Friday, September 11, 2009

Here comes the rain!

A sight we haven't seen here in Austin for an eternity...


The rain showed up a few days ago. Not a cute little sprinkle, oh no. No, you know what they say... everything's bigger in Texas. Our weather is always ridiculously dramatic.


We went from roasting in one of the worst droughts, at some of the hottest temperatures I can remember, to downright flooded in a matter of hours.

Yesterday and today I had the misfortune to be on the highway during the afternoon downpours. Of course, I was NOT taking pictures with my cell phone then--I was trying to see the road! The rain came down so hard, all I could see was gray, and the occasional red light of someone braking ahead of me.

But I did take some shots while Byrd was driving, a few days before. This drive was 13 minutes long. We started on dry road... then about three minutes into it--here's what started:

Five minutes later Byrd had the wipers going full speed and we still couldn't see.

And three minutes up the road, it was dry as a bone again.

That's Texas weather for ya!

Most of our area got a mega-downpour today, not the spotty drenchings of the past few days. We needed the rain, but the downside is that the dirt that was our backyard (our grass being dead and all) is now MUD.

So we're all trapped inside the house--still! Over the summer, the heat kept us in. Now, we're trying to avoid the rain and the mud.

I think Star is going to go bonkers. I haven't taken her on a walk in weeks; agility class keeps getting canceled due to weather; and no trips to the pet store, as I try to save some money. She has developed this weird habit of chasing shadows.

Here's what I mean. I swear to you--THERE WAS NOTHING THERE.



She does this every night, too. It's a little creepy to see her standing there staring at the wall, or stomping on some invisible insect, or wedging herself into a corner to poke at the carpet. Although I will admit she found--and smashed--a little house gecko this way once. :(

Take me on a walk... pleeeease... I'm SO BORED!

6 comments:

Raising Addie said...

WOW that video was creepy... creepy like the last scene in the Blair Witch Project, until Star started moving.

This rain is driving us crazy too!! At least you can dry your pups easily. There is no hope for Addie when she gets muddy, she MUST have a bath. I imagine she will need one tomorrow.

Have you tried that indoor dog park? It's probably closer to you than us.

There is a pet event tomorrow in McKinney, Pet Fest 2009. This rain is not going to make for a fun event. :(

Good Luck and hope the pups don't get too dirty!

Anonymous said...

Poor Star, I know what you mean. I am finally getting to walk Daisy these last couple of weeks, and she is out of control from not being walked for so long. Today was our first good day. Hey do you think she might hear a mousie under the house or perhaps termites or something? Their hearing is so keen, it seems like she is listening to something...

The Oceanside Animals said...

I wouldn't worry too much about what Star might be looking for, unless the chairs start sliding around on their own, like in "Poltergeist" ...

Luda said...

Glad to hear that you finally got some rain down there in Texus. We saw a news story on the water level in Lake Travis recently and could not believe how low it is.

I try to walk Luda 2 miles every day, and if we miss a day he drives me crazy. Tomorrow we begin Home Basics 2 doggie class. Luda will have 4 classmates - a Neopolitan Mastiff, an Am Staff, a Soft Coated Wheaton Terrier and a Red Siberian Husky. Should be an interesting mix.

Still waiting for the unveiling of the "new and improved" animal ordinance here in Elgin, IL, and I am worried that it will incorporate BSL. One of the city council members is my neighbor and he assures me it won't be BSL but I'm not so sure. The other city councilman who responds to my input says what he is supporting is something that responsible pit bull owners will support because it initially addresses irresponsible pit bull owners. Why not address irresponsible DOG owners? According to Elgin's sole animal control officer, 20% (71) of the animal bites between 2006 and 8/31/09 are attributed to pit bull type dogs. How many are the result of misidentifications? What about the other 289 bites?

I know I'm preaching to the choir here. I'm getting a crash course in advocacy and feel like I'm beating my head against the wall. Council member Prigge wonders why more responsible owners don't speak out about the effect that irresponsible owners have on them and their dogs. I feel that we aren't listened to with a critical ear because we are those people who own those dogs. I also feel like the few of us who are speaking out are putting targets on our foreheads and will be some of the first visited by animal control if BSL prevails. I am trying to keep some faith that common sense will prevail.

Luda said...

Yes, I know Texas is not spelled Texus. I was originally trying to be cute and spelled it Texsus like my dog would. When I went back to correct, I messed up. The perfectionist in me is crawling out of my skin!

Woodrow, Luna, MJ Campanella said...

poor star - hope you have walkies weather very soon

Woodrow - Sweetie - MJ