Category: Midland/Odessa

West Texas Wildflowers

Our part of the state is better known for tumbleweeds than wildflowers, but when we get a little spring rainfall, things change dramatically. I took a 30-minute stroll yesterday morning, and within a three-block area found sixteen different varieties of wildflowers. OK, most of them are technically flowering weeds, but, you know, potato/potahto. Some of… Continue reading West Texas Wildflowers

Predator

I started to write about our trip to Houston this week, but decided I’d rather post this instead. Debbie found the skull of a mouse in our back yard at lunch today. We (OK, me) were fascinated by the juxtaposition of delicacy and implied evil. If the preceding image is too, um, intense for you,… Continue reading Predator

Spring Blooms

I look at the flowers on this lantana and think, “God, how do You do that?”

Dusk Storm

We were at the end of a post-dinner walk around the neighborhood and the sunset was striking. I had no camera other than my iPhone, but that seemed to work out pretty well.

Texas Mountain Laurel

The Texas Mountain Laurels are beautiful this spring. One of ours has been loaded with clusters of blooms that looked more like grapes than blossoms. They also smell like grape juice. I wish the flowers lasted longer. (Click for a bigger version.)

Baby Pome

Ever wonder what a pomegranate looks like in its very beginning? Well, wonder no more: To get a sense of the scale, those are my fingers holding the branch.

Mockingbird Recording

As I sat on the front porch yesterday afternoon reading a book and enjoying the nice weather, I was aurally accosted by a loud-mouthed intruder who was so enamored with his own voice, I suspect he’d make an excellent Senator. Your browser does not support the audio element. Just kidding. Mockingbirds are too smart to… Continue reading Mockingbird Recording

Unique Local Haiti Relief Effort

Vicki Jay is the director of Midland’s Rays of Hope, a grief counseling resource for children (and an outreach of HospiceMidland). She leaves next week for Haiti for ten days as a part of a grief/trauma team working with children in a Haitian village that was devastated by the earthquake. That relief project could use… Continue reading Unique Local Haiti Relief Effort

Snow Report: Historic but not Impressive?

Midland’s official snowfall yesterday totaled 4.5″ which, as some commenters implied in the previous post, is not worth sniffing at compared to what they’ve had in their northern climes. But put it in perspective: that total was the 9th heaviest snowfall in our area’s recorded weather history. Midland has never had more than 10 inches… Continue reading Snow Report: Historic but not Impressive?