Monday Meanderings - 6.8.2015

Weather-wise, we are drying out after our week or so of tumultuous weather. The tree service finally got around to sending a crew to deal with the mess in the back yard. I have had so many broken limbs this past year the guy in charge said that I was getting the "Frequent Flyer" discount. It took the crew the better part of two days to get everything sawed down, loaded up and carried off. One guy did most of the sawing, two guys hauled it all out to the trailer and one guy sat in the truck all day, Not sure what his role was, but I want his job.

In the aftermath I noticed that a still-standing tree has a big split down the side. There is no evidence of a limb coming down and peeling this 6-foot scar; I'm assuming it is the result of a lightning strike. I was watching the Weatherbug "Spark" app during the storm and noted that one strike was measured at 0.0 miles from our GPS location! Several friends have mentioned that they had direct hits; most resulted in fried TVs and cable boxes. One local girl was hospitalized from a strike while she was indoors. Seems that was the moment she chose to open the refrigerator door.

Austin received another "best place" accolade. It seems we are the 6th most well-read city in the nation. Amazon compiles this list annually based on purchases of print books and ebook downloads. I have every confidence that our family alone is responsible for the lion's share of Austin's count. In fact, I might should read the entire list; it wouldn't surprise me to find "Anderson household" nestled in there between Akron, Ohio and Tallahassee, Florida.

Keeping Austin Weird: There is an Olympics Heights subdivision in Austin, where the streets are named for Olympic champions. Among the names you will find Jesse Owens Drive, Wilma Rudolph Road and... Bruce Jenner Lane. Now all the residents are wondering if they will have to change their street address.

The 2015 Women's World Cup began this past weekend. I pulled the recliner around in front of the TV and pushed the refrigerator into the living room. Haven't solved the bathroom problem yet; Barb has resisted all my suggestions thus far, even though she knows that there are no commercials during the games. Four games down and 48 to go - US meets Australia tonight. I'm in my happy place; you may not hear from me again until July 6.