struggle and hope

If you don't know this by now, it is HOT in Texas. Triple digit temperatures and it is supposed to be 2-3 degrees less in the Hill Country. It's not. This is what my backyard looks like:
Ten years I have been here and it's never been this dry.

So today I was sneaking buckets of water to my poor burr oak (water restrictions) and the pampas grass in the far corner. The oak has sprouted new branches and leaves at the bottom.

As I was crunching my way across the dry brittle grass I came upon this:

A bright spot amidst all the brown.