The Canals at Valley Ranch

There's a restaurant directly behind me. You can enjoy delicious (I'm hoping) Italian food while you sit near their floor to ceiling windows that overlook the canal.

The weather has finally cooled off enough that I can venture outside without fear of drowning in my own sweat. That 10 degrees makes a pretty significant difference for me, but the ChiChis are still hating the heat.

I decided to explore the canals in my neighborhood. Apparently there are about 5 miles of them that wind around luxuries homes and not so luxuries apartment buildings. I barely covered about a half mile because my boys simply stopped moving at a certain point and dropped to the ground.  I had brought plenty of water for them, and they drank it, but then they still looked like this:

I let them rest for about 15 minutes, but even then, I had to carry Miles back to the car. Next time I go, I'll make sure that it's on a very cool day so that I can show you more of the canals. For now, I have these pictures. What I couldn't get pictures of were the many turtles that hang out on the rocks. As soon as we'd approach, they'd plop into the water like a bunch of giant, green, slimy ice cubes dropping into a green smoothie.

Most of the houses have back porches that open directly onto the canals. There were lots of chairs and tables out and I imagined the people who live there hanging out at night, listening to the sounds of the canal. I don't know if they actually do that.

Miles and Elvis terrorized the ducks. Of course. In their minds, they are mighty warriors.

How can you not love a face like that?

A Month and a Half - in Ten Words or Less!

OK, not really. I'm going to use a lot more than ten words, but I needed a catchy title.

Many of you have been asking me what I'm up to. I have mostly been very busy with minutiae, and there is just too much to write about. From this point forward, I will be posting about the cool things I'll be doing!

This is how I've been feeling for the last couple of months.

Since my last post, a million things have happened.  My mom bought a house, moved in and started fixing things right away. That was very time and energy consuming for me, but I was happy to help because she is over the moon about her new place. Pretty much right after I got her settled in, it was time for me to move into my apartment, and the effort nearly took me out of commission. I'll skip the boring details, but let's just say that I'm glad that all the moving is done for now.  I'll probably move again when my lease is up, just because I picked this place before I really got to know the city, and it's a little more suburban than I would have liked. It's a very nice neighborhood, nonetheless.

New stuff: I started teaching at a music school, was offered a music director job at a very cool church, which I happily accepted, found the perfect dance school where I can take classes that keep me happy, healthy and sane, and I'm starting to make great friends. Also, I found some awesome Asian supermarkets where I became acquainted with a fruit called jack fruit. If you've never seen it, stay tuned, because I'll be posting pictures of it soon. Anyway, that about sums up the last few weeks. 

And now, here are some random pictures:

There's a really cool resale store near my mom's house. We've found all kinds of treasures there, like these impressive chairs, which came with a round dining table that my mom bought. I'm pretty sure it used to belong to King Arthur. I have proof. I found the letters SL carved into the armrest of one of the chairs. Boom! So, anyway, as soon as the chairs were delivered, Dolce jumped up and struck this pose. I think she's channeling De Niro.

I will never get tired of the Texas sky. Get out of here, Texas sky, you are just too fabulous!

A corner of my mom's garden after a summer rainstorm.

I think someone's had their face buried in the greek yogurt jar. I'm not saying who. But his name starts with the letter Vito.

We found a really great Thai restaurant that serves soup so good, I have to use every ounce of my self control to keep myself from licking the bowl. I think I'll get it to go next time so I can go to town on that bowl away from the curious looks of strangers. Mind your own businesses, restaurant patrons!

This is what Elvis does while I'm teaching on Skype. It's too much cuteness for one dog, but he's pretty humble about it. Most of the time.

These adorable lizards are everywhere. They move by sashaying side to side. Their skin is somewhat transparent, as you can sort of see their insides. I found this tiny guy in the house, and he was injured beyond help. You can see the gash on his neck. RIP beautiful baby lizard.

I'm Dallas Doll, and I approve this message!

I saw this plaque at Target. I didn't buy it, though, because I already have way too much stuff. So I just took a picture of it.

No matter where they sit, or how much room there actually is to stretch out, Miles and Elvis stick together. They're BFFs.

See?

Believe it or not, they are both comfortable like this.

My mom's house. That's Don's car in front.

This is the pool at my mom's housing community. It's gigantic.

Rainy parking lot. Home Depot. I have spent a lot of time there since moving to Texas.

So... we only get one hour a day to eat here? And not at all on Mondays? Talk about not letting your work run your life. Well played, restaurant owners. Well played.

Vito has absolutely no problem begging for affection.

I was really missing my friends who are far away. And then I reread a favorite book by Richard Bach and came across this page. I felt better after that.

See you again real soon. Y'all.

I'm Still Here!

Hi everybody! I know I haven't written in almost a month. I promise a new post tomorrow, with all the updates of everything that's been happening since my last post. (Hint: It's A LOT!)

Anyway, don't give up on me. I've been ridiculously busy getting my mom settled into her new house (where it seems like everything decided to break down the minute we moved in), starting two new jobs and getting myself ready for my own move.

Ok, so please check back in a couple of days if you want to read the saga of the past month.

P.S. I've caught myself saying, "Yes ma'am" a couple of times. So. Your predictions came true. You know who you are.

Texas Postcards #1

Hi everyone! We went for a walk in the rain and I took some pictures. Here's some old-timey mood music to listen to while you scroll through my postcards from Texas. Click play and enjoy.

 

Just out of the blue, it started to rain the other day. We loved it. Miles, on the other hand, did not love it. He just sat on the couch and stared out the window. Maybe the raindrops were bringing up some painful memories of a lost bone or something. I don't know. I asked him about it, but he refused to talk. I guess we all have our secrets.

The sunflowers were a little worse for wear after the winds played with them. But, I didn't mind. And neither did they, I think.

We walked over this bridge and I had my mom hold the umbrella over me so my phone wouldn't get wet. I have a thing for bridges.

This is what I saw when I looked off the side of the bridge:

Before I came to Dallas, I pictured it in shades of yellow and brown. I was wrong.

This is a historical house down the block from where we live. The people who currently live there put up a plaque by the white picket fence, telling about the house. It's more than a hundred years old. The house, not the plaque. I would have taken a picture of the plaque, but there were people milling about the front yard and I didn't want to seem like a creepy stalker.

A different view of the same house. I also have a thing for old buildings. I imagine all the stories that were lived out in them.

This is another old house right across the street from the first one.

This one, I did get a picture of the plaque. I just had to because the information was so cool. In that neighborhood, I'm probably now known as the crazy lady who takes pictures in the rain. I can live with that.

A couple of miles from our house, there's a frozen custard place that we always see when we're driving around on our errands. And, every time, we say, "What's frozen custard? We should go check it out." So, on this day, we walked to it.

I'd never had frozen custard before, but I just knew that it would be good. And I was right. People, hear me. If you ever have the opportunity to indulge in this gift from the creamy sugar gods, do not hesitate. Dive right in and ask questions later. The menu was extensive and I only had $8 in my pocket, but the sweet young lady behind the counter made it work for us. Mom got a small cup of the chocolate/vanilla combo, and I made my own (not very creative, but divinely delicious) combo: vanilla/chocolate custard, fresh strawberries and hot fudge, crowned with frothy whipped cream and sprinkled with the salty crunch of peanuts. As you can see, my giganto treat dwarfs my mom's reasonably sized dessert. Next time, I'm getting a small.

If you've spent any time with my mom, you know that she doesn't eat junk food. None. Zero. I think that she has a secret plan to outlive everyone born in the 20th century.  And she kept protesting that she really didn't want any frozen custard. But, you know what? She ate that sucker up FAST! You can see how deeply she was traumatized by the experience.

Hope you enjoyed coming along on our little outing. See you next time!

Getting Settled

I am obsessed with the Texan sky! It is forever changing and it fascinates me to no end.

I got a job!

I was driving down one of the main streets here and I saw a sign for a music school. So, I naturally committed a couple of traffic crimes (dear law enforcement officer - just kidding, I never commit triffic crimes, I swear), pulled into the parking lot and ran in. Then I realized that I was inappropriately dressed in a rumpled mini skirt and t-shirt that had its better days behind it. Way behind. But it was too late to back out, so I just decided to go for it and let the cookie crumble as it may. Long story short, I sent in my resume, had a meeting/interview and was hired. Yayy! I've also applied for a couple of other things, and I'll keep you posted on those as developments arise.

We took a walk in the park and found this serene lake. The mosquitos that feasted on our flesh? Not so serene. 

My mom found the perfect house!

It's within walking distance from her friend Don. (Those of you who know who he is know that they are inseparable. If you don't know Don, don't worry about it.) We are in fervent negotiations with the current owner, who is trying to renege on a repair that was promised upon the offering of the house. Fortunately, we have the best real estate agents ever to walk the earth (seriously, these two precious people have repeatedly gone above and beyond the call of duty), so I'm sure it will all work out. Once we have the keys, I'll post pictures. Keep your fingers crossed for a speedy and positive outcome!

Here's another view of the park, just in case you are like me and love to see water and trees.

I found an apartment!

I talked to many people about all the different areas of Dallas (this city is HUGE!) that might hold possibilities for me, did some googling, a lot of driving, and I found an apartment complex in a lovely area that was reasonably priced (for what it offered - definitely not cheap, though by LA standards, it's a steal). I've passed all the checks and balances that the paper pushers need to complete and am told that I have the apartment. There's just one technicality. They need some written confirmation from my previous home manager that I really am as perfect as I seem. The problem? He is practically impossible to understand, especially over the phone. You see, he moved to the States from Scotland sometime around 1857, give or take a year, but still manages to sound like a drunk William Wallace. (If you're seeing a big question mark here, William Wallace = Mel Gibson as Braveheart.) Anyway, he's got a very thick accent. So, when the Dallas leasing ladies call him, they can't understand a word he's saying and, apparently, have been getting his email address wrong. He, in turn, thinks that he has done everything he can to be cooperative and that the ladies are simply not doing their job. ANYWAAAAYYYY - I stepped in to play the role of the goodwill ambassador between the two worlds and in the next couple of days, all the kinks should be worked out. I will be moving in mid-August and will then post pictures and tell you more about the neighborhood.

We found this restaurant while walking around Frisco. It smelled good! But, we didn't go in. I don't know why, don't ask me. That chicken on top goes around and around.

Yes, it is hot here!

Ok, there's no way around it. It's hot. And humid. But, you know what? We are definitely loving the humidity. Who would have thought? It's a lot easier for me to breathe this air than the dry air in LA and it just feels softer on the skin. Everywhere we go, there's air conditioning, so it's really not uncomfortable at all. And, when I walk the dogs at 10 pm and my iPhone tells me that it's ninety-something degrees, I love it. It feels like I'm vacationing in the tropics. To each her own.

The heat makes it possible for us to swim late into the night. It's heavenly.

We are still living out of boxes. 

Because we haven't yet moved into our own homes, we can't unpack. This makes it really hard to function and do work (I'm still teaching via Skype and doing some other stuff) and have a life (not to mention, keep the house neat, which I've just given up on at this point) when the things you need are not only unavailable, but completely hidden away in boxes that all look alike. So, I've decided that what I need to do is unpack everything, organize and re-pack. Definitely not looking forward to that, but the alternative is even less appealing.

This is our street, for now.

 People are very pleasant here.

I know, I know, I've written about that before, but it bears repeating. I'm just floored by how people go out of their way to be kind. I had a phone conversation with an insurance agent in Simi Valley yesterday, and the difference in manner and attitude was jarring. I guess it didn't take long for me to get acclimated to people being gracious, and that phone call was an unpleasant reminder of a different kind of life.

Remember when I said that I was obsessed with the sky? 

Rabbits!

The bunnies roam my neighborhood like they own the streets. I think they're adorable! My neighbor does not think they are adorable. He is angry at them because they tear up his yard. A baby bunny ran into our garage the other night and I fell in love with him (her? how can you tell?). I wanted to pick it up so badly! It would have definitely fit into the palm of my hand, it was that tiny. But, I didn't know off the top of my head whether or not rabbits carry disease, so I decided to be content with just snapping a few pics. Then, I kind of shoo'd it so it would run back out into the night, because it gets stifling hot in the garage and I didn't want it to die.

Tiny bunny!

Well, that's it for now. I'm looking forward to exploring all the cool things Dallas has going on, and I will definitely share them with you in videos, pictures and words. Let me know if there's anything in particular you want to know about or see. 

And now, for the gratuitous chihuahua pics: (you knew these were coming, right?)

Elvis wonders when we're going home.

Vito longs for his next treat.

Miles practices being adorable. (Miles haters - you hush. You just haven't yet learned to appreciate him in all his complicated glory.)

Dolce suffers. As usual.