Last weekend Andy and I planted fruit trees -- apple, peach, and cherry -- and a couple of blueberry bushes. Then we had rain, which was good for the plantings. Andy trimmed up the very tall crepe myrtles in front. He and a friend's son worked on laying out more flagstone pathway, from the backyard around the suite to the front of our private patio. I worked this weekend in the yard pulling weeds and raking leaves off of the garden, but there is a lot of ground left to cover and get ready for spring. I planted more irises I had laying around, and Andy and I planted vegetables in the garden up by the barn. We found a funny thing when we went to check the vegetable garden on Sunday afternoon -- some critter had come up underground and pulled down tomato plants and ate them, leaving just an empty hole! It was either a mole or a gopher. They didn't bother the pepper seedlings, only the tomatos. I was very disappointed and will have to figure out some way to keep those critters out of the garden. Otherwise, I see signs of growth in the garden: asparagus, red onion and shallots, potatos, and lettuce. In the herb garden we have sage, basil, mint (for our signature mojitos!), cilantro, and oregano, and I've planted some arugula for salads. I still need to get the okra and soybeans in the grounds, which I plan on doing sometime this week.

We don't have any plans to go to Dallas until May, so we will be home for the next couple of weekends, to work on the property and to entertain anyone who wants to come visit. The trees are starting to bud out and the grounds are turning green. It is lovely to sit out on the front porch and listen to the birds, and watch the sunset in the evening.