Donkeys

This is one of the donkeys, that live in the pasture which surrounds my sister's home.  They live outside of Greenville, TX on a farm that is property to my brother in law's family.  He and my sister took the family home, then remodeled it so they could in it.  I visited them this last Easter weekend and enjoyed the peaceful atmosphere of the farm.  I went outside, sat under the trees just listening to the sounds of the country.  The birds, the squirrel and even the bumblebees were in full noise.  Ever so often you could hear one of the cows let out a loud "moo".  Here my sister is petting one of the donkeys.  She has them spoiled, to her treats of apples and other fruit during their visits.  They will come up to the back fence and look straight at the kitchen door, waiting for her to come outside.

Tall Trees

 

As I was driving down the road that leads to my sister's home, these tall tree loomed overhead and made for a beautiful country view.  I almost took some more pictures of the road and it's country atmosphere, but a car up ahead of me was bearing down on my area of the road.  Since the one is barely passable for 2 cars I had to make sure that I got over to the side, so as to give them plenty of room to pass.

Native Wildflowers

While driving down the farm road to go and visit my sister, I saw all the beautiful wild flowers that are native to Texas.  These are "Indian paintbrush" and "white larkspurs." 

These are the "wild buttercups", that grace the roadsides every year.  There are plenty of them, but they seem to be much smaller than in recent years.

Cows

These cows are grazing right outside of my sister's home.

There are also 2 donkeys that share this pasture with the cows.  My sister goes out and pets the donkeys and feeds them apples and other fruit as a treat.  The property is part of her husband's family owned land on the other side of Greenville, TX, close to Campbell.  I had a nice peaceful visit, this last weekend when I spent the night out there.

Still Burning

  

A wild fire burns out of control in Palo Pinto County, Texas April 19, 2011. High winds and high temperatures are hampering the efforts of fire crews to contain the blaze.  It's not getting any better even though we've had several rain storms in the last few days.  My daughter is having to watch their horse ranch because these fires have broken out along their north pasture.  She tells me that she has had to fight them as well a keep watch over the horses.

 

This is a herd of cattle trying to run away from the oncoming fires....

A Gun?

Where did this child get the gun it was carrying?  Can you imagine the outcome of this situation.  News has it, that a "Kindergarten student" had a gun in it's pocket and the gun fell out while the child was in the lunchroom at Ross Elementary in Houston, TX.  Three children were injured, when the gun discharged.  Bullet fragments hit the child and two other students when it discharged.  None of the injuries were listed as critical.
I can't imagine a small child being able to get to such a thing.  What were the parents doing, during this whole time?  How awful and stupid of the parents to be so irresponsible.

Wildfires

I talked to my daughter who works at a horse ranch in Cross Plains, about 20 miles outside of Abilene.  She told me that she has been having to go out and fight fires that have broken out on the north end of their ranch.  All worn out and very tired from feeding because of the drought conditions, she still has to protect their property and livestock from the fires.  I'm worried it will get out of hand with the high winds we have been having.  So many people have lost their homes and businesses recently.  Cross Plains, TX was victim to these fires a few years back and most of the main part of the small town was destroyed.

Upcoming Festivals

Hi Nita Watson,

Your content has been published on Associated Content from Yahoo!.

Festivals in Dallas

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/7981883/festivals_in_dallas.html


Everyone can find something to do and enjoy!

Texas Salute

I found this festival listed for all you visitor's as well as local residents who want to enjoy the down home flavor of Dallas, TX.
It's a Texas-sized happy hour where jeans are not only allowed, they are encouraged! Tip your hat to local winemakers and artisanal food producers. Feast your eyes on an impressive array of fine Texas wines, hand made cheeses, gulf shrimp and more - all grown, brewed, baked and created within a day's drive from Big D. Tip your hat to local winemakers and artisanal food producers. You'll be impressed by the increasing diversity and quality presented by the winemakers, artisan cheesemakers and other local producers at this all-Texan affair. This casual event is the perfect casual evening where you can scoot your boots and tip your hat to the very best of the West.

Storms

Last night was a night for caution as we heard the sirens go off, warning of bad weather.  I had the local news TV channel on and they were interrupting every few seconds, keeping us updated.  The drama unfolded and there was large hail all over the area, plus heavy rain, lightning, loud thunder, and high winds.  I stayed up and watched making sure that the weather made it past us, and my family who lives a few miles past my area.  It was a time of worry, since their areas were more directly in the path of the tornadoes. 

Wildfires

 

 This home is in the Amarillo area, and completely destroyed by these wildfires.  The Red Cross is assisting with as many as possible.  This year's fires are said to be the worst in sometime.  Gov. Rick Perry is supposed to make a trip to the areas affected by the fires in order to assess the damage that's been caused.  Fire officials have been checking the areas for hot spots and keeping a close watch of the wind driven wildfires. 

The Band

Back in 1960-61 I was a member of the Mesquite High School marching band. It became one of the bands that was invited to march in the "Rose Bowl Parade", that year. As you know the "Rose Bowl Parade" is an annual event that precedes the "Rose Bowl Game" each year. We beat out all the other marching bands in the State in competitions and were invited to participate. I doubt if there are many members still out there, since I know of several who have passed on. I invite the one's still alive to comment and leave some of their memories for me to post.  Below is a picture of the front page of the "Dallas Times Herald Sunday Magazine", showing our band as we were getting prepared to make out trip.

Laid Back

I'm wondering if it's the "calm before the storm", so to speak? There's not much been going on down here in Texas and that's scary. Our State is usually full of all kinds of newsy items happening. If it's not political, sports or weather, there's always something happening. Either way, we are glad it's quiet on the home front. Who knows what tomorrow might bring?

A Dove

As you can see I live in an apartment, and there's not much to behold out in the courtyard.  I noticed this dove sitting on the corner of my railing out front.  It's one of a pair of doves that fly around here in our complex.  They must have a nest or place they like to roost, because they are here all the time.  I can hear them cooing at each other when they get separated.  It's not long until you see the other one show up and they fly off together.