Prairie Winds Farm

Today I saw a beautiful iris blooming in my garden. Immediately, I thought of the person who gave me this magnificiently colored iris as a birthday gift five years ago. How beautiful it is to remember a fondness of a friend with a breathtaking specimen. Each year as this iris continues blooming I will have fond memories of my precious friend. Be sure to spread a little cheer with a gardening friend when you get the chance to. You can be sure that your gift will continue on with its therapeutic beauty year after year without fail.

Today as I peered outside a window, I saw this young hawk resting upon our fence. We have lots of hawks in our neighborhood and I enjoy watching them soar. I have made a large brush pile in order to house wild animals, skunks, snakes, rabbits etc. It sounds awful that I should expect the hawk to find food from my brush-pile but that is indeed one reason that I made it. It serves nature in that it is a home and a food source for wildlife. I had the privilege of seeing the mother of this hawk swoop down and carry off a two foot garden snake to feed upon. She was only a few feet away from me when she made the landing upon the snake. She carried it off dangling below her talons. That was a surprise... Here is a photo of brush-pile.

When Christ comes into our lives, He Removes our Guilt and takes away our fears. He gives us love for others and a New Purpose in life. Like a spring of pure water, God's peace in our hearts brings Cleansing and refreshment to our mind and bodies. the Lord will guide you continually and satisfy your soul...you shall be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water. Isiah 58:11

Today I made a Lemon Icebox Pie. I got the recipe from a cookbook published for Katy First Baptist Church's 100th Centennial Celebration. Its a breeze to make and quite delicious with a warm cup of tea. Whenever I have the opportunity to squeeze fresh citrus juices and freeze them for later use I do so. I utilized the lemon juice I had previously frozen for this recipe. I cheated and used a store bought crust. Here is the recipe: 1 can condensed milk, 1/2 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice, 2 egg yolks Mix all the ingredients on low speed with elec. mixer less than one minute. Put the ingredients in a precooked pie pastry shell(400 degrees for 10 minutes) and top with three egg whites whipped until light and fluffy. Whipped Egg White Topping: The egg whites should be room temperature and to the three egg whites you add 1/4 teaspoon of cream of tartar and two table spoons of sugar. Mix the egg whites until they form peaks and the sugar is dissolved. Once you have added the egg whites f...

Now is the time to attend Fruit Tree plant sales in Houston and surrounding communities. The next one I know of is the Fort Bend Master Gardener Fruit Tree Sale @ the Ft. Bend County Fairgrounds, 4310 Hwy 36 S, from 9-1 on the 12th of Feb., 2011. Go to the web-site for the Fort Bend County Extension Office to get more info or learn how to become a master gardener. http://fbmg.com/ This is a photo of buds on our Meyer Lemon tree. I harvested 89 large lemons year before last from this tree but last years freeze limited this years production. I have pruned the branches and am anxiously awaiting arrival of the buds and the bees. And of course it is important to remember that the citrus tree is also a host plant for the Giant Swallowtail Butterfly as mentioned in previous blogs.

These three towns will keep you busy with shopping, fanciful foods, and beautiful scenery. We love to visit in Spring and Winter. There is always lots to do. If you do visit Fredericksburg , Texas you might consider starting out your day @ the Rather Sweet Bakery off Main Street http://www.rathersweet.com/ for some delicious fresh baked muffins, scones, or quiche and hot coffee. I am constantly researching retail merchandising displays, seasonal-product, and interviewing shop owners any chance I get. I am hoping one day to have a store front or online store. I am currently reading and studying the book, Specialty Shop Retailing , written by Carol Schroeder. Its about everything you need to know to run your own store. As Roy and Dale used to sing, Happy trails to me and to you. Bed and Breakfast in downtown Gruene , Texas Crystal bottle in Gruene shop Winter berries in Wimberly , Texas Wooden planters on Main Street, Fredericksburg Mercury look alike urns and lamps @ shop in Fred...

The holiday spent visiting with loved ones left me filled with hope for the future and all warm with love for the precious little ones. May God bless you all this coming year and find you eager to pursue your heartfelt desires. For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. John 3:16-17