We went for a walk around the neighborhood yesterday afternoon, primarily to check out the new homes under construction. My usual practice is to stick my point-and-shoot camera in my pocket before leaving the house, just in case we encounter something out of the ordinary. I was glad I did. We’ve had multitudes of red-winged… Continue reading Yellow-headed Blackbirds in Midland?
Category: Midland/Odessa
Ballroom Dance Playlist
Last night’s Ballroom Dance Society dance was the annual event where we use prerecorded music. It’s sort of a fundraiser, since we save the cost of a live band, but it’s also a chance to try out some new music (and to dance to an entire evening’s worth of tunes that are never off-rhythm or… Continue reading Ballroom Dance Playlist
Eggs-it Here
As Bill Engvall says, you might be a redneck if you have Christmas lights up on your porch year-around. That’s an unfair characterization. A lot of people like the looks of little twinkly lights, and I’m of the opinion that you fit the redneck stereotype only if those year-around lights are strung over a Christmas… Continue reading Eggs-it Here
Water Musings
On Sunday, the most stringent water use restrictions in memory will take effect in Midland. The city’s “Drought Contingency Plan” is detailed here under the heading of “Stage 2 – Moderate Water Shortage Conditions.” Earlier this week we received a letter from the city showing how our monthly water bill will increase if we use… Continue reading Water Musings
Safe Bicycling Route in Midland, Texas
Once upon a time there was a way to bicycle safely across the city of Midland. Your mileage won’t vary, but your safety might.
“Twin Towns” Casting Call: Pack up the family
Well, when you’re down on your luck, and you ain’t got a buck,in London you’re a goner.Even London Bridge has fallen down,and moved to Arizona,now I know why. Midland has four “sister” cities, one each in China, Mexico, Guyana, and the United Kingdom. I’m not sure about the significance of having (or being) a sister city,… Continue reading “Twin Towns” Casting Call: Pack up the family
Hypin’ Jorge
The band had just finished a very credible version of Merle Haggard’s classic Workin’ Man Blues [which is playing in the background as I type this…the newish version featuring Willie Nelson and Merle’s son Ben] and I mentioned to friends how great it was that young musicians continued to pay tribute to the greats of country… Continue reading Hypin’ Jorge
Record-setting Snowfall in Midland
Almost a foot of snow, and there’s never a ski lift when you need one.
Bird’s Nest Troupe
I suspect that the red oak tree in our front yard will not emerge in full foliage next spring. It’s a multi-trunk tree, and one of the trunks has been devastated by some unknown assailant – borers, oak wilt, dengue fever, black plague, overexposure to Lady Gaga…who knows? We had it treated by a tree… Continue reading Bird’s Nest Troupe
Mocking Bird
I was driving past the south pond this morning and something caught my eye on the far bank. I pulled into the clubhouse parking lot, grabbed the camera (which, for once, actually had a charged battery) and set out across the grounds to get a closer look. Turned out to be this guy: It’s a… Continue reading Mocking Bird