Attention exercise enthusiasts - Terry Hershey Park continues to be a great place to go relax !
In my last post, I mentioned how my mother had just finished two months of illness. Unfortunately, she had a heart attack over the weekend and has landed back in the hospital again.
Of course, getting that phone call puts a shock in one's system. Last night, I decided to go enjoy walking through Terry Hershey Park and get some of that stress out of my system. I walked along the trails from about 7:55 - 8:30 p.m. At 8:10 on the dot, all of the trail lights came on.
The park maintains wildflowers along the banks of the bayou and among some of the berms or hills along the trails. Black-Eyed Susans, dandelions, natural grasses, and cat tails were abundant everywhere.
Enjoyable sites inlcuded people playing with their dogs, a man and his son throwing a baseball back and forth, and a family of 6 making a full team. Yet another family of 4 biked upwards from the bayou level to the upper level with the oldest child outpacing mom and dad, and the youngest riding in a toddler seat just in front of mom, who definitely got the raw end of the deal.
As I left the park at 8:30, the bugs and mosquitoes started buzzing. Reminder to self - take bug spray next time!
Get out and enjoy this local treasure of a park...Cheers, Terre
Thursday, May 1, 2008
Sunday, April 27, 2008
The Economy in Houston
Hello everyone! I'm back after almost two months of caring for a sick loved one. See my other blog, "Frugal, Single Mom" for details.
Houston always has one of those economies that maintains no matter what is happening in the rest of the world. As an almost native Houstonian, it can be depressing at times, because it is hard to maintain friendships when your coworkers are being rotated in and out of jobs every two years. Luckily for me, some of my oil and gas coworkers from years ago have finally landed back in West Houston, and I shake their hands vigorously and get a five minute update whenever I happen to bump into one of them.
The Houston economy, at least in my opinion, is leveling out. I've called one of the local recruiting agencies lately (mainly because I'm so put out with my current job), and was told to "stay put", at least for now. That means, I've got to sit and eat crow for at least another 4 months.
Unleaded gas this week hit $3.50/gallon. My car gets 22 mpg compared to many of my coworkers who get 15 mpg or less because they drive SUVs. When gasoline goes to $4.00/gallon, I told myself that I would start staying at home, walking more, or riding the bus, but the reality becomes that Houston is 2 weeks away from 90F or higher temperatures. Sigh!
All that glitters is not gold. There are a lot of hidden costs to living in Houston...sales tax 8.25%, long commutes to your job (sometimes 60 miles roundtrip per day), high crime rates depending on where you live, TRAFFIC +++ (that's a HUGE understatement), no reliable commuter system, and it's hotter than hell here in the summer time with electric bills at $225.00 + through October.
So, my advice to those who feel lured to move to Houston this summer...stay put! Unless you have a lot of money saved up, have a great car, or are willing to live in substandard housing conditions or overly priced housing (with a high crime rate), don't make the trip.
I'm sure our mayor, who I dearly love, would paint a rosier picture. I'm Houston Proud, but not Houston Stupid. Good luck to everyone during this tricky economy!
Houston always has one of those economies that maintains no matter what is happening in the rest of the world. As an almost native Houstonian, it can be depressing at times, because it is hard to maintain friendships when your coworkers are being rotated in and out of jobs every two years. Luckily for me, some of my oil and gas coworkers from years ago have finally landed back in West Houston, and I shake their hands vigorously and get a five minute update whenever I happen to bump into one of them.
The Houston economy, at least in my opinion, is leveling out. I've called one of the local recruiting agencies lately (mainly because I'm so put out with my current job), and was told to "stay put", at least for now. That means, I've got to sit and eat crow for at least another 4 months.
Unleaded gas this week hit $3.50/gallon. My car gets 22 mpg compared to many of my coworkers who get 15 mpg or less because they drive SUVs. When gasoline goes to $4.00/gallon, I told myself that I would start staying at home, walking more, or riding the bus, but the reality becomes that Houston is 2 weeks away from 90F or higher temperatures. Sigh!
All that glitters is not gold. There are a lot of hidden costs to living in Houston...sales tax 8.25%, long commutes to your job (sometimes 60 miles roundtrip per day), high crime rates depending on where you live, TRAFFIC +++ (that's a HUGE understatement), no reliable commuter system, and it's hotter than hell here in the summer time with electric bills at $225.00 + through October.
So, my advice to those who feel lured to move to Houston this summer...stay put! Unless you have a lot of money saved up, have a great car, or are willing to live in substandard housing conditions or overly priced housing (with a high crime rate), don't make the trip.
I'm sure our mayor, who I dearly love, would paint a rosier picture. I'm Houston Proud, but not Houston Stupid. Good luck to everyone during this tricky economy!
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