Thursday, April 29, 2010
Spring Growth
I am growing potato vines on a tomato cage trellis to create green towers in my back yard and the first one is making it's way up the wire cage nicely and the vine wrapping around the wire created a nice arrangement, so did what I've been doing alot of lately - grabbed the camera and took a picture of it against the perfect blue skies.
Runaway
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
More Greenbelt Spring
Look closely and you can see the bird in the photo above. It took five minutes of listening closely and watching through the camera lens to finally catch the bird on a hop, but sure enough, there was the tiny wren, searching for bugs on the ground.
The well-worn trails make the hike easy, but the overhanging trees and bushes keep the intense sun from being too unbearable on hot and humid days. In a sort of labyrinthian way, the bends in the trail and the thick foliage create an adventure as one never knows what is around that turn or behind those bushes until one is upon them.
This shot down a smoothed granite gully to the creek has an almost rain forest or swampy feel to it - without the stifling humidity of either of those locations.
Better Living Through Chemistry
I’m also the lucky person who does not get to sleep in the couple of weeks leading up to the audit.
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Delayed Snow
The photo above does not give a true sense of the steep incline of the hill from the vantage point of the photograph. It almost appears to be a flat or descending area, but in reality the hill has a greater than 30 degree slope upward.
The photo above shows some of the snow collected around a gully washed out alongside the road. This gully has been growing for years and it is actually composed of heavy clay, so the water does not just wash out new ruts each rain as it does with softer soils. Here again, the snow collected on some of the higher points and exaggerates the depth of the gully.
ADRAGTED
I am almost a little embarrassed to admit this, but I am totally hooked on RuPaul’s Drag Race. As the season finale drew close last night, my cable started freezing up every fifteen seconds. Every channel had the same problem, so I know it was not something specific to Logo.
I turned off the cable box.
I rebooted the cable box.
The picture and audio still kept freezing every fifteen seconds.
Logo does not put the shows online until the next day. I was going to have to live a life of isolation, not texting or taking texts from certain friends. There would be no blogging. There would be no Facebook.
Someone might tell me who won before I had the chance to get home and watch it for myself on Logo Online.
How is it possible that a television show has done this to me? I’m not a TV person unless it is a nature special. Then again - RuPaul’s drag race is kind of a nature special. Plumage. Disguise. Relationship. Drama. It’s all right there.
Fortunately, I tried unplugging the cable box and when it came back, it finally connected to the network and everything worked correctly. The show did not disappoint - it was drag drama all the way.
My gurl Raven did not win, but I can say that I’m ready for season 3!
Monday, April 26, 2010
Spring Flowers
I am not certain what the yellow flowers are exactly, but they are common in fields and even into woodlands. They attract all kinds of insects and looking closely on can see more than just butterflies on them.
Some of the trees, too, produce exquisite flowes. These almost orchid flowers stand out in the wooded areas. Unfortunately we do not have many native trees that produce beautiful flowers, so I am always attracted to the wild flowering trees I come across.
Thursday, April 08, 2010
I'm Trying....
willing to give something new a shot. I registered for email poosting
some time ago, but never saw the urgency to use it. As I sit in the
airport today, waiting for my flight, I decided this time was as good
as any.
I started my Sunday School blog with audio uploads this past week, so
it take up the bulk (and more) of my writing time, so now is the time
to employ the email tool here.
I'll see how well it works when I land and have Internet access again.
Sent from my iPhone
Sunday, April 04, 2010
Take Me To the Water
I am not entirely certain what it was about Easter Sunday this year that made it so unusually special as they go, but from the waking up until now almost bedtime, it has been one of those days touched by special moments that are memorable. The most memorable, of course is the special Easter service at church.
Every year we have a different routine on Easter Sunday with egg and scavenger hunts for the younger ones and a longer time to visit and socialize for the adults. Sprinkled in there is the breakfast provided by the deacons of the church and the normal church preparations of the day.
This year’s worship service also included the baptism of two adults with very moving testimonies read to the gathered congregation. One of the two gentlemen only has one leg, so I got the opportunity to be in the water to help support him as he stood to be baptized and help the preacher get him in and out of the water. Other than my own baptism over thirty years ago, I had never participated so closely in one. The whole experience gave me goosebumps.
And it was not just because the water was freezing.
Baptism in a Baptist church has always been a particularly moving experience even as a congregant observing the practice, but being a part of it took the whole thing to an entirely new level. I am going to have to think on it for a few days to understand the full scope of how much it meant to me, but I do know that I came out of the water feeling even more strongly about the power of baptism as not only a symbol of faith, but as a transformative even in a person’s life.
Our practice is for the choir to sing “Take Me To the Water” as the pastor gets situated in the baptistry to introduce the importance of baptism an all that it signifies. After observing the water first hand, that hymn will carry even more force the next time I hear it.
Saturday, April 03, 2010
Ahhh Spring 2010
Spring in Austin really is hard to beat. Today was one of the perfect examples with a comfortably cool morning with clear bright skies. The day morphed into a warm clear day, perfect for being outside. Coupled with all of this, the rain over the winter has all the local streams flowing nicely, so the trails along them are filled with the sounds of the stream rushing over rock.
I went with my friend, C., to walk the Greenbelt which has several popular gathering places at different rapids. With well marked trails and many people, it made for a relaxing afternoon sightseeing as we traversed the trails.
After our adventures along the trail ended, we stopped at the grocery store to pick up ingredients to make incredibly decadent burgers back at my place and continue to enjoy a perfect day outside. We made guacamole burgers with with sauteed bacon, mushroom, onion, and garlic. The burgers themselves were two patties with bleu cheese in between.
We tried to balance it out somewhat with grilled romaine lettuce topped with citrus salt and balsamic vinegar, but the decadence of cheese and bacon grease pretty much negated those valiant efforts.
Following dinner, we sat around the chiminea as we had small fire to take away the falling chill of the evening.
If only April could stay in Austin all year long.