A Great Ride!

Yesterday, Mark & I did the 14 mile route of the Red Poppy Ride in Georgetown (see pictures in the Slideshow list to the right, if you're interested). The weather was perfect--it sprinkled a few times, but the rain held off and there was plenty of cloud cover to keep the temperature down. We had a nice breeze (no hurricane force winds like we had last month in Salado!) and a lovely route. As usual, I enjoyed getting the chance to ride away from town; it was nice to see fields and streams and horses, donkeys, cows, goats, chickens, etc. I was amused by one donkey who just couldn't seem to figure out what I was as I pedalled by. He and his two equine companions watched me closely the whole time; I think they finally decided that although I looked strange, I wasn't a threat.

The route was well-marked; friendly volunteers helped with traffic at intersections and supplied refreshments at the 'rest stop'. Kudos to the organizers of this event! As usual, the bicyclists were very nice and supportive. The event was well-attended with all kinds of bicycles (recumbants, tandems, big bikes, little bikes...) and cyclists of all ages and skill levels. We enjoyed seeing the families out riding together.

I rode well; not sure what to attribute that to, but I was pleased with the pace I was able to keep, my effort on the hills, etc. It was also nice to be in a ride with cyclists of all skill levels. Although the avid cyclists still left me in the dust, I managed to stay with other cyclists throughout the ride--and even passed a number of folks (not all of whom were 8 year olds). All in all, we couldn't have asked for a better ride. This one makes the 'Will do again' list.

After the ride, we checked out the 'Red Poppy Festival' at the Georgetown courthouse square. It was pretty crowded, but we were able to navigate through the crowd fairly easily. If you like this sort of thing, look for this event next April.

Thanks for Reading!

what Oscar did while we were gone

Our dear friends, neighbors, and fellow dachshund 'parents', Joe & Cheryl, checked in on Oscar while we were in Lafayette. Oscar feigned depression by refusing to eat his food, but gave himself away by enjoying any treat put in front of him!

Given what good friends they are, how well they understand dogs, and how well they understand me & my excessive attachment to Oscar, it isn't surprising that Joe & Cheryl decided to let Oscar spend the night with them on Friday night. Storms were expected in the area and they thought Oscar might be afraid (that's true) and maybe they thought I would be feeling a little sad that the boy was alone during the thunder (that's also true). Whatever the reason, it was truly a kind act and one that goes far beyond the call of friendship. Oscar is not happy to stay in the kitchen & snuggle with their dogs, Heidi & Elvis. No, not our boy. He wants to be IN THE BED. Preferably, IN THE MIDDLE OF THE BED with as much of the cover as he can manage to steal. (Of course, he pretends to be asleep and to have no idea how he ended up with all the covers.)

When we got home, Oscar pretended that he missed us terribly. He knows I like to feel needed, so he does his best to convince me that life is just awful when we aren't here. Of course, he didn't fess up to eating treats, didn't tell us how much attention Joe & Cheryl gave him when they stopped by each day, didn't let us know that he had not been alone all night during the bad weather, etc. He prefers us to think that he had a miserable couple of days--no companionship, no appetite, lots of fear & anxiety. We know the truth of it--he had a couple of days of naps, treats, extra attention, AND A SLEEP-OVER!!!!

P.S. There is no indication that the birds even noticed we were gone.

Our Trip to Lafayette

We made a quick trip to Lafayette this week to visit family. We arrived late Thursday afternoon and started the trip with supper at Don's. The stuffed crab was good, but the highlight of the meal was getting together with Terry & Suzie (Uncle & Aunt), Christopher (nephew), and Ana (niece), AND 10 week old great-niece Audrey Elise. This is a picture her Mom took. Everybody say 'awww.' She REALLY is that cute!!!! (& no, we weren't in the least surprised by that--her Mom is adorable too!)

After supper, we enjoyed visiting with Chris a little more, meeting his girlfriend, Heidi, and seeing the house. We're suckers for dogs and had a good time with Cooper & Bubba too.

We had another chance to visit with Terry, Ana, & Audrey at breakfast on Friday. We so loved another chance to catch up with Ana and to see (& hold!) Audrey. Mother & daughter were both a bit tired since Audrey decided she wasn't really sleepy the night before; Audrey caught a little 'shut-eye' at breakfast--hope she let her Mom get a nap in sometime later in the day!

We were able to visit with Terry a little while after breakfast before he headed to Toledo Bend for some visiting friends, fishing, and a crawfish boil. We saw Patti & Richard Dale (cousins) briefly on Friday afternoon, kicked back with an Abita Root Beer (Thanks Chris!) at the hotel room, and then joined Chris & Heidi for supper Friday night. We capped Saturday morning off with coffee with Suzie, her folks Joe & Melba, and her brother Pat. After stocking our ice chest full of boudin, andouille sausage, and crawfish (and icing down some Abita Root Beers for the road), we headed back to Pflugerville.

The trip was quick, but it sure was nice. We are looking forward to our next chance to visit; hopefully that will be sometime this summer when our nephew Heath is on leave from Iraq! We are truly blessed with wonderful nieces & nephews on both sides of the family and love any chance to visit with them.

Thanks for reading!

Update on the 'Back 40' (feet, that is!)

What I fondly call our 'Back 40', Mark has dubbed 'Armadillo Pfarms.' We have some itty bitty tomatoes and fledgling squash appearing. The basil, mint, oregano, and parsley are all producing nicely and we have quite a few blackberries coming too. This is our first time to plant red potatoes; since we have lots of growth on top, I'm hoping something is happening below ground too! I always feel that way about the carrots--I did pull up a small one of these just because I couldn't wait to see if they were really growing. Not much happening with the bell peppers & jalapenos yet, but the leaves look good.

I have my screen ready to cover the blackberries. Last year, I thought I was home free since the birds left the red berries alone. I should have known they were just waiting for them to ripen! Last April, the squash borers got most of Mark's squash, so he's trying to discourage them and find any intruders as early as possible this year. Even though we try to learn from the previous year's experience, we're still pretty much 'trial & error' (or should I say 'trowel & error') gardeners.

There are some pictures of the 'pfarm' under the slideshow links. We've included some photos of the flowers too--they are just so pretty now. The Marie Pavie and Lafter roses are just beautiful, but I guess I think it is all lovely. (Of course, there are some cute pics of Oscar in the garden too!)

Thanks for reading!

Troy M. Watkins 10/30/59 - 04/07/2008

My big brother, Troy, and I loved each other completely--through tough times & good times, tough circumstances & periods of ease. We had the kind of special love between a brother & sister who made the committment to be there for each other no matter what. Where other family relationships failed, we both made sure that ours never would.

Like most of us, Troy had lots of dimensions to his personality. He was gentle, strong, caring, kind, strong-willed, stubborn, generous, fun, funny, intelligent, loving, and joyful. (I could go on, but you get the idea.) He loved to ride his Harley (too loud, too fast); he crocheted the sweetest baby blankets & booties; he could complain about his employees and yet bail them out of situations other bosses would not have tolerated; he made million-dollar business deals wearing blue jeans & t-shirts. He had a great sense of humor and loved tell a good story, to tease good-naturedly, and to laugh out loud (everything from a giggle to a deep, belly laugh).

I suspect Heaven is a bit louder now that Troy has joined Todd and Pop there. Even though my world is left lacking without him, I believe that we will one day be reunited in Christ--and even now I believe he is not too far away. He certainly lives on in my heart and in the many memories I have of him. Thanks for reading.

A Lovely Weekend!

We had such a lovely weekend! It started with a nice visit from Mark's folks Friday afternoon and evening. They stayed overnight and then we were joined by other family members for lunch and an afternoon visit on Saturday. We gathered to celebrate Paula, Alan, & Glenna's birthdays and Paula & Alan's anniversary--and to visit and enjoy each other's company on a nice Spring afternoon!

We were delighted that so many folks could make it. We missed Tim & Britni (nephew & niece-in-law), but hope they were enjoying their weekend activities too! It is always nice when we get to visit with parents, siblings, and nieces & nephews. Of course, the littlest ones (Ruthie & Riley) steal the show--but we enjoy the grown-up ones just as much! (Did I mention that we just love being 'aunt' (or 'Nanny') and 'Uncle'!)

Mark enjoyed getting to hold Ruthie for a good long time and I enjoyed playing with Riley. Riley seemed to enjoy Oscar, who was a pretty well-behaved dog overall. He barked too much--as usual, but he did provide some fairly good entertainment by hunting lizards all afternoon. This social stuff does wear Oscar out and he crashed just after everyone left. He has continued to nap most of today too!

We wrapped up the weekend with a lovely Palm Sunday service this morning. We hope you had a lovely weekend too!

Have a good week ahead. Thanks for reading!