What an August we have been having here in north Texas! My memory tells me that August is usually unbearably hot and it’s so dry that even the weeds don’t grow. Not this year; we have had a hard time keeping the grass mowed! I really don’t know if it has been a record setting month, but it feels like it should be. We have had plenty of hot, but we have also had plenty of rain. The National Weather Service says that Sherman received nearly six and a half inches of rain between yesterday afternoon and this morning. Our rain gauge, which measures up to five inches, was completely full, so I cannot really say if that was all we received at our house. The winner, if you want to look at it that way, was Knollwood, a small community on the northern edge of Sherman, with over 9 inches of rain in the same time period. Facebook seems to be filled with photos and reposts of newscasts covering the flash flooding in the area last night. My heart goes out to all of those who were displaced by flooding. The news said that there were 25 high water rescues last night. I am relieved that there were no reported drownings. The only photo I am going to post is from Hagerman Wildlife Refuge, where the roads were still impassable this morning.
At least the egrets seem to be enjoying it
This has not been our only rain this month and Oklahoma has reportedly received more rain than Texas, so it is not surprising to see the water up at Lake Texoma.
We have also had some beautiful weather. Last weekend we decided to take a jaunt over to Terrell, Texas. We were on a mission to buy some peaches. Ham Orchards, just outside of Terrell, has a complete Farm Market Store. They are not a pick yourself orchard, which is fine with me and probably better for them. They know which peaches to pick when and I’m sure the trees sustain less damage than if the general public were turned loose to do their own peach picking. I have to say that it was quite an experience. We arrived shortly after opening time and there must have been fifty people already there! We bought a couple of jars of jams, which we have not yet tried, had some of their famous soft serve peach ice cream, which is worth the trip itself, and brought home a few bags of peaches. Some of the best peaches I think I’ve ever eaten. For those who are interested, they are open mid-May through mid-August, 9am-5pm, every day but Sunday. You can find their web page at hamorchard.com and you can find them on FaceBook. Unfortunately it is too late to go this year as yesterday was their last day, but I would encourage anyone in the area who likes peaches to put them on your list of things to do next year.
It tasted even better than it looks!
I am expecting a quiet few weeks coming up. We are planning a trip to New York City in October as a delayed celebration of my September birthday. It will be our first trip where we actually stay in the city and do something. We have driven through part of NYC and we have had a plane swap at the airport, but we have never stayed there. One of my bucket list items is to visit the Statue of Liberty. I used to imagine that my ancestors came through there, and perhaps a few did, but most came to this country long before it became a country, so that is clearly not the case. Despite that, I love the symbolism of it and the message that it sends. We would not be who we are were it not for the great melting pot of a country that we are. The current politics around immigration make the message even more poignant. All that said, I am sure that Al and I will find some little ways to entertain ourselves or to be creative. I shall try not to be so long between posts, but will also try not to bore you too much if we don’t.
My final comments are a repeat for those of you who are my friends on FaceBook. It was about a week and a half ago when I was staying in Dallas. It had rained off and on all day and the weather had finally cleared. The sun was shining, the weather app said the rain had moved on and that there was little to no chance of any further rains. On that basis, I decided to walk to The Container Store, approximately a mile from the hotel. I figured the exercise would feel good and I would rather be out of doors than in, so it was not a hard sell. All was well until I had made my purchase and left the store. The sun was now nowhere to be seen and the sky was ominously dark again. Still, what was I going to do but start the walk back towards the hotel. I was several blocks along when it started to sprinkle. It did not seem like it was going to last too long, so I took shelter under a tree. Then it started to sprinkle harder and was turning to rain. Finally, I decided that it didn’t matter which direction I went, back towards the stores or towards the hotel, I was going to be soaked because I had foolishly left my umbrella in my hotel room. I had not gone far when to my surprise a woman pulled up and offered me a ride to my destination. She had passed me earlier and when it had started to rain in earnest she had felt badly for me and felt called to come back for me and give me a ride. I do not have to tell you that I was filled with gratitude, for even on a warm summer day a downpour can quickly leave one chilled once soaked. It was such an unexpected act of kindness that I am still moved by it and hope that in some small way I can pay it forward by coming to someone else’s aid when needed. It is not important to the story to know that she was Asian and that English was clearly her second language. It is important to the context of approaching all people with love and and open mind. I am certainly glad that she did so for me.
Wishing you all random acts of kindness in the weeks to come. Pass it on.
Finding My Voice 