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Recent Entries to this Blog
Wooden carving of eagle holding fish
Posted: 29 Oct 2008 Posted: 17 Oct 2008 Posted: 30 Jun 2008 Posted: 23 Jun 2008 Posted: 23 Jun 2008 All Entries |
Purple Ranch Hand's BlogThe life and times on a lavender farm in Texas.
Wooden carving of eagle holding fish
Category: Purple Ranch 2008 Tour | Posted: Wed Oct 29, 2008 2:33 pm 
Last weekend we took Purple Ranch on tour to Union Valley, a small Texas town located in Hunt County. We met some truly fascinating people. Yvonne Brown with KHYI 95.3 radio, Michael Squires, owner of Squire Haven Bengals and Tommie Ledford a wonderful artist creating incredible paintings using a wide assortment of medium but my favorites were her watercolors. The above wood carving was incredible. The artist was commissioned to carve this eagle out of a live oak tree. The detail he accomplished using a chainsaw as his brush and wood as his canvas was something you would just have to see. As usual we had a great time and the weather could not have been more beautiful. Until Next Time. Lavender Up! Purple Ranch Hand This blog entry has been viewed 963 times
Bumble Bee Video
Category: Lavender | Posted: Fri Oct 17, 2008 10:14 pm Good to be back. I hope you all have been behaving. Purple Ranch has been keeping me really busy. We are finishing up the Texas State Fair this weekend. I am introducing some new technology. I bought a new video camera so I can tell a little better story. Below is my first video from the farm. http://www.flickr.com/photos/purple_ranch/2938730703 I hope you enjoy. Until next time. Lavender Up! Purple Ranch Hand This blog entry has been viewed 477 times
Hot Weekend at Rowlett Freedom Festival
Category: Lavender | Posted: Mon Jun 30, 2008 1:21 pm It was a very hot weekend at the Rowlett Texas Freedom Festival. I am pretty sure it was over 100 degrees. In fact it was so hot that it melted some of our soaps into liquid. This festival was a two day event going until 10pm both nights ending with a huge fireworks display. 
Above is the view of the fireworks right above our booth. I worked on another little project this weekend. I am always looking for new ways to display our products. This one I think came out really good. I took glass block and drilled a hole in each one. There were 12 in all. Then I inserted Christmas lights into the block. It really looked awesome, especially at night. 
Note. The trick to drilling through glass block is to submerge it in water and drill through the water. The water keeps the block cool so it won't break. We did have some special guests at our booth. Some of them you may recognize. 
You got it! The Justice League came by to see Mom. They heard about the healing properties of lavender and dropped in. Batman and Robin are incorporating it into their utility belts. Robin had a hangnail so Mom put some lavender essential oil on that to fix him right up. He had stopped crying by the time they left and said if felt much better. The pain had subsided. Batman was going to ask Alfred to whip up a potion that would help clean up Gotham. Gotham will at least smell better. Wonder Woman is working on some lavender alternative fuel for her jet and Green Lantern may add a side kick called Purple Lantern. He wanted to recruit Mom but we finally got him to realize we needed her to supervise the harvest efforts. Purple Ranch is really changing the world. One Super Friend at a time. We are always prepared for whoever might drop in. Until next time. Lavender Up! Purple Ranch Hand This blog entry has been viewed 792 times
Not often I'm in a photo.
Category: Lavender | Posted: Mon Jun 23, 2008 6:00 pm It is not often that I am caught in a photo. I am usually taking the photos. This weekend during harvest I looked up to see my sister Brenda snapping shots from between the back rests of the pergola. She was very sneaking. I thought it good that she caught me working since most of you probably think I just walk around with camera in hand telling nature how to smile. Not so, and this is proof. I do put my camera down every once in a while to cut some lavender. This weekend we actually pulled out some lavender that was dying from the fungus and replaced them with new ones. There is always something to do. We are preparing for this next weekend for the Rowlett Freedom Festival. Should be a really great show for us. Until next time. Lavender Up! Purple Ranch Hand 
This blog entry has been viewed 421 times
Lot's of buzzing around the lavender field.
Category: Lavender | Posted: Mon Jun 23, 2008 3:30 pm 
The steady hum of honey bees can be heard in the field. They are busy collecting pollen. 
The butterflies and moths are busy too. They really work these blooms. 
A lot of harvesting going on. It is fun to listen to the conversations my sons have with their Paw Paw when they are busy cutting lavender. Our first Garden Stew siting happened this weekend. Special thanks to Toni and her family for coming out to Purple Ranch. We really had a great time with you and your family. Until next time. Lavender Up! Purple Ranch Hand This blog entry has been viewed 394 times
Lillies at Purple Ranch
Category: Lavender | Posted: Fri Jun 20, 2008 1:20 pm 
There always seems to be new blooms here at the farm. We have had some pretty severe storms here in the last couple of weeks. The rain does slow up the harvest a bit. This weekend we are going to the FINDS at Market Center in downtown Dallas. This is a place where buyers for major retailers go. I am really excited about this. Until next time. Lavender Up! Purple Ranch Hand This blog entry has been viewed 398 times
Busy Weekend at the Farm
Category: Lavender | Posted: Tue Jun 17, 2008 1:25 pm 
We had a real hard rain on Saturday morning so that allowed us to get caught up on our administrative duties. About noon the sun came out and it was beautiful from then on. We harvested some lavender and then sat in the pergola and wove some wands. We wove about 30 wands then built a fire and had hot dogs and smores. It was a great time. Sunday we had our annual Father's Day golf tournament. Last time my team had to wear some lizard hats at the restaurant but this time it was our weekend. My team one by one stroke. It was a beautiful sight. To see my Mom and Dad wearing those hats did me good. Until next time. Lavender Up! Purple Ranch Hand Last edited: Tue Jun 17, 2008 1:40 pm This blog entry has been viewed 357 times
Waxahachie Gingerbread Trail Event
Category: Lavender | Posted: Thu Jun 12, 2008 1:29 pm 
Well we are back from Waxahachie Texas. As usual we met some great folks there who love our lavender products almost as much as we do. The event went really well. Not to mention that history was made this weekend. I wove my first wand. Now it took me three tries but it was a glorious thing. No sooner had I finished my wand and was admiring the craftsmanship that was so evident than a lady walked up and was looking at the other wands we had on display. Then she said I want that one, and pointed to the one I had just made. She was sending it off to California to her brother. Anyhow, we had a great time. We did eat at a cafe called "The Rockett Cafe". I'm glad I ordered the small chicken fried steak and not the large. It was sooooooo! gooooooood! We are harvesting this weekend. And I am finishing the pergola. Until next time. Lavender Up! 
Above are the lavender wands I was talking about. They are an old Victorian craft that you don't see much of. The aroma will last about 10 years and they are great for drawers and closets. You actually take the green lavender and bend the buds into the center then you weave the ribbon around it locking the buds in. Purple Ranch Hand This blog entry has been viewed 474 times
Pergola Update 3
Category: Lavender | Posted: Fri Jun 06, 2008 1:38 pm 
Well my pergola project is rounding the bend. Now all that is left is cosmetics. Most of my photos have been from the back side of the structure. The real beauty is from the front. This view is from the field view. Keep in mind these lavender plants are only a year old. Wait till next year. This view will be spectacular. Not that it isn't already. I know a lot of you are in Texas. I hope you will make the trip to visit some time. You really have to just sit in the field and breathe in the fragrance to really appreciate this gift of nature. Well until next time. Lavender Up! Purple Ranch Hand This blog entry has been viewed 415 times
More Baby Lark Sparrows
Category: Lavender | Posted: Thu Jun 05, 2008 10:36 pm 
These three make 13 lark sparrows that have hatched this year. They don't stay in the nest long. Untill next time. Lavender Up! Purple Ranch Hand This blog entry has been viewed 598 times
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