Tag Archives: Madroño Ranch
FREE RANGE: FOOD, NATURE, PLACE, AND MORE
Madroño’s mythical bison
We spent last weekend at Madroño with Shawn and Susanne Harrington of Asterisk Group, who are designing a visual identity for the ranch suitable for use on business cards, website, food labels, letterhead, gimme caps, T-shirts, coffee mugs, bumper stickers, … Continue reading
The devil’s bargain: on gardening and violence
I spent last weekend at the ranch planning a new garden—or, rather, watching our dear friend Glee Ingram, an Austin landscape designer; Steve Diver, a horticulturist with Sustainable Growth Texas; and Robert Selement, Madroño’s redoubtable manager, plan a new garden … Continue reading
Posted in Nature
Tagged armadillos, Bible, bison, chickens, feral hogs, gardening, Madroño Ranch, predators, violence
2 Comments
Massachusetts, part III: take a walk on the wild side
A Very Long Time Ago, my mother brought home a Peter Max-style poster with this quotation from Henry David Thoreau: “In wilderness is the preservation of the world.” Each time we moved, its reappearance was an indication that I was … Continue reading
Posted in Nature
Tagged camels, David Quammen, Henry David Thoreau, Madroño Ranch, Massachusetts, nineteenth century, predators, walking, wildness
1 Comment
Season’s greetings!
As we approach the end of the year (and decade), we thought a look back at what we’ve accomplished and a look at what lies ahead for Madroño Ranch: A Center for Writing and the Environment might be of interest. … Continue reading
Posted in More
Tagged agriculture, Alliance of Artists Communities, bison, chickens, deer, feral hogs, Madroño Ranch, organic farming, peaches
6 Comments
“Everywhere there’s lots of piggies…”
I sometimes find myself feeling a little defensive about the Texas Hill Country. Martin, a San Francisco native, and I drove across the country via Texas after we graduated from college in Massachusetts. Somewhere around Bastrop, I said, “Well, we’re … Continue reading
Posted in Nature
Tagged dogs, feral hogs, Isa Catto Shaw, Madroño Ranch, predators, rototiller, sausage, Texas Hill Country
7 Comments
Dreaming time
In the mission statement for Madroño Ranch: A Center for Writing and the Environment (“Inspired by the rhythms of the Texas Hill Country, Madroño Ranch offers writers focused on nature and the environment a source and resource for work and … Continue reading
The wonder and power of water…
… in a time of drought are, oddly, matched only in times of flood. The Texas Hill Country is in the grip of a drought unparalleled at least since the 1950s. This drought has been so fierce that cattle going … Continue reading
The naming of writing centers
There are a lot of questions that will need to be answered before Madroño Ranch: A Center for Writing and the Environment becomes a reality. Among the more unexpectedly troubling was, what to call the dang thing? Heather decided fairly … Continue reading
Posted in Place
Tagged Kinky Friedman, Madroño Ranch, sustainability, T. S. Eliot, Utopia Animal Rescue Ranch, writing
2 Comments
It’s magic!
It sometimes feels like the process of turning Madroño Ranch: A Center for Writing and the Environment from dream to reality is like trying to pull a rabbit out of a hat. What in heaven’s name do we know about … Continue reading
Welcome…
… to our little corner of the blogosphere! We hope to use this space to start spreading the word about Madroño Ranch: A Center for Writing and the Environment, which currently exists only in our imaginations, and to share our … Continue reading
Posted in More
Tagged bison, chickens, Madroño Ranch, Medina TX, Texas Hill Country, water
3 Comments