Springtime in Texas...

Last week my sister and I felt very adventureous, since we both have had some serious bouts in the hospital lately...we decided to go exploring especially since our part of Texas has had history making floods this Spring while last year was a history maker.... of no rains! But, hey, that's Texas!

Throughout our childhood, my sister and I, and all our large family have enjoyed exploring our ranch land's great arenas of Mother Nature and God's gifts in His freedom and sweet abandon. To simply celebrate the joys of life.

We felt the same in raising our own children, who were all about the same age and were constantly together through closeness of family relationships, parties and weekend get togethers at our family ranch.... We all LOVED exploring....walking...riding horses...in old hoopies that were hilarious fun!

When the work was done or after a huge dinner together that filled the giant courthouse dining table (truly-Bosque County Courthouse)... People filled the house and many, many times even the porches and under the big trees in the yard that my Grandfather planted so perfectly in rows.

It was TRADITIONAL to enjoy life and nature by walking and exploring the earth tanks, creeks, branches and river bottoms, cliffs. caves and crannies...always dogs with us too...and sometime even the cats to follow the whole caravan of laughter, giggles and singing. And once or twice through the years....even pet lambs and a crazy 'row of white pet ducks'. Prause Pied Pipers were wonderful!!!

Our kids not only shared the joys of the above blessing but they were also together in school for football, basketball, track and a humpteen jillion different kinds of 4-H events and competitions. Each of these brought a great treasury of memories~~~laughter.

Our boys shared their loved of the above out door life...nature and sports and being part of school teams that 'went to STATE play offs and Won". Our son grew up and got married and helped to rescue people in the mountain flash floods around Kerriville, while my sisters son enjoyed out doors as well as eventually received national honors as a Green Beret in Wildness Survival competitions and Texas championships in Kayaking in alligator infested waters down the Guadedupe to islands in the Gulf of Mexico. (kayak is an Eskimo canoe....animal skins completely covering the wooden craft with only a small hole for canoer's entry on the top. Like all canoes---easy to flip)

Both of our girls were beautiful blonde cheerleaders throughout high school and winning in numerous pageant titles throughout their teen years and active in every sort event offered in their worlds....which kept them each busy and out of trouble. And yes, we thanked God constantly~~~and still do even our waning years of life.

Anyway the recent flood waters had virtually set Flood records ....but on our old family ranch....it destroyed huge trees that were 36 to 40 inches in diameter ...not circum.....and laid them CRISS CROSS upon each other and made dams of debris. Many trees were about 70 to 75 feet tall...laying like toothpicks. Scarey to look at...even week or two later...to realize the power and force it took. Like Katrina/Rita and all...just hard to believe until you see the destruction left behind.

My sisters beautiful white country home with it's giant tall colonial pillows and a neat top sun deck is built on a hill (and a cliff...humm) overlooking this huge deep valley/meadow and creek bottom...where the flood waters spread with indescribable FORCE completely over this valley that is about a 1/2 mile wide...and water was up to their back patio terrace~~wider waters even above their location.

We neither one, would take for our wonderful adventure and most humbling experience...knowing now...that at the time of flood... that she and her husband (both physically recovering from operations at the time)...never knew...how close they were to being destroyed.

But our wonderful adventure was~~~Awesome! The sun was shinning... so beautiful. A perfect day for walking. Gentle south breeze. Birds (that I love) were massive and all singing at the top of lungs. THE FAMILY DOGS joined into the mix...eager to run wild and did so...for our entertainment and back pats. One black lab...chose to entertain me by going in the water and getting HUGE ROCKS and bringing them back to me ...for his pat....and 'that's a good boy' world. ha ha Even the old tom cat lazily crawled off of the roof and his sunny spot to join the fun and fumbled his way through the torah of flowers, giving an occasional "meow" as if to say..."Are you guys nuts or what?" "Pick me up, I'm not a dog!" Meow!!!

The unbelievable Spring FLOWERS were beyond describing. It's always masses upon masses of Bluebonnets--that just our part of Texas...but added to that sea of Blue....came prairies covered in gold. Golden daffodills, gold wild mustard blooms & yellow minature mums, then purple violets, red Mexican daisies, Yucca's white bells...the light blue stalks of Cowbells, Indian paint brushes of all colors due to different types of soil, white Babies breaths and beneath on the ground was different shades of blooming water moss. Oh yes, dear ole buttercups and primroses.

The colors were amazing and what my Mom used to talk about seeing in HER childhood...early 1900's. Wow, I am so glad that history does repeat itself and I get to see it.

OOOOPs...forgot to mention one other~~~~ hummm~~~ poison oak and stinging nettles. ha ha

And yes....like days of old....when my sister and I USED TO taking our kids walking in the woods...and to the creeks favorite SWIMMING HOLE when they were little...where you could see the clear to the bottom---until kids and DOGS stirred up the water...ha ha~~~~this day...we two, waded in the beautiful clear waters...collected huge fossel shells that had been pushed down the head waters.

I love collecting the small rocks that have a HOLE all the way through. Rare but around. (Folk lore says that Indians used them for trading and necklaces. ) This whole creek area was obviously once an Indian camp ground. Arrowheads used to be massive.

I found 2 of my little round "Holy...er holed...rocks that day. That's unusual but guess the flood shook em loose.


The MOST UNIQUE family heirloom of Indian relic that our family has is rare and many Museums would dearly love to have ownership of it...as well as the true story behind it. Beyond all doubt....and verified by Baylor Un. Archeology---many years ago, when my Mom was a young mother she found this huge AXE head chipped out of flint rock. The edge is still perfect. The Axe is broken in the middle...almost 1/2 of it missing. But it is broken in a perfect 'straight break' with one small 'bloop that is jagged'. Momma found it when her Daddy was digging a cellar in our yard back about the late 1930's. The old cellar is solid rock ledges and in the dirt near the top is where she found the Indian Axe...or piece of one.

Then in 1979 my sister was going to build her above colonial house on our family ranch and was digging in the dirt...trying to place the CORNER STONE areas of her new home....and suddenly she digs up....THE OTHER HALF of this Indian Axe!!!

She has in her hand...the OTHER HALF....PERFECTLY Fitted/matched....to our Mom's half of the axe.

That is unique enough within itself....but our home...Moms house....is probably about 3 and a half miles AWAY. But there is absolutely no denying the PERFECT FIT of the two pieces which totalled about 9 inches long, 4 inches wides and about an inch deep where it broke apart.

Theoretically...only God knows the how/what happened answer. But from an archeological point of view...it is that most likely the Indians slung the axe at a deer for food...it hit...broke off and the deer ran until it bled to death...holding the broken half still in its body.

Again, only our Lord knows the story....but He has blessed our family with a neat and very valuable unique gift....the Indian Axehead...broken...but fitting perfectly together notch to notch.

Well, that's enough of Spring Time in Texas. It's so great to share these stories with you and I thank you for your encouragement and phone calls. It's off to see the Cancer doctors again this Tuesday...there's another unfriendly lump~~~so you can SEE WHY ...I love to treasure each and every moment...especially, Spring Time in Texas flowers, birds and my hilarious sister.