2013 - Day 58/307 - Thursday...

Good evening. Life is good. I am out in the middle of a large mass of water, and having a nice evening. It is Thursday, as you can tell by the insert in the elevator. It was not the earliest of days (as I remember it), but it was a really good day. We met at the theatre and headed off for some snorkeling. This was only my second time to snorkel, and it was fun. We were right on top of a part of the barrier reef, and the coral was probably just a few feet beneath me. There were some sections where I could have probably touched the coral if I had wanted to. I did not try to get too close to it, so I would not damage it. There were LOTS of schools of fish, some small, some larger. A couple people said they saw a barracuda but I did not see it. It was very interesting and fun. We stayed out there for about an hour.

 After that, we went to a small island where we just hung around for about an hour and a half. This photo is what I think we all visualize as the image of relaxation on a wonderful island in the middle of a large expanse of water. It was fun being sharing some time with friends and just hanging out for a while.

We got back to the ship, and showered then headed back to Belize City. Did not see much of it, but there is a shopping mall. Imagine that. AND there is one of those diamond and watch stores. They are everywhere!

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

2013 - Day 57/308 - Wednesday...

Overall, this was a really good day, and yes, it is indeed Wednesday. Actually, the fact that they change these little elevator carpet inserts every day is one of the best things about this particular ship. There is not much of anything else to report that is above average. I brought some work with me to get done while I had some time to concentrate, and I have actually made tremendous progress. It is a good feeling. I still have more to do, but I have made a good dent in all of it.

This morning we pulled into Roatan and before we got into port, there was a pretty nice sunrise. The winds have calmed down and we are not experiencing the high waves we did the first couple of days, and all pretty much went as planned.

I met Jim and Pam and Shara and Mark for breakfast, since I did not have anything to do (really) until about 1 o’clock in the afternoon. There were no classes today, so everyone was getting ready for their excursions. Ruby and Doren and I got off the ship and walked through the shopping area, and then got back on board and had some lunch. My lunch basically consisted of ice cream, and that was pretty good.

We left for zip-lining right on time, and took a mini-van to the site. On the way, we got a little city tour and learned a little bit about Roatan. It is not exactly what you would think if all you know of the city (island) is what you see on HGTV. ANYWAY, zip-lining was great, much MUCH better than last year in Cozumel. We had a great time and Doren REALLY got outside his comfort zone, sustaining only a minor injury that will not leave a permanent mark.

Deeds, Actions, Changes, ZIP LINING, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2013 - Day 57/308 - Tuesday...

Yes sir, it is Tuesday, and I am on a boat in the middle of some large expanse of water, and I think I am getting sick. It started Sunday night, and it does not seem to be getting any better. When I went to San Jose last week, I was the only person on that plane that was not sneezing or (especially) coughing. Now I am sneezing and coughing like crazy, my nose is running. My throat is sore and I am hoarse. I got the post-nasal drips…I am kind of not comfortable, but hopefully it will all resolve itself in a good way before the end of this cruise.

This morning at breakfast, I figured out that the ship had stopped and there was a Coast Guard (?) or some other kind of boat circling. We had actually made a u-turn and stopped somewhere close to Cancun (at least that is the story, I really have no clue). We all guess that someone became ill and had to be removed from the ship. That is not a particularly uncommon event, it happened on the last cruise I was on as well.

Lots of people have been sick on ship today, not like noro-virus (or whatever) sick, more like seasick sick. It has been pretty rough sailing according to some of the folks, but I have been lucky and not to affected by it. Some folks have been pretty green.

I doing an extreme zip lining excursion tomorrow, wish me luck.
Deeds, Actions, Changes, RESCUES, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2013 - Day 56/309 - Monday...

REALLY? It is only Monday? It seems like it should be later in the week than that.

I woke up relatively early this morning. There are no clocks in the stateroom (fancy) so whenever I wake up in the middle of the night, I have to look at my watch to see what time it is, and that requires a higher level of consciousness than I would like, particularly if it is only 3 o’clock in the morning.

I got out of bed and began my day at about 6. I had a few last minute details to take care of before I went up to the far aft portion of the ship to meet Debbie. We have kind of a tradition to meet for coffee in the mornings, and it is a lovely tradition.

I had a few pieces of business to attend to, so I got that done and gave Jody a call to check in. About 8:30 Chris and Ruby came by to help me carry stuff down for my class. There were 20 folks in my Broker Responsibility class, and I think that was a pretty darned good turnout. It was a good class, there was a lot of participation in the class, and everyone learned something. What more do you need? Mission accomplished.

After the class, I came back to the room and took a nap. I was pretty tired, and the nap was good. I finally got up and started getting ready for dinner. Dinner is at 8:15 which makes my bedtime even later. Right now it is 10 PM, and I am ready to crash.

I have a free day tomorrow, but I did bring some work to TRY and get completed while I am out here.Deeds, Actions, Changes, LEARNING, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2013 - Day 55/310 - Sunday...

Okay, well I am sailing towards Roatan, and I will get to see for myself what everyone on House Hunters International is talking about. It is now 10:30 PM, and I have just finished (finally) dinner, and I am writing this in anticipation of going to sleep.

It has been a pretty good day, actually, and it started out pretty early this morning. Jody and I got up, and we had a pile of eggs. Before too long, it was time to head out for Elgin, where I met up with my friend Doren and we drove into Galveston to get on board.

After that, it was a pretty slow day. I checked into my room, hung out for a few minutes and then went down and met up with Chris and Ruby. One of the coolest things I think is, the carpets in the elevators tell you what day it is. There are little inserts that have the day of the week. You can be on this boat for a while and, since there is no reason to keep up with it, there is no reason for you to know what day it is. BUT, they print it on the floors of the elevators. I like it!

Dinner was okay, but not great, but the company was good, I am watching the Academy Awards, and soon will be snoozing.

Deeds, Actions, Changes, WHAT DAY IS IT?, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2013 - Day 54/311 - Saturday...

Here we go, I stayed in bed this morning until about 7 o’clock, even though I did not get home last night until 1 AM, and got into the bed at about 2 AM. DO NOT EVEN ask about what happened to the popsicles. It could have been much worse.

Today was a pretty busy day, actually. I unpacked my stuff from the trip to San Jose, and took a little breather to pack for the Cruise. I really should have just left the stuff in the suitcase, since nobody saw me in those clothes anyway. This is a picture that I took on the plane coming home Friday night. The sun was setting behind us and we were heading east so it was getting dark really quickly. The colors were really pretty, but I don’t really think you can get the full effect of the color and depth in this photo.

I mentioned in the journal on Wednesday that I had a close encounter of some sort with a skunk, even though I have no knowledge of it. Jody told me that the Boy Dog has some sort of an encounter with a skunk either that same day or the next day. What Jody failed to tell me was that the Boy Dog brought some of the encounter into the house with him. We have a rather noticeable musky odor in the house. It is not totally awful, not even close, but you can definitely tell it is there.

I did have a chance to do a little bit of stuff around the house today too. I even got a chance to walk around the property a little bit and noticed some of the Iris starting to bloom. Some of the trees are budding out, so that is nice, and this is a picture of one of the Ornamental Cherries that is beginning to bloom. I think next when I get back from the cruise I will see about buying some trees to replace the ones we last to the droughts of the last couple of years.

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

2013 - Day 53/312 - Friday...

Believe it or not, even though this is the Friday entry, it is actually early Saturday morning.  I just got home and it is almost 1:30 on Saturday morning.  Just a few lines and then I am going to bed.

Last night (that would actually refer to Thursday night) in San Jose, a group of us went out and had a nice dinner at a seafood restaurant.  I had the steak.  ANYWAY, this is really not about last night, it is about almost a year ago in Washington, D. C. when a bunch of us went out to dinner at Morton's and they have these pig lamps on the tables.  I should have bought one then but I didn't.  In October of last year, Carrie and I went back to D. C. to the NARPM convention, and we ate at a different Morton's, and I did not buy the lamp that time, either.  BUT, last night on the way to the restaurant, we passed another Morton's, and on the way home, I stopped in and bought the pig lamp.  It is beautiful.  Very nice.

Good night...

Deeds, Actions, Changes, PIG LAMPS, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2013 - Day 52/313 - Thursday...

I am not an expert, and I am not sure what your opinion will be to the next statement that I am making here in this journal, but I kind of thought that Californians were more careful about what they put in buildings, especially public spaces.  I don't know about you, but these decorative lighting fixtures do not look all that 'earthquake proof', if you know what I mean.  The room that I spent most of the day in today contained five of these fixtures and greatfully, there was not a tremor to be experienced.  They are kind of pretty, though.

Breakfast was at 7:30 this morning (CA time, but I am still on TX time).  First meeting was at 8:30 and went on until 5 o'clock.  Long day.  BUT there was lots of really good information shared and lots iof interesting people in attendance from the largest MLS systems in the country.  It is an interesting time in which we live, and we are living in a time of change.  Change that happens by the minute.  This is a photo of Lisa, Kimbrough, Cathy and me.  There are six of us here representing the Austin Board, and it is a real honor to have been asked to attend.

Pretty much the same schedule for tomorrow, but we will have to leave the meeting at about 2 in the afternoon to catch our flights that leave at 3:55.  I will get to the Austin airport after 11 o'clock tomorrow night, so it will be well after midnight before I get home.

Kind of tired.

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

2013 - Day 51/314 - Wednesday...

After you read a little further in today's journal, you might come to the conclusion that this was not a good day, but taking everything into consideration, it did not really turn out too badly.  The first part of it was not great, but...

I headed out to the office this morning about 6:30 and before I even got a half-mile from the house, I was pretty much overcome by the odor of a skunk.  I did not see any skunks, I do not think that I ran over a skunk, but I was obviously close enough to a skunk that the odor was stuck to my car.  I rolled down the wondows and aired out the inside of the car, and that pretty much took care of that until I slowed down or stopped.  When I parked at the office, the odor was (again) pretty strong, and a pretty thorough survey of the vehicle did not provide any evidence of skuni-icide, but it was definitely smelly.

I dropped my shirts off at the cleaners, and then went up to the office and did some power real estate,  About an hour later, I noticed that there was some fecal matter of a bird variety on my shirt sleeve.  It seems that while I was inspecting the car for skunk remains or when I was coming and going from the cleaners, I was targeted by an indiscriminate critter of the winged variety.  Okay, that's two...

After a while, it was off to the airport.  Things were going pretty well until I tried to go through the security line.  My ticket is in the name of 'Bill' and my identification is under the name of 'Wiliam'.  That took a little while to correct and there was a threat of  'can you call an administrator' and a little more this-and-that before the TSA guy let me go through.  Whatever...

The flight to San Jose was relatively uneventful.  There was a little bit of turbulence between Austin and Dallas, but it was pretty smooth sailing from Dallas to San Jose.  It was a three and a half hour flight though, and it was a small plane and I was almost in the last seat and everyone on that plane had to pee except me, but everyone had to stand in the aisle next to my seat waiting to queue up to the waterloo.  AND I was also the only person on the plane that was not coughing or sneezing (yet).  But I did manage to get a photo of the pilot (whose name is Rick Nelson, I am not lying) and he and the co-pilot Wendy were a lot of fun to talk to.

Deeds, Actions, Changes, THREE STRIKES, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2013 - Day 50/315 - Tuesday...

It was a GREAT day today.  I got everything on my to done list done, but I just keep adding more and more stuff to it, but, but about 9:30 tomorrow morning, come hell or high water, I am leaving for San Jose.  I will only be gone two (and most of a third) nights, but it seems like I wll be gone a long time.  Then I am back one (actually about 34 hours) day and then I am heading to Galveston to get on a floater that I hope has no issues.  Then I will be back seven days later, and that will be it until May.

I'm back.  I just had a minor panic attack thinking I had overbooked something, but it is okay, it is not until the 18th of March, so there is plenty of time!

Everything is going nicely in the office, and life is good.  We are very happy with our new assistants and property managers, life is calm and peaceful and happy again.  I had a great committee meeting this afternoon, and I am all revved up for both the near and long terms.  Thank You!

I got home JUST before dark this evening, and the Air Show as spinning merrily away.  It was in the shop for a prop and grease job, and now all is good once again.  There is a chance of rain later this evening, and I expect it will wait until just about the time I get on the road tomorrow.  I have faith in that.

In case you are wondering, my commute into town this morning was relatively uneventful, and so far the new route is working out very nicely.  We will see how long that will last.

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

2013 - Day 49/316 - Monday...

It was, after all, a Holiday...

My first day of driving MoPac instead of the Interstate was great.  The biggest issue I have is convincing my head that to take this route only adds about a mile to my commute.  It is just not logical to me.  My head believes the Interstate is a straight line to my office, but obviously it veers off at some point.  I will tell you, however, that the scenery with this new route is much improved over the Interstate.  I will let you know tomorrow how the real test proves out.

Here is the third or three new calf photos.  This is the one that I think is the prettiest of the bunch.  Again, not sure if this is a bull calf or a heifer calf, but I think I will name it Bandit.  I like the markings and particularly the mask on the face.  Cute.

I got mucho worko done in the office today.  I have to try and stay caught up because (for all practical purposes) I will be leaving town on Wednesday and not returning until March 4th.  On Wednesday I leave for San Jose for two nights.  I will be back LATE Friday night, get home (most likely) after midnight, and then leave again on Sunday for a week long cruise.  Fun City!

On the way home tonight, I got accosted (not really) by the Bassetts.  These dogs a couple miles from the house are wandering the streets occasionally, and they bark at cars quite often.  SO, I usually stop and talk to them.  The male is much friendlier (naturally) than the female, and he is not opposed to jumping up on the car for a little bit of petting.  Then they calm down and all is back to normal.

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

2013 - Day 48/317 - Sunday...

As usual, there was a lot to do today, even though I stayed in the bed until 7:30.  SLUG!  When I did get up, Jody was working on a crossword puzzle, and I made myslef some coffee and went out to get the paper and let the girls loose.  After breakfast, the three of us (me, Jody and the Boy Dog) went for a walk down the road.  I got off to a late start, and took this photo of Jody and the Boy.  I love these kinds of pictures, although it does seem like the subjects are kind of sad and lonely, but I don't really that that is the case.  I think of it more accurately as a study in appreciation of a simpler life.  We all kind of relish the peace and quiet of the days.

Miguel came by this morning, and he helped me get a lot of work done.  We got the cows fed, we went and retrieved the air show from Vince and it is out there whirly-gigging itself into a stupor.  We have had really strong winds all day today, and I am not sure when the winds are supposed to die down, if ever.  It was a moderate temperature day, starting off kind of chilly but warming up into the middle 60's.  Here is photo number two of the three new calves that were born recently.  I think one was born about 10 to 14 days ago, and two of them were born in the last 7 days.  This is the calf that I think was born early last week.  Stay tuned tomorrow for a photo of the calf I think was the most recently born.  Oh, and by the way, this Mama cow is pretty impressive as longhorns go, and I would not advise you mess with her...she is VERY PROTECTIVE of her baby!

The main task was to get the cows fed.  After that, we greased the tractor, putzed around here and there doing this and that.  Oh, we also got the grass cut up by the road, and repaired and replaced a bunch of the solar powered landscaping lights.

As I putzed around more doing as little of this and that as I could, I noticed this Iris blooming.  It has a little bit of protection from the wind, so it has not been totally beaten up.  It still has several buds on it too, so it should be blooming for another couple days.  We were worried that the frost that was threatened the last couple nights would harm this one, but it seems to have survived beautifully.

I am getting ready to plant more morning glory seeds.  I found some blood red ones, and I have never seen any red morning glories before.  I will give them a shot and see what happens.  I hope we get a little more rain this year than we have in the past few years, nothing is better for morning glories than natural rain water.  Tap water just doesn't cut it!

Deeds, Actions, Changes, PUTZING, Kinenesses, Whirled Peas (Shannon), FUN!

2013 - Day 47/318 - Saturday...

It was a beautiful day in central Texas, although it did start off on the coolish side.  We got down just for about an hour to the freezing mark, but that was not the worst thing that could have happened.

I tried to stay in bed a while longer than usual, and I actually did.  I did not get out of the bed until about 5:30 this morning.  I was just laying there awake, so Ifigured I might as well get up.  I had a nice leisurely morning, read the paper, had a cup of coffee.  When Jody got up, I made us a pile of eggs, and that was great.  I have not had a pile of eggs in a couple weeks.

After breakfast, I cleaned out closets and chests of drawers.  I took three large bags of clothes to the Goodwill, along with stacks of jeans and other shirts on hangers.  I also took in a computer printer, and miscellaneous pieces of electronic equipment that I am not using any longer.  Even though I figure I donated about 100 pounds of clothing, I cannot really tell that I have any more room in the closets.  Crazy!  All this was sparked hoping to find some smaller sized jeans.  At least now I have the sizes of my clothes marked so when my weight fluctuates I will know where to look for clothes.  Some people sort summer and winter clothes, I sort by girth.

The cattle have been busy.  I was suspicious that there were some new calves back there, and I had not been back there to mess with them in a couple weeks.  Jody and I went back this afternoon, and there are three new calves.  That makes a total of 19 head we have back there, and I have to divest myself of some cattle in March.  That is my next goal, divestiture.  I expect some will go to friends, some will go to 4H'ers (if I can find any) and some may end up at the auction barn.  Time to cull the herd!  I will not show the pictures of all three calves today, but I will spread them out over tonight and the next two days.  They are all just a pretty as they can be, but so far my favorite it is the one I will show you on Monday.  The one I will post for you tomorrow is definitely a bull calf, he spent the whole time while we were back there taking a pee.  Not sure at all about the sex of the other two.  Only time (or the opportunity to see them pee) will tell.

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

2013 - Day 46/319 - Friday...

Today's wreck du jour is brought to you by two 18-wheelers that decided to collide right in the middle of downtown Austin about 5 o'clock this morning (I really have no idea what time it was).  I was sitting at the computer this morning and I got an app message from one of the local television stations that all hell was breaking loose on the Interstate, and that all southbound lanes were closed and not expected to reopen before 8 AM.  Well, that is code for the Interstate is going to be closed all day long, and it pretty much was.  It seems two big trucks (one of them hauling car batteries) had wrecked and the batteries (and their accompanying battery acid) were strewn willy-nilly all over the Interstate.  I don't know which one was the actual hazard (the wrecks or the acid), but the road was still closed at 11:30 this morning.  Craziness.

For once I actually out manuevered the traffic.  I left as early as I could this morning and went down the Interstate to the cut-off that would connect me to southbound MoPac, and made it to the office without too much trouble.  I think I may actually try that route next week.  I usually am a diehard Interstate person, but going down MoPac might cut some time off the drive.  It is about a mile os so further to go that way, but I will experiment and see if I can actually save some time.  Who knows.

It is cool tonight, getting close to the freezing mark in Austin.  I do not really think it will freeze here tonight, but I went out and turned the water off to the pastures.  I guess it is better to be safe than to have broken pipes and wasted water because I was too lazy to go out in the cold.  We shall see...

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

2013 - Day 45/320 - Thursday...

There was nothing particularly impressive about this morning's wreck when I finally got to the point that I could see it.  The only really impressive thing remained the amount of time that I (along with a couple thousand other central Texans) remained locked in our respective vehicles waiting for the chance to go forward.  The wreck involved more than one 18-wheeler and a variety of smaller vehicles.  By the time I got to it, there was nothing left but the 18-wheelers and a couple big tow trucks and representatives of various governmental agencies.

One of our agents was showing property this afternoon in central Austin, and during the drive back on the Interstate, the client decided against moving here because of the traffic congestion on IH-35.  That is a pretty bad indictment of our traffic woes.  The theory that, if you don't build it they won't come in not holding true for those of us that are experiencing the challenges on commuting.  I moved here in 1985, and every day I drove that highway, and every day I stopped on IH-35 because of the traffic congestion.  It has only gotten worse in all those years.

I taught a short class at the Austin Board this afternoon, and my friend Pam was one of the attendees.  Pam and I have been friends for several years, and she is just a wonderfully delightful person.  She just glows with happiness and caring, and she just lights up any room she is in.  I hope we get to see each other more often now, Pam!

I did make it home again before dark today, and there was only one chicken in evidence.  BUT when I went out to put them to bed they were all in evidence, and all was good in the coop.  Only two eggs today, so production is still down, but we are not going to run out of eggs any time soon.

Deeds, Actions, Changes, HI PAM, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2013 - Day 44/321 - Wednesday...

Awards one day, chickens the next day...

Not a bad day at all today, I made it into the office with little difficulty, although I did see a car merge into a lane of traffic with no concern for the motorcyclist that was occupying the same space.  That caused the motorcyclist to decide he wanted to be in the space I was occupying, which caused me to decide I wanted to occupy the space that the car to my left was occupying.  It was kind of a domino effect, and everything and everyone was fine and unscathed except the motorcyclist and the original driver had some gyrations for each other and it got a little animated for a while there, about three or four miles worth.  I finally lost sight of both of them, and we all seemingly went on about our respective business.

I had a couple meetings late morning at the Board, and taught a one hour class - KNOW YOUR CODE.  It was fun, unscripted, and dealt with just one Article of the Code of Ethics.  This will be a series of classes held every month; next month we will concentrate on two articles, and hopefully we will finish the entire thing by the end of the year.

I got back to the office about 2:30 and did a bit of power real estate, and then headed to the house about 3:45.  I got home again in the daylight, it was a lovely afternoon, not as warm as yesterday, but not what you might expect for the middle of February, which makes me wonder exactly what it is you might expect in central Texas for the middle of February.  ANYWAY, there were again birds chirping around, and the girls were out pecking around and all seemed to be well with the world.  The dog chewed girl is seemingly doing well too, but the egg production has still not recovered to the previous levels.  You never really know which girls are laying, and the dog might have gotten two of the better layers.  Who knows?  By the way, in case you are keeping up, Vera is the blonde on the left.

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

2013 - Day 43/322 - Tuesday...

Another early day, but that will be over with for a while.  My forst meeting this morning was at 7 o'clock.  This was the final day of the Texas Association of REALTORS Mid-Winter Conference, and first thing this morning was an Awards Breakfast for TREPAC (Texas Real Estate Political Action Committee).  The Austin Board of REALTORS won the first place award for exceeding quota and second place for member participation in large boards.  This is a photo of me accepting one of the awards on behalf of the Austin Board.  Quite an honor, our association did a good job last year.

After the awards breakfast, I headed off to the Association Board of Directors meeting, and that was very interesting.  Lots of reports, lots of numbers, lots of stuff.

Back to the office after that for some real estate work to get done, and then I headed home about 4:45.  When I got home, I was checking meter readings and communing with chickens.  There was a beautiful blue sky, there was a songbird somewhere in the area giving it hell, and it was just a beautiful late winter afternoon in central Texas.  It was probably in the middle 60's and it all just reminded me of what a luck man I am, and what a wonderful life I live and how lucky I am to be able to get out of the city on a daily basis and find peace and tranquility.  To top it all off, when we sat down for dinner, I looked outside and there was a beautiful sunset in progress.  I went outside and took a couple pictures to document the event, and when I got back inside, the sunset just kept getting better and better.  It is not often that sunsets last for any great period of time, but this one was an over-achiever.  I wish you could have shared it along with Jody and me.

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

2013 - Day 42/323 - Monday...

This is a caricature that was done at the WCR Celebrity Auction last Friday night.  I only WISH I looked that good.  I thought caricatures were supposed to exaggerate an uncomplimentary feature.  All I see is FABULOUSNESS!

The TAR Mid-Winter Conference will be finished tomorrow morning.  I have a 7 o'clock breakfast and a TAR Board of Directors meeting from about 9 AM until Noon.  Then it will be over for another year.  This was a really good meeting, lots of information shared, lots of friends and colleagues visited with, LOTS of MONEY raised for TREPAC.

I expect to rest better tonight than I have in a while, but I will be up EARLY in the morning to make it into Austin for my 7 o'clock.  And just about the time I wake up and start to get ready, it is supposed to start raining.

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

2013 - Day 41/324 - Sunday...

Okay, I admit it.  I stole a newspaper this morning from in front of someone elses door.  Even though I have been in this Hotel for (this is the third night) what seems like an ETERNITY, I was going through newspaper withdrawal, and I should have had a newspaper delivered to my door anyway so it was not really my fault.  What do you have to do around here to get a newspaper delivered to you?  WHAT VIP CLUB?

It turned out to be a pretty day today, although I have not been out of the building all day today.  It looked pretty from inside.  I kind of feel like one of those people that live inside the airport with no passport.  You can see outside but youcan't get outside.

Another day and a half of meetings and that will be it for this year.  I am ready to be home.

Deeds, Acrtions, Changes, SUNDAY FUNNIES, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2013 - Day 40/325 - Saturday...

Back to back meetings beginning at 7:45 this morning.

The Texas Association of REALTORS Mid-Winter meeting is always a busy time and there is always a lot of information shared between colleagues.

The only time I left the building was to walk outside under the porte cochere to see how hard it was raining.  And for sure, it ws not raining that hard.  All day long it was kind of grey and cloudy with just a drizzle of rain.  I talked with Jody a couple times and it was just dribbly and there was a little more rain at the house later in the day.

The day ended with a reception overlooking downtown.  This is always a nice spot to take a look at the city.  Portions of Congress Avenue were closed this morning and will remain closed so workers can construct a crane in the middle of the road.  When I moved to Austin about 28 years ago, the construction crane was considered the State Bird of Texas.  We are experiencing that affect again, there is lots of construction in and around Austin.

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

2013 - Day 39/326 - Friday...

Yep, it is Friday, but I have hardly had time to notice.

I was up early, early, early this morning and had to make a stop in the office before my first meeting at 7:45.  I hung around the meeting until early afternoon and then headed back to the office for some power real estate, and then headed back to the meetings.  This is the Texas Association of REALTORS Mid-Winter meeting, and there is always a lot to learn and lots of friends to see again.

This evening was the Women's Council of REALTORS Celebrity Waiter to benefit the Texas REALTORS Political Action Committee.  It was a fin evening, and this is a photo of Susan and me (as Gold Member). photo courtesy of Emily.

It's late, I am tired, so I am going to go to sleep now.

Deeds, Actions, Changes, GOLD MEMBER, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2013 - Day 38/327 - Thursday...

Honestly, before you accuse me of switching political affiliations, I only went for a ride in it.  I hardly paid any attention at all, I just sat in it for a few minutes and was transported from one place to another and then back again.  HONESTLY!

Traffic this week has been AWFUL!  I am really not one to complain, but it took me about an hour and forty five minutes to get to work this morning, and there was really no reason for it.  There was a small (but tasteful) wreck that really should not have played any part in a slow-down, but we just creeped along from north of Round Rock to Downtown.  And then once I was in Downtown, everything sped up and it was smooth sailing.

Kind of the same thing on the way home, there was just no ascertainable reason the the delays.  There are just too many folks on the road, and that is what I get for not leaving early enough.

That will really not be a problem tomorrow.  I expect to leave about 5 in the morning. I have a 7:45 meeting, and I have to go by the office first.  Then in and out of meetings all day (TAR Mid-Winter) and I will be staying in Austin for a really long weekend. 

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

2013 - Day 37/328 - Wednesday...

EDITORS NOTE:  THIS IS MY 1,500TH CONSECUTIVE DAILY ENTRY.  THANK YOU, THANK YOU VERY MUCH...

It is really not that complicated, you sit where you can get both a plug and a signal.  That is all there is to it. 

I headed into work this morning, expecting to be able to get to the office by about 7:30, do a little bit of power real estate done before I would then head off to my 9 o'clock first meeting.  By eight o'clock, I was still about 13 miles away from the office which would translate into about 45 minutes because of the 0.05" of rain that had fallen and caused total panic for the motoring public.  SO, I decided to change paths, I headed to the Board of REALTORS where I borrowed a desk for about a half hour before I went on to the planned nine o'clock.

Everything worked out wonderfully well, and I made it back to the office about Noon:45 and did a bit of power real estate until I left for a five o'clock meeting (the one before the six o'clock meeting) at about 4:15.  I made it home for the day just shortly before 9 PM, and now I am about done.

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

2013 - Day 36/329 - Tuesday...

One of the favorite things I do is instruct colleagues in various subjects related to real estate.  I finished my two day gig today, and it was another really good and fun class.  Classes are always more fun when the attendees participate and everyone in the room learns something.  Once again I used my power of persuasion over the class and conned them all into holding their pencils in their mouths, just because they think it is something to do...the only purpose it really serves is to make them all smile, and I like that a lot!  Less people in this set of instruction today, about 25 attendees, but most of them were holdovers from yesterday, and about five or six new ones.  A very good class overall.

The girl that is suffering from dog-battered-chicken-syndrome continues to recuperate, and she was released from her isolation ward today, and tonight she is resting comfortably in one of the nesting boxes with the other chickens.  The other girls are roosting, but she is keeping her distance right now so she does not get treated badly by the alpha-chickens.  Her fortunes will reverse one day soon and she will most likely be the one pecking one of the other girls.  That is usually the way it works.

Tomorrow morning I will be taking a class and tomorrow night I have another meeting to attend.  In the middle, I need to do some office work and get some chicken feed from the feed store.

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

2013 - Day 35/330 - Monday...

Helen, I know exactly how you feel.  It is getting harder and harder for me to get up earlier and earlier in the mornings.  I was up and out of bed by about 3:30 this morning.  I was teaching a full day of classes at the Board, and I HAD TO get to the office first to get some work done before I headed to the Board.  I got that stuff done, and was at the Board by about 7:45; plenty of time for preparation for my first class at 8:30.  I slept fitfully all night, worrying about the stuff I needed to do first, and trying to figure a way of geting it done without having to go in so early.  BUT, now it is done, so I can sleep better and (hopefully) a little later in the morning.

It was a good couple classes, I will teach another class in the morning, and that will be it for this month, if you don't count the Broker Responsibiity class I will teach on the cruise at the end of the month.  It wil be a good class as well.

I got home before dark today, and the wounded chicken continues to cooperate, and I think she will be fine.  I expect we will release her from isolation in another day or two, and then we will just have to worry about the other girls harassing her.  They all seem to survive bouts of that though.  They always have to have someone to pick on, someone to feel superior of.  I am talking like chickens are people, but I guess in many ways they do reflect how we treat others.

Before dinner there was a pretty nice sunset, so I thought I would share it with you.  Pretty pinks and streaks of white.  I like living someplace that you get to actually see the sunrises and the sunsets, and all the stuff in between.  Sorry about the placement of the photo; it was supposed to be in the next paragraph, but I could not get it to format properly.  Boo-Hoo.

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

2013 - Day 34/311 - Sunday...

The surviving chicken made it through the night, but the other chickens have not made it easy for her.  She was outside the coop this morning and the other girls had her in a corner and they were all pecking at her.  She is now in the 'chicken hospital ward', which is otherwise known as the chick coop, where we let the new chicks grow until they are ready to be integrated with the big girls.  So, she has been staying mostly curled up in a corner of the coop, but she has ventured out and pecked at a little bit of food that I put on the ground for her.  I think if she makes it for a couple more days she will be alright.  While I was out feeding the cattle this morning, I found another of the girls that the dog got.  It does not seem that he was after them for food, more for sport than anything. 

I did get the cattle fed this morning, unloaded a thousand pounds of cattle feed (fifty pounds at a time) from the truck and put it in the shed, along with several salt and mineral blocks and a 200 (I think) pound molasses bucket.  The cattle got two fresh bales of hay, 200 pounds of feed, two mineral blocks and two fresh molasses buckets.  They are set for the next week.

I had to buy a new router this afternoon.  It is interesting that these things just quit with no warning at all.  It seemed to be working pretty well yesterday, but nothing when I got up this morning.  But, I am all reprogrammed and ready for action. 

I also got a chance to take another bike ride this afternoon, just short of 9 miles.  Nice day, not too much wind, a couple nice inclines and some interesting things to look at.  I did get off the bike every now and then and explore a couple things that I generally drive past in the car or the truck.  I have always liked this house and would really like to go inside and explore.  Today was not the first time I have seen vultures on both the old chimneys, but this was the first day I actually stopped to take a photo.  This place is just beyond the low water crossing, about 3 miles or so from the house.

Is there anything on tv tonight?

Teaching classes tomorrow and Tuesday.

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

2013 - Day 33/312 - Saturday...

So, the picture that I took for todays entry (for some reason) did not take.  I cannot think of a time that I took a picture with that digital camera and it just was not there when I went to download it, but, whatever...

NOW, I will get right in to todays lead story, but before I begin, you should all know that VERA IS OKAY! 

Yesterday (even though I did not report on it), Jody reported that a dog had made off with three chickens.  One after another.  THe dog kept coming back to grabbing chickens.  Vera was not one of the victims.  So, suddenly we were down to seven chickens.  This afternoon our neighbor Randy came over and asked if we were missing any chickens.  I told him about the chicken killing dog and he said he had seen a chicken up by his place and wondered if it was ours.  I told him we had accounted for the seven surviving chickens and that they sometimes go out on the road and maybe they had made it up to his place, but I thought they had all come back.  When Randy got home, he said there was a chicken still up at his place, so Jody and I went to check it out.

Sure enough there was one of the chickens that the dog had taken.  A LOT worse for wear, but surviving.  It has a bad foot and is pretty banged up, but there she was hiding under a hoop skirt jasmine.  Those plants are really dense, so she must have gotten loose from the dog somehow and taken shelter under that plant.  She must have been able to get around a little bit because otherwise Randy would not have seen her in the yard.

We got her home and put her in the coop.  She cannot roost because of her bad foot, but she was able to get into one of the nesting boxes and that was a good sign.  I went out and checked on her about an hour later and she had laid an egg.  I went out about an hour later and she was out of the nesting box in the corner of the coop and of course Vera was pecking on her (hence the pecking order) and I put her back in the nesting box.  After dark, I checked on her again, and she was back on the floor of the coop and the other chickens were on the roosts, so I left her there and put some food down by her and a little dish of water.  I think if she makes in the next two or three days, she will be okay.

Deeds, Actions, Changes, STRONG CHICKENS, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2013 - Day 32/313 - Friday...

It's too bad this photo is not in better focus, because it is pretty darned hilarious.  I made a couple presentations at the new member orientation at the Board of REALTORS® this morning, and it is pretty interesting what you can convince people to do if you are in even the slightest position of authority.  Here, the class all has a pencil (or a pen) between their teeth, just because I asked them to do it.  One thing about it, if you have a pencil (or a pen) between your teeth, you are smiling and look happy to be doing it.  Next month I will try to get a better picture.

No wrecks to report today, crap!

I got to the office this morning about 11:15, and had an 11:30 appointment, then I was pretty darned busy the rest of the day.  I did not leave the office until after 5 o'clock, and traffic was VERY SLOW on the way home and it stayed bumper to bumber almost to Georgetown.

I intend to have a calm and quiet day tomorrow, and probably get some work done around the place on Sunday.

Deeds, Actions, Changes, PRETTY PLEASE, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!