2015 - Day 273/92 - Wednesday...

Here we are, the last day of September already, and I can hardly comprehend where the time has gone, but already there are plans being made for the NEW YEAR. Crazy! Jody made smothered pork chops for dinner tonight, he got the recipe from one of the AARP magazines, and it is Miss Kay's (the Duck Dynasty matriarch) recipe. Not sure if you could substitute duck for the pork chops, in the event that you were running low on pork, but it was certainly a tasty dinner. And the girl dog lucked out in two ways; there were some bits of pork and gravy for her to lap up, AND she got to go out in her yard and chew up a bone (it took only a few minutes). She is probably the chewingest girl dog we have ever had, and we encourage her with another chew toy every time we set foot in HEB, Tractor Supply or Joske's. I have had Joske's on the brain lately.

Otherwise, it was a good day for the last day of the third quarter. We shall see what the fourth quarter brings, but I expect it will be good.

Deeds, Actions, Change, PORK, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2015 - Day 272/93 - Tuesday...

I am posting this perfectly idyllic photo to make all of you (gentle readers) that I had a wonderful, glorious day. My day did not suck, but it could have been a little bit better. There could have been fewer wrecks on my inbound commute. There could have been fewer idiots calling me on my variety of electronic messaging devices. I just found out that Facebook is going to start charging me $100 a day to subscribe to their product, and they are going to send all my personal information (including the credit card number I provided for their service fee) to Putin, the bare-chested little short-shit in Russia. Did you know the Pope is not really Catholic. It was in the Enquirer. This just in, wild bears DO NOT shit in the woods. Who knew? According to building Alaska (24 hours a day on HGTV), wild bears actually prefer to knock down doors of log cabins looking for Slim Jim's left laying about willy-nilly, and as long as they are in there, they will seize on the opportunity to shit in the middle of the bed. It was on HGTV for (enter the deity of your choice) sake. Lucille Ball was not really married to Desi Arnaz. Matt Dillon threw Miss Kitty over for Festus. Andy was not really from Mayberry, and Gomer went AWOL in the second season. Jackie Gleason was not fat, he was wearing a prosthetic as a ratings gimmick. The June Taylor Dancers were really organized by a guy named George, and speaking of people named George, George of the Jungle was really from Bakersfield. Back in the early twentieth century, the work week was only three days long and they work day lasted from 10 am until 2 pm. Roosevelt screwed that all up to get his social services programs going, so we could all have to wait until 70 before we could retire with full benefits. And don't get me started about Eleanor. Donald Trump is one ugly-mutha. That is obvious to everyone. That is a whole bunch of ugly if you ask me.

So, just shut up, enjoy the pretty cloud photo, and post really cool photos on Facebook while you still can.

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

2015 - Day 271/94 - Monday...

If you had been sitting in my office most of the day today, and if you had grown up in southeast Michigan or northeast Ohio, you would have worn it was a wintry December day. Gray, cloudy and overcast skies (is it grey or gray, or does it matter?), it just looked like it was going to snow at any minute. It reminded me of the beginning of pheasant season; no snow yet, but definitely fall and bitingly cold. But, alas, it was not, and the gray/grey skies that seemed to hold promise that we would receive a little bit of rain, were nothing more than teasing liars. AND, it seems that we are out of luck for rain in the near term. This El Nino crap they are talking about is just another way of getting us to focus on the song-range as opposed to the immediate need for cooler temps and water from the skies. And, I have just guaranteed that when (and if) the El Nino pattern does overwhelm us with rain for more than one day at a time, we will have plenty to complain about. We like complaining, and I think I will just 'unfriend' it when (and if) it does show up in central Texas.
ay

Other than that, it was a pretty good day here in central Texas, I actually remembered most of the things that needed to be done, and if I did not remember something, I am certain someone will remind me that it needs to be accomplished.

The week is setting itself up to be a busy one, and that is good. Better than nothing to do.

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

2015 - Day 270/95 - Sunday...

As predicted, I made a few small accomplishments today. I did cut AT some grass (small selected sections of the yards) particularly the girl dogs fenced in area, and some of the taller weeded portions at the front closer to the road. Makes it much easier to gather eggs (when the girls are cooperating which they do not seem to be doing right now). I did take a count of the girls the other night, just to make sure we had not been over run by some sort of predator. Still 23 girls, but we are only getting one or two eggs per day. They are molting to beat the band however, if you ever wanted to see what zombie chickens look like, you should come out and take a look at these. Pitiful, pitiful, pitiful, bless their hearts. The morning glories are still surviving though, and I have to give them credit, they are doing better than I would have suspected. We have recorded 0.61" in the rain gauge this month, and that is not conducive to a great morning glory showing. Pitiful, pitiful, pitiful, bless their hearts.

The bad shot dove hunters are still at it, although not with all the gusto they were showing earlier in the season. I need to try and determine when the season ends. One moment please...it runs from September 1st until October 25th (holy crap another month of dodging shotgun pellets) and again from December 18th until January 1st. The fact that we have instituted a dove free shooting zone on our property was in evidence this afternoon, there was a dove hanging out with the chickens close to the bamboo. The bamboo provides them all some shelter from other, less well equipped predators. Even though they have less lethal manufactured weapons at their disposal, I think the natural predators are more cunning and (probably) more targeted in their hunting. Maybe more lethal to the unknowing birds a well. I know for sure that the girl cat gets herself a bird or bunny occasionally, but that is just how it is out her on the edge of nowhere.

Deeds, Actions, Changes, FLORA AND F, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

AUNA

2015 - Day 269/96 - Saturday...

So, the girl dog had an appointment at the beautiful parlor this morning, and the first thing she asked me when I went to pick her up was "Does this haircut make me look fat?". Honestly, I don't think it is the haircut, but there was no way I was going to go with that, so I just bought her a hot fudge sundae on the way home and she seems to have forgotten about the whole thing.

The Saturdays of recent memory are like a broken record in the world of journalizing. Sleep late, take a nap, avoid work at all costs, take another nap, try not to work up a sweat avoiding work, take another nap. That pretty much sums up the whole day, although there were a couple other errands thrown in to the mix, but over all, it was a pretty un-accomplishing type of day.

Tomorrow is a different story, there is grass to be cut, this and that to get accomplished, and I will let you know how all that works out later.

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

2015 - Day 268/97 - Friday...

Last night, I threatened you with a diatribe about the semicolon (one word). But I decided that was boring, even the bits about the popular semicolon tattoo that seems to be the latest rage for self-help. I direct you to The Googles if you want more information about that. Another friend Jon noted that after semicolons, he would be waiting (allegedly with fish in his mouth) for the next missive to concern itself with my period. Well, you really do not want me to discuss that, it could go on and on. There was also a bit of rain today (not here on the edge of nowhere), but there was rain on my car and my windshield wipers did have to function for four or five miles on the commute home this afternoon. Nope, I did not even feel that my signature Monet-esque raindrops through the windshield photo was appropriate for this entry. This entry is making note of the girl dog using me as a cushion for her feet, so she can see above the great unwashed to view the great expanses of expanses here on the edge of nowhere. She is very pleased to use me as a stepping stool for her viewing pleasure, and I am generally more than happy to accommodate her viewing needs. BUT, she is (as reported earlier) heavier than she looks.

Cute, but not that light, not like a feather pillow.

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

2015 - Day 267/98 - Thursday...

I have to tell you, as far as I am concerned, the jury is still out on the Oxford Comma. I was doing just fine (journalistically) until my friend Jonathan started to correct my grammar and otherwise question my authority as a blogger...Oxford Comma, Smoxford Comma. Blah, blah, blah. It brings back (bad) memories of being corrected about how many spaces to put after a period. I am almost to the point where I can leave only one space after a period and have it feel somewhat natural, sort of acceptable, sort of... But this Oxford Comma crap has got me going cray cray. The freaking comma itself cannot even determine what it wants to call itself (see a journal entry a while back about the same problem my brother had deciding on what name he wanted to be called). The Oxford Comma is also known as the serial comma and/or the Harvard Comma. Its (is an apostrophe necessary here?) name is always pretentious (I like that part), and its (HELP ME) purpose is always the same: it comes before the conjunction (usually three things along with the word "and" or "or") in a list of things.

EXAMPLE: Because Bill is CDO (he has to alphabetize his OCD'ness)
he completes ordinary tasks using specific details for each, for instance, when washing his hands in a public restroom, he always uses three paper towels to dry his hands, he must always straighten the desks when he is in a meeting, AND the ink pens must always be placed in the pen cup POINT DOWN. Did you catch it? That last comma, the one IMMEDIATELY PRECEDING the word AND is the little bastard that this whole entry is about. The Oxford (or serial or Harvard) Comma.

Worse yet; the Oxford Comma is completely optional. It's (I know about that apostrophe) common in non-journalistic prose, and fairly standard in the US, but it's (again) not often used in the UK, Australia or South Africa.

Like anybody gives a crap!

Tune in tomorrow, when we will tear-up the semi-colon.

And get your mind out of the gutter.

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

2015 - Day 266/99 - Wednesday...

Dogma: Dog*ma. Noun. Or maybe an apostrophe, I am never sure. It could be a dangling participle, or maybe a dongle, I am so confused. But I digress: Dogma is a principle or set of principles laid down by an authority (quite often me) as incontrovertibly true (more evidence). It serves as part of the primary basis of an ideology or belief system, and it cannot be changed or discarded (except by me) without affecting the very system's (apostrophe) paradigm (twenty cents), or the ideology itself. The term can refer to (if I approve) acceptable opinions (everybody's got one) of philosophers or philosophical schools, public decrees, religion, or issued decisions of political authorities. The term derives from the Greek (I was in a fraternity) *&%$^, "that which seems to one, opinion of belief" and that from (another Greek word) "to think, to suppose, to imagine". The plural is either (multiple choice here) dogmas or dogmata (isn't dogmata more commonly referred to as 'poop'), from yet another Greek word. The term "dogmatics" (as opposed to "dogthreespeed), is used as a synonym (means the same thing) for systematic theology, as in some guy's (is that the proper use of an apostrophe) defining textbook of neb-orthodoxy, the 14 volume Church Dogmatics.

See also, my Carma ran over my Dogma. Tune in tomorrow when we will discuss the Oxford Comma.

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

2015 - Day 265/100 - Tuesday...

Carma: Car*ma. Noun. (In Hinduism and Buddhism, but not in Volkswagenism). The sum of the vehicle's actions in this and previous states of existence, viewed as deciding it's fate in future existences. Carma refers to the good actions or deeds of your vehicle. It also refers to your vehicle's spiritual principle of cause and effect (ex: you go too fast you crash into vehicle in front of you, then you wait and hope you do not come back as a Yugo). Good intent and good deed contribute to good Carma, while bad intent and bad deed contribute to bad Carma and future suffering (see example above, but replace the word "Yugo" with the word "Plymouth"). Carma is closely associated with the idea of rebirth in some schools of Asian religions (ex: Kia and Hyundai). In these schools, Carma in the present affects the vehicle's future in the current life, as well as the nature and quality of future lives (ex: if you fail to let other vehicle merge, you crash and return as a faux cast iron patio set on sale at HEB). Bottom line: my car is much kinder than I. My car wants other cars to merge, wants to keep a safe distance from other vehicles, and wants to leave driveways open so oncoming vehicles could turn left into them. I love my car.

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

2015 - Day 264/101 - Monday...

Generally when I am at a loss for a journal topic, and particularly when I have no photos with which to enhance the days' journal entry, I will do an Interweb search (okay, a Google Search) for interesting words and associated photographs (public domain) that I can use on that day. Today I was at a particular loss for interesting topics to rant about, so I did a couple searches, and finally settled on "downfall of society" fully expecting (and hoping?) that a FacebFacebook logo (albeit a really old one) appeared on the next to the last row of images related to the "downfall of society". That cannot be right. I am getting weary of everything being shared and copied and forwarded and pasted and blah, blah, blah. I cannot remember what I used to fill my days with before Facebook, but I really have no intention of declaring a moratorium of my access of the medium. It seems I can no longer go more than 10 minutes without looking to see if someone or something really more important than whatever else it is I am doing is asking for my advice or opinion, or sharing (the dreaded sharing) advice or an opinion with me. I have certainly become more liberal with my "unfriending" finger, and I am not particularly happy about that either. What is the Interweb etiquette when "unfriending" someone? Do you send them an e-mail announcing that decision, or do you just deny it when you come across them in a social setting, mumbling something incoherent about "well, I lost all my data when I switched to MicroSoft 10, so that must have been it", or do you just fess up and say "I really just think you are a DICK, and I got fed up with the crap on your Facebook page.
ook icon would be the first image to appear. The

I'm not sure, but whatever the right answer is, I am pretty sure it is a Fuster Cluck.

Deeds, Actions, Changes, FUSTER CLUCKING, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2015 - Day 263/102 - Sunday...

Earlier this evening while I was out reading meters and checking the (recently poor) egg production, Vera decided she needed to have a one-on-one with management. She complained bitterly about the girl dog getting all the attention recently, and that there were lots of other interesting things going on (edge of nowhere wise) that were news worthy and that the girl dog was nothing but a flash in the pan, journal entry wise. Her words, in order to put the conversation in proper context were, something like "Just who does that freakin' bitch think she is, anyway?". She also made references to the slow-down in egg production recently, and that if something did not change (and change pretty damn quickly), she would be making a call (on behalf of the group) to an organizer in Salado that she had heard about, that was able to get a coop there air conditioned (refrigerated air was how she referred to it), and the coop cleaned TWICE a week instead of just once. Although it was not said in so-many-words, there was the serious perception of a 'threat' in her tone (as perceived by me), and it was not a pleasant conversation to say the least. I tried to calm her ruffled feathers with the promise of top-billing in the journal tonight, and as you can see, she could barely contain her contempt for any kindnesses that I was trying to put forward for her and the others girls, coop-wise. Only time will tell how this will all work out, but be on the lookout for a herd of free-range chickens carrying picket signs on the edge of nowhere, and more or less just starting a ruckus.

You have been warned.

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

2015 - Day 262/103 - Saturday...

You cannot really tell from this photo, but the breeze was lovely last night, and the crescent moon behind the flags provided a nice visual. Is it a waxing crescent? It is too damn hot, and it is making everyone crabby. It is time for temperatures to be more in the 80s during the day time hours, and into the 60s overnight. The high this afternoon was 97 degrees, and it has been too hot for too damn long. We need rain, and I need a million dollars. I also understand that people in hell want ice water, but is it too much to ask for a little moderation in the heat cycles? I have to be careful not to drop my cell phone when I am taking the girl dog for a walk, if it goes into a crack in the ground I will never be able to get it back out. The crust of the earth here on the edge of nowhere is going to crack open, and there will go all the chickens. I think tomorrow I may need to set up the water troughs in the pastures, and the cattle are particularly fond of city water. They have not had any fluoride in their water since spring, but it looks like they are set to be spoiled once again.

It was a typical Saturday, although I did get a lot of office work done today, I did nothing really physical other than to get myself up and down out of the big blue chair.

Tomorrow is another day, procrastination (about some things) is a good thing.

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

2015 - Day 261-104 - Friday...

I am not sure if I ever shared with you the final hanging (maybe not so restful) place of Mr. Speckles. Poor guy, he was a gentle beast, but perhaps not the smartest bull in the herd. He was big and majestic, and he (or this part of him) is not on display on the front of the truck shed.

It is Friday, which means extra sleeping over the next couple of days. I have no real plans for the weekend, but there is a pretty substantial amount of catching up to be done, telephone calls to make (and return), e-mails to compose and schedules to figure out.

It is HOT again, the few days of temperate climes we enjoyed this time last week have disappeared, and we are back to mid-to-hits 90s, temperature wise and humidity wise.

According to the Fire Department in Granger, Texas, the fire last night was a result of Atmos Energy purging their gas lines. I don't know what that means, either.

Must go now, there is a big blue chair calling my name.

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

2015 - Day 260/105 - Thursday...

So, today may have set a record for me. I had five meetings that I attended, and I think that could be the most in a day (unless you count state or national meetings). First a breakfast meeting, then two other meetings in the same building (speaking about Prop 1 on the November ballot). Then a lunch meeting, then to the office for some power real estate, and then a wine tasting this evening. So, bottom line, there was plenty of food (I especially appreciate the breakfast meetings because they have LOTS of bacon), plenty of drink, and plenty of opportunities. Made it home ALMOST before dark, and I have another breakfast meeting (breakfast tacos) in the morning. I posted a breakfast picture on my Facebook page this morning, this is a picture of part of my lunch. I could not convince the waiter that I did not want a top bun, and that I really only wanted one bottom bun. How hard is it to express an 'open-face' sandwich? I need to work on my communication skills.

Extra news flash. I do not know if you can really make it out in this photo, but there is something BIG on fire around Granger, Texas. I could see it from CR 972, CR 1105, CR 320, CR 322 and CR 323. It looks too me like a gas or petroleum pipeline is on fire. Very interesting. Folks are out in the fronts of their houses looking, and it is BIG and BRIGHT.

We will see what they have to report on the 9 o'clock news.

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

2015 - Day 259/106 - Wednesday...

As a big surprise (to me at least) we received 0.04" of rain overnight. I went out this morning to let the girls loose (it was still dark) and I still did not realize there had been rain. Once of the GFCI breakers to the chicken range had tripped and would not reset, and that is when I determined we had received a little bit of rain. It sprinkled on me a few times yesterday and today, and the clouds on both days during the drive home (you pay attention to those things when you are stopped on a major traffic artery) have been relatively amazing. very pretty.

I experienced an Interweb interruption last evening and into this morning. Therefore, there was no journal entry overnight. There was a BRIEF note earlier today (when there was a bit of a signal), but all the Pulitzer Prize winning comments that had been scheduled for yesterday have been put asunder, ne'er to be thought of again. It was really good stuff, too, but as a writer (followed by literally (get it?)  thousands of faithful groupie types), I must keep my entries current, and cannot depend of delayed journalistic reporting (kind of like the Austin American-Statesman when it comes to football scores), and so the amazing pronouncements that WOULD HAVE been shared yesterday, will just have to remain silent.

Boo-Hoo!

Deeds, Actions, Changes, NON-LINE, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

Day 258/107 - Yesterday...

NOTICE: Interweb services iffy, intermittent signal at best. No journal entry. Will try again on Wednesday.

That is all.

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

2015 - Day 257/108 - Monday...

Let's talk about the inappropriate expulsion on noxious odors, shall we? I believe (although a search of the Interweb cannot confirm) that perhaps the Bard put it best when he set pen to paper and wrote  "Speak tho me sweet lips, I'll find you". I swear I remember that from high school, but I cannot find it. As reported in this journal last evening, I experienced a dinner replete with re-fried something-or-other which caused me certain gastronomical events throughout the night. I cannot either confirm or deny that my dreams were an actual reality, but I can tell you that if it was not a dream, a new hole in the ozone layer has developed high above the skies on the edge of nowhere. Let's call a fart a fart, shall we? This entire conversation began a few weeks ago while I was out of town, having dinner with a distinguished gathering of colleagues. Although I was trying my best to curtail the conversations at the table while maintaining an appropriate modicum of decorum (?), the conversation quickly took a plunge to depths I had not often frequented. As a result, I am now aware of the volume of "fart apps" that can be found with just a few strokes on my personal electronic device, otherwise referred to as "my huge tool". Those apps include, but are not limited to farts, farts for free, fart sounds, bacon farts, fish farts, farts vs zombies, farts & burps, atomic farts, fart cushion, fart cushion II, fart cushion III, and econo-fart.

What has happened to us as a society?

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

2015 - Day 256/109 - Sunday...

(Enter the Deity of your choice here, please)...HELP US. PLEASE HELP US! It is just the beginning of cricket and grasshopper season here on the edge of nowhere, but this is photo documentation that the annual plague has begun not far from us. We went to dinner this evening in Georgetown, and I remarked to Jody about the crickets (living, dead and cricketing themselves into a stupor) when we opened the door to the restaurant. I decided to document the swarm for this evenings journal entry, but then when we walked outside to get into the car, there was an even better swarm crawling up the wall of the restaurant exterior (as well as the sidewalk). I am somewhat concerned that a portion of my order (all organic of course) was re-fried cricket. You cannot convince me otherwise. We have lived through (I believe) seven seasons of cricket-mania here on the edge of nowhere, and many other less concerning seasons when we were in Austin and Red Rock. The challenge this season is, however, the arrival of the girl dog. She is very anti-crawly things. She patrols the interior perimeter of the house every night, once we have ventured out to put the girls (chickens) to bed. She is very conscientious. If there is a fly in the house, she is not content until she has snuffed the life out of it, no matter what stands between her and the offending flying bug. Bug patrol, that is it in a nut shell. So when the crickets begin their annual invasion of all things inside, I am not sure we will be able to endure it. More to come on this and other developing stories as we get into the cooler weather season.

PLEASE HELP US!

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

2015 - Day 255/110 - Saturday...

The cotton fields have been all abuzz with activity for he past couple of weeks, and they work well into the nights since every imaginable piece of harvesting equipment and the paraphernalia that goes along with it is equipped with high powered lighting. In the evenings when I walk the girl dog and put the girl chickens to bed, you can see them hustling about chopping and baling cotton. When Jody took the girl dog for her ride this morning, we drove past these bales, there are lots of blue jeans and CostCo shirts right there!

It has been a lovely day in central Texas, and especially nice on the edge of nowhere. We woke up later than usual this morning, with temperatures in the 60s, a marked decline in the humidity levels, and the opportunity to empty 0.43" of rain from the gauge. No more rain today and even though the temperatures were just a few degrees cooler than yesterday, the change in the humidity made for a very pleasant day. Not that I paid much attention to it because I spent a goodly portion of the day in the big blue chair, taking naps.

For those of you that took time to check Facebook this afternoon, you may have picked up on the fact that I am now somewhat handicapped, as a result of bending over to pick up a squeaky toy to play with the girl dog. It is back to the blue chair for me.

Deeds, Actions, Changes, PICK UP YOUR OWN TOYS, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2015 - Day 254/111 - The Fourteenth Anniversary of 9/11...

Enough said...we will not ever be able to ever put it behind us.

Deeds, Actions, Changes, BLANK SPACES, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2015 - Day 253/112 - Thursday...

I actually like seeing school buses on the road, especially the two lane county roads out here on the edge of nowhere. I reminds me that, to some young people, this is their 'simpler time', and that let's me take a moment and put on the brakes, sit back and chill. Well worth it, too.

It actually rained a couple times on the edge of nowhere this afternoon. Over night, we recorded 0.02" in the gauge, and the last time I looked for today, there was about 0.04" in the gauge. I was putting a sign and lock box on a new listing this afternoon, and a veritable typhoon came through. I was soaked to the bone, the winds were blowing at about 500 miles an hour, but I got the sign in the yard, and got the lock box on the door. Good times.

Jody and I had pizza for dinner tonight, and I am about to head over to the blue chair. Life is good on the edge of nowhere.

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

2015 - Day 252/113 - Wednesday...

Two days in and it is already hump day. I miss the camel. So...Barney the cat has come around a little more since all the shooting and bird killing has declined somewhat in popularity. If you look closely, you will see her silhouette near the bottom of the photo on the left side. She has been eating her food we put out in the evenings, and today she has let herself be seen on a couple occasions. There was one brief standoff with the girl dog, but she high-tailed it into a bed of cactus where she felt safe from girl dog approach, and this evening as we were sitting down for dinner, she lolly-gagged out to one of her favorite spots by the pool and decided to relax and take in the sights. No worries. good for her.

Almost a full day of meetings today but I was able to get in to the office about 2:30, participated in some power real estate, and again made it home in time to enjoy a good portion of the newscasts.

Full day in the office tomorrow, a couple appointments in the afternoon.

I remain, yours truly, the LUCKIEST man in the world.

Deeds, Actions, Changes, GIRL CAT, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2015 - Day 252/113 - Tuesday...

This is exactly the way I wanted to start off the day. A wreck on both sides of the Interstate at the same place. Not sure if somebody or something jumped the divider, or if the police were just blocking traffic on both sides. There was a wrecker on my side (southbound) loading up cars, but I did not really see any evidence of a wreck on the northbound side. BUT, traffic on the northbound side was backed up for several miles when I finally broke free from the pack.

BUT, the day did get progressively better. I got lots of stuff done in the office, had a nice lunch with Carrie, had an appointment that lasted almost two hours, and made it home in time to see most of the news.

Tomorrow will be a long day...one meeting from morning until afternoon. But it will be good, I really am the LUCKIEST man in the world.

Deeds, Actions, Changes, GOOD DAYS, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2015 - Day 250/115 - Labor Day...

This is what is left of the chewy toy we bought the girl dog on Saturday. It was supposed to be sturdy and long lasting for even the chewiest of girl dogs. I guess we can audition her for the girl dog chewy olympics, or maybe a gig at the dog chewy testing labs at Consumer Reports. Anyway, the one we got her yesterday (bacon flavored) has survived the d
ay, and seems to be a pretty good match for her.

Speaking of girl things (this is a reference to the girl cat), she missed a couple days of food but she was back last night and ate her moist food. I was worried that the 'great white hunters' on both sides of the property might have taken a shot at her, but she is back, and I saw her this afternoon when I was out with the tractor. I have decided that the 'great white hunters' are really bad shots and IF they should actually accidentally hit a dove and the dove falls to the ground, they would be incapable of finding it because they are shooting across wide open fields, doves are not that big, and there is a lot of grasses and weeds that could camouflage a small dove pretty easily. BUT a girl cat could well find a downed, hurt and (perhaps) bleeding dove and after everyone has gone home for the evening, it is buffet time for a girl cat.

That is my story and I am sticking to it.

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

2015 - Day 249/116 - Sunday...

If it's Sunday, there must be stuff to do around the farm. And so there is... I got the grass cut in all the front yard, and started shredding weeds in one of the pastures. It took me about three or four rounds to figure out that the shredder was not working. I looked at it and did a little this and that to it, and it seemed to be cutting, then nothing. Finally, I did something that sheared off a pin so it no worky no more. I will give Hubert a call tomorrow and see if he can check it out. Or I will need to find someone to work on it, hopefully before next weekend. In the meantime, as I was cutting the grass in the front, I noticed that, drought and all, the morning glories are struggling to produce. They are not the big blooms that we had last year, but as I said, they are struggling to produce anything. The weather prognosticators are prognosticating rain for the area beginning on Wednesday and going through Friday, maybe an inch or more. That would be swell.

The dog toy that I studied so about yesterday has (for all practical purposes) been destroyed. It is no more. We went and got here another chew tow (no fluff) and it labeled something like "not for aggressive chewers". Well, we will see how this turns out.

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

2015 - Day 248/117 - Saturday...

I was particularly unproductive today. I woke up at about 4 a.m. and could not go back to sleep. I went to the blue chair and the girl dog joined me for a while, and Jody got up around 6:30 and that pretty much started the day off. Made coffee, loosed the chickens, read the paper, made breakfast, went back to the blue chair where I remained until about noon, dozing off and on. Jody took the girl dog for a ride, and I accompanied them from the back seat. I must say, the girl dog is an attentive thing, and she is all seeing when out for a walk or a ride.

Later in the afternoon, Jody and I went into Georgetown for lunch, and I stopped at Tractor Supply to check out the dog toys. Discerning dog parents must carefully monitor chew-toys, this girl dog can go through them like nothing. What I thought would be (and was noted to be "sturdy" on the packaging) turned out to be not-so-sturdy, but it could just be that the girl dog is an over-achiever. That's what I am going with.

Tomorrow is the typical work day around the house and land, lots of grass to be cut!

Deeds, Actions, Changes, OVER-ACHIEVING, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2015 - Day 247/118 - Friday...

I saw this car driving down Lamar this morning, and it looks MUCH more interesting from the front than it does from the side. I tried maneuvering so that I would be stopped in front of it at a traffic signal, but that was not to be. The best I could do was this side shot. I could not decide if it were some brand of automobile, or if it were a customized Volkswagen, because honestly from some angles it looked like a Beetle. Once I got to a stopping place and looked carefully at the photo, it is indeed a real brand of vehicle, a Citroen. From what I can recall, Citroen's always have (had?) an interesting back end similar to this one, and I think they were an innovator in hydraulic shock absorbers. Jody said they were always known for their comfortable rides. Interesting car, driven by a young woman in Austin this morning.

UPDATE: I forgot to mention to you all in my post last night, I left the toilet paper as I liked it in the Hotel, and so far I have not heard from management, so I assume their benefit package for the staff includes some sort of psychological counseling at a reduced rate.

It was good to get back to the office today. First up was a new member orientation at the board, then a stop at the recycling, then in to the office. Overall, not a bad week, but I am really looking forward to the long Holiday weekend. I hope you all enjoy yours, think of me while you are lolling by the pool, I will be cutting grass (and weeds) in the yard and the pastures.

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

2015 - Day 246/119 - Thursday...

Today was the final day of the TAR Annual Conference. This year, the conference was held in Fort Worth, another city in Texas that I can check off my list. I have been to Dallas several times, never to Fort Worth. And since when did they start going by FORT Worth instead of Ft. Worth? It seems like I always remember that city being referred to as FT. Worth. I don't really mind it either way, and it is their city, so they can go by whichever spelling they want to, it is theirs to do-with-as-they-see-fit, after all. My brother went by several names as he was growing up; Joe, Bob, Robert, Rob and finally Robb. My mother could never call him anything but Joe, but it was his name, he could call himself anything he wanted to. Kind of also like kids who want to wear their hat to bed, and the parents object and it starts a huge deal. Who cares? What does it matter if the kid wears his hat to bed, who cares what the kid (or Fort Worth in this example) wants to be called. I think you all may have just witnessed some kind of crazy, adolescent angst roiling up to the surface there, and for that I apologize. ANY-HOO...this is a picture of the ceiling in the conferences last meeting room. I had noticed the ceiling treatment a couple times while we were there, and thought it was interesting and might make an interesting photo. You be the judge.

Otherwise, I am home, all is good, it is one season or another here at the edge of nowhere, gun shots can be heard near and not so near. I will be angry if they shoot OVER our land. ANY-HOO (once again) I am about to take the girl dog out for her walk, and then eat a piece of fudge pie I brought home from the Collin Street Bakery in Waco.

Deeds Actions, Changes, ANY-HOOS, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2015 - Day 245/120 - Wednesday...

And so I walk in to my 'recently attended' room at the Hotel, and I am confronted with this. There was not even the little pointy folds on the end sheet. Needless to say, there is no compromise on behalf of the staff. There is no 'middle ground'. The staff is obviously trained by a former alcoholic that is still active in AA; there is no grey, there is only black and white. If this were The Ritz, the staff would be aware that I am prone to back sprains, and the proper placement of the very necessary (yet totally mundane) item of first world convenience is something that should not be trifled with. After four nights and three days of occupancy, the staff of capable yet unbending competence should just give in and allow me the pleasure of a well deserved "I win", which I would happily share with their on-line questionnaire. But that is not the intent, so I must acknowledge that the room was cold, the on-screen television guide was (once again) inconvenient, and a horse hide ottoman is honestly not the most practical thing I have ever experienced in my whole entire life.

Other than that, it was a great day. No issues.

Deeds, Actions, Changes, FIRST WORLD PROBLEMS, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2015 - Day 244/121 - Tuesday...

The room attendant at the swanky place I am residing in (until Thursday) has one goal in life, one job (as it were), and that job is to ensure my happiness and enjoyment with no unnecessary concerns or distractions. We have decided to participate in a duel of wills, a veritable battle to the end as to where the papier hygienique (in order not to offend the delicate sensibilities of my legion of followers) should be placed. It is obvious that the architects idea of papel placement was not the result of any ergonomic studies. The placement of the roll is not intuitive. If indeed there had been a time/motion study of this vitally necessary (but usually unmentioned) product placement, it would most likely have required the re-engineering of the entire 'facility'. But in all honesty, it seems the expense of that exercise would only need to be expensed on one occasion, I mean, after you master the function and floor plan of a Hotel en suite, you are pretty much done. And do not get me started on urinals.

Deeds, Actions, Changes, EAU DE TOILETTE, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!