2017 - Day 181/184 - Friday...

We are almost half-way through the year. Tomorrow we will be closer, and then on Sunday we will have tipped the scale and be on a downward spiral towards Christmas. Where is the time going? It is hot as Hell out here on the edge of nowhere, and there is no real relief in sight. I expect you will all get tired of me complaining about the heat, just in time for you all to get tired of me complaining about something totally different, and also something over which I have exactly no control. BUT, on this eve of a long Holiday Weekend, I am sharing with you this lovely photo of clouds, taken at one of my favorite spots on the way home. There were (of course) a couple wrecks that I also recorded for posterity, but I threw them over for this photo of the clouds. Lovely. Don't forget to look up every now and then, you might be really surprised at what you see. This was a pretty crazy day at work, but I am pretty sure we all survived it. Common folk get a long weekend; I will be working around the house tomorrow, and I will be off to walk properties on Sunday, and I have an appointment on Monday, and I expect I will be showing property on Monday afternoon and maybe Tuesday. Be careful what you wish for! Deeds, Action, Changes, CLOUDS, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2017 - Day 180/185 - Thursday...

...and it seems we are back to talking about wrecks. I think it must be particularly inconvenient to have a wreck on the Interstate when there is no shoulder to pull over to. At least I got past it before the fire trucks and emergency personnel. I do not think the emergency personnel were needed, but I could see him behind me. And people get really testy when I am trying to get a quick candid shot with my iPhone. Really folks, take a chill pill. It took us all 45 minutes to get to this point, another five seconds is not going to make you any later than you already are. It is not like I stopped to focus or anything. Whatever. There were three vehicles involved in this one, but again, it seemed like everyone was okay, but I pity the folks that are going to be waiting one the fire/ems/police get there. Otherwise, it was a pretty good day. I was up/out late last night, and I stayed in Austin. We had a function and I did not even get ready to do my journal last night until almost 11 o'clock. I am looking forward to the long weekend. I am showing a really nice condominium tomorrow morning, office work the rest of the afternoon, home-stuff on Saturday and Sunday. I already have one appointment on Monday, maybe more on Monday and Tuesday. We shall see. Deeds, Actions, Changes, WRECKS, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2017 - Day 179/186 - Wednesday...

Holy Moley. It was a day! Here is the highlight. The Austin Board of REALTORS® held their first ever TREPA Major Investor Recruitment event, and we managed to increase our Major Investors by 20%, and we expect that number to increase by at least five or ten percent more in the next couple days. There was a lot of energy in that room tonight, and ideas for increasing participation and investment levels were flowing like watered down beer at a shotgun wedding. Hold on to your wallets, the TREPAC mojo is working it. Special thanks to David and Hagan, it was a great evening! The drive home was another story. The MoPac entrance was closed, so I took a four mile detour. When I got on, it was one lane each way. It was kind of lonely with only one lane of traffic on MoPac. Hopefully, construction will be completed within another couple of years or so. Deeds, Actions, Changes, INVESTORS, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2017 - Day 178/187 - Tuesday...

It was another good day in Houston. The second day of classes are generally better; you met the folks on the first day, they know what to expect, you know what to expect, everybody is comfortable with how things are going and the bantering and kidding around is always better. I really enjoy teaching, and sharing things and being an advocate for our colleagues. I am the luckiest guy in the world, have I mentioned that to you lately? One cool thing happened today, and that is that of the 19 folks in the class, a bunch of them friended my Facebook page. I felt like Sally Fields! Not exactly, but kind of. I stopped off and got some juice on the way home, and I pulled into the driveway (on the edge of nowhere) just after 8:30 this evening. All is good, we even got a little bit more rain this afternoon. We will take all the rain we can get, anything so we do not have to keep watering the new landscaping. We have used 21,000 gallons of water this month. We can do it for one ow two more months, and then these things had better take root and grow on their own. Here is the class photo, there is another photo of one of the class members was in need of the Hiney-Lick Maneuver but that passed. He thinks it was just gas. I think that photo is going to have to live in the archives for a couple years before it can be published. Bottom line, I enjoyed being the guide on the side for Houston, and I hope I get invited back. Deeds, Actions, Changes, TINY HANDS, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2017 - Day 177/188 - Monday...

Still in Houston, had a fun day guiding a group of colleagues through a GRI class, and I will finish up my stint tomorrow and then head back home. It has been a rainy couple of days in Houston, and I like that very much. Houston is also really kind of a pleasant place. I like the great green expanses. When I look around here, I feel like many of my everyday spaces in Austin are cramped. Constricted. Compact. I never considered that about Austin before, but I think it is because I am in a different 'space' in Houston, and I have never really visited places other than downtown. Who knew? After the class was finished for the day, I took a drive out to visit with an old friend of mine, Queen Wienke. Queen Wienke was a client of mine years ago, and we became friends immediately, and we have kept up (a little bit) with each other after she moved back to Houston a decade ago. A DECADE. DECADES are going by faster and faster, the older I get. It was great to see her, and we visited for a few minutes and I had to get back to the hotel. It is/was a work day after all. Deeds, Actions, Changes, QUEEN WIENKE, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2017 - Day 176/189 - Sunday...

I did just about everything I could to make it rain today. I started watering the transplanted landscape stuff this morning at about 6:30. I finished at about 11:30. If it were not for the wizardry and Engineering Degrees that both Mike and I obtained from MIT, I would still be watering. And then I was going to wash the car, but I couldn't find a bucket, so Jody and I went into Georgetown and I got the car washed. On the ride home from the car wash, it rained 27 drops on us (we counted). We made it home where I watered some more stuff, gave the chicks fresh water and some feed, fed Barney the Cat some dry food, and took two bales of hay to the cattle. It finally rained, but by then I was heading to Houston. I am guiding a couple days worth of classes to one of the Houston Association of REALTORS® offices (The Woodlands). It rained on me two or three times on the way down here. I also saw some terrific clouds, a rainbow, and who knew Tomball, Texas goes on and on forever. In between Highway 290 and I-45 North, it was a really pretty two-lane road...the burbs! While I was taking hay out to the cattle, Violet and her new calf decided to STARE, so I took this photo from a pretty good distance, but you can get the idea, I hope! Deeds, Actions, Changes, COW CALF, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2017 - Day 175/190 - Saturday...

We apparently had some gusty winds (maybe more) overnight, and 0.01" of rain...just a teensy bit more than a trace and I am being generous...and the winds made pretty little piles of Crape Myrtle blossoms here and there. The mixing of the colors is really kind of delightful, and there were these blasts of color on the paths and the patio. There was an interspersing of white ones by the pool and we first thought maybe it was hail, but it turned out to be the blossoms. There was about a 25 degree temperature differential on the high temperature readings today; yesterday was 103 degrees, today in the middle 80s. I am not complaining. It was cloudy most of the day, and there was very little watering done. Tomorrow will be a big watering day though, unless we get a couple inches of rain during the overnight. I got very little accomplished, and I am still working on uncovering the path stones leading from the front of the house to the front barn. I think I made about six feet of progress today, and there is still about twenty feet of path left to be uncovered. A little bit more tomorrow, a little bit more the next day... Deeds, Actions, Changes, BLOSSOMS, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2017 - Day 174/191 - Friday...

I taught a quick class at the Board this morning, and what better way to creep people out than by 'giving them a hand' for their participation in the class. Fun? Creepy? Yes to both. I thought of Cass when I took this photo, and just so you will know, I have plenty more where these came from. Overall, it was a good class, in-and-out, nobody got hurt. That I know of. Yesterday was (allegedly) the longest day of the year, and today (so far) has been the hottest day of the year. My car registered 108 degrees, our very high-tech weather station at the house said the humidity factor made it feel like it was 118 degrees, and on the news it was reported (at last count) that the high temperature for the day was 103. And it is not a 'dry heat' either. It is hot like hell outside, and I am going to stay in until the sun goes down. I believe I will boycott grass cutting tomorrow (that makes two weeks in a row) but if we don't get rain, we don't need to cut the grass. I went a whole summer a couple years ago and only cut the grass two or three times. I don't think that will be the case this year, but we will see how the whole thing plays out. I think there is about a 40% chance that we will have some rain over the weekend, and I hope we do get some...we shall see. Deeds, Actions, Changes, LITTLE HANDS, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2017 - Day 173/192 - Thursday...

It' a darned good thing that traffic was not horrible today, because I have given up complaining for the next two or three years. I know when you set goals for yourself, that you occasionally have to step back from the process, re-evaluate the process, and make changes to the implementation of the goal, and to consider the purpose and the benefits you may or may not benefit from once your goal has become a reality. Having said that, I believe in achievable goals. Having said that, I have had to reset my goals two or three times today already. Having said that, I may have to reboot a couple times tomorrow, too. That's the good thing about goals, they belong to you, and you can do with them what you will. So, I have set a goal (see two or three lines up) and the actual goal may need to be adjusted a time or two before actual achievement can/may/might be obtained. More sturdy stands the bowing reed than doth the mighty oak. And get out of my way you a*swipe. Deeds, Actions, Changes, GOALS, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2017 - Day 172/193 - Wednesday...

Well, today has been a day of frustrations and rewards. Frustrations with the traffic challenges (I spent at least 4 hours trolling the Interstate in both directions because of wrecks of one sort or another. I headed in to the office early today so I could have some quiet time, but it took over two hours to get in, so that plan was foiled. Then a couple appointments that w=I was late for because of congestion (of the traffic kind, not the coughing up lungs kind). I was late for a 9:30 by about 20 minutes, and late for a 4:30 by about 45 minutes. Absolutely stark raving crazy. So I had every intention of showing you photographic documentation of the traffic problems, but once I got home, I was distracted by these clouds (thank you to Tropical Storm Cindy), and everything was better. So, instead of griping and complaining, let me put all that on hold, and please enjoy the clouds. Deeds, Actions, Changes, CLOUDS, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2017 - Day 171/194 - Tuesday...

I have spent most of the day thinking it was already Wednesday, but I am happy to know that I have just gained a whole day! Woo-Hoo. I got our friend Mike off to the airport this morning, then headed for work. Another day of over-scheduling, although almost everything worked out alright. I got in some office time, then had a meeting at 10 a.m. That meeting was supposed to last until 2, and I had meetings scheduled for 2 and 3. The 10 o'clock ended early (we worked VERY HARD during that time, so I got to have lunch and go back to the office to get more stuff done. Then I went to the other two meetings, and headed home about 5 p.m. I am now a part-time waterer. I would be a full time waterer, but I cannot afford myself. I am getting the routine of watering plants down to a science. Sometimes I feel like Charlie Chaplin in Modern Times, thinking of how Mike and I put our engineering degrees from MIT to se stringing soaker hoses from one end of this county to another. But water we have, and it is almost down to the science that we intended it to be. AND...Barney the cat decided he/she/it would accompany me this evening, thinking that the hose was some giant slow moving snake that he/she should monitor with great attention just in case he/she could pounce and come to my rescue. Barney is getting more and more used to seeing me and Joel, and that is a good thing. I think tomorrow is the first full day of summer. Joy. Deeds, Actions, Changes, DEAD OPOSSUMS (But that's another story), Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2017 - Day170/195 - Monday...

Well, we got about 0.05" of rain today, but we will not complain about that. There are slight chances of rain in the forecast, and we are hoping that one of the tropical depressions in the Gulf will come our way and give us a nice bit of precipitation. I totally expect that it will be dry and sunny until I get in the car next Sunday, heading for Montgomery County to teach a couple classes. I fully expect I will be ravaged by monsoonal rains while driving to the classes. That is the way it always happens. But, this was just a little hint of what we got today. It was a longish day. In case you are wondering, there is plenty of business to go around, and there will probably be a little bit left over. It is soon to be the summer season (I think the first full day of summer is Wednesday), but the craziness has already begun. It it were not for my CDO-ness and list making, I am not sure how I would be coping at all... Mike is leaving to go back home tomorrow morning, but we are talking about a trip to NYC in the fall or just after the first of the year to see Bette Midler in Hollo Dolly. Tickets on the Mezzanine are about $700, but you only live once. Are there any interested parties out there in journal land that want to make a go of it? We have to start planning soon, time is of the essence. Deeds, Actions, Changes, DEVINE MISS M, Kindnesses, Whirled Pe

as, FUN!

2017 - Day 169/196 - Sunday...

Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there, and from what I can tell, you have all done a great job. Congratulations! It just so happens that today is also the 25th Anniversary of the partnership between me and Jody (or Joel, depending on how you were introduced). It seems odd that 25 years has passed by so quickly, but it is true. On this day 25 years ago, Jody and I went to a tour of homes in Hyde Park, and the rest, as they say, is history. We have shared a lot of things with a lot of people over those 25 years, and today several of our friends, from here and there, joined with us for a really nice luncheon in Austin. It was simply coincidental that today was also Father's Day. We began planning this about three or four weeks ago, and we had no idea that it was Father's Day. But, as it turned out, everything was good. I checked on the reservations yesterday and they were a little bit hesitant, but they ultimately found the reservation record, and everything worked out with no problems. It was a great afternoon with good friends and we all made more memories. Thanks for sharing yourselves with us! And of course I had to have some clown noses to make the occasion even more memorable. Yep, I never have been able to let it alone, and I was really surprised that Jody went along with it. Have a great rest of your evening! Deeds, Actions, Changes, ANNIVERSARIES, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2017 - Day 168/197 - Saturday...

I had a variety of possible photos for the journal entry tonight; apple, rat snake, opossum. I am going with the snake pic. If I should die in my sleep tonight, direct the coroner to the snake bite marks on my left hand. I was walking out the door from the garage to the house this afternoon, and there was a big-ass snake slithering past. He was not in any hurry, and he was not moving too fast until I went after him/her/it. I have never been on the receiving end of a snake bite before, and it kind of took my by surprise. I have dealt with rat snakes before, but this was the first time I went in bare-handed. They have little teeny-tiny (but really sharp) teeth. He/she/it got me a couple times times on my left hand, but then I was victorious, accompanied by a pair of grass trimmers. I opened the door and called for Mike to come out to the garage, and he was kind of surprised too, that I was wanting him to take the photo of me, the snake and my bloody hand. After the photo session, the snake was last seen airborne into the tall grass of the pasture. No sense killing a rat snake just because it used poor judgement. Afterwards, I checked with the Googles to see if I was going to die from a rat snake bite. The Googles said to just clean it well, not to put oxygen peroxide on it (too late), and that rat snakes put out a musky odor when they are scared. Yes, they do, they do indeed. So that is what that stink was that I could not find but could not get away from either. It was on me! And when you look at the pic, see if you can see the blood on my left hand.

Anyway, it was an interesting day, more tomorrow. Maybe. Deeds, Actions, Changes, SNAKES, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN.

2017 - Day 167/198 - Friday...

It's Friday, and it's the fan drive day! Every year, Family Eldercare in Austin does a fundraiser to get fans to families that are on fixed incomes or just need a little bit of breeze in their homes. The Austin Board of REALTORS® Foundation has been a major participant in that effort for many years, and today was the day that we went to Threadgill's and presented them with a check and a bunch of fans. Always a great event, and lots of fun and recognition for a dedicated bunch of volunteers across the city. Good job everyone! And as long as we were at Threadgill's, we might as well have lunch! I have been on a grilled cheese kick. There was not grilled cheese on the menu, so I had the grilled ham and cheese with tomato, hold the ham please and hold the tomato. It worked perfectly! It was also a pretty busy real estate day, and got home about 5 to visit with our friend Mike from Florida, had a nice dinner and did some watering outside. I think tomorrow will be spent working on a semi-automated watering plan for all the landscaping that we have had done. We expected the high temperature to hit 100 degrees today, and while it did not do that officially, it was hot as the hinges of hell. And it is supposed tone hotter tomorrow. I have to get the watering thing done. Deeds, Actions, Changes, FAN DRIVE, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2017 - Day 166/199 - Thursday...

As I mentioned to you all (faithful followers) the other day, we have been worried about Barney the Cat, but he made an appearance last night and I have seen him/her two or three times today. It is good to know he/she is still around. We have been feeding something, we just could not be sure it was Barney, and we are still not sure. But, Barney is out there, and there is photographic proof of the fact. It was a good day, even though it started early and ended late. I had an early start this morning, and the day stayed busy. Our friend Mike is here visiting with us and will head back to Florida early next week. He tagged along with me to a couple properties this afternoon, and mentioned to me that I had just made two appointments for the same time on the same day. To some people that would be a challenge, but since he was good enough to catch that for me, everything is just fine. I still have two conflicting appointments on my calendar next week, but it will all work out. We just watched the International Space Station fly overhead. 9:18 p.m. A long time ago, we watched the Space Shuttle fly over, and then three or four minutes later we watched it land in Florida on the news. That was pretty interesting. Deeds, Actions, Changes, BARNEY, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2017 - Day 165/200 - Wednesday...

...and once again, the hurrier I go the behinder I get. But, just remember, you have to be careful what you ask for. Sometimes I feel like I am the opposite of a school teacher. Teachers work (this is a broad statement, no haters please) from September to June (give or take), and they have much of the summer free. REALTORS® work their asses off in the summer, and then there is nothing for them to do (really) from November through (about) March. More or less. However, we are blinded by Madison Avenue when we have nothing better to do than to go shopping. I am a victim of retail therapy, I grant you that. But I digress. I am pretty darned busy right now, and I am becoming (once again) a victim of over scheduling. I really need to work on that. I taught a full day of classes today to a great group of my colleagues at our South Office. Note: Our south office is kind of in North San Antonio. Not really, it just feels like that. It is 66 miles from the house here on the edge of nowhere to our south office. The class start time was 8:30, I left at 6:30, and made it to the site at about 8:05. That worked just fine for me, thank you very much. I had a blast, these folks were open to new ideas and to exploring old ideas, and they participated in the class. Again, it was a blast, and I really like guiding colleagues through the classes. Deeds, Actions, Changes, HELPING HANDS, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2017 - Day 164/201 - Tuesday...

My days just keep getting busier and busier and at the same time getting better and better. I amaze myself sometimes about how crammed packed my days (and nights) can be, but I still keep (most of) it all together. If it weren't for my lists, I would just be adrift. Sometimes I think I should be set adrift on a fractured ice berg and left to my own devices. But, then I get some sleep and it all works out in the end. Take the new chicks for instance. When we first got them, they were scared to death of me. Now, every day, when I go out there to give them feed or fresh water, or when I am doing this or that, I stop and talk with them. It's all about the conditioning. Now, they pretty much come up to the front of their little run, and they are curious about me. They have not yet pecked at my finger through the mesh, but that will probably happen in the next day or two. One step at a time. This all makes me think that we, all of us as a society, are being conditioned. If I can do it with a baby chicken, smarter people than me (of which there are plenty) can do it to me/us. This is a picture of four of the five chicks. OMG! And I am sober as a judge right now!

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

2017 - Day 163/202 -Monday...

I have been somewhat out of sorts for most of the day today, I can't really put my finger on it, but I was just not right for most of the day. Now that I am home, I am certain that I am not right. Have you ever had one of those days? Lots of stuff to do, deadlines for everything, you think most of it is going to be bad, but most of it turns out okay. It is the expectation of failure, and when you don't fail, you wonder how you could have NOT failed. That is how I have felt for most of the day. First it was too hot, then it was too cold. The meeting facility was dark and dingy, and it was in need of a good cleaning. I parked in the bowels of the parking garage and that was creepy. They have new elevator buttons on the OUTSIDE of the elevators. No inside buttons. There needs to be a bigger sign alerting elevator patrons. You get in the elevator and there are no buttons to push, I am not sure how I would know to cope. I was helpless. Somebody help me... But I persevered and documented the grandeur of the surroundings with this HUGE (I am beginning to hate that word and I only use it for effect) plexiglass chandelier and it was entombed with dust and grit until it had very little sparkle level left, But there it was...BIG. Really Big. Deeds, Actions, Changes, BIG! REALLY BIG, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2017 - Day 162/203 - Sunday...

Here is something you do not think about or hear about or (preferably not) visualize on a very frequent basis. Jody and I BOTH got into the pool this afternoon. Yep, bofus! It was great. I have to admit it was a little bit chilly when I first got in, but that went away after about 15 seconds. Jody got himself in the pool much more gradually, kind of like the way I did it the first time this year. This could become habit forming. Even though (in my own mind) I work really hard around the house on the weekends, I am hoping that we will both take some time to enjoy the pool this year. Over the past couple days I got almost everything on my to do list done. The only things I did not accomplish was to vacuum the house (the housekeeper comes tomorrow so screw it), and I did not drive fence posts into a couple spots where we have auxiliary water valves and shut-offs to water spigots in the back pastures. I want to get those places better marked so, when the hay gets mowed, they will not run over those valves. But otherwise I am pretty happy with all that was accomplished this weekend. Jody helped me this morning on my chore to move the chicks from the 'grown up girl pen' to a pen of their own so they can start to scratch and peck. Everything went really well until I was out there this evening and discovered one of the younger chicks had escaped. He/she was not that thrilled about it, and was much easier to corral than the Blue chick. Anyway, remedial actions have been taken to better secure their pen, and if one gets loose again, I will just have to deal with it. This is nature, and nature is as nature does. Deeds, Actions, Changes, POOL, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2017 - Day 161/204 - Saturday...

In the tall grass (and in the early light of morning), a skunks tail can resemble the fan of a cobra, kind of sort of. It's the hopping through the tall grass that dispels the cobra theory. Soon enough though, you it gets close to you (it's like it was drawn to me), and you can see very clearly that it is a skunk. Last year we had two or three baby skunks that I would see playing in the mornings up by the chicken coop, but I have mostly seen dead skunks this year. And then today there was this one. We are again a little bit worried about Barney the cat. AWOL for about a week now, not sure if Barney is eating the food we put out, or maybe it is the skunk. We will keep a lookout for him. Or her. In the meantime, the baby chicks are getting bigger every day, and tomorrow I am going to get the enclosure attachment down out of the attic in the barn so they can have some more room to roam in. That will make them much happier, and it will make me feel more like a responsible chick daddy. Otherwise, all else is well on the edge of nowhere. Deeds, Actions, Changes, SKUNKS, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2017 - Day 160/205 - Friday...

Since I am not an owner of goats, I am not sure what the life-span of a goat is. I know the mortality rate of goats near the edge of nowhere is obviously pretty high, since goats in the immediate area seem to pass at an alarming rate. Two or three goats are 'goners' out in the immediate vicinity, and their carcasses are left to rot in a corner of a nearby property or, if that is too much trouble, the 'elements' take care of them. We have been here almost two years. We have lost three head of cattle (one immediately after birth for an unknown reason), one from some sort of a lung infection, and then there was Mr. Speckles. Poor guy, got stuck in the mud and drowned. Parts of him are now enshrined on the peak of the tractor shed. And yes, we have lost a flock of chickens since we have been keeping them (about seven years this year), but that is what happens to chickens. Compared to chickens raised by Perdue, Holly Farms or a similar chicken breeding concern, our girls are absolutely ancient, and they have all lived a better life. Free range. But I digress. I was greeted by a squadron of buzzards (in the immediate area) on my drive to work this morning. There were six or eight of them (not all of them are in this photo), and I am not sure if they were just waiting on the inevitable or if the inevitable had already occurred. They were not in evidence when I returned this afternoon, so it was either a small goat or the carcass had been dispatched to a far corner of a nearby property. Interesting. Deeds, Actions, Changes, DEAD STUFF, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2017 - Day 159/206 - Thursday...

I took the girls to the beautiful parlor this morning, and went to pick them up later in the afternoon. It was pretty interesting, because I took them to a groomer other than the one we had been taking Maddie to in the past. Something about that groomer just did not sit well with me, and I wanted to see about a 'alternate' groomer (like alternate facts or alternate reality). I am also not a total believer in Yelp reviews, but I did look at them, and like most things, there were some good, some average, but nothing that would discourage me from patronizing the place. I was mostly concerned about the girls thinking they were being put into another crate and left somewhere and abandoned. Call me crazy, but those are the things I was concerned about. I got a tour of the place, and it was nice, clean and no dogs were seemingly anxiety ridden. We put both of the girls in the same crate (that was a nice suggestion), and that was it. The girls were really not interested in staying, but there was no wailing. When I went to get them this afternoon, there were no obvious scars or evidence of mistreatment, so that was a good sign. Still no wailing from the back room, and all seemed to be good. The girls look great and they both passed out for the car ride home, and they are both happily ensconced in the house now. Deeds, Actions, Changes, GROOMED, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2017 - Day 158/207 - Wednesday...

I took this photo on Monday night, I think. This is one (just one) of the benefits of living on the edge of nowhere, where you can see for miles and miles with nothing (much) in the way. I know these sunsets have been happening for eons, but I have never really lived anywhere with an unobstructed view of nothing and everything at the same time. So, I thought that was a particularly interesting sunset a couple days ago, and I thought I would share it with you. I have been watering transplanted beds ever since I got home this evening. Although we had a nice round of rain on Saturday afternoon, it is now Wednesday, and these things are not gonna water themselves. I do not want to take a chance that they do not survive because they did not have any water. I think this will be a three time a week thing, and there will be extra good soaking on the weekends. Otherwise, it was a day today, like many before this one and I expect there will be many similar ones in the future. Deeds, Actions, Changes, WATERING, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2017 - Day 157/208 - Tuesday...

I took this picture the other night, I thought it was pretty interesting. It was kind of hazy, getting towards dark, and the breeze was coming in from the north. Since then, the winds turned around from the south, but today they are coming in from the north again. North breezes always means less humidity and pleasant evenings. It will be totally unbearable soon enough, but for now we will take the north winds. I did it again, and got in the pool on Sunday. Dove right in. Did not gasp for breath or anything either. It was nice, not bath tub warm, but pleasant. I'm gonna try to make that a habit. What family doth not have its' ups and downs? Kind of a day in the life. This month is living up to its reputation and crazy and hectic. At least the traffic is a little bit better with classes out for the summer. Today I was driving down Anderson Lane (early this morning, before 8) and a senior citizen (I have to be careful here) was riding a Moped, and crossed Anderson Lane from Northcross. Ran a red light, was almost destroyed by a Jeep. Crazy how things have the potential for change in the blink of an eye. I have witnessed three or four close calls in the last several days, all near misses, and happy for that. It just kind of seems like the planet is out of sync. If it will make things better, I will happily take the blame. It's okay. We just all need to get synced back up and in the groove. EVERYBODY, get your groove thing on! Deeds, Actions, Changes, GROOVES, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2017 - Day 156/209 - Monday...

Not a bad day, I got a lot of office work done, and visited a couple properties. A relatively sunny day until the drive north. Not as bad as Saturday, but there were some really cool looking clouds, and it was dark as pitch on one side of the street and sunny blue skies on the other. It did rain on me a bit on the drive north, but again, nothing like it did on Saturday. I began taking art classes tonight, and that will be an every Monday thing for a couple months. So far so good, but the instructor is a bit more rigid than I would like. I got my primary colors wrong, I said red, blue and yellow. I was corrected that the true primary colors are yellow, cyan and magenta. I am not really sure that cyan is even correct, he said it was also known as something else, but I had never heard of that. Tonight we diddled with water colors, doing different techniques with different brushes. Next week we will start the oils, which is what I am really interested in. I will make a trip to buy supplies, and I am pretty excited about the next class. I think it is going to be fun, and I am not expecting to become a great artist, just learn some new things. Deeds, Actions, Changes, RAIN, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2017 - Day 155/210 - Sunday...

As reported last night, the Blue Andalusian chick escaped (for the second time), and this time it escaped into the great outdoors. As of this journal posting last night, it was last seen under the front barn. When I went out to put the other girls to bed last night, there it was peeping for its peeps. It knew where it was supposed to be, but it would not let me near it. As of the time I went to bed last night, it was under some picket fence pieces and various other very important things that are being stored outside the front barn. I devised many scenarios of capturing it between last night and this morning, and when I went out to let the big girls loose, there was no evidence of that blue chick. When I went out later in the morning, there it was and I put my plan into action. I would go into greater detail about the methods I used to capture a chick (about the size of a tennis ball and faster than a speeding chicken), but needless to say, I WAS VICTORIOUS! This is documented evidence that the blue chick is back in the coop with its siblings. When I went out this afternoon to change the water and make sure there was plenty of food, there was not even a single glass towards freedom. When I put it back in the baby chicken coop this morning, it looked around and went over to the food and started eating. It was kind of like 'Oh the things I saw!'. Anyway, that is it for today. Jody and I did lots of errands, and I got some more chores done around the house. Thanks for asking. Deeds, Actions, Changes, CHICKS, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2017 - Day 154/211 - Saturday...

Jody and I spent HOURS watering the new beds this morning, and then this afternoon, the skies opened and we got 1.46" of rain. That's okay, everything has been watered sufficiently for a while. We were coming back from lunch in Georgetown, and people were pulling off the road because the rain was so heavy. You could not see in front of you. Less than 30 miles per hour on the Interstate. I was driving with the flashers on, not that anyone could see them. Cars were pulled over under bridges; anything that could cover them. It was pretty intense for a while. We made it home, and the power had gone off briefly, and the alarm system was beeping. The refrigerator in the garage was off, and the GFCI needed to be reset. When the power flashed off, the turbines quit and they needed to be reset. But the morning gave me time to investigate outside, and it was nice to see the gardenia blooming, even though I think it is a little late for gardenias. Things are looking nice, and we are both happy with the transformation of the beds and the overall landscaping. After the storms I went out to check meters and gather eggs. I had just moved the new chicks from inside the front barn to the new chicken run this morning, and this afternoon, I was out there making sure they were okay and giving them some more food and fresh water. The Blue Andalusian escaped again (it escaped inside the barn the other day and I recaptured it), but this time there was catching it. When last seen it was under the barn, so it is on its own. I am pretty much writing this one off, although it may surprise me (but I doubt it). Blue Andalusians are pretty rare, so I guess it was just not meant to be. Otherwise, things are good out on the edge of nowhere. I am the luckiest man in the world! Deeds, Actions, Changes, STORMS, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2017 - Day 153/212 - Friday...

It is National Donut Day (I think), and that is okay with me. Donuts are good things. My favorite is glazed sourdough with chocolate on top. They used to be common at HEB, and now you have to special order them. These look kind of yummy, but I would be afraid of getting a comet or a piece of space junk caught in my teeth. Friday. What a nice word. I have no appointments set for the weekend, but that could change. I do have some work that could be done in the office, and we will see how that goes. I stayed out past my bedtime last night, and I am paying for it now. I am looking forward to the big blue chair and some sleep. Lots of stuff to do around the house tomorrow. Deeds, Actions, Changes, DONUTS, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2017 - Day 152/213 - Thursday...

This day ended really well. Well, I know it hasn't TECHNICALLY ended quite yet, but pretty close. Tonight was the annual ABoR TREPAC Movie Night. We got a sneak peek at the new Wonder Woman movie, and I have to admit, I am exhausted. The movie was really good, even though I have never been a fan of comics or stuff like that. It was visually really interesting (the 3D helped) and I swear my seat was wired to something because I SWEAR it vibrated on queue. And I almost made it through the whole movie without looking at my phone. Almost. SO...thanks to all the folks that attended, and go see the movie. And remember, we saw it first! Deeds, Actions, Changes, WONDER WOMAN, Kindnesses, Wh

irled Peas, FUN!