The Holidays, They Are A-Comin'

Today, I helped put up the Christmas lights outside on the bushes. Now, for a midwesterner this usually means going out in the chilly weather and dealing with tangled lights (a.k.a. "those damn lights") being strewn onto big, old bushes.

What do Christmas lights on the bushes look like in Texas? I thought you might ask, so here is a photo I took today:

As you can see, the flowers are mostly still in bloom here. Putting the lights on the rose bushes was an interesting feat, and I now have the scratched up hands and arms to prove it. I really can't complain; putting up the lights in seventy-five degree weather was great, and, a good excuse to get outside for awhile.

It also gets me into the holiday mood. Now with the lights up, it is starting to sink in that Christmas is just a month away. That's okay; it's my favorite time of the year! 

— E

Only in Texas...

Would you be putting up the Christmas lights outside, and hear the ice cream truck coming down the street.

— E

An Ode to Texas Weather

It's November, and the first chills of winter are finally being felt. In Chicago, that means temperatures in the forties. But, here in Texas, that means that weather in the fifties is cold.

Cold? Somehow for me temperatures in the fifties and cold do not correlate. Now, twenties, yes. Anything thirty and below I would consider cold. But, fifties? That is very hard for this midwest girl to comprehend. People walking around in coats and parkas when it is fifty is even more mind boggling. This is sweater weather, no coats needed.

That being said, I LOVE that the winter here typically stays above forty. Heck, when I visited here in February a few years ago it was in the seventies. Seventy, in February! Going back home to freezing weather (for two more months) was very depressing to say the least.

Plus, the fact that snow is pretty rare around here is a wonderful thought. I may miss it around Christmas, but believe me, I won't miss driving around in it or shoveling it. Snow as a novelty? I'll take it!

Yes, autumn in Texas has been very nice, and I sure am looking forward to the winter months. I hope there is at least one time when I get to call home and say, "Snow? Only eight degrees? Well, it's a high of fifty here today..." Ah, yes. That will be fun, indeed.

— E

What Kind of Texas Cattle Goes, "Beeeeep, Beeeeep?"

"The Texas Longhorn made more history than any other breed of cattle the
civilized world has known... he will remain the bedrock on which the history
of the cow country of America is founded."

— J. Frank Dobie, The Longhorns

Photo Courtesy of Dickinson Cattle Co.

One of the things that is distinctly Texan is the Texas Longhorn.

According to the Texas Longhorn Breeders Association of America, Texas Longhorn Cattle began their history in America when Christopher Columbus brought Spanish herds to Santa Dominga in 1493. In 1690, the first herd was driven from Mexico, and after the American Civil War these hearty cattle became money in the pocket of many men returning from war: the cowboys. By the turn of the century, however, the breed had been driven near extinction. In the 1920's, the Federal Government provided funds to preserve a herd of Longhorns in a wildlife refuge in Oklahoma. In 1964, the Texas Longhorn Breeders Association of America was formed to "recognize the Texas Longhorn and its link with American history, to promote awareness of Texas Longhorn cattle, to recognize present breeders, to encourage others to develop and maintain herds and to preserve for posterity this magnificent breed of cattle."

These animals are one of the prides of Texas.  You see Longhorn paraphernalia everywhere, especially in the Stockyards (hmmm, I wonder why?).  Heck, they even name football teams after them!

Here are a few photos I have snapped of them during the Fort Worth Herd Cattle Drive:

Just another one of those unique, historical links that makes Texas so interesting to me.  I recently decided that I should combine my interests in history, all things vintage and Texas into a new hobby... collecting cowboy ephemera.  I love antiquing, and now this will give me something special to search for when I do get out to some stores.  Any finds I discover will be shared here, of course!

— E

From the Horse's Mouth

"Ask me to show you poetry in motion, and I will show you a horse." 
— Anonymous

There isn't a time in my life that I remember not loving animals.  All animals.  Well, biting and over-sized insects can take a hike, but other than that...

When I was little, I went through a phase when I loved horses.  I guess a lot of little girls must do that.  I mean, where else would people get the notion that every little girl wants a pony?

Anyway, at that time my favorite horses were Appaloosas.  They are very pretty horses, and characteristically have a spotted coat.  Plus, I'm pretty sure I just liked the word appaloosa.

I also loved Arabian horses.  There is just something so majestic about them.

As I grew up I grew out of my horse phase.  However, moving into horse country has re-ignited my interest in horses.  They really are gorgeous, powerful creatures.  A new breed I have recently learned about is the Gypsy Vanner.

The breed originated in the UK and Ireland, and they are just breathtakingly beautiful.

 

I have never been horseback riding, but I think it would be a really fun experience to do one of these days.  Being in a place where horses are so deeply rooted in its history makes this a perfect opportunity to finally get on one of these awesome animals.

— E

What I Love About Texas, Part 1

It has been a few months now since I moved to Texas.  As I mentioned previously, I have discovered a lot about southern living that has reminded me what a city Yankee I am.  Yet, some of those things make up what I love about Texas...

The glamorous Southwest,
Hollywood-style.

• I love living in a state with so much neat history.  I mean, cowboys people!  Who doesn't love cowboys?  The Europeans do; they think all Americans are crazy cowboys.
• The food!  Biscuits and gravy, cornbread, brisket, barbecue, steak, Tex-Mex, fried everything.  Mmm...
• The accents.  They range from barley-there-southern to full out drawl.  I love it because it is still a novelty for me.
• The state pride is overwhelming sometimes.  People are just really, really proud to be from this state.
• Fort Worth.  Now, I really haven't been anywhere outside of the general Fort Worth area, yet, but it is a pretty cool city.  There is a lot to do, and close by!  This is very exciting to me after living in a small town hundreds of miles from a real city.  I have enjoyed going to the Science Museum, Stockyards, Casa Mañana Theatre, and numerous, delicious restaurants.
• The culture.  It is hard to explain, but things are just different around here.  It is nice to meet people who still understand the foundations our country were founded upon.  People seem to have morals; men still open the doors for ladies and the ladies don't get mad about it; like I said, a strong sense of history.  Perhaps I'll be able to put it into words a little better someday.

Those are the things I can think of this morning... that's why it's part one!  I'm positive I will be finding even more to love about this state the longer I am here.  And, of course, things I miss about home.

I definitely am not regretting my decision to move down here, though, and that is the main thing.  Can't wait to see what else I'll be discovering!

— E

Moving on with Southern Style

Let me start at the beginning...

I grew up in the suburbs of Chicago.  Both of my parents grew up there, and this is where a majority of my extended family lived.  It is an amazing city to grow up in; so many fun museums to go to — especially for field trips! — going downtown to see the department store windows decorated for Christmas, driving down the street in the suburbs and seeing the most beautiful skyline even from twenty miles away.  And, being from the Chicago suburbs, I am pretty much a city girl.

When I was eighteen, and college time rolled around, I ended up going to a university located in south-eastern Minnesota.  Yes, Minnesota and Illinois (Chicago) and just a state away.  Yes, Minnesota and Illinois (Chicago) are both in the Midwest.  Yet, they are worlds apart.  I wasn't 100% prepared for the culture shock of small town Minnesota.  I mean, I was just never exposed to hunting, four-wheelers and tractors growing up.  But, that seemed to be all these people had.  And, yes, I am over-generalizing, but that is how it seemed!

At any rate, I ended up spending a grand total of ten years there... I met a boy, after-all.

Finding work in this small town was surprisingly difficult, at first.  I finally found employment at one of the largest employers in town — lucky me!  Over my five years there I was able to move up in the ranks a bit, ending up in a decent position under a wonderful lady I got to call my boss.  But, the company was eating me alive, and the small town was no longer quaint.  While my beau and I were both working, we never seemed to be able to accumulate enough savings for anything, and we were not bad with money.  We needed to get out.