Imagine my surprise. I walked out to feed the cats this morning and the driveway was wet. What? Rain? Wow. That’s nice. I’ll have to wait until the sun comes up to see how much.

I am home and in my own bed. Not at the moment, obviously, but I was until just a minute ago. Now I’m up. Lot’s of things rumbling through my head.

It’s moving day. We’re hitting the road. It will be a long drive back to Texas, but it’s all downhill from New Mexico. The weather here in Taos was great, and last night I watched it rain at home. Sweet.

Went to the top of a mountain yesterday. Actually, it was only close to the top. And we rode. On a ski lift. It was fun. It took about eight minutes to reach our destination.

Started the day yesterday with a short walk along the South Rim of the Rio Grande Gorge just outside Taos. Standing at the starting line, it looked mostly flat. We could see a long way into the distance.

Went for a walk in town yesterday. The wild west showed up. If women had been with us, they would have gathered up their skirts and scurried inside. But it was just us guys.

We made it. Twelve hours on the road. Random stops for gas and goodies. Pulled in behind friends at one stop. Unplanned. The randomness of the universe.

Travel day. The road awaits. Friends are at the end. And music. But if I’m honest. It’s the friends that count. The one with whom I’ll travel, and those we’ll both soon see.

Drove into the sunset last night. It was a drive I made a lot when I still worked. It looked the same. The evening sky was clear and nicely colored. The road was clear, too. The hills were inviting. But where I once drove with anticipation, now I just drove.

My college team won its opening game this year. Beat our cousins from San Antonio. Although most of my actual cousins from San Antonio are Aggies or Red Raiders.

At one point I used to worry that video games might be the death knell of civilization.

I never realized how much I missed it until I had it again. Sharing. The coming home from work and school to tell what you did, to hear what others did.

When you get into a routine, sometimes it feels as though nothing is happening. When in reality everything is happening. And sometimes you feel as though the same thing is happening, when nothing is ever the same and everything that is happening is in reality all new.

I’m moving quietly through the sleeping house this morning. Getting my coffee. Writing. It reminds me of almost all the days of my working career.

Roamed the streets of Pearland yesterday, and Manvel, too. The latter is where we landed after vacating Pasadena in the mid-90s. We rented because we didn’t know how much we’d like country living. Turns out we liked it a lot.

There are books that are fun to read and that’s that. There are books that make you think, and that’s that. But then there are books the make you think and suddenly that’s no longer that, but something entirely different

Went to hear music the other evening, and while we waited recorded music was played. At one point, on came Elvis singing, Can't Help Falling in Love, and before you knew it all the boys there at the club began to sing along. Me included. And it was fun.

In addition, to reading, I like to cook, and this book is my bible and guide and reference point.

Talk about the strange human brain. I start my day with Wordle. The NY Times puzzle that gives you six chances to guess the five letter word the editor chooses every day. I do the puzzle every morning. And lately, I’ve begun to feel that if I fail my day is likely to be a bad one. That seems odd.