2016 - Day 182/184 - Thursday...

I figure I average seeing about 1.7 wrecks a day; most frequently on IH-35, then on MoPac. I very seldom see wrecks on the secondary roads, although the idiot drivers are typically more common there. Considering that, I also think it is interesting that there are very few wrecks that include serious injuries. Almost always, you can see the drivers and passengers of the vehicles walking around, talking to each other or to the local constabularies. I think the technology in most vehicles these days (excluding of course the airbags in Hondas and Lexuses) are advanced to the point that serious injuries are less and less common. Or should that be Lexi?

Whatever...

Tomorrow marks the official halfway mark of the year. Half done, half to go.

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

2016 - Day 181/185 - Wednesday...

I kind of think the 'wrong way' sign pretty well sums it all up. The trucks (there were two of them) were not going the wrong way on the Interstate, what I mean is, this is the wrong way to start your day. Unless you were going the opposite direction, which I was. This particular wreck was a good thing for me...it happened HOURS before I was on the road, so lots of people avoided the area, which meant traffic going in MY direction was actually pretty light for a Wednesday. I did not hear if there were any injuries (I hope not), but I think if there were it would have been on the news. I hope everything will be okay.

We are in the peak of the season as far as our particular niche of the real estate business is concerned, so we are all a little bit frantic. This too shall pass. Thursday and Friday will be equally as crazy, and next week ought to settle down a little bit.

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

2016 - Day 180/186 - Tuesday.

And now, for something completely different. I left the office today about 3:30, and the temperature dropped 31 degrees in 34 minutes. And then the rain started. And then the rain quit. And then the rain started again. And it is still raining. When I last looked at the gauge, there was 0.83". I think we might break an inch if we are lucky, but I am not sure about that. One of the precipitation prognosticators said 'yep, just like we showed you last night', and I am thinking he has to be on some sort of drugs. When I last paid attention, there was a 30% chance of rain, and that is Texas for 'it is never going to rain again'. Right now, I am sitting in the office looking out the window at the orange cat sitting on one of the columns on the front porch, drying him/herself off a little bit. I am not sure if there are still chickens on the front porch too, but maybe. I am not aware of any chicken casualties due to the cat, but there was that one instance...

I think when this bit of rain stops, that will be it for the next week or so. It is nice to get a little bit of rain now and then, maybe we can get another cutting of hay out of this.
every

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

2016 - Day 179/187 - Monday...

I took this photo about five minutes before the class I was guiding (distance education) began at the Texas Association of REALTORS®. After all was said and done, I think there were about eight or nine Associations from across Texas that joined the class, and about 15 to 20 attendees from all across the state. Every time I 'guide' a distance education course, I learn something new, pick up a new trick, learn something more about engaging attendees when there is no real guide/student interaction going on. Overall, not a bad couple hours of guidance, and it was all for a great cause.

Soon, I should be nothing more than one giant scab as a result of chiggers and other little no-see-ums that attack me on a weekly basis. I understand that chiggers are attracted to 'moist, tight' places, or places that are damp and enclosed with elastics, like the elastic in your socks and the elastic bands of your more delicate, unmentionables. Whatever. I am a mass of red marks and scabs on both feet from my toes to about half-way up my shins. Likewise all around my ample stomach, and now (new this week) up into my arm pits.

I am just a mess.

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

2016 - Day 178/188 - Sunday...

Mowing (not manicuring) the grass out her eon the edge of nowhere is kind of like washing a window. Turn your head, look back and you see where you missed a spot. I finished mowing (not manicuring) the grass in the front and some of the back this morning, I was pretty much done with everything before noon. I could have sworn that it was about six o'clock in the evening, but it was only noon. Miguel and I also got the trailer emptied, and Miguel shredded more grass in the pasture, and that was it for the day.

After a little bit of a nap, Jody and I went to take a look at Lake Georgetown. We had never been there, and it is a pretty nice lake, five feet above its full level right now, and lots of nice places for camping, hiking and pic-nic-ing. Is that anywhere close to a real word?

After that, we went to Taco Cabana in Georgetown for dinner. I am unashamedly influenced by television commercials, and in this instance Jody was as well, but I can tell you, there is NOTHING on the menu at Taco Cabana that looks ANYTHING like what was portrayed in the myriad of commercials we have seen lately. I think it has been a couple decades since our last visit, and we have no need to hurry back.

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

2016 - Day 177/189 - Saturday...

The sunset from last night was not really an indicator of things to come today, as far as I am concerned. Today was mostly cloudy and overcast, so I did take advantage of some of that and mowed part of the grass around the house. I got about half of it done; I need to pace myself so I don't pull anything or injure myself. I also took advantage of the day and took a nap or two. Just for good measure.

I also took a look at some potential properties that I might or might not have the opportunity to list in a couple weeks. Still under construction. And then it was off to lunch with Jody, and then a little bit of shopping, and now it is about time to go let the girl dog take me for a walk.

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

2016 - Day 176/190 - Friday...

The question of the day was, which photo of which wreck would grace the journal? Should I share with you the wreck one the way IN to the office, or the photo of the wreck on the way OUT of the city? It really was not that tough to decide; an upside-down car beats a really good rear-ender every time. Both wrecks happened pretty shortly before the roads were shut down, and in both instances the emergency vehicles passed me (and the other folks stopped on the thoroughfares) on their way to the scenes. I actually do not think anyone was seriously hurt in either wreck, so that is a good thing.

Otherwise, it was another good day. I hate to say this, but I am trying my best just to coast to the long Fourth of July Weekend. Next week will be somewhat busy, getting prepped for summer move-outs and move-ins. That will be swell!

Hot, Hot, Hot...feel free to expound on that...

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

2016 - Day 175/191 - Thursday...

The Plumeria (also goes by frangipani) is actually one of my favorite tropical plants. Once you understand their needs, they are pretty easy to grow, even here where it can get to below freezing in the winter months. Basically, they need to go dormant, no water, for the late fall/winter months. Even when there is no more threat of freezing temperatures, they are still dormant. They will wake up when they are good and damn ready. This is the third year we have had this particular plant, although we have had others over the years. This one was given to us by our good friends Paul and Nancy. Nancy's parent grew these, and she gifted us with a cutting. I think this will be the year that it really shows off. Anecdotally speaking, back in the '6y0s, Avon put out a soap and other products with the frangipani fragrance, and I used to buy it for my mother. It smells (to me) like buttered popcorn!

I don't know about your guys, but I had a really nice day today. I was able to put my head don and get lots of work done in the office, and made some great headway. Proud of what I accomplished, but most of it is super secret for a while yet.

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

2016 - Day 174/192 - Wednesday...

This is what the other side of a press conference looks like. This is not the side where the cameras are pointed towards, this is the side that the cameras are pointed from. I have always been interested in the fact that television news camera persons do not dress better. True, they are not there to be in the photos, but many of them look as if they have not bathed in a while, and most of their attitudes are lacking in credibility. Again, I understand, they do not have to be credible, but at the very least they could look interested, and that they are aware of their surroundings and/or even the century. And don't even get me started on the radio news media folks. It is true what they say, many folks have the perfect face for radio!

The purpose of this press conference was to show support for the Mayor's 'GO BIG' initiative, which will be a bond proposal later this year for $720M for transportation improvements (encompassing about four thoroughfares as I understand it. That's a lot of moolah, but I think that is just the first step towards fixing the problem (that I don't think will be accurately addressed in my lifetime).

Deeds, Actions, Changes, PRESS CONFERENCE, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2016 - Day 173/193 - Tuesday...

What I know, what I don't know, and lots of stuff in between those points. Yesterday was the first day of summer, and today was the first FULL day of summer. Was yesterday the longest day of the year, or is today the longest day of the year? Would somebody please notify the chickens, because 8:50PM is too late for me to stay clothed so I can put the girls to bed at night. I am attaching a photo of the moon this morning (when I was letting the girls loose), and the moon looked full to me, but I am not sure. I think Helen said the actual full moon was a couple days ago, but can someone clarify that for me? Why is the sky blue? I know it has something to do with moisture in the atmosphere, but I have never been really clear about that. How many elephants does a cloud in the sky weigh? I think clouds are pretty heavy, and how does that translate into elephants? What is the meaning of life? I always thought it was 14, but then someone mentioned that I should also consider half-sizes. I am so confused!

Otherwise, today was a pretty good day. I conducted a Broker Responsibility class for about 18 of my Broker colleagues, and that was a good thing. This class is basically built around discussion items, and the topics for discussion can take a couple steps away from the printed text, but we always manage to get back on tract.

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

2016 - Day 172/194 - Monday...

Step right up ladies and gentlemen, gentle readers of this web-log, this journal about nothing in particular. You have seen it here first! The highest recorded temperature in central Texas history was noted this afternoon on my ride home from the office, 310 degrees. Yes boys and girls, that is correct, 310 degrees. What? No, 310 degrees. What, that is not the temperature noted on the instrument cluster? What? 100 degrees. Oh, well...never mind. Yes, yes, I understand, yes, it only FELT like it was 310 degrees outside, yes, I see. Thank you very much.

There was another Barney sighting this afternoon. Vera saw him too. He actually lunged at Vera. That is the first time I have seen him make any aggressive actions towards the chickens. I am not sure what I will do if he (notice I am saying HE now instead of SHE since the behavior was mean-spirited) continues to wart the chickens, especially if Vera goes missing. I guess also, however, that that is just nature playing itself out to a logical end. Cats will be cats, and I can only assume that chickens taste like chicken to cats.

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

2016 - Day 171/195 - Father's Day...

Happy Father's Day to all you Dads out there. It is a noble thing you do!

I moved about 55 bales of hay today, I got an early start and finished around 12:30. There are still about 35 bales in the back field, but I got everything in the front field and everything from the road to the tank in the back field.So, with this cutting, we have about 200 bales of hay. The problem is, everyone else has hay too, so I will just hang on to it all, and sooner or later folks will be wanting hay and I will sell it then.

Otherwise, it has been a nice quiet weekend, and the week coming forward should not be too bad either. Teaching a class on Tuesday, a couple meetings here and there, but pretty much just winding down until the long weekend in a couple weeks.

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

2016 - Day 170/196 - Saturday...

As I remarked a couple days ago, we went directly from rain to summer. It is very hot here, and we did not have a chance to acclimate to it. The daytime temperatures went from 70 to 100 practically overnight. It was so hot today...wait for it...the bees are taking off their yellow jackets. The Interwebs are full of 'em, don't blame me. It is too hot for me to come up with my own material today. There were no sightings of Barney so far today, but Maddie succumbed to having her picture taking while she allowed me to share her couch with her this afternoon.

Maybe a little bit of rain tomorrow or the next day, tomorrow will be a day for gathering bales of hay and storing it.  I hope to get an early start.

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

2016 - Day 169/197 - Friday...

I know from this photo that it is not easily identifiable, but Hubert has been busy for the last couple days cutting, raking and baling hay. We are not sure if he is finished or not, but by my count (guess) there are about 70 bales between the front and the back. Since there has been so much rain, it has been impossible to get the equipment into the fields to cut it, but between this cutting and last years cuttings, we have plenty of hay. With any luck, we will get another cutting before the year is over, maybe two. Under ideal conditions, we would have at least three cuttings a year, and in the nine years or so that we have lived here, we have never experienced 'ideal' conditions. I do not know why this year should be any different.

Thanks for all your kind comments about the reappearance of Barney the Cat. She has been seen again this afternoon as well, and for a while she was lolling around in one of the front flower beds. We put some moist cat food out for her, and she ate some of it, and then I saw her walking casually across one of the paths, obviously looking for something better.

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

2016 - Day 168/198 - Thursday...

Barney the orange cat would like me to take a moment to set the record straight. Much to everyone's surprise, Jody said there was a Barney sighting the other day, and this evening when I was trying to get some technical crap corrected, and who should very leisurely walk across the front porch to get herself a bit of water? BARNEY. She lolly-gagged for a while and I took 35 or 40 photos of her, and I am posting one of the better ones to this journal entry. I am very glad to see that she is okay, and it is good to know that, like many of us, she is a survivor. I still think the grey cat was an appetizer for a larger prey animal, that grey boy was just a little bit too naive and trusting.

I have been challenged since Monday with an inability to send e-mails. I could respond to some e-mails, but sending e-mails was not possible. The Interweb Gods were apparently angry with me, and wanted to cause me challenges. But, I think I am back in business. It is incredible just how dependent we have become on technology.

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

2016 - Day 167/199 - Wedesday...

Let me be clear; when your day starts with unlimited quantities of recently (I hope) cooked bacon, and especially massive quantities of bacon that could ALL BE YOURS, there is no way the day could be anything less than spectacular! That could actually be just an old wives tale, but that is okay with me, I am going to go with it! PEWRFECT!

The day was spent concluding the TAR TREPAC Trustee meetings, this day allotted to strategic planning. It was a really good exercise, lots of positive responses and inter-action. Very good. I have worked with this facilitator on many occasions, and I always walk away from the sessions with another piece of knowledge that I can add to my tool box. Really good.

Just in case I don't make it through the night, tip the coroner off to the fact that he should check out the remains of the chicken pot pie I have right now in the microwave. The directions very clearly state that it should be cooked in a microwave of 1100 watts or more, and the microwave here (I am staying in Austin tonight) is only 1000 watts. So...give me call in the morning if you want to, but not before 9 o'clock! You will know what to do if I don't answer.

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

2016 - Day 166/200 - Tuesday (I think)...

Is today Tuesday? It is getting more and more difficult to keep up, but I am pretty sure it is Tuesday. That would make tomorrow Wednesday, and I am pretty sure that is correct, too. It was, as was expected, a full day of meetings at the Texas Association of REALTORS®. The meetings were really good and enlightening, and this TREPAC Trustee meeting is always interesting and informative. This morning I conducted the Education Sub-Committee Meeting, and then attended the Orientation Sub-Committee Meeting. This afternoon there was lunch, and then more TREPAC Trustee business. After that, I was an 'extra' in a TREPAC commercial at the Texas Association, and then dinner. Very nice dinner, and I probably should have passed on the dessert.

The day will begin a little bit later tomorrow, breakfast at 8:30, first meeting begins at 10. The good thing (the REALLY good thing) about Hotel breakfasts, is the never ending supply of bacon. It is like a bacon fountain. Bacon. I'd like bacon please, with a side of bacon.

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

2016 - Day 165/201 - Monday...

And, we're off to a new week. The weekend was bad enough, now we need to cope with working and trauma all at the same time. Thank goodness for a sense of humor. We all (mostly) remember where we were in many historical moments in our lives: JFK assassination, Space Shuttle Explosion, 9/11. I expect we will all remember yesterday throughout our life times. It was an event that has already changed our lives, but we don't know (yet) how it has changed our lives. We won't know that for  several years to come. One thing I remember about 9/11; we were no longer sure about when it was okay for us to laugh (again). It was a terrible time in all of our lives, A tragedy. I remember months after the tragedy, and Ellen was hosting an awards show. A lesbian in a tuxedo. It (she) made us laugh. Cautiously at first, but then we remembered how good it made us feel, and we laughed.

I took several opportunities to laugh today, all through the day. During work, at dinner, and then after dinner talking with a friend. Whatever you do, don't forget to laugh. You have not forgotten what happened, it is just something to put in perspective. If we forget how to laugh, then they win.

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

2016 - Day 164/202 - Sunday...

These lovely lilies are blooming all around the house. The cannas are really high (high as an elephants eye), roses are doing nicely, still lots of blooms all around the property. Most of the day was spent concentrating on two things (three really, see paragraph below), mowing the yard (and other general landscaping type things, and napping. I did manage to get the front and back and sides mowed. Miguel was here to help, so there were good accomplishments. Chickens were fed, dead fruit trees were taken out, cattle were fed, lots of this and that done. Jody and I finished cleaning out the freezers. The only one left is the chest freezer in the garage. Now we have lots of room for more stuff to become buried in the freezers.

I am choosing not to make many remarks about the shooting in Orlando. I am not ignoring it, I am simply choosing not to editorialize about it at this minute. Maybe later. I will say, we are all becoming numbed by these frequent occurrences, and it drags my heart into sadness.

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

2016 - Day 163/203 - Saturday...

Twenty five or twenty six years ago, before Jody and I officially became official, he went with me and my friend Kirk to McGuire's Clocks on Airport Boulevard, where I purchased this mantel clock. I have always been fond of clocks (obsessive comes to mind), and there was some occasion that I was feeling particularly flush, and decided to celebrate with a gift for myself. We all this time later, the clock was getting more and more colicky, so I took it back to where I bought it (yes, same place) and had it cleaned and serviced. I also need to admit, the clock has held up over all those years much better than I have. It is back on the mantel where it belongs, and all is well that ends well.

It is close to being time to start complaining about the heat and humidity. Some of the local atmospheric prognosticators have already begun, but I still think it is a little bit early. It is/was on the warm side today, last I checked it was about 93 degrees and moist. I chose to mainly do as little as I could, and that worked out really well for me.

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

2016 - Day 162/204 - Friday...

Back on the edge of nowhere. The last session in Denver ended at about noon (not sure because I left at 11:50 to catch my flight back to Austin), and overall, I give these Broker Summits an overall rating of 9 out of 10. Some of them have been better than others. I have been to three out of four of them, and the intent is to get SOMETHING in the 8 hours of sessions that you can take back to your office and share with your colleagues, something that will make you able to work smarter, work better and to watch out for perils in the representation game, when litigation is some prominent and easily accomplished. The opening speaker for today was Mary Lou Retton. She is a perky little speaker, gave us lots of insights into her challenges and successes, and overall, it was a great motivational chat. Just a thought: I wonder what it is like to PEAK at 15 or 16? That was kind of one of the questions she was asked, and she said she just goes from one goal to another. I get it.

I am not so sure I care much for Denver. The staff at the Hotel were friendly enough, but not exceedingly so. The mountains were nice to look at, but otherwise, the area seemed kind of sparsely inhabited. I am sure that if I had more time, I would have found things about it that I liked, but these meetings are 'in-and-out, nobody-gets-hurt'.

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

2016 - Day 161/205 - Thursday...

It is 90 degrees (or so) in Denver today, and residents are on the verge of jumping out of windows in panic. On the verge. On the brink. On the edge. It is NOT 90 degrees in this hotel room. I have nudged the thermostat up to 78 degrees, and I can still not get the damn thing to stop. I would unplug it if I could, but it seems I can't. Without setting off an alarm or something. But, I will only be here for another several hours, so I will tough it out. I flew in this morning, my first meeting was at 1PM (my cab arrived from the airport at about 12:57 PM), but at least I made it. National Association of REALTORS® Broker Summit. This is the fourth one, and I have attended three of them. There is always some good information shared, and today has been no exception.

It has (literally) been decades (maybe four of them) since I have been to Denver, and even then I was only here twice. Nothing familiar, nothing I remember, and so it goes.

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

2016 - Day 160/206 - Wednesday...

Let me say this right in the beginning of this journal entry. I am not, have not ever been, and never want to be a student of traffic patterns, traffic flow, commuter habits, police incompetency, driver stupidity, tow-truck operator ethics or anything else that would constitute a learned appreciation for stopping traffic, just when things were getting better. It seems the big rig (to the right of this patrol vehicle) and the tow-truck in front of the aforementioned big rig, were minding their own business on the shoulder of the road. I am not sure why the patrol officer found it necessary to BLOCK one lane of traffic and check his/her Facebook messages. It seems the same affect could have been achieved (that of warning innocent motorists that there was a problem with the big rig) while parked BEHIND the truck with his visual warnings ablaze. Just saying. But instead, we lost one lane of traffic, caused back-ups for a couple miles, and caused more time to be wasted commuting into the city.

Done.

Deeds, Actions, Changes, TRAFFIC, Kindnesses, Wh
irled Peas, FUN!

2016 - Day 159/207 - Tuesday...

Hmmm. The cactus blossoms are still going pretty strongly here on the edge of nowhere. The cannas in the backyard are as high as the eaves of the house. We are still swamp-like, there is water everywhere. Our ex-neighbor (but still good friend) Randy came out to the house today, to spray the weeds along our fence lines. He reported that the cattle have been sticking their heads through the fences, so I need to get back there and do some repairs. I have been trying to get the fences repaired for a while, but it seems like I will actually have to get someone to come out and give us some idea about what needs to be done. It will all get taken care of within the next month to two. Rain: You can't live with it (like we have had in the last six weeks), but you sure can't live without it.

I am doing one of my favorite things right now, watching Genealogy Road Show on PBS. Interesting stuff. I would like to be one of their guinea pigs and find out all the trash about my ancestry. I have done the "23 and Me" test, and found out that, to the best of my knowledge, I am totally, boringly northern European. I was expecting a more varied background, but there is still a part of me that hopes I am more diverse. We shall see.

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

2016 - Day 158/208 - Monday...

Well, we are still mourning the demise of the cats. I would expect that the grey cat was ambushed by another predator, but maybe Barney just moved on the greener pastures. Hope so. I was thinking that maybe Barney was staying closer to the tractor shed, but we have not seen him in a long, long time, so we expect he is gone as well. I thought there was evidence of cat prints on the Polaris under the shed, but these look more like raccoon foot prints to me...maybe there are some of each. As I said, we are mourning their loss.

For a Monday, this wasn't a total loss. Traffic was not as easy as I was hoping for, there being no school and all, but that could have been worse, too. It is summer, and the summer real estate market is crazy in Austin, and we are going at full speed to stay caught up.

One luncheon to attend tomorrow, and then back to the office.

Deeds, Actions, Changes, FOOT PRINTS, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2016 - Day 157/209 - Sunday...

We are about to call it quits on the barn cats. We have not seen Barney in about a week and I have a sneaky suspicion that there is a raccoon eating the dry food that I put out for him. The chickens are doing fine and I haven't seen the skunk in two or three days. The Maddie girl dog is just fine, and is looked after quite acceptably by Jody and me. She is a little bit spoiled, but what house dog isn't spoiled? She does have a totally different personality than the one she displayed when we saw her at the shelter. Nothing wrong with that!

Today was another day of little rain (not sure if there was any after midnight, actually). It looks like we will be free of rain until about Thursday of this week. That will be swell. I did little of anything today, although thinking back on it, I did get some measures of work done. Cleaned out freezers, got the leaf blower out and cleaned the pool deck. Note: You cannot have ANYTHING NICE if you have chickens. That is the worst part of having chickens. But, if you don't mind that part, I say go for it.

I am interested in seeing how the traffic is tomorrow morning.

Deeds, Actions, Changes, GONE CATS, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2016 - Day 156/210 - Saturday...

While I was out gathering eggs, reading meters and putting dry cat food out for an animal (not sure if Barney is around anymore, we haven't seen him in a while), Vera stopped me and said she needed a new head shot for her Facebook page. She thought it was a good time since it was not raining at that exact moment. SO, we took several and she chose this one, although she did make a comment under her breath that this was only going to be a 'temporary' change until she could find a more competent photographer. She is one demanding chicken, that's for sure!

Shortly after I came in the house, it started raining again, so I was glad we got that task accomplished. AND, the grey cat has not been around for a while, and like I said above, we are not sure if Barney is still around. I could be feeding raccoons or a skunk out there under the shed. I was out in the back the other night and saw something moving. I thought it was the grey cat, but it was a skunk. Face to face with (what looked to be) a young skunk. Close enough, though. So, I think that means we have a skunk family living under the pool deck. GREAT!

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

2010 - Day 155/211 - Friday...

We have gone almost 24 hours without rain. I am not sure how much longer we will be able to hold out. A friend in Houston has dine his part to get the rains to stop; he has gone and bought a couple rain-null water collection systems. If anything will cause a cessation of the precipitation, that ought to do it. We are still having cloudy skies, as shown by this particularly interesting formation I documented this afternoon (late) as I approached the house on the edge of nowhere.

Today was a really busy day, but there is nothing wrong with that. I was rally impressed this morning because I left the house early to make sure I got into Austin in time for a meeting. I thought I had found a new traffic window, and then I realized that school was out which reduces traffic considerably. I need to remember that at the end of August, when it all starts all over again.

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

206 - Day 154/212 - Thursday...

You can call me crazy if you want to, but I am thinking if you are in a donut shop, the last thing you might be considering would be the vegan choices. I could understand your concerns about gluten (although I don't really get gluten concerns), but I don't associate donuts with not eating something with eyes or lips. I am trying to think of what could have eyes or tips that would also be included in the ingredients of a glazed (or other kind of) donuts. AND, it brings up another subject: Has anyone ever heard of a vegan policeman? I expect there are some, but again, that would be totally against type if they did not go into a donut shop on occasion, but again, I doubt that they would be concerned about their donuts containing ingredients that had formerly been a part of something that had eyes or lips. Or am I confusing that with faces? Vegans don't eat anything that has (or had) a face. I am confused. Time for a donut.

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

2016 - Day 153/213 - Wednesday...

The sages up by the road are blooming, which means it is supposed to rain. Look closely, can you see the bee gathering pollen?

Okay, here are a couple entries in the 'fact is stranger than fiction' department. 1. I have gone almost 14 hours without seeing any rain. 2. The short work week has me totally screwed up. C. Tomorrow is Thursday. 4. It is June already. 5. I guess in my world, 'a couple' equals five.

Continuing with that positive theme: Traffic did not suck this morning and it only 'kinda' sucked this afternoon, so I will take that as a positive. Everyday we make it means we are one day closer to the election, and I can hardly wait for it to be over. Not sure if that is a positive thing or not. I made some good accomplishments at the office today, that is positive. I get to sleep a little bit later tomorrow, that is a positive thing. I can probably leave the office early tomorrow, that is a positive thing. Jody got five eggs today from the girls, that is a positive thing. The pool guys were here today. The girl dog took her flea pill with just the least amount of coaxing. I got a free lunch today (kind of-sort of). Tomorrow I will put some properties on the market. A bird just crashed into the office window, but flew off. No harm.

Lots of positive things going on, you just have to peel back the covers to see it all.

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