That love it or hate it Austin City Hall and its surrounding gardens and landscaping have landed it as the first City Hall in Texas to receive official recognition as a "certified wildlife habitat" by the National Wildlife Federation. Seems that "songbirds, butterflies and other wildlife" have found a little bit of nature amid the high rise condos, offices, and retail shops of downtown and the 2nd Street District.

This designation is just one small step in the city's quest to become a "Community Wildlife Habitat." The Parks and Recreation Department has a new Wildlife Austin program (with the lovely URL of KeepAustinWild.com) with information on how Austin citizens can turn their own yard into a Backyard Habitat. I used to regularly feed the birds and had the start of a butterfly garden quite a while back. But we've since acquired quite a collection of cats so I'm hesitant to invite the birds back. However, a lot of the measures for creating a wildlife habitat are good for more than just the wildlife including curb appeal and water conservation.

Have you ever found yourself wanting to hop on the bus but you're not sure when the next bus will arrive or which one to get on? Not all bus stops have schedules conveniently posted nearby. If you have a cell phone, you have the Capital Metro bus schedule at your fingertips. With the Dadnab service you can find out which bus will get you from where you are to where you want to be -- and when by just sending a text message. Now you have an extra incentive to save gas and ride the bus because as long as you have your cell phone handy, you can quickly figure out how to get where you're going.

Earlier this month Dadnab was nominated for a 2008 Greater Austin Business Award in the "Take On Traffic" category. And if you're traveling to Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Portland, the San Francisco Bay Area, Seattle, or the New York/New Jersey/Connecticut tri-state area you can use Dadnab there too.

Try it now:

austin@dadnab.com (Austin, TX) dallas@dadnab.com (Dallas, TX) houston@dadnab.com (Houston, TX)
5th & lavaca to barton springs & kinney

I get around the mandatory watering schedule by just not watering but I know some people just can't tolerate a brown yard. Here's a reminder that a mandatory watering schedule is in effect until September 30. And the Austin Water Utility "is requesting voluntary compliance with the new mandatory watering schedule; however, flagrant and repeat offenders will face misdemeanor charges punishable with a fine of up to $2,000." And they also say that if things get bad they may prohibit restaurants from serving water unless it's requested.

Residential customers (single family residences and duplexes, triplexes, and fourplexes):

• Street Address ends in 1, 3, 5, 7, or 9 - water only on Wednesdays and Saturdays
• Street Address ends in 0, 2, 4, 6, or 8 - water only on Thursdays and Sundays
• DO NOT water between 10 a.m. and 7 p.m.

Commercial and multifamily residential water customers water on Tuesdays and Fridays, except NOT from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Read the watering schedule FAQ.

I go to the library fairly regularly to do research but I generally do everything while there because I seem to have misplaced my library card. Aside from being able to check out books again, I have another reason to find that card -- free magazines -- and saving gas. The Austin Public Library provides APL cardholders free access to the MasterFILE Premier database from wherever you have a computer with online access. You get full-text -- including some in PDF with all images -- of such diverse titles as: Consumer Reports, Vegetarian Times, Texas Monthly, Advertising Age, Boating World, Romance Quarterly, Woodworker's Journal, or Good Housekeeping. There are hundreds of periodicals.

While I often spend evenings sitting at a local coffee shop reading magazines, having a way to search for specific back issues or topics online without a trip to the library is great too. Just a few of the dozens of other online databases available from our library include the Austin American-Statesman back to 1996, Dictionary of American History, and TumbleBooks, ebooks for kids.

Save money. Save time. Visit the library online. (oooo, it rhymes.)