TEXAS STATE SONG?

I was scrolling through my Facebook feed earlier, when suddenly this Stevie Ray Vaughn song popped into my head. I'm thinking maybe we should adopt it as our new state song. For once, we're doing OK here in Wimberley, at least for now. Other parts? Not so much.

Then again, maybe we should take a more optimistic approach. Something like this might do the trick. Apparently that's Hubby's attitude, as this appeared out of nowhere on our porch yesterday.

Yeah, that's the ticket. Let The Sunshine In!

41 + 4

My dad was a home designer/builder, and often, on Sundays after church and lunch, we would go visit his works-in-progress. I feel kinda bad about it now, but on more than one occasion I ended the tour with a comment along the lines of "It's great Dad, but I wouldn't want to live here. I'm going to redo a neat old house. Something with character and history!" I read waaaay too many historical romance novels as a kid.

That was the plan, anyway, until I went and fell in love with a mechanical engineer -- great with machines, not so great with things like carpentry, plumbing and repairs. Plus, we never stayed in one place long enough to complete a project of that magnitude. So, it just made more sense to buy new, then "Get outta Dodge" before anything had a chance to fall apart.

Still, just because I never actually lived in a neat old house, that doesn't mean I ever lost my love for them. In fact, I eat my meals in them every chance I get. No surprise then, that it was love at first sight when I saw the place Hubby had chosen to celebrate our forty-first anniversary (plus four years of dating) yesterday -- a very European place in the heart of Austin called Fabi + Rosi. 

I opted for pork schnitzel with spaetzle...

while John went for pepper steak with truffle fries.

I had to help him with those fries. (Moan!)

For dessert we started to share that item at the top of the list, just because we wanted to tell people we ate Krack Pie with Hooch Cream. But then the lady on the banquette next to us leaned over and said "Order the lemon chevre tart. Trust me."  I'm so glad we did.

Actually, the celebration started with us taking lunch over to Lex, Nate, his parents, sister and niece, only to discover that four of them had driven over to Wimberley to surprise us! They now have a refrigerator full of Mima's tacos. On the plus side, they were all soft tacos, which reheat pretty well. Plus, it's never a wasted trip if it means snuggle time with The Goob!

In between that and dinner, there was a trip to one of the best bookstores (with a great children's department) and THE best toy store. Turns out, I'm not the one they need to worry about, when it come to bringing Little Goober prezzies every time we see him!

Know what I love most? The amount of time and thought he puts into finding just the right thing. Or things.

POPPIES, FOR REMEMBRANCE

In the weeks leading up to Memorial Day, the deer finally decided to stop devouring all the poppy buds on our wildflower berm down the hill, leaving a nice display in honor of the occasion. Fortuitous, is it not, since poppies have long been the symbol of remembrance for those lost in battle?

 The Cantina Garden is making me very, very happy right now. After so many years struggling with drought and deer, it's finally starting to look like the garden I first imagined. Well, minus all the veggies I was picturing. Apparently veggies are not my thing. I'm more of a perennial person.

The Vitex is a purple blaze of glory right now...

and the traditional coneflowers are in full bloom...

but what really tickles me are these amazing hybrid coneflowers, bought for next to nothing off the bedraggled-rack at Lowes last summer.

I was not all that certain they would survive, but just look at them now!

Just love the variations in color, and how each bloom morphs as it matures!

Also love the way they blend with this crazy gomphrena that keeps coming back...

and this lovely Coral Bells, whose leaves start out a rich coral color, then turn into toffee!

But, know what I love most of all? These crazy 'shrooms that just pop up out of nowhere...

then turn themselves inside out!

Any idea what kind they are?