MEOWATHON - 2011 ... ONE MORE TIME

I just received a copy of the photo taken at the "awards ceremony" at this year's MEOWATHON. All the medal winners had photos taken as a free service of Business Visuals of Memphis, who volunteered their services & photography for the MEOWATHON.  They also have a cute photo from the event -- of a "visiting" kitty -- on their blog.

After getting the medal, I had my picture taken with ... "The House of Mews ... Mascot" (?).  I don't remember the name -- of either the cat, or the person in the suit -- but I'm including the photo as just another reminder of the good time I had this year in Memphis.

Now ... getting ready for the 2012 MEOWATHON.  "Run for the Claws" !!

MEOWATHON - 2011

It's hard to believe, but it has already been a week since I traveled over to Memphis, Tennessee for the annual MEOWATHON.  This 5k run/walk was the 8th "Run For The Claws", held to raise money & support for The House of Mews in Memphis.  This small, non-profit organization, located in the Cooper-Young District of Memphis, is a no-kill cat sanctuary & adoption facility.

As with many of my trips to Memphis, an early start was in order & I left home shortly before 5:30 A.M.  I was of course, out of bed hours before that, to be sure my own three "girls" had time for their normal morning exploration outside & be safely ensconced in the house before I left, as I knew I would not be returning till much later in the day.  As it turned out ... much later in the day.  

The MEOWATHON is held in Overton Park, a centrally located public park which is also home to the Memphis Zoo. The pavilion -- partially shown above -- is the center location for the event, as well as the silent auction, snacks & refreshments & the awards ceremony.

My Mother, Hilda -- who lives in Florida -- hand-made the above red Teddy Bear & sent it to the HOM for inclusion in the silent auction. It was combined with other items, making up a nice gift basket, with a bid value of $50.00.

The race this year had several hundred runners/walkers.  It's always a mixed group of folks, with many experienced & serious runners, all the way to families looking to enjoy walking together through Overton Park on a pleasant Fall morning.

I always enjoy the run & the people. This was my fifth straight year to partake in the race.  The first year, following so soon after my heart surgery, I mainly walked the course.  Since then, I have run .. ah ... jogged ... the 3.2 mile course, always trying -- hoping -- to win a medal.

This year I finished third in the men's 60-64 age group & won the medalion above.  Yes, I was very proud.  I have worked hard all year long, putting in long hours at the North Little Rock Athletic Club, always trying to increase & improve my conditioning. [I'm already "training" for the 2012 MEOWATHON.]

Another highlight of the trip to Memphis, was another "annual" event:  having lunch with my close Tennessee friends (L-R) Sharon, Kathy & Larry. It's always a good time, filled with laughs, friendship & an excellent lunch at Mosa Asian Bistro.

Note:  At these annual get-together, Sharon's husband -- Marty -- never seems to get into the photos, since he's the one taking pictures.  Well, this year I've been able -- via editing out a sleepy-eyed Sharon -- to include Marty as well.

Of course, even with the best of plans, not all goes as expected.  In this case, there were major traffic delays going home on Interstate-40 in Arkansas.  I never did find out the reason for the tie-up, but an extra 90 minutes was added to the drive home.

Now ... on to the MEOWATHON - 2012 & once again ... "Run For the Claws".

RECORD RAINS ??

Despite what the talking heads on Fox Noise want me to believe about the subject of "global warming", I have a -- STRONG -- belief in the changes taking place with good old Planet Earth.  If for no other reason than SEVEN BILLION people are now using up the resources of our planet [breathing & eating], along with spewing carbon dioxide back [breathing & ... well, you know what else], the Earth & atmosphere can't handle it all.

On the non-Fox Noise News the other night, [okay ... NBC] there was a story on how the weather is becoming more sever, more often.  Examples given included the tornado's this year in Missouri & Alabama, the Halloween snow storm in the North East, along with the fires & drought affecting Texas & Oklahoma.  Blame it on El Nino, Global Warming.  Whatever.  Something is changing.

In the past 15-plus years, due to the location & elevation of my land, I have had several instances where the creek in the back of my property has not been able to "handle" the volume of H2O flowing through it.  Results: Flooding. According to Jim Cantore on The Weather Channel, the rain & thunder storms we had earlier in the week resulted in a foot of rain in Arkansas. I don't know how much rain we received locally, but I know this was one of the worst examples of flooding on my property which I have witnessed.

Monday was a mess at my home.  While my house is elevated enough not to be affected by the H2O, the resulting flooding from the rain -- while quickly dissipating -- leaves behind a soggy mess, which in itself, takes several days to dry out.  Below are some examples.

                                         MONDAY

                                         TUESDAY

                                          MONDAY

                                          TUESDAY

                                          MONDAY

                                          TUESDAY

The clean-up has started & hopefully it will be a long time before we have any more "record rains".

RAIN, RAIN ... GO AWAY

I read an article this A.M. regarding one of the effects of the sever drought in Texas was many of the man-made lakes in Texas are drying up, exposing old towns & home sites, as well as long forgotten grave sites.  Where once there was 20-30 feet of water in a lake, now there is -- once again -- dry land.  Of course the "flooding" which produced these once water filled lakes & reservoirs, was a man-made effort.

I wish the rain produced flooding that is gripping Central Arkansas today -- & surrounding my home -- could somehow have fallen in Texas instead.  They sure need it.  We don't.

It started raining about one A.M. this morning.  HARD RAIN ... along with lots of thunder & lightning.  Since The Weather Channel & various computer web sites were providing "Flash Flood Warnings" for most of the state, I was not surprised to find standing water on my property as the first light of day arrived.  What DID surprise me was the AMOUNT of water I had.

I've lived here now for 15-plus years.  It's a low area, in an old flood plain of the Arkansas River.  My land has flooded many times; the worst was back in 1998.  For sheer volume of water & the amount of land under it, this may be the second worst case of flooding I've experienced.  And ... it's still raining !!

Above is the front driveway, with "Lake Hilda" -- a normal occurrence with heavy rains -- to the right, surrounding the tree.  What is NOT "normal" is the amount of water flowing across the driveway.

From the front porch, it is a sea of water & wet leaves.  I think there is even more water now, since I took the photo earlier this A.M.

The back of my property -- looking South, towards my storage building -- is in worse shape due to the overflowing of the drainage creek which intersects my land.  I'm not looking forward to finding out what damage may have been done inside the shed. [My John Deere is okay.  I checked it already.]

And finally, the creek normally can be seen just on the other side of the green Bamboo in this photo.  Now, the creek is my backyard.  And ... it's STILL RAINING !!!

Again ... I wish there were some way our friends in Texas could some how get some of this rain & water.  So close ... yet ... so far.

Rain, rain ... go away.  Get on down to Texas to stay.

CHANGES ... IN TIME, TEMPERATURE & COLOR

It's mid-November here in central Arkansas & the seasonal changes are in full effect, despite the temperature being almost 80 degrees today.  Apparently Mother Nature knows the calendar is closing in on Winter, even if some of the weather conditions are trying to mask such knowledge.

For the past few days, despite the above-normal temperatures, the trees, bushes & other plantings on my property are starting to shed their leaves, change their colors & show all the effects of the Fall calendar.  These days have been helped along by very strong winds -- 20-30 MPH -- helping to shake loose not only the leaves but acorns & seeds, along with various size sticks & tree branches.  It is sometimes dangerous to be outside, being exposed to these falling elements.

I am always impressed with the changes occurring to the vegetation on my land.  It is this time of year when these changes stand out & highlight the fact there are many "micro-climates" on the property, which occur, often within short distances of each other.  These small areas can have different effects on the very same species of tree or plant, causing them to have different shapes & colors, despite being the same plant family & in close growing proximity.

The above tree has the name: Parrotia Persia. I don't know of a "common name".  If someone asks me about it, I have to look up the name in my planting records. That request happens so seldom, I can never remember off-hand the tree's name.

I ordered three "Parrotias" in the Spring of 1999 from the White Flower Farm in Connecticut.  The trees arrived in large boxes, since the trees themselves were over six foot in height.  However, whoever packed the trees initially did not secure the trees within the boxes & all three suffered top damage due to the handling of the boxes in transit. [I certainly complained to the White Flower Farm at the time & have not ordered from them since, due to their attitude in hearing my "suggestions" for future packing of trees of such size.]

I planted the three trees at various places within my four acres of land.  The "damages" to the trees did not seem to effect two of the trees & they proceeded to grow.  The third tree "struggled" despite my efforts & died in the second year it was in the ground ... naturally, beyond the warranty provided by the White Flower Farm.

The above photo shows the second "Parrotia".  The photos were taken minutes apart & visually show the difference each location has on the color, shape & growth of the two trees. The tree above has already changed color & the growth through the seasons is more compact than that of the former tree, which due to it's location, is still green & has a taller growth.

The "location" reflects on the amount of light received along with the temperatures of the growing area, both of which are keyed by the other plantings around each tree, the amount of wind & breezes they receive in each area, as well as the water the earth absorbs.  All these elements are part of the "micro-climates" for each tree & other planting of a similar nature here on my land.

A few other examples of how the landscape is changing.  In the photo above, the dropped leaves on the tree now expose the only greenery left on the branches, which in this example is Mistletoe.  Merry Xmas.

The new Black Bamboo shoots in my garden arrive in the Spring with a bright green color when emerging from the ground.  By Fall, after a full growing season, the Bamboo changes color & earns it's given name as shown above.

As Fall advances & Winter soon returns, more changes will occur at my small homestead.  I'll be sure to keep everyone aware & up-to-date.

THE MIND IS A TERRIBLE THING TO ... ???

Didn't I write about the subject below ??  I seem to recall I did.

I just don't remember things like I did in the past.  And it just seems like this loss of memory has only happened in the past few years.  I wonder what has caused it ??

(New York, NY) -- A newly released study links several types of heart surgeries to loss of thinking and memory skills.
The study, involving German heart patients, included those who'd undergone invasive bypass surgery and who'd gone through much less-invasive stent placement.
All showed cognitive declines several months after their surgeries.
Researchers say memory deficits were more severe in patients who'd undergone coronary artery bypass grafting, probably because of blocked arteries, than among those who'd received a stent to help open an artery

I AM WHAT I AM ...

In response to a recent addition I made to my Facebook wall, my friend Bubba noted that I am a ... "Creature of Habit".  Once again, my good friend knows me quite well.

I have always been a fan of ... ME.  I remember way back in High School -- which at this point in my life is "way back" -- that the then "love of my life" -- Weiner -- was critical of some action on my part & told me bluntly I was "selfish", along with acting ... "better than everyone".  OUCH !! 

I came to realize years ago that Weiner was spot-on when it came to her description of me. As much as I like people & enjoy doing things with others, I really seem to function best with ... ME.  I have a list of damaged & destroyed relationships which would be evidence of that statement. 

I know after my heart surgery more than four years ago, I retracted into being a recluse in many ways.  Part of it was the life altering process I had just been through & some of it had to be me realizing I was "forcing" some relationships.

I have read where there is some belief the stopping of ones heart in the surgery process affects many of the bodies organs, especially the brain. I've adopted that as a valid "excuse" for some of my actions since then.  As for how I acted & felt before the surgery ... well ... I guess that was just ... ME.

Since I seem to be my biggest fan, along with knowing I function best as a single, I have found that indulging myself in my habits, hobbies & interests is often my best reward for living & feeling as I do.  Money can buy happiness.

I was in Memphis this past Friday & I took the opportunity to visit one of my favorite retail outlets in that city:  ART CENTER SUPPLY.  It's a large store which has in stock & sells everything anyone would be looking for in the world of art.  For me, that would be pens & paper.

I can truly say, through all the many years I have been visiting this store, not once(t) have I ever left without having purchased ... something.  Leaving empty handed has never occurred.  Nor, have I ever uttered the words ... "Thanks, but I was just looking".

So once again last Friday, I indulged my passion for pens & markers.  I know I have hundreds of same already, but they are something I use & enjoy, so I bought more.  I am not hurting anyone & no ones feelings are being affected because of my actions.  I am just bringing happiness to my favorite person ... ME. 

Don't get me wrong.  I enjoy my life & feel I have been blessed in it.  I feel I have earned my life style & as long as I do no harm to others, I am comfortable being a ... "Creature of Habit".