b'photos by Scott Van OsdolMenard farmers Sarah Johanson, Logan Bell and Amie PrestTexas Scratch Kitchen, family business crew, touching the earthgather in pecan grove at Bells Low Gear FarmsteadWe can strip all those bumperwith simple little things to helpTheres a big 200-year-old native stickers off our trucks and SUVs.humans remember the goodnessbur oak being asked to provide We can go ahead and make thefrom times now past. shade for a few new picnic tables. pivot. The paradigm shift is inThe oak has been speaking of our hands now. Weve reachedUsing head, hands and heart, hewanting a lil more respect. She the end of us against them bought an abandoned city blockneeded me to pass the message chanting hooray for our side.on Main Street at the far end ofalong. A place is being prepared Were entering the home stretchtown. Its one of those typicalto invite back Texas horned now.one-horse, crumbling, rural Westlizards. Then, there is hope some Texas towns. The places whereturtles will come back to live near Part of my job is listening toold highway systems of the 1950sthe pond. A kids playground, nonhuman teachers. Ive learnedstill run through the middleeven a dog park. Well grow some this listening is best done throughof town. He is directly givingThunder Turf to show people the heart. Only then, head andback to Menard, a small ruralin the wide open sunny areas, hands step in to help me helpcommunity, homeplace of hisgood to lie down on and watch people hear what the trees,ancestors.the clouds. And well set up the grasses, flowers, soil and water,hard surfaces to properly drain are all saying to us. They oftenGo ahead, look it up. Its in thethrough rain gardens filled with speak about what they need frommiddle of nowhere. If it cantall prairie grasses designed to us to live. Sometimes steps arehappen here, it can happen wherefilter storm waters. Meanwhile, a shown how to provide what isyou are. demonstration rainwater harvest needed. Thats when I really seesystem is all in its place, ready for how we can do it.An ol tyme service station wherethe next rain to fall. travelers and locals once filled er In that spirit, I was just out thereup and checked under the hood The other night, I drove up to with a friendly man who wasis being converted into a rapid- Menard hoping to capture some leading a small group of womencharge EV Station for electricimages of the place in the golden and children. This man hasvehicles. The old crumbling carlight of sunset. While there I met unwavering positive visions towash next door was torn down.up with Rosa. She takes care of renew and rebuildsmall placesthe oak tree now, along with many'