Volume 18 - Day 185/180, 2026 - Saturday, The Fourth of July

Happy Birthday U.S.A.! I enjoyed this calm and peaceful Fourth of July. There was a nice walk this morning, and the plants, front and back, are needing watering on almost a daily basis. We have not had any rain for a couple weeks. And I don't think there is any in the next ten days, either. I hope I am wrong. I took off to pick up three racks of ribs and some cobblers this morning, and this afternoon I had dinner with VPO. The girls have a few rib bones to enjoy at some point, and I am pretty sure they will enjoy those. The rest of the day was spent napping and watching some television with the girls. I do not have any challenges sitting with the girls, and I think they are happy to have me around. I expect there will be some fireworks to watch from the back deck this evening, there have been every year that I have been in the Curious House. There is not a lot on the calendar for next week, Paulina, Marian and I are scheduled to donate platelets on Monday, and I really like doing that. The flags in the photo are from the farm, Jody gave me the flag pole as an anniversary gift years ago, and I still have a fondness for flags.

Volume 18 - Day 184/181, 2026 - Friday

After walking with Paul and James this morning, I sat on the front patio for a while and read the newspaper and had a cup of coffee. P&O (no V) came and visited for a little while, and then they took off for breakfast. And yes, I still get a physical newspaper. I came very close to getting my haircut later this morning, and on the way there, I looked in the mirror and decided I really did not need a haircut. As long as I was in the car, I decided to make a stop at Target, and while I was at Target, I decided that if I bought a few more pairs of boxers, I could delay doing laundry for a while longer. I call that thinking outside the washer and dryer. VP (no O) and I headed off to Belton at 4PM, with the purpose of going to the Belton Rodeo. We stopped at Schoepf's BBQ for dinner, and then headed to the Cadence Bank Center, where the rodeo was held. We stood in line in the sun for about 30 minutes, I guess they did not open the doors until 6PM. The rodeo started at 7, and there was a lot of patriotic chat by the emcee, and then they got down to business. It has taken me this long to attend my first (and last) rodeo. I felt sorry for all the animals; the sheep, the calves, the horses, and even the cowboys themselves. But, being the snob that I am, I am really not one to judge, and I will leave it at I simply will not be quick to attend another rodeo. One of the better parts, was a 'skit' with a bad man and a heroine named Cow Patty. By the photo accompanying this journal entry, you can get the general drift of the action.

Volume 18 - Day 183/182, 2026 - Thursday

If you are wondering about mail delivery tomorrow, don't ask the Googles. In the same search, the Googles say NO mail tomorrow, and scroll down and the Googles say YES, there will be normal mail delivery tomorrow. I am pretty sure I will know the true answer by this time tomorrow. Gina and I made a pilgrimage to Trader Joe's this morning, we go about every three or four weeks. I spend a LOT less money when we go to Trader Joe's, mainly because they don't sell dog food. At least, I don't recall seeing any dog food there. When I go to HEB, I easily spend about $60 on dog food, while covers about two weeks, maybe a little bit longer. SO, I do have some treasures from Trader Joe's; grapes, blue corn chips, water melon and cantaloupe slices. That will likely hold me over the weekend. I expect I will visit Target tomorrow, because Target is where I get the dog treats for my morning walks. That is about it for today. I had no photos from today, so I looked back a year ago, and it was raining. Really raining. The rain a year ago caused a lot of damage, serious injuries and some loss of life. Just looking at the photo makes me feel a little bit cooler. No rain in our forecast, just more hot. I cannot even walk to the mail box without glistening. Don't forget, tomorrow is Rodeo night!

Volume 18 - Day 182/183, 2025 - Wednesday

I did a solo walk this morning, and I took a different (and shorter) route than usual. I thought it would be about the same walking distance, but nope. After the walk, I did a few things around the Curious House, and then I headed in to Austin. It was kind of like the old days...all lanes, north and south bound on the Interstate were stopped. I never did see what the problem was, which is typical, but I got to my meeting on time. On the way, I picked up a prescription, too. I got home about noon:30, and I had an appointment with ADT between 1 and 5. The guy got here, fixed the doorbell camera, and installed two more cameras. I am pretty well covered now. My new hoses were delivered, and the old hoses are in the rubbish can, just in time for tomorrows pickup. I did manage to break the hose reel, which is something I do every time I get new hoses. I will get a new hose reel tomorrow. I am spending more time in the big chair in the bedroom with the girls, and I like looking out all the windows. The hummers have been pretty entertaining, and every now and then, they have a mini-war over the feeders, proving that not everything I watch is on television.

Volume 18 - Day 181/184, 2026 - Tuesday

Oh, Lort! I was having a perfectly okay day until I tried to login to my account at the Credit Union. When I did that, a note popped up that said (something like) we have f***ed with all our accounts, so you will need to login with your password. Well, my password had been saved IN the computers and the iPhone, and I was doing something wrong, but NOW I have a NEW password at the credit union. Maybe I wasn't having a perfectly okay day, because I just now remembered the 45 minutes I spent on the phone with ADT, trying to add a couple upgrades to my service. BUT, having taken all my aggressions out on ADT, I was a perfectly friendly person the rest of the day, so that was kind of a win/win in my opinion. I met Maggie at a property this afternoon, and that was fun. On the way home, I decided to go take a look at the swim beach in Georgetown. Who knew there was a swim beach in Georgetown? I didn't, but I found it, it is about 14 miles from the Curious House, and the beach is pea gravel, but with sandals and a blanket, you can pretend you are somewhere in Europe. I (think) I did see some beaches in Europe that were pea gravel and not sand, but I could be wrong. But, whatever, you can go to a beach in Georgetown, and you won't track sand into your car or the house. Another win/win!

Volume 18 - Day 180/185, 2026 - Monday

Just in case you want to know, tonight is the full moon. I should probably start spending more time on the front patio, that is why I expanded it five years ago. It has always been comfortable, and I think it is more so now. I rearranged the furniture with help from Val, Paulina and Oliver, and the bronze sculpture (formerly the top part of a fountain) I bought yesterday, is now ensconced in the corner, and I think it is ABFAB! I need to check, but I don't think you can see it from the street unless you are really looking, and that is perfectly fine with me. It is heavy, very heavy. It took three men and a two-wheeler to get it onto the patio, and I plan for it to remain there for quite some time. You might be able to zoom in on the photo, but if you can't and you want to see the details of the piece, let me know and I will send you a photo. Otherwise, today was a good day, I went nowhere, and tomorrow I will be planning a visit to HEB. On Wednesday I will go in to Austin for a meeting and to pick up a prescription, and on Thursday, Gina and I are going to Trader Joe's. Friday, believe it or not, I am going with PVO (I'm tired of typing their full names, so they are now collectively known as PVO) to the rodeo in Belton. I have never been to a rodeo before, so this will be a totally new experience. Always go for the new experience!

Volume 18 - Day 179/186, 2026 - Sunday

When Paulina and Oliver got home from church this morning, we all piled up (Paulina, Val and Oliver) in the car and headed to Marble Falls to have lunch at the Blue Bonnet Cafe. The last time Paulina and I were there (three weeks ago), I had liver and onions. Yummy good. Today I had catfish, fried okra, candied carrots and french fries. You can't beat it. I was the only person that did not bring pie home, but I still have carrot cake from Upper Crust that I got last Monday when we donated platelets. It's fine! After we left the restaurant, we stopped at the Mexican import place again. When we were walking in the place, Carrie, Susan, Terri and another lady (from Memphis and I can't remember her name), were walking out. It was like old home week in Marble Falls!  Once we all got home, I think it was nap city all around! I had to go check out a property late this afternoon (Paulina went with me), and when we got home, we rearranged the furniture on the front patio. There is always something to do, whether it needs to be done or not. I have NOTHING on the calendar for tomorrow, and I like that very much. I was kind of excited that the coming weekend will be a 'long weekend,' but then I remembered that every day now is a long weekend day. I like it!