It's Contagious

There are a lot of things in my life that have been unexpected. While I call myself a planner, in action, it always tends to be a short-range concept. It's taken a while, but I've come to embrace the temporary, the transient, the unplanned.

I'm not actually sure when it happened, but "unexpected" has grown to have a rather equivocal connotation. "Unexpected" can often be construed as "unplanned," which, more often than not, is considered negative.

So, when we found out in November that I was pregnant, Dave and I realized that while, yes, it was unplanned, it was a halcyon-type moment in our lives. It was something utterly defining. It was auspicous. It was positive.

And it still is. Right now we're just at 11 weeks and baby England is growing just right and has a strong heartbeat. Everyone asks us if we're excited, and we can honestly say we're thrilled, stoked, and sometimes just amazed at how our lives are changing so quickly.

It seems, though, that everyone is pregnant these days. Just today, in fact, a family friend announced she was 12 weeks along via facebook. The Maiden Metallurgist is at 25 weeks today. About three other friends are at various stages of incubation, as if your proximity to pregnancy makes you more likely to "catch it."

Regardless, we're excited about all of the little unexpected things life is throwing our way these days.

I know it's been a while...

... but there are lots of things going on behind the scenes.

Work is keeping me incredibly busy, and our schizophrenic weather in Dallas has my head turning. It's ridiculous how one day you'll need an extra layer for warmth, while the next day might be tank top weather.

In any case, life is pretty good. I dyed yarn, finished a couple of things, and started several new projects.

Hopefully I'll have more to share soon!

Random Sunday

1. We woke up late (10 a.m.) and had to hustle like you wouldn't believe to Arlington, only to watch the Rangers lose (again) to the Tampa Bay (death) Rays. Also, I just don't understand how people can drink 5 or 6 beers when they're $6 a pop. Six bucks for Bud Light out of an aluminum bottle? No thanks.

2. After putting it off for forever, I finally counted all of the yoke stitches for my February Lady sweater. If you really want to know, I'm going to be doing some serious ripping. Ridiculous.

3. I'm this close to finishing one of my Nutkin socks that I started in May. FREAKING MAY.

4. I did finish an alpaca neckwarmer while we were in Colorado. Too bad it's still in the 80s here.

5. It's pretty much a given that I'll have to work from home at least for a couple of hours every weekend, but I need to figure out how to get out of the office earlier than 7 p.m. on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, because, people, that's not fun.

6. Dave and I took the dogs to the playing fields at Hexter Elementary today to run around and act like goofballs. It makes me wish we had a huge backyard where they could run and play and just be puppies.

7. Jane is laying eggs again, so now we have egg cartons full of regular ol' brown eggs and these lovely greenish-blue ones. It almost kills me to actually crack and eat them, but I do it anyways because they're delicious.

Another Finished Object, And a Trip to Colorado

We've been back from Colorado for two painful weeks. They've been painful because, after visiting Denver, Colorado Springs, Manitou Springs, Pikes Peak, Fort Collins, Boulder, Estes Park, and Aurora, we've seen what we've been missing by not living near the Rockies.

First, there are views like this:



This was taken from the Eastern edge of Aurora on our way back to our friends' house. We ended up taking several day trips because my dear childhood friend allowed us to use her car. She wasn't headed anywhere, considering that, just a day before we arrived, she gave birth to my sweet "nephew." Which is awesome, because that meant he could model the blanket I made for him!



It's from hand-dyed Lion Brand Fisherman's Wool (You're actually looking at the "wrong" side of the blanket, but what the heck). I used four different shades of Kool Aid to dye the yarn in a many tones of red. I love how it turned out, and hopefully it will get many years of use!



On our first day, we tried to take it easy to avoid altitude sickness, so we went to downtown Denver to visit a couple of book stores, a yarn shop, and a Mexican restaurant all recommended to us by the ever-lovely Colorado native, The Maiden Metallurgist.

First, though, I visited the state capitol building, which was pretty cool. I mean, it's no Texas State Capitol, but it did have some neat features, like the stained glass portraits:



The walls were suffocating witha beautifully veined stone, too:



And you could take a trip to the tip-top of the dome:



And soak up the vista:





Wow, right?

And then we went to La Cueva. Seriously. Do not pass "Go," do not collect $200 without La Cueva's chile rellenos. It's two Anaheim peppers stuffed with Jack cheese and fried to a pleasant texture. They're then smothered in your choice of red or green chile sauce, a la so many joints in New Mexico. If you're a wimp like me when it comes to spicy foods, the red chile sauce is a safe bet. The rellenos go perfectly with the fresh-made flour tortillas.

The folks at La Cueva were even kind enough to show us how they make their tortillas. Two women work the tortilla press until each bit of dough is thin, round, and uniform:



As they day goes by, a single cook mans the griddle, turning out tortillas by flipping them almost constantly until they're just a little bubbled and browned:



And folks, that was just the first day.

You can check out our travels though my flickr feed, which has some pretty crazy photos of rocks (never thought I'd say that).

Enjoy!

Win vs. Fail

I was in a wedding this past weekend. It was a really beautiful ceremony, with really beautiful people getting married...





Lovely friends...



And the food (cake) wasn't too bad, either.

Wrapping up the wedding weekend with probably the worst stomach bug I've ever had?

Fail.

Done

Finally, something that is finished. It's a Christmas gift for a family member, and she already knows she's getting it, so there's no risk of surprise or anything.



The shawl is Ishbel by Ysolda Teague in Ella Rae Lace Merino, here unblocked.

And here she is blocked:



The difference between unblocked and blocked lace always shocks the shit out of me in the very best way. It's like watching a baby chick hatch — kind of riveting and hopeful.





I have so many other projects that need finishing, so it's especially great to finally get done with one that has languished for a while.

Fall Fast Approaches

Well folks, we made it through another August in Texas.

I won't say we enjoyed the weeks of 100-plus-degree heat, and I'll admit that we cursed the great state a few times, often saying, "FUCK THIS! I AM MOVING AS SOON AS I CAN!"

But Mother Nature, in all of her charity, granted us a reprieve yesterday in the form of an epic rain shower that drenched us (edit: is STILL DRENCHING US) and brought temperatures down to 74 degrees.

Yes, people, it is 74 degrees and rainy. In Dallas.

The weather has got the idea of blessedly cooler temperatures stuck in my craw. Which also means I need to edit my knitting projects for fall accessorizing.

Things I will be knitting include:

A new slouchy hat (maybe lace)
A new pair of fingerless mitts
Legwarmers
A cowl

I really wanted a pair of legwarmers last year, but I got caught up in holiday knitting for others. This year, I will not be giving handknit gifts outside of ones I have already started. I find that there is such an investment on my part with these gifts, and that investment is rarely appreciated.

But fall, and boot weather can't come fast enough. (I have my eyes on these boots in brown, by the way)

What's on your brain as Fall approaches?

Too Much of a Good Thing

Cooking makes me feel normal. I love to make things, and cooking is often a solitary sport.

However, it is totally possible to go overboard.



18 Dark chocolate coconut cupcakes



16 Chocolate chip peanut butter cookies


Anyone need a snack?

The One-Eyed Man

I have been deaf in my right ear for more than a decade and I have never worn a hearing aid.

That is, until today.

Let me tell you something about hearing aids. They are not the same as hearing. Not at all.

But, I know I should at least try one. And I am. But the doctor said that the hearing aid would be good in situations with a lot of background noise, and playing music.

Yeah, not so much.

I guess it's all trial and error. Especially where, in the kingdom of the blind, the one-eyed man is king.

An Epic Disappointment

I try to not let being deaf affect my daily life. The sun will come up and go down, the wind will move tree branches, and traffic will suck regardless, and I should keep moving on, too.

But, about eight months ago, something changed my attitude about being deaf. My ear doctor delivered me a new hope in cochlear implant surgery.

I've been exploring my options since then, and finally went ahead with a surgical consult yesterday. The office manager who scheduled the appointment told me they'd get a jumpstart on the insurance paperwork and it should be smooth sailing from there. I might even have a new ear by the end of 2010.

I doubt many people could understand how excited I was.

All of that changed yesterday, though, when the a different ear doctor than I usually see greeted me in the exam room, did some rudimentary tests, and then brought the other ear surgeon in.

Suddenly, the surgeon was backpedaling. He told me that I wasn't nearly as good a candidate for the surgery as he initially estimated, and that if I did elect to have the surgery, he wouldn't do it unless I couldn't hold him liable for the consequences if it wasn't successful.

They wanted me to try the Baha implant demo, which is less invasive than a cochlear implant. I just about burst into tears from stress and confusion. I thought to myself, "Why would you string me along, tell me that there's hope, and then take all that away?"

It's still hard for me to write about this. Just thinking about it has made tears well up and a caused a tightness in my throat. More than that, I'm ashamed of myself. I did exactly what I shouldn't -- I pinned all of my hopes to this procedure. And now that it hasn't worked out like I had hoped, I am terribly disappointed.

I cried and cried yesterday. I couldn't eat. I could sleep despite being exhausted. And now, I have to just move on.

I wonder if I still can.

Tomorrow's High: 90 F

Folks all over are posting about autumn's slow arrival. I read this tweet just a second ago by @thematesofstate:

thematesofstate

1. Weather on Trash Night: it's raining and about 67 degrees. Autumn makes her first showing of the year, and I welcome her per-ushhh.
   
   
   

Here, we're just happy to have days that don't hit triple digits. In fact, today it got ALL THE WAY DOWN TO 89F DURING THE DAYLIGHT HOURS.

Meaning: I had to take the dogs on a W-A-L-K, which is how we say "walk" in our house, lest we not get puppies over-excited.

On Saturday, though, we went to a wedding. It got up to 107F. Initially, the bride and groom planned to have the ceremony outside. In August. In Texas. With people wearing satin and tuxedos.

HAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAH!

I love weddings, though. Put a check in a card and get dolled up, amiright? Only, there was no dancing or booze at this wedding. It was ceremony then thanksforthecheckpeace!



That's OK. I got dolled up anyway.



Then, we had some friends over. They were awesome. Well, they still are awesome.





Tomorrow, the high is 90F. Sounds like puppy-walking weather to me.

A Break in the Heat

After 18 straight days of 100-plus degree temperatures, we got a delightful, breezy reprieve. I think we didn't hit more than 95 degrees yesterday, and of course, we managed a very rewarding sunset after a hard Wednesday.

Taking Inventory

"Count your blessings," they say. And I do, often in fact.

I have a house. I have a nice car. I have a wonderful husband. I have sweet pets and dear chickens.



Fitzgerald says he is a blessing. (We agree!)




It's a blessing that Mr. Orange and Hornsby get along.


But sometimes, even the blessings can be a challenge. Like the house, for instance. We just had a significant amount of plumbing done, only to discover that we need more electrical done. It never ends.

But, I hope that even as things are challenging, we can still rely on our family and friends to lift us up when we need it.

(And puppies, too!)

The Change Game

Sometimes I think about how far I've come in the five years since I moved to Dallas, and nostalgia has crept up on me over the past few weeks.

I can't deny the fact that my life drastically changed when I moved here. It was a lot like having an original Nintendo, and hitting the reset button: It was like you never even played the last game.

I moved to Dallas from Madisonville, Texas. I didn't grow up there, but circumstances from a previous relationship forced me to move into the mouse-infested home of my mother's childhood in a small, lackluster town, a place whose claim to fame is being the mushroom capital of Texas.

It wasn't all bad. It taught me exactly where I didn't want to be, which was reinforced during the 45-minute commutes to College Station, where I still had an internship.

Just a little over a month after graduating from Texas A&M, I had a job at Texas' Leading Newspaper. My family helped me pack a U-HAUL once more, and off to Dallas I went.

If I'm honest with myself, I'd say that before I started looking for a place to live in this city, Dallas had been little more than large letters on a highway sign pointing north from Houston. Before I decided to move here, I had visited Dallas all of once, and I didn't stay long. In fact, it was for a metal concert in Deep Ellum that I didn't really want to go to in the first place.

The first month was trying. I was alone in a foreign land. I tried to learn the landscape on my own, but it was difficult.

I'd read newspapers, try to find something to do, but it was a lonesome existence. It was made worse by the fact that Dallas was in the middle of a tumultuous political upheaval, with Laura Miller in office and "Strong Mayor" on everyone else's minds.

It was July 29, a full-on month since I'd moved there, and I told myself that if I didn't get out there and do something now, then I was just wasting my time. I'd might as well live in Madisonville.

I decided to go to a bar called Muddy Waters off of Greenville Avenue. There was an ad in the Observer pushing the place as a live blues joint with cheap beer. Good enough for me.

So, I packed up my black leather handbag, threw on a resale-shop T-shirt, and headed down to the bar.

I still remember that night like it was yesterday. In fact, I told the entire story to a group of my drinking buddies last Friday. The details are still fresh. And they should be.

Today is, after all, the fifth anniversary of the night I met the man that would become my husband.

Muddy Waters has burned down. I'll be married to Dave for four years in September. I was laid off from The Dallas Morning News on April 9, 2009. I am a homeowner with two dogs, two cats, and five chickens.

And although I feel like I've changed so much since that night on July 29 in a seedy blues bar, I feel so much more like myself.

Sleep Deprived

I am not a morning person. At least, I'm not one right now.

In high school I would wake up at 5 a.m. every day to do my hair and makeup before class started at 7:15 a.m.

Now I am lucky if I wake up before 8 a.m.

Here I am, of course, posting at like 11:30 at night and after three glasses of wine. It's no wonder that I have a difficult time getting up.

But, before you accuse me of complaining of sleep deprivation, every time I think I'm tired I consider all of my friends that have kids and never sleep.

Suckers.

While I'm Still Up...

I've been doing work for work. It's late. I'm tired. Right now, the weirdest things are bugging me:

When you drink a lot of coffee, your urine smells like coffee. When you eat a lot of asparagus, your urine just smells weird. Why?

Why does peanut butter make just about anything taste better?

Why do muscle relaxers make you drowsy? Is there an awake muscle that gets really relaxed?

OK. That's enough brain purging. Good night.

Step One: Grow Your Own Mint

There have been a few requests from friends and blog readers (hello, texpat!), so I'll let you guys in on my mojito recipe.



The Best Pitcher of Mojitos You'll Ever Wrap Your Lips Around

You'll need:
A huge, preferably 1 gallon pitcher
3/4 cup Turbinado sugar
2 large limes
Two large handfuls of very fresh mint leaves
4 ounces of Don Q Cristal Rum
2 liters of club soda

Step one: Grow your own mint. It's easy and it's crazy rewarding. After your mint is grown, harvest about enough to fill a small colander. Let it soak in a sink full of cool water, and then remove the leaves from the stems. Set aside.

Step two: Dump the sugar in the bottom of your pitcher. Grate the zest of one lime into the pitcher, and then juice both limes in there, too. Dump your fresh mint into the pitcher. Muddle the mint in with the sugar and lime juice with a large wooden spoon or, if you are so inclined, a muddler. The leaves should turn very dark and saturated. Add the rum and stir until the sugar is mostly dissolved.

Step three: Once the sugar is dissolved, pour in the club soda. Be sure to pour slowly. You want to preserve as much fizz as possible, and because of the carbonation, you won't be able to stir the mixture.

Step four: Fill an enormous glass with fresh, clear ice. Pour a mojito. Relax, instantly.

There's Always Something

You know what the problem is with buying a home you see a lot of potential in? There's always some improvement that you want to make.

Right now we're trying to decide what we'll to with the practically blank slate we've made in the back yard. We've been working hard on the front yard, and that is paying off, but now we've got to deal with the back.

And then we want to paint the brick.

After that, we'll probably finish putting up the privacy fence.

And I'm not even going to talk about the kitchen and the bathroom.

One thing after another.

I'm hoping that, maybe someday, we'll get to live in a finished house with nothing left to do.

Drinking it in

While I was visiting my family a couple of weekends ago, one of my sisters remarked that I hit the bottle a lot.

"Every time I see you post on Facebook, it's always about drinking mojitos."

Can she blame me? Mojitos are delish and it's fucking hot outside. (And we've got to do something with all this mint growing in our front yard!)

In fact, it got insanely hot in Dallas insanely early. Average temps for North Texas are inching up on 102 degrees F.

And if the heat doesn't have you reaching for a bottle and ice, the swarms of bugs will.

I have to water my garden every day or risk all of my plants turning into crispy critters. I don't mind watering when I get home, I just have to make sure that I'm holding a glass of something cold and boozy. But then, while I'm in the middle of gardner's nirvana, the mosquitos strike. I swear to Jeebus, my legs look like a Jackson Pollock.

Now, the weather will sometimes drive you to drink. It's how the Russians invented vodka, right?

But, the weather getting in the way of getting your drink on? That's fucked up.

Yes, I said it. Weather, don't you get between me and a cold one. Ever.

After two-plus weeks with no rain, it looks like we're going to have thunderstorms for the next THREE FUCKING DAYS.

If that means that I can't get on a patio and booze it up with my drinking buddies, then me and Weather, well, we're going to have words.

Also, I finished a knitted item. It turned out much to tiny for my huge noggin, so I gave it to my uber-cute sis-in-law. She definitely pulls it off.



(Pattern is Felicity, yarn is Bernat Softee Chunky)

Race to The Finish

My boss went on vacation this week. When he's out, I'm the boss.

Trust me, this is less fun than it sounds.

When I'm in charge, it's like pitching with no backstop -- when there's a wild pitch, you're going to have to run after it yourself.

So, I've been trying to let this week fly by, and it has just been CRAWLING. And I've been so busy trying to publish work, edit stuff, and manage crises. I did find out, though, that I'm wildly efficient when under pressure. It's like being one of those mothers that lifts a car to save their baby -- It doesn't matter how it gets done, I just get it done.

That's the long way around my excuse for not posting here lately. Also, I haven't taken ANY PICTURES lately. At least not fun, non-work-related pictures. I plan on remedying that this weekend.

In just a few moments I'm going to cash in a few comp hours and head down to Houston to hang with my family. Just my luck that the Scottish branch on our family tree will be well represented (HI DAVE AND DOROTHY!!!). I'm bringing a lot of knitting with me, but only stuff I can work on and chat with family at the same time.

In any case, everyone, have a great weekend! Grill some tofu! Have some mojitos! Hang out with family and recharge your batteries!

When Mondays Turn Into Sundays

Dave and I were talking about it, and we still can't figure out why America hasn't moved to a four-day work week. It'd be like having a three-day weekend every week.

Sunday is usually the day we run errands, mostly because Saturday is spent sleeping in and recovering from Friday. This weekend, However, we partied quite a bit on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Oy.

Friday, after work, we met some buds at Rusty Taco. The veggie taco is good, and the guac is so-so. The beer is pretty cheap, though. It's summer in Texas, and we're getting triple-digit temps pretty regularly now. So, the cold beer helps with the hot sun, but man, Rusty Taco needs to put some fans out for the peeps!

House of England, keeping it real...

From there we went to one of Dave's old watering holes back when he was the Mayor of Greenville Avenue, and long before foursquare started doling out mayorships to any old drunk.

When we walked in, Dave knew at least half the joint, including the bartender, which served us some lukewarm beers. Otherwise, it was a great place to hang out. 

Dave with an old friend from high school.

And after that, we crossed the street to get to the Libertine, which is one of my favorite bars, mostly because of the beer selection, but also because they have some great bar food. I ran into the sister of a knitting friend, and Dave ran into some old bar buddies (of course). From there, we made our way back home. 

Saturday was kind of a blur. Dave suggested we take a long walk in the afternoon heat to "sweat out the toxins." I brought a water bottle with me on the hour-and-a-half trek, which is probably the only thing that kept me from tossing my cookies while jogging down a hill.

Later, we went to a friends' house in North Richland Hills, which is ridiculously far away from us, and yet can be considered in the same vicinity. It's like north Fort Worth. Everyone there had at least two children, one of which had one on the way (Congrats, Rob!). Dave and I, childless as we are, enjoyed several beers and the gracious hospitality of friends. I whipped up a pitcher of mojitos, drank several beers, and was done in by 9 p.m.

The next day, I was beginning to feel the two-day binge twinge.

I did have to do a lot of grocery shopping to do. Thank god for Target and Newflower Farmer's Market.

As soon as I got home, I made ANOTHER pitcher of mojitos!

Sunday night I made Chicago deep dish pizza and waxed nostalgic about our trip to the Windy City (which, I learned, is named as such because of politics, not actual wind [Thanks, Maiden!])



I also made a thin-crust pizza with grilled Calabaza squash and green peppers, onions, and queso fresco. I highly recommend it!

After that, I slipped into a food coma for the night.

We've been watching The Pacific all weekend, and I really love it. It's like getting your history credit and watching a good war flick at the same time.

And today, well, let's not talk about today, shall we? Let's just look at another cool picture from Friday night:

Time Off

I am lucky to have a relatively flexible employer. It lets me get some time off in when I need it.

Boy, did I need some time off. Dave also kept telling me that I needed to take him to Chicago for his birthday, so that he could be in Wrigley Field on his 38th.

So, we went, and we watched the Cubs lose on his birthday and then the next day.

We also went to visit some pretty amazing people. Namely, The Maiden Metallurgist and berg with fries. They are just as fun and easy-going as they seem.

There are lots of pictures from our little trip. So many that I'm having a difficult time deciding which to share here. Instead, I'll leave you with one of my favorite things I ate while in Chicago (and I ate a lot): A CB&J at the Hopleaf Bar, which is a cashew butter and fig jam sandwich with melted manchego cheese between slices of toasted sourdough. It was served with bleu cheese mac and some crazy crispy chips. I washed it down with a couple of Atomium Premier Grand Cru. Delish!

Sifting

When Dave takes time off work, he usually does it for one or two weeks. During opening week of the baseball season, he took off the entire week. I was jealous.

Now, since we're going on a little vacay to Chicago to see the Cubs and these fine folks, Dave took off TWO ENTIRE WEEKS.

Two. Weeks.

Can you tell that I'm a little jealous? OK, maybe more than a little.

Because, you know, up up right now, getting ready for work (and blogging) and Dave is asleep. And do you know what he has on the agenda today? Going through boxes of baseball cards and stuff from high school and college that was stowed at his parents' house. That's something you can do drunk, which means it's not really a chore, right?

Also, the contents of these boxes is kind of shocking. There was a toy wookie in one. In another, there were notebooks labeled for college courses. Only the first two pages had any writing in them. Do you realize how much that bugs a nerd like me? A lot, let me tell you. (Also, now that I just used "a lot" I am reminded of this, shared via The Maiden.) And Dave had two entry-level guitars stashed in his parents' attic. They need to be restrung, though.

There was also old yearbooks and stolen street signs, the usual ephemera. And then, the motherlode: Old Beverly Cleary books. No. Not kidding.

Dave did, though, find his diploma from Texas A&M, which reminded me that I need to get mine framed...

Oh, and did I mention that we're going to go on a little vacation? And did I also mention that I think it's completely unfair that Dave got a head start?

The Payoff of Frustration

If you're a crafter, you probably have dealt with project frustration.

You pick the project, the pattern, the yarn, whatever. You say to yourself, "This is going to be SO EASY." No big deal, right? You've got skills.

Well, what often looks easy, when it's your first attempt, doesn't usually work out right.

I have been wanting to make one of these cute boxy bags to stow my knitting in while I'm out and about. I use plastic baggies, and they don't have a particularly long life span. They're OK for storing the yarn and pattern together, but not so much for being crammed in a purse or tote bag.

Well, I got started with the tutorial, which was OK, but not very explicit. Like, it doesn't say which end to place the zipper, or whether or not you're to do a 1/4 inch seam, stuff like that.

So, after much swearing, I gave up.

Then I had lunch, a cup of coffee, and made this:







I'm off to make a few more! Maybe I'll put handles on those...

Critical Update

1) Baby possum came back tonight, only it showed it had far more nefarious plans in mind. The sinister little bugger was in our chicken coop when we went out to close it. I re-homed the little sucker down the next block. SIYONARA.

2) I am probably way to excited to be visiting these people. That makes me feel a little silly, but hey, they're really awesome!

3) Dave lost his ID while jogging. A neighbor found it. Considering that we would have a pretty hard time flying out to Chicago if he didn't have his ID, I'm calling it a miracle.

Cranky and Judgmental

First, it annoys me when people misspell "judgmental." There's only one "e" in that word, people.

Obviously, I'm being very judgmental. I'm also very cranky. I am usually this way when I'm on my cycle. And by the way, I hate that euphemism, too. It makes my reproductive organs sound like a dishwasher or something.

In other news, there was a baby possum in our backyard just minutes ago. Dave heard Hornsby barking like Tom Jones was in town and we took our handy-dandy rechargeable spotlight to the backyard to go investigate.

Lo and behold, a baby possum had his little tail all wrapped up on the chain-link fence. He was growling and hissing as loud as his little baby possum body would let him. I told Dave to take the dogs outside and bring me a broom.

Now, if I were my parents, I would have just taken the dogs inside, got a trap, baited it with catfood, and waited until the next morning. That's often the case with large possums, but babies? Babies are easy. You just get them to climb onto the end of a broom and you move 'em to a safe spot. If you've got a pushbroom, you can probably get them up on a tree limb and safe from predators. If not, a neighbor's home is your best bet.

Weird thing to happen on a Wednesday night, no?

Oh, and we had our first 90+ F day in Dallas today. We turned on the A/C. Thank God for refrigerated air!

If It Makes You Happy

So, I've been on a kick.

It's a music kick.

Specifically, it's the music I used to listen to in high school and junior high. Sheryl Crow. Sarah McLachlan. Nirvana. Lots of Tori Amos. Alanis Morissette. Lenny Kravitz. Live.

And I started to think, "My God. How embarrassing! These are all mainstream acts! What would people say?"

And really, I should only be concerned about what my elitest husband will say. He'll likely turn his nose up at what I've been jamming lately.

But, for me, I'll keep jamming because it makes me feel good to sing along and remember what it felt like to have so few cares.

And isn't that what music is supposed to do?

May Showers

A few days ago, someone asked me how my new job was going. I've been at my current workplace for about six months, so I have a hard time believing that it could still be considered a "new" job. In any case, I usually tell the truth: It's completely different from my last job.

And different is good. I'm writing, and I'm doing photography, which is awesome. I'm editing, too, which is excellent stuff. I guess you could say that different is a happy place.

The only thing is that I park pretty far away from my office building, and the commute to work can be a bitch. On the way in, I saw the prop cars they're using for a TV series filmed in Dallas called "The Good Guys." I also got stuck behind production vans and was late to work.



Do you see the fake cop car? It's the one with black fenders.

It started to rain just before I was about to leave the office. I had two umbrellas and managed to leave both in the car. I managed to get quite damp between the office front door and my car. But when I got home, I was treated to this:



It was one of the biggest rainbows I've ever seen. If I were on Flag Pole Hill, I bet I could have seen it from end to end on the horizon.

The storm and the setting sun left the sky a weird orange color. Weird, but beautiful.



A good end to the day.

Pseudonyms

I work in the garden a lot when the weather's like this. Sometimes I'll spend all day digging in the dirt. It's not a chore when the high is 82 F and It's nothing but clear skies.

I'm beginning to think that the work i'm putting in is starting to show, too.



So, our mailman has nicknames for us. I love the fact that he delivers our mail, so he knows who lives here, and yet he has nicknames for us. Dave is Mr. Baseball. Kind of self-explanatory, right?

Me? I'm Mrs. Green. Because of my garden. Which, might I add, is fully organic.



Cute, right?



So, we're all out enjoying the beautiful weather, either gardening with a cold one or watching a ball game.



Hope you're enjoying spring, too!



The chickens are!