2013 - Day 212/153 - Wednesday...

Okay, here is something I think you should try to work into a conversation the next time you get a chance:  pro·tu·ber·ance  / prəˈt(y)o͞ob(ə)rəns/ Noun 1. A thing that protrudes from something else.  2. The fact or state of protruding.  Synonyms; bulge, prominence, bump, lump, swelling, protrusion.

I was able to carry on a conversation using the word noted above with an inflated degree of alacrity this morning, and the conversation just kept going and going and going.  If it weren't for the fact that we had important 'stuff' to do, I dare say we could still be engaged .  I have to tell you, it was pleasantly stimulating, and we all had a big time cavorting through the ups ad downs of the language.  I think we need to work towards the passage of municipal legislation REQUIRING water coolers be installed in every workplace for the furtherment on our First Amendment Rights towards a freer speech.  So there!

Here's a question for you:  What do you give a guy who wants socks?  Okay, it's a trick question, but the answer is:  SOCKS!  My friend Paul and his wife Nancy brought these back for me from their recent visit to San Francisco.  What could be better, and I think they are great.  I need to go look this place up on the Internet.

Meetings this morning lasted much longer than we anticipated, and I did not make it back to the office until after 2 PM, which made me late for my 2 PM appointment, but everything worked out just fine and I was able to get an extraordinary amount of work done in the office on this, the last day of July.

Deeds, Actions, Changes, BUMPY BITS, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2013 - Day 211/154 - Tuesday...

And now I am just repeating stuff that you already know:  A STUPID person doesn't have much intelligence or imagination, and they go through life making decisions that seem to lack all common sense.  If you've got a brain but you don't use it (or you spend all day on Face Book), you might be STUPID.

And if you do a Google search for 'SUPID' (not STUPID, because I was too STUPID to spell it correctly), this is the first image you find.  Yep, it looks pretty darned SUPID to me, but hey, this is my journal, and I can write whatever I want.  Maybe you were expecting another picture of one of the Duck Dynasty folks, but I searched for 'SUPID' not 'SUPID ALL THE WAY TO THE BANK'.  I think the Duck Dynasty people are on the brink of over-kill.  This week they made the cover of the ever diminishing Parade Magazine.  I swear if that thing gets any smaller it will disappear.

Today was an all day in the office kind of day, and that was a good thing.  Tomorrow will be a meeting in the morning kind of day, and then the afternoon in the office.  The morning could be filled with intrigue, I will just need to wait and see.

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

2013 - Day 210/155 - Monday...

Totally useless information (but maybe you can impress your friends and influence people) for the day:  ALACRITY  noun  uh-LAK-ri-tee - cheerful readiness, promptness, or willingness:  We accepted the invitation with alacrity.  liveliness; briskness.  I was enjoying a telephone conversation with a friend of mine who used this word.  I do not remember the context of this particular piece of the conversation, but I have to admit we were cheerful.  It is ALMOST always a cheerful conversation when I get to speak with this friend, and I can only remember one meeting at which I was totally devoid of any alacritousness.  I am hereby making a vow to try and go to the end of the week making all my conversations full of alacrity.  Or at least until I learn a new word to totally boggle you with.  But right now I am busy chissicking, so it will have to wait until that is over.

Okay, it is on!  The next cruise is scheduled to leave Galveston on February 9th.  We will head to Key West, then on to the Bahamas.  Leave on a Sunday, return on a Sunday.  Get a room on a high floor because, as you know, it all rolls downhill!  I would also recommend a room with a window that opens or a balcony, just in case of a prolonged power failure.  Other than the ordinary care you should take to lessen the inconveniences of those (HIGHLY UNLIKELY) adventures, I expect it will be another blast.  Remember, what happens on those big boats stays on those big boats.  AND, if you happen to be a REALTOR® you can get some MCE credit along the way as well.  You do not have to be a RELTOR® to be part of our group though, just come ahead and sign up.  Gonna be fun!

Deeds, Actions, Changes, CHEERFUL READINESS, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2013 - Day 209/156 - Sunday...

Answer to a question you never asked:  The food chain on a patch of land on the edge of nowhere goes something like this:  bug, chicken, riding lawn mower.

Beautiful cloud from late this afternoon.  Enjoy.

Chickens are omnivores and will eat grain, seed, fruit and other vegetation, corns, worms and other insects.  Commercial food pellets are mostly corn and soybean meal with additives such as kelp and supplemental calcium.  The stuff Jody feeds them on the porch and back patio is basic wild bird seed.  What they get out in their coop is organic layer mash, and they go through that like crazy.  The food chain bit is something that comes to my little pea-brain every time I cut the grass.  The mower and the action of cutting the grass has the affect of stirring up a bunch of bugs, and they have yet to figure out that if I am heading towards them at about 12 miles an hour on that mower they need to forget about that cricket and take cover.  But again, it is all about the bugs.

We divested ourselves of another pesky little rooster last night.  I kind of hated to see him go, he was a very pretty bird, but I o not need (or want) roosters around here.  The Danish Brown Leghorns have started to lay, I know that because they are the only chicks that lay white eggs.  We are now getting brown, blue and white eggs, but still not getting very many.  Hopefully production will pick up here in the next couple weeks.

I did get some chores done today.  As already discussed, I got some grass cut, got the cattle fed, got the chicken coop cleaned and moved and organized a bunch of stuff that has been accumulating here and there.  Miguel came out this morning and helped, and that is always good.  It was cloudy for much of the morning but it was VERY humid, not too hot but it was hot enough for me.  By the time we got finished I was exhausted and had to come in and take a nap.

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

2013 - Day 208/157 - Saturday...

Useless trivia for the day:  An average water droplet (let's say rain drop for this journal entry) contains 100 QUINTILLION molecules of water.

So, instead of boring you with the highway stuff yesterday (unrecognizable low-riding vehicle for those of you with attention deficit disorder), I should have gone with the fact that the Sage up by the road were really over doing themselves in the blooming department.  An old farmer theory is that if the Sage is blooming it is a forecast that you will receive rain soon.  Sometimes it is accurate (I think more times than not) and it seemed to be a pretty good prognosticator of what was going to happen last night.  Let's just say I took my pillows and took the dog into the closet and slept in there for a while last night.  I would not have known it was even going on but the dog boy is afraid of thunder and lightning, so he woke me up looking for reassurance.  Of course, laid out on the floor of the closet (him with his butt in my face because he wanted to see out the windows to make sure it was still storming) and me freezing because there is an AC vent in the closet, there was not a lot of sleep being had on my part.  I finally got up and went back to bed, and the dog boy stayed in the closet until about 6 in the morning.  By then the coast was clear.  We got 0.65" of rain, so that was lovely and the Sage is still beautiful.

I made Jody and me a most excellent pile of eggs this morning.  Speaking of eggs, yes, we indeed have another cross-dressing chicken out there.  I heard it crowing this morning, and went to investigate.  It is the solid black Crested Polish, a truly beautiful bird, but Victor will be over tonight to collect him.  I expect there may be one or two more, we shall see.  I hope not.

Tomorrow will be a day of chores, but maybe I can get a nap worked into the fray.

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

2013 - Day 207/158 - Friday...

Stupid but somewhat interesting trivia for the day:  The first product MOTOROLA started to develop was a record player for automobiles.  At the time, the most known player on the market was the Victrola, so they called themselves MOTOROLA.

There were several topics I could have chosen to confound you with today (sages blooming, sunrises, chicken trivia and/or how I spent my summer vacation at Bible Camp when I was eight) but instead it seems like I am stuck for the near term on highway and commuter observations.  The bottom line is that I (once again) stayed in the office too late this afternoon and got stuck in traffic for a variety of reasons.  This is not particularly one of the reasons, but it was an interesting thing to see while traveling down the highway at about 80 miles per hour.  I have no idea what kind of vehicle it is, but I do suspect that if it was at a normal height I would probably peg it easily.  BUT, for the life of me, I can't figure it out.  Is it an Exploder?

Speaking of Friday, I am looking very forward to going to sleep tonight, sleeping a little bit later than usual, and then taking a nap directly after breakfast, and then taking another nap, in between naps.

Today was a really good day in the office; we are wrapping this month up, and getting things ready for the new month.  Life is good, and we are ALL lucky people, just remember that!

You really need to remind me to tell you about Bible Camp...

Deeds, Actions, Changes, LOW RIDERS, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2013 - Day 206/159 - Thursday...

Totally useless trivia for this day:  A widespread, but false, urban legend states that one out of every five miles of the Interstate Highway System must be built straight and flat, so as to be usable by aircraft during times of war.  However, it was the Germans in World War II that used the Autobahns for just such a purpose.

Okay, we are back to talking about Interstate (or in the case of this area Interregional Highway) travel.  I was delayed somewhat getting home this evening.  It seems there was a truck driving southbound pulling a trailer with a boat on it, and the boat decided it preferred to travel northbound.  So, traffic was backed up for MILES in both directions.  I was heading north (the preferred direction if you are a wayward or totally spoiled boat) and I got to the scene of the scene just in time to see a bunch of Georgetown (I think) firemen sitting on the concrete divider like a bunch of grackles roosting on a telephone wire, while another guy with a tow truck tried to winch the boat up onto the flatbed trailer.  From what I could tell, the boat was having no part of it, and preferred to continue its' journey towards Waco under its' own power.  This did not even make the news!

I was able to get lots of stuff done in the office today, and tomorrow looks like it will be a  pretty busy day as well, but everything in a good way!

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

2013 - Day 205/160 - Wednesday...

Here is your useless trivia for the day:  It is estimated that in the average workplace, over 50% of the time employees spend in meetings is WASTED!

If you take that and add the time spent cruising the Internet (not just the porn sites), then you have your answer to why we can't seem to get anything done!  BUT, here is the deal.  LIFE IS GOOD and I am (have been and continue to be) the luckiest guy in the world.  I have lots to be thankful for (not the least of which is jelly beans).  I know lots of great people, I have lots of wonderful colleagues, a wonderful home and family (the one we made, not the one I was born into).  I was delighted to spend most of this week organizing things and reinforcing office procedures.  You just have to make a few minutes every now and then to review/correct/update, so just put your head down and do it.  Thanks for all your help with this Chris!

We are not sure of the exact cause, but Jody got five eggs today.  My theory is that the two drag queen impersonating chickens (the roosters) are gone and the girls have relaxed (in a couple ways).  So, we will see how long this lasts.  We now have 29 girls (there could be another boy or two in the mix, only time will tell), but we should get at least 10 or 15 eggs a day from that flock.  I hope we will be overrun with eggs before too much longer.

Tomorrow is my Meals-On-Wheels day, so that will be fun.  Nothing really on the schedule yet for Friday.

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

2013 - Day 204/161 - Tuesday...

TOTALLY USELESS (but actually kind of interesting) trivia for the day:  If one of your ribs needs to be removed, it can regenerate itself within three months.

Wow, I had no idea!  It is kind of like a lizard growing its' tail back if you have a fight!  Who knew?

So, as some of you know, I had to go to Costco yesterday to pick up some things, and there is this one aisle that I like to go down, sort of just north of the vegetables and refrigerated foods, sort of in the center of the store (width-wise).  I can think of no real reason why I should not have one of these, and at under $40 I should maybe get two.  What do you think?  I have a smaller skeleton on a top shelf of my office (on the wall adjoining the mechanical monkey head), but just think of all the comments that a (close to) life sized skeleton would solicit.  Really?  Why not?  In my opinion, they make the perfect gift as well, so who knows, I may go and clean them out.  What do you say, are you with me?

Today was a busy day in the office, we did a break sponsorship at the Board at 10 o'clock, then back to the office for some more office work, then I had a dental appointment to get my teeth cleaned.  How do you suppose that you can lose a filling and not be aware of it?  It much be a relatively insignificant filling to start with, but I do not want this to be one of those 'well, we really need to replace all those fillings in your head because sooner or later they are all gonna fail anyway, so we might as well go down this path of a twelve-month replacement plan, but don't worry, most of it will be covered by your insurance and it won't hurt a bit'.  Nope, I do not want to get that started.  NOSIRREEBOB!

Tomorrow I have an appointment to get my hair cut, so we will see if any of the filling has fallen out of my head.  I'll get back to you...

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

2013 - Day 203/162 - Monday...

Somewhat useful trivia for today:  Eggs contain the highest quality protein you can buy. Egg protein has the perfect mix of essential amino acids needed by humans to build your own tissues. In addition, eggs have thirteen essential vitamins and minerals.

The cross-dressing chickens (the two card-carrying rooster chickens) were abducted in the dark of the night last night.  It is interesting that you can pretty much do anything you want to a chicken, as long as it is dark.  I don't get it, but you can.  Next time I am going to try and dress one of the girls in a Barry Manilow outfit and put her in front of a piano and see if she will start pantomiming to an old LP album.  I am thinking of starting her with something simple like Mandy, and seeing how she does, then we can go on to advanced classes.  One of the young girls has decided it is time to lay, Jody reports that he got one-and-a-half eggs today.  From this photo you can see the honorable mentionable effort that one of the girls produced.  I don't care who you are, that little egg is definitely better than anything I could have layed...I'm just sayin...

It was a good day today, I got lots of things done in the office, then I left about 2:30 to run a couple errands and drop off some stuff at the Board.  Then I had the wonderful opportunity to meet up with dear clients George and June.  It has been about four years since the last time we saw each other and they have not changed a bit.  Wonderful people.

I have an appointment to get my teeth cleaned tomorrow afternoon, and a haircut on Wednesday.  I lead such an interesting and full life!

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

2013 - Day 202/163 - Sunday...

Totally useless (but informative) trivia for the day:  A single 1,000 pound cow produces ten tons of manure per year.  For all you Aggies out there, that's 20,000 pounds of crap!  And that explains a lot!

I should know better than to sit at the breakfast table (minding my own business) and gaze out the window towards the cattle pastures.  I was looking at what I thought was Orchid back in the field, and thought that the sunrise was making her look really dark.  Then I noticed her walk past the shed out there, and she was on THIS SIDE of the shed.  Then I noticed a red tag in her ear, and decided we had a visiting cow back there.  I put on some pants and shoes and went back there.  Our cattle were all in the far south pastures, and this wayward bull calf was doing everything he could to get in there with them.  He was really spooked, so it was not worth it to get too close to him.  Upon consultation, it was determined that the calf did not belong to Hubert and Pauline, and I knew it was not one of Randy and Irene's, but we all determined it was one of the big Schwertner operation calves. 

That was about seven o'clock this morning, and by about 9:30 they had sent a young man out to survey the situation.  To make a long story short, the two of us (I expect I was at least three times older than this man) got that calf from one pasture to the next, aggravating our cattle all along the way.  The calf broke through two sets of fences, and finally on the third set, one of his back legs got caught in the fence and he was pretty well immobilized.  That got Mr. Speckles all riled up and all of our other cattle were a little agitated, but the man got the calf all hog-tied (my job was to sit on the calves head and keep my one hand over his eye so he could not see anything) and then we got him in the trailer and life was relatively calm after that.  There is/was much more to it, but there is no real need to bore you all to tears.  I do wish I had a picture of me sitting on the head of that calf, but that will be another day.

Before all this happened (and while I was waiting for the calf rescue service) I did get the chicken coop cleaned out.  The roosters are still here, I hope their fate will be a little bit clearer after tonight.  I am tired of watching one (or both of them) trying to dominate the hens, and I know the hens will not miss them at all.  We are getting very few eggs, and we don't know if it is because of the heat or if it is because of all the 'attention' they are getting from the roosters.  BUT, I do not want the roosters, so it will be good when they are gone.

After all the excitement, I also got the cattle fed, and everyone is back to normal and if you were to look back there now, it all just looks very calm and idyllic.

I need to get back to work tomorrow so I can get some rest.

Deeds, Actions, Changes, LOOSE LIVESTOCK, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2013 - Day 210/164 - Saturday...

Totally useless trivia for the day:  By definition, "a vacuum cleaner (also called a vacuum or hoover or a sweeper) is a device that uses an air pump to create a partial vacuum to suck up dust and dirt, usually from floors."  The first attempts to provide a mechanical solution to floor cleaning were begun in England in 1599. Before vacuum cleaners, rugs were hung over a wall or line and hit repeatedly with a carpet beater to pound out as much dirt as possible.

You would think there would be trivia about a veritable plethora of trivial things, but it is not easy to find trivia about the trivial.  Maybe I should be looking under trivia about the trivial, and just go from there.

Today was certainly one for the record books.  I stayed in bed relatively late; I would have stayed in bed later but the sun was coming up and I knew the girls would be getting kind of antsy to be loosed, so I got up and loosed them.  Jody and I were still kind of sated from the dinner we had last night, but Jody ended up having some cereal and I had a pile of eggs for one.  Pretty good, too!

After breakfast I retired to my big blue chair, and took a nap.  Upon wakening, I went with Jody and the boy dog for his ride, then it was back down for another nap.  We went into Georgetown where we had lunch and then went to Target where Jody bought a new coffee maker. 

Then it was time for another nap, but preceding the nap, I VACUUMED the main living areas of the house.  We have two animals living inside the house that have a tendency to shed and the house gets a little bit fuzzy between visits by the housekeeper.  I can remember a time that I actually enjoyed vacuuming, and it was kind of a pleasant diversion this afternoon.  I may need to do it again every now and then.  The dog was not that thrilled about it, and I know for sure the cat was not that happy, but those are the breaks.

And then I took another nap.

I don't think my spell checker is working anymore...

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

2013 - Day 200/165 - Friday...

Totally useless trivia for the day:  There is very little trivia about the television series REVOLUTION, which is currently being filmed in Bartlett, Texas (not far from the edge of nowhere where we live).

After I got home from work this afternoon, we went into Schwertner to help celebrate 100 years of the Schwertner State Bank.  We were there along with the crème de la crème of the edge of nowhere society, and could see our Governor off over there in the shade schmoozing with the gentry.  We got there about 30 minutes after the start of the activities, and we saw food (but we saw no one WITH food) and there were really no seats to be had, so we left and went into Bartlett  for burgers.  A fun time was had by all.

We went to Lois an Jerry's for our dinner, and it was good, not as crowded as the celebration had been and there was air conditioning, one of the finer points of indoor activities in July in central Texas.  After dinner, we walked across the street and looked at the set they are using for the television show.  Pretty interesting.  I have decided I am going to sign up to be an extra for a day or two and see what happens.  $64 a day for an eight hour day.  I kind of think it will be fun.  I will report back to you if I get chosen for a street scene or something.  The set is coming along nicely, and this is an updated photo for your enjoyment.

I am looking forward to a little bit of extra sleep in the morning,

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

2013 - Day 199/166 - Thursday...

"Hot enough for you today" but otherwise totally useless trivia for the day:  Why does it feel hotter when it is more humid?  When the humidity is high, sweat doesn't evaporate as much, and so our body loses some of the cooling effect that the evaporation of sweat provides.

In my honest and humble opinion, it is not the heat, it is the stupidity!  Other than that I have no strong opinions.  The rain is done for the near term, the city is damp, everything is kind of gushy, and it was hot today after several days of below average temperatures.  There are still some nice clouds in the sky here and there, but the sunshine is back and it heated everything up rather quickly.  It is a good thing the rain has stopped, because most of us were right on the cusp of complaining about the rain and the lack of sunshine.  We are never content with whatever it is that we have, always looking for something different and/or better.  We all acknowledge that we need rain, but we would prefer nice steady showers that fill the lakes but really only while we are sleeping and not causing us any particular inconveniences.  This is a photo of some clouds as observed from outside the Board Offices this afternoon.  Kind of pretty...

The two cross dressing chickens have dates with a pillow case just after dark on Saturday night.  Victor is going to stop by and take them; not sure if he will keep them or not, but if not he knows someone that might want them.  OR they may become soup for someone.  I know for sure, all the girls in that coop out there will not be sorry to see them go.

Here is another indictment of life at this edge of nowhere:  I reported a couple days ago that there was a television series being filmed in Bartlett, and the fact that the city looked sort of 'economically disadvantaged (I am paraphrasing)' worked in the city's favor.  Well, they are casting, and this is reported in this weeks copy of the Tribune Progress (Serving Central Texas Since 1886).  "Although they will be casting all types, some specific types they are seeking include: frail men, women and children; heavily tattooed men and women; men and women with odd/interesting body modifications; jugglers and carnival sideshow acts..."  Really?  In Bartlett?  If you think you qualify, go to www.onlocationcasting.net and apply.  What could it hurt?

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

2013 - Day 198/167 - Wednesday...

Useless trivia for the day (and remember, you read it here most recently, not necessarily first): 

In 1945, a farmer cut the head off a chicken with the intention of killing it and cooking it for dinner. However, after the beheading the chicken was still alive and the farmer had a change of heart. His family fed it with an eyedropper and kept it alive for 18 months. It finally died when it choked on a piece of corn.

So, this is a photo of one of the little cock-a-doodle-doers that are causing a bit of havoc around the place.  Rumor has it (Jody said) that two or three of the Silver Laced Wyandotte's had just about enough of one of them this afternoon and turned the tides on him and chased him off the porch.  There is a lot of bravado coming out of these guys, but perhaps it is all just an act.  I know for sure, I doubt that one (probably both) of them will not be expected to live for 18 months if it/they get their heads handed to them on a paper towel.  You are welcome for the graphic!

Busy day today, but all was good.  It was fun for me and Carrie to meet with Ben, who I had not seen since December, and not sure how long it has been since Carrie saw him.  Working on a web-site reno, and Ben is THE BEST!  Let me know if you are looking!  Busy, busy, busy, etc., etc., etc.

We did get a little bit more rain today, just about 0.07", but it was raining pretty well in Austin this afternoon when I left the office.  According to the Internet when I left, it was 73 degrees in Austin and 88 degrees in Bartlett.  Grey cloudy rainy in Austin, sunny and clearing in Bartlett, but that has changed somewhat in the last few hours.

Deeds, Actions, Changes, COCKS (there, I said it), Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2013 - Day 197/168 - Tuesday...

Useless trivia for the day (and I think we could all use more uselessness):  A killer whale can eat 2,000 pounds in one sitting.  Now just try to get a whale to sit...

Still raining off and on here, so far for the month we are at exactly four inches.  The official rainfall total for the city of Austin is less that a half inch.  Interesting how it rains close by, but not really everywhere.  There have been reports of up to six inches in some places, and the lakes have come up a little bit, but I doubt it will do much to increase the levels.  As I sit here, I am watching a big series of clouds roll into view; the winds are rising and it is sprinkling outside, a little bit of thunder and it is getting dark.  The wind has turned and is now coming in from the south, so I expect we will have another little precipitation event this evening.  Still chances through Thursday, too. 

The chickens seem to be a little bit excitable right now, Vera looks like she has been through a wringer, but I am pretty much of the opinion that she is just molting.  We shall see.  At any rate, the roosters (hens in drag) will be history not later than the weekend.  I can remember as a kid when we lived in Trenton, Michigan...my mother would kill chickens in the back yard and pluck them for dinner.  I have thought about the wringing of the neck part, but not too interested in the plucking part.

Pretty good day today, better day tomorrow I expect.  Early morning appointments and then afternoon in the office with our web-developer guy.

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

2013 - Day 196/169 - Monday...

Totally useless trivia for the day:  World's one minute rainfall record:   July 4, 1956, 1.23 inches of rain fell in Unionville, MD.

In the past 24 hours, we have received approximately (not exactly) 2.72" of rain here on the edge of nowhere (which is further than the middle of nowhere).  I do not even think we got past the low 80's, and I think Austin made it to the higher 80's, but I doubt that it hit the 90 degree mark. SUH-WEET!  Still supposed to rain some more.  Not sure if any of this rainfall made it into the lakes, but it could not hurt, we are happy for whatever we get.

By all accounts, this was Monday, but it was not (by my account anyway) a terrible day.  Got some good work done in the morning, went to a mid-day meeting, and then got some good work done in the afternoon.  All in all, not a bad showing for a Monday.  The fact that it rained off and on is not to be discounted for helping it be a good day.

Anybody you know want a rooster?  There was a lot more cock-a-doodle-doing going on outside when I was checking the meters.  AND, either Vera is molting or somebody is trying to show her she is not necessarily the boss any more, and if that is the case, I will be showing somebody who is really the boss.  So there!!!

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

2013 - Day 195/170 - Sunday...

Useless trivia for yesterday (but it did not make the entry yesterday, so I saved it for today):  The Most Disgusting Items Ever Seen at a Garage Sale (or at least by the person I plagiarized this bit of trivia from): plus-size grey bras which were once white, a toilet plunger, plastic baby bottles with dried milk in the bottom, a parakeet cage encrusted with dried poop (anyone ever heard of bird flu?)

I don't know what you guys pick up at yard sales, but yesterday was the first time I went to a yard sale in a couple years.  I can usually just drive past them slowly and scope them out, and decide on the fly whether or not I want to stop.  The 'merchandise' at this particular sale was about 100 yards off the road, and I did not want us to get trapped and held hostage, so Jody parked on the road and I walked up to the sale.  This little item was had for a DOLLAH, just a buck, and I think it was a rare find, if I do say so myself.  I also got a rolling plant saucer (always looking for something to give the girls water in) as a little bit of lagniappe!  What could be better?

I worked my butt off today, and by four or five o'clock I was getting crabby and tired.  I did get a chance to talk to my friend Jennifer this morning, I was just leaving Home Depot with a pile of various wood pieces for one of the projects.  BUT, Miguel and I did manage to get the cattle fed, some flooring put into a new shed that we had put in last week, chicken coop cleaned and a new 'interior' window put in the 'interior' door of the coop, and we (mostly Miguel) cut the bloom off the Agave.  The winds shifted to the north this afternoon (temperatures plummeted to about 68 degrees at dinner time, almost forty degrees cooler than the same time yesterday), and the Agave was just swaying back and forth, so might as well cut it down.  The big plant is expected to croak now, but at least it will not die because it was uprooted.  I expect it to die, but I will do what I can to save it.

When I went to let the girls loose this morning, there was some very definite cock-a doodle-doing emanating from the coop, so there are two drag queens out there in the coop, and they are not going to be there for very long.  I expect they will be gone by the end of this week.  I need to call Victor and see if he wants them, or if you know anyone who would like a couple cross-dressing chickens, just let me know.

Deeds, Actions, Changes, YARD ART, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2013 - Day 194/171 - Saturday...

Totally useless trivia for the day:  Taco is Spanish for 'plug'.

Our mail is delivered to the Bartlett, Texas Post Office, although we do not particularly lay claim to living in Bartlett.  We tell people we live in Bartlett (because that is where the mail is delivered), but really we live somewhere (we know exactly where) between Walburg and Schwertner. 

Bartlett is currently preparing to be one of the locations for the second season of a television series I did not even know existed, called REVOLUTION.  To the best of my knowledge, it is set in the year 2025 and is about life in the United States after all technology has failed and there is no electricity anywhere in the country.  The Bartlett Tribune Progress (Serving Central Texas Since 1886) has been devoting many a column inch to the goings-on of this production, good, bad and (mostly) indifferent.  BUT, there was an interesting article in this weeks paper that said (and I quote) Ironically, the rustic, vacant look of a slightly depressed economy worked in favor of Bartlett.  There is a lot of reading between the lines that can be taken from that sentence, so make of it what you will.  One of the big things going on is the façade of a decaying courthouse being built IN THE MIDDLE of one of the main streets in the city.  Not on the street, IN THE STREET.  I wonder how they are going to get rid of the electric lines visible behind the façade?  Whatever...

Today was a pretty typical Saturday, so I won't go into many details.  Tomorrow will be a big chore day, and it is supposed to be a little bit cooler, so that will be nice.  It only made it up to 105 degrees in Austin today.

Deeds, Actions, Changes, PRODUCTION SETS, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2013 - Day 193/172 - Friday...

TOTALLY Useless trivia for the day (and I am not making this up and it has absolutely NOTHING to do with anything else in today's entry):  There are exactly (not approximately) 216 noodles in every can of Campbell's Chicken Noodle Soup.

It is extremely hot today, made it up to 103 degrees, and we are supposed to have one more day of it before we get a little bit of a cool down (including some good chances of rain) beginning on Sunday.  I really have no concept of the heat until I get home and start messing with chickens or walking around the house or running away from wasps.  BUT, there was a lovely sunrise this morning, and that was nice.

Today was busy; most of my morning was spent at the Board, but I was able to get some good work done in the afternoon at the office.  Next week will be a better week for real estate accomplishments.

I believe I will set off tomorrow on a crusade against wasps.  Jody said the pool guy got stung by a wasp this afternoon, and his thumb was so badly swollen that he could not do anything to the pool, he had to leave.  He took the Polaris with him, so maybe he will bring that back when he returns, and maybe it will work now.

Plus, I get to (I hope) sleep a little bit later tomorrow.

Deeds, Actions, Changes, WASPS OR NOODLES, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2013 - Day 192/173 - Thursday...

(Interesting, but otherwise) Useless trivia for the day: Blue Bell Creameries, founded in 1907, is the manufacturer of Blue Bell brand ice cream.  Blue Bell sells its ice cream directly in only 22 states, mostly in the Southern United States, although Blue Bell ice cream has also been eaten aboard the International Space Station and at Camp David. Notwithstanding its small market penetration, Blue Bell is the second largest selling ice cream brand in the United States as a whole.

I seem to be having more difficulty keeping things in their proper perspectives.  It was hotter than the devil here today (and yesterday and the day before and it will be tomorrow and the day after, etc., etc., etc.) but really, all you need to do is find a comfortable place to cool off, and I think I found just such a place!  Positive reinforcement that I am indeed the luckiest man in the world.

I got lots of work done in the office today before I left to go on some appointments.  I had two appointments that I needed to cancel (reschedule) due to over-scheduling.  Everyone I know is over-scheduled, and I am not certain that anyone is making any progress.

Tomorrow I have appointments in the morning, and my afternoon is relatively open.  Good things are going to happen in the afternoon, just you wait and see!

Deeds, Actions, Changes, ICE CREAM, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2013 - Day 191/174 - Wednesday...

Useless (and really disgustingly accurate) trivia for the day:  Austin has the FOURTH WORST traffic congestion in the United States!

Congestion score: 20.7; Population density: 406.7 people per sq. mile (70th highest); Average commute time: 25.8 minutes (45th highest); Pct. driving to work: 85.8% (47th lowest).  No metro area with more than a million residents had a greater percentage increase in population from July 1, 2011, and July 1, 2012, than Austin's 3% growth, according to the Austin Statesman. This is hardly news for the area, which has expanded rapidly for more than a decade and, like much of the state, has been unable to expand transportation infrastructure to handle this growth. In 2012, Austin was one of four metro areas with an INRIX index score higher than 20, well above the 6.6 score for the U.S. overall. It was also one of just six large metro areas in which the INRIX index score worsened compared to the year before.

I have not complained about the traffic in Austin for a while, but it was kind of a double barreled whammy day for me and traffic today.  Even though I left for the office REALLY EARLY today, traffic was a mess.  I made it into the office, and then left at 9:30 for a meeting that was about 35 blocks away from my office.  The meeting was at 10 AM, and I got there with two minutes to spare.  Getting back to the office was not a big deal (at 3:15 or so) but I left the office for home at about 4:45 and it was not a happy situation on the Interstate (actually in Austin it is the Interregional Highway). 

It was 'stop and stop' all the way until I was north of Georgetown, and when I got north of Georgetown there was an 18 wheeler on its side (the whole thing) on the ramp from Texas 130 to IH-35.  An interesting day for traffic in Austin.

But it did give me a chance to look at the pretty clouds...

Tomorrow will be another busy day, meetings and appointments.

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

2013 - Day 190/175 - Tuesday...

Useless (no really, I mean it, this has ABSOLUTELY no worth as best I can discern) trivia for the day:  The alphabet, arranged by frequency of use:  ETAISONHRDLUCMFWYPGVBKJQXZ. 

It would be interesting to monitor to see how many of you just counted those letters to make sure I used them all..

Today was the last day of 'guidance' for the week.  Six hours of instruction yesterday, six hours today and I am ready for bed already.  BUT, the thing is, I totally enjoy doing it, it just tires me out.

The clouds this afternoon on the way home were beautiful, and this photo does not do them justice.  They seemed to be all arranged like invading aliens.  There were just rows and rows of cumulonimbus clouds, and it was delightful.  Very nice.

Tomorrow I will go into the office early, then head off to a meeting at the Texas Real Estate Commission.  We are doing good work in the group I was appointed to, and it is really interesting and rewarding.  Interesting stuff.  Plus I get to see some of my colleagues that I have not seen for a couple months.  What could be better?

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

2013 - Day 189/176 - Monday...

Useless trivia for the day:  Adult learners are most likely to become interested and enthused about Mandatory Continuing Education (MCE) classes when they are allowed to discuss their life experiences.  Adult learners prefer to participate in class, as opposed to listening to lectures.  They want to share the vast store of knowledge they have accumulated over the years.  Once they realize that their experiences and knowledge are useful and meaningful, they gain confidence in their own abilities.

This is a photo of the sunrise I was presented with before I left for the Board this morning.  Absolutely lovely. I got to enjoy this as I was en route to loose the girls, and they were ready to be loosed, too!

I spent my day at the Board of REALTORS® guiding a group of adult learners through a couple classes dealing with Property Leasing and Property Management.  Tomorrow will be a single class dealing specifically with Property Management.  There is no was you can learn all there is to know with these two days of classes; lots of it just comes as the result of experience, but it is good to have group interaction where we can all relay our experiences.

Wednesday will be another busy day, and I will kind of get back into the swing of things on Thursday and Friday.

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

2013 - Day 188/177 - Sunday...

Useless (or maybe not) trivia for the day:  Never squash a wasp that has stung you. Upon being crushed, it will release a chemical that becomes airborne; this signals guard wasps to come and sting whatever gets in their way.

Wasps we got.  Today I have encountered wasps is a variety of places; a peach tree, a grape vine, a bale of hay, underneath one of the cattle troughs, in the bar-b-cue pit, and under one of the steps of a six foot step ladder.  I remain (as of this writing) unscathed by them and I hope to remain so or the immediate (and long term) future.  The wasps out here (and they seem to be everywhere this year) are the big RED wasps, and if they sting you, you are practically immobilized.  You have to sit down and rest.  THEY STING like they MEAN it.  It is kind of crazy that there are so many wasps in such a variety of places.  Jody has begun speculating that we are in the midst of a seventeen year WASP cycle.  I am not for sure if there is such a thing or not, but if it has not been heretofore recognized, you heard it here first.

It is another HOT day, ad nauseum.  There are some lovely clouds in the sky, and there is a little chance of rain later.  Miguel came out this morning and helped me get some work done, so that was great.  It was nice and cloudy while he was here, but so humid we were just wringing wet with glistening agents. 

We made it a short work day, but got lots of things done.  After that it was nap time, and I took full advantage of that.  We are going to head into Georgetown this evening for dinner; I think we will end up at Catfish Parlor, always a reliable source of several differently colored food groups.

This work week will be a wild and crazy one for me; overscheduled to the max.  I will be teaching two days, then lots of appointments for the rest of the week.

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

2013 - Day 187/178 - Saturday...

Useless trivia for today:  Although considered a fruit, the fig is actually a flower inverted into itself. They are the only fruit to ripen on the tree. Originally native from Turkey to northern India, the fig fruit spread to many of the Mediterranean countries.

Figs we got!  We have one fig tree out in the circle, and parts of it keep dying (I am still uncomfortable with this spelling) but the tree itself remains a sizable concern.  It just dies back but never dies.  It continues to take up the same about of space it had taken up BEFORE it died back.  ANYWAY, this year the figs are ripening at an interesting pace; like one at a time.  In years past, I have harvested BUCKETS full of them, but this year I have only managed to pick one or two tops.  Maybe the chickens are getting them (I hope) or maybe it is grass hoppers.  LOCUSTS?

I did sleep in a little bit later this morning, and would have stayed if I were not a responsible chicken farmer type person.  I got up, loosed the girls, collected the newspaper, made coffee, and then made a pile of eggs for me and Jody.  Then it was time for the first (or a series of ) nap(s).

Eventually Jody and I took the dog for a walk (the dog did not participate) and then we took the dog for a ride (minimal participation on the part of the dog and me).  I did at least get a chance to bark at things while the dog lay in the back seat licking himself. 

I had to go into Austin to walk one property, and then we headed home.

All in all a pretty good day.  Tomorrow will be a chore day, a heat day and possibly a rain day.

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

2013 - Day 186/179 - Friday...

Useless bit of trivia for the day:  Columbus's ship, the Santa Maria, weighed less than the Titanic's rudder.

It is FRIDAY!  Yippee!  I (kind of) have a day off tomorrow, but I do have to go into town, a quick trip, but it is kind of a drag to have to go and come back.  In and out, nobody gets hurt!

A couple years ago (or maybe last year) Jody gave me this Mexican Bird of Paradise plant and we planted it in the front flower bed.  Since then, it went down to nothing but is making a pretty good come back.  It is overwhelmed by Four O'Clock's and CHICKENS; I expect the chickens are harder on it that the other plants.  But it is doing pretty nicely, and putting up blooms.  I also found out that there is NO SUCH THING as a Mexican Bird of Paradise.  The plant have a botanical name that is about 35letters long and contains one vowel, but it is (allegedly) correctly known as the RED Bird of Paradise.  I read it on the Internet, so it has to be true.

I got a pretty good amount of work done in the office today, and made it home by about 5:30.  Life is good, at least I will be able to sleep a little bit later in the morning.

Deeds, Actions, Changes, HAPPY PLANTS, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2013 - Day 185/180 - Thursday...

Useless trivia for the day:  When the Statue of Liberty was restored (not sure which time this refers to), her steel framework was coated with Teflon.

Happy Fourth of July everyone, I hope you have all had a great day, and that you are not working in retail.  It seems like many of the retail places were open to capture those of us that suffer from attention deficit disorder.  We (for two) did not participate in any retail therapy today, and avoided parking lots ad commercial venues.

I would have slept longer this morning but there was some sort of over achieving bird outside the bedroom that was just maniacal in its twittering.  Crazy!  Plus, once I remember that the girls are wanting to be loosed, it is time to get up.  Once it is light, they are ready to be un-cooped.  There was a beautiful sunrise this morning, so I did get a chance to see that, and that was worthwhile.

After a pile of eggs and a couple non-consequential chores, it was down for a nap.  Early this afternoon, we headed into Austin to share some bar-b-cue (que?) at our friend Steve's house.  There were a passel of people there and it was fun to see all the interactions and watching them play pool volley ball.

Once we got home, it was back down for another nap.  No need for dinner tonight, I am still stuffed from the late lunch.  Tomorrow is a full day in the office, then to walk a couple properties and to list a property for sale.

Enjoy the fireworks.

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

2013 - Day 184/181 - Wednesday (but it's kind of like a Friday)...

Useless trivia for the day:  The Queen owns all dolphins, porpoises, and sturgeons in British waters.  What is she doing with all that stuff, and why does she need it?  Does she sew little tags on them, or hook a little thing on them that says 'IF FOUND, RETURN TO'?

Just curious...

Last night I hooked up with a dear and long time friend, Queen Wienke.  It has been too long, and I am so glad to hear from you.  Even the short e-mails were like we just saw each other a couple days ago.  Easy friendships are the best friendships...and I am lucky to have several of those!

Today is the 3rd of July, kind of like the bridesmaid of days if you think about it...everybody is glad that today is here, but all the emphasis is on tomorrow.  Jody and I have plans to go to a friends house and enjoy a little sun and camaraderie, then back to the house to chill.  I will be working on Friday, so there is no real opportunity for a long weekend.  BUT, that is not what this particular Holiday (or any of them for that matter) is all about.

Deeds, Actions, Changes, FRIENDS FOUND, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2013 - Day 183/182 - Tuesday...

Useless trivia for the day:  The Century Plant gets its name from the species that take 100 years to flower in the wild. However, in cultivation with adequate summer moisture, the agave plant usually flowers in 10 to 15 years. Agaves generally flower once and then die, a process called monocarpy.

In my opinion, it should be called Mono-CRAPPY!  I spent a sizable amount to have these Century Plants hauled from my mother's house to the farm, and the biggest one is gonna croak after less than a year.

Maybe it should be called Mono-CROAKY!  What do you think?

I was accused of being FOCUSED several times today.  Maybe I should just drink less coffee.

Not a bad day in the office, but BUSY!  One of my colleagues announced yesterday that July is the busiest month of the year for those of us in the Property Management Persuasion, and I believe him.  Non-Stop stuff going on in the office.  Crazy.

Midnight last night was kind of the hump day for the year, everything now is 'the last half' of the year.  Tomorrow is hump day for the week, kind of.  We are going to be off on the Fourth, but we are working in the fifth.  Too busy not to, and we need to do it just to try and keep up.

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

2013 - Day 182/183 - Monday...

Useless trivia for the day:  A sunrise is defined as occurring when the top of the sun appears on a sea-level horizon.

Well, are you all ready?  At midnight tonight (where ever you are, I think) the year will be officially half-over. Yep, we are already half-way through this one, and the next one is looming large before us.

There was a pretty sunrise this morning, and it got prettier as the morning progresses, although by that time I was in my car on the way to the office, and could not find any convenient places to pull over and record it photographically.

Who would have ever thought that temperatures in the low to mid 90's would be looked at as refreshing?  Well, that is exactly what we are experiencing here today, and based on what we endured over the weekend, it is really welcome.  The 'normal' temperatures are supposed to be with us for a couple more days, then we creep back up to the century levels.

It was a really busy day today, and it will be busy for the rest of this week, and probably throughout the month.  Lots of stuff to be done and lots of things to keep current.

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