2015 - Day 151/214 - Sunday...

My, my, my, if it isn't the last day of May, 2015. What will the new month bring? I have a hint it will not bring us as much rain as this month. We ended up with 13.05" of rain, 210 eggs (that's 17.5 dozen, it was a bad month for eggs) and I got 5,238 spam e-mails. Total for the year on spam e-mails is 26,512. I am a counter, I can't help it. It was a beautiful day on the edge of nowhere. There was a lot of work done, and I think someone should invent an ergonomic handle for the power washer (and a longer handle while you are at it). The handle is too short, and I am not a tall person, but in order to properly get the nozzle to the subject, I have to stoop a little bit (or maybe a lot) and it causes some strain in my mature back. So, I walk around a little bit stooped over for a week, and will overcome that challenge just in time for the next weekend to roll around and I can do it all over again.

Jody and I headed out to Longhorn Steak House this evening (okay we left about 4:15 so we could qualify for the Senior Special, and we even had a coupon). Pretty good, we even brought home enough for another dinner one day this week.

Even though I am the luckiest man in the world, today was just about chores, nothing really that interesting to relay to you.

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

2015 - Day 150/215 - Saturday...

Okay, there will be no photos of rain(things) until at least July 1st, so the topics documented for your enjoyment include morning glories trying their best to grow on one of the trellises, a really nice photo of the sunrise, a photo of Maddy the girl dog on her ride in the car or a wreck blocking all the lanes of IH-35 southbound taken (luckily) while I was headed northbound this afternoon. What is your pleasure. Please forward our replies to www.idontreallygiveacrap.com. I'll wait. Okay, so the votes are tallied and it looks as if documentation of the sunrise this morning is the landslide winner, so here goes. Enjoy.

It was a really pretty day today in central Texas (for the most part). I went in to Austin this morning and did some business, and as I was heading back north early this afternoon, there were dark and ominous clouds to the south. According to the local and national news stations, San Marcos and Wimberley were receiving more f=rain, and there were flooding conditions to the east of there as well. Austin was in the mix as well, but so far we have not received any more rain. However, month to date here on the edge of nowhere, we have received more rain this month that we have the first four months of the year combined.

Rumor has it that, as of yesterday Texas has received enough rain in the month of May to cover the entire state in 8 inches of rain. 35 trillion gallons.

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

2015 - Day 149/216 - Friday.

Sun. The sun came out today. Let's talk about the sun; sun baked, sun bath, sun bathe, sunbeam, sun belt, sun bird, sun bonnet, sun bow, sun burn, sun burst, sundae, Sunday, Sunday Brunch, Sunday school, sun deck, sun dew, sun dial, sun disk, sun dog, sun down. We will continue this tomorrow. The point is, we got rain overnight, we got a little bit more rain during the day, and we are expecting rain overnight (again) and throughout the day tomorrow. BUT, today we had sun. Hordes of people were seen squinting with looks of panic on their collective faces.

I could have just as easily begun a conversation about traffic congestion, wrecks, slow downs (ad nausea) but I have chosen to talk about sun.

And by the way, my many good deeds today have gone totally unnoticed by the people in the other cars.

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

2015 - Day 148/17 - Thursday...

Although I have plenty of them (and more than a few that were documented for posterity just today) I am going to make a concerted effort NOT to post any photos that have to do with rain, rain drops, rain gauges, rainbows, rain birds, rain coats, rain checks, rain forests, rainbow trouts, rain dances, rain makers, rain outs, rain proofing, rain spouts, rain squalls, rain storms, rain trees, rain washes, rain water, rain wear or rainy days. I am not committing to not WRITING about any and/or all of those things, I am just not going to post any photos documenting any of those things mentioned above for at least the next several weeks. I expect I will gave sometime after July 1st, at which time we will all once again be complaining about the lack of one or more of those things listed above. But for today, I hope you enjoy this picture of a Histerical Committee marker that we have on the front barn.

Enjoy!

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

2015 - Day 147/218 - Wednesday...

The sage up by the road is blooming, and that means it is going to rain. We did get some rain overnight, which means we have had measurable precipitation for 20 of the last 22 days. This month is already the third wettest month EVER (not just for the months of May) in the history of Austin, and the rainfall totals are more this month than any month since 1921 (or some crazy statistic like that). Bring it on, I found a dry spot out in the front while I was collecting eggs this afternoon.

This week has totally gotten away from me, partially because it was a short week, and partially because we have all been pre-occupied with rainfall totals. I spent a good part of the day in at the Board today; there was a great Member Forum on the topic of water and how we are already planning on coping with the lack of it in the future, and how we need to put principals in place to conserve the water we have and collect what rain we get, when we get it. Pretty interesting stuff, and there was a great panel giving their views on the fails and the wins we have made.

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

2015 - Day 146/219 - Tuesday (The Day After the Floods)...

There has been a lot of stuff going on over the last two or three days; lost of ups and downs and sideways. Lots of damage done to lots of peoples properties, lots of injuries and personal tragedies. Lots of pets lost, lots of pets found, lots of bad news and lots of reminders that (as a rule) we are kind and generous people.  We are willing to help each other if we can, some quietly and some not so much. But even in the midst of tragedies and personal traumas, the world continues to spin on its' axis, and most folks a half-a-world away have it much worse than most of us. Of course, there are folks just a few miles away that have it incomprehensibly worse than I have it, or worse than most of my friends have it. Mainly what I have are 'first world' problems. Problems the vast majority of the world's population do not consider problems at all, problems that they would most likely be grateful to bear, problems that (when all is really said and done and forgotten) are petty and trivial. So, with those thoughts, I want to share this photograph with you; this is the road that goes past our house. Nothing but blue skies and sunshine. No problems here on the edge of nowhere.

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

2015 - Day 145/220 - Memorial Day...

I could successfully (perhaps) compete with many of the photos and videos that friends have posted regarding the flooding and its' aftermath. My friend Bryan lives in Spicewood, and he had video of hail and raging driveways. My friend Susan who lives in Belton posted a photo os her storm shelter and it looked suspiciously like a wine cellar that you could find at the George V in Paris. Lots of pictures of flooded pools, lots of pictures of radar screen shots. I could have posted a photo of a bunch of chickens knee deep (chicken got knees?) in water doing turkey impersonations, or the neighbors cattle looking for a 'less wet' place, but instead, I have chosen another picture of Maddy, post-anxiety-stricken, crowding me out for prime space in the big blue chair. Just between you and me, she is wider than she looks.

In my daily CDO efforts to keep track of all things recordable, I was not able to take a reading of the water meter, because it is underwater. There are lots of things out here that are under water. I was able to get the rest of the grass cut in the front of the house this morning, and it is a riot of ruts and trenches, kind of artistic in a cubist kind of way (if you squint just right). But at least it is done.

We did take to the inner bathroom for about 45 minutes this afternoon when the local weather prognosticators predicted imminent doom (predicted to hit the bullseye in 16 minutes. I went out to the shelter to make sure there were good batteries, dusted off the chairs and picked up two dead snakes (JoeMac) one of which I know for sure has been in there for a couple years. The other one was much more pliable. But I digress...Jody decided that we would be just fine in the bathroom, so that is where we went. I was at least prepared; umbrellas, flashlight, jackets, emergency radio (complete with crank operating options and built in red flashing light), the girl dogs leash and my cell phone.  But alas, we were luckier than many, and did not even lose power. The power did flash for a second (I can tell you exactly how many digital clocks are in this house AGAIN), but otherwise, it is just humid and swamp like this evening, here on the edge of nowhere.

Have I mentioned lately that I am the luckiest person in the world (Jason)? Well, I am, and we are all luckier than many that have been harmed in so many ways by all this severe weather.

And I have to finish this so I can go watch Antiques Roadshow.

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

2015 - Day 144/221 - Sunday...

The girl dogs training of her adopters continues. She has trained Jody how to take her for daily car rides, the next thing is to train me to ride in the backseat, so she can sit in the front seat. I think she will have another go at that tomorrow. But today, she deferred to the back seat and made the most of it. I think she enjoyed it.

I'd like What are the stupidest questions in the World for $400 please Alec. The answer is: YES! What is "Is it too wet to cut the grass?" Correct! I was hoping for a daily double! But, I did venture forth and cut (at) some grass in the front, in the back, and in the girl dogs' yard. The actual cutting of grass was not as successful as the overall mashing down of grass into the mud by the tires on the lawn tractor. I deferred in cutting the grass close to the house, thinking maybe it will not rain again until tomorrow afternoon, and I will give it another whirl tomorrow morning.

We may break our streak if we do not get any rain between now and 7 in the morning. We have had measurable rain for 18 of the last 19 days, and Lake Travis is over half full now, the first time that has happened since 2012. Hays County (about 70 miles south of the edge of nowhere) was devastated with flooding, lots of property damaged, not sure of how many deaths and injuries, but it is pretty bad. Let's hope for more rain but no more damage or injury.  It rained so hard here last night it woke me up, and I got up to see if there was water coming in the front door. That is the only door in the house that does not have a ledge at the threshold, but everything was okay. I would have expected more than the 1.96" of rain that we recorded, but that was what we got.

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

2015 - Day 143/22 - Saturday...

...And, it is raining! I am not sure that was a good use of an exclamation point however. This makes 18 out of the last 19 days that we have received measurable rainfall. I am pretty sure we are going to go at least for 20 out of 21. We are under a tornado watch and a flash flood watch now, and we just hope we do not need to put the storm shelter to use. During a respite from the rain earlier this afternoon, I took this picture of some of the lilies blooming in the back along one of the paths. Lilies, roses, metal sculpture and storm clouds. Interesting.

I went into Austin and showed some houses this morning, into the early afternoon. I got home and Jody and I went into Georgetown for lunch, and finished our meal just as the heavens opened. Logistically we performed a couple bars of Swan River getting into the car and dodging rain drops. It rained pretty heavily, but the closer we got to the edge of nowhere, the less it was raining. So far we have a little over a quarter of an inch in the gauge for today, but as I noted in the paragraph immediately preceding this one, it is still raining.

I may never cut the grass again. I am pretty sure there are a variety of lawn and grass cutting machines out there somewhere, but the grass is too tall to go and determine their exact location.

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

2015 - Day 142/223 - Friday...

If I were to post a photo that represented today, it would be just a pallet of grey (or gray, I never know for sure which spelling is correct). So instead, I went through some photos in my camera to find one that had not been previously posted, and this is the one I chose. This was outside the office of Senator John Carter last week when we were in DC. There is a REALTOR® saying that is sometimes associated with kind words such as these (most frequently included with the phrase "welcome to Austin"), but I won't elaborate in this public facing journal. Just know that we want to extend kind words of welcome to everyone.

We have had measurable rain for 16 of the last 17 days. On the one day that provided no measurable rain accumulations, we did record a trace. A trace is anything from a drop on your arm or windshield, to a quick precipitation event that is better left unnoticed. BUT, you have to either ACTUALLY feel it or see it to count it as a trace. If Jody or I report a trace, you can be assured that there was indeed a trace. We have recorded 8.21" of rain so far in the past 17 days, and the floodgates are predicted to open over the weekend. Lots more rain predicted for us in the next several days, flood warnings are already in effect. It is not unusual for the central Texas to experience heavy rains and flooding over the Memorial Day Weekend, in fact, it is kind of expected.

I will let you know how it works out, right now I have to go watch Shark Tank.

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

2015 - Day 141/224 - Thursday...

Everything is wet, and almost everyone is happy about that. Folks all around me are complaining about the rain for one reason or another. Just like when we were all wishing for rain, now folks are wishing for sunshine and lower humidity. You all need to know that you need to be careful about what you wish for, because you are almost certain to achieve it, and then you will be sorry. This is a picture of a frog (probably not THE frog) in the water meter box at the front of the property. Occasionally there will be a frog in the box, and even though I know they can be in there, it is still a bit of a surprise. Not as much of a surprise as a snake, but still a surprise. I am really not certain how they get in there or how they get out, but they do. That is one of the reasons that I am not sure if it is THE frog or not.

You will all be glad to know that I went back to the back of the property earlier this evening and managed to wrench Mr. Speckles skull loose from the other parts of his decomposing body. Not too much left of him, but what there is is somewhat aromatic. I put his skull (I got his lower jaw loose a couple weeks ago) in the back of the Polaris, and now his skull is behind one of the barns. As soon as I can find a good fire ant hill, I will place the skull on it and wait for the fire ants to finish off the tissue parts, and then I will hang the skull somewhere. He was a good bull. If you want to see
photo, jut let me know!

Deeds, Actions, Changes, MR. SPECKLES, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2015 - Day 140/225 - Wednesday...

So, after a close-up inspection this morning, I am going to go with deferred maintenance as the cause of the toppled tomb stone. I can most likely justify that more easily than vandalism.

Today was a good day, and the high point was a quick visit to the offices of the Texas Association of REALTORS®. And in order to include the registration make after 'that' word, I had to call customer service/tech support (Chris) who was at the drive-thru at Golden Fried Chicken in Bangalore. Who knew?  But I digress.

Where was I? Oh yes, the state association. I got three or four pieces of business taken care of while I was there, got a series of hugs (Sherri, Cynthia and Jeffrey) and some quick chats with Travis, Mike, Brandon, Mark, Leslie and Casey.  I hope I didn't forget anyone. It was actually the highlight of my day, and that is saying something, because I had a really good day today!

Deeds, Actions, Changes, TOMB STONES, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2015 - Day 139/226 - Tuesday...

These bus drivers out in the country (about 8 miles from the edge of nowhere) do not take the safety of their charges lightly. Either that, or they tied one on last night and they are just trying to keep it between the ditches. I have been lucky not to get behind too many buses this year (so far) but I really don't mind it when I do. I gives me just another chance to remember how lucky I am, and to stop and take a look around. When I looked around this morning, I noticed one of the head stones at one of the Lutherans cemeteries (you can see evidence of the cemetery on the right said of the picture) had been knocked over. It is a pretty darned sizable headstone (obviously one of the founding fathers of Walburg) and I cannot believe that it was done by the winds lately. I also cannot comprehend that there would be vandals out here (close to the edge of nowhere) that would knock over a headstone. I could believe that they would run over it with their pickup truck, but not just a random act of destruction. I guess I am too naive for my own good. Anyway, I hope it was not just a bunch of motorcycle gangs mistaking the place for Waco.

But I digress...

I had an appointment at a dermatologist today. I do not think I have ever been to a dermatologist in my life. A couple prescriptions, a cortisone shot in my right butt cheek (there is a picture for you), some scraping, some freezing and some microscoping later and my suspicions were confirmed: I am old.

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

2015 - Day 138/227 - Monday...

As Mondays go, this one was not too bad. It has been dry (if you call this dry), and by dry I mean that it has not rained except during my commute into the city this morning. They are forecasting a little bit of rain (another couple inches) over the next couple days, but the high percentages of rain probability over the seven day period is down to only about 30% each day, and that could get bumped up on Sunday and Memorial Day. I took this photo on the way home this evening, if you follow this journal you know I am infatuated with clouds, and these were pretty nice. Lots of elephants in those clouds!

It was a reasonable commute into the city today, and I got a lot of stuff done, mostly because I had a lot of stuff lined out to get accomplished. I have not color coded everything off my 'to done' list yet, but I made good progress. I could cross one or two things off before the end of the day.

This is an early journal entry, it is Monday after all, and that means Antiques Roadshow.

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

2015 - Day 137/228 - Sunday...

For those of you that are following this, last Thursday marked a month since Maddy filled the hole in our hearts that was left when the Boy Dog died. She seems to have blended in nicely; she has trained Jody how to take her for rides in the truck, how to claim the couch in the living room as her own, and how to make Jody think that crawling under the covers with him was his idea in the first place. I am sure there are other tricks she has taught us to do, but I will save those for now and try to keep you posted as I learn of them.

We only got about 0.38" of rain last night, and we have recorded 0.37" to be reported (so far) tomorrow. That makes a total of 6.43" for the month, and there is still rain predicted for every day in the seven day forecast. All together, May (which is allegedly the wettest month in central Texas) will turn out to be a good rain month. They are also predicting that the El Nino pattern could extend through the winter and into next year. We shall see. No real reports on how much the lakes have risen as a result of the recent precipitation, but every little bit helps.

I did as much of nothing as I could possibly do today. Of course, it did rain for some of the day. Then it was too wet to do anything of consequence in the yard. And then there was a well-deserved nap that needed to be taken. I did manage to put on pants so I could accompany Jody and Maddy on a ride, but that was really about the extent of my productivity.

Tomorrow will mean a return to work, and I am looking forward to the rest.

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

2015 - Day 136/229 - Saturday...

I'm home and I'm happy. Vera was not predisposed to having her picture taken this evening; she is mounting and pouty, so I asked one of the L's to cooperate (get the coop part?) in her stead. This is either Libby or Lucy, we really can't tell them apart, and there is really no reason to.

My friends at the TSA went through both my checked bags again today, they left a very cordial note in one (the one that housed my dirty socks and underwear that they went through), but they did not leave a note in the other. I really cannot imagine what they are looking for, especially since I check my bags (as a rule) with plenty of time for them to snoop through them. Not logical!

We have received almost six inches of rain so far this month, and the lakes have come up 7%, we are now at 40% of capacity. It is a really lovely evening outside even if it is a little bit humid.

I fear I am going to have to cut some grass tomorrow (unless of course it rains).

Deeds, Actions, Changes, ONE OF THE L'S, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2015 - Day 135/230 - Friday...

When it is all said and done, and when all the discussion has come to an end, the bottom line is I am a simpler person, happy with simple pleasures. On a business trip, I have two favorite things; a shoeshine (generally making a couple visits to have a shine on all the shoes I brought) and a room service Club Sandwich on whole wheat bread. The second one is generally easier to accomplish, but if you are out of town long enough, you can generally find a shoeshine stand. I have past a couple stands this trip, but so far I have not stopped. I did manage to work in my club sandwich tonight, though. I am happy to be comfortably ensconced in my hotel room, with the television on and the alarm set on my phone to give me plenty of time to get up in the morning, pack and make it to the airport.  Life is good.

My last meeting ended this afternoon at about 5:30, and I am very ready to be home. Jody said it has rained a little bit today, nothing remarkable, but there is more rain in the forecast. The girls are not too happy with the precipitation, but they will (most likely) survive the experience.

Glad to be going home tomorrow, and remember, I am the luckiest man in the world!

Deeds, Actions, Changes, CLUB SANDWICHES, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2015 - Day 134/231 - Thursday...

Let me be clear; it is not ALWAYS the business of the various associations that are accomplished with our elected leadership during the DC Hill Visits that are most important. Very often it is the connecting that is done outside the business day that is more important. The camaraderie that is achieved in private interaction with our colleagues is sometimes the most important achievements that are accomplished during our professional visits, whether it is to our nations capitol, our state capitol, or to the city halls across our state, to make sure our interests are expressed with logical and coherent rationale. Case in point: Today I was privileged to meet Mrs. South-Central Kentucky outside the hearing room where Chris Polychron, President of the National Association of REALTORS® was testifying before a House Subcommittee on issues that affect REALTORS® and property owners across our country. Mrs. South-Central Kentucky (her first name is Amanda) was very kind to me and let me wear her tiara and pose for a photo. True advocacy at work!

Today was a busy day, tomorrow will not be too busy, and I will be returning home to Jody and Texas on Saturday.

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

2015 - Day 13/232 - Wednesday...

So, I had a really quick meeting today with Flat Stanley. This particular Flat Stanley is the property of Giselle, daughter of my friend Leslie. It seems Flat Stanley is a class project for Giselle, a first grader in Round Rock. Always happy to help, and from what I have seen, Flat Stanley has made quite an impression in Washington, DC!

It was a really busy day, but really rewarding as well. Federal Priorities Issues Briefing, Broker Involvement Council, State and Local Issues Mobilization Support Committee, PAC Fundraising Forum, a quick walk through the trade show,
a couple other meetings with folks about our particular local issues and finally a dinner tonight downtown. I am back in my room, ready to call it a day, and looking forward to tomorrow.

Deeds, Actions, Changes, FLAT STANLEY, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2015 - Day 132/233 - Tuesday...

Let me be clear; I know who I am but I have no idea who this other guy is. I bought some red noses the other day at Walgreen's before I left on this trip. Who knows in advance how many red noses you could possibly need, but they only had five (and I went to three Walgreen's), and I carried two of them around in my pocket today and took advantage of getting everyone (and anyone in this case) I knew to pose for a photo with the red nose. Who knows how I can use these photos in the future. I am pretty darned confident that I will not be able to use this particular one to my advantage in the future, but (so far) I have 29 others and there are still four days of opportunity left!

It was a long day at the conference today, and tomorrow will be an earlier start and a longer day. Gonna be a busy one. First meeting is at 7AM, and I will get back to the room at about 10 tomorrow night.

Deeds, Actions, Changes, CLOWN NOSES, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2015 - Day 131/234 - Monday...

Well, since I am CDO, the TSA really does not need to put these notices in my luggage when they go through it. I KNOW it has been gone through, I just know. They went through both my checked bags today and only left a notice in one of them. Does anyone know what that little black thing is? Is it the thing they use to wipe for gun powder? They left that in the bag as well, maybe by mistake, maybe not.

I almost outsmarted myself on this trip. I intentionally left my little soldiers at home so as not to carry a bunch of stuff to DC. After I got checked in and settled, I went over to the CVS to purchase my soldiers, and was told they do not sell wine at CVS in DC. But, there was a liquor store down the street, so I got some little black boxes of Merlot, and all is right with the world!

Business gets started in the morning, and I expect it will be a long, busy, hectic day. I really enjoy these meetings, and learn A LOT.

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

2015 - Day 130/35 - Sunday...

Okay, I will be heading out of town tomorrow for most of the week, and this is a first for me. Even though I am OCD (CDO for those in the know), I usually get in the A boarding group, but usually in the 20's or 30's.  I was REALLY surprised when this came up this afternoon, I blame it on all the Mothers being asleep on the couch and all the Fathers washing the dishes. Mother's Day should fall the before every trip I take, just saying'.

I do admit that my 'To Done' list was rather modest today, but I still managed to get everything crossed off it. Replace some batteries, move some rocks, transplant some four o'clocks, and a few more this-and-thats. No matter, I will take it.

Deeds, Actions, Changes, FIRST ON, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2015 - Day 129/236 - Saturday...

We got about an inch-and-a-half of rain last night (well it really all came down about 4 o'clock yesterday afternoon). The girls were all wet when I put them to bed last night, and we got a little more than a trace of rain throughout the day today. I was really happy to see we have three morning glories blooming out around the glory trellis. There are lots of things in life that I am infatuated with, and morning glories are one of them. There is also Jody, the girl dog, Barney the Cat, the girls, my car, four o'clocks (how much time do you have? Here is a photo of one of the glories, all three of them that are blooming are this hot pink color.

We took a flower bed out around the garage side of the front porch last year, nothing much seemed to grow there. We have a lovely stand of four o'clocks coming up where the bed used to be, where there is now an extension of the crushed granite path. Crazy. When you water and care for them, they will not grow, when you cover them up with granite, they thrive.

I did get a few things done around the house today, including a nap or two. There are (were) some heavy limbs hanging over the driveway that I trimmed back. I drove the truck out and stood in the bed of the truck to trim them, I thought that was a better idea than to try to stand up on a ladder to do. It worked out perfectly.

It is supposed to rain some more tomorrow, so we shall see what gets accomplished. Might just be a really good day for napping!

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

2015 - Day 128/237 - Friday...

I know, it's late, but I can only do what I can do. I was about to crawl into bed and I realized I had not done my journal entry for the day. I do not expect you could survive without an update on the canine coiffure that was completed yesterday. It came complete with a bow on one ear, that lasted for about two seconds. She was glad to be liberated from that bastion of four-legged fashion, and here is the proof!  She is a sweet little girl dog.

Today was a good day overall, but it was a busy day. Started with an 8:30 meeting that lasted until 1 o'clock, then to the office for some power real estate. I also suffered from some indigestion as a result of a little quiche I had at the morning meeting, and that was with me most of the afternoon. Then it was off to show a couple houses in the late afternoon. Not bad for an old-guy.

We got over an inch of rain this afternoon, the official reading will not be made until the morning. I think that will clearly put us over three inches for the month so far, and every day of the seven week forecast has at lease a 50% chance of rain, some up to 70%. I hope some of it will fall on the water shed!

Deeds, Actions, Changes, GIRLY DOG, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2015 - Day 127/238 - Thursday...

We had our monthly office meeting at the newly opened Shake Shack on South Lamar this morning. Obviously, we did not get a lot of business done, but we had a really good burger. We stood in line for about 20 minutes, ordered, then waited for our food (nine orders) for about another 15 or twenty minutes. It was not a terrible wait though, we were all backing and gossiping, so it was okay. I have to tell you that the burger I had was DEE-licious, and I will go back again. Kind of Elevation Burger-ish and that is good because the most convenient Elevation Burger to us has been shuttered. Crazy. Anyway, this is a photo of the menu they offer for four-footed types. Interesting. I hear it is a nationwide deal, but I was totally unaware of it until about two weeks ago, and thought they had already opened. Nope, they just opened on Tuesday. Give it a try, and invite me to go along with you!

I am nervous as a cat. I am trying to do everything on a MacBook Air that I bought about six weeks ago and it has been riding around in the back of the car ever since. I am convinced I will like it and it will make my life easier (that's what everyone tells me, but no one of an advanced age such as myself), but so far so good. I am kind of getting things figured out, and it is supposed to be really intuitive. One thing for sure, it is lighter and easier to carry than the HP I have been using as a portable unit.

I took the girl dog in to the beauty parlor this morning, she was just fine on the ride in and happy to go, but she was not excited about going into the place, and less interested in making any new friends. We think she has had plenty of instances to mingle with strangers in the last month or so when she was in the shelter. We have had her two weeks today, and everyone is happy with the decision. I'll post a photo tomorrow.

Deeds, Actions, Changes, SHAKE SHACK, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2015 - Day 126/239 - Wednesday...

This is a photo of the girl dog last night getting ready for a snooze with her head on her daddy's knee. It is interesting how much this little girl dog is already getting away with. Snoozes on the couch, snoozes in the chair, jumps up in our laps, gets UNDER the covers with Jody. Cray-Cray!  She has an appointment at the dog beauty parlor tomorrow. I have not had a dog groomed since the late '80s when I had a blond cocker spaniel named Abbie. It is a totally new journey with this girl dog. She is a barker too. Jody just says she is a good watch dog; I just say she is loud.

Today was a day FULL of meeting. Just one, but a full day of it. I was up last night until almost 9 o'clock making calls, started the morning out making calls, calls made during breaks, during lunch and followed up with e-mails and texts. It was a busy day.

Tomorrow will be a bit more calm.

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

2015 - Day 125/240 - Tuesday...

I don't know exactly where the Vera Chicken was when I was outside looking for a journal photo op, but she is okay, because I just saw her screaming across the open lawn headed towards the bamboo preserve. When we moved to this property about six years ago, there was a nice stand of bamboo between the house and the road. When we got the chickens, it worked out well because the girls could get into the bamboo and be protected from prey of all sorts. During the EXTREME drought years, the bamboo died out, and a couple years ago I supplemented the bamboo with more and was very careful to water it. There was help from the better rains, and this year the bamboo has gone CRAY-CRAY. I know all the terrible stuff about bamboo, and I will work to control it (maybe next year or the year after), but for now, it is a good, safe place for the girls.

Today was a day of office work, and it is incredible to me that I got a good number of things marked off my 'to done' list. Things I have been putting off and stressing over are now complete, so I have a whole new list of things to stress over.

Tomorrow will be a full day of meetings, then on Thursday we are going to try out a new eatery and have our office meeting. Shake Shack, here we come. It just opened today, so we will give them one more day to get their shakes together, and we will be there!

Another day of '
it looks like rain', but still none.

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

2015 - Day 124/241 - Monday...

I think this qualifies (at the very least) as breezy conditions. It may even qualify as windy, I am not sure. One thing I am certain of is, it is not considered rainy. Even though there was only a 10 percent chance of precipitation today, it was cloudy for a good part of the morning and still seems to be somewhat NOT sunny. And the rain chances for the rest of the week seem to be experiencing a rapid decline. Having said that, I expect storms and several inches of rain by the end of the week.

I was in the office most of the day, and I was able to get a considerable amount of work done before my mid-afternoon meeting. There was also a good bit of work accomplished, and some really good ideas were presented. It was, overall, a really rewarding afternoon.

Tomorrow is another day in the office until I go to get my haircut in the afternoon, and Wednesday will be an all day meeting.

I am the luckiest man in the world.

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

2015 - Day 123/242 - Sunday...

The year was one-third over two days ago, and I did not even make note of it. I did make note that the year will be over in about five minutes, and indeed it will be. It has been a really pretty day on the edge of nowhere today, and clouds are rolling back in from the south. There is a very small chance of rain tomorrow, but the chances increase on Tuesday and Wednesday, and taper off towards the end of the week, but there is a chance of rain every day in the next seven days.

I did manage to get a lot of stuff done around here today, and Miguel came out and helped and made the progress even better. I did get all the grass cut in the front of the house, and even did some of the tighter spots with the self-propelled mower. Forget everything I said last night about chickens being really good conversationalists. They do not (obviously) understand the shouted command of "GET OUT OF THE WAY". We were once again playing the game of bug, chicken, lawn tractor, and the juiciest of all bugs just happened to be right where I had aimed the lawn tractor. So far there have been no chicken fatalities, but I have to admit there have been some close calls.

This should be a relatively quiet week, but the following week will be a busy one.

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

2015 - Day 122/243 - Saturday...

This is Society Garlic, and there are plants all around the property. There are lots of other garlics all around the property, but the Society Garlics are just about to burst forth with blooms. Very pretty. If you need some garlic, let me know.

Even though the girl dog decided we were being attacked by space invaders this morning about 4:15, I managed to ignore it as best I could, and feigned sleep while Jody got up to see what was the matter. Turns out, nothing. We did leave the garage door open overnight, and we surmise that she heard the newspaper being delivered. I then slept on until about 6:15 and got up because I had things to do before I left for the office at about 8:30.

I did manage to get a few things done before I left; read the paper, took the girl dog outside, made a pile of eggs for me and Jody, vacuumed the car and a couple other things. I got back home about 1:30 and took to the blue chair for about 30 minutes before Jody and I headed into Georgetown for lunch. When we got home, I took BACK to the blue chair for a while until the interesting parts (that means hardly any) of the news was over, and I went outside and did a couple more things, like gathering eggs and talking to chickens. Chickens are some of the smartest people I know.

Tomorrow will be a work around the property day, and there is PLENTY to do. It is supposed to be a nice day, continuing into Monday, then chances of rain Tuesday through the rest of the week.

I have almost got the one-space-after-the-period thing conquered.

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

2015 - Day 121/244 - Friday...

Welcome to May, this year will be over in five minutes, and we will all wonder where in the hell it went. I cannot remember from one minute to the next what I have done or am doing. I checked my camera phone today to see if I had taken a photo for this entry and found out that I had not. I scrolled through the previous photos and discovered this in one in one of the photos I had taken of the Chrysler 300. It is kind of my own version of Google Street View. In front of the Four Seasons Residences.  I think it is pretty funny!

I had a relatively busy day today; started with a presentation to newly licensed agents at the Board, then got my car inspected, picked up a couple cinnamon rolls and bran muffins at Upper Crust, then headed into the office. Left the office about three o'clock, stopped at Lowe's on the way home, then stopped at the Tax Assessor's office in Georgetown and got my new car registration. So, I am done with that chore for another year.

Showing property tomorrow and hopefully will get a chance to take Jody into Georgetown for lunch.  Have I mentioned lately that I am the luckiest man in the world?

Deeds, Actions, Changes, BEND OVER, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!