Storming 51 (Not the area)

I lay in bed this morning listening to thunder. It's been a hot and dry August. One of the dogs heard me roll over, put her front paws on the bed, and pressed my shoulder south-pawed.

Good morning.

Egrets in the rain (after coffee)

Stairs up to work

I've been working a lot lately, too much, making up a brain too distracted. Lots of computer. Lots of fluorescent light. Little time outside. An August unremarkable. 

Stairs down from work

But it's raining outside. Fall approaches. It's time to finish. It's time to step outside.

Good morning.

Soundtrack link: Pearl Jam in Mexico - that first 39 seconds of guitar

Between two sunrise pics...

6:30 am

...I scribbled a lot of words and sipped some coffee. I feel better.

7:30 am

May you find a little quiet time today, and may you (and the world) be better for it.

A Walk in Fort Worth

We moved the fabulous young woman this week. Yesterday morning the granddog/nephew and I went on an exploratory walk. We took some fun pics, so I thought I'd share. Not a whole lot of Mesquite Huggery stuff, just a good morning walk with good company. Come, walk with us.

Charles "Chuck" Bartowski

Character?

An Austin in Fort Worth?

Electric bikes and shipping-container architecture - Oh yeah!

To boldly bike where no one has biked before...

Bees and trumpets

From the bees to the B Station

Up the Junktion

(not) our house in the middle of our street 

Caliche and plastic attitude!

Can't feature Cow Town without a cow.

For years I dreamed of opening a scooter shop - this would work.

Vintage Voltage Scooters of Fort Worth - hmm.

Lonesome dove

Three Little Birds (and the State Bird of Texas mocking them)

Solar-powered, foot-operated recycling and garbage receptacle

The sun also rises...

...in Fort Worth.

Thanks for strolling with us! May you find beauty wherever you look and may you walk in great company.

PS. Be watching for more on the e-bike shop on 2Wheels Maybe.

Pics from the Weekend

"Maybe it's time to start living."

Friday Sunrise

Lubbock Green Car Spotting

Sweet - a First-Generation Prius! (next to a Prius V)

How I knew I'd found the Responding to Climate Change program.

A Used 2012 Nissan Leaf at 34th and Akron ($8k)

(Yes, D and I were drooling!)

The Mae Simmons Bike Trail

Sunday Morning Single-Track

Before we caught our second wind

Maybe it really is time to start living...

May all your graffiti be uplifting and may your carbon footprint be shrinking joyfully!

(PS. We really didn't plan the purple shirt thing.) 

Spider, Cicada, Moth(?) and Yellowhouse Sun - Very Recent Pics

Mesquite Hugger Front Porch

Mailbox spider 6am

Same spider (and mailbox) 6pm

Yellowhouse Canyon (water crossing)

Cicada Shell

Cicada (out of shell and out of focus)

Moth (or butterfly?)

Wings up

Wings down

Yellowhouse Coffeehouse

Wings up

May you see the world through an amazing lens, friends!

Lubbock: Responding to Climate Change Locally 7-27-19 (with 7-29 update)

My absolute favorite local group for combating climate change is the Lubbock Chapter of the Citizens Climate Lobby. If you're curious or serious about limiting the effects of too much carbon, they are a great place to start. And...

...they are having a program on Saturday, the 27th.

Find the printable flyer here

May we work together to make something happen. I hope to see you there!

Update (7-29-2019)

Here is the Daily Toreador article reporting on the program:

Gillette, Lubbock Community Discusses Climate Change Effects on West Texas

The sun, a cloud, a bird, a small electric van, a grumbly brain

Grizz' scoot, my e-bike, and the sun peeking through this morning

It was yesterday I saw the photo of the Salvadoran father and child floating face down in the Rio Grande. It's been haunting me. I miss the days when I believed in my country as a place that offered refuge to those in need. Your tired, your poor, your huddled masses...

Last Saturday's view

Not a lot to report. Other than riding to work, there's been little progress on the green living/project front. The garage is getting cleaner and more organized. The gas-burners are in better repair. One tree is trimmed. The tomatoes are ripening.

A great egret fishing in the rain run-off

We've had a lot of night rain lately. More green. More mosquitoes. The sound of gas-powered lawn equipment is almost constant during daylight hours.

Same egret. This morning it was replaced by a snowy egret.

A Vantage GreenVan

D and I went to recycle this week at Texas Tech and got to check out this nifty little electric van parked at the recycle station entrance. A little web-surfing revealed it to be a Vantage GreenVan. The first tip was the lack of exhaust pipe. It looks very rough on the inside. If it were capable of more than 25mph, I'd sure want it for hauling recycling, bicycles, scooters, kayaks, and dogs.

I was excited to hear John Delaney discussing a bipartisan carbon tax bill (just like the Citizens Climate Lobby plan) on last night's debates. More like this, American politicians, please!

That's enough grumbling for today. May you be well with a forecast for better!