I drove to Stonebriar Mall in Frisco. There an exchange kiosk had a low transaction fee but a below-market exchange rate. I exchanged fund,though a bit less than I would have exchanged had the rate been better.
I stopped by a Big Lots nearby, and picked up USB/mini-USB cell phone charging cables. I stopped by a Half-Priced Books and bought a book-on-CD. I had meant to buy a Karin Fossum mystery, but got mixed up and instead bought a Karin Slaughter mystery.
I next drove to Russell Creek Park in Plano. I walked its grounds and around its little lake. I saw my first Little Blue Heron of this year there. I do not often see LIttle Blue Heron. This became my 97th species in Collin County for the year. I typically see between 100 and 110 species of the 250 or so possible in Collin County each year. True to form, by mid-year I have already seen what will likely be 85% or more of my total.
Saturday evening we had my wife's former co-worker Cathy and her friend Rick over for a "surf and turf". My wife made tasty tenderloin and lobster tails .Rick made a very good fruit salad, while Cathy brought a cherry pie from a bakery called Humble Pies. We all had a nice time talking. Cathy had just retired from a 22-year-long run at Verizon. She hopes to work a bit longer for another employer.
Sunday I walked in Hoblitzelle Park. Then I went to Weight Watchers, where I was 8/10ths of a pound up. The woman who weighed me, who may be named Amelia, asked if I had expected the gain. I let her know that I had no fixed expectation.
After Weight Watchers I walked at the Watters Creek Trail in Allen. Then I went to church, during which service the minister, Jessica Wright, told us a story about her childhood growing up in Arkansas. She explained that she went to a friend's church after a sleepover. She found herself sitting next to an adult. During the meet-and-greet section of the service, she had shaken this man's hand. Seeing she was a guest, he asked her where she usually went to church. She said "We don't go to church--we're Jewish". The man responded with "Your family is going to Hell". I have often felt that the "shake hands with one's neighbor" phase of the weekly church service is most effective section at helping to put distance between people, though I admit it can be nice to shake hands with a familiar face. Pastor Wright's story,though, supported my feeling that it is a flawed process. The sermon addressed the meaning of the metaphoric language in the Book of Revelation, and was well-done.
In the early afternoon, I walked in Story Park in Allen. I listened to a history podcast which focused on the governance of Ireland and Wales in the 16th Century. The days of castles and kings make for interesting stories, except that that kings and lords and dukes and barons all come out sounding like complete scoundrels. I saw a young Cooper's Hawk in a tree, causing consternation to the local Northern Mockingbirds.
I wanted to do constructive things in the afternoon, but I found myself resting instead. We'll see what practical things I can get done when the workday is over.
from Dreamwidth, because two posts of the same text are twice as nice