around here lately

texas is reeling.  this june through august has been the hottest summer on record for any state.  ever. texans are battling wild fires and praying for rain that never comes.  

hundreds of families have lost their homes to the fires.  farmers and ranchers are struggling to survive the summer drought.  houston alone is estimating the loss of 66 million trees.   

where i live, the temperatures finally fell below one hundred. saved from the heat, the boys and i returned to playing outside.  i walked around and looked closer at the damage done to my little piece of land.  the yard was the reason we made this house our home.  we simply love it.  we typically choose not to water the grass very much. andy works hard to water the producing fruit trees and then we hope nature will take care of the rest.  this summer we have also been on water restrictions.

a lot of the yard is brown and crisp.  we've lost two trees. we are trying in vain to save the blueberries. even the palm trees are losing their color. but we've added a lot of native plants to this landscape, and they are thriving in the weather! i realized that even though we have not had a measurable amount of rainfall since March, there is a lot of life here. and i am so grateful for the green.

  

 (curse the weeds for being unfazed by the drought!

 and for being so lovely that i don't want to pull them.)

i am grateful for mushrooms the size of dessert plates that appeared in the lawn.

 and for the first two meyer lemons making it through the summer.

 

 

 

i am grateful for greyson's kumkwats, struggling but surviving.

 

and so, so grateful that there are oranges.  fewer than last year, but still - oranges!

 

 and i am grateful for the loves that share this space with me.