Monday Meandering - 3.14.2011

Oh great! They're messing with the clocks again. "To make the day longer,: they say. No, the day is still exactly 24 hours long. "Well, the daylight then." No, the daylight is within a fraction of what it was yesterday and will be tomorrow. What is it with you people! Rant, Snarf, Gripe, Whine! Here's what I really think of it all.

The Zilker Kite Festival more nearly resembled the Capitol 10K last week. No wind, so all the would-be kite-flyers were running from one end of Zilker to the other, hoping to achieve lift-off.

It's Springtime in Austin. The Redbuds are showing off against the white Bradford Pear background; pale greens take the place of winter browns in trees and lawns and tourists are popping up everywhere. Between SXSW, the Rodeo and UIL basketball playoffs, we have more than 150,000 temporary residents. They're hard to avoid, but we love what they leave behind. Money. SXSW alone drops about $135 million into the kitty.

No Bluebonnets yet. I saw a meager handful of Indian Paintbrush blooms on the trip to the coast, but the dry winter has delayed the Bluebonnets, and those in the know say it will be a lackluster season this year.

They found a 12-foot alligator in Wilbarger Creek between Elgin and Bastrop the other day. Twelve feet? No more "down by the creek" for me.

Well, the yah-yahing between the NFL team owners and the players has escalated to the point where I fear for the Fall season. Two words express my feelings. AVARICE AND HUBRIS!