Tropical Storm Hermine

We got lots and lots of rain over the past couple of days. 8-12 inches in our area depending on how close to downtown you live. While we loved the rain I can understand why some did not because it did do a lot of water damage and sadly some lost their belongings and in one sad case here in Austin one lady lost her life. One wonders why someone would risk their life by driving around warning signs and barricades but it's something that happens every time if floods. Below are a few pictures of some of the affected areas. I took the first two but the one of Barton Springs now and before the flood is from the web.

Hike and Bike Trail

Near 1st Street Bridge, water ran over the road.

 Barton Springs now

 How Barton Springs normally looks

Little critter and a lily

You can find the most interesting things on a walk here in Austin. I came across the little bird shown (you have to look close to see him/her) on the Hike and Bike Trail. I tried to shoo the little critter closer to the river because it had wondered close to Riverside Drive which is a long way from the river, at least for one so tiny. Alas I could not do it so I found a Park employee and later saw three of them gather around the place I last say the little bird and I hope they got it back where it was supposed to be. I think it was an egret or another water bird from the same family. The yellow lily photo was taken in the front yard. Guess lilies love the heat and humidity because they are looking beautiful.

Busy week coming up

We have a semi-busy week coming up for us. Frank has BCG treatment (Bacillus Calmette-Guerin-Chemotherapy Drug) on Monday, an eye appointment on Tuesday and on Wednesday we'll be taking our son to have his knee operated on.
The picture is of a butterfly (I think because it's prettier than a moth) that emerged from a cocoon that had been attached to a leg of a table that sits out on the patio. There was one more cocoon but th tiny creature escaped its confined space when we were not around. Ain't nature grand?

Photos

Photos taken recently. Flower baskets are a story all thier own. Let's just say they had a hard journey getting here but they were worth it in the end. The purple daisies arrived 4 days late and a bit wilted, the carnation, daisy basket arrived fresh and are now on my dresser looking pretty. Thanks Pam! We were at our sons house over the weekend for a delicous dinner and he and Sandy made us feel very welcome. The photos of our son and my mom were taken at his house. Cyndi and Derick arrived later on Mother's Day after we got home dressed in outfits Derick had made for the kids he looks after at the Boys and Girls Club. They gave us quite a giggle. My walking is harder this week because not only has it turned quite warm but the humidity is high too. 73 temp and 87 humidity! Blech.

Roundup

Place Austin, TX


Name & City
 Bib No 4730
Age 65
Overall 595
Chip Time 58:18.38
Gun Time 1:01:19.00

That's me in the red visor. Didn't do as well as last year, about 2 minutes more this year which surprised me because I felt good except for a couple of blocks near the end. There were people older than me who had fantastic times and people younger than me who had crappy times so I guess I should be happy with what I did.  I'm thinking about taking the training classes for the CapMetro for next year but they don't start until October so I have lots of time to talk myself out of it. I do want to break the 50 minute mark so it's something to think about. The picture below is not at all flattering but the face I was making was near the two mile mark and I knew hills were coming up. Not my favorite things.

First posting of the year

As you can see I haven't posted anything since the first of the year. After fighting with blogger for half an hour today I remember why I almost quit doing it. Evie did want to see some of the pictures I took of our garden and of places along my walking route. Speaking of my walking route I do have some things to write about that are pleasant. Two different ladies stopped me while I was on the road (one got out of her car) to tell me that they had been watching me for several years and were inspired to get out and do some sort of exercise. They both said they admired my willpower and I told them thanks but willpower had little to do with it because I do it for medical reasons. One said I looked 'terrific' which was nice to hear. It was very nice of them to stop and give me compliments and encourage me to continue on. Having said that I will tell you that I signed up again for the Texas Roundup which is on April 28th. My doctor wanted me to sign on for the Cap Metro 10K but I'm not ready for that, maybe next year if I'm still around and able to walk. My medical tests were good by the way with cholesterol and tryglicerides way down. Trying my hand at meditation but so far I'm doing poorly. Frank's checkup with the doctor who did his leg surgery (17 years ago now) was good and his x-rays clear. Also his bladder cancer is in check with no new signs so that's a wonderful thing to hear. The first one was taken in January when it was snowing, the second this week in April when it was raining, same location.

Yellow rose blooming in our yard. It appears they are long lasting ones and we look forward to seeing many more of them bloom.

Pink and lemon zest petunias. Really pretty and they'll bloom until it gets too hot.

Last day of 2009

Got my last walk in on the last day of 2009. Austin is getting ready for First Night and the news media said 100 thousand people are expected to downtown tonight. Festivities start at 4pm and run until about 3am. Hopefully 2010 will be a great year for everyone. I know we could use a good one. I'm currently reading John Adams by David McCollough (a gift from Krys) and it's very good. I really like John and Abigail Adams. So live a long healthy life and prosper in whatever manner you hold dear be it money, love, self help, etc. .

Happy New Year 2010!