Too hot

The forecast high for today is 104F. That's too damn hot. Yesterday it was 103. I was going to load Kate into the bike trailer after her nap to go to the pool downtown (the one across the street is closed on Mondays) but it's too hot to have her in the trailer for 30 minutes each way. Sigh. I guess we're staying inside this afternoon.

But, as usual, we're looking forward to the tropical storm in the gulf. That's the difference between Austin and the coast. To them the storms are dangerous. To us, they are much needed rain.

A tragedy

Of dachshund proportions.

Today we went to watch the Weiner Dog Races in Buda. It was amazing. More than 600 dogs were registered to race and there were little dogs everywhere. It was a sight to see.

We watched about 10 or 12 heats, each one with seven dogs. When they opened the gates, a few dogs would come charging out, leading the others to chase, but often one dog would get distracted by all the noise and just mill around near the start line, requiring an official to pick him up and take him close enough to the finish line to see his owner. Usually from there he could have a glorious finish.

As great as watching those little legs run was watching the antics of the owners trying to convince their dogs to run run run. They had squeaky toys, treats, the whole deal.

The tragedy? I forgot the camera.

Global Warming?*

It's snowing here in Austin. Yep, real snow falling from the sky. It's making a thin white layer on top of the ice layer. It's a ghost town out there.

*I hate it when people use a local cold snap as evidence against global warning. Are they still in denial? If so, they should watch this movie.

WINTER STORM WARNING!!!

"Crippling ice storm is expected"
"Giant ice storm on way, officials warn"
"Worst may be yet to come"

Apparently, there is a possible ice storm headed this way. The above quotes are headlines from various news websites warning of the dire, dangerous weather on the way. Looking at the radar and weather maps, it looks to me like it's going to miss Austin, but I'm not a meteorologist or a headline writer. Nor am I running out to buy BOTTLED WATER OR CANNED FOOD. Yes, that's right. People here in Austin are apparently stocking up on these essentials in case the ice storm hits.

Maybe I'm mistaken about the impeding doom, but in all the years of ice storms in Canada, we never lost water service. Has anyone ever lost water service due to a winter storm? Hurricanes, tornados or earthquakes, yes. But an ice storm? And canned food? How long do they think they are going to be holed up in their houses? Weeks? We have refrigerators; the food will not spoil in a day. And if we lose power, it's COLD OUTSIDE. Use your backyard as a fridge.

God, Texans.