2011 - Day Fifty Nine; Monday...

Finished. Finito. Done. Over with. Completed. Axed. 86'd. This do in remembrance of the themed journal entries of 2011. I hope in future years they will be more interesting and fun than this one has been. BORING! However, as a finale, before the curtain falls, before the parade passes by, before the roll is called up yonder, before I put an end to this CRAP once and for all, I wanted to share with you the most FABULOUS of all women's shoes, my very own pink Croc knock-offs that I have been wearing for over four years. If these knock-offs could talk, oh the stories they could tell. They have been through more cow-shit than most of you, and still have a semblance of pink-ness about them. It is even kind of like the Royal Family (those ones over in England) where they have an heir-and-a-spare, you know Ducks? I have a PAIR-AND-A-SPARE. I have a brand new pair of these that I keep for SPECIAL occasions, you know, like birthing a calf, things like that. Whatever.

Anyway, that is it for this entry, nothing more, just a tribute to the end of an entry!

Deeds, Actions, Changes, PINK KNOCK-OFF CROCS, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2011 - Day Fifty Eight; Sunday...

I'm a dirty boy. No really, I am a dirty, dirty boy. A DIRTY BOY! It has been pretty much an outside day today. I stayed in bed until after 6 o'clock, and I was pretty unsure of what I would be able to get accomplished, but I ended up getting LOTS of stuff done today. It was great that Miguel came out and helped me, and that is always good. Okay, really Miguel does most of the hard stuff, and I sit around and point this way and that, but I take credit for getting out there and working as well. Here is what we did today.

1. We took apart an old raised planting bed and put it down on the ground for a raised planting bed actually on the ground. What we had done a couple years ago was to fill a 4 x 8 box with potting soil to grow some vegetables, and that never worked. The frame is now on the ground with good dirt in it.

2. We expanded a raised bed that had been planted full of Iris and took out another berm that had Iris in them, and transplanted the Iris to beds up in the front of the house and bagged the other Iris for Miguel to take to his mother. We took the dirt from the berm and supplemented the expanded raised bed and took the rest of that dirt and put it in the raised bed in the back. Oh yeah, we also filled two 100 galvanized water troughs (not good for water anymore) and filled those with dirt to use as raised beds.

3. We moved the cattle out of one pasture and fed them, then we took a fresh bale of hay out to them. We also opened up the far back pasture, and discovered there was a water leak back there, and had to fix the PVC pipe before we could fill the far trough. The cattle are happy to have the far back pasture open to them, and that was a good move. The pasture where the tank is needs to have a rest from cattle for a while, so that will be good. It would also be nice if we could get a little bit of rain, but that might be pushing it a little bit. This is a picture of the newest little bull calf; his name is 'Cool Breeze' and he is really a good looking boy, destined (maybe) to join the Vienna Boys Choir, unless you know someone who would like a really nice Longhorn Bull with great lineage. Just let me know!

4. By this time, Jody and I had to go to Georgetown because we were in Hot Fudge Sundae denial. We pretty much solved that and we also went to the Georgetown Feed store to buy seed packets. I also went to Home Depot to pick up more supplies to have on hand just in case we have any more water leaks. I always try to have extra supplies just in case, you never know what is going to happen.

5. Once we got home, Jody and I planted the seeds; we have corn in the back along with two different kinds of squash. In the front, we have okra, two different kinds of Swiss chard, beets (YUM) and lettuce. We still have a couple tomato plants and some strawberries to put in, and I still need to plant the cantaloupe and watermelon seeds.

So, I think I can be forgiven for saying I am tired!

We got four eggs from the girls today, and I actually think one of the production reds has become the dominant chicken, as I had read about but had not actually seen the phenomena. She is not friendly to me, does not want to be petted and has a different call than the other girls. Interesting.

Here is the next-to-last entry of women's shoes for this year. the penultimate as it were. Finally! Tomorrow will be the final and I am really glad of that. HOWEVER, I cannot NOT finish something that I start. Somethings just do not take as long as other things to complete. I wonder if this is a trend? Who knows, who cares?

Deeds, Actions, Changes, FRESH VEGETABLES, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2011 - Day Fifty Seven; Saturday...

It could have been a little sunnier today, but overall not a bad day. I slept until after 6 o'clock, and that in and of itself is kind of noteworthy. I got up just shortly before Jody, and did my chores and fetched the newspaper, made us a nice egg-loaf and then Jody and I headed off to Taylor to get some cattle feed. We did not get as much as I normally would have, because the truck would not start. Bummer! So I have the trickle charge on the truck now, and I will see if it starts tomorrow. I expect it will because that truck has not given us a minutes worth of trouble. Just one of those things. I cannot even remember the last time we started the truck, but I will bet it was the last time we got cattle feed, so I could probably look at my check book and figure that one out.

When we got home, we listened to 'Wait, Wait Don't Tell Me' and shortly after that I headed into Austin for an afternoon appointment to get a property management agreement signed by a new client. By the time I got home it was almost 4:30, and pretty much time to feed the girls. I have to tell you right from the get-go, chickens are not the smartest people on the planet! I suspect we have one chicken that suffers from 'egg reflux syndrome' or maybe even 'spastic laying syndrome'. Whatever it is, we are having broken eggs more and more frequently. The eggs are not falling or being pushed out of the nesting boxes, it is like one of the girls is laying eggs while they are on the roost. CRAZY!

Tomorrow I will go out and feed the cattle, and I think I am going to open up the far back pasture to them and close off one of the smaller pastures. I need to let the small pasture rest for a while and hopefully we will get a little bit of rain and get some fresh grass to grow. We shall see.

We are in the home stretch of the ladies shoes theme month, the final furlong as it were, and as always I will be glad when this theme is completed. I always think it is a good idea, but then shortly after the theme month begins, I am tired of it and feel constrained. Whatever...these self-imposed rules and regulations are just a little bit more than I think is necessary. BUT, I already have a couple good ideas for next year, so only time will tell.

Deeds, Actions, Changes, BROKEN EGGS, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2011 - Day Fifty Six; Friday...

Okay, no Friday dance today, but lucky for you guys I am really tired and have almost no memory of the days events! I actually left for the office a little late this morning, but I made it in before 8 o'clock...just barely. A full day of office time which is a true luxury to me these days. My friend Bryan came by and we had a great lunch next door at El Mercados. It was really nice to see him, and we do not get together nearly enough anymore, but he did seem to perk up a little bit when I mentioned we needed to go shopping. We are both pretty avid shoppers!

Finished the afternoon and got lots of things crossed off my to-do list, and I headed home about 3:30. Traffic was not TOO terrible, although I would not really know what to do if traffic congestion on IH-35 ever ended. I have lived here (in central Texas) since 1985, and there have been portions of IH-35 that STOPPED even back then. Some things never change, we just get more-and-more used to the challenges.

I took this photograph this afternoon mostly because I liked the way the shadow was cast on the wall behind the little road runner metal piece. I just thought it was interesting, and I was actually surprised that it is visible in the photo.

Jody collected four eggs from the girls this afternoon, and they were all happy to get fed. I need to go outside and put them to bed for the night when I get this entry finished, and put MYSELF to bed not too long afterwards. Looking forward to sleeping til about 7 o'clock in the morning, but I fear that will never really happen. We shall see.

Three more photos in this theme blog month (after today) and I have a surprise in store for the final day. Hide and watch! This is another photo I took during the TAR Winter Convention a couple weeks ago. I will never look at women's shoes in the same way again. Last night at the Chili Cook-Off I was tired and MY feet hurt, and I asked a woman how she could stand in those shoes all day. Her comments were not fit for print in this fine, upstanding family styled journal. Use your imagination!

Deeds, Actions, Changes, SLEEPY TIME, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2011 - Day Fifty Five; Thursday...

I am not really sure how you whipper-snappers do it. I am an early morning kind of person. I am ready to hit the ground running in the mornings, but in the evenings, I am ready to call it a day. It has been a long day, I will be just fine tomorrow morning (earlier than many of you) but right now I am really tired.

I started out the day as usual, and left the house at about 7:30 to get to a meeting that was to begin at about 9:30. The meeting was in Bastrop, Texas at the Hyatt Lost Pines Resort. A very nice place, although it is about 70 miles from our house. On the way, I stopped and got gas in the car, and took it through the $Eight Dollar - quarter car wash...You know the car washes that used to take quarters, but now they cost $8 and you have to pay with a credit card? ANYWAY, that meant it was guaranteed to rain, and in fact it did, but it waited at least a few hours before it did so.

Made it to the Hotel and all was good, although I was ready for a little something in the nourishment department, and there was NOTHING. Okay, so I waited until lunch, and it was a nice cold-cuts buffet. NICE. This was the first day of the 2011 Texas Realtors Leadership Training class, and it is going to be a really great class, several really deserving attendees and a terrific program. This is a photo of Barb, Socar, me and Susan. Susan is taking the class this time, Barb, Socar and I were in the class of 2009. Congratulations to all!

There is a really extensive meeting facility at this resort, and there were LOTS of meetings going on, and it is a very interesting place. Not too much of an opportunity for taking photographs of women's shoes, but I did take this opportunity (over the protests of the owner of the shoes) to capture these beauties for all time. Nice looking and the look comfortable, too.

I left the training and headed back to Austin at about 2 o'clock (had to stay for lunch of course before I left) and actually got some work done in the office before heading out to the Board of REALTORS for the Fourth Annual Chili Cook-Off. Tom had entered the Salsa contest, and (as it ended up) he also entered the Chili Cook-Off. Being the fourth year for this event, it is getting better and better every year. Tom's Austin REAL Pros Chili took third place overall in the People's Choice category, so that was great. AND, it was delicious, there was a Cinnamon flavor to it, something you would not expect in your average Texas Chili. This is a photo of (clockwise from the top left), Me, Christi, Tom and the RES man. Those are his initials, but it is pronounced as if it were spelled Reece). RES was the cutest kid at the cook-off..okay there were not that many kids there, but even if there were 500 kids there, RES would be the cutest (and the most polite) hands down!

Jody got five eggs from the girls today, but before that, he drove in to Austin and met our friend Lynda for lunch. I have not remembered to look in the gauge yet, but Jody says we got a quarter-inch of rain today,and that is WONDERFUL.

Time to finish this...

Deeds, Actions, Changes, CHILI FOR DAYS, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2011 - Day Fifty Four; Wednesday...

The clouds this evening were not really that spectacular, but this photo just kind of shows you how VAST the farmland is around here. Nothing much in the way between us and forever. Wonderful. BUT, it seems that beginning yesterday, everyone is out planting, plowing or otherwise doing something with their tractors. I had no idea there was a 'start' to the tractor season, but it must be the case!

Today was a jam-packed day with lots of accomplishments and good work. I went directly to the Board this morning for a 9 o'clock meeting, and the entire thing did not wrap-up until after 2PM. Not an issue, just some things take longer to accomplish than others.

I got to the office, and I was feeling really stressed, but my cracker-jack office folks had everything under control and even when I got two or three (alleged) emergency kinds of calls all at once, they helped me remain calm, cool and collected. Interesting, challenging situations never occur when there is nothing really important to do otherwise. I also think things come in threes as well. Three thises, three thats, three those. Things happen in threes.

I love our chickens! Jody got six eggs from the girls today, and when I went outside to feed them, they were no where in sight. I gave them my 'chicken call' which is somewhat reminiscent of the Vienna Boys Choir on a REALLY bad day, and they all came running. Who knew I/we would ever have 'trained' chickens. My friend Jim is going to get some chickens (I saw him at a Bee Keepers meeting last night) and he said he wants to get the same kinds of chickens that we have 'just in case this does not work out, we are giving the chickens to you'! Okay by me. Interesting, I think I have mentioned to owls that have taken up residence in the front of the property...well, I just realized that I talk differently to the chickens than I do to the Owl. I talk to the Owl pretty much daily, and usually when I am taking food out to the chickens (and the chickens look as if they are being led to their coop by the pied-piper). I sort of screech at the chickens in a really high-pitched voice, but along the way, as I am going out to the coop, I talk to the Owl in a very low-pitched voice. CRAZY!

I think the global-warming theory (or the dooms-day theory of your choosing) has hit the Christmas Cactus. It bloomed beautifully right on schedule during the Holidays, but it has decided it might as well go another round. I love Christmas Cacti, and they always remind me of my Aunt Ruby. She was a really cool lady, and I have lots of stories I could tell you about her and my Uncle Bert...just ask!

Here is your shoe-shot for the day...taken a couple weeks ago at the TAR conference, where the women wear interesting shoes and the REALTORS are all good looking! I have a couple surprises for you the last two days of this journal theme month. Stay tuned!

Tomorrow is going to be a really long day. It all starts out in Bastrop at the Hyatt Lost Pines, where the 2011 Texas REALTOR Leadership Program of the Austin Board of REALTORS begins. I will be there for the opening day of the class as an alumnus of the program, and that will be a lot of fun! After that (leaving there at about 3 o'clock) will the the TREPAC Chili Cook-off back at the Board Offices. I expect to leave there at about 8:30 tomorrow night. REALLY...a long day! AND, I have appointments on Saturday, so that will be great!

Sorry, but I could not go longer than one entry without going parentheses crazy...

Deeds, Actions, Changes, CHICKEN SPEAK, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2011 - Day Fifty Three; Tuesday...

So, how was your day? Mine had a few ups-and-downs, but generally speaking it was swell. Pay particular attention to the right side of this photograph. That is where you will see the black vehicle laying upside down on the side of the road. Yep, and that was the ambulance, are they still called that or are they now referred to as EMS, coming down the Interstate to reach a vehicle that is on the service road. Kind of confusing, but maybe it was the EMS driver that was confused and not those of us on the Interstate.

I am wondering if I can live with out parentheses. Is that how you spell parentheses? It seems I am of the belief that I am using far too many parentheses in my entries, so today and only today it will be a parentheses free entry. See here now, I have only written about ten lines of this post, and there have already been at least THREE perfect opportunities for a couple good parenthetical statements, but I have resisted the urge at great personal sacrifice and done without. I am not sure if I will be able to keep the vow throughout this post, but we shall see.

Lots of business at the office today, including getting lots of work done, taking care of some personal business, participating in a conference call and a two hour training session. Then, it was time to go home, even though I was already late. Not too much traffic on the way home, and when I got there, I needed to go out and check on the cattle where there are still no calves and then feed the chickens. I forgot to ask Jody how many eggs he collected today, but I will try my best to catch you up tomorrow. See, this paragraph has two GREAT opportunities for parentheses, but I am remaining steadfast to the cause.

After dinner, I took some eggs over to Hubert and Pauline, and then headed off to Georgetown for a beekeepers meeting. The Williamson County Area Beekeepers Association. I think there were about 140 people there tonight. The attendance dwindles the closer to summer and through the summer the attendance is pretty sparse. BUT, the meetings are pretty interesting, and there are folks there with all different levels of expertise, so that is good for me. I placed an order for supplies today, and should get those at the next meeting in late March.

It is late as I am writing this, and tomorrow will be here soon. Here the your ladies shoes photo of the day. I am more interested in the socks this time than I am with the shoes, but I do give extra credit for the entire ensemblage of the parts which in this case are greater than the whole. Try to figure that out, I dare you. I could have used two parentheses in the next to the last sentence to denote that I don't think 'ensemblage' is really a word, or maybe it is just not spelled correctly, but again, I am showing considerable constraint! Maybe it is actually a derivative if a french word, and that is why I am confused. Who knows?

Board meeting tomorrow with lunch following. Both will be great and I am looking forward to both occasions. I am really happy with the involvement I have taken on the our Board and all the volunteering opportunities that have come my way. It is fun, interesting, frustrating, enlightening, hard work, gratifying and many more adjectives I could think of if it were not so late!

Deeds, Actions, Changes, NO PARENTHESES, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2011 - Day Fifty Two; Monday...

Temperatures in the mid 80's in central Texas, and it is February. We are expecting a cold front just any minute, and it is expected to lower the temperatures for ONE DAY. WOW! Then the rest of the week is expected to be above normal. Hopefully there will be a little bit of rain that accompanies the 'cold front' but probably not. We are in the middle of another drought, and that is what happens in this part of the country. I think, however, that we can expect extremes in the climate more often in the future than in the past. This is a photo of one of my favorite subjects, CLOUDS. I love clouds, and out here in the country, we get to see lots of sky and every now and then a few clouds! Lovely!

It was a pretty good day in the office today, and as anticipated, it was a day devoted to getting my desk cleared off. That was somewhat successful, but there is still some work to do. Tomorrow (for the most part) will be another day in the office, but I will not have as much time for myself as I did today. We are having an office meeting tomorrow afternoon, and Willie from the Austin Board of REALTORS will be back with us to teach us even more stuff!

I have (and most of us at the office have) a subscription to Carbonite.com and discovered that it was not working. SO, Tom (our very able bodied assistant, able to circumvent tall problems with a single-bound) was unable to figure it out, which led me to CALL their customer service number (telephone numbers are BURIED in the web-site to avoid actual telephone calls at all costs) and after a REASONABLE (whatever) hold time, I was able to speak with a nice man named ANDY who told me he was in India and that it was (approximately) 2:43 AM there assume that to be tomorrow morning. I am only getting into this because it was 3:13 PM in Austin, which means they have different time in India, not only in HOURS but also in MINUTES. I kept trying to explain to 'ANDY' that I thought the minutes should be the same anywhere in the world, but he would have no part of it. I conceded that I really did not care as long as he would get the back-up 'back up and running' and he was very competent at that. For some reason, it had quit on February 8th, but is is (hopefully) working again. I will know tomorrow.

I mentioned this discrepancy of the minutes to Tom and Karla, and Karla reported that she doubts that all countries (in fact very few countries) are slaves to the clock like we are in the United States. She said they might not have set the clock in India for the last two or three years. Sounds totally reasonable to me, and I shall not question it anymore.

I left the office early today, about 3:30, and made it home with no real issues. Traffic was also having a Holiday, so that was a little bit better than it would have ordinarily been, but it was still REALLY heavier traffic on the way home than I would have expected. I was actually surprised how many businesses were closed, but I am glad that many folks were actually able to recognize the occasion. These are not our cattle, but I just liked the markings on these and stopped to take a photo. I love the little calf markings, so it was worth a couple minutes to take the photo.

Here is an interesting fact about the differences between men's shoes and women's shoes. I have only a (comparatively speaking) few pairs of shoes. A couple brown pairs, a couple black pairs (one pink pair) and a couple more casual pairs and a couple pairs of farm boots. Okay, writing this journal makes it sound like I have about a dozen or so pairs of shoes. BUT WOMEN have DOZENS of pairs of shoes, it seems, and they have to get a new pair of shoes every time they get a new outfit AND they have to get a new purse (and maybe a wallet) as well. I am certain that I only have one wallet, if you don't count the old wallets that I don't use anymore but can't seem to work up the will to discard. I might need that leather some day. Who knows. ANYWAY, here is today's photo of the ladies shoes. It seems I was trying to get this model to show some leg, but that did not happen. SIGH!

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

2011 - Day Fifty One; Sunday...

Alright, let's get the ladies shoe thing out of the way right in the beginning. This is a lovely pair modeled by a friend of mine. Another of the 'you will be better off not asking any questions' friends, but happy to help with the cause. Just about another week of this and it will be over for another year. Pickins' are really getting slim, but it may get better this week, we are still kind of warm here, so maybe a few more open toes before it is all over.

Today was a really good day. I actually stayed in bed until after 7 o'clock, and got a really good nights sleep. Let me tell you about the dream I had last night. I had been to a party and met up with some friends of mine and we all had a pretty nice time. Left the party and was just going on about my business when suddenly a black car was travelling down a street and somehow the driver of the car lost control and became wedged between two concrete walls on the road and was blocking my path and everyone elses path as well. It was not an unhappy dream, but as I am putting it into words right now, it seems pretty obvious that someone is blocking my path. Interesting. Do you remember many of your dreams? While I was having the dream last night, I was consciously thinking I needed to remember the dream so I could write about it in this journal. CRAZY!

Anyway...I got up and read the paper, had my coffee and did all my retentive chores (reading meters, recording readings and letting the girls out of their coop. After all that, I made a nice egg loaf and we both enjoyed that. I had a bunch of chores to do, even though I did get a good bit of work done yesterday. I got the chicken coop cleaned out, and I came to the decision that chicken poop is a lot like dust...it only gets so deep. After about two or three weeks without having cleaned the coop, it did not seem to get much worse. Kind of like dust on the end table, after just a couple weeks it does not look too much dustier!

Anyway...after that, I cleaned out the wood stove. The temperatures are expected to cool off a little bit this week, with low temperatures to be in the 40's, so it will be another week or two that we may be able to have fires. We really like having the wood stove, and it is very nice to have a nice glass of wine by the fire.

Cleaning out the Martin houses was the next thing on the list, and we got one cleaned out and remounted and got the other house cleaned out, but had some challenges getting it back up properly. We did get everything put back up later on in the afternoon. I also got the two missing propellers on the air-show, this time with screws that are about eight inches long. Everything seems to be spinning nicely now, thanks very much.

We headed off to Georgetown for spoilers and made a few stops before and after. We had also dug up some Iris bulbs to take to the guy that manages the Dairy Queen; had had told us yesterday that he was afraid he had lost a lot of his bulbs in the recent cold weather. He was not there but we left them for him. After that, we stopped at Papa Murphy's Pizza to get a pizza to bring home. We had never been their before but the pizza and salad we got looks really good, and for $13 it was a pretty good deal. Time will tell...

Once we got home, I dug more Iris, and I will be taking them in to the office tomorrow to see if anybody wants them. We still have plenty of Iris to give away and/or transplant. We got five eggs from the girls today, and week took each of the neighbors a dozen-and-a-half, and we have plenty more where those came from. This is a picture of one of the prickly pears in front of the house, I hope we get some good blooms from it this year.

Deeds, Actions, Changes, AIR SHOW, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2011 - Day Fifty; Saturday...

Let me try to get this cleared up for you right from the git-go. The Walburg Classic is not, and has nothing to do with, and has nothing in common with a double-meat sandwich type of thing. They are not offered for sale at either Dale's Eisenhaus (home of the Walburger) or the more famous Walburg Restaurant. No, the Walburg Classic has nothing at all to do with culinary endeavors at all. It seems the Walburg Classic is a bike ride (or race) which is held annually in and around Walburg. I encountered it this morning (the first time) when I was headed off to teach class at the Board. Then I encountered it again when I was on my way home from teaching class. Then I encountered it twice more when Jody and I were heading off to Georgetown for a spoiler, and the same thing on our return trip. It made me really kind of nostalgic about bike riding. From 1998 until 2001 I was a pretty devoted bike rider, and those were really some of the best memories I have. I enjoyed it very much. Who knows...

Once we got home from Georgetown, I went out and fed the cattle and took two fresh bales of hay out to them. The cattle would be the first to correct me in that I actually took the hay bales out to them first AND THEN fed them. They were all totally confused. That was the FIRST TIME EVER that I had taken hay to them before I fed them. It was pretty much easier for me to do it that way, since I did not have to 'sneak' it to them. Mr. Speckles is a pushy boy, and he is ALWAYS right in the middle of everything that has to do with food. PLUS, it took all the challenges out of the cows trying to figure out who would be the Alpha-Cow. Pretty much no competition in that arena today. This is a photo of Violet, our first born. She is about three years old now, and she is really a shy-girl. One of the advantages to taking the hay out first was that Violet actually got a chance at the feed without being pushed around. She has already had a calf of her own, and we expect her to have another one this year.

This morning when I went out to get the newspaper, I heard TWO OWLS for the first time. AND I actually got to see them both. They were both just a few feet from each other on a telephone pole up by the road. They had their backs to each other, but you could definitely see them, and they were really pretty vocal. Later this afternoon, we could see the head and ears of one of them in the nest. I like having the Owls close by, pretty darned interesting.

Here is today's photo of women's shoes. TO tell yo the truth, these women's shoes are all beginning to run together in my brain. I cannot keep them all separated in my head, and I still cannot tell the difference between one shoe and another. I do know, however, what a mule is, and I know what a platform wedgie is. That, however, is about the extent of it!

We got four eggs from the girls today, and I changed their water. They are pretty happy, and I am glad of that.

Tomorrow may be an actual day off for me. Hope so. I have, however, just booked my Hotel reservation for a trip to the NAR Mid-Year meeting in Washington, DC. Sometime in May.

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

2011 - Day Forty Nine; Friday...

It's FRIDAY! FRI-DAY! Friday, Friday, Friday! FRIII-DAAAY! I will keep this entry short and sweet. Do you believe that?

A long and (somewhat) rewarding day that, if nothing else opened my little contact-less eyes to several issues that surround us on a daily basis. If it isn't one thing, it is another.

I got home this afternoon and went out to feed the chickens. Three eggs. Then Jody and I took off in the Mule to go check on the cattle. All is good beck there, I will need to feed them and take them some fresh hay this weekend. Minnie looks like she could drop just any minute now, and her teets have that waxy residue build-up that I was told to look for as a sign of pending calf-dom. Daphne and Doodle Bug are really looking like they are ready as well, so I am keeping a close watch on them.

On the way back to the house, Jody asked me to show him where the Owl Nest is. When we have been out there, my broad pinpointing of the nest with the flashlight had left him unsure of exactly where the nest was. SO, I went took him (still in the Mule) to show him where the nest was, and while we were both looking at the nest, she (the Own, we are assuming is a Mama with young-0nes) left the nest and we got a chance for a REALLY good look. She is a big one, that is for sure!

Here is your photo of the day. A good selection of women's shoes was presented to me, and I took full advantage. It is always good to preface your photo request with 'It would be helpful if you just did not ask any questions when I ask if I can take a photo of your shoes'. It worked today, so I must remember that.

Tomorrow is another day.

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

2011 - Day Fortry Eight; Thursday...

It is comforting to know, in this frazzled and hurried world in which we live, that even the ketchup we ordinarily take for granted can join us in the whimsical world of multi-tasking. I had heard that the Heinz company had spent (literally) millions of dollars researching a new way to deliver its product to fast-food customers. It seems the little squeeze packages delivered the goods but not in a pleasing way. NOW, as a very appreciative ketchup consumer, the prospect of a packet of fast-food ketchup that I could use more easily as I sped down the Interstate driving with my knees and texting while juggling my curly fries and a super-sized-soda had a definite appeal. AND being a full fledged 'consumer' and patriotic American (let me spend my way to a better economy) I was ready for this new 'retail-therapy' enhancement to an otherwise mundane package. I will confess to you, however, that I believe the new delivery system (whether activated to squirt or dip) is much less practical than the older product. The new product requires a certain amount of care when dipping, and is much more satisfactory when squirting BUT in both cases results in a considerably larger amount of wasted product. Good for Heinz, bad for Chick-Fil-A. Whatever...

AND, while I am on the subject of waste, I guess most of you will agree that there is no use in crying over broken eggs! I took a couple dozen eggs to the office this morning, including two six-egg-containers. I even made a special trip to the car so I would not drop the eggs as I was carrying other items. Made it into the office and started a pretty darned impressive juggling act, and almost thought I was going be save them for a while, but NO, they crashed to the ground...five of them not to return to a skillet any time soon. I hate that!

A pretty good and busy day at the office today. It is Thursday, so that means Meals-On-Wheels, and I had five clients this morning. Always a pleasure to do that. Afterwards, I went by one of my clients offices to pick up an Option Fee check and an Earnest Money check. Still multi-tasking!

I left the office about 3 o'clock, Jody and I had a date at Wal-Mart to (finally) get my eyes examined. Then we went past my barber (Irene) and then on to Chick-Fil-A (refer to the ketchup story above). Prior to all of that, I had gone out to feed the chickens, and we ended up with three eggs for the day. They may be a little aggravated with me about breaking a full days work on the office floor. Word travels fast!

Here is your shoe piece for the day, a nice open-toed number that looks ready for the sandy beaches. No real sandy beaches in central Texas, but use your imagination!

Tomorrow will be a pretty intense meeting, then a little more power real estate, and Saturday morning I am teaching a class.

Deeds, Actions, Changes, BROKEN EGGS, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2011 - Day Forty Seven; Wednesday...

To take a direct quote from my friend Lynda, today was 'SUPER FANTASTIC'. I was surrounded by positive thoughts, energy and actions (for the most part). There were a few low-spots, but overall it was one of the best days I have experienced in a good while. I am really fortunate to be surrounded by folks that care and are passionate about what they do. We had our bi-weekly strategic planning meeting today, and we were joined by Willie from the Austin Board of REALTORS. Our goal is to have a representative from the Board come to our office meetings for the next several meetings, because there is SO MUCH the Board offers that we (and the majority of the membership) do not take advantage. Today we learned how to take advantage of the $5 virtual tour option the Board provides. Great information, and we were all really impressed. GOOD JOB to the Willie-Meister. He is a great instructor! We had our regularly scheduled meeting after that, and we (sort of) celebrated Pat's Birthday which is tomorrow. This is a photo of Chris and Sytha, our most additions to our club. They are both really motivated and bring a lot of fresh energy to our group.

One more thing about Willie's presentation to us...the group liked it so much, he is coming back NEXT TUESDAY to make another presentation to us...we could not wait the two weeks, it was such a great meeting!

Okay, there was also a lot of work to get accomplished, and that all got (pretty much) taken care of. It is a good day when I can actually get a few things checked off my to-do list. Really a good day. I have a list, but there are lots of other things that come up, so sometimes it is difficult to concentrate!

Carrie and I also spoke with a friend and colleague (Shane) that is considering coming to work with us as a make-ready person. We are really taking the plunge and starting a maintenance company to compliment our property management services. Shane also has a couple other job offers to consider, so we are not sure if he will be joining us, so if you know a good, honest and trustworthy person who has a light construction type of background, ask him or her to get in touch with us. It will (we hope) be a really good experience for all of us.

Signed up another property management client today. That is two this month and one last month, so that is another positive sign.

Headed home about 4 o'clock this afternoon, and took several telephone calls along the way. Once I got home, I needed to IMMEDIATELY log-on to the office computer and take care of some business that came up (in the car). Got all that accomplished, took a couple more telephone calls, and went outside to feed the girls and check the cattle. Jody reports that he collected five eggs from the girls today, and they were all happy. The cattle were all seemingly very contented, and still no sign of any new calves. They will appear at a really inconvenient time, if the past is any indication.

Here is your daily 'shoe-fix'. Women's shoes are really uncomfortable looking, and if my experience in women's shoes is any barometer (ask if you want to know) they are INDEED uncomfortable! But, I like (not lust) looking at them. Congratulations to all of you for going through the pain referred to as four-inch-heels. I like the way they look, just don't think I could do it. Talk about your basic bad knees!

Deeds, Actions, Changes, GREAT DAYS, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2011 - Day Forty Six; Tuesday...

This is a photo of the sunset from last night. I am really not terribly happy with the 'bargain' camera I bought the day after Thanksgiving last year. It does pretty well for most things, but I have another camera that does a better job, but I can't keep the batteries charged even if I buy new batteries. I will just have to do my best!

Good day today, even though it started really early. I had a meeting that started at 7:30, which meant I was in the office before 6. Got a good bit of work done before I left for the meeting, then I was back at about 10 then off to a luncheon meeting at 11. Back in the office at about 2:30, did some power real estate and I was back on the road and headed home at 4. Is there a resume category that includes 'schedule juggler'? Tomorrow and Thursday promise to be calm, and should leave me in the office for most of the day.

Since I was unsuccessful in getting my eyes examined yesterday, I am still on that mission. Hopefully I will be able to get my eyes examined this week, that is the goal.

Jody reports that he collected five eggs from the girls this afternoon, and I have just returned from feeding them and checking on the water situation for the cattle. All is well, and all the livestock (including the bees) seem to be relatively happy. I am expecting three or four more calves in the not too distant future, so that is one of the reasons I am checking the cattle really closely. It will be fun when they all start dropping!

Here is another photo I took during the Winter Meeting. Pretty soon I will need be become more conscientious about scoping out fresh shoes. It is getting to be better weather for ladies shoes as well, since it has been very nice weather the last few days. The high temperature today was 77 degrees, and the low temperature for tonight is going to be in the high 60's. Perfect! It is really nice walking around outside in t-shirt sleeves.

Deeds, Actions, Changes, EARLY DAYS, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2011 - Day Forty Five; Monday (Valentine's Day)...

Interestingly, total strangers are not that willing to let me photograph their feet, but if I ask someone that I am familiar (not that way) with (and especially after a drink or two) there is VERY LITTLE hesitation on their part (or parts). I took this photo in the lobby of the Hyatt on Sunday, and when I showed it to a friend of mine, she said 'Whoever that woman is, she has the longest toes I have ever seen'! Whatever! I am resorting now to 'banked' photos of women's shoes, and I am pretty comfortable that I will make it through the end of the month without having to resort to 'pilfered' photographs from the Internet. ENJOY!

Today I attended the Texas Association of REALTORS Awards Luncheon. There are dozens upon dozens of of volunteers at the State and local levels, and it would be very difficult to acknowledge all of them. I have been tremendously fortunate this year and have been honored with various awards. I sometimes wonder if I have 'peaked' (I am only human, AND full of insecurities like most of us) and there is no place to go but down. ANYWAY, today the Austin Board of REALTORS was awarded the Texas Association of REALTORS Education Program of the Year Award (Category: Legal), and it was for a series of classes I wrote. That was very nice. This is a photo of me along with the Austin Board of REALTORS Director of Professional Development and Education (Sally) and the Chairman of the Austin Board of REALTORS (Judith). I wish I was half as photogenic as Sally and Judith! Look how pretty they are!

On the way home this afternoon, I stopped at the bank and while I was there, I asked if there was an Optometrist in the area. They directed me to a place just a few blocks away, and I stopped in to get my specs adjusted. There was not a single customer in the place, so I asked if I could also get my eyes examined. They said okay, but then 25 minutes later they said they doubted that they could work me in today. It was a good try, and it has been a little over a year since my last exam, but I will try again another time. I was successful in getting my glasses adjusted; now they are not catty-wampus on my face anymore, they just slide down my nose with the slightest provocation. Sometimes the cure is worse than the sickness. Oh well...

Once I got home, Jody reported that he had collected four eggs from the girls. I went out and fed them, and I will shortly go and put them to bed. I also went out and checked on the cattle. I am having trouble with one of the auto-fillers on one of the water troughs, so I cannot just let it go by itself. I have to turn on the water, fill the trough and cut it off. That will be a daily routine for the next several days. I think the earliest I will be able to correct that issue will be Sunday. Not that big of a day anyway...just a little bit of an inconvenience. BUT, I am telling you the truth, the weather was absolutely gorgeous today, so it was really a pleasure to have ANY excuse for being outside. WONDERFUL!

Deeds, Actions, Changes, BEAUTIFUL DAYS, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2011 - Day Forty Four; Sunday...

A good day for Winter Meeting. Actually, I stayed in the bed until after 7 o'clock, and then I got up and started getting ready to show property to some clients. I had reservations in the Hotel for another night, but I decided to check-out early, since the first thing I need to do on Monday is a luncheon, certainly will give me time to get there without too much trouble. And then on Tuesday, the final day or the conference, I have a breakfast in the morning and then some Directors meetings, and then that will be the end of it!

I attended several really good meetings and committee meetings today. This is a photo of me and Susan Horton at the TREPAC Fund Raising Committee Meeting. Susan and Pam came up with a great idea during the meeting, and we were charged (in our various groups) of coming up with ideas for a commercial to be produced by the Association. Our group won the contest, so we are supposed to have a TREPAC commercial produced by the Association. That will be fun. Interestingly, I am not a big participant in working in groups like that at meetings, but I was coerced by my group, and everything went well. Fortunately, I had a good group; Susan, Pam, Sytha and Anna. I am wondering now if I am leaving anyone out, but I don't think so.

After that meeting we all went up to one of the Hospitality Suites while we waited for our next function. It was a beautiful day in Austin, and there were lots of people taking advantage of the weather. Before long, we will all be complaining about the heat, so we need to take advantage of this lovely weather while we can. This is a view from the 14th floor overlooking Lady Bird Lake (fka Town Lake). I have seen these little Swan paddle Boats before, but they are really cute and fun to do on the day before St. Valentine's Day. I hope everyone is prepared for the day, and if not, consider yourselves warned!

Once we finished our last meeting, many of us went to the bar where I had one glass of wine before I headed home. True to my earlier predictions, the Winter Meeting was really a veritable gold-mine of women willing to have photos of their feet and shows taken. AND, it is official...after a drink or two, there is EVEN LESS hesitation for photos taken, and the proof will be visible in this blog in the coming days. Stay tuned! However, for this entry, I am using this photo of a true Texan's Formal Foot Wear. What could better represent Austin or the Lone Star State than these lovely boots? Right, NOTHING!

Deeds, Actions, Changes, SWAN BOATS, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2011 - Day Forty Three; Saturday...

Let's get this out of the way right in the beginning of this entry. I have NEVER been very much of a drinker and I still am not. It is funny to many of my colleagues that I can become totally out of control after on glass of wine (that makes me whine). I do not get it...I have a glass of wine every night at home and do just fine. I have one glass of wine in a public place, and that is the end of life as we know it. Uh-oh...I had three glasses of wine today...one around 5:30 and two more at a reception that began at 6. I was really not feeling any pain, however I was wise enough to know when I had had enough, and left the function and returned to my room. It is really early for a Saturday night, but I have ordered room service, and will be retiring shortly after I finish this entry or the piece of cheese cake that I am working on...whichever comes first...not sure which one will win out.

This is a nice photo from the 17th floor of the Hyatt just south of downtown in Austin. The Hyatt has been here for YEARS-AND-YEARS and I assume the person that holds the title on the land bought it when it was affordable! BUT, it is a lovely sight, although it is kind of deceiving...it looks like Austin is a big city but it is really still just a small town. Lots and lots of people want to live here, just like I did when I moved here in 1985, but I have long lamented that it is too bad Austin was 'discovered'.

Meeting and seminars today, but in the middle of it all, I had to drive home to check on the water situation for the cattle and the chickens. I wanted to make sure that with the thaws and expected warmer temperatures that there were no pipes that had broken when no one was looking, and that the cattle would have plenty of water. The cattle are kind of finicky about having enough water. A herd of animals that can weigh up to 1,500 pounds can drink a good bit of water. This is a photo of Violet and her new calf we have named 'Cool Breeze' because he was born on a pretty darn chilly day as far as normal temperatures go in Austin. Today is his three week anniversary; he was born three weeks ago today. They are incredibly capable of fending-for-themselves even on their first day! Crazy..

I got five eggs from the girls today, and changed their water, gave them some fresh feed and put some fresh alfalfa hay in their nesting boxes. I do not think they are particularly appreciative of anything I do for them, but they really appreciate the food Jody and I give them. They have a pretty much predictable routine (kind of like us) of sleeping, scratching, eating and laying. Life is simple and predictable if you are a chicken!

Well, rats! I almost forgot the foot photo again. I was right, however, this Winter Meeting I am attending is a veritable breeding ground of interesting, sexy and really uncomfortable looking foot wear for the female half of the population. The other side of the story is, the really exciting footwear was being worn by folks I don't know, and it is awkward to walk up to a stranger and ask if I can take a photo of their feet. BUT, I did find a good example today on a pretty good friend, who was more than happy for me to take the photo with the possibility of Internet notoriety! What do you think?

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

2011 - Day Forty Two; Friday...

An incredibly long day today. Up at about 3:30, left the house about 5:30, in the office about 6:30 and at the Hyatt for the first day of the TAR Winter Conference at about 7 o'clock. My first meeting was at 7:45 and it is now after 9 o'clock, and I am ready to crash. Tomorrow is another day!

Interestingly, the Hyatt is the Headquarters Hotel for the Meeting, and I called a while back to see if they would have a way for me to charge the car. They did not, but since it is the wave of the future, they made some accommodations. Which is Hotel talk for 'we can run an extension cord out to your car, will that do it?'. It worked, and the car has a full charge right now. In conjunction with the City of Austin, there will be installing three charging stations within a month or so, so I am happy to have given them a little nudge.

Jody said he got five eggs from the girls today, so that was good. The cattle should be fine, since I fed them and took them fresh hay yesterday. I am staying in Austin for the next several days, but I will have to make the trek home tomorrow to take care of some business, and then I am going to be showing a couple properties on Sunday.

I was right, there are plenty of shoes to photograph at this meeting, but again, the cold weather has b]put a damper on some of the otherwise really exotic shoes. I would think the competition for most fabulous shoe at this meeting would be pretty darn stiff. AND there have indeed been some really good examples of the need for future orthopedic care, but no one I knew was one of the victims. BUT, I invite you to enjoy this photo. Have FUN!

Deeds, Actions, Changes, DUMB MASSES, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2011 - Day Forty One; Thursday...

Okay, let's face facts; I admit to being a little bit (whatever) obsessive-compulsive, and maybe a little bit of a control freak, but things have gotten completely out-of-control. You may remember that on Tuesday, I admitted that I had determined that I was really not in control of that much in life (mine or anyone elses), BUT - in the last two days I have participated in 78 (SEVENTY-EIGHT) e-mails about ONE SUBJECT. That is too much, too out of control even for me. On the other side of the spectrum, everything may b=now be under control (if not in my control), and life remains good. I am the luckiest man in the world.

SO, I actually got a chance to sleep in a little while today. Jody had an appointment for oral surgery, and I was there. I had no intention of going into the office today, and I didn't. BUT, who knew...the dentists office had wi-fi and there I was doing business in the reception room (answering FREAKIN' e-mails) and doing what a REALTOR does, even if it usually is done in his own office or the local STARBUCKS. Getting work done is getting work done, it doesn't really matter where or how. I even got an offer on a property and I am negotiating a contract all at the same time. Did I mention that life is good?

I visited the pharmacy twice today, the oral surgeon had phoned in a prescription in advance and during the surgery phoned in two more. While I was there the first time I saw my friend Konrad's car, so I called him to see where he was. Konrad owns the Round Rock Honey Company, and I took bee keeping classes from him. His little girl had an infection or allergies, so they were visiting her doctor. He came out to take a look at the car, and took a couple pictures of it for his blog. Interesting, Austin really is still a small town. I also went to Upper Crust to get Jody a cinnamon roll for his breakfast tomorrow. We used to go there EVERY Saturday and Sunday for cinnamon rolls, but since we moved to the 'edge-of-nowhere' we had to give it up for another bad habit (D-a-i-r-y Q-u-e-e-n). BUT while I was there, I saw our old friend Chuck. I told him the place reminds me of my old fraternity house; you could go back after a twenty-year absence, and the brothers were all playing the same hand of Spades that they were playing when you left! AND they had not aged in all that time, either. That clinched it!

Once we got home, Jody went down for a nap (a long drug-induced nap) and I cleaned out the stove, let chickens loose (I collected four eggs today), went out and fed the cattle and took them a fresh bale of hay. All of that was pretty much in preparation of attending the Texas Association of REALTORS Winter Meeting which begins tomorrow so I won't be doing many chores for the next several days. Oh, and while I was out in the pasture, I was able to answer several more telephone calls. You gotta do what you gotta do. This is a picture of the newest little boy cow, he will be three weeks old the day after tomorrow. Three weeks old, and doing better than most any three week old species. Longhorns are sturdy stock!

My first meeting is at 7:45 in the morning, so I have to get up and leave EXTRA EARLY. It would be nice if I also got a little bit of EXTRA SLEEP, but I doubt it.

OMG - I almost forgot to include this months theme photo. That should tell you that I am really not the fetish that I have been accused of this month, but I will let you know I already have the theme chosen for next year, and I will most likely complain about that right off the bat as well. ANYWAY, this is a photo of someones shoes and matching bag, which reminds me of a joke, the punchline of which is 'Excuse me father but your purse is on fire'. Whatever...and honestly, the meetings this weekend should be fertile ground for fancy (and really uncomfortable) women's shoes. I can't (yawn) wait!

Deeds, Actions, Changes, ROUND ROCK HONEY ROCKS, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2011 - Day Forty; Wednesday...

Let's cut the crap and get right to the bottom line. Who cares about wind-chill? Not me, not right now anyway. I just got back in the house from checking on the cattle and feeding the chickens, and I could give a crap about the wind chill. Let's talk about the face-chill. How about the nose-chill? I think I may be suffering from hypothermia right now. I am frost-bit. I am having difficulty wiggling my digits; and heaven forfend if you can't wiggle your digits. It is cold!

Okay, back to an orderly journal entry...I hit the road about 7:30 this morning and I did not really have any trouble with the icy conditions that were being trumpeted on all the morning news stations. I think I left just at the right time. I have to admit, there were times when I seriously considered turning around, but for some reason, I went on. All was well, but some folks were driving a little bit too fast for me, but I stayed the course. It took me a couple hours to get to the Board, but all was good. Along the way, since I was driving about 20 miles per hour (that was the rapid part of the trip) I decided to call friends from coast-to-coast. Okay, well, really mostly the east coast, I did not want to call anyone and wake them up. But it was fun.

All was pretty good today, there were some challenges. Cussed at, called names; whatever. The rest of the week will be okay, and the next five days or so will be pretty busy.

Amazingly, it is getting easier and easier for me to take photos of ladies shoes. Hardly anyone wants to take a shot at me anymore when I ask, and so I have a couple photos in reserve. Unfortunately, the cold weather is causing a lot of 'boot-action'. But, well, boots are in right now!

Oh, and we got six eggs from the girls today. They must like this cold weather crap!

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

2011 - Day Thirty Nine; Tuesday...

I have a headache, not because of anything in particular (I don't think) it is just because I have put some pressure on myself that has caused me to be somewhat over-scheduled. Everything will be better by the end of the week.

I have really gotten a lot of work done, of course I could not have done any where near all this stuff without the able (REALLY) assistance of our two assistants, Tom and Karla. They are miracle workers, and we could not get all our work done without them.

I am trying to leave the office in just a few minutes so I can work my way towards my 6:30 appointment. Bank(s), feed store (the girls need food), Costco, Board of REALTORS and then the HOA meeting.

Here is a photo of environmentally friendly ladies shoes. Trust me, that is what she said. Sorry for the brief post, but it is done, and I can mark it off my list!

Deeds, Actions, Changes, SCHEDULING CONFLICTS, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2011 - Day Thirty Eight; Monday...

Almost finished with this day. Lots of accomplishments in the office, but it is almost as if there was not really a snow day just three days ago. AND, I am really not sure if it was worth it or not. I have succeeded in getting things ready for a meeting tomorrow night, got it all pulled together, and everything balances! It will be a good meeting, but it will make for a really late and long day.

On the way home this afternoon, it took me over an hour to go about seven miles. I finally got to the cause of the slow-down, and I am telling you, I know there were some survivors in the wreck, but I am not sure how ANYONE could have survived. The television news said an 18-wheeler crushed a black pick-up truck into the concrete barrier and drug it for a couple hundred feet. I know there were some survivors, but, imagine your head in a vice; that is what the truck looked like. Crushed sideways, not front to back. It was like someone put that truck in a compactor that you would see at a junk yard. When I called Jody after I saw the wreck, I did not even know it was a truck! Incredible what engineering can do now, and how vehicles are built to withstand wrecks, and how people can walk away from accidents like that.

Finally got home, and thankful for that. I travel that road a lot, and I am a really lucky person. Once I was home, there was some video of the crash-scene, and it was interesting. THEN, I went out and fed the chickens, and went back to check on the cattle. They must not be that hungry because the really did not pay me much attention. Supposed to get cold again on Wednesday for another couple of days, and so I will probably give them some 'creep on Wednesday afternoon. We got three eggs from the girls this afternoon, they are obviously taking a rest.

Tomorrow will be a long day, but before I 'check-out' here is today's entry in the shoe-a-thon for February. Hope you like this one. This is actually a photo I took back in the summer, when I was only contemplating this journal theme. It is and remains interesting the discussions you can get started when you ask women if you can take a picture of their feet. It has given me a whole new appreciation of the subject, and the trouble women go to to make their feet look attractive. I really don't bother that much, thanks just the same!

Deeds, Actions, Changes, CAR WRECKS, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2011 - Day Thirty Seven; Sunday...

Well, sorry if you saw this picture posted on my FaceBook page last night, but I think it is worth a repeat. When I was going out to put the girls to bed last night, I saw this owl fly out of a tree up between the house and the road. I kind of watched where he/she went, and walked down the driveway trying not to scare him/her off. I got a few good pictures, but none of them are great, it was definitely twilight, and the camera is a $79 job. BUT you can kind of get the idea here. About a week ago, I told Jody I heard an owl in the front when I went out to get a newspaper. At the time, I kind of thought it had a bunny or something, I could hear the owl and then I would hear another call...not really distress, but not the same as the hoo-hoo of the owl. I kind of heard that noise again last night, too, so maybe it is a mama owl with a young one. Not sure. I have a pretty good idea where the nest is, so this morning, when I went out to let the girls loose, I gave a talk to the nest and let the owl know we were not going to hurt it; it can have an occasional bunny (don't go crazy), all the mice it can eat, BUT LEAVE THE CHICKENS ALONE! I thin I got the point across. I think animals can understand what we are trying to get across to them, and as long as we all respect each other, we can all get along. You have to set boundaries, too.

A beautiful day here again, high temperatures in the 70's again. I went into Austin and showed some Buyer clients a couple houses, that was nice. I stopped and did a couple errands too before I headed back to the country. When I got home, Jody and went into Georgetown and had hot fudge sundaes.

On the way home, we stopped by Vince's house. Vince is the guy that is just a good old boy who does metal sculptures, and he is the guy that I bought the 'air-show' from for Jody's Anniversary present last year. In all the winds we have experienced lately, the propellers have come off two of the planes, and he told me I could come by and he would give me some longer screws to attach them. His newest creation is this trio of frogs that are really great. AND, if you hook them up near a pond or something, each of them spew water. I can not believe the creativity this guy comes up with, putting together pieces of scrap metal in his work shop. He plays the accordion, too! While we were there, one male peacock (makes sense) and a very white pea-hen came across the road to visit. They just thought they would stop by to see what was going on.

When we got home, I went out and took a fresh bale of hay out to the cattle. It is not supposed to be AS cold this week, but it is still going to hovering around the freezing mark. SO, they are set for a while anyway. All are accounted for and doing nicely. We got five eggs from the girls today, and they are doing well still.

Speaking of wind, the winds have been blowing crazily for two or three weeks. It is still blowing, and the turbines are busy generating like mad. It has really been helpful when it was so cold. The winds have turned from the north again, and it is getting chilly outside right now, but we have a nice fire in the stove, so all is good.

Unfortunately, most foods that taste really good are really bad for you, and the cheaper food is the worse it is for you. The one exception to that rule is Ketchup. Ketchup is probably the healthiest food there is in the 'red-food' category. Do not say anything bad about ketchup. Everything goes better with ketchup. I am seemingly on a ketchup kick because we just got home from the Denny's in Jarrell. Food was actually pretty good (must be really bad for us, health-wise) but the service was (as usual) somewhat lacking. But, we knew what we were in for and we went anyway. No sense in complaining.

I could not find any women's shoes I wanted to take photos of today, so I stole this off the Internet. These are the strangest shoes I could find, and believe me, it was hard to narrow it down to this pair. Enjoy!

Deeds, Actions, Changes, WIND-CITY, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!