2013 - Day 181/184 - Sunday...

Useless trivia for the day:  True or false.  Clouds have different shades to them because each one is composed of different kinds of gases.  FALSE!

I slept through the whole thunder/lightning/rain thing overnight.  I am not really unhappy about that though, sleeping (for me) is something I do not feel like I get enough of.  The rain clouds were still all around when I got out of bed this morning, though, so I did get to see some of the aftermath. 

After I made Jody and me a pile of eggs, I fed cattle (before it got too hot) cleaned the chicken coop and did a couple miscellaneous things around the house.  Then I took a nap.

Then I did another couple miscellaneous things and took another nap.

That pattern continued on through the day, not that there's anything wrong with that.

I am ready for the new week.  Since this month only contained 30 days, I have moved the calendar on my watch up already too.  I am ready!

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

2013 - Day 180/185 - Saturday...

Useless trivia for the day:  55 percent of drivers say they forget this simple thing on a regular basis. What is it?  See if you can figure out the secret code...  !slangiS nruT

Yep, it seems that my car comes equipped with Old Person Driving Indicators, but I do not think they warn anyone of the obvious except for the Old Person Driving.  But it is nice to know there is an device to alert you that you should turn off the turn signal and not be ridiculed (again) by a 20-something that is passing you on the shoulder.  And how do they know you are NOT going to turn somewhere during the trip?  It could happen.

Slept in a little later than usual today.  Jody and I shared a pile of eggs for breakfast, and then we drove into Bartlett to buy cattle feed and miscellaneous goods from the mercantile. 

Later in the afternoon (after I slept on the couch for a while) we went into Georgetown and when we got back I slept in the big blue chair for a while longer.  Nice day.

It was 108 degrees here today, if it is that hot tomorrow, I may just sleep some more.  It is supposed to cool down to the mid-90's, which will make it a little bit better.  Everyone on the news is talking that we were experiencing low humidity, so it was not so bad.  WHAT?  It was 108 degrees, I don't care if it was negative humidity, it was still 108 freaking degrees outside, and I don't care who you are, that is HOT.

Thank you for indulging me.

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

2013 - Day 179/186 - Friday...

Useless trivia for the day:  In 75 years, the human heart pumps enough blood to fill an oil tanker 46 times.

I could definitely feel the blood coursing through my veins today.  The high temperature (an all time high for the date) was 106 degrees.  It gave me an all new meaning to the term Blood, Sweat and Tears.  I could feel the blood, I glistened a bit (honestly, I prefer not to sweat but I don't mind a good glistening every now and then) and there were a couple tears here and there.  Jody and I are looking forward to going to visit our friends Bruce and Melody in August.  They live in one of the small scrunched states in the Northeast.  I joked with Melody this morning that you could walk across the whole state in 20 minutes.  BUT, right now they have it pretty good.  Moderate temperatures and rain.  I am a little bit jealous and envious of that.

A very busy day at the office, and I did not leave the place (except to check the mail) from the time I got there (about 8 o'clock this morning) until the time I left (about 5:30).  BAD NEWS:  I stood up my friends Virginia and Bryan for the SECOND time in as many weeks.  The first time I had the time wrong, and today I just totally spaced out.  I remembered the appointment this morning and all the way through about 1 o'clock, but I did not think of it again until Virginia called at 2:45 wondering if I was dead in a ditch somewhere.  No, but thank you for checking.  SO, we are going to try it again, and this time I need to figure out how to set the alarm on my iPhone.

I am looking forward to sleeping in a little later in the morning.  I am going to have to go and get some cattle feed in the morning, and do a few things, but the heaviest of the chores will be reserved for Sunday.  AND, we are supposed to have a cold front come through sometime on Saturday, and the high temperature for Sunday is forecast to be only 93 degrees.  I will believe it when I feel it.

Almost 8 o'clock and it is still 102 degrees here.

Deeds, Actions, Changes, BLOOD FLOW, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2013 - Day 178/187 - Thursday...

Useless trivia for the day:  The summer of 1995 was so hot that at the end of August, methane emitted within big bales of freshly-cut hay in Missouri began spontaneously combusting.

It is HOT, HOT, HOT!  How hot is it?  It is HOT, HOT, HOT!  It is so hot the chickens are panting.  Today's high temperature in Austin was 103 degrees, most likely a little bit cooler out here on the edge of no where.  That's likely because the heat cannot find up.  This is a picture of one of my new favoritist girls, one of the Crested Polish.  I think she probably thought I had ice water on me when I was going out there to check on them this evening, but no such luck.  We are supposed to have a 'cold-front' come through over the weekend, and reduce the high temperatures by a couple degrees, and maybe even a slight chance of rain.

Today was my Meals-On-Wheels day, and that was nice, I always enjoy doing it.  After the noon hour, I headed to the Board office to teach an ethics class, and that was WAY FUN!  I love teaching Ethics, and I think everyone in the room (including myself) can learn at least a little something!

Tomorrow will mark the end of the month for us, life is crazy busy at the office.  We are going to bring in lunch, and maybe even breakfast, we will just have to see how it goes.

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

2013 - Day 177/188 - Wednesday...

Useless trivia of the day:  Assuming you wear a different pair of socks each day, after 50 years you put on 36,500 socks.


I have recently become all about socks.  I
think it is because recently (in the last several years) I have become a bit of a conformist.  After I got fired from my last corporate job (that was in 1988, let's see a show of hands of those that were not even born yet) I decided I was tired of wearing suits and decided it was time to be less formal.  To make a long story less boring, I wore shorts and t-shirts every day for about the next 17 or 18 years, I am not sure how long.  Since then, as I decided I wanted to make a change in my life (and wanted to make the lives of others better if I could) I have slowly but surely begun to dress in a more (business) main-stream style.  I have always been kind of a clothes horse (I have stories) and I like shopping, so those two things were both kind of made for me.  BUT, I have lately become kind of a sock rebel.  Definitely socks are my own way of not giving in completely.  AND there are so many neat kinds of socks available right now, you would never know there was a depression on!

Good meetings today, good chances to get some good work done, and there is always tomorrow.  The next two days are really going to be busy!

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

2013 - Day 176/189 - Tuesday...

Useless Trivia for the Day:  Studies have identified common reported themes in dreams including situations relating to school, being chased, sexual experiences, falling, arriving late, death, teeth falling out, flying and car accidents.

Added Bonus Trivia:  I think I have dreamt about all of the above, and then some.  Wink, Wink, Wink.  And some are beginning to occur more frequently the older I get.  Give it your best guess, and I will let you know if you are really THAT interested.

When I was still involved in psychological counseling (for the betterment of mankind only) I had a dream that I was an old used Cadillac.  The psychological counselor (who, in four years NEVER uttered my name, but that is for another post when I have more time) asked me how that felt to be an old used Cadillac, what was I feeling in that dream.  I told him that my motor was running well, I just needed a little bit of body work.  Well, he took off with that, and that fed him for about six weeks.  This period of my life did not end well for that practitioner, but that is yet another story for yet another time.

I for one am beginning to get PIS*ED of about not getting my naps out during the night, and it is only on the weekends that I can nap during the day, and I take FULL advantage of that.  I have been up today since 3 AM, not because I could not sleep (particularly) but because the CAT was wandering the house MEOWING at the top of her lungs.  The cat is old and one of her afflictions is that she is deaf, so she may or may not be aware that she is meowing, and she may or may not think she is catter-wallering very loudly (because in her case she actually cannot hear herself think), but Jody and I can certainly hear her.  Of course, I hear her, wake up, toss, turn, roll over, toss some more, and start thinking of all the doom and gloom that can happen and I cannot go back to sleep so I might as well just get up and log-on to FaceBook to see who else is not sleeping, and you would be surprised to see how many of you that is.  I think next time I will take a count.  I'll get back to you on that.

Wake fullness in the middle of the night is also the perfect time to self-diagnose that little pain you don't otherwise pay attention, and you have time to convince yourself that you have bone cancer of the leg, or that I (in my case) should wake Jody up because I am convinced that this is a heart-attack because it really hurts. 

Well, I can honestly say that this was not where this entry was headed when I was composing it in my head during the day, but I think it took an interesting turn.  Feel free to discuss amongst yourselves.

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

2013 - Day 175/190 - Monday...

Useless trivia about Nikola Tesla:  Honoring his work in the summer of 2003 started a Silicon Valley automobile company by the name of Tesla Motors, Inc. focused on the production of high performance, consumer-oriented electric vehicles.

Among other things, I went by the Stein Mart on Anderson Lane before I got my hair cut.  I parked next to a Tesla 85 ($72k to $85K+ depending).  The engine was running when I went inside the store (I assumed the air conditioner was cranking) and the engine was running when I came out.  The whole time, the car was empty.  No real need to turn it off and cause the owner any inconvenience, since it is ALL ELECTRIC.  I have Tesla envy.  I want to sit in the corner and pout.  I tried to wait around for a few minutes to see if anyone came and got in the car, I was going to ask them if I could sit in it.  When I left the appointment with my cosmetologist, the car was gone.  Boo-Hoo.  It is a beautiful car, and very well crafted.  Consumer Reports gave it the highest grade of any car they had EVER reviewed.  This is a photo of it, and you can see my car parked next to it.

Otherwise, it was a nice day, busy work in the office, a couple appointments then my hair cut.  Tomorrow I have a 10 o'clock telephone conference call, and then a couple appointments in the afternoon.

Deeds, Actions, Changes, TESLA ENVY, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2013 - Day 174/191 - Sunday...

Totally useless trivia, but farts are funny, I don't care who you are!  Who cut the tofu?  Soybeans produce more flatulence than any other bean.

If this is Sunday, it must be chore day!  I stayed in bed as long as I could with the cat desperately pleading that she was going to starve to death if she was not immediately fed.  Once I was up, I did the normal things and looked for the HUMONGOUS moon and found it to be hidden by the clouds.  I thought it was supposed to be best viewing at 6AM our time, but the photos I have seen online (from last night) were much better than anything it could have been this morning.  There is supposed to be another opportunity this evening at 8:56, so I will try to catch it.  I got a little bit carried away with the pile of eggs this morning, but they were good indeed.

I got the chicken coop cleaned out, grass cut, cattle fed, and a lot of this and thats.  Miguel came out to help, and that was nice.  Our friend Steve came out to borrow the trailer, and he also took out some cactus from the front path that was obstructing traffic, so that was good.  Sundays are big days for chores, but I kind of have come to plan my weekends that way, it has to get done.

This is a picture of Carrie's cow Domino, who, no matter what anyone says obviously has enough smarts to hang out in the tank when it is pushing 100 degrees.  We actually have not had an official 100 degree temperature reading in Austin so far this year, but it has been plenty close.

Tomorrow is the start of another week.  Hang on!

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

2013 - Day 173/192 - Saturday...

More useless trivia, but of concern to part of todays post:  Crepe Myrtle is spelled with an “e.”

TRUE: In the McDonald Garden Center dictionary, we spell Crepe Myrtle with an “e” based on the tissue-paper like flowers that resemble the crepe paper texture.

There was a controversy about the spelling of Crepe Myrtle versus Crape Myrtle last year, and what I was led to believe was that both forms of the word Crepe/Crape were acceptable.  Today I learn that the that publish the above mentioned Garden Center Dictionary spell it with 2 e's, no a's.  I think they should just try to keep an open mind and forget about it.  Whatever...  Te whole point is that OUR Myrtles are doing very nicely indeed and are blooming up a storm.  Very nice.  And the white ones up by the road are just knocking themselves out with their blooms.  Very attractive indeed!

I got to stay in bed a little while extra this morning and that was nice.  Once I was out of the bed, I did the usual morning things and them I made a pile of eggs for me and Jody.  After breakfast, I took to the big blue chair, and made a slow start to doing pretty much NOTHING for the entire day.

For dinner tonight we enjoyed some of the fresh corn on the cob that was provided to us by Randy and Irene about a week ago.  We have some still in the refrigerator and some in reserve in the freezer.  Yummy good.  Pauline brought us a little bundt cake and some cookies tonight, so I think we are fixed for a while.

Tomorrow will be a day for doing chores.

Deeds, Actions, Changes, CRAPE MYRTLES, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2013 - Day 172/193 - Friday...

Useless trivia for a Friday:  American Airlines saved $40,000 in 1987 by eliminating one olive from each salad served in first class.

And that was only the beginning...

It took me (and assorted other folks, about ten altogether at last count) to get a transaction closed, but it closed and FUNDED but really most importantly my clients got the keys to their new (to them) vacation home.  I had a final walk through with them early this morning, and then made it to the closing at 12:30.  The deal finally funded (and the all important keys released to the Buyer's) at 4:58.  But, it is done, now on to the next.  This is a lovely view of the Blanco River not far from the new home, and there is a beautiful view of the river from their back deck and stone steps down to the river.  Wonderful.  And the thermals coming up from the river bottom provides a lovely breeze for them on the back deck.  I expect they will spend many happy times there.

That pretty much took up the whole day, but I did have some time to sit in the office and get a bit of other real estate done.  I also had a couple chances to go shopping, just wait til you see the new socks.  Pretty pretty if I do say so myself.  Chris went with me to do the walk through this morning, and he informed me about the 70's on 7 on Sirius/XM.  I listened to that in the car on the way home, and it makes me happy.  I think we had much better music back then than the music today, and yes I guess I am turning into my mother.  RATZ.

I am looking forward to some extra sleep tonight, so I think I will go and get a head start on that.

BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE:  I almost forgot to mention that there was a package waiting for me when I got home...Thanks Jon for the JB's!  YUMMY!

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

2013 - Day 171/194 - Thursday...

Useless trivia for today:  The very first bomb dropped by the Allies on Berlin during World War II killed the only elephant in the Berlin Zoo.

His name was 'Lucky'...

Last night as I was writing my journal entry, I looked up to see a bird fly up into a tree out by the road.  We are always kind of vigilant for hawks or other birds of prey discovering the plethora of chicks and chickens around here, and I think we have lost a girl or two to them (along with one cat, but that is a whole different story).  So, I decided to go out and see if a bird had gotten hold of one of the girls, and lo-and-behold it was one of the girls herself in the tree.  This is one of the Crested Polish, solid black (as opposed of a couple others that are black and gold speckled).  One of the other Crested Polish is the cause of the angry scabs (note the plural form of the word) on my left leg.  A couple nights ago I was putting the girls to bed and noticed one of them ON TOP OF their outside pen.  SO, I climbed up on one of the smaller coops to put her to bed properly and promptly fell from my perch and let loose with a litany of adjectives on the way down.  DISCLAIMER:  No chickens were hurt in the production of the various oozing scabs on my leg.

I had eight folks on my Meals-On-Wheels route this morning, and one of them was not at home.  Whenever someone is not at home, the next client us generally happy to have an extra meal.  Everyone was pretty happy to see me, so that was good, and all of them look to be doing well and are pretty comfortable.  My friend Steve who is a meal facilitator at another pick-up point reported one of his volunteers was retiring after 10 years.  I think Steve has been volunteering with MOWAM for almost 20 years if not more, and I have been volunteering for 16 or 17 years, I think.  A good while, anyway...

Tomorrow will be a busy day, and I have lots of territory to cover.

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

2013 - Day 170/195 - Wednesday...

Useless trivia for the day:  September 22nd is Elephant Appreciation Day.  Maybe I should have saved that for September 22nd, when it would not have been QUITE as useless...

There were plenty o' elephants in the skies around central Texas this afternoon.  No more rain (there is a chance for some rain up until sundown, but that means we will not get any).  It only seems to rain around here when there is no chance of rain.  But the clouds were absolutely lovely, and I have to keep reminding you that clouds are something that you should not just take for granted.

When I got home from work today, I feared there had been another unfortunate skunk incident, but I was happy to open the door from the garage to discover that the odor was confined strictly to the garage and more specifically to Jody's truck.  It seems there was an unavoidable carcass of a former skunk on one of the roads Jody travelled today, and that is the blame for the odor.  I don't know if you remember or not, but earlier in the spring the Boy Dog was enamored with either a live skunk or a dead skunk, we never really were able to figure it out.  All we know is that he was regularly sprayed or rolled in the unmistakably aromatic nectar that is a skunks (ordinarily so) defense.  Less Eau de Cologne and more Eau Contraire!

Deeds, Actions, Changes, COUNTRY SMELLS, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2013 - Day 169/196 - Tuesday...

Useless trivia:  In the 1850's, some Paris newspapers were printed on rubber (to be read in the bathtub).

You should have believed me...

We had a zero percent chance of a precipitation event overnight, and I got up out of the bed at about 5 o'clock this morning to winds from the north and lightning.  Before long it was raining, and this is what it looked like on my way to work.  Except it got A LOT worse.  It rained VERY hard down the Interstate and MoPac but it let up when I got almost (within 5 or 6 miles) to the office.  When I did get to the office, there had not been ONE DROP of rain.  We got 0.81" of rain at the farm, and some people got over 3 inches of rain.  Crazy how all that works!

Another really nice day in the office, things are working out pretty well, everyone happy and keeping their heads down and working.  I had another couple meetings this afternoon, and made it home just a little bit before 6 o'clock.  It is amazing how much work (?) gets done remotely (mobiley).  Every thing needs to be done RIGHT NOW, and no one has any patience.  FOCUS PEOPLE!

Tomorrow is hump day already, and I will be in the office in the morning, and meetings in the afternoon. 

Remember when I mentioned that I am the luckiest man in the world?  It's true!  Today, Jody and I celebrated out 21st Anniversary.  My best 21 years, PERIOD.  A third of my life, and I could not have asked for anything better.

Deeds, Actions, Changes, 21 YEARS, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2013 - Day 168/197 - Monday...

WARNING!  PORTIONS OF TODAY'S JOURNAL POST ARE TOTALLY INAPPROPRIATE, AND NOT SUITABLE FOR ALL AUDIENCES.  HIT CLOSE ON YOUR BROWSER BUTTON WHILE THERE IS STILL TIME.  TURN BACK.  SAVE YOURSELF.

YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED...

The Wikipedia definition of anal retention is as follows:

Anal retention is holding on to a monster poo when you can't get to the toilet.

Father George's poor anal retention cost him all credibility during the sermon, when he sneezed and defecated himself with a revolting spray.

Sometimes I even make myself just laugh and laugh and laugh...  And now for something completely different...

So today was not too bad for a Monday.  We welcomed a new staff Property Manager at the office, so life is good in that arena.  Congratulations to Shane on his new job and we all wish him the best in the future for him and his family.

Lots of details to attend to, lots of meetings to attend to, lots of explaining (or trying to) why I am the way I am.  As I noted in an earlier FaceBook Status post, I prefer to consider myself focused instead of the AR words.  And I pay attention to details.

You never know what will show up here, do you?

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

2013 - Day 167/198 - Sunday...

The average human lies at least twice a day.  I always knew I was above average!

Even though it does not look like it from this perspective, the bloom spike on the Century Plant has exceeded the height of the flag pole, and now we are waiting on the blooms.  I hate the fact that the plant will croak after the bloom, but that is the way it goes...

It was a pretty good day today, I stayed in bed until about 6 AM, then got up and started coffee, read the paper, let the girls loose and made a pile of eggs for me and Jody.  After breakfast, I went out to the chicken coop and took up the linoleum I had put down about a month ago, and replaced it with more of the vinyl tiles.  The tiles are a much better floor covering in the chicken coop than the sheet linoleum was.  We will see how long it will last.

Miguel came out to help, and he moved 19 bales of hay from the south pasture to the front storage area.  Having that hay takes some of the pressure off worrying about feeding the cattle for a while.  The grass pastures look like we will get at least one more cutting this year, and it will only help if we can get some more rain soon.  There is talk of a tropical storm heading towards the Texas coast that may hit by the end of the week, and that could bring us some rain, keep your fingers crossed.

While Miguel was bringing in hay, I was cutting grass between the house and the road.  Once all that was done, we both went to work building a new nesting box for the girls, we now have 15 boxes for the girls, and 31 chickens, so everyone can take their picks.  It is interesting to note that the girls have their favorite boxes, and there is not too much trouble for them to share boxes.  I expect everything will work out.

Jody and I went into town later in the afternoon, and it was not the most successful trip; I bought one pair of socks and one tie.  I was hoping for more.  There may be a trip to Macy's in my future, I don't think I have ever bought anything from Macy's, but there is a first time for everything.

Deeds, Actions, Changes, MACY'S, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2013 - Day 166/199 - Saturday...

In every episode of Seinfeld there's a superman somewhere.

I stayed in bed until almost 6:30 this morning, and have practiced sleeping for a good part of the day.  I had big intentions of cutting some grass, but I went outside and it was hot and humid, so I changed my mind and went to take a nap.

This is a picture of a squirrel that I came upon last night at the arbor where the passion vines are.  He (or maybe she) was lolling about on the arbor and we were both quite surprised to see the other.  Neither of us made any sudden moves, but he (or she) did move over into a tree adjacent to the arbor so I could make an attempt to take the photo.  I think if you squint your eyes just right you can probably see him (or her). 

Jody and I did go into Georgetown this afternoon for lunch at Schlotzsky's, and then on to Home Depot where I bought hundred dollars worth of stuff to make more nesting boxes for the girls.  I think I have enough supplies to make eight more boxes (with probably some supplies left over.  I will let you know how it goes tomorrow, expecting that I will actually get the project started.  It might be warm and humid again in the morning, so who knows what will happen.

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

2013 - Day 165/200 - Friday...

Chicken and egg trivia of the day (and this is the last one because it is boring me do tears)...

During the spring (vernal) equinox (about March 21), it is said that an egg will stand on its small end. Although some people have reported success, it is not known whether such results were due to the equinox or to the peculiarities of that particular egg.

I did not get my nap out last night (this morning) so I am planning to make up for that between now and my next post to this journal.

At the office today, we all decided to have bar-b-cue, and Liz went down the street to pick it up for us from the bar-b-cue trailer.  I asked for four slices of brisket and some potato salad.  This is what four slices of brisket and the potato salad looked like.  I ate one slice of the brisket (and all the potato salad) and brought the rest of it home for me and Jody to share.  That was A LOT of very delicious brisket.

A good day in the office, I had a couple appointments, so all went well, AND it was Friday.  I am totally looking forward to the weekend.

Deeds, Actions, Changes, BAR-B-CUE, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2013 - Day 164/201 - Thursday...

Chicken and egg trivia of the day...

Eggs are placed in their cartons large end up (pointy side down) to keep the air cell in place and the yolk centered.

It is (right now) one minute until midnight, so technically I have not missed a post for Thursday, it just so happens that it is running into Friday. 

I just got home from a preview screening of Superman: Man of Steel.  It was not too heavy in the plot department, but it was pretty good in the special effects department and I would give it a C+ in the 3-D department.  BUT, it was fun and all the folks had a good time.  It was fun to see it at the IMAX, and to not have to wait in line and stuff like that.  Prior to the screening, there were drinks and Frito Pies, who could ask for anything more than that?  This is a picture that I took before the movie started, trying to get a reproduction of the iconic photo of 3-D movie goers from the 50's.  Kind of cute.

Gotta go to bed now!

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

2013 - Day 163/202 - Wednesday...

Chicken and egg trivia of the day:

While it is customary to throw rice at weddings in many countries, French brides break an egg on the threshold of their new home before stepping in- for luck and healthy babies.

I think it would a lot more fun and make the receptions A LOT more interesting if the wedding parties threw eggs at the exiting couple.  Who is in for starting a new tradition?  I'm just askin'...

Today was a nice cloudy day.  Not cloudy in the grey/no sun kind of way, but cloudy in the 'those clouds weigh a lot of elephants' kind of way.  Beautifully cloudy, wondrously cloudy, imaginatively kind of cloudy.  My advice to the thousands of followers of this journal (I am lying) is to take time to smell the clouds, you will thank me in the end.  AND LET ME BE CLEAR ABOUT THAT, you are supposed to smell the clouds, not MY END.  I'm just sayin'...

A pretty darned good day today, even though I did get up and start sending e-mails at 3:30 this morning.  I still think 3:30 is too early to start making phone calls, but you would be surprised to see who is signed on to their FaceBook pages at 3:30 AM...  Lots O Folks, and I think they are really paying attention, doesn't FB time you out after several minutes of inactivity?  I think so.

A couple great meetings at the Board today, very informative and filled with good information.  After that, I taught a one hour KNOW YOUR CODE class, and those are always fun.  Then back to the office to do some power real estate, and I headed for the house at about 3:30 (in the afternoon) so that was nice.  I made it home just before 5 and got to see most of the news; okay, some of the news before I fell asleep in the big blue chair.  Then the TV reception went out (freaking satellite receivers) and that is when Jody told me it was raining.  There was ZERO chance of rain today, but there it was, and we recorded 0.05" of rain in our official gauge.  Good job!

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

2013 - Day 162/203 - Tuesday...

Chicken and Egg Trivia of the Day:

To produce one egg, it takes a hen 24-26 hours, and to do so, she requires 5 oz. of food and 10 oz. of water. Thirty minutes later she starts all over again.

That kind of makes me tired just thinking about it...

Not a bad day today, all things considered.  A ten o'clock, an 11 o'clock, a quick lunch meeting worked into the mix, and then a 3 o'clock.  And in the middle of all that, some quick power real estate, and then home.

When I got home, Hubert (I expect it was Hubert anyway) was in the south pasture baling hay.  From what I an tell from the house (with the help of a pair of binoculars), it looks like 19 bales, maybe a few more that I could not see.  So, that is not too shabby, and I think we will get at least one more cutting before the end of the season, especially if we get a little bit more rain some time soon.

The prickly pears are still doing a little bit of blooming, and this is one up towards the road that is doing very nicely, thank you very much for asking.  I especially like the yellow color, and then when the blooms fade they have a rusty red color to them, almost a golden color.  Very nice.

I only have a couple meetings tomorrow, so that will be good, I need some time to just be sitting in the office doing a little bit of work.

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

2013 - Day 161/204 - Monday...

This was not a bad day for me, but I am not too sure about Jody.  He had dental surgery this morning; two back molars removed and a bone graft done in preparation of inserting two dental implants.  Just the thought of making an appointment at the dentist sends me into a state far-far-away from Texas, so I cannot even consider all the stuff Jody had done this morning.  AND it only took an hour, and he is back home acting like nothing happened. Whatever...

I did make it into the office for a few minutes of power real estate while Jody was at the dentist, and then once we got home I was doing a lot of off-site stuff.  Tomorrow I expect I will be leaving the house VERY EARLY to get into the office and get some stuff done before my meetings start; 10 o'clock, 11 o'clock and 3 o'clock.  Gonna be pretty busy.

I am very happy that I chose the Passion Vines for the arbor closest to the garage.  They are very lovely flowers and they have bloomed quite a bit since we have had them.  Wonderful to look at, and I hope that by the time they are nicely established (next year or the year after) they should be just tremendous.  That is not to take anything away from the Morning Glories on the opposite trellises, just different. 

This just in:

Which came first, the chicken or the egg?

According to the bible, the chicken came first: "And the evening and the morning were the fourth day. And God said, 'Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven.'" Genesis 1:10-20.

I think I am going to do several days (or weeks) of chicken and egg trivia.  We shall see who gets tired and/or bored first, you or me.

 

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

2013 - Day 160/205 - Sunday...

This was a pretty darned good day if I do say so myself.

I slept wonderfully well last night, and stayed in bed until about 6:30.  I would have rolled over and tried to go back to sleep if I did not have to get up and loose the girls from their pen.  No sense in taking the risk of then beating up on each other, I may as well get up and let them loose.

Once that was done, I read the paper, had some coffee and made us a pile of eggs.  It was cloudy and grey outside, and before long it was raining.  We got over a half-inch of rain, even though we were not supposed to get any rain.  But it was wonderful, and we will take every little bit we can get.  Since it was not supposed to rain, I had no idea how long it would not rain, so we went about doing chores in the rain.  The cattle had to be fed, the chicken coop had to be cleaned out, and this and that had to be done.  The end of the rain pretty much coincided with the completion of all the chores that needed to be accomplished, but that was okay too.  I took to the big blue char for most of the afternoon, so that was just fine with me.  This is a photo of some of the clouds that were in evidence late this afternoon.

Did I mention yesterday that we bought a used (small) chest type freezer from a client?  It seems that three refrigerator/freezer combinations is just not enough freezer capacity for us.  In no time we will have the new (to us) chest freezer filled to overflowing with NO IDEA what is in it.  Right now it has a half-gallon of ice cream and a couple permanent ice packs in it, but I think we will fix that before the week is out.

We went shopping this afternoon and bought NOTHING.  I tried.  Tonight we went to Catfish Parlor for dinner, delicious.  Tomorrow will be a day of tending to Jody, an appointment in town and then home. 

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

2013 - Day 159/206 - Saturday...

I did not make it home until after 1AM this morning, so I watched a little bit of television and had a pop-sicle as I prepared for sleep.  I got to bed shortly after 1:30.  I was wakened this morning at 5:45 by an emergency page (I am carrying the pager this month).  The page was from an 800 number, and when I called it, it was ADT reporting to me that they had received a 'trouble' call from the office; the back-up battery in the security system there was low on its' charge.  Connecting to someone was a difficult part, because the 800 number was to a voice-tree and none of the options was 'Someone paged me'.  Anyway, I think they should use better judgement than to wake someone up (me) in the middle of my slumber to tell me I need to check the charger or replace the battery.  I'm just sayin'...

Lots of old sayings have plenty of truth to them, particularly the ones about chickens.  You know, things about the 'pecking order' and having something 'stuck in your craw'.  I think another one holds a lot of truth to it also, the one about 'the longer you and your chicken hang out together, the more you each begin to look like the other'.  You know that one, right?  I have decided that I am beginning to look amazingly like Vera, and I offer this photograph as documented evidence of that fact.  I think we have similar scowls, and our wattles are just about the same.  Vera has a little edge over me in the comb department, but I think as I lose more and more hair that might be a good look for me, what do you think?

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

2013 - Day 158/207 - Friday!!!

Yes indeedy boys and girls it is FRIDAY, and I am ready to play.  No really, I am going out tonight to the big city to have a big time!  A bunch of us are heading to the Elephant Room on Congress to enjoy the sweet sounds of the Pamela Hart Quintet (or maybe a trio tonight).  That is the chosen group for entertainment at the Installation Event in December.  We are all just going to go out and have a listen.  Guaranteed good times!  Oh, and if you want to, click on the link and make sure your volume is turned up!

I started my day at the Board of REALTORS® and had a great time.  Maybe too much coffee, but a great time.  I made it to the office by about 10:30 and spent some time performing power real estate, and then Chris and I went and messed around for a while.  One of the stops was at the Comic Book Store, where I have never been before, and was somewhat disappointed that I did not feel like either Sheldon OR Leonard, but it was fun.  There is another shop next to the Comic Book Store (no idea what the name is) but they have some really cool stuff that would make PERFECT gifts if you need something for me at a later time.  I'm just sayin'.  ANYWAY, this is a photo of me and the Hulk at the Comic Book Store, getting ready for the sneak-preview of the Superman Movie next Thursday.

My intention was to come home early from the office, so I could take a disco-nap before going back into the city tonight.  I made it home by about 4 o'clock, and did catch a quick snooze while I was sitting in the big blue chair watching Jeopardy.  Otherwise, pretty much a normal state of events.

Tomorrow will see us doing a few chores around the house, and Sunday will be a serious chore day.  Kind of looking forward to it.

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

2013- Day 157/208 - Thursday...

I am FREAKING out because it is almost midnight and I have not even started my journal entry yet and I just got home after a really long day.  It is 9:30...

But I should be in bed asleep.

This is a picture of me and Will tonight at the Board for the ABoR Foundation Annual Fundraiser and Mercedes Give Away.  I did not win, but I was able to put a smile on my face for this photo.  There were lots of people there, and it is ALWAYS a really good cause.

Today was a pretty busy day, but for a while I would have liked to have been capable of winding the clock back a couple hours for a do-over.  Everything ended up okay, but for about forty minutes it wan pretty chaotic, nothing I did made anything better, and maybe made things worse.  My interpretation of a 'snake-bit' situation.  You are trying really hard to make something better (fix it) and nothing works, it just goes downhill at a really sharp angle.

The girls were all tucked in when I got home, and they are all accounted for.  I can indeed count to 31, although it does take a little bit more time than it used to.

I am looking forward to the weekend.

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

2013 - Day 156/209 - Wednesday...

I got an earlier start today, and that made me feel LOTS better.  Part of that was because I slept better and longer.  Part of THAT was because the girls all went into the big coop on their own last night, and there was no herding of chickens into the coop.  Part of THAT might have been the result of my post last night, explaining that we had bar-b-cued chicken for dinner.  I actually do not know WHAT the reason was for the girls to be suddenly cooperative, but I will take it.  If a little passive/aggressive threat action greases the skids of cooperation as well, well, I am not above that.  I'm just sayin...

This is a picture of some of the red Morning Glories I planted earlier this year.  I have not been particularly impressed with the results of the red seeds (they mostly look pinkish to me) but these look closer to what was portrayed on the seed package.  The vines (on both sides of the arbor) are crossing over the top of the arbor to the other side, so soon we will have morning glories all the way over the arch.  That should be pretty good, we have not had a successful crop of morning glories for at least three years, so I am looking forward to these.

Today worked out just about exactly as I had planned, with a lot of office time devoted to catching up and cleaning things off my desk.  I even cleaned three or four of the shelves next to my desk, there are only about 100 more shelves to go.  Time to dispose of (recycle) lots of things on the shelves.  I recycled calendars today from 2009.  I did not even realize I have been in that particular office space for that long.

It seems I will be travelling an extra month this year.  Generally I have convention attendance things in September, October and November of each year, and this year I have a week in Chicago in August.  I like Chicago, and I think August is a particularly good month to go north from Texas.  The weather will have to be more amenable and the pizza...

Tomorrow I will have a PM meeting in the AM, then there will be my Meals-On-Wheels delivery, then a little bit of power real estate and then I have a 2 o'clock at the Board (which for all practical purposes means immediately following lunch).  Then there is the ABoR Foundation Event tomorrow night at the Board as well, which begins at 5:30.  I am not sure exactly what I will be doing from 4 until 5:30, but commandeering someones computer seems to be in the plan right now.

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

2013 - Day 155/210 - Tuesday...

Don't tell the girls, but we had bar-b-cued chicken for dinner tonight.  It is really (maybe) not as bad as it sounds, because we do not think it was any chickens they new, but you never know about chickens.  Ever since I put that old computer in the front barn and they figured out how to log on to the Internet, there has not been a minutes peace. Sheesh...

Today was a pretty darned good day, all things considered.  I actually stayed in bed later than I had intended, and did not get up until almost 5:30.  That made for a little bit of rushing around to get into the proper traffic window.  So far I have really not noticed any decrease in morning traffic, so maybe that will happen next week.  I hope...

I did have a couple meetings to get to late morning and early afternoon and those were pretty successful.  There was also a closing today, but I was not able to make that and my very good client was generous in understanding.  All went well, however, so all is good.

I also got the mirror replaced on my car this afternoon, which is wonderful.  If you have a fractured rear-view mirror on your car, it will result in some pretty interesting sights.  Kind of like a kaleidoscope, only more dangerous.  It also gives new meaning to 'tripping down the highway'.  I never really considered how much I took that little piece of reflective glass for granted, but it is a really necessary piece of equipment, and works much better when it is in one piece.

All the girls are doing nicely, no mutinies happening in the coop.  It is interesting to see them all in one coop.  The most difficult part so far is taking the evening count.  31 girls on a series of roosts, pretty interesting. 

I think I have a day in the office planned for tomorrow.  Meetings on Thursday, and a pretty fun Friday.  I will let you know how it all works out.

Deeds, Actions, Changes, BAR-B-CUE, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2013 - Day 154/211 - Monday...

I will extend peace to her like a river, and the wealth of nations like a flooding stream;

you will nurse and be carried on her arm and dandled on her knees.
As a mother comforts her child, so will I comfort you...

Please click on the link below to know more about this wonderful woman Kate...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ese8ucsfMik

2013 - Day 153/212 - Sunday...

The day started pretty ordinarily for a Sunday.  I did get up kind of early, I wanted to open the chickens gates before sun-up because I had put some of the new girls in the big coop last night, so when they woke up, I wanted them to be able to get out.  Then I made coffee, read the paper and made myself and Jody a pile of eggs.  Yummy.

Then I was off to the great outdoors.  At about 8:30 I was moving the fresh hay bales and a helicopter landed over at Irene and Randy's house.  It was kind of interesting, I figured it was the DEA gonna make a bust, but it turns out it was a friend of theirs that just decided to 'drop in' I guess.  Pretty neat for goings on out here on the edge of nowhere.

It was a busy day and there were lots of accomplishments.  Miguel came out to help, we got the chicken coop cleaned out, added another perch to the coop, moved the hay bales, fed the cattle, cleaned a gutter on one end of the house, took down the kennel that houses small chickens (I am really not expecting to buy any more chicks until 2015), cut lots of grass and all kinds of things.

For dinner tonight, we went into Thorndale to the Downtown Cafe.  I am telling you, that was the best rib eye steak I have had in a long time.  It was excellent.  Chris met us out there, he had a HUGE chicken fried steak and Jody had fried catfish.  EXCELLENT.  The owners are friends of Chris' and they are always very kind and friendly when  we go out there.  AND OF COURSE, that is just exactly the place you would expect to see an older (but in excellent shape) beautiful yellow Rolls Royce.  Someone out there has a little bit of cash, or maybe they did before they bought the car, who knows.

On the way home, we stopped and put gas in the truck, and filled up four gas cans with gas and diesel.  Two cans of each.  Total fuel purchase; $148.30.  I am always amazed when I fill up the truck and the tanks.  That's a LOTTA FUEL!

This should be a pretty good week coming, I will let you know how it works out.

Deeds, Actions, Changes, I GOT GAS!, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2013 - Day 152/213 - Saturday...

It is difficult to believe that today is the first day of June already.  It is also very sad to have received a telephone call early this morning telling me that one of the long-time colleagues of the Austin Board of REALTORS® died early this morning.  Kate was a truly strong and amazing woman and she had suffered from various cancers for many years.  A young woman that worked in the marketing department, I got a chance to know her much better over the past year, specifically last November when we all attended an annual conference in Orlando.  Kate will be sorely missed and today is a sad day on that count.

I did get most of my wish today, though, to do little of nothing.  I did get some office work done, which was not physically tiring but there were some mental calisthenics.  After taking the dog for a walk and then taking him for a drive, short naps were in order, and then we headed out to Elgin.

We were going to Elgin for lunch, and that was great.  We were also on a quest (okay I was on a quest) to find a roadside vendor of concrete lawn art.  You can never have too much of that stuff.  After lunch (I had the brisket plate), we kept heading east on 290 but after 80 miles we turned around.  I am convinced that if I had driven another half mile we would have arrived at the concrete yard art mecca, and all my dreams would have been fulfilled with one swipe of the credit card processor.  BUT NOOOOOOOO!!!!!

Why did the turtle cross the road?  Many times, out here in the country, that question cannot be answered because most often the turtles do not make it to the other side of the road.  BUT, as I was turning from one road to the next, this guy was in the middle of the road.  I stopped and flew him over to the other side of the road where, just moments after I got back in the truck he was happily recounting his encounter with the alien that whisked him off and he doesn't remember too much about it, but he woke up (it seemed like days later) not far from where he had been.  That whole part about the I WAS PROBED is all a lie, I just set him off the road into the tall grass.

Happy travels Kate...

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