Emily Watson Visits Pearland

Compilation collage representing Emily's visit.  We had a good time with other family and friends.  It makes me so happy inside to see the wonderful woman she has become.

Flickr: The British Library's Photostream

Flickr: The British Library's Photostream:  The British Library uploaded more than one million images to Flickr for public use.  What a very neat thing.  I started to peruse the collection and soon lost myself in art, drawings, and sketches from books.

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Bird Flocking

They coalesce on the lines above the street, then fly off and resettle.  Reminds me of the Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell.  Why do they suddenly fly up in a could and redistribute themselves on the lines?  I always try to get a picture of these birds at an intersection along Broadway in Pearland.  They are there at different times of day, but in greater numbers early in the morning.  All year long they are there maybe not as numerous but there all the same.  Perhaps they are sitting up there analyzing traffic flow or trying to guess what I am thinking as I drive under them.

Christmas Ambassador Cheer

Friday evening was Christmas celebration day.  I started the evening with the Pearland Chamber of Commerce Ambassadors.  What a great group of people!  Every time I sit down with them I appreciate anew the diversity of Pearland.  They represent different business types in Pearland, come from different parts of Pearland and they all have an outgoing friendly outlook.  I sat down next to an ambassador that I have known for years and learned new things about her.  Talking is becoming a lost art.  We don't have as many face to face interactions as we used to.  Sitting and drinking coffee, a beer a cocktail at a bar...or in someone's home...it just doesn't happen any more.  We catch up with people's lives on Facebook, Instagram and follow them on Twitter.  We feel like we are connected but are we really?  I really need to be around people periodically... The laughter and spontaneity of a large group of your friends, there is nothing quite like it!

Sweet Voices

Every year children from Silverlake Elementary School come visit our building and bring us sounds of the holiday season. The sweet voices and holiday music help to set the tone for the rest of the day. Thanks for sharing your talent and holiday spirit with is again!

Cyber Monday 2013

The buying frenzy started last week and continues today with the traditional day that most people spend a lot of time shopping online.  Most of the "talk" about Cyber Monday is about lost productivity.  I would like to address a different issue.  The issue of buying something because it is a bargain and not thinking about the long term consequences of each purchase.  Before you buy the next sale item that you see think about its ultimate fate.  How much packaging is going to be wasted? Will this item really be used by someone?  Is it even a reasonable purchase?  Will it be reusable?  Is it recyclable?  AND is there a safe and responsible way to dispose of the item at the end of its life?  IT was become very American to irresponsibly waste our resources.  Consider carefully before making that next purchase. Think about sustainability and resources.  You might save some time and even more money than you thought you would save just by saying no to a bargain!

The Smell of Brownies

There is something so very satisfying about the smell of dark chocolate baking in the oven.  The smell slowly diffuses throughout the building.  Sweet, rich chocolate and so distinctive, the nose knows the difference between chocolate chip, chocolate cake and brownies.  Tied to childhood memories these scents become more to us than we realize.  Flashbacks to warm childhood memories.  Baking at your grandmother's house or an early memory of baking with your mom or dad.  My dad was the baker when it came to traditional white people foods.  My mom filled the house with delightful aromas associated with Filipino desserts.  The two that made the best impression: the sweet rice dish with coconut milk based caramel sauce called biko or the delightful sweet rice flour cake called bibingka each baked in a pan lined with banana leaf.  All it takes is the first smells of the wonderful scents as the chocolate and pecan flavors fuse together and I am transported back in time to a place that now only exists in my memory.

Some Unexpected Treasures

I just love the unexpected.  To wander in a park, backyard or just peer into the shrubs and find some natural treasures.  Spiders are some of my favorites.  And Anolis and other lizards are fun to find.  AND parts of anything can be beautiful as well.

An Orchard Orb Weaver

orchard orb weaver again :-)

A photo of me from last Thursday evening.  I always forget how long my hair is until I see a photo.  We held the Keep Pearland Beautiful Annual Membership Dinner last Thursday Nov. 21, 2013.  Everything ran smoothly, we had a better turn out than last year and Scott Sherman did a very engaging talk.

Zack and Fay ate this...

Is Anyone Out There?

I sometimes wonder who is out there.  Who are the people out there reading the random stuff I am likely to post day to day?  There are a few blogs that I read or follow, mostly friends of mine.  I don't read everything they write or post, I check in occasionally to see what is going on with them and in their minds.  I did this piece of graphic art for a friend of mine the other day.  I like the way it turned out.  Cutting him out of each photo was the tedious part.  These are the kind of things I actually find relaxing...mindless activity followed by doing something creative with the pieces!

What I saw ...

There is beauty in the simplest of things...

Cedar Knees

A Spider

A hairy Caterpillar

Bracket Fungus on a fallen log

Graffiti in Pearland

Third report by me to the City of Pearland about graffiti... 

I just hate to see our town tagged by punks!

Brrrrrrr 2

A little warmer this morning a whole 2 degrees....@Emily Watson would laugh at me saying 41 degrees is cold.  But she should be proud of me because I dragged my butt out of bed and went to workout at 515 this morning.  At one time when I became rabid about working out she used to hassle me and call me crazy.  But now that she has gotten into cycling and riding her bike everywhere she is addicted to the endorphins too! So who is crazy now?  I am settling into a more moderate routine of working out 3-4 times a week.  I feel good and I am not sore all the time.  AND working out in the cold this morning... well I slowly stripped off layers of clothing as I got warmed up.  Finished the work out and was happy that I showed up!  'Til we meet again... have a good one!

Brrrrrrrr

So, I was born in Livonia, Michigan and lived in Michigan for the first 18 years of my life.  Two different times in my life I lived in cold places...well colder places than Pearland, TX.  I lived in Bunnik, Netherlands for a year and for two years in a very cold place, Fargo, North Dakota.  38 degrees is cold, I remember many really cold days in Fargo.  But the many difference is that here in Pearland I find myself running out the door without proper clothing.  I don't wear a winter coat, knowing that I will have to keep track of it if I do.  I run out to the car, then upon arrival at my destination I dash into the next building.  I am sure that if I wanted to do an outdoor activity I would dress appropriately and keep warm.  BUT for now... I am COLD!

Auntie Waste on Facebook

Post by Fay N. Watson.

I am my mother's daughter....ate all my soup and made limeade with my leftover limes!

Old Scouters

One should always follow ones intuition when it comes to friends.  A long time Scouter, and friend of mine has been on my mind.  I even mentioned him to Zachary the other day and said we should go for a visit soon.  Well, now I have heard that Jim is in the hospital and has been for two weeks.  He had surgery today, but I am determined to stop in and see him tomorrow.  He is a one of the kind intelligent caring man.  As a very small child Zachary used to follow Jim around the Scout House.  Jim taught him how to tie a square knot.  When I tried to show him how I did it he said, "You are not doing it right! The right way is the way Mr. Long does it!"  So, now as I think on all the good memories and long talks we used to have I am sad that I didn't pick up the phone and call the other day.  At the very least I might have found out he was in the hospital and would have dropped in for a visit.  I will make that visit tomorrow!

Muncipal Solid Waste - Pearland vs the USA

Municipal Solid Waste in the United States: Facts and Figures | Municipal Solid Waste | Wastes | US EPA:

How do you compare to the average person in America?  Do you waste more? recycle more? divert more? compost more? In Pearland for the fiscal year 2012-2013 that ended September 2013 here is what an average month of recycling data looked like:

28565.5 Annual residential account billings

875 Annual commercial account billings

29440.5 Total account billings

24.58333333 Customer complaints received

229.1666667 Commodities recycled at curbside (in tons)

266.6666667 Green waste recycled at curbside (in tons)

495.8333333 Total recycled at curbside

2500 At-Your-Door total pounds HHW collected

43.75 At-Your-Door number of stops

5000 Solid Waste land filled (in tons)

28565.5 Households served

11.2425 Cost per tons collected 

Here in Pearland over the past 4 years our diversion rate has gone up and down but doesn't nearly approach the national average of 34.5% diversion.  Here is our diversion rate for curbside collections:

7.6% diversion FY 2010

8.3% diversion FY 2011

8.0% diversion FY 2012

9.0% diversion FY 2013

Here is our diversion rate combining curbside collections with what is collected at the Stella Roberts Recycling Center:

8.5% diversion FY 2010

9.2% diversion FY 2011

9.0% diversion FY 2012

10.0% diversion FY 2013

We are not doing as well as the national average.  We are diverting about 10% of our Solid Waste in Tons.  We need to be doing more!  Environmental education is one of our major focus areas.  There has to be more that Keep Pearland Beautiful can do to change the way people think about recycling.  BUT it can't be done by one or two people alone.  To change the way our community thinks about recycling the average person has to know what is recyclable, and they must understand the ultimate consequences of not recycling despite the fact that we won't realize those for many years to come.

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I still believe the key is to reach children...but given the difficulty of getting anything not testing related getting into our schools we need to be out where the children are reaching out to them!

Can you think of some ways to reach folks and make them understand the consequences of not recycling?  

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Sunrise

Another day another sunrise!  A beautiful crisp day :) always nice to see!

If only you could smell this....