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Capitol of TX Zoo June 24, 2009
This weekend we took my sister, who is visiting, to the Capitol of Texas Zoo. This is one of those jenky zoos where they let you get really close to the animals and even feed some of them, which makes it the most awesomest zoo ever!
Here’s Anthony feeding a deer!
This deer was soo cute, with big fuzzy horns. He would let you pet him if you fed him enough.
Nicole fed a camel. He was slobbery and drooly!
We were able to watch the lion feeding. That was pretty cool. The lion would jump up on the fence and grab a frozen chicken right out of the zoo keepers hand!
This was my favorite goat. He’s an old man goat!
And don’t forget guinea pigs at the zoo!
I recommend the CofTX Zoo. It’s no San Diego Zoo of course, but it’s fun and cheap and has a good selection of animals.
We also did another Austin activity that I’d yet to do- Canoing on Town Lake! A canoe rental is only $10/hr and it’s much easier than I thought it would be. We saw fish and turtles and lots of dogs. We had a fun time, except I forgot sunscreen:
A Cat of A Different Sort June 13, 2009
I have always wanted a Bengal cat or a Cheetoh, but recently I’ve been getting into the Savannah. Savannahs were breed from the Serval, an African wild cat, and they are much bigger than your typical domestic cat, clocking in around 35 lbs. From wikipedia:
“They are commonly compared to dogs in their loyalty, and they will follow their owners around the house like a canine. They can also be trained to walk on a leash like a dog, and even fetch. Savannah cats do not fear water; many will play or even immerse themselves in water. Some owners even shower with their Savannah cats.”
Savannahs go for about $1200, so this won’t be a cat I’ll own for quite a while, but I hope one day to have one. You can see more Savannah cats here. Another really cool breed is the marbled Bengal. They are much more domestic looking, but with an amazing coat:
Bengals are a cross with the Asian Leopard Cat, and cost around $800. This is a non-marbled Bengal.
Then there is my orginal love, the Cheetoh. The cheetoh is a hybrid of two domestic breeds that were originally crossed with wild breeds. It is a Bengal-Ocicat mix.
There are very few breeders of these cats that are reputable, they are also not premitted in all states.
Deer Dog Fight June 12, 2009
The other night while we were walking our dog Murphey, we saw the craziest thing. A deer-dog fight. In someone’s front yard, there was a large white dog wrestling with a deer. The dog seemed to be playing and the deer didn’t seem to like it. After observing a few minutes, we noticed the deer had a broken leg. We thought about calling someone but didn’t know who to call and were afraid they would just shoot the deer. Finally we decided to walk to the house where the dog lived (I had seen him in his yard before) and see if his owners were looking for him. But when we got there, the dog was sitting in the front yard! He had beat us to his home! We doubled back to check on the deer, but he was gone. I may never see something so odd again. It didn’t look like this, but pretty close.
I came across this interesting story of a tiger who suckles piglets while I was looking for a deer-dog picture. Check it out, with pictures, here.
Gruene June 8, 2009
There’s a town in Texas called Gruene. Gruene means “green” in German, and it’s pronounced “grewn”, but here in Texas, they just say “green” which is what it means, but not how you say it.
Anyways, it’s supposed to be a little German town, but I think that they simply believe that if they add German words to things, like “Oma’s BBQ” or “Steak Haus” that it means they are German. Sadly, there’s not too much German influence in Gruene, but it’s still a cute town nonetheless. Full of historical buildings, food joints and antiques, we spent a nice day here.
The most famous place in Gruene is Gruene Hall, the oldest dance hall in Texas. Here it is inside:
Very rustic. No A/C.
There are old advertisements all around the inside of Greune Hall. Here’s one for Budweiser:
They were Texas’s eighth largest tax payer, dontcha know?
There’s also a river that you can tube here. There were lots of people on it, but it wasn’t moving very fast. I like the trees that are growing into the water. Their trunks are really pretty.
That was our day in Gruene. It’s definitely worth a visit when you’re in Texas!
Bongo Crazy! House Crazy! June 4, 2009
My bongo trading idea is going well. See what I’ve been offered over at somethingbiggerorbetter.com
In other news, Anthony and I have been thinking of buying a house. It’s a complicated scenario for us since I can’t count any income from the business until we’ve been open for 2 years. So we’re checking out owner financed stuff. Maybe we’ll get lucky. We’d like to buy this year because that $8,000 from the government isn’t a tax credit- it’s a check. A freaking check. So I’m hoping to take advantage of it while I can! One of my customers is a Realtor who specializes in first time buyers, so that’s fortunate for us. If you’re in the market in Austin, check him out: www.cedarparkfamilyhomes
Blog Frenzy June 3, 2009
This evening I put up several websites:
austinbusinesswoman.com
drsnus.com
somethingbiggerorbetter.com
and now I am going to bed. Check them out and if you have something you want to trade me for my bongos, let me know. =)
The Fly Killing Score is In… May 28, 2009
Apple in a bag has killed 0 fruit flies
Wine-soap trap has killed 18 fruit flies
Banana in a bowl has trapped and allowed me to release 21 live fruit flies
Banana in a bowl is the clear winner. Today, I have eliminated 42 fruit flies, including the ones I killed by hand. Last time I counted we still had 15 fruit flies visible in the kitchen. There must be more than that in hiding, but I think after a few days of this I will have finally eradicated the Haddad plague of 2009.
Die Flies, Die. May 27, 2009
We have a fruit fly infestation. It started on a rotting banana that had fallen behind our fruit bowl, and has turned into weeks of fruit fly madness. 30 minutes of fly-killing is now a part of my daily routine. Today I woke up and at least a dozen flew at me from out of the sink, and I decided ENOUGH! So I set some fruit fly traps. I’ve got a wine trap: red wine in a bowl with dish soap so they can drown. I’ve got a banana in a pot covered with plastic wrap with holes: flies go in, they can’t get out. And I’ve got an apple in a zip lock bag: wait for the orgy, lock them in!
So far, none seem to be too effective. Tonight after work I will be cleaning the kitchen thoroughly to get rid of any breeding-friendly slime. Then I will go on a murdering spree that will surely make the front page of Fruit Fly Daily.
In other insect news, I saw my first horse fly the other day. It looks like a wasp, but all black. Creepy. I hope I never see one again. Apparently their bites are quite painful, they actually take a chunk of skin off. I swear Texas, you’re always surprising me with the variety of your animals. We’ve discovered this summer that there are lightening bugs here! I love watching their little butts light up our yard. You can find some very cool pictures of them here: http://www.firefly.org/firefly-pictures.html
Chips on a Bun May 26, 2009
Recently, we had a BBQ at Fumee with hotdogs. I am a vegetarian and one of our employees is vegan, so we came up with an alternative meal: Ketchup, mustard, relish, chips…CHIPS ON A BUN! (crunch, crunch, crunch!) Then we wrote a song about it, and made a music video. Behold: Chips on a Bun (The Video), also available at www.youtube.com/fumeeworld
Many people are asking me for my Chips on a Bun recipe. I have decided to release my great-great-grandmother’s recipe. I hope you enjoy it as much as I have.
CHIPS ON A BUN
Take a bun. Add some ketchup, mustard, relish. Top with chips. Eat.
