible task, but finally I found these.

Sexy? No. But, man, are they comfy!

Almost like wearing my tennies! Even so, I'm wondering if I shouldn't have these hidden under a table, for when the dancin' starts.

They had cowgirls in the 20s, right?

BOOT SIGHTING: KING FEED

If you've ever read this blog before, you've probably seen me mention King Feed -- my favo-rite store in all of Wimberley. Whether you need plants, paint or patio furniture, chickens, Keen shoes or Carhart jackets, King Feed is the place! So it was really no surprise that they would have the awsome-est of boots hiding inside...

incorporating three of my favo-rite things!

Mosaic + Native Plants + Color-Madness? It just doesn't get any better than that!