December

007 Snap a Dozen Days


Spun by Hand

December is the month I first learned to use a spinning wheel. A year ago, I asked for and received a wheel for Christmas. My first time using it produced yarn that lumpy and uneven, though functional. Over the year, I've practiced and improved.

My preferred way to spin wool is to pick out some roving, sit down at the wheel, and just see what comes from it. There is little planning for me and I like it that way.


Sue's Luxury Yarn
Hand-dyed Roving

I don't think I'll ever be very technical about my spinning. I'm sure it would be beneficial, but I don't care to know the angle of twist or to count the rotations of the wheel to get my plying just right.


Wasatch Watercolours
Fine Range Wools
Fish Lake

I enjoy spinning "freestyle". And if you know me well, you are probably surprised by this. Normally I'm a by-the-book, follow-the-recipe type of person.


Sue's Luxury Yarn
Hand-dyed Roving

But, with spinning I have a carefree attitude, because I've learned that even the most unlovely yarn can be knitted into a thing of beauty.

November

007 Snap a Dozen Days


In the Hill Country
Cypress Creek, Texas

I like the way trees look this time of year, especially after they drop their leaves (see photo below). The exposed branches against the sky are interesting to me. It won't be long before the pecan trees will be bare. They are my favorite. Right now pecans are dropping and the harvest is predicted to be a good one because of all the rain we had this summer.

I always think of November as birthday month. Three out of four of our family were born in this month--John, me and Robyn. I used to worry that Matt felt left out this time of year when he was little, but he says he never thought about it. It's a month of cake and candles.

Then of course, it is the month of Thanksgiving. This year our gathering will be small--just John, Matt and me. We'll still have turkey and the works, but I'll try to remember I'm not cooking for a crowd so we don't have tons of leftovers.

October

007 Snap a Dozen Days


Sunset at Matagorda Beach

October is a great month to be outdoors. It is still warm here, but not oppressively hot--just perfect for a day at the beach. The sunsets are especially nice this time of year. I hope to experience this sight many more times this month right from this very spot.

Gotta run. The kids are still here and we have things to do. More about our weekend later this week

September

007 Snap a Dozen Days


Ruby-throated Hummingbird

September is the month that our backyard comes alive with hummingbirds. It is rare for us to see hummers in the spring. And we have never had one stay for the summer. However, when the hummingbirds begin their southerly migration, they tend to stop over in our yard to feast on the flowers of the Turk's Cap shrub.

You can see how perfectly designed flower and bird are for each other in the photo above (all pictures in this post can be viewed in a larger format with the click of the mouse). As the hummingbird dips in for the nectar, her head brushes against the stamen and is dusted with pollen.



This year we have about six Ruby-throats that feed regularly in our yard. Each day we are entertained by their acrobatics.



And awed by their grace and beauty.



These amazing little birds are my favorites and I look forward to their return each year.

August

007 Snap a Dozen Days


Needville, Texas
The Home of Friendly People
Pop. 2609

We moved to Needville the first weekend in August, twelve years ago. John took a transfer to Houston, but we knew city-living was not for us. We had already lived in the Houston area two times before and had heard about Needville from friends who lived here. We decided it would be a great place for us to live and raise our children. We were right. Robyn was in 7th grade at the time and Matt was in 2nd. It was our hope that we could live here long enough to get both kids through high school and we have.

Needville is a small town with good schools and a strong sense of community. So far it has escaped the urban sprawl of Houston, but it's coming. Until then, I'm going to enjoy the cotton fields and pastures and small-town-living that I love so much.


The Four-Way Stop in Downtown Needville

You can tell you are in Texas by all the pickups and SUVs. We can tell who's not from Needville by the way they drive through the four-way stop. Out-of-towners loose track of whose turn it is.


The Old Needville Water Tower

This is a well known landmark around here. If you should ever get lost (which would be hard to do), just look in the sky for the water tower and follow it to downtown.


Needville Fire Station

The Bluejay is the school mascot, but it is also the symbol of our town. It is used by the fire department and police department. Everyone around here shows their Bluejay Spirit.


Needville's First Fire Truck

Of course, we have modern well-equipped fire trucks now. This old one sits outside the fire station and represents a piece of our town's history. Click here for a detailed history of Needville.


Entering Needville on Highway 36 South

When I see this sign, I know I'm home.

P.S. For those that might wonder, that's a hawk in the first picture. It was sitting on the sign when I pulled over. I grabbed the camera quickly, but only got this one shot (from inside the truck) as it flew away.

July

007 Snap a Dozen Days


The Lincoln Memorial
Washington D.C.

July is the month the United States celebrates its independence. Last week we found time to drive from Baltimore to Washington D.C. to see some of the sights associated with our country and the freedom we celebrate. We were limited to only three hours, so we parked on a street near the National Mall and started our tour with a visit to the Lincoln Memorial. Designed to resemble a classical temple, it is a quiet and reverent place.



The Washington Monument is visible from all parts of the park, but the most common view is from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial across the reflecting pool. The Capitol Building can be seen in the distance.



Next we walked to the Vietnam Veterans War Memorial. The wall of names reminds us that the cost of freedom is great.





At the opposite end of the reflecting pool is the World War II Memorial.



The Freedom Wall contains 4048 gold stars, each one representing approximately 100 American lives lost during the war.



Walking a little farther, we came to the base of the Washington Monument.



You can go to the top, but we didn't have time. From the ground you see the Jefferson Memorial on one side...



...and the White House on the other.



Soon it was time to leave, so we headed back to the car. It was a quick tour, but we made the most of it.

June

007 Snap a Dozen Days




Kosher Dills & Bread and Butter
From John's Garden and Tracy's Kitchen

June is pickle month at our house. We are hoping for a bountiful cucumber harvest, so we can make plenty of pickles to eat and give away. John planted two 4' x 8' beds of cucumbers (about 24 plants) this year. He is picking cucumbers daily and so far I've put up six pints of bread and butter pickles and seven quarts of kosher dills. Just after this first round of pickling, we noticed tiny worms on the plants--not a good sign. Let's hope we can get rid of these pests soon, because in just one week they have ruined about 100 cucumbers!

The pickle recipes I'm using are from Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book (1984 edition), but here is one for bread and butter pickles that is very similar. The main difference is that I put the jars in a water-bath for five minutes. I'm surprised this recipe doesn't include that step.

Making pickles is a relatively new venture for me. This is only my second year to try my hand at it, so I'm still experimenting with the ingredients. The first year, the bread and butter pickles were just right, but the dills weren't dill enough or spicy enough for our taste, so this year I really packed in the dill seed, garlic and hot peppers. Hope I didn't overdo it. We'll have to wait at least a week before trying them. The flavor will be much better the longer they sit.

I'm picking up tips here and there. Friends of mine just told me about Pickle Crisp and they even gave me a box to try on the next batch. Another friend shared a tip that's been a great time saver. She told me to put the label on the lid instead of the jar. Since you can't reuse the lids for canning, you don' have to spend time removing the sticky glue that's left when the label is removed. Does anyone have other good tips to share?

May

007 Snap a Dozen Days



Celebrating 23 Years
Matagorda Beach

May is special for a couple of reasons. First, it's the month John and I were married twenty-three years ago. We celebrated this year's anniversary with a travel trailer trip to Matagorda Bay Nature Park. No fancy presents, just the gift of getting away from everything and spending some time together.

Matagorda is a fisherman's dream...



...and a beachcomber's delight.



The happy couple.



We enjoyed our time together very much and I have a feeling we'll be going back to Matagorda every chance we can. We drove home today to celebrate the second reason this month is special--Matt's birthday. He's nineteen today. Happy birthday, son!

April

007 Snap a Dozen Days


My Team

April is all about baseball. Nothing is more highly anticipated for a baseball fan than opening day. The season is a long one, beginning in April and lasting though September. Teams play a game six days out of seven each week (except for a few days off for the All Star game in July). Then it's the playoffs and the World Series in October. Sounds like that would be enough to hold a fan over for the five months off, but it's not. Not for me anyway. So, April is a welcome month. Baseball is back and all is well again.

March

007 Snap a Dozen Days


Field of Bluebonnets
Brenham Christian Academy
Brenham, Texas

March is a beautiful month in Texas. Wildflowers begin to bloom near the end of the month and will peak in mid-April. The most famous wildflower in Texas is it's state flower, the bluebonnet. The only place in the world where it grows naturally is in Texas. Wildflowers of all types can be found growing along the side of the roads, but a showy field of bluebonnets will take your breath away.

Each March I look forward to the return of the Purple Martins. We have a martin house in our backyard. Once martins nest at your location, they will return each year. Our martins have been nesting here for three or four years. Their song is so unique and very pleasing. I love to wake to it each morning.

March is also madness, as in March Madness Basketball. Each year our son-in-law sets up an online family tournament. We all have our special method of making our picks. Some of the serious competitors in the family actually follow college basketball through the season and make their selections from first hand knowledge. My method is to do last minute "research", which this year means I copied some ESPN sports broadcaster's final four picks and guessed at the rest or flipped a coin when I couldn't decide. I was doing really well until this weekend. Currently I'm in fourth place, but still have a shot (even though it's a long shot) at the title. My pick for the winning team is Georgetown and they're still in it.

March is the start of spring--my favorite time of year.


Texas Bluebonnet
Old Baylor Park
Independence, Texas

February

007 Snap a Dozen Days


Trail Riders
Damon, Texas

The month of February is best known for Valentine's Day, but here in Texas, it is also known as the month that kicks off the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. It all begins with the trail rides.



In 1952, four men rode on horseback from Brenham, Texas to Houston as a way to promote awareness of the Show. Now, over 4000 riders hit the trail as a part of thirteen trail rides that make their way to downtown Houston. The longest of these rides is 386 miles. It starts in Hildalgo, Texas and lasts for three weeks. That's a long time on a horse!



The group I photographed is the Southwest Trail Riders Association. They started their ride in Rosenberg on Saturday, February 17 and rode ten miles to Needville where they camped for the night. On Sunday after lunch, we found them on Highway 36 in Damon about five miles from Needville. It's slow going on the trail. It will take them a week to make their way to Memorial Park, downtown Houston. There they will join the other trail ride associations in a big parade on Saturday.



Horses and wagons don't look too out of place on country roads, but wait until they get to Houston. There they will be riding in the shadows of modern day sky scrapers and sharing the freeway with thousands of cars and eighteen wheelers. It's quite a sight! A one of a kind Texas experience.

January

Snap a Dozen Days


January Sky Reflected in Hale Lake
Brazos Bend State Park
Needville, Texas

January is a month to reflect on the year just past; a time to set goals for the year to come. There is a sense of renewal and optimism unique to this month. Nothing seems too big to accomplish. Though the weather can be gray and dreary, January always feels new and fresh to me. It's a month I look forward to.