2017 - Day 304/61 - Halloween...

One would think that one would come to the self-realization that one had enough socks on ones shelf to sustain ones life for more than ones the immediate future. but it is obvious to this one that that one is in a self-imposed state of denial about ones need for more socks. So one may just keep going ever further down the path of 'shelf-denial', the act of breaking the shelf in the closet under the weight of the over growing numbers of the aforementioned socks in ones possessions.

Whatever...

It is Halloween, which is code at the edge of nowhere, for cold, cloudy, drizzly, near-freezing (in the sixties), gloomy, and awful. I ended up (finally) getting the new tire on my car (the loaner-tire was returned), and that concern is gone. The challenge was, my tire pressure light kept coming on in the car after I had driven about ten miles. I was concerned that there was something wrong with the sensor, but Tesla ran a remote diagnostic and reported there was no fail on the pressure sensor. It ended up that the tire dealer failed to inflate the loaner-tire properly  Really?

Anyway...

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

2017 - Day 303/62 - Monday...

Just one more thing (before I go forward), my allergies are working overtime today. They started working overtime on Saturday night, and it continues through today. It is partly my fault, since I was moving hay on Saturday, and followed that up with shredding pastures and hauling more hay on Sunday. I really need one of those masks that painters use when I am out doing stuff like that, but something about that just makes me think it would just give the neighbors around here one more thing to talk about. Not that I think they would really care, but...

Today was a day of mixed blessings...I got into the office and got some stuff done, and then I went to my last ESAC meeting as a committee member at the Texas Real Estate Commission. I have been a volunteer on the committee for four years, so my time ran out. I will try to re-up, but I have to lay out for two years before I can put my name back in the hat. I am still going to go to the meetings, but I will not be an active member of the committee. After that meeting, I tended to a plethora of errands to run, and I got most everything done that was on my list. Then I had another meeting, and after that, I found there was a screw in one of my tires, and of course it could not be repaired, and now I am driving around on a 'loaner' tire. They had to order a tire. And finally, I was asked to lead the pledge at a committee I serve on (that will meet late this coming week)
for the National Association of REALTORS®. That is a very nice thing to be asked to do, and I am honored to have been asked. Now let's just hope that I do not sneeze my way through it

Life is full of ups and downs, and everything balances out at the end.

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

2017 - Day 302/63 - Sunday...

I only had a few things to get taken care of today, but I am easily distracted. I had to meet an agent to show a property at 10 o'clock this morning. IH-35 is under construction at the 3406 exit in Round Rock, and yesterday it took a while to get through, so this morning I left the house at 8 a.m. just in case there were challenges. Nothing. Not a thing. I got into Austin in less than an hour, so I went by the office for a few minutes, then to the condo to water plants, and then to my appointment. I got there 15 minutes early. At 9:58, I had a call, 'We were supposed to meet around 10, right? no, at 10. Well, my clients aren't here yet, so we will probably be 10 or 15 minutes late.' They arrived at 10:30. There was no sense telling them that I live 50 miles away and I was there on time. No sense at all. I got home at about 11:45, did a few things in the house, then went outside and planted three Shower of Gold Thryallis, moved all the potted plants back outside, swept the garage, shredded grasses in a little bit of the pasture, moved the rest of the hay bales, cleaned the chicken coop, did some this-and-that, empty the inside garbage cans, took the big can to the road and called it a day. This guy watched me shred the grass in the pasture, checking things out to see if I rousted up any vermin. I don't think I did, but he was watching.

I still have a couple hundred bulbs to get planted, but I will get to it...

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

2017 - Day 301/64 - Saturday...

The north-bound new toll lanes on MoPac have been open for at least two or three months, and yesterday was the first time I tried them out. I take it back, parts have been open and the whole thing has been open for about a month. As I was getting ready to got onto MoPac, I could see that traffic was backed up, so I opted for the toll lane. There was a time or two that I stopped (in the toll lane), but I definitely made it to the site of the wreck faster than the folks that were not paying the fee. I would have been REALLY angry if the emergency service folks had actually closed the toll lane even though the incident was on the other side, but they didn't. I guess the traffic in the toll lane stopped for the lookie-lous, or maybe the people that were wanting to take photos for journalistic documentation.

Whatever.

I got a few things done today. First thing was coffee, breakfast and the paper. Then we piled the dining room rug into the truck to have it cleaned. Those darned girl dogs. Everything has been better since we started crating them at night, and after the first night, they have not had any issues with the pen. When we got back home, I took care of some home office stuff, and then I started moving hay. Hubert baled hay two weeks ago (while I was in Orlando), and today was the first chance I had to gather it all up. We got 34 bales on the back field, I moved 22 of the bales and took 2 bales to the cattle. I have ten more bales to move tomorrow.

It is (maybe) supposed to be down in the lower 30s overnight, so all the potted plants are in the garage or in the house. I expect I will take them back out tomorrow and give them all a good watering. Then I will be back in Austin for a little while, I have a 10 o'clock showing.

Deeds, Actions, Changes, FAST LANE, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2017 - Day 300/65 - Friday...

Day 300 of this year, another milestone. Sometimes I cannot imagine how quickly the years go by and other times I cannot wait for the next day to arrive. BUT, while we are all living in the present, today was not too bad. I got into Austin without too much trouble. Many people may have stayed home today because the temperature went down into the 50s. Practically freezing. We don't know how to act when the temperatures cool down like that, and we certainly don't know how to drive in near-freezing climactic conditions. BUT...I was strong and made it into town. I did some power real estate this morning and then headed down to Bastrop where I participated on a Past Presidents Panel for the Austin Board of REALTORS®. The PPPanel. It was fun, interesting and informative and nobody got hurt. I was back in the office by about 1:30, finished up what I was doing, and made it back to the edge of nowhere by just a little bit after 5.

I did stop off in Georgetown and brought Wendy's Chili home for dinner. No better way to take the chill off!

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

2017 - Day 299/66 - Thursday...

NOTE: The names and locations of events depicted in this journal entry have been changed to protect the innocent. It seems there are a lot of RULES applied when it comes to early voting (somewhere in Texas). I stopped to cast my ballot early this morning on my way to the office. I was too early. The early voting location was fully staffed but I was too early. By twenty minutes. There was a little bit of a hissy fit thrown (no names will be mentioned, see the disclaimer above), and it was explained that NEXT Thursday and Friday the hours would be extended and they could begin taking votes at 7 a.m. I explained to them that TODAY was not next Thursday OR Friday, and I was on my way. When I returned on my way home, I was recognized. I knew I would be recognized, because I was wearing canary yellow Crocs, pretty much of a dead give-away in the county (again not mentioned by name) in which I was attempting to cast my ballot. I successfully was able to cast my ballot, but I was not allowed to take a photo of the "I VOTED" stickers, and when my cell phone rang while I was manipulating my electronic ballot with the eraser on a brand new pencil, you would have though North Korea (I will go ahead and risk naming that country) had successfully launched another missile and that it was expected to hit this polling location any minute. I was however, able to sweet talk my way into taking a photo of the back of one of the polling staff, although I had to swear that (he or she) would not be recognizable in this journal entry.

Ask me no questions and I will tell you no lies!

Deeds, Actions, Changes, EARLY VOTING, Kindnesses, FUN!

2017 - Day 298/67 - Wednesday...

today was kind of a busy day, but I made lots of accomplishments. I slept late this morning, did not get up until 5, and left for the office just a little bit after 7. I got some work done in the office, had a showing at 12:30, a meeting at 1:30 and got my teefs cleaned at 4. In between those things, I had lunch, got air in my tires (the cool weather affects the pressure), made some appointments for Saturday, and talked to some chickens when I got to the edge of nowhere. Read meters and fed barney the cat, who likes to peer out from under the truck when I am taking food to him. He was extra photogenic this afternoon, so I thought I would share this with you.

I have nothing on my calendar for tomorrow, but I am meeting with one of my good buds and Field Rep Casey to take care of some TREPAC business. That will be another scratch-off on my To-Done list.

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

2017 - Day 297/68 - Tuesday...

This is a photo of the Five-Out-Of-Six-Pack. The sixth was only partially in the photo, so I just cropped her out. The biggest chicken in the group is becoming more and more of a rooster every day. Assuming it is a he, you can see he is bigger than the others by at least 25%, and his tail feathers are becoming more and more pronounced. Also, he has more of the darker feathers around his neck than the other girls. Males in most species are the fancier of the sexes, and that is certainly true of chickens. I suspect one of the other chickens (a member of the Four-Pack) is also a rooster, and we will just have to wait and see how this all turns out. I have continued to find eggs outside the garage in the tall grasses, so it is obvious to us that one of the new girls is already laying. Early and the eggs are small, but they have begun to lay.

I guided a class of Brokers today at our South office, and that was fun. A dedicated and competent group learning more about their responsibilities to the public as Designated Brokers. Excellent!

Deeds, Actions, Changes, BOY CHICKENS, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2017 - Day 296/69 - Monday...

Well, it seems that the paragraph issue has been overcome, but now I am not sure about the photo piece of the journal entries. I will keep experimenting...

Today was a crazy busy day; Jody had an appointment at the cardiologist this morning, so we left the house at about 7 o'clock with the dogs going along with us. Made it into Austin with no problems, dropped the dogs off at the condo, made a stop at Upper Crust for a couple bran muffins en route to the cardiologist. Made the appointment with plenty of time, and while there, I got a text message from the pharmacy that our prescriptions were ready. Stopped there, stopped at Schlotzsky's for lunch for Jody, too Jody to the condo, and I left for the office.

I did some power real estate, then headed back off to get Jody and the dogs, then a stop by the optometrist to get one of Jody's lenses replaced, then headed home with a quick stop at Fire Bowl for carry-out for dinner. Oh, and I stopped at Walmart for some quick grocery shopping; bagels, bananas and two packages of Oreo Lemon Cookies.

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

2017 - Day 295/70 - Sunday...

In the past two weeks or so, as of yesterday, we had retrieved one egg from the chickens. Ten of the girls are old and we understand that their production is lessening. The other ten girls are too young to lay yet, and we think (maybe) that two of the girls are imposters and are probably NEVER going to lay (an egg). I had suspicions that some of the girls might be laying eggs somewhere else than in the nest boxes, and today I found a clutch of three eggs. They were still good (not floaters) so they are now in the refrigerator with the other eggs. I have no idea which of the girls decided to lay the eggs under the tall ornamental grass outside the garage, but it was purely by accident that I found them. Whichever of the girls that did it, I hope they will take the hint and proceed to lay where they are supposed to in the future.

It has come to my attention (after months and months) that the journal entries are not formatting properly when I publish, so I am trying some new things to see if I can actually get more than one paragraph per post. We shall see.

We tried the girls (dogs not chickens) in their pen overnight last night, and it was somewhat troublesome. They went into the pen with no challenges, and Callie was perfectly content to lay on her cushion and go to sleep. Lexie was not at all happy with it, and she wandered around all night long. If she wasn't wandering in the pen, she was growling (an attention getting growl). If that didn't work, she would try other maneuvers to get our attention. Sometime during the night, Jody got up and went to sleep in another room. I got up at 3:30 and let the girls out, and again at 5:30. Lexie seemed to settle down each time I let them out, but that was over about an hour back into the night. It started raining about 6 or 6:30 and that was the end of that.

We shall see what tonight brings.

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

2017 - Day 294/71 - Saturday...

I did very little of anything today. I am trying to think of what I did, and all I can think of is watering landscape beds. That was pretty much it. Oh, and just now I replaced the batteries in one of the clocks in the bathroom. One of the three clocks in the bathroom. We have four clocks in the bedroom. Two clocks in the living room. Two clocks in the den. One clock in the hallway. Two clocks in the breakfast room. Two clocks in the kitchen. But I digress... Earlier today I also moved two rugs out of the house. The one in the spare study is now hanging the fence outside, waiting for the anticipated rains overnight. The rug in the dining room is rolled up in the garage, waiting to be taken to the cleaners on Monday or Tuesday. And I brought a dog crate in from the front barn and installed it in the bedroom. The girls are now going to be crated overnight until we can figure out what else to do with them. We are considering professional counseling for me and Jody because the dogs see absolutely no issues with their behavior. One of them (or maybe both of them) seems to take great joy in using the interior for a waste disposal site, even though they are not the ones disposing of the waste. We have NEVER seen them do it, NEVER. They have a perfectly adequate back yard, and they are offered that opportunity to go outside (accompanied usually by Jody) no less that eight or ten times a day, but still, overnights they just cannot seem to get it through their heads (or bowels) that they can wait until morning. We have never had a dog (or dogs) that were not properly house trained, and this is a real challenge for us. And so, until tomorrow... Deeds, Actions, Changes, GIRL DOGS, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2017 - Day 293/72 - Friday...

Friday, Friday, Friday. I made it home, it was a long day, but I made it home. Not exactly sure what happened to me on Wednesday, but I became ill at dinner and it tok me a couple days to recover from it. I know it sounds crazy, but I think it was the wine. Whatever it was, it did a job on me, but I am feeling better now. I am pretty sure I can go back to eating anything I want, but I will avoid a lot of fried foods for a while. The night I got ill, there was key lime pie on the menu and we ordered a place for the table. Pretty much the site of it made me want to barf, and it did not take a lot more for me to actually go and vomit. I had none of the key lime pie (my favorite), but today at lunch in the Orlando airport I ordered a piece of Key Lime pie and it was pretty good. Carrie said it was better than the key lime pie from the other day, although I would have no recollection of that. So far I haven't hurled, so I am counting that as a good sign. Deeds, Actions, Changes, Key Lime Pie, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2017 - Day 292/73 - Thursday...

I survived. There was some doubt for a couple hours, but I made it. I was in bed until after noon, but I made it to a couple things this afternoon, and to one of the three parties that were on the schedule this evening. I have NEVER been to an ice bar, so I really wanted to go to that one. It was a pretty cool (get it) place, 18 to 20 degrees in the actual ice bar portion. They provided gloves and parkas, but you can't take photos when you have gloves on and after about five minutes my hands were really cold and my fingers took a while to recover. But it was fun. Mostly, the smell of food is still causing some challenges, but I expect I will be able to survive that as well. This is a photo of me on the ice throne. There were ice frames, ice glasses (for the drinks) ice dragons, ice balls (of course there were), ice polar bears, and of course, the ice bar. FUN! Tomorrow, there is an early morning session that I want to attend, and then it will be off to the airport. This time next year it will be San Diego. Saturday, I will be planting more bulbs, and feeding cattle. Sunday it is supposed to rain. Deeds, Actions, Changes, ICE STUFF, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2017 - Day 291/74 - Wednesday...

Another day of meetings and seminars in Orlando. This is going to be a brief post, I became kind of ill at dinner tonight, so I am in my room, in between visits to the bathroom. This is a photo of me and Carrie with a Bogus Goofy and Mickey. Outside the trade show, which is where I suspect the malaise was contracted. Deeds, Actions, Changes, BOGUS, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2017 - Day 290/75 - Tuesday...

I am in Orlando, and things are not going as well as I would have hoped for. The days started off well enough, the flights were just fine. I am especially pleased with the wireless headphones I bought a couple months ago, in anticipation of doing a bit more traveling. Got them charged up and working with no challenges. I finished 'The Winds of War' on the plane. 47 hours of really interesting stuff. Very, very interesting. It was a connecting flight, so I had my photo taken on two different place but with the same pilot and co-pilot. I started a new book (The Snowman, I think) and it is supposed to be a really scary book (it is a movie being released soon and looks interesting in the commercials). I am 30 minutes into the book and so far no one has been killed, but it has the vibe of books like 'The Girl with the Tattoos' or whatever that series of books was I read years ago. It is HOT here (not unlike Texas a couple days ago) and humid (not unlike Texas a couple days ago), and even though it has not rained while we have been here, the 'Epic Pool Party' we were supposed to attend was moved inside. Not Epic! Anyway, we did meet up with a bunch of friends of ours, and it has been fun. Back in my room. The Internet is not working very well, and I cannot get the thermostat to turn off. I am freezing. This is a photo of Carrie, Me and Rob at the Epic Pool Party. Deeds, Actions, Changes, BUDDIES, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN! Post Script: It seems there will be no photo because the Internet is not adequate to upload a photo. The maintenance guy was just here to check the HVAC. The thermostat on the wall does not work (really). We are just testing those. You have to turn the HVAC on or off at the unit (which is really well camouflaged).

I am going to sleep now... OMG...there may or may not be a photo...

2017 - Day 289/76 - Monday...

It's Monday. Monday. Did I mention that today is Monday? It was not awful, but I am just frustrated with developments. Developments on a local, state and national level. Why are we o polarized? Is everyone in the United States participating in an Alcoholics Anonymous program, where there is only black and white, and there is no tolerance or empathy for the various shades of grey? I am tired of it. I am tired of being reasonable in a world of unreasonable people. SO...what I tend to do in cases like this, I withdraw. I have no desire to be polite, so I withdraw. Being polite is one of the things I am really good at, but for the immediate future, I am finished with being amenable. I expect it will really only be a few days until I am back, but for now, I am just angry and frustrated. So...a feature of my withdrawal is that I will just surround myself with things that I like. Which means that, tonight, you get clouds and sunset. From last night. Enjoy. Deeds, Actions, Changes, CLOUDS AND SUNSET, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2017 - Day 288/77 - Sunday...

I accidentally learned a few things today. I kind of hate that. It is Sunday. I do not want to learn things. But, it was out of my control. Here we go. 1. I have known for a long time that duct tape could fix just about anything. I realized over the past several months that, whatever duct tape cannot fix, Gorilla Tape CAN! For months I have been battling with one of the downspouts that feeds rainwater (haha) into one of the rainwater collectors we have here. There has been some shifting of the base of the collector, and the down spout was just not fitting as well as it used to. My first plan was to call the gutter guy and tell him I needed a new piece of downspout about three inches longer than the one we have. The second idea was to tell the gutter man that I needed a 'cuff' about 4 to six inches long, I figured that would do the trick. Then today, I decided that black Gorilla Tape would do the trick. We shall see, but for now, I am happy with the results. The black tape is not the same color as the spouts (elephant grey), but no one will see it expect me and Jody (and you if you want to make the trip to the edge of nowhere), so I am good with that. 2. I have known for some time that you should not spit into the wind. If you follow that logic just a little further, you will realize too that, you should not p*ss into the wind either. And if you follow that reasoning a little bit further, you would come to the conclusion that you should not 'mow' into the wind. The north winds did indeed arrive this morning, and they were coming in at a pretty good clip. I decided to mow some of the grass that I did not get to yesterday, and I can guarantee you that, you should not mow INTO the wind. 3. The quest that is advertised at Chipotle is not as attractive in person as it is in the television commercials. Jody and I saw a commercial for the Chipotle quest the other night, and we decided we would go today and try it out. We were both disappointed. The quest was kind of curdled. The chips were stale, and I think they thought the could overcome the staleness by gluing extra salt onto them. A terrible disappointment. No need to make another pilgrimage to Chipotle for those. 4. I am messy. See item number three. I should not be allowed to dine out in public. I ordered a burrito and it took me no time at all to turn it into a gelatinous mess surrounded by aluminum foil. Did you know you have to ask for a plastic knife at Chipotle? They are pretty generous with forks, but there is a little sign that says if you would like a knife or spoon, the cashier will be happy to accommodate you. I get that MAYBE a plastic knife could cause some physical harm if you thought the quest was not as advertised, but what about the spoons? Has anyone ever been charged with a state jail misdemeanor of assault with a deadly plastic utensil? I think probably not. I only go into this because I know I am a slob. If it were up to me, almost all foods would be consumed with the appropriate cutlery. I especially enjoy a Snicker bar with a knife and fork. Not plastic. But, that is just another instance of my COD-ness. Tomorrow is the last day to file your income tax! Just saying... Deeds, Actions, Changes, GORILLA TAPE, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2017 - Day 287/78 - Saturday...

I did most of what I had planned to do today. I did not take hay to the cattle and I did not clean the chicken coop. That is what Sunday's are for. I did get about 250 bulbs planted, and I have 140 more to go. PLUS I ordered some on-line that will be here (probably) for next weekend. I always need something to do on the weekends. There is supposed to be a cool front coming through early tomorrow morning, which may also bring us a little bit of rain. That would be swell. I watered most of what I planted today, but a good rain could not hurt. I got grass cut in the back and in the dogs yard, and maybe I will cut some more tomorrow. I really need to cut it up by the road. I think things will be in good shape for spring, and I am looking forward to seeing if all the work has been worth it. I am watering trees right now, and when I went up to the front, the sky was pretty and the turbines were running nicely. This afternoon the sky was a really beautiful dark blue with some nice fluffy white clouds here and there. Tomorrow I will finish the list of chores, and then head for the big blue chair. I am not planning to plant any more bulbs until next weekend. I did a lot of heavy lifting today (myself) so I am going to lay off a bit till next weekend. Deeds, Actions, Changes, BULBS, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2017 - Day 286/79 - Friday...

Happy Friday the 13th. It seems appropriate that it would fall this year in October. I am wearing my Jack-O-Lantern boxers, and reminiscing of my days when I was doing the low-carb Atkins thing. It worked, but my interest in breads and dairy kind of overcame the will power. That's okay though, I am better off in this shape (round is a shape) in case of tornadoes. We have lived out here on the edge of nowhere for almost ten years now, and there has not been ONE single trick or treater in that time. In cases of emergency trick or treaters, I expect we could come up with plenty of chocolate and candy, but it has never been an issue. A relatively normal day today, after a week of mostly meetings. There was an LMT meeting this morning, then in to the office for some power real estate, and then a got my hair(s) cut this afternoon on the way home. Tomorrow will be a work day around the house. I have bulbs to be planted, grass to be cut, take a bale of hay to the cattle, clean the chicken coop (maybe not till Sunday), lots of this and that to get done. It is supposed to cool off on Sunday, and they say there is a 50% chance of rain which means I need to water the hell out of the landscaping just to make sure it rains. That is the plan. Deeds, Actions, Changes, SKELETAL REMAINS, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2017 - Day 285/80 - Thursday...

Today was the finale of our annual TREPAC Orientation at the Texas Association of REALTORS®. My portion of the orientation began Tuesday morning and ended after lunch today. The Board Officer Leadership Conference began today AT lunch (combined) and their portion will end tomorrow. Not sure what time. This is my fifth year as a TREPAC Trustee, and I enjoy every minute of it. We had a great orientation, and I was especially honored this afternoon during the lunch. I got plenty of recognition during the orientation, but this particular recognition was really something special to me. I NEVER include the last names of people on this journal (unless they are politicians of other well know people), but today I am going to break that rule. My friend, colleague and fellow TREPAC Trustee Steve Stovall from Abilene, Texas pass his 'OWN IT' coin on to me today. 'OWN IT' is a National Association of REALTORS® theme this year, meant to influence our REALTOR® colleagues to OWN the decisions they make. The next several sentences were copied from the NAR web-site: REALTORS® Own It Coins celebrate REALTORS® Own It Spirit -- that when we take ownership of our associations, change happens, and when we each bring our unique gifts and insights to the table, our organization evolves. The Coins were first unveiled at the 2018 NAR Leadership Summit and the Committee Leadership Camp, where incoming local, state, and national REALTOR® leaders and Association Executives were presented with Own It Coins in appreciation for their commitment to serve their fellow REALTORS® and their willingness to lead our Associations. While the coins serve as tokens of gratitude, receivers do not keep the coins. Recipients are instructed to re-gift the coins, to pass them along to other REALTORS® who embody the Own It Spirit. Think of it as the domino effect or paying it forward. Our hope is that every recipient of an Own It Coin continues to pass it along to another worthy recipient to ensure the coins remain in circulation for years to come. I will keep the coin in my pocket for a week or two, and then I will pass it on. I have already registered the coin (they each have a serial number) and I will enjoy watching where it goes in the years to come. Thanks Steve, I am totally humbled that you chose me to pass your coin to. You are a good friend, and a role model to all our colleagues! Deeds, Actions, Changes, OWN IT, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2017 - Day 284/81 - Wednesday...

OMG, 6:30 a.m. meetings come really early in the morning. The meeting time was not the real problem, the real problem was getting up early enough to get to an early meeting. Even though all I really had to dosas go downstairs, so I can't really complain about the commute. The tough reality is that non-stop activity between really early (Daylight Saving Time) until noon is a LOT of activity. And the activity did not really stop until about 8 o'clock this evening. I had two drink tickets left, so I ordered wine and brought them to my room. The perfect ending to a really good day. This is a photo of Tami, Donald, Cathy, Diane and me at the reception this evening. Tomorrow, my first meeting is at 9 o'clock. That is like the best thing ever. Okay, the best thing this week. Deeds, Actions, Changes, TREPAC, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2017 - Day 283/82 - Tuesday...

A FULL day of PAC/PIC meetings in downtown Austin with the Texas Association of REALTORS®. Meetings, lunch, meetings, break, dinner, crash. Tomorrow, my first meeting begins at 6:30. IN THE MORNING! At least the commute will be more manageable, since I am staying in town for a couple days. The weather has cooled off some (allegedly), since I have no real way of telling. When we are participating in meetings like this, I feel like someone that is living in a Bio-Sphere. Although I have actually been 'outside' for about 10 minutes today, it seems like I have been in a totally conditioned environment for the last 36 hours. The good news is, I have determined the three cha

nnels on the television that I am interested in, and it is pretty much time to call it a night. Deeds, Actions, Changes, MEETINGS, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2017 - Day 282/83 - Monday...

We are expecting a cold front to come through overnight, which will (allegedly) drop our temperatures by about 20 degrees. We will all welcome that temperature differential with open windows. I watered plants yesterday afternoon and evening, and maybe (just maybe) there will be a little bit of rain accompanying the cold front. Fingers crossed. As another documentation that the flora has absolutely no idea what season we are experiencing, as I reported a week or so, the gardenia is blooming, the honey suckle is blooming, and the figs are bearing fruit. AGAIN! I left for the office late this morning, and thought perhaps I had discovered another window of opportunity, but woe is me, I totally forgot that today is a forgotten Holiday. Today, we experienced our LAST Columbus Day. Beginning next year, we will be experiencing Indigenous People's Day. Whatever. Deeds, Actions, Changes, GARDENIAS, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2071 - Day 281/84 - Sunday...

Fresh trout compliments of Jim, fresh okra compliments of Pauline and Hubert. DEE-ICIOUS! We shared one of the trout (the fresh ones were really generously sized), so that means there is still one fresh trout in the refrigerator, and two frozen trout in the freezer. We will be feasting on trout again this week, and then we will pace ourselves for a while. I did a LOT of home office work today, and got some major work done. Then I got the chicken coop cleaned (no eggs for two days), and the trash can is up on the road. Plants are watered, sprinklers running again, and there will be a little more watering in the morning. Jody and I went into town early this afternoon, and made stops at Tractor Supply and Old Navy. I am ready for just about anything right now. This week will see annual TREPAC Orientation and Board Officer Leadership Conference. My parts will be all day Tuesday and Wednesday, and tip about 1 p.m. on Thursday. Officing tomorrow, hopefully showing a property or two, and then to bed early for an early start on Tuesday. Deeds, Actions, Changes, GOOD NEIGHBORS, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2017 - Day 280/85 - Saturday...

Our good neighbor (no chicken killing dogs on that side) stopped by this afternoon. He has a place up in Colorado that he hangs out at some during the hot Texas summers, and it seems he had a really good week of trout fishing. He brought us back two fresh trout filets and two frozen filets. PERFECT! Jody is in the kitchen scouring the cook books seeing what kind of cooking he wants to do, but it seems we will be having some fresh Colorado trout for dinner tomorrow night! I got some stuff done today, my chore list was not too long because I had actually done some of it during the week this week. I cut grass on Thursday, today I took the cattle a bale of hay (which is usually a Sunday thing), so tomorrow I will clean the chicken coop and then work on some office stuff. Nice to have not so much to be done on the weekends, so I think I will try to do that more often. Also, I think as the summer fades into fall, that will automatically lessen the work around the house somewhat. Our friends Joe Mac and Caroline made it back to their house in Mississippi, just in time for the latest hurricane to hit. All the loose (flyable) things are secures, not just waiting on the winds and rains. Keep them in your thoughts!

Next weekend I have 280 bulbs to be planted. I wonder how much watering they will require? Deeds, Actions, Changes, TROUT, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2017 - Day 279/86 - Friday...

And so it has begun (again). I took this photo earlier in the week, when one could still drive down Barton Springs Road past Zilker Park. You can experience that again on Monday, but next weekend will be another impossible feat. This weekend in Austin, you will be incapable of getting from point A to point B without traversing all the other letters in the alphabet. You cannot depend on familiar and routine traffic patterns. You cannot estimate the time it will take you to get from one place to another. Admittedly, for the last two years you could not do that, but it was because of MoPac construction (mostly MoPac delays), but now it is further complicated by the invasion of the entire population of a mid-sized Mid-Western city. The attendance of Austin City Limits Festival is expected to be about 75,000 people per day (according to 2014 statistics, the latest available on the Googles), and they are all congregated within a two-block radius of somewhere I need to be in 20 minutes. And don't get me started on the fact that there will be a UT home football game tomorrow. The UT stadium has a capacity of over 100,000, and that is a DIFFERENT 100,000 than the one attending the ACL Fest. Deeds, Actions, Changes, FREAKS, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2017 - Day 278/87 - Thursday...

Yesterday, the drive into Austin began with a little fog. I kind of always start the day in a fog, but this one was more obvious than others. The fog was about 8 or 10 feet off the ground, and it made for interesting visuals. There is a house over there, but you really can't see it...you can see the ground, but you can't see the house. Interesting. Today was a busy day of hurrying up to wait. We were up a little bit earlier than usual so we could leave the house around 6:30 to get Jody to a 7:30 doctor appointment. He had some relatively routine out patient surgery, and all was good. We left the surgical center at about 10:45 and headed home, and we both napped for a little while after that, and then I was up and doing some home office stuff, making phone calls and this-and-that. Overall, not a bad day. Jody has been out of it for most of the day, slept most of the afternoon, and headed back to the bed at about 6:30. The house is relatively dark and really quiet. Interesting. This is like Jody describes it when I am out of town. Hmmm. Another early appointment in the morning for a follow up, and then I will be heading into the office. I have three appointments, and it will be just another day. Deeds, Actions, Changes, FOG, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2017 - Day 277/88 - Wednesday...

A FULL Day of meetings today, doing constructive things for our real estate colleagues across the state of Texas. There is a lesson to be learned by doing good for others. But I digress... As I was driving home this afternoon, I saw this Mercury Eight being taken to a place north of Austin. Beautiful condition. Not sure of the year, but maybe a '45 or '46. Jody has a '46 Ford Opera Coupe, and it was the same body style, so that's why we are thinking that it is about a '46 or so. Jody took that Opera Coupe all through Mexico, and has fond memories of it. I really like the look of the car, and I was surprised when I figured out that it was a Mercury. It looked (through my little pea-brain reckoning) to be something much more exotic, but it weren't! A couple things to remember: Every valley has a peak, the sun will come out tomorrow, and I am till the luckiest man in the world! Deeds, Actions, Changes, COOL CAR, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2017 - Day 276/89 - Tuesday...

I was all prepared to be mopey and disappointed when I got home this afternoon. I had been surveying the weather radar all afternoon, and there was no rain on the edge of nowhere. There was rain all around, and there was rain in Austin, but nothing on the edge of nowhere. Happily, when I got home, there was over an inch-and-a-half or rain in the gauge, and there has been a little bit more rain since then. Lovely. I am especially happy that the pH factors of the rain water are beneficial to the little planted things out there. About ten days ago (the day I left for Houston) I planted more of the Pride of Barbados seeds in a couple pots, and they are coming up. I think that is very exciting. I thought I saw life this morning, but I just checked outside and they are indeed pushing up through the potting soil. It rained off and on today in Austin, and on the way home, I was traveling leisurely up IH-35 and lo-and-behold there was a spider creeping along the trim outside the window on the drivers side. If you can see from this photo, he is a hairy little guy, and I hope he made it safely to where ever he was heading. Otherwise, it was a relatively nice day. I had a meeting this morning and the office met for lunch this afternoon to welcome a couple new agents. It was nice and everyone had a good time visiting. Not sure, but there may be some more rain overnight, then that will be it for a while. I think the rainfall will keep me from needing to water like a mad-person for at least another week, and that is comforting. Deeds, Actions, Changes, SPIDERS, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2017 - Day 275/90 - Monday...

The mystery of the lilies has been solved, and I am content with the answer I got this morning. I happened to stop at Barton Springs Nursery while I was out going back and forth from properties, and they had a nice stand of these lilies, although they were not nearly as lush as the photo that accompanies this journal entry. The lilies on the edge of nowhere started blooming yesterday, but when I got home from work this afternoon, they were absolutely glorious! But I digress...the experts at the nursery said they are commonly known as Oxblood Lilies (exactly what I had referred to them as, but I am not sure how I knew that). But here is the real information I am happy to have received. They bloom AFTER a rain (and not after a good watering) because there is a significant difference in the pH of rainwater as opposed to city water. City water has almost TWICE the pH as rainwater, something like a 12pH as opposed to a 6 to 7pH for rainwater. I am happy for that explanation, and happy that these guys are blooming all across the yard and the new beds on the edge of nowhere. Otherwise, just a nice Monday all told. Nothing too terrible, but there were several nice points to the day. A couple meetings tomorrow, but otherwise, I am happy with the way things are proceeding. I am the luckiest man in the world! Deeds, Actions, Changes, LILIES, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2017 - Day 274/91 - Sunday...

We think one of the girls might be a boy. That is perfectly okay with us...we are not going to judge, and if that is what happens, we are not going to give this one away or introduce him/her to a stew pot. We will let him/her crow in the mornings if that is what he/she wants to do...we are not going to judge. He/She is a blue andulusian, allegedly a rare breed, and he/she was the only one they had when we got him/her. He/She is pretty, so we are going to give it a go. I think roosters have to show their dominance by harming (killing?) one of the females, but we hope not. Time will tell. I got most of everything done today, and it will soon be time to go to bed. Chicken coop cleaned, a lot of this and that, taxes ready to go to the CPA. Filters changes, mattresses flipped. Lots of first of the month stuff done, and I am happy with the accomplishments of the weekend. We shall see what the week brings... Deeds, Actions, Changes, HIMS/HERS. Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!