2012 - Day 274/92 - Sunday...

I hope everyone had a nice weekend.  It was very nice here, slept a LOT, and now I am ready for the coming week.  A couple extra photos today, too.

I slept late again this morning, it was great.  When I finally got up out of the bed, I went and checked the rain gauge, and we had just a little bit over 1.3" for the twenty-four hour period.  SO, that makes us almost 2" for the last couple days.  We had just a teensy-weensie bit more rain today, but nothing to get too excited about.    After that and reading the paper, it was time to make breakfast.  I did make up a nice breakfast if I do say so myself.  Bacon (thick cut), cinnamon rolls (cut in half) and a pile of eggs and cheese.  I think it pretty much covers all the essential food groups; red, yellow and brown.  Pretty darned tasty though, if I do say so myself!

After a while, Jody took the dog boy for a ride, and that was nice.  I actually put on a pull-over jacket for the ride, it was kind of chilly.  But by the time we got home, it was time to take off the jacket.  After that ride, I decided to see if I could get the Mule running.  It started up with no trouble and I drove it from here to the corner and ALMOST made it back to where I started from before it quit and decided it did not want to run anymore.  I am kind of tired of that, so I guess I will have to take it back in to the dealer if I cannot figure it out (with Randy's help).  ANYWAY, I did get the cattle fed, but there is lots of walking to be done when the Mule is not running.

I got one bale of hay out to the cattle, and was taking a second bale out to them, and the mesh wrap on the second bale decided to fail, so I was strewing hay from here to there, so I just barely got that bale inside the fence, and did not get it anywhere close to the hay ring.  I am sure they will find it and have themselves a lot of fun strewing hay ever-which-a-way.  That is one bale that will pretty much be wasted.  DARN.  I brought the tractor up close to the house and parked it where I usually would keep the Mule, and as I was getting off the tractor this snake decided to make itself known.  I had been riding the tractor back and forth for about 30 or 45 minutes and this snake decides to crawl out of the engine compartment as I am getting off the tractor.  It is a harmless snake, but it is startling none the less.  He did cooperate long enough for me to get the camera out of my pocket before he slithered back into the engine compartment.  I opened the engine compartment up and could not see a hiding place for him, but I will pay more attention next time.

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

2012 - Day 273/93 - Saturday...

Since yesterday's post and now, we have had just over one inch of rain.  Nothing to be particularly unhappy about, but it is certainly short of the highly-paid-prognosticators-predictions of 2 to 7 inches of rain for places in our area.  No one has received more than 2.3 inches of rain as far as I can tell, and it has just begun to rain again.  That means it will be a wet trip to put the girls to bed tonight, but I am not complaining about that either.  Let it rain.

I did accomplish almost nothing today, and that is exactly what was on my schedule of accomplishments to be attempted.  I got up this morning, checked the rain gauge (0.61"), read the paper, made breakfast, took a nap.  Took some more naps, and then I settled in to take a nap.  Jody and I went into Georgetown, and when we got home, I took a nap.  I may have gotten up before taking another nap, and then I took a nap.

On the way home from Georgetown, we stopped and got chili from Wendy's for dinner tonight.  As soon as I finish this entry, and I go out to put the girls to bed, I think I will go get in the big blue chair and take a nice nap.  By then it should be time for bed, at which point, I will take a nice long nap.

Deeds, Actions, Changes, TIME FOR A NAP, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2012 - Day 272/94 - Friday...

It was a good, long and rewarding day, and now we are just waiting for the rain to start.  Supposed to rain through midnight tomorrow night, but it has yet to start here.

This is a nice view of the clouds and skyline earlier this afternoon.  One thing (I have mentioned several times before) is that an advantage to living in the country is that you can see for miles and miles.  It is not very common to have a nice view like this in the city.  I just happened to be at the right place at the right time.

Did I mention we are expecting some rain?  If it happens, I am also hoping that I will be able to just stay inside the house for most of the day and do as little as possible.  One way or the other, that is what I am planning.  If it is absolutely necessary, I will make plans to do something on Sunday.

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

2012 - Day 271/95 - Thursday...

Traffic today was an incredible horror, and it took me an exhaustingly (I know that is nor really a word) long time from the house to the office.  As a matter of fact, it took 1 hour and 57 minutes at an average speed of 24.1 Miles Per Hour, but who is really paying that close attention?  Well, me.  As I get older, I am increasingly accused of being OCD, but I think it is important to keep up with the minutiae around us.  I also take accurate counts of the number of members that attend committee meetings, and even sometimes account for the numbers of people in the theater auditorium.  I'm a counter (among other things).  But at least today everyone (for the most part) was calm.  There was nothing else anyone could do.

There were seven (see) clients on our Meals On Wheels route this morning, and that is always a good accomplishment.  MOW seems to be (kind of) cracking down on folks delivering their meals too early, so there seems to be a push on to NOT deliver meals before 11 o'clock.  Okay.

After that, we were celebrating birthdays in the office and so we all met for lunch at Moonshine in downtown Austin.  It is a nice place, food was okay (I am still not feeling like socializing that much), and we all had a nice time.  Our new office assistant Nina had made some gluten free cake balls, so when she passed them around, I played out a scene from When Harry Met Sally which seemed to be a big hit in the dining room we were in.  So much so that some people from another table came over and wanted 'some of what I was having', and they were rewarded with gluten free cake balls of their very own.  Anyway, they were great Nina!  This is a picture of the skillet apple pie that I ordered to take home with me to share with Jody.  Looks yummy, and it looks like we will have at least two servings each.

Speaking of Apple Pie, I think this is just as good a time as any to discuss horn etiquette.  On the way to the restaurant this morning and again on the way back to the office, people all around us were 'laying' on their horns.  With particular regard to the latter, when I remarked casually about it, Chris said he thought the person in question had just seen someone he had not seen for a while and wanted to hone acknowledgement.  I think a quick 'two-toot' of the horn is a nice acknowledgement of a friend not seen recently, but a 'laying on of the horn' for a protracted period of time acknowledges more of a 'get out of the freakin' way you freakin' idiot' tone.  So, I am leaving it all up to you, and I would appreciate any comments you have on the subject, if you are so inclined.

Deeds, Actions, Changes, TOOTIN', Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2012 - Day 270/96 - Wednesday...

Today's theme (on the way to work anyway) seemed to be anger.  I do not know why everyone on MoPac was so angry.  I have always contended that if you are in that much of a hurry, perhaps you should have left earlier.  I honestly believe that I had been travelling LONGER and started out EARLIER than 95% of the people on that particular road this morning.  I participated in three separate communications with people this morning, mostly while we were all at a stop on the road.  The first one was very nice, the driver told me she liked my license plate, and I thanked her.  The second conversation was a little more testy and asked (not even politely) if he could cut over in front of me, motion granted.  The last conversation was particularly one sided, and was conducted mostly in braille (lots of hand-gesturing on the parts of all participants).  AND, that guy had a license plate that read 'HANGUP'.  I am not sure if that was a request to other drivers or if it was an editorial comment professing that the driver was the owner of several, and not handling any of them with any amount of dignity and timidity.

But, I survived.

AND THEN, on the way home, this was the encounter (or the aftermath of most of it).  An 18-Wheeler travelling the other direction was on fire, but everyone heading north had to slow down and look, which caused a traffic jam back about seven miles from the scene.  Why can't we look at interesting roadside phenomenons at a more generous rate of speed?  Just wondering.  I was not prepared to take a photograph, so I took this one from the Internet.   Photo credit Kayla Russell.

Deeds, Actions, Changes, ANGER MANAGEMENT, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2012 - Day 269/97 - Tuesday...

Sometimes just going to the mail is not even worth the effort.  Although this did not prove to be a harbinger of doom or anything like that, why do you think a growth industry revolves around unfriendly, mean, irrational, selfish and otherwise just plain old not nice people?  Who do we get that from or who did they get that from?  Why is there all this division within our masses.  Did everyone graduate from Alcoholics Anonymous at the same time?  Is there no more grey area?  Is there no more room for compromise?

What do you think?

Otherwise, my day was not really as bad as you might be led to believe by all this.  I had a couple appointments this morning, did some power real estate and headed off to a meeting at the Board.  Overall not a bad day.

Tomorrow will be another day of meetings, and they could go on for a while.

Deeds, Actions, Changes, MEAN PEOPLE, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2012 - Day 268/98 - Monday...

After a sleepless night worrying about things that I have absolutely no control over, things went very nicely in the office today.  As is usually the case, I wake up at 2 o'clock in the morning and fixate on challenges that I know will all work out okay, but I cannot convince myself of that and go back to sleep.  BUT, everything did work out well and amicable solutions to the particular challenge availed themselves and that-was-that.  Everyone was happy.

I got my haircut this afternoon as well.  I like making appointments for hair cuts well in advance.  It takes all the guess work out of getting a haircut.  Four weeks from today I will report to you the fact that I (again) got my hair cut.

In a desperate attempt to have a visual aid for this entry, I went out before dinner and was greeted by this Canna blooming just outside the front door.  It seems a Canna here or there has been blooming all season, and that is very nice.  We will need to start watering here-and-there again in the next day or two, but we are expecting some more rain towards the end of the week, a couple days of rain hopefully.  AND we are expecting and El Nino season to begin as well, so that will mean we will all get lulled into a false sense of security that rain is a normal trait of living in Texas and we should all go out and buy landscape plants that are not drought tolerant, and we will do our best to remember that the next time we get rain.  It is just teasing us.

Randy came over this evening to see if he could help get the Mule started and keep it going.  To add insult to injury, the battery was dead, so I now have the charger on it and Randy is going to go and look for a manual to the machine on-line.  Nice to have nice neighbors out on the edge of nowhere.

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

2012 - Day 267/99 - Sunday...

As promised, I include a photo of the painting I was presented with last week from the ABoR TREPAC Committee.  I LOVE IT.  Thanks to all of you for your thoughtfulness.  It looks kind of ethereal in this photo (as well is should) with the late afternoon light coming in the windows.  Beautiful!

Miguel was not able to make it out to the house today, but I was able to get a pretty good amount of work done.  I got all suited up this morning and got the grass cut in the front of the house before breakfast.  After that I came in and made a pile of eggs for me and Jody, and then I got suited up again and went and cut the grass in the bee yard.  Not a single incident of bee unhappiness.  No wasp unhappiness either.  Of course, that is because I will in full bee-suit glory, and so why should they even bother.  There were not even any buzz-bys, not even a single bee-type investigation of the noise.

Whatever...

After that, I headed out to feed the cattle and work on the electric fence.  About half way back to the fence that needed to be looked at, the Mule died and I could not get it started again.  I finally went back up to the house and got Jody and the truck and towed the Mule back to the house.  If I see Randy and Irene walking tomorrow when I am heading in for work, I may ask Randy to help me look at it.  In my case, that will be about all I will do, look at it.

Anyway, I got the fence looked at as well, but still did not solve the problem.  And the cattle got fed, and that was an accomplishment as well.

I am convinced that cutting a couple acres worth of grass and cleaning out the chicken coop today was ABSOLUTELY the best thing I could have done for (take you pick) my allergies or whatever it is that has been plaguing me lately.  THE BEST!

Deeds, Actions, Changes, DEAD MULES, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2012 - Day 266/100 - Saturday...

All week long I practiced how I would be strong when Jody and I went to lunch today, and I would NOT have a Cookies and Cream Milk Shake.  Well, that did not work.  Maybe next week I will practice ordering a smaller version, or something.  I really cannot believe I succumbed to the temptation, but at this point in my life I really believe just about EVERYTHING.

I was able to get the Mule started and moved today.  I thought that would be a bigger chore than it was.  I also made one loop at cutting the grass before getting stung by a wasp, so that ended that.  I also got the picture hung that I was given as a gift from the TREPAC Committee last week.  I will add a photo of that tomorrow.

More grass cutting is scheduled tomorrow (fully suited) and feeding of cattle, cleaning of chicken coops, and other various things.

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

2012 - Day 265/101 - Friday...

Okay, it seems that I cannot add and either no one else that reads this journal can add or no one is reading the journal, which makes me pause to think again if I should just f-get about it.  My days count (at the beginning of each post) was off by 20 and I have no idea how ling that has been going on.  I guess I was jut not paying attention...

FRIDAY!  Yes, it is Friday, and I am having a little mini-celebration.

This morning, my first of three meetings was with Texas Senator Kirk Watson, former Austin Mayor.  It was a great meeting and we discussed his vision of a new Medical School at the University of Texas and issues that would affect property owner rights and REALTOR interests.  It is expected that the State will (once again) be on the prowl to increase revenues (without calling those revenue increases fees or taxes), and we all need to be on the lookout.

I think it will be a comfortable and relaxing weekend.  At least, that is the plan right now.

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

2012 - Day 264/122 - Thursday...

I did not take the photo (I am pretty sure a photographer for the Austin American-Statesman took it and it has been shared a gazillion times on FaceBook), but what I ACTUALLY SAW was much better than any of the photos I have seen.  I had an early (7 o'clock) meeting this morning, (which means that I have been up since 3:30 or so) and at about 7:40 this morning we walked outside to see if we could see the Shuttle go past.  We were meeting at a private home in Travis Heights, and we were not out there three minutes before THERE IT IS, bigger than Dallas.  even though we were about three or four miles away from the Shuttle, it looked HUGE and it was great to see it.

Many of us were reminded of more than a decade ago when the Shuttle landed one evening in Florida and it happened to go over Austin on the way.  It was INCREDIBLE, it was beautiful and magnificent seeing that in the dark.  No sooner did we see it go past and walked back into the house and turned on the television, than we saw news reports of the landing in Florida.  Incredible.

Kind of sad that the program has ended.  What will they think of next?

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

2012 - Day 263/123 - Wednesday...

Today marked my last Committee meeting as TREPAC Chair for this year.  Beginning in October (the beginning of the new fiscal year), the Committee will have a new Chair Stephen.  It has been a busy and productive year, and today's meeting was kind of a wrap-up.  Gifts and Praise were abundant, and appreciation was all over the joint.  This painting was presented to me by the Committee and I like it very much.  I had seen it almost a year ago and commented on it, and pretty darned soon it will be hanging over the mantle in the house.  THANKS EVERYONE!

Tomorrow my first meeting will commence at 7AM and my last meeting (a Happy Hour for the MCE Cruise in February) will end about 7PM.  It is going to be a long day.

I will get back to you...

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

2012 - Day 262/124 - Tuesday...

I took my car into the Chevy dealership in Hutto yesterday.  Not because there is anything wrong with the car, there is something wrong with the 120 Volt charger.  It started getting 'wonky' on me when I was in San Antonio, and it is another example of having no directions when something goes wrong.  It is supposed to have a couple series of green lights; two on the top, four on the bottom, that indicate everything is swell.  The two top lights have started flashing red (not always), and the car does not complete a charge.  Or charge at all sometimes.  And the little 'International Symbols' they have on the tags that came with it are produced by the same people that make the assembly directions for Ikea (probably not really, but you know what I mean).  SO, depending on what the cause of the challenge is (charger vs car), I think this give me more fuel for the failure of the 240 volt charger that failed several months ago.  I may be getting some money back on this deal yet.

In the meantime, I am driving a boat that gets 15 miles per gallon.  I put $45 worth of gas in it today after having driven about 150 miles.  Just not the dame...

The clouds are really beautiful today, and we are supposed to have the arrival of a cold front, but I have seen no evidence of it yet.  The low temperature overnight is supposed to be down in the 50's and that will be really nice.  Now if the humidity would just control itself.

I started a new book today, called The Age of Miracles and it was a very interesting book right from the beginning.  Many times I have to get one or two CD's into a book before I am interested, but this one started off interestingly.  It is set in current times, and it is about the rotation of the earth slowing down and all the things that happen because of it.  Gravitational forces change, the days become longer, birds cannot fly, everything changes.  And I am only on the second CD.

Deeds, Actions, Changes, THE SLOWING, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2012 - Day 261/125 - Monday...

As Monday's go, I have lived through worse...

These were the clouds that were greeting me this morning on my drive in to the office.  I am feeling better, but still not feeling FABULOUS.  We have had a trace of rain today, but nothing to get all crazy about.  HOWEVER, we are delighted to have had the rains over the past several days.

Today was a full day in the office, and that was a treat.  This is shaping up to be a slow sort of week, which I hope means I can get a lot of work done.  Next month will be a visit to DC for the Annual NARPM Conference.  Always a fun event.

As promised, this is what one patch of the Blood Lillies looks like as of this afternoon.  They are quick growers, quick bloomers and just as quickly they will be gone.  They do not stick around for long.

We are expecting one more (or maybe two) cold fronts this week.  We will not argue about that.


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

2012 - Day 260/126 - Sunday...

I have to tell you, I was kind of disappointed to wake up this morning to find that it had not rained a drop overnight.  I KNEW that would happen because I had gone ahead and fed the cattle yesterday because it was supposed to rain overnight, and if it did (and if it kept raining like it was supposed to) it would be really difficult to feed the cattle today.

BUT, all was forgiven about 7 o'clock when it started to dribble just a little bit.  AND it rained most of the day today and at last look, we had about .8" in the gauge.  That will make a grand total for the last four days of almost 3" of rain, and I will not argue with that.  I think that will also mean that we will get at least one more cutting of hay this year, now maybe two!  GREAT!

I got the absolute MINIMUM of anything done this weekend that I could possibly get done.  The absolute MINIMUM.  But I am feeling better, and will (most likely) be ready for another week starting tomorrow.  When we got home from Georgetown this afternoon, we noticed the Blood Lillies are coming up here and there.  They always pop up after a good rain.  By tomorrow they should be blooming really nicely and I will try to remember to share those with you.

Deeds, Actions, Changes, GREY SKIES, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2012 - Day 259/127 - Saturday...

Where has the day gone?  My allergy or whatever I have been plagued with the last couple days seemed to peak last night.  I slept (not really) most of the night ricocheting back and forth between my big blue chair in the den and the couch in the living room.  I needed to keep my head propped up somewhat, so the chair worked well, but I would get too hot in the den and I would go to the couch, then back to the chair.

I got up (for just a little while) this morning and did a couple things (one of which was NOT having any breakfast) and I promptly went back to the big blue chair where I stayed til about 11 o'clock.  I am so tired of coughing (my stomach feels like I have been doing sit-ups) and blowing my nose I am not sure how I will go on.

The good thing is that it was cloudy and cooler for most of the day.  This afternoon the clouds did open up some, and that was nice.  It was nice to just lay around most of the day and not feel like there was something that I was not doing that needed to be done.

We did go into Georgetown for lunch, and when we got back, I went back to the big blue chair for another couple hours.  It is supposed to rain tonight and into tomorrow, so I HAD to put some clothes on and go feed the cattle.  The only problem is, now that I have done that, most likely we will not get any rain.

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

2012 - Day 259/127 - Friday.

NO DANCING!  There will be no dancing...

Whatever is plaguing me is not letting up yet.  The cause of wellness was not likely helped by teaching a three hour class this morning at the Board of REALTORS.  BUT, I made it through, and I am home, and I will soon be bundled up in the bed.

Where are those chickens?  I have to put them to bed before I can go to bed.  We had a little bit more rain today, the cumulative total so far between yesterday and today is 1.92".  FABULOUS.  There are indicators that we will get some more, not so much tomorrow, but a really good chance on Sunday.  The high temperature in Austin today was 72 degrees which is totally crazy and between being out of town, being tired and allergies and WOMEN'S PERFUME I am not really feeling my best.  If you cannot find the logic in that last sentence, just ask and I will explain it all to you.

I am trying to talk to people here!

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

2012 - Day 257/129 - Thursday...

This is what greeted me as I left the office for my 11:30 appointment this morning.  RAIN!  We like that very much.  It did not rain for a long time, but it rained. I made it to my 11:30, and then I had a 1 o'clock, and then it was back to the office.  I was supposed to attend a TREPAC Function this afternoon on the way home, a cook out fundraiser, but it was cancelled because of rain.  PERFECT!

So I called Jody to tell him I WOULD be home for dinner after all, and he suggested I stop for something on the way to bring home.  We treated ourselves to dinner from Chipotle, Jody had a vegetarian bowl and I had a burrito, everyone was happy.

When I got home, there was .72" of rain in the gauge, and the last time I checked we were up to .99".  It rained for a little while after that, but right now it is not raining.  We have GOOD chances of rain the rest of the evening and all through the day and evening tomorrow, and even a better than no chance of rain for Saturday.  We will actually be delirious if we get a good bit more rain.  There are reports of 4.5" of rain in the area of Marble Falls, and that will cause some run-off into Lake Travis.  EVEN BETTER!

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

2012 - Day 256/130 - Wednesday...

I am either being plagued by allergies or I am getting a cold.  Either getting a cold or coming down with the flu.  Either getting the flu or I have been bitten by a rabid mosquito and I have contracted the West Nile Virus.  I am either coming down with the West Nile Virus or I died a couple days ago and no one told me.  It is really not that bad, but if it gets that bad, I probably will not be up to saying much (like the past couple weeks) in this journal.  You have been warned.

The newest girls were giving me trouble tonight when I was trying to put them all to bed.  That is mainly because Vera was camping out in the door to the coop, and they did not really want to try and get past her.  She is not on their friend list.

But, the sunset was kind of nice; nothing really exceptional, but this is just what there is between us and the horizon.  NOTHING.  Not that there is anything wrong with that.

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

2012 - Day 255/131 - Tuesday...

First things first:  I forgot to mention last night (I was tired) that RUBY made my mask for me.  Give that girl a hot glue gun and a mission and she is off to the races.  THANKS, RUBY!  Everyone thought it was beautiful, and I told everyone at the Ball that you made it for me.

Second things second:  I AM HOME.  I missed Jody, I missed the girls, I missed the quiet, and I missed my pink knock-off Crocs.  Everything is (basically) back to normal, and I am a happy boy.

Tomorrow is going to be a busy day, and I will talk about that tomorrow.

Deeds, Actions, Changes, HOME AGAIN, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2012 - Day 254/132 - Monday...

Today is the last day in San Antonio, and I am anxious to get home tomorrow.

Tonight was The (incoming) Chairman's Masquerade Ball, and it was a lot of fun.  It started at about 8 o'clock, so I think you know that it is WAY past my bed time.  I am (truly) a party pooper.  This is a photo of Cathy and me before the party started.

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

2012 - Day 253/133 - Sunday...

It's only Sunday?  Really?  It seems like I have been in San Antonio for a week, and I still have another couple days to go.  It has been a really good visit to the annual TAR Conference, and still more to come, but I will be ready to get home.

This is a view from outside the restaurant where I had dinner this evening.  The weather yesterday and today has been very nice, low temperatures and humidity.  I have enjoyed being in downtown San Antonio, especially the old buildings and the Riverwalk.  Even though I have lived in Texas since 1985, I have never really spent much time enjoying San Antonio.  OKAY, I have spent exactly NO TIME in the past enjoying this city.

Deeds, Actions, Changes, SAN ANTONIO, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2012 - Say 252/134 - Saturday...

So, indeed, there was bacon.  My first meeting this morning was at 7 AM, and I walked to the Convention Center in the dark.  THe 'cold' front had not yet come in, and it was still warm and humid, but the sun was not yet up, so it was not blazing hot as I walked the several blocks to the site.

I was at the conference from morning until 5:30, and that was tiring.  There were lots of good meetings and sessions, but it was time to get some rest.  I got back to the Hotel and joined a couple friends in the bar, and then went to my room to get ready to go to dinner.

A group of us met at a nice restaurant, courtesy of our CEO, and it was a very nice evening.  We walked back to our Hotel on the Riverwalk, and it was a lot of fun.  My first session in the morning is again at 7 o'clock.  Time to go to sleep.

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

2012 - Day 251/135 - Friday...

Ordinarily, because today is Friday, this would be the perfect opening for me commenting on the fact and doing my Happy Dance.  But, even though today is Friday, I am a little bit too tired to do the Happy Dance, so I hope you will just let your imagination run wild and IMAGINE that I have given you the 'power' of visualizing my Happy Dance.  Pretty good, huh?

Today was a busy, productive and enlightening day.  I did not have any meetings or classes until late morning, but what started out calmly and restfully quickly turned into a busy and jam-packed day. My opinion is, if you don't want ducks to interfere with the clientele of your establishment, maybe you should not locate your restaurant close to a large body of water, and maybe you should not provide chips on a complimentary basis.  there were several ducks that visited with us during lunch today, and it seems the restaurant had one employee dedicated entirely to herding ducks out of the restaurant.  I do not think the patrons were off-put with the ducks, but the staff certainly seemed to be.

I just returned from a dinner TREPAC function, and I am ready to call it a night. I have a 7 o'clock meeting in the morning.

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

2012 - Day 250/136 - Thursday...

Today was probably one of the hottest days of the year, or maybe it just felt that way.  I have been up since 3AM, BUT I did get everything accomplished that needed to be accomplished.  As I write this, I am in San Antonio watching the news and getting ready to go to sleep.  This (I think) is an interesting view looking across the Riverwalk from the lobby bar at my hotel.

I got off to the office this morning, and got stuck in a little bit of traffic.  Made it to the office in time for our PM meeting in the AM, and then did some POWER real estate till about Noon.  Headed off to San Marcos for a TREPAC function at the Hays County Court House, then had some lunch and headed off to San Antonio.

I made it to San Antonio at about 4 o'clock, and checked in to the Hotel.  Unpacked, checked e-mails and then went down to the lobby to see what was going on.  Saw lots of folks I knew from Austin and the Texas Association of REALTORS*, and finally headed off to Pat O'Brian's for a Women's Council function, and then headed across the street for dinner.

Tomorrow is going to be a busy and interesting day, so that is it for now...

Deeds, Actions, Changes, SAN ANTONIO, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2012 - Day 249/137 - Wednesday...

This is a photo collage of me and Jody taken on a trip to Alaska in 1999.  The collage was done by our friend Melody who, with her husband Bruce live in Connecticut.  We first met them on a whale-watching trip to Baja and beyond a couple years before that.  We became great friends and Bruce and Melody have been down to visit us two or three times, most recently last year (or the year before, who can keep up?).  ANYWAY, a couple weeks ago the collage (which lives in the bathroom off our bedroom next to the throne) was knocked down (don't get any ideas) and the frame was damaged, and it took me until two days ago to replace the frame.  SO, as long as it was laying conveniently on the dining room table, I thought you all might like a chance to see it.  Many of you have (probably) never seen me as a blonde, so here you go.

It was a great day at the office today, and I have (almost) gotten my work all caught up because I will be heading out of town tomorrow.  Heading for the Texas Association of REALTORS* conference in San Antonio, and that will be great fun.  Hopefully there will be no (major) crises between now and my return, although I can always count on a crisis or two, it is just the major ones I will try to avoid.

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

2012 - Day 248/138 - Tuesday...

Well, actually, today was kind of like a Monday Squared.  DOUBLE the challenges and opportunities to make myself a better person by being kind and hospitable and understanding to all those around me.  I am truly sorry that they were all having such a difficult time of it, and I can only hope that I was able to bring a little bit of sunshine and happiness into their otherwise dreary and pathetic existence.  Whatever...

Here is a blast from the (my) past for you.  This is a rare and otherwise not highly publicized copy of my High School Graduation photo.  Yes, I actually do remember where I was when man first walked on the moon, but shortly after I entered college and the next decade and a half is kind of fuzzy.  In a good way!  I have always kind of thought of myself as a trend setter, and I majored in fraternity in college.  I was there for a while with little to show for it but some killer Spades strategies.  I don't have a tremendous amount of recall until about the middle 80's when I finally hit Austin.  And I don't even miss it.  But the fact that I made it to Austin and then became reformed is kind of a weird thing in itself.  Curiouser and Curiouser...

Today was a day that was totally filled.  BUT, I got a lot of good work done, and that is an accomplishment. Tomorrow will be another busy day, and I will tell you all about it.  Same time, same station...

Deeds, Actions, Changes, DON'T BOGART THAT..., Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2012 - Day 247/139 - LABOR DAY...

I hope everyone had a nice Labor Day Holiday.  I did.  Unfortunately, I had some things to get accomplished today, so some of that caused some folks to have to labor on Labor Day.  If you were one of those that had to do some work (other than around the house type things), I salute you.  AND, I salute the reason for the day.  I was going to go into a discussion about labor unions, Jimmy Hoffa and a bunch of other stuff that would do nothing except confirm that I am old, but I changed my mind.  It would only drive a wedge into the otherwise civil discourse that I try to maintain in this journal.  If there are to be any opinions relayed, they will be mine, since this is (after all) my journal.  OH, and if you did not get a chance to see a parade today, please enjoy the photo.

I am feeling somewhat better about things around the farm today.  I fed the cattle this morning and did some stuff around here and there, and I am not feeling like a TOTAL cow-daddy failure.  Three cows lost their calves yesterday, and only one of them is still bawling out there.  But that is what happens.  I can think of a couple things I can do to make the transfer of livestock less traumatic on the cattle (and hopefully on me as well), so we shall see how that goes.

This will be a short work week for me.  Well, that is not true.  It will be a short week for me in the office, but that really just means there will be double work.  I will be leaving for the Texas Association of REALTORS annual meeting (every September), this year in San Antonio.  I will be there for a couple days, and it is always nice to attend these things.  September, October and November are convention months every year; September is the Texas Association, October is NARPM (National Association of Residential Property  Managers), and November is the National Association of REALTORS.  I enjoy it, and look forward to it every year.  BUT, it seems I am also ALWAYS ready to be home.

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

2012 - Day 246/140 - Sunday...

Bear with me for a while during this post.  I have come to the conclusion that I need to streamline parts of my life.  Mostly stuff around the farm.  We have been here three years and I embrace the lifestyle, but I think I need to reduce the things that are dependent upon me and my time.  I need to cut back on the cattle (I think reducing the herd to the original three plus Violet will be good).  I may need to cut back on the bees hives somewhat, and maybe not keep supplementing the chickens.  Let nature take its course.  I just think it would be better for me and for Jody if I cut back on the other stuff out here.  I also think I would probably feel better about the whole thing if it were not 100 degrees outside, BUT, I am encouraging Jody to encourage me NOT to take up any more hobbies that have mouths to feed.

AND, in that same vein, I am also considering cutting back on this journal.  I will finish three years at the end of this year, and it may be time to quit.  My obsessive compulsive thing may need to take a break.  Who knows, this could all just be a case of ranting, and I may be over the whole trauma thing in a couple days.  We shall see...

I did make a pile of eggs for me and Jody this morning, and friend bacon before that.  After breakfast, I did some work out in the yard, and then I had appointments for folks to come by and pick up some calves.  We ended up reducing the herd by only three calves, and I had hoped to get shed of seven.  That whole experience is what has put me on the edge of wanting to down size the animal life out here.  There will always be stuff to do, but I just think I can cut back and improve the quality of life for all the livestock involved.

Tomorrow is another day off, and that will be nice.  Hopefully I will get a little bit more sleep, and I will be back in my manic state.

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

2012 - Day 245/141 - Saturday...

If you live on the edge of nowhere, the first day of dove season is quite similar to any other Holiday that involves the firing off or shooting of a variety of incendiary devices.  I am hearing plenty of gunfire but I have not seen a dove all day.  I would like to say smart-alecky things about the dove hunters themselves, but I cannot assume a holier-than-thou attitude while appreciating heated leather seats in my car, nice leather belts and a particular fondness for a Just-A-Burger with catsup and mayonnaise added.  I also stopped at the Colonel's a couple weeks ago and brought home a six piece dinner of mixed (don't tell the girls).  SO, I will resist the urge to say I am above the others and just accept it for what it is.  Someone with an opinions and ideals other than the ones I have, all the while trying to determine whether or not I am the real hypocrite in the equation.

Although there were plenty of clouds around for most of the day, they just faked us out and did not deliver.  They were pretty though.  See above.

Deeds, Actions, Changes, NOT A VEGAN, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!