Author Archives: countrylivingdreamer

About countrylivingdreamer

I am a public school teacher of high school English, speech, & theatre who is living her dream of living in the country, 30 miles from the nearest grocery store. In order to accomplish this dream, my husband and I have lived like pioneers for about 3 years, and I hope to blog about our adventure and the adventures that we continue to have.

Dec26

Merry Christmas a day late!

Posted on December 26, 2015 by countrylivingdreamer

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I hope you all have had a very, merry Christmas! We surely did here at the Mountain Pasture! The full moon was gorgeous, gorgeous! Christmas Eve the temperature broke all records for a high. I think it was 77 degrees here, and we picked fresh, pink roses from my rose bush. That was a first in my lifetime. As my son said, “Mom this centerpiece looks like Easter, not Christmas!” We also had fresh tomatoes from Grampaw Grant’s garden for our salad!

As we walked through the pasture, we saw tall, native grasses and mesquite trees that still had green leaves on them. It is unnaturally warm here in Central Texas this winter. We do have many red cardinals and many white-tailed deer though. Our dog, Houdini, enjoys the walks as much as we do, and he always manages to scare up some rabbits and quail. He and Mike, out cat, are quite the mighty hunters. The three fat squirrels keep a sharp eye out for both the dog and the cat.

We tried some new recipes for Christmas this year including, roasted Brussels sprouts with toasted pecans, roasted broccoli with a lemon/Parmesan sauce, a standing crown rib roast, and a gluten-free raspberry cheesecake! Yummy! Of course, Stephanie made her outstanding Scalloped Potatoes with Gruyere cheese (heavenly delights) as well as the cheesecake, and I made my usual homemade rolls, Mama’s chocolate cream pie with meringue, Mama’s pecan pie, and Clara Wash’s lemon chess pie! Joe III created the Brussels sprouts and the roast, and Uncle Bob Close provided the baked ham. Joe and Stephanie made the green bean casserole on the box recipe, and Grampaw Grant provided the fresh tomatoes for a beautiful green salad. All together it was toooooooooooooo much, too much, too much, but oh, so good!

Grampaw, Chase, Jay, Kat, and Cousin Henry kept the grandchildren entertained inside and outside, and Grampaw even built a fire outside, just for fun!

We are so thankful for family and friends, and we hope that you all have found some peace and happiness during the holidays and will experience much happiness in the coming new year. We are looking forward to the celebration of E.G. (Sandy) Hall’s 90th birthday shortly after the New Year! What a beautiful example he has set for all of us on how to live and how to age gracefully.

Cheers to all of you for a prosperous, happy 2016!

Mar17

Magnolias Here and There

Posted on March 17, 2012 by countrylivingdreamer

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This past week I was on spring break from school, and I went to Shreveport, LA. with my daughter and grand-baby. They were looking for a house in which to live since my son-in-law was transferred there in his job. We saw some beautiful homes as well as beautiful country. The green grass was a foot high in places, and the pine trees and rolling hills were stunning. We saw lots of magnolia trees in the yards of the homes that we were viewing. The area was pleasant and interesting.

The magnolia on my mind at the moment is our high school UIL competition cutting of Steel Magnolias by Robert Harling. We’ve been working on the production for a little over two months, and now it is time for our public performance. The students will present their play to the public tomorrow, Sunday, March 18th, at 1:30 p.m. They will host a fish fry lunch prior to the performance of the play. The luncheon will be from noon until 1:30. The director (me!) is a nervous wreck because the students have all been on spring break for a week, and we have not had a rehearsal or even given a thought to the play. I’m just hoping and praying that they haven’t forgotten everything we have learned. The six young ladies in the cast are, indeed, beautiful magnolias and steel ones at that. They have been the most congenial group of girls I’ve ever directed. There is no diva. The girls all have adversity in their lives, and they are all strong and intelligent young women. I’m proud to be involved in a small moment of their lives.

Mar5

First Bluebonnets of 2012

Posted on March 5, 2012 by countrylivingdreamer

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This past Friday, I took my high school one-act play students to Bandera, TX. On the way there, we saw bluebonnets in bloom between Llano and Fredericksburg. I thought that those blooms were way ahead of our personal bluebonnets, but no, not at all. Saturday afternoon, we drove around the Mountain Pasture, and there they were, just beginning to peak their little blue bonnets out of the green plants. Above and below are photos of the first ones of the year here at our place in Central Texas. We welcome you, bluebonnets and spring!

Mar1

Gardening–Intensive Care Unit

Posted on March 1, 2012 by countrylivingdreamer

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I think I’m a failure at growing early tomato plants from seeds. I finally took my two trays of spindly plants into town to the school. The agriculture teacher has a green-house full of many beautiful plants. The 5th and 6th graders have beautiful, large tomato plants growing out there. Yes, 5th and 6th graders! Today at lunch, the Ag teacher told me he had my plants in the “plant intensive care unit” of the green-house! Oh No!!! I knew they looked sickly, but that bad?! My son will be most aggravated if I waste those seeds from his League of Nations garden!

Today was one of those days when I wonder why so many little things that go wrong get me down! Ever have those days? I’m a school teacher. One of the play’s important props went missing, students wanted their grade averages and I don’t have them ready, the cast forgot their lines tonight at the dress rehearsal, some students were disrespectful and wanted to show their “power” and “bullyness”, and the furniture store who owes me a new, matching sofa and loveseat that are already paid for emailed that they are closing. Well! what an end to a perfect day! Whine, whine, whine. Spring break can’t come fast enough for students and teachers alike! For sure I can’t go into full-time gardening for a living since my plants are in intensive care, so I guess I’ll suck it up and go forward as a teacher.

How lucky and fortunate I am to know an Ag teacher who will take in my ailing plants and nurture them and to know I have students who will rise to the occasion tomorrow when they perform for a critic in Bandera, Texas.

Feb27

An Early Spring?

Posted on February 27, 2012 by countrylivingdreamer

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Watch out little peach tree! Several of the fruit trees my hubby planted last winter are now blooming. I think it might be too early! The last frost has not arrived yet, I fear! The old-timers go by the mesquite trees, and those trees have not begun to put on green leaves yet. They remain dormant.

This little apricot tree doesn’t know any better either! Both of these trees were planted a year ago. Can’t believe they are already making blossoms like this.

..and the clover abounds since there are no horses around this year. Ah, the power of rainfall and warm weather!

Feb26

More About Texas Bluebonnets

Posted on February 26, 2012 by countrylivingdreamer

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The bluebonnet is the state flower of Texas. The blossoms resemble the bonnets of pioneer women. We have an abundance of the plants here at the Mountain Pasture. Summer before last, a friend gathered some seeds from our prolific plants. She planted them. They haven’t come up. She is distressed.

I was reading about bluebonnets today, and the success rate in planting seeds is 60%, and sometimes they don’t produce blooms for two years if they do come up. The plants are survivors, and they are very careful about protecting themselves. It is best to plant the seeds in the fall in soil that has good drainage. Some recommend that a person scar the seeds before planting them and barely cover them with soil. There are many recommendations on the Internet for planting bluebonnet seeds.

Sheep and goats eat bluebonnet plants as quickly as they poke their heads out, but cattle don’t care for the plants. I think we’ll have a fairly good crop this year. Below are some photos of the current state of the plants at the Mountain Pasture. Can’t wait to see them in bloom!

Feb25

A Year’s Growth in Gardening

Posted on February 25, 2012 by countrylivingdreamer

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Here is a photo of a blackberry plant that my husband planted a few weeks ago, and the next photo is of a blackberry plant planted last year about this same time. It is amazing what a year’s growth amounts to! Wow! Maybe, we’ll get a handful of berries this year! I can’t wait until I can make a fresh, blackberry cobbler! mmmmmm, good!

Here is a photo of a fruit tree planted a year ago, and the next photo is of a fruit tree planted this year. I just can’t believe they have grown this much in a year, especially with the Texas drought going on. Due to the dedication of my husband to keeping the trees alive, he watered them twice a day, every day last summer, and he did it by hand with a water hose, the trees grew by leaps and bounds.

Feb24

Texas Drought of 2011 at Mountain Pasture

Posted on February 24, 2012 by countrylivingdreamer

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Texas climatologists have determined that Texas suffered the worst one-year drought since 1895 this past year. Streams were running well below normal and reservoirs were at fifty percent. The land at the Mountain Pasture certainly suffered this past year. As my husband and I hiked through the pasture last weekend, we couldn’t believe the dead trees that we came upon. Trees that had been here for many years are now decaying. We were saddened to see the results of the drought, but were overjoyed to see that the rains of this month of February have put water back in our tanks/ponds and brought the bluebonnets to life and given the countryside as well as its people hope for the future.

Results of the Texas drought of 2011 at the mountain pasture pictured below:

…and then there are always the survivors:

bluebonnets, tank water, and water running into the dry creek bed!!!!

Feb20

ELVIS

Posted on February 20, 2012 by countrylivingdreamer

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Please help the high school drama club spread the word that Elvis is coming back to Richland Springs this coming Saturday night, February 25th at 7:00 p.m. in the RSHS Cafetorium. Adults: $5.00 minimum donation; Students: $2.00 minimum donation. Harvey McSpadden will once again entertain with his deep, resonant voice. Grab a friend and “come on down” to Richland Springs for an evening of great musical entertainment. Harvey also sings gospel and country music and performs a nice tribute to our veterans. This is a fund raiser for the Richland Springs Drama Club.

Elvis Presley, 1973 Aloha From Hawaii televisi...

Image via Wikipedia

Feb19

Talents and Life

Posted on February 19, 2012 by countrylivingdreamer

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This was long thought to be the only portrait ...

Image via Wikipedia

Image via Wikipedia

Matthew 6:25

Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?

Yesterday, I tuned in to the last few minutes of Whitney Houston’s 3 hour and 45 minute funeral service. The main preacher was about to begin. He preached on the above verse from the Bible. It really is so true, that we all get caught up way too much in what we are going to eat and what we are going to wear. The man did a good job in my opinion, and not only did he preach, but he played the piano and sang and asked his twin brother to sing. I can’t even being to imagine being the mother of children like that who have talent beyond measure.

In my English IV class on Thursday, we were discussing iambic pentameter and the fact that Shakespeare wrote his plays in iambic pentameter. I commented that students were allowed to say they didn’t care for Shakespeare’s style or his works, but that they were not allowed to say that Shakespeare was dumb. That class discussion and Whitney Houston’s funeral led my husband and I to discuss the God-given talents that people are born with and what raising children with great talents entails.

My brain is so small that I can’t even imagine hearing a song in my head that has not been written yet or hearing a play in iambic pentameter as I wrote it. I can’t even imagine having a talent like that.

Take a moment to consider what you will eat and what you will wear, but put the emphasis of your thoughts on the more important things in life. It’s a good idea whether you are a Christian or not, and that’s my sermon for the week. Have a great week!