Snakes Alive!

If you have known me for more than about 10 minutes, you know that I don't have any affection for creepy crawlies. No one even comes to check on the blood-curdling scream a good 2-inch Texas cock roach solicits for me. They know the scream and what brings it on.

But snakes. Man, they send chills down my spine just thinking about them.

You can imagine the scream that came out when I ran across this guy while digging in my yard.


He was curled up in the lariope. He didn't mean any harm. He's actually a good guy to have around a garden.



He is a Texas Brown Snake. Clever name as he is a brown snake found in Texas. He was a little guy. Only about 10 inches long.

By far his best attribute, in my book, is that he eats slugs. Go forth and multiply, my friend.

We Have Turned a Corner

They say there are two seasons in Houston: August and the rest of the year. I don't quite hold to that, but I understand the sentiment. It is generally pretty warm here with August usually unbearably hot. Temperatures in the 90's continue until September. Until.


I think today marks our until. We had a little front blow through today. It brought a little rain. Very little. But it brought with it the coolest most refreshing breeze.


Though still mostly green, the leaves have started to fall off the pecan trees. Fall is here.

We don't get brilliant colors here unless we get a surprise freeze early on. Last year was pretty. We had an unusually cold winter and the trees treated us because of it.

But our usual change of seasons is subtle yet noticeable. I don't mind that really. That's sort of how I like my change. Subtle yet noticeable. I'm not much for big whirlwinds of obnoxious, life-altering change. Sometimes that's how changes come though.

So today I am enjoying the change of seasons. The subtle change. And wondering if there is a bigger one on its way.

So, I hopped in the car to get the boy from school yesterday and look what popped up.


OK. That was a misread. Once we got going and things stabilized, it was only this.


Welcome to mid-September in Houston, Texas. Don't forget to throw in the 70% humidity. Life is good in the sub tropics.

Neighbors

I don't know if I have ever mentioned some of our neighbors. They have been here since we moved in, although I have to confess that I'm not sure if they have always been the same ones. They aren't particulary friendly and they all look the same to me.


I took this from my front porch. The vacant lot across the street from my house is a favorite breakfast spot. You see, we have guineas.

They can be a little noisy, but I don't mind. They are a fun addition to our neighborhood.

The story goes that they used to belong to someone who let them run free. The owners moved and left the guineas. They roam in about a 3 or 4 block area. I don't know where they nest. We lost a couple during Ike. Our count has been between 2 and 5 over the years. There are people who put out feed, but they mostly forage around in yards and flower beds.

I'm not sure if they are considered wildlife. They are more like livestock. Whatever you call them, they are fun to have in the neighborhood.

2010 Houston Art Car Parade Adventure

Sorry it has taken me so long to get to this, but it has taken me this long to recover. : ) Seriously, it was a some kind of exhausting fun.

Perhaps the best part of the day was the weather. It was cloudy with a very pleasant breeze. The last time we did this we almost fried right there on Allen Parkway. We were very pleased with the conditions of the day.We were probably the tamest of the entries there. We were just plain cute.

I fully expect to get a call from Pixar announcing they want to include us in their next installment of the Cars franchise. I mean, come on! Look at us!

Anyway, the parade festivities begin with sitting on Allen Parkway. Allen Parkway is a beautiful street that leads from downtown Houston to the River Oaks neighborhood. It's twisty and hilly and tree lined. It is blocked off and the cars line up and wait while the masses who are hungry for eccentricity wander about and check out the cars.

I should add here the the Art Car Parade is sponsored by The Orange Show. Houston has a big folk art community. We're weird. I love that about Houston.

There are representations for every aspect of society as well as from some just plain loony people. There were schools, businesses, people who wanted to legalize marijuana, families who decorated the family van like sock monkeys. It takes all kinds.

This guy covered his Jeep with crushed cans and pull tabs.

There was the classic cock roach car. He's been around for years.

Not all art cars are cars.

These guys were next to us while we were lined up. They kept us in a dancing mood.



I didn't take as many pictures as I should have/would have liked. But you get the idea.

I would be remiss if I didn't mention that we only made it through half the parade. One of our batteries died on the road. It was a tragedy. We got towed by a jeep that was painted like a tiger. We ultimately got it going and made it home, but we missed the return trip down Allen Parkway. But it was a fun and exciting day. Several friends stopped by and we ate lots of cupcakes and deviled eggs. That makes every day better.

Off to the Parade

Today is the Houston Art Car Parade. We are off to hang with the lunatic fringe. It's where I feel most comfortable. Details to follow.

Have a great Saturday!

Guess This Fruit

Do you know what these are?


Maybe this will help.


Maybe not.

They are loquats. They grow all over Houston. I have one in a pot. This is the first year we have ever gotten fruit on it. I grew up with one of these trees in my backyard.

When you cut them open, there are a couple of large seeds. It's not a great picture, but this is what they look like:

They are tasty. A little like an apple but with the texture of a grape. But they are hard work. There is not much flesh in one of these.

Most people who have these small, evergreen trees in their yard don't even bother to pick them. My daughter's piano teacher's husband is from Jordan. When he got to Houston, he was shocked to see them growing all over the place. Apparently, they are quite a delicacy where he comes from. Go figure.

I picked what few we had and am eating on them. We didn't get enough to do anything with, but you can make a jelly out of them.

Ever heard of or seen a loquat?

The Sad, Sad State of Affairs

Houston is basking in delightful temperatures this week. Mid 70's. Ah.

While we are recovering from the shock of the arctic blast, my yard it not.

Remember this glorious bougainvillea that clung to my back fence?


Now it looks like this.



Not so glorious.

The enormous philodendrons now are sad and limp.



The nephthytis that crawls up the tall pecans now hangs limp over our heads.



Most of these will come back on at least some level. That is my hope anyway. But I'm already looking through my gardens books. If this weather holds - which is unlikely - I'll be itching to get out in the yard and make some pretty.

How is your garden fairing this winter?

I prefer hurricanes.

So, we are bracing ourselves for more wild weather here in SE Texas. Our lovely sub-tropical climate will be host to temperatures in the teens over the next couple of days. Brrr.

It is not quite the new year at my house as my dining room table is still filled with red bows, so I will leave the blogging to some others. Here are some links to entertain you until I get back at it.

God Must Be Laughing - thoughts on our lovely weather

Four Warm, Cozy Soups - because this weather calls for soup and the Pioneer Woman never disappoints

Your Daily Dose of Cute - OK, this was from back in November, but cute is cute.

Christmas Miracle - because who can't use a good miracle now and then.

The Great Winter Storm of '09

First there was Ike and now this....


Not only do pigs fly, but it snows in Houston.

Can you believe? We had real snow - in HOUSTON!

Look at my poor bougainvillea covered in snow.


Look at the philodendrons weighed down with snow.


Look at the backyard.


Look at my silly children.


OK, some are sillier than others.

A good time was had by all. It will be 70 by Tuesday. No complaints here! That's the way I like my snow. Short and sweet.

Other Growth

While our fall garden may be stunted, the neighborhood is not. Here are some scenes from my back deck.


These are 2 "houses" that are being built behind us. I say "houses" because they are being built on lots that are a mere 25 feet wide. That is more townhome than house to me. Where once there was one house, there will be three. *sigh*

If you look past my next door neighbor's house and into the next yard, you will see an excavator and a little bobcat. The house and awesome-beyond-all-hoarder's-belief garage is going away. Two fabulous new homes are to be built on that lot soon.


It is not very quiet around here these days what with all the banging and air compressors and smashing going on. I'm also feeling a little encroached upon. Those houses in the back are built right up to the alley and are hovering over my backyard. More motivation to get out of here. So again - *sigh*.

All God's Creatures

What kind of Urban Pioneers would we be if we didn't have a few brushes with the wildlife in the area. Thanks to Princess, we get our share of close encounters of the wild kind.

This is Princess.



She is a lab mix and supposedly belongs to my daughter. She is a pretty sweet dog, but she is a whiner and I just have no tolerance for that.

She is an inner-city dog. But she is also a hunter. Not trained, of course. That hasn't stopped her instincts from taking down squirrels, birds, rats, and 2 of my chickens. This weekend she brought me this:



Dropped it right at the front door. I thought the thing was dead. But it is an opossum. I stared at it awhile and tried to decide what I was going to do with the thing and it moved ever so slightly. It was playing dead. Cool, huh?

My husband and son were out of town, so I was left to deal with an all too alive but possibly injured wild thing with teeth and claws. So I did what every red-blooded American woman would do. First, I called and yelled at my husband for not being there when there was wildlife on the porch. Then, I called my mother.

She talked me down and convinced me that he needed to be isolated for the night. If he was mortally wounded he might crawl away and die under my house. That would be even less cool. I agreed and went and got the kitty carrier.

I was glad they play dead because I was able to sort of roll him into the carrier. I gave him (her?) a bowl of water and a strawberry.

When I checked on him in the morning he had eaten his strawberry and was crawling on the cage door trying to get out. As soon as he realized I was there he quit moving. I opened the cage and took that pitiful picture. OK, so maybe he wasn't as ferocious as he looked the night before.

I called the TWRC. They are a life saver for ninnies like me who have more compassion than actual know-how. They said to bring it in and if he was OK, they would release him someplace safe. They will even e-mail me and let me know what the outcome was.

The ride over there was a...fragrant one. When I dropped him off, I commented on how stinky he was. They told me that opossums can excrete a "death scent" to enhance the whole playing dead experience. Awesome. I may have to air out the van.

And here is the little darling safe in the care of the TWRC workers.


Isn't he charming?

Live long and prosper, buddy. But please do it somewhere else.

If you are interest in learning a little more about the Virginia Opossum (That's what we have here in Texas. Go figure.), you may check it out here.

In Praise of Nina Hendee

Oh, my goodness!

We had the most awesome field trip with our Homeschool Group. We went to The Taste of Texas Restaurant.

If you are not local, you probably have not heard of the Taste of Texas. It is an independent, one-of-a-kind restaurant owned by Nina and Edd Hindee. They are Texas to the bone and a sweet as the pecan pie on their menu.

Nina lead our tour. She is absolutely darling from the word go. She blames her 4th grade teacher on her love of Texas history. Said teacher made the kids write a two-page report EVERY WEEK on a book about Texas history. She missed all the skinny books at the library one week and ended up reading about Gail Borden: one of the most fascinating men in Texas history or anywhere else. And the inventor of condensed milk, among other things. He got her hook, line, and sinker from then on out.

Let me tell you about this woman though. Nina talked extemporaneously to a room full of 100 rapt homeschoolers for an hour about the history of Texas. Her depth of knowledge is incredible. My daughter commented that the restaurant felt like a big home. And it did, albeit one that is filled with the Texas history memorablilia and artifacts that Nina collects.

The Hindee's commitment to education is legendary. Not only do they sponsor these field trips, but they also pay cash money to their student employees who bring them their report cards. They give a number of college scholarships each year as well.

It was an awesome and generous field trip. I can't say enough good things about these people. If you are ever in Houston and want a really nice night out and an awesome steak, get your hiney over to the Taste of Texas and thank your lucky stars that you are in Texas.

Like I said...

...you just never know what you are going to get in Houston.


Last night, we got snow. No, not Buffalo snow, but snow just the same. The kids were over the moon.

Here is snow on my citrus! Yes, it is in the living room.


A handheld snowman.


Make that 2.


When we are in the 70's this weekend, we'll have this to remind us of our snowy adventure.

You gotta love Houston.

They say if you don't like the weather in Houston, stay a few days. I took a look at this forecast and had to share it with you. Today is miserable. Cold and rainy with a possible frost tonight. We will be in the 70's by the weekend. Typical.

I'm still here, somewhere.

Sorry I haven't been around much lately. I have been busy. Let's see, what all have I done?

I finished making the City of Houston a more festive place. See?


I have been picking one of the world's largest lemons.


I got up close and personal with some alpacas in Navasota.


I have been winning an awesome CD from Missy over at It's Almost Naptime. You must check out Red Mountain Music. I just love it. Thanks, Missy.

I have started putting up our Christmas decorations. More on that later.

And I am doing a final cleaning push to get this dang blasted house on the market. I washed all the lace curtains today. I am ashamed at how much better they look now. Housework is not my strong suit.

In short, life has just gotten the better of me.

We had a nice, quiet Thanksgiving. Christmas promises to be the exact opposite! But that's the way we like it. Baking for days leading up to it. Then dozens of people in and out of the house all day. It's such fun.

But I must run now. Back soon!

Say it wth me now....

....Woo-Hoo!



Now, this is at Kroger. If you have one of their little cards, you get 3 cents off that price. If you have spent over $100 on groceries the month before, you get 10 cents off. That makes it $1.64.

What are you paying for gas now?

You Can't Take Me Anywhere

Really, It's true. I want to be all chic and gracious and lovely and all that, but on a regular day, it's just not happening.

Take today, for example. My lovely sister has a birthday in October. Her very generous husband always gives her tickets to the Nutcracker Market. But not just any tickets. No, he gets the ones that allow her to get priority admission and enjoy the fashion show and luncheon. But wait! There's more!! He also buys tickets for me, my other sister, and my mother! We have a major girls' day at one of the shopping events of the year. How fun is that? I should have no trouble being chic in such circumstances. Well, let me tell you.

My sister came to get me bright and early. I was all ready to go. We were to meet my other sister and my mother at the Market. I hop in and we hit the road. Just a few blocks from the house she says, "Did I step in poop?" No, of course, she didn't. I did!

I live on a very narrow street. She had parked in the vacant lot across the street when she came to get me. Everyone in the neighborhood who walks their dog walks it over there because they don't have to clean up after them. I know it is a minefield, but I was excited and in a hurry and not paying attention. She turns around and heads back to my house.

I shoot the hose at my foot and purse because OF COURSE I put my foot by my purse and the enormous gooshy mess got on it, too.

OK, my foot is clean, but my pants are wet. I guess I'll just go change.

I am now wearing jeans instead of my nice, brown pants. We're running a little late, but we are rolling again and everything is cool.

We arrive and breeze past the huddled masses waiting for the official opening. We peruse the aisles of glittery gorgeousness. At one booth, while I am waiting for my sister who is buying an engraved ornament, I switch my purse from one hand to the other. I look down in horror and realize that the handle to my purse has dried poop on it. Poop. Dried. On the handle. Yes, the handle that my hand has been holding. Time to go to the bathroom.

I scrub my purse in the sink as best I can with paper towels and soap and water. Then I scrub my hands feverishly.

Can we be done with the poop now!?

The rest of the day was comparatively uneventful and really quite lovely, but I think I am scarred for life.

*sigh*

I bet it was the bulldog.

There will be many tears

Houston lost one of its cutest residents today.

Mac the baby elephant died last night from a viral infection. He took ill yesterday. He was only 2 years old. I haven't told the kids yet. They will be so sad. He was always our most entertaining stop at the zoo.

You can read the full story about Mac here.

Official Declaration

I am calling it good.

We, as a household, are officially back to normal. Whatever that means.

Our yard has been cleaned thoroughly. Our debris has been picked up. Aunt Sarah is back home. Yes, we still have a little water damage to repair. There is the small matter of damage to the trailer and car, but neither one of those things is driven on a daily basis. For all intents and purposes, we are on with our lives.

Good-bye, Ike.