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!

Last Milestone BD

I did it, I'm 65, officially a recipient of Medicare. ;-) So many people do not make it this far so I'm happy to be still be here. Thankfully to reach this age is not as emotional as say reaching 30 was. To be called ma'am now is nothing new and no longer having men eye you with appreciation and interest is also nothing new. Happily my Frank still looks at me with a twinkle in his beautiful brown eyes even though I suspect that age has idealised my image for him making me appear much better than I really am. ;-) Thanks to the dear souls who sent me emails, texts, cards, and good wishes. You all are much better friends than I deserve but I'm very grateful for you each and every one of you. May all of you 'Live long and prosper'.

Start of a new week

Even though I haven't been posting my walking distances doesn't mean that I haven't been faithful to my routine. I have been doing at least 2 and half miles 5 days a week down from 3.1 miles. The distance reduction has been due to the extreme heat we've had here in central Texas and I expect to go back up to my usual when the days are cooler. Had another bummer when Lance Armstrong didn't pick up time on the first Alpine leg of the tour. True he is second, but a distant second. Guess you can't do at 37 what you did at 34...but I think the 3 year lay off had more to do with it than his age. Don't know if I'll watch it as much this last week since he's all but conceded the race to one of his teams other riders. Concerning Tom Watson's loss at the British open I think the sports casters are not being fair to Stewart Cink who beat Watson when they said he stole the tournament from him. He played better, therefore he won. Also Tom Watson is gentleman he's reported to be as his "I don't give a damn about Tiger Woods" statement reveals. Well, I don't give a damn about Tom Watson. Meanwhile there are other more serious things to think about like the fight for health care, which everyone deserves to have, not just the rich. And there is a young soldier being held captive who might lose his life and whose life or death plight is getting less air time than Michael Jackson's death. The entertainment news service these days only goes for ratings and not for the facts or truth in the stories but their opinions on the stories. It's a shame too because good, honest, reporting would be appreciated. Now for my pet peeve of the day. I'm often appalled by reading some of the comments by so called 'normal people' on stories found on websites. These people are mean spirited and downright hateful and they can't spell for taffy. It's scary and while there are times I would like to comment I don't because I don't want to get in an argument with some nut. But then again that's just my opinion. ;-)

Ack!

Alas it looks like my fav golfer will not make the cut this weekend. The worst part is having to listen to the pundits and non-fans gloat and talk about him being 'finished' in the game. I guess even the great ones must travel in the valleys to appreciate the peaks. This being said he has won 3 tournaments since his return from knee surgery but not a major. Oh well, he'll be back.

Doing stuff to stay out of the heat

Another hot day, 103 forecast, so I have thought of things to do inside besides working on my large paintings. Been having a bit of fun decorating an old purse of mine. Eddie fans should get it. Any thoughts on what other Eddie tidbits to paint on the little purse? Have been following the Tour de France on Versus and today the British Open has started. Tiger not starting off well but never, ever, count him out. Read this article in the local paper today. It lets us know how dangerous this unrelenting heat can be.

AUSTIN
"Man dies from heat, EMS says
A man died Wednesday of apparent heat-related causes after emergency crews found him unconscious in a car.
About 4:30 p.m., a man was reported as being unresponsive inside a car in South Austin, Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical Services officials said. Medics found the man in cardiac arrest and performed CPR, but he died at a hospital about 5:40 p.m., EMS officials said. They did not release the man's name or age.
The man's body temperature was 108 degrees when he died, officials said.
"The individual appears to have spent long hours over several days working outdoors without proper hydration," EMS Assistant Director Frank Urias said."

Social networking and other mussings

It's becoming quite a task to keep up these days with friends and family what with all the avenues now available to anyone and everyone. Now you can be followed or completely ignored by people you know or don't know on venues such as Twitter, Blog Sites, or personal web pages just to name a few. The way I handle it is to be more of a lurker than a contributor. Right now on Twitter I'm following Lance Armstrong as he rides in the Tour du France and Eddie Izzard when he does anything because he makes me laugh. Oh, and I follow Evie too. :-) On Facebook and by reading personal blogs, I keep up with my brother, children, grandchildren, and friends. I express my thoughts on my own blog when the spirit moves me and my creative endeavours on my personal web page when my artistic juices move me. I write (although not much as of late) poems and stories, and paint pictures because I enjoy doing it. I don't know why I focus on landscapes because I'm not much of a traveler but then again I travel in my minds eye so I don't have to do it physically. Besides, no real place could be as idyllic for me as the places I create so why should I go to the trouble of looking for them? It might mean something, or not, that my landscapes have homes, barns, etc..but no people. Does that mean I'm anti-social or that I just like to be away from the craziness that goes on around us in our ever changing world? Who knows, I certainly don't. ;-)Hopefully people will like the fruits of my artistic labors but if they don't then that's okay. The picture posted is of 'my studio'. Not a big space but I get good light and for me the art of painting is all about light and shadows. Hum..I got off the subject of social networking didn't I? Oh well, it's kind of scary but that's how my real conversations go, all over the place! Have a good day and stay safe and find a way to express yourself. You'll feel better for it. :-)

Too hot, too hot

Haven't been blogging or doing anything much these days. I go out early on my walks and sad to say am doing less distance at this time. About 2 and a quarter to 2 and a half miles instead of the 3.1. They are predicting 105-106 today with a heat index of 110. The normal temperature for this time of year is 94. No rain. Heat advisories are in effect for most of Texas. In a way this weather is almost as debilitating as the cold is where my brother lives. I have been watching the Tour Du France now that Lance Armstrong is back in it and marvel at how far and how fast those men go on their bicycles. Have also been following Lance on Twitter and had to chuckle at this photo he posted. He said it was a little bit of home. The photo was taken in Barcelona. I would think it was done by a Longhorn fan because of the orange and white but then there is the owl...hum...could it be the collaboration of a Longhorn and Rice fan?

We're gettng bigger, not better

It seems Americans are gung-ho on the dangers of smoking but are ignoring the dangers of obesity. While I'm not slim by any stretch of the imagination (in fact my BMI puts me in the moderately obese range) I do try to keep my weight under control and do some physical activity to keep my healthy and my fat cells at bay. Smoking does cause a variety of health problems but so does obesity. Eating healthy and staying active is something we can all do to make our quality of life better. Oh and I'm almost one of the 65 and beyond they are talking about.
AP Summary) – Mississippi's still king of cellulite, but an ominous tide is rolling toward the Medicare doctors in neighboring Alabama: obese baby boomers. It's time for the nation's annual obesity rankings and, outside of fairly lean Colorado, there's little good news. Obesity rates among adults rose in 23 states over the past year and didn't decline anywhere, says a new report.
And while the nation has long been bracing for a surge in Medicare as the boomers start turning 65, the new report makes clear that fat, not just age, will fuel much of those bills. In every state, the rate of obesity is higher among 55- to 64-year-olds—the oldest boomers—than among today's 65-and-beyond. That translates into a coming jump of obese Medicare patients that ranges from 5.2% in New York to 16.3% in Alabama, the report concluded. http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2009-07-01-most-obese-state_N.htm