Peace and quiet in the Texas Hill Country on our land in Blanco county, Texas.

 

Love our Hill Country trails in the spring time in Blanco County!

                       An abundance of shade throughout the trail system.

                      View from the side of the hill, looking down.

                 This is another seating area, looking down the hill.

                                                         Spot for a future bench.

This seating area is surrounded by Spanish oaks, redbuds, cedars, and many escarpment black cherry trees. Super shaded! 

                                        Foot bridge. Watch out for the troll...

Texas Hill Country fossils in Blanco County

In Blanco County, anyone looking for fossils that are millions of years old will have no problem finding them. On our 11 acres, they are abundant. Just imagine that at one time this part of Texas was an ancient shallow sea.

I found these two shells still intact. Millions of years ago, both sides formed a living animal. Then I found them both still together!

 

Fossilized mud and shells mixed together.

                               

Be creative: Don't burn or mulch your brush piles!

This is the second brush pile that I decided to break down, piece by piece. Like the other brush pile, I utilized this one for building up the berm. I also created habitat for the wildlife in the area, like the gray fox couple that frequents the property.

     This brush pile took a little longer.

Using the limbs, I built up the berm along the entrance to keep the rain water and soil on the land. Over time, it will create a nice build up of soil.

I used these limbs to create my wildlife habitat. I left an opening big enough on both sides to enter or exit. Also, inside it's tall and wide enough for young foxes (kits, pups) to play in.

     The habitat.

Brush piles: Instead of mulching or burning, utilize them!

This brush pile has been here for more than 12 years. Over time it has deteriorated so imagine how big it was at the beginning. I decided to break it down piece by piece and utilize it for building up my berm to control runoff of water and soil. One bonus was all the fertile soil created during the decomposition stage. I probably got 25 wheelbarrows loaded with great soil. If I would have burned or shredded it, I wouldn't have been able to use it to its full potential.

This is what was created underneath the brush pile. Just look at all that rich soil–25 wheelbarrows full!

          

I added the bigger twigs and branches to the existing berm.

Good bye, brush pile!

Meep Meep...

This roadrunner showed up a while back and wasn't a bit nervous about me being there. Since removing the cedar and allowing native grasses to flourish, there is now plenty of food for wildlife. This one kept going into the grasses, retrieving grasshoppers and a lizard. Every time it would get something, it would go over the rock fence. A minute or so later, it'd repeat the process. I think it was feeding babies.

Down under in Blanco County, Texas

I found this vertical cave on our land. It is located on one of the highest points in our county. One day, I noticed a depression in a cactus bed and became curious. After removing the cactus and dirt, I found this cave. It is 7 feet deep. But it could go deeper and wider because all the dirt that filled in over time. Maybe some day I'll finish what I started. No telling what kind of treasures I'll uncover.