Volume 12 - Day 121/245, 2020 - Thursday

Can you believe it is the last day of April already? Crazy. I was listening to a radio program yesterday, and one of the topics was (I am paraphrasing) that young people think days, weeks and years go by slowly, and the older you get, the quicker you think time goes by. One caller said that, if you are twelve years old, a year accounts for 1/12th of your life and experiences, and if you were (for example) 68 years old, a year represents 1/68th of your life and experiences, so the older you are, the shorter years become, based on the length of your life and your life experiences. It kind of makes sense, but I would not waste a lot of time pondering it. The older you are, the less time you have left, so don't waste it on hypothetical things.

There were no traumatic experiences in the past 24 hours, so that is a new record for me. One nice thing is that this particular flora (I have no idea what the name of these are), are finally blooming. I should have paid attention (or tried to remember) when I bought them years ago. I have always called the rain iris or rain lilies, but according to Mrs. Google, that is not correct. If you know what the are, please share.

Three paragraphs! I have not done more than one paragraph in years. I wonder what that means?

Volume 12 - Day 120/246, 2020 - Wednesday

There were two events overnight, that I find worth discussing in this journal entry. Late last night, I took a bar stool (I got new ones from Wayfair yesterday afternoon) and put it in one of the bedrooms we really never go into. The flooring was 'squishy,' and a few feet further into the bedroom, there was water coming up from under the flooring. I searched everywhere for the source, and could not find anything. I eventually turned off the water, but by then, there was water coming up in several places. In hindsight, I think the leak started on Monday. Several calls to the insurance company/water remediation companies/plumbers and other folks ended up with this plan. We are covered for most of it (not all and there is always the deductible). On Monday (most likely) they will send someone or a group of people to move all the furniture out of about half of the house into storage containers. EVERYTHING. They empty the drawers into boxes and then move the furniture. That will take three days (they said). Then they will come out and pull up all the flooring, bathroom cabinets, moldings, maybe the built in book cases and entertainment center in the den. Then they start the drying out process and the anti-microbial stuff and the other stuff. I have no idea when the rebuilding will start. It is a first world problem, I understand that, but I would be much happier if it had not happened. The other event was the storm that came through overnight. About 4 in the morning, there was quite a light show of lightning and thunder. We got 1.13" of rain. The piglet girl ended up under the covers, I thought that was cute. The storms lasted until about 5:30 or 6. While I was taking the plumbers to the water cutoff up by the road, this mud bug was sashaying down the driveway. Yep, there was a little rain, and that was good for the tanks back in the pastures. I expect to sleep better tonight. Fingers crossed!

Volume 12 - Day 119/247, 2020 - Tuesday

Tuesday? It just turned in to something like Monday. I went in to Austin late this morning, and got some real estate stuff done. I got home in time for a two o'clock zoom meeting, and then I went up to check the mail. Nothing very exciting in the mail, but the bar stools that I had ordered from Wayfair had been delivered. I ordered charcoal upholstered barstools, and the boxes (two) said 'black.' Well, damn. I waited until after I ate and watched the news before I opened up one of the boxes, and they were indeed charcoal, and that was good. I put them both together in less than twenty minutes, and I like them very much. I took the one barstool that we have had for years, and took it to the 'storage room,' also known as Mikey's bedroom. When I went into the bedroom, I heard what I thought was a gurgling noise. Ugh. It wasn't like a noise from an air conditioner, it was just a gurgling noise. I went further into the bedroom, and when I opened the door to the bathroom vanity area, water started coming up from under the laminate flooring. Ugh. I thought I had a water leak somewhere, and I had searched everywhere inside the house and checked all the hose bibs outside. I convinced myself it had to be a leak somewhere in one of the pastures, and I just thought I would find it in a day or two. This puts a whole new spin on the problem, and to be honest, I do not know who to call first. I think the leak is either in the plumbing that goes to the Jack and Jill bath tub/shower, or at the hose bib outside the bedroom in the dog yards. I know I will eventually have to get the insurance company involved, and I guess I will need to call a plumber first thing in the morning. Worst case is that this causes a mold issue, which I cannot even contemplate at this minute. Oh, today's picture...look what I found in the garage the other day. I forgot I had these, I was supposed to be using them when I cut the grass, but they were not really convenient. Now I can repurpose them for something else!

Volume 12 - Day 118/248, 2020 - Monday

In the twelve years we have lived here, it has not been unusual to see vultures riding the thermals all around here. The Edge of Nowhere is kind of a breezy place, there is nothing out here to stop the winds. This afternoon, we were experiencing near gale force winds from the south. Honestly, you could hear the wind howling outside. So, I was kind of surprised to see this vulture walking around up towards the road. It left, then would come back. When I went out to see what the attraction was, there was a dead rabbit up there. The bamboo is a haven for rabbits, but vultures don't kill things (to the best of my knowledge), they just clean up stuff after stuff is dead. So, I have no idea what killed the rabbit, but I relocated the carcass to across the road in the county's right of way. I expect the vulture will sniff it out, and take care of it from there. Otherwise, not a bad day. I took the girls for a ride this evening, mainly because I had not started Jody's car in over a week. I was happy that it started right up with no issues. I will head in to Austin tomorrow, and I may need to go in again later in the week.

Volume 12 - Day 117/249, 2020 - Sunday

It was an absolutely beautiful day here on the Edge of Nowhere. Beautiful blue skies, and just a little smattering of wispy white clouds. It was not as warm today as yesterday, but the humidity is going up from the southerly breezes.I got most of my chores done, at least all the things that absolutely, positively had to be done today. I went into Jarrell to do a little bit of shopping; Tractor Supply for a few things that the did NOT have, and then to the small grocery across the street. I am all set up for the next week at least. I cleaned a few more things our of the (various) freezers this afternoon. The record goes to some frozen salmon that had a 'best by' date of January, 2011. Not even I will try to salvage that. I wanted to clean the pantry shelves, but I just could not get motivated. I get the chicken coop cleaned out, gathered up eggs, and I replaced the flags out in the circle. Later this evening, I will take the giant garbage can out to the road, and that will be it for another week. Not sure about my schedule this week, but I expect I will make at least two trips in to Austin.

Volume 12 - Day 116/250, 2020 - Saturday

Days frequently have their ups and downs. My day had some middles and up, no downs that are really worth mentioning in the grand scheme of things. I think we have more humming birds this year than we have had in the past. Just a minute ago, I saw something that I have never seen before; a hummer was getting a drink of water out of the tall fountain on the front walk. I watched because I wanted to make sure it was not about to drown. It flew off, and as I was typing these last sentences, it came back. I have noticed them much more this year, maybe because I spend more time this year looking out the windows, maybe there really are more this year, I'm not sure. The air conditioner for one side of the house shut down last night, and I was out in the garage and up in the attic after dark last night, nekkid, thinking I would be able to get it going again. I couldn't. So...a weekend service call later, and all is good. There is some benefit to being a property manager, even if the benefits are becoming less and less attractive by the minute. I headed in to Austin about 2 o'clock this afternoon, and got back home about 6 or 6:30. I have a few chores on my list for tomorrow, and I may even go in to the grocery store in Jarrell to see what I can find. The littler store in Jarrell is tremendously easier than the HEB in Georgetown, although I am a devoted fan of HEB. Hope you enjoy this pic of clouds, they were really interesting
this afternoon.

Volume 12 - Day 115/251, 2020 - Friday

Not a bad day for a Friday. Or any day of the week for that matter. Two early morning zoom meetings, then a couple phone calls, got an update e-mail off to Landlords, had two PBJ flips for lunch, took a nap, watered some plants, fed the cat and the chickens, collected eggs, got a call from a friend in Pennsylvania, made a quick iPhone video, helped the office get ready for a Facebook promotion, blew off the patio and pool deck, emptied the skimmer basket, fixed some dinner (pre-cooked chicken leg and thigh), shared my dinner with the girls, took a couple pictures of some lovely clouds, sat out in the dog yard with the girls for a while, now doing the blog before I retire to watch a little bit more television. Then off to lala land for the night. I have an appointment in Austin tomorrow afternoon, and on Sunday I plan to clean the pantry shelves and transplant a lily in the back yard to another spot. JoeMac and Carolyn sent me this DVD of Dumbo, so I will get that on the schedule pretty soon. THANKS JOEMAC AND CAROLYN! This Dumbo is not to be confused with the Brooklyn Dumbo, Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass. One of my clients lives in Dumbo, and I think that would be a really interesting place to live. Or visit. I think it has a cache to it!

Volume 12 - Day 114/252, 2020 - Thursday

I went on a field trip this afternoon. To begin, I took a distance learning class from 9-Noon, and then headed out to run a couple errands, and I made it to Costco, HEB and Papa Murphy's for a pizza. Costco and HEB were kind of interesting. I went to the Costco in Cedar Park, and it is not at all laid out in the same way the other Costco's in Austin are, so I do not know where anything is in the store. I did manage to buy some dog treats, bananas, bed sheets and coffee. Then to HEB in Georgetown, which was kind of a practice in nothing very satisfying. Did manage to pick up a few things, including two gallons of Bleu Bell, and then you get in to a queue to check out. that is kind of aggravating. I did get some hanging baskets of petunias that I am going to plant in the front of the house in an old antique wheel barrel. I think they are properly 'wheel barrels,' not 'wheel barrows.' It just makes more sense to me. They are barrels with wheels. What is the problem here? Then it was off to get a pizza to take home and bake for dinner. I will be eating on the pizza for a minimum of two weeks. I am drinking milk that has a buy-date of April 15th. I expect I can get it finished before it curdles. Maybe. But the pizza was great, and the girls and I both enjoyed it. I have one zoom meeting tomorrow, and I may go in to the office for a little while, it'll just depend on how I feel in the morning!

Volume 12 - Day 113/253, 2020 - Wednesday

I had to look at the calendar to see what day it was. About the most exciting thing to happen today was, after about 3 1/2 weeks, the landline is working again. It pretty much just proves to me that I don't really need the landline, except for the alarm system monitoring (which I should use more often). I did one zoom meeting (a quickie) this morning, and the insurance company responded that, yes, they believe the shingles need to be replaced. So, in about two weeks, the roofers should be out here replacing the shingles. As an environmentalist at heart, I know that white shingles are better for the roof, but the consensus of the people that I asked say I should replace the shingles with dark colored shingles, much like those that are being replaced. It was pretty common for houses to have white shingles where I grew up in Michigan, but it is not at all common here in central Texas. I am trying to think what else I did today. I did scramble some eggs for breakfast, and shared them with the girls. I did not take either of the cars anywhere. I fed the cat and the chickens, and collected eggs. I fixed myself some dinner (salad that expired in March), and some micro-wave meatloaf (that I also shared with the girls. Tomorrow I am taking a three hour class provided by the Austin Board of REALTORS®, and then probably a nap.I think tonights journal picture is interesting. I do not think it really looks like a photograph, to me it looks more like a painting, maybe a water color. But it is indeed a phone camera photo, and I haope you enjoy it. I think the clouds are interesting.

Volume 12 - Day 112/254, 2020 - Tuesday

It's hard to believe it is only Tuesday, and it is even more difficult to think that I really give a good crap about what day it is. Days of the week do not seem to carry the same weight that they once did. Whatever. I did go in to the office today, I left the house about 11:30 and got there with plenty of time for some power real estate, and then the second zoom meeting of the day. Then it was off to a listing appointment, that really did not happen. Seller's had a scheduling conflict, so we expect we will get it done another day this week. I will let you know. Then it was off to the Edge of Nowhere. When I was pulling in to the driveway, our neighbor to the east (one of the good sets of neighbors) was pulling in at the same time, and I was invited over for chili dogs at the barn. So, an hour later, we were sitting around with the appropriate amount of social distancing, and eventually had a great dinner and some great conversation. It was really nice, and I really appreciated the invitation. I am equally impressed with myself for actually joining them. I had intended to stop at Papa Murphy's on the way home (Tuesday is $10 pizza night), but I was talking on the phone and missed the exit, so I was open for the chili dogs. Life is good, I am a lucky man.

Volume 12 - Day 111/255, 2020 - Monday

Monday. Of course, aren't they all Mondays these days? I really can't tell a Monday from a Thursday any more. My longest zoom meeting was held today, but it was a tough subject and we all did a lot of good work. Two zooms tomorrow, and I have to go in to Austin for an appointment. At some time, I will also (probably) shave so I will be somewhat presentable for my appointment. My point (CORO-NO-SHAVE), has been made (in my mind anyway, so it is time for the beard to go. I will start delicately, seeing if I like the 'trimmed beard look' at all, and go from there. I do not think the grey/white beard hair is an asset in my advance years, so I will take that in to consideration as well. The last time I made a political statement was during the Iran Hostage crisis. I lived in a trailer in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, and I got a cat and named her 'Hostage.' The deal was, she could not go out of the trailer until the hostages were released. When she finally was let out to roam, she was not impressed, so she retreated back to her cubby in the laundry room. So much for political correctness!

Volume 12 - Day 110/256, 2020 - Sunday

It has come to this. I have taken to cleaning pantry shelves and closets instead of watching the news. Jody and I used to watch the news three times a day (at least), but now I just watch the news before going to bed, because it has more local news and less national and international news. Just about all I care about these days is the weather, and once that is done, so am I. I used to (religiously) watch CBS Sunday Morning (on Sundays), and 60 Minutes, but I am going to have to change my habits. Clean and organized pantry shelves are their own reward, and there are plenty more closets to clean out and straighten. Overall, life is good, and as an introvert, I really do not have any problems with the social distancing. I have to call the insurance company tomorrow morning, to have them come and take a look at the shingles. I am pretty well convinced that there will be a re-shingling in my near future. I took a field trip to Walmart this afternoon, and on the way home, I saw what I thought might have been the front from a distance. It got up to 90 degrees here this afternoon, and it was humid. We were expecting a Pacific front, and we were supposed to get some rain, but we missed out. Well, that is not 100% accurate. We had a little teeny-tiny bit of rain this morning, Just enough to wet the pool deck. Maybe no more
rain until next week. Ugh!

Volume 12 - Day 109/257, 2020 - Saturday

The other night, I watched A Star is Born, the 1954 Judy Garland film that caused me to profess my love for all things Judy. Yesterday (or some day this week), I watched North by Northwest. It was released in 1959, so that would have made me 7 (my birthday is in December), when I went to the Wyandotte Main Theatre (it could have been the Wyandotte Annex, it was a two screen movie house), where I was intending to see the re-release of Dumbo. My dad dropped me off (I was alone), and looked at the really long line to get in to see Dumbo, and I thought 'to hell with this,' and I bought a ticket to see North by Northwest. There was no line. I liked the movie, and I don't know if I have ever, EVER seen Dumbo. Did you catch the part where I said my dad dropped me off at the theatre? Did you catch the part where I said I was seven years old. Did you catch the part where I said I was alone. That is totally unheard of now. Things were a lot less complicated then. 1959. One thing has stayed the same, though, I am still not keen on standing in lines for many things. Today's pic: the amaryllis is really a late bloomer, kind of like me!

Volume 12 - Day 108/258, 2020 - Friday

I hit the disinfectant wipes trifecta today. I was heading back from a visit to the office, and I saw something on the front door motion detector. I recognized the perp, and called him. It was a friend of mine that said he found me some disinfectant wipes at Dollar General. I hauled ass to Dollar General in Jarrell (where he bought them) and they were sold out by the time I got there. BUT...it seems that disinfectant wipes are my 'hoarding item of choice' right now, so I ask EVERYONE I see to score me some if they ever find them in a store. Disinfectant wipes and Blue Bell Ice Cream. I bought two more gallons this afternoon. You can never have too much Blue Bell. Another friend dropped some face masks off for me at the office yesterday (hand-made lovelies), and I called her on my way in to see if she wanted some material I had bought YEARS ago for something (??), and she said of course. She also said she had 40 more face masks (imported from China, don't ask), and so we did the social distancing swap on the sidewalk in front of her house. But honestly, I am okay with the social distancing stuff, especially now that I have the disinfectant wipes. You might remember that we had some really strong winds last Thursday and Friday. Since then I found three separate pieces of shingles on the ground around the house. A roofer friend came out this afternoon and made some patches to the roof (it is supposed to rain over the weekend), and on Monday I will be calling the insurance company to get an adjuster out here to take a look. It's always something. At least I am covered for the weekend...

Volume 12 - Day 107/259, 2020 - Thursday

I love Judy Garland. I know whe's dead, but I have pretty much always liked her as a performer. I never thought she was a pretty woman, and I know lots of people did, but I never thought she was a beautiful woman. The same thing with Katherine Hepburn. I like her work, her talent and all, but I never thought she was particularly pretty. Spencer Tracy did. But Judy Garland, I like her a lot. I am watching A STAR IS BORN, from 1954. Remastered, and parts of the master disintegrated, so they fill those parts in with stills. Kind of interesting. Okay, enough of that. I had a pretty good week so far, and it is always interesting tome how commitments are not spaced out equally throughout the week. Three zoom meetings today, two tomorrow. No chance to take the girls for a ride, but we did get a chance for naps between the meetings. Some of the iris are still blooming, a few of my favorites, of which this is one.

Volume 12 - Day 106/260, 2020 - Wednesday

We are on the downhill slide to the weekend, which does not carry the same panache that it used to. Weekends now are a lot like any other day, since we are doing the social distancing thing. I took the girls for a ride again this morning, and that was fun. It was another beautiful day in central Texas, and there were some lovely clouds now and then. In BC-19, the journal themes frequently revolved around wrecks on the Interstate, and for something completely different, clouds. Unfortunately, it seems I remember paying more attention to wrecks than I did to clouds, and that is a shame. It has been three weeks since I have been in a traffic jam, and that is a good thing. Clouds are better than traffic jams or wrecks, so I hope you can appreciate these!

Volume 12 - Day 105/261, 2020 - Tuesday

I could rummage around in old abandoned buildings for hours and hours at a time. I am fascinated with that stuff. I was in Austin yesterday, and it reminded me of one of my binge television shows, Mysteries of the Abandoned. I think abandoned malls, schools, ghost towns, anything old and empty (does that sound like me?), really makes me want to go sneaking around. It is just kind of eery, kind of like an old episode of the Twilight Zone. But back to this post. When Jody and I first moved out to the Edge of Nowhere, this property was occupied by a single man (most likely a widower), but it has been empty for four or five years now. This photo does not include the actual house, but just a couple of the out buildings and a couple old trucks. I think rusty old vehicles would make perfect yard art. Jody always told me there was a fine line between yard art and crap on the porch, and that I was erasing that line! Anyway, this morning, I took the girls for a ride, and we rode for about 45 minutes. That is not too hard to do when you are going between 10 and 15 miles per hour. But, the girls enjoy it (I hope), and I get to go investigate things and take my time while doing it. No roses to smell, but it was a really pretty morning, and we all had a good time. Now if I could sneak up and investigate that old rusted out truck.

Volume 12 - Day 104/262, 2020 - Monday

As you might have noticed, there have been a series of 'oopses' going on here on the Edge of Nowhere lately. Garage door repairs, faucet replacements (several tries to get it right), just a bunch of little things that have taken time and patience (not my high quality) to get done, coupled with the social distancing we are trying strongly to comply with. Last night, after I had done all my chores, had some dinner and done some this-and-thats, it was time to grab a nice shower. I got in and waited for the hot water to get there. And waited. And. Waited. No hot water was to be received. Was it the faucet/diverter? Was I going have to go shopping AGAIN for a faucet? Would I get it right the first time? I got out of the shower and dried off my feet. Hmmm. There was no hot water at the bathroom sinks, either. SO...I marched to the other side of the house and took my shower in the middle bathroom. Mission accomplished. Hopefully, it was just the pilot light gone out because of all the high winds we have had lately. But I did not really want to go up in the attic in the dark, so I waited til this morning. Sure enough, it was just the pilot light, and all is well again (for now) at The Estate on the Edge of Nowhere. For now. Tonights image: this is how the three of us share the big blue chair in the den when we are trying to watch the toob.

Volume 12 - Day 103/263, 2020 - Sunday. Easter Sunday!

The photo that accompanies this entry really is just awful. We had another storm overnight, and the warnings started coming in fast and furious, starting about 4 o'clock this morning. The winds were not as bad as those on Thursday, but there was more rain. We recorded 1.33" of rain this morning, and there were several tornadoes to the west of us, and they went in to Louisiana and Mississippi (I think). There is water in the tanks again, and even the front tank is about half full. The lawn lake came back to life, too, and that seemed to attract a bunch of cattle egrets. Most of the day was spent putzing around the house, cleaning this and that, organizing a few things in the garage, cleaning the chicken coop, just stuff like that. I did rearrange the office, and then I put it back the way it has been for twelve years. I thought I would like the new arrangement, but nope, it did not work, so I put it all back like it was. I have some business to take care of tomorrow, so I will leave the house about 11 and run some errands, and end up in the office for a couple hours. I would kind of like to make a run to Costco later in the week as well. We shall see. Sorry about the picture...

Volume 12 - Day 102/264, 2020 - Saturday

Yesterday I Learned: Even the nicest cashmere scarf/muffler (which I can neither confirm nor deny that I stole from a certain C Coneway four or five years ago) becomes a sorry excuse for a face mask that you can use to protect yourself from the inhaled sputum of the menacing novel Covid-19 viri. But, today I took a pair of my lesser favorite socks and made something that kind of works. I only used one of the pair, so I think my attempt tomorrow will be advances, and better functioning. I was not the least bit embarrassed walking into either Walgreen's in Austin or the Brookshire Brothers in Jarrell. At least my mask was somewhat interesting, and no one remarked as to whether or not they recognized it as one of a pair of socks. I guess by this time, they have all seen just about all there is to see. I may actually be in line for a REAL mask next week, and if any of my legion of admirers have home economic skills with a sewing machine, I have some really cool fabric remnants that I will be happy to share. Just let me know. I did go in to the office today, the first time this week. Statements will be run next week, so I had to approve some invoices. Otherwise, it was another quiet day. It has rained off and on, and we are expecting more storms in the early morning hours. I did notice that one of the shade structures in the back pasture is no longer there. It turned into a pile of rubble Thursday during that storm. Also, I found a few pieces of shingles on the ground this morning, so I think I will have a roofer come out for a quick look-see this week.

Volume 12 - Day 101/265, 2020 - Friday

And Good Friday at that! We were better off on the Edge of Nowhere than we even knew concerning yesterdays storms. I went in to Georgetown this afternoon (after everything settled down), and there were lots of downed trees, damaged roofs, sheds destroyed (good, well made, anchored sheds!), and trampolines blown A LONG WAY! I saw a trampoline that was not anywhere near any homes, and the only thing that stopped it was the barbed wire fence. I did not know that there had been that much damage. Some of the trees downed are still blocking the roads, and I expect they will be there at least til the middle of next week. SO...today the painters finished. The backsplash was installed, and the garage door got fixed. I think this is the best fix ever for the garage door, so it should last for a while. This is about (at least) the third time the garage door opener has broken loose from the garage door. It looks like a pretty substantial fix, and that is a good thing. The backsplash looks really good, and I am about to puke because of the fumes from the adhesive. I do not remember the fumes being that bad when they installed the counter tops last week. I have the windows open, but it is still pretty toxic. And the painters are done. I think that pretty much does it for the inside, and I am looking forward to folks coming for a visit and checking it all out. The pool deck should be finished in about another ten days, and then I am thinking about some new fencing up by the road. That ought to do it for this year. Dinner tonight was carry-out (again) from the Crossroads Cafe. Double Cheeseburger, fries and an extra patty for the dogs. They had onion rings on the menu tonight, but I did not want a whole order of rings. Tomorrow morning I will go into Bartlett and buy a couple bar-b-que plates from one of the churches. $10 a plate, 9:30 until they sell out.

Volume 12 - Day 100/266, 2020 - Thursday

And then this happened. My journal photo yesterday was one of brilliant blue skies, brilliant white clouds, just brilliance. I could not capture a photo today that showed just the exact opposite of that. This afternoon about 2 o'clock, the winds started to pick up, and by about 2:30, we were having winds up to about 75 miles per hour. About 7 miles from us, in Jarrell, the winds blew over trailers and RVs. Here, we just have a lot of downed limbs, and a lot of crap in the pool. A little bit of damage here and there, but nothing of any real consequence, and everyone and most things are safe. Neighbors were calling around to make sure everyone was good, and that was nice. I've got three appointments tomorrow, and that will mean that most of everything inside the house will be completed. That is a comforting thought. I can hardly wait to see what I will think of next. I hope I am done for the most part right now. A couple more things I want to get accomplished outside, and that will be it for this year.

Volume 12 - Day 99/267, 2020 - Wednesday

Today, I was informed by a plumber, that (and I quote) "You need a four inch spread." Um. I was taken aback, to say the least. I was surprised. I was a lot of things. Insulted? I had no idea how I was supposed to react. Who knew kitchen and laundry room sink faucets could be so complicated and difficult to understand. In this time of social-distancing, I just kept buying faucet after faucet after faucet. I have a pallet of various faucets in the back of the car. One day soon, I will make a special trip to return all the faucets, and all the parts that did not work, did not fit or were not appropriate for one reason or another. At least it is not a lot of toilet paper that I am returning. As of today, I have a cooktop in the kitchen that is operable. I have a faucet in the kitchen that works. I have a faucet (the original one) that no longer leaks more water than comes out the nozzle. By Friday, the painting should be done. By Friday, I hope the backsplash will be installed. And then, all that is left is to put the house back together. And then, just the enjoying part. Enough about that stuff. Let's talk just a minute or two about brilliance. The picture I took this afternoon is what brilliance on the edge of nowhere looks like. The sky was a brilliant blue. The clouds were absolutely brilliant white. The grass (?) and the leaves on the trees were an absolutely brilliant green. This is what it looks like here on this absolutely brilliant day. Brilliance!

Volume 12 - Day 98/268, 2020 - Tuesday

The grey cat made another appearance today. I was taking food out to Barney, and there was the grey cat, laying on the shredder behind the tractor. I believe this is a female cat, but I have no real way of telling for sure. She jumped up and stood her distance initially, but when I put the food in the bowl, she came right over and started eating. I have absolutely no idea where this grey cat hangs out, but she is here now and then. I am always happy to see her, but I really wish that, between the grey cat and Barney, they would do a better job with the mice. Otherwise, it was a pretty okay day. I had no zoom meetings today, but I have two tomorrow. I did have to go to the bank, so that was an adventure. You have to make an appointment to gain lobby access. The chickens were doing okay, the girl dogs seem happy and content, although I cannot get Callie to eat regularly. She has always been finicky, but it seems she only wants to eat once a day now, which is perfectly okay, but it is another 'new normal' for me.

Volume 12 - Day 97/269, 2020 - Monday

The only time I left the house today was to drive about four miles to the Crossroad Cafe for another dinner entree. I got a double cheese burger and an order of fries, and an extra burger patty for the girl dogs. Today was a bit of an interesting day, I spent most of it sequestered in the office, about twenty steps from where I am composing this journal entry. There was a pretty good bit of NO ACTIVITY, too. I still don't have a faucet in the kitchen, the plumber called this morning and said they had to reschedule until THURSDAY! Aargh! I have not found anyone (yet) to install the cooktop, but the people I ordered it from last week have (supposedly) overnighted the missing parts to me, so maybe they will arrive tomorrow. Maybe. Painters tomorrow (supposed to be done by Thursday). That would be swell. It is all a work in progress. Best case scenario, all the changes I have decided to do should (fingers crossed) be done in two weeks. Just about the same time the isolation thing is finished. I have confidence! SO...tonight's pic...Barney has been keeping kind of a low profile lately, but I did see him out the other morning, and took this. He's a pretty quiet, tasteful
little barn cat.

Volume 12 - Day 96/270, 2020 - Sunday

I am reasonable confident that I can go AT LEAST five weeks without having to do laundry. In this time of self-isolation, I wear the same clothes day-in-and-day-out. Who cares. I certainly don't. And since I have been doing the no-shave thing, I might as well wear the clothes to look as much like a hermit as I can. After all, I do live on the Edge of Nowhere. I am thinking of building a small bridge in the driveway so I can pretend to be the troll that lives under it. I also kind of have an urge to read to JRR Tolkien books. I have never read them. Not one. Never interested me, and it pretty much still does not. Never been very much of a science fiction fan at all. This picture was taken this morning when I was taking the girls for a ride. There is very seldom any water in this little creek that we cross, but we have had a little bit of rain in the last couple of days. I got the chicken coop cleaned and gathered eggs, got Barney the cat fed, took the trash up to the road, and that was really just about all I had to do today. I am a little bit late for my nap, so I may just wait for the big nap later.

Volume 12 - Day 95/271, 2020 - Saturday

Here is an interesting piece of trivia. We have twelve chickens, and today I collected 13 eggs. Yesterday, there were seven. The total for this month (four days) is 42. Need eggs? We got 'em. It has been my experience that a single chicken will lay about 5 eggs per week. Other factors that go into egg laying include the chickens age, the amount of sunlight (they are fans of daylight saving time), and the temperatures are not extreme one way or the other. I am happy for the egg production, and I love eggs. The girl dogs love eggs, too. Eggs are good. It has been raining most of the day today, not hard, just nice drizzly rain. I hope some of this rain water is going in to the tanks in the back pastures. There is a little chance of rain for the next week, and we will take what we can get. Everything is lovely and green, I need to document the grasses, it will non be green in August or September. I did go in to Georgetown late this morning, on an emergency mission to Home Depot. They put in the new countertops yesterday, and they are lovely. The faucets and the cooktop will be installed Monday, if everything goes according to the plan. I also took a better look at paint colors. I am planning on having the kitchen cabinets painted and the walls in the kitchen, living, dining, breakfast and hallway(s) painted. It should be very handsome once all that is done. We will see how it all works out.

Volume 12 - Day 94/272, 2020 - Friday

I ordered a carry-out Chicken Fried Steak Sandwich from the Crossroads Cafe (in downtown Schwertner, Texas), where you can get good food and lung cancer all in the same trip. I called ahead, so my order was ready when I got there. I was the only one in the place, but I had my disinfecting sheet with me. This is the my first time EVEr going in there that I could smell more food than cigarette smoke, so that was nice. I also got a hamburger patty for the girl dogs. I hope they appreciate the sacrifice. All the food shown in the picture for $11. I do not think that is too bad at all! There were two zoom meetings today, and a variety of contractors here at the house. There will be more back next week. The cooktop that was supposed to be delivered yesterday wasn't. It arrived about 5:30 this afternoon. I got the wrong kitchen faucet at Home Depot the other day. The plumber has been rescheduled for Monday. No water in the kitchen, no cooktop for the weekend. I don't expect I will A). starve or 2). die of thirst between now and Monday. If you know me at all, you know that I am compulsive and a list maker. I had everything scheduled to fall right in to place with no hickeys. But, alas, it was not meant to be. It rained yesterday. It has rained pretty nicely today. Chances of rain in the forecast for the next seven days.

Volume 12 - Day 93/273, 2020 - Thursday

The chickens are smarter than me, but I am smarter than the yard guy. About 4 o'clock this afternoon, it was starting to sprinkle, so I decided I should feed Barney and the chickens before it got too bad. It was drizzling pretty good by the time I got out to the front barn, but the chickens were happy to get a little bit wet for their meal worm treats. I collect eggs (ten) and by the time I got back to the house it was raining pretty well. Thunder. Lightning. My phone was going off with lightning reports. But the yard guy was still on his mower out there, cutting the grass. I guess he made it, because I don't see him crashed anywhere, and the truck and trailer is gone. On one of my trips outside to inspect stuff, I discovered that there were some Bluebonnets in one of the beds. We planted those seeds several years ago. Bluebonnet seeds have to be scarred before you plant them, and even then they can take years before they come up. I had totally forgotten about them, but I was really happy to see them this afternoon.

Volume 12 - Day 92/274, 2020 - Wednesday

This is an anniversary of special import in very many ways, but I choose to only celebrate one of them in this journal entry. Twenty years ago today, my business partner (Carrie) and I started our little bitty real estate company. Twenty years ago. There have been some ups and downs during that twenty years. Mostly up, and most of the downs were my fault. But we are still going forward, and we will assuredly survive this event we are all experiencing right now. I made it in to the office this morning about 10:30. It is the first of the month after all, and we ARE property managers, which means the rent is due today. We have a few cases of tenants that won't be able to pay their rent this month, in full or in part, and we will do what we can to make it as easy for both them and their Landlords. We are experiencing this for the first time, which is kind of the way we started our own little business twenty years ago. New adventures. New Challenges. New Rewards.