Yesterday, my mom came out to our little place in the country. She loves to visit us in the country but hasn’t been able to come out for quite awhile. The cows on the road, the deer and antelope, jackrabbits and hummingbirds make her heart so happy. That being said, she wasn’t coming out to just sit back and veg! She came out to go shopping!
So, after pigging out on a lunch of Kiolbassa sausage with onions and peppers, we took off! Steve really didn’t feel up to walking a lot, so we left him to enjoy the peace and quiet of lounging in his favorite recliner.
Our first stop was Mom’s favorite little store in Fredericksburg, Phil Jackson’s Granite and Iron Works. Whenever we are in town, she must stop in to search for new iron and granite pieces designed and built by Phil. After consulting and bartering a bit with Phil, we left. Getting back in the car, we turned around to drive back towards Johnson City and one of MY favorite places, The Wildseed Farm!
I LOVE this place. It is a very popular place with locals and tourists alike. Red poppies sandwich the nursery and the vibrant color of the flowers is what first draws your attention to this gem! Once inside, the red poppies are just the beginning of a super shopping experience. There is a walking path with a wide variety of flowers just waiting for you to enjoy. If you are lucky, you will visit at just the right time to see butterflies by the hundreds enjoying whatever the flowers have to offer.
The main store is filled with garden and home items featuring flowers, birds and butterflies. The aroma of lavender wafts under your nose as you peruse the wares. In the rear of the store are bags and bags of Texas native wildflower seeds just waiting to be tossed on an open piece of soil. Homemade jellies, salsa, canned vegetables, local honey and more are stacked floor to ceiling in the second building. Fortunately, they offer a variety of goodies to cool you off on those blazing Texas afternoons. In addition to a wine tasting room, they have beer, ice tea and homemade ice cream (I hear that the peach ice cream is to die for).
The Wildseed Farm is not a huge nursery but they have a very nice selection of organic, treatment free flowers, herbs and bushes from which you may choose. When you are finished shopping or if you just need to take a break, there is a large covered area in the middle of the property where you can rest while you drink something cool and enjoy the beautiful plants all around you!
Mom and I only had enough time to shop for plants today and we came home with some beautiful specimens. I can’t wait to get them all in the ground (or in containers)! Mom loves the color purple (violet in artist’s vernacular) and so she chose a purple Delphinium. Although she’s never grown this type of flower she decided to give it the ol’ college try. I certainly hope that she is successful with the plant because she was so tickled to buy it!
Once we spent what was left in our pocket books we once again turned the car toward home but were led to stop at William Chris Winery to enjoy a glass of vino! I am determined that Mom will learn to love wine…well, at least one varietal!! She did seem to enjoy a Muscat called Mary Ruth which was named after the mother of one of the owners. William Chris has a lovely porch and “back yard” where you can sit for hours and just soak up the environment and Hill Country atmosphere.
Our day ended back at Casa de Holson where we ate dinner, walked the pups and looked at all new additions to the garden.
The day was a day filled with laughter, teasing and sharing. How blessed are we!
“Then our mouth was filled with laughter, And our tongue with singing. Then they said among the nations, “The Lord has done great things for them.”
Psalm 126:2
OnJoyRoad 