New Year's Day

It's been raining, raining, raining. And very cold. Not exactly the Texas weather we've grown to love. But at least the temperatures haven't been below freezing, and there's no snow on the ground... you don't have to shovel the rain.

That stray dog hasn't been back for the past couple of days. She must have come up on our porch a few days ago because I saw wet paw-prints near the dish of cat food, and that bowl of Meow Mix was empty.  If I'd heard the dog on the porch, I would have given her some of the dog food that my husband bought for her. Mind you, we don't want this dog, but she's awfully thin, and really could use some solid meals. It takes a lot of Meow Mix to fill the stomach of a dog that size.

We heard some fireworks last night around midnight. Out here in the country, fireworks are sold in nearly every town, and can be shot off on one's private property. We've done that from time to time out here, mostly on the 4th of July, and only if the fields aren't too dry from lack of rain. Last night would have been a fun night for fireworks, had it not been raining, and had it not been so cold. Standing outside in temperatures below 40 degrees is not my cup of tea, no matter how pretty the fireworks happen to be.

This Spring will mark our 6th year up here in the Hill Country. I've long since gotten over my need to shop in SteinMart every week... the larger town of College Station does have a SteinMart, but all I have to do to look at SteinMart clothes is go upstairs to my own closet. And there they are.... lined up nice as you please, all those city-clothes and high heels that I don't often wear out here.

I do still miss having a really good bookstore close by. Again, there's a great Half Price Books over in College Station, and we stop by to browse and buy every time we're up there. Our town does have a small bookshop, with a huge inventory of romance novels and westerns, neither of which I'm interested in.

I still miss the convenience of living in Clear Lake, with its plethora of stores and restaurants (good restaurants). Plus, we were only a half-hour's drive from downtown Houston and the museums and theaters and even more good restaurants.... and less than an hour's drive to Galveston for all the Island's quaint and scenic offerings.

But.... here we are, on this big piece of Hill Country property with a pond that's more than twice the size of the plot of land that held our Clear Lake house. We look out of our windows and see nothing but our pastures and trees and that beautiful pond. In the Spring, our house will be surrounded with bluebonnets, Indian paintbrushes and yellow star-shaped wildflowers.... a three-story Victorian in the middle of an Impressionist/Texan painting.

Life is good. Happy New Year to you all.