Early February Updates

Not much to report. We've had some nice rain but not enough to bust the drought. Spicewood Springs, TX which is not far from Austin was in the national news this past week because they ran out of water in their wells. Lots of boat ramps sitting on the ground that used to float on 40feet of water. So sad. The cedar pollen is letting up some so hopefully it won't be long before it is all gone. We have light rain this morning and cool. It got up to 84 a few days ago. Not much of a winter around here this year.
The city finally had enough of the Occupy Austin sleeping on the outside stairs of City Hall so they rousted them. Arrested 7 or 8 of them and now they are regrouping. I think the movement has ran out of steam.
Still enjoy watching the birds outside our window. Hate the Morning Doves because they are piggies and eat until all the seeds are gone. I chase them off when I see them. The Doves try to intimidate the other birds too but have more than a match in the woodpeckers who are not afraid of them or any of the other birds that come to feed.


female woodpecker-has half of a red cap



hail fell for first time in many months



pea size-no damage done

Cooler but no rain

Here we are near the end of October and while it's been cooler for a few days no more significant rain has come.  The drought is still ongoing.
At the Occupy Austin site there have been arrests made. By Patrick George and Andrea Ball | Sunday, October 30, 2011, 01:40 AM
Update, 5:17 a.m.
Additional arrests were made shortly after 2 a.m., bringing the total number to 38. Police Chief Art Acevedo, who arrived at City Hall around 4 a.m. to talk to remaining occupiers, said that most were charged with criminal trespass and would likely be released soon.
“No one got hurt and that’s what’s important,” he said.

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Police officials confirmed that about 20 members of the ongoing Occupy Austin demonstration were arrested outside City Hall earlier this morning and charged with criminal trespass.
Demonstrators who were present during the arrests say that around 12:30 a.m., officers attempted to shut down a table that was used to distribute food. When the demonstrators refused, they were taken into custody. The names of those arrested were not immediately available early Sunday morning.
Officers originally warned the demonstrators around 9:45 p.m. that a city ordinance prevented food from being distributed at City Hall after 10 p.m., said Brian Overman, who witnessed the arrests. He said officers also removed other parts of the camp, including blankets and sleeping bags.
Another demonstrator, Zachary Hill, said that demonstrators locked arms and sat on food to prevent officers from taking it away.
“The only resistance on this side was passive,” Hill said.
While I understand some of the frustration that has led to these demonstrations I really don't know what the end game is. At what point will those demonstrating say we've done what we came to do and got the results we wanted. Corporate greed is not going away and neither are the rich who like the poor are always with us. Most of us are stuck somewhere in the middle and plod along making ends meet and just living our lives the best we can. I'm feeling very apathetic these days because I no longer believe in change of any kind. People are who they are and things are what they are. The winners so far out of this Occupy deal are the area credit unions. People are closing bank accounts and moving to credit unions in good numbers and I guess now we'll see if the CU change the way they operate with all this influx of cash.
On a lighter note the picture below was taken from our bedroom window. The little blue jay comes often and hangs out on the window sill. Sometimes he's very noisy but he's always very cute. We get other birds too but they don't pose for photos like he does.

The Longhorns won a game making them 5-2 (I think) for the season which means they don't suck as bad as they did last year when they won...hum...if my memory serves, just three games.

More heat on the way

August is here and the 100+ temps that have been plaguing us since May is expected to intensify with record temperatures coming in the next few weeks. Please, anything over 90 is the pitts. To make matters worse no rain is in the forecast for the near future.

I am still walking though and if you get out on the road by at least 7:30am the heat is not so bad.

There are some new works of art on display in the park down by the river. This time instead of decorated guitars we have decorated cows. They are very cute. The one pictured is my favorite because she is all dressed up for her run/walk and has a cuter outfit than me . The blue head band looks way chic on her ;-)  I will try and post photos of the other cows later on.

No rain, too much sun.

On my walk this morning I was hopeful that some rain would come, but it the beautiful storm clouds were just that...beautiful and impotent. Sigh. It's depressing and distressing to see trees, flowers, and grasses dry up to a crispy yellow and brown. I did walk a tad over 2 and half miles and will most likely stay inside again to escape the afternoon heat. I will say that I'm sorry for the Pacific Northwest people (our Evie among them) suffering through a heat wave of there own because while we've had more heat than they have and no rain all summer long we at least have air conditioning. To paraphrase an English nursery rhyme. Rain, rain, don't go away, come see us at least every other day, all creatures great and small would like to play. Rain, rain, do go to Spain, please, please show your lovely face again.

On a more serious note. Go here and please, please, read the health care point plans with an open mind. Why do people think it's okay to let people who can't afford to live a good life do without and die because of lack of good health care and other basic necessities? How anyone could not do something to care for the those who have the least among us is beyond me.

July flying by

July is almost over and I'm hoping August will go by just as fast so we can escape the relentless heat of this summer. Lake Travis is 30 feet below it's capacity and three cars and one motorcycle have been found and pulled from the lake floor. The Perdenales River is dry and boat houses lie on sandy bottom of the river they once floated on. I know we're in a bad drought but the thousands of homes and commercial buildings built around the Highland lake and river areas have helped speed up the draining of the once beautiful waters of that area. Leave it to the human race to devour all the natural resources they can before abandoning them to move on and decimate another area. I'm sort of glad to see the people who rape the countryside lose value on their hideous Mac Mansions and would be gleeful if not for the devastation left in their wake. Not having any money to contribute to the green organizations that fight the developers I do what I can by signing petitions, writing letters to politicians, recycling, and picking up trash when I take my walks. I've not done as well on my walks this week due to allergies to the high mold or a head cold. So far I don't' know which one it is, only that it's annoying not to feel good. Enjoyed the Tour de France. Lance will the third on the podium which is not bad for a 37 year old man who has been away from competitive cycling for 4 seasons. Great job Lance!