(Rep. Eric A. “Rick”)Crawford, the freshman from Arkansas, was among 63 legislators who sent a letter to Obama on Thursday that imagined Aug. 3 arriving without a deal. In the letter, the legislators urged Obama to promise he would pay interest on existing debt, military salaries, and Medicare and Social…
I walked outside this morning to speak to our construction manager... It was early... It was HOT! After coming back inI started wondering why it felt so hot so I swung over to the Weather Underground and this is what I found... Do you see what it says? Feels Like…
That said, I must admit the best fireworks display I’ve ever experienced took place in isolation and nearly-total silence, accompanied only by the murmurings of a couple of friends, the sound of a car engine and the hum of tires on a deserted road. It’s Their Nation, Too « The Task…
Last week, there was a day I hesitate to call perfect only because I would hate it if the perfect day had already come and gone in my life. But when that perfect day comes at last it will probably resemble the one last week. Go...Read the rest. It'll help…
It has been a busy week in our back yard. On Tuesday they cleared the site... On Wednesday a crew started the forms... And this morning the trucks came rolling in...12 of them in all. So we are finally seeing some progress. It's been a long time coming. Sherry was…
Early last week I wandered around my back yard and the woods behind my house playing with the Flip Video camera...No fancy editing just the "magic" of the Flip Share software... Today we have had more small showers blowing around the area. That makes three days in a row we…
While it will never go down in the record books, yesterday brought us a gift of moisture from the sky and not a hose. This morning while we slept we had another gift. Our drought is far from over, but the trees and the grass are sure to appreciate the water that…
After months of planning. After months of negotiating. After weeks of waiting on the city's methodology. It finally happened today...We broke ground on the construction drive to the new house... And now we wait for the next step to become clear...Ya gotta love it.
Just for the record... Since fire season began Nov. 15, the Texas Forest Service and area fire departments have so far responded to 12,362 fires that have burned 3,080,013 acres, officials added. via Wildfires continue to burn through East Texas and beyond | Houston & Texas News | Chron.com -…
On this day in 1885, the Statue of Liberty arrived in Liberty Island. Formally known as "June 17, 2011 | The Writer's Almanac with Garrison Keillor," she was a gift from France, and was funded by the City Room: The Statue of Liberty Is Being Cloned in France. Sculptor Frédéric…
Every day the news brings more drought news around here. Today it's about the trees... Houston's trees need help. It may not be obvious yet, but without substantial rain in the next few weeks the effects of this year's drought may greatly reduce the area's green canopy in five years,…
Going through my email this morning turned up the latest from farm policy. White House has laid out a graphic there that speaks loads about the disconnect between reality and what should be our Subsidy in this country... I was really inspired by the diversity and nutritiousness of the crops…
Reading note. As a responsible omnivore, I need to know where my food comes from and understand and respect the needs of the fellow creatures whose deaths make my life possible. The chickens that gave us eggs and went into the freezer were treated with care and concern; they had…
Sitting out with my coffee as the sun came up this morning I was hearing the distant rumble of thunder. Scanning the horizon line I could see nothing through the haze to explain it. Once I came in and turned on the computer I could see the fun. It is…
Exceptional heat in the South A sizzling June heat wave set record high temperatures across much of Texas, Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi, and the Florida Panhandle on Sunday. The high temperature at Houston, Texas hit 105 degrees, the warmest temperature ever recorded in the month of June (old record: 104 degrees…
Hector Thunderstorm Project from Murray Fredericks on Vimeo.Camera Murray Fredericks Editing Lindi Harrison Original Sound Tommy Shutzinger This time-lapse assembly is part of the Hector Thunderstorm Project being produced in northern Australia. The first exhibition of stills from the project are on exhibition in Melbourne at Arc 1 Gallery from…
Houston's temperature reached 100 degrees on Thursday, setting two records. It marks a record high for the day — the prior record was 97. It also marks the earliest date the city's temperature reached the century mark. Before Thursday, Houston had hit 100 degrees on June 10, said Paul Lewis,…
I took my new toy out with me this morning to see how well it would work in the early morning light...Seemed to do pretty good all things considered.
Kaspa & Fiona have taken over my blog for today, because they need our help. They are both on a mission to help the world connect with the world through writing. They are also getting married on Saturday the 18th of June. For their fantasy wedding present, they are asking…
Reflect on the fact that we have just this one life. Stay with this thought for as long as you can bear. What is important to you? What do you want to do about it? Quotes How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives. ~Annie…
Sitting out every morning this spring with my coffee mug I have been entertained by the Eastern Bluebirds that have made their home in m y backyard. As I have become acquainted with these beautiful birds for the very first time this year I was surprised at how quickly their song has…
Quite a while ago. The temperature yesterday in my backyard hit 95°. The US Drought Map has us at the highest level of drought they differentiate. The good news for the state of Texas yesterday was that the storms causing so much damage across the country in the last week managed to…
I have fallen into the habit of grabbing my morning coffee and heading outside to sit and enjoy the mornings. It's a big difference from the way I used to start my mornings...Online and checking in on my virtual world. Sitting out has made me more contemplative, I almost said meditative…
Instead of an "energy industry," I see a resource addiction that saps money and preserves self-destructive expectations. I see, instead of food and education "industries," an obesity epidemic and a debt-driven education crisis. Instead of a pharmaceutical industry, I see a new set of mental and physical discontents, like rates…
Now they keep telling us it's not the strong winds, it's not the heavy rains...It's the lighter than normal rain that is playing havoc with the grid. The brief rains that rolled through parts of the Houston area Wednesday didn't put much of a dent in local drought conditions but…
That I walked on this road of blogging for the first time that took. It was the beginning of a dream. A dream that has branched and grown in ways I could never have foreseen. That first blog post was on a Blogger hosted blog at North Carolina Mountain Dreams.…
When I was "retired" in late 2008 I really didn't retire. I continued to try and occupy my days with a "job". So it was that I began to build a online "publishing empire" aimed at the Appalachian Mountains that had captured my dreams. The beginnings had been there before…
I have found myself spending much more time outside the past few weeks. Moving Trees It all started as I began to study my backyard to figure out where I wanted to move a couple of apple trees to. They had to be moved or cut down. Now, where we…
Anyone with a garden in Houston knows just how stingy the skies have been this spring. According to the Houston/Galveston National Weather Service office, the period from mid-February to April 17 has been the driest in Houston climate records dating back to 1850. The .91 inch total beat out 1925's…
Today is Earth Day. A celebration of our Mother the Earth sometimes known as Gaea. My plan to celebrate the day is to spend a big part of it outside in my backyard. The dewberries are ripening and make a tart mouthful as I wander around. The mockingbirds are serenading all who stop and listen.…
