Despite changes wrought through the years, the land of the Spicer ranch south of Kerrville, Texas, still blooms beautifully in spring. Along Upper Turtle Creek, this rain lily (Cooperia pedunculata ) might have tempted James Spicer (1856-1937) — artist as well as rancher — to reach for his canvas and paints.
A bumble bee judges the thistle “Cirsium horridulum” to be not at all horrible“Into the material gathered from outward nature the creative artist puts himself, as the bee puts herself into the nectar she gathers from the flowers to make it into honey. Honey is the nectar plus the bee, and a poem, or other work of art, is fact and observation plus the man.”
“Our best growth is attained when we match knowledge with love, insight with reverence, understanding with sympathy and enjoyment: else the machine becomes more and more, and the man less and less.”
Lagniappe 