Texas Lover

You all (or "y'all" as we like to say here) know that I LOVE Texas! When we moved here and I realized how much I love it, and how I feel so at home here I told Cory I needed one of those bumper stickers that says "I wasn't born in Texas but I got here as soon as I could!". Anyway, it has been a fabulous place to raise Cam, the church is really strong here (as are lots of churches and that is a good thing!) the people are down to earth and genuine. Sports are a big deal here, the warm climate is agreeable to me, the cost of living is great compared to most places. There are lots of trees and it is fairly tropical. I could go on and on about the different things I love about Texas!

The difficult things about Texas are - the high cost of auto insurance. We were quite surprised by this fact moving here from LA - but yes it is higher here. Traffic - again, we moved here from LA - I didn't think anyone could tell me anything about traffic that I didn't already know. Well Houston sucks for traffic! At least in LA there are several freeways that you can employ to get somewhere - here not so much - so you are forced to endure the traffic. Bugs! There are bugs the like I never even imagined - some I can't even identify! (fire ants and cock roaches are two of the worst!). Hurricanes - we have been here for a couple and they are very unsettling to say the least. But, the thing that is bothering me most at this time of year is the pollen. This is NOT the place to live if you have any allergies - the mold can be awful with all of the humidity and springtime brings horrible pollen and all kinds of junk for our lungs to deal with, not to mention our nasal passages.

This is one of the two big oak trees we have in our yard (messy, disgusting trees!) in the spring they dump all kinds of crap ALL over the yard - oh yeah, in the fall too.

This is a shot of our recently planted garden - which sits directly under said tree - you can see my plight!

This is a shot of our back patio where the gold dust gathers.

The curb out front where the other oak tree is. Pine dust and oak leaves combine to make a disgusting stew of allergy nightmare!

And now this other crap is falling from the oak trees - furry stuff which comes in on every one's shoes and all over the cat!

Some fire ants making their way to the surface on the patio - ooooh I despise these creatures!

But the temperature is fantastic and the humidity is low, it feels fabulous to be outside and the azaleas are beautiful as always!

And although you can't see them very well my front flowers are lovely. I guess we have to take the bad with the good.

Dry Pack Canning

A few weeks ago my friend Liz and I went to the Dry Pack Canning place on our ward's assigned day and went to work. I took pictures with my phone - but alas I can not figure out how to get them onto the computer! You will just have to imagine the two of us in our hairnets and plastic aprons working up a storm putting flour, sugar, oats, re fried beans, beans, cocoa, rice etc into cans. It was really fun and I am always amazed at the efficiency with which the church operates. And also the help that the church offers to all who are willing to work. The other amazing thing was that we were the only two that went that day from our ward! Don't people know what a fun and rewarding experience it is to do this? It only took us an hour and a half to get everything that we wanted and then we were on our way! I don't recommend buying everything there - but if you want a food storage supply, this stuff will last longer than the stuff from the grocery store (as it is in cans not paper). It also gave me a chance to organize my other storage items and rotate stuff. I felt very productive!

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Alright - I know I just did a book but I absolutely HAD to do this book! I haven't been this excited about a book since Twilight and before that Harry Potter! This is an excellent book and you will be sending me hugs and kisses for recommending it. I expect all of you to contact your local library TODAY and put this on hold (because it will be out of course!).

Okay - it is about a society following the one we currently live in - with a controlling government (yes, more than the one we have right now) who make these yearly games (as a means of keeping folks in line) in which each of the 12 districts has to provide a boy and a girl to participate by doing a lottery kind of thing. Your name has to be put in the lottery starting at the age of 12 and then another entry every year afterward. That means if you are 16 you would be entered 4 times. You can enter your name more times if you want more food rations than the government provides. This goes on until you turn 18. The games (which sound a lot like Survivor) are to the death! (I know!) Only one person can win. Katniss who is 16 has her name in the lottery 7 times - her 12 year old sister Prim, who she is very protective of, has her name in just once. But who do you think gets her name drawn?

I don't want to give anything away - but this is a book where I was screaming and talking back to the book and angry if I had to even stop to go to the bathroom! But at the same time I felt I wanted to ration it, savor it because it was so enthralling! I can't say enough good things about it. I am currently waiting for the next book Catching Fire. If you have never listened to me before - I beg you to listen this time - this is an awesome book! (And your teenagers will enjoy it too!)

Noah's Compass by Anne Tyler

Second only to Maeve Binchy - Anne Tyler is my favorite authoress. She won the Pulitzer Prize for Breathing Lessons and you might also be familiar with The Accidental Tourist, Back When We Were Grownups or Saint Maybe. I have read every book she has written and whenever a new book of hers comes out I immediately put it on hold at the library. I just got this one and it came out in late 2009. She did not disappoint - again. She has a unique way of making you feel like the character. She must spend her life observing people so closely - either that or she herself knows these kind of folks intimately. She has a way of making the reader love her characters with all their flaws and quirkiness just like you would a funny aunt or strange cousin. There is never anything flashy or all that dramatic in her works - they are ordinary, which is what makes them so wonderful. That sounds kind of strange - but they are real people that we might know, living real lives, solving problems and working through struggles and feeling real feelings. And as in real life, sometimes the problem isn't resolved in the "happy ending" sort of way we think it should. She does it all so subtly - so gradually that you don't even realize that you are actually learning and gaining insight. Isn't that what reading is all about - while being entertained we find we actually learn something? A huge thumbs up!

Seabrook Half Marathon

This last weekend while Cam was having a wonderful time at Youth Conference - Cory and I enjoyed the weekend alone (a precursor for our new situation coming in August). On Saturday the two of us got up before 5 am and after getting a few things together we took off for Seabrook, TX. It is a little town down by Clearlake - NASA - Pasadena area, about an hour and a half away, but strangely still considered "Houston".

Neither of us slept well the night before - I don't really know why. So getting up wasn't all that much of a problem because I was already awake, and it seemed like I had been awake for most of the night! Anyway - we made good time and Cory was all set to run in this nice little waterfront trail race that some of his running friends had recommended to him. I was getting set up in the car for my long wait. I had my book on tape for when it was still dark and then when the sun came up so that I could see, I switched to my current book and started to read.

In what seemed like a short minute Cory was knocking on the window of the car. I don't know how it happened. . .I fell asleep. I missed the entire race - the runners actually passed by my car two times on this race and I managed to sleep right through all those footsteps and get a nap in. So really what happened was - I drove an hour and a half to Seabrook, TX to have a nap and then drive back home! I think I am getting old!

Just to fill you in on the outcome - Cory got 1st in his age-group and 4th overall. I think he enjoyed the route and it was a good Saturday long run for him.

Spring is Here! (II)

I have been home now for a couple of weeks (no longer working at MOW that is), and lest you think I have been playing Farmville 24/7 - I thought I would document some of the work I have been doing in the yard. Spring is always interesting - so much to do in the yard. Sometimes things may have been lost to freezes that winter, sometimes things may be lost to a bad storm and there is always lots of clean up to do. Around these parts we have the oak trees dumping mounds of leaves, the pine trees dumping mounds of green dust and the other trees dropping all kinds of blossoms. (It is an allergy nightmare!) It has been so nice to have time to spend in my yard without having to stop mid-job to get ready for work.

I added another rose bush and replaced one that just wasn't cutting the mustard - and planted some nice dainty white ground cover right out the back door.

I trimmed up the honeysuckle and cleaned out the nasty bed that is under it - with Mexican heather and some nice purple blooming things that I can't remember the name of. Cam got all the large crepe myrtles this year and I got all the smaller ones. (Nolan wasn't able to make it down to help this spring - as he has been busy with the temple and Gr & Gr Chris. This post will either make him want to get down here right away - or put his mind at ease that these things are getting done without his help.)

I have made a serious dent in turning over and weeding the beds that surround the house and some in the back yard. My knees are hurting and I sprained something in my back but they sure do look good!

Still more beds in the front and that is one of my lovely Sweet Olive trees right there at the corner of the house. I also planted some pink flowers and as you can see I am ready for Easter!

The azaleas are almost ready to break out - most years they are out in February but we have had an unusually cool spring this year. I will definitely take more pictures when everything starts blooming! I do love spring! (sneeze, sniff, sniff)

Spring is Here!

It has been so nice lately - fairly low humidity, low 70'2, slightly breezy - perfect! It has been so nice to run in sleeveless shirts and work out in the yard without becoming dehydrated in 2 hours. The trees are budding and the grass is starting to stand up straight. I have this Sweet Olive tree that makes the entire back area smell fabulous (I have three and they are my favorite trees in my yard!). When we are having days like these it just makes me want to be outside and take big breaths and thank God for the beautiful world we have to live in!