2017 - Day 243/122 - Thursday...

It is really kind of interesting, the things you come across out here where things go slower...not usually because a big truck has decided it needs to break down (not over) and successfully and TOTALLY block the road. The back right wheels were in a gully, the depth of which the driver miscalculated or did not observe. I was able to maneuver around this obstacle to the right side of it (via a probable illegal parking lot) while vehicles going the other way (including my friend 'new' Bill) took to the ditch and the mud to go around its left side. No matter how you traversed this speed bump (traffic was certainly calmed if not the drivers), it all turned out okay in the end. I got to work at a decent time, 'new' Bill was on time to show property to his clients, and I hope the truck is gone by the time I get to that junction in the morning. It is almost September as I write this. Our total rainfall for the month of August was 9.98", and I fully expect that I will begin watering the landscaping again on Saturday. Tomorrow night, I will integrate the newest chicks into the coop with the other girls, and that will be it for a while. I think we have enough chickens for now, I will look into it again in the spring. Maybe. Deeds, Actions, Changes, BLOCKERS, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2017 - Day 242/123 - Wednesday...

I have no idea what I am going to do with the Twinkies I bought the other day. I have not had a Twinkie in (maybe) a couple decades, but the impulse was there to buy Twinkies last Friday in preparation of Hurricane Harvey, and now I have no idea what to do with this box of Twinkies. One idea is to see how many times I can use the word Twinkies in a journal post. Another idea is to have a recurring feature in this journal of 'The Traveling Twinkie', kind of like 'flat Sammy' or something like that. So, here is the first installment of where one might not expect to find the Traveling Twinkie. Enjoy. Busy day today, it is the end of the month and the beginning of another month all at the same time. Be safe, Be careful, Be happy. Deeds, Actions, Changes, TWINKIES, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2017 - Day 241/214 - Tuesday...

Okay, so this is a multiple choice question: The flower depicted here is a 1.) Chili Lily, 2.) Oxblood Lily, C.) Red Flare, 4.) Rain Lily or 5.) A cluster of flowers coming up from a bulb (or two) the name of which we cannot determine. If you picked any answer EXCEPT #4, then you may or may not be correct. I can neither confirm nor deny the name of these flowers (they do spring forth from bulbs, however). The interesting thing is, these particular flowers were transplanted from the front of the property to the back of the property, more around the house than just here and there. I have watered them religiously, and, true to their habits, only bloom after a rain. They got that part of it right. How do they know the difference between rain water from the sky versus rain water from a hose? Could you please explain that to me? However they do it, I think it is pretty interesting. OMG, maybe they are not even lilies! Oh Crap! Jody had a doctors appointment REALLY EARLY this morning, and he is going to have another cataract removed (left eye this time) in early October. All is good, no real issues or complications expected. Barney the cat was in evidence this afternoon, so I took him some moist cat food, and he ate some of it, but I am just going to leave it there. He can either come back to get it later, or the ants or some other critters will get it. Deeds, Actions, Changes, LILIES, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2017 - Day 240/125 - Monday...

I am several months behind in reading my various magazines and newsletters that are delivered to the house. Jody and I have conscientiously taken the path of non-renewals. Not all of them, but many of them. My subscription to People Magazine expired months ago, and they keep sending me magazines and pleas for renewals. HGTV Magazine is not being renewed, I get plenty of that on the television. GRIT is a gift subscription, and we like that one, it gives us good ideas for coping with chickens and other farmer like things. Jody gets a lot of magazines; Time, Consumer Reports, these and those. But I digress. I am, as I said earlier, several months behind in my magazine reading. In March of this year, I was reading the 'year end' issue of People Magazine, and they listed the Top 10 Books (in the Best of 2016 section) of the year. I cut out the page, and I finished reading (listening to really) the ten books a week or two ago. Granted I got a late start AND I was distracted for a couple months, but I did finish. I like achieving the goals I set out for myself. Anyway, that is done, and I have read (listened to) a couple other books since then. If you have any thoughts on books you have found interesting, let me know. I am now taking referrals. It has stopped raining here and the sun is even out. All together since last Friday, we have had just shy of 5-1/4" of rain. We are happy about that, but all the cracks up towards the road have not even closed up. I wonder how much rain it would take? We are so much luckier than the citizens of Houston, I cannot comprehend what they are facing, and predictions of up to 25" of more rain. Just mind boggling. Do something nice for someone, please. Thanks. Deeds, Actions, Changes, BOOKS, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2017 - Day 239/126 - Sunday...

We are still so much luckier than many of our friends in Texas. So far, we have had just a little over five inches of rain out here on the edge of nowhere. Comparatively speaking, that is just a drop in the bucket. The ground around here is pretty saturated, and we are good with that. There were cracks in the ground up closer to the road that you could have lost a ping pong ball in, but those have all closed up for the time being. I expect that once the rains stop (forecast to be Wednesday or Thursday), we will be in need of rain again by the end of September. That puts us at almost 10 inches of rain for August, and I think August is one of our drier months. But again, we are not complaining about the rain, not here anyway. During one of the brief lulls in the rain, Jody took me and the dog girls for a ride. The Piglet and the Wolf Dog like to stick their heads out the windows, although the Wolf Dog is more inclined to it than the Piglet. It will be interesting to drive in to Austin tomorrow morning, to see what is going on there. Next weekend will be a long weekend, and I am looking forward to that. Send thoughts (and money if you can) to those less fortunate than yourselves, and never forget how lucky you are, no matter what your circumstance is. Deeds, Actions, Changes, MORE RAIN, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2017 - Day 238/127 - Saturday...

The strongest winds and the highest storm surge are on a hurricane's right side — the "dirty side" — as viewed from above. That's because winds in a hurricane rotate counterclockwise, so the strength of the storm on the "dirty side" is the hurricane's wind speed plus its forward velocity. I don't think we are on a 'side' yet. The storm is still southeast of us, and it is really not going anywhere in any kind of a hurry. We have had some pretty good winds, but no real heavy rains, just kind of drizzly all afternoon. So far, since my last entry, we have had a little over an inch-and-a-half of rain. It is still raining. Yesterday, my storm preparations included moving the flower pots off the columns outside the front door. That was pretty much it. This morning, the gutters were backed up, so I cleaned out the gutters, and that is pretty much it. The only damage we have suffered so far is a couple small limbs off some of the trees and the trash can blew over onto its side. That is it so far, and I will take that. I think it is still going to rain for the next four or five days, pretty constantly, and that is not a bad thing. I believe Austin is having much more rain than we are, so I hope everything there will be good, or at least as good as it can be. Deeds, Actions, Changes, HARVEY, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2017 - Day 237/128 - Friday...

I have learned a couple more things recently; you have to be pretty careful about what you ask for, because you might just get it. Take rain for instance. For the past month or so, I have been lamenting the fact that we could really use some rain. A local custom in central Texas is to hope for a hurricane. A hurricane that will bring rains to central Texas, but not cause any harm to life or property. Well, part of that message was received, and part of it was not. It looks like we are going to get some rain in the next week or so, we are just not sure exactly how much rain we may receive. The estimates for our particular piece of heaven range anywhere from 3" to 20". The hurricane (Harvey) is expected to make landfall sometime in the early morning hours of Saturday (tomorrow) and we should start getting some rain about 3:30 a.m. Then, the storm is supposed to stall, and just sit here (or there or where ever) for five or six days. So we have no idea exactly what to expect right now. What I do know is, we will (I expect) be fine, and we will come through this much luckier than many of our friends and neighbors and colleagues. It is a big storm, and it is a powerful storm. Everybody be safe, send kind thoughts to everyone (not just in Texas). EVERYONE. Deeds, Actions, Changes, RAIN, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2017 - Day 236/129 - Thursday...

The poor weather guy looks kind of like the devil here in Austin on one of the channels. Harvey the Hurricane is bearing down on the Gulf Coast, and we may get a little bit of rain out of it. Maybe more than a little. Forecasts are running anywhere from 2 to 3 inches of rain, up to over 20 inches of rain in the Austin area. A lot of it could depend on whether the storm stalls once it hits land or if it moves quickly and which way it turns once it hits land. I expect we could get five or six inches of rain, but again, we will just wait it out. I am intending to go into the office tomorrow, get some stuff done, and then make a grocery stop on the way home. I don't think too many people will be hoarding groceries, but I kind of want to make sure we have enough Twinkies to make it through. It has been years since I have had a Twinkie, but this seems like a good time to buy some. Otherwise, I really expect we will be okay. When we first moved out here, we got over nine inches of rain in a 24 hour period, and it was no big deal. I will keep you all posted. OH...and the phone guy just got our land line fixed. We are up to about 1960 right now!

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

2017 - Day 235/130 - Wednesday...

Yep, that's rain folks. RAIN! I really did not think it was going to rain today, even though that was (kinda sorta) in the forecast, but it did in fact rain! There were clouds, but clouds don't really mean anything in central Texas. Clouds just make you think it might rain, but it won't really. BUT, it really did rain today, not sure how much rain there was in Austin, but out here on the edge of nowhere, we have so far recorded 0.35" and it is still sprinkling. I watered stuff this morning, and I was going to water trees this afternoon when I got home, but I am thinking of taking a break. There is a tropical something brewing in the Gulf, and the prognosticators are telling us it is heading this way. Friends from the Valley to the Mississippi coast are getting ready for heavy rains. Even though there is the possibility of it reaching hurricane velocity before it makes landfall (probably on Friday morning) I do not think the winds will be the problem. The flooding is what will be the problem. We all need to be ready for high water. And everyone needs to keep their fingers crossed that everyone will remain safe. I spent the day in a classroom setting today, and I was the attendee, not the guide. It was two good classes, and one of our agents was attending the class as well, and by completing the two classes, it makes me eligible for a couple more designations. Multi-tasking is a good thing! Deeds, Actions, Changes, RAINS, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2017 - Day 234/131 - Tuesday...

This is a picture of the intermediate girl chickens. These are the four that were integrated into the coop about a month ago, not sure. BUT, they do pretty much everything together. They are inseparable, and you really can't blame them. They are like the freshman class and the rest of the girls are seniors and they are getting sh*t on social media. In about two or three more week, the youngest girls will be put into the coop, and that may be it for the year. Chicks are pretty high maintenance, but big girl chickens are not too much trouble. The weather prognosticators are prognosticating a better than even chance for rain over the weekend, maybe even starting as soon as tomorrow night or the next day. One day shows a 70% chance. Whatever. I am still going to water like there is no drought. If I stop watering expecting the rains to come as forecast, it won't rain. If I keep watering AND wish the car, it will rain. Get out of my way, I have watering to do. Deeds, Actions, Changes, INTERMEDIATES, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2017 - Day 233/132 - Monday...

I took a vow not to post photos or anything else about the eclipse today, but I caved. I tried my best to get a good selfie of me and the eclipse, but I am pretty sure I failed at that too. I had my camera set for tele-photo, but the only thing I can see in this photo is (most likely) Uranus. Of course, I am not an expert, so if you know better than I do, please feel free to chime in. Otherwise, not a bad day, I do not think I will ever be finished watering, but that is okay too. Deeds, Actions, Changes, URANUS, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2017 - Day 232/133 - Sunday...

I started the morning reading the paper, drinking coffee and cooking a pile of eggs for me and Jody. Shortly after breakfast, I cleaned the chicken coop and took the cattle a bale of hay. The grasses in the back pasture (and the front pasture for that matter) are looking really nice, and I think there may be a second cutting this year. That will be great. With only seven head of cattle, that would mean that they could be spoiled with fresh hay bales, and I could sell off the other two years worth of hay that we have. The stock tanks back there are pitiful, but they are not without water, they are enjoying the fluoridated water piped in from the city. Very fancy. After that, Jody took the girl dogs for a ride, and, as promised, this is a photo of the little piglet girl who is much more comfortable sitting on the bench wagging her tongue than going to all the trouble of looking out a window. She will look out a window occasionally, but never long enough for me to take a photo. After we got home, I jumped in the pool (a new exception to actual bathing) and went back to the estate sale in Austin. I had a couple things in my hands, and the painting I wanted was still there, and I was given the sticker and told I won the bid. Then another woman protested and out bid me considerably, so I put my other stuff down and left. I had six dollars worth of other stuff (which really were pretty good bargains) but I really wanted the painting, so I left deflated. But not any poorer than when I went in. Deeds, Actions, Changes, PIGLET, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2017 - Day 231/134 - Saturday...

I did a few chores today. Well, I really did more than I can check off my 'to-done' list, because some of them are only half-done. I did change batteries in the cameras, cut most of the grass (front and back) and watered almost everything that needed to be watered. In between times, there were a couple naps, lunch and earlier this morning, Jody took the wolf-dog and her sister the little piglet for a ride. I got to sit in the front seat, which means I am special. The wolf-dog is particularly fond of looking out the car windows, and the piglet seems more than content just to sit on the seat and let the wolf-dog do all the work. Otherwise, it was another hot day, with a good breeze now and then. After everything was said and done, I took a jump in the pool and splashed around for a few minutes, just long enough to get the dirtiest part of me somewhat less dirty. I will be taking hay out to the cattle tomorrow morning and cleaning the chicken coop. Finish cutting the grass, do some more watering (I am not sure if I can EVER be finished watering) and then I am going to make another visit to the estate sale I went to last Friday. I don't expect they will still have the painting I have my eye on, but if they do, it might end up being mine. Jody and I also went to the new market in Jarrell. Nice, new and clean, and worthy of our continued patronage. It is now officially the closest 'grocer' to us, so we will continue to check them out. Time to pile-up. Deeds, Actions, Changes, WOLF-DOG, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2017 - Day 230/135 - Friday...

Nt only is today Friday, but lots of good stuff happened today. First; it's Friday. Second, the winds from the south have died down, so we have sprinklers running in a couple of the beds. I am not counting anymore, but, third, I had a good meetings this morning, had a couple really great conversations with some of my colleagues, made a stop at Upper Crust and got us some muffins for weekend breakfasts, got a couple properties leased (that has been an uphill battle this year), took some signs and lockboxes off some properties, had some more great conversations with colleagues, and got home before 5 o'clock, and fell asleep in the big blue chair watching the news. I think that is one of the BESRTR ways to watch the news these days; unconscious. Whatever. At one of my stops this afternoon, I spied these wild flowers. They looked to me at first like clovers, but they flowers were really tall, like nine or twelve inches tall. I don't know if clover really get that tall, but they kind of favor clover, so if you have any insight into it, let me know, and I will share that info with my throngs of followers. AND I went to an estate sale where I picked up a few treasures. I am going back again on Sunday when everything is marked down. Of course I am. Deeds, Actions, Changes, CLOVER MAYBE, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2017 - Day 229/136 - Thursday...

This journal entry is dedicated to all my thousands of loyal followers with short attention spans. ATTENTION SPANS. SHORT ATTENTION SPANS. SQUIRREL! Jody and I were sitting out in the yard with the dogs this evening, and a relatively immature male cardinal came and joined us on the fence gate. The mockingbird is a pretty consistent presence, and we enjoy his overtures from the top of the Internet antenna. This squirrel (Jody has named him Earl) is a sometimes visitor, but he was not in the least bit bothered with us. He ran around on the roof of the house for a while, then he posed for photos at one of the roof peaks. We are not sure if this is the original Earl, or if it is an apprentice Earl, but we are calling him Earl. SQUIRREL! No Moose... Otherwise, it was another nice day on paradise. Meetings, paperwork, telephone calls, the usual stuff. Some days are more rewarding than others, but overall, my most recent recollections have not sucked. I am a lucky man, perhaps THE luckiest man in the world. Deeds, Actions, Changes, SQUIRRELS, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2017 - Day 228/137 - Wednesday...

We are on a mission to find about a half-dozen pairs of these stupid pretend glasses that you can use to see the eclipse next Monday. If we can borrow yours that would be great. We will give them back. We need them by Monday, and we only need them for about two-and-a-half minutes. We will hardly get any sweat or anything on them, and we will return them as we found them or better. Any ideas? Let us know. Otherwise, it was a good day today. There was a car in our office parking lot with its engine on most of the day. I made a couple casual inquiries and sent an e-mail to the members of our association. No response. Finally, as I was leaving the office for the day, I started canvassing tenants and residents. The last group I checked with (haha) admitted to ownership. The car, sitting in the parking lot all day with its engine running, went through about a half tank of fossil fuel, but other than that was no worse the wear. Honestly? I will not divulge the photo of the person responsible or the name of the company that he/she works for, but suffice it to say the company is one that promotes brain cell regeneration. I kid you not, I cannot make this crap up. I' telling you the truth. Sometimes I even crack myself up! Deeds, Actions, Changes, TEMPORARY OR PERMANENT BLINDNESS, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2017 - Day 227/138 - Tuesday...

Today is your lucky day. I'm gonna tell you a couple things that I know for sure. I have been a REALTOR® for 22 years. It is not really something I call a job, because I like doing what I do for the most part. Interestingly, many times I tell people (and quite frequently to folks attending classes that I am guiding) that I am unemployed between closings. Kind of. Closings are a good thing. Closing a transaction is really not the end of a story, but hopefully the beginning of a bunch of new stories. Today I attended a closing with my client, and it was really fun. My client had worked really hard to get this deal together, and he did everything that he was asked to do. He used a lender that he was very familiar with, and everything they asked for, he did. He jumped through all their hoops, and then they would throw more obstacles in front of him. I'm a cusser, he is not one so much. Even though they would ask him for the same information time and again, he would give it to them, even though he told them he had already provided it to them a couple times before. BUT, he persevered. And you know what the payoff was today when we attended the closing of his new home? I heard him laugh! He laughed! He is kind of a worrier, but I think (finally) it was like a great burden had been lifted off his shoulders, and he laughed. I (personally) love to laugh. I remember a time in my life when someone asked me what I was looking forward to when a particular job I had taken on was over, and my response was, I am looking forward to laughing again. SO...my client laughed today, and I had a little part in that. Yes, I got paid too, but I was reminded about what the important things are. Enjoy your life. LAUGH! Deeds, Actions, Changes, LAUGH DAMMIT, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2017 - Day 226/139 - Monday...

The more things stay the same, the more things don't change. I just made that up, but it is true. It is hot. It has been hot. It is going to continue to be hot. One week ago we have four inches of rain on the edge of nowhere, and I had to start watering trees on Saturday, and watered the landscaping on Sunday. I will do more watering tomorrow morning, and more watering tomorrow night. I think I can reduce (a little bit) the amount of watering I have been doing, because I think things have settled in somewhat, but the ritual of the watering is ongoing. I really don't mind the watering, but it is occasionally the source of stress; stress because it has to be done, stress because my schedule requires me to be somewhere else or doing something else when I should be watering. BUT, thankfully, the stress is not a constant thing, and the result of the watering is pretty evident. This is a photo of some plumeria that Mike brought us from Florida back in the middle of June. Five out of the six cuttings are doing wonderfully well, now I just need to make sure I don't kill them this winter (LOL) when I underestimate the cold snaps we have that last six or eight hours. We had a BEAUTIFUL plumeria that we had been nurturing for several years, and we had forecast cold weather last year, and I took the plant and put it in the front barn, thinking it would be protected. Lesson learned. So, we are starting again, five assorted plumeria in one pot, various colors, and I hope next year we will see the results. I love the smell of plumeria, it reminds me of buttered popcorn. Lobster reminds me of buttered popcorn as well, so maybe it is the butter. I could probably get away with saying it reminds me of drawn butter. Deeds, Actions, Changes, PLUMERIA, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2017 - Day 225/140 - Sunday...

What I didn't mention to you yesterday, when I was speaking of cutting as very little grass as I possibly could while still claiming to have cut some grass, was that I received the seat cover for the lawn mower. No more will I be embarrassed to mingle with the local bubbas (I do not mingle with the occupants of the property adjoining ours, which pretty much means I don't mingle with any local bubbas), but given the opportunity, the seat of my garden tractor will not be the subject of pointless ridicule. It was cheaper (by far) than a new seat from the maker, and it looks just fine. No challenges. Sits well too. AND it has pockets on the back for all the necessary things you need to cart around with you when you are cutting grass. AND it has a zippered pocket on the back as well, that serves perfectly for an electronic device of some kind. BUT, I have (so far) chosen NOT to use the generous mesh pockets OR the zippered pocket, since I cannot think of what to put in any of them. Perhaps, when I get to that age that I am taking the lawn mower to the Quickee Pickee, I will need those pockets for something important. Just in case, it is a comfort to know they are there. I did cut even less grass today, just around the mail box up at the road. I also showed some property this morning, then went by the office, then did a little shopping. Jody and I went into Georgetown for dinner, and on the way back, I stopped and bought MORE landscape sprinkling devices. Pretty soon, I will have this whole thing worked out, but then the problem will be, the water will not be able to penetrate the impervious covers of all the landscape watering devices, and everything will die. What do you want to bet? Deeds, Actions, Changes, SEAT COVERS, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2017 - Day 224/141 - Saturday...

Store bought eggs. Large and play, much like myself, except for the pale part. Much like many people I know, but there is no need to go into that. We bought store eggs last week, since the mature girls have pretty much quit laying. They take it in spurts. An egg here, an egg there. You never know what to expect. So far this month, we have harvested seven eggs. Not enough to get us by, not by a long shot. We have ten new girls that should start laying in December or so, and they should keep us in eggs for several years once they start laying. I may get four more, but I still have not decided about that yet. I cut a little bit of grass today, and watered trees. Tomorrow I will water transplanted plants. The rains we got earlier in the week were welcome, but four inches of rain only get the plants so far. It is okay though, we will most likely make it through the rest of the summer watering, and then everything will (hopefully) be established and will not require as much water. Deeds, Actions, Changes, STORE BOUGHT EGGS, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2017 - Day 223/142 - Friday...

This was a great way for a Friday to begin. I actually slept in about 45 minutes later today than I had recently, and took my time getting up and having breakfast and reading the paper. I was in no hurry, so that was really nice. Even so, I got to the office about 8:15 this morning, and that was no stress at all. I had a couple appointments, got some work done in the office and played catch-up from having been out of the office (more or less) for a couple days. All is good in my world, and I see no real change for the foreseeable future. I am a lucky man. I have no earth shattering plans for the weekend; I do see a couple naps, some work in the yard, some watering...yes, I am going to be back to watering (probably) starting tomorrow. There is no rain in the forecast for the next two weeks, and high temps 100, low temp 76 for the next week. I am really looking forward to October. Deeds, Actions, Changes, SUNRISE, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2017 - Day 222/143 - Thursday...

Clouds are much more interesting than traffic, and I am happy to report that I have had more instances with clouds the past couple of days than I have with traffic. They were testing the 'school zone' warning lights this morning, so that was a sobering realization that school will begin in about a week, and traffic will once again escalate to nightmarish proportions. Crap. On a happier note, today was another really good day if I do say so myself. Almost a carbon copy of yesterday, and yesterday was really good. I got to a little bit of a later start this morning. I did need to water the potted plants around the house, but that was not too much of a chore. I was able to make it into Austin without too much trouble, and had another opportunity to stop in to the office before I headed to the south office to guide the second day of class. Today is Melody's birthday. I gave her a call this morning on the drive in, and that was really nice to chat with her. HAPPY BIRTHDAY MELODY! We met Bruce and Melody a couple decades ago, on our first Smithsonian trip. We did a whale watching trip in the Pacific, and we met them the first night of the trip in La Paz. We all became instant friends, and we have shared other trips together, and Bruce and Melody hosted our wedding in 2013. Our anniversary is coming up, Saturday as a matter of fact! Deeds, Actions, Changes, CLOUDS, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2017 - Day 221/144 - Wednesday...

I was VERY fortunate today that I was on the 'right' side of the Interstate both going and coming. Of course, I did leave extra early this morning, because I was guiding a class of (mostly) newly licensed REALTORS® and the class began at 8:30...and the location of the class was about 15 miles further than my ordinary commute into my office. SO, just to be safe, I left extra early this morning (about 6:15) just to make sure I would make it on time, and not be late in case of traffic problems. Smooth sailing all the way. Twenty-four attendees of the class, and I think it was a really good class. Everyone professed to learning a few things that will be helpful to them in their new careers, and I took a few things away as well. The time passed by quickly, and all was good. I will be guiding one more class tomorrow (same attendees), but I really do enjoy this part of my profession. I am a really lucky man and I know it. Deeds, Actions, Changes, TRAFFIC, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2017 - Day 220/145 - Tuesday...

I think the rains from yesterday will get us through Friday...maybe Saturday...without having to water. Perhaps we should have considered the unintended consequences of transplanting and adding so much to the landscaping. Honestly, I NEVER considered the time, energy and expense of watering the transplanted and newly installed landscaping. We have more planned, but we will certainly consider that when the time comes. Maybe more should be done in the fall/winter and not so much in the spring/summer. BUT...one of the relocated Iris has decided it was not the worst thing that could happen, and it bloomed about five days ago. I think that means that something is going correctly, if not everything. Today was a pretty good day...I showed property to some clients, and met with an owner that has a listing with me. Getting all the details done, and then there was the ever present office stuff to keep up with. Traffic for the last couple days has not been too awful, but school will be back in session in about two weeks, and that will make a really big difference. You had best get yourself prepared for the onslaught of my rants coming up. Sorry. Deeds, Actions, Changes, IRIS, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2017 - Day 219/146 - Monday...

I'm going to go out on a limb here, and say that today was a most excellent day! Probably in the top 150 days in my life, likely because I cannot remember that many days, but having lived approximately 30,000 days, that classifies it as a pretty good day. First off, since we last were together, we have received 4.25" of rain. It was a nice rain in that it did not wake me during the night. The new girl dogs are not afraid of thunder, lightning or rain, so we just get to sleep through the night. Traffic was not horrendous going or coming today. This is the part that is going to sound odd, but the fact that we got rain and the fact that I did not have to worry about watering plants in the yard seemed to have lifted a burden off me, and that was another of the most excellent parts of the day. AND THEN, I attended a TREC quarterly meeting, and that was another most excellent part of the day. I am very well aware that, when huge organizations run well, it is because all the people involved in the organization know how to do their jobs, and it makes everything look easy. The Texas Real Estate Commission runs well and the Commissioners are all most excellent at what they do, and they make it look easy. BUT, I am telling you, it is really complicated, and there are a lot of moving parts, and the meeting today was a good example of all of those parts working together for a common cause. Most Excellent. Deeds, Actions, Changes, MOST EXCELLENCE, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2017 - Day 218/147 - Sunday...

One other thing I did yesterday that I did not report on, was to move the littlest chicks from their growth pen into their developer pen. They were really getting too big for the small pen, and they have taken to their new digs just fine. It is interesting to see them get bigger. This batch of chicks includes two Americaus (the have green legs and lay green eggs), two Plymouth Barred Rocks and two Columbian Wyandottes. The Wyandottes are turning out to be my favorite of the chicks, they are good sized and are really kind of interesting to look at. So, this is a photo from earlier today in their new habitat. In about another three weeks they will join the big girls in the coop, and we will see how that changes the pecking order.

Once again, it was too hot to do much of anything, but I managed to do a couple things today. I did some watering, took a bale of hay to the cattle even thought they did not need it. They did not put much of a dent into the hay bale I told them last week, and the bale I took them several weeks ago is still about half there. I cleaned the chicken coop, and changed the pine shavings in the nesting boxes. Twice this year we have had to buy eggs, and the kind of eggs we get from the chickens are EXPENSIVE at the grocery store. Big lovely brown eggs (mostly) are, comparatively speaking, seemingly a luxury item at the grocery. BUT, in reality, we bought a dozen eggs yesterday. So far this month, we have collected three eggs from the old girls, that is part of the reason for nurturing the newest girls. I may (have not decided) get a few more chicks when I move the littlest chicks into the coop. The target date for that is September 1st. We shall see. May I be excused? I have watering to do. Deeds, Actions, Changes, CHICKS, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2017 - Day 217/148 - Saturday...

Well, it's official. We really need rain. Today was the day I had not been looking forward to, but everything turned out alright so far. The water in the stock tanks is really low. There is a lot of water in it, but you know, cows pee in it, along with any variety of other wild life. And as long as they are peeing in it, they may get an urge to void something else, too. I expect it is not too much of a concern when we are having frequent rains and refilling the water levels, but that is not the case now. We are down to seven head of cattle, which is a manageable number, and there is still green grass back in the pastures, but it is getting really dry back there and all around here. SO...I cleaned out one of the four cattle troughs back there (I think one trough for seven head of cattle is plenty) and turned the water back on to that trough. The water lines from the road (meter) to the back pastures is about 1,200 feet (who knows for sure), and I was concerned that there might be a break in the lines. There are also four cutoffs between the meter and the troughs, so I can pretty well control the flow of water. BUT, it looks like there are no breaks in the line, and the cattle are now once again enjoying citified, chlorinated, fluorided water. They really preferred the city water all along, but there is no need to pay for their water when it was in the stock tanks provided by mother nature. I think they have been depending on stock tank water for a couple years now, maybe a little less, but it has been a while. I am really happy there were no breaks in the lines. If that had been the case, I would have had to go buy ALL the hoses at Home Depot, and we really don't need any more hoses. And now for something completely different. Jody and I went and had lunch at the Chick-Fil-A in Georgetown, which is something we do almost every Saturday. I lady across the aisle from us very discreetly covered herself and began to breast feed her infant child. Nothing at all wrong with that in my opinion, but then she reached into her back, retrieved her cell phone and started making phone calls. All the while she was also chaperoning about four other kids. Not that there is anything wrong with any of those actions, I was just surprised by the level of multi-tasking that one person could undertake. And there you have it. Deeds, Actions, Changes, TROUGHS, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2017 - Day 216/149 - Friday...

This post is a little bit out of chronological order, but work with me. The photo of the day is from the afternoon, and the paragraph below is from the morning. Work with it. Where was I? Oh yes. I showed some property this afternoon in downtown Austin. That is really a lot of fun, showing the high rise condos that are pretty popular in our market. The property I showed this afternoon enjoys a really nice view, and it looks over much of the downtown, and to the river and hill country. It would not be hard to make that kind of adjustment, but it would take some adjustment. Farm to table takes on a whole new meaning! It took me an hour and forty five minutes to get from the edge of nowhere to the Board of REALTORS® office in Austin this morning. My intention had been to man a TREPAC booth during the check-in for New Member Orientation that began at 8:45. I had expected to get to the Board by about 8:15 (at least), but I did not make it until after the program started. But...there you go. So I hung around the offices doing a little bit of work and waiting until my part of the orientation started. I occasionally do a New Member Ethics course and that is what I did this morning. I really enjoy talking with our new members, and I really enjoy speaking to them about ethics. It was great! Deeds, Actions, Changes, VIEWS, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2017 - Day 215/150 - Thursday...

If you squint your eyes and count really carefully, you will be able to spy these six chicks, the youngest of these will turn six weeks old next week, and then next weekend we will be moving them from this small run to the intermediate girl run. Then a couple weeks after that (okay, maybe three weeks after that), we will integrate them into the coop with all the girls. I need to decide if that will be all the chicks for this season or if I want to get another half-dozen. So far this month (I know it is only the third day) we have gotten ONE egg from ten chickens that are old enough to lay. The problem may be that they are TOO OLD to lay. So, couple that with the heat, and there is just no egg production at all. Nothing of particular interest to report otherwise. No rain today (other than a trace), so I am watering trees, and I will be watering some plants later this evening, so I don't have to do it in the morning. We used 28,000 gallons of water last month, and I think there will be another couple months with that kind of usage, and then everything should be pretty well settled in. Deeds, Actions, Changes, CHICKS, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2017 - Day 214/151 - Wednesday...

Even though on the way in to Austin this morning there was a really neat wreck involving three 18 wheelers transporting 'tiny houses', one of which shed it shackles of captivity and went on a course less taken, I decided that the temperatures in central Texas this afternoon were more noteworthy. 80 degrees. Austin, Texas. August. Enjoy it while you can. In addition to the low high temperature readings for the day, we also got several 'traces' of rain, which, at the edge of nowhere, equalled about 0.02" in the gauge. Nothing to write home about (or to really make note of in this journal entry), but that is what it was. And we will take what we can get. Otherwise, it was a pretty uneventful day. A couple meetings, a nice luncheon, some power-real-estate and then home. I have an early meeting in the morning, then back to the office, guiding some new agents through an Ethics class on Friday and then showing property. Life is good. I am the luckiest man in the world. Deeds, Actions, Changes, 80 DEGREES, Kindnesses, Whirled Pe

as, FUN!

2017 - Day 213/152 - Tuesday...

Welcome to August. Crap. I think I probably mentioned it a couple days ago, but I introduced the 'oldest' chicks in to the coop with the senior citizen girls, and so far, they are all surviving the trauma. There have been some 'pecking order' issues, but again, no harm (allegedly) has been to to old or new. Last night, the four new girls were roosting on the top roost with some of the old girls, and that is a really good sign. The first day or so, they were unsure about the 'free ranging' gig, but they seem to be adjusting pretty well. This morning, after I let them loose, I checked on them as I was leaving, and the new girls were no where to be seen. I finally found them hanging out within the bamboo forest. The bamboo was intentionally planted as a refuge and haven for the chickens, so they can get away from flying prey (like Hawks), but it could also protect them from dogs and coyotes. The rose bushes out in the circle are good for that too. The bamboo and roses are both pretty thick, and by the time the chickens got into a hiding spot, the dogs or coyotes would (IMHO) be pretty much the worse for wear. Any-Hoo... We are looking forward to cooler temperatures tomorrow, and there is even the possibility offside rain early in the morning, and chances of rain every day for the next several days. I hope they prognosticators don't let me down on this one. Deeds, Actions, Changes, FREE RANGERS, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!