Nature – Page 2 – Of Bears and Boating

Ten things I learned last week

“To be or not to be is not a question of compromise. Either you be or you don’t be.”
― Golda Meir

1. I learned it takes three full days to recover from falling off the no-dairy wagon. Per doctor’s orders, I have been dairy-free for seven months. At first it seemed an impossible lifestyle change, but it’s really not so bad. Though, I will admit pizza with cheese is so much better than pizza without. Anyway, it was all going so smoothly. I had adapted well, and for the most part, have had very little in the way of dairy cravings. That is until I stepped foot in an ice cream shop with no non-dairy choices. Then, in the blink of an eye, seven months of dairy sobriety came to a gut wrenching end. In all honesty, I really didn’t think it would make much difference. I mean, how much damage could one scoop of chunky chocolate peanut butter ice cream do?

A lot.

Lesson learned.

2. I learned that my morning bagel obsession might be even more hazardous to my health than the dairy. No, not because those chewy rounds of mouth-watering goodness are packed with carbs and calories, but because I’m wholly incapable of handling a serrated knife without jeopardizing a finger or two. Last week I required a trip to my local urgent care clinic after my attempt to slice open a bagel for toasting turned bloody. Let’s just say my thumb didn’t appreciate the near filleting.

3. I learned that just off the Alabama coast, beneath the sparkling waters of the Gulf of Mexico, is a prehistoric forest dating to the Pleistocene.

How cool is that?

A very small part of me wishes I could scuba dive. Of course, the rest of me – the part grounded in reality – knows and understand it will be a cold day in hell before that would ever happen.

4. I learned that I don’t understand people who make a big show of announcing their impending departure from social media then never seem to go anywhere. What’s that about?

5. I learned that – speaking of social media – I really hate memes. And cliché status updates. And grumpy, negative people who complain all the time.

What are you looking at?

6. I learned that I have a sudden itch to write a Snowden-esque character into my WIP. I just can’t help myself. These stories draw me like a moth to a flame.

And on a side note: I learned that people are shocked to find out our government is spying on us.

To this I say: duh.

I’m flabbergasted by such naivety. I’ve been expecting the dudes in black to show up at my door for years to investigate the content of my Google searches.

7. I learned that catching up on the backlog of blog posts in my WordPress reader is exhausting. I love you all. I love reading what you have to say, and viewing your beautiful photographs, but seriously, you people need to let me catch my breath. It’s summer. Take a break. Go to the pool. Drink a fruity drink. Give me a week. One week. Then we can get back to business.

What do you mean it’s not all about me?

Source: www.guardian.co.uk/BBC/Artists Studio/Steffan Hill

8. I learned that Gillian Anderson is starring in a television show for the BBC called The Fall. It might come as a surprise to some, but back in the day I was a huge fan of the X-Files. Anderson’s Scully has always been one of my favorite television characters, second only to Jen Garner’s Sydney Bristow.

I stumbled upon The Fall quite by accident while looking for something else on Netflix. My interest was piqued when I saw Anderson’s name listed in the cast, and I couldn’t help but add it to my queue. I spent Saturday night glued to the scant 5 episodes in the series. The Fall is about a female cop brought in to hunt down a serial killer. Sounds mundane and ordinary, doesn’t it? It’s anything but. It is dark and brutal and raw. The acting is fabulous, the writing superb, and the pacing will leave you tingling with anticipation. I loved every minute of it.

Check out this review: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/tv-and-radio-reviews/10111545/The-Fall-BBC-Two-review.html

9. I learned that a man in Brazil was killed when a cow fell through the roof of his house. I’m perplexed by the logistics of such a thing. Is it me or does this stink of a conspiracy involving the Chick-fil-a cow?

Check it out for yourself: http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/07/15/19479766-reports-cow-crashes-through-roof-kills-sleeping-brazilian?lite

10. I learned that the Twinkie is back. I never understood the American fascination with this particular snack. The yellow cake tastes like cardboard, the filling leaves an oily aftertaste, and the ingredient list requires a chemistry degree to understand. I could go into a rant about the state of obesity in our country and the role processed junk food plays, but somehow I don’t think anyone is listening.

11. This week’s awww moment is brought to you by a little garden spider who took up residence on my patio for a day or a two.

Along came a spider…

I’m a winner

I reached – and surpassed – my Camp NaNoWriMo word count goal.

That makes me a winner.

The bee and the bluebonnet

I’m as busy as a bee in a bluebonnet field, working to win Camp NaNoWriMo.

I can see the finish line dancing on the horizon.

Flower power Friday

All of my spare writing minutes have been devoted to my Camp NaNo project, so the blog has suffered. However, I thought I would share this delicate beauty from my last trip to the Dallas Arboretum.

I think it’s an apt way to begin the weekend.

Happy Friday.

Enjoy.

Last one standing

I needed a little alone time today, so I loaded up my camera gear, grabbed a notebook and schlepped into the city. My destination? The Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Gardens, of course. I spent this beautiful spring Sunday meandering through my favorite parts of the garden, dodging screaming toddlers and teenage girls in candy colored quinceanara dresses, jotting down an idea here – a splash of dialogue there, and taking way too many pictures – again.

Sadly, the tulips that were so breathtaking just two weeks ago have passed their prime. Here is one of the last of the season.

Fabulous Friday

After a hair-raising week capped off by an unwelcome visit from old man winter, I think a little color is in order.

Enjoy.

Almost Friday

Another gorgeous weekend is so close I can almost reach out and touch it.

Feeling buggy

Flowers aren’t the only thing flourishing in the warm spring air. So are the creepy crawlies. Here are a few I came across this weekend.

Tempting Tulips

One of my favorite annual events at the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden is Dallas Blooms. For one month each spring, the gardens are transformed into a variable sea of color. Tulips and daffodils, narcissus and cherry blossoms burst forth in all their painted glory and put on a breathtaking show.

I love all the flowers, but this year the tulips stole the show.

Enjoy.

Oh, and Happy Easter.

‘Tis the season

Springtime in Texas can mean only one thing:

Bluebonnets!

Enjoy.

Lions, tigers, and bears…

Okay, maybe not.

But I did run into a spotted leopard, a funny looking bear, and a cheeky koi while on vacation recently.

Waiting for spring

I have been sitting here all morning avoiding my WIP by sifting through some old photos I shot last spring.

I can’t wait for everything to bloom again.

Here are few of the more interesting ones.

Enjoy.

The bee is blurry on this last one, but I think that is what makes it interesting to me.

Feeling squirrelly?

I am.

I made it through another semester.

With all A’s. Even in that damn Geology class.

Bring on the tequila.

Not really. I don’t drink all that much, but it sounds good. Right?

Water droplets

I’ve been busy. This semester is shaping up to be brutal. I blame the science.

Today, I spent a great deal of time trying to differentiate between unconformity, disconformity, angular unconformity, and nonconformity as they pertain to the calculation of geologic time.

I know, right.

I suffered a complete brain short.

So, I went outside.

Do you know what I found?

Water droplets.

Enjoy.

I did.

A hint of fall and a dragonfly

This weekend a cold front blew through my neck of the woods. The first of the season, putting a welcomed end to a long stretch of 100+ degree days. On Friday, we set a record when the mercury topped 105. By Saturday morning, we were enjoying lows hovering around 60 and highs in the mid-eighties. Around here, we call that fall.

It was fabulous. Picture perfect, and I just simply couldn’t allow it to go by without getting out to enjoy it. Along the way, I found this guy perched on a dead tree branch.

Things I learned this week

In nine lifetimes, you’ll never know as much about your cat as your cat knows about you.”

– Michel de Montaigne.

This week I learned…

…that after taking the entire summer off, I am having a hard time acclimating to the new schedule. Actually doing things – every single day, all freaking day long – is hard.

…that Andy Roddick is retiring from the sport of tennis.

(insert a hearty “YES!” and an Arsenio Hall worthy fist pump here)

I am neither shocked nor saddened by this news. He’s never been one of my favorite players. In fact, I really sort of loath and despise him with every fiber of my being – strictly from a fan/professional athlete perspective, of course. I imagine he’s a perfectly lovely person. Really. Surely, he doesn’t throw juvenile temper tantrums alaJohn McEnroe when he’s not on the court. I doubt his wife would put up with such behavior any more than his tortured circuit line judges. Then again, I could be wrong. It’s been known to happen. Maybe he is, indeed, a sniveling snot in every aspect of his life, not just during game play. Hmmm….I suppose, I should be gracious and acknowledge his contributions to the sport, but, yeah…I’m not feeling it. I bid you farewell, Mr. Roddick and if you could do me one small favor as you fade quietly into oblivion, please take Rafe Nadal with you. Please. Thank you.

…that, speaking of tennis, Roger Federer is out in the quarter finals of the U.S. Open.

(sigh)

…that it takes roughly six months to recover from a yoga-induced hip flexor injury. Good to know. Of course, it would’ve been nice to have this bit of insight eight months ago. I could have avoided the whole damn mess by choosing to fulfill my physical education credit with something a tad less ambitious – like “walking for fitness.” They even offer it on-line. What is it they say about hindsight? I suppose I should tuck this lesson way for my blog entry “Things I learned in my 40s.”

…that my husband sometimes says things that cause me great concern. This week, while driving in the car, he was complaining about a series of dysfunctional ROMs he recently downloaded for his cell phone. I am ashamed to say that I was only half listening. I’m not big on technology. It all seems like a bunch of voodoo magic to me, and besides, I’d heard that song and dance before:

Week one: Download sparkly new ROM for phone; profess love for said ROM; it’s the best ROM ever.

Week two: This ROM is shit. Everything is totally effed up. My phone keeps rebooting. I’m going to have to find a new ROM.

It’s cyclical and as predictable as the rising sun. The ROMs are revolutionary in the beginning, but inevitably they all end up being worthless pieces of buggy shit. However, this week, my husband figured out the source of his problems. It seems that all this time, he was…

…flashing dirty.

I hate it when that happens.

…that I must continually remind myself that change is good; and the desire to step outside of my comfort zone is what drove me back into the classroom. This semester I am taking a geology course and a discussion based history course. While I find the earth’s processes interesting, and have been known to tune into the science channel on occasion, it’s just not my thing. History, on the other hand, is my thing. I love it, perhaps even more than writing (EGADS – say it isn’t so!). However, the discussion driven format of this particular course goes against the grain of my introverted personality. I struggled with the decision to take this class, even put it off two semesters. In the end, my desire to learn the covered material over-ruled any anxiety. Plus, the professor teaching the course is one of my favorite. He is a character unto himself who rails against our over-regulated, liberal society and the established state mandated educational bureaucracy that dares to dictate his curriculum, lock him into an unworkable timeline, and require he complete a laundry list of menial administrative tasks. All of which he finds idiotic and nonsensical. Unfortunately, as we close out the second full week of the semester, I find myself pained at the prospect of attending this class. The unorganized format has increasingly dissolved into a full out free-for-all complete with irrelevant arguments, wandering points, and, on occasion, rampant hostility. All things that set my teeth on edge and have my inner rebellious self fantasizing about jumping up onto a desk, shaking my fist in the air, and screaming STFU!

Of course, I’m sure that would adversely effect my GPA. Bummer.

…that after a two week absence from WordPress, it is absolutely impossible to read all of the blog entries sitting in my Reader. I shall have to do better.

…and last, but not least, this week’s awww moment is brought to you by this little guy. I found him feverishly stowing pecans in his secret hideaway. As I have a nifty new lens, I stalked him with my camera until he caught on to my game and promptly outsmarted me by disappearing into the high branches of an old live oak.

Leaping Lizard

Living in Texas, during the month of August, is akin to living on the receiving end of hair dryer – hot, dry, and windy.

Last year was one of the worst summers on record. This year, not so much. We’ve actually seen a good bit of rain with below average temperatures. This week, my daughter and I ventured over to a local nature preserve to enjoy the cool weather and to get a bit of exercise. As you know by now, I don’t go outside without my camera.

During our nature walk, we came across this interesting lizard. And by came across, I mean he darted out of the bushes, bounded off our feet, skittered into the brush, and up a tree.

I’m not going to lie, we squealed like little girls.

Things I learned this week…and last

“Once you can accept the universe as matter expanding into nothing that is something, wearing stripes with plaid comes easy.”

– Albert Einstein

This week I learned…

…that sometimes I do stupid things. I know, hard to believe, but true nonetheless. This week, I beamed myself in the head with my own car door. I blame the rain – and my vain desire to protect my freshly straightened hair from falling victim to the frizz factor. What’s the lesson to be learned here? Making a mad dash from the house to the car through a steady drizzle with my head down doesn’t help me avoid getting wet, it just means I will inaccurately judge the angle of the opening door. Ouch.

…that you will never catch me driving along a rural Norwegian road at midnight. It seems in doing so, one runs the risk of literally running into a moose – and a bear. Crazy, I know. However, one unlucky motorist in Norway did just that. I haven’t written a Man vs.. Beast blog in several months, but I can’t help to think that this incident lends credence to my long standing assertion that the animals are conspiring to take over the world. Obviously, the moose and the bear were intent on a carjacking. The question is: Why? Perhaps an errand for the Great Whites lurking just off the New England coast? It bears consideration. (See what I did there?)

…that the Dead Sea Scroll exhibit at the Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary is fabulous. As one who is enthralled with history, especially biblical history, this exhibit gives incredible insight. It was definitely worth schlepping an hour or so west, through rush hour traffic, white-knuckle construction zones, and torrential rain. As I said in a previous blog, my family was wholly uninterested in tagging along. That’s alright, I bear them no ill will. I recognized the glazed over look they got in their eyes whenever I mentioned going. It’s the same look I get when my husband mentions that Dream Theater is in town. I shudder at the very thought…

…that my daughter is turning into a cynic. This week, while we were camped out on the living room floor watching the Discovery Channel’s Shark Week, a commercial for a popular adjustable mattress aired. It boasted that 93% of users saw improved sleep. Out of the blue, my daughter says: “Sucks for that other 7%.” Indeed, it does.

…that the war on women continues. I don’t like to infuse politics into my blog. I firmly believe political ideology is something that should never be thrust upon the unwilling. I think doing so polarizes the nation, and breeds hostility and hate. I believe the same can be said for religion. I usually make a point to avoid the discussion of both. Having said that, I’d like to take this opportunity to address something that I find troubling: The far right’s preoccupation with the mysterious inner workings of the female reproductive system. I’m not really sure where they received their general knowledge of anatomy, but I’d like to reassure the male establishment that my girly parts (and those of every other woman in America) do not have mystical superpowers bent on world domination. While I agree, that might be kinda cool, and would perhaps lessen the sting of the dreaded “monthly inconvenience”, it is, in fact, not possible for a vagina to take down nations.

I think it’s time to focus on a more imminent threat to the country’s well being – a broken economy.

On a similar note: If you’d like to have a good laugh,and have an appreciation for the ridiculous, check out the Borowitz Report over at The New Yorker. Maybe not for everyone, but I sure do get a good giggle out of it every now and then.

…that classes begin again next week. As always, I’m filled with a host of emotions: excitement, trepidation, annoyance. I am taking a freshman level science course this semester. I’m not thrilled. Science is one of those things that I could do without. I understand the relevance, even appreciate its need in molding our young people into individuals who can competitively carry our country into the future. I get that. I just don’t want to sit through a three hour lab with said young people. Does that make me old?

…that a See’s Candies has opened up inside my local mall. This is bad. Very, very bad. But it’s so very, very good.

…that I’ve been nominated for the “Addictive Blogger Award” by Katy Brandes. I always get a big kick out of these awards. It’s the narcissist in me, I’m sure, but it’s always nice to receive a bit of acknowledgement from one’s peers. Thank you, Katy. It is greatly appreciated and puts a big smile on my face. And, I’ll admit, found me standing in front of my bathroom mirror channeling Sally Field: “You like me! You really, really like me!”

Just kidding. About the Sally Field part – not about the the appreciation part. I do sincerely love that you may be addicted to my blog.

As always, these things must be paid forward. The list of blogs I find addictive is endless, but in the interest of brevity, here are the first five that come to mind:

Cosy Travels of a Viking and his Kitten – a chronicle of European travel highlighted by some truly beautiful photographs.

The Writer’s Advice – lots of writing advice with a sarcastic edge I enjoy.

Word Flows – lots of writing inspiration. One of my favs.

Mike Osborn Photo – some great photographs from across the pond.

The Sugarlump – love those cats!

…and last, but not least, this week’s awww moment. I was going to bring you a fabulous photograph of the Monarch butterfly I saw this week at a local nature preserve. Unfortunately, I never got a clear shot because my lovely daughter photo-bombed me. So, in retaliation, this week’s awww moment is brought to you by my mischievous daughter. Enjoy.