Weather Report – The Hermits' Rest

Where Are You Going?

There’s an old sappy song going through my head right now.

Where are you going, my little one, little one?
Where are you going, my baby, my own?
Turn around and you’re two – turn around and you’re four
Turn around and you’re a young child going out of the door.

It came up when I was watching my friend Ellie, who’s going to have her second baby next month. I met her when she just started college, and now she’s got a career and beautiful family. I’m so happy to have watched her grow and mature over the years.

And to see Ellie and her husband, Jimmy, with their older daughter just warms my heart. They’ve done a great job raising a polite, intelligent, and charming little girl. I enjoyed spending time with her, drawing, problem solving her strange pen, and trying out the child’s binoculars I got her. The binoculars came with a whistle. She really liked the whistle.

Lord of the Rings themed decor. Baby Charles Christopher has a LOTR mural in his room.

Ruby can even read already! My heart burst from pent-up love, I guess. I don’t know how I’d cope if I had grandchildren and could see them all the time. To get to watch the child of your own children grow up is a real privilege. (I respect my children’s decision not to reproduce, so I’m glad to have bonus grandchildren.)

I want those hair things. I didn’t want to share Ruby’s face, but you can see her hair! That’s what mine looked like—same color and curls.

I also made a new friend and got two new friends on my Finch app. All in all, I had a good day, and didn’t mind one bit driving to Round Rock in the rain. Yes! We got 1.8”! The ponds filled. Joy!

Rainy Day Visitor

Yes! It finally rained more than a few drops today!I’ve grown weary of the crunchy dead stuff underfoot (though as a bonus, most of the crunch was bur clover that never formed seeds!). Lee, the dogs, and I enjoyed sitting on the porch and listening to the welcome raindrops.

Morning coffee and rain are a fine combination, though we’re hoping the predictions of more rain come true; only ,75” doesn’t raise the ponds/tanks at all.

Carlton spent much of his morning “fleaing” Lee, the ottoman, and me.

By mid afternoon the rain had stopped, and it honestly seemed like the fields were already greener.

The sun had peeked back out and I was talking to my colleague when the dog alarm went off. It was the UPS truck, featuring the dogs’ favorite visitor, the Treat Man, who also happens to hand Suna boxes before doling out the treats.

The dogs were poised to dash out the door and bark frantically for the Treat Man to get out of the truck, but they stumbled over another humble visitor who was scratching at the door.

Most of the dogs jumped over the turtle, but Alfred was torn. Should he investigate the intruder like a good guard dog or go get his treat? To my relief, he chose the treats. I was able to get back to the door, pick up the displeased reptile, who seemed intent on going in the house, and deposit it on the other side of the dog fence, pointing the way it was headed.

My guess is that the rain got the usually sedate pond turtles in the mood to switch ponds. This one was heading towards the back pond, but the house blocked the most direct path. I hope my visitor made it to the destination and is now enjoying new insects and such behind the house. I hope to see it sunning itself on the tree limbs in the middle of the pond soon!

I hope your weather is the kind you need right now!

Sure, I’ve Changed since Covid

How have you adapted to the changes brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic?

Since I’m avoiding telling other people’s stories and not much is going on with me, I welcomed this question. It gave me a chance to evaluate what’s changed, my struggles to adapt, and the positive and negative results.

I found one sad, small wine cup today. Usually we have quite a few. Hope the prediction of rain soon is correct.

Positive: the people we were staying with and became our “pod” are still with us much of the time. We have gone through significant ups and downs, misunderstandings, illnesses, and job changes, but we now support each other and have learned to deal with each other’s idiosyncrasies. There are a lot of idiosyncrasies to go around, but the fact that we’ve made it through a series of pretty impressive challenges and remain supportive says a lot about me, Lee, Kathleen, and Chris. We’ve done a lot of growing and changing for the better.

Another positive that didn’t feel that way at the time is that I finally figured out how to lose my conception of what was happening in my life and keep living in the moment rather than dwelling on the losses. There was a period when I realized friendships and family relationships weren’t what I thought they were. That hurt. And thanks to Covid I lost my beautiful workspace I’d put so much effort into and didn’t get to fully enjoy living in Austin in my beautiful house. I had to leave by the time we were no longer masked and distant.

But I got through it all. It may not have been pretty, and my heart broke and rebroke, but I came out so much stronger and more resilient. I have a much more accurate perspective on the people around me, friends, colleagues, and society.

Covid truly taught me that attaining personal growth, gaining wisdom, and developing inner strength is a journey that does not end. I’m better prepared now, though.

A negative is that I’m still not comfortable being in large groups where people might cough all over me. It doesn’t help that the only time I actually got the disease was after flying to a vacation. I have to fly again week after next. I have come to terms with the fact that there are germs out there. I do still have to live my life (and symptoms of the virus I got when I went to that event recently are finally almost gone).

Covid has kept me and Lee even more hermit-like, though I do a few things, still! And Lee goes grocery shopping where there are many people, something I avoid these days.

My favorite positive to come out of COVID is that I don’t have to commute to work and can stay here at the Hermits’ Rest or even work from campsites. At first I really missed being with coworkers, but now I’m so happy that I can be home where it’s less distracting (other than dogs) and work with so many people around the world. Thank goodness for online meetings! And when I quit, I can go hug a turkey, pet a horse, or go for a hike.

I think my life changed for the better, even considering the downsides. I’m sure a lot less anxious (as long as I do deep breathing during the news).

Happy April! Here’s 1/3 of the year’s temperature blanket, featuring the hottest March ever.

Idiot Wind

My mom would have been in a tizzy by today’s end. She really hated wind. She said it made her hair hurt. I’m not fond of it either. Fine old lady hair and wind are an aesthetically unappealing combination.

Artistic rendering of annoyed me in wind

The wind wasn’t as horrible as yesterday, but since it was uncharacteristically cold for mid March, going outside was a brutal experience. Even the birds were hiding—only 26 species today were heard over the wind by Merlin. Needless to say, my exercise goals were not met!

The best thing about today was that it made for crazy colors in the temperature blanket. Yesterday was red (90s) and Kelly green (low 50s). Today the green was the high temperature. Tonight it might freeze! This is not usual.

Yesterday and today. Sweat followed by chills.

Being indoors all day left me a little grumpy. It didn’t help that I spent 2.5 hours trying to get my monitor situation for work under control. Two IT guys and much brainstorming later, I’m all set, though I changed to a different monitor. It turned out that it didn’t need new drivers (but has them anyway). Instead, the setup I had where each monitor was attached by an HDMI cable, which had worked since last June, suddenly was no good. I guess a recent update changed it. So I had to find a Display Port connector and use it. Lucky for me I have many extra display cables gathered over by the extra work monitors. The right one was there.

I have to give IT guy #2, who was in Oregon, credit for troubleshooting with me. I sent him many photos and screenshots for diagnostic purposes. He liked that I understood all his questions.

He promised not to laugh at my docking station. But it showed the problem. That empty slot should be attached to a monitor.

I’ll spare you the story of how I muddled up my web-based training file. But at least I had two giant monitors to screw up on!

Blowing Away

The weather was pretty weird today. Low in the 50s, high in the 90s, and so much wind! If I ever complained about the wind before, I was being wimpy. This wind is not a gale but is pretty close. All our poor new porch plants are getting buffeted.

Of course we got all these new plants, only to realize that it is getting cold again tomorrow, maybe a freeze. I guess it all gets to come back in tomorrow. Sigh.

While the wind has been annoying, it’s otherwise been a beautiful weekend full of getting things done at home. Yesterday the chicken house got all cleaned out. That was about time! Kathleen had a fancy mask so she didn’t get sick like I did the time I did it by myself.

The turkeys were not happy with all that stuff going on. Darryl Junior was all puffed up and glowing in turkey colors.

Today I’d hoped to spend lots of time with the horses. They were so lovely out in the field this morning that I wanted to make them prettier.

It wasn’t so windy but still too windy to do the flower photography I’d hoped to do.

Kathleen and I did the best we could, but she wasn’t feeling well and I got overheated. So, Mabel got nothing and Apache just got a little currying. Spice really needed grooming and was so grateful for the attention that she kept nuzzling me. I even gave her a little workout that she seemed to enjoy. She’s a very good horse and so well trained. I’ve enjoyed having her with us.

I also managed to get Drew all shiny and pretty. He still has stains from rolling in poop, but he’s already starting to get shiny. He’s much whiter now, and even his mane is lighter. Now that we are working with him more, he’s behaving very well. I’m glad he’s still here.

Kathleen got Dusty looking most excellent, too. She’s giving him some new supplements that even have his hair shiny. And we think he’s putting weight back on. What a lucky old man he is.

You can see the wind blowing everyone’s tails in the photos.

Okay, back to the wind. We went to eat with friends tonight and noticed the sky was so weird. There was so much dust in the air that you couldn’t see the clouds or sun. It was eerie.

Photo out the car window doesn’t do it justice.

The wind gave me time to get some reading done as well as some nice family time. I hope there isn’t too much damage. Stuff is really blowing around and we saw pieces of metal lying around and downed tree limbs on our drive to and from the restaurant.

It was a good weekend, even if I didn’t do all I’d hoped to.

Enjoying Potential Dangers

Not much went on today, since it’s my busy work day and we had a reasonable amount of rain. Wish it were a bit more.

The colors are so vivid after the browns of winter.

There’s been a bit of danger this week. Harvey got bitten by a snake and swelled up. Then when he was all numb and swollen he managed to bite through his lip. As if having a bad liver, going deaf, and dealing with stroke after effects wasn’t enough! He is healing though.

And today when we were walking my horses (we alternate between Kathleen’s and mine, apparently), I was trying to convince Apache that cantering in mud isn’t smart, when Drew erupted and started jumping and acting afraid. Apparently it was his first snake encounter, because he was really scared. Kathleen did a great job holding on and settling him back down, but that was enough danger for us. You’d think Drew would have seen snakes in the pasture or pens before. I certainly have.

It was a beautiful day to make a hasty retreat (Kathleen IS in the photo, but the bulky gelding is blocking her).

Still, it is always good to see that we can help the horses out, and as a bonus Kathleen didn’t get bitten. Maybe the tide has turned and she’s not a magnet for venomous creatures anymore!

It was raining all around us, and thundering. More danger!

Need proof that we had enough rain to make mud? Look no further than Muddy Mabel. She was gleaming and clean yesterday.

I hope she rolls in some dewy grass tomorrow and cleans some of her mane.

Other excitement of the non dangerous type? Today was Lee’s birthday. We are the same age again, whew. I hate those 6 days when we’re a year apart. He got mini Bundt cakes and a banana pudding cake, which we all enjoyed. I still like lemon the best.

Well, off to see what happens tomorrow.

Taking a Breath

Today I just had to take it easy, so other than listening to birds and feeding animals, I didn’t do much today.

I felt like this little one. Just resting.

It was a good birding day, which always seems to happen after rain. I’m waiting for the sparrows to go, since the swallows are back. My most exciting sighting today was this tiger moth. I’m not quite sure which species, but I’m hoping it’s an “agreeable tiger moth.”

I read a lot today, then Lee and I watched most of the new Young Sherlock television series. It’s quite good, with excellent sets—more lovely English countryside. The weirdest part is that Colin Firth plays a bad guy, and with his 1800s beard and hair, he resembles Senator Ted Cruz, a lot. I would not have imagined that before.

Mostly, I’m pretty tired, I guess from Daylight Savings Time. But I sure like having more time to play with horses in late afternoon!

I think I’ll take a cue from Harvey, seen here sleeping off a snake bite. He’s ok now.

Rain Daze

It finally rained again, which we needed. It waited until I was finished having baked goods with Martha, and chatting with Vicki and others at the bakery. Vicki rode her new horse almost to our house this morning.

Before it cooled off and got all windy, Lee and I enjoyed the porch, where all the plants are back outside.

Martha and I then went to the yearly Master Gardener plant sale. Since half the Master Gardeners are also Master Naturalists, we saw lots of people we knew and had a fun time catching up and looking at the few plants that were left. I did find a fig tree to buy, and my friend Lynn took it home with her and will bring it over here when it isn’t raining. Future visitors!

I hope this is in my future. Photo from Pexels.

The rest of the day, we stayed inside and I got all sorts of tasks completed that were perfect for a rainy day. I wrote a presentation on beavers for the next Master Naturalist meeting, catalogued the birds seen here from February, filled out my timesheet (yay, money), and did my nails. Maybe dull, but necessary. And I indulged in an old television series on the history of the first 55 years of Star Trek (it’s 60 this year).

The animals made it through the rain, so we just relaxed after feeding them. I’ve got more relaxing ahead of me tomorrow, but maybe a bit more creativity.

Speaking of creativity, here are January and February of 2026. No orange yet!

Sometimes a lack of excitement is just fine. This rain daze was pleasant.

It’s Called Hump Day for a Reason

Wednesday doesn’t get a lot of love. Wednesday’s child is full of woe, you know (I was born on a Wednesday). And it’s hump day. Supposedly that’s because it’s halfway through the work week, but for me today, it was more like today was a giant hump I had to pull myself over.

I’m tired now, but I feel accomplished. I started my new job role and I think I know what I’m supposed to do, kind of. After that, it was meeting after meeting, which made it hard to get writing done. But much learning and teaching was done as I slogged up that giant hump.

Sliding down the Wednesday hump was more fun than expected. I had fun with the horses and even got Fiona sort of clean. It was obvious that we had a few rain sprinkles, because both Apache and Mabel had droplet marks on their coats. I wish I had a picture!

Nope, the only picture you get is an owl pellet or something. No, my consultants say it’s a mummified rat. Fun things found in the garage.

Lee had to go to Austin today and stopped by a nursery and got me some plants! That’s when I was certain I was over the Wednesday hump. Our porch and patio will look great with the new greenery.

I’m looking forward to tomorrow. I get a cake! And lasagna! Simple things make me happy.

Here’s February in the temperature blanket for 2026. Got through the month with no orange! (Today was orange—over 85°)

PS: I awoke this morning to good election news. That hadn’t happened in a long time! Good primary here.

Work and Life, Balanced

I must congratulate myself for creating such a pleasant outdoor workspace today at our campsite that I didn’t have to move inside at all. I guess I should thank Mother Nature for providing pleasant temperatures and no crazy winds.

The portable table makes a great and spacious desk. I could watch Cardinals and Carolina Wrens bopping around while I listened to meetings. And thanks to the awning, I was in shade most of the day. It helped that I didn’t need two monitors for anything today.

I took a short walk in the morning and was able to get photos of a few more birds, some of whom I’ve been hearing but not seeing. The light was bad, but I could tell what they were!

Lunch hour gave me time for another walk at 2 pm (lunch Pacific Time). I enjoyed shady paths and some ups and downs. The highlight was finding the incredibly beautiful cream wild indigo (Baptisia leucophaea). The blossoms are breathtaking.

Leaf-cutter ants decorated with juniper berries rather than leaves

I couldn’t NOT go look at the waterfowl, but I mostly watched ducks dabble and dowitchers dig. Dandy! The Ibises were also present.

I worked pretty late so that was it for hiking. I still got 10,000 steps, and the big camera gave my arms a workout, too. I think I balanced work and life pretty well today. Now enjoy my “artsy” photos.