Things Are Looking Up

COVID numbers are looking better in our area, and for most of the nation as well, I believe. On the personal level, Donna and I got our booster shots on the first day after they were approved, and that gives us a sense of confidence. 

Warm weather continues to linger here. As we near the end of October, I'm still walking at dawn with no jacket. For the past several days, the morning lows have been in the lower 60s. This morning, it was just above 70. Hard to believe it is well into autumn. I expect we will see some changes in the weather soon, though. So far, we really aren't seeing any changes in colors around here. Leaves are not really falling, and they certainly aren't showing any autumn colors. Perhaps that will change soon.

Our two youngest grandsons will be spending a couple of nights with us soon. One of the reasons we have been so careful with COVID and were eager to get our boosters is to protect them. Since they are too young for vaccines, we want to make sure that we don't pass anything on to them. Donna is planning all sorts of activities for the little tykes. We'll try to keep them entertained. I'll just try to survive.

Below are some sunrise pictures I recently took, followed by a few pictures of a full moon still hanging high at dawn.

I snapped this about 10 minutes into my walk one morning. 

This is the same picture as above, only zoomed in. Colors become more vivid in the zoom.

The clouds were moving swiftly across the still dark early morning sky.

I really like this shot of the moon in an opening of the clouds. Both of these pictures were taken from my front patio as I was about to set out on my walk.

For a contrast, here is the same moon over an hour later at the end of my walk. This picture was taken from the same location as the previous 2 pictures. The only other difference is that I did not zoom in for this shot, so the gate, wall, tree, and eave of the house are included. 

Welcome, October

On the last night of September, we received just over half an inch of rain. The first day of October awoke to a cloud cover and the hope of more rain. Not a bad way to start the month in thirsty West Texas. A day or so later, we had a really good rain, receiving just over an inch.

For the next week or so, we had a stretch of some really warm days. You really couldn't tell that autumn had arrived. Our daily highs for that stretch were in the mid 90s, and our lows mostly were in the low 60s.

All of that changed Wednesday. 

Donna and I had an appointment early Wednesday morning. A few drops had fallen when we left the house just before 8:00 AM. We were heading back home about 9:30 or so when a good rain fell. It only amounted to a tenth of an inch or so, but the skies remained cloudy. We went out for a while during the lunch hour, and after we returned home, the rain really came down. By the end of the day, we had received nearly 2 inches of rain. On top of that, things had cooled off quite a bit.

When I rose yesterday morning, there was a heavy fog. Boy, this is good camping weather. It's times like these that I miss our travel trailer. It didn't take long for the fog to burn off, though, and then the day cleared and was a beautiful autumn day.

I got in a good walk this morning, enjoying the briskness. The temperature was somewhere in the high 50s, I believe. Tomorrow, though, the temp should be in the very low 40s, and that is getting a bit cold for me. It won't be long before I take my walk later in the day.

Donna continues to fish whenever she can. That girl does enjoy her fishing. 

Last Tuesday, we ventured down to Shannon Clinic for our scheduled flu shots. We were in and out in no time at all. Those folks do a good job. Since we were out and about, we decided to visit the state park to renew our annual parks pass. We've maintained a parks pass for a long time now. Of course, when we had a travel trailer, we spent lots of nights in the state park system. Although we no longer have an RV, we still frequent our local park with walks and hikes, and we often visit other parks as we travel the state. Most of all, though, buying the pass is a good way to support the park system and all the great things that department does for the state.

I'm delighted to see our COVID numbers falling at last. A month or so ago, we were reporting as many as 150 new cases a day. That number has now dropped below 30, and our hospital numbers have been cut in half. If numbers continue to level off, perhaps we can plan a trip or two soon.

Latest reports on the news indicate the Moderna vaccine should soon be available to folks like Donna and me soon. We'll feel much more confident once we get that additional half dose.

You folks stay safe out there.

Yep, Autumn Is Here

On Monday, September 20 -- a mere 2 days before the first day of fall -- we hit triple digits again. I guess that is Mother Nature's way of reminding us who is in charge. The next day, our high only reached into the mid 80s. Then, on the second day of autumn, I stepped out for my morning walk just before 7:00 AM and was greeted with a temperature of 44 degrees, which is only 12 degrees above freezing.

That's a pretty good weather roller coaster.

Fallen acorns litter the streets, and they snap, crackle, and pop under my feet as I plod along on my morning walks. Our maintenance people will be quite busy for the next couple of months keeping the streets clean of fallen limbs, acorns, and leaves. It's a never-ending job for them.

And speaking of our maintenance people, one stopped in a few days ago to work on our garbage disposal. While David was here, we asked him about some snake rumors we had been hearing. Our next-door neighbor had told us a few days before about all the snakes that had been spotted in the neighborhood. David verified this, saying he had killed 25 rattlesnakes in recent weeks. He had also been bitten once, and showed us the fang marks still visible on his lower leg. With the nights cooling, those rascals have been seeking warm places to spend the nights, and some have been creeping into garages. 

We took another walk out of the neighborhood a few days ago. It had probably been at least 2 or more years since we had walked on the O.C. Fisher dam, so we decided to visit it again for an early morning walk. It's really a pleasant place to walk because it is level and there is no traffic. But it is also exposed to weather since it is void of trees and brush. We enjoyed the lovely sunrise that morning, and we saw numerous deer. Hard to go wrong when you get to experience those things.

Sunrise over San Angelo. You can see our small collection of downtown buildings along the right horizon.

We used to walk quite frequently at the dam. It's only a 2 or 3 mile drive from our house. The entire length of the dam is about 7 miles, so you can rack up some mileage there if you want. But for every mile you walk out, that is one mile you have to walk back in. The 360 degree views are quite nice. 

We spotted these pretty girls at the base of the dam on our way back in.

Donna went fishing with two friends a couple of days ago. They didn't have many bites, but they seemed to enjoy being outside and visiting. It's a good way to pass the time. 

Our COVID numbers do seem to be improving, but we still have a long way to go. Numbers will drop over a few days, then jump up briefly for a day or two. Overall, there is improvement. Hospital numbers are steadily dropping, but deaths from COVID are holding steady. Almost all deaths are from unvaccinated folks. There are a few deaths from vaccinated folks, but these are almost exclusively among folks in their 60s or older.

We continue to await approval of booster shots for the Moderna vaccine. We'll feel better about things once we get that behind us. We get flu shots next week.

As always, stay safe out there, and get out and enjoy this fall weather. It only comes around once a year, you know.

Cool Mornings

For the past week to 10 days, my morning walks have been very pleasant. The temps when I leave the house have hovered just over 60 degrees. In fact, last Saturday it was 58 when I started my walk. This has been some great walking weather. The extended forecast indicates these temps will remain. On the high end, the highs have been in the lower 90s. This coming week, we should see daily highs drop into the mid to lower 80s according to local weather reports. Yep, autumn is not far away.

Those of you on Facebook saw that Miss Donna enjoyed another birthday. She had lots of cards and electronic messages on her special day. Most people age when they have a birthday, but Miss Donna gets younger. Although we are not going inside restaurants these days, I did treat the old girl to a Whataburger. We took our burgers to Lake Nasworthy and parked along the lake shore under the flight path of incoming planes, and there were lots of planes that day. I guess they were practicing their approaches, because they came in low and slow just over our heads. It's fun to watch them approach across the lake. The temp was in the low 80s at the time, so with our low humidity and a slight breeze and parked in the shade of some mesquites, it was very pleasant. 

One of the many planes that dive-bombed us while we enjoyed lunch.

Donna loves watching planes. From our patio, we can see lots of activity at our regional airport. Goodfellow AFB uses the airport for training, and Angelo State University now offers training out there as well. There is always something in the skies out there to watch. 

After our lunch, I drove the birthday girl through Spring Creek Park, where we spotted a little fox and several deer. We seldom go to this park without seeing wildlife. It's so nice to be able to leave city noises and activity behind in just a few minutes. We do enjoy living here.

This shot is a bit grainy, and I apologize for that. The fox was eating some popcorn someone had dumped out. Notice the deer watching everything that is going on.

A few days later, we rose early and headed to Middle Concho Park for a walk. This park is located on the north bank of the Middle Concho River between the Twin Buttes dam and Lake Nasworthy. It is a good-sized park with plenty of trees. It was just getting light as we arrived, and deer were everywhere. We probably saw 3 or 4 dozen altogether. The water was very smooth, and a light mist rose in places. It was a good walk.

Mist rising from the smooth water of the Middle Concho River in the early morning light.

These ducks are all in-a-row near a boat ramp in the general area where the Middle Concho River and Spring Creek merge before forming Lake Nasworthy.

Foundations from an old railroad trestle that spanned the Middle Concho before the area lakes were developed.

Very large house on a hill across the river from the park. There are several nice homes that sit on that side of the river.

Other than that, things have been peaceful here. The number of our active COVID cases has finally started decreasing. For a while, our daily count was averaging about 150 or close to it, but it is now under 100. We continue to monitor the news for information about booster shots, but right now there seems to be a great deal of confusion about that. We'll just continue to follow CDC guidelines and patiently wait for new developments. We need to get our flu shots.

I hope all of you are safe and sound.

Hello, September

We begin transitioning to autumn this month. I always enjoy this change to cooler weather. Now, don't misunderstand me; I'm not a fan of cold weather. However, I do enjoy crisp days and cool nights. It's one of the things I remember most fondly of our travel trailer days. I always enjoyed those times in state parks huddled about a blazing camp fire. 

We've not been doing much, just doing normal things around the house and trying to stay healthy. Donna goes out and terrorizes the fish at Lake Nasworthy from time to time. We both continue our walks, though Donna is not quite as regular in this exercise as I am. 

The turkeys have been grazing in our back yard quite a bit lately. I snapped this picture of a turkey that just plopped down for a rest beside our little oak tree late one day.

We've been having a few visitors lately, and the type we don't like. In the past few weeks, we've had a number of scorpions in the house. Perhaps it's due to the rain, perhaps the heat. Whatever, they are certainly unwelcome. One day, I noticed a couple of thin rust-colored strands extending from behind a light switch cover plate. They seemed to be blowing in a breeze, perhaps from the ceiling fan or air conditioner. I was curious, so I removed the plate. Well, inside I found a scorpion; it was its pincers that were extending from behind the plate..

On another morning, I went into the kitchen barefoot. Heck, I normally go barefoot in the house during the warmer months. I did not turn on the light this particular morning; I was just making my way around using the early morning light from the window over the sink. I stepped on something, and it felt rather crispy, somewhat like I would expect a thin piece of cardboard to feel. I switched on the light, and there was a scorpion. At first I thought it was dead since it had not stung me, but when I lightly tapped it with a shoe, it began moving. 

I've found a couple more of the little rascals around, but usually they are dead. We have our house treated every 3 months or so; as a result, most of the time we find only dead invaders. Needless to say, we've both been wearing slippers in the house lately. The exterminators are coming this week, thankfully.

Other turkeys grazing in the yard. Notice how green the grass is. That is unusual for this time of year in this part of the state.

We've also had lots of grasshoppers this year. They are all over the porches, hanging on to window screens, and just basically getting into everything. They really aren't a problem, though.

But we have been without some other visitors this year. Ever since we moved in just over 5 years ago, we have battled the martins. Now, I enjoy martins from a gardening perspective. Those little rascals can certainly aid in a gardener's battle against unwanted insects. But from the point of view of a home owner, I don't really care for them. They can make some really nasty nests in the most unlikely places. One of their favorite places to perch is on our patio ceiling fan and drop little bombs around. We retaliate by turning on the fan when we see them.

This is the turkey that was sitting in the top picture above. 

For some reason, this year they have not been a problem. I don't know what is different. We've had a little cooler weather -- but not that much. We've had a little extra rain -- but not that much. And we've had more locusts than normal. Regardless of what is keeping them away, Donna and I are grateful.

Boy, my heart goes out to southern Louisiana. Since Katrina, they have really been pounded by storms. Wildfires out west, hurricanes along the coast, tornadoes all over the place, and flooding all over the east. Wow! I certainly can't complain about our weather when I consider all of these things. Count your blessings!

Be safe out there. 

I Can Feel Autumn Coming

The day after my last post -- Sunday, August 15 to be exact -- we received a very welcome rain. The system moved across our area about sunrise, and it gave is about an inch and a half of rain. Wow, that's a great way to start the day in the Concho Valley. 

Then, a mere 2 days later, it began to rain about 3:30 in the morning. There was a bit of thunder, enough to wake me. Since Donna and I had planned an early morning trip to the farmers' market, I was not going to walk. When we climbed out of bed a couple of hours or so later, it was still raining. By 7:00, we had pretty much given up on the idea of going to the market, as even with fairly light rains, we can have pretty good flooding along certain streets in town.

When the rain let up on our big rain day, Donna and I drove around our neighborhood. This is a low-lying area near the front of the complex. The water stretches from the patio area on one side of the ditch to the patio area on the opposite side.

By 8:30, we had received over 3 inches of rain, and it was still falling. By the end of the day, we had received a grand total of 4½ inches of rain. What a blessing for us. That's a lot of run off that will work its way into our lakes, allowing us a solid water supply for some time.

I don't recall a time in recent history when this area has had such a mild summer with such good rainfall. It has been nice.

Although this resembles the picture above, it is from the other end of the ditch. You can see that the tree in the picture above is healthy and green while there are 2 trees in the top photo. We have 5 areas in the community where water crosses the road, and all 5 were covered with water on this day.

All the little ones are back in school now. Normally, this is when Miss Donna and I would be getting ready to enjoy some traveling. When the kids are in school, we like to travel because the roads and tourist attractions are less busy. But these are not normal times. So, we'll wait and keep busy doing other things for now.

Grandson Xander started his college career this week. I wish that young rascal all the best as he finds himself in this world and decides on a career. I truly hope he enjoys his college career as much as I enjoyed mine. I wish I could do it all again.

I've enjoyed my last few early morning walks. As I sit on the front patio pulling on my shoes, there is a full moon still hanging in the western sky. It has been really pretty, and I do enjoy the light. This morning, it was still up there as I finished my walk.

Some of our comical turkeys have been sitting on the power lines up the street. They really look strange with their huge bodies perched on those thin wires. I love watching the wildlife around here.

Some of our comical turkeys.

I'm Getting a Little Worried About Us

Well, our COVID numbers have certainly spiked since my last post. Right now, we are averaging more than 100 new cases every day. That isn't good for a city our size.

I could rant and rave about all the stupidity out there and the lack of social consideration, but that wouldn't do any good. I know some folks have a good reason for being skeptical about the vaccines that have been developed, but most folks who have refused to get the shot(s) appear to be folks who do not have a social conscience.

So, what can you do? Well, the old woman and I continue to wear our masks when we go out, and we are careful about the places we go. We certainly don't go to places where there are crowds; I would argue that crowded venues such as concerts, Sturgis, and similar events are breeding grounds for this virus, and that is where many -- if not most -- of our infections come from. We pick our times and exercise good sense. We know that even though we have had our shots, we can still catch the virus and we can certainly be carriers. In fact, in the last week or so, 2 people in town who had been vaccinated passed away. The most recent was a gentleman in his 80s. So, it's not enough to be vaccinated, but it certainly is a big help in most cases.

The clubhouse in our community remains open at this time, but we are no longer attending any of the social functions. We do know that there have been COVID cases in our neighborhood, so we are trying to keep ourselves safe.

It's been a long year and a half, and I'm getting just a bit concerned about our mental well being. 

A week or more ago, we were sitting on our back patio enjoying a cool day with a little rainfall. The temperature was just about perfect. As we were sitting there enjoying the breeze and the smell of rain, we heard a clunk on the rain gutter to our left. It sounded as if something had fallen down the gutter. Then I noticed a grasshopper at the base of the gutter, so I though that perhaps it had fallen through the gutter from the eave of the house. 

Well, in a little bit, we noticed the grasshopper had worked its way over to the black pole that holds a hummingbird feeder, and had begun to shimmy its way up the pole. We watched as it painstakingly worked its way up the pole, inch by slow inch. Finally, it reached the top and took quite a while getting turned around and into the exact position it wanted. What it did next surprised Donna and me.

The little rascal jumped from its perch atop the pole to the rain gutter. The only problem is that it did not stick the landing and fell 6 or 7 feet to the ground. The clunk we had heard earlier was this little guy hitting the gutter. I have no idea what it was trying to achieve or where it wanted to end up.

Well, we were fascinated by the little guy, so we continued to watch it. Sure enough, in a few minutes, it was back to the pole and working its way up again. After 20 minutes or so, it was once again atop the pole, where it launched itself once again into the gutter. It really hit hard, and once again fell to the ground. This time, it wasn't moving, and its little body seemed to be a bit disheveled. For a while, I thought it might have knocked itself out. Then, after a rest, it pulled itself together, straightened itself out, and began working its way back towards the pole.

This time, however, it bypassed the black pole and flew itself against the wall, where it was able to secure a foothold on the abrasive surface. It slowly worked its way up the wall and finally reached the area it had been hitting for the past hour or so. It seemed to be happy then and stayed in one place for a long time. We gave up watching and went inside.

On the grasshopper's final trip, it climbed the brick wall rather than the pole. Previously, it climbed to the top of the arch on the pole, then flung itself into the smooth surface of the gutter, but was unable to gain a foothold.

Our last view of the grasshopper saw it above the curve in the gutter just under the eave. The little fellow certainly was persistent.

Yeah, a six-pack of beer and a bug zapper is prime entertainment for us . . . or a six pack and a goofy grasshopper. I'll be glad when this pandemic is over, though, so we can seek entertainment elsewhere.