prairie pointObservations and news <br /> from a Blackland Prairie gardenerw lee o'daniel- March 30, 2005 After my last post it occurred to me that some people might never have heard of W. Lee O'Daniel. He was a flour mill manager in Fort Worth who hit on the idea of advertising his flour with a radio show that featured a band called the Light Crust Doughboys. O'Daniel himself was the announcer, lacing his program with Bible quotes and political commentary. The show became very popular in rural areas and O'Daniel played off that popularity to get himself elected governor and later senator,...http://www.prairiepoint.net/journal/archives/000459.html about thirty year's ago- March 29, 2005 It was down in Tulsa, about thirty years ago,At Cain's Academy, down in old Oklahom' The dust was blowin' but the music was right, And W. Lee O'Daniel played all night Actually it was about 30 years ago that I first heard James Talley sing those lines. In those days most of my record collection was jazz or rock. Despite living in Texas I had little appreciation for country music. But Talley's music touched something in me. The album was a gift that got lost somewhere over the years, but.http://www.prairiepoint.net/journal/archives/000458.html spring- March 22, 2005 The weatherman was predicting rain but it never happened. There was a gorgeous blue sky on the first day of spring. Everything in the lawn was green and perky. Salvia greggi was blooming in several colors. The mutabilis and rouletti were covered with blooms. The white wisteria spread its sweet perfume over the west yard.http://www.prairiepoint.net/journal/archives/000457.html vultures- March 16, 2005 Vultures never are on anybody's list of cute & cuddly, or even on the list of admired animals. But Rob MacGrogan has some good words for them in a blog called Spruce Pine Cottage. Actually I am kind of on the same page as Rob because I have lately been learning to appreciate vultures myself. There is a huge roost of them on the cliffs below our lake cabin. I have counted at least fifty as they start gathering just around sunset. It can be a bit intimidating to see that many of the...http://www.prairiepoint.net/journal/archives/000456.html bambi- March 15, 2005 I found these bones along the south fence. It's a young deer who probably got its foot caught in the top of the fence and didn't make it. There is a small herd of about seven that we see quite often. This morning I was planting near the house when I felt some eyes on me and turned around. There was one watching me at the edge of the woods about 100 feet away. Making a mental note I am sure to come back when I wasn't around. They eat or pull up just about anything in the vegetable...http://www.prairiepoint.net/journal/archives/000453.html watching a radio show- March 12, 2005 We had a pleasant time last night at the taping of Wait, Wait Don't Tell Me. To the extent that I ever thought about it I had assumed shows like this really were done "live", and maybe taped for rebroadcast. But it's really more like the way a TV show is taped before a live audience. So it's not live, unless you are in the studio audience. Later they do a little "cutting and pasting" to polish up the show for broadcast. We stayed while they redid several parts. For instance while...http://www.prairiepoint.net/journal/archives/000455.html wait wait don't tell me- March 10, 2005 Tonight we will be at McFarlin Auditorium to see a taping of Wait Wait Don't Tell Me. The tickets were a premium for renewing my membership at the local NPR affliate. I have been listening to this NPR station for almost 20 years, ever since I moved to Dallas for a job and took an apartment in a new complex. I thought an apartment complex would be a great place to meet people in a strange city but it wasn't. But I guess I wasn't trying too hard anyway. In those days I went to work 6..http://www.prairiepoint.net/journal/archives/000451.html Tales from Elm Flat- March 9, 2005 Growing up, I would listen as my parents sat around the kitchen table with their coffee and talked about places called Rural Shade and Elm Flat and the people who lived there. These were communities around Kerens Texas where they grew up, and which in their minds they had never really left. They still had family there and about once a month we would load into the family car and go visit my grandmother with the sunny garden and the quilting frame in the living room, or one of my mother's...http://www.prairiepoint.net/journal/archives/000454.html rouletti- March 7, 2005 We have our first rose of the season (actually several blossoms) on the Rouletti. It's a miniature rose we picked up at the Antique Rose Emporium on one of our annual road trips to South Texas. When I say miniature I just mean the flower. Although the literature suggests that it is good in containers, ours are quite ample in size. It really felt like Spring today. It was pleasant to be outside even if it was a bit damp. Lots of daffodils and tulips in neighborhood yards and some of...http://www.prairiepoint.net/journal/archives/000452.html redbud- March 3, 2005 Lately we seem to have alternating days of rain and sun. Plants are slowly greening up, but there is still not much to talk about in the way of flowers. It's fun to look at the buds on the limbs though and watch them develop. These are on a redbud branch. Today is Texas Independence Day. It used to be a big deal when I was a school boy; now you don't hear much about it. I guess the state employees and schools still get a holiday. Traffic was really light on my daily commute.http://www.prairiepoint.net/journal/archives/000450.html |