A Prairie Thistle...for Monday's Country Backroads

 

The Texas Thistle, Cirsium texanum, is not to be confused with the

beloved Scottish Thistle.

 

As you can see....

 the color is a real attention getter,

 especially when the sun is as bright as it is today.

 

 

You will find it along the roadways on the prairie,

 blooming from April to July.

 

As your new week begins today,

remember

 to enjoy all that is around you.

 

Meggie Mac

Along A Country Road....for InSPIREd Sunday

 

Countryside with rolling hills...

A perfect setting for the

Swiss Alp, Texas Lutheran Church.

 

 

A small part of it's history,

is recorded on the Texas Historical Marker

 

I've photographed and written about this church

 in a previous post.

Click

HERE

 

Even though the grass is meticulously mowed,

I still think of this spot as the

 "Church in the Wildwood"

 

 

"How sweet on a clear, Sabbath morning,
To list to the clear ringing bell;
Its tones so sweetly are calling,
Oh, come to the church in the vale."

 

Enjoy your Sunday

Meggie Mac

 

 

Linking today with others

 from around the world.

Click

HERE

 

 

Perfectly Imperfect....for Friday's Fences

I wouldn't change a thing about the rusty red gate...

Do you agree?

Perfectly Imperfect

Nothing fancy here.

This is home....

I'm content to be living on the prairie.

May you also find happy trails

 this weekend.

Meggie Mac

Back in the Garden for Wednesday.....With Some New Plants

 

How could I not buy this plant ?

One of the common names is

Flowering Maple.

The Abutilon "Bella Select Mix",

 is in the mallow family.

 

 

The leaves remind me of a maple tree.

It is also heat tolerant...

A good thing,

 because our summers can be brutal.

 

 

 Coleus are often referred as "eye dazzlers"

 

Looks like something has found the foliage tasty.

It is no wonder, with all the rain we've had.

 

 

It takes nightly trips, with a flashlight,

 to hunt down the garden snails.

 

The variegated English Ivy,

 I planted last year,

 is now trailing over the retaining wall.

 

 

I hope you enjoyed the sampling of plants today.

 

It's a lovely spot to enjoy... with a cup of tea.

And today it was served with

 freshly baked lemon pound cake.

 

Remember, you are always welcome.

Meggie Mac

Yellow in Bloom.... for Monday's Country Backroads

 

Upright Prairie Coneflower

Ratibida columnifera (scientific name)

also commonly known as Mexican Hat.

 

 

They are truly a sight to see....

on the main highways,

country roads,

trails.

 

 

 

I'm spreading the word...

It's going to be a great week !

Meggie Mac

Three Crosses on a Hill..... for InSPIREd Sunday

 

Faith

 Prairie Life

 

Meggie Mac

 

Linking

 with others

from around the world.

Click

HERE 

to view

 

Texas meets Scotland.... for Friday Fences

Just look at the size of this native cedar fence post.

Most likely it was cut from a nearby tree.

If you look closely you can see where side branches were cut off. 

It appears to have been a barbed wire fence...later covered with field fencing.

Pulling from my Scotland trip archives of photos,

 I found a similar fence, 

using barbed wire and field fencing.

It was taken on the beautiful grounds of Scone Palace, 

near Perth, Scotland.

Want to guess what is caught on the barbed wire strand,

 just above the field fencing ?

Yes, indeed....

some of that woolly red coat from a

Highland Cow.

The week end is almost here.

Enjoy !

Meggie Mac

What's in the Garden.... for Wednesday

 

How cool is this...

The ladybug,

 taking no notice of me,

was carefully grooming the leaves of the Dusty Miller.

 

I love gardening.

Not just the blooms

I actually like the digging in the soil.

 

 

And....

 dreaming of what plants compliment each other.

 

As I started editing my photos,

 I realized I couldn't show everything in one post.

The Bungalow Garden is in the beginning of its' 3rd year.

 

Even though the house is about 85 years old,

there were no flowers, a sprinkling of sad shrubs,

and one red rose bush.

 

 

I've carried and laid all but the heaviest of stones.

 

So I'll begin today, by showing you a few flowers and plants.

I'll try to continue each week, posting some projects and what is blooming.

 

 

Pink Pentas will offer blooms most of the summer,

attracting butterflies and hummingbirds.

 

 

Can you believe these creamy white chrysanthemums are

blooming this time of year. They will repeat blooms in the fall, too.

 

 

Okay...are you ready for this name.

Echeveria gibbiflora  'Tahiti'

To me it's a beautiful succulent,

 with fleshy upcurving leaves and crinkly edges.

 

 

How about this beauty.

It was one of those "impulse purchases" near the check-out counter.

You know what I mean.

 

In searching today, I found it is called "Easter Cactus".

 

 And true to it's name, it was blooming at Easter.

Funny thing, I bought it a year ago at Christmas time,

 thinking it was a Christmas Cactus.

 

 

So I will leave you here....

where you are always

welcome.

Meggie Mac

Colorado River View for Monday's Country Backroads.....

 

Don't let the photo fool you...

Just beyond the tall grass in the foreground, is a

 200' drop-off.

 

What you see are the tops of trees,

 with the swollen Colorado River below.

 

The two storms that moved through here a couple of days ago,

 have left the river beyond the banks.

Click

HERE

to read a previous post

About The Bluff.

 

 

This place is special to me.

 Let go

 Consider

Contemplate

Clear your head

 

It's Monday....

Onward

 

Meggie Mac 

A View of Texas Bluebonnets for InSPIREd Sunday....

 

What could be more inspiring for Sunday Morning Worship....

 than a historical church,

in a field of wild bluebonnets.

 Saints Cyril and Methodius Catholic Church, Dubina, Texas,

 was built in the Carpenter Gothic style, popular in rural communities.

 

Click

HERE

and

HERE

to read two previous posts, including the interior photos.

I promise you will not be disappointed.

 

It is one of the many "Painted Churches",

 all within a few miles of my home,

 located in the rich Blackland Prairie of South Central Texas. 

 

 

The Bluebonnet is our Texas State Flower.

 

 

 

Although these photos were taken a few weeks ago, today

I can still see faint patches of color along the way.

They are heavy with seed pods,

 ready to drop

 the promise

 of next years' blooms.

 

Enjoy your Sunday !

Meggie Mac

 

 

Joining others for this weeks'

inspired Sunday

Click

HERE 

To view other churches from around the world.

 

Traveling the Prairie Roads for Friday Fences....

 

"Use it Up, Wear it Out" was an expression I often heard from my grandparents.

Living in a rural setting,  I still experience some of that same mindset.

So much of today's standards are "Use and Toss".

 

 

I'd say, this old mailbox still has some time left to be useful.

 

And the same applies to me.

It's my hope to return to my love of writing, photographing,

 and connecting with the world outside my inner circle.

I have missed all of you.

Meggie Mac