Estoy Nueces

I wish it would RAIN! Every day there is a forecast for rain -- tomorrow. Then the forecast changes to "evening" and then, again, to tomorrow. I think we did have one brief shower maybe Tuesday. I've been out hand watering the grass I cleaned up, but I will water the whole yard if it isn't going to rain. Today was for SURE going to rain and even a few hours ago it said it would rain at 1 pm. It is 4 now and it hasn't. My sister has a gig so she was certainly hoping the rain held off until after. I doubt that they had any problem. It's way on the other side of the metroplex so their weather could be completely different, but I bet it didn't. If it doesn't rain this evening I will set the sprinklers to water early in the morning.

I have spent some good (by good I mean beneficial to the yard, not me) time in the yard this week. I've dug out a lot of the dead dallisgrass and am glad to see that it is dead, down into the roots. I cleaned up the side of the house, again pulling out the thatch and cleaning it up and putting the purple dude plants all along it, not just in the three clumps the house came with. I swept up and scraped up all the dirt that pools there when it rains. That's where the landscape guy (who hasn't been very communicative) says there probably does need to be a drain. Yesterday I also borrowed loppers and got a lot of the little trash trees cut off again and then cut a lot of the big branches on the side of the house. That was work. I pulled them all to the front of the house so they will be easier to get to the trash Tuesday.

Yesterday afternoon I went to my very first dance recital. Not "mine," of course. It was the three oldest nieces very first dance recital. The 8-year-old is learning tap and the 6- and 4-year-olds are learning ballet. I didn't realize the dance school is a very religious based dance school. I never heard of such a thing. So it was all religious, starting with a prayer, and all the music for every dance was Christian music and the videos behind the girls (mostly girls) was religious imagery. Even some of the dancing reflected being "in chains" or "surrendering" or anything else religious like that. .........whatever......

But the girls were ADORABLE. My nephew was sitting a few rows in front of us. I didn't think it was his wife next to him and she had a child so I figured they were friends. My brother-in-law went on down to say hi and then picked up that little girls and was holding her high for us to see. I said, "Who is that?" and my sister said, "It can't be CLARA!" and I said, "But he wouldn't hold up anyone else for us to see..." It was little Clara but with her hair in a bun and slicked up and full makeup on I could NOT recognize her. That continued on stage, too. We weren't sure which group she would be in. When it got to one that we were pretty sure she would be in I looked and looked and couldn't pick her out (of only about 10 kids). Next think I knew her Mother was bringing her back to their seats and she was through. The other two we had better instructions on when they would come on and what they would be wearing so they were easy to see. So stinking cute. The 8-year-old tapping in a shiny dress made the poses and the (creepy) cutesy moves like she was a ....hmmmm, not a stripper exactly, maybe a Beyonce dancer. Of course, it was not a sexy dance and these are poses you see sorority girls and high school girls do in photos all the time. It just looks weird on an 8-year-old. But she thinks she is 16 so that's part of it. She was so cute. The little ballet 6-year-old did well and looked adorable, but didn't seem to be relishing the moment quite so much.

We all went to dinner at a restaurant afterward. We ate at a place that was sort of alone on a highway 25 years ago when we would go up to see my parents, living nearby. It hadn't changed inside at all. Now the highway is a major congested thoroughfare and there are businesses up and down all the roads around it. We had 5 adults and 4 kids. My sister was so pleased the nephew ASKED us to go out to dinner. It was the first time they (or me either) had ever had dinner in a restaurant with the whole family. The kids always say it is too much of a hassle with the babies.... and they are right, I'm sure. The kids were getting super tired while we were there. They aren't used to sitting down at a table and not having their meal in front of them immediately. By the time we were through the 2-year-old was unhappy and crying and then the 4-year-old bumped her face and was cratering so we split fast and came home. I paid my way, but my brother-in-law paid for everyone else, though it looked like my nephew was willing and ready. I just hate to the mooch that never pays for everyone so I try to pay for myself when I can. I had chicken friend steak. I can't remember the last time I had one, or even had beef. It was delicious with okra and mashed potatoes. And gravy. So good. It's interesting to see prices change. I think when we used to go there a chicken fried stead would be 10 or 11 dollars? Now it is 17 and still one of the cheapest things on the menu.

We broke up and came home. I went by a new grocery store on the way home. It's the Market Street (WalMart) store in town. I don't patronize WalMart, but I wanted to see this store and it is actually in my town and I like to support local businesses. It is probably the only large non-Spanish grocery. I mainly went for milk, but somehow ended up with some cheesecake, the new Dr. Pepper Float Blue Bell ice cream, hummus, yogurt, blueberries, and a salad-mix-in-a-bag. This morning I was quite mad at myself that I hadn't bought cookies or muffins. I am planning/hoping to make some cookies, but they aren't made yet so I'm craving.

I got home from this full day that started in the yard and heat about 9:30. It was hot so I stripped down and laid down on the bed under the fans to "rest my eyes" for just a bit. I laid there a long time and would sort of come to and think, okay, I'm going to get up and do something, I can't go to bed this early. But finally I gave in and just slept. I slept all the way until 9:30 this morning. One interruption in the night for cat purposes, but I went right back to sleep.

I would have liked to get up this morning full of vim and vigor and be ready to tackle big projects, like making cookies, but it is 4:30 and I'm still in my nightgown and the only thing I've done is made some lemonade. It's 88 and steamy and NO RAIN. We've also had air health alerts all week. One day I was feeling really lousy and finally decided it was probably the air. Maybe I can blame all this tiredness on the air, too. Yesterday when I was working along the side of the house it smelled overwhelmingly like an old garage, which is mold, mildew, wood rot. I was breathing it in so it may make me sick soon too.

My grandmother was a big letter writer and corresponded with lots of friends and relatives. This week I got a letter from my dad's first cousin and then a letter from her daughter, my second cousin. Her grandfather and my grandmother were siblings in a family of six. I know my grandmother would be so tickled to know we have exchanged letters. This cousin, Laura, lived nearby growing up so I saw her a bit more than a lot of that family. I am writing on a big project about our 3x great grandfather. I want to get it written and sent to her mother (who is nearing 90) so she can read it. She and her dad started all of this family research and I was soaking it in as a child. They were doing it the hard way---by travel and correspondence.

My house is a wreck and I'm not motivated to do anything about it. I think I'll make that salad-in-a-bag and then have some cheesecake or Dr. Pepper ice cream (I ate a spoonful last night and don't think I'll be craving it). Then maybe I'll have some energy or it will be late enough I can just watch TV all night. I just checked the hourly forecast and it still says rain between now and midnight, but the storms on the radar are far to the north and don't seem to be building or moving. If I don't get any energy, the weekends do seem to come around pretty fast so maybe I'll be motivated by the next one.