Sunday... Sunny Here, Rainy There

We just drove back from Kemah-- the little waterfront village on Galveston Bay. We went to The Crab House for lunch and when we sat down, it was sunny, hot and bright. By the time we put half of our meals into plastic to-go boxes, it started to darken up and drizzle. The sky opened up and it started pouring as we drove out of the parking lot. Timing is everything.

So much for our plans of walking around the boardwalk and feeding left-over bread to the ducks and catfish. And there are hundreds of huge catfish around the boardwalk by the Kemah restaurants. More often than not, my husband will say to me: "All I need is a net... we'd be eating catfish for a month." I've tried catfish on more than one occasion since we've been living here. (I'd rather have salmon or red snapper.) In fact, during our first year down here when we lived in League City, my husband brought home a live catfish from a local catfish farm. I remember he called me on the phone that afternoon and told me not to worry about cooking-- he said he would take care of dinner that night. I remember telling him that I love a man who cooks.

That evening, my husband came home carrying a huge plastic bag filled with ice, water, and the biggest catfish I'd ever seen. And the catfish was very much alive. "It's still moving," I told my husband. "Not for long... where's my fishing knife?" That's about when I went weak in the knees. (And before that, I'd always thought that line was only a quaint expression. You really do get weak in your knees, to the point where you think your legs won't hold you up.) I told him he was not going to kill a fish in my kitchen. "Fine... I'll go out on the deck." Which he did... and came back twenty minutes later with two large filets on a platter. He broiled the fish, I made a big salad. I don't know how I forced myself to take just a bite of that cooked catfish that night, but I did. All during dinner, I kept shaking my head and asking him "How could you?!" And of course, my husband sat there, so proud of himself, and said: "I thought you love a man who cooks?!"

As we drove from Kemah back into Clear Lake this morning, the sky got brighter. No rain-clouds here, just blue sunny sky and lots of sun. We had planned on stopping by our local library to take advantage of the early voting and avoid the crowd on Election Day. As we drove into the parking lot of the library, we saw the line of people snaking around the building. Timing is everything. I guess we weren't the only ones trying to avoid the Election Day crowds. We decided not to join the long line that went nearly around the rear of the library and doubled back towards the front of the building. The hot sun can broil you down here when you're walking on a concrete parking field. So standing on a line for over an hour on hundred-degree concrete till the library opened wasn't an option we were willing to take.

Oh well. The library will have early voting during this entire week, so we can just drive by there another day. I have a feeling that more people will be voting in this election than in the past few years. Between Oprah constantly telling her viewers to get out and vote, and the MTV network screaming "Vote or Die!"... it's going to be an interesting contest between Bush and Kerry.

I still take exception to Edwards for bringing up the subject of Cheney's gay daughter during the televised debate. Stupid Edwards, standing there with such a benevolent smile on his face, telling the world how much Cheney and his family loved their daughter. I sat there wondering how Cheney would respond to Edwards, and he was ever so gracious in his reply-- he just thanked Edwards for the "kind words" concerning his family.

Politcs. Politicians. There must be a better way to find qualified people to run for office in this country. Don't get me started. If you ask our thirteen-year-old friend C about this election, she will tell you that my husband should run for president. When I asked her why (while my husband sat there blushing) she told us "Because he's smart, he's honest, he loves animals, and his motto is No Excuses, Only Results." (Obviously, I never did tell C about that poor catfish in our League City kitchen years ago.... and I won't mention it now and take away her vote for my husband.)

The sun is still out here, and it's a pretty day. I've been reading "The Talented Mr. Ripley," by Patricia Highsmith. Wonderful book. I didn't see the movie, so the story is all new to me. (Books are always so much better than the movies they turn them into, anyway.) So I guess that's what I'll be doing this afternoon-- reading my book. I can't get interested in the World Series-- without the Yankees or the Astros (or the Mets) in the Series, I just don't much care who wins now. (My apologies to Red Sox and Cardinals fans.)