P.S. Wildlife Sightings Today -- Fri., June 1

Fuller Ranch, Cotulla, Texas:

Wildlife I saw today: On my drive to town, I saw the Sable antelope herd on the ranch across the road. Coming home, I saw a hen turkey in a field about a mile from our site.

This evening, the roadrunner was back, again being chased by the mockingbirds. Mr. Roadrunner had something in his mouth. Out came the binoculars. A great big katydid was hanging out of the roadrunner's mouth. Pretty cool. Once again I wished for a more powerful camera. I could have had a wonderful, nature-moment shot. Sigh...one of these days.

Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa (as Jimmy Buffett sings). I have a major correction. What we thought were blackbuck antelope are NOT. What we see at Rancho de la Tierra Roja across the road are:

Springbok Antelope

kaybruce.wordpress.com

The springbok is a medium-sized brown and white gazelle that stands about 70 to 90 cm high. Springbok males weigh between 33 and 50 kg and the females between 25 and 40 kg. Wikipedia

Scientific name: Antidorcas marsupialis

Travel Bug out.

Oh, except for a kitty pic (please stop reading if you don't want to see a kitty pic):

Bowie in "my" chair. (Ha! Don't fool yourself, Susan.)

This is what happens when I get up from the computer to check someone in at the gate...one of the two cats usurps my chair. (Bowie in this instance, but it's just as likely to be Sunnie. Notice Sunnie's head sticking out from under the chair. Under the chair is the second most prized takeover area when I'm in the vicinity. When I jump up from my chair to go outside I have to check first for a cat tail, paw, head or body under my feet. Sheesh, what we do for our animals!)

Withdrawal -- Sun., May 27

Got to thinking today that I am having withdrawal from my addictions: movies, TV reality shows, Entertainment Weekly magazine, traveling, chocolate (though I'm not having withdrawal from chocolate because I have Hershey's kisses on hand).

Out here in the scrubby desert plain, miles from town, and even more miles from a movie theater, I find I miss going out to see a first run movie. I miss Amazing Race, Bachelorette, Survivor, Shark Tank, Nikita, Storage Wars, Dancing with the Stars, American Idol, Too Cute Kittens, and My Cat from Hell.

Yes, I admit, I'm an addict. I ask myself, "Self, how did you ever have time to watch all those TV shows, go to all those movies, read all your magazines, work out, get on the internet, AND work full time?"

And, you know, I really don't know. Being out here gate guarding, I've had more time to bird watch, cook, read, watch DVDs and think. Thinking, now there's a concept.

The thing I think about most is: How do we get back on the road traveling? I think about what my life is like. I think about how happy we are living in our 5th wheel trailer and about the adventures that we've had so far. I think about what our next move is, like some big chess game. The moves along the way make all the difference.

Or is our life like a 1,000 piece jigsaw puzzle. What do life's pieces have in store for us? How will it turn out? Are any pieces missing? Will everything turn out okay? Will all the pieces fit together? Will the big picture be as beautiful as we foresaw?

Being at the gate, gives me time to contemplate, relax, enjoy life and look at the bigger picture. When it's time to do something different, the universe will support us in a new plan.

For now, I talk to Bob, play with and love on the kitties, stop to look at the flowers, write my blog, take a nap, eat some chocolate, go for a short bike ride or a walk, take care of chores, cook, watch the wildlife, and take pictures. 

The big picture will sort itself out and come into focus when we're ready.

Will I go back to my addictions when we're back in civilization? Probably. I do enjoy those activities too. But I also know we'll travel, visit friends and family, hike, explore, bike ride, go out to dinner, swim, spend time reminiscing and talk on the phone more. But I bet I'll still read, nap, have long conversations with Bob, love on the kitties, watch wildlife, explore caves, walk through gardens, visit museums and national parks. 

Life has so much to offer, don't you think?

Gate guarding update: Our gate had absolutely no activity from 3:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., so we went for a short bike ride TOGETHER to Pad A. Wouldn't you know it? As we were riding back to our 5er (fifth wheel trailer), a semi pulled up to the gate. We were almost back to the gate. Bob rode his bike as fast as he could and opened the gate for the driver. Today our one log sheet was only 2/3 full. VERY quiet day. I'm guessing tomorrow (Memorial Day) will be very quiet as well.

Wildlife sighting: While we were out on a short bike ride, we saw Axis deer on the exotic ranch across the road. Axis deer (Axis axis): Introduced [to Texas] in the early 1930s from India. Dark tan with white spots and large three-tined, lyre-shaped antlers. Female: 120 lb. Male: 175 lb.

Today's photos:

Pad B -- practically empty

Pad B -- Bob next to big equipment

Lots of big equipment!

Pad B -- Our 5er on the right. Very close to Pad B!

A nice little bike ride to Pad A...Pad B in distance.

And a pretty sunset to top off the day.

Pics of Bowie:

Where is it? I know there's a mouse here somewhere.

Aha! There it is.

"Travel" Bug out.

Snakes on a Plain -- Sat., May 26

Weather: 93 degrees F., windy.

Location: Oil field near Cotulla, Texas, at our gate. Dining room table in our 5th wheel trailer.

View: Mesquite trees, dirt road, blowing dust, desert scrub, snake. "SNAKE," did you say, "SNAKE?"

Yes. I said "SNAKE."

As I was sitting at my computer re-working my blog, what to my wondering eyes should appear but a snake slithering rapidly away from our 5er into the brush by my car. No identity for the snake as it disappeared from view soon after I glanced at it; I'm pretty sure it was NOT a rattlesnake. Estimate of length: 2-1/2 to 3 feet. Be still my beating heart.

Back to business as unusual. Only one page on the log so far today. Very quiet for us.

Dinnertime. Bob and I prepared tostadas. 

As soon as we sat down to eat, I hear, "SNAKE. Grab your camera." Bob spotted a 4'-5' long, very shiny snake slowly making its way across the road in front of his truck. Bob says, "Go take a picture of it!" Instead I grabbed the binoculars and examined it SAFELY from the dining room window. It was not a rattler. But it WAS the shiniest snake I have ever seen, kind of a silvery copper color with a faint pattern on it. We didn't get a picture even though we looked outside for it after dinner. It was probably long gone.


Two snakes in one day, neither one a rattler. Whew.


This evening some workers came to pick up equipment. I asked them about the long snake. They said it's one of the good snakes that emulates a rattlesnake. I remember when we went to the nature center in Kerrville, the docent told us about a constrictor-type snake that eats rattlesnakes. I'm pretty sure that's what we saw. It was loooooooonnnnngggg.

Anyway, the workers told us to get a special kind of yellow light to put under our rig because the snakes don't like yellow lights. 

I said, "What about mothballs?" 

They said, "Mothballs are good." 

As soon as they drove off I got our new box of mothballs and distributed them under all three of our moveable vehicles. Mothballs are also supposed to keep mice and ants away. Mothballs are my new insecticide/snake-icide/mouse-icide.


Bob's walk: Tonight Bob saw two Springbok antelope and what he thinks were two elands on the ranch across the street. First sighting of the elands! Eland (Taurotragus): Introduced [to Texas] in the early 1950s from Africa. The largest antelope in the world. Deep chestnut or bluish grey to pale buff or tan. Female: 800 lb. Male: 2000 lb. Update 6/1/12: Nope, not elands. What he saw were Axis deer (one normal color of tan with white spots; three albino).


Other wildlife sighting today at our rig: roadrunner, lizards.

Here are photos of the wildflowers that are in bloom after the last rain, one of our truck and 5th wheel trailer, and one of the cardinal who lives in this area.

Next time I see a snake I will risk life and limb to get a picture for you, my dear readers.

Life is good. Travel Bug out.

Wind Scorpion -- Fri., May 25

Cotulla, Texas:

Yesterday, the last two workers on Pad A finally left at 9:30 p.m. The oil field workers arrive early and stay late. Some of them work 14+ hours per day...don't know how they do it in the blistering Texas sun and dust.

When Bob arrived home from San Antonio last night, he looked at pics of the different weird bugs "that look like scorpions, but aren't." He pointed at the wind scorpion as the bug that he and the other worker saw a couple of days ago. (See this article for more info: Wild About Texas )

Today the gate has been slow-to-medium busy.

This morning Bowie must have bit or sniffed a bug that sprayed him in the face. He rammed around the 5er, danced onto the bed, ran across the dresser, and Bob said he was "acting weird" in the living room. We found a small dead beetle in the living room so we're wondering if he had been "hunting" it when it must have used some type of defense mechanism on him.

Today, I saw a new bird with a longish, curved bill. The bird is medium gray above and a light buff beneath with a black mottled pattern on its breast. It sits in a tree right across from our dining room window a lot of the time. I get a good look at it with the binoculars. It runs around on the ground with its beak wide open. I don't know the significance of the wide open beak. The bird in my Audubon book that best fits the description is a curve-billed thrasher, although the description states it has "faint streaking on breast." The thrasher I saw has definite black mottled streaking on its breast.

One thing true about gate guarding, at least to us, is that we don't know what day of the week it is and hardly remember there's a holiday coming up. The oil field work is 24/7, 365 days a year. Normally, we would have had plans for a three-day weekend and gone out to a movie and dinner, visit friends, or explore a new area. Not now. Not with this job. We are tied to the gate day and night. It's all a new experience to us.

Today two of the crews working on the pad right next to us went together on food and did a barbeque. They brought us a plate with barbequed flank steak, sausage, four grilled flour tortillas (they looked and tasted homemade) and salsa. That was so nice of them. I walked up and personally thanked the cook. He wanted to give us more, but I politely declined telling him we had plenty for both of us. I said, "We don't eat as much as you guys. You work much harder than we do!"

Because of the rains in the past two weeks, new wildflowers are blooming: small white ones; magenta-colored, daisy-like ones; yellow, mustard-like ones; and black-eyed Susans. On Bob's drive to San Antonio yesterday, he saw many wildflowers lining the freeway.

Today Bob took a picture of me checking in a behemoth. I am 5' 8" tall. Notice how my shoulder is at the same height as the floor of the truck's cab. Huge semi; even bigger equipment!

Unusual Creatures -- Thurs., May 24

Cotulla, Texas:

Looks like our gate is about to get busy again. One of the job foreman told me to expect a bunch of semis tonight to haul away the big water tanks. Then in the morning, we will see a line of tanker trucks come in. Our days of one-to-three log pages are over.

Bob is up in San Antonio this afternoon and evening. He is doing a Costco and Office Max run. I took over for him about 1:30 p.m., but the gate hasn't been too busy up to this point. We are just finishing up page two on the log.

The temperature is 102 today and a hot breeze is blowing which alleviates the black biting flies. We've had dust devils come ripping through our site (and believe me there's plenty of dust and wind). I try not to be outside in the path of one.

Last night one of the Springbok antelope was visible on the ranch across the road. 

Springbok Antelope

kaybruce.wordpress.com

The springbok is a medium-sized brown and white gazelle that stands about 70 to 90 cm high. Springbok males weigh between 33 and 50 kg and the females between 25 and 40 kg. Wikipedia

Scientific name: Antidorcas marsupialis

I am a nature girl. Love to be out in it, exploring, discovering, communing with benevolent wildlife. For some reason the wildlife like to live with us. You heard about the Bewick's wren we had to dissuade from nesting under our slide out. ( A Little Bird and A Little Bird, Part 2 )

Today we had a walking stick living with us on our entry door. Isn't it cool! I love walking sticks. They're designed to camouflage in bushes by looking exactly like a twig. Bob pointed out that this one wasn't doing a very good job. Our fifth wheel trailer door is white.

In the photo, I put my hand next to it so you can see how big it is. I would have picked it up and put it on my arm, but I didn't want to disturb it. (Again, my apologies for all the dust inside my camera. I don't know how to get it out. Compressed air says not to use it on camera mirrors.)

That is the biggest walking stick I have seen. We had walking sticks and praying mantis at our house in Hawaii, but nothing like this. (Everything's bigger in Texas, right?)

Other unusual creatures: 

• Bob and one of the workers spotted what looked like a scorpion without a tail. They didn't know what it was so they squashed it...said it was real juicy. (Just like a man to say that.) Looking on Google it may have been a vinegaroon (alt. spelling vinegarone), sunspider [also called wind scorpion] or a whip scorpion, none of which are harmful to people.
• I saw quite a few 2" long, shiny black, wasp-like flying insects. One of them had picked up a cricket as big as it was and carried it away. Sounds kind of like the new "warrior wasps" from Indonesia.
• Numerous types of beetles

The trailer is shakin' like a leaf on a tree as the winds are picking up. Weather forecast says gusts as high as 21 mph. I think the gusts may be a bit stronger than that. We have massive clouds of blowing dust. The dust sets off the motion detector at the gate and rings the bell in our trailer. Think of a continuously dinging doorbell.  It's making me a little ringy dingy.  : (


Darkness is descending. According to our log, there are still two people at Pad A. I wonder if they're still back there or if they exited through the "cow gate." Hmmmm.


All for now. I'm going to attempt to latch the front gate (in the wind, no less.)


Got the gate closed. While I was out closing the gate, I saw four deer crossing by Pad A.

Awning & Biting Flies --Tues., May 23

Cotulla, Texas:

Our 5th wheel trailer (5er) was purchased in October 2011. Since then we have never used our awning. In Fallon and Sparks, Nevada, it was just too windy and cold. We wanted as much sun on our rig as we could get.

Our trip to Texas was pretty quick and we didn't stay anywhere long enough to put the awning out. Now that we are parked in one place (three weeks already), and the temperature is in the 90s, we decided it was time to figure out how to open the awning over the front of our rig. This will provide more shade for Bob during his day shift and will give shade to half our rig from the brutal afternoon sun. (Our front door faces west.)

Using our owner's manual, we got the awning into place quickly and easily. During the summer in southern Texas, the awning will be de rigueur. Because of the vinyl chemical smell when we rolled out the awning, we think the awning had never been used. It will get a workout now. I will be glad when the stink goes away.

We also have an awning over our living room on the opposite side of the 5er, but all three loops we would use to pull it out broke off. Two of the loops broke off at the dealership where we bought it, and the middle one broke off today when we tried to pull it out. That will be our next 5er repair when we get back to civilization.

Today we had the displeasure of learning our newest bugs here in south Texas are black flies and they bite! Ouch. Usually more than one at once. They seem to like legs and ankles.


Our traffic at the gate was light today; only filled two pages on our log. Bob got some chores done--repacking the "basement" and going through a box of old office papers. He was going to go for a walk from 7:30 to 9:00 p.m., but when he got out there, the mosquitoes were out in full force and he was the lone mammal in the area. He rapidly returned to the safety of the 5er. We killed 12 mosquitoes that rode or flew in with him.


Tonight we watched "Blazing Saddles" on DVD. It was fun...so politically incorrect, so uppity, so stereotypical. There's another word I'm trying to corral, but it escapes me at the moment. Of all the Mel Brook's movies, though, "Young Frankenstein" is my favorite. I know that movie by heart.


It's 11:10 p.m. and all's quiet at the gate. Time for me to enjoy some Facebook game time.


TravelBug out.

A Change of Scenery -- Mon., May 21

Carrizo Springs and Cotulla, Texas:

This morning I was able to get some pics of the sable antelope. I saw them just across the road, grabbed the camera, walked out the gate and took a few shots. They were spooked, but I caught some of them running away. I got a couple of pretty good shots of the bucks. You can click on the photos to make them bigger.

Today I took the Escape pod and made a get-away to Carrizo Springs to do laundry. My mental jury is out on whether it is worth an 80-mile roundtrip to go to a newer, nicer laundromat that charges almost double what the Cotulla laundromat charges. Certainly it doesn't makes sense budget-wise. Peace-of-mind-wise: um, maybe, maybe not.

What made the trip worth it was seeing another small Texas town. Carrizo Springs was settled in 1865 because local springs provided plenty of water for farming. Their artesian wells are known for pure, clean water. Today, the population of the town is around 5,000. (Cotulla's population is around 3,000.)

After laundry, I drove around town to see what was there. Kit told me there was a a very old, very small Walmart, which I found. I bought two new throw rugs for the 5er (since two of my old ones disintegrated in the washing machine today).

Walmart: check. Fill up with gas: check. Car wash: check. Next on the list: bakery. 

Anyone who knows me knows I am a fool for bakeries and the goodies lurking within. The Just Crumbs Bakery is a small storefront in old town Carrizo Springs, kitty corner from the H-E-B grocery store. When I saw the "Hours" sign in the bakery door, I figured they would be sold out of all their good stuff by 11:30 a.m. as they had opened at 5:30 a.m. Upon walking in, the display cases were almost empty.  : (  


However, it was lunch time and the Turtle Brownies looked fresh out of the oven. Two brownies just jumped in my bag somehow along with two Lemon Breeze cookies. 


After the bakery stop, to satisfy my curiosity, I drove around the back streets of town and literally drove right up to Our Lady of the Guadalupe Catholic Church, built in 1949. Two pictures later, I continued on my way.

My time in Carrizo Springs was complete. I drove 50 miles back to Cotulla, checked for mail and headed back to the 5er. 

While driving back on the road to our rig, about a 1/4 mile down from us, I saw the herd of sable antelope on the ranch (down the fenceline a few hundred feet from the road). I stopped the car, rolled down the window, zoomed in the camera and voila!, here's the results:

Sable antelope herd

By the time I made it home, my growling stomach indicated I better have some lunch. After eating a tuna with avocado sandwich and fresh red pepper slices, a turtle brownie was calling my name from its Styrofoam container, "Susan, it's time for your treat. Let me out of here." 

I opened the box and took a whiff. Mmmmmmmm...the scent of chocolate. Heavenly deliciousness delighted my taste buds. The chocolate chips and caramel in the middle of the brownie were still warm and ooey-gooey, melty and oh so yummy. This, in my mind, made the trip to Carrizo Springs worth it.


A little later in the afternoon, Bob and I ate our Lemon Breeze cookies. Think lemon, white chocolate chips, coconut, and chewy. Both of us enjoyed the cookie break.


Later in the evening, as I talked to Mom on the phone, Bob finally ate his Turtle Brownie. He was sitting in the recliner, blissful, giving me two thumbs up on his brownie dining experience.

Another gate guarding day complete. You know, when I thought about blogging during our stint gate guarding I thought I'd blog maybe every few days because I didn't think much would be happening. Guess I was wrong.  I've written almost every day we've been out here. 

Exotic Animals -- Sun., May 20

Cotulla, Texas:

Susan: 2; Gate: 1. I have conquered the gate! Tonight I successfully closed it twice even with a light wind blowing and the distraction of new (to me) exotic animals across the road.

That's right, as the gate was closing, across the road was a herd of about 15 large, dark-brown exotic animals with horns that curved over their backs. These were much bigger than the Springbok antelope I normally see. Into the 5er I went to check my exotic animal brochure. (Yes there really is such a thing, published by the Kerrville, Texas Convention & Visitors Bureau.)

There it was on the second to the last page: Sable antelope (Hippotragus niger). Introduced from Africa. Chestnut brown to brownish-black. Mane from neck to shoulders. Underside of body and narrow thigh band white. Mask pattern. Female: 190-230 lbs.  Male: 200-270 lbs.

Excitement courses through my body whenever I see majestic animals. Tonight was a great gate-closing moment!

For those of you not familiar with why there are exotic animals in Texas, I refer you to a 60 Minutes news story from January 2012: http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=7396832n on the exotic game ranches of Texas. The video is about 14 minutes long.

The brochure "Exotic & Native Animals of the Texas Hill Country" by the Kerrville Convention and Visitors Bureau states:

Exotic game animals were introduced to the Texas Hill Country over sixty years ago. Due to the efforts of the Hill Country game ranchers and their diligent wildlife management practices, the Texas Hill Country has vast herds of some species that are now endangered and even extinct in their country of origin. Today in this area, there are more than 100,000 exotic game animals from over 45 different species.

Also see my previous post RV + River + Ranch = Roaming about our tour at YO Ranch.

There are SO MANY mosquitoes here. At night, whenever we open the door to outside, about 10 mosquitoes come in. I spend a lot of my awake time tracking them down and smashing them to smithereens.

Time for sleep. Getting up early to go to Carrizo Springs to do laundry and investigate the town. Bob will hold down the fort gate. Today was really slow and we didn't fill one whole page of the log. We'll see what tomorrow brings.

Good night.

A Little Bird... Thurs., May 17

Cotulla, Texas:

First off, we have a new internet booster so we have 4G internet now instead of 1-2 G's. Yay, Bob, for buying it and setting it up!

We have been gate guarding two weeks. It's hard to believe. The time has gone by fast with day after day of trucks coming and going; no weekends, no holidays, just 24/7 two of us splitting shifts and guarding the gate. But we're doing it and loving the adventure of a new place, different climate, and a totally different job than we've ever done before.

Remember the little Bewick's wren I've been telling you about? The one who got cozy with my arm yesterday? 

She has decided that we are safe and she wants to live with us. Today Bob found her building her nest under our fifth wheel slider, right next to our front door. She is very industrious but we don't want her to nest there (even though it's a great compliment to be chosen by said bird). 

Our fear is, she will lay eggs in her cozy nest, have adorable hatchlings she will need to feed, then we will have to close the slide and move; thereby crunching up her little bird family. Bye bye birdie.

All day today Bob and the wren were working against each other. And let me tell you that little bird is industrious. She had twigs and nesting material coming together into a nice nesting place. Bob kept tearing it down. She built it again. Bob tore it down. On and on. 

We didn't know what to do to dissuade her. Bob put pieces of foil on strings and hung them around where she was building. That stopped her. We're hoping she found a nice nest site in some of the desert scrub.

I forgot to mention that we have two gray cottontails who come out in the evening across the road from us. We can see them out our dining room window.

Another wildlife sighting here that is pretty cool is the scissor-tailed flycatcher. This bird sits on the telephone wires and has a long, scissor-shaped tail. It's very distinctive in flight.

Work was busy all through the night. One well site finished up coil tubing, so last night and all day today they moved big equipment out. The other well site has finished fracking and they will start coil tubing in a few days (not sure exactly when). All that equipment moved out today as well. Since almost everything is gone except for some super-large equipment, we will most likely have a quiet night. I'm going to catch some zzz's.

G'night all.

Internet, Bugs, Birds -- Wed., May 16

Cotulla, Texas:

Our internet connection is so lousy here, we bought a booster to strengthen our signal. Bob plans to install it tomorrow.

 

We have been super busy. I had trucks through the night last night.

 

I was thrilled there were no mosquitoes here. Mosquitoes think I am their buffet line.  That changed after the rains. Now we have gazillions of them: big, nasty, bite-y, Texas-sized mosquitoes. Today, I put on Deep Woods Off to keep the mosquitoes and gnats away. The little annoying gnats fly into your nose. ICK! I keep a piece of paper to fan my face when I'm sitting outside during the afternoon. I have mosquito bites on my legs even with the Off. I think it wore off so I'll have to put some more on.

 

I hate to open the door at night, because about 10 mosquitoes come in if the door is  open a few seconds. Bob, the cats and I hunt them and kill them. 

I love sitting outside in the late afternoon/evening (except for the bugs). Birds come to the generator because it attracts bugs. Today, while I was sitting there reading, I felt something on my side almost under my arm. My mind freaked out thinking it was a tarantula or something. It wasn't. It was my cute little Bewick's wren friend. She must have been trying to catch a bug by my side. I think we startled each other.

The mockingbirds come within a foot or two of my feet and the cardinals come within about six feet. I got some great pics today! 

Peek a boo, I see you.

Smile for the camera.

"Wait a minute! Who the heck are you?"

Mockingbird

Not too afraid of me.

Mockingbird checking me out.

"I guess you're okay."

Sometimes in the evening, right before it gets dark, we see beautiful birds flying up in the sky. I couldn't figure out what they were. I thought they were owls, but no owls looked like that. I found out they're common nighthawks. Love them!

 

When we were in Big Bend National Park at night, again birds we thought were owls flew in our headlights trying to catch bugs. I found out in the Audubon book that those were lesser nighthawks. They have beautiful patterns under their wings when they fly.

 

We definitely want to spend more time in the San Antonio/Austin Hill Country. There is so much to see and do here, plus it's beautiful country with terrific bird-watching! And there's swimming holes galore for hot summer days. (Bob is into that more than I am, unless the water is super warm.) Apparently winters are mild here as well. Supposedly it rarely goes to freezing in the winter.

 

My faithful readers, I leave you with this. I do not know the source, it came to me via email (thanks, Mom):

Forgetter Be Forgotten

My forgetter's getting better,
But my rememberer is broke
To you that may seem funny
But, to me, that is no joke

For when I'm 'here' I'm wondering
If I really should be 'there'
And, when I try to think it through,
I haven't got a prayer!

Ofttimes I walk into a room,
Say 'What am I here for?'
I rack my brain, but all in vain!
A zero, is my score.

At times I put something away
where it is safe, but, Gee
The person it is safest from
Is, generally, me!

When shopping I may see someone,
Say 'Hi' and have a chat,
Then, when the person walks away
I ask myself, 'who the heck was that?'

Yes, my forgetter's getting better
While my rememberer is broke,
And it's driving me plumb crazy
And that isn't any joke.

CAN YOU RELATE???
Please send this to everyone you know because
I DON 'T REMEMBER
WHO I SENT THIS TO!

Lightning bolts -- Mon., May 14

Cotulla, Texas:

I'm impressed. Sitting here in the dining room of the 5er at midnight watching lightning storms, listening to the rain pattering on the roof.

Our window faces west and that's where the storm is. It's following the Rio Grande east and south. We are on the eastern edge of the storm so I'm getting a fantastic lightning show. I unplugged all our computers just in case, but I don't think the storm is that close. According to my highly untechnical methods, the closest the storm has come is within two miles.

The caliche dust is now gloppy mud. I've only had three people check in since the rain started, but it was when there were just the beginnings of big drops so I didn't get very wet.

We had a busy, busy day; on page 8 of our log sheet. The drivers are very polite and stop for us; however a few aren't very fond of signing in and out.

Oh, wow, the whole sky lit up with lightning, and the thunder is rolling, rolling, rolling. Sounds like the storm is about a mile away now. I love lightning storms!! They're so dramatic.

Once the rain started all the flying bugs near our arc lights disappeared.

Another consequence of the rain is how green the trees are getting. (That's in addition to how it keeps the dust down.)

Well that was different--the lightning just created a strobe-light effect--the whole sky was flashing. AND the thunder was practically at the same time. Must be about 1/2 mile away now. Woo hoo.