It Never Rains in Texas

It never rains in Texas. Or so it seems. I moved to Texas 10 months ago, from NW Arkansas, and you would think by now I'd have figured the weather out. It was dry and hot all summer and I expected that. But come cooler temps and fall I thought the seasonal rain would begin. Nope. Winter? Nope. On a few occasions a storm has brewed and produced some rain. But it's over fast, we don't seem to get much of the variety that is a slow rains, soaking the ground.

Most recently, in the past week to week and a half it has been 80 or so degrees everyday, which seems really warm to me for early March. I know the frost date for region 8 is March 31 so I figured we could get another cold spell. A few individuals, from Texas rather than transplanted, expressed their interest in it "finally getting warm," leaving me to ponder what 80 degrees is.

The problem is, I miss the rain. I loved it when it would shower and then clear. Or rain all day and seem to fit my mood. Or the rain make me feel like I could relax a little. I love love love to sleep to the sound of a gentle rain.

So finally, a break from the drought has arrived. Yesterday evening, Tuesday, it began to sprinkle off and on. During the night it stormed and now the slow rain is expected to continue through the end of Friday. The creek outside the back door is full and the accumulated trash has moved downstream. The pair of ducks that often feed in our area are nowhere to be seen. I want to go walk in the rain, frolic and spin. It's been too long.

Plants of the Metroplex

Well, it's spring in Texas and I'm excited. I've spend some time on random warm days over the past few weeks, clearing a small garden area out back of our apartment. The area was covered in English Ivy, which is not native and hard to get rid of. I cut as much as I could and got rid of that, then I sprayed what was left. A couple weeks later, I pulled and pulled what was remaining. Ah, finally, I can see the soil! My husband picked up nails and bits of trash while I pulled the ivy. I have thus far unearthed three small snakes in my efforts.

Based on what I read about eradicating English Ivy, I will have to maintain my spot against new growth. I have a few sprigs coming up, and after borrowing a rake (I gave my brother 90% of my gardening supplies when I moved to Texas-but it's in the blood, I will have a small garden anyway!) and further cleaning the area, I still have more roots to pull but not bad at all.

Two of the snakes I ran across are rough earth snakes. Since they feed on things that would eat my plants they can stay!

My plan for my little garden this year is: zucchini, squash, onions, garlic and tomatoes. Because of the temperatures in Texas I'm also exploring winter crops for planting in the fall. I also hope to put in a few spring bulbs in the fall because I so love the new color of spring. My biggest challenge will be getting proper water to my plants as I do not have an spigot outside.