Having now lived two full years of an agrarian Texas country life, I’ve come to appreciate Nature’s hand in it. It is just as random and capricious out here as it is in the midst of cheek-to-jowl big city humanity. The difference is that in farm country our animal kingdom friends are close-by, clearly seen, and there are more of them.
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Last night I was sitting and writing in my old, inspiring Morris chair. Ernie was scrunched in behind me: yes, behind my back. Graciously he now leaves me a few inches at the edge of the seat cushion to rest my bum and reach the laptop’s keyboard. This close proximity started a couple months ago after we had that confrontation
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Spring in Texas is becoming more motorcycle friendly so I was out and about with mine. Going down a country road to our local airport I came upon a white animal in the road. As I slowed down to see it closer up I looked over to my right and saw two more: another white one and a larger brown-faced
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The title of this piece was a commonly used expression with the WWII generation. My parents – and especially our Mother – used it often. It meant why waste your time on that; or don’t bother it isn’t worth the trouble. I brought it back for the moment to be used literally: stop and save some berries “for the birds.” In
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It’s the time of year when we have just sprung the clocks forward. That annoying measure, however, can be quickly put aside because Texas wildflowers put a smile on your face each morning, albeit an hour later. The beautiful white flower shown is a one-off. It immediately stood out from its field of multi-cultural neighbors. I looked twice through my extensive Texas Wildflowers Field
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After fifteen months of living together Ernie was bound to exhibit a dark side. This morning he snarled and took a stand that gave every indication he would bite me. Ernie: the world’s most appreciative and happy pooch? Since occasionally he startles and puts a rabbit to run I’ve often wondered what would happen if he actually caught one. Now I know.
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Big Girl number two has had her calf: a bull. Like his mother, but at three days young, he stares at the photographer. My neighbor told me that the mom-to-be walked into a modest metal out-building, had the calf, went outside and not long thereafter the young’in followed: normal post-partum details are omitted. This happened about 6 a.m. on the
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Well, I promised to advise when one of the pregnant “big girls” next store gave birth, and she did! It was on Wednesday, the third of February’s afternoon at about four o’clock, preceded by a good luck head butt: [The all-brown faced is the mother of the moment] She then slowly left her friends and walked alone to a section of barbed wire
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Pampered. It all started with that single word. And, no, we’re not talking about adult diapers. But frequently during conversation a word will stick with me and get my thought process going into unpredictable directions. That happened when Marsha my hair stylist was trying to sell me add-on services such as a scalp massage, and I was saying no thanks.
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I was in Houston and had about a half-hour before my doctor’s appointment. Where to go for breakfast? I was starving and my favorite neighborhood diner closed months ago. There wasn’t time to find another big breakfast place so I went to Panera Bread across the street from where I was parked: memories of that chain were good until the
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