Ugly, black sky above Houston

Today as 10 AM rolled around, the skies darkened and the severe weather catapulted away from the south on into Houston. For the second time this year our alarm system at work went off telling us to immediately seek shelter.  That was frightening in itself plus we were a little jammed as the group took shelter in a small file room.
Another day of the tornadoes in the south and this was one heckuva storm. From my purview on the 12th floor I looked out to blinding sheets of rain. The noise against my window made me realize that some hail was coming down at least on the 12th floor windows. 

Today, of course, would be the day that Lauren left to go to Omaha. So not only was I concerned about the horses being where they needed to be (and who was going to clean up after them) but I was worried about her making the long drive to the airport. Then, of course, there was the concern about weather delays but like most things, the weather slammed Houston and its surrounding suburbs pretty quickly. 

The rain gauge shows we got just over an inch of water.

Blue, beautiful sky adds a backdrop to the budding tree this evening

The big, red colt headed straight for the mud and took a nice, long roll

And on the mare side of the pasture it is always Nova who is first in line to come in due to her dominance over her herd of girls. Feather is holding the #2 spot in that pasture. 

I also enjoy seeing my barn cats Meg and Paisley. They are at the gate not so patiently waiting for their breakfast. They disappear quickly after breakfast, hiding up in the loft portions of the barn. This way they stay safe from the dogs. And my fit bit certainly shows improvement on my exercise numbers when I’m out doing all these additional chores. 
So, I’m gonna sit back and enjoy my evening with my animals and be thankful the storms have passed. Lauren has gotten out on her flight and is headed to Omaha.

Any of you out there and I know there’s at least one, that have information on what to see and where to eat in Omaha please forward them onto me. The girls would love to have that information and try some new things.

As always, thanks for riding along.  

Every morning on my way to work I drive by the county jail. It never fails to make me reflect upon how I am free. Now, I totally get there are people in jail that need to be there (and I am grateful they are). But I also know without my family, my support system, my friends, my access to education, the way I was brought up, or some really bad luck, who knows, but I could be there too.

I don’t know what it looks like inside there and I hope I never find out. One time when I was in Florida, we did a tour of all these different facilities in the county. It was a Chamber of Commerce kind of deal. They were super proud of their new County Jail. It terrified me even to just walk through where the inmates were.  
My contact popped out of my eye when we were being toured through the inmate holding cells. I had to bend down to pick it up from the floor. It was a horrifying experience (I had watched one too many  Lifetime Channel  movies). The inmates started catcalls and banging on their cells. On the tour with me was an Air Force officer from the nearby base. He shot a look at the inmates and helped get my contact from the floor.  I’m sure this incident has been exaggerated in my mind in the years that have passed. Still!

Jail was a terrifying experience and I was just visiting. 

Today,  I just want to reflect on the fact that I am free. I get to make my own decisions (for the most part). I get to go where I want, eat what I want (in spite of it being bad for me) and live the life I choose.

We can all get frustrated with our situation and feel like we have no way out or have no choices but if we’re not behind locked bars, we do. Sometimes we just need to take action. Driving by the jail is a good reminder for me.

As always, thanks for riding along. 

Lauren loving on her boys, Sims and Mickey

There’s a lot to be said about the old adage when you’re grieving over an animal go spend time with the ones you have. Last night Lauren was surprised in her bed by three of the cats, George, Izzy, and Jack Cat who never came upstairs when Sebastian was alive. Now they are very happy to come up and spend time with Lauren. And it was great for her to have their company.
Today was just spent with the horses, cats and dogs on a beautiful Texas spring day. While Lauren was up at her trainer’s riding I was down at our barn riding my mare, Nova. Lauren rode three horses while I rode one but I am pretty old. 
I had just gotten off when she got home and was hoping she would join me at the barn.  The next thing I knew she was in the pasture hanging out with Sims and Mickey. Sims was taking a sunbath and she got down next to him which for those of you that don’t know horses, most horses will not let you come stand next to them or be on top of them when they’re in that type a vulnerable position. Centuries of being prey to many other animals have kept them from trusting anyone near them when they cannot get up. 

But Sims loves his Lauren and he was perfectly content to lay there with his big body in the sun while she patted his head and gave them a lot of love. Her boy Mickey, not to be left out, kept a close eye on the whole deal.

Later in the afternoon I worked some more on cleaning up the weeds that have grown instead of my plants. Hopefully later this week Lauren and Ally will get me a flatbed full of mulch and I can get all these beds completed. I love my gardens!! My back does not love gardening so much. Oh well.

Thank you to all they gave us such kind notes about the loss of Lauren’s cat. It was very much appreciated. Hope you all are having a terrific Sunday afternoon. As always, thanks for riding along.