Volume 15 - Day 365/0, 2023 - Sunday

OMG. This is the last journal entry for Volume 15. Tomorrow will begin Volume 16, and this journal was supposed to be a one-year thing, but I just keep going. I have really not had any doubts this year about continuing, so I guess I am in for at least another year. Maybe I will quit when I finish Volume 20. I will let you know. Being old does have its advantages: I invited some neighbors over to celebrate, and there were rules to be obeyed. Arrive around 7PM, we will celebrate at 8PM, and you all have to be gone by 9PM. We had the countdown to midnight from Nuuk, the Capitol of Greenland. Nuuk is a small city on the country's southwest coast. The population is 17,635, and Nuuk is known for its large fjord system, waterfalls, humpback whales and icebergs. We increased the population considerably this evening, and we all had a good time. If any of you are wondering about whether or not I will be awake to celebrate the New Year in central Texas, the answer is probably not, unless I am awakened by nearby revelers. I hope you all have a great New Year, and nothing but the best from me and the Curious House.

Volume 15 - Day 364/1, 2023 - Saturday

Well, just one more day to go, and this year will be a goner. There are a lot of people complaining (maybe not COMPLAINING) about what a bad year 2023 has been for them, but, in my humble opinion, there was nothing particularly terrible about it. Well, not for me individually, anyway. There were a lot of things that could not have happened, and that would have made it a better year all around, but other than that, it was just another bunch of days that all ran together for me. I do hope that next year will be better, and there is no shortage of things that could make that happen, and I will do my very best to make it a better year for at least a few people. It was cold on our walk this morning, and it is supposed to be a bit warmer tomorrow morning. I tried my very best to spend excessive amounts of money today, but it was just not meant to be. Maybe tomorrow, but the impulse has subsided. I did make time for a couple naps today, and tomorrow I will finish some chores around the house, and I plan to be at Costco when they open at 10 o'clock. Val and Paulina and Oliver are back from their Holiday in Europe, so we all had dinner this evening. Always nice to spend time with them. What have you got planned for tomorrow night?

Volume 15 - Day 363/2, 2023 - Friday

I did nothing today that required getting in my car and going somewhere. We started off with a nice walk, and then I got home, fed the girls and fed myself, and we all went back down for naps. I did go over to Teri's house this afternoon to give her my opinion on a wet spot on her bathroom ceiling. Then I went down for another nap, ate some more, and went down for another nap. I had intended to go to a movie today, but there was only one thing that I really wanted to see, and the time it was showing was already sold out. I may not meet my goal of four movies over this long weekend. I even checked out theaters in Nelton and Killeen, but nothing. It leads me to believe that I may need to figure out how to use the streaming services I have paid for for years but never learned how to use. It is not supposed to be quite a cold tomorrow morning, but the plants are still inside and they are going to stay there for another couple days. I'm planning to have dinner with Val and Paulina and Oliver tomorrow night, and then a quiet, tasteful New Years Eve event, before the new year starts on Monday. Time flies when you are having fun. On Thursday, I thought this guy was doing landscaping in front of Terrie's house that is still under construction, but it turns out it is a scarecrow. I am not sure we have crows in the neighborhood, but maybe this is working really well!

Volume 15 - Day 362/3, 2023 - Thursday

Well, with any luck, this will have been my last day to go in to the office this year. Since is it still THIS year, we had cheeseburger specials (it is Thursday) from Sandy's. That may be our last cheeseburger for a while, we shall see. I had a couple stops to make on the way home this afternoon, and I even showed a property while I was at it. There is going to be an overall freeze tonight, so I have brought the plants in that I can get in, and covered those that are going to stay outside. Only going to be 29 to 30 degrees, so I think those covered will make it. Paul and Pam brought me some Shepherd's Pie from Costco. Too much for them, so they shared. I think I have dinner covered for at least the next two nights, maybe three. I expect we will have a chilly walk in the morning, then home for a nap. I expect to see at least three movies before I go back to the office next week, maybe four. I have several I want to mark off my list, so that is just another challenge. 

Volume 15 - Day 361/4, 2023 - Wednesday

The end of the year is proving to be calm and quiet. I may soon wish I had not said that, but, so far, so good. We had a nice walk this morning, and three of the five of us are expecting to win the PowerBall lottery tonight. If we do, you may not see a post tomorrow. Or the next day. I have some definite plans for what I will do with my winnings, but if I were to share that with you, I would have to then kill you. I have only a few blood relations, and I know exactly who they are, so don't come knocking on my door. I shared Carrie's Christmas dinner tonight, and it was yummy. Turkey, dressing, gravy and carrots. The walking shoes (the box says running shoes, but I am not running) worked well this morning, and I have been to walk most of the day with no foot pain. Fingers crossed. I just got a text message from my friend Mike in Florida, with instructions on how to file for a refund from the Post Office. It looks like I have met all the criteria for a refund, so I will investigate that a little more tomorrow. I don't think there is anything on any of my calendars for the rest of the year, no estate sales this weekend, but I will most likely go see a couple movies. I have a top ten list that I want to clear off in the next couple weeks, so that will take a little bit of time. 

Volume 15 - Day 360/5, 2023 - Tuesday

Well, this pretty much says it all. I am no one specific. I have been having some pain in my left foot, and according to Mrs. Google, there are several reasons, but I zeroed in on these three; I'm fat, and I am placing too much stress on my foot (feet), and you are wearing crappy shoes.. I do a pretty nice walk almost every day, and I have known for some time that the shoes I wear on the walks could be much better, so I went to an old fashioned shoe store in Austin and bought an actual pair of walking shoes. Not running shoes, walking shoes. So, I will see if that helps anything. I had a six-month medical appointment today, and almost everything is within normal ranges. Cholesterol is the only thing not within the acceptable average ranges, so I need to change some of my eating, but taking blood the day after Christmas, you know, pies, candies, all that, should be taken into consideration. Okay, not just Christmas, but the six week-ish time period between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Whatever. Have you ever asked for a refund from the Post Office? I did, and was threatened with a prison sentence for fraud against the government. I mailed a package ($70.75) to Mexico on October 19th, and it was returned to me today. Nine weeks later. So, I went to the Post Office and said, since you did not provide the service that I paid for, I would like a refund. They declined. I responded that, I did not expect they would grant the refund, but I wanted to give them a chance before I protested the charge on my credit card. That's when R___ at the Georgetown Post Office told me I would go to prison. I told him that he did not really need to raise his voice, but he denied that the Post Office had any responsibility for sending packages to Mexico. I think that, if that is indeed the case, then they should not tell people they can mail packages to Mexico. It was not taken well, and I am not through with this yet. Nothing against R___, but I paid for a service and that service was not performed. Thoughts?

Volume 15 - Day 359/6, 2023 - Monday - Christmas Day

Well, of course I cried, but that is really not newsworthy, I cry all the time. Commercials, Comedy Shows, Political Advertisements, Weather Forecasts. I just cry. After our morning walk, Me, Richard, Pul and Peter, I got home, fed the girls, and made an egg loaf. I am pretty sure it was enjoyed by all, if it wasn't, there were no verbalized complaints. Earlier, I bought a ticket to see The Color Purple, so I was off to that about 10:30. I have to say, it was NOT what I was expecting, but I settled in, and I give it a thumbs up. That is about all I am going to say, so I don't ruin it for anyone that is planning to go see it. After the movie, I ate the leftover sandwich from brunch yesterday, and I am pretty sure there are more leftovers in the refrigerator that I need to clean out. For dinner, I had tamales that I bought at HEB on Sunday, and I will most likely finish them off, all 24 of them, before the new year. There will be no walking for me tomorrow, I have my six month checkup tomorrow morning, and I have to be there at 7:45. I refuse to fast (for blood work) all day long, so I always choose an early morning appointment. I hope you all had a great day, more later.

Volume 15 - Day 358/7, 2023 - Sunday - Christmas Eve

It was raining this morning, so there was no walk. It turned out to be a very nice day, lots of sunshine, and the clouds gave way to beautiful blue skies. I went to brunch with Candy this morning, and when I was stopped to make a left turn, I spied these Indian Blankets (or maybe Indian Paint Brushes, Joe Mac?), along the side of the road. Always nice to see how native wild flowers can survive no matter how we try to keep them back. After brunch, I made a stop at JCPenney's, because I decided it was time for me to retire some blue jeans and buy some new ones. I now have three new pairs, two from Penney's and one pair from Tractor Supply. That ought to hold me for a decade or so. I had dinner tonight with Teri, Jack and Floria, at Teri's house. Good company, good conversations, good friends. I am not sure if there will be a walk tomorrow or not, but I will be ready just in case. 

Volume 15 - Day 357/8, 2023 - Saturday

I have never been a fan of resolutions, mainly because I break them within a week of making them, but I am making a resolution now for all my loyal readers to witness. In the future, when attending a movie, I resolve to show up five minutes before the scheduled showing time. Today, I went to see Poor Things, continuing with my quest to see the weirdest movies possible. Poor Things fits quite comfortably into that category, but don't take my word for it, just go see it. Tomorrow, I may try to make time to see American Fiction. I have considered going to see the new version of The Color Purple which opens on Christmas Day, but all the seats around here sre booked. But back to my resolution, I showed up way too early, so I sat in the car listening to some cello music (search for Hauser), and dozed off a couple times. I went inside and got to my seat in the auditorium (D8), about ten minutes before show time. Between all the commercials and coming attractions, the actual movie started about 25 minutes AFTER the scheduled time. Never again. Somebody help me! It is really no problem to cut it close, since all the tickets have to be bought on-ling, and seats are reserved. So, we shall see how this works. I just finished watching A Pocketful of Miracles, and I can remember seeing it in the late 60's or early 70's. In fact, for a long time in Memphis, my phone number was listed under the name 'Mrs. E. Worthington Manville.' No apologies, I was having a blast, even back then!

Volume 15 - Day 356/9, 2023 - Friday

So, today is Friday, and I was not in the office today. Wonderful. A lovely start to a four-day Holiday weekend. There were five of us walking this morning, and that is always fun. When the walk was finished, and it was warm enough that I walked in shorts, I got home, fed the girls, and took a nice long nap. I got up and left the house about 9:30, I had an errand to run, then I took of to Austin, and on the way home, made a stop at Lowe's and HEB. I always spend more money at the grocery on dog food than I do on me food. Girl dogs are not cheap! Then down for more napping, and late this afternoon I went down the street to celebrate Wells's sixth birthday. Back home now, and it is lovely and quiet. Little chirruns make a lot of noise, and I am pretty sure I did the same thing when I was a kid. I know for sure that I am going to a movie tomorrow afternoon, and walking in the morning, but other than that, I have no real plans. I am pretty sure something will come up that I just have to do.

Volume 15 - Day 355/10, 2023 - Thursday

The devil is in the details! Richard and I were the only walkers this morning, and we walked our route backwards to make sure we did not miss anyone. It was not raining when we started. It had rained overnight, and by the time we finished our walk, it was just a very light rain. It rained the rest of the day, though, and it has been grey and dreary all day. On my way in to the office this morning, I stopped by Michael and Lynda's house and dropped off a couple packages, and took away a couple packages, too. One of the packages contained, what I thought were some home made gingerbread cookies, and I thought I would share them with my office mates. Upon further inspection, the tag on the bag was addressed to 'The Girls,' and I think it might have been hysterical if I had not caught that small detail. Since it was Thursday, we all had cheeseburger specials from Sandy's, and I left for home shortly after that. I made a couple stops on the way, and got home just in time to take a nap. Dinner was the rest of my egg salad sandwich from yesterday, and now I am just about ready to call it a night. The office is closed tomorrow, but I will be making a trip in to Austin anyway, just to see what kind of trouble I can get into. A morning walk is looking kind of iffy right now, but I will wait until morning to make the final decision.

Volume 15 - Day 354/11, 2023 - Wednesday

Other than the cold this morning, the clouds all day long, and the rain that is expected to start just any minute, it was a great day in central Texas. It was 73 degrees, and great top-down weather, and I took full advantage. There were five of us walking this morning, and that was fun. I took a nap before getting ready and going in to the office. All was good in the office, it is quiet this time of year, and not a lot going on. I hope it holds for the next two weekends (at least) and there are no crises over the Holidays. I made a few stops on the way home, and it was a little touch and go trying to get gas, but it all worked out just fine. I guess everyone decided to get gas at the same time. I also bought some Powerball tickets, so keep your fingers crossed for me. We were supposed to go to Marble Falls tonight, to see their Trail of Lights, but Jimmie and Linda's grands came in from DC last night with stomach viruses. I'm socially distancing that for the next couple days, I didn't get to be this old by being stoopid. Today is Lynda's birthday, so if you know her, wish her a Happy Birthday. I took this photo on the First Street Bridge, and the way home this afternoon.

Volume 15 - Day 353/12, 2023 - Tuesday

Well, we are winding down to the end of this year, 2024 will be here before any of us know it. This morning was another chilly walk, and then a bunch of the ROMEOs met for breakfast. Jack, Rick, Richard and me. Always fun and lots of good (?) conversation. I made it in to the office about 10:30, and I had an appointment at 11:30. All was good, and back in the office around 12:15. This will be a short week for me, I like that. The office will be closed on Friday, and we will be back in the office on Tuesday. Thursday is still up in the air for me, but I am leaning towards making it an even shorter week. Tomorrow night, I am heading to Marble Falls to see their Trail of Lights. It is a lot easier to see than the one in Austin, and jsut as nice. I do have a couple errands I need to get finished before the end of the week, but I am not feeling particularly motivated. That'll probably change in the next day or two. The power went out at the Curious House while we were at breakfast, and I was alerted by my solar panel app. It was out for about an hour, and I got another notice when we were back on the grid. So far, so good. 

Volume 15 - Day 352/13, 2023 - Monday

As far as Mondays go, this one didn't suck. It was a chilly walk, but we made it. Me, Peter, Paul and Richard. I still think I should occasionally be known as Mary...and then the walks could be with Peter, Paul and Mary. There was no need to rush to da anything today, so I got in to the office right at about 10 o'clock. All was calm, there, too, and I got everything done that needed to be done, and then some. I left the office about 2 o'clock, and had one stop to make on the way. I dropped a TREPAC gnome off at Alisha and Reubens house, so there is now a 'new gnome in the home.' I was doing my best 'reverse porch pirate' with that delivery. When I got home, there was a package at the door, and I was pretty sure I was not expecting anything (whew!), and it had been delivered to the wrong address. That used to happen quite frequently when Dan and Nancy lived down the street, but not nearly as often anymore. Tonight, I went with Jimmie and Linda for dinner, and it was great. I always have a lot of fun with them, and tonight was no different. I continue to appreciate the friends I have made here at the Curious House, and continue to espouse the fact that I am a very lucky man!

Volume 15 - Day 351/14, 2023 - Sunday

Oh, my goodness. It was a busy day, kinda sorta... Of course, it started off with a nice walk, it was COLD, 34 degrees. I got home from the walk, did a load of laundry, and got ready for brunch with Terry, Candy, Mike and Alisha. I had a couple errands to run on the way home, and then finished the laundry, and took a nap. Late afternoon, I went in to Austin with Teri, Floria and Jack. We had dinner at Quince, and then went to a Celtic Christmas at Mozart's Cafe. On the way home, we were going to drive down 37th Street to see the Holiday Lights, but they blocked off the road, you had to walk, and parking was somewhat a challenge. We did get to see the Tower at UT lighted orange for the Women's Volleyball Team winning the National Championship. They were playing the UT Fight Song, and the trees along the Drag were orange and white, synchronized with the music. It was really pretty cool. Photo: me, Teri, Jack and FLoria.

Voume 15 - Day 350/15, 2023 - Saturday

I was reluctant to get out of the bed this morning, but I made it, and made the walk, too, with Paul and Richard. After the walk, I fed the girls and fed myself as well, and then got ready for estate sales with a full bus. Me, Marge, Pam, Diane and Marian. We were all pretty much underwhelmed with the sales, and we don't really expect to see any sales next weekend. The housekeeper came this morning, too, and I think she visits every couple months or so, there is no set schedule. It's just me, and her main task is to dust and vacuum. I had an appointment this afternoon in Leander, and after that, I headed in to Austin. If you are at the Texas Capitol, it is de rigueur (that is the correct spelling, I don't care WHAT Mrs. Google says) to take a photo of the Capitol Dome, so I am including this one from earlier today for your viewing pleasure. I am having a craving for a variety of fast-food, but so far, I have successfully resisted temptation. That does not necessarily mean that I have been eating less, just eating food stuffs out of the refrigerator and the pantry. Tomorrow, I suspect I will do some laundry, go to brunch, and then go downtown tomorrow evening for dinner and a show. Stay tuned.

Volume 15 - Day 349/16, 2023 - Friday

It was a little bit warmer this morning, and that made for a little bit better walk. Generally speaking, I consider this neighborhood to be quiet and relatively safe, but the continued sightings of dead Santas is kind of concerning. Another member of the Dead Santa Society, dang! Tesla was expected to show up at the Curious House this morning, between 8 and 12:30. Apparently the fourth time is the charm. Then showed up about 11 o'clock, and they spent about 20 minutes replacing cameras, and that was it. The next upgrade will be something to fix the auto-pilot system, but that will be nothing but a software update. I had to take a package (a return) to UPS this afternoon, and that went off without a hitch. Then I wanted to stop at Galaxy Bakery, and it was a bit of a challenge finding a parking space. Tenacity paid off, and I only got a little bit wet. Speaking of wet; it was another really grey and gloomy day, and it dribbled most of the day. It is supposed to quit overnight, so it should be dry when we head off for estate sales in the morning. Four sales tomorrow, and I expect it to be the end of the estate sales for this year. Wish us luck!

Volume 15 - Day 348/17. 2023 - Thursday

I only did a half-walk this morning, because I needed to be IN THE OFFICE at 10 o'clock this morning. You never know what traffic will be, so I left the house at about 8:15 and I got to the office at just about 9 o'clock. That gave me plenty of time to settle in and do a few office things before my 10 o'clock zoom meeting. After that meeting, I headed off to Holly's for an 'unofficial' TREPAC and LMT Holiday Lunch. Very nice, it was much fun to see this group of my friends and colleagues who work their asses off year after year on behalf of property owners and our REALTOR® colleagues. And believe me, these are unsung and under appreciated people, sacrificing their time and knowledge, with little or no praise. In this photo, me, Jacob, Patricia and Dave. After lunch, I headed back to the office, and finished up my day. I made a couple stops on the way home, and tried (again, no success) to take a nap. The Piglet would have no part of me taking a nap, but I was too stubborn to get up. After I fed the girls, I feasted on leftovers from our Holiday Party last night, and it was just as good as I remembered. Tesla is supposed to show up again tomorrow, so I am not sure what the odds are, but at best, I will go with 50/50. 

Volume 15 - Day 347/18, 2023 - Wednesday

Okay, this has been a longer day than usual. I got up this morning, did my routine stuff, and headed out for a walk with the guys from the neighborhood. After the walk, I had a cranberry orange scone that I got from Galaxy Bakery in Georgetown (last Saturday), and it was delicious. There are no 'best by' dates on baked goods, and I have another one for breakfast tomorrow. The Tesla Rangers were supposed to be here between 8 and 12:30, which was perfect, because I had an on-line webinar from 10 til 11. In the middle of the webinar, I got a text from Tesla that they would not be here til 1:30, so guess who has YET ANOTHER appointment with Tesla, Friday between 8 and 12:30. We shall see what happens. Then, it was off to the office, with one errand accomplished along the way. The office was good, got a lot of stuff done, and then it was time for our annual Office Party. We have (kind of) a tradition of doing our Christmas Party on one of the boats on Lady Bird (fka Town) Lake. Up and down, past the Trail of Lights, and we think everyone has a good time. We hope. It is a beautiful city, and not everybody gets a chance to see it from this vantage point. Tomorrow is close, and I have three or four things on the schedule already, but things should be more calm starting on Friday.

Volume 15 - Day 346/19, 2023 - Tuesday

Today is my BFFs birthday...HAPPY BIRTHDAY MIKEY! It was not as cold this morning as it was yesterday morning, but it was still cold. I did not get to attend the ROMEOs breakfast because I had a zoom class starting at 9 o'clock. It was a good class, and it has been a minute since the last zoom class I have attended. After the class, I did a couple chores around the house, and then tried (and failed) to take a nap. I am pretty sure the Piglet is a Maltese (not 100% sure, since she was a rescue). Anyway, I looked up the ideal weight level of a Maltese, and it said 7 pounds is typical, but some get up to 10 pounds. The Piglet is 16 pounds. I think something needs to happen here. I have not broken the news to the piglet yet, though. I'll do it after the Holidays. I have one errand I need to still get done before tomorrow, so I will be out doing that in just a few minutes, and then I will be done for the day. The housekeeper is coming on Saturday morning, so I need to clean up some stuff before she gets here. I will also probably take the plants and put them outside again tomorrow, most likely just in time for the next cold snap. Whatever.

Volume 15 - Day 345/20, 2023 - Monday

When I went to brunch yesterday with Terry, Alisha and Reuben, I forgot that the appeal of the brunch spot was their special Holiday Gumbo. Again, I forgot that, and ordered the 'Dirty Birdie Burrito,' which was about as big as from here to Tupelo. Huge! But, I did try to make up for my lack of memory, and ordered the Gumbo Special to go, and I had it for dinner tonight. OMG, it was delicious, and the sausage was excellent as well. I will have to keep my eye on the place, and go back. I think the BBQ is reportedly excellent as well. YUM! It was cold for our walk this morning, 34 degrees when I got out of bed, according to my weather station. It did get down below freezing for a few hours, and the Austin airport reported 24 degrees. Low spots are always cooler. But, it was a lovely afternoon, with temperatures in the middle 60s and plenty of sunshine. I had a 10 o'clock meeting this morning, and a 2 o'clock webinar. I started the webinar in the office, and left the office at 3. I finished the webinar in my car, logging in with my cell phone. There is definitely more than one way to attend a webinar! I stopped at HEB before I got to the Curious House, and when I came out, there was a lady that had lost her car. We tried several different ways to find it, and were finally successful. She said it was not the first time for her, and I admitted I had misplaced my car in a parking lot in the past. Tomorrow I am taking a zoom class beginning at 9AM, and it is supposed to conclude at noon. Usually they end early, and we will see how this one works out.

Volume 15 - Day 344/21, 2023 - Sunday

Not a bad day, not as warm as yesterday, but warmer than it will be tomorrow. The temperature has been gradually heading south, and I fear there will be a freeze overnight. It is supposed to be only one day, and the plants from the front are in the garage, and the plants from the back are in the house. That was much easier than trying to cover stuff up to keep them from freezing. I will wrap a towel around one plant in the front that is too big to move, and it will be what it is. It will all be okay. I went to brunch this morning with Terry, Alisha and Reuben, and dinner tonight with Val, Paulina and Oliver. In between times, I went and bought some groceries, even though I really did not feel like it. it was not as bad or as busy as I was expecting, and now the girls have dog food for the immediate future. Tomorrow morning will definitely be 'dress warm' weather for the walk, and I have a ten o'clock meeting and a 2 o'clock zoom. It should all be doable. It looks like it is shaping up to be kind of a busy week, but then next week should be calm and serene. Just the way I like it. One thing about being old and short is, I am usually in the dark!

Volume 15 - Day 343/22, 2023 - Saturday

Oh, perfect. It was a beautiful day today in central Texas, 75 degrees and sunshine. There is a cold front starting to come in overnight, and it is expected to be 42 degrees tomorrow when we go for our walk. This morning, it was 64 degrees, so things they are a changing! Monday morning will see a freeze, probably down to 30 degrees or so at the Curious House, so I will spend some time tomorrow protecting plants. It will all be okay. Marge and I went to the ONLY estate sale in Georgetown today, and today was the last day. Marge was right when she said we were left with only the dregs, but we both walked out something. I spent $11. Then it was time for a nap. After my nap, I went to a movie, a movie I have already seen a couple weeks ago, but I wanted to see it again. Saltburn. Yep, it was just as weird the second time as it was the first time, definitely not a film with mass appeal, but that is exactly what appeals to me. The first time I saw it, I was one of only four people in the auditorium. Today, there were maybe 20 or thirty people in the auditorium, and watching the film and hearing their reactions was definitely better the second time. Go see it if you dare. I finished listening to the Barbra Streisand autobiography this afternoon. I invested 48 hours of listening to it, and mostly it was good, entertaining and informative. If I were the director, I would have done it a little differently, but there you have it. She deserves all that she has achieved, and she worked her ass of for all of it.If a hardback book is almost 1,000 pages, how many pages would that be if a paperback edition was produced?

Volume 15 - Day 342/23, 2023 - Friday

My Tesla Ranger showed up right on time, well, within the window between 8 and 12:30. They had rescheduled the appointment from last Friday until today. They got half of the camera upgrade done, but they did not have all the replacement cameras they were supposed to replace, so I have ANOTHER appointment for Wednesday. That will work out well, since I have an early morning zoom call that I was intending to do from home. Then I should be able to make it in to the office after that. We are also doing our office party on Wednesday evening, so everything will work out just great. It was warm for our walk this morning, shorts and a t-shirt for me, no jacket. There is supposed to be a cold front coming through tomorrow and even a forecast freeze overnight Sunday, so I will be schlepping plants back in during the day on Sunday. After my appointment this morning, I went and ran a few errands, and I still have a few things to do tomorrow, after the one estate sale that Marge and I are going to. Sunday is open right now, but I am sure I will come up with something. There have been another few sightings of members of the Dead Santa Society, but it is not always opportune sightings...cannot always get an appropriate photo of the dead (deflated?) Santa, if there is such a thing.

Volume 15 - Day 341/24, 2023 - Thursday

I achieved a personal best today, it only took four-and-a-half minutes to fill the bag up with blood. I had an appointment at 9:30 this morning to donate blood. I left plenty early to get to the blood bank plenty early, and I walked in with one minute to spare. That is one of the reasons that I am almost always early for appointments, because I just never know what unexpected challenge I will face in traffic. But, I made it, and that is all that matters. I got to the office at about 10:30, and my 11 o'clock zoom was cancelled. Since it is Thursday, we had cheese burger specials from Sandy's, and I just realized my root beer is still in the freezer at the office. It wont explode, I don't think, since it is a fountain root beer in a styrofoam cup. The fate of the root beer is yet to be determined. My car upgrade that was scheduled for last Friday (and cancelled) is now scheduled for tomorrow. I had a confirmation call earlier this afternoon, so I feel like it will happen. it is a free upgrade to the camera system, so that is a good thing. Crap. There is a freeze forecast for overnight on Sunday, so I will be schlepping plants back inside and into the garage Sunday afternoon. I am thinking I am going to a movie over the weekend, I am thinking about going to see Saltburn again, just to make sure I didn't miss anything. I'll let you know.

Volume 15 - Day 340/25, 2023 - Wednesday

It has taken my 72 years (and 3 days) to experience the celebration of a birthday over five days. I see friends that say they celebrate their birthday 'month,' but I have always celebrated on the 'day.' My celebration started on Saturday, the day before my birthday, and concluded (I think) this evening, along with our monthly book club. There are four birthdays here around the Curious House, and we were all celebrated before, during and after the book club. This photo is of Peter, me, Paul and Richard, lined up chronologically, from 66 to 79. We all have a great time together, and I am glad to be a part of this group. Today started as usual with our walk, not as chilly today as yesterday, but another cold front is expected over the weekend. I also had a birthday lunch this morning with Michael and Lynda, and it was really nice to visit with them for a while. They just returned from Italy, and we all had a chance to catch up with what has been going on. After that, I was back in the office, then I headed to the Austin Board for a Celebration of Leadership, past, present and future. It was really nice to see lots of long time friends and colleagues. I think most of my calendar for the rest of the week is pretty open, I have an appointment to donate blood tomorrow morning, and then in to the office. I'm a lucky man!

Volume 15 - Day 339/26, 2023 - Tuesday

After a nice (chilly, 46 degrees) walk this morning, we had a good ROMEOs breakfast. The afternoon was beautiful, 73 degrees and blue skies! Very nice, top down kind of afternoon. When I got home, a bunch of the neighbors were getting bids for some tree trimming, so five of us are working on that. If everything goes well, we will get that done later this week, or maybe next week. I had dinner tonight with Jimmie and Lynda, a belated birthday dinner, and we realized that we have mutual friends in Nacogdoches. I didn't know this until just now (I looked it up), but the city was named after its first gardeners, the Nacogdoches tribe of the Caddo Indians. Interesting. Tomorrow will be a busy day, a lunch with Michael and Lynda, then a meeting at ABoR, and book club tomorrow night. I am a lucky man!

Volume 15 - Day 338/27, 2023 - Monday

According to the AHA (not sure who/what that is), resveratrol may reduce blood pressure and increase high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol levels. A 2021 meta-analysis (I don't know what that is, either) concluded that red wine compounds called procyanidins (?) help keep the blood vessels healthy. Many people find alcoholic drinks to be relaxing. I thought we were talking about cardboardeaux here, but whatever. I have been adding a glass or two of wine to my daily routine at home, after just not being interested in it for about the last year or so. I find it kind of explodes in my mouth. IYKYK! Again, whatever. The day started with a nice walk, me, Richard and Paul. It was kind of chilly, but I will take that over 100 degree heat any day. Then it was off to the office. The first of the month is always kind of busy, and today was not an exception, but everything turned out well in the end. Kay and I went and walked a property, and we were happy with the walk through, just a few minor things need to be taken care of. I made a couple of stops on the way home, looking for a couple things in particular, and did not find what I was looking for. What did we ever do without Amazon. I will have the items on Thursday, done! Tomorrow will be another nice walk, and then our ROMEOs breakfast. Life is good, I'm older now than I was a couple minutes ago, and I am a lucky man! I'm glad I know that!

Volume 15 - Day 337/28, 2023 - Sunday

It's my birthday. I am really glad birthdays only happen once a year, because, at this time in my life, birthdays take a lot out of you. I was pretty busy all day long. The day started with a nice walk with Richard and Paul, then I headed to Home Depot for a few little house maintenance things. Then I had a lovely brunch with Alisha and Reuben, then home and down for the first of several naps during the day. Finally, I had a wonderful dinner with Nancy, Melinda, Nicole and James in Austin. They are all here for a series of meetings this week, and just lucky for me I got to have dinner with them this evening. The girls tend to act up if I am not around in the evenings, but they took it all in stride, so that was good. Thank you all for the birthday wishes and kind words...I appreciate it very much!

Volume 15 - Day 336/29, 2023 - Saturday

It was kind of chilly for our walk this morning, but it warmed up during the day. My weather station said it was 70 degrees one time when I looked, the official high temperature for Austin was 68 degrees. I was a solo for the estate sales this morning, I hit four of them, made very important purchases at two of them, and spent a total of $12. I spent a good part of the day at the new UFCU branch in Georgetown, and for the time being, stuff is working, now I just have to remember how to do it all. Frustrating, but I am sure I will adjust. I have been with that credit union since 1998, so I have  lot of history there, not all of it good, but history none the less. This squirrel is the nemesis of the two girls, and it is a tricky little squirrel to say the least. I was out with the girls, and I saw the squirrel, but I did not particularly want the girls to see or hear the squirrel. I got a few photos (it didn't happen if you don't have a picture), and we all went our separate ways. Then, it was time to take the girls to their appointment at the beautiful parlor. They are all fresh and have nice haircuts, and the Piglet even got the hair on her tail cut off. It looks interesting, she now has a skinny little tail. Interesting!

Volume 15 - Day 335/30, 2023 - Friday

We had a good walk this morning, and then I had a zoom call at 9:30. I was supposed to have some upgrades done on the car this afternoon, and I had planned to work from home, but the appointment was rescheduled yesterday until next Friday. I was already planning to be home, so I just stayed home. I did get some work done, and that was good. I tried to go to a shop in Georgetown that I really like, but they are planning the Christmas Stroll, so streets were blocked and there was NO PLACE to park, so I took that off my list. Maybe I will try again tomorrow. The girls are scheduled to go to the beautiful parlor at 12:30 tomorrow, so I may try again after I drop them off. There are also three or four estate sales tomorrow, and I am looking forward to that. Although everything is kind of screwy in the world, evidence of that is this iris that I have been watching for the last few days when we walk. But, even though it is blooming at the wrong time, at least it is a pretty bit of confusion!