Summer!

I thought I'd take a short break from the Japan-related posts and write a blog post about what else is going on these days.

For one thing it's summer in Texas.  Hot!  HOT!  I shouldn't complain actually.  I'm not sure we've hit 100 yet.  Or if we have it's been a just barely hit, but the high 90s are still plenty hot.  And the last week there's been a pretty decent wind.  Between the heat and  wind, the moisture is getting sucked out of my lawn and plants.  I increased the watering by the sprinkler system from very 4th day to every 3rd day.  And I'm needing to remember to go out and water plants the sprinkler system doesn't reach.

The cats like the heat in doses.  The first picture here is Zoe, sleeping in her favorite outside spot under the table.  I had to take this picture through the door so I wouldn't wake her up because she was so cute sleeping with her head resting on the chair rail.  Addy will go out there for short periods but here she's stretched out on her favorite spot on the bed.

I have purple blooming in the garden now.  These purple blooms are crepe myrtle down in the garden.  Above them is a fuchsia crepe myrtle tree that's also blooming.  And of course all the roses continue to bloom.  So far I've had something blooming all the time since the flowering quince began blooming last February.  Thanks, previous homeowners!

I'm keeping the bird feeder filled but it's become something of a chore because I have a flock of house sparrows with a few house finches thrown in that go through a feeder full every other day.  There are about 16 sparrows out there right now, vying for 4 open slots on the feeder.  the feeder has 6 places, but as the seed gets low it can only be reached from 4 places, then from 2 places.  The vying gets worse as the level of seed drops.  The sparrows and morning doves are about the only birds that still come around.  Occasionally I'll see the cardinal pair or blue jays will come to the bird bath.  None of them need me to be feeding them now, but I still put seed out.

I have a pair of mockingbirds nesting in one of the tiered trees out back here.  I see them around all the time.  The other day one was foraging by the side of my house, right outside my window as I sat here on the computer.  He was using that typically Mockingbird behavior of flashing his wing patches as he hunted.  I wish I had caught it on camera.  It was very cool.  I like mockingbirds.  

My two little pine trees are still growing although they are tending to grow outward rather than upward.  You can see here that they're surviving quite nicely in the pot I put them in.  And you can also see that the limbs continue to spread, although upward growth has slowed.  I wonder if they need to go through a dormant period - like maybe winter.  Unfortunately, they have at least 4-5 months to go before the weather turns cool.  I wonder if I should put them outside for awhile when it does though.

Anyway so things are pretty normal around the homestead.  I have some family stuff coming up.  My Mother is having a medical procedure next week so I'll be deeper in east Texas to be with family.  I'm confident that everything will go smoothly there, but I want to be around.   Work is busy, but at a somewhat slower pace than it's been for the last several months, so that's nice.  

I'm seriously watching my diet and exercising these days because I had a doctor's appointment when I got back from Japan.  My total cholesterol was 181 after 9 days in Japan, eating fish, vegetables and rice.  My total cholesterol has been running 205 - 219 for the last five years at least.  The last time it was in the 180's was in 2001.  So that cholesterol result motivated me to be more conscious of my diet and try not to be totally sedentary.  

So that's what's going on.  Nothing earth-shattering, just daily life.  Next post, back to Japan!