This Is Wherever Linky Party

Welcome to the first ever Wherever Wednesday at Texifornia!  Wherever Wednesday is a celebration of what makes the places we live unique.  It's not new though...only new to here.   A while back Budget Blond started this up on her blog with a little saying:  TIG.

In her words:

“T.I.G.”

It stands for “This is Grenada.”

It’s used in moments where you just kinda shake your head at the things going on around you, like someone climbing up a coconut tree or when something takes exceedingly longer than it should.

I think all cities or towns have a “T.I.{insert your town}” moments. To me, this phrase can be used for things that are pretty hilarious, like how my dad’s friend up the street always drives his riding lawnmower to our house instead of his car {This.Is.Louisiana.} I also think it can be used to notice some good around us.

(See full post here).

And she was right--every place has it's unique character.  I've enjoyed sharing "This is Texas" moments like finding state pride at the Supermarket or bumping over Texas size speedbumps...and of course I've had to share a few This is California observations too.  But what I've  loved the most is reading all the wacky and wonderful moments others shared from their hometowns (or home away from home) around the world.  

I hope you'll take the time to share some of your
"This is {Wherever}"  moments with us! 

Please link back to this post or grab our button on the sidebar.  In the name space make sure to include where you're blogging from. The link up will be open all month.  Oh, and just for fun this month, I'll send a post-card from Texas to the first 10 bloggers who link-up (only if they want one).



Originally posted 11/7. This post has been bumped, and will be bumped, every Wed. this month...so latecomers can still get their posts seen.

Harvest Monday - Zone 8a

I've been looking around to see what gardening linkies there are out there. Quite a few it seems! One I found is Harvest Monday, where you get to show off your weekly harvest.

Oak Leaf Lettuce

This is my first year trying lettuce.  Below is heirloom Oak Leaf Lettuce I got from Azure Dandelion  (I think it was a freebie with some other stuff I bought).  I planted it last fall and for the longest time it stayed about 3 inches high, and I started wondering if that was all it was supposed to grow.  But the seed packet said "Harvest 1" -2" off the ground" so I figured it was supposed to be bigger.

January 7 - 2" high

Then in February they started to take off....

February 27 - Larger Ones about 5" high

 And look at it now!

March 26 - 1 Foot High

That one above is my biggest, and one I haven't touched.  I've been harvesting some of them, and learned something exciting!

I harvested as the the seed packet instructed and soon noticed tiny new leaves growing from the center...

And before long the center begins to regrow...

Didn't know that would happen!  I couldn't have been more excited!  Does all lettuce do this?  Or just certain varieties? 

And, here's the what the leaves look like...

They are the perfect size for hamburgers, and they've been tasting great in my salad.  All the wrinkles do hide dirt well, so I find I have to wash each individual leaf well.  Other than that, I'm really liking this variety of lettuce.  And the best part--no worries about using the lettuce before it wilts!  I just go out and grab what I need and it's always crispy and fresh.   I'll miss it when the Texas summer heat takes over and I have to bid my lettuce farewell!

Raddish

This is also my first year to grow raddish.  It's not something I care for, but my husband and oldest son love them, so I'm happy to have a fresh supply.  And look...this one isn't even split!

Onion? Nope!

 

I have a bunch of onions I put out as sets in January growing in the garden, but most aren't very big yet.  There were a few that I planted earlier.  A couple were from seeds (most of my onions seeds never grew), and some were from pearl onions that had sprouted.  (I didn't know whether pearls were just baby onions taken before they matured, so I thought I'd plant them and see).

One of those early ones looked big enough to harvest, so I pulled it out and gave it a taste.  Ack!  Not onion!  At first I just thought it just didn't do well in my soil, like the awful bitter carrots I grew one summer.  But then I recognized the taste.  IT WAS GARLIC!     I had forgotten I had put some sprouting heads in my garden along with the pearls!

I could see the cloves in the center, though the outside looked like on onion. I gather that the cloves will eventually fill up the bulb, though I've heard Texas doesn't often give enough time for that to happen.  I'm wondering if you can use other parts of the bulb and stem too?  They did seem to have a garlicky taste.

So, that was my adventure in gardening this week!  If you'ld like to share what you're harvesting, head on over to Daphne's Dandelions and link up!

Sky Watch Friday - Sunrise

Sky Watch Friday

Mountain Views

The pictures below show a few of my favorite things about summer in the San Bernardino Mountains where I grew up.  We were blessed to have been able to take a trip back there this August. 

Stopping to look at the view on Rim of the World Highway.

The view from Dad's porch.

 My Old Back Yard

Close up of the red wildflowers growing there.

The Strawberry Peak Fire Tower
Twin Peaks, CA

The view from the Strawberry Peak Fire Tower.

The view coming down the "shortcut" trail
in back of the tower.  Strawberry peak is a gorgeous place to hike.

Wildflowers coming back down the Rim.
(These are beautiful...but the best are when the Yarrow is
blooming...the smell is amazing!)

When I told people here in Texas I was from California, I'd often get asked, "Aren't you happy to be out of there?"...as if it were a place I should have liked to flee from.  I don't think they realized what I'd left. 

 

Back then I was so homesick for these mountains.   I've grown comfortable with Texas now and don't often long for California like I used to...but being in Twin Peaks this past week felt like home in a way that I don't know if Texas ever will.

Throwback Thursdays

Sky Watch Friday - Clouds

Sky Watch Friday
Throwback Thursday

5 Authors that Deserve More Recognition

Well, I found another Top Ten Tuesday I had to give a try...this one focusses just on books.  So, having nothing to do with California or Texas, it's a bit off topic...but fun!  I could only get up to 5, but here goes...

1. Anne Tatlock
   I have read three of Anne Tatlock's books, and plan to read many more.  The first book I read, All the Way Home, made me realize how stereotypical or out of place so many of the characters in Historical Fiction were.  Her characters were not that way...not a historical stereotype or a modern person with modern sentiments trapped in the past...but fleshed out believable characters that helped me understand the mindset of the time without putting it in a box. 
   
   Her books deal with faith, but in a natural, subtle way that doesn't overshadow the story or make you feel preached at like some Christian fiction. I wish more Christians author's would write like that...not in the preachy, gotta get a message in every other line type of way. I think believers and non-believers would both enjoy her stories. (And she has gotten a little recognition...I read that All the Way Home and I'll Watch the Moon both won book of the year for the Midwest Independent Publishers Association. Not surprised, as I've read both of those. I think she deserves more.).
   
   
2. Elizabeth Goodge
   I was introduced to this author by a dear friend. She writes in a beautiful, visual way. Two of the books that I've read, The Dean's Watch, and The Scent of Water, could be described as "a love story, but not a romance," which is a fresh perspective I enjoy (several of the book by Anne Tatlock I read could be described that way, also.)   I'm surprised she's not more well known.
   
   
3. Jill Murphy
   I've been happy to have introduced friends The Large Family series by Jill Murphy's, but I've yet to meet one person who has actually read or heard of any of her books before I clued them in. She brings out some "truths" about parenting in a loving and humorous way. I enjoyed these as much as my children. And the illustrations are just precious!
   
   
4. Joanne Greenburg
   She might be a bit too well known to include here, and I  have to admit I'm including her based on ONE BOOK, as I haven't read her other novels.   But every person I've met who's read her novel, In This Sign, has told me the same thing about it..."It felt like it was written about ME." That's something when you consider that this book is about a deaf couple living through the great depression and WWI.  It's not a common experience, but something about the book transcends the characters and speaks to all of us. It's not a happy, cheerful book...and you may want to throw it across the room sometimes. But that's true of many things that touch so close to reality.  I think this story gets less read outside of the Deaf community and those connected to it...and that's a shame.
   
   
5. Jewel
   Yes, Jewel, the singer. Did you know that she writes poetry (that's in addition to her beautifully poetic song lyrics)?  Ignore Bill Mar on this one. I remember him making fun of one of her poems, criticising her for using the "wrong word"...when he didn't even see that her un-expected word choice was a poetic device. Anyone who's read free verse much would have recognized it, and I wish I could have reached through the TV and smacked him upside the head. Really, her poems are deep and full of meaning and she should get more credit for them then she has.
   

Clovers: The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly

Welcome to this week’s edition of Aloha Friday and Two Question Thursday. 

Happy St. Patricks Day!

It seemed a timely day to talk about clover. The clover is a symbol of Ireland, and of St. Patrick Day specifically as it is said that St. Patrick used it to explain the trinity to the Irish people.    Legend says that he would explain that just as the clover has three separate leaves and yet is one leaf, so the three persons of the Trinity (Father, Son, and Holy Ghost) are separate yet one.

In my yard here in Texas there are two kinds of clover...one which I like, and one which I'm not as fond of.


I don't have any of this kind of clover (White Clover), though it does grow in Texas...

...though I would love to have some, as you can make tea out of the blossoms and use the roots in soups.  However, probably the ones in Texas aren't the best for that, as clover grown in warm climate can contain cyanide (small amounts...but still).   Granted, it's a small amount, and probably no more dangerous than what you'ld find in almonds, spinach or soy  (surprize surprize...we can eat small amounts).  I've heard of many naturalists, including ones in the south, eating them with no harmful results.    Some people are allergic to clover too, so if you try some, even the safe clover from up north, try a small amount first.  Also, clovers should be eaten fresh or dried, never fermented.


Now, here's another clover clover that does bless my yard....

This is actually, technically, a type of Wood Sorrel, not clover.  I've seen this plant in Texas with flowers in yellow, white, and light pink.  The seed pods are edible in small quantities, but toxic in large amounts.  So, throwing a few in your salad is great (they are high in vitimin C) but don't eat them by the cup-full, and avoid them altogether if you have gout, rheumatism and kidney stones.

You can see a close up of the pods, to the right.




The "clover" below however, is not so nice (but not as bad as I used to think it was).

It's called Burr Clover for it's circular, spiky looking burs.  I USED to think that it was the culprit for these hard, painful spiky things that keep me from walking in my yard barefoot....but those are actually SANDBRS (also known as Goats Heads).   Sandburs are horrible because they are barbed in a way that makes them very painful to remove. You actually have to yank them out (which is hard to do without embedding them in your fingers)--you can't just pull them out gently because they're barbed like little hooks. I had assumed that "clover" burrs  hardened into those because I always seemed to pick up those burs when stepping through an area of my yard that was covered with them.  Turns out it was sandburs growing in the same area.  (sand burs just look like grass until they seed...horrid stuff).  Bur clover does catch in pet fur and clothing, but is more of a nuisance than a pain.

You can't just mow low to get rid of sand burs or bur clover  because bur clover creeps low to the ground and sand bur will just go to seed spikes lower down...and plus there's a good chance if you do mow over the taller one's you'll be planting them for next year.  . The best way to rid either of these from your yard is to pull them by hand.  For burr clover you can do this before they grow burrs, but unfortunately sand bur is hard to distinguish from other grasses so you may have to get them WHILE they have the spikes, which is a little tricky to do without getting hurt. I usually wear thick gloves, and once I've found the bur follow the stem to pull out from the the base (below the burrs).   Sometimes I just just clip the burrs off at the top and throw them into a bag, then use a long weeder to remove the base once they've been de-burred  (this is much easier to do if you let the dang things grown long, and don't mow them short).   After seeing a bunch of these you might start to recognize the shape and slight purple tinge on the base of this gastly grass, and so be able to uproot some of them before they produce burrs.


Sand burrs are a horrible plant and I really don't care if it does have any beneficial uses.

There's is a song I found called "Burr Clover Farm Blues", but it's about missing some farm with that name. I wrote a Burr Clover blues version back when I thought they were the culprit, not the sand burrs.  Here it is with "sand burr" now replacing "Bur Clover."

I got the Sand Burr Blues,
Makes me gotta wear shoes,
I try to get rid of it but
it grows tried and true.
I got the sand burr,
sand burr, sand burr blues.

Now for my questions...

• What is the worst weed to curse your yard?

• Do you have any weeds that you like?  That bless your yard?

Thanks!  If you have a blog and would like to post your own questions you can leave your link on the appropriate day at the linkys at 2 Questions Thursday and Aloha Friday.

---

Think Green - Think Spring

Images listed as creative commons on Flickr by Burning Question, and Abbamouse. Illustration is public domain found here.

Ten on Tuesday - 10 HEB Store Brand Faves

I love HEB!  Yep, they give my kids balloons, they have two seater shopping carts, helpful employees (at least at my HEB), and great fresh produce.  I also happen to love many of their store brand products...some even more than name brand!  Here are my top ten favorite HEB/Hill Country Fair Store Brand Foods:
 

HEB Fruit Spread (Jam)

Their fruit spreads are delicious, have less sugar than most jams (and only one gram more than Smuckers Low Sugar jam), and even come in a cute jar!

HEB Creamy Tomato Herb Soup

Tastes just like La Madeline Tomato soup, only cheaper!

HEB Bake Shop Bran and Wheat Bread

Where else can you get healthy bran bread?  I've never seen it

anywhere else in a grocery store!

HEB Granola Bars

I personally think both HEB and Walmart store brand granola 

bars taste better then Quaker.  They're moister...Quaker's are more dry.

HEB Fruit/Veggie Drinks

That's not the actual name for it, but they're the type of drink like V8 splash

I think they taste just as good too.

HEB Oatmeal

Just as good as Quaker, and cheaper.

HEB Nacho Cheeze Chips (Dorito Style)

Not sure if that's the name for them, but they are the ones that are like

the original Doritos.  I can't tell the difference!

Bobillas

These sandwhich rolls are made daily and you can get them for 4 for a dollar in the fresh baked bread section.  LOVE IT!

Hill Country Fair Strogonof 

Hill Country Fair may not technically be a store brand, but since it's store brand price and I've only ever seen it at HEB, I'm counting this.  We love Strogonof but have someone in our family with egg allergies.  Hamburger Helper has eggs.  The Hill Country Fair version doesn't...and tastes close enough for us..

HEB Creamy Creations Ice Cream

Oh, this stuff is good.  Super creamy, and no eggs (an essential if you have egg allergies). 

I'd love to here what your favorite store brand products are!  I'm collecting a favorites list for various grocery stores, which you can read and add to here (or leave a comment below with a store brand item you love and I'll add it to the list myself.  Thanks!)

Aloha Friday/2 Question Thursday - Radio

Every now and then I participate in Aloha Friday, where I ask a simple question for you to answer (nothing that requires a lengthy response) and Two Question Thursday (same idea...only TWO questions).  If you'ld like to, comment with an answer to the questions below:

• Do you listen to talk radio?
• If you do, what's your favorite radio programs?

I'm very hooked on NPR...the whole station.  But my faves are Car Talk, Wait,  Fresh Air, and Wait, Don't Tell Me.


If you have a blog and would like to post your own questions you can leave your link on the appropriate day at the linkys at 2 Questions Thursday and An Island Life.

Sky Watch Friday - Clouds Over the Mountains

More pictures from my California trip! These are of some pretty clouds I noticed driving down the mountain (or riding down the mountain, I should say...my mom was driving...otherwise taking these would have pretty risky).

For more beautiful pictures visit...

Sky Watch Friday
Weekly Color

My Favorite California and Texas Sky Watch Pictures from Last Week

CALIFORNIA
Sierra Nevada Mountains - Wandering Images
Encinita Palms - Objectif Regarder
Los Angelos Skyline - Live, Love, Give
Keys Point, Joshua Tree - Deserts and Beyond
Half Mast - San Pedro Daily Photo
Palm Desert - Deep Canyon


TEXAS
Snow Days - Owl's Farm
Big Texas Sky - DASH Photography



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Throwback Thursday