Things I am going to miss about Texas

This running list will probably get much longer once I actually get out of Texas. Let’s get started:

1. My car (yes)

I’m trying to get away from the car culture, yet I am going to miss driving my car. The little Tesla is the best car I’ve ever driven. 6 years in and I still can not believe my luck every time I get in. At this point we barely drive, just to the grocery store and out with kids on the weekends. Road trips are awesome in it, but we aren’t able to take many of those at the moment. It is quiet, smooth, fast, convenient (I forgot the smell and the hassle of a gas station), with so many futuristic features I now take for granted. Sigh.

2. My local gifting group

Yes, the local ‘free stuff’ group on Facebook. It’s not just about stuff. It’s a way to neighbors. It’s amazing to have a community to turn to when you need something, when you need to get rid of something, meet up, ask for help, and so on. You know it when you start recognizing names and faces around town. I will surely try to find a similar group in our new area or even start one if needed. The ‘stuff’ is definitely the driving force at least at the beginning though, and THE excuse to meet people. I am suspecting that lots of our gifting activity here is fueled by American consumerism, so it would be interesting to see this side of Spain.

3. Breakfast tacos

I don’t think they are a thing in Spain? They are a delicious and nutritious breakfast option, not to mention EASY especially if you don’t have to make them yourself. Will miss them. Will try to make my own. Will run out of steam. Will switch to eating bocadillos for breakfast forever.

4. Wildlife in my backyard

We live 10 min from downtown. Austin is a very green place (except the grass in summer) and the (dry) creeks running from the hills down to the lake become wildlife highways. I call it our backyard zoo: we are not fenced in and one of those creeks runs nearby. We’ve seen so many animals up close: deer and squirrels, coyotes, foxes, raccoons, possums, armadillos, bobcats, porcupines. Not even talking about snakes, lizards, and birds. I love seeing them but I also know that it means we are encroaching on their habitat.
With cities in Europe being more condensed and compact there is not much space for wildlife unless you count pigeons and seagulls. Hopefully this means that fewer animals are killed by cars. We’ll have try and find wildlife in the natural areas.