2019 - Day 120/245 - Tuesday...Inveterate...

Today was a long day. It was one of those days when you think it is incredible that you are capable of keeping everything together. The worst parts virtually never happen, but it was another one of those days that I felt other things were in control. That is not supposed to sound like I am on the verge of some sort of melt-down, because I am not...it was just a stressful day. I might have mentioned to you that, last Friday we found out, quite accidentally, that the storage facility we use was sold and we had until TODAY to empty our two storage units and get the Fu*k out of there. We were not the only ones that were inconvenienced by that, and there was plenty of commiserating to go around. Yesterday, we found a new (and vern nice) facility, just a few blocks away, and not too much more fee wise. Today, we moved all the stuff. I was up WAY TO EARLY so I could be in the office to meet the movers at the storage place by 9, and they called and said they would be there at 8:30. Okay, that is not too bad. BUT...it was moving, and I was glistening and it was raining off-and-on, and it was moving. That was done by about 12:30, then it was back to the office, then back to pick up my car (so happy that the windshield was replaced) and then another appointment at 5 o'clock. Everything worked out. I put a cover over part of the chicken run, and the chicks are happily cavorting in their run. I took their little pen out of the coop, and made a little girl chick roost for them to practice on so when they become big girls, they will know what the hell is going on. OH YEAH, I do not know what these are called (I think either Rain Lilies or Rain Iris), but they are really common in central Texas, and I have never had too much luck with them. I planted about a dozen of them last year, and they are starting to bloom. Miracles happen! Good night!

Inveterate -- Adjective. 1. firmly established by long persistence. 2. confirmed in a habit. habitual. "Even I, the inveterate outdoor exerciser, almost didn't head outside last week. The weather on Tuesday was bitter, the wind chill worse..." Leslie Barker, DallasNews.com, January 23, 2018

Did You Know? Like veteran, inveterate ultimately comes from Latin vetus, which means "old," and which led to the Latin verb inveterare ("to age"). That verb in turn gave rise eventually to the adjective inveteratus, the direct source of our adjective inveterate (in use since the 14th century). In the past, inveterate has meant "long-standing" or simply "old." For example, one 16th-century writer warned of "those great Flyes which in the spring time of the yeare creepe out of inveterate walls." Today, inveterate most often applies to a habit, attitude, or feeling of such long existence that it is practically ineradicable or unalterable.

2019 - Day 119/246 - Monday...Yashmak...

I took my car in this morning to have the windshield replaced. You may remember that about a month ago, the car (hereinafter referred to as the 'rock magnet') attracted a rock while driving down IH-35. Windshield ordered, appointment set, supposed to be in-and-out (like the burger) in one day. Not so much. The loaner I have is like my previous car, and I have issues folding and bending myself to adequately squeeze my girth into the thing. I will have my car back tomorrow (I got an e-mail that said it was ready, but that was like two hours after I got home). Whatever. It was a busy day in the office, wrapping up one month and getting ready for another month. Plus, the storage facility we have had for about a decade decided to sell out to build condos, and they (allegedly) sent us letters (if they sent them we did not get them), so we are in a panic to find new storage facilities and get stuff moved from one to the other. Movers are to be at the old facility at 9A.M. SHARP tomorrow. Again, we shall see. Otherwise, the amaryllis that is blooming in one of the front beds is lovely, so I hope you enjoy it!

Yashmak -- Noun. a veil worn by Muslim women that is wrapped around the upper and lower parts of the face. "...and of course I had seen no more of Ayesha than her eyes above the top of her yashmak - that is, her veil." Frank Savile, The Strand, December, 1903

Did You Know? Yashmak is one of several words borrowed from Middle Eastern languages to refer to components of the Muslim wardrobe. Burqa (or burka), referring to a loose garment that covers the face and body, derives from Arabic by way of Persian and Urdu. Chador, referring to a cloth that combines a head covering, veil, and shawl, has linguistic ancestors in Hindi, Urdu, and Persian. Yashmak, which first appeared in English in 1844, derives from a Turkish word. Both burqa and yashmak entered English in the 19th century, but chador dates about three centuries earlier.

2019 - Day 118-247 - Sunday...Exiguous...

Well, the chicks are getting a little bit more adventurous. I counted six of them out of the coop at one time this afternoon. I have taken their food out of the coop and put it in the yard. There is water in the coop, and food from their scratching, but if they want fresh feed, they will have to go outside for it. I got the rest of the yard (including the grand lawn) cut today. It was a little bit awkward when I ran the riding lawnmower in to the hay fork on the front of the tractor. Parts went flying, but it is still running, so no real harm. Then I decided to shred a large area in the back and the grand lawn. All was going well until I got the tractor stuck in a seep. My neighbor (Jim) came to the rescue, and I quote "You know you have front wheel assist on this thing, right?" Well, no I didn't know that, and I always kind of wondered what that lever was for, and now I know. So...the yard and grounds look much better than they did, and of course it is supposed to start raining again on Tuesday. But, that will be okay with me. This is another of my favorite iris; not really UT burnt orange, more of a UT Vols orange, but how often do you see an orange iris?

Exiguous -- Adjective. excessively scanty. inadequate. "Meaningful spending cuts, however, were so exiguous that they can't count for anything more than window dressing." Phil Guarnieri, New Hyde Park Illustrated News, March 18, 2013

Did You Know? Exiguous is so expansive sounding that you might expect it to mean "extensive" instead of "meager." A glimpse at the word's etymology will disabuse you of that notion, however. Exiguous derives from the Latin exiguus, which has the same basic meaning as the Modern English term. Exiguus, in turn, derives from the Latin verb exigere, which is variously translated as "to demand," "to drive out," or "to weigh or measure." The idea of weighing or measuring so precisely as to be parsimonious gave exiguous its present sense of inadequacy. Exigere also gives us other English words. including exact and exigent.

2019 - Day 117/248 Saturday...Pastiche...

Well, I did it. I finished the chicken pen covering, so the chicks (soon to be chickens) should be relatively safe from most predators. I am fairly certain that I have miscalculated about something, and that I will not realize it until it is too late. I am however, generally pleased with the finished product; except for the final bits. I ran out of the wire fence that I was using as the cover (I bought a 100 foot roll, I never in a million years would have expected that I would use that much fence), and the final bits look like 'early american engineering.' That is what I usually say when someone did a crappy job of something. I will let it be for a while, and then my CDOness will get the better of me and I will go buy more fencing and finish it properly. BUT, the chicks can see what the outside world is like if they want to venture forth. We shall see. I also cut most of the grass in the front (not all of it, most of it), and while doing so, I found this border rock with initials on it. Not sure what they might stand for, but if you have any clues, feel free to chime in.

Pastiche -- Noun. 1. a musical, literary, or artistic work that imitates work or is made up of selections from different works. 2. hodgepodge. The director's new film is a clever pastiche of the 1960s spy movies he watched as a boy.

Did You Know? It all began with macaroni. Our word pastiche is from French, but the French word was borrowed from the Italian pasticcio. Pasticcio is what the Italians called a kind of "macaroni pie" (from the word pasta). English speakers familiar with this multilayered dish had begun to apply the name to various potpourris or hodgepodges (musical, literary, or otherwise) by the 18th century. For over a hundred years English speakers were happy with pasticcio, until we discovered the French word pastiche in the latter part of the 1800s. Although we still use pasticcio in its extended meaning, pastiche is now much more common.

2019 - Day 116/249 - Friday...Hare...

Well, I am ready for tomorrow. After I got home from Austin this afternoon, and after I took a nap while (allegedly) watching the news, and after we had dinner, Jody and I went in to Georgetown to get supplies for me to finish the chicks covering in their enclosed run. The plan is to let them escape the chicken coop tomorrow morning, and I will finish the cover during the day. I figure I have four or five hours of work to get it completed, and then it will be time to take a nap. Or time to cut the grass. Or time to be diverted in to starting another project. We shall see.

Hare -- Verb. to go swiftly. tear. Andrew hopped on his motorcycle and hared along the country road to deliver the message to his father.

Did You Know? No doubt you've heard (really) Aesop's fable about the speedy hare and the plodding tortoise. The hare may have lost that race due to a tactical error (stopping to take a nap before reaching the finish line), but the long-eared mammal's overall reputation for swiftness remains intact. It's no surprise, then, that hare is used as a verb meaning "to move quickly." The very old noun hare (which refers, in its most specific zoological sense, to a member of the genus Lepus, whose young are usually able to hop a few minutes after birth) first appeared as hara in a Latin-Old English glossary around the year 700. The verb was a long time in coming: it developed from the noun around the end of the 19th century, and people have been "haring off" and "haring about" ever since.

2019 - Day 115/250 - Thursday...Ab Ovo...

Busy, busy day. Jody had a dental appointment this morning, so we came in to town for that, then he went back home. I went back in to Austin, took a couple minutes to get some juice at the super-charger, then off to a 1 o'clock meeting. After the meeting, it was in to the office for some power real estate, then it was off to the movies. Tonight was the annual ABoR TREPAC Movie Night, and it was The Avengers: End Game. I have no intentions of spoiling it for anyone, and even if I DID intend to spoil it, I couldn't, since I have absolutely NO IDEA what was happening or what was going on. Needless to say, I did find out that the bad guy was not portrayed by the guy that does the Hefty Bag commercials. That is pretty much all I took away from the movie. So, my suggestion is, if you want to know what happens, go see the movie. And next year, come and get a sneak preview with us. Stay tuned!

Ab Ovo -- Adverb. from the beginning. Since the first prototype had so many flaws, Jeanette recommended that we scrap the whole thing and design a new one ab ovo.

Did You Know? Ab ovo usque ad mala. That phrase translates as "from the egg to the apples," and it was penned by the Roman poet Horace. He was alluding to the Roman tradition of starting a meal with eggs and finishing it with apples. Horace also applied ab ovo in an account of the Trojan War that begins with the mythical egg of Leda from which Helen (whose beauty sparked the war) was born. In both cases, Horace used ab ovo in its literal sense, "from the egg," but by the late 16th century it had been adapted to its Modern English meaning of "from the beginning," as evidenced by Sir Philip Sidney in his An Apology for Poetry: "If [the dramatic poets] wil represent an history, they must not (as Horace saith) beginne Ab ouo: but they must come to the principall poynt of that one action." I did not make any of this up...

2019 - Day 114.251 - Wednesday...Embargo...

Weather Update: I think the worst (not wurst Candy) of the storms are past us. The last time I checked the gauge, we had recorded 2.43" of rain, and it was still raining then. I don't expect the total to go more than a few-tenths of an inch higher, but that was a good rain, to say the least. I expected to be caught in the middle of the downpour (and I was), but alas, my biggest fear (hail) did not come to fruition. Allegedly there will be sunshine and blue skies throughout the rest of the week and the same for the weekend.

Mouse Update: I set eight traps on Saturday. So far, MOST of the mice (except three) have figured out a way to get the bait out of the trap without being physically harmed. I am sure they are emotionally traumatized, but they are still breathing. Except three.

Embargo -- noun. 1. a legal prohibition on commerce. 2. stoppage, impediment; especially: prohibition. The government placed an embargo on the importation of absinthe.

Did You Know? Embargoes may be put in place for any number of reasons. For instance, government may place a trade embargo against another country to express its disapproval of that country's policies. But governments are not the only bodies that can place embargoes. A publisher, for example, can place an embargo on a highly anticipated book to prevent stores from selling it before its official release date. The word embargo comes to us via the Spanish embargar from the Vulgar Latin imbarricare, formed from the prefix in- and the noun barra ("bar").

2019 - Day 113/252 - Tuesday...Rostrum...

The Baton Rouge trip is kind of a blur. It was really quick, the entire travel time was right at 24 hours, maybe 26 hours tops. I had a nice corner room in the hotel, and I could see the Mississippi River from the room. Across the street on one side was a place called Schlittz & Giggles (which was kind of hard to decipher since I have taken a vow to no longer wear my glasses) and on the other corner was a really nice neon Coca-Cola sign. Driving from New Orleans to Baton Rouge and back was no real problem, very little traffic to speak of...nothing like the challenges here in central Texas. There was a little bit of congestion going IN to Baton Rouge yesterday, but it was really a piece of cake. We are supposed to get some strong rain, maybe some storms in the next 36 hours or so...I am having a little bit of trouble pinning the time frame down...I just need to pay more attention.

Rostrum -- Noun. a stage or platform for public speaking. The senator stood on the rostrum and announced to the boisterous crowd that she would indeed run for a second term.

Did You Know? The history of rostrum owes much to an elaborate party staged by the ancient Romans after one of their major maritime victories. After the battle, the Romans decorated the Forum, the center of judicial and public business in Rome, with souvenirs of their big win. Those decorations included beaks from ships they had captured (a beak is the pointed beam on the bow of a warship that is used to ram and sink other ships), which were hung behind the speaker's platform. The Latin name for a ship's beak was rostrum, and the plural rostra later came to be used to name any speaker's platform. English speakers adopted the word (plural and all) by the mid-1500s.

2019 - Day 112/253 - Monday...Chicane...

Flew in to New Orleans from Austin this morning, and rented a car to get from here to Baton Rouge to speak with the Louisiana REALTORS® at their annual meeting. I am on the NAR Corporate Investor Council, so I had an opportunity to speak with their Major Investors about another way, and another target group to increase the dollars they can have invested and fund Issues Mobilization here (in Louisiana) and across the country. It was a great group of really nice people, and I got to spread the word of Corporate Investor at a one-on-one level, and to the group of LARPAC Major Investors. It was a great opportunity, and I appreciate the invitation to attend. On my way from the plane to the baggage check, I passed a Lucky Dog stand. I cannot remember how many times I stumbled out of a bar in New Orleans and ran right into a Lucky Dog cart. There is no telling what was in those hot dogs back in the 70's, but it seems they are legit now, and selling at the airport. Whatever!

Early flight back to Austin in the morning, so there you have it!

Chicane -- Verb. to use deception. to trick or cheat. The scammer was accused of sending e-mails intended to chicane recipients into disclosing sensitive account information.

Did You Know? Chicane comes from the Middle French verb chicaner, meaning "to quibble" or "to prevent justice," and print evidence of its use as a verb in English dates to around 1672. The noun form of chicane was first used in print in 1686. In addition to referring to "trickery," the noun chicane is used to refer to an obstacle or a series of tight turns in opposite directions on a racecourse. In card games, chicane refers to the absence of trumps in a hand of cards. One curiosity of this word is that the word that would appear to be a derivative of chicane -- chicanery (a synonym of chicane in its "trickery" sense) -- actually appeared in English over 60 years before chicane.

2019 - Day 111/254 - Sunday...Shrive...

So...I spent most of the day taking a nap, off-and-on. BUT, in the in-between times, I managed to get two more rows ofd cover on what will be (by next weekend) the chicken run. The twelve chicks are doing very nicely, but it is time for them to have some sunshine. I figure I am about a third of the way complete with the covering, and the next parts will take even more of my tie-wrap pvc pipe engineering degree to come to fruition. But there is a plan, so that is all that is necessary. There were also several distractions during the day, so there were a few this-and-thats accomplished, and those are always good things to get done. The dog yard also got cut, so now they are not lost in the tall grasses. We are supposed to have storms again this week, beginning on Wednesday, with a few more inches of rain possible. I expect we will get some hay this year, and that will be really good. And the poppy's are blooming nicely, too.

Shrive -- Verb. 1. to administer the sacrament of reconciliation to. 2. to free from guilt. "Perhaps Father Dodana would give him Holy Communion. She would be easier in mind if he were shriven of his sins." Mario Puzo, The Sicilian, 1984

Did You Know? The Latin verb scribere (meaning "to write") found its way onto the tongues of certain Germanic peoples who brought it to Britain in the early Middle Ages. Because it was often used for laying down directions or rules, 8th-century Old English speakers used their form of the term, scrifan, to mean "to prescribe or impose." The Church adopted scrifan to refer to assigning penance and administering absolution to sinners. Today, shrift, the noun form of shrive, makes up half of a short shrift, a phrase meaning "little or no consideration." Originally, short shrift was the barely adequate time for confession before an execution.

2019 - Day 110/255 - Saturday...Muzzy...

I spent most of the day out in the front barn. The mice are out of control. We believe they are about under control in the house (no visible evidence of mice in a couple weeks in the house), but they are totally out of control in the front barn. Barney the cat is missing a tremendous opportunity. The intent of the day was to start covering the chicken run, but my early morning trip for supplies was thwarted because the truck would not start. So...I decided to clean out the barn. One and a half full trash cans later, the front barn was relatively clean and organized, and the truck battery got charged up, so Jody and I went in to Georgetown and did some supply shopping and had lunch. I am not 100% sure what tomorrow will bring, but I have a pretty good idea! We think this is a yellow headed black bird (makes sense). This is a little too far east for their territory, but they might have been blown in with the last couple of storms we have had. Who knows. There are about a half-dozen males, and I am sure if there are any females...haven't really seen any of them. Who knows. If you have another idea about what this bird might be, speak up...

Muzzy -- Adjective. 1a. dull, gloomy. b. not clear or precise. 2. muddled or confused in mind. The high-powered cold medicine left Farrah with a muzzy feeling in her head, but she was feeling better in less than 24 hours.

Did You Know? Muzzy is believed to have been formed by combining two other words that can mean "unclear" or "confused": muddled and fuzzy. It can refer to a state of mind like that of a drunk person, or to the confused ramblings that come out of such a person's mouth. Rudyard Kipling used the former meaning in his 1891 story "The Mutiny of the Mavericks": :Mulcahy confused the causes of things, and when a very muzzy Maverick smote a sergeant on the nose or called his commanding officer a bald-headed old lard-bladder and even worse names, he fancied that rebellion and not liquor was at the bottom of the outbreak."

2019 - Day 109/256 - Friday...Gallant...

Be careful, things are not always as the seem. I took this photo at about 6:30 this morning. It is the moon setting in the west. It was kind of interesting, and I thought I would share it with you. Other things are not as they seem, as well. I was hoping traffic would not be as it usually is, and that premonition was coming true until I heard a report of a vehicle fire on MoPac at Westover...close enough to where I had intended to exit that I had to take an alternate route to Upper Crust Bakery, to get Jody his weekend supply of bran muffins. When I got in to the bakery, Michael and Lynda were there, enjoying baked goods and coffee. I sat and talked with them for a while, and that was nice, but I had to get to the office for a 9 o'clock meeting. Then it was off to do a quick video at Texas Realtors® and then I was off to get my hair(s) cut. Then a quick visit to a property that will go on the market next week, and then home.

Life is good!

Gallant -- Adjective. 1. showy in dress or bearing. smart. 2a. splendid, stately. b. spirited, brave. c. nobly chivalrous. 3. courteous and attentive especially to ladies. The climbers made a gallant attempt but failed to reach the summit of the mountains and had to turn back due to dangerous weather.

Did You Know? In the late 14th century, Middle English adopted galaunt (now spelled gallant) from the Middle French galant, a participal form of the verb galer, meaning "to have a good time." This origin is more apparent in the earliest uses of the English gallant, both as a noun meaning "a man of fashion" and as an adjective meaning "marked by show, color, smartness, or splendor especially in dress." The French galer is related to gale ("pleasure, merrymaking"), which has also entered the language, by way of Italian, as gala ("a festive celebration"). Middle English also had a noun gale that meant "singing, merriment, or mirth" (and is unrelated to the gale used to indicate a strong current of air) and may also have been related to the Old French gale.

2019 - Day 108/257 - Thursday...Hirsute...

Today was a much better day than yesterday. I did not feel as if I were totally out of control, did not feel like I was stretched beyond my limits. Now...tonight (since there is no storm in the immediate forecast), I think I will also get a better nights sleep. Last night, the thunder was pretty darned amazing; loud, frequent, prolonged. Lots of LOUD thunder. Not much lightning that I can recall, but it was loud. We got a little over an inch of rain (who am I kidding? we got 1.09" of rain), and that was a good thing. Even though it sounded like it was raining really hard, the iris and poppies and roses (and now honeysuckle) are not destroyed. Everything is good, with the exception of a few downed limbs. No real problems from the storm, and no hail (that was predicted). As I said, today was a better day, and I presented a class at the Austin board. That was fun, and I learned a few things as well. In my opinion, that is the mark of a good presentation. And then there was the ride home; traffic was pretty bad, hopefully because everyone was hitting the road to get a head-start on the Easter weekend. I will let you know the traffic situation tomorrow morning.

Mueller report was released (partially) today. I have downloaded the report on two different computers, one more to go. I wonder if they can transfer that to an audio book. Who owns the copyright on that report. 448 pages would probably take (what) eight or ten hours to listen to on Audible. If that is not already in the works, would someone send them an e-mail for me? Thanks.

Hirsute -- Verb. 1. hairy. 2. covered with course stiff hairs. "I told my barber, Rich, a hirsute Mediterranean-looking man with studs in each ear, that I was anxious about the 'Sweeney Todd aspect' of a straight razor." Henry Alford, The New York Times, May 1, 2013

Did You Know? Hirsute has nearly the same spelling and exactly the same meaning as its Latin parent, hirsutus. The English word has four close relatives: hirsutism, and hirsuties, synonymous nouns naming a medical condition involving excessive hair growth; hirsutal, an adjective meaning "of or relating to hair"; and hirsutulous, a mostly botanical term meaning "slightly hairy" (as in "hirsutulous stems"). The latter three are not especially common but are entered in Merriam-Webster's Unabridged Dictionary.

2019 - Day107/258 - Wednesday...Favonian...

I felt stressed and anxious all day long today, from the minute I woke up, until about 3:30 this afternoon. I was totally overbooked and not in charge of the way my day was proceeding. I hate that. That is why I usually drive. I drove today, but my schedule for the day was not of my own design. I was pulled too many different ways, and it was not comfortable for me. I made it look okay, but it was not a comfortable day for me. However, it all ended up just fine, so that is all that really matters. Once I got home, I took care of my usua chores, and Jody mentioned that the Julia Child rose in the back was outdoing itself, and indeed it is. We are expecting a pretty strong storm overnight, beginning after n=midnight and lasting until about 4 or 5 o'clock in the morning. High winds, hail, some rain...just the usual during an El Nino spring.

Favonian -- Adjective. of or relating to the west wind. mild. Our guests relaxed on the patio, watching the sunset and enjoying favonian breezes.

Did You Know? In "ode to the West Wind," poet Percy Bysshe Shelley called the "wild West Wind" the "breath of Autumn's being." But according to Greco-Roman tradition, the west wind was warm and usually gentle. Its Latin name, Favonius, is the basis for the English adjective favonian and derives from roots that are akin to the Latin fovere, meaning "to warm." Zephyros, a Greek name for the west wind, is the ultimate source of zephry, meaning "a gentle breeze." In Greco-Roman tradition, it was the north wind, Boreas (aka Aquilo), who was the rude and blustery type.

2019 - Day 106/259 - Tuesday...Redolent...

Well, well, well. I forgot to plug the car in last night. It really was no problem, I had over 100 miles of range, so that was no big deal. I got in to Austin and plugged in at one of the Tesla Chargers and I was on my way in about 30 minutes with another 125 miles of range. Not really terribly inconvenient, just a waste of 20 minutes because I forgot to plug in. I got to the office and started preparing for a class I was going to present at the South location. Then I found out (by text and e-mail alerts) that there was another water line break on the edge of nowhere (not ours) and we were (once again) under a boil water notice. I was supposed to be at my class at 1 P.M., but now I needed to get to HEB and buy some bottled water. It is forecast that this outage could last several days. Allegedly we are not supposed to use tap water for bathing, washing hands, brushing teeth or cooking. Boil for a while, then cool the water down if you want to use tap water. Particularly of concern to older folks with perhaps a reduced immune system. Don't all old folks have a reduced immune system? SO...this is the second event in less than a week, and the dew is off the lily on this one. Whatever. Otherwise, it makes the 2 hours and 10 minutes it took me to get home this afternoon look like a piece of cake. We are all done except for the complaining. Oh, and this is one of my favorite Iris in the yard. I always like this particular iris, I call it the 'parchment color' iris. I think they are beautiful. I hope you enjoy the photo.

Redolent -- Adjective. 1. exuding fragrance. aromatic. 2a. full of a specified fragrance. scented. b. evocative, suggestive. "For much work, hourly pay, redolent of punching time cards early in the first Industrial Revolution, will likely be supplanted by other measurements." Quentin Hardy, Quartz, August 23, 2017

Did You Know? Redolent traces back to the Latin verb olere ("to smell") and is a relative of olfactory ("of, relating to, or connected with the sense of smell"). In its earliest English uses in the 15th century, redolent simply meant "having an aroma." Today, it usually applies to a place or thing impregnated with odors, as in "the kitchen was redolent of garlic and tomatoes." It can also be used of something that reminds us of something else or evokes a certain emotional response, as in "a city redolent of antiquity."

2019 - Day 105/260 - Monday...Weald...

Wowza, it is way past my bedtime, but it was all worth it! An early day today, three appointments before 11 A.M. In between, I was in the office for a few minutes, last appointment ended just before 2, and then back to the office. Ugh...the owner's association was painting the doors of the building, and we have four doors in the office, and the paint was not a low VOC (volatile organic compound) paint. It was allegedly 'quick-drying' paint, and I give them the fact that it actually was, but it was difficult to concentrate when you were concerned that there was a better than 50/50 chance that, because of the paint fumes, you may never be able to conceive...well, oh forget it. I was especially honored to have been invited to the Williamson County Association of REALTORS® Major Investor event, it was great to see all my colleagues from Williamson County, as well as representatives from TREPAC Leadership, NAR and Texas REALTORS®. Thanks very much for the invitation Bryan!

Oh, and today was tax day, just in case you needed a buzz-kill...

Weald -- Noun. 1. a heavily wooded area. forest. 2. a wild or uncultivated usually upland region. A fog descended upon the weald, giving the hikers concern that they might not be able to find their way back to the camp.

Did You Know? If weald were a tree, it would have many annual rings. It has been in use as a general word for "forest" since the days of Old English, and it has also long been used, in its capitalized form, as a geographic name for a once heavily forested region of Southeastern England. Weald is also often capitalized today when used to refer to wooded area like the Weald of Kent and the Weald of Sussex in England. In time, the word branched out to designate any wild and uncultivated upland regions. A related word is wold, meaning "an upland plain or stretch of rolling land."

2019 - Day 104/261 - Sunday...Causerie...

It was still windy when we woke up this morning. We were lucky, there was no damage that we know of, other than just a few tree limbs down, nothing of any real consequence. We were much luckier (and we continue to be the luckiest people in the world) than many people across Texas, and areas heading eastward. I just read an e-mail from our friends in Mississippi; their son and daughter-in-law had a visit by a tornado, some damage to the house and trees, but they are all safe. Interesting how weather works. I did manage to get some grass cut in the front of the house, and some of it up by the road. I swear the grass I just cut has already grown an inch since I cut it. We has 0.82" of rain yesterday, and that makes just a little over three inches for this month. Everything is really green, and the rains are kind of keeping the pollens under control. Yeah, right!

Causerie -- Noun. 1. an informal conversation. chat. 2. a short informal essay. The professor invited the award-winning playwright to his class to have a causerie with his literature students.

Did You Know? Causerie first appeared in English in the early 19th century, and it can be traced back to the French causer ("to chat") and to the Latin causa ("cause, reason"). The word was originally used to mean a friendly or informal conversation. Then, in 1849, Charles-Augustin Sainte-Beuve began publishing a column in the French newspaper Le Constitutionnel. These critical essays were called Causeries du lundi ("Monday chats") and were later collected into a series of books of the same name. After that, the word causerie acquired a second sense in English, referring to a brief, informal article or essay.

2019 - Day 103/262 - Saturday...Debilitate...

The general consensus would ordinary be that I should know better, but obviously the general consensus is inaccurate. I stood out in the cold for several hours waiting to hear one song played by Granger Smith. I am pretty sure I heard one and a half songs, but I really could not really tell because I was so cold I could hardly hear for the achy bones creaking in the cold. Did I mention that it was cold? It was really cold, so I took off after the first song started. Maybe another time when it will be warmer. We are considering September, 2021. We shall
see...

Debilitate -- Verb. to impair the strength of. "Hard hits are part of the game. But the vicious hits intended to debilitate a player, maybe end his career, are intolerable." Chicago Tribune, March 8, 2012

Did You Know? Debilitate, enfeeble, undermine, and sap all share in common the general sense "to weaken." Often used to describe disease or something that strikes like a disease or illness, debilitate might suggest a temporary impairment, but a pervasive one. Enfeeble, a very close synonym of debilitate, connotes a pitiable but often reversible condition of weakness and helplessness. Undermine and sap suggest a weakening by something working surreptitiously ind insidiously.

2019 - Day 102/263 - Friday...Adulation...

Don't be mislead by first impressions. I know sometimes I cannot see the forest because of the trees, but this is a photo of clouds, not a photo of a traffic challenge on IH-35. I think this is going to be my new calling; find the good things in the pictures. If I can work some clouds in to a photo of a wreck on the interstate. Maybe a kitten in a photo of a mass shooting. Something like that. Who knows... But, today was a pretty good day. I got to the office a little bit earlier than I wanted to, because the painter was supposed to be there to paint the exterior doors to the office. There are four of them, and the doors had to be opened. It was supposed to be quick drying paint, but the painter never showed up. Typical. Six sets of offices and residences, a few minutes of coordination, and the vendor does not show up. Doesn't call either. Just nothing. AND...there was a notice on the door that the city is going to change our electric meter, sometime within the next seven days...between the hours of 11PM and 7AM. Not sure which day, but make sure your sensitive electronic equipment is not left on overnight. But we are not sure which day. They came and left a notice on the door, it makes sense they could have done it at the same time, but then I would not have had anything to write about today.

Adulation -- Noun. excessive or slavish admiration or flattery. The young starlet's active presence on social media earned her the adulation of millions of fans.

Did You Know? If adulation makes you think of a dog panting after its master, you're on the right etymological track; the word ultimately derives from the Latin verb adulari, meaning "to fawn on" (a sense used specifically for the affectionate behavior of dogs) or "to flatter." Adulation, which came to us from Latin by way of Old French, can be traced back as far as the 14th century in English. The verb adulate, the noun adulator, and the adjective adulatory later joined the language.

2019 - Day 101/264 - Thursday...Avuncular...

The photo of the day is no more particularly inspired than the one I used yesterday, but at least I did not have to give it any real thought. I was 'on-hold' in the office and there was a wreck outside, so I asked Tosalyn to take a picture that I could use on this journal entry. Photo Credit Tosalyn! It was mostly an office day today, I had lunch with my friend Cass, and an appointment to show a listing at 3 o'clock this afternoon. Other than that, nothing really exciting to report. Cass and I always have a variety of topics to discuss, almost like when I get my hair cut. A diverse range of topics. Tomorrow will be much of the same; I will drop off tax records to the CPA and get our extension filed, then a lunch appointment, and maybe home early. I need to get the grass cut in the dog yard, and I want to do that before it starts raining again on Saturday. We are not expecting a lot of rain, more like just a nuisance rain.

Avuncular -- Adjective. 1. of or relating to an uncle. 2. suggestive of an uncle especially in kindliness or geniality. The avuncular TV host was known for educating and entertaining generations of boys and girls with a mix of warmth and humor each weekday afternoon.

Did You Know? Not all uncles are likable fellows (Hamlet's murderous Uncle Claudius, for example), but avuncular reveals that, as a group, uncles are generally seen as affable and benevolent, it at times a bit patronizing. Avuncular derives from the Latin noun avunculus, which translates as "maternal uncle," but since at least the 1830s English speakers have used avuncular to refer to uncles from either side of the family or even to individuals who are simply uncle-like in character or behavior. And in case you were wondering (and odds are you weren't), avunculus is also an ancestor of the word uncle itself.

2019 - Day 100/265 - Wednesday...Flippant...

You heard it here first. I'm lazy. The photo I am using in this journal entry is (at best) uninspired. I just needed a picture, and I was too lazy to actually search out something that would be attractive and interesting. Attractive and interesting. I could write a whole volume on those words, but that would distract me from the fact that I am lazy. Too lazy to take a decent picture. However, I did get up at 4:30 this morning and got ready to hit the road shortly after around 6:30 to make it to my destination before the scheduled time of 8:30. You absolutely, positively cannot figure what you might face when it comes to traffic, so I always try to make it earlier than later. As it was, I got to the board shortly after 8, and that is good so I do not feel like I am having to ruse to get set up and make sure all the AV is working and all that. Just a one day presentation, day three for the colleagues in attendance. Tomorrow will be their last day for this section of the 12 day course. AND, it was in a HUGE room with only about 20 folks attending the class.

Flippant -- Adjective. lacking proper respect or seriousness. "Craig's blunt, and he has a dry sense of humor, but he has to realize that his comments -- no matter how flippant -- can and will be scrutinized." Sean O'Connell, CinemaBlend, August 16, 2017

Who is Sean O'Connell and why is he referring to me as "Craig?"

Did You Know? Flippant did something of a flip-flop shortly after it appeared in English in the late 16th century. The word was probably created from the verb flip, which in turn may have originated as an imitation of the sound of something flipping. The earliest senses of the adjective were "nimble" and "limber." One could be flippant not only on one's feet, but also in speech -- that is, someone flippant might have a capacity for easy, flowing speech. Such flippancy was considered a good thing at first. But people who speak freely and easily can sometimes seem too talkative, and even impertinent. By the end of the 18th century, the positive sense of flippant had slipped from use, and the "disrespectful" sense had taken its place.

2019 - Day 99/266 - Tuesday...Felicitate...

Ugh. I was at the disposal and out of my own control for most of the day, and that got (pretty much) everything discombobulated. Spell check thinks discombobulated is a real word, obviously, because it is not alerting me that I have mis-spelled discombobulated. Whatever... BUT, as is usual, everything for today has come to an end, and there is only the hope of a better tomorrow. The sun was out nicely today, although I was unable to enjoy it (see above). Tomorrow will be a day for me to guide a class at the board, and that is always fun. The only challenge is, I am the last day of a four day class, and the attendees have all had a chance to bond, and I am coming in as the stranger. We will see how that all works out, but I expect it will be fine. I will leave a little bit earlier tomorrow, you never know what the traffic situation will be like.

Felicitate. Verb. 1. to consider happy or fortunate. 2. to offer congratulations to. "The rising music stars, all of whom are first-prize winners of the All India Radio Competition 2011, we be felicitated in the morning inaugural session." Screen, January 13, 2012

Did You Know? Felix, a Latin adjective meaning "happy" or "fruitful," is the root of our English words felicity and felicitate. The former is the older of the two; it dates back to the 14th century and refers to the state of being happy or to something that makes people happy. When writing King Lear, William Shakespeare used felicitate as an adjective meaning "made happy," but not everyone took a shine to that sense and it fell into disuse. However, people were happy to pick up felicitate as a verb meaning "to make happy." That meaning is now considered archaic, but it was the seed for other meanings of the word. Felicitate eventually grew to mean "to consider happy or fortunate" and "to congratulate."

2019 - Day 98/267 - Monday...Golden Handcuffs...

Do you think that, if this thing fell off the back of your truck (the pallet it was on fell off too, and it is about 15 feet away), you would know it? How could you NOT KNOW this thing fell off the back of your truck? This thing was laying in the middle of the road the other day. I stopped to take a picture, and another guy stopped to try to get it out of the middle of the road. The two of us together could not move this thin even one inch. I have no idea how much it might weigh, but it was a lot. Finally, the other guy hooked the thing to the trailer hitch of his truck and dragged it off to the side of the road. It was mysteriously gone when I passed by there the next day, so I assume it went back to the people that lost it. Interesting...

Golden Handcuffs -- Noun. special benefits offered to an employee as an inducement to continue service. It was in the company's best interests to offer Janice golden handcuffs in the form of more company stock, since her connections and knowledge of industry secrets would not be easy to replace.

Did You Know? Well, this is not as exciting as I imagined. Chances are you've heard of a golden handshake, which is a particularly tempting severance agreement offered to an employee in an effort to induce the person to retire early. People started getting golden handshakes (by that name) around 1960; by 1976, English speakers had also coined the accompanying golden handcuffs to describe a situation in which someone is offered a special inducement to stay. The expression turns up often in quasi-literal uses, such as "slapped golden handcuffs on" or "a shiny new set of golden handcuffs."

2019 - Day 97/268 - Sunday...Lamster...

We got some more rain today, a little over a half-inch, which puts us over two inches for the two days. Not too shabby, we will happily take it. It was not a hard, driving rain, so the Iris and the rest of the spring flora was not too heavily damaged. Interestingly, the iris beds are not all blooming in unison. This is the bed surrounding the storm shelter; it is going to be done this coming week. It has bloomed its' heart out, and we are grateful for that. Very pretty. We stayed in most of the day, although we did get out during a break in the clouds to take the girls for a ride. I did manage to get a couple naps, and got a start on the week, so that is nice. This week coming should be pretty good, so that will be nice. I hope you all have a great week!

Lamster -- Noun. a fugitive especially from the law. "During his time as a lamster, Lepke was looked after by gangsters associated with a gang based in the Brownsville section of Brooklyn." Marc Mappen, Prohibition Gangsters, 2013

Did You Know? Lamsters are probably as old as the law from which they flee, but the term lamster didn't sneak into our language until the early 1900s, shortly after the appearance of the noun lam, meaning "sudden or hurried flight especially from the law" (as in the phrase "on the lam"). Both words have an old verb relation, though. Since the late 16th century lam has meant "to beat soundly" or "to strike or thrash" (and consequently gave us our verb lambaste), but in the late 19th and early 20th centuries it developed another meaning: "to flee hastily." Eytmologists suggest the verb is akin to the Old Norse lemja, "to thrash."

2019 - Day 96/269 - Saturday...Pedantic...

I repeat this query every year, but this year, I also believe I have it right. This is (I believe) a photo of wildflowers that I believe are called 'Indian Blankets', not to be confused (although I just admitted I am) with 'Indian Paintbrush'. I believe Indian Blanket is pretty much solid red/orange. and Indian Paintbrush is red/orange with yellow/orange. Joe Mac will clear this all up for me, because he does that every year. So far today we have received 1.54" of rain, and there is supposed to be more overnight, and all through tomorrow. I met some clients this morning at a listing appointment, and I managed it without getting soaking wet. That was later. We got a good rain, but it was not so hard that it beat down all the iris and poppy's. The other things I have planted have so far done pretty well, including the tomato and pepper plants. Maybe the trick is to do it early. We shall see. The new chicks are doing well, too, so that is encouraging. One of them busted out of the little coop yesterday (did I already mention that?), but I was able to corral her without too much trouble.

Pedantic -- Adjective. 1. narrowly, stodgily, and often ostentatiously learned. 2. unimaginative, pedestrian. Rather than rely on pedantic lectures, Professor Hughes tries to apply the lessons of economics to real-life scenarios to keep her class engaged.

Did You Know? In Shakespeare's day, a pedant was a male school teacher, and someone who was pedantic was simply a tutor or teacher. But some instructional pedants of the day must have been pompous and dull, because by the early 1600s both pedant and pedantic had gained extended senses referring to anyone who was obnoxiously and tediously devoted to his or her own academic acumen.

2019 - Day 95/270 - Friday...Harbinger...

I have seen this particular notification on a couple occasions while traveling down IH-35 in Austin, but I am usually traveling at a pace of about 3 or 4 miles per hour, so the opportunity to document the notice was lacking until this morning. And even then, I almost missed the opportunity to get the picture. This notice is on the inside lane barrier of the Interstate. By the time a pedestrian might (emphasis on the MIGHT) notice the notice, said pedestrian would have already succeeded in crossing four of five lanes of traffic to make it to that small linear bit of calm. After having paid some attention to the notice, would one admit to the error of their ways and return to the area from which they came, or do you think they might jump the short barrier and see if they could make it safely to the other side. Either way, I believe that is someone is set on crossing the Interstate right there in the big middle (or even some other big middle), my opinion is they would not pay much heed to the warning. Or maybe they would just set up camp right there and see what happens.

Whatever...

Harbinger -- Noun. 1. one that pioneers in or initiates a major change: precursor. 2. one that presages or foreshadows what is to come. "Brucie's worsening situation, like many events in Sweat's early scenes, is a harbinger of bad economic times that ultimately afflict all the characters." Michael Feingold, The Village Voice, November 9, 2016

Did You Know? When medieval travelers needed lodging for the night, they went looking for a harbinger. As long ago as the 12th century, harbinger was used to mean one who provides lodging" or "a host," but that meaning is now obsolete. By the late 1300s, harbinger was also being used for a person sent ahead of a main party to seek lodgings, often for royalty or a campaigning army, but that old sense has largely been left in the past, too. Both of those historical senses are true to the Anglo-French of harbinger, the word herberge, meaning "lodgings." The most common sense of the word nowadays, the "forerunner" sense, has been with us since the mid-1500s.

2019 - Day 94/271 - Thursday...Solicitous...

I had to scroll through my posts to see if I had added any photos of poppy's, and it looks as if I have not, so here you are. I love poppy's, and this weekend begins (I think) the Poppy Festival in Georgetown. I am hoping to get one of the posters for this years event, we shall see. The chicks are doing really well, no losses yet on the chick front. It was 90 degrees here today, so I turned the lamp off in their little coop. It is going down into the 60s tonight, so I may re-arrange the lamp thing so it is not so close to the chicks. It is threatening to rain all weekend long, maybe 2 or 3 inches of rain. That is really okay with me, it will mean I can stay in the house, work on gathering tax information and take a few naps along the way.That sounds just like a perfect weekend if you ask me!

Solicitous -- Adjective. 1. showing attentive care or protectiveness. 2. full of concern or fears: apprehension. 3. meticulously careful. 4. full of desire: eager. Lyle has developed a reputation as one of the best tailors in the area because he is solicitous of his customers and their needs.

Did You Know? If you are solicitous about learning the connections between words, you'll surely want to know about the relationship between solicitous and another word you've probably heard before -- solicit. Solicitous doesn't come from solicit, but the two words are related. They both have their roots in the Latin word sollicitus, meaning "anxious." Solicitous itself came directly from this Latin word, whereas solicit made its way to English with a few more steps. From sollicitus came the Latin verb sollicitare, meaning "to disturb, agitate, move, or retreat." Forms of this verb were borrowed into Anglo-French and then Middle English, and they have survived in Modern English as solicit.

2019 - Day 93/272 - Wednesday...Effete...

What do you call a partial group of admins? A flock? A gaggle? A confusion? A covey? A herd? I am not sure, but this is a partial group of the Cooke'd Admins that attended the NAR Broker Summit in Austin over the last couple of days. There were more of us, but this is (apparently) all Candy could herd (A herd?) up for the photo. Erica was in the queue for her presentation and I am not sure where Christy was. BUT...overall, it was a good conference, lots of good information shared, lots of topics that can make you stop, think, quake in your boots, and try to take the precautions that will ensure your continued successes in our profession. The next conference (2020) will be in Hollywood, so that will be interesting, assuming that it does not fall off or anything like that!

Effete -- Adjective. 1. no longer fertile. 2. having lost character, vitality, or strength: soft or delicate from or as if from a pampered existence. 3. having feminine qualities untypical of a man. The novel paints a complex portrait of the weak, effete society that marked the final years of the Roman empire.

Did You Know? Effete derives from the Latin effetus, meaning "no longer fruitful," and for a brief time in English it was used to describe an animal no longer capable of producing offspring. For most of its existence in English, however, the use of effete has been entirely figurative. The usual figurative sense of the word was for many years "exhausted" or "worn out." But since at least the beginning of the 20th century, effete has also been used to suggest over-refinement, weakness of character, snobbery, and effeminacy. It's these meanings you're most likely to encounter today.

2019 - Day 92/273 - Tuesday...Bootless...

Oh my, my, my, my... When you live on the Edge of Nowhere, you never really know what the day might bring. Mike had a flight at 9:15 this morning, so I was awake at 4:30 doing piddly little things and getting ready for the day. We left the house about 6:30 (I think), and we got to the airport just before 8 A.M. There was (maybe) only one stop on the toll-way, and only a couple slow spots, so that was good. No stressing! I think Mike's plane was on time, and he texted me that he was back in Fort Lauderdale and waiting on Norma to pick him up. All good, and we were totally happy to have a chance to visit with him! Then it was off to my office, and then to a NAR meeting at the ACL Theatre, the annual Broker Summit. This was the first time it was held in Austin. I have been to all the Summits except one, and I really advocate for my colleagues to attend. This is a photo of Debbie, Russell, me and Candy on the ACL terrace, overlooking Willie Nelson Boulevard!

Bootless -- Adjective. useless, unprofitable. We already knew that our mechanic was on vacation, so any attempt to call him at his garage would be bootless.

Did You Know? This sense of bootless has nothing to do with footwear. The boot in this case is an obsolete noun that meant "use" or "avail." That boot descended from the Old English bot and is ultimately related to our modern word better, whose remote Germanic ancestor meant literally "of more use." Of course, English does also see the occasional use of bootless to mean simply "lacking boots," as in Anne Brontes Agnes Grey (1847): "And what would their parents think of me, if they saw or heard the children rioting, hatless, bonnetless, gloveless, and bootless, in the deep soft snow?"

2019 - Day 91/274 - Monday...Frowsy...

Today is actually Jody's birthday, so if you happen to see him, wish him 'Happy Birthday'. That is not an April Fools Day joke. True dat! The iris are starting to bloom in full force. It seems like every day there are more blooms, not just iris, but the poppies are getting ready to burst forth, and there are blooms of things that I forgot I planted. The unfortunate reality is that the chickens kept things from thriving in the landscape; they were really interested in scratching and consuming, so the fact that the new chicks will be more confined should help the flora get some roots down.

Frowsy -- Adjective. 1. musty, stale. 2. having a slovenly or uncared-for appearance. "Clad in a frowsy graying wig, Ryder has a lot of the same moxie I loved in golden girls like Bea Arthur and Nancy Walker.: Bryan VanCampen, Ithaca.com, August 22, 2017

Did You Know? The exact origins of this approximately 330-year-old word may be lost in some frowsy old book somewhere, but some etymologists have speculated that frowsy (also spelled frowzy) shares a common ancestor with the younger, chiefly British word frowsty, a synonym of frowsy in both its senses. That ancestor could be the Old French word frouste, meaning "ruinous" or "decayed," or the now mostly obsolete English word frough or frow, meaning "brittle" or "fragile." The English dramatist Thomas Otway is the first person (as far as I know) to have used frowsy in print. In his comedy The Souldier's Fortune, published in 1681, the character Beau refers to another character as "a frouzy Fellmonger."