2016 - Day 305/61 - Monday...

Well, happy Halloween to all of you. What are you dressing up as? We get no trick-or-treaters out here on the edge of nowhere, which is just as well, since I eat all the candy that comes into the house. I did get some tricks pulled on me though. At least one other friend of mine was poked and prodded today. I had my annual physical, and out came the old rubber glove. And it was too early for dinner and dancing, and I did not even get a phone number, but I did get the promise of a follow-up call. I feel that I am pretty lucky in the physical condition department, although I could stand to lose some weight, but I have been burdened with that all my life. When I was a little kid, 'husky' did not have the same connotation that it would today if they still used that term. I don't think they still use that term, do they? Anyway, I say I could stand to lose some weight and I am on my way to have a Milky Way bar later this evening. It is okay, it is my reward for having completed another six months, one day at a time.

Otherwise, nothing exceptional going on today, Jody and I stayed in Austin last night, we both had doctors appointments this morning, and that makes things more convenient. The girl dog was a little bit nervous during the whole thing; the last time we went into town with her, we left town and we were gone for a week, but she is much more calm right now, back at her house on the edge of nowhere.

Deeds, Actions, Changes, CHECK-UPS, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2016 - Day 304/62 - Sunday...

Long-time readers of this blog (and your numbers are legion) are aware that I believe the very best fried shrimp dinner in Austin can be had at Luby's. Particularly the Luby's on the corner of Steck and MoPac. Jody and I took advantage of being in town this afternoon, and dined there. Of course, we were there in time for the senior discount. Jody had the LuAnn baked fish platter (one of his particular favorites) and I had the fired shrimp plate. There were FIFTEEN shrimp on that plate, and I should not have ordered any sides, but I did. The shrimp were delicious, but it seems I am out of touch fiscally with the price of a fountain drink at Luby's; $3. THREE DOLLARS for a fountain soda! I will eventually get over it, but really? THREE DOLLARS!?!

Otherwise not a bad day, I did some putzing around the house, a little of this and a little of that.

We will see what tomorrow brings.

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

2016 - Day 303/63 - Saturday...

It is interesting that it is almost seven o'clock in the evening, the sun is setting nicely in the West, and the chickens (many of them) are hanging around the porch acting a bit odd. I jut walked out to the coop to see if there was something going on that I needed to know about, and I did not see anything unusual. When I finish this post, I will walk back out there and look again, but for now, it is just another one of those freaks of nature.  A freak of nature, not a nature freak, like a person. An odd occurrence in the world of nature, not some freak in the chicken coop stalking the chickens. try to figure that out, would you!

I cut grass today, most of the front yard. Not all the front because I did not want to irritate the bees that have decided to colonize the water meter box up by the road. I do not think the bees are aggressive, but they do not care for vibrations, the likes of which the riding lawn mower gives off in plentifulness. And yes, it seems I just made up that word. SO...all the front is cut except for close to the bees.

It was an opportunity for naps today as well. Always a nice thing.

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

2016 - Day 302/64 - Friday...

I have always held a suspicion that women drivers were clowns. Just a nagging thought in the back of my head, but that suspect feeling was confirmed to me today on the drive into town. Right there, bigger than Dallas was a woman in full clown get-up driving down the road. I passed her and then slowed down so I could document the event for posterity. I doubt that she was on her way to cause chaos at a school, but I am surprised that she was not more aware of recent news items. Oh well...

Friday. What a nice day. Hotter here than it is in Connecticut, where Melody reports (pictorially and otherwise) that is snowed there yesterday. Bruce is battling the on-set of winter depression, and I can only assume that he has retrieved the light box from storage and is in the process of warming it up for the season. Even though we are having unseasonably warm temperatures here (low 90s), the positioning of the sum in this season is such that the it is lower, not so blazing, and does not bake everything to within a degree or two of its' life.

Nice.

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

2016 - Day 301/65 - Thursday...

Three or four weeks ago (maybe more, hell I don't know), I posted a photo of the TOP HALF of this house laying on the ground in front of it. The top half is still there, but as of yesterday the bottom half is on a trailer getting ready to move somewhere. Not sure where, and I am not sure how they are going to get it onto the road, and when they do, I am not sure how there are going to get it down the road. Anyway you look at it, that is a WIDE LOAD, and the roads around here are not. Maybe there is something I don't know; like they have cut the bottom part in half and this is really just an optical illusion, but I don't think so. I will watch the progress on this and report back to you if I discover anything interesting. Or even if I don't, I might mention it to you!

Almost the end of the week, and I am welcoming it. It has been a busy one, playing a lot of catch-up, but really, everything is good. Things are pretty much back to normal. Not sure how Mike is doing, but we know he got home. His plane was fogged in on Tuesday, so he missed his connection, blah, blah, blah. That seems to have been the theme of our escapades from here to Hawaii and back...

BUT...all is well that ends well.

Deeds, Actions, Changes, WIDE LOADS, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2016 - Day 300/66 - Wednesday...

The story behind this pig goes back forty years, and I can neither confirm nor deny any apparent reasons that one would associate me with a pig. Those of you that know me well, understand that I take frequent delight in retelling (with a certain amount of embellishment) stories from my past. I am fortunate to have enjoyed an interesting life, and I remember some (certainly not most) of it. I think I have great stories to tell, many of which are better after two glasses of Merlot. Give me two glasses and I will spill my guts, hopefully inducing some humor along the way. If I can make you laugh enough that it will also make you cry, my job has been done, and I am happy with that. My best friend ever (that would be you Mikey) gave me this work of art while we were in Maui. Mikey knows ALL the secrets of my checkered past, and thankfully he does not know most of you. So there...

Deeds, Actions, Changes, MIKEY AND LADY EDITH, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2016 - Day 299/67 - Tuesday...

I was delighted when I got home this afternoon to see HUNDREDS of Monarch Butterflies all over the front yard up by the road. A friend of mine (Helen) mentioned on her Facebook page over the weekend that there were Monarch's in her yard, and I had been disappointed that there were none here. But, a few days later and here they are. I asked Jody if he had seen them, and he let me know they are not Monarch's, too small for Monarch's. This is a photo of what I saw. I contacted the Googles, and this is what I found out...

Monarch (Danaus plexippus) and viceroy (Limenitis archippus) butterflies are not particularly closely related, but they appear almost identical on first glance. It's an adaptation that aids their survival. Both species taste foul; if a bird or other predator eats a member of either species, it will learn to avoid both because they look so much alike. They don’t look exactly the same, though -- if you look closely enough, you’ll see some differences -- and their behavior is poles apart.

The primary visual difference in coloration is a black line bisecting each hind wing of the viceroy, a feature lacking in the monarch. Viceroys are also smaller, although exact size is hard to determine outside unless you happen to see both species together. To confirm identification, take a photograph of the butterfly and measure the item it was sitting on in order to calculate the wingspan. According to Butterflies and Moths of North America, monarchs measure 3 3/8 to 4 7/8 inches from wing tip to wing tip while viceroys have wingspans ranging from 2 1/2 to 3 3/8 inches.

So, what I think we have are viceroy's, not Monarch's. But I am not sure. Whatever the case, they were beautiful, but they do not hold still long enough for mass photos.

Deeds, Actions, Changes, VICROY'S, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2016 - Day 298/68 - Monday...

I VOTED this morning. I got there about twenty past seven, and I was the 16th voter at that office. According to the news, many central Texas counties are seeing record turn-outs for early voting on the first day. Go do it, it is what you do when you care about what is going on. AND...the sunsets here in central Texas are just as good as the ones in Hawaii!

Okay, okay, alright already. I got back into the swing of things today, after being out of town for about 10 days. It was not as bad as I was expecting, I got a good nights sleep last night, and I kind of feel like I am back on schedule, my Texas schedule.

I got my desk cleaned off, made it to two (previously) scheduled appointments, and all is well with the world. One of the seminars I attended in Hawaii was about putting positive energy in your life and giving positive energy to those you meet throughout the day. That was a lot easier done in Hawaii than it is here, although I am giving it a shot. Traffic is certainly one of those things that I need to get a grip on...it tends to get my day off to a not-so-positive-start. BUT, the results you see with be a kinder, gentler Bill. Yeah, I know, it sounds like something you have heard before, but...

Deeds, Action, Changes, POSITIVITY, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2016 - Day 297/69 - Sunday...

Well, just between us, I could not have imagined a more fitting end to my/our conference/vacation than for the young man seated in front of us on the SFO/AUS segment to participate in some projectile vomiting. Not just once, but twice. The vomiting itself was not really an inconvenience to me, but the sound of him (he was probably five years old) retching was disheartening. He had been really quiet (compared to his little brother several rows back that could be heard screaming NO in a series of ever increasing decibels) and he had been sleeping a lot, but I just assumed he was sleepy. Well, he wasn't sleepy, he felt badly and then it all came out. It was more of an inconvenience to the flight attendant(s), but they really took it all in their stride, and got down to the business of cleaning it up. I mean REALLY cleaning it up...I expected they would have called ahead for a cleaning crew, but they were right in the middle of it, bleaching, sanitizing and bleaching some more. Good job to them.

SO, this trip is over, we are all very happy to be home. The girl dog was VERY SPOILED by Carrie's mother, and she looks suspiciously at us whenever we take a bite of anything.

Mike will stay with us a couple more days, he will head back to Florida on Tuesday morning.

Tomorrow begins early voting in Texas. GO DO YOUR DUTY!

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

2016 - Day 296/70 - Saturday...

So...we had a nice calm morning (our last one) in Maui. We got up about 7:30 and started packing. We were really glad that we bought an extra duffel bag in Maui, and there was plenty of room for all our stuff, new and recently acquired. We were in a cab headed for the airport by 1PM, and headed to Honolulu. Our plan was to get to Honolulu, get in a cab and head to the World War II Pacific National Monument, and have a look see. If our flights are not delayed, there is something wrong. Our flight WAS delayed, but we got to the Memorial with about 30 minutes to spare. We did a quick walk-around and saw what we could see. this sign post was in the middle of the Memorial, and if you look closely, you can see the directional to Schofield Barracks. Schofield Barracks is where Jody was stationed when he was in the service, and he spent 16 months in Hawaii back in 1942. SO, I thought this photo would be appropriate for this post.

We got thrown out of the place at 5PM...there was no dilly-dallying around this place. If lightning struck the front doors at 5:00:10, they would need to hire a whole new staff. As we were walking trying to find a cab back to the airport, it started to rain. This is the second time in the past seven days that we have wandered around in the rain. But it was okay.

We are waiting on our flight to San Francisco now. We should be boarding the plane in about another hour, and leaving in about 90 minutes. Back in Austin tomorrow afternoon...OGG to HNL to SFO to AUS.

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

2016 - Day 295/71 - Friday...

...and so, we say goodbye to the shores of Maui. Okay, not quite yet, but tomorrow we will head back to the lower 48, via Honolulu. Today was mostly a day for relaxing, hanging at the hotel. I did go to one of the sessions before I called it a conference. It was a good show, and now it is time to go back home. This is not actually a photo of what you might think. The hotel has one of the largest collections of Botero sculptures, and I like the works. Look him up, you will find him a very interesting contemporary artist.

Tomorrow we fly out via Honolulu, and our layover is long enough that we are going to try and get to Pearl Harbor. I think we can do it, and we are all looking forward to the side trip. And now, it is time to crash for the night.

The next post will be via a plane flying over the Pacific!

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

2016 - Day 294/72 - Thursday...

Up EARLY this morning to attend the Opening Sessions, Regional Caucuses, breakfast, trade show, this-and-that, and then lunch and then a helicopter ride to the crater. Look it up because I can NOT spell it, and spell check would go into overtime and time out on me, so that is useless. Needless to say, it was great; our third time doing helicopters, first times for Terry, Carrie and Mike. We had a single in the group as well, Giada from Italy. A very nice young woman.

Afterwards, we hit the trade show again (like a bunch of kids in Willie Wonka...), then a stop at the bar, then to dinner at the Monkey Pod. Thanks for the recommendation Denny! It was great. An early morning, then winding it up and returning on an overnight Saturday.

Details to follow...

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

2016 - Day 293/73 - Wednesday...

Today was the first 'real' day of the NARPM Annual Conference. I went to two sessions today (one this morning and one this afternoon) and then to the opening of the trade show. The trade show was almost like being a kid on Halloween, and being transported to the 'good' neighborhoods so we could fill our bags up with 'good' crap. Crap is the key word here, but there was lots of 'good' crap. I got about 500 pairs of sunglasses, 500 phone chargers, but there was not a single emery board in the place that I saw. I need emery boards! I will be back tomorrow to see what other booty I can find. AND, tomorrow will give me occasion to actually speak with some of the vendors. There are a couple items I am interested in learning more about. In case you are wondering, this photo is documentary e idence that I am now a member of the 'cool kids'. I can prove it because I have my schwa sunglasses on backwards!

All in all, it has been a good conference. I think part of it is, just being in Maui makes things better. Everyone is happy to be here (okay, for the most part everyone is happy), and it shows.

Tomorrow is going to be an early day, my first session is at 7:45...

Deeds, Actions, Changes, EMERY BOARDS, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2016 - Day 292/74 - Tuesday...

I am not sure of all the stuff we did today, but it was a lot. Tomorrow is the actual first day of the NARPM Conference. Today was registration, and there were a couple classes. For those golfers in the group, there was a golf tournament (I am not a golfer). Tonight there was the President's Celebration Luau, and that was great. This year's President is Bart Sturzl, a colleague of our from Austin, and he also played a big part in my installation several years ago. The dancing and stories of Hawaii are really beautiful, and the legends and history are wonderfully remembered from generation to generation. Jody said earlier today that he was happy that he had seen Hawaii all those many years ago, before it was changed to the commercialized place it is now. I don't thing the commercialization is any more rampant here than it is anywhere else (Austin is a great example) though. We also made it to the Maui Aquarium this afternoon, and that was pretty interesting. That is where I took this shot of an exhibit of jelly fish. There were a couple of the exhibits that I could have sat at for hours nd just watched.

I have had aquariums in the past, and always thought they were interesting.

We shall see what tomorrow will bring.

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

2016 - Day 291/75 - Monday...

It has been a busy day. We are still trying to get used to the time change. We have the getting up part under control, but the going to bed part seems to still be on Central Time. We headed out today with Carrie and Terry, and the first stop was a lavender farm. It was beautiful, there is so much pretty here, it is hard to do it justice. After the lavender farm we went to a botanical garden. Jody and I sat on the deck there while the rest of them took off and explored. After that, we went to (what was once) the Ulupalakua Ranch. We had snacks there and then went across the street to the winery, tasted some wines and I went to the bathroom. It was a really narrow, winding road to get there, an the only thing to the side of the road was down, but we made it both ways. It was then off to a small town (none of the names I remember and couldn't pronounce if I tried. We did a little bit of shopping, and then it was off to Mama's Fish House on Maui's North Shore. Very good and beautifully situated right on the ocean.

Not sure what tomorrow will bring, but there will be a luau.

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

2016 - Day 290/76 - Sunday...

Okay, we are in Maui. We spent the day exploring the hotel grounds (lots of stuff to see) taking naps and trying to recover from the flights yesterday. This evening, we went on a sunset catamaran cruise; very nice, large catamaran, good food, drinks and fun. It was me, Jody, Mike, Carrie and Terri. It was a lot of fun and, let me tell you, when it gets dark here, it gets really dark.

Tomorrow we are heading off somewhere, not sure where, and tomorrow night we have reservations for dinner.

Deeds, Actions, Changes, ALII NUI, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2016 - Day 289/77 - Saturday...

This is how our day went...the best laid plans of mice and men and all that crap! But, please know that (so far) in the end, everything worked out just fine! We took the girl dog to stay with Carrie's mom while we are out of town. Then we headed to the airport with PLENTY (please, let me be clear, there was PLENTY of time) of time to make our 1:30 flight to San Francisco, The flight was delayed time after time, and when we got to San Francisco, we had to go down a RAMP from the plane to the tarmac IN THE RAIN, to another set of ramps to get into the terminal. I understand that San Francisco will be getting indoor plumbing in the next couple of years. ANYWAY...then, once we got inside the terminal, we had to go from one terminal to another to get to our gate in the International Terminal.

In case you cannot tell from my literary voice, I am very happily ensconced in an airplane, with Jody at my side and Mikey across the aisle from me, and we are on our way to Maui. There have just been a lot on invisible challenges. There needs to be more transparency in air travel. Not really, just this one flight plan. We were delayed because of weather, but there was seemingly no weather that was delaying us. Granted, it was raining in SFO, and, like Texas, perhaps they don't know how to act when it rains, but really, rain is not that much different that a heavy fog, is it?

Whatever...

Five hours from now we will be in Maui (3AM Austin time), and then we will sleep for the entire time we are there.

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

2016 - Day 288/78 - Friday...

I did not have an opportunity to take an interesting photo today (although I could have taken photos that you might have found interesting but I would have also risked the wrath of the local constabularies, so I decided not to), so I decided to take a look back at October 14th a year ago. I fear there was nothing particularly interesting on that date either (it was Realty Roundup at the Austin Board of REALTORS®), but there were several photos of Barney the cat sneaking in the back gate to enjoy his evening meal. We still feed him/her, but now we feed him/her on the pool deck. The back porch was a gathering point for opossums and raccoons, so we moved the feeding station...and it seems everyone is happy now.

It will be a busy day tomorrow, and an early one as well.

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

2016 - Day 287/79 - Thursday...T

During the wrap up of our annual TREPAC Orientation this afternoon, I was asked to speak before the assembled colleagues, and spoke a bit about individual Board of REALTOR® investments. I made the mistake of leaving my iPhone unattended at the table, and the next thing I knew, there were photos that I had not been aware of. It was really a lot of fun though, because I was able to sit with several of our colleagues from across the country; Seattle, North Carolina, Michigan and the District of Columbia. I have met them at various conferences before, but it was VERY NICE for them to be with us in our great state! This photo was actually taken by my friend Cathy, so thanks for sharing!

Home again home again, rickety split! I was at the Hyatt today until about 1 o'clock, and then it was off to the office, where I did some power-real-estate, then off to run errands that I did not have a chance to get done this week. After that, it was off to the airport to pick up our friend Michael from Florida. They were really lucky with the hurricane last week, no damage, some rain, but they missed the brunt of the storm. If it had wiggled a little bit to the west, they would have been right in the middle of it, but it wiggled a little bit to the east and caused the most damage north of Michael. Glad to have him with us, and we will be hanging out for the next couple weeks!

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

2016 - Day 286/80 - Wednesday...

It has been a really, REALLY long day today. Last night I got back to my room about 10 PM, and as usual I did not sleep very well. When I go to overnight meetings (whether it is in Austin or not) the first night is spent restlessly NOT SLEEPING. AND, I was up this morning at 5 AM to get ready for my first meeting, which was beginning at 6 AM. That is crazy. We were rehearsing for a TREPAC Orientation skit (an annual event for the TRUSTEES), and every year we are also amazed that we actually pull off the whole thing and it looks as if we did it on purpose! But, we did and it did and everyone was happy.

After that, there was lunch, two afternoon sessions, a CE class and an evening reception.

I am looking forward to sleep.

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

2016 - Day 285/81 - Tuesday...

It has been a long (but productive) day. I got into the office early this morning, and was in my first meeting at 10AM. Tow-and-a-half days of TAR TREPAC TRUSTEE meetings in Austin, with Trustees from all over the state and across the country to see just how it is done. In our most recent fiscal year, which ended on September 30th, TREAPC in Texas raised more than $4,750,000, and the Houston Association of REALTORS® raised over $1M alone. We have the culture to protect property owner rights and issues that are important to the real estate profession. This is a picture of the Austin skyline from the south side of the river...this is what we want to protect. This...and all the great vistas within the great state of Texas!

It will be an early day tomorrow, my first meeting is at 6:15 AM. UGH!

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

2016 - Day 284/82 - Monday...

I am not an expert on cotton or anything like that, but I think the cotton in the fields out here should be ready to pick pretty soon. It seems late to me, as someone with a pretty good remembrance of life and times in the Mid-South. Cotton was/is King in and around Memphis, and I really cannot remember cotton being picked this late in the year. Of course, Memphis had its' share of cool/cold weather, and it was not unusual for there to be good, hard, long-lasting freezes there. By long lasting, I mean two or three days at a time, as opposed to the edge-of-nowhere, where freezes generally last for several hours. Bad news: I have just put a pox on the coming winter weather, I expect hard freezes here in the next day or two because of my big mouth.

And today was a pretty good day; my meeting that was scheduled from 10 'til 4 concluded at about 1, so I found a few hours that I otherwise would not have had. Non-Stop meetings the rest of the week, so it is just gonna be like that!

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

2016 - Day 283/83 - Sunday...

I visited a new home community earlier last week along with a client, and this is what there is across the street from one of the model homes. In my opinion (which I felt obligated to share) they should accelerate the scraping of that house and get on with it. It was not a product of the builder we were visiting, it had been struck by lightning, and the insurance company was fighting with some of the contractors about the final payoffs of the policy. Allegedly the owners of the property have already settled with the insurance company, and the insurer is just trying to recoup some of their cash outlay. That's why we have insurance folks, but the insurers don't like to pay claims. That would be bad for business.

I did a lot more nothing today, and I have a wonderful feeling of accomplishment. I got lots of bookwork and administrative stuff done, so I am pretty darned ready for the coming week. This week will be filled with lots of meetings and TREPAC Trustee stuff. No time for goofing off.

Hubert and Pauline cut, raked and baled hay over the last several days; so far we have moved 66 round bales, and there is about another 15 acres to bale, maybe twenty. We have plenty of hay (so does everyone else), so let us know if you need some.

Deeds, Actions, Changes, NOTHING, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2016 - Day 282/84 - Saturday...

This plant (really a big vine) that grows up towards the front of the property near the road, has never bloomed in the 8 or 9 years we have lived here. I always assumed it was a wisteria vine (the vine parts look like a wisteria vine) but Jody told me this morning that it was blooming. It is a pretty little bloom, but I/we have no idea what it is. Any thoughts on the subject?

I was busy all day long and got nothing accomplished. Well, that is not totally true, but it is pretty close. Jody and I went into town this morning and ran some errands. We got back home about 12:30 and went down for naps. Then we went into Georgetown for lunch, and stopped at Walgreen's on the way back and got our pneumonia vaccinations. So, there were all sorts of things that were accomplished in between those higher points, but they are boring to you (my legion of loyal readers), so for all practical purposes, I got NOTHING accomplished today.

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

2016 - Day 281/85 - Friday...

I am ready for the weekend. Today almost turned out to be one of those 'over-scheduled' days, but in the end everything turned out okay. I made it into the office in a timely manner, got some work done, and left the office at about 9:15. Part of the time in the office was spent going to the cleaners to get them to sew a button on my jacket that I was going to need later in the day. Then off to the bank, then to the ABoR South Office to guide some new members through the New Member Orientation Ethics Training class. After the class, I made the mistake of getting on the Interstate to try to get to my 1 o'clock appointment at the Capitol (or close to it anyway). I made it with three minutes to spare, and then (kind of luckily) we were delayed for about twenty minutes. I was there taping a bit for the TREPAC Orientation that will happen next week. I had a taped part and I will have a live bit on Wednesday. I made it back to the office at about 3:15 (I had told them I would be back about 2:30, but they all know I will never be back when I say I will be), and that was not too far off from my earlier estimate. This is a photo of me and Tami Faye Baker before our taping. It will be a lot of fun on Wednesday, and at least this year it did not include wings made out of chicken feathers that would have been more appropriate in a Victoria's Secret commercial! Stay tuned.

I am actually considering a jacket for the weak the girl dog will be taking me on later. A cold front is coming through, and it is pretty windy (good for the electric generation), and the temperature is down into the 60s. I turned the fan off in the chicken coop already, but I will probably survive without the jacket.

Deeds, Actions, Changes, GREEN SCREENS, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2016 - Day 280/86 - Thursday...

Correct me if I am wrong, but I don't expect you get asked this question very often: Which of the folks in this photo take bagpipe lessons AND owns their very own custom made bagpipe. Contest entries can be mailed (e-mail is acceptable as are entries via Facebook) and must be postmarked not later than 5 PM on Friday, October 7th. All correct entries will be entered into a sweepstakes drawing, and an appropriate prize will be announced and awarded at a later time, to be determined by the sponsors of this journal. In case you are an Aggie, that means there will be no prize but you might be mentioned in the aforementioned journal on a date to be announced at a later time. In case you are an Aggie, that means probably not. BUT, yes indeed one of the folks featured in this photo is actually a student of the bagpipes and owns a custom made bagpipe, which I was allowed to caress and fondle today during the class I attended. The photo is of the attendees of ALL SIX of the classes that were held over the last three days and the Instructor, my friend Michael Francis. He is the one with the tie. Great classes, and a pretty good bonding experience for those of us that attended all the classes.

Early to the office again this morning, tomorrow I do not need to be there QUITE as early, but I am guiding a class mid-morning, and then I have an appointment at 1 o'clock. Probably going to be working this weekend as well.

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

2016 - Day 279/87 - Wednesday...

I took this photo a couple nights ago when the girl dog was taking me for my nightly walk. Sunset, the crescent moon and Venus...although I don't think you can really see Venus in the photo. It was really pretty, and I hope you can appreciate it.

Another day, another class. Do you see a theme here? I stayed in Austin last night, so I (allegedly) got a little bit of extra sleep. That really does not happen. I am such a creature of habit, that usually when I change my routine, it takes me a day or two to adjust. SO...usually when I go out of town or do something like that, the first night is a challenge. ANYWAY, I was up a little bit later this morning, but it took me forever to fall asleep last night. I made it into the office earlier than usual, got some work done, and then headed back to the Board for another set of classes. One more set tomorrow and I will qualify for a new designation...but before I can get the designation, I have to complete another set of classes. I am taking the series out-of-order, but I did not realize that until this afternoon. Oh well, the credit hours will keep, and I will take the other classes whenever they are next offered.

We called our friend Michael in Del Ray Beach tonight, checking on their evacuation status. They are not going to leave; they have the shutters on the house, plenty of liquor and a generator that might (or might not) work. The last time they had to do this was about ten years ago, so we hope everything works out well for them. They are about five miles from the ocean, and no one else in their neighborhood has evacuated, so I will keep you all informed of the goings on.

Deeds, Actions, Changes, URANUS(?), Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2016 - Day 278/88 - Tuesday...

Another day, another brassiere. One of my favorite movies of all time starred Billie Holliday in The Bells Are Ringing which was about a telephone answering service operators (BH) that falls in love with one of the callers (Dean Martin) and she sings a song about working in a brassiere factory. Today was the Fourth Annual Bras For A Cause event, sponsored by the Austin Chapter of the Women's Council of REALTORS®. The event benefits the Breast Cancer Resource Center, and it is always a great event, and raises a lot of money for a really important mission. This is a photo of the Mistress of Ceremonies at one of her more candid moments. Congratulations to the Elf on the Shelf for a great function, and for all the hard work she and the other volunteers put in to this fund raising event. Well done!

I got into the office early this morning, earlier than usual, although my mission was to get into the office REALLY earlier than usual. It seems everyone else expected to leave earlier than usual; there was a wreck on the road even before I got to the Interstate, and then there were two wrecks on the way in, and a car was on fire on the upper deck. Sometimes planning ahead just does not work.

I was a student in a couple classes today, two more tomorrow and two more on Thursday, interspersed with a couple meetings here and there. That seems to be a forecast of the rest of the week as well.

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

2016 - Day 277/89 - Monday...

And then there was Monday, not that there is anything wrong with that. Personally, in the vicinity of 14.29% of my life is spent tolerating Mondays in one form or another. This particular Monday was not even in the top 10 of worst-Mondays-On-Record. Mondays are usually an excuse to slow down after the weekend, and that could be why so many folks are reserved about their praise of Mondays. I might suggest that you take several naps over the course of your weekend, and greet Mondays with a devil-may-care attitude. An attitude that says 'you are just another day...', or, I believe from here on 'I shall start my work week on Wednesday. Try that and see how you like it. But Monday, particularly this Monday, was rather uneventful in the bad way, and nondescript in the other ways. Nothing particularly to spend they entirety of a journal entry about at all, but lo-and-behold, that is exactly what I am doing. AND, I am getting to share this lovely photo of some Butterfly Iris that I came upon in my day. I also came upon a house struck by lightning several months ago, a Subway foot long sandwich, three dogs in the locksmith shop and an irritable front desk person upstairs from my office, none of which are getting photo documentation in this journal.

Take THAT!

Deeds, Actions, Changes, BUTTERFLY IRIS, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2016 - Day 276/90 - Sunday...

It was lovely and cool this morning, so we started with breakfast (a pile of eggs) and then I headed outside and cut some grass. The grass in the back and the front closest to the house had not been cut last week, so it was a bit taller than I like. Overtime I cut the grass this year, it leaves piles of grass where the rows were. If it were a more manageable yard, I would get a lawn sweeper like we used to have when I lived in Michigan; we swept grass and leaves in the lawn sweeper and then bagged it up and put it out for the trash collection. Nothing like that going to happen here. I have not cut the front up by the road and the front barn since there is a hive of bees in the water meter box in the front, and I do not want to stir them up with the vibrations of the lawn mower. Hopefully the bee rescue folks will be here this week, and then next week I can get that cut. These morning glories are volunteers; I did not plant any morning glories this year, and these came up on their own. I love them, but the places we have for them to grow and climb are just too hot for them to do really well.

Otherwise, a nice calm day. I went up to the Schwertner Community Center early this afternoon to get me and Jody a couple carry-outs of their pork and brisket bar-b-cue. This is either their 39th or 40th year to do this, and it was great. I had an opportunity to gossip with Hubert, Pauline and Randy and Irene. Plans are in the making to cut, rake and bale hay again, and then to fertilize and weed the fields. I will probably end up with about 300 round-bales before it is all over, and at some point in time, someone will need some hay, and I will have it!

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

2016 - Day 275/91 - Saturday...

Welcome to October, y'all! Usually, when I am going out to let the girls loose in the mornings, I am on the look-out for skunks, coyotes, snakes and spiders. This sort of startled me; two of the neighbors horses found their way over to the chicken coop, and thought that chicken feed was a rare delicacy. It will be interesting to see if the neighbors sue us for something just in case the horses start laying eggs. Honestly, I was not expecting horses, let alone two of them, but they were friendly enough, so we all just went on about our respective businesses.

Missions accomplished! I got everything on my 'To-Done' list done for the day. I got the truck inspected, went to Tractor Supply, got the truck registration renewed, took Jody in to Georgetown for lunch and then we both got flu shots.

Next week pneumonia vaccinations.

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