Saturday - In the Park

Saturday morning in San Antonio! Our night had not been as restful as hoped, with the alarm clock going off repeatedly at midnite, playing very exciting Mexican music. Why do I never think to check those things before I crawl into bed?

After a quick breakfast, we swung by the youngest child's apartment, and with her in tow, headed to the San Antonio Zoo in Brackenridge Park. Getting there early was part of our plan to miss the hottest part of the day, yet we still managed to enjoy the 100+ temperatures. Lots of renovation and new construction are going on at the zoo, and eventually it will be beautiful, and a better place for the animals. Right now, S.A. is suffering along with the rest of Central Texas as the drought continues...and continues. Everything brown and dry. Even the rhino was hunting a spot of shade & the elephant was enjoying a cool shower. Someday I'll remember that summer is not the best season to visit a zoo, since the animals are just as hot and uncomfortable as the rest of us. Maybe between Christmas and New Year's next time.

We enjoyed visiting the Lorikeets in their aviary, and were able to feed them little cups of nectar while they sat on your shoulder. Unfortunately, what goes in has to come out, and I had one little bird poop in my shirt pocket while perched upon my hat. Fortunately, the L.B. had a ready supply of hand sanitizer to help clean me up. (She really does take care of me.)

Butterflies are pretty and didn't excrete anything on me, so we spent time wandering through their special abode. Rarely still for more than a second or two, pictures tend to be a bit blurry. As the day heated up, our enthusiasm dropped, and soon our thoughts turned to air conditioners and food. Angie knew of a local place which had a wide array of hotdogs & frankfurters. A large glass of cold lemonade made everything right for me.

A Little Relief

Central Texas has been setting new records for the number of days over 100 degrees. Depending exactly on where you happen to be, this is somewhere on the high side of 41 days, and there is no end in sight. Naruna is a couple of days ahead of Austin I think, but it is hard to keep track when the temperature routinely hits anywhere from 101 to 111 every day.

This kind of record is not something to which I aspire. I was never the competitive type, and I would just as soon someone else be leading in this category. Nobody tries to fry eggs on sidewalks here like they do in New York when they have a warm day. Hot, dry weather is not something we like to joke about much. At least until after the floods have come and the drought has been pushed back for awhile.

Today was not the end of our drought by any means. But we were pleasantly surprised this afternoon when it began raining in Naruna. It only lasted about 15 minutes, and the sun never stopped shining. It stopped as suddenly as it started, and then it was hot and steamy rather than hot & dry. The surprise came when the LB went out to check how much we received...instead of the expected tenth or so in the rain gauge, we had 1.7". Not enough, but still very welcome...especially since it was not accompanied by any hail, high wind or tornados.

The Big Dry

When foreigners; i.e. anyone not from Texas; think of the Lone Star State they seem to assume the entire place is just one big desert, with occasional dust storms and cacti everywhere. Much of this is due to the movie industry filming "Texas" movies in places such as Utah, Arizona, California, northern Mexico, etc. Anyone who has traveled this state has seen the incredible variety available to visitors and natives alike. Seashores, lush coastal plains, dense pine forests, chains of lakes, rich farmland, mountains, rolling hills, swamps, and impenetrable cedar breaks are only a few of the different ecosystems found between the Red and the Rio Grande. And, of course, there are some areas which really do qualify as desert. Photo Copyright: Edgar Serrano

The problem we are facing now, is that more of the state is becoming desert-like all the time. Much of Texas is facing what is quickly becoming a disastrous drought. There are parts of the state which have survived devastating floods and hurricanes this year, but for Central Texas, this is being reported as the driest year since the early fifties. For the youngsters and those with failing memories, that time was referred to by many as the "Big Dry"; and one Texas author, Elmer Kelton, penned a book describing some of the hardships of the period titled, "The Time it Never Rained". http://www.elmerkelton.net/. Most of the surrounding counties have been under "Burn Bans" since last spring and there is no end in sight.

In our corner of the world, ranchers are already hurting, spending more in feed than their cattle may bring at auction. Water is becoming more of a problem, which was brought home to me recently when I was approached by a neighbor whose well was failing. As at least a temporary measure, he is using water from our well to provide for his cows and calves. Since we moved to Naruna, I have always tried to convince the LB that we didn't really have enough land to keep livestock of our own. Instead, we could vicariously enjoy the local ranchers' animals, without needing to worry about the price of feed, hay and vet bills, or when it would rain next. Now it seems we really must face those concerns alongside our neighbors.

The Thrill is Gone!

If there is anything which passes for excitement here in Naruna, it has slipped away. The end of summer is upon us, and the LB is making preparations to return to feeding three or four hundred 2nd and 3rd graders breakfast and lunch every day of the week. Somehow, after being in a hot kitchen all day, she usually isn’t interested much in cooking at home. To make up for the coming nine months of eating leftovers, going out to eat, or just fending for myself, she is baking me a cake today. It goes by a variety of names: Texas Sheet Cake, Church Lady Cake, Cowboy Cake, etc. No matter what name gets hung on it, it is a really rich, moist, chocolate cake which gets iced while still warm, resulting in a wonderfully gooey mess which is magnificent. She is trying a recipe today she found over at http://thepioneerwoman.com/ . (If you don’t like chocolate, try Pioneer Woman’s creamed spinach! Even confirmed carnivores crave it.)

Summer time in Texas is always a balancing act. We wouldn’t live anywhere else, but our lives are always at the mercy of the weather. Last summer Central Texas almost washed away in the floods. This summer has been one of record days over 100 degrees. A couple of times each year, we pack up and visit relatives in Houston so we can walk on a real lawn again. In the very best of times we have grass, but nothing that would be mistaken for turf. Times like now, that grass is withered, brown and brittle, and quickly crumbles to a fine powder which blows away with the hot south wind.

In the span of just two weeks, Texas has had a hurricane and a tropical storm come ashore. Areas all around us got massive amounts of rain, while Naruna received a total of 0.4”. A few brave sprigs of green are trying to push up, but are being met with a withering blast of heat and quickly shrivel.


Even the LB’s beagle, Sam, who has boundless energy most of the time, is being affected by the heat. This morning, after making his usual rounds to ensure all was well in Naruna, he trotted across the road to visit with a group of BMW riders taking a water break in the church parking lot. After that, he was pretty much done for the day, only taking a moment to check out the occasional bug crawling around. Tizzy the cat even gave me a glare as though to warn me to stay clear or risk bodily harm.