Coffee on the porch, bright October sunshine, and a doe having her morning breakfast of corn beside the creek, with her spring fawn hiding in the woods. Mornings always make me think of beginnings, of newness, of openings. I wonder who I will meet, what I will discover, what I will finish, and begin. The very, very best time of the day.
The ornamental grass in the photo is Lindheimer's muhly, which is native to the Edwards Plateau region of Central Texas (the Hill Country). But because it's so beautiful (and hardy, too) you can find it in many nurseries these days. The narrow bluish-gray foliage and graceful seed heads are striking--and especially at home in a xeriscape. These are native volunteers, along with the button bushes and the cattails that border the creek.
Garden report. We put in a 30' row of potatoes a couple of weeks ago--a mix of reds and whites left from the spring planting and fully sprouted. I saw them peeping up this morning. The perennial onions have put on their autumn growth, and there's one determined, hardy bell pepper plant left from the summer garden. Hoping that the soil will cool off so I can put in some spinach. But with days still in the 90s, hoping is all I can do.
Book report. The upcoming (Mar 6, 2018) Dahlias mystery--#7, The Darling Dahlias and the Unlucky Clover--is available for pre-order now. If you'd like a signed, personalized copy for your Dahlias collection, go here. The ebook edition will be available for pre-order in December. I think there will be an audio edition, but I'm not sure yet. Please let your librarian and local indie bookstore know about the hardcover so they can keep an eye out for it. I'm working now on #8, which will also be available next year. I've enjoyed getting back to the 1930s and the Dahlias. Thanks to those of you who encouraged me to resume that series. Other projects are in the works--stay tuned!
Catching up: We spent 3 weeks in New Mexico in August, and I'll go back there after Thanksgiving for a few weeks. Hurricane Harvey missed us: 3" of rain and that was it. The squirrels have made off with most of Bill's pecan crop. I've been lazy about the blog, but when I'm working on a book, that's at the top of my mind and I procrastinate about almost everything else. Apologies--I'll try to do better.
Reading note. Be willing to be a beginner every single morning.--Meister Eckhart