No Triple Digits in the Forecast

My forever young wife enjoyed another birthday this week. I wish I could tell you how old Donna is, but I don't know because I can't count that high. How did we ever get this old? Seems like just a short time ago that we were young and excited about our futures. My brother had a birthday last week, and I have one next week. I'm aging much faster than Donna, no doubt about it. I'm amazed at her energy and zest for life. I simply can't keep up; I often think I'm holding her back.

Donna and I were watching one of our local stations a few mornings ago. As we watched the weather forecast, I remarked to her that this was the first forecast we had seen in a couple of months that did not include triple digit temps. Perhaps we've turned a corner and are heading for a cool down. I certainly hope so.

It is so very dry out here. Because of the good rains earlier in the year, we have some pretty tall grass across the countryside. Those are some dangerous fire conditions. We've had a number of small grass fires all over the Concho Valley. None have developed into something like you see on the national news, but it is a constant battle to keep them under control.

As we were sitting in the den last night, we heard the wind pick up. That's not unusual at all, but this time the wind had a different sound to it. I walked over to the window to investigate and was surprised to see rain pouring down. We stepped out on the back patio, but the wind was blowing the rain into us, so we couldn't stay long. We managed to get half an inch. What a blessing! We really needed that.

Nice rainbow. Nice rain. Nice.

North end of the rainbow.

Have you heard about the new crop of "meatless" meats on the market? I have seen several news stories the past month or so about these new products. All the reporters who sample the products all report that the new meats taste just like real meat.

Well, Donna and I decided to sample an Impossible Whopper at one of our Burger Kings recently. Now, I'm not a big Burger King fan; there are several other places I'd rather get a burger. We do visit a Burger King every year or two, though, and there are some things we like about the place. Their new "Impossible Whopper" is meatless and consists "mostly [of] soy protein, potato protein, coconut oil, sunflower oil, and heme."

So, what did Donna and I think of the burger? Well, we'll stick with real burgers for a while longer, I guess. We could tell the difference. I must admit, though, that the texture and appearance were good. But there's this taste that definitely isn't like the real thing. We keep hoping a good product will emerge, and I'm sure one will in the future. but for now, we'll keep eating real beef.

We really don't eat a lot of meat in our household. We've always leaned heavily towards vegetables and dairy products. In fact, while in high school, our daughter was completely vegetarian for a couple of years. Her mother and I never made the total conversion, but we were close, and we certainly encouraged Courtney's efforts.

For now, I think I'll make a trip down to our local Whataburger . . . .

Things are pretty quiet around here right now. The kids are all back in school, and I like that. We've made a couple of trips out to Lake Nasworthy, and the crowds have certainly cleared out. Things are back to normal.

I'll leave you with some pictures of purple sage I've snapped around town. Their colors have really been vibrant lately.

Beautiful purple sage in the parking lot of one of our Walmarts.

Purple sage at a local eatery.