Organic Artichoke Plant

This is a picture of my organic artichoke plant budding out in my organic front yard garden in Leander, Texas. Yes, I do own the book Edible Estates: Attack on the Front Lawn and my front and back lawns have been extremely minimized. I planted artichokes in one of my front yard garden beds & am so happy it is finally bearing fruit!! I am a Native Texan and after almost a lifetime of gardening in Texas this is my first time growing artichokes. I just never have run accross plants for sale until I saw this at a local nursery in Leander a couple of years ago. I love to eat them- they are a delicacy. I hardly ever get sick, but when I have over the past decade, I have found that I get a craving for artichokes and eat a steamed one while soaking in my garden tub! LOL They seem to have a curative power over me! Ahhh, the magically delicious and delectable globe artichoke! I want more in my life and in my garden.

Ethiopian Food in Austin Texas

I have eaten at Astor's Ethiopian Restaurant in Austin, Texas a couple of times. Located at IH 35 south of 38th at the corner of Dean Keaton. 512-786-9524 right by UT. Another restaurant I want to try is:

Karibou Ethiopian Restaurant & Bar
1209 E. 7th Street
Austin, TX 78702

512-320-5454

EthiopianRestaurantAustin.com

Raw Milk & Dairy in Austin Texas

I grew up having Ostakaka with Lingonberries with my Swedish relatives here in Austin, Texas. My Austin area relatives were all from the old country, having come here in the 1870's. On the farms at Elgin, Lund and New Sweden, they had raw milk to drink, make the cream sauce for Lutefisk & make Ostakaka out of. Ostakaka is a Swedish cheesecake type dish that is best made with raw milk. I still eat Ostakaka on special occasions, many times ta the Austin Scandinavean Club. In modern, urban society, raw milk and dairy are hard to find. Dyer Dairy, 20 minutes north of Austin in Georgetown has raw milk. The family owned and state inspected dairy is located at 7801 E. Highway 29, Georgetown, TX 78626. (512) 638-0415 You might be interested in these organizations promoting our right to raw milk or " Real Milk " & other natural, non-pasteurized dairy products. Real Milk also has a "where to buy" search engine to search by zip code.

Also, check Local Harvest for dairy as well as other local food.

The Crossings in Austin Texas

The Crossings in Austin Texas is a great place to take a class, enjoy a workshop or event, eat, relax, spend a few days, get a massage or much, much more. A 200 acre facility on the Balcones Canyonlands Preserve in the Texas Hill Country overlooking Lake Travis, The Crossings offers Holistic services (including Ayurvedic, Muscle testing, Iridology, Hypnotherapy, Weight Management) eco-friendly practices, a Sweat Lodge, Labyrinth, a sanctuary, miles of nature trails, and Watsu Aquatic Massage pool. The Crossings is a member of the Green Hotels Association and uses green building principles. Stop in and visit the bookstore, Cypress Creek Dining Hall or Treehouse Cafe. To get there take 2222 (aka Koenig or 290) west past FM 620 (It becomes Bullock Hollow). At the T- take a right on FM 2769/Volente Rd. The Crossings is located a short way down on the left. You will see the low stone wall and flag poles on both sides of the driveway. Just take the one way concrete driveway up the hill. 13500FM 2769, Austin, TX 78726 (512) 258-7243

Contra Dancing in Austin

Have you ever heard of or tried Contra dancing? There are a lot of groups all over and Austin has an active one. Contra dancing in Austin is a lot of fun. I have been to one dance that was held at Carpenter's Hall that a friend and her husband (Richard & Sarah Goss) were involved in. They have since moved to the Portland, Oregon area and Contra dance up there as well.

African Children's Choir Performs Sunday

The African Children's Choir Performs Sunday January 18th at the Bethany United Methodist Church at 10010 Anderson Mill Road in Austin. The hope of the children's performance is that it will raise awareness of the plight of destitute & orphaned children in Africa & help raise funds.

This is one of my favorite photos. Me, Betty Raetzsch as a child on our ranch with a fawn, a Whitetail Deer. I have always loved animals and nature. Now I sell ranches and acreage homes in the Hill Country around Austin, Texas. I still see plenty of Whitetail Deer. Our family name was Rätzsch but was changed to Raetzsch.

This is my favorite picture. It is of me as a child, Betty Raetzsch, at our ranch, the Raetzsch Ranch in the Sand Hills about 15 miles from Seguin, Texas. I was riding Black Pete, our ranch horse. Everyone else said he would try to scrape them off under tree branches but he did not do that to me. I can't remember exactly when I started riding horses but I was young, as you can see from my photo. We raised a few head of cattle, white faced Herefords and Santa Gertrudis. My Uncle Alvin Pieper helped with the ranch a lot.

FREE Christmas Tree Recycling in Leander Texas

The day after Christmas, the City of Leander, Texas will start accepting Christmas trees for recycling. You will need to remove all lights, ornaments and hooks from your tree and take the trees to Robin Bledsoe Park at 601 S. Bagdad Road, Leander, Texas 78641 during regular park hours. For more details on the recycling program, call the City of Leander Parks and Recreation Department at (512) 528-9909 The service ends January 11, 2009.

Ecological Literacy Day at Hornsby Bend Bird Observatory

There will be an Ecological Literacy Day at Hornsby Bend Bird Observatory in Austin, Texas on January 31, 2009 at 9:00am.

The event will involve a few hours of work at the Bird Observatory doing things like trail maintenance, etc. and end with an educational session on local ecology. Attendees are advised to bring binoculars and wear work clothes.

For more information see: http://www.hornsbybend.org or
http://www.austinparks.org/ and call Kevin Anderson at (512) 972-1960

Job Creation is Increasing in Central Texas

The Austin Business Journal reported that U.S Bureau of Labor Statistics showed employment actually increased 1.9 percent in the Austin, Texas; Round Rock, Texas area in the last year between October of 2007 and October of 2008. The Austin area added approximately 14,700 jobs whereas Nashville & Memphis TN, Seattle and Phoenix lost jobs. San Antonio, Texas also added 17,900 jobs, again, showing the strength in the Central Texas Region.

Buzzards in Cedar Park Texas

Driving down Lakeline Drive in Cedar Park, Texas Tuesday, Dec. 2nd was this sight. The roosting buzzards looked kind of ominous—like the impending doom the nation’s economic naysayers are spewing. But I am happy and feel blessed to be in the Austin, Texas Area. One of the least affected areas of the US. Homes are still selling, people still have jobs.