2014 - Day 151/214 - Saturday...

Only about 28 more hours to go and the weekly television calamity of inept programming will come to an end.  The high spot of televised viewing today was repeats of The Rifleman, and no, you should not ask me why.  For your own good, do not go there.

The Passion Vines we had installed last year did make it through the drought and/or the freezing weather we had over the winter.  We had those four vines replaced with six vines this year.  The blossoms on the vines last year were the traditional lavender/violet colors, and this year the blooms are kind of a burgundy color.  I think the whole thing is an Aggie plot.

You are all aware that I am OCD, and that I am a victim of habit.  I keep up with lots of different things, but here are a couple interesting ones.  This month we had a total of 6.8 inches of rain (not too shabby if I do say so myself, and that puts us at 11.6 inches of rain for the year.  It actually sounds better than it is, since all that rainfall is the result of two or three good downpours.  If it had been spread out over some longer time periods it would have been better.  And eggs!  This month we collected 366 (30 1/2 dozen) eggs, and for the year we have collected 1,776 eggs (148 dozen).  We are doing okay in the egg department so far!

Today was a pretty much normal slacker day, tomorrow will be the normal work around the house day.

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

2014 - Day 150/215 - Friday...

Oh Boo-Hoo.  It's Friday, try to get a grip.  It is not l the world or anything. It just means about fifty one hours of bad (poor) television programming.  After that, I will be asleep, and then it will be Monday, which is a challenge all on its' own.  Kind of like going from the frying pan to the fire.

I always cry at movies, and today was no exception.  We had a sales/staff/office meeting this morning, and we went to see Maleficient.  It was good, I cried.  I can cry during commercials, and I have.  I cry at the YouTube crap that is posted on Face Book.  I cry at those commercials the ASPCA pouts out (I can't decide if I am crying about the animals or Sally Struthers, or is that another set of commercials?).  Anyway...I give it an okay recommendation, the special effects were good, and it was interesting.  Not sure if it will be award material or not.  The twenty minutes of previews look promising though.  I have a pretty good idea what the popular costumes will be this Halloween!

And then there was work to do.  I worked before and after the movie, and I am actually pretty well caught up with things.  Another month comes to an end, and another month begins.

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

2014 - Day /216 - Thursday...

Well, tomorrow will be better than most.  We are having an office meeting at 10:30 off-site, and it should be pretty good.  We are going to see Maleficent, already got the tickets (I did it myself on-line, I am very proud of me) and now all we have to do is show up.

It is getting warm in central Texas, and there are indications that folks will be complaining about the heat not later than the middle of next week.  It really has not been very hot so far, but the stupidity (sorry, I meant the humidity) has been worse than I remember in recent years.  Ninety degrees and ninety percent humidity makes for whining, and I am just the guy to do it!  We may have a little bit of a chance of rain this weekend, and these are some of the clouds I had the good fortune to see on the drive home this afternoon.  Looking back, I think the cloud photos might be wearing out their welcome, so I will try to come up with something more creative for tomorrow.  Tune in!

Otherwise, today was a good day.  I had a meeting scheduled that had the potential of lasting well into the afternoon, but it did not make, and I was back in the office by 11.  That gave me the opportunity to attend an owner's association meeting that conflicted with the earlier meeting.  That was okay, and then it was back into the office for the rest of the afternoon and some more power real estate.

After the office meeting tomorrow, it will be back to the office for some month-end finish-up stuff, and next week will be June!  Time flies when you are having fun!

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

2014 - Day 148/217 - Wednesday...

Really?  Yesterday I had to keep reminding myself that it was not Monday, and today I cannot help but keep thinking that today is ONLY Wednesday.  I need to play Rip Van Winkle!

It was a lovely day, weather wise in central Texas.  No rain to speak of although I did see a few drop on the windshield this morning.  The sun was out, the clouds were lovely, and I took this photo of Downtown with the clouds in the background on my way home, via the South First Street bridge.  Pretty.

Today was a day devoted mostly to real estate, working in the office, making phone calls to clients, and getting business taken care of.  In the middle, I was able to head off to the Board to attend a Forum about the renovations and the express lanes they are adding to MoPac, how to fight your fight your property appraisal, and another presentation from the Travis County Tax Collector.  Pretty interesting stuff actually, and I learned a couple things.

There are 635,000 (approximately) registered voters in Travis County and that about 6% of those registered voters participated in the run-off elections, either during early voting or on the actual day of the elections (yesterday).

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

2014 - Day 147/218 - Tuesday...

Note to self:  Today is Tuesday!  If you don't believe me, look up and you will see that is even says so in the title of this post.  TOLD YOU!

In the past 72 hours, we have received 2.87" of rain.  I know that is nothing for you guys to get excited about, but we are damn happy with that.  That puts us at 6.76" for the month, and we are practically delirious with the thought that we might get a little more overnight.  I am not thrilled that the boy dog was a big nervous Nellie last night, which means that I did not get any sleep from about 2:30 until about 4 o'clock.  Then it was only about a half-hour until my usual wake up time.  I am pretty sure it was another one of those instances where I got more sleep than I think I did, but I still could have done without the light show and the sound effects (and the thunder crashes, too).  But I digress (which is perfectly okay for me t do because this is my blog and I will write whatever in the hell I want to):  This is a photo of some lovely lilies that are starting to bloom out all around the house.  Unfortunately, the rain pretty much beat these down, but they are hanging in there, and are quite nice.

As I mentioned earlier, today is and continues to be Tuesday.  It was not a simple or efficient feat getting into the office this morning.  It had rained and the streets were slippery and I was expecting the State would call it in as a "weather day", but no, they unleashed the multitudes of cray-cray drivers on the otherwise cray-cray drivers (but usually on dry streets) that can only lead to bad situations up and down the central Texas Interregional (otherwise known as Interstate) Highway systems.  Not a good thing.

Tomorrow (I hope) will be calmer, but if it means we will not get any rain overnight, I say bring on the cray-crays!

Deeds, Actions, Changes, CRAY-CRAYS, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2014 - Day 146/219 - Memorial Day...

I hope you all had a moment to sit back, and think about what today memorializes.  I did remember to thank Jody for working during the war to make sure we would be able to enjoy our freedoms.  We are all lucky people, and we need to remember that more often, and to thank those that fought for us to be able to have a turkey wiener and a boiled egg whenever in the hell we want to.  So there...

One more thing...not only is today Memorial Day, it is Monday, which means Antiques Roadshow is on.  I need t type more quickly, who cares about accuracy?

Along those same lines...here is a capsule of my day.  Although I did not get out of bed while it was occurring, there was a cat fight (or some kind of fight) outside our bedroom windows (if this display or feline vocal chords was not outside the windows, they were bigger cats than I am thinking) at EXACTLY 4:25 this morning. Perfect!  As I said, I did not get up, and in fact I stayed in the bed until after six o'clock.  Got up, checked e-mails, made coffee, read the paper, made a pile of eggs (does any of this sound familiar?) and then I went outside to pull (select) weed off the berm where the storm shelter is.  I go most of them up by the roots, some of them broke off and some of them are still there and I intend t decapitate them with the machete later in the week.  I stopped for a while, came inside to take a nap and it started to rain, so that was the end of that.  It takes very little for me to stop pulling weeds, and I am easily distracted.

It rained most of the day, and so far we have received 1.05" in the gauge.  We will take it!  Happy to have it.  The pastures will produce a little bit more grass, and we should get at least one more cutting of hay before the end of the year, two more (at least) if we are lucky.  I have not been back to check the tanks, but I imagine they have a little bit more water in them than they had.  Today's rainfall gives us 4.98" for the month, thank you very much.

The kids in Georgetown had school today to make up for one of the snow days back during he winter.  They voted on it (the parents voted on it), the choices were Good Friday, Memorial Day, a day of Spring Break o add a day to the end of the year.  They chose Memorial Day, but if you did not go to school today, it was an automatic excused absence.  Hmmm.

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

2014 - Day 145/220 - Sunday...

These are some of the first of our Morning Glories.  They seem to be short bus morning glories because they are so slow to develop.  I think part of the problem is that we are not in the 'heat island' of a major population center, so when it is cold here, it is just cold.  There is no residual heat from asphalt, concrete or freaks.  Our Iris and other plants bloom and produce much later in the year than those in Austin as well.  Just to make sure everyone knows it (and I am not proud of this fact), I am envious of Sylvia's morning glories.  I covet them, DON'T JUDGE ME!

NO CHICKENS WERE HARMED IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF THIS PARAGRAPH.  I'm just sayin'.  I am always fascinated by the fact that chickens seem to have no sense of fear or good sense.  I am always having to stop, detour or scream like a banshee at a chicken that decides to veer in front of me while I am cutting the grass, particularly while I am cutting the grass on the riding lawn mower.  I posted a status update on my Face Book page that I was updating the game Rock/Paper/Scissors with a new one called Bug/Chicken/Lawn Tractor, which caused a few readers to make the assumption (maybe  led them on) that both the bug and the chicken lost the game.  NOT SO!  All participants (with the possible exception of the bug) survived the encounter to play again another day.

I cut a lot of grass today, and a lot of weeds as well.  Other than that, I did not do much of anything.  I did comply with my napping schedule however.  Let's see if I get anything accomplished tomorrow or not.  What do you think the odds are?

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

2014 - Day 144/221 - Saturday...

Oh my stars and garters!  It seems UPS delivers cattle now.  USPS does not stand a chance!  This box was delivered (the UPS guy now leaves boxes up by the gate, and this one was small enough that we could not see it) and it contained a couple longhorns from our friends Joe Mac and Carolyn in Gautier (pronounced Go-Shay), Mississippi.  Beautiful!  Thanks, they are now happily perched on the mantle in the living room.

I actually did sleep in a while this morning, got up, made coffee, read the paper, made a pile of eggs and Jody and I headed into Austin at about 8 o'clock.  We got home around 12:30 and we both went down for naps, and then we headed back to Georgetown and had a late lunch.

We have had NO RAIN so far, but they are still saying that within the next seven days we could get 3 or 4 inches.  There was a little bit of rain reported in parts of Austin, but nothing up here.  I officially recorded a TRACE of rain for yesterday, but I would really like some rain for the pastures and to get the tanks a little bit more water.

Tomorrow is the traditional work around the house day, but I have to go back into Austin for a while, and I will probably do that in the early afternoon.  THEN I have some office work (at home) that I would really like to get taken care of on Monday, so I have the next couple days pretty well worked out.

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

2014 - Day 143/222 - Friday...

Well...yeah, it's Friday, and you know what that means.  It could go either way.  I have a love hate relationship working with Friday.  I love Friday because I generally get to sleep later on Saturday and Sunday (otherwise I have no strong opinions about Saturday and Sunday), but generally beginning on Friday television viewing possibilities decline rapidly.  Nothing on.  Nothing at all.  NOTHING.  However, I do have a couple things to look forward to o tomorrow, so I am going to give Friday a break this week and not complain about it too much.

Speaking about not complaining...look how Friday started out this morning.  Is that pretty or what? Okay, maybe you are not the best judge of pretty, but take it from me, this was pretty.  AND, in addition that the pretty, I was targeted by several precipatory (there is that word again) specimens falling from the heavens (that would be where the rain cloud elephants live) during my drive home this afternoon.  SO, there is great overall promise for at least a couple days this long weekend if you do not take the lack of televised entertainment into account.  I'm just sayin'.

Deed, Actions, Changes, ANTICIPATION, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2014 - Day 142/223 - Thursday...

One more day.  That's right boys and girls, just one more day and it will be the weekend.  This time tomorrow I expect I will be on the path to going to sleep...let's all see how that works out.

Here is another thing to look forward to.  It might rain over the weekend.  Yes, rain!  There is a small percentage of hope for a precipatory (don't bother looking it up, I just made up that word) event.  Water from the heavens.  So, not only am I looking forward to getting some extra sleep over the weekend, I am looking forward to the precipatory particulates to help me with that process.  Whatever works.  Just look at these clouds.  Do you know how much a cloud weighs in elephants?  A LOT!  Check it out on the googles.  See what they (the googles) have to say about cloud weight in comparison to an elephant.  Interesting stuff, I have to admit.

A couple meetings today and I guided some folks through a NAR Ethics class.  Great information shared, and I am pretty confident that everyone in the room took away some knowledge that they did not enter the room with.  I am a big fan of accidental education.  I think the guides (aka instructors) have to make the topics interesting enough that the attendees (students) are being entertained by the subject matter and cannot help but learn things accidentally.  Okay, I admit it is still just a theory, but I think it is a good theory, and I will practice it until I get it perfected or lose my credentials, whichever comes first.

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

2014 - Day 141/224 - Wednesday...

Today, the Austin Board of REALTORS® awarded $62,500 in scholarships to an amazing group of graduating high school seniors and a few previous recipients that have done an incredible job during their first year at college.  These young people work very hard to get accepted into college and do not always have the money needed to take advantage of the education.  It's expensive!  The ABoR Foundation does a tremendous job of interviewing and vetting all the applicants, and it is a numbing task to realize the level of achievement and hard work that these young recipients put into graduating, working, volunteering and who knows what else.  They did (however) kind of lose me when they mentioned that they also tried to maintain a little bit of a social life.  Congratulations to all of this years scholarship recipients, and we hope to see them all in the future being leaders in our communities.

I hope (since this is about scholarships and education) that my spell check is working.

Other than that, I went to four other meetings today, it never ceases to amaze me that everything gets scheduled on the same days.  Tomorrow is two meetings and teaching a NAR Ethics class at the Board.

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

2014 - Day 140/225 - Tuesday...

Today was a turkey wiener and boiled egg kind of day.  If you know me at all, you know that is not really a particularly bad thing, I like turkey wieners and boiled eggs. 

On the way home this afternoon, I stopped and did my early voting kind of thing.  I do not mean for this statement to be taken the wrong way, or to be taken out of context, but this particular election (for me) was kind of a waste of time.  Only two things to be voted on, and this is still the primary.  But I voted, and that is really what counts the most to me.  I think I may have missed one or two elections since I have lived in Texas, and I moved here in 1985.  I think that is a pretty decent record.

Office life was relatively typical today.  We are looking for a front desk/receptionist kind of person, so let me know if you have any ideas on that.  The days all have their ups and downs, and for every peak (don't forget) there is a valley.

Sorry to remind you of this again, but I am REALLY looking forward to the long Holiday Weekend coming up.  I'm just sayin'.

Deeds, Actions, Changes, VOTE OFTEN, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2014 - Day 139.226 - Monday...

It is time to harvest the winter wheat out on the edge of nowhere.  This is Mr. Snyder harvesting his wheat as I was coming home this afternoon, and it is always interesting to watch the process.  As a little kid, I could just sit and stare out the window at nothing, and out here I can stare at something for a long, long time.  Very interesting.

Today was not terrible for a Monday having not been in the office for a week.  It could have been a lot worse, and kudos to all the folks in the office for taking care of business while I was gone.

My week is scheduled to be relatively calm, I have NO appointments so far tomorrow, my Wednesday gets busy around 11AM and stays that way for the rest of the day.  Not sure what is happening on Thursday (I think there is a Women's Council Luncheon) and I have absolutely NO IDEA what will happen on Friday.  I am certain that this will be a long weekend, and I am really looking forward to that.

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

2014 - Day 138/227 - Sunday...

It is very nice to be back home, and very nice to get back into routines that are comfortable.  I slept very nicely last night, and got up this morning and got into the Sunday routine.  I made a big pile of eggs for me and Jody, read the paper, had coffee and started doing chores out in the yard and around the house.  Although you really cannot tell any difference, there were lots of accomplishments made today, cleaning coops, moving cattle, moving more hay bales, thinning out picker bushes, and doing a lot of this and that.

Jody and I went into Austin for a couple hours, and we came back via Georgetown and stopped for spoilers at Dairy Queen for the first time in a long time.  Yummy.

As you all know, I am the luckiest man in the world.  A friend's husband died in a motor cycle accident this afternoon.  Go find the people you love and tell them you love them.

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

2014 - Day 137/228 - Saturday...

I have been up since 2:30 this morning (CDST).  Of course, I was in a different time zone, but only by an hour.  I do not recommend watching the sun rise from a terminal at Reagan International.  Nothing pretty about it; no ooh-ahh moments within a hundred miles.  The plane was late leaving DC, and we taxied out to the runway and we turned around and went back to the terminal.  It seems some luggage had either shifted or needed to be realigned for better balance.  Okay, then we were off again and we reached the 10,000 foot mark and were told the plane was equipped with wifi for a nominal fee.  Oops, never mind, we forgot, that's broken.  It was not that terrible, but it seemed like maybe this particular plane had been built on a Friday afternoon in a GM plant in Detroit and was on the recall list.  Anyway, after leaving DC 40 minutes late, we landed in Houston and I had NO LAYOVER at all because I got off one plane and onto another lickety-split.  At least I did not miss the connection.

Finally home, and that is the best thing.  On the way in, I was greeted by one of the Bassett's, the male (whose name is Max).  He's a good boy dog, but he should not play in traffic, even if we are on the edge of nowhere.

Once I got home, I went down for a nap in the blue chair, and Jody and I went into Georgetown for lunch.  So far I have unpacked one suitcase, not sure if I will get the other one unpacked tonight or not.  No emergencies, I am not heading out anywhere else until July!

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

2014 - Day 136/229 - Friday...

Okay, today is Friday, and I am not going to complain or whine about it.  I am not concerned about what is available on broadcast television, I am not concerned about much of anything right now, except for getting some sleep!

The (fka NAR Mid-Term) REALTOR® Conference is over (except for the NAR Directors Meeting) and I am partially packed and pretty much ready to head home.  Honestly, these conferences should not be looked upon as glamorous or decadent.  They are hard work, and by the end of the day EVERYONE is exhausted, let alone by the end of the week.  Having a glass of wine at the end of the day is the way ideas are shared, and how innovative processes get presented.  It is kind of the same theory as doing business on the golf course.  Get out of the business environment, and the barriers come down and people are more receptive to collaboration. 

My flight leaves at 6:40 in the morning, which means that I have to wake up at 3:30 and be on my way to the airport at about 4:30.  It is definitely going to be an early day, and pretty much the best I can hope for is to be able to get some sleep on the plane.

Good night.

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

2014 - Day 1230 - Thursday...

Every year that I am here I take one of these photos.  I am fascinated at the 'double-speak' in the District.  Can't you just say 'this way to the stairs'?  I guess not.  Just remember, tune in to this journal next year, same time, same station to see another of these photos!

It seems like I have been here for weeks, but at the same time I am surprised that today is Thursday.  One more really busy day tomorrow, and I will be back home about mid-day on Saturday.  That means (of course) that I will be getting up shortly after midnight on Saturday morning to get to the airport, but that will be okay!

Today was not as early, and (not quite) as busy as yesterday, but it was still a full day.  My first meeting was at 9 o'clock, and then we headed to visit our Legislators and my first appointment was at 10:30.  I made it down to the BOTTOM of the subway and realized that I did not have y wallet, so it was twenty minutes back to the Hotel to get my wallet and then back to the subway.  I made it to the appointment with three minutes to spare.  The next appointment was at 11 o'clock, and then we had nothing to do until 2 PM.

Several of us went to lunch in the Longworth Building cafeteria, and then Aaron, Emily and I went to the Air and Space Museum at the Smithsonian.  Oh my aching feet!

We made it back for our 2 o'clock appointment, and then it was back to the Hotel for the trade show, and then a nap.  The Austin Board had a nice reception for the attendees and now I am back writing this entry.  It was good to see all our ABoR members at the reception, and it was very nice to see Carol, Luis and my new BFF Erica!  I am eating a club sammich, and it is pretty darned good!

Tomorrow starts at 8AM, then 9AM and 1:30 and 4.  Busy, busy...

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

2014 - Day 134/231 - Wednesday...

This is not the prettiest of all my entires, but maybe one of the more picturesque.  Get it?  Okay, second things secondly.  They say (okay, I say) one picture is worth a thousand words.  I am going to do my best to include four pictures in this entry...and if they do not deliver my dinner soon (I love room service) I may pass out on the keyboard.  I went to CVS the other day and I got those 'four bottles of Merlot for Five Dollars'.  Honestly, some people are such snobs no names but her initials are CATHY).

My first meeting this morning was at 7 AM, which was a little bit unreasonable if you ask me, but so far you have not, but I will tell you anyway.  After that, there was an 8 o'clock meeting and after that I got into a cab (I was abandoned by my group) to our first legislative visit.  When I walked into the room, the elected officials staff person said 'so, thanks for coming'...  Did I time that right or what?  This is a picture of me, Jim, John, Susan and another John on that steps outside the Capitol (or Capital).

After that meeting, a group of us walked around for a while (we had three-and-a-half hours before our next appointment) and then I headed off to the Capitol (or Capital) visitors center. I have been there a couple times, and I like it a lot.  Clean restrooms, shopping, food.  What more do you need?  PLUS, I have always been a fool for a feather, and the Goddess of Freedom wears them really well, don't you agree?












NEXT:  The Cannon Office Building to meet with NAME WITHHELD (who was not there either, but we were greeted by another staff person.  Members of Congress only.  REALLY?  Members of Congress Only?  I figured if I can impersonate airline pilots, this would be a piece of cake.  PLUS, I am already in the building...I have already gone through security!  What's the worst thing that can happen.  Well, honestly, that elevator was not that fancy anyway.

DISCLAIMER:  I am on my second bottle of those little bitty cheap wine things, and I still have no food.  You can turn back now, or if you choose to go forward, I claim no responsibility.  You have been warned.

Okay, okay, okay...I almost forgot.  What day is it? 




About three more hours and two more elected officials and it was me in a cab headed back to the Hotel.  I shared the cab with a couple colleagues from Wichita Falls, so that was good.  They got to their Hotel first, so I had the cab all to myself for a few minutes and we passed these Iris, so while we were stopped, I stepped out to take a picture.

There, done, are you happy?

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

2014 - Day 133/232 - Tuesday...

Okay, this is going to be kind of boring, but it is the best I've got!  I attended four sessions today and had (absolutely) the worst lunch possible at an Italian restaurant where Italian was not the owners (or cooks or staffs) first language.  Awful.  So, going forward with that theme, this is the view from the window in my Hotel.  Nothing really exciting, just a view of nothing much.  Oh, and I just tried ordering room service (actually one of my favorite things to do) and there was an hour wait, so I will go down to the lobby in a minute and get something to eat.  I don't really want to do anything, I am just ready to go to sleep.

My first session in the morning is at 7AM, then 8AM, then we head off to the Hill Visits, so tomorrow will be a busy day, but fun and interesting.

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

2014 -Day 132/233 - Monday...

Well, this is really not a photo of DC wildflowers, but it is (kind of) a photo of wildness and craziness.  I do not know about you, but getting my shoes shined is about the most decadent thing I can do.  I think it is my version of the 'pedi' part of a mani/pedi.  I love that.  I also got another photo taken on the flight deck of the plane, and  I have to admit, it was not one of my best landings, kind of bumpy, but we all survived.

The plane was an hour late arriving (and leaving) Austin, and we were about 45 minutes late getting into DC.  I had a six o'clock (to witness Cathy's graduation from the NAR Leadership program that I did not make it in time for, but we had dinner (along with John and Aaron) and it was very nice.

I am back in my room, and just finished going through e-mails for the day.

Time to be done...

Deeds, Actions, Changes, FLIGHT DECK, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2014 - Day 131/234 - Mother's Day...

Happy Mother's Day to all of you out there, you know who you are!

These are some cactus blossoms that are out in front by the circle. They seem to be getting off to a slow start this year, but there are plenty of buds, so it should be a relatively prolific year.

Today went pretty much as planned, though not exactly. We stayed in bed a little longer than usual; Jody stayed in bed a lot longer than usual but that was fine, not on a schedule.  I made a pile of eggs, and the went out and started moving the hay that Hubert and Pauline baled last week. Total from front, back and sideways was twenty bales.  Nothing to complain about, that is twenty more bales than we had this time last week!

You would be surprised how long it takes to move 15 bales of hay.  There are still five bales in the back pasture that I will move when I get back next week.  Jody and I did go into Georgetown this afternoon so I could exchange a pair of pants.  While we were at Tractor Supply, we got an extension for the hose mount up at the front barn, so Jody does not have to reach UNDER GROUND to give the chickens water. 

I have to go pack, so the next journal entry will be from our nations capital (or capitol, depending if you are/were a sixth grade spelling teacher).

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

2014 - Day 130/235 - Saturday...

I have this new computer figured out.  I like it overall, I am not even opposed to the Windows 8 system (which only goes to show you what a remarkable and incredibly open mind I have, ready to try new things), BUT every time I want t make a journal entry, I have to jump through a bunch of hoops and try to remember how I did it, and then I have to try to remember how to reverse it.  It is not too much trouble...yet.

Jody and I had chores to do today, which included sleeping a little later than usual, Jody took the boy dog for a walk, we took the boy dog for a ride and then we headed in to Austin.  On the way, we stopped at he Berry Creek park so Jody could feed the mules a couple treats.  The Indian Blankets and the poppies are really blooming nicely (the blankets are beginning to look a little bit dry), and I took this photo of the poppies for you to enjoy.  They are delightful.  Jody is expecting a good year for cactus blossoms as well, and I will keep you posted.  I am thinking tomorrow will be more floral offerings, and next week I ail post some DC flowers.  I am always surprised to see the flowers blooming in DC, especially thing that I remember when I was growing up outside Detroit, things that cannot tolerate the sun and heat of Texas.  I miss Hollyhocks!

Tomorrow will be chores day around the house.   I need to move hay bales that were baled early last week, cut a little bit of grass, clean the chicken coop and check on the cattle.  The cattle are pretty low maintenance right now, they have benefited from the little bits of rain we had which helps the grasses grow so they can graze on that and not need to be fed.  There is still water in the tanks as well, so they are not needing city water.  All in all, life is good, and I continue to be the luckiest man in the world!

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

2014 - Day 129/236 - Friday...

It is Friday, and we all know how I feel about Friday's.  Unsettled, uncertain, uncomfortable, unexcited, fill in some more 'uns' if you can think of some, I am fresh out.  BUT, I don't care what anybody says, there is nothing on TV on Friday nights, or the rest of the weekend for that matter.

The big rains we were threatened with were just that...threatening.  I kind of felt like I was back in high school, not knowing if I was going to get beat up or just threatened.  AND, if you are following the news lately, threats are just as good as actions.  But I digress...I took this photo of these Indian Paint Brushes (backed up by some society garlic) before the winds absolutely destroy them.  This is the first year (in my recollections) that we have had a nice stand of Paint Brush.  Lovely.

I went first to the Board this morning, then had some errands to run, and a property to walk before I made it into the office.  I got there about Noon, did some power real estate and had to go to a couple appointments on the way home.  I had the whole thing planned so I would work my way north and take care of the appointments at the same time.  Sometimes smarter is better than harder!

Lots of things to get accomplished over the weekend, and I expect to get a late start in the morning and enjoy a pile of eggs with Jody.  Next week will be an all week out of towner, going to DC for the week of Hill Visits.  Always fun, informative and tiring!

Deeds, Actions, Changes, PAINT BRUSH, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2014 - Day 128/237 - Thursday...

We have received a little bitty bit of rain so far today.  Nothing like the 1"-2.5" of rain they were predicting, but we have had some rain today.  The gauge out there shows 0.25" so far, and my phone just alerted that there is a flash flood warning for the area until 10:30 this evening.  Let the rains come but the thunder and lightning can stay away so we can hopefully sleep through the whole thing.  On the way in to work this morning, there was some rain on the windshield, and this is one of the favorite types of photos for me.  I like that it kind of reminds me (work with me here) of a Monet painting.  Okay, if you are not quite seeing it, squint a little bit.  Still nothing?  Try closing your eyes.  How about now?

Whatever...

It was a day of work in the office, and that was pretty much it today.  We had our usual Thursday PM meeting in the AM, and then Chris helped me get my new laptop set up.  So far, it is big and heavy and works.  There is something to be said for that!  Windows 8.  Nothing good or bad about that particularly, so far.  Time will tell.

Okay, I just had a fail.  The Googles are trying to log me in to the wrong account.  I am trying to remember how to sign in under a different e-mail account.  It won't be the end of the world, but I wish I could remember.  It is simple, but I don't need that information that often...

Boo-Hoo!

Anyway, after work there was a TREPAC function at TopGolf near the Domain.  Lots of fun, lots of folks there from the Board.  I was hoping to show you a couple photos from that event, but not if I cannot log in to the right e-mail account.

2014 - Day 127/238 - Wednesday...

JackJackJackJackJackJackJackJackJAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACCCCCKKKKKKK!  Jack, I know you can hear me Jack!  What day is it JACK?  It's HUMP DAAAAAAYYY!!!!

Okay, and now for something completely different.  If you think I am slightly off kilter with this post, those of you who know will understand.  Long day, rewarding day, good day.  Who knows what is driving me (and all the other OCDs out there) crazy about these pens in the pen holder.  And it is not the obvious!

I am a really happy man right now.  On Monday (I think) Hubert cut the grass in the fields and today he (not sure if Pauline was out there) raked and now they are baling.  I think I saw Pauline, and I know Michael was out there helping with the baling.  YIPPEE!  I will definitely have more hay bales at the end of the day than we had at the beginning of the day.  I think there is just a little bit of pressure to get the baling done, we are supposed to have rain tomorrow (afternoon I hope), but however it works out, it will all work out.  No worries.  We have great neighbors, and we are all lucky folks.

This morning I spoke before a group of Chinese business people who were visiting Austin, the Sino-Texas Business Exchange.  That was the first time I have ever spoken to a group of people and required an interpreter (on purpose).  Sometimes I need an interpreter, but not because of any language barrier.  Tomorrow this group is heading to Washington, DC to continue their experiences.  They were very kind and gracious, and I was humbled by their warm reception to our Board.

Deeds, Actions, Changes, HUMP DAY, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2014 - Day 126/239 - Tuesday...

The girls are not amused.  They are not happy that the squirrel is invading their territory at the seed block.  And Earl (the squirrel) does not seem to be the least bit annoyed that I have documented his deliberate act of 'flock-block pilferage'.  First it was the feeders, not the flock-block.  Where will it all end?  Oh, the humanity of it all!

Today was a quieter day than yesterday, no errands on the way to the office, just a day of small accomplishments in the office and that was about it.  All-in-all, not a bad way to spend a Tuesday.  AND I went and got my haircut this afternoon, and did not forget about the appointment!

Hubert cut grasses in the fields yesterday, and from the looks of it, it might have been worth cutting.  I really want to get a good supply of hay stocked up, gotta make hay while the sun shines!  I think if all goes well, he may rake and bale tomorrow.  Pauline (I think) likes to rake, so sometimes they are both out there working.  Pauline had a doctors appointment on Monday to see about her shoulder, so I am not sure if she will be raking or not.  But, it will all happen for the best.  We have a pretty good chance of rain on Thursday and Friday, so that will work out well, and should set the works for another cutting pretty soon.

Deeds, Actions, Changes, MAKING HAY, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2014 - Day 125/240 - Monday...

If you were to look closely enough (or perhaps if I were a better photographer) you could see the sun coming up as seen from my rear-view side mirror.  I think taking a photo backwards while driving forward at about 65 MPH on a two-lane road (closer to the middle of nowhere than the edge of nowhere) is a pretty good trick.  I actually should have tried zooming backwards while I was zooming forwards, and it may have made a better digital document of the sight.  OR, maybe the crime scene photos (doing what I was doing must break at least a couple laws) would have been somewhat more interesting.  Okay, my bad, I will try to do better tomorrow.  At least you can see that traffic was not one of my concerns on this stretch of road...

Between the house and the office this morning, I got an incredible amount of things done.  I had my car in for service at the Toyota dealer at 7AM.  Then I made several phone calls while driving in further.  Then I made a stop at the bank, made a couple stops for personal errands, and was at the office before 9:15.  By the time I got to work I was already tired and ready to go home.

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

2014 - Day 124/241 - Sunday...

I did not really sleep in this morning, I had some stuff to do, and the dog boy was making those whiny noises again.  Jody and I both got up pretty much at the same time (hard to remember, it seems like such a long time ago).  We got the paper, and this time we had the whole paper, not just pieces and parts of two different ones.  We also had to take an early morning drive to Jarrell to get a couple things, and along the way we saw this turtle.  I stopped and picked him up (I assume it was a him, but honestly, I cannot even tell the sex of a cat, let along a turtle) and IT tried IT'S best to pee on me.  Talk about your basic defense mechanisms.  Well, I avoided the urine initiation and placed him on the side of the road in which he was heading.  When we came back, there was no sign of him, so I expect he went on about his business...at least the business he did not do on me!  And another thing...I know it does not look very big in this photo, but this turtle was bigger than a dinner plate, and weighed about five pounds.  He (again an assumption) has been around a while, although I do not know how long turtles around the edge of nowhere (further than the middle of nowhere) or how quickly the grow or how big they grow.  Feel free to discuss this subject amongst yourselves!

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

2014 - Day 123/242 - Saturday...

The sun is waning here on the edge of nowhere and the shadows are getting long.  This is what I look at outside the office window.  From here (right now, as I write this) I see a squirrel, two bunny rabbits, at least two humming birds, about a dozen chickens, one buzzard, two cows, a few sparrows, three or four swifts, one purple martin and about a half-dozen birds whose names I am not aware.  It could be worse!

The weekend is about half over, but the best half is yet to come.  Jody and I were both up early this morning, although I was trying my best to stay in bed after the boy dog proclaimed to the world (okay, his world) that he was hungry and ready for something to eat.  I think I stayed in bed for about fifteen minutes after he got up and got the dog fed.  When I went out to get the newspaper, I discovered that we had two sets of newspapers (both today's) but neither of them included the section that includes the comics, so I went on-line to read those and I printed the crossword puzzle out for Jody.  We had a pile of eggs and then I was off to start cutting some grass and Jody and the boy dog went for a walk.

At 8 o'clock, I had a telephone interview with a nice lady from the Financial Times, doing a story on why the Austin real estate market is so hot and what the attraction is that everyone wants to move to Austin.  It is not really a simple answer, but then again it is not a hard question to answer, so you have to decide what answer you want; the complicated economics/political answer about the state that is aggressively working to attract business to our state, or the simpler answer...Austin is cool.  We did a little bit of both...

This afternoon Jody and I went into Georgetown and had lunch and stopped at Target and bought a few things.  And now it is about time to wrap this up...

Deeds, Actions, Changes, FROM THE WINDOW, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2014 - Day 122/243 - Friday...

Yep, it happens once a week, Friday.  I am not sure what the big deal is, I work (at one thing or another) most days, it is just that on weekends, I work more physically than mentally AND there is absolutely NOTHING on TV.  The one salvation is, before you discover there is nothing on TV, you can take a break and walk out in the yard and look at some clouds.  Luckily, we live where we can see for miles and miles, nothing in the way!

Today was a good day, I got to do something that I really enjoy doing, and that is speaking with new members of our association.  Part of it is that I want them all to know that (who cares about the title) that I am a REALTOR® just the same as they are, and I was a newly licensed agent once and I still learn stuff every day about this business.  The other part of this is that I get to speak to them about two things that I am really interested in, Ethics and TREPAC.  So, but the end of my schtick, most of them have quit paying TOTAL attention to their electronic devices and are listening to me and ALL of us have learned at least SOMETHING.  Perfect!

After orientation, I headed to the office and did a little power real estate, and then I headed to a lunch meeting with the Officers of our association and the officers of the Williamson County Association.  Very nice lunch, lots of good conversation and getting to know the Williamson County group better.  Nice folks.

After that it was back to the office for another hour of power real estate, and then I was off to another meeting that I have to say was really fun and educational.  So much so that I was at that meeting from about 3:45 until just about 6 o'clock.  It was supposed to be a twenty minute meeting, but it was very informative, so I kept asking questions and learning.  Good stuff.

On the way home, I stopped at Tractor Supply and picked up some chicken stuff, and made it home before 7 o'clock. 

I have real estate work for tomorrow and around the house work to get accomplished as well, so I am working on scheduling my time and making sure my lists are all ready for me to start crossing stuff off.

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

2014 - Day 121/244 - Thursday...

Another beautiful sunrise, and it was indeed a precursor of things to come.  I was hoping to remember that I needed to get gas on the way to work, and indeed I did.  When I pulled up to the pump, my range indicator said I still had three miles before empty.  I do not really think that indicator is accurate, because the car has a nineteen gallon tank and I only got about 15 gallons of gas.  I smell a class action suit. 

We had our usual Thursday morning PM meeting this AM, and by the time it was over, I was antsy because I had some phone calls to return and e-mails to get out.  There were also some details that needed to be seen to on a challenge I am having with a (to be unnamed unless they really piss me off) city department AND there were a couple little challenges for a property closing.  I was very close to having a stroke over the telephone while chatting with my very own personal contact at the City of Austin, and the folks know to clear out when I start talking like Jack Nicholson (in the Shinning).  HE'S FIXIN' TO BLOW, DUCK!

But everything worked out wonderfully, and all that grey matter on the ceiling was for naught.

I headed off to the Board to (briefly) meet with past graduates of the Texas REALTOR® Leadership Program.  They were attending a preview class for the next group of attendees being conducted by Leadership Austin.  From the parts I heard, it was a really good class and the discussion from the class was really good.  Good works were being accomplished all around!

Tomorrow is Friday, whatever!

Deeds, Actions, Changes, BEAUTIFUL DAYS, Kindnesses, Wh
irled Peas, FUN!