2016 - Day 60/306 - Monday...

I hope you enjoyed your day today, it is Leap Day! Vera was needing some attention when I got home. I spent a good part of yesterday cleaning the chicken coop, putting fresh bedding in the nesting boxes, and making sure they all had plenty of fresh crumbles and water. All was good, but she decided this was going to be her day on the journal. Vera is my all time favorite chicken, my special pet, the girl that comes over and wants to be petted and carried. She is also the alpha-chicken. She has a mean streak in her when it comes to the other girls, and she was the role model for the term 'pecking order'. The other girls do not get away with much of anything when Vera is around.

A relatively good day today, and I cannot believe that we will start March, 2016 tomorrow. I got into the office early this morning, and did some power real estate. Then it was off to the Board, where I was the 'guide on the side' for a couple real estate classes, both of them dealing with REALTOR® professionalism and the Code of Ethics, topics that I am very fond of instructing. There were about 15 attendees in both the classes, and I learned a few things, so the day was a success.

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

2016 - Day 59/307 - Sunday...

As I was cutting the grass earlier this morning (and it continued while I was cleaning the chicken coop, feeding the chickens, etc.), I discovered that I was trying to make sense out of a property around the house that makes no sense at all when you are trying to cut the grass. I was trying to get the area to be cut into neat little squares and/or triangles. Believe me, between the front and the back, there are plenty of curves and spaces that cannot be easily categorized, but that was exactly what I was trying to do. That led me to wonder exactly when my CDO-ness began. I can remember when we lived on Balsam Street (in Southgate) that I would spend hours tidying the kitchen drawers, and then stressing over how to spell the word 'drawers', so I could leave my mother a note explaining to her what I had just spent the last several hours doing. I know now how to spell the word. We lived in that house from about 1957 until 1961, so that made me somewhere between the ages of 5 and 9 years old, I would say it this particular memory was closer to the lesser end of that particular age scale. Then when we moved to Kennebec Street (in Riverview) I can remember cutting the grass and taking a knife from the kitchen flatware and edging the sidewalks with a regular kitchen table knife. We did not have such things as edgers back then, but I knew that I wanted the yard and all to look extra nice for my dad when he got home from work. I would spend hours edging the grass, and it was not unusual for me to cut it two or three times in a day. When we moved to the house in Riverview, I can also remember a conversation my dad had about having the sod laid. Should it be laid even with the level of the sidewalk or below the level of the sidewalk? This would all be very important in the edging of the grass when the grass was cut. Maybe my dad was the one that got me started in the obsessing department, but until today, I never thought of him that way.

Otherwise, I think I am perfectly well adjusted. Excuse me just a moment, while I adjust that.

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

2016 - Day 58/308 - Saturday...

Jody and I took Maddie to her second obedience training class this morning. Jody and Maddie went by themselves last weekend, and today was my first class. We all worked on "sit" and Maddie does pretty well if she happens to be in the mood to sit. Otherwise, she could hardly be less annoyed with it all. After we (collectively) failed at "sit", we went on to walking on a leash without pulling. There was very little pulling going on, because there are all kinds of things to smell up and down the aisles at the PetSmart in Georgetown. She (kind of) got a passing grade in the not-pulling-on-the-leash department, but I am not convinced that it was something she learned, I am going with it was something she smelled. The instructor was convinced that she needed a different kind of collar or harness. We tried a collar that reminded me of a mule, and she would not have any part of it. We put it on her twice, and she immediately wriggled out of it. Then we tried (and bought) a harness that the leash attaches in front of her (kind of at the breast-plate) instead of at her back. We were also 'instructed' not to use the retractable leash, but to just use a shorter leash on her. I took her for a walk later in the afternoon, following all the instructions, and she indeed not tug or pull on the leash, but I am not so sure that I like the new harness or the new routine. We shall see how Jody likes it when he takes her for a walk tomorrow.

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

2016 - Day 37/309 - Friday...

I had considered BS'ing you into believing that my office looks like a pile of crap because we are moving to a smaller suite downstairs, but the truth is this is how my office looks on pretty much a daily basis. The smaller quarters will mean that I need to pare down the crap, and only take those things that I absolutely, positively cannot live without. And, the HTG truth is (pretty much) I need all my crap. I am very fond of my crap. I have worked hard for all my crap, and I am not that keen on giving up any of my crap. IT'S MY CRAP! Right now I have Jody busy going through the IKEA catalog seeing if he can find something stylish that Carrie would agree to that would accommodate my crap and look good at the same time.

We shall see.

We are, for all practical purposes, moved. The upstairs suite looks like something you see after a bad storm has gone through, and I also kind of makes you wonder what we were paying all that money to the cleaning lady for. There are more dust bunnies up there than should be allowed by law. Makes me sneeze just thinking about it.

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

2016 - Day 56/310 - Thursday...

Although I would like to pretend (in many ways) that yesterday just never really happened, it did and things got somewhat distorted during the afternoon rush hour. This is the photo that I had originally intended to use with yesterday's journal entry, but I became distracted. We are in the process of moving from the Suite we are currently occupying, back downstairs to the Suite we own on the first floor. During a move from one place to another, there is always that period of time in which there is NO FURNITURE where there used to be furniture, and dust everywhere. So, We ordered pizza and we had a pic nic in the floor.

The phones and I
nternet on the first floor was not working, but that all got fixed today, so we expect that they will 'port' our phones tomorrow to the first floor offices, and in a couple weeks, we will be all settled in, and life will go on as if this inconvenience never even happened.

On the auto front; I have a rent car, my insurance company really does not care about much of anything, but my own personal agent is being very helpful and supportive.

First. World. Inconveniences. STILL.

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

2016 - Day 55/311 - Wednesday...

First. World. Problems.

...and there I was, minding my own business...when out of nowhere this other driver (I have been accused multiple times since 5:05 PM today of being a chauvinist and/or a discriminatory entity about the driving skills of the opposite sex), came through traffic and hit the front of my car. I was in the left turn lane, the other driver was making a left turn from the parking lot to my left. Other traffic stopped to let her out, but "the sun was in my eyes and I didn't see you". I remained calm, it was just two cars, no one was hurt all that stuff. The Little Man was somewhat annoyed, however. Made the call to 311, was told what to do and how to do it. Turned out the driver of the other car was not the owner of the car, but she (luckily) had the insurance papers of the owner. I got all the information copied down and that is when I found out something was pushed up onto the passenger side wheel. Drove a couple blocks to the condo (because it was getting lonely in that parking lot, the other driver having left the scene, almost backing in to another car that was driving past), where I waited for about an hour-and-a-half for the tow truck.

I won't mention any specific insurance company names, but I have had insurance with the same major carrier since 1976. I have had one or two claims in that time, but I am sadly disappointed with the service they have shown me so far. I made the initial claim, and was told I needed to call the "claims team" to arrange for a tow truck. Everyone involved from their point of view is part of the revenue stream to lessen their financial liability. Nope, don't want to use their body shops, nope I don't want to use a tow truck that never shows up. They also made arrangements for me to get a rental car from an agency 65 miles away from where I am. That's probably not going to work.

I called my Tesla guy, and they sprang into action. Perfect. They got a tow truck out and to their preferred repair places secured lot for overnight, and they will take it from there.

Called the insurance company back, they switched my rental to a local place, and I have to call them after 7 o'clock in the morning. Life will go on, and I expect the sun will rise in the east, and I will be at the office just as I am supposed to be.

My poor car is sleeping in a strange place tonight.

First. World. Problem.

Deeds, Actions, Changes, F. W. P., Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2016 - Day 54/312 - Tuesday...

It has been a long time since we have had a really nice bit of color in the clouds at the end of the day. We had 1.14" of rain overnight, and it has been cloudy all day and the winds out of the north have been persistent and strong. Not sure how strong, but strong. The temperatures today have been hovering in the mid 50s all day as well, both highs and lows, but it seems much colder. So much so that we have built a fire in the stove. It is nice and cozy inside now.

Traffic in Austin has gotten out of control. We are all planning our days around on two mile (or so) section of MoPac that has been narrowed down to two lanes. Everyone is looking for an alternative route, which has caused a domino effect. Everything is clogged up, and I am pretty sure that I experienced grid-lock this afternoon. Westbound traffic on Cesar Chavez was SHUT DOWN, and Eastbound was down to one lane because of a ruptured water main.

Chaos.

However, I should take just a minute here, to remind you all that I am the luckiest man in the world.

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

2016 - Day 53/313 - Monday...

I was really surprised when I showed up for early voting this afternoon. As residents on the edge of nowhere (the county), we did not expect there would be really too much of anything for us to vote on. Who knew? It was like a real election. I consider myself to be relatively well informed, but I was totally taken by surprise. Even though only one of the contests gave me any pause, most of the others were single person contests, which I voted for anyway, just for the hell of it. Why cast a vote if there is no competition, but I did my duty and that is done. Until the next election. Or maybe before, who knows?

Not too bad for a Monday after being out of the office for several days. Actually got a lot of work done, and managed NOT to cause any real traumas around the office.

Mostly folks like it when I am NOT around. I understand the concept, thank you all very much.

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

2016 - Day 52/314 - Sunday...

Home again, home again, jiggity jig...

Even though my 'debarkation' time was 9:45 this morning, I snuck out with the first group. Okay, maybe 'snuck' is a bit of an exaggeration, because I went to customer service last night and told them I needed to get off the boat earlier than LAST. No questions, the lady told me to just go on through, that no one would question me (even though the written directions are very clear to the contrary), and she was right. I was about the 20th person off the ship, and no one asked me anything. All the while the loudspeakers were telling us NOT to congregate on the third floor lobby, but that is exactly where we were congregating.

Anyway, I made it to Houston and got a charge at their new facility, then on to Columbus for another short charge, then home. I got home before 1 o'clock this afternoon, and when I went out to check meters, I was met by one of the old friends, the from on the meter.

Happy to be home, and it is raining too! What could be better?

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

2016 - Day 51/315 - Saturday...

Well, this is it. This is the last day of the 2016 cruise. I am already kind of looking forward to the next cruise, somewhere around this time in 2017. Not sure of the dates yet, but it will all work out. Last night I learned how to play (and how to lose money playing) Texas Hold 'Em, and today I learned (once again) how to lose money playing Bingo. Two people from our group won several hundred dollars playing Bingo, but not me. Anyway, I was fun and a diversion. I also played Trivia (about '80s Rock Music) and confirmed what I already knew; I listened to the music but paid no attention to the names of the songs or the artists producing the music. All in all, a good day on board.

It will be an early day tomorrow, so I will get everything packed up later tonight, and be ready to be first in line to get off this tug. We are the last passengers departing from Galveston on this ship. It will leave tomorrow with NO PASSENGERS and go into dry dock in Nassau (I think), get some renovations done, and then be headquartered in Ft. Lauderdale (again, I think). Several years ago, I was on the third or fourth cruise from Galveston when this ship was new.

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

2016 - Day 50/316 - Friday...

I am burned up like a rogue french fry in the fryer at What-A-Burger. Never coming up and just saying I will stay here just a little bit longer. It has been years and years since I have been sun-burned, and it is one of the best things I have done in several years. It is great to remember how it feels to do something stupid, but having no regrets about having done it. I always have been partial to the color red (although if you could be sunburned and come out purple, that would be even better), and I am regaling in the fact that I was less than cautious today, and stayed out in the sun too long. I really did not think it was too long at the time, but...ahem...it was.

So, other than getting sunburned and protecting his 'Little Man' from harm, he had a really great day. the day included a nice nap, a leisurely breakfast, a movie (a really bad, bad, TERRIBLY bad movie), the consumption of part of a bottle of wine gone bad, and then some video 'Texas Hold 'Em'. All in all, a really good day.

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

2016 - Day 49/317 - Thursday...

I am publishing this entry early today, since I want to make sure the satellite connection works. We are still in port, but will be leaving in an hour or so.

We arrive in Nassau sometime early this morning. I was lazy, and that was good. Did a late breakfast, avoided the rush to get off the boat. You might recall that I watched a James Bond movie the other night, kind of like a drive-in movie thing on the ship. Nassau (at least the little bitty bit of it that I saw) kind of reminds me of the opening credits in that movie. It is loud, crazy, crowded. There was a cacophony of smells, sounds, and visual stimulation. Over the past two days, I have been referred to as 'honey' and 'sweetie' more times than I can remember, and yet not once did I reply that 'I am not your honey', which was probably a good thing because I was out-numbered by a generous amount. I did not leave the tourist shopping district, although I was tempted to take a carriage ride, but I chose to go back to the ship and get some work done.

I was able to get a little bit caught up, and got some things done in anticipation of getting back to Austin later this week. Two days of cruising on the horizon, and I am looking forward to being home.

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

2016 - Day 48/318 - Wednesday...

In the spirit of full disclosure and transparency this election season, I must confess that today is actually Thursday, February 18th, not Wednesday, February 17th. AND, we are on Ship Time, not real time. Ship Time, coupled with our travels through the Bermuda Triangle of satellite communications, has caused yesterday's entry to be completed TODAY. If everything works out well, today's entry will be published today, but there is no guarantee of that, sorry. I am not in control!

Wednesday was more of an ordinary day, cruise wise. Got up, had breakfast, got off the boat on a reasonable time, paid WAY TOO MUCH for a bus ride into somewhere, where we were presented with lots of crap (at every booth) and an introduction of the meat of the conch. Fried conch, seared conch, grilled conch, boiled conch. You name it, someone has done that to a conch. I would be less than honest with you if I were to intimate that I craved yet more conch in my diet. I do not.

I did however, go down two different water slides, getting stuck in the middle of both of them. Isn't that what is supposed to happen? It was fun, and I would do that again.

Deeds, Actions, Changes, CONCH, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN

2016 - Day 47/319 - Tuesday...

Well, to tell you the truth, this is going to go down as one of the 'red-letter-days' in my recent memory. We arrived in Key West sometime after 10 o'clock in the morning. North of Key West, there were some pretty bad storms an tornadoes, and I sent an e-mail to Mike and all was good there in Del Ray Beach. It rained a little bit before we docked, but nothing terrible. Off the boat, and my friend Steve and I rented bicycles, and that was really a great thing to do. All credit goes to Steve. We ran a couple little errands, Steve did a bit of sightseeing, we had lunch (two-for-one-drinks), a dozen raw oysters, a bowl of soup and then it was back to the bikes.We got back on the boat about 4 in the afternoon, took naps, met up again for a quick dinner (not the formal seated dinner), watched a movie (kind of like the drive-in of old), and now I am back in my room and ready to go to sleep.

And I should be a professional photo-bomber.

I also got to talk with Jody three times today, one of the conveniences of having a cell signal. All is well at the edge of nowhere, and he and Lynda had lunch today in Georgetown.

Tomorrow is Freeport (not sure if I have been there before or not, but I am thinking I have). Not sure what I will do there, but the dolphin experience sounds interesting.

Oh, and by the way, there was time spent today actually working as well.

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

2016 - Day 46/320 - Monday...

I just want you to see my nemesis on this trip. My enemy. I have been on three or four cruises (of the giant ship variety) and have always wanted to go on the water slides. So far I have not worked up the courage (or given in to the humiliation of doing so) to walk up the steps to the slide. I imagine getting myself stuck mid-way down the slide and needing the fire brigade to come and rescue me, all the while having elementary school kids and tweens shouting obscenities at me as I am lowered to the deck via a system of ropes-and-pulleys designed to relieve responsibility from the staff. And, by the way, I wonder if I would need to sign a waiver before going up the steps. Whatever. Maybe tomorrow.

During this cruise-thing, parts of my day are having to be accomplished in a Bass-Ackwards style. Generally it is dinner then journal but during this trip it is journal first, then dinner because I am not seated for dinner until 8:15, which is a totally unreasonable hour to eat dinner for someone of such as advanced age as myself. I understand that there is a certain 'cosmopolitan' aura to dining late in the day (or evening), but I am on a totally different schedule as the dining rooms on this tug. I am usually in bed by 8, asleep (easily) by 10 and up and at 'em really early. Whatever. Again.

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

2016 - Day 45/321 - Sunday...

Well, we shall see how this goes. So far I am less than impressed with the Interweb connections on this tub. We left Galveston about 4:30 this afternoon, and about 2 and-a-half hours later, I have finished some work for a report I need to send tomorrow, and now I am going to try and post this journal entry.

Tomorrow will be a full day of sailing, and I am planning to audit a couple classes along the way. On Tuesday we get in to Key West, and that will be fun. I have a plan for that excursion, and if it happens, even I will be surprised. Holy Mother of Pearl!

Otherwise, I am looking for a whole lot of R&R on this scow. A nice big bed, plenty of magazines and a couple bottles of wine. That ought to do it!

Deeds, Actions, Changes, SLOWLY GOING, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2016 - Day 44/322 - Saturday...

While we were on our way to Taylor to get chicken feed, we stopped over at Hubert and Pauline's to take them some eggs. We have not taken them eggs in at least a couple months, the girls have just not been producing, particularly since the chicken slaughter period of a couple months ago, we think it scared them so badly that their hormones were all hormonal! Screwed up! Anyway, we saw an old truck in the shop and I asked if I could take some pictures. later in the afternoon, Michael and Hubert came over in the truck; a 1921 White (that's the brand name) truck, with wood spoke wheels and a beer keg for a gas tank. When it was new, it was just a chassis with a hood, no cab (just a bench seat) and a truck bed. Hubert knew the owners of the truck for years and years, and he had made some modifications to it over a long period, and Michael bought it. It is pretty cool if I say so myself!

So, we took Jody's truck to Taylor to get the chicken feed. There is still a squirrel holed up in the engine compartment of my truck, so we just let them be. The girl dog went with us, so that was a good extra long ride for her.

Lots of activity in Walburg; houses being renovated, houses being moved and lots for sale on 972. It's a boom in Walburg.

But a bust in Bartlett.

Deeds, Actions, Changes, OLD TRUCKS, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2016 - Day 43/323 - Friday...

Okay, so basically I am only posting this photo to aggravate (usually spelled with a 'p-o') my friends that live in the cold places where they are allegedly experiencing another crippling cold spell. I have not heard about snow and/or rain, just coldness this go round. Yesterday it was 83 degrees in Austin, even a little extreme for me in the middle of February, and today this reading shows 79 degrees. Cold front came through later this afternoon (hahaha), and it is expected to lower the temperature a couple degrees, and by tomorrow and Sunday the temperatures will be closer to normal (mid060s). HAHAHA! Whatever...

So, it seems my posts from the last two days mysteriously appeared on Facebook this afternoon. Kinda interesting, but we shall see what happens this evening when I publish this one.

Tomorrow is going to be a chore day, because I am headed out of town on Sunday for a week. I need to see if the squirrels are still nesting in the truck engine compartment, because one thing I need to do is to go into Taylor to get some chicken feed for the girls and a couple sorghum buckets for the cattle. We shall see.

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

2016 - Day 42/324 - Thursday...

I don't know that I ever gave much thought to flags before I moved to Texas. I did not know a lot of the symbolism of the American flags as a school kid, and I am not sure I know when I learned it. I have lived in five states (not an overachiever for sure when compared to other folks), but it is a comfortable number. Michigan has a nice flag, but it's got animals on it, and (as I recall) not easy for school kids to replicate. Tennessee is kind of interesting, I don't really remember much about Mississippi and Louisiana. I think Louisiana has a pelican on it. BUT, I am very happy to have lived in the Lone Star State for the l;last (almost) 31 years. I can imagine growing up as a kid in Texas and drawing the flag on a piece of construction paper. It would be pretty easy to do, even for a first grader. I do have a flag fetish...just sayin'.

Finished my second day of guiding a great bunch of colleagues through a GRI class today. Good stuff, good information shared both ways. I always think it is a success if I learn something from the class, and I honestly think everyone took a couple points away that will help them become more successful in their careers.

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

2016 - Day 41/325 - Wednesday...

When I get all wrapped up in the moment, or the morning, or the afternoon, or the day...I sometimes forget to take a photo to document the happenings that went on around me. So...there are no photos of the class I presented to about 50 great REALTORS® at the Austin Board of REALTORS® today, but maybe I will remember to get one tomorrow. A bunch of the participants updated their Facebook statuses that they were in the class, so The Elf on the Shelf stopped in and brought some pretty Valentine's Day flowers, and she gave me one. Jody was happy to get it, and it is on the breakfast room table, being happy.

Tomorrow will be another full day of guiding, and that is good. Today was Professional Standards, tomorrow will be Office Policies and Procedures.

Like it!

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

2016 - Day 40/326 - Tuesday...

Stick a fork in him, he's done. Final day of the Winter Meeting, and it was an overwhelming success on many levels. I am truly happy that I participated.

Home now, stopped at HEB on the way home to pick up some salty snacks and some Milky Way bars, among other things. First World Problems!

Tomorrow and Thursday I will be teaching two days of a GRI class at the Austin Board. I am looking forward to that, it is going to be big fun!

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

2016 - Day 39/327 - Monday...

This is one of the ballrooms that is used during our Winter Meetings for a variety of things; forums, luncheons, dinners, etc. In this particular case, it was a view of the classroom that was assigned to me to conduct the inaugural presentation of the Basics of Agent and Consumer Advocacy class that I presented with the blessing of our State Association. By the time the class began, there were almost 100 people in attendance, 86 of whom received MCE credit for taking the class. I think overall, the class went well, and I am very happy with the suggestions that were made to make the class even better. The first distance education class will be presented on March 22nd, and I think it will be well received by our colleagues across the state. I am kind of proud of getting it all done, from the idea to the final product.

Day four of five at the Texas Association of REALTORS® Winter Meeting has come to an end. Overall, I think it was a pretty good day. I attended the annual awards luncheon and I am always happy to share in honoring our colleagues. Our association received an award for a Professional Standards class (written by my colleagues Reba and David), and it is truly incredible the amount of time and effort our REALTOR® colleagues devote to things other than helping clients buy, sell and lease real estate.

Tomorrow is the last day of the conference, and I will be there at 7AM. UGH! But, it should be over (the Board of Directors Meeting should be over) by about 1PM.

Deeds, Actions, Changes, EMPTY ROOMS, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2016 - Day 38/328 - Sunday...

Three days down two more days to go and the 2016 Winter Meeting of the Texas Association of REALTORS® will be history. It was an early start; 8:30 Political Involvement Council Presentation, then on to the Governmental Affairs Forum, a luncheon with the Political Action Committee Trustee Alumni, the caucuses (two of them, Region 15 and Region 8). I did get my picture taken with Karl Rove, and it was interesting to hear him speak about politics of the late 19th Century compared to the political climate we are experiencing today.

So far I have managed to (more or less) ignore the Super Bowl, including the half-time show. If I had to pick a team that I was favoring, it would be the team that is currently ahead (4th Quarter with about 13 minutes to go).

Deeds, Actions, Changes, 60% DONE, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2016 - Day 37/329 - Saturday...

If I could make a living as a photo-bomber, I would do it in a second. I cannot think of a better vacation than walking around and messing up other peoples photo documentation. This is a photo bomb I did this evening at the Austin Club during the TREPAC reception. The intended subjects of the digital portrait are Steve and Tami, and I was emboldened from across the room to join in the fun! We were all in attendance during the TAR Winter Meeting TREPAC reception. I enjoy participating in the PAC, and enhancing the advocacy that we do everyday on behalf of our colleagues and property owners across the country.

Otherwise, I am finished with day two of the Winter Meeting, and I have kind of lost track of the number of meetings, forums and classes I have attended in the last two days. Tomorrow starts again at 8:30, and goes until five or six in the afternoon. Then Monday will be a relatively late day, and the conference should end on Tuesday by mid-day.

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

2016 - Day 36/330 - Friday...

This is how my day started. What decision (exactly) is this sign trying to do? Is it trying to tell me something? Is it trying to get me to make some sort of decision? Is it a scratch and sniff kind of thing? Is it asking me to press one or another? I was confused. I decided to throw convention to the wind and enter. Once inside, I was confused even more. It reminded me of a 'Big Bank' episode about female hygiene products. Since when did public facilities start providing those items? Perhaps I have just stumbled upon a higher class of public facility. I have obviously in the past only patronized facilities patronized by the great unwashed. Now at this late stage in my life, I am faced with the knowledge that the better facilities provide you with gratis samples of products you might otherwise be embarrassed to purchase, along with a selection of silk (rayon blends actually) flowers in a fall harvest theme. It was an overwhelming of the senses, and I was glad to exit and return to the mundane.

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

2016 - Day 35/331 - Thursday...

As I posted on my FaceBook status yesterday, I believe that the number one cause of heart attack and stroke is the desire to 'remain calm'. I was advised earlier today, after a meeting, that I go for a walk. I did not have time to go for a walk, I had stuff to do. I totally respect and appreciate the request and the person who made it, but I did not have time to stop and go for a walk. Okay, that's a lie, but I chose not to do it. I told the counselor that I took the girl dog for a walk every afternoon when I got home from work, and that was met with a bit of approval, but not enough.

Maybe I will go for a walk tomorrow.

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

2016 - Day 34/332 - Wednesday...

It's a down-and-dirty-take-a-picture-of-the-pizza-and-don't-even-remove-the-plastic-wrap kind of a day. It wasn't a bad day, just busy-busy-busy. And the pizza was good!

In the office this morning, beginning of a new month, so there are always lots of things to do and get done. Then a quick luncheon meeting at the Board, and back to the office. I had an appointment to get my hairs did in the afternoon, and that was good, then pizza and then home.

Today is Carrie's birthday, if you get a chance to, please tell her Happy Birthday. I talked with Mikey in Florida a couple times today (we are planning some stuff) and Jody got a package from Melody this afternoon in the mail, so he gave her a call. It was a sociable kind of day!

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

2016 - Day 33/333 - Tuesday...

I think that can only happen every four years, and I never paid attention to it before, but there are a lot of 3s in this post heading.

Taking the girl dog for a walk in the afternoons when I get home from work has taken on a new meaning since Carrie (thank you very much) got me a FitBit Charge HR (I think) for Christmas. I had been using my phone app to track the newest trend in physical fitness (without having to actually do anything), but the iPhone (as I reported in earlier posts and gave Carrie the idea) lied, and did not accurately record my steps. For one thing, I am not really attached at the hip to my iPhone (no matter what Jody says), and I think if I walked backwards, it took steps away. Whatever... But with this new thing that is wrapped around my wrist, I am n=more conscious of walking, so that is to the benefit of the girl dog. She gets a longer walk out of me in the afternoons than she used to, about double in fact if I am in a really good mood. So we are now walking past the cattle across the road, and they are kind of shy, but generally when we are on the return trip, a few of them will come a little bit closer and show a little bit of interest. The girl dog has absolutely NO INTEREST in them at all, but I talk kindly to them and try not to mention the fact that, they next time our paths cross, it could be in a double cheese burger at the Crossroads Cafe.

Just saying'.

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

2016 - Day 32/ 334 - Monday...

To the untrained eye, this photo of Vera looks like nothing at all was amiss in the yard this afternoon. In fact, even to my eye, it looked like Vera was just wanting a little bit of attention, which I gave her. But underneath those ginger feathers, and look closely into those beady little eyes of hers, and you can see that all is not well in the coop, and the pecking order is in full swing. I knew the other day (Saturday I think) that one of the girls was hurt...I thought it was a leg issue, but it turns out there is a problem with one of her wings, and all the other chickens have decided to set her afloat on a sheet of ice and that will be the end of it. Jody said they were all ganging up on her and that he feared they would kill her. Jody came between the hurt girl and the rest of them and gave her an avenue to escape. When I got home from work, I checked out the coop and saw her in one of the nests, but did not realize she was the outcast. Jody came out with another box while I was still out there, and that particular girl is segregated in her own private little box with some water and food. When last seen, she was happily pecking away at her dish of food. We shall see what the new day brings.

If I had paid better attention to my post yesterday, I would have realized that all my copying-and-pasting did not work, and all that was actually published was a picture of Earl (or possibly Earline) the squirrel in his/her next in the engine compartment of the truck. All the words were about the gestation periods of a variety of squirrels, and the fact that I assumed the truck would not be going anywhere until about the middle of March. The words were really interesting and informative, sorry you missed them.

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