Thursday https://youtu.be/ldw7w2wTBrA Stepping out on the back porch this morning after waking grandchild number one, it was 79° with a humidity of 97%... Summer is still hanging around. Now I sit here on the front porch after getting both grandchildren on the bus to school, listening to the birds and…
Thursday https://youtu.be/j99EFe07ZY8 When I walked out to the car this morning to run the kids to the end of the driveway for their buses the car wouldn't start. It had been acting like the battery was getting low and the starter was dragging so now it was time to do…
Tuesday https://youtu.be/Bq5y3n-v8SQ The kids are on the buses. The first load of laundry is in the washer. I'm sitting on the front porch watching the workday traffic go by. It's warm out right now, not oppressively. The humidity is high... Just not so high that there's condensation on the windows,…
Saturday https://youtu.be/CSGocrLas_8 It's another warm August day in SE Texas. No clouds in the sky, no rain in the forecast. And being a Saturday, the normal running around is required. Grocery stores, Post Office, and assorted other stops as required. Here's a video from a singer I discovered quite awhile…
Friday Happy Birthday Mom https://youtu.be/C9xHpeDXuIw My mom turns 88 today... Happy Birthday Mom! I'm still playing with the Quik app from GoPro. I'm liking the ability to turn a series of photos (and videos) into quick short videos without ever leaving the phone. Each day I learn a little more.…
Thursday https://youtu.be/mgg4t4UbXXs It's the first day of school here. And both grandkids were not as hard to get up this morning as I expected. On this first day of school their mother is taking them. So I don't have to sit out at the road with them. This years bus…
Tuesday I was awakened by thunder in the distance. Once up the sun was out. It's 80° outside, 93% humidity. Just another midsummer's day. The tufted titmice are all over the feeders this morning. When they're not being spooked by a cardinal. My first load of laundry is in the…
Thursday For the first time in a long time the humidity is below 80% this morning. As a matter of fact The humidity and the temperature are both at 77. The front actually made it through and out into the gulf. So while the cooldown wasn't much, the lower humidity…
Saturday Just another morning in the heat of summer. Hot. Humid. Still. The final day in the months of July. Don't have much to say this morning... So I'll let you get on with your day... Y'all stay safe, stay healthy, and pray...
Thursday I had to walk the garbage bin out to the road this morning. It was quite warm and humid... To be expected this time of year. Makes me realize how spoiled we were for the last month with the overcast and the rain keeping the high temperatures just a…
Wordless Wednesday
Monday It's only in the seventies this morning, but, the humidity is at 90%. And as usual for this time of year, it's going to be a hot one. The predominant bird sound outside this morning are Cardinals. Last night, in the middle of nothing, the power blinked off. It…
Thursday There's still water standing in the low spots. When I took the garbage bins to the road yesterday evening water was standing across the driveway and the yard itself was squishy. So needless to say, the ground around here is saturated. It does make it nice for the waiting…
Laundry day, Tuesday Water is standing everywhere outside from the overnight rains. It's coolish at 78°. But, the humidity is at 93%. According to the weather underground in the last 24 hours I estimate we've had 2 and 3/4 in of rain... I would believe it. When the thunderstorm moved…
Monday It's cooler this morning. Only 77°. But the humidity is 96%. There's a breeze. So I'm sitting on the front porch listening to the Cardinals cheep, cheep, cheep. In the background the cicadas or adding their buzz... Each day has brought a decent amount of rain in the form…
Friday It's in the upper 80s this morning. The humidity is in the 90% range. So I thought I would step out into the shade of the front porch. There's a frontal boundary running from North Texas all the way up to New England. The radar shows quite a bit…
Tuesday It's just another midsummer laundry day here. But all of the cars are home for the day, which in and of itself is quite unusual. It's hot. It's humid. At least it's not overcast, though I'm sure showers will appear. All in all it's another good day to chill…
Friday And the rains continue... It's a pleasant 73° on the front porch this morning. And yes, the humidity is high, but what do you expect when it's raining. And the range just keep on falling. We had a small murder of crows on the front on yesterday. I've been…
Monday The temperature this morning is almost 80°, the humidity is above 90%. And with all that being said, my allergies are acting up. Par for the course for July and Texas on the Gulf Coast. I see the business across the road is not giving their employees a holiday…
Thursday The sun is out this morning, and it's warm, and it's humid. There's not much breeze blowing. But, the birds are singing. The cicadas haven't woken up really. And I just pulled the garbage bin to the road... The weather pattern this last week has been strange. Blue skies…
There's a light rain falling. The temperature is 75°. That's the coolest I felt outside in a month or so. A person could learn to really like summertime temperatures like this. Looking at the prognosticators foretelling a future weather, I see a change from last evenings Oracle like ramblings... Today's…
When I walked out this morning to take the garbage to the road it was muggy. The temperature was 80° but the humidity... My, my, my... The humidity was 93%. Welcome to my world... Summer on the Southeast Texas Gulf Coast. Is there any reason to not understand why I…
Wordless Wednesday
Back out front this morning. Another June morning that feels like it should be in August. The temperature is 87°, the humidity is 86%. In the state of Texas is still suffering through the unreliability of our electrical grid. ERCOT such an oxymoronic name for an industry backed panel whose…
I decided to step out on the front porch this morning. Where the heat and humidity doesn't feel quite as oppressive... Though the numbers are pretty much the same on both sides of the house. It's 77° out this morning, the humidity is at 90%. And, the temperature expected to…
Another warm and humid morning. The summer doldrums have set in. Mornings start out in the '80s while humidity hovers around 90%. It really is time to hang in the coolness of the air conditioned house. In my youth these were the days to enjoy that summer job at the…
It's a bit warmer, but not quite so humid this morning. It's 83°, The humidity is just 77%. I thought I would walk out on the front porch this morning. I haven't done this in quite a while. Coffee muses on the front porch. But, with summer reaching it's early…
Wow, talk about a day with a split personality... There are clouds in the eastern half of the sky, but perfectly blue sky to the west. Yesterday's satellite image showed the same dichotomy but the clouds were east of Galveston Bay. Temperatures are a bit higher today, but only a…
Another bright, but cool, spring like morning. Two in a row. It's 48°, without cloud in the sky. A nice way to end a week. I got my notice yesterday to schedule my covid-19 vaccination. So, for right now, I'm scheduled for Monday morning. And I only have to drive…
Yesterday's front left the air crystal clear. Left the sky cloudless and blue. Left the temperature much more seasonable. And left bird watchers anticipating a fall out event. This morning's temperature is a pleasant 51°. According to windy.com, the wind is blowing out of the Northwest at 16 mph. I…
Ever since the grandkids went back to school after New Year's, this has been my normal morning routine. At least, has spring approaches, it has now begun to be light as the bus approaches. The women in this house have both headed to work by the time I get up…
It's 18° outside, a wintry mix off and on overnight. And that's what it looks like out the front window by the door. The power went off about 2:30. About 6:00 it came on again, for about 45 minutes. It's off again now. The state electricity board has us on…
And once again... Just because I can and I'm obsessed with her voice...... https://youtu.be/axfNDZXkUOY
Walking out this morning to sit with the grandkids waiting for the school bus, the moon was impressive as it set to the west. Last evening, after watching the fox eat on the back porch, I walked outside to see if I can see him again and spent some time…
We're in a slow motion countdown to a momentous change in the life of America. Either American norms will win out, or by hook or crook, the most unprepared man ever to be handed the job will be returned to the White House. Almost two hundred years ago, a group…
Saturday morning... an hour and a half of extra sleep... a cool fall morning. Quiet, the only sounds are traffic roar from the bypass... louder on this side of the house. Well... karma seems to have caught up with our president***. His politicalization of masks and social distancing seems to…
I'm on the front porch this morning. Another below seventy degree morning. The crows are congregating, not quite a murder yet, but gathering... playing at follow the leader. Big black velvety birds with a big, area filling call. I slept thru sunrise. My favorite weekend activity in these pandemic times.…
The sun is well up. Birds are singing. The hummingbird wars continue. The coolness of yesterday morning is fading into memory like a barely remembered dream. The promised rains keep teasing us on an almost daily basis. Thunder, lightning, a bit better breeze... and then 5 minutes of lite rain…
I love weekends. Before covid, I slept in most days... even through the summer I didn't have to get up early. Now that school has started, and virtual school does keep a school schedule, I'm up before the sun five days a week. So... I love weekends... again. I doubt…
Happy Birthday Cameron. Number two grandson. I have to get ready for a small family gathering today. A combined Birthday party and Labor Day barbecue. Social distancing will be practised, hands will be sanitized, masks may be worn. I have a ton of things to get done, so this is…
Wow, the temperature this morning has dropped into the seventies... after the past week it almost feels cool. There was some rain overnight and the sunrise was colorful with the sun hitting the clouds before coming over the horizon. The prognosticators are foretelling off a good possibility of more rain…
It's not as oppressively humid this morning, though it's still hot. It's funny how 81 degrees is noticeably cooler feeling than 83 degrees. I'm still waiting for the sun to come up over the horizon. There's even a bit of a breeze moving the leaves about. The midweek traffic on…
It's the first day of the second week of school. Sadly, it's also the third day in a row where the temperature is already 80 degrees or above to start the day. These are the dog days of summer for me. Also, another heat advisory in affect for another hot…
Warm and humid... makes miss Thursday morning when Laura was spinning off to the east and bringing dryer air into southeast Texas. At least my part of it. I see the prognosticators are calling for another hot day with a heat advisory issued once again. Today I'm hearing mourning doves.…
Hurricane Laura off to the east. Rains to the south. It's warmish this morning, but the humidity doesn't feel so high. The one good thing about being on the dry side of a tropical cyclone. We, as in those of us in the Houston and Galveston area, are extremely lucky…
It's the second day of school... virtually. The first day went by with only a few glitches with the technology. And most of them seemed to be at the school's end. Hopefully, all of the bugs will shake out in a week or so. Tropical storm Marco has pretty much…
Another almost cool morning for high summer. Dew rests heavy on the cars, and dewdrops glisten in the grass. But, strangely, the eyeglasses didn't fog up when I came outside. The first sound that registered today was the call of a pileated woodpecker above my head. That loud prehistoric sound…
Happy Birthday Mom. I made it out before sunrise. Not usual for me. And to top it off, the outside temperature is almost the same as in the house. That makes the fan supercilious, almost chillingly. I'm going to have to get used to rising about this time to make…
Ahhhhhh, the vagrancies of summer weather on the Texas gulf coast. It's the low 70's out here on the front porch. But with full sun, it won't take much to hit the forecast high of 97 degrees. The first load of laundry is in. The first cup of coffee is…
It's pretty loud out this morning. Mostly birdsong, but the occasional sound of squirrels playing and eating. Even the traffic sounds from the bypass seem louder for a Sunday morning. And the airplane buzzing by so low blasts all other sounds. I came out early and the temperature was still…
The humidity must be lower than usual. Because, even though it's as warm as it's been, it doesn't feel as sticky. It still wouldn't be comfortable without a fan. Birds are singing, anoles are hunting, the yard is mowed for a couple of more weeks, and we are still under…
This morning I slept in. So it's late and the temperature has passed 80 a while ago. But... For some reason, it doesn't feel as warm as it is. It could be that there's a better breeze blowing than I've felt in a long time... or it could just be…
This is one of those summer mornings I wouldn't wish on a dog. Warm, going up towards hot, and muggy. There is a breeze, not much of one but it's there. It's enough to make the leaves twist and catch the sun... sparkling against the clear blue sky. I walked…
It rained for much of yesterday afternoon. Sometimes lightly, sometimes cats and dogs. So this morning the drive is still damp. And while warm and muggy, it doesn't feel half bad. Hummingbirds are bumping chests over the blooms on the chaste tree while cicadas buzz in the background. And all…
Not much going on out here on the front porch today. A warm and muggy start to a gulf coast summer's day. My daughter loaded up her kids for a day at the beach... hopefully with social distancing in existence. There's not a breath of air stirring that isn't mechanically…
It was already above 80 degrees when I stepped out on the front porch this morning. Warm and muggy, standard summertime faire. The extended forecast has rain back in the picture on Sunday before a string of higher probability days start next Wednesday. Well my trip into town for Covid-19…
I walked out first thing to bring in the garbage bin. So today's shots are from out near the road. It makes for a different perspective. As Gary Myers quoted this morning, change the focus of the eye. So that's what I did... at least for the moment. Somewhere, not…
Today I slept in. By rights, I should be on the back porch. But, late as it is, the back porch is soaking up sun. And with the temperature already above 80 degrees, I'll take the shady side of the house. I find myself spending more time actually musing this…
Thunderstorms moved into the area in the night... and decided to stay. It's cool with an occasional breeze out here on the front porch. Lightning flashes and thunder rolls across the heavens as light rain continues to fall. The prognosticators foretold of this. The radar is full of color... It's…
Sitting on the front porch today. Humidity is at a high because of all of the rainfall lately... afternoon showers starting a couple of hours before noon caused by the high humidity and moisture off the gulf. It's a bit of a self perpetuating cycle. Way back in my early…
The temperature is already pushing 80 degrees. It's almost humid enough to require another shower after having one just before I walked out. There's no breeze moving thru the trees. Already more rainstorms are on the radar than yesterday... and the prognosticators have lowered the chance of rain for today.…
Even before walking out I could tell the morning was going to be sticky. Every window looking out was covered in condensation. Combined with the brightness of the day, the world seemed to be glowing. While the temperature isn't any higher than normal, my wife being home and standing in…
The air has movement this morning. Not a lot, the leaves are swaying, the clouds rush across the patch of blue above my head. Evidently, Hannah, our latest tropical storm, is already announcing her presence. She's a bit over 230 miles southeast of here and moving our way. Some wind…
If the prognoticaters are correct, this will be our semi-dry day. If it is, I'll need to spend some quality time on the mower. As it is, the start of the day is, at least for now, a bit on the cool side. At this time of year, anything under…
It's been thundering since early morning... if you consider 3am morning. Off and on for hours lightning will flash and thunder will roll across the world. Luckily, rainfall hasn't been as boisterous. Lake Boyd hasn't made an appearance yet through the tall grass. It's probably the coolest out this morning…
Overcast. That's what the day is starting with. And, if the prognoticaters are correct the next ten days will be much the same. Last evening this phone was at 39% charged the last time I looked at it. When I went into the office to grab it off the charger,…
Another almost cool morning on the front porch. Also, another showery start to the day. This time the storms are coming up from the south. As you can see, again we are dead in the sights of one of the showers. The prognosticators are foretelling of this pattern of showers…
As I sit on the front porch this morning, thunderstorms are moving in from the east. When I walked out I thought it was overcast by the look of the light. It turned out to be just the eastern quarter of the sky. In the few minutes I've been watching,…
Happy pandemic tax day. The IRS pulled what I owed out of my bank account on Monday just like I set it up months ago. As you can see, once again I'm sitting on the front porch. And surprisingly, the humidity is a bit lower and the temperature is still…
I'm liking the shady front porch more and more as the summer progresses. And, the cooler morning temperature is even cooler feeling in all the shade. The squirrels are going to town on the mimosa beans once again. Their steady munching a background sound different from most others. Their seem…
I decided to return to the front porch this brite and sunny morning. With the temperature already above 80, the shady environs are much more conducive to a pleasant muse. And if anything is required in these times, it's starting the week of pleasantly. The mimosa's beanpods are ripening and…
What a pleasure this morning is. The sky is overcast and the temperature is in the upper 70's. Veritable springlike weather this time of year. But, the prognosticators aren't going to let me enjoy it completely... there is still a heat advisory for late morning into early evening. Sunday morning…
The air doesn't have that sticky feel this morning. It's already hit the mid-80's, but a breeze keeps blowing the worst of the heat away. Everytime I notice a slow pattern in the traffic passing in front of my place, a speeding vehicle passes that blows my observation out of…
It's just as warm this morning as it was yesterday, but, for some reason it doesn't feel as warm. Even the birds are more active today. There's a flock of cattle egrets circling in for a landing in the freshly mown yard across from the end of the drive. A…
It's already above 80 this morning. Though, the forecast calls for today to be cooler than yesterday. It's also fairly cloudy with a 40% chance of rain for the day. Radar is already showing scattered showers out and about in SE Texas. Already this morning, dump trucks are hauling their…
There is dew on the car windows. And a smell of wet, almost rotting, grass on the morning air. The traffic is very light, but that's to be expected. Birds are calling, cheeping, whistling, and cooing as they tend to do. Squirrels are scampering in the upper reaches of the…
On this front porch morning, a breeze is making the limbs sway... at least a bit. Birds sing and chirp and coo. Vehicles go up and down the road in a more or less leisurely fashion. The crepe myrtle is in as full a bloom as it gets. The mimosa…
Let's just come to an agreement right here, right now, that unless I comment to the contrary, it's just hot and humid. It's summer south of Houston, Texas after all. At least, there's a decent breeze making the wind chimes sing. That's also keeping our new crop of mosquitoes off…
I've been out on the front porch for almost an hour now reading and listening... to both birds and YouTube videos. Between "everything is broken", questions about Confederate statues from Virginia, and a double celebration of the armadillo it's been a morning. Throw in some Dylan covers and a Jerry…
Thunder rumbles and lite rain pitter patters. My last couple of hours in bed weren't very restful. The thunderstorms the prognosticators promised in their foretelling yesterday moved over my house. At least, this time, the rainfall amount wasn't oppressive. Other than the patter of the falling rain, I'm hearing a…
Walking out this morning I almost turned around and went back in. Warm and way too humid. It was a like a slap in the face. The temperature was 81º and the humidity was 84%. We have a 60% chance of more rain in the forecast. Looking thru the gaps…
I'm enjoying the almost, but not quite, coolness of the front porch again. I have my native American flute playlist playing in the background... and strange as it may seem, the birds have moved in close to join the band. A chickadee sits above my head. Some fledgling woodpeckers, downeys…
Another repeat visit to the front porch. Another almost cool morning. Another quiet traffic day. This morning I watched as a lone whistling duck flew three times around the front yard trees... almost as if he was calling for someone. Just now two crows flew thru the open sky above…
I decided to reprise my yesterday, stepping out once again on the front porch. After doing so I was somewhat surprised by the coolness of the air. I really wasn't expecting it to be below seventy, especially by this much. Trust me, as we rush towards July, I won't complain…
I'm on the front porch again, and while it's warmer and the humidity is up, it's not uncomfortable sitting here this morning. I doubt I could say that if the fan wasn't blowing. I can hear a lawnmower doing it's thing somewhere close by. The regular birdsong has been joined…
Another almost springlike morning as we rush towards full blown summer. As nice as these last few mornings are, I don't walk out expecting them. So each one comes as a surprise gift... like being a kid again and having one birthday after another. Even the birds are happier out…
The shaded front yard calls me today. A place where the crickets and the cicadas harmonize. Neither of whom are overly loud this morning. Traffic seems lighter this end of week morning. It's also moving at a more sedate and legal pace. I'm not sure when the summertime song of…
I walked out to get the mail after mowing earlier. Walking back to the house I thought I'd give you the reverse look from the morning coffee muses... Catch you in the morning...