| Spring in Texas Hill Country |
| Never lose an opportunity of seeing anything that is beautiful; beauty is God's handwriting -- a wayside sacrament. -- Ralph Waldo Emerson ~ ~ ~ Pay no attention to what the critics say; no statue has ever been erected to a critic. -- Jean Sibelius |
| I'll paint you a rainbow to hang on the wall To brighten your heart when the gray shadows fall. On a canvas of joy outlasting the years, With a soft brush of sweetness to dry all your tears. I'll paint you a rainbow so deep and so wide Your sighs and your sorrows will vanish inside. On a palette of words, I will tenderly blend Tones into treasures of sunlight and wind. -- Grace Easley |
| Indian Blankets (pictured above) were my dad's favorite Texas wildflower. Every time he visited his native Texas, he'd come back to New Orleans with boxes of seeds and young plants plucked from the hillsides. He gave them to so many people over the years - friends, neighbors, co-workers, I wouldn't be surprised if some of my dad's Indian Blankets survive to this day in gardens throughout the city. |
| Many people believe that the name "bluebonnet" came into being because the shape of the petals resembled the bonnets worn by pioneer women, but the name is probably Scottish in origin, from the term "bluebonnet" which was used for the traditional blue version of the Tam O'Shanter hat. |
| The alternative to despair is courage and life can be viewed as a continuous struggle between the two. Courage is the capacity to affirm one's life in spite of the elements which threaten it. The fact that courage usually predominates over despair in itself tells us that the forces that affirm life are stronger than those that negate it. -- Paul Pfuetze ~ ~ ~ Don't wish me happiness. Wish me what I really need...courage and strength and a sense of humor. -- Anne Morrow Lindbergh |
| In 1982, former first lady Lady Bird Johnson founded the National Wildflower Research Center, an environmental organization dedicated to the preservation of native plants in natural landscapes. In 1997, in honor of Mrs. Johnson's 85th birthday, the center was renamed the Lady Bird Johnson Research Center. Mrs. Johnson was chairman of the center's board of directors until her death in 2007. Pres. Gerald Ford awarded Lady Bird Johnson the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the citation read: "One of America's great First Ladies, she claimed her own place in the hearts and history of the American people. In councils of power or in the homes of the poor, she made government human with her compassion, grace, warmth and wisdom. She transformed the American landscape and preserved its natural beauty as a national treasure." |
| Mrs. Johnson in Texas hill country, surrounded by her beloved wildflowers. |
| Please don't use the "Send page" feature of your computer to send this whole page as an e-mail message. This distorts the layout and separates it from the site. If you'd like to share it, please just send the link. The link to this page is: http://www.thepastwhispers.com/Texas.html |
| Music: El Paso (Can't hear the music?) Whispers - Home Old New Orleans Friday's Journal |
...
| A Texas longhorn grazes in a field of bluebonnets. |
| A calf grazes in a field of Texas wildflowers. |
