Tales From the Bunkhouse - March, 2023

[Mac's Carol]

Another month already or at last depending on how you feel about February!  The big story in the DC area right now is the cherry blossom forecast.  This is a big deal around here and it even sometimes falls at the same time as the festival!  It draws a lot of tourists and locals because it is such a beautiful site.  They are going to bloom early this year (surprise, surprise) since the weather has been so warm.  They are pretty fragile though and wind and cold at the right (or wrong) time can destroy them.

[southplains]

2 hours ago, Mac's Carol said:

Another month already or at last depending on how you feel about February!  The big story in the DC area right now is the cherry blossom forecast.  This is a big deal around here and it even sometimes falls at the same time as the festival!  It draws a lot of tourists and locals because it is such a beautiful site.  They are going to bloom early this year (surprise, surprise) since the weather has been so warm.  They are pretty fragile though and wind and cold at the right (or wrong) time can destroy them.

 

I bet that is really beautiful @Mac's Carol.

 

Here, the bluebonnets and Indian Paintbrush are popping up.

[ElayneA]

@southplainsSend pictures.I just have a sea of white.

[southplains]

25 minutes ago, ElayneA said:

@southplainsSend pictures.I just have a sea of white.

 

I'll wait until they are in full bloom, and then I'll send one. Unfortunately, we can never predict how good the crop will be. Some years it is sparse, and other years, the flowers are so thickly abundant that they mimic big lakes out in the pastures. It all depends on a balance of moisture and weather.

[southplains]

34 minutes ago, ElayneA said:

@southplainsSend pictures.I just have a sea of white.

 

Here is one I took a few years back.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[southplains]

And another.

 

 

[southplains]

And here's one I took of some Indian Paintbrush near us.

 

 

[ElayneA]

Thanks for the colour.

[AC1830]

@southplainsWhat lovely flowers to behold. I think that is my favorite kind, the ones that spread through a field creating a sea of color. 

 

Our first flowering trees - early cherries, tulip and star magnolias and pears are finishing up their blooming along with forsythia, daffodils and hyacinths. Soon we will have red buds, dogwoods and azaleas showing their colors in a southern Spring. 

[debbiejo]

17 hours ago, southplains said:

 

I bet that is really beautiful @Mac's Carol.

 

Here, the bluebonnets and Indian Paintbrush are popping up.

When we visited Texas a few years ago in the month of April, one of the nice memories was seeing those two wildflowers in abundance all along the highway. Just beautiful !

[Mac's Carol]

Here we can see fields of little bluettes in the Spring and in September we get fields of yellow flowers but I am not sure what they are.

[jojay]

Where I live, around mid to late March there are seas of white and blue violets.  There is a park down the road from me that is just covered!  A vast lake of white amongst the Oak and Maple trees!

[southplains]

This was taken in our area just yesterday (March 4, 2023) by a photographer who goes by the name of "Mirage."

 

 

[AC1830]

1 hour ago, southplains said:

This was taken in our area just yesterday (March 4, 2023) by a photographer who goes by the name of "Mirage."

 

 

Stunning!! 

[southplains]

Today is the day the Alamo fell. There was a stirring remembrance at dawn today on the Alamo grounds. It gives me chlls.

 

Remember the Alamo

[debbiejo]

18 hours ago, southplains said:

This was taken in our area just yesterday (March 4, 2023) by a photographer who goes by the name of "Mirage."

 

 

Amazing beauty !

[southplains]

1 hour ago, debbiejo said:

Amazing beauty !

 

Ironically, the depth of color in that sunset is due to the dust particles still floating in the air from the sandstorm that hit 500 miles away a week ago.   Proof that sometimes beauty can come from something ugly.

[jojay]

Such a somber remembrance.  "Ashokan Farewell" always gives me chills.  Hard to believe the song was written by Jay Unger in 1982.

[southplains]

On 3/6/2023 at 5:23 PM, jojay said:

Such a somber remembrance.  "Ashokan Farewell" always gives me chills.  Hard to believe the song was written by Jay Unger in 1982.

 

I had no idea that's what the song was.  And yes, it certainly does sound as if it is from a bygone era rather than just a few years ago. Thanks for sharing that, @jojay!

[southplains]

So in June of 2022, we had to take sweet Molly, our (huge) 13-year-old Australian Shepherd to the vet, and sadly, had to have her put down. Our area was in severe drought at the time and the ground was like concrete. My husband didn't think he could dig a hole large enough to hold her, so we opted to have the vet send her off for cremation. Six weeks later, we were reunited with her remains in the form of an urn, a square wooden box with her name engraved on the top.

 

Fast forward to November, and our 14-year-old Catahoula, Blue, died early in the morning of a massive stroke. The ground had received some moisture, and my oldest son buried him down in the pasture where all of our furry friends rest, and I thought it was only right to bury Molly's box of ashes with him, as they were lifelong pals.

 

Now, here's the part that shows that you just never know how things might end up. Our vet mentioned he was frustrated that it took over a month or more to send pets off and have the ashes and urns returned. He wanted to start a crematorium at his own vet clinics, but had been unable to find someone to build and engrave the boxes. Well, hubby is a carpenter and immediately volunteered. Two weeks ago, I spent a weekend learning to run a laser engraver. Fortunately, my experience with photoshopping software shortened the learning curve a bit, as some of the features were similar.

 

Yesterday we received our first order from the vet clinic. And today we sent the little boxes back to the vet with names engraved on them. Buddy, Heidi, and---wouldn't you know it---Blue.

 

I must admit, it made me quite sad to look upon those names engraved in wood. Three households losing a beloved pet almost brought me to tears. My son said, "This is a depressing line of work!" And it is, I guess. But like I told hubby, at least we are making a remembrance of furry loved ones that people can keep.

[patina]

@southplains I appreciate the skill that goes into making a wooden box for a beloved pet’s ashes. I couldn’t bring myself to bury Mazique, Tripoli, or Jude (all cats) and instead had them cremated. Unfortunately, Mazique’s and Tripoli’s boxes ended up marinating in flood water full of sewage, chemicals, and who knows what else for several days and ended up tossed out. When I think of Jude and get teary-eyed I take comfort in knowing he’s nearby in his box. 
 

 

[AC1830]

@southplains It's amazing how some things come back full circle. While it's hard to create those boxes, it can be a gift of service and love for someone who's grieving their beloved pet. And what lovely boxes you have for your cats.  

[Mac's Carol]

I have three of those boxes myself.  Yes it is a gift for the grieving family.

[southplains]

Another photo taken of my area by a fantastic photographer called "Mirage."

 

The colors aren't enhanced. There is no filter. And yes, the real thing is even more beautiful. It really does look like this, only better. I always think of the beauty found here at this time of year to be God's apology for the brutal heat He is about to unleash on us. 😂

 

Notice the sad sight of the geese flying north. Goodbye, geese! Come back early, I hope!