Roadrunner Question

Glen Rose, Texas

Weather: low 60 degrees, high 75 degrees, mostly cloudy skies, windy

Carolyn went shopping with Denise in Corsicana today. They were looking for some deals on pants and tops, and it looks as though they found what they were looking for. They left by 0830 hours, and as soon as they left, I went for my morning walk. I can tell the weather is starting to warm up because I have been taking a light jacket off before the walk is finished.

I saw the neighborhood roadrunner this morning. He (or she) seems to be getting used to me, allowing me to get within 10 feet or so before running away. This brings up a question - how do you know whether a roadrunner is a male or female? In most bird species, the male is usually bigger or more colorful. I have seen pairs of roadrunners before, and both of them look the same to me.

I took care of some chores when I got back from my walk, including going to Glen Rose to the Dollar General Store. We try to keep from making daily trips to buy stuff, but sometimes we forget something we need, or the need arises. Anyway, it was quiet with Carolyn gone, so I got out for a little while.

I've been following the progress of the so called stimulus package through Congress. Our sympathies go out to all who have lost their jobs or can't find a job. It is never easy to be unemployed and want to work. What bothers me in the politics of what is going on with the stimulus package is that we are being treated to a daily dose of doom and gloom that is not characteristic of the way our country has always faced adversity. We're being told that if the package is not passed as presented or delayed while the necessary debate and changes take place, we will face catastrophic consequences. On top of that, little of the package actually creates jobs. Instead, most of it appears to be old fashioned pork.

Whatever happened to allowing our free market, capitalist economy operate the way it has in the past? That's not to say that the shady practices of the past 15 years or so should continue. Neither should the lending practices of allowing people to have loans to buy houses or cars when it was blatantly obvious that they would not be able to pay them back. Now we have the opposite problem where hardly anyone can get a loan. What a mess we have gotten into.

Okay, off the soapbox.

About 2000 hours, we had a strong thunderstorm with winds up to 70 miles per hour pass through our area. We knew the rain was coming because we were watching it on the computer and television, but the suddenness and strength of it when it struck was surprising. The rain and wind lasted about 30 minutes, and then stopped all at once. This system is part of the one that produced tornadoes in Oklahoma earlier today.

More later, be safe.

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