2018 - Day 151/214 - Thursday...1593...

It is that time of year again, the moths (I used to know the name of them) are back and hanging out in the Vitek. Today was the first day I really paid any attention to them, but I expect there will have a greater presence in the next week or so. This one does not look that much like a Monarch, but there are some that really favor Monarch's, but they are smaller. Always something to look at on the edge of nowhere!

It's almost Friday, and I need to catch you all up on a few things. Mostly things you are not aware that you need catching up on, but some of you can figure it out. 1). The trailer is gone, along with the truck. All that is left is some tracks, almost as if it had not just sat there for a decade, but it is gone. B). It takes about 15 to 20 minutes to walk a mile. Depends on how fast you walk. C). It was a hog-nose snake. They play dead.  IV). I am tired of other peoples opinions.

Deeds, Actions, Changes, VITEK MOTHS, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2018 - Day 150/215 - Wednesday...1606...

I see this lady (Sharon) at least once per month, whenever I an checking in to the Texas Real Estate Commission, located in the Stephen F. Austin State Office Building (for those of you that do not know where the TREC offices are located. I always look forward to seeing her. She and I play around (there is a computerized check in that prints a visitor badge), and generally speaking (see my recent Facebook status), I cannot successfully get the badge printed on the first try. It is not my fault that there are two DIFFERENT people that check into the SAME building on occasion with the SAME name. If I were to be a betting man, I would say that I had the name first, and he (the other one) needs to relinquish his rights to my name. Can I trademark my name? Feel free to discuss amongst yourselves.

But I digress...

Sharon is a great big bunch of happy personality, and I decided it was time to give her the credit she deserves. It cannot be easy meeting people in and out of a state office building, but she is great at it and deserves any honorable mention I can bestow upon her!

I love weeks like this. I love weeks when I cannot remember what day it is. I intellectually know that today is Wednesday, but my circadian clock tells me it is Tuesday. I like that. I like being a little bit unbalanced. Many of you will not find that to be anything out of the ordinary, but this is my blog, and I can confess to whatever in the hell I want to, so there!

Frequently when I see someone posting something on Facebook or some other site (wink-wink), and they say the 'LOVE' this or that (walks on the beach, outdoors, fishing, or the contact sport du jour), I generally think to myself, really? Do you really LOVE that, or do you just like it a lot. I think you probably really just like it a lot, and you substitute the word LOVE for LIKE. That is what I think.

But in MY case, it is totally, 100% accurate. I love weeks like this. It is my journal, so get over it.

Deeds, Actions, Changes, LOVE IT, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2018 - Day 149/216 - Tuesday...1614...

So, just in case you are interested, the trailer house is still there, still hooked up to the truck. Maybe now the truce too will disintegrate around itself. Stranger things have happened.

I was up early this morning, getting ready for a fast week and playing catch-up. I left the house before JoeMac and Carolyn got up, I think they left around 9. This is a photo of the Gang of Four, taken yesterday after we got home from dinner; me, Jody JoeMac and Carolyn. We hope to see them again soon. I did some power real estate in the office this morning, and then off to a meeting at the Texas Real Estate Commission. Good stuff, lots of information, lots of dedicated colleagues interested in nothing more than making our profession more responsible and accountable.

I got home this afternoon, and resumed my routine of falling asleep in the blue chair while watching the news. Honestly, after I woke up, I was not really interested in watching the national news, so I just went back to sleep.

Deeds, Actions, Changes, GANG OF FOUR, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2018 - Day 148/217 - Monday (Memorial Day)...1587...

First off, thank you to all the service personnel, past and present, on this Memorial Day. I understand that it is because of your individual personal sacrifices that I am able to sit and prepare this journal about nothing so much on a daily basis. Thank you.

This trailer has been sitting in the weeds not far from the Edge of Nowhere ever since we have lived here. It will be nine years in October. Sometimes we pay attention to it, sometimes we don't. It is more obvious in the winter, when the weeds die back and the trees lose their leaves. In the past three weeks, this trailer has moved about thirty feet. At that rate, it should make it to its' new home just about in time for the next millennial. Maybe. It is always interesting to see habitable structures disintegrate around themselves. People just walk away from things out here near the Edge of Nowhere (soon to be re-branded as The Estate on the Edge of Nowhere). It is not unusual to see cars, trucks, lawnmowers and tractors just rotting in a field. Someone drove it there, got off it or got out of it and never went back. Same thing with houses. We watched a house on 972 rot and fall down around itself over a period of about eight years. When we first moved here, there were people living in it. They left, and we guess no one ever went back. Crazy.

Anyway, the story of this trailer is long, and I don't have an attention span long enough to develop it properly, but suffice it to say they moved the trailer about 10 feet three or more weeks ago and discovered it was inhabited by several families of rattle snakes. At least that is the story. Having been moved that short distance, there was already evidence that it may or may not be structurally sound, I can neither confirm nor deny. But now that it has moved another twenty feet or so, it looks pretty bad for this mass of aluminum and steel that is taking up the space a mobile home would take up, if it were indeed still a mobile home. There is some question about that.

I will keep you al abreast of future developments.

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

2018 - Day 147/218 - Sunday...1588...

So, you could have had your choice of photos in this journal entry, so I put it to a vote; 1). The sunrise, B). A 'possum that was in no hurry to get anywhere (especially away from me). or 3). The photo of the chick that survived the night (just barely), but did not make it much longer. My legion of followers chose the sunrise photo, good choice. Let's talk about chicks. The chicks we got yesterday were (what?) 2 to 4 days old. They have been shipped via US Postal Service, so the fact that any of them survived is a miracle. Then there is the handling and carousing that goes on in a feed store, and then they get caught by someone else and put into yet another box, and then they are driven to some other place and put into another pen. That is enough to wear on a chick. So, I know it is terrible, awful, AWFUL that the chick did not survive, but that is what happens. That chick is now going to come back as a wild flower in the grand lawn, so that is a good thing. Next year, when the evening primrose and the Indian Blankets push up, we can all think about the little chick that couldn't.

That is all.

JoeMac has been working like a banshee with me around the house this weekend, and we have made major accomplishments. Perfect. He will need to get home so he can get some rest from his vacay, which is not too foreign of a concept for many of us, but in my case I hope the vacay includes a giant water-slide.

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

2018 - Day 146/219 - Saturday...1606...

Today was a great day. JoeMac and I have done LOTS of things that take at least three hands, and so that has really been good. We got one of the weather stations back up and running (not really as easy as that sounds, since it is about 15 feet up in the air), got a couple hose racks attached to the front barn, and a bunch of this and that. About 10 o'clock this morning, Carolyn, JoeMac and I went in to Georgetown where we proceeded to clean out the Home Depot. New walk-behind mower (still in the box, we've been busy) a couple more hoses, some this and that. Then we went to the Georgetown Farm Supply where we bought a dozen chicks. By the time we got them home and Partially settled into their new surroundings, one of them was already about to croak. These chicks are any where from three to five days old, so they start out really fragile. A little bit of water from a syringe and it is still alive, but still unsteady. If it makes it through the night, it will be alright, but I think it is touch-and-go.

Deeds, Actions, Changes, SICK CHICK, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2018 - Day 145/220 - Friday...1604...

It is Friday, and it is the start of a three-day-weekend, and we have friends visiting from Mississippi, and we went to the Walburg restaurant for dinner, and the yellow cannas are starting to bloom, and I am planning to get some chores done around the farm tomorrow, and I might even buy a new walk-behind lawn mower tomorrow, and I think we are going to get some new chicks tomorrow, and I put a new listing on the market this afternoon, and did I mention that it is Friday, and i got the car washed today, and I got to teach our substitute mail man at the office how to open the mail boxes to put the mail in them, and I got to teach the mailman how to get the out-going mail OUT of the mailbox (it has not been picked up all week, I don't think), and I stopped at Upper Crust this morning and got in several days worth of baked good for the weekend, and I am RELALY looking forward to the long weekend.

It has been a long week.

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

2018 - Day 144/221 - Thursday...1627...

Pork Chop. It is not every day that the star of the show is a miniature pig, but tonight the little porker was the attraction of the fund raiser that everyone wanted to connect with. The second annual TREPAC fundraiser was held this evening at Cord's home, and all the attendees checked out the littlest pig on their way in. Pretty interesting, I must say!

It was kind of a stressful day, technologically speaking. It has kind of been a week of tech failures, and I am really looking forward to the long weekend, where technology will not RULE but it will certainly play a part.

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

2018 - Day 143/222 - Wednesday...1625...

I will save the photo I had banked for this journal entry for another day. As I was driving home, I saw these really interesting clouds, and I realized that I had not posted any cloud photos recently, so here you are, I hope you enjoy. As I was exiting the Interstate, it started raining really heavily, but it only lasted for about five minutes. Sun was shining to the east, and I could not see a cloud over me, so that was pretty interesting. I am not sure where all that rain was coming from, but it was coming from somewhere!

When I got home, Jody mentioned that the tree that fell earlier in the week (a Bradford Pear) was removed. I went out to check things out, and there was no noticeable damage to any of the other plants, so I was happy about that. That particular tree has been splitting down the middle for a couple years, but I had hopes that it would hold on. In the beginning, I wanted to take it out, but after it kept hanging on, I was all for it to survive.

Sad tree.

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

2018 - Day 142/223 - Tuesday...1639...

We Voted! I was out of town last week so I did not get a chance to harass the women that generally populate the early voting place at the Williamson County Annex, and I know they were really happy about that. So, when I got home this afternoon, Jody and I went into Bartlett to vote at City Hall. Republicans on one side, Democrats on the other side. We were the eighth and ninth persons to vote on our side of the room today. We expected voter turnout to be light, but that was kind of crazy. But, this is the primary, and we will see how things turn out and hope for better in November.

I guided a class this morning at the south office. It took me about an hour and forty-five minutes to get there. A four hour class, a lot of good participants, and we all took something away from the four hours we spent together.

Nothing too exciting on the schedule tomorrow, kind of a calm day. I have three appointments, and that is not too terrible.

I am taking the girls in to the beautiful parlor tomorrow morning for a wash and set, and Jody is getting Fire Bowl for dinner tomorrow night.

Life is good, I am a lucky man.

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

2018 - Day 141/224 - Monday...1652...

BUSTED! I was driving down Cesar Chavez street this morning, on my way to an appointment, and I was probably doing something on my cell phone. I know that when I was at the red light, I WAS looking at e-mails or something on my cell phone. Then there was a tap on the passenger side window, and a bicycle cop told me to pull over into the IHOP parking lot. He said he saw me holding my cell phone while I was driving, and I ALWAYS hold my cell phone when I am driving. It's my security blanket. But I digress... I was nice, he was nice, he let me off with a warning, and I got him to do a selfie with me. I don't have issues with anyone that is doing his/her job. No sense arguing, and you generally get more (in instances like this) with honey than you can with vinegar. It works, you should try it!

Otherwise, it was a day that you could expect it to be, after a week out of the office. Busy with appointments and calls and tasks that some got done and some did not. There is always tomorrow!

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

2018 - Day 140/225 - Sunday...1642...

A new calf and a good rain are always welcome in Texas. It looks like this, then, was a pretty good day. I started watering things this morning after breakfast, and before I got too far along, Jody wanted to take the girl dogs for a ride. That was a good ride. Things are all back to normal on the edge of nowhere. When we got back, I started watering some more, and Jody said he needed to go to the grocery to get some things, and I went along with him. Before we got there, it started to rain, and by the time we got home, we had about 5/100". That was pretty good, and it was spritzing off and on, so I decided to retire to the blue chair and take a nap. While I was napping, it rained some more, and we are about 0.85" as I write this, and that meant I could cease any notions of more watering. Nothing like a nice little steady raid.

While I was out checking the gauge, I noticed a new born calf in the neighbors pasture. I took a couple photos and texted them to the neighbor. Looks like less than a day old, still a little wobbly. I counted all the chickens too, 16, so that means we did not lose any while I was out of town.

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

2018 - Day 139/226 - Saturday...1649...

To market, to market, to buy a fat pig.
  Home again, home again, jiggity-jig!

Yep, back home after a full week in Washington, D.C. Good meetings, good information, good friends, good to be back home. Today was a pretty full travel day. I started waking up about 5:30 (D.C. time) and when I am in hotels, I leave the television on all night long. The royal wedding (the pre-game show) was already starting, so by the time the real thing was starting, I was relatively awake. I thought it was nice, and I enjoyed watching it. I was awake, the television was on, and there was coffee in the room. I didn't need anything else!

I packed leisurely and left for the airport with plenty of time. I was really tired of being wet and cold. It rained the whole time I was there, and there are places that are STILL flooding, and there was more rain forecast for today. Our flight left right on time, and we arrived early. Not really worthwhile, since there was no place for us to unload. We sat on the ground for a good while, and by the time we got to the gate, we were about 45 minutes late. BUT, it was a great trip, and again, it was really worthwhile. this is a photo of me, Brandy and Skippy. Three buds.

Deeds, Actions, Changes, HOME AGAIN, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2018 - Day 138/227 - Friday...Who Knows...

I am usually excited with Friday's, but today is a little different. Even though I am happy that it is Friday, I will not be able to really take advantage of the weekend for about another 24 hours. I am still in Washington, D.C., and had a great day today, and there were many high points of the day. First off, I got to sleep in again this morning, until about 6:30. Got up, did all my morning things and had a nice breakfast. I made several phone calls (business can be done from just about anywhere), and then it was off to the Pentagon for a private guided tour. There were about seven of us invited, and I learned a LOT about the Pentagon and all its' intricacies. There are 17.5 miles of hallways in the building, and I feel like we walked most of them. Very interesting. Our guide was a Navy Captain with thirty years of service, and a very nice guy. Security (once again) was tight, and this excursion was much more fun that the White House Briefing yesterday.

There were restrictions (of course) on cell phone use, but as is typical, some rules are just begging to be broken. We had to go through one security point and get a badge to get to the next security point and get another badge. This is a photo of me and the second badge that got us access to the places we visited. Interestingly, our guide let us know that the typical visitor is not a citizen. Foreign visitors are much more common, which is pretty interesting. Maybe we need to do more to promote this.

After that, we returned to our hotels, and then attended Regional Caucuses. After caucuses, we (a group of us) rendezvoused for dinner and camaraderie. Our group consisted of colleagues and spouses from four different boards and two different states, and we all had a great time.

It is late, time for me to turn in for the night.

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

2018 - Day 137/228 - Thursday...1052...or whatevs...

Oh my. Another day in the nation's capital. 'al' is the city, 'ol' is the building. Or so I have been told. Anyway, I did get to sleep a little bit later this morning, and that was a really good thing. I had an appointment to attend a 'White House Briefing', which I thought would be really pretty cool. It was nothing like I expected. Getting through the security was actually the most fun part of the adventure. And, the folks I was with (Kitty fer shure) were a lot of fun. On the downside, I was raining crazily and I did not have an umbrella and the Secret Service were a little bit crabby about letting anyone 'stand' under the overhangs of the place. We did make it through the several levels of security (no selfies allowed) and then at the end we were escorted out where we saw all the limos parked and at the ready.

Overall, pretty interesting. The 'grounds' are referred to as 'the campus'. I think it is 18 acres. All the necessities of life are contained within the boundaries of 'the campus', and generally speaking, if you are hired, you are on call 24/7/365, so you may just as well hang out.

Interesting.

And then, there were a couple meetings, a forum here and there, and a couple receptions and a dinner.

As it should be.

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

2018 - Day 136/229 - Wednesday...Whatevs...

It is unreasonable to believe that it is only Wednesday. There has been so much done in the last three days, and today was a most excellent day. I have been relatively delirious today, having a blast and sharing lots of stuff on my Facebook page. It has been a long day; my first appointment was at 7 a.m., and it is now just about 11:30 p.m. BUT, a most excellent day. I attended three meetings, then it was time for Hill Visits. I had two visits scheduled (I ended up making three visits) and I was scheduled to present at one of the visit, and I ended up presenting at all three of them. By the time of my last visit, I was pretty comfortable with the subject. There are dozens of photos that could qualify for this journal entry, but I am choosing this one: Congressman Michael McCaul, Chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security. He is a very interesting guy, and he likes to talk. It is not all business, he is a personable man, very intriguing. You may remember, he visited our local board a couple weeks ago, and it was interesting to see him again today. I have visited him every May for the last (unsure) many years. I chose this photo because 1). It is a serious subject and B). Because it shows his office and C). It is my journal and I can post whatever photo I want to. The Chairman is holding a vehicle license plate from the ISIS State. Who knew they bothered to register their vehicles. I didn't.

But...again, it was a great day, tomorrow is expected to be just as good...and things will taper off on Friday.

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

2018 - Day 135/230 - Tuesday...1610...ish...

First full day of meetings and forums. This annual visit to our elected officials and the camaraderie of meeting up with my friends and colleagues from across the country is a really special thing for me. This year seems to be a little bit more sedate, but at the same time, there is the a little bit of undercurrent of 'what is going to happen next' going on around the meetings. This year is the fiftieth anniversary of the Fair Housing Act, and an interesting statement today was that we should celebrate Fair Housing and not necessarily the Act. We all need to make certain that everyone has equal access to housing opportunities, and cleverly I have just worked this topic into my journal entry this evening. This is the topic I will be presenting to a few of our Legislators tomorrow (three minute limit), but it will be really easy to get the point across! No challenges. Who could be against this purpose? We shall see.

After the last forum of the day, a group of us met up for dinner and a quick celebration of Erica's big 5-0. Pictured are Kelea, Brandy, Emily, Steve, ERICA (in red), Cathy, Candy and yours truly. To be sure, a good time was had by all, and HAPPY BIRTHDAY ERICA!

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

2018 - Day 134/231 - Monday...1812???

We made it into D.C., and pretty soon after that, the airports (both of them) were shut down. We were on the ground for about 45 minutes (maybe) before we got to the gate. We really had no idea there was a storm coming in, and no real sign of it until I got to the hotel and turned on the news. We were going to meet up with a bunch of friends, but it got really bad, so four of us just stayed in the hotel and had a nice dinner. We were joined by a friend from San Antonio (Mary Ann), and we all had a good time. Lots of thunder (you could and can still hear it inside the hotel), some lightning, heavy rain, and a nice early evening in the hotel.

My first meeting is at 8 a.m. in the morning, and it will be a pretty busy day. I really enjoy these Legislative meetings an our nations capital, and they are always really rewarding.

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

2018 - Day 132/233 - Saturday...1629...and...2018 - Day 133/232 - Sunday...1619...

...and now, for something completely different! I meant to post my journal entry last night after the news, but I fell asleep instead, and did not even think of it until I was reviewing my photos in my phone. I had (and will post this evening) a great photo for the entry, and I will thrill and amaze you with it in this combined-two-fed journal entry. Fasten your seat belts, this entry is going to be TWICE as dull and boring as a regular entry!

Yesterday: If you have been following along on Facebook, you will know that, as I was doing some planting yesterday, I was accosted from my deep mind thinking by a snake, coiled up on the light switch to the pool light. Scared the piss out of me. Think about it, what would you do if you were eyeball to eyeball with a snake baring its' tiny little fangs at you? Yep, you got it, scream like a girl and then turn your phone on so you can take a couple photos. Okay, about a dozen photos. Now, in my opinion, if I were the snake, I would be making a hasty retreat to somewhere else, but this snake decided to just hang out and pose. Then, I went to get my gloves (they weren't far away) to get the snake and relocate it. Interestingly, I looked up into the corner of the patio cover, and there was another snake, taking a snooze in one of the swallows nests. We have swallows every year.

So...Melody and all the others that came to the defense of the snake...this is not my first rodeo. I don't kill the snakes (unless they have one of my next eggs). They are simply relocated. No snakes were harmed for the purpose of this blog post.

Today: Between yesterday and today, I got ALMOST all my chores done Planted some stuff (that is one of the things I did not get completed), watered trees, watered all the beds, cleaned the chicken coop, took hay to the cattle, replaced batteries in two of the exterior cameras, cut ALL the grass, went shopping, and a few other things. All in all, it was a darned successful weekend. At the end of the day, after dinner, I even jumped into the pool. Christened it for the first time this year. It got most of the crud and grit off me, and it was refreshingly cool as well. Not cold, cool and it only took me a couple minutes to catch my breath. Afterwards, I sat out in the dog board with Jody and the girls.

Again, it was a really good weekend, and there was a lot of good stuff happening and lots of good stuff done. There is always something to get done when you live on the edge of nowhere.

Deeds, Actions, Changes, TOW-FERS, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2018 - Day 131/234 - Friday...1642...

Let's hear it for Friday, everyone! What is better than a Friday? Well, probably two Friday's from now when it will be a three-day-weekend! That will be really good. I was out watering trees this evening when I got home from work (the pear tree we just planted is a water-sucking-up machine), and I noticed the pear tree we planted last year is doing very nicely with its' fruit. I was reading in our latest Grit Magazine (thank you Caroline) about the need to (or at least their advice to) prune some of the fruit off the trees so the limbs don't break because the fruit is too heave for the immature bombs. Another reason is that if you prune the fruit, the remaining fruit will be larger and sweeter. Well, I know I should do it, but I am not going to do it. They mentioned that in the article as well, but I am too stubborn to go out there and sacrifice a pear or a peach or a plum. So far this year, the apples have not shown any inclination to bear fruit, maybe they will just be late this year.

Regardless, I will keep you up to date on any future harvests.

The century plants out in the circle are starting to show their blooms as well. I hope those blooms will last a while. Tomorrow is going to be a pretty full day of planting and grass cutting and watering.

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

2018 - Day 130/235 - Thursday...1649...

Oh my, I wonder if there has been some kind of mistake. Nah, I think it is ligit! I got an invitation a couple days ago, and I RSVP'd, and then I got a security questionnaire, and then I responded, and then I got this. This is the second e-mail I received from the White House today. Talk about your basic Artificial Intelligence! I did not know the White House had an e-mail account, I thought it was a place or a destination, not a person or something that could access the Internet. Anyway, I am pretty darned excited about going to a White House briefing next week. I think it is going to be really interesting and really a learning opportunity. I have to check out all the various contraband items, but I hope there will at least be a brief selfie-opportunity. Stay tuned, and some of you might want to go ahead and start arranging bail. I'm just saying'. I wonder if there is a gift shop?

Today was a full and tiring day. I did not leave the office from the time I got there until the time I left, which is SO unlike me. It is that time of year, however. We are REALLY busy this time of the year, and it will come to a really abrupt halt about the second week of September. Making hay while the sun is shining.

Deeds, Actions, Changes, WHITE HOUSE, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2018 - Day 129/236 - Wednesday...1653...

One can only assume that these four bears are headed for a carnival somewhere, maybe Liberty Hill or Marble Falls. I assumed it was part of my reward for being a brave soldier and not canceling my appointment with the dentist. I am of the age that dentists hold no real appeal to me. I was not a good patient when I was a child, but on the other hand, perhaps the dentist (Dr. Miskin, I still remember his name) was not really that good of a dentist. Or maybe the art of dentistry had not really come in to its' glory back in the 1950's. Dr. Miskin was not that far removed from barbers, blacksmiths and/or apothecarists, imho. I also am not so naive as to believe it was all the fault of the dentist. Having holes drilled in my teeth was not my idea of a great way to spend a summer afternoon, I don't give a crap about what the Ipana commercials said.

But I digress...

I did successfully get my teeth cleaned this afternoon, and I will be back for another dose of anxiety in six months. In the meantime, I prefer to think about where the four bears are going to end up this evening.

Deeds, Actions, Changes, FOUR BEARS, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2018 - Day128/237 - Tuesday...1661...

Not that you can tell from this really blurry photo, but a really pretty cardinal took up residence in the stead of the mocking bird this evening. He came and he went, cardinals don't make much noise but they are pretty.

OMG, I really did it. I cleaned out a couple closets this evening. I have clothes strewn all over this house, at least a couple-and-a-half closets worth. I have a very large pile of clothes to take and donate somewhere tomorrow. There is a newish (to me) thrift shop that benefits one of the pet agencies, so I think that will be my target. We will see how that all works out. I still have (at least) two more closets to go through, so I think I can (maybe) get that done by the weekend. I have been wanting to do this for months, but I never seemed to find the time. Feels kind of good.

Deeds, Actions, Changes, CLEAN CLOSETS, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2018 - 127/238 - Monday,,,1663...

Even the birds at the Edge of Nowhere have their habits. This mockingbird has a habit of sitting on the satellite (Internet) antenna, and serenades us, frequently at an uncomfortably early hour and often when we are sitting our in the early evenings with the dogs. We enjoy the variety of song this guy is capable of, and only become annoyed when he is practicing early in the mornings before the sun comes up.

A pretty typical Monday, plenty of opportunities, plenty of accomplishments, and over all, not a bad day.

Traffic was not particularly bad today, and that was a good thing, although there were a couple wrecks along the way.

I would be more enthusiastic about this entry, but we are watching Antiques Road Show, and I am feeling distracted.

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

2018 - Day 126/239 - Sunday...1642...

Tomorrow is Monday, and I am glad for that, I need some rest. Yesterday I put in a relatively full day of real estate (for a Saturday), and today I spent the entire day working at stuff around the house. I got a lot of grass cut, potted some things, moved some really big rocks, did some this and that, and even attempted to power wash the back patio. There is something wrong with the power washer (not sure why unless I set it up to fail), because it worked great the last time we used it. Anyway, the hose on the 'jet' setting worked better than the power washer. It all looks better than it did, but it is not as good as it would have been if the power washer had been working.

Jody and I sat out in the dog yard a couple times today...every now and then when I needed to take a break. The girls take great delight in laying in the different ground covers, and Callie actually gets pretty well camouflaged in it. There are two dogs in this photo, see if you can find Callie. Lexie (with the dirty face) is easy to spot.

Deeds, Actions, Changes, DOG CAMO, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2018 - Dau 125/240 - Saturday...1663...

This is the sum-total of our tomato production for the year. It is (as must be noted) better tomato production that we have achieved for the last 25 years, simply because we have only tried two or three of the last 25 years to grow tomatoes. These little tomatoes were on the ground this morning when I was making my rounds; I expected they were victims of the recent rains, but Jody thinks the chickens pecked them off the vines. Either way, thee things are going to be eaten, and they are going to be GREAT!

Everything took longer today than I was expecting. I intended to go to the office, make a couple phone calls, visit a property, have a key made, put a lock box on the property, take some photos and return home. That took six hours. Crazy.

I had plans for the evening, but I called in stoopid. Just could not do it. Tired. So I am going to go and get a pop-sicle and retreat to the big blue chair.

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

2018 - Day 124/241 - Friday...1672...

Well, the weather prognosticators have achieved about a 15% accuracy record for the week. It FINALLY started to rain about 9 o'clock this morning, and there was a lot more rain in Austin than there was on the edge of nowhere. I think Austin got over three inches of rain, and we have received about 0.92" so far. It is still dribbling a little bit, so that is just fine with me. This photo was taken at about 10:30 this morning outside the office. It looked much darker than this photo relates; it was REALLY dark outside. We thought about taking up an office pool as to whether or not we would lose power to the office, but all was good, and there was no interruption of service. Otherwise, it was a relatively low-key kind of day, so there is a lot to be said about that.

And...it is Friday, what a lovely combination of words. I got my hair cut this afternoon, stopped by a property and put a sign in the yard, and tomorrow I have to go by another property, then maybe to the office. We shall see...

I heard form the lawn mower repair folks that the walk behind mower has been fixed, it was just a loose blade. They took the blade off, sharpened it and said it is running again like a champ. We will take the truck into town tomorrow when we go in for lunch, and I will pick it up and have it at the ready for any emergency grass cutting that needs to be taken care of. Hopefully none.

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

2018 - Day 123/242 - Thursday...Unsure...

It was  really busy day today, and the weather forecasts are (so far) eighty percent inaccurate. There has been a chance of rain EVERY day this week, and so far, nothing. It is really getting a little tiresome. Three appointments today, and one of them included attending the most recent graduation ceremony for the latest ABoR TRLP class (Texas REALTOR® Leadership Program). This is a photo of my friend Jacqui and me this morning. Jacqui and I met three or four years ago when we were both volunteering for a Habitat for Humanity Blitz Build. I was in charge of cleaning the bath rooms in the new build, and Jacqui was doing something much more important, but we hit it off like we had known each other for years. Fast friends (IMHO) are always good friends.

I am still hoping for rain, and I will let you know how that works out in tomorrow's journal entry.

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

2018 - Day 122/243 - Wednesday...1674...

I was very pleased that I was on the opposite side of the expressway when I took this photo. It was kind of everyone that was ahead of me to slow down so they could all get a good look, and it gave me the opportunity to get prepared for the shoot. Again, I do not think there were any injuries, it just kind of takes the wind out of your otherwise billowing sails on the homebound commute.

It is so windy out here on the edge of nowhere (HOW WINDY IS IT?), it is so windy out here on the edge of nowhere that you need an advanced degree in physics to water the plants. Absolutely crazy. We have this week (so far) proven the weather prognosticators 60% inaccurate in their predictions for rain this week. They still have a couple days to go, and it is looking better for rain (maybe overnight) on Thursday and into Thursday evening. Perfect, I have to attend a late evening function in Austin tomorrow night!

Whatever.

Deeds, Actions, Changes, SLOW DOWNS, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2018 - Day 121/244 - Tuesday...1675...

It was a little bit windy and grey today in central Texas. There was a luncheon at the board for the NAR Broker Involvement Council. We were recruiting Broker in the Austin area to participate in the program, which is meant to increase the participation rate of our national colleagues when there is a Call For Action issued, either by the state or national association. Our guest speaker was Congressman Michael McCaul who represents the Texas 10th District, and is also the Chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security. It was a very nice luncheon, and the generosity of the Chairman to meet with us was really very nice! We had a good group of attendees, and we were well represented. Interestingly, many of us will be back in his office in a couple weeks, when we go and make our Hill Visit rounds in Washington, DC. That is just a couple weeks away, and it is always a great time, and interesting to present our areas of concern to our elected officials. Before the meeting, we took a tour of our association facility, and this is a photo of me and the Chairman on the roof of the building, checking out some of the solar panels. Our building is Gold LEED Certified, and we are really proud of that fact. If you catch up to me some day, remind me to tell you about the items we reclaimed and reused.

Deeds, Actions, Changes, CHAIRMAN, Kindnesses, Whirled Pesas, FUN!