The State of the Leaves Address

"The State of the Leaves Address" 1, 2, 3, 4
December 21, 2009
Time Machine Master Gardener's Compost Garden, Odessa, Texas

What did they say in their address to me? "We are not all brown, are not all gone, are not all the same."

Tree Man, Robot Man, Joker Man, Marathon Man

Tree man, robot man, joker man, marathon man...that's Joseph, man!
Joseph Garner
Penwell, Texas

A bit of outtake fun.

Joseph Garner

Joseph Garner 1, 2, 3, 4 (Click any for larger view)
Penwell, Texas

I had a blast doing this portrait shoot. Joseph, you da man!

Walk and Talk with Me

Walk and Talk with Me, 1, 2, 3, 4 December 14, 2009
West Odessa, Texas

West Odessa is served by a volunteer fire department. The WOVFD station (their mascot is a wolf) is just a block from my home, the sound of sirens so common I hardly notice it. But since adopting my dog Ansel, I have become much more aware again. His breed is 'siren howler.'	The gray cardinal, or pyrrhuloxia, is another common resident, another contributor to the ongoing soundtrack of life "Out West." Although you know I adore taking photos of flowers in the warm months, winter has distinct benefits, like bare branches.
Most windmills are in operation in West Texas, pumping underground water for livestock and landscaping. My place has a well and I would love to put a windmill on it, using the water for my orchard. Note to self: One day I'd like to plant fruit trees for an orchard, too.	Not much to say except that I liked the contrast of the deteriorating pink porch and the shiny decoration. And that I do get bolder and bolder. My photo philosophy has boiled down to "it's easier to ask forgiveness than permission." I'm sure there are gaping holes in that philosophy.

Hark!

"Hark!" Kit's Christmas Program, 1, 2, 3, 4 December 10,2009
Odessa, Texas

My granddaughter, the angel.

Lovely light in the church, but it sure makes it hard to get photos of 5 year olds.

Western Soapberry Studies

Western Soapberry Study 1, 2, 3, 4 (Click any for larger view)
West Odessa, Texas

Another winter case of profound plant love.

Virgin Bower Studies

Virgin Bower Study 1, 2, 3, 4 (Click to view larger)
West Odessa, Texas

I love this plant. And I love this plant most especially this time of year.



Read a bit more about Clematis drummondi on my nature blog, Leaves of Eve.

Beep Beep

Roadrunner
West Odessa, Texas

I spent some time this morning chasing a roadrunner with my camera. Just call me Wile E. Coyote.

Street Rumble

Motorcycle Club "Cossex?" 1, 2, 3, 4
Zion Church of God, West Odessa, Texas

Sunday's afternoon was enlivened by the sound of a hundred motorbikes on my normally quiet residential street. No fear — they were meeting at the church to drop off gifts for a Christmas Toy Drive!

Alley Troves

"Alley Trove"
October 8, 2009
West Odessa, Texas

One of the places I like to take photos is down alleys. I can stop any time I like. I cause less alarm pointing my camera at back fences. Plus there are always plenty of weeds, which you know I like.

Morning Glory Shadows

Morning glory vine shadows
December 10, 2009
West Odessa, Texas

'Tis the season. Not just for holidays, shopping, and eggnog, but also for seeing that which I missed before.

Bookcover Designing is Fun!

Books by Brian Montgomery

A friend, Brian Montgomery, is a writer and about to publish on Amazon. Today I played with creating some bookcovers based on photos of mine he chose. I was surprised at how well they could go with his work. I would never have guessed that.

18 Journeys is a collection of short stories, 5 Blondes is about a detective chasing serial killers, and The Confession of Alan Evans is about an archbishop who confesses a secret to the same detective from 5 Blondes, a sort of sequel-prequel. They all sound intriguing to me! When they are available, I'll let you know and update this post with links.

P.S. My brother's surgery went very well and he is now home recovering. Thank you to everyone for your kind thoughts and prayers.

First Snow

...
Views of first snow: dried yucca pods and fruitless mulberry leaves on my windshield
December 4, 2009
West Odessa, Texas

Would be very grateful for prayers for my brother's surgery today to remove his diabetic toe.

Apples and Oranges

...
Hedge apple, aka osage orange, and a bunch of other names, including monkey brains. Ew.
Latin name Maclura pomifera, native to North America
December 3, 2009
West Odessa, Texas

In spite of their fruity name, these "apples" or "oranges" are not edible!

I nabbed them from the sidewalk in front of a neighbor's house. I was seriously hoping that none would fall from the trees while I was out collecting because they are big and heavy. If they landed just right could probably knock a person out. I wanted to try drying them like I remember my own grandmother doing back when I was a kid. I don't recall what Grandma ended up using them for, but me, I'm thinking they'd be lovely in a garland for my Christmas tree this year. Every year I have a theme. This year my tree is going all natural -- in spite of the fact that my tree is fake.

I thought I'd write a bit about the process, although there is not all that much to it.

The exterior is a bit sticky and whatever the sticky stuff is takes a goodly amount of soap and a little scrubbing to remove from surfaces like my cutting board and knife. The fruit center is very fibrous and hard to slice through, causing me to lament having sold my electric knife in a garage sale. With persistence, though, I learned to cut a little, then rotate the hedge apple in order to get the most uniform slices. When done, I rinsed the slices because it oozed white stuff. Turns out, that stuff is a form of latex, so those with sensitivities wouldn't want to try this.

I think my grandmother must have used her oven on a low heat to dry them, but I have this stackable dehydrator and find it very convenient.

While drying, some slices will form a cup shape which is quite pretty. I don't know why that happens, but wish I could force the shape -- the dried cupped shape on a wire stem would be beautiful in a seasonal floral arrangement.

There you have it, everything I know about drying osage oranges, aka hedge apples.

Still Hanging On

Leaf of Siberian elm
October 9, 2009
Odessa, Texas

Winter weather has finally arrived this week with some sleet, gray days, and dipping into freezing temperatures at night. I don't feel too cheated as it is December, after all. And amazingly, there are still leaves hanging on the trees here.