2012 - Day 121/245 - Monday...

And yes indeed it was Monday. Not that there is anything wrong with that, it was just a busy day.

As much as I tried, I could not sleep beyond 4:30 this morning. Believe me, I tried. So, I was basically off to work by about 6:30 which is not that unusual, and I was pleasantly surprised that traffic was not a major concern. Further south (about another 20 miles or so) traffic was badly backed-up with two wrecks, but I got off (the Interstate) before it affected my drive. Eventually traffic was backed up all the way to one exit past the one I usually take. On the way home this afternoon, there was a wreck on the upper-deck that was plainly visible, but drivers were still going up there. They must have all been texting.

At lunch today I took my bike in for service. The weekend visits with many of my bicycling friends has given me the urge to get back in the saddle. My bike has been hanging upside down outside the chicken coop for a couple years. There was a lot of conjecture about where the bike had been but no one guessed chicken coop. In the end, all it needs is a wash, rinse and a lube. Everything else is good, I had really no reason to think it needed major work. We shall see, I am supposed to pick it up on Friday.

Jody and I went to Denny's for dinner tonight. We both ordered Senior meals, which I don't think really pertain to the price of the dinners, I think it has more to do with the portion size. It was perfectly good and plenty of food. I had the country-fried steak dinner, which is not anywhere remotely close to making my top-ten list of the best country-fried (or chicken-fried) steak entrees. But it was okay. AND THEN, taking an additional 20% off our meal with my AARP card made it even sweeter. Dinner for two for $13.49. YEAH BABY!

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

2012 - 120/246 - Sunday...

Unfortunately I did get some things done today, I would have rather not, but that is just the way it goes. I got out of bed this morning at 4:30 because I could not sleep. I got up and went and got in my big blue chair, where I really do not think I slept, but I stayed there until 7:30. At least I had my eyes closed, and I expect I actually did sleep a little bit. I was cold too. I was too warm in the bed, too cold in the chair. Maybe I just needed some porridge.

 This was really kind of an interesting day, in the fact that we did not do the stuff we usually do. We did not have a pile of eggs for breakfast, and we went into Georgetown early, and we did not stop at the Dairy Queen. Interesting. We did make stops at HEB and Tractor Supply, where I got a little coop for some new chicks I also got today. I am experimenting with this new coop, because the way I raised the chick last year was more bother in the long run. I hope this little new coop works out. I am so far really happy with it. It is kind of portable and compact, so they will have plenty of room to roam. Here is a picture of the new girls (we hope) still in the box from the store.

 I also got the front barn cleaned out somewhat today. Miguel was here with another man to help out, and there were some accomplishments made around the place. Miguel was trimming shrubbery off the house and told me he had found a clutch of eggs beneath a bush at the back of the house. There were thirteen eggs there, and we got five out of the coop today, so the total haul for the day was 18 eggs. We tested them and they were all good, so we had a pile of eggs for dinner tonight. They did not look like they had been there too long, but we had noticed that the production had gone down during the last week. Now that mystery has been solved.

 It will be a long week, but a good week (I predict) at the office. There will be time to get lots of work done.

Deeds, Actions, Changes, NEW CHICKS, Kindnesses, Wh
irled Peas, FUN!

2012 - Day 119/247 - Saturday...

I REALLY did little of nothing today, and that was really okay with me.

 I did not stay in bed nearly as long as I had intended, and when I did get up, I putzed around the house for a while and got the paper, had coffee and made a pile of eggs. Took a little walk with Jody and the dog, and then we took the dog for a ride. Not far from the house, there was an organized bike ride going on, and the folks riding out here must have been 50 to 75 milers. They had started from Georgetown, it was the Georgetown Red Poppy Ride. The dog had fun barking at all the riders and it basically just made me a Jody nervous.

 We got home from that and set out to go meet up with our friend Steve who was riding in the Hill Country Ride for AIDS. Not positive, but rumor has it there were over 700 riders. I do know for sure that they raised of $500,000 to help AIDS beneficiaries in Texas. A really worthwhile cause.

Jody and I went to Pit Stop Number 4, and we were really amazed to run into many friends from years ago when I was actively riding. Dawn, Mark, Connor, Tammy, Kathy, Robert, Quinn, Enrique. It was really nice to see all them. I have chain grease on my arm from helping riders that fell on gravel (three separate occasions) and I did not even know I had grease on me. It is kind of making me want to get back in the saddle. Those were really fun times.

 Steve rode the 100 mile route, and it was really windy. We met up with him at the lunch pit, and it was a really nice setting. Steve was pretty tired from the wind, but he was going on, there would be no stopping him. I remember how hard-headed I was when I was riding. Never give up.  Steve finished the ride in under nine hours, which I think was pretty amazing. He will have plenty of stories to tell for weeks to come. This is a picture of Jody, me, Steve, Buddy and Mark at the lunch pit.

 On the way back we had to (of course) stop at the Dairy Queen in Georgetown, then I put gas in the truck ($95) and then we went to Home Depot to buy a tree (could not find what we wanted) and then we stopped at Tractor Supply and just looked around.

 While we were on the way home, Pauline called and said she wanted to bring us some cookies and cake. That is one of the nice things about living in the country, neighbors are neighborly. We like that. So, we got home and I headed over to Pauline's with eggs and came home with cookies and cake. Not a bad deal. 

Deeds, Actions, Changes, HILL COUNTRY RIDE FOR AIDS, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2012 - Day 118/248 - Friday...

It's Friday, and I should be doing my Happy Friday dance, but it has been a long hard day, and I am also a little bit worried about my best chicken girl Vera. I have seen all the girls tonight except Vera. I hope she will be in the coop when I go out there this evening, but it just does not seem right. She is the friendliest of the girls and she is my special girl. BUT, that kind of stuff happens in nature.

 The cactus around the house are really doing well this spring, and this is a photo of one of them in the driveway circle. They are really pretty, and they take up lots of space and very little water. Not a bad thing here in Texas. The thermometer in my car this afternoon was registering 95 degrees, and I think the official high temperature today was 91 degrees. All the prognosticators are saying it will not be as bad as last year, but it is getting pretty darned hot already.

Sleeping late tomorrow!

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

2012 - Day 117/249 - Thursday...

It has been a long time since I have reported wrecks on the Interstate either going to work or coming home. I am puzzled right now as to the reason for that; have there been fewer wrecks or have I just become jaded by them. Whatever the cause, I just thought I would share this with you. Even though there were at least five cars involved this wreck did not really bring traffic to a stop, it just slowed it down to a crawl. Traffic all merging right, you know the routine. There were LOTS of folks lined up against the concrete dividers, nothing really to see, just trying to move along.

It was a quiet day, a little work early in the office, PM meeting, no lunch, a 1 o'clock appointment, and then more real estate work when I got back to the office. 

Yesterday on the way home from work I was supposed to pick up dinner and I forgot. That was bad! Today, I stressed on making sure I picked up dinner on the way home. Mission accomplished.

 Tomorrow is Friday, and that always makes me happy.

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

2012 - Day 116/250 - Wednesday...

I am still not particularly happy with this bit that I have to use Google Chrome to make my journal entries, but I will go along with the whole thing because, after all, it is a free service. BUT, I equate the whole thing to another event in my life that I will not bore you with, but just suffice it to say, I do not deals well with threats (or in this case) ultimatums.

 Again, WHATEVER... I am at least doing better with the whole process today since I know what to expect. 

Today was kind of a roller coaster, but overall, things worked out the way they needed to work out. When I got home, I did a few chores, and noticed that the cactus are blooming. This particular cactus is kind of a rare one, and I am not sure of the name of it, but it is something like a 'crest cactus' or a 'shield cactus' or maybe a 'medallion cactus'. Anyway, it is interesting and it is very pretty. The cannas are also starting to bloom. What survived the last couple years looks really healthy although they seem to be dwarf versions of their former selves. Very small but sturdy and healthy looking. It seems like Darwin's theory at work. The fittest have adapted and survived.

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

2012 - Day 115/251 - Tuesday...

Well, I am not too sure how this whole thing is going to work out. I just logged-on to work on today's entry, and the Gods at Google decided the site would no longer support Internet Explorer, and if I wanted to continue, I need to use Google Chrome. Perhaps this is a blessing in disguise, but I AM OLD, and I do not accept change (especially forced change) very well. Again, this could be a blessing in disguise, but I think a little notice would have been a good thing.

 Whatever...

 So, this entry will be (most likely) even shorter than usual, since this is kind of a test run. This was the sunrise I had the pleasure of seeing this morning on the way to work. Really pretty. But one thing it tells me is that I am leaving for the officer WAY too early. BUT, it is nice to see a good sunrise.

 It is about dark, so I need to start thinking about putting the girls to bed, and then putting myself to bed. Tomorrow is another busy day, Thursday is a bit less busy, Friday is looking good, and next week is looking stress free. There is still time to mess that all up though.

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

2012 - Day 114/252 - Monday...

I started the day singing Mama Cass, and ended the day singing Cat Stevens. Both are good things to sing, and both seemed appropriate at the time.

Interesting things happen out here in the country. Last night (really about 6:30 or so) I needed to go out the garage door, so I pushed the button to raise the door, and it strained and groaned and wheezed and for a while I thought it was going to come off its' tracks. So, after I did what I needed to do, I went back to close the door. It got about 3/4 of the way down and went back up. So, I got my flashlight out to see what was going on. Everything on one side of the door looked okay, and the sensors were not seemingly jeopardized in any way. On the other side of the door, I was looking at the tracks and followed the track up to the top of the track...and that was when I screamed like a big girl at this snake that (somehow) got caught up in the cable and got itself wound around the pulley and caused the cable to come off the pulley. Whatever... That is one dead snake. This morning I found a garage door repair company in Temple that said that was the second 'snake on a pulley' story in his career. Not even first place. Whatever.

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

2012 - Day 113/253 - Sunday...

I tried (really) to continue my streak of doing little of nothing today, but I was not realty hat successful. HOWEVER, even though there was lots of good stuff done today, I am not feeling particularly exhausted but not really a ball-of-fire either. It was good that Miguel came out to help, and he brought along his nephew, and there were some good accomplishments. At least now the place looks like someone lives here.

We set out another couple humming bird feeders today. We are hoping that more feeders will bring more hummers. It is a concept I am willing to take a chance on. Years and years ago, we were in Copper Canyon, and the Hotel we stayed at had feeders that were just overtaken with hummers. It was really one of the most fantastic sights of the whole trip.

After Miguel left, I was really warm and kind of tired, but I decided one sure-fire way of cooling down was to jump in the pool. It was (and maybe I was) the first dip of the season. As the steward reported as the Titanic was going down, the water was 'definitely not hot'. And I can't blame those wrinkles on having stayed in the water for hours, either!

I am back after a brief intermission for dinner and a few more chores...

It is expected to be a pretty nice week, but we are expecting the humidity to start rising. Another cool and comfortable night tonight, and we will just have to wait and see what the coming week brings.

Deeds, Actions, Changes, FIRST SPLASH, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2012 - Day 112/254 - Saturday...

As promised, I did just about as little as I could possibly get away with today. I did breathe regularly, but other than that, not much else.

Okay so I am lying. I have lying issues. I did do a few things. During the night last night, I actually had to turn on the bed warmer. We have had the windows open for about a week now, and last night it got down into the 50's (maybe the high 40's or I could just be lying), and it was pretty darned chilly. BUT, the warmer made things toasty, and it was good sleeping weather.

After breakfast (half a cinnamon roll from Upper Crust and a pile of eggs) I got suited up and went outside to cut the grass around the hives. No bees or human beings were injured in the grass cutting today. It was really cool, the bees knew I was there but they were not threatened, so it all ended up okay.

After that, Jody and I took the dog for a ride and then we headed out. Round Rock was on the to-do list. JCPenney's, IKEA, then on to Chick-Fil-A and then to Walgreen's. We got home and took a nap, and then we headed out to Salado where we shopped at the Ace Hardware store and then to the local grocer Brookshire Brothers. Then home for BBQ and now it is getting dark, and pretty soon I will be putting the girls to bed and then I will follow it up and be done for the day.

Tomorrow Miguel will be coming to help out, so I will be busy.

Deeds, Actions, CHanges, CHICKEN FEED, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2012 - Day 111/255 - Friday...

'It's Friday, and this is my little Happy Friday Dance'.

See, I told you!

A nice day for a Friday. I went to a GREAT meeting at the Board, and then it was off to walk a rehab project with my friend Steve, and a bunch of other contractors. Lots of good work happening there. There are lots of projects in the pipeline, first time I have had three projects working at the same time.

This old cat may be blind in one eye and deaf but I think her sense of smell is working just fine. I walked into the kitchen for dinner and she was eating the chicken out of my chicken salad. She got her part and then I scooped her up and put her on one of the chairs. No sense crying over eaten chicken. Glad to see a little life in the old girl.

Sleeping in tomorrow, and then planning to do just as little as possible. That is what I say now, but I expect there will be some grass cutting (okay a LOT of grass cutting) and who knows what else.

Deeds, Actions, Changes, OLD CATS, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2012 - Day 110/256 - Thursday...

I got home before dark today, even WAY EARLY. I got home around 5 o'clock, which was GREAT. It is still pretty early, but I am going to knock out this post so I can go to bed once I put the girls to bed.

I did actually get home late again last night, and there had been some issues with the alarm system, so I set about to see if I could get it corrected. I did what I could, and everything seemed to be working well, so I set the alarm. About five or ten minutes after I set the alarm, it went off, and that sucker is really loud. Woke Jody up, freaked out the dog completely, and caused a flurry of telephone calls back and forth with ADT. SO, I did not attempt further repairs last night, but I did make some corrections to the system this evening, and set the alarm again, and this time it did not go off after about 15 or 20 minutes, so I think I may have actually corrected the problem. If not, I guess the alarm will go off in the middle of the night, and this time I think I may just let the Sheriff's come for a visit. Not really...

Also last night when I got home, Jody had put a package on my desk from our friends in Mississippi, Joe Mac and Carolyn. I did not even open the box last night (an obvious indication of my rapidly advancing age), but I opened it this morning to find a 'Beanie Ballz' doll (?) that I think I will name Buzzer. What do you think?

Who knows what aHoosier D is? Just checking to see who is paying attention out there is cyber-land. Send your answer taped to a $100 to my attention and I will announce the winner in a future post.

Tune in tomorrow where you will read 'It's Friday, and this is my little Happy Friday Dance'.

Deeds, Actions, Changes, BEANIE BALLZ NAMED BUZZER, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2012 - Day 109/257 - Wednesday...

Well, this is hump day, and I am about over it. Just tired, two long days back-to-back.

This was the Sip & Stroll night for TREPAC, kind of like a pub crawl but not really. Kind of like a scavenger hunt, but not really. More than anything it was a fundraiser for TREPAC and it involved liquor and a little bit of exercise, so that meant a lot of our colleagues would be there. This is a photo of my team, and we were a worthy crew, to say the least.

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

2012- Day 108/258 - Tuesday...

I stopped at Buck Moore Feeds this afternoon on my way to a 6 o'clock meeting and bought some feed for the girls. AND, as long as I was there, I bought this T-Shirt. I have dozens of T-Shirts that I never wear, but I liked the design of this one, so... In case you cannot read the web-site on the shirt, it is AustinCoopTour.org. Take a look if you are interested in raising chickens in an urban environment. Good information.

I am ashamed of myself for something I did today, but I have partially (only partially) redeemed myself. I had to stop at the bank today (before the feed store) and I was busy doing something and the teller person said something to me and I could not hear what he said and I lost my patience with him and he lost his patience with me and it was just not a good experience for either of us. I was a smart aleck to him, he (kind of, in my opinion) kept egging me on and would not let it drop, and it got worse. WHATEVER... Anyway, I left the drive thru after I completed my transaction and went inside. This action could have taken several turns, but I decided the best thing for me to do was to just go and apologize to the man. I did, he and I talked (okay I did most of the talking) for a few minutes, he agreed that I was not the first person to lose patience with him (or other staff behind the walls) and it was unfortunate that the bank (no names but the initials are UFCU) cared more about the bottom line than to make sure there was adequate staff to reduce the wait times, etc., etc., etc. He said he had worked at the facility for over four years, and that was the first time anyone had ever apologized to him. I expect it was not the first time he had been yelled at (that day), but I found my actions to have been less than kind and understanding. SO, as I said, I hope my apology has given me partial redemption for my bad behavior.

Deeds, Actions, Changes, BAD MANNERS, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2012 - Day 107/259 - Monday...

Sadly there were no OOOHHH-AAAHHH moments on our tour of the wildflowers today. We left just before 11 o'clock and got home a little bit after 4 having traveled about 250 miles. We left the house and went to Burnet, and points west (we did the Willow City Loop) and then came home through Llano (where we stopped at Cooper's for BBQ), and then home. Many of the roadsides were very pretty, especially when we were on the smaller roads, but the Willow City Loop was kind of a disappointment. The drought has really taken its' toll, and there were LOTS of dead trees in the valleys. It was kind of sad. This photo is not at all representative of the wildflowers, it was just a pretty peak and I thought I would share it with you.

It was however, an absolutely beautiful day. I think the high temperature was somewhere in the 70's, and the humidity seems to be very low, and the temperature tonight should be in the 50's, so it should be really nice for sleeping. This week should be similar to that, so there should be no complaining from me.

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

2012 - Day 106/260 - Sunday...

Well even though today is the 15th (usually the tax filing date) I was expecting to be sending in my extension and estimated tax liability tomorrow. BUT it seems that tomorrow is Emancipation Day in DC, so that means I can put the whole thing off for yet another day. What shall I do with all the extra time I have for procrastinating? The mind boggles...

I did a whole lot of nothing today. The morning was cloudy and looked like rain, and we did finally get 0.065 inches of rain. I can be very precise now that we have our official CoCoRaHS.org rain gauge. Very precise. And no more totalling up the monthly rain totals. It does it all for you IF you just enter the data in a timely (7 o'clock every morning) manner. Another way I can be even more anal-retentive. Like I need another excuse...

The roses are doing very nicely this year, and these caused us some concern last year during the drought. But they seem to be doing very well, and hopefully (ever the optimist) we will not have such a severe summer. Even four out of the five little ground cover roses we got last year have survived and a couple of them are blooming.

Tomorrow is the start of another week, and the schedule does not look too bad, but there will be a couple of long days when I will not get home until 9 or 10 at night. But, it is all gonna work, no issues there.

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

2012 - Day 105/261 - Saturday...

I really did not care one way or another about weekends, but the older I get, the more I look forward to and really appreciate them.

I did not get out of the bed until almost 8 o'clock this morning, and after I read the paper, I made a pile of eggs for me and Jody. My friend Steve (who is doing the Hill Country Ride for AIDS in a couple weeks) was doing a training ride out here close to the house, so Jody and I met up with him while he was in Walburg and met him to say hello. Steve is the second highest fund raiser (individual) for this year, and I would really appreciate it if you would click on this line, and help him out with a dollar or two:

http://www.hillcountryride.org/site/TR/HillCountryRideforAIDS/General?px=1149261&pg=personal&fr_id=1120

It is truly a great cause, and leave him a note and tell him I sent you to his fund-raising page.

I did manage to get a couple things done this afternoon, in spite of myself. I got the last piece put in the walkway that Miguel finished off last week, and Jody and I got our fancy new rain gauge installed. We are members of the Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow Network, which is a group of volunteers across the country that provide rain and climate date for compilation. It is kind of like tornado spotters, but nothing dangerous. If you want more information, you can go to http://cocorahs.org for more information and to sign up. Kind of fun, actually!

After we watched the evening news, this little bunny was checking things out on the front porch. He was pretty cooperative with letting me take a few photos of him, but we think it is probably a bad thing that he was this close to the house. Even full grown, rabbits in this part of the world are on the bottom of the food chain, so we are hoping for the best for him. Even though they are prey to bigger and meaner creatures out here, there are lots of them around, so I am sure they are keeping their numbers up.

It is supposed to rain tomorrow, and that will be great. We can use the rain, and we will (probably) never complain about rain (at least for a while). It will be nice if it rains, but it would be nice also if the winds would die down a little bit. It has been REALLY windy out here today.

Deeds, Actions, Changes, LITTLE BUNNIES, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2012 - Day 104/262 - Friday...

It's Friday, so I'm doing a little happy dance here, even though it is late and I am a little bit tired.

Had a really nice day, full of accomplishments. Started off at the Board with a new member orientation, to the office for some power real estate, then had a noon appointment with a good friend and then lunch. Catfish strips! Lot of them too.

Back to the office for a 2 o'clock appointment, then off to the Round Rock Express for TREPAC night. The tailgate party started at five o'clock, game started at 7:05. The visitors had already scored two runs before we even got seated, and they scored two more runs in the fourth inning and I did not even know it. I left in the fifth inning and headed home. Overall a nice event lots of fun and good times.

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

2012 - Day 103/263 - Thursday...

Not bad for a Thursday! Got into the office about 8 o'clock, did some power real estate, we had a PM meeting at 9, and did a little more power real estate and then headed off to run an errand and attend the Women's Council of REALTORS Luncheon in Northwest Austin.

This was a really good meeting, and I had a great time. Avis was the featured speaker and she is always interesting and I always come away from hearing her with fresh and topical information. After the luncheon, there was a cake auction to benefit TREPAC, and the bids raised $3,205 for TREPAC. Quite a success!

Back to the office for some more power real estate, and then headed home. When Jody and I were having dinner, the acrobat squirrel was having his way with the bird feeder. Jody had tried to 'out-squirrel' the squirrel, but so far it has not worked. The squirrel did take a couple days to figure out his moves, but once he figured it out, there has been no stopping him. Not sure what Jody's next move will be...

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

2012 - Day 102/264 - Wednesday...

It's official. I have been sworn in, deputized and everything. I have to admit, it ws the longest oath I have ever taken, or even ever heard of. It took longer than being sworn in as President, I think. BUT, I am now an official Volunteer Deputy Voter Registrar in Travis County, Texas. Next week I will try to get Deputized in Williamson County as well. Been through all the training, all I need to do is take the oath in Williamson County, I think. All the rules are the same.

I am sitting here in the office at home, watching the hummingbirds zoom around the porch pollinating the various flowering plants on the porch. Pretty fun. It is especially fun to watch them compete for the same blossom. Funny little creatures.

Gonna buy me a cake tomorrow at a cake auction fundraiser. Yummy!

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

2012 - Day 101/265 - Tuesday...

Another good day of teaching class at the Board of REALTORS. Fun and interesting, I know I learned things, and I trust the folks in the class learned some things as well.

Nothing much else to report today, that was pretty much the sum total of my day.

Tomorrow is another one, and that gives us all a fresh start.

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

2012 - Day 100/266 - Monday...

Different Iris are sticking their heads up more and more often, this is another variety that we have growing here and there on the property. Very nice.

I am not sure about you all, but I am tired this evening. I worked very hard around the house yesterday, I did not sleep well last night, and I taught class at the Board all day today. I am just tired, that is all there is to it. I am hoping to sleep more restfully tonight...

Class today was really good, about 25 participants, Environmental and Green Building. Tomorrow is a class about Brokerage and Business Development. It ought to be another fun day.

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

2012 - Day 099/267 - Easter Sunday...

I hope you all enjoyed your Easter Sunday.

I got an incredible amount of work done today, and Miguel rang the doorbell at about 9 o'clock this morning, so even more stuff got done.

Personally, I got the stakes from around the fruit trees (last years additions) taken up and trimmed the grass around them. It looks much better. I also cleaned the ash out of the wood stove and cleaned the chicken coop. Not one of my favorite chores, but it needs to be done now and again. I also got a lot of broken pottery (the former owners used it as flower bed borders) taken up and replaced with rock borders.

AND even with all that stuff done, I still managed to take a break and go into Georgetown for a spoiler. The Blizzard of the Month at Dairy Queen is some kind of Carmel Pie, and Jody tried it and declared it to be very good. I am not the adventurous type, so I stuck with my Oreo Cookie Blizzard.

Here is another Iris that is blooming out. I absolutely love this one. And I am also pretty fond of a burnt orange one that has not yet shown itself this year. It is really a pretty one, and the favorite of many of our Longhorn friends.

I think I want to but a few more fruit trees for the back yard. The apple two apple trees we bought last year are not doing as well as the two peach trees and the plum tree. I need to take a look around and see what I can find, and get them in the ground before too much longer. I am really happy with the grape vines though. I just need to figure out how to keep all the wildlife from getting the grapes before the homo-sapien wildlife gets to them.

Time (almost) turn call it a day. I will be teaching for two days this week, so that means a busy two days this week.

Deeds, Actions, Changes, FRUIT TREES, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2012 - Day 098/268 - Saturday...

We all need to learn how to disagree without being disagreeable. I heard that on the news tonight, and I am totally in agreement. And, I am not even sure if we know how to agree with anything anymore. Generally when asked, the first response is 'NO'.

I actually made a good bit of progress today, and there will be more made tomorrow. I 'cut at' the grass today, steered clear of the bees and they steered clear of me as well. I have more grass to cut tomorrow, and will do a little cutting closer to the hives, but at least they were not chasing me just for the pleasure of it today. I also trimmed the rosemary back, took down a small dead tree from up towards the front of the property, and (regrettably) took out a loquat that I had hoped would revive. We have at least a dozen more sizable trees that need to come out as a result of the drought last year. There is also a magnolia out in front that I hope will try and come back, so I am hesitating to take that one out quite yet.

Jody got six eggs from the girls today, and the older girls are quite helpful with chores. No matter where I am out in the yard or what I am doing, they are right there trying to get into my business.

This is another of the Iris that are blooming out. Last year the blooms were much more spectacular than this year, but there have been a couple bad years; first with the really cold weather a couple years ago, and last year with the drought. BUT, there are patches here and there, and Iris in this part of Texas generally do not have too much trouble naturalizing. The roses are also doing nicely, and I am waiting on the first cactus blossoms of the year. We have promises of a bumper crop of coral yucca, and there are a few signs of the morning glories coming up. BUT, just in case there was any doubt, the weeds are having a banner year, and there is nothing keeping them back, that's for sure.

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

2012 - Day 097/269 - Friday...

Happy Good Friday to you all, however you choose to observe it.

Many of you know that I listen to books on CD's during my commutes back and forth to work. Every now and then I get confused and have to try and figure out what the book I am listening to is all about. That is the case with the one I am currently listening to THE DOVEKEEPERS. Pat of the problem is, the CD's can't just go back to a place that confused me for a little review. This particular book is on 16 CD's and each track runs 25 minutes or more. But, through the miracles of the Internet, I am pretty much up to speed now and on the fourth CD. It is a very interesting book.

I left the office a little bit after noon today, and stopped by Central Market on the way home. While I was coming to a stop at the corner of 40th and North Lamar, I witnessed a mini-van take out a bicycle rider. It did not look as though the bike rider was seriously injured, and by the time I parked and was walking into the store I could hear the sirens off in the distance. I was probably inside for about thirty minutes, and by the time I was exiting the parking lot, there was no evidence of anything. NOTHING.

I got home sometime after 2 o'clock, and pretty much immediately went down for a nap, where I stayed for a couple hours, not sleeping the whole time, but resting comfortably. I have really been enjoying my weekend naps, particularly the 'sleep paralysis' that happens just on the cusp of sleep and consciousness. That is really not a term I made up, I heard it or read it somewhere, and I do not really even know if it is the sensation I am trying to describe, but I am using it, and that is pretty much all there is to it.

Just before dinner tonight I was sitting at the breakfast room table and two of the girls were out on the patio raising hell. These old girls are really very vocal, and the new girls have not yet picked up that bad habit. Of course the rooster made his presence known quite readily, and you all know where that led him.

Here is another picture of an Iris I have not featured so far this year. It is a lovely very pale lavender color, almost kind of a sand blue color. I can remember in high school, dinner jackets were very popular, and I thought a sand blue dinner jacket was just about the fanciest thing I could ever imagine. Interesting...

Have a nice weekend.

Deeds, Actions, Changes, BIKE vs. CAR, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2012 - Day 096/270 - Thursday...

Well, this is pretty darned exciting. The grape vines we planted last year must have really gotten settled in. We have teeny tiny little grapes on three of the four vines. Now I will obsess over how to keep the chickens and raccoons and skunks and other assorted wildlife out of them.

It is a very nice evening sitting out on the porch. The humidity is down, there is a nice little breeze, and the temperature is supposed to be down in the mid-50's tonight. We did have to turn the air conditioner on the other day, mostly to get the humidity out of the air, but it is very nice to have the windows open in the house and enjoying the cool days and nights.

I am planning on working a half-day tomorrow, and hopefully having a nice Holiday Weekend.

I don't know about you, but I pretty much consider every Friday to be a Good Friday.

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

2012 - Day 095/271 - Wednesday...

As you know, locks are for honest people. So, what is it you think that causes sleeplessness? I cannot really think of any thing that particularly worries me, and I think I have been sleeping comfortably recently, albeit with a custom made potion that is of my own design. BUT, at 3:30 this morning, there was no more sleeping, and I was up and in the office checking e-mails and getting stuff done. Tonight is going to be an early night, and I am looking forward to the weekend.

Hey Carol, here is a photo of one of the Iris that I have not shared this year. This particular one is really pretty, and I hope you enjoy it.

Got another property under contract today, now if we could just get the one to close that was supposed to close last week... Yep, the devil is in the details, but more correctly, the challenges come between contract and close. It will all work out.

Deeds, Actions, Changes, SWEET DREAMS, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2012 - Day 094/272 - Tueday...

I call a foul. You are all doing your very best to take unfair advantage of me. You know it is late, I have already consumed my sleeping mixture, and now you try to have me make sense with a small keyboard, solely for your entertainment. Well, it might work and it might not. BARTENDER!

These are some lovely Indian Paintbrushes that I saw next to the MoPac service rad at Enfield as I was desperately trying to get to my 6 o'clock appointment. All the gyrations I tried and I was still five minutes late. It could have been worse, the attorneys were even later than me. BUT everything worked out as it needed to work out. No one won but no one lost either, so I thin things ended quite amicably.

Every time you put out one little fire, there seems to be another little flicker of light in another pile of hay somewhere. Putting out fires tends to be tiring and tedious, but it is what it is.

Good night...

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

2012 - Day 093/273 - Monday...

Not really that bad of a day if you like sitting in a class from 9 until 4. It had its' ups-and-downs, but overall was very good.

It is HOT and HUMID outside, and I am already tired of it. It is jut the beginning of April, and if this keeps up I will be tired of complaining about it before it is even May. BUT, we are supposed to have a cold front come through tonight and tomorrow, and the high temperature for tomorrow is only expected to be 83 degrees. Everything is relative I guess.

I hope you don't mind, but I have already published a photo of this particular Iris but I think it is so pretty and it is just knocking itself out up by the road. I do not think the Iris have really come anywhere close to blooming themselves out yet, so hopefully there will be more to come.

I found out where the cat lives. You remember, the orange and white cat that I caught in the chicken cage? It is reported that the cat in question lives about two miles away from here (as the crow flies or in this case as the cat creeps) across the street from 'the crazy lady'. That is a pretty good walk for a cat if you ask me, but I have it on good authority, and I am publishing it here that I cannot be held responsible for my actions if I catch that cat with chicken feathers in its' mouth. I'm just sayin'...

Deeds, Actions, Changes, COOL FRONT, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2012 - Day 092/274 - Sunday...

A very nice day today, it is Jody's birthday, and that is always fun.

I was out in the yard at sunup, trying to outfox the bees. It didn't work. I was suited up and everything, and was cutting the grass around the last two hives. They did not care for it at all. I got stung three times (through the suit) and that was not too bad. I have gotten pretty used to the stings, they do not really affect me at all anymore.

After that, I tried to dig some holes for putting in a walkway from the patio to the deck. Trying to get twelve of those cinder block deck supports ALL level and in line and all that proved to be too much for me. I will have to defer to the experts to finish the job, and we are supposed to get a little bit of rain between now and next weekend.

We met Michael and Lynda in Georgetown for Jody's birthday brunch, and the menu was very interesting. Usually I do not order eggs of any kind when we go out (because we have plenty of eggs at home) but I ordered pancakes and two eggs over easy. We don't often have eggs over easy at home, since I usually make a 'pile of eggs' and that pretty much covers it. But brunch was very nice, and we all had a good time visiting.

We stopped at HEB on the way home and bought a couple more plants for the front porch. Unless we get some geraniums for around the pool, I think that might be it for the potted plants this year. It was already in the 80's today, so I think we are going to have another LONG HOT SUMMER. I am not sure it can be worse than last year, but I certainly hope not.

We have a new calf. Jody and I got into the Mule before dinner and went back into the pastures to survey the cattle. I had a sneaky feeling we might have another calf, and indeed we do; a pretty little bull calf, white with a solid black face and really long stockings. He is really pretty. There is nothing WHITER than the whiteness of a new calf. They are just brilliant when they are newborns.

Pretty ready for a new week...

Deeds, Actions, Changes, NEW CALF, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!