Also see: Op-Ed: Preserve Local Parks Grants , adapted from this essay

Like many in my parents' generation, my Gen-X childhood was spent outside whenever possible, with the freedom to roam the neighborhood and explore the vestiges of "the wild" wherever they could be found. In southern Missouri, that meant playing in small valleys, not fit for home construction, that still teemed with minnows, crawdads, and the occasional alligator snapping turtle. Even the backyard offered something wild: instead of a fence separating us from our neighbors, we had an old farm tree line; some of the larger horse apple trees still had bits of barb wire encased in their bark. The trees sheltered squirrels and chipmunks, birds and bats.

Small ledge and spring, along a minor brook emptying into Lake Springfield, Missouri

And then we moved to Plano, in the middle of 7th grade. Again our home was on old farmland, but there were no vestiges other than the flatness of tilled cropland. White Rock Creek was perhaps a mile away, but there was no access without obviously trespassing – and it wasn't compelling enough to risk getting in trouble. I turned inward and focused on my studies; perhaps that was for the best. But I felt lost. A part of me was missing.

This is a strange sort of spring we're having. And a small part of me died a little death watching the new Lorax trailer this morning.

This year's drought has brought the stark reality of water availability front-and-center in Texas. The state has faced droughts before – but by all accounts, this is one of the most severe, and the population continues to expand rapidly. Water is not entirely taken for granted in this state, especially in central and west Texas, but this year's experience seems to have struck home for people in a profound way. Even as we have begun to get some sporadic rain, the talk of stage 4 water rationing continues. And yet there are also stories of people flouting the rules, watering away in their yards. I wish I could accompany those folks on a visit out to John Bunker Sands Wetlands Center.

Had an exciting morning in Texas: fifteen new-to-me bird species seen this morning on the lagoon/intracoastal waterway side of Padre Island across the bridge from Corpus Christi:

Laughing Gull

• Long-billed Curlew
• Marbled Godwit
• Vermilion Flycatcher
• Brown Pelican
• Willet
• Tern (Royal or Caspian, unsure)
• Laughing Gull
• Reddish Egret, white-morph
• White Ibis
• Snowy Egret
• Osprey
• American White Pelican
• Little Blue Heron
• Roseate Spoonbill
• American Oystercatcher

Also seen: Great blue heron, great egret, ring-billed gull, double-crested cormorant, northern mockingbird, great-tailed grackle, song sparrow.

A NY Times columnist seems to get Tex Mex. Tex Mex, te queremos. Usted esta cubierto de queso y salsas de los chiles. Esta malo, esta bueno. Tengo mucho hambre cuando pienso en usted. Es la diedad de las comidas.

And now a brilliant series of words from a guest on tonight's blog (mi esposa):

in the beginning, the people were hungry
for they had waited long in the hot sun for a table
and then there was brought to the table cold water
upon which to slake their thirst
and the people saw that this was good and were happy.