As the pandemic slowly releases its hold on me, this RoadBroad took a trip around Houston the other day. This time of year it is usually too hot to walk at all outside, but we have had a lot of rain and cloud cover lately. I figured I had one more chance to roam around outside before the heat became dangerous. To make sure I stayed safe I stood next to the worlds largest evaporative cooler. Others might know of this spot as the WaterWall. Standing as close as I was, I enjoyed a definite cool breeze as the water rushed down. When I wasn’t standing so close, there were a lot of trees that provided plenty of shade for walking. What a lovely day!
Now, I have been visiting this Houston landmark since it opened in 1985. Back then you could easily run into folks washing their crystals in the wall’s fresh water on a Sunday afternoon. This is considered to be an energy vortex within the city of Houston. Since I did feel more relaxed after my visit, I guess I could vouch for the healing properties of the location. However, on this day, there was no one cleansing crystals. Rather everyone there seemed to be caught up in the art of the selfie. Back in 1985 I didn’t own a cell phone. And even if I did, it would not have had a camera for me to take pictures of myself everywhere I went. But that’s okay, because I did not have a social media account for posting such pictures. Of course neither did anyone else. My how times have changed.
After this wonderful visit I realized that I was within walking distance to the Galleria. This was one of many places I had not set foot in since the beginning of the pandemic. Curiosity got the better of me and I put on my mask to venture inside. I felt so very brave and adventurous! Of course the first thing I saw was the ice skating rink with actual people skating. In this picture the Zamboni machine had just finished resurfacing the ice and children had received the all clear to resume skating. As I walked around this mall, I was pleasantly surprised at how many shops were still open and doing a good business. There were lines at the Lego store and a jewelry store whose name I can’t remember. The Galleria has more than a few jewelry stores. Some people wore masks and others didn’t. I wore mine and I also tried to maintain a good social distance from others.
The one thing I didn’t see were any hints of Halloween decorations. I have been keeping up with a countdown to my favorite holiday. I have been reading on Facebook how some across the country were seeing stores selling the season’s first ghosties and goblins and ghouls.….Oh My! In hopes of finding my first sighting of Halloween supplies for 2021, I went by Michael’s on the way home. Alas, it was not to be. Empty shelves. Fourth of July decorations gone. It is my hope that these shelves have been cleared out to make room for haunted bits of mischief.
I will keep my eyes open as I roam the roads in the next few months, and will keep you posted on what I find (or don’t find). Wish me luck!
Until next time.….
Happy Earth Day!!! Since the weather was clear and cool, I couldn’t resist going out into the wilds of the Houston Arboretum and visiting with some of my favorite plants, trees and animals. As soon as I arrived, Mr. Squirrel met me and beckoned me on. It looks as though all of nature decided to sprout, blossom and show off just for this particular occasion. What Mr. Squirrel was trying to tell me here was that there were many other nature elements waiting for me just inside. While this isn’t exactly a yellow brick road, I wasn’t hoping to meet any great wizards either. Not to worry, though. I always have my own flying monkeys if they are ever needed.
As always, there were many turtles. During this particular visit, I toured as many of the different ponds as I could find. The majority of the ponds were home to a wide variety of turtles. This particular reptile was most happy to sit on his favorite log and chat with me a while. He was also enjoying the fine spring weather. We both agreed that we were dreading the heat of July which was sure to come. This gentleman also made mention of the fact that there were many more turtles in the arboretum now than there used to be. More ponds, more room for more turtles. I wonder if the real estate market for arboretum wild life is as volatile as it is for us humans. I can understand birds wanting a nice high rise in the trees, but I don’t see that for four-legged creatures.
Next, I met Ms. Rabbit. She was most polite about sitting still while I took a good picture of her. Actually seeing a series of animals all sitting very still made me think. I began to envision a “union” of arboretum animals. Their job is to show up everyday just before sunrise and entertain the humans. Their duties include, but are not limited to, posing for pictures, looking cute and trying not to scare small children. At the end of the day.…say around dusk.….they all punch their little animal time clock and go home. Over dinner, they talk about the humans they saw that day just like we discuss our adventures in the arboretum.
Finally, I saw this beautiful egret. She stood very still admiring her domain. Then she did a bit of a dance where her neck went in one direction while her head and body went in another direction. Yes, I was very entertained. I wonder if this was her version of an “Earth Day Dance”?
her home. She assumed it was maybe a squirrel or a raccoon or something small. At some point the sounds got louder. This was an animal with large feet which made Sue wonder what the animal could be. Guess What? It was a 
How about some good news.……I won First Place in the Authorology Anthology Contest!!! The anthology is called Journey Into The Fantastical. My short story is called Willow and the Cat. You can find it on Amazon and order either a print copy or eBook…or both. Many thanks to both Authorology and Inklings Publishing for making this contest happen. I get a medal and everything. Well, I don’t exactly have the medal yet. In these pandemic days those things are delivered in the mail. I must be patient. I will post a picture here as soon as it arrives! Also, let me know what you think of the story. Willow is a favorite character of mine. I hope to publish more stories about her many escapades as a Grim Reaper!
vaccinated and had very few side effects. I am still not going out to restaurants or movie theaters, but I have new ways of making life work while I wait on herd immunity. Case in point? Porch Cuts. Or in my case it is actually a “garage cut”. I have been a client of Carol Cooley for years when the pandemic happened and I could no longer go to see her in a trendy Montrose salon. Now she has rearranged her business so that she can take her skills to her clients. Hair is done outside either on a porch or in a garage with lots of ventilation. Everyone wears masks and stays safe. Doesn’t this look like fun? It is. My hairstyle has changed over the past year. I no longer have bangs. Many thanks to Carol for keeping my tresses trimmed and healthy!
won’t get into the whys or the reasons. Suffice it to say that I consider this to be an abomination. This movie theatre has been around since the 1930s. I have been going to movies there since I moved to this fair city in 1978. You may remember me posting blogs about going to the movies in the afternoon after I retired from my government job. Many happy hours were spent there. I am greatly saddened by this loss to Houston culture. I can only imagine that in the near future I will be buying the book that will tell the history of this wonderful art deco establishment with many pictures to remind me of the good times I had there.
Life kept moving along rather routinely for the new pandemic normal. Valentine’s Day 2021 was approaching. My Beloved and I were planning for a small and sweet celebration. Instead of going out to a crowded restaurant like we usually did, we determined which restaurant we would select for our takeout order. Of course we chose Govinda’s. Our now favorite vegetarian restaurant. On weekends and holidays their menu is vegan. What fun!!! This was our plan and a darn fine one it was. A romantic dinner, just the two of us, outside under the glow of a string of red heart lights.
a very festively decorated Govinda’s. The balcony was decorated, but the meal was moved inside. It was very nice, but all festivities were over by 4:00 p.m.
A week later the city has warmed back up again. One week the temperature outside was 14 degrees. Seven days later and the temps are back in the 70s. Ice has all melted and I have resumed walking outside for exercise. But not before taking a tumble on the sidewalk and bruising my left hand and wrist. Which, of course, makes typing a blog all that more fun. I hope you appreciate my efforts and suffering for my craft.
the trees, plants, turtles, crocodiles, birds and squirrels handled the wintry blast. I am happy to report that the animals seemed to have fared well. Turtles were resting on logs, birds were flying and squirrels were scampering. We did not see any crocodiles. Alas, several of the plants which had been green during our last visit are now brown.
