Presley Nicole Long At 4 Months

Hard to believe that Presley is already 4 months old! Jennifer and Beverly took her for her 4 month checkup in Waco yesterday. She is doing great, right on target for all of those little things that they start doing about this time. She weighed in at a hefty 11 pounds, 7.4 ounces. The pediatrician, Dr. Orr, said she is going to be one of those that we will all envy because she will be able to eat all she wants and not gain much. I wish I had that problem!!

She changes every day it seems. She is really holding her head up, laughs, coos, puts her hands in her mouth and holds things. Before long, she will be walking---oh, no! What can we say, she is precious!

Surprise Visit From Denver

Jeremy and his wife Annie blessed us with a visit recently. They have lived in Denver for about a year now, so you would think we wouldn't get to see them that often. But, it's crazy, that during the last year we have probably got to spend more time with them than when they were living in Houston. First, we helped move them last July, when it was 100 degrees there, I might add; then they were here for Jordan's wedding in August; then Beverly and I visited them in September when we went jeeping in Ouray, then we saw them at Christmas, so we have been fortunate to see them as often as we have. Beverly, Jennifer, Taylor, Presley and I picked them up at the airport in Austin. We were driving into the airport just as their plane landed and we sat and watched them taxi to the terminal!

Beverly, Jennifer and Presley met them as they arrived. This was their first time to meet Miss Presley! Her first time to be in an airport, too! Note the Colorado luggage. Back packs are the norm there, especially for camping and hiking folks like Jeremy and Annie!

On our way out of Austin we stopped for a relaxing dinner at Pappadeaux's. We caught up on all the latest family news and ate some good seafood.





We left Austin only to get stuck in a huge traffic backup and finally got home about 12:30 a.m. We spent the next few days with family and even attended a family reunion in Abilene where we got to see Jordan and Ashley and all of the work they have been doing on their new home and yard. Later in the week we took Jeremy and Annie back to The Hollows on Lake Travis where Annie's family was vacationing. We enjoyed a nice lunch and a good visit with Annie's parents, three sisters and little niece. They are now back in Denver where he is an architect. He is working for a firm that is designing an addition to the airport in San Jose, California.

I'm Just a Nut Case

We had a great meal for the Field Day, fried catfish and all the trimmings. Beverly needs a hat like this woman's to wear in the orchard.

This is part of the organic orchard management treatment. Compost and mulch are being used to improve the soil structure around the trees.

Taylor likes to "help" his PawPaw in the orchard. We are thankful for this irrigation well that allows us to supply needed water, especially this summer.

We have a micro-mister under each tree to deliver irrigation water and any other nutrients that can be applied in the water. Late in the day, driving close to these can give you a cooling shower.

Sometimes the rows of trees can be confusing. You can end up going the wrong way at times!
This is where it all begins. Hopefully this cluster of pecans will make it through the summer and into the harvester this fall!!

When you have been so long in updating your blog, sometimes there are too many choices on what to post. Such it is with us. So, in the interest of time, I've decided to update you on one of the more recent and continuing stories, that of our venture into the pecan business. As you may or may not know, we have leased an irrigated pecan orchard this year and we have been busy with it taking care of the spraying, mowing, irrigating and most recently hosting an Organic Pecan Management Field Day.

Our orchard contains both an organically grown section and a conventionally grown section. The organic part has been been under research by the USDA since 2002 so this field day highlighted the result of the various treatments over the years. We had over 125 people attend and I saw people from Colorado, Arkansas, Missouri and other locations. We had a catered fish fry that was delicious and we had plenty for everyone there and a few flies and fire ants as well.

I leased this orchard from Sonny, a former Extension client of mine. I worked occasionally for Sonny after I retired from being a County Agent and as it became apparent that his health was not going to allow him to do this much longer, he asked me if I was interested in leasing an orchard. I was, but then suddenly Sonny's health took a turn for the worse and he passed away in March. So, now instead of being able to learn from the master, I am having to learn a few things by trial and error. Thankfully I had 30 years of experience in advising people about growing pecans, but it is different when they are your own. I hope Sonny is looking down and liking what he sees.

The orchard is a beautiful place to work and visit. There is something very peaceful about rows of trees with lush green canopies, especially when the irrigation is on and you drive by the trees and get a cold shower of fresh well water. Beverly and I like to go late in the day and drive the Gator through the orchard and check the crop. This year we have a light to moderate crop on most varieties but we are excited about the prospect of the harvest. If any readers want some quality pecans this fall, leave a comment and we will save you some. After all, who doesn't like a pecan pie?

So, when people say, "You're nuts", they're right!