B for Texas

I'm back, although still worn thin as a Liberty dime from last week's trip to Dallas. I was there (again) for work, and while I regret being away from the blog so long, a day job is a lucky job for a canner to have. After all, somebody has to pay for all the mason jars I use at Greenvalley.

I'm working on a post for you about strawberries since we are smack in the middle of peak season, but I may not get it up before leaving tonight to dig ramps in West Virginia. Road trip! Fear not, though, eventually I'll get caught up with everything I haven't done.

The other subject that requires updating is my Master Food Preservers certification course. Two weeks back, just before I left for Dallas, I had to give a demonstration of my abiilties before a panel of stern judges. Then this week, the moment I got off the plane home, I went straight back to class to take the written exam. It was tougher than I expected, and I'm hoping that it's graded on a curve. Of course I'll let you know the results as soon as I have them.

In the meantime, ABOVE is a quick snapshot of the Texas spring. Any wildflower enthusiast will recognize that bloom. This short prairie lupine a few shades darker than the sky grows freely along roadsides and in pastures. Botanists know it as Lupinus texensis because its natural range barely surpasses the boundaries of the state itself; it is the state flower. Lone Star locals, Homo texensis, call it "bluebonnet."

I call it pretty as a picture.

Comments

[Sharelle]

Thank you Kevin - now I am happy.