Arrived back in Texas yesterday afternoon. The weather became a bit of a problem just south of Reynosa....with heavy rains just about bringing traffic to a stop. The rains were welcomed by everyone due to the fact that we have been through a period of almost no precipitation since the end of the those several tropical involvments of last Summer.
It has been a neat deal....can a curmudgeon say that? Our guest is almost like a family member already. Totally adapted, making old friends out of new acquaintances, and being self-managing, self-sufficient is particularly helpful for Alvaro and all concerned.
The return of green leaves is complete for the cypress trees that line the banks of the Rio Corona. Almost everything is in complete recovery; esperanzas, bouganvillas, powder puffs, durantas, copper plants, crotons, herb and spices plants, and so forth. The flamboyans remain moribund, although during the past week, we noticed that the trunks had begun "weeping" with sap leaks breaking through where a bark-scab might have openned. That "weeping" is a sign that the life-renewing sap is flowing up into the branches and, hopefully, bringing restoration to the cycle of life of these great tropical trees.
Throughout the region other jacaranda-type trees have already begun blooming such as the "primaveras" types with trees full of violet-blue blooms or in other cases bright, shimmering white. These particular trees bloom first and then produce their leaves, pretty much like the passion-flower, (sometimes misnomered 'orchid tree'). Our large mulberry tree is already setting its first fruiting, so scores of species of birds will be keeping an eye on the arrival-date for the juicy black berries. Our various shrimp plants are already quite laden with blossoms and are receiving hundreds of our hummingbird friends.
(This is a continuation from yesterday. My turn came to do a little father-in-law sitting so that my wife could take my mother-in-law around for various shopping necessities. It is a chance for my mother-in-law to move around a bit, and it gives me a chance to make a contribution, howsoever slight, to the general care and concern for my father-in-law. He remains pleasant and dignified, and presents no critical problems. He never complains about anything.)
The overriding problem we are having right now is the lack of rain in the Santa Engracia catchment area, per se. My records show that we have had no more than 2 inches of precipitation at our Quinta since November. The abundance of moisture from the heavy rains from April through September of the year 2010 is what has been helping to this point. The Rio Corona continues to flow....although slowly....based on the continued function of the seemingly inexhaustable Springs of El Tigre, four or five miles to the west of us. It should be noted that the folklore of the area states that the Springs have never been known to have gone dry. Irrigation is well underway in all those areas that have been irrigated since the colonial period. In spite of this demand on water, the Rio Corona continues to flow, slowly. The good thing about this intricate, almost filigree like channeling of the irrigation system, is that unused water is returned to the Rio Corona, cutting down a great deal on the supply shortage downstream.
Once again we'll have to take a bit of leave, this time for other duties. A fresh page will begin again to-night early.
Thanks for your attention, as always.
(This is a continuation from yesterday. My turn came to do a little father-in-law sitting so that my wife could take my mother-in-law around for various shopping necessities. It is a chance for my mother-in-law to move around a bit, and it gives me a chance to make a contribution, howsoever slight, to the general care and concern for my father-in-law. He remains pleasant and dignified, and presents no critical problems. He never complains about anything.)
The overriding problem we are having right now is the lack of rain in the Santa Engracia catchment area, per se. My records show that we have had no more than 2 inches of precipitation at our Quinta since November. The abundance of moisture from the heavy rains from April through September of the year 2010 is what has been helping to this point. The Rio Corona continues to flow....although slowly....based on the continued function of the seemingly inexhaustable Springs of El Tigre, four or five miles to the west of us. It should be noted that the folklore of the area states that the Springs have never been known to have gone dry. Irrigation is well underway in all those areas that have been irrigated since the colonial period. In spite of this demand on water, the Rio Corona continues to flow, slowly. The good thing about this intricate, almost filigree like channeling of the irrigation system, is that unused water is returned to the Rio Corona, cutting down a great deal on the supply shortage downstream.
Once again we'll have to take a bit of leave, this time for other duties. A fresh page will begin again to-night early.
Thanks for your attention, as always.
The Old Gringo
