Wednesday quips

I have to start the blog today with a shout-out to Cindy, who sent the lyrics to The Yellow Rose of Texas. I had no idea there were so many verses! Thanks so much--John and I will study up for the next Irish party.

So today is just about as dreary as it gets. Well, not really. It's just very overcast with no hope of the sun poking out. But it doesn't look too cold. It's probably about 50+ degrees F. Not too bad. I'm amazed at how quickly I have gotten accustomed to the cold. I'm getting to be pretty comfortable without having to bundle up too much. The only part that gets really cold is my chin and face. Kind of a bummer because it makes it difficult to talk. . .

John and I have discovered the rails-to-trails system here, and we are really enjoying it. Basically, any old railways have been converted to walking trails. It will be easy to plan out a 20+ mile route for a run or something once we (I) am not lumbering about. The two days we have gone out in less-then-perfect weather, they have been covered up in people with their babies and dogs and bicycles. I can't imagine what they are like in summer! But each bit of trail gives you a good variety of scenery--lots of views of the River Lee, but also very lush and green areas. I consider it some good exercise even though it's just walking--doesn't take much to wear me out these days!!! And I thought I was getting my energy back!

Speaking of being worn out. . .we went to the gym last night after work, and I decided to have a swim. I figured it would be a lot different from the roughhousing that went on during children's hours. Well. . . I must have been dreaming! The 25 or so lads in the hot tub gave the lifeguard a much more difficult time than the kids ever have. He couldn't blow that whistle enough! Of the 30 people in the pool, there were about 4 of us actually trying to swim laps. It was pretty funny. And the pool was cold!!! Brr! I was completely wrecked by the time we got home!!!

My next tidbit of randomness is that I made buttermilk biscuits from scratch yesterday. Move over, Colonel Sanders! Your KFC biscuits have some competition! I'm sure it's not too difficult to make a good biscuit. You put enough vegetable shortening in something and it's bound to turn out to be good! But it was certainly nice because we haven't had anything like that since we arrived.

Do you remember the early Disney, semi-animated movie Bedknobs and Broomsticks? This is one of my absolute favorites, and it was on the Irish channel yesterday (in English). It really is a clever little movie with a young Angela Lansbury. If you haven't seen it in a while, it's worth a visit to brush up on your "substitutiary locomotion."

So referring back to a previous post. . .the pit bull problem has hopped the pond. Now we are having a lot of reports here about maulings, etc. here in Ireland and the UK. We learned from our neighbors that it is illegal to have your pit bull out in public without a muzzle. (There is a whole list of dogs who must be muzzled, including Akitas (sorry, Mischa--neighbor's dog) and German Shepherds (poor Tex!). But no one seems to obey these rules, nor the law against dog fouling. It's like a $200 fine if you are caught letting your pooch poop in public! But our neighbors walk Mischa daily and have yet to see the dog patrol. I don't know that I will take my chances. . .

So what adventures await us this weekend? John is round-tripping to Houston in four days for Brian's wedding, and I am hanging out with some of the expat women here. It's sooooo nice to do a girls' night out!!!

Well, I know this is not my most interesting post, but it's what's going on over here!! Taking a look at the forecast for the Houston area, it looks like you all are having an Irish kind of day--lows in the 40s, highs in the 50s with clouds and rain! They tell us that January and February are the worst months weather-wise, so we are bracing ourselves and getting ready for March!

Oh, and one last note: The Frenchman in Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby is the man who is Borat. This is all very funny! If you have not seen the movie yet, I totally recommend seeing it. The children are heathens, but they are soooo funny!!!

Finally (really this time): I have created three different sites for photos and have links to the right. I am trying to see which one is easiest and show the best pictures for when we have the baby. Please check them out to see which one works best. I would love feedback!!! Thanks!