2017 - Day 273/92 - Saturday...

Most of this day was a good day. i started the day with a list of chores, and I got several of them completed. Okay, not really, but I did get a few things done. I have a deadline to get my 2016 taxes to the accountant by Monday, so I have been working on those for the last few days, and today and tomorrow I am putting the final touches on the numbers, making sure everything is balancing properly. As as reward, once I get a section finished, I am allowed to go out and do outside things. I got the garage straightened out, added another set of shelves, organized a few things, moved the peg-board to another wall, and just in general got the garage looking like I could put my fingers on things out there if I REALLY needed to. Not sure, but maybe. Then it was nap time, then Jody and I went into Georgetown for lunch. Lunch was the unsatisfactory part. For about the last five years or so, every Saturday (almost), we go into Georgetown and order the same meal at Chic-Fil-A. Number Nine Combo, which the main entree is a chicken salad sandwich. Jody and I split the sandwich, the fries, and we each get a milk shake. We have been aware that Chic-Fil-A was discontinuing the chicken salad sandwich, but the reality of the whole thing was pretty much more than we could stand. Jody ordered a chicken wrap thing and I ordered the chicken tenders. We each got fries and the shakes. But it was just not right. I felt like Sheldon on the Big Bang Theory with somebody sitting in my place. It was just not right. We are going to try and work through it this week, and we think the solution will be to share the chicken wrap thing, and see how that works. We expect some tweaking will need to take place. When we got home from Georgetown, I cut some grass, Jody and I sat out in the yard with the girl dogs, and then I worked on the taxes some more. I almost forgot to mention, the yucca up by the driveway decided to bloom, and you can see some of the coral yucca next to it blooming. A little late, but nevertheless... Deeds, Actions, Changes, CHIC-FIL-A, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2017 - Day 272/93 - Friday...

I am not sure of the purpose of Words with Friends. I very rarely win. I explain to those that ask me to play, that my sole purpose is to make them feel better about themselves. It is much the same as when I was doing long-distance bike rides. My purpose was to be one of the first from the start of the ride, so more people would have the opportunity to pass me, and thereby have a more positive feeling about themselves. I was not a poor bicyclist, I was pretty average, and usually ended the rides respectably as a middle-finisher. Not so much when I play Words with Friends. Bottom of the barrel almost every time. I would estimate that, considering the last 25 games I have played, I have won ONE game. This particular photo captures one of my better efforts. But it was a losing effort on my part. If you want to increase your self-esteem, just challenge me to a game. Fair warning: I am not adding more humiliation to me repertoire. One friend and I have been playing constantly for about six years. Continuously. Over the years, players have come and gone, and at this time, I am involved with four other players. That is plenty. I do not need any more validation that I suck at this game. I am comforted by the fact, however, that I am the only one that is not cheating. So there. Deeds, Actions, Changes, WORDS, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2017 - Day 271/94 - Thursday...

I would not be the least bit surprised if, one day in the future, I come to regret having rescued this mouse from the pool. I would like to think that he will remember that we kept him from drowning in the pool, and will go to the neighbors to chew through their electrical wiring, and not mess with ours. Perhaps that is too much to ask, but rescue him/her I did. He was really tired from treading water, and while we were having dinner, I saw it swim to the polaris hose. Since I only use my glasses anymore for driving (I have come to the conclusion that there is very little I really need to see that is not close enough to see it), I really could not tell if it was just a leaf or something else. After dinner, I ventured out, and I really thought it was a bull frog. Bull frogs are not really interested in being rescued from the pool, and they tend to dive when approached by a skimmer net, but this guy was not in any great mood for a hasty escape. I got him in the net, took him over to the window for Jody to check it out, and them released him into the grass on the other side of the gazebo. He did hang out long enough for me to go back inside and get my phone so I could document the rescue, but shortly after that, he had recovered enough to get out of dodge. I did see Barney this afternoon, so I may have done nothing more than to save it from one fate and present it right to another. I bet a dollar I will never know the outcome. Tomorrow is Friday, and I welcome that. I have a lot of office work to be done, and then I am showing property in the afternoon. If I am lucky, I will be able to sit at home and finish some chores that I have a deadline for. Deadlines really work well for me, I do my best work under pressure. Deeds, Actions, Changes, WET MICE, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2017 - Day 270/95 - Wednesday...

First day back in the office after several days of being out of the office. Appointments, friends visiting, being in the office when no one else was, guiding classes in Houston, this and that. The drive into Austin this morning was nothing to write home about, no real issues that I can recall. The sunrise showed some real potential, but the clouds did not break all day long, and the sun did not really break through at all. Even though there was/is a 60% chance of rain today, there has been nothing more than a trace recorded here on the edge of nowhere. But the red sky in the morning was pretty impressive. I had one meeting today at the board, and then back to the office. I have one quick meeting tomorrow, the showing property. Same thing on Friday, and if everything works out, I will not have to go into Austin over the weekend. I have plenty of stuff to do here. Deeds, Actions, Changes, RED SKY, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2017 - Day 269/96 - Tuesday...

I did my second day of guiding a class of learners at the Houston Association of REALTORS® today, and the two days of classes were really fun! This is a photo of the class attendees, along with their 'tiny hands'. A lot of fun, and everyone learned a lot, including their guide on the side! I really do enjoy sharing classes and knowledge, and gaining the knowledge of a diverse group of people like my REALTOR® colleagues. Thanks to all of them for participating! On the way home from Houston, it rained and rained and rained. I just LOVE driving in the dark in the rain. I am like somebody's old grandma when it is dark and raining outside. Can't help it, I did not get this old being stupid. BUT, I made it home and all is good. Tomorrow will be a day back in the office, and that will be good. There are a couple more appointments scheduled this week, and I have an appointment to show one of my listings on Friday afternoon. All in all, life is good and I am the luckiest man in the world. Deeds, Actions, Changes, GUIDING, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2017 - Day 267/98 - Sunday...

Joe Mac helped me get a lot of stuff done around the house while they were visiting, particularly the cable wire on the riding lawn mov=wer, and today we replaced the rope on the flag pole, added new brasses for holding the flags, and we put new flags up. It took us an hour to replace the rope on the flag pole and attach the brass things that hold the flags, but it was fun and now it is done. I looked at the sales tickets on the supplies, and I bought all that stuff back in November of 2016. It had always been a ne and Joe Mac job, that was what I had always intended it to be, and that is how it all worked out. The new rope is up ad the flags are flying proudly. I don't have a photo of the new flags or the rope, but I did take a selfie of the four of us before I headed off to Houston. It took me about 6 an a half hours to get to the hotel. Normal driving time is about three hours, then I had an hour worked into the mix for charging, and then there was about an hour to get around a really interesting wreck. But all is well that ends well. This is a photo of me, Jody, Carolyn and Joe Mac. Jody had been friends with Joe Macs family, and has know =n Joe Mac since he was in high school. Good friends are always welcome. Deeds, Actions, Changes, FRIENDS, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2017 - Day 266/99 - Saturday...

Joe Mac helped me (okay I did nothing, Joe Mac did it all, but I was able to point at things) fix something on the tractor that I was totally incapable of doing. I knew what needed to be done, and I am generally good for brute strength things, but I could not get the fuc*ing nut off the bold on one of the battery terminals on the riding mower. It was the bane of my day when I would need to fiddle around with the battery cables just to get the mower started. BUT, that is all a thing of the past. While we were out there, this praying mantis was making itself comfortable on the seat of the mower, and it was in the least bit camera shy. We came back a couple hours later, and he was still there. Don't tell the chickens. I had to go into Austin this morning. I had a two-part appointment with one client and another appointment with another client. I was in town longer than I expected to be, but it all worked out. Once I got home, we all went into Georgetown; fed the mule boys, had lunch, made a stop at tractor supply. Then home. A couple more chores for tomorrow, and it is about time to call it a day! Deeds, Actions, Changes, MANTI, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2017 - Day 265/100 - Friday...

FRIDAY! How nice is that? Not only is it Friday, but our friends Joe Mac and Carolyn are here visiting us, so that is a great thing. I got into town this morning, first thing was a meeting, then a good class with new members, then a quick taping at the Texas Association of REALTORS®, then a hair cut. PERFECT! On my way home, it rained on me in Austin, it rained on me in Walburg, but it did not rain on the edge of nowhere. On the way home, I called the Walburg Restaurant, just to make reservations for dinner this evening. 'We don't take reservations during OKTOBERFEST, and today is the first day of OKTOBERFEST.' Oh, okay. I cannot quite grasp the concept that OKTOBERFEST starts in September. Granted, I do not speak fluent German, but I do know several curse words and inappropriate phrases in German, be even I know that if the are going to start OKTOBERFEST in September, perhaps it should have been called SEPTEMBERFEST. Just saying... Whatever... So, we left at just a little bit after 5 to head into Walburg so we could try to avoid the crowds, which we did very successfully. On the way into Walburg, the skies opened and there was a deluge of rain. If you look closely at this photo of some interesting clouds, you can see a few rain drops on the window. BUT, I am telling you, the skies opened, and it was a downpour that lasted about 20 minutes. I was totally drenched with rain, but had died out by the time we left the restaurant. AND...not a drop of rain at the edge of nowhere. NOTHING. Deeds, Actions, Changes, CLOOUDS, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2017 - Day 264/101 - Thursday...

It was an early day, and it has been a long day...not just for me and Jody, but also for our friends Joe Mac and Carolyn who arrived late this afternoon for a long-weekend visit. They live on the Gulf Coast of Mississippi, and the usual 9 hour drive took about 11 or 12 hours today. It seems there was a wreck when they were trying to cross the Sabine River, and it took them a couple hours to cross the river. They would go five or ten feet every ten minutes. But they made it safely and we just got back from a late dinner at the Crossroads Cafe. Good times with good friends! When I was out checking my meters this afternoon, this attractive set of clouds appeared, and I hope you enjoy it. I had an early appointment this morning and it took an hour and a half to get there. Made it back home by eleven. Three hours round trip and an hour or so to meet with the client and get the paper work signed. Jody had an appointment at 12:15, so that all worked out nicely. We got back home at about 3, but that pretty much accounts for the whole day. I have a couple things to do tomorrow; meeting, class, participate in a short video, office, hair cut. Deeds, Actions, Changes, GOOD FRIENDS, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2017 Day 263/102 - Wednesday...

FETISH. Fetish. fetish. Now that I have your attention, I thought I would share my newest fetish with you. This plant is relatively prolific here in central Texas. Jody bought me one several years ago, and it promptly died. That was before I discovered the healthful benefits to water provides to most living things. Like plants. It has taken me until this year to understand the concept that, if you plant something, you have to water said something. So, that is what I do now. It works itself right in with my other compulsive habits. WATER THE PLANTS. So I water. And one of the benefits of watering is the luscious blooms that emit from these plants. The leaf of these plants remind me of a mimosa tree. Mimosa tree leaves curl and withdraw when you touch them, and I have not seem too many of those here in central Texas. I remember them from Memphis. This plant is known by a few names here on the edge of nowhere; Pride of Barbados and New Mexico Birds of paradise. If you want to buy one at Home Depot or some other bg box store, as for Pride of Barbados. Beautiful. Deeds, Actions, Changes, FETISHES, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2017 - Day 262/103 - Tuesday...

I doubt many times that even the finest of all cameras, no matter how expensive or how talented the photographer, can truly capture the beauty of nature. These two rose blossoms are not the loveliest ever seen, but they are brave and doing the very best they can, and they are beautiful to me. There are others on the vine, and many buds, but these two are representative of them all. Daisies all look alike from afar, but up close, they are all different. This particular rose bush is propagated from a rose that survived (1) Katrina and (2) the floods. You should note, those were two separate and distinct events. There was a hurricane which did a little bit of damage to New Orleans and then there was the breech of the levee which is the event that really did the damage. Two separate and distinct events. Conspiracy theorists are still having a hay-day with this, but all I know is, my memento of the event is growing outside the garage. I do not look at the rose without thinking back. I moved to central Texas from New Orleans, and I have been back about four or five times in the decade since, and I am happy to say the city and the rose bush have both survived! Tomorrow will be a pretty long day, a full day of teaching class at our south location, so come on down if you happen to be in the neighborhood and say hello! Deeds, Actions, Changes, BLOSSOMS, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2017 - Day 261/104 - Monday...

Well, this is just perfect. I spoke with my friend Cass last week, about the credit reporting agency being hacked, and whether or not I should put a freeze on my credit reports. That was the boring part of the conversation. The interesting part of the conversation (aside from all things Bill), was that she had sent me a water color of cows. It seems she had been wanting to paint cows for a while, and while she was visiting with her parents in one of those square, nondescript northern states, she took time out of the schedule (parental escape) to take a cow painting lesson. That is not the same as taking a can of Sherwin-Williams and heading out to the closest pasture when you were a fraternity pledge. This is actually taking a wet brush, smooshing it around in some wet paint, and applying the wet paint to a piece of wet paper, specially made for the task of adhering wet paint to paper. Cass is an accomplished artist, and I envy that skill of hers. BUT I DIGRESS...a day or so ago, I reported to my legion of journal followers that the flora on the edge of nowhere was confused. Pear trees are blossoming, iris are blooming, figs are ripening. Now Cass sent my an original work of art, the subject of which are 'cows of a different color'. Blue and purple to be exact. Don't get me wrong, I am very proud to possess the art work, and I will be taking it to the frame shop post haste, but it reminded me after dinner this evening (as I was watering the flora around the house) that our neighbors have a cow that thinks it is a cat, we have a chicken that thinks it is a duck, we have a barn cat that thinks it is a raccoon, and we have two dogs that think they are people. It is very distressing. I sent Cass of Vera, my dearly departed former favorite chicken. Can't wait...

BUT, if you need the number of a top-notch financial advisor, let me know and I will hook you up with Cass. This offer does not include free art work. Deeds, Actions, Changes, PURPLE COWS, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2017 - Day 260/105 - Sunday...

I finished most of the things on my 'to done' list, all except the really important staff, and I choose not to share that with you right now. Once that is done, I will heartily share the gory details with you. I did get a few things transplanted and (perhaps) saved a toad. I am pretty sure this toad was not in the pot that I placed the Turks Cap in just to keep it upright last Thursday (maybe Wednesday). But today with I planted the Turks Cap, there was this great big toad. I laid the clay pot sideways in another bed, and a while later he/she/it was no where to be seen. The camouflage is pretty good, you have to admit. I assume it is a toad, since I tend to think of frogs are green in color. Feel free to correct me if you know what particular species of toad, frog or poodle this particular specimen occupies on the tree of life. I went into Austin to show one property this afternoon, which is my excuse for not having taken care of the important stuff that was on my list. It was a perfect excuse. I did get the cattle a bale of hay, and I did get the chicken coop cleaned, and the garbage can taken up to the road. I finished cutting the grass, too. There are always things to get done out here on the edge of nowhere. Deeds, Actions, Changes, TOADS, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2017 - Day 259/106 - Saturday...

The pear tree cannot help it. It is not the fault of the pear tree. The pear tree has blossoms on it. The fig tree has ripe figs on it. The Iris were blooming last week. Last week, for about five or six days, it felt like spring time. High temperatures were in the high 70s and the low temperatures were in the high 50s. All the flora and fauna are trying to figure out what the hell is going on. I considered turning the air conditioner off. I'm confused, not crazy. This afternoon, I turned the fan back on in the chicken coop. It will be interesting to see if we actually have any fruit set on the tree. I would not be surprised. I cut grass today, that is pretty much all I did. I got the tractor out and shredded some. The grass between the house an the first pasture had gotten really high, and so had the grass on the creek side, between the house and the south pasture. But now it is more manageable. I even cut around the pecan trees, and the pecans are pretty loaded. I just hope we can get some of them before the squirrel (Earl) gets to them. It is kind of doubtful. Deeds, Actions, Changes, BLOSSOMS, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2017 - Day 258/107 - Friday...

Once again (it happens every year), the Ides of September are upon us. And it is getting darker, earlier. It is taking way too long for Daylight Saving Time to end. I am ready to fall back. If I could turn back time. If I could put time in a bottle. If I had a hammer. If I don't have you. If I can't have you. If you're going to San Francisco. If I were your woman. if I could turn back time, I would restart this journal post, but I have gone too far to turn back now. But I digress... As you may (or may not) recall, I took the girl dogs to the beautiful parlor yesterday, and they got their hairs cut. The Callie girl is the quietest of the two, and she is happy just to go off and be by herself. BUT, she is really fond of sitting in our laps and getting a good scratching. And a belly rub...she is really good with a belly rub. So, while Jody and I were sitting out in the yard with them, she jumped up in my lap, and since I did not have another photo for this post, I thought I would share this one with you. Look! SQUIRREL! But no moose? And, did I mention that today is Friday? IT'S FRIDAY! Let the weekend begin. But, I have stuff around the house to get done, so I will start with making a list. Number one: Deeds, Actions, Changes, CALLIE, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2017 - Day 257/108 - Thursday...

I have been freaking out about this for about the past two weeks...maybe more. Those of you that know me (really KNOW me), are aware that I am totally CDO. That is being so OCD that I have to put it in alphabetical order, AS IT SHOULD BE. The older I get, the more compulsive I become. I count things, make lists, follow routines (rituals), pay attention to many things, and could not give a sh*t about other things. One of my new compulsions is the number of seconds I water certain potted plants around the property. Thirty seconds will usually do it, but I have gone as high as 45. The same thing with putting air in the riding lawn mower wheels. I have to do that every week that I use the riding lawn mower. Only the front wheels though. Forty-five seconds of air will usually do the trick. But this was a big one; how often does your odometer click over to 100,000 miles? I thought for sure I would become distracted and not get it documented, but I got it. And, truth be known, I was more impressed when it read 99,999 than I was with 100K. 100K was kind of a let down, kind of like when all the packages have been opened, and tomorrow is Monday, and it is time to go back to work. Aye-Caramba! I did get the girls to the beautiful parlor this morning and picked them up this afternoon. They both got their hairs cut, and the piglet does not look so pig-like right now, but you can still tell she is a piglet. Deeds, Actions, Changes, BASE LINES, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

207 - Day 256/109 - Wednesday...

Honestly, everyone and everything is confused. We have been enjoying some fall temperatures lately. Highs in the 80s and lows in the 60s. But it looks like that is over for a while. There are Iris blooming, there are ripe figs on the fig tree. It is all just confusing. The winds have been out of the north, and the humidity has been really low, which has meant that the plants dry out more, even though it has not been scorchingly hot. Wildflower seeds were sewn today, I am pretty sure I will sew some more before it is all over with. I also expect I will plant some more bulbs later in the fall. I want to find a few exotics that I can put here and there. Who knows. I just know more is better. I am taking the girls to the beautiful parlor tomorrow. Neither Jody nor I have ever really had high maintenance dogs before, and we are having to work our way into that. The little piglet is a Maltese, and I cannot keep her face clean, and I cannot keep the boogers out of her eyes. Trust me, I have tried, must to her dismay. The other girl dog is a kind of a Yorkie kind of dog (I think, who knows), and she is not nearly as difficult to give the impression that she is clean, even if it is an illusion. SO...of to the beautiful parlor for them. Deeds, Actions, Changes, IRIS, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2017 - Day 255/110 - Tuesday...

Never EVER let it be said that I did NOT take advantage of a photo opportunity. One of the things I did at the TAR Annual Convention in Dallas over the last several days, was to meet Mark Davis, author of "Upside Down - How the Left Turned Right into Wrong, Truth into Lies, and Good into Bad". I haven't read the book yet, but it is on my list. He was signing copies of his book, so I got one, and I got him to stick his tongue out for the camera. Nice guy, entertaining (he has a radio show 660AM in Dallas), and fun. He did not blink an eye when I asked him to stick out his tongue for the camera. Today was a kind of hectic one in the office; played catch-up, talked with some clients, talked with some colleagues, wrote some offers, responded to some offers, had a salad. You know, the usual. Tomorrow will hopefully be less jam-packed. I have to take my car in for a new 12v battery first thing in the morning, then into the office. Deeds, Actions, Changes, TONGUES, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2017 - Day 254/111 - Monday...

Five days and five grilled cheese sandwiches later, I am back home on the edge of nowhere. And today, there is a lot of concern; concern that this is the anniversary of the World Trade Center, concern for friends and colleagues in Houston, and concern for friends and colleagues who have just experienced Irma in Florida and the islands. So, instead of dwelling and harping on things I have no control over, I will wax poetic about grilled cheese sandwiches. I never really had a great appreciation of grilled cheese sandwiches until lately. Grilled cheese sandwiches are reliable. There are several variations on the simple theme, and it is a pretty safe bet, wherever you are, that I will be satisfied with a grilled cheese sandwich. Preferably with an order of fries. Not that crazy about chips, I would be much better served with fries. Mayo and ketchup is required as well, grilled onions are kind of the bees knees. So...take a couple minutes to forget about current events, and go make yourself a grilled cheese sandwich, Deeds, Actions, Changes, GRILLED CHEESE SANDWICHES, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2017 - Day 253/112 - Sunday...

On my way to a TREPAC event at the Perot Museum in Dallas, and incredible building and full of interesting exhibits. What a great place to meet up with a bunch of like minded colleagues. There were comments from several elected officials, and interesting comments from radio host and author Mark Davis. Very interesting, and I enjoyed the evening, after another long day of meetings and classes. I am in Dallas, all sage and cozy in my hotel room right now. There is nothing in the news except information about Hurricane Irma. I am concerned about our friends in Puerto Rico, and we are concerned about our friends in Florida, in the Palm Beach area. I sent a text to Mikey in Del Ray Beach, but have not heard back from him yet. I expect all will be okay with hime, but our hearts are hurting for our other friends and colleagues who have been devastated in Texas, Florida snd all across the Atlantic. Deeds, Actions, Changes, LUCKINESS, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2017 - Day 252/113 - Saturday...

I am pretty sure it is Saturday, anyway. You kind of lose track of the days when you attend conferences. There are back to back meetings, a lunch you eat on the run, meet-and-greets, shake-and-howdies, everything runs together. It is kind of hard to remember all the stuff you did in a single day, without looking at the conference schedules. Upon reflection, I will look at my notes and remember things that I paid special attention to. ONE of the highlights of the day was to get an opportunity to see my friend and colleague Kenny, a dedicated REALTOR® from Utah, and a dedicated volunteer to our National Association. It is late, I am back in my room, and it is time to say good night. Good Night. Deeds, Actions, Changes, CONFERENCES, Kindnesses, Whirled Pes, FUN!

2017 - Day 251/114 - Friday...

Nice day for it. In Dallas until Monday, annual Texas Association of REALTORS® Conference. The day started this morning at about 7 a.m., with registration. Then, at 7:45 there were mock Instructor presentations. This is where instructors wanting to be certified by the Texas Association 'audition' kind of, for other instructors. The reviewing instructors critique the performance, style and material concept of the candidates. All the instructor candidates today were accepted into the program, so congratulations to them all, and welcome. Later in the day, there were a couple of other commitments. Then, at 4 o'clock, it was a real treat to hear Coach Lou Holtz talk to us about motivational thinking. Really a great opportunity to hear him. He also gave me a couple ideas that I can use in my classes. THEN...afterwards, I got a chance (with a couple other of our members) to meet with him and share a couple jokes. Have I mentioned to you lately what a lucky guy I am? Well, this should take care of that. Deeds, Actions, Changes, LOU HOLTZ, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2017 - Day 250/115 - Thursday...

This could well be, in my vast years of experiences, the first time in my entire life, that I have been in a hotel room without window. It is kind of creepy, kind of odd. It is like being on a cruise ship...in the cheap seats. An interior room. Nothing wrong with an interior room, since you are not going to be in the room much, anyway, and on a cruise ship, you could live much more fiscally conservatively than you could on a middle class condo somewhere in middle class America. But I digress. I am not on a cruise ship, and I am not working on a fiscal policy. I am in Dallas, and I am getting ready to call it a day. Good night. Deeds, Actions, Changes, DALLAS, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2017 - Day 249/116 - Wednesday...

The lilies are still blooming, and this one is a particularly nice color. I am really not sure what color 'fuschia' is, but this is probably as close as I can get to it. It is a lovely full lilies, and it is one of the plants that we uprooted and transplanted. Most of them are thriving, some are not, but we can fill in. Wednesday. Hump Day. Wednesday. Not a terrible day when all is said-and-dome. Honestly, there were a couple bumps in the road today, and many of my friends took it harder than I did. It was interesting, and I was one of the few that did not walk away with hurt feelings. It seems that perhaps I should have, but I didn't, and we will all see another opportunity to get our points across. I am working from home tomorrow. I think that is something I should do more of. It all works out just fine, as long as all I need to do is paperwork or sit at the desk. But I expect I will play hooky and go mess around out in the yard. Deeds, Actions, Changes, MYSTERIES, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2017 - Day 248/117 - Tuesday...

The spider lilies are blooming nicely again here on the edge of nowhere. The cannas are doing nicely, and some of the other flora are bursting forth. I have always liked the Pride of Barbados, referred to in these parts as the New Mexico Bird of Paradise. They are beautiful plants, but they get big...so we have planted five of them this year, and four of the five are blooming. Beautiful! The other plant was assaulted on occasion by roving bands of chickens, and I finally put a chicken fence around it to give it half a chance. It is coming along, but it is being dwarfed by the plants that escaped the wrath of a herd of chickens. I have always said, you cain't have nothin' party if you have chickens, and I keep getting more and more. Storms to the left of me, storms to the right...Harvey, Irma and Jose. It is getting kind of complicated trying to keep up. AND there is (allegedly) a depression in the Gulf that has to potential of bringing us some more rain. If we can get some rain here in central Texas without raining on the folks that are up to there with rain, we will gladly take it. I know that is asking a lot, but maybe, just maybe... Tomorrow is Wednesday already, and I welcome that hump day with open arms. I really like four day work weeks, I should make that a habit. I could if I wanted to, but I am also a control freak, so there is that. It will all work out in the end. Deeds, Actions, Changes, LILIES, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2017 - Day 247/118 - LABOR DAY...

I had a ten o'clock appointment this morning, and I got there with time to spare. The Googles said it would take me 47 minutes to get there, but I got there earlier than that. It was a good listing appointment, and we will see how it all works out. I headed to the office after that, posted some rents and made a bank deposit. Opened mail, did some this-and-that and headed home. On the way, there was a wreck on northbound IH-35, somewhere between Round Rock and Georgetown. I was in line before the emergency vehicles (always a bad sign) and two ambulances past me headed north. When I got there, there were plenty of emergency vehicles, and one car was on its side up against the median barricade. Traffic was backed up on both sides of the Interstate, but I think it was worse heading south. Once I made it home, Jody and I headed off to Georgetown for lunch, and a quick stop at Target to buy NOTHING. I had seen a couple things in the Sunday paper that I was interested in, but in real life the items were no where as cool as they were in the newspaper advertisement. Oh well... The life of a chicken on the edge of nowhere continues to be a good life. They all seen to be (relatively) happy, and there has only been minor feather shedding. More hurricanes headed this way, but they don't look like they will be significant to Texas. We have friends in Puerto Rico and Florida and Mississippi. It looks like they may get wet. We can change the sheets on any number of beds here, just let us know. Deeds, Actions, Changes, WRECKS, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2017 - Day 346/119 - Sunday...

I am kind of surprised every year when this plant up by the road blooms. It is on a vine, kind of like a wisteria, but it is definitely not a wisteria. It has a very sweet smell to the blooms. Somebody told Jody they thought it was a clematis, but from what I can tell on-line, it is not a clematis. I downloaded an app on my phone called 'plantsnap' for $3.99, and I am not satisfied with what they are calling it. The examples are nothing like what these blooms look like. OKAY, HERE IS THE CHALLENGE: Name that plant. And...GO! I got a few more things checked off my 'to done' list. There is still tomorrow. I watered trees, but I did not water too many plants. Tomorrow. I have one plant to transplant, tomorrow. I need to work on the mail box up at the road, I did not do that today, tomorrow. Otherwise, I am in pretty good shape. I did get the chicken coop cleaned out, finished cutting grass and even got the tractor out and cut some grass up by the road. I may do a little bit more. Tomorrow. I got the chickens water fountain working again. All the chickens are doing pretty well, no complaints. Everyone (of the chickens) are adjusting pretty well. The pecking order is in a little bit of turmoil, but they will make it through. Tomorrow I have a couple appointments, and maybe do a little work on last years income tax. Tomorrow. Deeds, Actions, Changes, TOMORROW, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2017 - Day 245/120 - Saturday...

The new chicks survived their first night in the coop with all the other girls, and I do not think there was any bloodshed. They have also survived the day with no obvious harm. The next test will be to see if they retreat into the coop on their own tonight. So far, as long as we have had chickens, I have never had to herd new chicks into the coop, they just do it as if it was what they were supposed to do, no questions asked. The only thing I got checked off my list for today was bathing the dogs. I did parts of cutting the grass (about 3/4 done) and tomorrow I will take some hay to the cattle, (maybe) water some plants (at least the trees, probably), transplant a couple things that did not make the first move and do a couple other chores that did not make the list. It will be okay. Deeds, Actions, Changes, NEW CHICKS, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2017 - Day 244/121 - Friday...

Yes. Friday. And a three-day-weekend at that. I already have appointments on Saturday and Monday. I also have appointments with hay, grass, chickens, water, a mail box, a couple dogs and some batteries. It will all work out just fine. There was a pretty nice sunrise in my rear view mirror this morning, and there is frequently. Generally though, I do not think about stopping until after the moment has passed or I go down a hill and there is nothing there to see. But today, I had the foresight to document it. There were no trucks blocking the road, nothing but a nice sunrise in the rear view mirror. I am about to go out and sit with Jody and the dogs. Tonight the youngest of the chicks will be put into the coop, and we will see how this all works out in the morning. I expect they will all survive the trauma, and it will all be fine. I think the first couple days are the toughest (for me), but not sure about the chicks. Deeds, Actions, Changes, SUNRISE, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!