C'mon, spring!

Anacachio orchid tree (Bauhinia lunarioides), which had green leaves
until three weeks ago.  The recent Arctic blasts took the temperature
a little low for this beautiful little tree; I really hope it survives.

Don’t you hate when weather is the only topic you can come up with when chatting with someone? It’s a sure sign that you don’t know the person well, or that you have nothing in common.

Or, that you are gardeners.

We have gone from the extreme of snow in my last post and another arctic front the following week to the past week of balmy weather in the 70s (F). These wonderful non-seasonal days are a benefit of living in Texas. We have spent lots of time outside this week, finishing the pruning, weed-eating grass stalks, sitting in the porch swing, taking walks.

All week it's been cloudy and sometimes very damp in the morning, clearing off to a sunny afternoon. I took these pictures Saturday morning when it was quite foggy.
I do adore foggy mornings!

One of our outdoor activities has been nursing a large leopard frog. I spied him from an upstairs window as he floated in our small pond last Monday. After school that day, my daughter went out and gathered him up, discovering he was alive. She administered some physical therapy, and built him a platform to rest on. We thought he was perhaps stunned by the cold, or was waking from a dormant period.

Alas, after a week of her best frog nursing efforts, he (she?) finally succumbed. Au revoir, la petite grenouille. You were a good little frog. (My daughter’s also been learning some French words this week to impress a friend who speaks French.)

Favorite spot in the garden:

My garden is tres triste (ha!) after the hard freezes we have endured.  But some dainty greenery is emerging with our warm weather. This photo is of an unidentified plant, perhaps the native oxalis. It’s green (which is exciting) and I like the diamonds of water decorating the leaves.

C’mon, spring!