Volume 16 - Day 117/249, 2024 - Sunday

Okay, it is Friday, my third favorite day of the week. We had a nice walk this morning, and then I had a relaxing time getting ready to go in to the office. I did what needed to be done, and headed home in time for a nap before I took the girls to the vet for their annual check-ups. Shots, ear hair plucking (?!?), all kinds of check ups, another six month supply of their monthly pills. They both survived, and they are both a little bit lethargic right now. I think the shots do that to them, I know I get lethargic when I get a shot. We got a little sprinkle of rain this afternoon, 0.05" in the gauge. There is rain predicted for the next ten days, with a chance of a couple inches. That would be nice. Tomorrow there are three estate sales, and that is always fun. I also want to do a little bit of organizing in the garage. It seems like I organize the garage a lot, but that is mainly because I have a habit of just putting stuff down where ever there is an empty space. Whatever.

Volume 16 - Day 116/250, 2024 - Thursday

I have wakened tired the last two mornings, even though I feel like I have slept well. Interesting. We had a nice walk this morning, and then I had some breakfast and fed the girls. I had a very disappointing zoom call at 9:30, and that was followed with a few phone calls from participants, voicing their unhappiness as well. Off to the office, I arrived later than I had anticipated, and touched some stuff and met with Kerry and Laura to go over management reports. Today was a plasma day. Full legal name? Date of birth? Are you allergic to iodine? Do you still have your spleen? When I donate platelets or plasma, those questions are asked at least a few times. You learn something everyday; your spleen is where the body stores platelets. It is also interesting that the machine decides if you are going to donate plasma or platelets. Even though I have only done platelets/plasma twice, the machine has said it wants my plasma. In case you are not aware, plasma in a plastic bag looks like pee. It's kind of disgusting looking. AND, it gets really cold in that room when you are laying there for a couple hours. I had my blanky that Teri gave me for Christmas, and even though there were about nine or twelve other prople in the room donating something, I was about to freeze. Then I was too hot. It is a never ending battle. Tomorrow all I have on the schedule is an appointment to take the girls to the vet for shots, and paperwork to take them to Playa in late May. Don't tell them, I want to surprise them!

Volume 16 - Day 115/251, 2024 - Wednesday

Well, it is hump day, and it is mostly downhill from here on to the weekend. We started off with a good walk this morning, and then I was in to the office at about my regular time...9:45 or so. I had a couple things to get done, and a new tenant orientation at 1 o'clock. Everything got done, and I was headed back to the Curious House by about 1:45. I had a couple errands to run, and then I needed to get stuff ready for Book Club, that was meeting at the Curious House. We were not at all over excited about this months book, but we managed. Next month is Stranger in a Strange Land. In the meantime, I have finished End Game, and it was not all that great, more trash on the Royals, and I am starting a book called Sick Puppy that was recommended by Carrie. Hopefully it is a humorous read, I need something that does not cause me to have to think. Tomorrow I have a 9:30 virtual meeting, and then I will be off to the office. I have an appointment to give some platelets tomorrow at 1 o'clock, and that will carry me through the afternoon. I may or may not have anything on my schedule for Friday, I think I will just surprise myself!

Volume 16 - Day 114/252, 2023 - Tuesday

Today was another kind of busy day. Sure, there was the morning walk, and a good time was had by all. The ROMEOs had breakfast this morning, too, and that was fun. It's Tuesday, and that means it is perfect stranger day. This lady was  lot of fun, and so far, I have not been reported to management. That may be a new record! After that, I stopped by a property that will have a new tenant move-in tomorrow, and I think everything that needed to be done has been done. Then it was on to the office, and I touched a few things, and then headed home. I had a couple errands to run (holdovers from yesterday), and again, neither of those things got done. Really frustrating. We had our monthly neighborhood dinner, it it was really a lot of fun, it was a good group. I could probably go on-and-on, but I am a little bit tired. Tomorrow will be a little bit busy, and book club is tomorrow night at the Curious House.

Volume 16 - Day 113/253, 2024 - Monday

Well, well, well. it's Monday, not that there is anything wrong with that. We had a nice, chilly walk this morning. I carry dog treats with me every morning, and there is a dog we see every now and then when we walk through the pocket park. He is a pretty yellow lab (I think), and he doesn't bark at us any more, he just kind of looks at us while we walk. I have not offered him a treat, because I don't have permission from his hoomans. I fixed that yesterday. While I was out, I stopped at the hoomans house, introduced myself, and asked if it was okay for me to give their dog a treat when we see him. They were very gracious, and appreciated me stopping to ask, and said it was okay. The dogs name is Denver. I was ready to give him a treat this morning, but he was not outside. There is always tomorrow. There were some pretty clouds this morning, and I always like clouds, just not total clouds! I made it in to the office, took off for home with four errands to run. O only accomplished two of them because it is Monday. I did get the little white car washed, and I did vote. Today is the furst day of early voting. GO VOTE! My morning glories are doing nicely...more blooms on the trellis, and both pots have little tiny blooms. I just hope they don't all burn up this summer.

Volume 16 - Day 112/254, 2024 - Sunday

Well, hell. It is Monday eve, and it makes me sad! We had a good walk this morning, and once I got back to the Curious House, I did a few little chores, and then met up with Marian and we went BACK to one of the estate sales we hit yesterday, to see what we could find that was 50% off. I bought about $25 worth of stuff, and that is not a bad thing. Later in the day, I went to Costco and walked around in circles for a while, looking for something I wanted and it was right in front of me the whole time. Done. I had dinner tonight with Val, Paulina and Oliver, and now it is time to watch another installment of A Gentleman in  Moscow. Tonight will be the third or fourth installment. Not sure home many installments there will be, but I enjoyed reading the book several years ago. Seven years ago today, Jody and I adopted the girls from the Georgetown Animal Shelter. We had no idea how old they were when we adopted them, but the shelter thought Lexie (aka The Piglet) was three at the time, and Callie was two. They told us they had been raised together and they had been surrendered by someone that was traveling around the country in a big RV. I thought part of traveling around in a big RV was to have a couple dogs with you, but, whatever. The Piglet took to Jody immediately, and Callie just hung out in the background. We adopted them both, and once we got them home, they acted like they had never seen the other in their lives. The Piglet is still a clingy little girl, and she cannot be more than a foot or two out of my sight at any given time. Callie remains the laid back calm one, with a take-it-or-leave-it kind of attitude. So, I guesstimate the Piglet is not ten, and Callie is nine. They both have a good life, and just like me, they are lucky, LUCKY girls.

Volume 16 - Day 111/255, 2024 - Saturday

I was just another grey and kind of dribbly rain day today...we are on a streak of those days, but I am pretty sure the sun will be shining at some point in the near future. We had a good walk, stayed mostly dry, and then it was time for a bit of a nap. Before you knew it, it was time for estate sales, and we hit seven of them. Once again, they were all kind of underwhelming. Marian and I are going back to one tomorrow morning, everything will be half price. I have had the windows open for the last couple days, but it is chilly outside, and it is starting to rain, so the windows are closed. It will be in the 50s tomorrow morning when we walk, but it will all be okay. I am still disappointed that I have not seen any humming birds at my feeders. I cleaned the feeders this morning, and refilled them, so maybe that will encourage them to hang out. I hope so. I am very happy to report that the first morning glory of the season was spotted this morning, and I hope there will be more very soon. I did not have any white ones (morning glory look-alikes) last year, but I am hopeful for this year. I may have gone a little overboard with the morning glories this year, in addition to those up against the back wall, I have also planted two pots, and put them up against the back deck and the side fence. I have almost everything off my chore list done, and it is time to just lean back!

Volume 16 - Day 110/256, 2024 - Friday

When Margaret came in to the office today, she questioned why I was there, when there was an estate sale going on a few blocks down the street. Well, when it was time to go, I headed to the sale. In the process of spending $4, I recognized this tall guy looking around. I asked if I should know him, and he said probably not, but I did recognize him. Spencer Cronk, former City Manager of Austin. I don't usually include last names, but he qualifies as a person that locals are familiar with, so shut up. He was fired because of his perceived poor response to a winter ice storm in Austin a couple years ago. I cannot vote in Austin, but I have opinions, and my opinion is that he was a scape goat and a tool for the Mayor, City Council and other officials to be distracted from the real problems THEY created. I shared with him that I had been fired from EVERY job I ever had, and it always worked out to my advantage. He said he was doing fine, he lived in the neighborhood, and he agreed to let the creepy guy take an ussie with him. Nice man. I had already determined that I was going to stop at another estate sale in Northwest Hills, so that was fun. Tomorrow, there are seven sales for us to hit, and we need to get a good nights sleep to be ready. Today started with a nice walk, I got some stuff done in the office, and I've already had my dinner. Dessert is in the refrigerator, and that is my next move. Most likely going to get some rain beginning late tomorrow afternoon. It should all be over by early Sunday morning, and we have a chance to get a couple inches of rain. Fingers crossed.

Volume 16 - Day 109/257, 2024 - Thursday

People have different benchmarks about what makes a good day and what makes a bad day. For me, today was a really good day. I wore the particular t-shirt on purpose this morning, because I had a meeting with someone I consider to be a pompous ass (takes one to know one), disrespectful, and incompetent. This person wasted my time and the time of at least five other people. The good part was, I was totally sarcastic the whole time, made several tacky comments, and all-in-all had a great time. PLUS, I get to bill them for the time that was wasted. A win-win all the way around! After that meeting (I use the term very loosely), and since today is Thursday, it was cheeseburger special day at Sandy's. After I placed our order, I noticed a man walking across the parking lot. I can neither confirm nor deny that this man could be housing challenged. Still in line, the mad started picking through the trash can. I asked him if he was hungry, and would he like a lunch burger. Well, this totally confused the people at Sandy's (I had an add-on to my order), but it all worked out in the end. After lunch, I had another meeting that went well, then I headed home. Fed the girls, took a quick nap, and then went back in to Austin for a Pickle Ball event for TREPAC. Back home now, getting ready for the big storm tonight, and maybe even some rain! Oh...and this is my Back to the Future hair. Just sayin'.

Volume 16 - Day 108/258, 2024 - Wednesday

It was in the low 70's this morning when we walked, and the humidity was about 170%. It was a muggy morning meander through the neighborhood. I needed to be in Austin early, so there was not much time for putzing. Traffic was pretty not good, and it took a while to get in, but everything worked out okay. I did what needed to be done, made several phone calls, and left pretty early as well, since I had a zoom call and I needed to be home to let the housekeeper in. NOW...the house is clean, and for some reason it smells like bacon. I am not sure what that is all about, since I had a spaghetti and meat ball dinner from HEB. The sun did not make an appearance today, and it has been really overcast. We have good chances of rain beginning Saturday afternoon, maybe up to over 3 inches before it is all over. I have a bunch of meetings tomorrow and there is a TREPAC event that I will be attending late afternoon. I think there is a slice of pie in my future, and maybe some ice cream, too. My package still has not appeared, and I am holding on to a faint hope that it will appear by the end of the week. I stopped at the post office, I was told it was delivered, but maybe the key to the cluster box was put in the wrong mail box. Hmmm. No complaints, I still believe the post office does a better job of delivering mail than I could do. And now, if you will excuse me, I am going to make arrangements to attend my youngest sons high school graduation, even though I have not attended any of my other four children's graduations. Okay, be quiet, I know that's a stretch. This is my journal, so...

Volume 16 - Day 107/259, 2024 - Tuesday

Today was a really nice day...we had a walk in the morning, and as I was getting ready for the ROMEO breakfast, we had a power flash. Flash because, while some people around me had no power, the solar and the batteries came through like champs. My digital displays on the clocks (there are lots of them) did not even start flashing. It is weird where there was no power and where there was. I'm not sure how that was working. Rick had no power, so he could not get his car out of the garage, so I picked him up for breakfast, and Paul took him back after breakfast. We know, we know...he could get his car out of the garage, but it was easier for me to pick him up. Shut up! After breakfast, I took of for the office, and it was a good day there, too. I have a couple things happening in the next ten days or so, and there are lots of tiny little details that I am trying to keep up with. It will all be okay. I had placed a couple orders (not on Amazon), and one said it was delivered yesterday (not), and the other was delivered today. The today one is really something nice, but I can't tell you what it is. If you want to know, you just have to come visit me at the Curious House. I fear that everything is not attention worthy on television tonight, so it will be more murder mysteries, and repeats of things I have already seen. Maybe I will have something to eat. What do you think? Since today was Perfect Stranger Tuesday, I had fun doing this selfie, she was really nice. While we were having breakfast, Jimmie and Linda came in with a couple of their friends that have been visiting from Georgia. Linda and the lady visiting (I'm really bad with names) were sorority sisters at Kentucky. Delta Gammas!

Volume 16 - Day 106/260, 2024 - Monday

For all practical purposes, this was a typical Monday. A typical Monday, in a string of about 3,744 other typical Mondays. Nothing particularly exciting happened, and nothing particularly disheartening happened, either. Just a day, a typical day in a series of typical days. There have been just about exactly 26,558 days in my life, most of them have been typical. Not that there is anything wrong with that. We had a nice walk this morning, there was just a little trace of precipitation for part of the walk, nothing that got us wet, nothing that got the streets wet, nothing that made a difference, rain wise. Then it was off to one of my favorite places, UFCU. That is sarcasm, in case you don't really know me, but just like to read this journal. Sarcasm is one of my talents, sarcasm and profanity. That is NOT sarcasm. As I was walking in to the branch, I realized that I had forgotten to put my wallet in my pocket. Never fear, they saw me in the parking lot and had my account stuff pulled up before I walked in at 9:01AM. I got that stuff done, and headed in to the office. A nice typical day in the office, and I came home in a typical manner. Just a typical day. And now, I am getting ready to watch a typical Monday night of television. But first, this little bluebonnet is a survivor. It is making a great statement in a harsh environment next to our cluster mail box. It is definitely a survivor.

Volume 16 - Day 105/261, 2024 - Sunday

Well, I have had several bursts of energy today, and the girls are not happy about that. Mainly because the Piglet got her face washed, and Callie got her ears brushed. Every couple weeks, what is so bad about that? As usual, the day started with a nice walk. I tried staying in bed a bit longer this morning, but I start waking up around 4AM, and the best I can do is to stay in the bed til about 5:30. After the walk, I watched Sunday Morning until I could not take it anymore. I transplanted the rubber tree, and it looks much happier in the bigger pot. I did a few other yard things, and then I went and vacuumed the car, and ran it through the car wash. After that, I stopped at my favorite donut place, only to be disappointed. I guess 10:15 in the morning is too late to get the kinds of donuts that I like. Then off to HEB, and now, in addition to a bunch of other stuff, I have half an apple pie in the kitchen, with my name on it. I also need to take an inventory of dog food before I go to HEB. I may have enough dog food now to last three or four months. I still have not seen any hummers at the feeders, but I may have seen a couple flying past. This juvenile cardinal, however, had a nice time in the bird bath off the back deck. Happy to do what I can. Not much going on tomorrow, but I do have a 9 o'clock appointment, so it will be kind of an early day. Billy Joel special tonight on CBS. Be there or be square!

Volume 16 - Day 104/262, 2024 - Saturday

We took time off from estate sales this morning for an emergency mission to save a turtle that was crossing Sun City Boulevard. With flashers flashing, we made several illegal maneuvers before coming to a stop and finding the turtle. Diane carried him (Diane's assumption) to the other side of the road, where she set him down in some grass. I saw a post later in the day on Facebook that the 'paint turtles' are on the move, so maybe this was a paint turtle. Not sure. We did not get to know him long enough to name him, so we do not have a real attachment to him. Then we finished out estate sales...the sales were really underwhelming, but we all bought something. I was desperate, so I bought something that I don't even know what it is, and neither does anyone else. Speaking of estate sales, I bought something last week, a piece of pottery, that is signed on the bottom in either Japanese or Chinese. Should I know the difference? If I should, go ahead and blast me, I don't. BUT, is there anyone here that might be able to translate it for me? I expect it is the artists signature, maybe where and when it was made. Let me know. As usual, the day started with a nice walk, you already know about the estate sales, but after a nap, I went (for the third Saturday in a row) and had 20 fried shrimp for lunch. Not tire of then yet, and I think they are really good. Not sure how long this special will be running, but I am down for it again next Saturday, at least.

Volume 16 - Day 103/263, 2024 - Friday

Bird or dogs? Bird or dogs? Bird or dogs? I'm going with the bird. I still have not seen any hummers at my feeders, and I might clean the feeders and fill them with fresh syrup tomorrow or Sunday. Jimmie and Linda two doors down have one or two at their feeders, and another friend of mine (Jill) in Kerrville reported her first sighting of hummers at her feeder. So, I will be patient and do what I can to attract me some hummers. The other birds are happily taking advantage of the water I put out in the front and back. There was also a juvenile Cardinal at this water station, but I was not quick enough to get a photo. We had a nice wak this morning, and then it was off to Austin. All was calm there, and I got everything I needed to do, done. I had a couple errands on the way home, one was to stop at Costco. I picked up a few things I did not get last week, and it is interesting that the coffee pods I use at home and we use at the office are no longer available in the Costco stores. SO, I order coffee from Costco, and it is out for two day delivery. It seems like a lot of trouble! After Costco, I wanted to stop at one of the local nurseries to replace the plants in the pots in front of the garage. I wanted some yellow bougainvillea. I never heard of them but Marian found some a couple weeks ago. I saw them online, but that seems silly to order plants online, so I settled for a couple multi-colored lantana instead. I will plant them tomorrow, maybe before we head off to estate sales. It should be a nice, calm, restful weekend. Fingers crossed.

Volume 16 - Day 102/264, 2024 - Thursday

Even though I have not had a bad day, I was just thinking...maybe we should change the day of the week from Thursday to Turdsday. Just thinking. Spell check fixed it just a minute ago, but it did make me start thinking. And thinking is not one of my higher qualities. I am all set to renew my real estate license. No real rush, I have until the end of September, but I took my last required Continuing Education class today. It was a virtual class, so I did not have to wear pants. I think I need a total of about 21 or 25 hours of CE to renew, and I think I have 49 or so. I always liked taking my real estate classes, so I really don't worry about it. I just have to take certain classes every two years to comply. We had a good walk this morning, minus Richard. Richard is usually the one that is ready to go, so we will find out what was wrong tomorrow. Maybe he was just tired. We will see. Otherwise, the girls and I had a nice day at home, they think it is the weekend already, and they will be surprised when O head off to Austin tomorrow. I have a few things on my list of chores for the weekend, nothing crazy. As always, there will be estate sales, and that is always fun. Hopefully there will be a movie that I want to see, fingers crossed. 

Volume 16 - Day 101/265, 2024 - Wednesay

I forgot to mention yesterday that we had breeched the 100 day mark in this year. Today is day 101. The days are going by, and quickly. We had a nice, but chilly walk this morning. Here in this neighborhood, we were not hit with any hail, and for all the warnings, only 1.12" of rain. Rain is rain, so there is no complaining here. The lake even came up a few inches today, so that is good. I had a 9:30 appointment this morning, and then an 11 o'clock appointment, then it was in to the office. All went well, and I stopped at HEB on the way home. Interesting selections at HEB: Glucosamine Chondroitin, a blow dryer and two quarts of skim milk. I like being able to get everything I need all at one time. It ended up being a lovely sunny day today, and tomorrow is supposed to be today all over again, just hotter. I think the orchids like the window I have them in in the bathroom. It's a great big window, and they get bright light but not really direct sunlight. I think it is their happy place, and they are really proud of themselves. I am happy to have them happy, too. I have a class tomorrow morning, and I was supposed to give platelets tomorrow afternoon, but I was told I had given too much whole blood so I cannot give platelets until the 25th. It is all very confusing. I asked them to talk to me like I am a two year old, and I still didn't understand, but we shall just wait and see what happens on the 25th.

Volume 16 - Day 100/266, 2024 - Tuesday

It's Total Stranger Tuesday! On Tuesday's, during the ROMEO Breakfasts, I find a victim who is a total stranger to take a selfie. Today's victim was the most reluctant, but she agreed. I think she thought I was going to pay for her breakfast, but nope, that is not part of the deal. Anyway, I think she is really cute, and it is a fun thing to do. It took almost exactly 24 hours for us to recover from the eclipse yesterday. It has been grey and gloomy ever since the eclipse yesterday, but the sun finally showed up about 1:45 this afternoon. We are still under storm warnings, and these should be done by tomorrow morning. I am always in fear of hail, and I want to do everything I can do to avoid hail. There are hail damaged cars all over central Texas, and I do not want to be a victim of that. So, there was no walk this morning, but it was not because of rain, although there was that threat...there was lightning, so I am not walking while there is lightning in the area. After breakfast, I was off to the office, and that was all good. Everyone has a story about the eclipse, and that is fun. Tomorrow, I have a 9:30 appointment, then an 11 o'clock appointment, and then I will be off to the office. On Thursday, I will be taking a class in the morning, then going to give more platelets in the afternoon. Maybe plasma. We shall see...

Volume 16 - Day 99/267, 2024 - Monday

Well, all it took was a positive attitude. I maintained that we would be able to see the eclipse, even with the naysayers prognosticating clouds, and it happened. There were some clouds, but overall, it was a great event outside the Curious House. Outside meaning three houses down, sitting on the driveway with Marge and Richard, and we were joined by Jess and Abbie and Sherice, our letter carrier. I really have nothing to compare it to, but it was great! I understand there will be eclipse overload for the next day or two, but it was the one and only time in all my years that I was witness to a total eclipse. Okay, I also have to proclaim, I think the word 'totality' is a pretty stupid word. Sue me. Okay back to ordinary stuff. We had a nice walk this morning, and after the walk, I did a few things around the house. We did not open the office today, we expected traffic to be a little bit crazy, and maybe it was, maybe it wasn't. I ran a couple errands, and took a couple naps, so all in all, it was a nice day. It did rain a little bit this afternoon, after the eclipse, and we are expecting rain tonight, tomorrow and Wednesday. Bring it on! I don't have a lot on my schedule the rest of this week, I am taking a class on Thursday, and going to give my second platelets donation that afternoon. Everything works out!

Volume 16 - Day 98/268, 2024 - Sunday

It turned out to be a beautiful day today, but it is not looking that great for the eclipse tomorrow. We have a 50% chance of clouds here at the Curious House, and if I don't get to see it, that will just be the way it goes. I am considering becoming an eclipse chaser; the next total eclipse is in Argentina in October, so, that is something to think about. There needs to be some kind of method to my madness. Chasing eclipses could work out to be fun. Our walk this morning was good, but a little sad too, because we did not win the Power Ball. We did win $12, so that means we are all about $300 down this year with MegaMillions and Power Ball. Whatever. You can't win if you don't play. After the walk, I took a little nap, then headed out to meet Reuben, Alisha and Terry for brunch. It has been a while since we could get together, and that was fun. On the way home, I stopped at Costco and Home Depot. I threatened to get my hair cut, but I changed my mind. Almost cut my hair, it happened just the other day. It's gettin' kinda long, I coulda said it wasn't in my way. But I didn't and I wonder why, I feel like letting my freak flag fly! Just as good now as it was then! I casually got a few things done around the house today, but I was certainly not in any hurry to do stuff. Tha's just kind of the way I like it, too!

Volume 16 - Day 97/269, 2024 - Saturday

Why should I be ashamed of myself, you ask? Well, the reasons are numerous, but the one I have in mind right now is because I went, once again, to Golden Chick and had 20 fried shrimp for $12. That makes two Saturday's in a row. Not sure how long I can keep that up, but I probably have another two or three Saturday's in me. As usual, the day started with a nice walk, me Paul and Richard. After the walk, it was estate sale day, there were five sales, and I spent a total of $3.25 through the first four sales. The last sale got me, and I spent a little more money, but I got a couple really cool things that I had NO IDEA I needed until I saw them. If you want to see, you will just have to come to the Curious House for a visit. It was cloudy and grey all day today, and I just hope it is not a harbinger of what is to come on Monday. If it is overcast on Monday, there will be a lot of pissed off people, for sure. When I was on my way to the shrimp bonanza, I saw a fire truck, so I decided to follow it. Not sure what happened, but it looked like someone was in the middle of a medical emergency. I hope everything work out well for all involved. We have a brunch scheduled for tomorrow, and that will be fun, it always is. Then, probably just a nice, calm day, working up to the eclipse.

Volume 16 - Day 96/270, 2024 - Friday

Okay, I met with the CPA this morning, and all I need to do now is sit and wait. This is the earliest I have been this far along on my taxes in about three decades. It feels pretty good, too. So, as usual the day started with a nice walk, and then I headed in to the office. I had two or three things to get done before I headed to the CPA. I got that stuff done, and met with the CPA, and then back to the office. I had to touch a few more things in the office, and left about (I'm not sure when). On the way home, I stopped at HEB and got gas in the little white car, did a little bit of shopping, and then got home and took a little bit of a nap. I had a plan to have dinner with Paulina and Oliver, so the girls got fed early. We went to Jimmy Vegas for dinner, and then stopped for ice cream. Tomorrow will be a little bit busy, there are five estate sales, and a few small chores that I want to get accomplished around the house. 

Volume 16 - Day 95/271, 2024 - Thursday

It is the weekend eve, and that is pretty darned exciting. Just in case you were wondering, the poop in the tree was still there this morning when we walked. Apparently, poop in a purple bag in a tree has a pretty long shelf life, I will keep you all up to date on this topic. Baklava is a baked Mediterranean pastry dessert. It is made with buttered flakey layers of thin phyllo dough and finely chopped spiced nuts, drizzled with sweet syrup and lemon. The most common nuts used are walnuts and pistachios, but hazelnuts, almonds, and cashews are sometimes incorporated into baklava. NOTE: I know a woman in Playa named Hazel, but she is not nuts. Just to be clear. The nut mixture and sweeteners vary depending on which region the baklava comes from. You're welcome! I bring this up because, last night, Pam brought me a HUGE container of baklava. It looked like some sort of an entree to me, not a dessert, and I was planning to have it for dinner tonight. I was bragging during our morning walk about my good fortune, when I was told that, if I had the baklava for dinner, I would be bouncing off the walls for a couple days. SO, for dinner tonight, I had a couple pimento cheese flips and a little baklava for dessert. Very good! Oh, and for lunch today, I had a brisket grilled cheese sandwich from one of the food trucks across the street from the office. Very good, too. Apparently, this journal entry is about food and poop. Interesting.

Volume 16 - Day 94/272, 2024 - Wednesday

I am relatively confident that you have never seen a bag of dod poop in a tree before. And...it must have been a really, REALLY tall dog! So, let's just think about this for a minute...WHO walks their dog, and is very conscientious about picking up after the dog, AND THEN hangs the sh*t in a freaking tree? I am baffled with the thought processes of some people, but maybe I am just over-thinking this. Whatever. Other than that, we had a nie walk this morning, me, Paul and Richard. After the walk, I did my ordinary stuff, and then headed in to the office. It was a quiet day, and I did manage to get the three or four numbers I needed to meet with my CPA on Friday. DONE!  I left to head home around 1 o'clock,  had no errands to run, so I got home early, and took advantage with a nice little nap. I had a four o'clock zoom, and that was good, and after that was the news, and dinner. Now I am ready to call it quits for the day, and have a nice evening with the girls. I hope I don't toss and turn all night thinking about dog poop in trees. 

Volume 16 - Day 93/273, 2024 - Tuesday

Okay, this day is almost done, and I am a little bit stressed out. Unfortunately, I brought all the stress onto myself, and that is not an unusual occurrence. I do that a lot. First world problems, and it will all work out. We had a great walk this morning, and James joined me, Paul, and Jack. Richard was feeling a little bit queasy, so he did not walk.James and his girlfriend (Kim) moved a couple houses away from me about five months or so ago, and it has been fun getting to know them. James walks with us every now and then, and this morning, he presented us with Easter goody bags that Kim made up for us. Very, VERY sweet! Good neighbors are the best! After the walk, the ROMEOs all regathered for breakfast, and and Richard made it too. We all had the usual, which is a lot of laughs and problem solving. In addition, Richard ordered a cinnamon roll, and it looked REALLY GOOD. I may have to go back sometime for one of those. It was huge! I also got my perfect stranger selfie, and that is what is adorning this journal entry. Then on to the office. It was a good day in the office, and I got everything done that needed to be done, and between office time and home office time, I am 'this close' to being ready for the CPA appointment on Friday. THIS CLOSE! I just need about four more numbers, and that will be it. I will be done with everything by noon tomorrow, and ready for the MAN! For dinner, I had something was was frozen, something that had a best by date sometime in 2022. Whatever it was, it has not killed me yet, so I think I am good. Time to go pet a couple girl dogs, and pile up in the big chair and watch some tv. Lator, gator!

Volume 16 - Day 92/274, 2024 - Monday

Hmmm. April Fool's Day. Jody's birthday. Martha's Birthday. Our little company was started 24 years ago today, too.  lot of things for me to remember on this day every year, and it is all easy for me to remember. The day started with a nice walk, as usual, there were four of us. After the walk, it was a little bit of breakfast for me and the girls, and today, being the first, is pill day for the girls. Then it was off to the office. Even though today is the first of the month, it was a calm and quiet day. That is not always the case for property managers, but today was nice and calm. I left the office at about 1:30 and made it home about an hour later. There were no stops on the way home, and I had a pimento cheese flip, and that was my lunch and dinner. I was going to have some salmon for dinner, but it looked kind of bad, it has been in the refrigerator for eight days, so even I had second thoughts about it. I need to figure this ready-made-meals thing from HEB thing out, because I am not really that keen on wasting food. It may mean I need to go to HEB more than once a week. It is supposed to rain pretty heavily tonight, and maybe even some high winds and hail. I got all the catkins off the furniture on the back deck, so when it rains it won't stain the cushions. That is the plan, anyway. After a little bit more of doing nothing, I headed off to my HOA Landscape Committee meeting, and it was a good meeting. The photo accompanying this journal entry has nothing at all to do with the topics of the entry, it was just a neat bit of an old car I saw this morning on the way in to the office. I think it is an old Pontiac, not sure. Joe Mac?

Volume 16 - Day 91/275, 2024 - Sunday

Happy Easter to you, if you celebrate this day. It was warm and humid this morning when we went of our walk, and it got warmer and more humid (humider) as the day went on. After the walk, I did a whole lot of nothing much. I did get all the art rehung, so there are no more framed pieces sitting on the floor in any of the rooms. I took a little bit of a nap, and at about 10:30, I started getting ready to go in to Austin. I had tickets to Wicked, and that was fun and good to see. I honestly had no idea what the premise of the show was, so it was fun. I am amazed at people who arrive for shows like this 45 minutes or an hour late. I think if I was going to be 15 minutes late, I would just forget about it. People were coming and going through the whole performance. Whatever. When I got home, I fed the girls and myself, and now I am getting ready to was an installment of A Gentleman in Moscow. I read the book several years ago, and I thought it was a movie released in theaters, but I guess it is a kind of a mini-series on Showtime and Paramount. I did not even now I got Showtime and Paramount, but you learn something every day. Tomorrow will be a hot day, predicted to be 87 degrees. Then there is a cold front coming in, and rain in the late afternoon and overnight. I will let you know if that really happens or not.

Volume 16 - Day 90/276, 2024 - Saturday

Well, even though it is a weekend day, it was kind of busy. We had a nice walk this morning, me, Paul and Richard. Once I got home, I fed the girls, and went down for a quick nap. Not sure if I got a nap in or not, but before long, it was time for estate sales. There were three sales, and Marian, Pam and Diane joined me. All together, I think I spent almost $63. My haul included a pair of monkey bookends, THREE clocks, and a bell. I think that's it. So far, the clocks are running, so that is a good thing. I can't really complain at the expense or the fact that they may or may not chime, and I am happy with the haul. Everybody bought something. Before we took off for the estate sales, Jimmie and Linda and Wells (their grandson) came down and Wells brought me TWO packages of Hippie Crack. I love that stuff, it's granola that they get at a bakery outside Washington, D.C. Shortly after I got home from the estate sales, it was time to take the girls to the beautiful parlor. After that, I went to Golden Chick in Georgetown, where I had twenty fried shrimp. Not the best, not the worst, but it is just a testament to me being a victim of Madison Avenue. If it looks good in the tv commercial, I have to have it. After that, I made a couple other stops, and then went down for another nap. Interestingly, I woke up from the nap, and thought I had left the girls outside, before I remembered that they were at the beautiful parlor. I got the girls, and then later, I went with Jimmie, Linda and Wells to get ice cream. Time to call it a day!

Volume 16 - Day 89/277, 2024 - Good Friday

It was kind of an ordinary Friday, started off with a nice walk with Paul and Richard. I left for the office about 9 o'clock, and there was absolutely nothing going on there. I do not think the phone rang more than twice while I was there. I got a few things done, and left a little after (or maybe before) noon. We shut the place down at 3PM, it was a quiet day. I made a couple stops on the way home, and made myself a pimento cheese flip for lunch. The girls and I have been outside three or four times since I got home, it is a really nice day, but a little humid and cloudy. Not sure what the temperature got up to this afternoon, but it was a top down kind of day, and that was nice. Tomorrow will be estate sales (there are three), then the girls are going to the beautiful parlor, then I have two or three more errands to run before calling it a day. This evening, I have gotten a burst of energy, and I am moving existing artwork around in the Curious House, and hanging new pieces that I have collected over the last couple months. It is definitely a net gain on art work, and maybe more tomorrow.

Volume 16 - Day 88/278, 2024 - Thursday

I was feeling a little anxious about the platelet donation today, but it was mostly because I did not know what to expect. I still don't know how they can take blood out of my arm, extract the platelets, and then return the blood back to my body. It's interesting, and I thought I would know when blood was leaving and returning, but I had no clue. The whole exercise took about two hours and fifteen minutes. I didn't know this, either: Platelets are tiny, disc-shaped pieces of cell that are found in the blood and spleen. Platelets are pieces of very large cells in the bone marrow called megakaryocytes. They help form blood clots to slow or stop bleeding and help wounds heal. You can donate platelets 24 times a year as opposed to only six times a year for whole blood. All of this may or may not be accurate, it is what I found from Mrs. Google. Go investigate for yourself! Okay, back to ordinary stuff. We had a nice walk this morning, we did not win the Power Ball jackpot last night, and I went in to the office early so I could get to We Are Blood at 1PM. I got home about 4:30, fixed dinner for the girls (the girls are always first) and me, and now I am about to go sit in the big chair and watch some tv.

Volume 16 - Day 87/279, 2024 - Wednesday

Well, today did not turn out too much like I expectd it would. It started out like most days, we had a nice walk, and then I had a bit of breakfast, and then headed in to the office. I have one zoom scheduled for 10 o'clock, and another scheduled for 11:30. I decided to do the 10 o'clock call at home, and then I would go in to the office. The 10 o'clock lasted longer than I expected, so there was not enough time for me to get in to Austin before the next zoom started. The second zoom lasted until 1 o'clock, so it was really no use to go in to the office. Okay, no issue. I spent the rest of the afternoon doing a few things in the office at home, and a couple errands. There was a nap involved, too. By then, it was time to feed me and the girls, and then book club was tonight, too. Book club is always fun, and tonight was no exception. I think there were eight of us there, and this months book was The Secret Life of Sunflowers. I think it was pretty unanimous, we all liked the book, and we all learned some things abut Vincent that we had not been aware of previously. Next months book is The Little Old Lady Who Broke all the Rules. It sounds pretty fun. I still have about an hour to go on the book I am currently reading (listening to), and then I have another book in que before I start the Book Club Book. 

Volume 16 - Day 86/280, 2024 - Tuesday

It was chilly this morning, somewhere around 45 degrees, but it was a good walk. After the walk, all the ROMEOs met for breakfast, and we solved many of the worlds problems over omelets and pancakes. Every Tuesday, I also choose a victim of a photo with a perfect stranger. Today's victim is depicted in this journal entry. After breakfast, it was off to work, and that was nothing too taxing. I have resumed reading The Women which I think is a very good book. I had to set it down for a while, because it kind of took a toll on me, and I felt that I was getting really depressed. I sat it aside, took my trip to Miami, and took it back up when I got home. It is not quite as emotionally taxing towards the end of the book, but it is still kind of concerning. These veterans, men and women, suffered a lot during their time in service to their country, in the late 60's and throughout the 70's. I recommend it to you, but be ready. I had one errand to run after I left the office, and got that taken care of. Tomorrow, I have two zoom meetings, and that will occupy a pretty good part of my day. On Thursday, I am scheduled to donate my first batch of platelets. I have always donated whole blood, but now I am starting platelets, and I am a little bit nervous about it. I feel confident, however, that it will all be fine.

Volume 16 - Day 85/281, 2024 - Monday

Okay, I have been plagued by first world problems today, but it will all be okay. I will not even share the problems with you, because there is the definite possibility that the problems were caused by me. Crap! There was no walk today, it was raining when we would have taken off. Not walking gave me a chance to do a few things (home office wise) that I have been putting off. Then, it was off to the office. I got in, touched all the papers that needed to be touched, and that was the end of that. It is very comforting to know that I can leave town for a week, and life goes on. Maybe it is also a notice that I am not really needed in the office anymore, and that is not a terrible thing. I had a few errands to run on my way home, a stop at the pharmacy and a few other things, but I made it home by about 4:30. I took about a ten minute nap, and then fed the girls and myself. I am on a streak of cleaning things out of the freezer, and tonights dinner only expired in 2022, so I am getting better. Coming home this afternoon, there was a school bus on the other side of the Parkway. If a Parkway separates you from the school bus flashing red lights, are you supposed to stop. I probably knew that when I got my drivers license, but not sure any more. I stopped anyway, just to be safe. You can never be too careful!

Volume 16 - Day 84/282, 2024 - Sunday

Okay then, as Sunday's go, this one turned out to see more accomplishments than usual. As per the routine, we started the morning with a nice walk. I won't necessarily share with you everything I got accomplished today, like sitting on the back porch trimming my toe nails, but there were other things. Fixed breakfast for the girls, washed clothes, made an egg loaf and shared that with the girls, went and bought some donuts, moved a couple pots of morning glories, took a nap, went to the movie I mentioned last night, went to AT&T, and then went to HEB. Oh yeah, I also bought MegaMillions tickets, just in case. There is still one thing on the list I haven't finished, but it can wait. A couple weeks ago, Jimmie gave me some bluebonnet seeds, and I bought two small bluebonnet plants at HEB, and planted them. They have taken in to being planted nicely, and hopefully the seeds I put under them will germinate in the next year or two. Pam also gave me a few packets of wild flower seeds, and those are in the ground too. Now I am home, ready to settle in for the evening. We have chances of strong rain and winds overnight, and not too sure how long it will last, but I am ready. The sprinklers have remained off since before I went to Miami, and it looks like they may be able to stay off for another week or so. Fingers crossed.

Volume 16 - Day 83/283, 2024 - Saturday

First full day back home, and things are getting back to normal. A little bit. The day started with a nice walk; me, Paul and Richard. We had all kinds of things to talk about, and it was good to be walking again, even though there was a pretty good bit of walking in Miami. After the walk, I fed the girls, had some breakfast for myself (bagels), and then headed off to the estate sales with Pam, Marian and Diane. I spent about $30 on a few very special items that I did not know I needed until I set eyes on them. I think everyone bought something...maybe not Diane, I'm not sure. I know for sure Pam got a new cake pan! I need (not really) to go to the grocery. I am out of bread and milk, and I ate the piece of apple pie that Pam brought me as a welcome home gift yesterday. I vacillated back-and-forth (get it?) all day about whether to go or not, and so far, I have not. Apparently I am going to leave it until tomorrow. Tomorrow morning, I need to do laundry, get it started during the walk, get if finished during the Sunday Morning program. I also want to go to a movie tomorrow, The American Society of Magical Negroes. I saw the previews for it a couple months ago, and it is now playing, so I will take that in tomorrow. So far there is only one blossom on my Meyer Lemon tree (bush) on the back patio. It has born fruit for the last two years, and I hope there will be more than just one this year. Both years previously, I have harvested about a dozen lemons, and I have shared them with friends. For dinner tonight, I cremated a chicken pot pie, even though I followed all the instructions. Okay, most of the instructions. The only instruction I did not follow was the part where it said to wrap the edges of the pie with aluminum foil. I cut off all the horribly burned parts, and ate the rest. I think I may need some adult supervision every now and then.

Volume 16 - Day 82/284, 2024 - Friday

Okay, I am home, the girls are home, Mike is home, Melinda and Steve are home, Nancy is home, and I think Ben and Tobetha are on their way home. There are probably another thousand or so folks that attended the President's Circle conference with us that are home, too, and I hope all safely. It was a pretty long day today, up early, packed, headed to the airport, finally got on a delayed flight and am back in central Texas, and happy about that. It was REALLY windy in Miami this morning, and it was raining. I think some of the storms that we had in central Texas last week are now in Miami, and they were predicting about 4 inches on the east coast of Florida for today. Having said all that, there is now a tornado watch and a severe thunderstorm warning for central Texas and the Curious House. Soon. I will be back in my normal routine; estate sales tomorrow, regular times for all my regular this-and-thats. Did y'all miss me. No? I didn't think you would.

Volume 16 - Day 81/285, 2084 - Thursday

This trip to Miami and our annual President's Circle Conference has been chocker-block full os small, meaningful and memorable events. It has not been all the conference information and camaraderie that has been the most significant (although that has been very worthwhile), it has been the small moments, barely minutes of interactions that I hope to remember fondly when I am old(er). And I realized this evening, that this trip in particular has been full of those small moments. This morning, I was able to sleep a little late, and when I did get up, I got some work done, and then showered and dressed, and we all headed out for brunch. Mike drove in from Delray Beach, and after that, Mike and I headed back to the hotel to take naps. Later, we went down to the pool and hung out for about forty five minutes, and then we all gathered up and went to dinner. After dinner, we went to a Sinatra Tribute on the hotel. Frank Sinatra played here at the Fountainbleau during much of his career, and this particular show, although sparsely attended, was filled with LOTS of money. The security in the room was not protecting the singer or the orchestra, but they were certainly in evidence. I am not sure of the guy that was the singer, he made it clear that he was not an impersonator, and I don't know if the orchestra has a particular name, but I could have listened to the orchestra (22 pieces) for hours. It actually did transport me back a bit, and it was really cool. The putz that opened the set was a Catskill comedian, and I know that the comedy was true to form in the 60's, but that was almost 65 years ago. But, it was all good. Then we went and had a drink in the bar, and among other things, there was a moment in the bar. Ask me later and I will tell you. Needless to say, I think this place spends (literally) millions of dollars on the music and sounds throughout the facility, and it is something that draws you in and keeps you there.

Volume 16 - Day 80/286, 2024 - Wednesday

It was another kind of busy day, and another day that started really early. It has all been worth it though, because I have seen (and hugged) friends and colleagues from all across the country that I have not seen for a while. And then, there are my special peeps, and it is always really nice to get a chance to hang out with them. And we all take full advantage. Today there was a breakfast, then a series on presentations, all of them were really interesting even if we (I) never heard of the presenters before, and then there was a Texas luncheon, and then there was (almost) a nap. Before there was a nap, though, we all got up and went to the WynWood Walls, an area in Miami that has transformed a forgotten industrial area into a mecca of large-scale street art. It was really interesting and fun to view. Then we ate a little more, then we got ready for the closing reception this evening, and then we went to dinner at Queen Omakase Restaurant, a wonderful place in an old re-envisioned movie theater. Very interesting, and very good food. Overall, a really great day. Tomorrow will be less busy, but I am sure there will be a lot of action packed in. Oh, and Happy Birthday again to Tobetha!

Volume 16 - Day 79/287, 2024 - Tuesday

Well, it is actually Wednesday already in Miami, but I still have about 30 minutes to get this journal entry done before it is tomorrow in Austin. Today was a good day of learning, listening, lounging and lunching. There was also breakfast and dinner. Today was the first day of President's Circle, and the speakers were interesting, but Leon Panetta was was the best. They always try to have a balance at these meetings, and for that, I am appreciative. After the meetings, we headed back to lunch at a place we found yesterday, Rosetta on Collins Avenue in South Beach. Then back to the hotel when we changed and headed for a fun boat ride to celebrate (sort of) Tobetha's birthday, which is tomorrow, unless it is already tomorrow where you are. In that case, it is today. After the boat, we got back to the hotel, and then we went to Gianni's Restaurant, which is in the former Versace Mansion. All-in-all, it was a fun and pretty busy day, and tomorrow is expected to be pretty much of a repeat.

Volume 16 - Day 78/288, 2024 - Monday

I am staying at the Fountainbleau, which sounds really ritzy and all, but the reality is, just like the Waldorf Astoria in NYC, it is just an old building with inadequate electric service. And now, I need to add that there is inadequate wifi service as well. It is truly frustrating that emails will not send, which causes great concern and anxiety. I will overcome this, and I will have it leave my top-of-mind, but for now, it is a problem. I hung out with a bunch of my peeps today, and it was good to have a chance to mess around and act stupid. It is one of my greatest talents. We all had a nice lunch, and I did not bring a pair of shorts, so I bought a pair just in case I actually go and hang out at one of the pools. There was a nice welcome reception early this evening, and I am back in the room, doing what I really do best, which is nothing at all. Tomorrow we will have a busy morning, and the programs will be over by noon, and then there will be some exploring to get accomplished. It will be fun! 

Volume 16 - Day 77/289, 2024 - Sunday

Happy St. Patrick's Day, and surprise, I am in Miami! I will be here for a few days at a REALTOR® conference, and so far it has been fun, hooking up again with my TREPAC buds. Paulina has a meeting tomorrow, so we flew down together, had dinner, and now I am back at my hotel, and Paulina is on her was to her hotel. She has a 9 o'clock meeting in the morning, and I have a morning free. My first meeting is tomorrow afternoon, so that means a little bit of extra sleep. That will make up for not much sleep that I got last night. We went to a pretty well known restaurant in Little Havana for dinner, and we were right in the middle of a protest. I am pretty sure there are lots of things that Cuban Immigrants could be protesting about, but I am not sure exactly what this particular protest is about. I know there was news coverage of it, and there was a state Senator (I think) being interviewed by one of the news stations. Dinner was very good, I opted for seafood since we are this close to the water, and an extra treat, they had Key Lime Pie. Time for some snoozing right now.

Volume 16 - Day 76/290, 2024 - Saturday

The girls and I slept most of the day, and that was just exactly what I wanted to do. Well, there was a walk this morning, and then Pam, Diane and Marian and I went to two estate sales. The first one was an embarrassment on so many different levels, but the second one was okay, I spent $7. After that, as I said above, I slept most of the day, watched some tv on the History Channel, but nothing that was really remarkable. I did get up and check the mail, and that was my most ambitious endeavor. We have had rain off and on, and so far we have about a third of an inch. There is supposed to be some more significant rain overnight, the worst of it about 4AM Sunday morning. During our walk this morning, this moth (I think itis a moth) was in the middle of the street at one of the intersections we pass. It may or may not have some wing damage, but I did move him/her into a grassy area, just to insure that nobody runs him/her over. The rest of it is up to him/her!

Volume 16 - Day 75/291, 2024 - Friday

Friday is in the top ten of my favorite 'F' words. We did not walk this morning, there were some little dribbles of rain, and some lightning off in the distance, so we called a rain day. That meant the girls and I all piled back up in the chair after they ate, and took benefitted from a little extra snooze time. I got up, got dressed, and went off to my annual (or maybe semi-annual) dermatologist appointment. All was pretty good, she froze off a few pre-cancerous things on my face, and a few non-keratosis things here and there. I looked up the meaning of non-keratosis, and I really could not find anything meaningful, but it is something that is a common condition, probably in old people. I qualify. Then it was off to the office, and I had a couple things I wanted to get done, and then I remembered I had a lunch date with Jetta and Julie. I had not seen them in a good while, and it was nice to catch up. We are somewhat committed to not letting too much time go by before we hook up again. Then, back to the office, and I did get everything accomplished that I wanted to do, and I headed home about 3:30. We have been expecting some pretty severe weather, but so far, nothing really exciting. We got 0.06" of rain in the gauge this morning, which is better than nothing, but we could really use more. If I turn off the sprinkler controller, that will put a hex on the rain chances...what to do, what to do? 

Volume 16 - Day 74/292, 2024 - Thursday

So...there was an interesting article in the New York Times this afternoon about the benefits on laying on the floor. Interesting stuff. So, after this journal entry, you will find me on the floor in the bedroom, thinking of nothing much except to keeping Callie and the Piglet from licking on me. Can't wait. Did I mention the new book I am reading? The Women. It's very interesting, very compelling, very sad, very disturbing. It is about an Army nurse in Vietnam. I looked it up, Vietnam is one word. It is a 14 hour listen, and I am about a third of the way in, and it is a very good book. We had a nice walk this morning, and all was good in the office. If it's Thursday, it must be cheeseburger day from Sandy's. And so it was. I made a couple stops on the way home, and tonight was the neighbors dinner. We had a great time, and Deb (see last nights' journal) was here from Vancouver. We all had a blast, there were eleven of us, at Tony & Luigi's in Georgetown. We laughed, we talked, and had fun. In the photo, clockwise, from the left: Judy, Richard, Margie, Doris, Marian, Ronnie, Linda, me (with head detached from body), Deb, Jimmie and Mike. We are now looking for a volunteer to coordinate the dinner in April. Let me know if you are interested.

Volume 16 - Day 73/293, 2024 - Wednesday

After the walk and all that usual stuff, I headed in to the office, by way of Pease Park. This was the second day that I went in search of the Pease Park Troll. I new the construction was underway, but since this is Spring Break, the park was full and there was not a single place to park. I called Carrie, and, just as I suspected, I needed to park and walk the trails to find it. I did just that, and it was fun! The Troll is an installation of Thomas Dambo, a self professed 'Recycling Art Activist.' This guy has installed more than 100 Trolls worldwide. If you get a chance, it is worth the walk. I am not sure how long it will be in the park, it might just compost itself over time. In case you can't readily tell, this is a lady troll! It was a quiet day in the office, as compared to the first two days this week, and I really appreciated that. I met Michael and Lynda for lunch, and that was nice to catch up with them. Then, back to the office for a few minutes, and I was headed back to the Curious House by about 2:30. Not much else going on tonight, tomorrow will be a pretty typical day, and tomorrow night is the neighborhood dinner. That should be fun, Deb is here from Vancouver. 

Volume 16 - Day 72/294, 2024 - Tuesday

If it's Tuesday, it must be ROMEOs breakfast day. I scoped out the place and found my victim for meeting a perfect stranger. Okay, well, I don't really MEET them, I just go and ask if I can take an 'ussie' with them. I also remembered to find someone that was not backed up to a light source. SO...I took the ussie, and five minutes later she was joined by another man...maybe he had to pee, but I was in and out, nobody got hurt. As always, the day started with our morning walk, and it was in the mid-50s, so really no big deal, weather-wise. It is supposed to be warmer in the morning, maybe a little drizzle, and then the weather heads south for the rest of the week. I made it in to the office, and there is a lot of accounting stuff going on, everybody is getting a head start on their taxes, so there are lots of questions. Mostly all the answers are available to them, but it is easier to just call us to do it for them. I headed home about 2:30 (I think), and all is good. Again, there is nothing really very interesting on tv tonight, but I will figure something out. It should be an early day for me in the office tomorrow, and I also have a lunch date. More about that tomorrow. 

Volume 16 - Day 71/295, 2024 - Monday

Well, maybe this truck was just a teeny bit higher than 13 feet, 5 inches. I sometimes have trouble with photos to include with this journal, but today, I turned around just to take this pic. I noticed it from the other side, and had to steer around glass and debris. By the time I got back to take this pic, the police were there. I doubt that it will cause any issues for MoPac traffic, which is what this road goes under. It was a nice day today, we started with a walk, and I was pretty busy in the office. I left to visit a property at 2 o'clock, and when I was leaving that property is when I first spied the truck stuck under the overpass. I made it home with no problems, stopped at HEB and got a few groceries, and a LOT of dog food. I'm not sure what is on tv tonight, but if I can't find anything interesting, I may venture off into NetFlix land. Antiques Roadshow is generally my goto on Monday nights, but it looks like both episodes are going to be repeats. Wish me luck. I will refrain from complaining about Daylight Saving Time, but know that I am not happy about it. I am also doing my very best to refrain from making comments on any of the political stuff swirling around. I'm not really too sure how long that will last, but when I just can't take it any more, I think it will be really fun! Fasten your seat belts...