Yes, I’ve the good fortune to be married to one and have several more kin on his side of the family.
Yesterday my m-i-l called wanting to collect on her pear tree we gave her for Mother’s Day. She never got the gift certificate and they’ve pear trees ready. I went through my bank records back to last year’s Mother’s Day. Nothing. They went through theirs. Nothing.
Until they found her name and my husband’s credit card number. It’s an old one because a waiter stole his number and tried to charge thousands of dollars on it. Luckily the bank’s fraud section was on it and cancelled it immediately and gave him a temporary one within hours.
This Texas Gent declined to take payment until M picks up her tree. I gave him a new card number and upped it to two pear trees but he’s going to try to sell her on one Asian Pear and that’s OK with us. He, Sir Steve, is setting aside the best pear trees for the Lady of the Day. All is set and paid for and there’s nothing like living in the country! Or at least staying there from time to time. Everyone waves on the road when I’m out walking the dog. What’s not to love about that?
Trust is a dwindling resource between crime, 9/11, TSA and of course NSA. A couple of years ago a guy from my home town sent my husband some woodworking equipment. No money. Just pay if you want it and otherwise send it back. It turns out we worked at the same place one summer and never met. Trust and Texas Gents. Words of the day.
Now where can I have a great boy’s cowboy boot handmade for me? No, I’m not talking about me and shoes. ‘Nuff said that Mom told me my sister should get two pair for school and I should wear the boxes.
Cheers and here’s to the great ladies of TX as well! Yes, I know many more of them than gents. We cook and clean and chat while the guys nap and watch The Game (Thanksgiving, Aggies vs. UT, we’re Aggies). Dee
Cooking with Dee 
Eight posts left now ’til 2,000. Should I stay or go? Change themes? I don’t know. I’ve just been dissed by a travel blog where I’m going towards 200 published reviews and Trip Advisor says this Top Contributor can’t pass its inane survey because I don’t like their privacy terms. Go figure.
The pear tree became a Kieffer, an old standard in this part of Texas. Enough “grit” to hold up well to canning, ie: pear preserves. And, as resistant to fire blight as is the Orient pear we have, now going on 25+ years and yes, affected by fire blight. The Orient was extremely prolific in it’s day but the “grit” or texture was just a little too grainy compared to a Kieffer. There are Kieffer pear trees around here at least 80 years old and our weather is grueling in the summer.
Steve, of Steve’s nursery at Greenville was an encyclopedia of plant knowledge. He had a lot of pretty plants. I couldn’t resist getting a small crepe myrtle while there. We chose a red oak for our 2nd tree from Dee. One pear tree will make more pears than 3 or 4 families can use.
Thank you for the gift and thank you to Steve.
The trees are not from Dee, they’re from your dear son as well. Happy Mothers’ Day and Birthday and here’s to Texas gents who say yes, ma’am, no sir and open car doors for a lady. They were trained right. They must have had great parents and grandparents! Even though it’s self-pollinating isn’t it better to have a second tree? Maybe next year. D
Hello Steve of Steve’s Nursery in Greenville. It’s time for you to get some sort of internet presence. With just one family we can add to it and swamp you with orders.
Now that our last lonely ol’ goat has crossed that Rainbow Bridge, maybe we can plant some fruit trees ;-) !!!
Zoe says yes! No goats. But she remembers being chased by Pork Chop around your house. She didn’t hear until the ground started rattling with Pork and your dear horse thinking it was you out to feed them. I knew after your Zoe surgeries that she was able to run like the wind. Sorry to hear the bad news and of your recent loss. Head up to Greenville to Steve’s Nursery on 34 for new trees. Ask M for details as he is very knowledgeable. D