2011 - Day Two Hundred Forty; Sunday...

Well, this is getting ridiculous. This is the 73rd day with temperatures over 100 degrees this year. The OFFICIAL HIGH TEMPERATURE in Austin today was 112 degrees. Really? Are you kidding me? Is this death valley? Well, maybe death plains, because everything is dieing. Every day I decide there is no hope for something else, and I withhold water from it. I really honestly believe we will remember this year as 'the year everything died'. Trees are dieing, what was not killed off last winter by the extended freezing weather is now dieing because of no rain and excessive heat. The highest temperature we read on our thermometers today was 118. Not quite as bad as yesterday.

We got up this morning and I started doing chores. First things first: I needed to get the cattle fed, and I also took a fresh bale of hay out to them, and a new bucket of molasses. That should hold them for a while. Longhorns can go a while without a lot of food (but not ours) but they cannot go very long at all without water. They have two sources of water out in the pastures, so they do pretty well. I took this picture of the cattle to also show the clouds. Those puffy little cotton ball clouds are always kind of interesting to me.

We had lots of stuff to get organized from our 'closing-up-shop' yesterday, and pretty much by 11:30 we were pretty much under control. Jody and I headed into the big city of Georgetown and Round Rock, and we pretty much go by way of Berry Creek Park when we go in, just to avoid the Interstate and make a point that we are not in a hurry. We have passed these mail boxes time and time again, and I really never paid attention to them, but today they caught my eye. I drove about a mile past them and decided to turn back and take the photo. I really like these, and I am thinking maybe mail box clusters will become a new favorite subject for me.

I was interested in going suit shopping, even though there were no advertised sales happening. I found something nice at Penney's but of course they did not have my size. SO, I may stop at a different Penney's on my way home from work tomorrow. I expect there will be a plethora of sales this coming weekend, but maybe I can beat the crowds. Anyway, there was nothing to do but console myself with a frozen treat from Dairy Queen. AND, after that, I hit a couple more stores and still found nothing to buy. I HATE THAT!

When we got home, I strung water hoses half-way between here and the county line, just trying to get a little bit of water on the fruit trees up by the road. Honestly, I think I must have strung hoses seven or eight hundred feet from the front barn to those trees, but they each got some water. They still look kind of shriveled up, but at least I can say I tried.

The chickens seem to be doing well, at least there is plenty of food for them and there are water stations strategically placed around the property for a variety of wildlife. You do what you can.

I have been reduced to having my evening glass of wine out of a rocks glass instead of the big plastic wine glass I got at Wal-Mart. It was either go to rocks glass or start using a sippy-cup. I have been spilling wine about once a week now for the past several months, and last night I decided to surrender to my inner clumsiness and forget about it. The rocks glass has a much lower center-of-gravity, and I have not spilled anything in the last ten minutes, so it seems to be an overwhelming success! But really, I see absolutely no shame in a sippy-cup filled with a nice Merlot.

Deeds, Actions, Changes, BIGGER, LOWER GLASSES, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!