Mystery seeds

On New Year's Eve, husband and I attended a "parade" downtown. I use the term parade loosely as it was more like a bunch of hippies, potheads and environmental crazies walking in groups down the street dressed like hippies, potheads and environmental crazies (The city we live in is for people who belong in Oregon or Vermont but like nicer weather!). One of the groups was encouraging people to beautify their neighbourhoods. They were handing out packages of seeds. I took a couple, brought them home and promptly forgot about them. The other day I was doing a bit of spring cleaning and found the seeds. I decided to plant them. I looked on the package for instructions on how, where and when to plant the seeds, but there were none. Then I noticed that there was no indication as to what type of seeds they were. Hmmm...mystery seeds. I planted them anyway. Three little pots now sit on my balcony, growing the mystery seeds. I have no idea what I planted; I just hope it's nothing illegal!

Out and about

Summers here in Central Texas are hot! Husband and I learned our lesson last year and are spending as much time as we can outside before the heat hits. (Just so you know, spring is pretty hot too. What is considered summer weather in normal land is a typical spring day here). Today we decided to hike to the top of a hill situated in the heart of downtown. It offered us beautiful views of the Colorado River, the city skyline and very, very expensive houses.

The Colorado River and the very, very expensive houses!

Up close and personal with aphids.

These flowers were everywhere on our hike! I think they look like irises so that is what I am calling them. If anyone knows what they are, let me know!

One of the paths we took. Doesn't it look idyllic?

Us!

The city skyline. It looks crooked because I was standing on a very unstable rock when I took this.

Texas Bluebonnets

Within weeks of moving to Texas last year, we kept seeing these blue flowers everywhere! In ditches; in vacant lots; along the highway; on front lawns. We had no idea what they were. Now that we are a year smarter we know that this little blue flower is a bluebonnet, the official flower of Texas and the first real sign that spring is here. Today we went for a hike and found bluebonnets all along the way. They are beautiful, and I am in love with them.

Turning 21...again and again!

We recently celebrated my birthday. This year, I turned 21...again! (Don't ask how many times I have turned 21. That really is none of your business!) The day started with presents. For as long as I can remember my birthday presents have always gone under the Christmas tree. It is like Christmas all over again, except all the focus is on me! This year, Husband scored major points with the presents. He got me an authentic Russian Nesting Doll! I have always wanted one and must have mentioned this to him once upon a time, and for some reason, he remembered! We have a friend who went to Russia this summer and Husband arranged for her to purchase a doll, and ship it to him. So, he has had this present in the works since August! I was so excited when I opened the doll! I love it! I even named it Ella in honour of my friend who picked it out.

Little did I know that this box held my beautiful nesting dolls!

My dolls!

Usually I go to a movie on my birthday, but this year there wasn't anything that I wanted to see. Yes I know that Avatar is really, really good, but there is no way I could sit through a movie that is over 3 hours long without peeing my pants! Instead of a movie, we decided to visit a town nearby called Gruene (It's pronounced Green, in case you were wondering). Gruene is a little town with cute shops and great restaurants. We at lunch at an old gristmill. The weather was so nice that we were able to enjoy our meal outside while overlooking the Guadalupe River.

The Guadalupe River

Gruene water tower

This cat wandered from table to table looking for food.

The view from our table

Happy birthday to me!

Let it snow!

This is what Central Texas snow looks like. I think I prefer this snow over the snow we got last year in New York. (By the way, this snow melted before it even hit the ground.)

The heating war

When Husband got back from Iraq last year, winter had already settled in on our corner of Northern New York. Going from the desert to the frozen tundra of the north was quite an adjustment for my strong "I've been to war twice" ranger qualified soldier. The heat in our apartment was always turned up to the high 70s and even the low 80s. As I melted away, Husband went about his business as though we were not living in a sauna (Thankfully, heat was included in our rent. I still feel bad for our landlord!). I didn't say anything though, because he had just gotten back from a 15 month deployment and we were told by the Garrison Commander to be nice to our soldiers. This year, however, is a completely different ball game. We live in Texas. The coldest temperature we have seen so far this winter has been 36F (2C). I have yet to pull out my winter jacket, or any jacket for that matter. Mittens and toques (winter hats for all you Americans!) are still packed away. I am still wearing T-shirts, although my shorts have been replaced by jeans. Once in awhile I will wear a sweater. Husband, on the other hand, acts as if we are still in New York. I have lost count of how many times he has turned the furnace on. I come home from work to our very own greenhouse effect, all courtesy of Husband. We have now established a little tradition when it comes to heating our apartment. Husband turns on heat and when he's not looking, I turn it off. He gets "cold", wonders why, looks at thermostat and turns heat back on. Then he watches me to make sure I don't turn it off. So while he sits with the heat on, I turn on a ceiling fan and wait for him to get distracted so I can turn it off again. And don't even get me started on sleeping, because I sleep practically naked and still sweat like crazy! How can anyone be this cold? It's not normal! And here's the best part, he sits around the apartment in shorts and a t-shirt most of the time. Would it kill him to put on some pants so I can turn down the heat?

In search of Autumn

Autumn is my favourite time of year, and it is one of the main reasons I lived in New England for as long as I did. The winters there may be snowy and brutal; the springtime rainy and miserable; the summers hot and humid; but Autumn is New England's season. It can't be beat. It is what New Englanders live for. Since moving to Central Texas, I have been trying to accept the different weather patterns, but I knew that I would miss Autumn. Thankfully and fortunately, there is a State Park that for some unknown reason is full of Maple Trees. Each Autumn, the trees turn magnificent colours of red and orange. It is a very popular place to visit in October, and I was determined to see it! We made a camping reservation in July, and I counted the days until I could see the beautiful fall colours. Well, because this year has been so unusual weather-wise, the trees, which are normally ablaze with colour at this time, were still pretty green. We did get to see some pretty colours, but not as much as I was hoping for. I guess that's how it goes right? We still enjoyed being out in nature and went on a lovely hike. Maybe next year, the weather will cooperate.

I should have known the trip would not live up to my expectations when we were greeted by a tarantula as we pulled into the campground.

He's looking for the red leaves, honest. He's not a creepy stalker...

Yippee! Colour!



Look at all that green. It was a nice contrast to the trees that had turned.

So, so close

All of my loyal readers (and I know there are hundreds of you, eagerly awaiting my new posts) may recall a post last month about the heat here in Central Texas. We were five days away from breaking a record set in the 1920s. I am sad to report that we did not get the record. We needed 70 days of over 100F temperatures. The final tally here: 68 days. I am so sad because now I cannot claim to have lived in Central Texas during the hottest summer known to man. However, I can claim to have endured the hottest summer known to me. Although fall is my favourite season, it is always with a bit of sadness that I say goodbye to summer. All that changed this year. To summer I say "Good riddance!" and I welcome fall with open arms (and a pair of jeans!).

Weekend Adventure

Husband and I were invited by some friends to go to a grape stomping festival at a vineyard nearby. We decided to make a day of it and visit the Lyndon B. Johnson Ranch near the vineyard. Pres. Johnson was born and raised in Central Texas and the ranch he owned is now a National Park. We enjoyed driving through the ranch and touring the house that Pres. and Mrs. Johnson lived in and raised their family in. The ranch is nestled in a beautiful part of the Hill Country. The ranch is still a working ranch, so we encountered some livestock along the road. The cows have the right of way on the ranch and they know it! I am convinced that cows move slower when they know people are waiting on them.

LBJ's grave in the family cemetery

The Texas White House.

Hello cow! If you look closely you can see the LBJ brand on the horn. The cattle on the ranch are show cattle, so they are not branded on their hide.

Windmill on the ranch



A barrel of grapes


Into the barrel I go! It was cold, squishy and smelly, but super fun!



Husband gives it a try.

Husband proudly displays the fork he found at the vineyard. He was talking about taking it back to the barrel of grapes and tasting the grapes. We were able to talk him out of it though!


Part of the vineyard

After stomping the grapes, we took a tour of the winery. It was interesting to learn about the wine making process. This steel drum holds 10 tonnes of grapes!


Barrels stored in the barrel room. The room held over 2000 barrels.



Don't ask!

The vineyard's logo.



Us with Joshua and Alaina

65 days, but who's counting?

Apparently all of central Texas is counting...days over 100 degrees F that is. Since the beginning of Summer on June 21, we have experienced 65 days over 100F, and we are still counting! And the days that haven't hit 100F have come pretty close (95F or above). If it makes it to 70 days of over 100F it will become the new record, breaking the record set in 1925! I have no doubt this will happen since summer doesn't end until the middle of September and I am pretty sure that it is going to stay hot forever. (People tell me it cools down in October, but I think they are all lying). My Canadian blood, thinned out by 5 years in New England, is not thin enough for this place. I've told Husband if it is still hitting 100F in September, I'm moving! He can stay if he wants, but I am thinking Alaska sounds nice right about now...

How you know there's a drought

When this...

looks like this...

you know there's a drought in your area!

(First picture from http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/publications/parkguide/rgn_hc_013.phtml)

I'm a Canadian, get me out of here!

It is way too hot in Central Texas! It hit 100 degrees F (38 degrees C) on June 13, and since then we have had 3 days that were below 98 degrees F (36 degrees C). Have you ever seen birds pant? No? Well, let me tell you all about it: They stick their itty-bitty tongues out of their mouths and pant like a dog; their tiny bodies heaving, trying to cool down. Just to give you an idea of what it is like here, when I leave at 6:20AM to go to work, it is already at least 80 degrees F (26 degrees C). By noon it is almost always 100 degrees, then the temperature stays steady for a couple of hours before it climbs a few degrees at the hottest part of the day: 5:00pm-7:00PM. This place has got it all wrong. In "normal land" the temperature drops as evening approaches. But no, not here in Central Texas. That's when the real heat settles over the region, like an electric blanket on high heat without a shut-off switch! Even at 11:00PM the temperature hovers around 90 degrees F (32 degrees C). And there is no end in sight. The 7 day forecast has highs between 106 degrees F (41 degrees C) and 103 degrees F (39 degrees C). Oh and the weather description after everyday says "Mostly sunny and very hot"!

Now before you go leaving comments about how we should be grateful that it isn't cold, let me share this with you: When it is cold, you can always put on more clothing, but when it's hot, there is only so much you can take off! So considered yourselves warned: don't come over anytime soon. We are in the middle of a heatwave and that means we aren't wearing pants!

Faith, trust and little pixie dust

When we moved to Central Texas earlier this year, the intent was for Husband to train to be a police officer here. The training was supposed to start in March, but it got delayed until June, which then got delayed until September. During this time, Husband and I have had the opportunity to reevaluate the course our lives should be taking. Husband is currently working on his Masters of Divinity, but only taking classes part-time. We both feel strongly that he needs to pursue his degree more aggressively by taking classes full-time. As a result, we have decide to defer his acceptance to the police academy for one year. This will allow Husband enough time pretty much complete his degree, but without completely cutting off the possibility of him becoming of a police officer. What is he going to do with a Masters of Divinity you ask? Well, right now we feel that Husband should prepare to go back to the Army as a Chaplain, and this degree prepares him to do just that. The next police training is slated to start in the fall of 2010. There is a spot for him in that class, and if after a year, we feel that we should stay here in Central Texas, and Husband should be a police officer, then he will attend that training. If not, then it will be back to the Army for us. Either way, it won't all be sorted out anytime soon. For now, we feel that God's plan is for Husband to go to school. We will take it one step at a time, praying for God's guidance every day and trusting Him to move us in the right direction.

A day in San Antonio

My Uncle from Tennessee has been in San Antonio this past week for some business. He brought his wife and granddaughter with him. Husband and I spent Saturday with them. We went to Natural Bridge Cavern and spent sometime wandering through the massive cave! It was by far the warmest cave any of us had ever been in. It was about 70 degrees F (21 degrees C) with 99% humidity!


After the cave, either because we loved being hot or we were delusional because of the heat, we decided to head to the Zoo. (I should probably point out that it has been over 100 degrees F (38 degrees C) everyday for the past 10 days here in Central Texas and yesterday was no exception.) The Zoo was so much fun! I haven't been to a zoo in a few years, and I forgot how fun it was to see all the animals. One of the monkey's had a baby that was a week old. I was lucky enough to snap a picture of it. So cute! Here are some of our favourite pictures:

Can you see the baby monkey?

We finished the day with dinner along the Riverwalk. Big, fat Texas steaks and pink lemonade for everyone as we watched the sunset over the river.

The Riverwalk follows the river through downtown San Antonio. It is lined with shops, hotels and restaurants.

It was bound to happen eventually...

My cucumber plant has succumbed to the oppressive heat of central Texas. Either that or my plant-killing streak is still alive and well. Side note, husband wanted me to title this post "Death in the family" but I thought that would be taking it a bit too far!

The perfect summer day

Living in Central Texas at this time of year is wonderful. Everyday is the perfect summer day: sunny, blue sky, warm temperatures and just enough of a breeze to cool you down. The type of day where you want to go for a swim, then come back, throw a burger on the BBQ and sit outside drinking lemonade as the sun goes down. The only problem is this: It's April! It's not even summer yet! Truthfully, I am beginning to worry about the heat that will descend upon this place once June hits. And maybe then I will be rethinking this whole move-to-Texas thing. But for now I will enjoy my never ending stream of perfect summer days!

The Texas Sky

One of the things I love about living in Texas is the sky. After living in New England for 5 years, I forgot what the sky looked like. Here I am reminded every day of the beauty of the sky. Some evenings, I sit on our balcony and watch the sun make it's way across the Texas sky on it's way to setting for the night. The sunsets here are beautiful. I am pretty sure the sunrises are just as beautiful, but I doubt I'll ever be up early enough to see one!