Blue Skies in Texas

We get blue skies in Bamboo Forest too, but less often due to Seattle-like rain and fog. Again, I took this photo when there were still leaves on the trees, so this is not a December photo. :-)

Backyard Scenes in Texas

Here are a few scenes from my parents' backyard. The photos were taken before winter hit. The backyard is, without question, a bird haven.

Merry Christmas from Texas


I am in the USA this Christmas. My parents' house is all decked out with decorations and lights, both indoors and out.

My oldest brother and his family are driving here on Christmas Day for a few days' stay, and my second oldest brother and his family already live here in the same town, so we'll all be in the same place at the same time this season. (I just have the two older brothers.)

We're hosting a bit of a small family reunion at my parents house the day after Christmas, one that will include aunts, cousins, and whomever else dares to claim us as kin and can come. :-)

My mom just celebrated her birthday this past Tuesday. We had a big blow-out for her on that day. At least I think it was a blow-out, because when it was all over I passed out on the sofa from exhaustion. Happy Birthday Madre!

Queen Mimi (my dog, in case you've been living on another planet and didn't know) is back in China and is doing fine by all reports. She's not going to like it a month from now when I am back with her, because I refuse to take her downstairs on the elevator for a morning walk before I have two cups of coffee, whereas apparently she has trained (tricked?) her current dogsitter to do just that.

Last night I thought I would have to get up in the middle of the night to build an ark, but now the rain has been replaced by a cold front. A few hours west of here they are getting snow, but we probably won't. It's cold though. I heard someone say it was colder than a cast-iron witch's elbow. I'm not sure what that means, but it sounds pretty cold to me.

Merry Christmas!

Worth Considering

"We talk of the Second Coming; half the world has never heard of the first." -- Oswald J. Smith

Worth Repeating

"In our lifetime, wouldn't it be sad if we spent more time washing dishes or swatting flies or mowing the yard or watching television than praying for world missions?" -- Dave Davidson