A Quiet Day and Texas Wildlife

I'm new at this sort of journaling, so I hope you will understand while I get the hang of this. We don't always have exciting events to report. Some days are just regular days. Our general routine is that we get up anywhere from 6:30 to 8:00 a.m. We enjoy fresh-ground coffee, so I hit the button on the grinder/brewer and head back for a few more minutes of shut-eye while the machine does its thing. As soon as I've had a few sips of that first cup of fresh coffee, I take the dogs, Mr. Bo Jangles and Jasmine, out for the first walk of the day. I'm trying to get back to walking at least 30 minutes every morning. Sometimes that is a challenge, depending on where we are.

After our coffee routine, we plan out the day. We enjoy going out and seeing the sights in the areas we visit. Cities, small towns, country settings, we like them all, so I will be describing a variety of places. If it's a travel day, the day's start is pretty much the same, but after coffee, the "pre-flight" activities begin. Did I mention we don't like to be out and about much on weekends? Since that's when many of the working people do their errands and activities, we find it more relaxing to do most of our "at home" tasks on those days. We also try to arrange our travel during the week.

Yesterday we scouted Boerne to find the local Wal*Mart, after I'd planned several meals. Over the past few months our focus has been elsewhere, so we haven't been doing much cooking at home. Now it is time to get back to a more healty routine, so I've planned a few meals to fix here.

I made the salad and potatoes while Jim grilled pork chops. He uses a "Smokey Joe" charcoal grill -- we don't even have a gas grill anymore. This little grill is a gem. We have a variety of wood chips that we like to add, this time we had apple. A few minutes before he lights the grill, Jim puts about a cup of chips in a container of water to begin soaking. When the coals are about ready, he adds the chips. That way whatever he's cooking gets a nice, infused flavor.

After our meal, I worked on the journal while Jim watched college football. Later on we decided to get out and take a drive. On our trip to town for groceries, Jim noticed some large deer that appeared to be in a fenced area and he wanted to see if he could get a picture of them. Well, here's what was in the enclosure when we went back.

Hmmm....that was a surprise...I think I will try to find out more about this place!

Today is Jim's daughter's birthday. Robin lives in Colorado Springs with her 9 year old son. Happy Birthday Robin! We wish you a very happy day!