Some Rain, Some Deer, and a Memory

It was late when I rolled out of bed yesterday morning, at least for me. I am usually up before the sun. No, that isn't true. I'm ALWAYS up before the sun. But yesterday, I opened my eyes at 6:52 AM and I saw light coming through the window. What got into me?

I quickly rolled out of bed, brushed my teeth, and threw on my walking clothes. Just a few houses down, I spotted 2 bucks and a few does working the brush behind some neighbors' houses.

The bucks are centered in the picture, but if you look carefully, you can see a doe behind the orange flowers as well.

I got my 5+ miles in and returned home. After my shower, I did some work on the computer, then it was time for lunch. I wrote an item about a week ago concerning the places we ate on our recent trip. I enjoy eating out, especially tasty, exotic food. But my favorite place to eat is home. Donna is a truly good cook, and she recently made some kafta (Lebanese beef kababs) and all the trimmings. Boy, was it good. I really made a pig of myself. Thanks for fattening me up, Donna. She must be getting me ready for the slaughter.

Last night, we spent quite a while on our back patio. The skies had been overcast much of the day, but we could tell a storm was moving in from the south. Sure enough, a nice and easy rain began to fall. We set our plants in the yard to catch some of that precious nitrogen rich rain, and we collected some rain water as well. We were able to water everything and even store some of the water. This morning, I checked our gauge and was pleased to see just over half an inch. That is good for us. As I write this, it is still overcast, and I am hopeful we will get some more rain.

Look at these beautiful clouds in the northeast above our club house. They are reflecting the setting sun.

These are the clouds moving in from the south that brought the moisture. Thanks!

Just a hair over half an inch.

This morning, I set out on my morning walk. I love walking. Usually, I spend the time sorting through my thoughts, making plans for the future and perhaps reliving past adventures. This morning, my thoughts were about my father. He died exactly 10 years ago this morning, and I still miss him. I followed around after him as a child; as an adult, I followed in his footsteps and became an educator, as he was. But I never measured up to him. Thanks for being such a great role model, Dad.

I hope everyone has had a safe and enjoyable Labor Day. Donna and I had lunch at one of our favorite local places, Rosas. As is our custom, afterwards we drove out to the lake. Despite the overcast conditions, there were quite a few people along the shores and numerous boats on the water. People seemed to be enjoying the fishing on this unusually cool day. Tomorrow, they will have to return to work or the classroom, but Donna and I won't. We're retired, you know.