boy did it rain!

Just a quick update that it DID rain last night. It's all my fault too, cuz I filled my pool AND watered Mike's plants (but just a little bit in case it rained). As I was watering Mike's plants last evening I noticed that it looked like they had been munched on. I said to myself "it looks like a deer has eaten the plants!" You know that characteristic nibbled-off-all-the-yummy-bits-and-left-the stems kind of look that deer leave. Since his pool is fenced in, I knew it couldn't be a deer, but it must have been an enormous plant-eating bird or squirrel. But then I noticed a part of the fence I had never seen before that had a gate and the gate was open to the yard. So it was a deer. I don't know how he/she found his/her way out again, but it was not there so it must have found its way out.

My calendar is very odd this week. I have exactly 1 conference call today, 1 meeting tomorrow, a lunch on Weds and then meetings from 8 a.m until 5 straight through on Thursday. What's up with that??!!!

oh and an update on the number of 100 degree days so far - 23! I just heard that on the news last night.

it might rain!

the clues to how I know it might rain: the little picture on the weather page has a cloud with something that resembles raindrops today and tomorrow there is one with a lightning bolt. That gives us 2 chances for rain! So far this month it has rained only once. It was a lot of rain, but when it is all on one day iand all n about 1 hour, it doesn't count. I am really not complaining - last summer it rained every day and maybe once reached 100. It was a miserable summer and Leslie and I maybe floated in the pool 2 or 3 times. This year, I think we have already had 19 or 20 days of 100 degrees just in May and June. That is a record of some sort. Every weekend Leslie and I have had about an hour in the pool each day to chat and catch up on things. Back to the rain - the fate of Mike's flowers may be at stake! If I go over there and water them and then it rains, they may rot from too much moisture. If I do not water them they may shrivel up and die. My only hope is that it rains soon so I know what to do. I know - I'll go wash my car!


This morning I went for a walk around the neighborhood. It was cloudy and not hot yet, so I even jogged a little bit. There are some interesting houses under construction. Some houses that were here for years are now gone and there are new houses popping up in their places. It didn't seem like anything was wrong with the previous houses, but maybe they had mold or some major flaw. I wish I had taken photos of what this place looked like when we moved in 15 years ago (next week). The house that Brandlyn lived in now has garages for 6 cars! Only two people live there and I think they have one baby and a fru fru dog.


I went shopping for a blue bathing suit this afternoon. There are no decent looking blue bathing suits at the mall. I did pick up a few tops at Macy's. The lady who worked with Steffi a lot (I can't remember her name and it is illegible on the receipt) rang me up and passes on her best wishes to Stef for a good time in Europe.

Express 10, Sounds 2

Duncan (sporting his freshly cut hair) and I went to the RR Express game last night. It was "used car" night so we were full of hope that we would win at least 1 of the fabulous used cars they were giving away. Like this one:

a fabulous suburban "capable of holding the entire 5th grade class on a field trip" the announcer promised. The next one was an 90's era Econoline van with a AM/FM/cassette stereo, TV and sofa bed! Duncan really had his fingers crossed for that one! There was also an 80's vintage turquoise Chevy Berretta and a completely rusted out '75 pick up complete with an 8 track player! In the end, the only one we felt cheated on not winning was the van. It could have easily been parked in the back yard and used as a guest suite.

At least our team won, 10-2. There were back to back home runs hit by two players with the same first name: J.R. Our favorite player was Saccamanno who played 3rd base. We really just liked his name and he was the closest player to our seats.

Duncan recalled his first date with Victoria, or one of the first dates, was to an Express game with her parents. I remember it too, because the parents inventoried everything Duncan ate during the game: 3 Dr Peppers, 2 corndogs, 1 burger, 1 bag of peanuts, M&Ms, a snowcone and a funnel cake. Last night he demonstrated a little more restraint by having just 2 Dr Peppers, 1 corn dog, some popcorn and 1/2 bag of peanuts.

On the way home we saw lightning in the distance giving us hope that it might storm later. But we had no such luck.

Wacky elevators and other Friday things

It's Saturday, but nothing has happened yet today so here's Friday's blog.

I got a parking space, but just barely even though I was there "early" before 8:30. I had an 8:30 meeting with the new finance director from our pacific northwest region. I got on the elevator and all appeared to be normal. There were about 6 of us, and wouldn't you know it, we all wanted to go to different floors (a "straight" in elevator poker terms). The first stop should have been the Plaza level, but instead, we stopped at P1, someone else managed to fit in the elevator. Then our elevator became possessed and decided to skip PLaza and go to 2. That is my normal floor and had I gotten off this wouldn't even be a story, but I had that meeting and it was on 5 and I didn't want to be late so I stayed on. Then the possessed elevator "remembered" it had skipped the PLaza level so it went ALL THE WAY back to the lowest parking garage level to start over! The doors opened and my 8:30 appointment was standing there but couldn't fit in. (At least I wouldn't be late!) We all took our chances and stayed on the elevator, which probably wasn't the brightest decision since I was stuck between floors once for 45 minutes on one of these elevators, but we eventually got to all of our floors. I was glad to get off. I took the stairs the rest of the day.

In between the elevator incident and the end of the day, I had the usual variety of conference calls and meetings. I zipped over to the invisible fence place to have Petey's collar changed to my invisible fence frequency so he can be let out with the other dogs. That will be one of my weekend projects - teaching him the perimeter of the yard.

The hightlight of the day was of course meeting my friends Bill and MG in town for the weekend from Carlsbad, CA, for a nice glass of wine at Wink. This is them saying "hi!" to Duncan and Steffi!

Trash Day

Trash day - a weekly reminder as to why I have children and love them. To take out the trash and bring the empties back in, of course! Only, now it just me & the doggies. The cans need to go out to the street, past their invisible fence line, so they have an excuse not to help. Lack of opposable thumbs is another frequent excuse.

We will have another 4 legged visitor for a few days. But he is not a dog, he is a lamb - see the picture? Petey's dad is out of town and he wanted to come stay with us so I don't have to drive the 4 miles over there 3 times a day. We are still figuring out how this will work. Topher is a little bit jealous. Maybe more than a little bit. They'll work it out.

Remember those ducks in the puddle at the low bridge over the lake? Well they were still there today on my way home, only the puddle was almost evaporated. What will they do when the puddle is gone? Cross the street?

Today I had to park across the street in an open lot because there was some event at the office and no one was allowed to park on the 2nd level so the 3rd level was full by 8:30. Bummer. I really don't mind the walk, but when I went to my car this evening around 5:45 the inside was hot. Really hot. You know how when you heat up your oven to 450 and open it and get your face too close, it makes your eyelashes curl? Well that is what the inside of my car felt like when I opened the door this evening. The temp said 103 on the outside. Stinko hot as we say.

Tired, but doin OK

Today was a very early day for me at the office. I had an 8 a.m. presentation which meant I couldn't follow my normal morning routine of waking at 6:24, making coffee, reading the paper from 6:47 to 7:22, showering, etc. I had to go from coffee making to shower to out the door by 7:25. I guess I could have gotten up earlier, but the paper often doesn't arrive until 6:45 anyway so what would be the point? I used to be an early office person, but now I enjoy my lazy paper-reading time and I can still get a parking space at 8:30.

Last night I kept imagining what Steffi was doing on her journey over the pond: sitting in the airport, sittin on a plane, watching the in-flight movie, trying to fool the flight attendant into thinking she was 21 to get a glass of wine! :) The dogs seemed to know when she landed at Heathrow and began stirring around 4:35 a.m. I let them out and checked my email for a note from her - and it was there!! Yay!! I can't sleep well not knowing my babies are safe and sound.

Tonight is another Blues on the Green (a free concert at Zilker Park). I really wish Steffi was here to go because Marcia Ball is playing and she is a great jazzy-bluesy pianist.

Weather report for people not in Texas: Austin: Stinko Hot, no chance of rain

another critter at the ranch

First it was the birds above the front door and now look who has moved in to our front stoop!? The four-legged thirsty members of the household are wondering how long this one will stay. That's their water dish, by the way.

The beginning

So Steffi has abandoned me for the summer. Duncan too. I am "alone" or as alone as someone can be with 12 paws and 4 fins running (or swimming) around them.

I plan to have a GREAT summer!
For example, I will not have to run the dishwasher more than once this summer. My clothes can all be washed in 2 loads a week. I won't have to pick up 87 sox and 32 empty dr pepper cans from the playroom floor on Sunday nights in preparation for Linda. Just think of all the time now freed up for me to have FUN!

Can't wait....