A Early Gift..

The people that brought us the other little kitty decided it was time we adopted another. This time they went to Adopt A Pet here in Victoria and gave us this character yesterday for Christmas.

The shelter called her Addison, since we haven't thought of a better name, I guess that's it.

She is a lovey dovey young cat so far, with some of the most golden eyes I've ever seen on a cat.

When we talked about the last kitten, the person who brought us both of them said, " The last one wouldn't have lived another day by itself on the side of I-45, she had a good, but short life, but her accident has made room for another young cat searching for a home."

I don't think anyone could have said anything more fitting and that meant as much.

South Texas Roadrunner travels

Over the last three months I have been privileged to observe the travels of, I guess I'll call him, the Weesatche roadrunner or Head East, like the 80's band, it fits.

Once a week I travel to the Weesatche Cafe and Hall in my business travels.

About three months ago, I drove up and there was a Roadrunner hanging out in the parking lot, it didn't seem afraid of people or the tomcat that was 20 yards away resting, and not worried about the bird.

Since this was the summertime, and I have been to cheap to fix the AC in my truck, I left my windows down.
I went in the Hall, did my business and commented to the owner Scott about the roadrunner in the parking lot and how the tomcat ignored it.

He told me that the roadrunner had been hanging out for a few weeks, that at first the cat tried it's best to catch it, but failed every time and had given up. I guess the cat was smarter than Wiley Coyote!

I went out to leave, and the roadrunner was in my truck! Unfortunately so was my cell phone with the camera.

I opened my drivers door and the roadrunner jumped in the back seat, extended cab truck, he/she was looking all proud standing there I have to admit.

I walked around to the passenger side, open the front door and the little back door, the roadrunner went to the driver side, so I walked back around to the drivers side and the roadrunner exited my truck.

The next week the roadrunner was in the parking lot, I rolled my windows up. the week after that, no roadrunner in the parking lot.

For the next five weeks, no roadrunner and Scott said he hadn't seen it either.

Three weeks ago when I went to Weesatche, no roadrunner either, but on my way back I saw the roadrunner, about a mile away on FM 884.

The next week I didn't see him, but last Wednesday, there he/she was again, four miles further down the road, almost at the Hwy 183 intersection, heading east.

What a bird, not only did he/she check out my trucks interior, it follows the roads I travel.

On the map is where I have seen the fowl, it's about 6 miles from Weesatche to the Google locater thing.

Could this be the difference of the two new HS.?

A thought occurred to me, I don’t know if I am right or not, but events tend to lean toward the I am right side.

Before the debacle of consolidation of Stroman and VHS was corrected, stories and tales where told about a preference shown to some students over others, be it Football, Baseball, Band or virtually any group at Memorial High.

Now that we have two brand spanking new high schools, a few other schools, a state of the art auditorium and Natatorium coming soon, it seems to me that just maybe all the talk about about a preference being shown just might have been true.

Let’s be honest, most of the preferred students would be the ones from the higher end of Victoria s population. And it seems that a majority of those students ended up at West HS.

West HS received a brand new football coach, and lots of people thought it was the best thing since sliced bread. West also had the honor of having the National Award winning Drill Team instructor as a part of the faculty.

Well, we all know, so far how those selections have turned out.

At East HS, the bad old Memorial football coach was placed and the Drill Team started with a brand new instructor.

All the drama with the West Drill Team, and the better than any one thought results of the East football team point to one conclusion, IMO.

All the Memorial students that had to take a “back seat” to the preferred students are now showing how talented they really where all the time.

Once the “privileged” students moved to a campus where they can continue to be “privileged”, the true talent of the truly talented un privileged students is now reveled.

How my mom and Dad met

I know this won't mean much, except to me, but it is a tale of the way things changed because of WW2.

Before today, all my mom had told me about how her and my dad met had to do with when Patti Welder High School played Bloomington High School in a football game in 1943.

Being a Bloomington girl, she was mad that a Patti Welder player had broken a Bloomington players leg during the game. Understand that Bloomington had all of twelve players on their team, now down to eleven.

She got in my dads face and said, "How could you?", He said , "Hey that's the game."

Anyway, my dad graduated from Patti Welder at the end of the 43 year, and enrolled at Baylor.

He stayed at Baylor for about six months and, much to his moms disapproval, joined the Marines.

He ended up being stationed at Pearl Harbor as a Sargent when the Pacific war ended.

Ok, back to how my mom and dad really got together....

My dad came back to Victoria and drove to Bloomington one day, to look for a girl he use to know. He couldn't find her.

He saw my mom and stopped his car and asked her if she knew Annabelle, ( yeah I asked my mom if her name was Annabelle Lee, the Edgar Allen Poe one.)

Anyway, my mom tells him yeah, she is married and has a baby. Then he asks my mom if she wants to go get a coke.

51 years of marriage, four sons,eight grandchildren and four great grandchildren, here we are.

What a strange twist of fate, if I say so myself.

Are pet's worth the heartache? Yeah they are, but it still hurts

I write this blog tonight with sorrow in my heart.

Captain Hook, the dog on my avatar, we had to put down, we knew it was time.

About three weeks ago a friend of the family called and said that they had found a little kitten of off I-45 in Pasadena and would we like it. We said yes, so we now had Sissy cat, a half Siamese blue eyed cute little kitten.

The first name we thought about was Dena, for Pasadena, but we decided on Sissy, you know the name of Travolta s girlfriend in Urban Cowboy which was filmed in Pasadena.

The little cat was a character. She loved to play with anything, from a crumpled up piece of newspaper to empty pill bottles.

In the living room we had one of the big Japanese fishing floats, ( the big glass ones with a net around them), setting on a table.

Somehow, I guess, Sissy cat climbed on the table and on the fishing float. The fishing float rolled off the table.
And, well, let's just say it was a sad site to see.

Rest in peace Sissy cat, we didn't know you for long but you where a joy while you where here.

Ok, I gotta go mourn my little friend some more.

Another letter 11-21-1862

Camp Hellena
Nov. 21st 1862

Dear Parents,I am well and doing fine. We got here last night and had a pretty good time coming down the lines. Our company has gone down to White Water after the jc sesh(?). There is a few here now and they are all sick. There ain't anyone we know. But Will Dow is here working in the hospital. The boys will will be back before long I guess. it seemed to me quite like getting into camp and have a nigger cook for us. I got a letter from Martin Wilbur last night,they are all well. We stopped at Columbus two days asave(?) were coming down and saw the rebel foritify cation there. There was some thundering, big guns there. There is a fairly good fortify artillery here. There is some big gun boats here, the Mississippi River from St. Louis down is well supplied. with gun boats that looks like great mind(?) turtles(?)

Has Baly taken the flak not or yet. I want you to take care of that saddle of mine for I think I will be home next summer to use it.

With these few lines I will quit at present

Direct you letter to St. Louis

From your son
W Mc Cord
esq.

A Interesting forecast by the City of Victoria

City of Victoria
2009 to 2013 Revenue Estimates

2009 189,881,217
2010 186,252,402
2011 190,219,926
2012 196,697,345
2013 203,365,683

The increase is due to only a few revenue streams...

Parks, Rec & Community Development from 2,375,871 to 2,521,225
Police from 8,652,581 to 9,465,866
Conference Centre from 7,720,724 to 8,072,936
and last but far from least....
Property Taxes from 93,164,446 to 114,806,920

Expense Estimates 2009 to 2013

2009 189,881,217
2010 186,252,402
2011 190,219,926
2012 196,697,345
2013 203,365,683

To the dollar, expected revenues match expected expenses...amazing..

Increased spending

Corporate Administration from 1,830,605 to 2,034,199
Legislative and Regulatory Service from 5,035,232 to 5,568,698
Finance Department from 4,634,362 to 5,152,961
Human Resources from 1,497,358 to 1,659,402
Fire Department from 12,070,386 to 13,879,594
VEMA from 427,075 to 472,129
Planning and Development from 3,339,195 to 3,669,985
Parks, Rec & Community Development from 13,568,496 to 14,952,702
Greater Victoria Public Library from 3,461,221 to 4,369,646
Police Department from 41,217,000 to 46,765,023
Conference Centre from 7,720,724 to 8,072,936
Debt Principle and Interest 7,827,583 and remains at the same amount, to the dollar
Capital Budget Financed from Operating from 9,885,335 to 14,888,592


One observation, the Engineering Dept in 2009 spent 61,839,496....20,622,496 MORE than the police department.

But we all know public safety comes first....

http://www.victoria.ca/cityhall/pdfs/budget-financial-plan-2009-revenue-expenditure.pdf