2016 - Day 213/153 - Sunday...

How do you like my hair? It is kind of a combo of wind, perspiration (commonly known by me as 'glistening'), hay straw, grass clippings, chicken shit, gnats, no-see-ums and other air born particles (most likely flown in from Africa or Mexico). It is a hot and humid day, and I was out in it longer than usual today, but I got ALMOST everything on my list completed. The only thing I did not get done was cleaning off the back patio around the pool. Otherwise, it was a day of good accomplishments, and I am happy about that.

Happy Birthday today to Joe Mac and Carolyn! If you know them, send them your best.

Tomorrow is already the first day of August. Soon I will be Christmas shopping, and that is always fun. I have a pretty good idea what I will be doing tomorrow, but I am not too sure about what I did yesterday.

Deeds, Actions, Changes, CRAP, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2016 - Day 212/154 - Saturday...

That was part of what was for breakfast. Bacon! I can have bacon. May I have some bacon with my bacon please? I found it at the bottom of the meat drawer in the refrigerator. Does bacon have a 'best by' date on it? I didn't look, but I guess it doesn't matter. It has been about twelve hours since breakfast and we are both still breathing and not experiencing any trauma that can be tied directly to the event. It was good, too! Made a pile of eggs in the bacon grease, so that was a treat, too. Jody had half a scone. I am missing the dairy and the bread. I am cheating with cantaloupe. I miss the Milky Ways too. But it will all work out okay in the end.

Thursday night will be a big cheat night for me, but more about that later.

Deeds, Actions, Changes, BACON, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2016 - Day 211/155 - Friday...

He/She may not look like it (it kind of reminds me of the angry cat), but he/she should be a lot happier that it was about 30 minute ago. Jody and I were sitting at the table having dinner, and I saw this guy/gal in the pool. He/she was not that hard to scoop up with the skimmer, but I have to admit it was kind of withdrawn. Shrinkage comes to mind, but that is an entirely different episode. Scooped it out, got the phone (for documentation). I set him/her down on one of the walkways, pointed AWAY from the pool, and went back in to continue my dinner. Two or three minutes later, I reconsidered where I had put it, went back out to relocate it to a friendlier turtle habitat, and it was GONE. That sucker (biter) was definitely making some tracks! But, at least he will not drown.

I am going through convention withdrawal. Two weeks of political conventions, and now I have a lot of free time on my hands, I am not too sure how I will fill that void. A nap, maybe.

Jody and I both got our new passports in the mail today. I mailed the applications and the old passports (plus my passport card) on the 18th, and they have already been returned. I have to tell you, that was a lot more efficient process than I was expecting. It does, however, answer the questions as to whether or not I completed the forms properly. The instructions (part of them anyway) are less than  clear, but receiving the passports makes me believe I passed that test.

Deeds, Actions, Changes TURTLES, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2016 - Day 210/156 - Thursday...

It's a little bit breezy out here on the edge of nowhere. Actually, there are some pretty good winds, which is more typical for out here. No breeze is kind of odd, but this evening, the breezes are pretty strong, and the turbines are generating a pretty good bit of power. Before dinner, I went out to get something out of the car, and there were four or five buzzards playing on the thermals. I watched them for a while, and fished my phone out of my pocket and took this (and a couple other) pictures. I am generally more ready to take a picture, but I was slow on the trigger tonight. They were about 15 or 20 feet above me at first, and they just played in the breeze for a couple minutes. It was pretty interesting. Jody said they had been out there doing the same thing when he went out to check the mail earlier this afternoon.

Deeds, Actions, Changes, THERMALS, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2016 - Dy 209/157 - Wednesday...

Okay, so it seems my reputation has preceded my journal entry for the night. We had a TREPAC Talent Show fundraiser this evening at the Austin Board of REALTORS®, and it was a great success. I was the MC of the program, and I understand that I made it look easy (you can tell by this photo that it was just me with no make-up), but it was tough. Tough and itchy. Tough, itchy and...well, I could go on and on and on, but just understand that it was ALL about TREPAC, and making sure we can all get together and share some laughs and some good networking.

In other news: We did get a little more rain on the edge of nowhere, and there was a good bit of rain in Austin and south of us. Good rainfall totals. The edge of nowhere received about 0.15" of rain in the last 24 hours, but again, we will take whatever we can get and be happy with it.

We are closing in on the weekend, and it cannot get here too quickly, even though I have always been told that, when you wish for something like that, you are just wishing your life away!

Deeds, Actions, Changes, I'M REALLY AN INTROVERT, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2016 - Day 208/158 - Tuesday...

These clouds were much more promising looking than the clouds I documented yesterday, but there has been no precipitation on the edge of nowhere. There were some good showers reported in Austin, and there was a few dribbles on me during the drive home, but nothing here. We did end up with 0.93" of rain in the gauge to be reported this morning, and we are still hoping for a little bit more between now and this time tomorrow. We will, however, be happy with whatever amount of rain we get. Happy and proud. Not satisfied, but happy. And proud.

That is just about the most interesting thing I have to report this evening. We are about to close out another month and begin another. What did I learn today? I learned that, taking everything into consideration, most of the crap I deal with is just crap. Not important in the grand scheme of things, but then again, I am not sure if I know what the grand scheme of things is. I can only hope that it is worrying about crap. If worrying about crap is the grand scheme of things, then I am good. Been there, done that, got the t-shirt, and now I am worried that the shirt will fade or shrink in the wash.

Deeds, Actions, Changes, CRAP, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2016 - Day 207/159 - Monday...

When I got home this afternoon, these clouds looked somewhat promising, but they were off in the distance, and you can never tell about these things. It was very, very still when I stepped out of the car, which is a little bit unusual for our recent experiences; it has been a pretty windy year as winds go. We have enjoyed the winds, which helps out on our energy consumption. The turbines need wind! I checked the meters in the front and took this photo. I then pulled the car into the garage (I wonder why it is not called a 'garage'?), checked those meters, and was getting ready to put some dry food out for Barney, and suddenly the winds came up and you could definitely tell there was a drop in the temperature. I was still not convinced. I came inside, and a little while later, the rain began, and we got a good little shower. At last look, we had 0.65" in the gauge, and that makes us very happy. There could still be a little more on the way tonight, and there is a (increased) 50% chance for rain tomorrow and another chance for rain on Friday.

Good day, bad day...every peak has a valley, but every valley has a peak.

Deeds, Actions, Changes, RAIN, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2016 - Day 206/160 - Sunday...

THIS JUST IN...TRENDING NOW...There is a possibility of rain in the seven day forecast. Three days of better than average (that does not mean 50/50) chances of precipitation in the area. We are all kind of giddy about that. We have not had any rain since the last time we were all complaining about it, sometime back in June. We all knew this would happen, but we complained about it anyway. Now we are experiencing something new that the prognosticators have invented, a 'flash drought'. I am not too sure about where the 'flash' part comes into play, it has been hot and dry for a LONG time. Today was out 15th day this year of temperatures over 100 degrees. We are also excited that the forecast high temperatures next week (a couple days anyway) are expected to be in the mid 90s. That will be a treat!

I did get out of the house early this morning to get the grass in the front yard cut. My chores for the day included grass cutting, chicken tormenting, and a few miscellaneous chores here and there. Overall, I was back in the house by 11:30 and in the big blue chair.

Deeds, Actions, Changes, TRENDING, Kindnesses, Wh
irled Peas, FUN!

2016 - Day 205/161 - Saturday...

Today, while I was out doing some errands, I stumbled across the Mecca of Man Brooches. A veritable plethora of pins. The Sahara of Sparkly thingies. The Taj Majal of Tacky! I was overcome by the grandeur of it all, and was unable to focus for several minutes. I was temporarily deprived of my ambulatory abilities, and only after a kind passer-by dabbed my brow with a cool cloth, was I able to continue to gaze upon the holy grail of gaudiness. They were all reaching out to me, calling my name, in their reassuring whispers, 'Bill, buy me!' I did not dare ask the proprietors of the pretties about the cost of any of the items, I feared rejection. But be still your little hearts, I swooned and stumbled my way through the throngs of admirers (that tends to happen when I am out in public), encouraged by their cheers and good wishes, and was able to carry on. Like a sailor being led to an awful fate upon the rocks of a nearby shore by the alluring sirens, I fear I am doomed to return (Wednesday and Thursday of next week), and I am not sure I will be strong enough to resist the call of those semi-precious stones, those gold and silver plated metals gleaming in the harsh manufactured and artificially lit showrooms of commercial therapy. I must be strong, and yet I know I am doomed.

Don't get too concernedWal-Mart.
, I felt the same way about a cantaloupe earlier in the day at

Deeds, Actions, Changes, SHINY, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2016 - Day 204/162 - Friday...

I don't care what anybody says, there is a certain art to photo-bombing, especially when the photographer has to take ten or twelve photos of the activity, just to make sure it has that correct panache, that certain impromptu feel...that particular 'this was a totally random' event kind of thing. So, yes, photo-bombing is one of my favorite things to do, but these days, I am alerted in advance that a photo-bombing opportunity is about to rear its opportune little noggin. You can always tell what is about to happen: Step out of the frame...there, that's perfect...now rush back in...got it...oh crap, my finger was in the way...step out...now in!!!great. That's a wrap.

Anyway...I was in Bryan today to attend a Region 8 and Region 15 Mega-Regional meeting with the Texas Association of REALTORS®. Lots of good information, and lots of fun seeing friends that I only get to see at one meeting or another.

Now, for some rest, and back to work tomorrow.

Deeds, Actions, Changes, STEP OUT, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2016 - Day 203/163 - Thursday...

I ended the day yesterday with one appointment. One little appointment to meet one of my clients at their house. And by the time I got into my office this morning, I had three appointments, all back to back, and all that could have failed like a house of cards if everything did not fall into place. All it would have taken was for my first appointment to have been even LATER than he was, and it all would have crashed down around me. The first appointment went well, lots of logistical issues (meeting this vendor, that vendor, etc.) but everything worked out okay. After leaving there, I got in line at a McDonald's drive-thru, and then shamed myself into changing my mind. I backed out of the drive thru and proceeded to get caught up in drive thru purgatory. Not quite as bad as drive thru hell, but close. So then it was off to appointment number 2. All went well, so then off to number 3. All worked well, I wrote a couple contracts in the office, met a friend in the office who dropped off some information that I will need tomorrow, and got on the road home after five o'clock.

Life on the roads.

Deeds, Actions, Changes, DOMINOES, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2016 - Day 202/164 - Wednesday...

It kind of feels like Thursday, what do you guys think? And...I am kind of sensing a theme here. I am going to do my best to keep it under control, I do not want to be accused of becoming the senile old flasher that lives on the edge of nowhere. BUT, I have always been kind of stylish and ahead of the curve. Maybe this will start a new sensation of some sort. ANYTHING to distract attention away from the televised chaos that is being broadcast across the world in the name of democracy. It is like a train wreck and I can't stop watching it. So I do. But, I also thank god that my father invented the television remote control back in the early to mid 50s when we were living outside Detroit. It is a long story, but the television remote control is the best device there is in the whole wide world. It allows my to watch three minutes of the RNC and then flip over to Chip and JoJo or Big bang Theory, so I can keep myself firmly planted in reality. Then three more minutes of the RNC and then five minutes of Big Brother or Modern Family. It is a shame when you would rather watch reality television than reality. Reality has become too real, and I am having a hard time coping!

Deeds, Actions, Changes, COPING, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2016 - Day 201/165 - Tuesday...

You all probably know, we live on the edge of nowhere. You also know that my name, translated into Mandarin Chinese, is YU NO YUNG. There are advantages to rural living and having achieved 'senior status' at Dairy Queen and Denny's. One of those advantages is the ability to wear (or discard) the clothing of your choice. One of my identifying qualities on the edge of nowhere is, I am referred to 'the guy that walks his dog in his underwear'. Actually, that is not a totally accurate statement. I am wearing my own underwear, and the girl dog is walked while wearing no clothing at all. It is kind of the same as reading in the newspaper 'he was shot in the laundry room'. I admit readily that I was not a wiz as a student, but I have a working knowledge of anatomy, and I honestly could not pinpoint 'the laundry room' on my own body. And believe me, I have looked.

Otherwise, today was a pretty darned productive day. Not bad if I do say so myself.

Deeds, Actions, Changes, SARTORIAL SPLENDOR, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2016 - Day 200/166 - Monday...

Today is a milestone day...maybe not like you are thinking, but because this is the 200th day of the year...and to someone that is CDO, and someone who keeps track of lots of unimportant things, that is a big deal. It would have been a bigger deal if it had rained, but there was little chance of that. It could have been better if I had eaten something at lunch, but time just kept getting away from me. It could have been better if I had been appointed King of some South Seas Democracy, where everything is good and their export is Coconut Water and they just inked a deal with Whole Foods. I guess it could have been better if all the chickens chose today to lay an egg, but they didn't. It could have been a better day if ALL the news did not revolve around the politics of the day, but it does. It could have been a better day if the girl dog had dug a hole in her yard and discovered oil (ala Beverly Hillbillies), but she didn't. HOWEVER, it was a good day, because on the way home I got to see some interesting clouds, and this photo shows a very healthy patch of cotton in the foreground, and some very healthy clouds in the background.

What was it about your day today that was better than not?

Deeds, Actions, Changes, CLOUDS & COTTON, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2016 - Day 199/167 - Sunday...

"Please keep your hands on the wheel. Be prepared to take over at any time." Well, yes, I was testing out the "AutoSteering" gizmoid on the loaner car I have. I had a brief tutorial from the service man at Tesla when I took my car in on Friday, and it is not too hard to figure out. Since it is a loaner, I cannot try out all the gizmoids like "summon', since I haven't got the app for this particular car on my phone. But it was pretty interesting. I am not sure about all the bells and whistles, but I think it would be pretty cool to have it on a car. Put an address in the navigation system and then you can just go down the road. It (I am sure) would take a little bit of adjustment, but nothing you could not pick up pretty quickly. Jody was in the car with me for one short drive, and it wanted to take an exit that I did not want to take, so other than that, there were no issues. One of the tricks may be to stay in the center land, but I was just testing things out, so I was in the right lane.

Still fun!

There were lots of logistical errands to be run today. Tractor Supply, HEB, Metro PCS, Schlotzky's, negotiating a contract in-between and trying to get in a couple naps. I MIGHT have lost one pound in the last week, but I am calling it even. Maybe I will have better luck next week (or at least maybe not eat too much stuff I am not supposed to have.

Deeds, Actions, Changes, GIZMOIDS, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2016 - Day 198/168 - Saturday...

Jody and I went to lunch this afternoon with our friends Jim and Bonnie from Houston. Bonnie wanted to get a picture. Jody thinks he is shrinking. I kind of do acknowledge that we used to be more-or-less the same height, wore the same size pants, still like that. I tend to gain weight, Jody doesn't. I like this picture. I is a hell of a lot better than the passport pictures we had taken about five minutes after this one was taken. I doubt that the passport people will let me photo-shop this face onto the other picture, but it might be worth a try.

We had a really nice and calm day today. I did as very little as I could get away with, and even did get in a quick nap this morning and another one this afternoon. I am not really looking too forward to tomorrow, because it will be HOT and I have a lot of stuff to do around the house. There is ALWAYS something to be done, sometimes I am in more of a mood to do it that other times.

We will need to go into Georgetown again tomorrow; we need to get cat food, donkey treats, and maybe some dog food. I am pretty sure the girl dog is up to date with her food.

Deeds, Actions, Changes, SHRINKAGE, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2016 - Day 197/169 - Friday...

So, WIENERS. It's what's for lunch. This is part of my day now, watching my caloric intake and trying to be strong. I have ice cream in the freezer at work, and so far I have remained strong and have not slipped off the path at the office. No cookies, no ice cream, no candy bars, no jerky. Nothing good. Diet lunches and diet sodas. I don't mind the diet sodas, I even like them (as long as they are good and cold). So, I was pretty good until dinner tonight, and to be perfectly honest, it was not anything earth shattering. We (our friends Jim and Bonnie are visiting from Houston) went to the Walburg restaurant for dinner tonight. I had the buffet. Salad, macaroni and cheese, brisket, fried shrimp. Nothing too German for me. But it was good.

Good day at work. Met with some potential clients this morning, then back to the office. Marked a couple things off my 'To Done' list. Had an appointment in the afternoon to get my hair cut. On the way, I was stopped at a red light. Car refused to go. Did a few interesting things, and after about a minute and a half (or maybe two minutes, it seemed like an eternity), it decided it would go again. TIME DOES NOT FLY BY WHEN YOU ARE SURROUNDED BY A CACOPHONY OF BLARING HORNS. Trust me! So, got my hair cut, went to the service center, and now I am driving a loaner. A Model S, P90D. With AutoPilot and Ludicrous Mode. Haven't tried the AutoPilot OR the Ludicrous Mode yet, but it is the weekend. We shall see!

Deeds, Actions, Changes, WIENERS, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2016 - Day 196/170 - Thursday...

We have been beset with pool challenges this year. Never fear Bonnie, it will all be okay. But I digress. Challenge after challenge after challenge. This frog could be seen floating around on the line to the Polaris, and when I would go out there to try and rescue it, it was jump off and disappear. No, really! I could not find that frog. This happened two or three times. Finally, I went outside one afternoon, and there it was, treading water with just its nose sticking out. I guess it was too weak to dive down into the water, and I scooped it out of the pool easily. I think he dried out on the deck, at least that is the last we have seen of him. I saw a frog (about the same size) in the garage the other day. I doubt that it was the same one, but I am pretty sure there is no shortage of frogs out here.

Deeds, Actions, Changes, FROGS, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2016 - Day 195/171 - Wednesday...

My mother used to consume these magazines, and therefore, by default, I consumed them as well. Of course, up until my mother died, you could still find some of these magazines from the 50s in her house. She was a bit of a hoarder, you could walk through the house, but there was still stuff tucked under the end tables that had been under the end tables for years and years. Stuff was moved from Michigan to Tennessee to Texas, and it was still there under the end tables. I guess if you never moved anything, you would always know where it was. BUT...the magazines were full of mystery and criminals and intrigue. They were like the poor mans dime novels. I think they actually cost about a quarter (not sure), but there were plenty of them. I cannot remember her ever actually BUYING one of those magazines, and I don't have any memory of magazines at the check out counter at the grocery store, but they came from somewhere, not sure where. Maybe she led a secret life, and did her undercover work when my brother and I were in school. I think she (in high school) thought of herself as a 'bad' girl. I think it had a different meaning from what we would think of it today, but still, she was (I think) not a cheer leader, but definitely 'popular'.

Deeds, Actions, Changes, TRUE, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2016 - Day 194/172 - Tuesday...

Jody signed up for his Known Traveler ID today...we did the paperwork about a month ago, and we had his appointment to be fingerprinted and all that stuff today. It all went pretty smoothly, and hopefully when we head for Hawaii in October, we will all be able to avoid the security lines and leave our shoes on at the same time. We shall see how that goes. It remains windy and a little bit cloudy today, it was really darker than I expected this morning, we stayed in bed till about 6, and Expected it to be lighter than it was, but the cloud cover was keeping things ark. Okay with me. The wind, however, is really brisk, and that works in our favor as well, since we have the turbines and we are happy to be generating some energy.

Forty-eight years ago today, at about this time, I spoke to my father for the very last time. I called him (it was on a Friday just a little bit after 6 o'clock), and I had just been paid. My first paycheck from Montgomery-Wards in Southgate, Michigan. It was not my first job (I had been fired from several jobs already), but that was my first payday from Wards. I told him I was going to buy a pair of black wing-tip shoes. The first time I wore them was to the funeral.

Deeds, Actions, Changes, CLOUDS, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2016 - Day 193/173 - Monday...

What? Wait What? Well of course there were wrecks on IH-35 today, what could you possibly be thinking? I know, I know...I am just trying to change it up a bit. Okay, here goes... The best of the wrecks today was on my way home and included a 1973 Datsun sedan (remember Datsun's before they changed the name to Nissan?), pulling a trailer that was twice its' size loaded with gravel. I'm talking about four feet of gravel in a trailer that measured about 6 feet by 15 feet. With sides on the trailer. I think it was a one-vehicle incident (unless you include the trailer), but it did bring traffic to a halt for about six miles (which is about a million miles in dog years). I did not see any injured folks trying NOT to look like they were pulling the trailer, but then again, I was not really paying attention because I am trying my best not to report on wrecks for the foreseeable future. That does not include politics. Politics are a wreck on their own, and maybe I will report on that. Wrecks is wrecks in my book. Anyhoo...today's topic is technology, and how it can benefit mankind. If you remember to use it. My car sat in the parking lot most of the work-day today, and it was in the shade for most of that time. I remembered to turn on the air conditioner about 15 minutes before I left the office. Works like a charm, but like I said, you have to remember that you have it to use it.

Deeds, Actions, Changes, NO WRECKS, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2016 - Day 192/174 - Sunday...

I think one of the antique car clubs meets on a monthly basis at the Catfish Parlour in Georgetown. We have been there a couple times before and witnessed their arrivals and departures. They get there even earlier than we do. We got there at about 3:45 this afternoon. On weekends we try to have our lupper about 4 so we can come home and let things settle for a while. Usually two meals on the weekends; breakfast (which consists of a pile of eggs and cheese) and lupper which consists of who knows what. We had some shopping to get accomplished this afternoon (unsuccessfully I might add) and then went on to dinner.

Two exciting things happened since my journal entry yesterday. First, there was a wee-tiny-bit of rain overnight, but it was enough thunder and lightning for the dog to get on the bed, wake me up looking me right in the eyes and getting under the covers. 0.02" or rain in the gauge. Hardly worth all the bother. This afternoon there were about six or seven emergency vehicles going down our dirt County Road with lights flashing and sirens blaring; there was a gras fire out in the middle of one to the Schwertner pastures. How does a grass fire start in the middle of a pasture? I don't get it. The lightning last night was about 1a.m., and the grass first this afternoon was at about 12:30p.m. I guess it could have been smoldering for that long, I'm not sure. We have been out here for almost ten years (it may be ten years this October), and there are hardly six cars that go done the road in an entire day.

Deeds, Actions, Changes, EXCITEMENT, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2016 - Day 191/175 - Saturday...

I am not sure how long this ploy of escaping reality into fantasy will last, but I don't expect it will be much more than another week or so. As a 'newbie' I am frightfully aware of world happenings on this continent and most of the others (there are only six others, that is not too hard to keep up with), but I am trying to curb my intake. I thought about only putting 'good news' on my journal entries and my Facebook posts, but instead, for the most part, I have decided to go on and act normal. I am not going to go out and try to do nice things for an extraordinary amount of strangers; I try my best to do nice things for friends and strangers alike. Sometimes I am more successful than other times. Sometimes I woefully fail. Overall, I think (and that is really the only thing I have to judge by) that I have done more good than bad. Believe me, when I WANT to be good, I can be really good. On the other hand, when I NEED to be bad... Well, never mind so much about that. I really do believe that good acts will be rewarded, and if it ends up that the bad things have outweighed the good, I fully expect to come back as a dung beetle. Or maybe a tampon. Just sayin'...

Jody and I did something today we try tho do every four or five years; we went to a movie. I have to tell you, The Secret Lives of Pets (if that is the exact name of it), was not exactly what I was expecting it to be, and I know for sure Jody had NO IDEA what to expect. It was fun and animation has gotten better over the years. Is it cheaper to produce animated movies than it is to produce live action movies? I have no idea. BUT, I can tell you this, movie patrons in Georgetown, Texas (home of Sun City and their multitudes of grand children) are not known for their kindnesses and/or understanding. Again, I'm just sayin'.

Deeds, Actions, Changes, ANIMATION, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2016 - Day 190/176 - Friday...

I was trying to think of a simpler time...I have lived a while, and wanted to see what the world was worrying about a while back. We can all remember certain dates and where we were and what we were doing; JFK, MLK, RFK, Space Shuttle, 9/11. I wonder how the events that took place during the past week will be remembered. Are we at a turning point? Is this the end of another piece of our innocence? Am I the naive one in the group? I graduated from high school in 1969, in a suburb outside Detroit. There were some issues that needed to be dealt with. Lots of issues. I guess we really did not deal with them because it seems the issues are back. We all have issues, I may have more or less than most, but I know some issues are deeper and fester longer than others. I have said many times (and I have been told more times) that I am not the smartest guy in the world, I do not know how to solve all the world's problems. But that is okay, I am not being paid to solve the world's problems, and I am not being paid to be the smartest guy in the world. I am just trying to make another day, to do what I can. Some days are better than others. Some days I can accomplish a couple good things for people, some days I can't. Some days I hurt people, some days I make people happy. I am not Superboy, and I am positive I know exactly what my Kryptonite is.

Deeds, Actions, Changes, WTF, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2016 - Day 189/177 - Thursday...

There is too much stuff going on right now. Too much. It is hard to keep up. He said, she said. The roar is deafening. My ears are bleeding. My eyes are tired. My head hurts. I have opinions too, but I choose to keep them to myself. I respect other peoples opinions. Well, maybe not all peoples opinions. But I respect your right to HAVE an opinion. Namaste! I just don't necessarily want to SHARE your opinion. And even if I don't want to share your opinion, I won't necessarily share THAT with you, either. I have always thought that I don't need to tell everyone everything, because then everyone would know everything I know. So that is why I prefer just to be a lurker. It is kind of the same reason that I have never been fond of bumper stickers. Why should I put my opinion about ANYTHING on the back of my car? It is none of your business if I (HEART) my dog, and it is none of my business if your kid is an honor student at the community college. Generally speaking, my personal opinion of you is none of your business.

It would be nice if everyone would take the weekend off.

Deeds, Actions, Changes, SHUT UP, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2016 - Day 188/178 - Wednesday...

Day two of the Adkins gig. I wouldn't actually confess to having 'fallen off', but I did HAVE TO attend a tasting of culinary delights this afternoon. Actually, I had totally forgotten about it, and I got a text from the little munchkin head, saying she was on her way to pick me up. That was kind of a chaser to my four turkey-wieners that I had already consumed for lunch. The big think on Adkins is the reduction of carbohydrates...turkey-wieners have 1g of carbohydrates per wiener. I am allowed 20g per day, so four is great. Lots of stuff has 0gs, and that is what I am careful about. The tasting (IMHO) probably had enough carbs for the rest of the week, but it was a sacrifice I was happy to make. I choose not to include photos of the desserts, it is just not a smart move on my part.ie

Otherwise, it was a hectic day. Summer, covered up with stuff.

Deeds, Actions, Changes, CARBS, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2016 - Day 187/179 - Tuesday...

I am sorry. I have tried and tried and tried to think of something that would relieve the constant complaining about the traffic (and particularly the wrecks) in and around central Texas. It seemed at the time that there was nothing notable going on in my life that I could write about (going on eight years) in this journal that was of interest to you, my legion of followers! I was even getting tired of the same old photo every day. When I first started this journal, I would sometimes have three or four photos on a single day. I am down to one photo per day now. But, just to show you that it is not only traffic that makes me crabby, I have launched a new DIET that I will be sharing with you. I have been gaining weight for several months now, gone up one pant size (holding my breath) and have just become increasingly uncomfortable. So...Jody and I plotted and planned (okay, I plotted and planned, Jody is just going along with it) that beginning today, I would get back on the Adkins plan. It is easy for me. I can have all the eggs and fats that I want (can you smell the bacon?) and meats and stuff like that, but no bread (that does not kill me) and no dairy. That is what will kill me. I loves me some milk, freezing cold skim milk. That is my downfall. Because nothing goes with milk like lemon cookies, and I just recently discovered Oreo Lemon Cookies. I highly recommend them. If you go buy yourself some, let me know and I will be vicariously satisfied as long as some of us are having them.

A long day today, but it will all be better tomorrow.

Deeds, Actions, Changes, DIET, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2016 - Day 186/180 - Independence Day...

No, not the movie, the real thing. Two hundred and forty years ago, we broke free from Britain, and (I think) we are living in a age that is relishing the freedoms and re-defining freedom for this period in our history. I can hardly imagine living with a home or car that does not have air conditioning even though I grew up with no air conditioning. It was not until AFTER we had our first color television set that we got a single window unit air conditioner for our house. 1968. The first car we had with 'factory air' was a 1969 (but you still had to roll down the windows manually). What must it have been like to be in Philadelphia in 1776. I saw a PBS documentary about a month ago about life in Jamestown when the first settlers arrived. Miserable. Survival cannibalism. I cannot comprehend. We are all lucky people, we are all fortunate to be able to espouse our beliefs without fear of retribution. We get a chance to vote every four years and elect a President (let's just assume it is all on the up-and-up), and there is not rioting in the streets because someone did not like the turn-out. Close, but...

Anyway, I hope you have all enjoyed your weekend festivities...try to remember how lucky we all are.

Deeds, Actions, Changes, FREEDOM, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2016 - Day 185/181 - Sunday...

What? It's a goat skull. Actually a juvenile goat skull, a 'kid' is it were/was. Doesn't everyone drive around their house with a collection of skulls on the front seat? It is interesting what you find out here, depending on what type of livestock the neighbors keep or the coyotes drag around. A cow here, a goat there, a skunk back by the hay bales. It all makes for interesting yard decor/kitsch. I have an interesting collection out back (and in the front as well) of found bones and bits.

I got all the grass up on the roadside cut this morning. Thankfully it was cloudy and breezy, and that was a good thing. It was a combination of riding mower, walk behind mower and cussing that did the trick. Mainly the cussing. But, at least now it looks like someone actually lives here. In the summers, the place tends to get a little bit overgrown, and 'Grey Gardens' comes to mind a lot. It has been especially 'flora-fied' this year with all the rains. I hope the road grass will keep itself down for at least another month or two, we shall see.

We went into Georgetown this afternoon and have lupper at the Monument Cafe. There were not too many people there, and traffic was really not bad at all. I think there was a fireworks display last night in Walburg, but you could not prove it by us.

Deeds, Actions, Changes, DEAD STUFF, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2016- Day 184/182 - Saturday...

Jody and I went to lunch at our usual Saturday afternoon place, I won't mention the name in this journal entry, but it is a national fast food/casual dining place and in the advertisements, cows plead for you to opt for the chicken. Anyway...we were enjoying our lunch and I was doing my very best to eavesdrop on one of the managers interviewing a job applicant. The applicant (a young woman enrolled in college) was seeking summer employment. The manager conducted the interview over 25 minutes. 25 minutes! It was a pretty intense interview with question like 'So tell me about yourself, what does it mean to be you?' And What were her short term and long term goals? The first thing that came into my head was 'My short term goal is to escape this interview'. I wish I had been keeping up with the number of times the manager said 'cool' and 'awesome'. I did not keep up, but in the 25 minutes, the number could easily have been in the 50s.

I have no bias about career choices, but this your woman was interviewing for something to get her through the summer. I expect her liberal arts major will be put to a better use, but maybe not. I have certainly held a variety of jobs that I never even knew were jobs until I accepted them.

Deeds, Actions, Changes, INTERVIEWS, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2016 - Day 183/183 - Friday...

Today's wreck was a fire, so I guess I can't really claim it as a wreck, since it was really a fire and not a wreck. BUT, there was certainly a backup in the Interstate, which is generally caused by a wreck and not a fire, but really, it was a fire today and not a wreck, so I will call it a fire and not a wreck. The resulting impatience was reminiscent of a wreck, but it was a fire, not a wreck, so this means today's fire caused the traffic challenge to reminiscent of a wreck, but this was a fire not really a wreck, so I can only say that the inconvenience was REMINISCENT of a wreck, not really the result of a wreck because this was a fire not a wreck, so I cannot say that it was the result of a wreck because it was the result of a fire not a wreck.

If it had been a wreck I would have said it was a wreck, but it was a fire so I am calling it a fire.

Today (as evidenced by the title of this post), puts us at a year that is either half-full or half-empty, depending on how you look at it. Sort of like a wreck as opposed to a fire. But in this case, I am talking about how much of the year has been spent as opposed to how much of the year is still in the bank.

50/50.

Deeds, Actions, Changes, FIRE, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!