The Devil in disguise...

I woke up during the night with a sore throat.  I know this sore throat, as I have had hundreds of them over my lifetime.  It is that precursor of a full blown upper respiratory infection - one that only occasionally can be quelled before making life not so pleasant for a number of weeks.

Yes, along with the absolute sheer beauty of the spring in Houston comes the absolute terror of oak, pecan, and flower pollens that wreak havoc on those of us whose immune systems go into overdrive.  Add to that the extra workload of said season in a garden environment, and voila!  People get sick.

At least this year, there were plenty of opportunities for me to drink in my fill of the loveliness before I succumbed to the unpleasantness.  These gardens are a place of solace, joy, amazement, triumph, comfort, peace, reflection, and discovery - and I'm ever grateful to have had them as my "backyard" for these nearly 6 years.

HLSR...

Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. It's that time of year. It's a state of mind in Houston. Every year at about this time, the event is heralded by the arrival of trail riders from all over Texas who have actually ridden horses/driven wagons/followed in support vehicles from all corners to converge on Memorial Park on Go Texan Friday. Then they all get up at the crack of dawn to ready themselve for a parade through downtown Houston. All of that is followed by several weeks of students showing the animals they've raised, hoping to win scholarships, art contests, carnival rides, actual rodeo competitions, calf scrambles and last but not least, musical performances (mini-concerts) by recording artists representing everything from the expected country music, to hispanic, to soul.

It all works, draws huge crowds, and is all basically crafted and manned by thousands of volunteers from the community who donate the man-hours to organizing everything from BBQ cookoffs, to manning the gates, to welcoming the arrival of the trailers of animals, to banding the chicks that are handed out to FFA students to raise. All in all, an enormous project, with all of the money earned funding college scholarships for students across the state. And not just FFA-type scholarships - across-the-board opportunities for learning.

And when they arrive on Go Texan Day, many of them ride right past our administrative offices on Memorial Drive. Horses, wagons, moms, dads, children, country music blaring, traffic cops ahead and behind trying ot protect them, flags flying, news helicopters following - and everyone just taking a step back to remember.

Crazy Texans. We do love our state. Supposedly, there are many people across the country who don't have a positive feeling about the state and its people. We're so sorry, y'all. We may not be perfect, but then who is? Come visit sometime, and we'll try to change your mind!

Early morning hiking...

Last evening on my "exercise" walk, I had an especially creative thought about revisiting a goal I had pondered setting about a year ago, which was to select a hike from a handy little guide to hiking trails around Houston, and complete it on some sort of regular basis. Something in my adventuresome spirit liked that idea, and it came flying back to me as I trudged along on the concrete sidewalk.

When I got home, I looked up the Edith Moore Sanctuary, which is an Audubon Society "project," tucked away along a creek in West Houston, surrounded by neighborhoods of somewhat pricey homes. This morning when I arrived, there were a couple of other cars around, but otherwise it was quiet except for the birds and cicadas, and squirrels chasing each other in the dried leaf cover. On sight is a log cabin, complete with a huge porch all the way around. I stopped by the pond across from the cabin to see all the tiny fish and tadpoles busy doing their early morning thing, and then started towards the main bridge that crosses the gully and creek.

It had been years since my last visit, and things were definitely different. More planting, more foliage, and a beautiful clean up and banking of the creek. Almost every bend introduced another board walk to make the paths more accessible. A large slider turtle sat on the side of the path, looking up at me as if to say, "And?", and the birds and cicadas took turns trying to drown out the sounds of the traffic on Memorial Dr., and fairly successfully, if one chose to listen selectively. By the time I had made it all the way around the outer loop, the unseasonable heat was starting to get to me, but I had finished what I came for. A mini-escape into the woods to break the monotony of the work week.

It may not be the Tetons or the Sierras, but it will do!