This will be the only day I blog without having much to say. I got up and ran 6 miles this morning. It is very pretty outside and not too hot. We ran in an older neighborhood that has a mixture of very old houses and ones that are brand new--their owners razed the old houses to build some very interesting ones. It made for nice scenery.
I am obviously not very good at writing when I have nothing to say. IT BEGS THE QUESTION... How do people do it?
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Oh My Gato, Part Deux
A while back, I checked my mail to find a flyer of a missing cat from the neighborhood. There are always publications of this sort as I live in the Hill Country, rife with predators who enjoy feasting on felines. Any veteran cat owner in this area knows to never leave their cats out after dark or risk them getting eaten by a coyote or whatever else is hungry around here. Here is my version of the note, paraphrased so as to not risk plagiarism:
Hello. I am new to the neighborhood and my cat has been missing for 2 days. He refuses to wear a collar, so we don't make him. (Insert description of said cat here). He is very cute, and I know you have him, so give him back.
Say what? Here is my tip for whomever wrote that flyer. If you are missing your cat and pleading for the public's help in relocating him, it is probably not a good idea to accuse each and every neighbor in the area of stealing your pet. We all have our own pets and don't need your stupid cat, lady. I am so sure.
P.S. As I am writing this, my watch arrived!
Hello. I am new to the neighborhood and my cat has been missing for 2 days. He refuses to wear a collar, so we don't make him. (Insert description of said cat here). He is very cute, and I know you have him, so give him back.
Say what? Here is my tip for whomever wrote that flyer. If you are missing your cat and pleading for the public's help in relocating him, it is probably not a good idea to accuse each and every neighbor in the area of stealing your pet. We all have our own pets and don't need your stupid cat, lady. I am so sure.
P.S. As I am writing this, my watch arrived!
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
The Circle of Life
The other morning I had to arrive at work before the sun was up. When I pulled into my parking spot, something moving caught my eye. I thought it may be a possum or a raccoon, but it was the legend of the live armadillo, which in Texas is an oxymoron. In fact, I have lived in this state for 27 years and cannot remember ever seeing one. I scrambled for my phone to take a picture, but I was too late. Oh well.
This morning I was driving near my work and noticed something dead in the road. As you can probably guess, it was an armadillo, on its back with all four legs sticking straight up. I can't help but wonder if it is the same one I saw on Monday. I can only assume since armadillos are not the smartest of animals, there aren't very many of them left in the world. Whether the same or not, we can all mourn the loss of one less animal on our planet. RIP, Armie.
This morning I was driving near my work and noticed something dead in the road. As you can probably guess, it was an armadillo, on its back with all four legs sticking straight up. I can't help but wonder if it is the same one I saw on Monday. I can only assume since armadillos are not the smartest of animals, there aren't very many of them left in the world. Whether the same or not, we can all mourn the loss of one less animal on our planet. RIP, Armie.
Saturday, September 20, 2008
ACHOO!
The one downside of living in Austin is allergies. From about this time to mid-May there is much complaining of achy heads, clogged ears and runny noses. For the longest time, I was immune. The past year or so I have joined the masses in the perpetual nose run. This season started on Wednesday (can I blame the butterflies)?
It would only make sense to stay indoors where you are less susceptible to the allergens, but with the gorgeous weather and my commitment to run, I have found that near impossible. But I must admit that I feel horrible. Damn ragweed!
I have heard a tip that if you eat a tablespoon of local honey* a day, your allergies will be severely reduced. Apparently, since bees are pollinators, your body ingests the allergens therefore making you immune to them in the air. It seems far fetched, but if honey didn't make me want to wretch, I would totally try it.
*I heard a funny story about local honey: There is a co-op grocery store near the UT campus. One day sorority girls started shopping there for honey of all things--they are not the usual demographic for this store and the employees were curious as to why the sudden surge of bowheads. Once asked, one girl answered, "I heard this was the place to get lo-cal honey. I didn't realize it was so fattening." I guess they couldn't figure out why their local grocery store didn't sell the less fat option. Ha!
It would only make sense to stay indoors where you are less susceptible to the allergens, but with the gorgeous weather and my commitment to run, I have found that near impossible. But I must admit that I feel horrible. Damn ragweed!
I have heard a tip that if you eat a tablespoon of local honey* a day, your allergies will be severely reduced. Apparently, since bees are pollinators, your body ingests the allergens therefore making you immune to them in the air. It seems far fetched, but if honey didn't make me want to wretch, I would totally try it.
*I heard a funny story about local honey: There is a co-op grocery store near the UT campus. One day sorority girls started shopping there for honey of all things--they are not the usual demographic for this store and the employees were curious as to why the sudden surge of bowheads. Once asked, one girl answered, "I heard this was the place to get lo-cal honey. I didn't realize it was so fattening." I guess they couldn't figure out why their local grocery store didn't sell the less fat option. Ha!
Friday, September 19, 2008
Butterflies
I went to San Antonio on Wednesday to see a middle school football game. It was hilarious! Driving in to the city, I started to see lots of monarch butterflies. They were distracting. I would look at one and think how beautiful it was until smack! I hit it with my windshield. This kept happening and it was making me uneasy. The further into the city I went, the more butterflies were around for me to accidentally murder.
It turns out that monarch butterflies are migratory. They spend the winters in Mexico and the summers in San Antonio (not really but you wouldn't know it by how many were flying around). I guess with the first sign of it cooling down they high tail it out of the country.
This is my teaching lesson to you. If you too love butterflies, then stay away from San Antonio for the next couple of days so you don't kill 100 like me. But maybe you should go because it is sort of magical to see them fly around, ready for winter vacation.
It turns out that monarch butterflies are migratory. They spend the winters in Mexico and the summers in San Antonio (not really but you wouldn't know it by how many were flying around). I guess with the first sign of it cooling down they high tail it out of the country.
This is my teaching lesson to you. If you too love butterflies, then stay away from San Antonio for the next couple of days so you don't kill 100 like me. But maybe you should go because it is sort of magical to see them fly around, ready for winter vacation.
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
This Morning
I was up this morning for my 5:45 run. I have been doing this run for the past couple of weeks, but this one was different. It was chilly! I had to go back inside and put on a sweatshirt. It took a couple of laps to take it off.
Even better than the chill in the air was the sunrise. It was colorful and beautiful--full of purple, orange, red and blue. It is always so nice to feel accomplished before the sun is even up.
Today is Day #2 of my rest from work. I'm having lunch with a friend from Dallas and I may go to San Antonio to see Jeremy's nephew, Jacob's first middle school football game. He is almost 13 and cute as can be and probably very excited about tackling someone. Go Team!
Even better than the chill in the air was the sunrise. It was colorful and beautiful--full of purple, orange, red and blue. It is always so nice to feel accomplished before the sun is even up.
Today is Day #2 of my rest from work. I'm having lunch with a friend from Dallas and I may go to San Antonio to see Jeremy's nephew, Jacob's first middle school football game. He is almost 13 and cute as can be and probably very excited about tackling someone. Go Team!
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