SUNDAY MEMORIES
Judy Wills


Some of my family is from Texas – actually my brother and I were born in Dallas, but moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico when we were small children. But my mother’s mother (Granny) and her oldest daughter, Jessie, lived in San Antonio for many years.

Consequently, I had known about the Texas Bluebonnets for longer than I really knew what they were.

Even though Fred and I lived in Fort Worth for many years, it wasn’t until we moved to San Antonio that I really knew about the Texas Bluebonnets. And they are AMAZING! They have been adopted as the state flower of Texas.

On the internet I found this: As historian Jack Maguire so aptly wrote, “It’s not only the state flower but also a kind of floral trademark almost as well known to outsiders as cowboy boots and the Stetson hat.” He goes on to affirm that “The bluebonnet is to Texas what the shamrock is to Ireland, the cherry blossom to Japan, the lily to France, the rose to England and the tulip to Holland.” Well said.

When Springtime comes to Texas – from the Dallas/Fort Worth area down to the Corpus Christi area – the Bluebonnets are in full bloom, from late March to mid-April. They are the most dainty, beautiful flower, and we’ve see just fields and fields of them – like a blanket of blue in some cases. I’ve been sent many pictures of them via e-mail through the years, and have enjoyed seeing them all.

There is even one of Bluebonnets in the snow! Must have been a late storm – although Dallas/Fort Worth can have abundant snow in early Spring.
When we moved from San Antonio to Florida, I took some Bluebonnet seeds with me and planted them, hoping for some lovely spring flowers to remind me of Texas. No such luck! As I’ve just gleaned from google, they must be planted in the fall and have to have the wind, rain, and cold weather to make them leap forth in the Spring. And the panhandle of Florida just doesn’t have that kind of winter weather. Shucks! Oh well, I then planted strawberry plants and they did very well.

But the Texas Bluebonnet is a source of great pride for Texas – as if they needed something else! And they are just a beautiful side of Texas that most don’t know about. I think a lot of people think of Texas as dusty, flat, and unimaginative. But it is full of great differences, including some of the most beautiful flowers in God’s creation.

I’m just so glad I was able to see them, and enjoy their beauty.
For the beauty of the earth
For the glory of the skies,
For the love which from our birth
Over and around us lies.

















I have a cow pitcher that my mother filled with milk and we poured it over our cereal.
(I’ve actually lost that one, but my brother found another one and I have this one to remind me. Here is a picture of the original in our dining room window)
I also have a small pitcher that was used on the “family-style” table at our Glorieta Baptist Convention Center in Glorieta, New Mexico. They were filled with cream or milk, and several were on each table for the coffee users.
I have another “cow” pitcher that was for the same use.
I have a set of pitchers that Aunt Jessie picked up in Pennsylvania one time.
Yes, they are dust-collectors as well, but they remind me of good times in my life. But I have other “treasures” as well. I had heard of Hummel figurines most of my life, but it wasn’t until we moved to Germany that they came to mean something to me. In downtown Wiesbaden, there was a most unique store. Here is a picture of the storefront. It is one huge cuckoo clock!
But they had wonderful Hummel figurines there. Fred’s mother purchased one, and, since her death, I have it. It is a treasure.
One of the most fun treasures I have is a German nutcracker. Most of the nutcrackers you find have a smooth, rounded block of painted wood for the face. 






















