2018 - Day 334/31 - Friday...1626...

I got up early this morning, and headed in to the office. I was in the office just a few minutes after 6 a.m., and made the most out of being there alone and in the quiet. I got everything ready for the class I was scheduled to guide in New Braunfels (The Four Rivers Association of REALTORS®), and touched everything on my desk, cleared some stuff off my desk, and then headed to New Braunfels. Just about a 45 minute drive, down the highway towards San Antonio. About half-way between Austin and San Antonio. This was the second time I have presented this particular class that I wrote, and I will present it a couple more times before the end of the year. If you need to know anything about Service Animals or Emotional Support animals just let me know; I know just enough to get you in trouble! This is a photo of the group of colleagues that took the class, and I think we all enjoyed it and would do it all over again if we really had to!

Home again...It was a busy day, but it all ended up okay. I had an appointment to get my haircut at 4 o'clock (Happy Birthday Johnna), and she was running a little bit late. Then, after that, I had to go retrieve my luggage from the condo. SO...I was running REALLY late heading home...I did not really get a good start until almost 5 o'clock. The worst part was caused by an 18-wheeler straddling the concrete median on IH-35 and closing two of three lanes of traffic going north AND south. I heard that it was blocking traffic, but I thought I had heard that it was only blocking the south bound lanes. Au Contrare Mon Ami! It was blocking two-thirds of the expressway, it did not matter which way you were trying to go. It took me over two hours to go 18 miles.

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

2018 - Day 333/32 - Thursday...1640...

My first meeting this morning was at 8 o'clock this morning, and very genteel time if I do say so myself, especially since all I had to do was get on the elevator and go from the ninth floor to the third floor. Not a bad commute at all. The first meeting of the day was also the penultimate meeting of the conference. That means the next to last meeting. In case any of my loyal followers are Aggies. Next to the last. Anyway, the next to the last meeting was our Regional (Region 10) Planning meeting. Region 10 is made up of Texas and Dallas, so it is a pretty interesting mix of colleagues and personalities. All of us are interesting in our own ways, and this selfie is of the breakfast meeting this morning.

I left the hotel at about 12:30 or so, and Brandy treated me to an Uber to the airport. She was on Southwest, I was on Delta. Delta was about three miles away from the other terminal...kind of unusual, but I got there. My Plane was not scheduled to leave until 5:45 and of course it was late, about 45 minutes. We made up some time, but we were about 20 minutes late getting in to Austin.

Getting to the condo was good and bad. I wondered why my checked bag felt wet; I had two cans of coke in the checked bag and one of them exploded. Not nearly as much damage as you might imagine, which is just another reason for not feeling bad about stealing a wash cloth from every hotel I visit.

Deeds, Actions, Changes, COKE BUST, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2018 - Day 332/33 - Wednesday...Hmmm...

This is what the snow looks like from the 9th floor of my hotel room in Minneapolis. It has been a long time since I have seen snow. It snows every five or six years in Austin, and when it does, the s=city comes to a screeching halt. No bread or milk left in the groceries! The city is paralyzed. They seen to just take it in stride here in Minneapolis. There is still food on the shelves at the groceries! Life goes on.

I am in the middle of my meetings, I will leave here and head back to Austin tomorrow afternoon. It has been a great couple days, so nice to renew friendships with my colleagues from across the country.

I am the luckiest man in the world.

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

2018 - Day 331/34 - Tuesday...What?

He has been on a to of flights, to a lot of cold places. He has been on commercial prop planes, commercial prop jets, float planes, helicopters, big jets, little jets, hot air balloons, and probably three or four more types of commercial aircraft that I cannot remember, and I cannot recall EVER having a plane de-iced while I was on it. Have flown in to Boston in the famous winter of 1974, and I was on the last commercial flight landing in New York City three or four years ago, when they closed the airport after we landed. NEVER had a plane de-iced while I was on it. Today, they de-iced the plane when we were leaving AUSTIN for god's sake. And then when we left Detroit, we taxi'd out onto the runway (almost) where we were second in line for de-icing. Interesting. This is what it looks like from the inside (and across the aisle) when the plane is being de-iced on the outside.

I made it to Minneapolis this afternoon, via Detroit. It was kind of an interesting feeling. The Detroit airport is probably 20 miles or so (I will check with the Googles later and report back tomorrow)from where I grew up. This is the closest I have been from that area in the last two decades, at least. I would really like a five or six hour layover just so I could rent a car (or Uber) to go see a couple of the houses I lives in as a kid. Most likely, just another fantasy.

Deeds, Actions, Changes, COLD PLACES, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2018 - Day 330/35 - Monday...1620...

I bought a package-deal of three amaryllis at Costco about three weeks ago, and this if the first of the three to burst forth in blooms. The other two have opened up as well since I took this photo the other day, so I think it is amazing that these things have done so beautifully. Nothing like a little splash of color in the breakfast room to brighten things up!

And suddenly everyone returns to the work day world. The brief respite from total traffic chaos was welcome, but the traffic on the commute this morning was not particularly pleasant. Once again, traffic was backed up on southbound IH-35, but there was seemingly no reason for the stoppage. Nothing. No wrecks, no flat tires, nothing. No emergency vehicles, no cops (except the one Sheriff  that honked at me to put down my cell phone, but not before I took their photo for an drive-time Facebook post). Nothing. Just number-to-bumper stop-and-go (mainly stopped) traffic for about 15 miles. But, it was okay in the long run.

I am getting up tomorrow morning at 3 a.m. and leaving the house around 5 a.m. and heading to Minneapolis for a few days. I will be back Thursday evening. The high temperature in Minneapolis today was 23 degrees, and that is not celsius talking. Allegedly, once I get to the hotel, there will be no reason to face the elements. But who in the hell plans a meeting in Minneapolis at the end of November? I know, but if I told you, then I would have to kill you, lest I be killed!

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

2018 - Day 329/36 - Sunday...1620...

Not a bad Holiday long-weekend if I do say so myself. I got everything on my 'to done' list scratched off, and I am feeling pretty smug about the whole thing if you must know the truth. It is chilly and breezy outside (like a winter day in Ohio, which is what we use to describe really awful weather), but we have a really lovely fire in the stove, we are both happy and content, and the dogs are both happy. We expect the chickens and cattle are happy, but we are not sure that they are all that great at reasoning, so we will go with happy. After the early news, we went in to Georgetown to see the Holiday lights on the square. Always pretty, and always fun to see people walking around the square lighted (mostly) by the trees and decorations. Some of the stores were open, but we did not check any of them out. We parked the car and did a little bit of walking around, and took advantage of a nicely situated park bench to capture the selfie that accompanies this entry. Lovely. We are all lucky and happy, in spite of all the crap that is going on around us. For that, we are extra thankful.

We now return to our regularly scheduled program, already in progress...

Yea, so I missed the journal entry last night. I remembered that I had not entered the post while I was watching the news, and then I forgot to make the entry again. It has happened a couple times over the last (almost) ten years or so, so cut me a break!

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

2018 - Day 328/37 - Saturday...1616...

This is just one of the reasons why we live out here on the Edge of Nowhere. We get to see the sunrises and the sunsets. That is hard to do when you live in a more urban area. Not impossible, but you seldom take the time to stop and look at them, much less stop and take a photo. And post it to your blog. And irritate other people with them! But, as I said, that is just one of the reasons. Other reasons include gathering eggs, cleaning the chicken coop, starting a fire in the stove, sitting in the big blue chair, cutting grass, watering plants, putting plants inside so they don't freeze, taking them all back outside two days later...it's kind of like lather, rinse, repeat...only different. Then there are the neighbors. Some we like, some not so much. We won't get too deep into that conversation. There is also the quiet.

But the sunrises and the sunsets are right up there on the top of the list. I remember the first sunset I saw from the Edge of Nowhere, just a little more than ten years ago. I remember it vividly. It was really beautiful. There have been some better since we have been here, and some not as good, but at least we both take a few extra seconds and acknowledge the existence.

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

2018 - Day 327/38 - Friday...1600...

Well, after I got the truck stuck in the mud in one of the pastures, the odds were 50/50 (really more likely 70/30) that I would get the tractor stuck as well while I was trying to drag the truck out. It was close, but I actually got the truck unstuck without getting the tractor stuck, so I am pretty proud of myself for accomplishing that. I am not always smarter than chickens or cattle, and I am usually not smarter than mud, but today was an exceptional day for critical thinking on my part. AND, I accomplished all those things all by myself. No help getting the truck stuck, no help getting it unstuck.

BRAVO!

The day started with no newspaper. This has been a more frequent challenge lately. The newspaper office is certainly no help. They said we would have our newspaper by 9a.m., but they lied. We were planning to go in to Taylor to get molasses buckets and stuff like that, so I decided we would pick up a paper. I stopped at CVS to get a paper, and it was $4. Holy Crap! $4 for the paper? We went on to Taylor Feed, and Jody said we needed to take the paper back because it was yesterdays paper. I had not even paid attention. We stopped three or four more places (Jody was becoming frustrated but I was on a mission), and we finally for a newspaper at HEB, todays paper, $2. I think $2 is a bit outrageous as well, but it is what it is.

Stopped at Tractor Supply as well, and among other things, I got a pair of lovely house slippers for $10. I think I may go back and get another pair. Warm, soft and perfect for things like putting the chickens to bed.

Deeds, Actions, Changes, STUCK TRUCK, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2018 - Day 326/39 - Thursday...1597...Thanksgiving...

I am somewhat better. Last night, la grip had me in its' grip. Slept very little, but today I am feeling better. I have slept most of the day, and intend to get a good nights sleep tonight as well. Dinner was delicious. Jody cooked while I slept. Jody cooked most of the day, and I slept most of the day. But, sleeping is good, and that takes care of lots of ills.

Tomorrow will be a day of working around the house. I am planning on cleaning the chicken coop, going to Taylor Feed to get some molasses barrels and some cattle cubes. Stuff like that. And probably stopping at Tractor Supply as well. Maybe cut a few swatches of grass, but I don't want to get too carried away.

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

2018 - Day 325/40 - Wednesday...1605...Thanksgiving Eve...

It is kind of a Gray Hay Baling Kind of Day. A gray hay day. The hay is not gray, the sky is gray. After I got home this afternoon, it actually rained just a teeny-tiny bit. Not enough to amount to anything, but you know the old saying, you are supposed to make hay while the sun shines. Not when it is gray and there is a chance of rain. Whatever. I am relatively certain that everything is going to work out just fine, no real big problems.

I have la Grip. La Grip, la grip, the post-nasal drip. It started yesterday, and it pretty much took over today. Pretty sure it is just sinuses, but I am going to go to bed even earlier than usual. I am going to MINNEAPOLIS next week (I know, right?), so I want to be in FINE FORM for that. Allegedly, once I get to the hotel, there is no reason to venture out into nature. Totally climate controlled. I am fully expecting a huge power outage and the airports will be closed for months and I will be stuck up there until June.

Whatever...

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

2018 - Day 324/41 - Tuesday...1619...

Finished the second day of guiding a bunch of my colleagues through a GRI class. Glitter Related Incident? Not exactly. But for about six of them, this finished their requirements for completion of the designation, and now they can tell all their colleagues and clients that they far exceed the education requirements of the Texas Real Estate Commission, and that they are going above and beyond the requirements to stay educated about changes and trends in their profession. We had a great two days together, and I expect to see many of them time and time again over the next several years! Congratulations to all the colleagues that were in the class!

Tomorrow, there is the possibility that I will get a few minutes extra sleep. Not likely, but there is that possibility. I will head in to the office once I take the girls and drop them off at the beautiful parlor. I have a few errands to complete before I actually make it in to the office, and a few to get completed once I get to the office, and then a few to get completed after I leave the office. In the middle, I will get some power real estate done, and then it is a four day weekend.

There is plenty of stuff to keep me occupied over that long weekend, and I doing there will be any need for me to look for things to get done.

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

2018 - Day 323/42 - Monday...

This was kind of a surprise when I opened the refrigerator door this afternoon. It is not every day (or every year for that matter) that I find a whole turkey in the refrigerator. We are very often guests for Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners, but this year our hosts will be out of town, so we will be on our own. I will be in charge of getting pies, Jody has everything else under control. He has free reign to use every freakin' pot in the kitchen, because that is the deal. He cooks, I clean! It works, so be quiet.

I guided a day long class today to colleagues at the Austin Board of REALTORS®. Fun group and the time passed really quickly. I actually like the subject matter of tomorrow's class better than the class today, so I am expecting tomorrow's class to be better all wound. Can anyone tell me if the apostrophe in tomorrow's is necessary or not? I am feeling kind of insecure with that use of the apostrophe.

Sometimes I don't think I have enough to worry about, so I have to make things up.

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

2018 - Day 322/43 - Sunday...1617...

Continuing a tradition that goes back SEVERAL years, I was once again the 'Trash Man' at the Austin Empty Bowl Project. It was cold and windy, but it only rained a little bit. People remember me year-after-year (for good AND bad) as the Trash Man, and it is fun (usually) when they do remind me that they have seen me for years. Today was fun, and I hope there was a lot of money raised for the project. This is kind of an after-and-before photo...the after photo is me as the Trash Man, and the picture being projected in the back ground is me when I was in about the third grade. I was such a trend setter, even back then. I wish I knew what happened to that cute little kid. I would give him some advice, but I really don't have any regrets about anything, and you should all know, I am the luckiest man in the world!

I am going to be teaching a couple days worth of classes this week, then some power real estate on Wednesday and then taking advantage of the long weekend.

Deeds, Actions, Changes, SWEET KID, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2018 - Day 321/44 - Saturday...1610...

...and a good time was had by all. Tonight was the night of the annual Austin Empty Bowl Preview Party. This is the 22nd or 23rd year of the Austin Empty Bowl Project, and it gets bigger and better every year. I have been a sponsor for many years, and the project does incredible work for children with food insecurities. Wonderful stuff. The project benefits Meals-On-Wheels and the Central Texas Food Bank, specifically for the Kids Cafe, an after school program for kids. Special thanks to Eric for the pic!

Great work.

Tomorrow will be the actual project, and I will be there bright and early with my trash bags. TRASH-MAN. That's me. Look for me, you probably can't miss me!

Deeds, Actions, Changes, EMPTY BOWL, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2018 - Day 320/45 - Friday...1607...

Friday...the weekend...sleeping a little bit longer tomorrow morning. I like it! I liked today, too, the parts of is that are already over with. Not a bad day. Started out guiding a group of new colleagues through a new member Ethics orientation. Always fun. I like it very much. Then it was off to the office and I went and looked at a new managed property with Kerry, Tosalyn and Maggie. Interesting stuff. Nice home, nice neighborhood, gonna be a nice new addition to our management portfolio. Later this afternoon I met with another prospective client, and we reviewed the management contracts. My prospective client is asking for some changes to be made to the agreement, so we will be working on that next week, and targeting the week of the 26th to have that stuff done.

The Austin Empty Bowl Project Preview Party is tomorrow night, and I am looking forward to that. Then the actual fund raiser will be held on Sunday. Of course, the forecast is calling for cooler temperatures and a 40% chance of rain on Sunday morning. Just perfect to make me crabby and unreasonable. We will have to wait and see how that turns out.

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

2018 - Day 319/46 - Thursday...1600...

Jody and I had some errands that needed to be taken care of late this afternoon, so we did all those things, and then we stopped in Georgetown on the way home and had dinner. This is a view of the sunset (and if you look closely, the aeration system in the retention pond) outside the restaurant we stopped at. After dinner, we headed in to Georgetown to see if the Christmas lights were up on the square, and to cruise past a little restaurant we had heard about. All-in-all, a nice evening!

It is the Ides of November, was everyone wary? Okay, well, it IS Thursday, which means it is not too long until Friday. And Friday means the weekend. And this PARTICULAR weekend in leading up to a four-day-Holiday. I am REALLY looking forward to the long weekend. I don't expect I will get too much extra rest, but I do expect to get a LOT of stuff caught up with that I don't have enough hours in the day to actually keep up with.

I hope you are all happy for me!

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

2018 - Day 318/47 - Wednesday...1586...

Everything is dead. All the delicate vegetation has exceeded its' expiration date, which, it seems, was yesterday. When I got up this morning, the temperature was in the 28 degree range. The pipes and all that stuff were not affected, but all the lilies, cannas and stuff like that were goners. The iris are still okay and the plants we brought in to the garage and the front barn survived, but it looks bad for the other stuff. It was really an early freeze, but about two or three weeks. Oh well, it will (we hope) all come back next spring.

Today was a busy day; Jody had an appointment this morning and I had a dental appointment this afternoon, and in between those two things I managed to get in some power real estate, and cleared some things off my desk. I have an 8:30 appointment tomorrow morning, a 9:30 and a 1 o'clock. So far on Friday, all I have is a 10 o'clock and a 3 o'clock. Not sure what Saturday and Sunday may bring.

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

2018 - Day 317/48 - Tuesday...1624...

I had a most excellent two days of guiding in Houston. Everything was great with the possible exception of the traffic challenges. Today it even snowed for about five minutes. We thought we were going to have to shut the building down and go buy all the milk and bread at the HEB around the corner. The snow stopped, and it was back to having classroom fun. At least it was warm(er) in the room than it was outside, so that was some relief. Honest to goodness, the group of colleagues that had gathered themselves up to take the two days of classes were GREAT...about six or eight of them had been in previous classes, and for some of them, today was their last day of class and they will soon by OFFICIAL Graduates of the REALTOR® Institute. It is a proud day for them and an equally proud day for me, knowing that I was able to help them along their path to success, even if my part was a very small one.

It was great.

I have a serious photo of the class as well, but why should I post that photo if I also have an opportunity to post a silly photo of the group. If I were to post the serious pic, you would all wonder 'Who are you and what have you done with Evans'. I get it.

I need to let you all know also, there were a couple serious 'mayonnaise incidents', but I think for the purpose of this journal entry, we should just try to keep all that hushed up.

Deeds, Actions, Changes, MAYONNAISE and GRI, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2018 - Day 316/49 - Monday...161?...

The second opinion chimney repair guy made it to the house this afternoon, and he sent me this photo of the crap he got out of the chimney flue. Remember, we had the chimney cleaned in late June, and based on that guys report, we wanted to get a second opinion. I probably waited too long to try and find someone to give us the second opinion, but I think everything worked out the best way it could. We really like the company and we really like the values and the integrity of the folks that performed this re-evaluation. We can rest easy that we will not burn the house down if we use the stove, and Jody reports that he has a nice fire going as I write this.

I am still in Houston, finished the first day of class (last day tomorrow), and I pretty much had a BLAST today with these Houston colleagues. The best part of this (in my opinion) is getting messages across to my colleagues without it being painful for them, or having it be a chore for them. The greatest compliment I can get while guiding a class, is 'the day is going by quickly'. That makes my heart sing! I like that! And not only does the time go by quickly, but all of the participants (including me) are taking away valuable information from the classes. We are ALL learning something. Just because I am standing in front of the room does not mean I should not be open to learning something. I am happy to learn, thank you very much!

Otherwise, I was able to guide the class AND keep up with my business by long distance. Multi tasking has nothing on me. I may not be a tech-wizard, but when I get something, you can consider it got.

Okay, I am done, time to watch Antiques Roadshow. More mañana.

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

2018 - Day 315/50 - Sunday...1620...

And then it was Christmas! I got my chores done this morning and took off for Houston shortly after noon. It pretty much rained on me the whole drive down. I drive like an old granny anyway, but I drive especially like an old granny when I can't see the lane markings, it raining and I don't know where the hell I am. But I made it. All is well.

I met up with a friend of mine and fellow REALTOR® colleague while here. I called her last week to see if she was available for dinner one evening while I was here. We went to a spot not far from the hotel, and it was Christmas already. Big trees, GIANT reindeers and all the rest of it, except for the snow and freezing weather. This is a pic of me and my friend Kay, celebrating the Holiday before Thanksgiving, Houston style!

I don't think they are expecting a freeze here in Houston, so that will be one salvation of the quick trip.

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

2018 - Day 314/51 - Saturday...1619...

After taking this picture, it was all downhill. The sunrise looked promising, but soon after the clouds rolled in and it got (relatively) cold outside. No rain at least, but no sun or warmth either. Twenty degrees below the normal temperatures. The high today was in the 50s; maybe 54 or so. FREEZING! I am heading to Houston tomorrow, and there is a threat of freezing temps on Tuesday and Wednesday, so I have all the plants put up just in case.

Otherwise, I did get all my chores done except for cleaning the chicken coop, I will leave that for tomorrow. Jody and I went in to Georgetown to get a couple chores done, and then had lunch at Schlotzsky's, our weekend tradition that is still going strong.

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

2018 - Day 313/52 - Friday...1616...

I am learning more and more about wood burning stove installations in a fire place. We had a stove installed in the fireplace in the house in 2010. Had a chimney sweep come out a couple months ago, said there were some issues (including evidence of a 'chimney fire', so we are working to get someone to come out and check it and tell us what we need to do. Without even any inkling of wrong-doing, the place that sold us the stove and recommended the installer to us has begun a campaign that they have no liability. Another person they referred us to (this week) is kind of giving us the impression that the stove we bought is not intended to be installed into the style of fireplace we have. It is going to be a long week I am afraid. All we want to do is use the stove without the fear in the back of our minds that we are going to burn the house down.

We shall see...

Unfortunately, the skunk sightings are becoming pretty common these days. Saw one of them this morning when I was going out to let the chickens loose. Scampering (meandering) its' way to the front barn and crawling under it. Later in the morning as I was cleaning the polaris and the skimmer on the pool, there was the faint odor of skunk in the back. Who knows. Whatever.

I intend to sleep a little bit later tomorrow morning! YAY ME!

Deeds, Actions, Changes, WOOD STOVES, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2018 - Day 312/53 - Thursday...1608...

Today was a good day of learning. New Broker Responsibility class training, the class itself will premier in January. Changes every couple of years. Good stuff, and lots of friends and colleagues from across the state came in to Austin to take the class. I have testing anxiety, but I am pretty sure I passed it...there are a couple questions that many of us in the room thought were worded badly, so the question could have been mis-interpreted...and one of the 'all-of-the-above' questions I don't remember getting. It will all work out okay in the end I believe.

Following with the wild life theme of the past couple days, there was a skunk running down the driveway when I got home this evening. It was a little later than usual (7:15ish) because I had a late appointment. Dark as pitch outside, too. It seems it is dark in the mornings and dark early in the evenings. What? Daylight saving time is only for the summer? It seems backward to me.

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

2018 - Day 311/54 - Wednesday...1617...The Day After...

Not my bull, not my bullshit. It was going to be 'not my circus, not my monkey' but I don't have any pictures of monkeys. I have plenty of pictures of cows, maybe I should get a monkey. Whatever. Read into it whatever you like, I am tired and not in the mood.

PS to yesterday's post about the nature of things: I totally forgot to mention the twin skunks I rustled up yesterday morning when I was letting the girls loose from the chicken coop. My suspicion that there were skunks living up under the front barn was confirmed. No harm done, but I think I may be a bit more cautious in the dark up there.

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

2018 - Day 310/55 - Tuesday...1622...Election Day...

Well...today is election day. Not particularly the day of all things nature. NATURE not NATURAL. Today ended up being a day about nature, so bear with me. Not the natural kind of bear, the tolerance kind of bear.

Last night as I was driving home, in the 'home stretch' as it were, I saw a wake (group feeding) of buzzards (look it up). The deceased was (past tense) a coyote. It did not look as if the coyote had been hit by a speeding vehicle or shot (by a speeding passer-by), but for sure it was not alive. On my way in to the office this morning, I stopped and took a photo of the deceased, just for the record. As a got a little closer to the Interstate (close to where the llama lives) this (see photo) young buck was caught (back leg) in a barbed wire fence. I backed up, rolled down my window, and spoke reassuringly to him. I got out of the car, still speaking with a kind demeanor, assuring him that I meant no harm and that I would try my best to help him.

We were both freaking out, I think.

I got a couple rags from the back of the car, approached (still freaking) and the buck was freaking and trying to yank himself loose. I got close enough that I could wrap the barbed wire in the rags, and stretched the wire apart enough (from a satisfactory distance) that the buck extracted his hoof and ran off. Good for him.

The whole time, I was thinking of my friend Wayne in West Texas. I expect he will give me shit about not taking a different tack, but I am me and he is him!

Last thing. When I got home this afternoon, Jody told me there was a dead chicken in the coop.

It was a nature kind of day.

Deeds, Actions, Changes, NATURE (NOT NURTURE), Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2018 - Day 309/56 - Monday...1651...

Okay, I made it home with no issues. We actually landed about 30 minute early, but there were no gates available, so we just sat there for a while. No sense getting in early if you can't get off the plane. Whatever. It is all good, and I expect everyone that was in Boston is now really happy to be home. The first Monday in November is also the Wurstfest in Walburg, so I stopped on the way home and got us some bratwurst and all the fixings (Walburg style). It was a=just a little bit of an adventure getting to the airport this morning, but that is (sometimes) what you expect when you summon a ride-share ride and the drivers are not always aware of the nuances of getting to the correct airport terminals and/or gates. But I survived with no lasting challenges. And there was really nothing to see from this photo, other than everyone I ran across or spoke with in Boston were really friendly; ride-share drivers to porters, bellmen, bartenders, wait staff. Everyone. Very nice.

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

2018 - Day 308/57 - Sunday...???

Today was the last full day at another NAR Annual Conference. So far, so good. Bits and pieces get better and better. Other bits and pieces get worse and worse. Overall, pretty good stuff. You have to choose your topics pretty carefully, and I have learned to do that over the many years that I have been attending these sessions. Different conferences have different personalities. There are conferences on a local, state and national level, and various other groups that I am a member of have their own conferences. I like the participation, and I like the volunteering aspect of the whole thing. Here is one of the advantages of traveling and volunteer service: I have been in Boston for four days, and I leave tomorrow. I grew up outside Detroit. Detroit (among other things) is known to have four seasons. I bet Boston has four seasons. Texas has two seasons. Hot and REALLY HOT. It has been quite a while since I saw fall foliage, but there have been some spectacular scenes since I have been here. Like this one. Beautiful. Wait until you see the post tomorrow.

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

2018 - Day 307/58 - Saturday...Umm...

The day started with a 5K walk in the rain. RAIN! Lots of rain, wind and not warmness. I was up at about 5 o'clock this morning so I could be at the staging area by 6. For the sake of this journal, I am trying to think of how I got to the staging area, and for the life of me, I can't remember. I am pretty sure there was a school bus involved, but honestly I cannot remember. I am relatively confident that I did not walk to the staging area. Whatever. It was raining though. That is not something I forgot. Steve and Melinda and I started the walk (it was not raining too badly by the start of the walk), and we decided to turn left when all the other folks turned right. We finished he walk in our own way, just as far as the others, just with a different terminus. Our hotels versus another staging spot where we would need to get on ANOTHER bus. A fun time was had by all.

After that, there were a couple other meetings, the General Session (with Mark Wahlberg) and then an event at the Boston Museum of Science. Lots of fun, lots of friends. We took in the Theatre of Electricity, and that was pretty interesting. See photo above.

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

2018 - Day 306/59 - Friday...Ugh...

I forgot that I had been outside two or three times today. All the times were to get on a bus to go to the convention center which is an incredibly LONG distance from the hotel. The bus ride is a good 30 minutes, so there is no walking to and from the convention center for this senior citizen. It has not been an unpleasant day, weather-wise. I cannot honestly say that it has rained at all since I have been here, but outside, everything is wet. I am supposed to be at my first event tomorrow morning at 6AM. In the morning. That kind of AM. And it is supposed to be raining, but I also thought it was supposed to be raining all day today, so I have no real idea. On one of the bus rides, we past by these fall colors on some of the trees. Lots of pretty leaves, so I thought I would share them with you.

Several meetings, forums, and a bunch of this's and that's. Overall a good conference so far.

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

2018 - Day 305/60 - Thursday...Not sure...

It was a long flight. Delayed, but not uncomfortably so. It was mostly because of the folks I was with. Brandy on one side, Steve on the other side. This photo is not really representative of the flight, but it seemed that my tray table was the one used for the refuse of several rows. Okay, not really. My tray table was the one used for refuse from the people on the left and right of me. That would be Brandy (left) and Steve (right). But it was really fun, reminded me of other fun days a couple years ago. I miss those days. Those two folks can make me laugh a lot, and that is a good thing. Very fun.

Boston. The good thing is that my particular hotel is not one that is experiencing labor issues. I thought it was, but I lucked out. Other friends are staying in hotels that are experiencing labor strikes, and you can hear the discourse in their sleeping rooms. Quite a challenge.

My first meeting is 8 o'clock in the morning, so that is it for now.

Chow.

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