2018 - Day 212/153 - Tuesday...1555...

The last day of July. A cold front (haha) came through late this morning, winds are from the north, it is the first day in the last 14 days that we did not exceed 100 degrees. Officially. I think there were some places (like the Edge of Nowhere) that saw over 100 degrees, but officially in Austin, 98 or 99. I think it is supposed to be more like average temperatures (bordering on the century mark) for the next several days. We are all tired of the hot, kind of tired of the dry, kind of tired of the monotony. There are some moments, though, like this Cardinal that was on the gate in the dog yard the other day. What with all the Cardinals resigning at the Vatican and all, we are glad to see a few of them out here. Not sure what kind of hanky-panky this one in particular is up to, but I am certain it will make the papers soon.

One moment please while I go move a sprinkler...

I'm back. Statistically speaking, we used about 30,000 gallons of water in July. That's me, Jody, two dogs, 25 chickens, 8 head of cattle and the landscaping. Not too terrible if you average the whole thing out. Oh, and a little over 23 dozen eggs.

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

2018 - Day 211/154 - Monday...1568...

These have to be the pickiest buyers I have ever worked with. No matter how many properties I showed them today, there was a continuous dialogue of complaint about the size of the yard. There was never enough yard for these two. YARD, YARD, YARD! I finally got sick of it, and had to let them know that I did not think we were a good fit, and that I thought they should contact someone that might be able to represent them better than me. I referred them to my friend Robbie. AND, I am getting a pretty good referral fee, too!

Okay, that's all a bunch of BS. We (four of us from the office) went to a class WAY down in far south Austin this afternoon (Noon till 1) that was guided by Robbie. It was just a one hour class, and we all enjoyed it very much. The class was held at a new home subdivision in (as I said before) in WAY south Austin. Or perhaps it was really North San Antonio. I am not sure. Anyway, the model home backed up to a ranch property, and there were longhorns and Emus (I think) on the property. There were lots of Emus, and they were really friendly and curious. They may have been friendly as well, but I was cautioned that Emus spit (think camels), so I did not let them get too much closer than five or six feet.

All together, a pretty darned fun day!

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

2018 - Day 210/155 - Sunday...1566...

I cam THIS close to getting everything on my list done. I still have one-and-a-half things to get accomplished, and I am just not motivated to get the one thing done today. Right now, I think I will go and have a sugar-free fudge sickle. One moment please. I'm back. It's a really good thing I got up when I did, because just as I was leaving the office to go to the refrigerator, my in-box erupted in a fury of volcanic ash and legal pads. Paper was strewn everywhere, and return address labels used as a bribe by charitable organizations to pander to my soft side were all over the office. Oh, the humanity of it all. But, I was saved by the temptation of a sugar-free fudge sickle. Who ever said those things were not worth the time to consider has never been saved by one. Look, SQUIRREL!

On another note, this (above) is a photo of the clover that was gifted to my earlier in the year (when was St. Patrick's Day?) by my friend Holly. I planted it in the ground, but it did not thrive (chickens will do that), but since I transplanted it into this larger pot, it has been just about as happy as a clam!

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

2018 - Day 209/156 - Saturday...1564...

This is what late July in central Texas is like. Consistent days with temperatures in excess of 100 degrees, drought conditions equals trees in stress mode and losing their leaves. It is not Autumn, it is the middle of summer, and this is not an unusual occurrence. Hot and dry is the forecast for the near term, and we expect it is the same in the long term. We need some rain here, the last rain we had was about a hundred years ago.

Otherwise, not a terrible Saturday. I got OUT early and headed in to taylor to get some molasses buckets for the cattle. The round trip to Taylor (17 miles each way) took LESS than an hour, which left me a spare hour to get a couple other things done before I headed in to Austin to show property.

Back home before 5, with a stop to bring dinner home from Schlotzsky's, and now all is right with the world. Tomorrow is a stay at home day, although I already have a few things planned. First off, I have to take the molasses buckets out to the cattle, and then I am considering buying small window unit air conditioners; one for the chicken coop and one for the garage.

Just so you know, and just between you and me,
when I say I am thinking about something, that means I have already decided to do it.

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

2018 - Day 208/157 - Friday...1560...

I didn't even mention that the girls went to the beautiful parlor yesterday. Jody took them in in the morning, and I picked them up on my way home from the office. Usually we do it the other way around...I take them in on my way in to Austin, and Jody picks them up late in the morning or early afternoon. I think I like this way better. We shall see. I think they (again) trimmed them too closely, although the white girl looks cute (totally different but cute). We both like the way they trimmed up the hair on her face and ears. We are not really used to high maintenance dogs, which means that dogs that get their faces dirty instantly after returning from the beautiful parlor. Perhaps this cut on the white girl will solve that problem for a few weeks anyway.

Although we have not had any rain in this area in about the last forty or fifty years, there is a chance of rain next week. Not a good chance, but a chance. I will begin watering trees tomorrow, then I am going to head off into Taylor to get some molasses buckets for the cattle, and then I will be heading into Austin for a noon appointment to show six properties, which reminds me, I have to make appointments to show two of them.

Later...

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

2018 - Day 207/158 - Thursday...1571...

Sometimes it is more interesting to think about where you have been instead of where you are going. That was the case this morning. There was actually a wreck a few hundred feet north of where I get on the expressway heading south in the mornings. I guess our part of central Texas is getting more and more crowded, so the wrecks will happen further north. It is (I assume) inevitable. At any rate, the traffic was pretty light, so I could look in the rear view cam and enjoy the sunrise. I was indeed heading in early because I had an 8 o'clock appointment to get the car services. It was time for its' 12 month, 12,000 mile service. The only problem with that is, we've had the car for just short of seven months and there are 21,000 miles on it. AND they say I need a new set of tires already.

UGH...

But, all things considered, it was not a bad day. I was in the office most of the day, and my friend Bryan and I had lunch for the first time in YEARS. We have pencilled in another lunch 90 days (or so) from now. There is NO reason to wait so long before the next time we have lunch.

Oh yeah, the new shingle installation on the front barn began this afternoon. I expect the job will be finished tomorrow. No more leaks up there, and next will be a paint job.

HEAR THAT?

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

2018 - Day 206/159 - Wednesday...1575...

It was International Day at the board, and these Korean ladies dressed in traditional costumes, who provided some entertainment during the lunch part of the program, were admittedly NOT impressed with my mastery of conversational Chinese. True, they are Korean not Chinese, but I expected the two languages would have some similarities (like Spanish that is somewhat different in Spain than it is in Mexico), BUT, I was straightened out about that quickly and decisively. Plus, the fact that I know only three or four real words in Chinese generally makes for a quick conversation, which I an not unhappy with.

Since it has not rained in central Texas for thirty or forty years, it is not unusual that I am watering on a daily basis. I have it down to about an hour a day (hand watering), making sure the potted and delicates get some water, and I set sprinklers here and there on a 15 minute timed schedule. Three sprinklers 15 minutes a piece at eight different locations. That's good for 45 minutes, then there is hand watering in the front, and making sure the chickens have water for the day as well.

It is REALLY a good thing that I am anal retentive and CDO.

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

2018 - Day 205/160 - Tuesday...1571...

There has been NO RAIN here in central Texas for fifteen or twenty years. On the ride in to the city this morning, there was a rainbow apparent in the southwest sky. Poor little rainbow, it must have been lost and looking for its' mommy. I felt sorry for it. The humidity levels (at last count yesterday) have been hovering in the 20% range, so that does not give me reason to think that the rainbow was anything but extraordinary. I have not heard reports from anyone else that they saw the (small but obvious) rainbow in the sky, but that is my story and I am chicken with it. Get it? I just took an opportunity to segue into another topic, but I am abandoning that topic and sticking with this one.

There was, however, some nice cloudage in the skies that i was able to document for the sake of this journal. Not a bad photo, even if I am bragging on myself, taken while driving down the Interstate, looking the other way at the rainbow.

Deal with it, please. Thank you.

Deeds, Actions, Changes, CLOUDS (perhaps a rainbow), Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2018 - Day 204/161 - Monday...1575...

I am tired of commenting on this. It was 5,000 degrees (centigrade) in central Texas Today. It was so hot in Austin, Texas, this week that firefighters were called to at least four blazes started by the spontaneous combustion of tortilla chips. That is real news, although it happened last week. I could not make this stuff up. Today the official temperature in Austin (just a wee-bit south of the Edge of Nowhere) was 110 degrees, just a little bit less than the 5,000 degrees (centigrade) that was reported here on a variety of electronic weather stations. There is a 'cold' front coming in later this evening, and the temperatures for the rest of the week are not expected to surpass the 100 degree mark. That means 4,500 degrees (centigrade) on the Edge of Nowhere. Come up with the worst Johnny Carson monologue joke (It was so hot today; HOW HOT WAS IT?) you can think of, and I expect I can beat it. Again, I am bored with this, nothing really good to talk about except the heat. And that is not really too interesting. Earl the Squirrel (or perhaps one of his/her descendants) was all spayed out in the tree over one of the fountains, waiting for me to put out some fresh water, which I did.

I am going to go and sit in the refrigerator now.

Deeds, Actions, Changes, IT'S HOT, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2018 - Day 203/162 - Sunday...1565...

I got very little accomplished today, and it took me most of the day to do it. I did (ultimately) get one of the troughs in the pastures working. It has been a really long time since the cattle were in need of sissified water, but, since we are back in drought conditions, the tanks are getting lower and lower, and I wanted to get the troughs operable BEFORE it was an emergency. I also believe that, when the tanks get really low, the quality of the water is not that great, so they are on water district water again for the foreseeable future. I hope to get one more (at least) of the troughs working in the next week or two. There are four troughs in the cattle pastures that are supplied from the water district (metered water), but I really don't think it is necessary to get all of them operating, with only four head of cattle grazing back there.

It did take two trips to various hardware stores and several trips back and froth from one shed to another to get the one trough working. I felt like I was a one man Keystone Cop film; back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. BUT, it is working now and that is the accomplishment for the day.

It was (honestly) too damn hot to really do anything else. There is a cool front due on Monday, which will lower the daytime high temperature to 100 degrees.

Whoopee!

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

2018 - Day 202/163 - Saturday...1569...

The road in front of the house was used for some filming this morning (into the early afternoon). From about 9 a.m. until about 12:30 p.m., this car went up and down the road. It overheated, stalled, made some interesting noises, but eventually the task was completed. 1951 Pontiac. Same age as me, but (so far) I have not stalled. I have indeed overheated a couple times, but nothing catastrophic.

The only thing I actually accomplished today was getting most of everything that needed watering (and that is EVERYTHING) watered. I have the five fruit trees and the back beds to get done tomorrow. There is no grass that needs cutting, since there has been no rain. I will take hay to the cattle and clean the chicken coop tomorrow as well.

Later, Jody and I are going in to Georgetown to get a booster vaccination, then maybe lunch, maybe not.

Time for sleepy-time right now though!

Deeds, Actions, Changes, OLD CARS, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2018 - Day 201/164 - Friday...1573...

I made it into Austin for a quick five minute presentation to new REALTORS®. I had five minutes to make my presentation. I was not surprised (and I doubt anyone else was) when I was still going after about ten minutes. I think I got it done in about 11 minutes (maybe 12), but it was all good. I think I was the only one really keeping score! It was pretty much a full house, and now they all know that REALTOR® is a two syllable word.

I should be happy because it is Friday but really all I want to do is to crawl into the refrigerator and cool off. It is hot outside, and this bitching is becoming monotonous to me, so I know it is boring all of you to tears. On a positive note, I am not a chicken, so I do get to get inside where it is cooler than it is on the outside. On a negative note, I am the chicken God, so I am responsible for making sure there is a never ending supply of water and feed so they will survive this heat. It is crazy hot and windy, the African dust crap is just about finished, but they are harvesting corn and maize and sorghum which creates a whole other kind of dust and crap in the air. This too will be overcome, and I expect we will survive this, just as we do every year.

It was 108 in Dallas today at about 5 o'clock, only made it to 103 on the Edge of Nowhere, and I am not sure what the official high temperature was in Austin. All I know is, we are really lucky compared to many folks; no fires in our immediate area, the closest fires are about 60 miles away, and so far burned about 2 thousand acres. No tornadoes, no floods, no other catastrophes, so we will take what we got and work with it.

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

2008 - Day 200/165 - Thursday...1570...

This is how my day progresses after I have been up for about an hour. The paper has been read, the dogs have been let out and let back in, I've had a couple cups of coffee, and then it is time to water plants using this cyclops head-lamp gifted to me earlier this year by JoeMac. He also gave me a little flashlight that I believe can be seen from the space shuttle, but that takes up one hand. The cyclops fits comfortably (fingers-crossed) over the head with a series of elastic straps. Not terribly uncomfortable, but the battery pack is a little bit wonky on occasion. BUT, it does the job admirably, and I can see what I am doing and what it is I am about to step in!

Otherwise, it is just hot. The heat spell continues, but it seems we are in good company with the rest of the continental U.S. I spoke briefly with Mike this afternoon (did you call Carrie) and he has been following the weather forecasts. Texas set a record for electricity usage yesterday. I would not be surprised if we continue to set usage records for the next couple weeks.

We shall see.

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

2018 - Day 199/166 - Wednesday...1569...

If you know me at all, you know that there is very little chance that this can end well. Doesn't everyone have white wigs, sunglasses, braids and gold platform disco boots in their offices. Okay, well maybe not everyone, but I do! More about this later...

Wednesday. Hump Day. The middle of the week. Tomorrow is TBT. And then Friday. The weekend. Way too short. Then it is Monday again, and the whole thing starts over. Ugh. To be honest, there was nothing about this day that was really wrong, it is just really hot outside and everyone is getting cranky about it. A couple of times I glanced down at my instrument cluster in the car and thought it was 199 degrees outside. That was how much range I had left. The temperature was a little less than that, 109. 101 at the house. It could be worse. A couple years ago, we had three solid months over 100 degrees, so far this year is NOT going to match that record.

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

2018 - Day 198/167 - Tuesday...1577...

I will readily admit this; I believe I am socially irresponsible and out of touch with reality. Admittedly, I am a snob. It has been YEARS (how long have I been married?) since I have been in a seedy bar close to Sixth Street (the entertainment district) in downtown Austin. I was invited to and attended a fund raiser for a friend of mine, Celia Israel, who also happens to be a Texas State Representative and is running for re-election.None of that has anything to do with the comments I have previously made or will make beyond this point in this journal entry. The intention is to focus on my total awkwardness in unfamiliar social settings and the realities of diminished health department inspections.

So there I was, on time (5 P.M.) for the fundraiser, so I just made it around the block a couple times so I would not be first, and I walked in the doors at about 5:05. I was greeted by some volunteers (I know one when I see one), and greeted Celia before venturing into the men's room. OMG. Did you get that, I said OMG. I actually did not say that, because I find it difficult to hold my breath and exclaim at the same time. Honestly, it is not as bad as I am making it sound, but I ask you to refer to the second sentence in the first paragraph of this post. I am a snob. Anyway, I ordered my diet Coke and proceeded to lean up against a wall. I am pretty sure I have been in this particular bar before, sometime in the late 80's, but my memory of those times is somewhat foggy. As usual, I stood there like a lump until there were a few other people I recognized and went and shared a couple stories, and then I left.

In and out, nobody got hurt. Life is good, I am the luckiest person in the world, and I walked in the door at home greeted by the familiar aroma of Pine Sol. It was housekeeper day today, and all is right with the world.

Deeds, Actions, Changes, EAR PLUGS?, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2018 - Day 197/168 - Monday...1567...

Today was definitely a Monday. Cubed. At least. It was nothing catastrophic, just several (literally) little inconveniences and irritations. Copy machine, telephone system, lost e-mails, unavailable colleagues, unhappy tenants, unhappy clients, unhappy staff, sad principals (me), sad customer service representatives (because of me), distressed neighbors and (at least one) lazy cat. Barney the cat is becoming more and more predictable in his habits. That could partly be attributed to the fact that Jody and I both are REALLY predictable in our habits. At the very least, Barney hangs out where it is cooler, in this instance he is laying in the shade garden. In the evenings when I go put the girls to bed, he is generally laying in the dirt up by the road, or somewhere else that has a piece of cool (or damp) dirt. Damp is not predictable, and it just depends on where I might have left a hose here or there.

There were a couple positive points today. I had a brief (but really fun) visit with Cass, and then, out of the blue, a former playmate connected with me via Facebook. I have not seen this woman (Sandy) since at least 1961, which is when we moved from Southgate to Riverview. Interesting. Very interesting.

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

2018 - Day 196/169 - Sunday...1573...

I don't know about the rest of you, but I had a great weekend, and my day today was really good, I got lots of work done. I got the great lawn cut, two bales of hay to the cattle and IO finished watering the landscaping. It looks like it will be a weekly thing for at least a while since the rain forecast is non-existent. 3,000 gallons of water today, if I can keep it down to about 5,000 gallons of water per weekend, I think that can be doable. We have to keep the trees watered, and al the rest of the landscaping needs to be maintained as well.

We have finally found someone to reroof the front barn and I am pretty happy about that. The next (and final thing for this year, will be to get the front barn painted the same colors as the main house. I think that will look really good.

I did not get the chicken coop cleaned out, and that will just have to do. but everything else is in good shape, and that will just have to be. We also watched a pretty good movie this evening with Shirley MacLaine in it...about having her obituary written. An interesting movie, I saw some of myself in it.

Did I mention that it is hot as hell at the Estate on the Edge of Nowhere? It is.

Deeds, Actions, Changes, HAY BALES, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2018 - Day 195/170 - Saturday...1574...

Shut up, PLEASE. Quit asking. He can neither confirm nor deny. Just be patient. All good things come to those who wait. In the meantime, please enjoy this journal entry.

Who said you can't teach an old dog new tricks? I am old but I am not a dog, and I am in the process of being tutored to learn some new tricks! SO...the photo (actually video) included in this entry is the result of one of the many new tricks I am being tutored about. I downloaded a couple new apps to my phone today, at the instruction of Jacy, and we will see just how proficient I become at this stuff. For now, I am just going to be interested to see if the video will actually play when published, or if it will be a still but tantalizing photo. If it turns out to NOT actually be a video, how many times do you think an Aggie will hit the 'play' button before he/she figures it out? Or do you think they will just fall asleep trying to get it to play? Only time will tell.

Otherwise, a pretty good Saturday...after noon today, I did a whole lot of nothing, and that was just fine by me. I doubt that I will be that lucky tomorrow.

Deeds, Actions, Changes, VIDEO?, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2018 - Day 194/171/- Friday...1575...

Trust me, for Friday the 13th, it could have turned out a lot worse. I spent the entire day at the Board interviewing legislative, mayoral and city council candidates. The Legislative Management Team got started at 9 A.M. and we finished, we adjourned just before 4 P.M. Not a bad day, all things considered. One candidate did not show up, one was late, a couple were surprising, one or two were concerning and several were well prepared and competent. It seemed to be a relatively accurate representation of the demographic of our city and region. Nothing too odd about that, in fact, pretty darned impressive. This photo was taken outside the meeting room on the 'Harris Terrace'. Very nice...

We still have another day of interviews to go, and then we will make our recommendations in August to the Board. In the meantime, it is just read up and wait.

No rain, temperatures will be heading up again in the triple digits, probably beginning tomorrow.

Time to chill out a little bit.

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

2018 - Day 193/172 - Thursday...1564...

I can hardly comprehend that anyone would think that putting an emergency vehicle on the Interstate in the middle of morning rush hour traffic is a good idea. Rush hour traffic here is different than it may be in other places. Rush hour traffic here means you are not moving, and even if you HAD to move, there is nowhere for you to move to. This particular fire truck (you can see it in the mirror if you squint) followed me for several miles. The firetruck was not moving and I was not moving. We were all stymied. Finally traffic started moving, I was too far ahead to keep an eye on the fire truck, and at some point, I lost track of it. I never did see a wreck or anything, so maybe the fire truck just ran out of gas and was abandoned along the side of the highway, along with the king size mattress I wrote about last night.

Is fire truck supposed to be one word or two words? Firetruck? Fire Truck? You decide.

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

2018 - Day 192/173 - Wednesday...1574...

I could have included a photo of the waze screen shot from this morning, and you would not have been able to really see any discernible difference. And school is out for the summer. Incredible. I understand that there is really no good time to travel north on the Interstate after noon, but in the mornings, I leave early enough that I should be able to hit a window of opportunity at least two or three times a week. But, I guess I am not destined for an easy commute to or from. AND...there was really nothing memorable to report either way today. I have had my eye on a king-sized mattress that has slowly been disintegrating on the south bound side of the Interstate. It has taken about ten days, but now it is just pile of wires and material. If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I would never have guessed that it was someones sleepy time instrument. AND...if a king sized mattress breaks free of its' pick-up truck bindings, aren't the driver and/or passengers of the aforementioned pick up truck made aware of that event, if only by the screeching of tires or horn blasts emitting from the vehicles BEHIND said aforementioned pick up truck?

Just trying to get you all to ponder the possibilities.

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

2018 - Day 191/174 - Tuesday...1577...

This is what it looks like (just in case you were wondering) when an 18 wheeler, carrying some sort of giant satellite dishes does not QUITE make it under the overpass. He thought he could, he thought he could...but he couldn't. Needless to say, it caused QUITE a mess, and brought traffic to a virtual halt on the northbound expressway, and of course, I was headed north on the expressway AND there was no advance warning of the wreck. Sometimes I think we could all use ESP to help us avoid these uncomfortable incidents. But for now, I will have to rely on waze (which I very seldom use, and whatever else I can find.

No rain today, I guess we are done with the rain for the next week or ten days at the very least. It was nice while we were experiencing it, but we were all getting a little crabby because of the clouds and grey skies, so at least now we have something legitimate to bitch about.

All is well on the chicken front, and they all seem to be healthy. I did have a chance to teach a quick class this afternoon (just one hour of credit), but it was fun and I enjoyed it. In-and-out, nobody got hurt!

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

2018 - Day 190/175 - Monday...1569...

Not exactly a typical Monday...after I left the house, the rain started about 15 miles into the commute, and it rained (literally) all day in Austin. Almost 2 inches of rain in the city. We did get some rain on the Edge of Nowhere, about a quarter inch. Not two inches, but we will take it. It will keep me from having to water again at least until Wednesday. Fabulous. Home Depot DID show up (finally) to replace one of the back doors. It has been about six weeks from the time this process was started (and paid for) to the actual installation. I am really glad this was not a tremendous emergency, and it is good to have the door installed and everything is up to snuff once again!

When I got home this afternoon, I went to check on the girls (old, middle aged and newbies) to make sure they had survived the rain with no issues. I could not find a single one of the newest girls (about six weeks old now), but I finally did find three or four of them in the bamboo out there.

I will make a count later on when I put them to bed.

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

2018 - Day 189/176 - Sunday...ca1600...

It was a quiet day at the Estate on the Edge of Nowhere, but lots of things got done that no one will ever know was done. I cleaned out the 'frunk' on the car, cleaned out a couple drawers on the lateral file, shredded lots of papers and have the back end of the car loaded down with stuff to take to the recycling tomorrow. Like I said, lots of stuff done, but nothing that anyone would ever see. We did get a little bit of rain this afternoon, about a quarter inch. Of course, we got that rain immediately following my having the car washed. There is a 48 hour rain check included just in case, so maybe I will take them up on it, we shall see.

The littlest chicks are doing really well with their free-ranging, and everyone has still cooperated by going to their respective roosts for the evenings.

Life is good. Jody and I watched a movie this evening, The Light Between Oceans and of course I cried like a big girl...

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

2018 - Day 188/177 - Saturday...1568...

It was a good and productive day, even though we only got about 27 drops of rain. All around us got inches of rain, but we got nada. We drove through monsoon rains and flooded streets in Georgetown, and we got nothing. 27 drops. I did, however, get ALMOST everything watered in a single day! Conveniently, the winds died down long enough that I could water the two big iris beds, those are usually the most difficult areas to water, they are pretty expansive. BUT, those are watered, everything else is or will be watered by the end of the day. And there is a pretty nice sunset working its' way into the annals of this blogosphere.

Not too bad.

The littlest chicks have begun experiencing the world of free-ranging, and so far they are all still accounted for. They get a little bit confused when they get into the big girls pen, but eventually, sometimes with a little encouragement from me, they work their ways back into their own pen. Tonight when it is time to put them to bed will be the real test. I think they will all be in their own respective quarters, chickens are like that.

Deeds, Actions, Changes, SUNSETS & CHICKS, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2018 - Day 187/178 - Friday...1570...

I am going to try and get this entry published before the electricity goes out. As a matter of fact, we lose electricity out her on the edge of nowhere much LESS frequently than we did when we lived within the city limits of Austin. There is just a single electrical wire coming to the property line, then it goes underground, but it is considerably more reliable than it was in Austin. Right now, the wind has come up, there were some pretty good claps of thunder, just saw a little lightning bolt, and it has just begun raining. I expect tit will rain for about 15 or twenty minutes, and that will be it, but we will take it. For every minute that it rains, that means we will be using less water through the hoses tomorrow, and we are all for that!

The photo (above) was taken through the rear cam in the car of the sunrise. I expect it is a much better photo than the series I took about an hour later when I finally got through the scene of the wreck...two of three lanes on the Interstate closed, not exactly the way you want to start your day.

Enjoy your weekends!

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

2018 - Day 186/179 - Thursday...1571...

Before the rain yesterday, it took Earl about ten minutes to work up the nerve to get a drink of water out of this reservoir on the patio. I do not know why he was so timid, he has been up on the table on the patio, much closer to us than this little water dish is. But, at any rate, he finally did it, and we are happy he did not die of thirst!

Would someone please tell me what the hell day it is? I am incapable of keeping up with days of the week when we have a three-day-weekend, let alone a Holiday in the middle of the week. Today is Monday, right? What do you mean, Thursday. Yesterday was Sunday, right? Wednesday? Now you're just screwing with me, right?

Right.

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

2018 - Day 185/180- Wednesday...1574...

Happy Independence Day to all y'all. All y'all is the plural of the singular y'all. Just letting you know.

There could hardly have been a better day out here on the edge of nowhere. I did not get to sleep any later than usual because the girl dogs have decided that if they are awake (specifically a little white piglet girl dog), the everyone and everything in the house should be awake. I got up, let them outside and tried to crawl into the blue chair for a post slumber nap, but before too long, Jody was awake, o I called it a night. Made a pile of eggs, did some putzing around the house (changed HVAC filters, little stuff like that), and then got a little bit more serious. In honor of the day, I put out new flags, planted some plants, moved the hay bales and took a few more naps. We got ourselves a compact table top bar-b-cue which is just perfect for u, and Jody grilled steaks. Just before we started the steaks, it started raining, and we are perfectly happy for that to have happened. We got two little squalls, and so far we have received 0.43" of rain. Perfect. Bring it on. That means I don't need to water for a couple days, and if it will just stay could for a couple days, that will be great. I tried one of the pears, and it did not taste very pear-like. The peaches are really kind of tasty, though. Pauline and Hubert brought more tomatoes, squash and a couple cantaloupes last night. The cantaloupe I tasted this afternoon is really delicious. Yum.

That's a wrap!

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

2018 - Day 184/181 - Tuesday...1581...

Happy Fourth of July Eve, and I hope you are all safely ensconced somewhere cool and dry. Here, it is hot and humid. And the people are stoopid. Not smart. Where is the hell is everyone going. Who ever heard of taking a road-trip on a Holiday that falls right-smack-dab in the middle of the week? Stoopid people, that's who. Not smart people. The speed limit at this particular point on IH-35 is posted at 75 miles per hour, but traffic is not traveling at the posted speed. This is actually my exit, and all the stoopid people decided they were going to pretend to be smart and take the exit, thinking they could go around whatever in the hell it was, but they were, and I want to emphasize this point, they were stoopid! Not smart.

And all that did for me was to make my trip home last about another 25 minutes. But I am now home, happily looking forward to sleeping a little later in the morning, and thanking my lucky stars that I can complain and kvetch about inconsequential bull-shit like this on a regular basis.

Deeds, Action, Changes, KVETCHING, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2018 - Day 184/182 - Monday...1574...

There are public service announcements airing on the television about the need to make sure wildlife has a dependable supply of water, since we are back in a drought situation. The front fountain is a great gathering place for red winged blackbirds, and any other number of birds in the area. We have water out in many other places for birds, chickens, squirrels, 'possums, Barney the Cat and whatever else may happen past. The blackbirds are also relatively unconcerned with the amount of water they splash out of the fountain, and it is a daily task to refill it so it will last through the day.

Not really an issue.

Well, we are officially half-way through the year. Another day where the temperatures exceeded 100 degrees. 102. One more day, maybe two forecast for the heat, and then, the possibility of rain. Not a lot of rain, but at least some possibility. Interestingly, and I don't generally complain about Holidays, but the Fourth of July is going to be celebrated on the day after tomorrow (the Fourth of July). What a coincidence. BUT, it is in the middle of the week! It is a good way to split up the week, but it would be nicer (IMHO) if it were tacked on to either a Friday or a Monday. Whatever.

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

2018 - Day 183/183 - Sunday...1582...

Here we are, July 1st already. Hot like the hinges of hell, and no rain, although there is a slim chance for the middle of the week. There will not, however, be enough rain to really do any good. I am selling two and (maybe, I am not sure) three year old bales of hay for $30 a round bale. Just barely covers the cost of baling it, but at least it will not rot in the fields. If we could get a couple good rains in the next couple months, there is a possibility that we could get another cutting of hay, but if we only get 16 bales off 50 acres, it seems hardly worth all the effort. We will see. But, in the middle of all of that complaining, there is something pretty to be seen. This little morning glory is coming up in the middle of one of the grasses in front of the house. Not sure how it got there, but we will take it. The real forecaster of the weather is the sage plant up by the road. It is blooming, and we have seen sage plants all over Georgetown blooming their hearts out. If the sage is blooming, there will be rain.

I will let you know.

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