Just Horsin' Around - Thoughts on Central Texas Real Estate and More

The Sun WILL Come Up In The Morning

2008-07-22T19:40:37Z

A couple of days ago, I rose early. My reward, when I went to the porch, was to get to enjoy this lovely sunrise:

It got me thinking about a saying that I've had for years, a saying that my daughter once told me was the most valuable thing I taught her when she was growing up: "No matter what, the sun WILL come up in the morning." And, if it doesn't, of course, we have much worse problems than whatever happens to be troubling us in the immediate moment.

With all of the angst and trauma and wailing and moaning and gnashing of teeth that's going on in the media (and elsewhere) these days about The State Of The Real Estate Market, I think we could all stand to take a deep breath, stand back, look at history and the Big Picture, and remind ourselves (and our clients) of that fact. Really, things may appear dark, but the sun does, inevitably, always, come up in the morning.

Your Own Little Piece of the Texas Hill Country

2008-07-22T17:26:09Z

Your Secluded Hill Country Retreat

510 Greystone Drive, Dripping Springs, TX 78620 View Map

This secluded log home retreat tucked away in the Hill Country just outside of Dripping Springs is a perfect place to get away from the rush-rush-rush of the city and relax, listening to the wind and the wildlife and watching the panoramic view from the rocking chair on your wraparound porch. A BBQ with friends under the trees is not out of the question, either!

Hardwood and tile floors down, carpet upstairs, a huge walk-in shower in the master bath and elegant claw foot tub upstairs, wood stove for those occasional cold winter nights in Central Texas, and an adorable guest house for visitors, an in-law retreat, or separate office, are just a few of the amenities you'll find waiting for you here.

If you'd like your own little piece of the Texas Hill Country just a conversation away from the bright city lights of Austin, Texas, you really can't miss seeing this delightful property. You'll be glad you did.

Details

Asking Price:

$375,000

Sq. Feet:

2173

Lot Size:

7 acres

Bedrooms:

Bathrooms:

2.5

# of Floors:

Year Built:

2001

Contact Info

Tricia Jumonville

Cell 512-423-6466
Email | Website

Preparing For the Future, Country Style

2008-07-13T13:58:24Z

It's summer here in Central Texas, grass is growing (well, it's struggling due to the lack of rain for the past month or so, but there's still forage for the critters), animals are eating, we're not having to feed any hay.

But that's now. Living in the country, we need to look ahead to winter way before it's here. A few days ago, taking advantage of the dry weather (every vice has its virtues, and vice versa), lots of people in the area, including us, were having their hay cut and baled.

When we first moved out here, and for several years thereafter, we weed-killed and fertilized, and we had our hay put up in square bales. I will never remember that first year, when the three of us (husband Phil, daughter Jess, and I) were putting the hay in the barn, 500 bales, 3 days, 108 degree weather.

About 3 years ago, with it being just the two of us at home now, we decided to try round bales. We had them baled smaller than usual, to make them easier to handle. We got 20 bales that first year, and with the tractor, they were put up in an hour and a half instead of the 3 days we usually had to schedule.

We gave the field a rest for a couple of years, due to first drought, then flood. Last year we decided to try something different. Instead of weedkiller and chemical fertilizers, we decided to try a more natural approach, using liquid compost extract applied by Sustainable Growth, Texas. It's applied in the same way, the cost is very close to the same if not a little bit less, and we noticed almost immediately that the grass was growing in thicker.

When we baled last week, we got 28 round bales off of the same field that had produced 20 in past. That's enough of an improvement to make the argument for continuing with the liquid compost, which is better for the soil, the plants, and the animals (including us).

Our planning for the coming winter, then, started last fall, when we chose the treatment for the field. Now, we have more than enough hay to see our critters through the winter (and, for that matter, this August, which is another time when we like to give the grass as much of a rest as possible). It's just another good feeling of life lived in the country.

Friendly Computers To the Rescue!

2008-07-12T09:50:28Z

As those who have been around a while may know, my new name, after frying two hard drives (and making an external backup hard drive not work) within five months, is "Dances on Hard Drives". So you can imagine my chagrin when I went to turn on my computer yesterday morning, the computer that had been functioning perfectly well the night before when I shut it down, and nothing happened. It wouldn't even TRY to turn on! Thoughts of terminal embarrassment (never mind lost data) went flitting through my mind.

I had floor duty, on top of that, and an appointment right after that. I quickly packed up my computer and headed to Friendly Computers in Georgetown, Texas. I'd first met the owners at a Schmoozoo gathering (Schmoozoo being a social/business networking group then active in Georgetown), and we hit it off. They'd not been able (nor had anyone else) to resuscitate my last hard drive, or recover the data, as I had well and truly destroyed that one, but I had confidence, and I needed this fixed in a hurry!

Dropping it off at 9:00 a.m. on the dot, making my way through the long line of new I-Phone seekers stretching around the corner of the shopping center (ATT being right around the corner), I went on to the office, trying not to worry.

Mid-afternoon, on my way to my appointment, I called to see how things were going. The phone was answered by Dana, of Bill & Dana, owners of Friendly Computers in Georgetown. She kindly took the phone and walked in to see what the status was, and informed me that she could see my computer, its guts were hanging out, and they were working on it. She promised to call me with the results of the operation.

A bit later, she called with the reassuring words that it had been nothing more than a power supply. They closed at 6:00 p.m. Following my appointment, stuck in rush hour traffic going about 5 mph, wanting desperately - nay, NEEDING to get my computer back that evening (can you say addict?), I called. Dana talked me down and assured me they'd still be there when I arrived, even if I was a bit late. (This is FRIENDLY computers, after all.)

I actually managed to arrive a few minutes before 6:00. Friendly conversation, a Hershey's dark chocolate kiss wrapped in purple (their signature color), some friendly conversation, and my computer and I were on my way (with a lovely glass of flowers from Dana's garden that she insisted I take home with me since I'd had such a rough day).

Friendly Computers is a lifesaver - AND a sanity saver. Kudoes to them for the work they did on my computer's brain - and mine. And they have an adorable vehicle. (Yes, they will do onsite work.)

Sing to the Horses

2008-06-28T23:06:03Z

Just as there are many, many songs about home and houses, things close to our heart, there are equally as many about horses. Looking for these, I found several on youtube that I think you'll enjoy. I know I did, everything from Ghost Riders in the Sky to Tennessee Stud. (Of course, I'll listen to Johnny Cash sing the phone book!)

Tennessee Stud, Johnny Cash

Small Victory, Garnet Rogers

Wild Horses, Natasha Bedingfield

Wild Horses, Rolling Stones

Wildfire, Michael Martin Murphy

The Old Grey Mare, Appalachian folk song

The Old Grey Mare (ain't what she used to be), folk song

Back In The Saddle Again, Gene Autry (written by Ray Whitley)

Ghost Riders In The Sky, Johnny Cash

Rawhide, Frankie Laine

Run For The Roses, Dan Fogelberg

As before, I'm sure there are many songs that I've missed - please add them in the comments and I'll add them to the list.

Houses In Song

2008-06-28T14:39:16Z

Driving home, I heard "Houses in the Field", by John Gorka, on the radio,and I got to thinking about songs about house and home, and songs that mention house or home, and thought I'd make a list.

If I knew that a song had been recorded by multiple artists, I wrote in who wrote it rather than all of the performers. If it's predominantly associated with one artist, but written by someone else, I tried to find and note that, as well.

Houses in the Field, John Gorka

House of the Rising Sun, The Animals

Pink Houses, John Cougar Mellencamp

Little Boxes, Pete Seeger (written by Malvina Reynolds)

Home on the Range (written by Dr. Brewster Higley)

Our House, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young

Burning Down the House, Talking Heads

A House Is Not A Home (written by Luther Vandross)

When A House Is Not A Home, Willie Nelson (written by Roger Miller)

Step Inside This House, Lyle Lovett

The House Is Rockin’, Stevie Ray Vaughan

Home Sweet Home, Motley Crue

Country House, Blur

Houses on the Hill, Whiskeytown

Two of Us, Beatles

Green Green Grass of Home (written by Claude “Curly” Putnam, Jr.)

There have to be a lot more on, or mentioning, this topic, so dear to our hearts. If you know of any that are not on this brief list, please, mention them in the comments and I'll add them to the list above. I'd love to have a very comprehensive list. (I'm about to start working on a similar list about Horses In Song - will post that here when I have enough to get started with.)

Summertime, And The Livin' Is Easy

2008-06-27T20:42:32Z

Summertime is upon us. It's been hot, very hot, hotter than usual, in Central Texas this year (though "usual" is a VERY relative term when referring to Central Texas weather). Summer officially started just a few days ago, and on that day, I was coming home, driving up the long driveway, and saw this scene that I thought I'd share with you.

Memory (chestnut mare and, hopefully, foal-to-be), Manny (bay stallion, sire of hopefully foal-to-be), and the Donkey Girls, Hepsibah and Texana, were having an afternoon snack in the shade of the willows beside Little Donohoe Creek, which runs through our property.

Upon hearing the diesel engine of my old Dodge pickup, Memory and Manny raised their heads, checking to see if by any chance I needed assistance with important duties such as unloading feed. Reassured that their aid was not needed (Morgans are all about helping - especially if it applies to feed, but just about anything else, too, I've had one pick up a fencing tool and start hammering on a fencepost with it when my back was turned), they returned to the Important Job of Grazing.

This is life, in the summer, on the ranch in June, 2008. For some of us, anyway. Those of us with four legs.

Some Unusual Relocation Clients

2008-06-15T10:09:21Z

While I've been so busy, we've also had some relocation clients that moved to our place. Yep, brought 'em right home with me!

Per the ag appraiser, we needed some more cattle in order to keep our agricultural valuation for tax purposes. So, we asked Mr. Goode, the gentleman who leases the land next door to run cattle, to pick us up some likely looking heifers at auction. Eventually, he found us some, and brought them home to us.

They were a bit skittish the first day - after all, they were in a new community, in a new "house", didn't know the neighbors, didn't know the ropes. Being a good neighbor, I took them a nice casserole (actually a bucket of calf starter) as a "welcome to your new home" gift.

That was a couple of weeks ago. Now, they know when I'm going to be fixin' supper, and they're waiting at the gate for me when I arrive. They'll eat cubes out of my hand, sticking their long blue tongues out and wrapping them around the cubes. They've settled into the community, gotten to know Lydia (their closest neighbor, my 31-year-old Morgan mare), and the dogs J.D. and Joey, and in couple of years or so, will be contributing to their community with calves of their own.

In the meantime, they're just adorable.

The Oddest Walk-In Ever While On Desk Duty

2008-05-11T17:23:44Z

So, yesterday I was on desk duty at my office in Georgetown, Texas. It was a very quiet Saturday (hot, muggy day, one of the first of the year, most folks just wanted to stay inside in air conditioning, I think). A good day to get paperwork caught up.

About mid-afternoon, I decided to step out the back door to our Coke machine and get some caffeine to keep myself perky.

Imagine my surprise when I saw this little fellow waiting for me.

This is a Gray Tree Frog (I now know, having looked him up as soon as I got to google images). He sat quietly, didn't seem perturbed by the camera flash, didn't seem perturbed by the clatter-clatter-rumble-THUMPITY-THUMP of the Dr Pepper making its journey through the innards of the Coke machine, din'dt seem perturbed by much of anything. There was much speculation as to how he'd gotten there, before we discovered his tree frog origins (sticky suction pad toesies good for climbing).

The mystery remains - WHY did he get there? "Because it's there"? Because he was thirsty and wanted a drink? It certainly wasn't to take advantage of the camouflage.

Whatever his reasons, I'm glad he did, it was a delightful diversion in a quiet day. And I've already informed the other agents, if he shows up again wanting to buy a house, this is MY walk-in!

Mariachis de Jalisco - Muy Delicioso!

2008-05-04T11:33:58Z

A few weeks back, one of the agents in our office introduced me to this little jewel tucked into a strip center on Williams Drive in Georgetown, Texas. When we first moved here, this location was a Chinese restaurant at which we ate a couple of times, but that closed long ago. Some time back, I noticed that Mariarchis de Jalisco had moved in, but somehow had never stopped in.

Casting about for a good place close by to eat lunch one day, Sherri Revier recommended Mariachis. By, am I glad she did!

That first lunch, I tried their green chicken enchiladas, and was very pleased.

A few days ago, my daughter and I went there for lunch - I had their chicken flautas (my test for a Mexican restaurant that offers them, it's not easy to make really good flautas). They passed that test with flying colors. (I rarely finish an entire plate at restaurants, being full long before. I knew this was something special when I looked down and I was assiduously scraping the plate to make sure I didn't miss ANY of the beans and rice.)

I'd been told by Sherry that their breakfasts were exceptional, so I suggested to my husband that we try them for lunch this past weekend.

He had the Migas Rancheras; I had the Huevos con Chorizo plate. The food was plentiful and delicious. Once again, I found myself eating three times as much as usual, because it would have been such a shame to waste anly of it. My husband was equally pleased.

The hot sauce is unique, both in that it is served warm, and one of the varieties tastes remarkably like charro beans (and is addictive, I should add).

If you're in Georgetown and looking for good Mexican food, there's quite a selection, but I highly recommend that you try Mariachis de Jalisco. You can't go wrong. I'd even say it's worth the drive from Austin for a weekend breakfast.

April Events in Central Texas

2008-03-30T13:43:44Z

There's lots to do in Central Texas, and in the springtime, even more! Here's a sampling of events you might want to try. There's bound to be something to interest you!

April 1:

TDHMA Plow Day. Texas Draft Horse and Mule Association Plow Day in Tolar.

April 1-20:

National Cutting Horse Association 2008 Super Stakes & Super Stakes Classic. If you're into cutting horses, no explanation necessary.

April 3-6:

CNU XVI: New Urbanism & the Booming Metropolis. Conference on New Urbanism, green building, how communities can maintain their character while welcoming new development, and more.

April 4-5:

Heart of Texas Morgan Horse Club Open Fun Show. A fun show, with the emphasis on "fun", open to all breeds. (In the interests of full disclosure: I'm the Show Secretary and a founding member of HOTMHC - it was born at a meeting in my living room.)

April 4-6:

Urban Music Festival. The Urban LIFE Group (ULG) — in partnership with the City of Austin, local businesses and organizations — will create a weekend of events targeting African Americans from throughout Texas, the Southwest region and around the nation.

April 5:

Louisiana Swamp Thing and Crawfish Festival 2008. It's all about the food and the music! This popular Louisiana themed event features the best in Louisiana cuisine prepared by concessionaires from Louisiana and Texas. Enjoy an extensive menu of Cajun seafood. The highlight of the show is 6000 pounds of jumbo crawfish and other bayou favorites. Enjoy dancers, juju mamas, and lots of beads and tokens. Music includes Cajun, Zydeco, Funk, Brass Bands, Blues, Rock, & Jazz . Belly dancers and late night burlesque shows will add to the excitement.

Keep Austin Beautiful Clean Sweep 2008. Join your neighbors in volunteer squads to clean up our fair city, and then party together!

April 10-11:

Austin International Poetry Festival 2008. The world's largest nonjuried poetry festival.

April 10-13:

Texas Hill Country Wine & Food Festival. Food, wine, great chefs, classes, tours, and more. Me, I'm going to the Sunday Fair in San Gabriel Park on Sunday afternoon - all of that in one place, woo hoo!

April 13:

Schlotsky's Bun Run 2008. 26 years and still running strong.

April 17-20:

Old Settlers' Music Festival. Since 1987, Americana, arts & crafts, camping, food & libations. Acoustic jazz & blues, bluegrass, old-time local faves & award-winning artists from around the world.

April 19:

Women and Their Work 30th Anniversary Art Party. 15 screens, interactive art, video fun, celebrating 30 years of Women and Their Work.

4-H Williamson County Hoofpicks Open Horse Show Series. Georgetown Show Barn, Georgetown, TX.

April 24:

Umlauf Garden Party, held at the Umlauf Sculpture Garden, Honorary Chair Marcia Ball, Featured Artist Gordon Fowler, music, food, silent auction, sculpture, and more. Tickets on sale now.

April 26:

Eeyore's 45th Birthday Party. Costumes, drumming, food, costumes, drink, fun in the sun, did I mention costumes? Classic Austin fun; remember to wear a costume! And bring a camera! Fundraiser for Austin nonprofits. How many places can you have this much fun and do good at the same time? (Well, in Austin, quite a lot, really.)

Our Unsung Partners In Going Green In The Country

2008-03-30T11:50:22Z

Going green in the country is nothing new – country folk have been doing it for centuries. However, they haven’t done it alone – those of us who live in the country have partners in living the green rural lifestyle, and I thought I’d introduce you to a few of them.

Our organic pest control managers are pictured at right. That’s right, chickens. Free range chickens on our place most years cut the fly population down to, oh, four or five house flies a year. And that’s considering that we have horses and cows! (More on them later.) They run around and take care of the fly larvae before they have a chance to turn into flying menaces.

Our cats and dogs are also members of this team. The dogs keep predator pests such as raccoons and possums away; the cats are on rodent and rabbit patrol and do an excellent job of keeping the place vermin-free. (The only rats or mice I've seen in a decade are those that the cats bring to me to demonstrate what a good job they're doing to earn their keep.)

Other members of our organic pest control squad are goldfish. We keep the watering tanks stocked with goldfish, who not only keep them algae free, but also assure that no mosquito larvae escapes to drink our blood. Native fish in the creek and pond serve a similar function.

Our cows and horses and donkeys are our mowing and fertilization team. Because of them, we don’t often have to shred the fields, using precious diesel, and they daily produce fertilizer for those same fields. They are aided by the chickens, of course, when we clean out the coop and use the contents to improve the soil for the vegetable garden. (Amazing stuff – plants grow twice as large, sometimes, when that fertilizer is used to enhance the soil. The cows of others also contribute when we have our hay pasture fertilized using soil biology through Sustainable Growth Texas, and we’ve found that weedkilling with chemicals is no longer necessary using soil biology.

These are just a few of the partners we have in going green in the country. When moving to your place in the country, don't forget your partners!

Head 'em Up, Move 'em Out! Equestrian Trails In Central Texas

2008-03-29T09:36:14Z

It's Spring, and in the Spring, a young man (and woman's) thoughts turn to trail riding. However, these days, it's often not just a matter of heading out to the barn and saddlin' up ol' Blue and hitting the trail. You have to load ol' Blue up and take him for a ride before you get to have yours.

People new to the area, and some folks who've lived here a while, don't always know about the various equestrian trails in the area. So I thought I'd gather together a list of great places to trail ride in Central Texas just for your edification and enjoyment. Some are day use only, others offer equestrian camping facilities and group trail ride facilities. Some require that you bring your own horse; others have rentals available in or near the park.

Look 'em over, check 'em out, pick one (or several), and ride off into the sunset!

Hill Country State Natural Area

Texas Equestrian Trail Riders Association is also a good resource and they frequently have rides in their different regions.

There's more, but that ought to be keep you and ol' Blue busy and satisfied for at least a while!

Head 'em up, move 'em out!

Georgetown, Texas, A Great Place to Live and Work

2008-03-29T08:52:39Z

We may sometimes seem like a sleepy little Texas town to some, but there's a lot going on underneath the surface! Fortune has named Georgetown #2 in its list of Best Places to Live and Launch because they've discovered what's going on here.

Georgetown is a great place to live because of the beauty, the variety of homes available from Old Town to Sun City to new subdivisions to country estates just out of town, our historical district, our trail system for hiking and biking, golf courses, Lake Georgetown, the San Gabriel River, Southwestern University, and much, much more. But it's also a great place for business and for entrepreneurs.

If you're in Central Texas and looking for a place to live and start a business, don't just stick to Austin. Drive north just a little bit (as the owner of one of our local businesses used to say, we're "just a conversation away" from Austin) and check out this little Central Texas jewel. I think you'll be pleased by what you find. And if you do, drop by and have a cup of coffee and I'll give you the Grand Tour.

Spring Dons Her Fair Raiment

2008-03-26T19:54:23Z

Spring is definitely, finally, here in Central Texas. The first hint was that Memory, she who never sheds until the last frost has definitely come and gone, started releasing her winter coat.

Then hints of green peeked through the brown grass, with promise of thing to come.

Today, walking down the drive with the dogs to pick up the mail, I took quick pictures of the flowers that have appeared, as if by magic, in the last day or so.

First were the little purple flowers under the old plum tree outside our back door.

Next, the beautiful yellow Iris blooming at the edge of the woods.

As we rounded the corner, the young volunteer plum trees, daughters of the old one, were dressed in their finest spring white and green.

Further along the side of the drive, we ran across some of the dewberry vines that are blooming, and dreamed of berries to come in weeks ahead.

Approaching the mailbox, there were the little white wild onions that I remember picking in bouquets for my mother when I was a child. They bring back fond memories every spring.

And, finally, tucked into the protection of the side of the ditch, a tiny, delicate, pink buttercup, the first I've seen this spring.

In every season, we are surrounded by beauty, living here in the country. This time of year just nudges us to notice a little bit more.

The Wearin' Of the Green

2008-03-17T11:41:18Z

Happy St. Patrick's Day to you! And, in the words of the Irishman on being asked if he sees the glass as half empty or half full, "Are ya goin' ta be drinkin' that?"

It seems the countryside is also celebrating the saint, putting on its green array in honor of the day. Everywhere I look, green is peeking through the browns and tans, appearing on the tips of peach tree and Texas ash limbs, and glorying in the warmth we're enjoying here at the moment. The peach trees are blooming, as are the Texas Mountain Laurels with their luscious grape scent. "Green" (as in environmentally sustainable) expos abound. The horses are shedding, and telling us that Spring is here!

Enjoy your St. Patrick's Day, and have a pint on me!

KEEP AUSTIN WEIRD - The Original

2008-03-14T14:06:57Z

Just about everybody who's heard of Austin has also heard the refrain, "Keep Austin Weird". While that's now been trademarked by latecomers (and NOT by Red Wassenich, the person who came up with it, for whom trademarking is is the antithesis of the meaning of the phrase, and who has a new book out called Keep Austin Weird: A Guide to the Odd Side of Town), it's still very much a part of what makes Austin the unique community it still is today.

While, yes, we have the Big Box development, we have "little houses made of ticky tacky, all just the same", we have the highrises that are going in downtown (what DID happen to the Capitol View Corridors that were established specifically to protect against this kind of loss, anyway?), we have the Domain (actually an interesting example of urban living on the edge of town).

But we also have:

Leslie (yes, he did run for Mayor, just as Max Nofziger, flower salesman extraordinaire and successful candidate, and Crazy Carl Hickerson-Bull did before him)

Eeyore's Birthday Party (which I will be attending this year, in costume, of course)

Hippy Hollow (clothing optional, but somewhat frowned upon - and, yes, this is now an "official" park that gets, evidently, about 350,000 visitors a year, a far cry of the few dozen who knew about and used it back in the day)

The Broken Spoke (been around since forever and a great place to do the two-step - plus rumor hath it that, while the land's been bought and apartments and development are about to loom all around it, the Spoke will remain the same, including the dirt parking lot)

The Austin Lounge Lizards hail from Austin, as well

Las Manitas, the downtown restaurant that just took on the Marriott and, to all appearances, won, albeit while having to move down the street a few storefronts

And much, much, MUCH more.

Hopefully, Austin will remain its own weird self for a long, long time to come. It is, after all, why people come here, and stay here, and what makes Austin not just another city. Without our weirdness, all those folks moving to town might as well move to Dallas.

So come to Austin, and do something, even if just a little, weird. You'll fit right in, and I promise, no one will look at you funny. In fact, be weird enough, and you might get a standing ovation!

We were green when green wasn't cool.

2008-03-13T09:37:59Z

It seems that, today, green is all the rage. It's hot, hot, HOT! Suddenly, in every magazine, newspaper, online forum, "green" is on everyone's lips (or fingertips). It's an overnight sensation!

However, like most overnight sensations, that's not the whole story. Like the movie star who worked as a carpenter to support his family for twenty years while working as an actor is suddenly "discovered" and, likewise, called an overnight sensation, there were many years of hard work and lack of respect before "Green" became the star she is today.

In Austin and Central Texas, we were green when green wasn't cool.

The Dillo Dirt municipal composting program of the City of Austin has been in existence since 1989 - the oldest in the state and one of the oldest in the nation.

The Austin Energy Green Building Program started in 1991 and is going great guns.

Dr.Mike McElveen and others pioneered rainwater harvesting on a large scale back in the early 1990's (and, of course, rainwater harvesting had been practiced in Texas for decades prior to that, on an individual basis, before city water and in areas where wells weren't practical).

I, personally, can remember strong interest in environmental issues in Austin going back to when I arrived to attend college here, in 1969. Rachel Carson, Christopher Alexander, and other names were common on the lips of Austin residents back then. Which, since folks who attend UT in Austin have a very hard time bringing themselves to leave (and had a harder time doing so even then, which is why we seem to have the greatest number of bartenders with graduate degrees anywhere), probably led to all the activity mentioned above, and more.

Now, green is mainstream in Central Texas. Many municipalities and utility providers in Central Texas provide rebates for installing various energy efficient and environmentally sustainable improvements to your home, new or old, from low flush toilets to solar or wind energy to efficient heating and (especially) cooling equipment to rainwater harvesting systems.

A new fad? An overnight sensation? Not in Central Texas, where we were green when green wasn't cool! Welcome to the party, folks!

Living In The Flight Path

2008-03-09T13:42:17Z

We live in a flight path - a wonderful, beautiful, joyous flight path.

You see, our ranch is on a major migration route just east of Jarrell, Texas, so we get to see many of the birds as they pass through (and stop off for a snack and a drink) on their way north or south. Mostly, they are the same kinds of birds, though once in a while we'll see something different - like the Whooping Crane family who stopped off when their youngster pulled the "sit down on the sidewalk, I'm not gonna walk any more" trick. (They finally ended up giving up on him and going on their way, while he rested and waited for the Sand Hill Cranes to come through and give him a ride to the meeting grounds where they all get together and then take off their separate ways.) I've also seen a flock of about 50 hawks.(Didn't know hawks flocked? Neither did I until I saw it and called my friend at the Austin Nature Center to find out if I'd lost my mind or if I was living in Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds.) The geese are usuals, as are the pelicans that fly over so high that you have to use binoculars to identity them.

However, far and away the biggest flocks are of blackbirds - redwinged blackbirds, for the most part, though there is another kind that I haven't identified. In the last couple of weeks, we've had weird weather, either hot (90's) or cold (upper 20's/lower 30's) but very, VERY windy whichever it was. This discombobulated the birds passing through, who generally like to hang out in the cane brake next to our driveway - it was way to windy and they were all getting seasick perching on the swaying canes. So they came over to the trees in our front yard/pasture.

Here's what I saw. Remember, there are NO leaves on these trees at the moment - everything you see is a bird. I've seen larger flocks, with the trees AND the ground covered in birds, but that was on a still day - still except for the rustling of wings and the twittering of their conversation.

It's Festival Time In Central Texas!

2008-03-08T10:13:24Z

Spring is turning, and it's festival time! (Well, it's always festival time in Central Texas, it seems, but we have more in spring and fall when the weather is delightful.)

I thought I'd share a few of the possibilities - you could probably party all spring long without missing a beat!

Today, I'm off with the Central Texas Food-Centrics to the Austin Chocolate Festival (yes, we DO celebrate anything and everything).

Other options, in no particular order:

Texas Wine & Food Festival (I highly recommend attending Sunday Fair at the end of the festival)

Eeyore's Birthday Party is a longstanding tradition - they're having the 45th this year.

For more festivals, and more partying, look here.

Applying For Your Texas Homestead Tax Exemption - No, You Don't Have to Pay!

2008-03-02T12:50:11Z

If you've recently bought a home in Texas, or haven't applied for your Homestead Exemption in past and own and live in a home, the deadline for applying for the Homestead Exemption for 2007 is fast approaching. You need to get your application in by April 30.

You may find yourself approached in the mail by a company offering to take care of this for you for a fee (generally seems to be $40 these days). BE WARNED! This is a scam; there is no necessity to pay anyone for this service - the form is simple to fill out and can usually be downloaded online from your county's tax appraiser's website, or you can ask the REALTOR® who helped you with the purchase of your home to send you a copy.

The savings can be substantial, so keep an eye on that deadline!

Information on Texas property taxes and exemptions can be found at the website of the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts website, as well as contact information for the Appraisal Districts in all 254 Texas counties.

Happy Birthday, Texas!

2008-03-02T12:08:38Z

Today, March 2, is Texas Independence Day. On this day in 1836, at Washington-On-The-Brazos, the Texas Declaration of Independence (written in one day - imagine that happening today!) was signed at the Convention of 1836.

As is our wont, this means that it's time for a fiesta! (Throw a rock in Texas on any given day of the year and chances are you'll hit a festival.) Oh, and today's the 80th Annual Zilker Park Kite Festival - what a wonderful way to celebrate the day! (Very, very, VERY windy here today, I'm sure it will be very interesting at Zilker.)

In researching for this blog, I ran across this transcript of a very interesting speech on The Myth and Meaning of Texas Independence given by Dr. Stephen L. Hardin, Professor of History at Victoria College. (I don't agree with him regarding interior Mexican food, by the way, but there is very little more subjective than tastes in food!)

In any case, this, for those of us here in Texas, is a day of celebration for times gone by, for the birth of the Republic of Texas, and for the uniqueness of our State.

Please Hold! Click.

2008-03-02T10:38:07Z

Watching Sunday Morning this morning (absolutely love that show!), I learned that March is National On Hold Month, if you can imagine such a thing. "Please hold, your call is very important to us!" Yeah, right! This holiday was adopted by AudioMax in 1994.

Tired of waiting on hold? Gethuman provides a list of companies that have a way to get a human when you make a call, and tells you how to do so.

So, are your callers put "on hold", and how pleasant do you make it for them if so?

Eat Chocolate In A Good Cause!

2008-03-01T09:53:31Z

This coming weekend, March 8-9, on of my Meetup groups, the Central Texas Food-Centrics (we're all about all things edible in Central Texas!) is attending the 3rd Annual Austin Chocolate Festival, an annual event held each spring to not only celebrate chocolate, bur raise funds for the fight against breast cancer through Susan G. Komen For the Cure.

Not only is there chocolate galore to taste, and buy, but vendors will compete in various categories, with the festival attendees serving as judges (which means, of course, getting to taste chocolate), demonstrations of ways to prepare chocolate goodies, and there will be an advance screening of the movie "Death, Taxes... and Chocolate!". Tickets are sold for two hour blocks, with no more than 150 people in attendance at a time - contrast this to the usual crowds at festivals, and this sounds very appealing.

It's not often that you get to eat chocolate in such a good cause. I hope to see you there!

Oh, Go Fly A Kite!

2008-02-28T16:46:02Z

No, really. You might get a prize, you never know.

It's that time of year again. This Sunday, March 2, is the 80th Annual Zilker Park Kite Festival, a festival that's been going on in Zilker Park in Austin, Texas, for far longer than I've been alive.

I was going to write about it, and then it occurred to me that kite flying is not something that can be truly expressed or described in words (unless, perhaps, you're Andrew Lenza). But, surely, there must be a way to share this wondrous event with you. So, I betook myself off to youtube, and there I found them - videos that will share with you the sheer joy of going out on a beautiful March day, taking advantage of the wind, and being a child again, just flying a kite. (Sometimes after months of design, test, discard, design, test, discard - after all, it's a pretty fun way to spend a winter, right?)

Anyway, here's my favorite of the videos I found. Enjoy! And go fly a kite!