creeks – The Hermits' Rest

Honestly there is not much news from here. I rested most of today to let the healing continue. The antibiotics seem to be helping, so I’m less wheezy. I am up to January 8 on the temperature blanket. So far it looks pretty warm.

That one bit of blue is the only time it got in the low 40s so far.

Lee is getting over his hurt back and I’m wheezing, but we managed to take a little walk by the creek on our property. Things are waking up. And I woke up when I spotted a familiar shade of purple on the creek bed.

I was so excited to see a violet on our ranch! This is the first one I’ve seen here, though I’ve seen some on the creek bank at my friend Pamela’s nearby property. There are no cattle on her property, so her banks are more stable. I’m happy to see these. There are very few reports in the area.

Coralberry is more common, but still a beautiful creek bank resident.

A beautiful sight we found were the blossoms on our only little stand of eastern swamp privet (Forestiera acuminata). We are at the western end of its range. These cheerful yellow puffs are gorgeous from a distance.

There’s a bonus cardinal at bottom right

A final sighting were two very large turtles. It’s a bit cool for turtle sightings, but the one sluggishly meandering in the creek was large enough to not be too bothered. The other one we found was no longer alive, but it was interesting to see it’s bones under the shell. The turtle had enjoyed a long life, for sure.

You can see there’s a lot more turtle under water.

It was fun finding all these surprises. Also, while I didn’t ride today, I hung out with the horses and helped move some cattle. I protected the gates and kept the horses in! At least I got to be outside.

On my last morning in Wimberley, I decided to see if I’d missed anything on the property. Sure enough, after saying hi to the cows, I found a nice tent camping spot.

There’s something for everyone here, as long as you like rustic.

I found a few more plants for iNaturalist, and took this photo to show those of you not from the middle of Texas what our limestone rocks look like. they have lots of water holes and sometimes fossils.

Most of the trees here are live oaks or cedar elms, just like at home. The difference is there are more live oaks here and more cedar elms at home.

As I was trying to find more plants I discovered where there’s a waterfall and pool when it’s rainy. There were chairs to sit and relax, so I did.

As I looked around, I saw many flowers and plants growing straight out of the rock, many in the creek bed. They must pop up fast! Their tenacity and drive to grow, thrive and reproduce inspired me!