Volume 18 - Day 296/69, 2026 - Friday

I don't think I am feeling 100% wonderful after my spell yesterday, but I had a really good nights sleep and feel much better today. Richard, Paul and I had a nice walk this morning, and it is good that Marge and Dick are back where they are supposed to be. After the walk, I did a little bit of this-and-that, and then the girls had appointments at the beautiful parlor, and they are back home looking beautiful. In between times, I had some errands to run; a stop at the bank, went to the little white car dealer and made an appointment for service next week, and did a little bit of real estate work. I have appointments to show James a few houses in Salado on Sunday, and that will be fun. Tomorrow will be the last house concert of the year, and if you are in the neighborhood between 6 and 8PM, stop by. There is only one estate sale tomorrow, so that won't take too much time, but I am hoping for some real treasures that I did not know I needed.

Volume 18 - Day 295/70, 2026 - Thursday

Back in the saddle, again... Today was a busy day, and a good day, but I am pretty sure I overdid it. I'm fine, but there was a challenge while I was in the Civilian Police Academy class. I was up early this morning because I had an appointment in Leander at 8 o'clock this morning. Of course, I got there at about 7:30 because you can never judge drive times. Traffic can be an issue, but it was not a problem this morning. I got back to the Curious House, and did a few things, and then went to pick up Marian and we headed in to Austin for platelet donations. That all went well, but I did have a bit of concern when the put the needle in and when they took it out. While I was donating, there was no problem. It was a platelet and plasma day, and I was happy about that. Marian had a little bit of discomfort, not feeling too good, but it all was okay and we made it back around 2:30. I think. Maybe 3. I was really tired so I went down for a nap. I got to my class tonight (there are two more to go), and I began to feel very uncomfortable. I thought I might need to leave and go home, but I was not sure if I would be able to walk to my car, and if I did, I did not think I was going to be able to drive. I stuck it out, and finally started feeling better, felt like I could drive, and made it home with no issues. I am looking forward to crashing tonight, and I think a good nights sleep will be what I need. Interestingly, I never feel bad, so that is kind of a new experience, too.

Volume 18 - Day 294/71, 2026 - Wednesday

Paul and I walked this morning, then I had a couple appointments; first was to get the carpet cleaned in the front bedroom (it looks like new), and then to get pictures hung here and there. There were 34 pieces of art sitting here and there, and everything is now hung on a wall...here and there. After all that, I'm not too sure what I did until it was time for our neighbors dinner. Oktoberfest! That means Walburg German Restaurant. We made a good crowd, 15 of us, and I think we all enjoyed it. Tomorrow is going to be a busy day; I have an 8 o'clock appointment in Leander, platelets at 1 o'clock and then a Civilian Police Academy class. At least I won't have any time to get into any trouble.

Volume 18 - Day 293/72, 2026 - Tuesday

Paul didn't walk this morning, so I did a piece of a walk. This headless Chinese guy was something I found at an estate sale a while back, and he was standing on the rock wall at the Curious House. Either the wind blew it over, or a squirrel was not happy that he was blocking seed access, but he ended up on the other side of the wall. The area behind the wall, along with parts of this subdivision, are designated as 'natural' areas, which is code for no maintenance, full of burrs that prefer to stick to socks of intruders. BUT, I did retrieve him, and he is now sitting on a table at the front door. After our ROMEO breakfast, I made a stop at Home Depot and HEB, and then I had a 1 o'clock meeting in Austin. That went well, thanks Cass and Megan. I had a few phone calls to get done after that, and I have a few more phone calls to make tomorrow, as well as a few other chores. Tomorrow night is the neighbors dinner, this month at the German Restaurant in Walburg (it's Octoberfest), Thursday will be a platelet day, and Friday the girls go to the beautiful parlor.

Volume 18 - Day 292/73, 2026 - Monday

It was a little bit warmer this morning when I got up, and it will get warmer and warmer as we go through the week. Nothing terrible, so far the forecast high temperature will be 87 degrees, that is tolerable even for the last part of October. I did early voting this morning, in-and-out in about 20 minutes. There were about 20 people in front of me, and there were more than that in line when I was leaving. I think it is a good sign that people are not taking these mid-terms for granted. Personally, it has been a long time since I missed an opportunity to vote, but I am just OCD that way. Doing little things around the Curious House give me a certain feeling of satisfaction. Little things that I have been meaning to do, and finally get around to it. I like that! I could not be happier that I gave Callie her final pill tonight. Now all I have to do is to remember to feed them. Simple.

Volume 18 - Day 291/74, 2026 - Sunday

Today was a different kind of day, but really a pretty darned good day. Yes, Paul and I walked this morning, I think it was in the lower 40s when I started the walk. Then, I chilled out for a while, and got ready to go to Lakeway for an open house we were doing from 1PM until 3PM. It was a slow day for an open house, I think mainly because it was such a lovely day, let's go to the park, not an open house. Val and Paulina did come to the open house, mainly to see the view and to meet Maggie. I am really a lucky man that Val and Paulina are my neighbors. Really! I got home and Val and I were just talking on the driveway, and there was a French Bulldog just wandering around. No collar, no person. I retrieved the dog, put a note on Facebook and Nextdoor, and we found the owner within an hour. That is for sure a way to relief stress. There is nothing on the calendar for tomorrow, and that is just the way I like it!

Volume 18 - Day 290/75, 2026 - Saturday

There are lots of photos and comments on the Interweb this afternoon, about this interesting cloud formation seen over central Texas. I did not do the research, but others did, so I thought I would share with you. It's likely a 'fall streak hole,' also called a hole-punch cloud. Naturally occurring weather phenomena, and they're fairly rare to see. A layer of clouds contains tiny water droplets that remain liquid even though they are below freezing. Something triggers those droplets to freeze into ice crystals, sometimes an airplane passing through the cloud layer. The ice crystals grow while nearby water droplets evaporate, creating a large opening. The formation in the center is made of falling ice crystals. Class dismissed! So, there was a walk this morning, estate sales, and I showed houses for sale this afternoon. Some dinner and now done for the day. If you are looking for me tomorrow, come visit at the open house I will be working with Maggie. It'll be fun!