New Detour, Mana-Swamp Update

Dropped the car at Lyle's for a wheel sensor problem. Killed time at Xtreme Wheels until time to take a bike ride. Still had the hardtail at the shop, so just changed clothes and hopped on the bike.
Rode past the Wabash Trace Trailhead over toward Mosquito Creek. At the end of E. South Omaha Bridge Road I encountered some new construction. Appears they are creating a gravel detour - see photo.
Wind was from the NNE. "Flew" down the Lake Manawa Trail along the creek. Rode on over to the mountain bike trail area. Sections of the trails there are still under water.
However, West Sidewinder was high and dry. Took a spin on that trail. Encountered a couple branches over the trail that will need to be cleared. Trail surface of this trail is dry and dusty.

It will probably be at least a week until the river subsides. Then still longer until the trail dries out and can be ridden.
From the MtB trails, rode around Lake Manawa, up Indian Creek to S. 16th. (The bridge over Indian Creek is still closed for redecking - at least during the day.) At that time, received the call that my car was ready. Continued the ride into town to Lyle's.
A good 15 miles ride in 80 degree temps. Great way to end March.

The Historic Church Calendar

"...the church calendar, if examined briefly, is entirely structured around the Story of Jesus. That is, the church calendar is a gospeling event too.

The church calendar is all about the Story of Jesus, and I know of nothing - other than regular soaking in the Bible - that can "gospelize" our life more than the church calendar. It begins with Advent, then Christmas, the Epiphany, then After Epiphany, the Lent, then the Great Triduum (Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and the Paschal Vigil on Saturday evening), Easter, and then After Pentecost - with Ordinary Time shaping the calendar until Advent. Ordinary Time is the time to focus on the life and teachings of Jesus. Anyone who is half aware of the calendar in a church that is consciously devoted to focusing on these events in their theological and biblical contexts will be exposed every year to the whole gospel, to the whole Story of Israel coming to its saving completion in the Story of Jesus."

~ The King Jesus Gospel, Scot McKnight

At Mom's

Somehow we started talking about the dogs we'd had growing up.
The confusion started with my mother calling a Boston Terrier a Boston Bulldog.
Mom: Didn't we have a Boston Bulldog here?
Me: You mean Boston Terrier.
Mom (not sounding convinced): OK.
Me: We had PeeWee, but that was at the old house. He ran away. Supposedly.
Mom: But we had another one here besides Joe Lee.
Sis: Howie.
Me: Yeah, Howie. He supposedly ran away while we were on vacation, but I always suspected that Dad just had him removed while we were gone. (I'd brought Howie home without asking.)
(Mom looks confused. Not sure if Dad really didn't do that, or he just didn't tell her.)
Sis: And there was Pockets of course.
Mom: The shepherd.
Me: No, he was a poodle!
Mom: We had a poodle?
Sis: Yeah, he was mine, we got him from the B-----s, remember?
Me: And he got poisoned.
Sis: What?
Me: He got poisoned twice, that's why we had to give him away.
Sis: No, he bit the mailman, that's why he had to go.
Me: No! Poisoned. I remember clearly. The first time the vet thought he might not live. The second time wasn't so bad.
Sis: But they told me he'd bitten the mailman!
(Nobody else remembers the mailman story. Joe Lee did start nipping at repairmen's heels in her old age though.)
Me: He went to live with Dad's friend who had a place in the country.
Mom: No, we gave him to a lady at church. I remember her telling me when he died.
Me: I might be thinking about the chicks instead. I know we gave them to W---- out in the country.
Niece: You had chicks?!
Hubby: Maybe it was Little Buns.
Me: I think we gave him Little Buns too. (That was a rabbit.)
Niece: Can we get some chicks?!
Me: Later on we realized that it probably wasn't a person poisoning the neighborhood animals deliberately -- it was pesticide runoff from peoples' yards.
Mom: Yes, Mr Y----'s dog died. The shepherd.
Sis: No, it was one of those miniature collies. A Shetland Sheepdog.
(Mom looks confused.)
Brother-in-law: Are you sure you all grew up in the same house?
-----

Current crazy dog, a Great Pyrenees named Jasmine.
Friday Ark

Hot Chocolate

Hot Chocolate, originally uploaded by ParsecTraveller.

Thick hot chocolate I made back in January.
I am going to try this recipe again - it's essentially chocolate melted into milk. Really delicious!

Falling

This hickory has always been one of my favorite trees on our place.

I loved the way it (picturesquely, romantically) leaned over the path, and defended it from my husband, who has long wanted to cut it down.

But now there's a problem. How can you defend a tree that insists on behaving in this manner?
Hubby says it must go. We need to be able to drive under there, and neither pickups nor tractors can Limbo. Plus, if this decline continues, a fence will be destroyed.

I'll still be sad to see it go.
(Note the crazy husband in the tree.)

Fast-growing 5-lobed Mystery Plant

There's a new tree in my garden - at least it seems to be a tree- and I didn't plant it. Can someone please help me to identify this unknown plant? I've hunted online and in books but can't seem to figure it out... help!!

(Ed: If you read this post earlier please roll to the bottom - I added another photo with one leaf against a white background so you can see the 5-veined leaves, laddering up alternately on the flexible stem. Mulberry is one suggestion -papaya another. The space between leaf stems seems rather large for papaya, but shade & 12" of rain from Hermine have made other plants very gawky so I'm not ruling anything out quite yet.)



The plant appeared in a new flower bed that had been St Augustine lawn until last March. I noticed it in early summer but thought at first it was a seedling of some kind of hibiscus. Just in case it was something good, I decided to let it grow, try to identify it and move it when fall brought cooler weather. Once its leaves expanded fully it reminded me of a Silver Maple, but maple trees have opposite leaves, and this plant has alternate leaves. The oldest leaves are almost 12-inches long, deeply lobed with pointed tips.

This tree-shrub-woody perennial is now 5-feet tall and it's not only ruining the way the border looks but is shading its valuable neighbors. It has to go somewhere - the question is whether that somewhere should be another part of the yard, a large container or the compost heap.

Thanks for any advice - Annie in Austin

(Ed at 4 PM: Here's one more photo - thanks to everyone on the blog, Twitter and at GardenWeb Texas Forum for commenting! Read through the comments and see how the plant was identified as a Mulberry.)

Christmas Trees are Done!

Last couple of days before Christmas and there are still last minute shoppers, but things are winding down. Not sure if Gary is taking a nap or if we are contemplating a live nativity scene!



The Tent is empty!

The Office is broken down

Till have 117 trees left, over 1/2 are standing

Nite Nite Trees!

Christmas Trees are finally done! 1,000 trees and only 117 trees left. There will be some very happy goats!

The Goat guy made 2 trips and took over 50 trees, but we couldn't convince him to come back for more. Will have to wait for the guys to come get them and all the equipment tomorrow.

Till Later,

Meanwhile, we keep on Trek'n

Melissa & Gary