Volume 12 - Day 213/153, 2020 - Friday

Let's slow down a bit, relax, and spend a few minutes talking about grapes. shall we? I'll start. First off, why in the hell would anyone buy grapes that have seeds in them? I don't get it. I accidentally bought grapes with seeds in them a couple weeks ago, and it was a tediously consumptive process. I would expect grapes with seeds in them would be more expensive than seedless grapes, since there is something extra in them (seeds), but I am not sure. When I was a kid, grapes were a holy-crap-luxury item. We probably had grapes twice in a summer, and I can remember it vividly; I would cram green grapes in my mouth (imitating a hamster or a chipmunk) and run outside and start chewing. Oh, now there is another topic of discussion, when did red grapes make their appearance in the markets? In my recent memory, I have consistently bought red seedless grapes (except for that recent mistake). I do not know when or why I changed from green grapes to red grapes, but I did. The negative experience I had with the red grapes (with seeds) gave me cause to try green grapes the last time I was at the market (HEB). The green grapes are most satisfying, and seem to have a longer shelf (refrigerator) life than the red grapes. But I can't prove that. I thinkI need to do more research. Any thoughts?

Volume 12 - Day 212/154, 2020 - Thursday

Believe it. Your mind is not playing tricks on you. It's true. I did not post a journal entry last night. I forgot. It was wine night. I believe that, in over twelve years of posting, I have only forgotten to post two or three times. there have also been a couple times that I have had technical troubles, so, in total, in 12 years, I have not posted less than ten times. I am not even freaked out about it either. It happened, nothing I can do about it. I must be maturing or something. Maybe I am letting loose of some of my compulsions, that would be a BIG positive for me. Believe me, it is tough being CDO. You know what I mean. I went in to the office today, mostly to sign a bunch of checks, and to present an offer to a client in the afternoon. I left to come back about 3:30, and Maggie decided to come out and see the farm. It always seems a lot further when someone is following you home. So, we got to the farm, fed the cat, fed the chickens, gathered eggs, played with the dogs, talked for a while, and then headed out to the Crossroads for dinner. Really good burgers, tots and onion rings. Two plain patties to go for the girls for tomorrow night and Saturday night. I got my (our) 2019 income tax return in the mail today, better than I could have asked for. I am a lucky man!

Volume 12 - Day 210/156, 2020 - Tuesday

Do you see that over there? That's rain over there. RAIN! Over there! That is RAIN over there. It is not here. That is not RAIN over here. Twenty eight days this month, temperatures averaging 100 degrees, and lots of sun. And so far we have received 0.17" of rain. I do not know the reason for this punishment, but I will repent if someone will just tell me. I made it in to the office early today, to get some stuff done, and I left to come home about 12:30. I decided to stop by the JP's office on the way home, to give them the rest of the paperwork for my ticket dismissal. I did not expect there would be a lot of people there, but there was NO ONE there. The JP's office is working BY APPOINTMENT ONLY, only on Wednesdays from 8AM until 5PM. Please call the number below. I called the number, I was told I could e-mail the documents to them, but they could not confirm receipt. I guess I will send it to them a couple times just to make sure somebody gets it. Jody got charged $110 from Lifelock. I called Lifelock (I gave them all the security questions, last four digits of his social security number, date of birth, and all that), and I was told I needed to FAX my request to them accompanied by a copy of his death certificate. I asked them if I could e-mail it to them. No, it has to be by FAX. I asked them if they were aware that this was the year 2020. They seemed to acknowledge that fact. I guess, if you think about it, no one ever complains that their FAX machine has been hacked. Is that some sort of a security measure? FAXING? I don't already have enough crap...now I have to go FAX some papers.

Volume 12 - Day 209/157, 2020 - Monday

He is feeling very smug today, for a number of reasons. Reason 1: He washed the sheets and blanket on his bed, and he will soon re-make the bed (while watching Antiques Roadshow). There was no real reason for hime to wash the sheets (he is not entertaining anyone), but one of the girls hurled this morning and brought him to rapid consciousness. I heard her (not sure which one), but I did not hear the actual hurl, so I thought it was just a bit of choking...but no. So, the blanket was first, then the sheets and pillow cases. So domestic. Reason B: It has been more than two decades since his palate has been treated (not sure if that is the right word) to Hamburger Helper. I did not find it to be particularly satisfying, but it was filling, and there is a lot to be said for that. The dogs are not nearly as demanding as I am, and they had no issue with their share of the entree. Reason 3: He actually did something technological today, and it worked. My television provider here is Dish Network, and I have always wished I could watch tv while in rooms where there is no receiver. Somebody told me about 'Dish Anywhere' and I actually down loaded it to my laptop and watched the local news while I was stirring the Hamburger Helper. It is such a feeling of accomplishment, it makes me feel like a kid again, not a day over 65! I am such a luddite. I am glad I showed you the Plumeria blooms last night, because they are gone today. Such a short time for appreciation. When I left the office at about noon today, I could see this array of emergency vehicles ahead of me, so I took a detour to IH-35. It seems that a woman barricaded herself in her car on the First Street Bridge, and refused to get out or move. All over a traffic violation. It was on the news that I watched while stirring the Hamburger Helper!

Volume 12 - Day 208/158, 2020 - Sunday

Just in case there is any question, please let me be clear: He. Is. Too. Old. For. This. Crap. Is that clear? I emptied and broke down about 15 more boxes from the container today. I made two trips to Goodwill. There is another load for Goodwill in the back of Jody's truck. I could have done it, and done all the other things I needed to get done, but I just did not feel like it. There is nothing left in the remaining container except thirty boxes of books and LP albums...all things that I am giving to the Bastrop Public Library so they can sell them to raise funds for their operation. It will be a tremendous relief to get that last storage container pulled out. The garage is somewhat organized, and I could get most (not all) of Jody's truck in, but that is really not practical. I will work on getting the rest of the stuff in the garage cleared and put away in the next week or two, but for now, I am satisfied with the progress. The printer I have been using here at the house put a series of blue lines on everything I scanned or copied, so I brought the printer from the condo to trade out, but of course I could not get it to work. An hour of tech support, and not it is working and I am happy as a clam. All the trash is up at the road, all is well, but I still have to water the pots in the front. then I will call it a day. The plumeria is beginning to bloom, I really like them, and the fragrance reminds me of buttered popcorn. Or lobster.

Volume 12 - Day 207/159, 2020 - Saturday

Progress is being made. Last night (really, last night) they finally came and hauled off the empty storage container. The guy opened both units, one totally empty, the other with stuff in it, and came to the door to ask me which one he was supposed to haul off. Incredible. He was the same guy that called at 6 o'clock, said he was in South Austin, and he would be here in an hour. I told him I thought it would take him longer, but he assured me he knew what he was doing. Anyway, one container is gone, and I could not be happier. This morning, by eleven o'clock, I had emptied and flattened fifteen boxes, sorted through six more, and made sure it was only books in about nine more. I filled two trash cans with stuff that I did not want to bring back into the house. Tomorrow, the plan is go go through the rest of the boxes (maybe about eighteen or twenty), fill another trash can, and try to get the garage straightened out a little bit. The container will not be empty, but I still have it for another ten days. I can get this done. We have had a couple bands of showers come through from Hurricane Hanna, but so far we have only received 0.09" of rain. I am hoping for a little bit more (at least) before this whole thing is over. I think it was enough that I am not going to water the pots outside tonight...I am pretty sure everything will survive. I did make it into Georgetown earlier, too. I took Jody's truck in, just trying to keep the battery charged up.
Stopped at Tractor Supply and got meal worms for the chickens, and then to Home Depot to get some miscellaneous stuff. I will go to the grocery maybe tomorrow, maybe one day next week. We shall see.

Volume 12 - Day 206/160, 2020 - Friday

I am really not sure why I am so excited about it being Friday, except for the fact that I have been waiting for it all week. I may take a rest tomorrow and concentrate on going through the remaining boxes that are in the container on Sunday. I do need to make a trip to Home Depot and Tractor Supply, and take at least a couple naps tomorrow. But I think I have plenty of time to get everything done. Unfortunately, it seems that Hurricane Hannah (a category one) is going to be too far south of us (targeting Corpus Christi) to bring us any real possibilities of rain. I still have my fingers crossed that we will get a little bit...anything will help. I think I am on the downhill part of getting things back together in the house. The couch I ordered is supposed to be delivered on or around August 10th, it was a ten to twelve week delivery. After all that time, I hope I actually like it when it arrives. I may need to get a couple chairs after that, but then the only thing really left will be to get everything straightened up and dusted. The housekeeper is supposed to come out tomorrow and pick up her supplies and return the key to the house. I offered to bring her stuff to her in Austin, but she said she has too many keys to tell which one is ours, not sure that is a valid excuse or if she is up to something. I am not even sure if she will show up tomorrow on not. Time will tell. The clo
uds this afternoon looked kind of promising, so I will keep my fingers crossed and hope for the best!

Volume 12 - Day 205/161, 2020 - Thursday

TGIT. Which means there is only one day left of this week. I don't know why, but this has seemed like the LONGEST week ever for me. I know it wasn't really, but it just seemed to go on-and-on-and-on. I need to rethink my three week rotation at the hair cutter. I have been on a three week rotation for a couple years (except during the lock-down), but I think I may need to shorten that up some. I am letting my hair grow out, and it looks AWFUL after a couple weeks. I may need to go on a two week rotation. Longer hair is really kind of high maintenance, but I am going to go with it for a while, anyway. Still hoping for some rain this weekend, and I expect it will all happen when I am trying my best to clear out the OTHER storage container. I am ready for them all to be gone. Okay, are you sitting f=down? I am thinking about signing up for a cruise to depart Galveston in January. It will probably be the most sanitary and hygienic cruise EVER! What are your thoughts? And you know it has to be a slow day when I use a picture of myself for my journal post...

Volume 12 - Day 204/162, 2020 - Wednesday

Don't believe everything you hear, and only half of what you see. Was that Mark Twain? I would like to believe half of what I just saw on the news, that we could get a couple inches or more of rain in the next seven days. Thanks goodness for disturbances in the Gulf, but we have to add the caveat that, we don't want anyone to be hurt and no property damage, but a couple of three inch rains will be very welcome, thank you very much. Nothing is really supposed to get started until Saturday or Sunday, but that could be a really big help. I need to go through some more boxes in the container over the weekend, and weed out stuff that is coming in versus what is staying out. I am hoping that more will stay out than comes in. Today was a really bizzy day, not bizzy good, not bizzy bad, just bizzy. Constant. I am planning NOT to go in to the office tomorrow, but I probably will go in on Friday, since I have an appointment to get my hair cut. When I get my hair cut in the afternoons, it affords a visit to Firebowl in the same center, and I pick up lemon chicken to go. That is usually good for at least two dinners, girl dogs included. I am thinking about making room in my schedule tomorrow to stop at Round Rock Donuts, which is (for me) a one visit every five or six year thing. I do not really think those donuts are healthy for you, but they sure are good. Everything in moderation.

Volume 12 - Daty 203/163, 2020 - Tuesday

Really, it is only Tuesday? Already it seems like, at the very least, it should be next Tuesday already. One good thing is, I have air conditioning again. That is three service calls in a two or three month period. Hopefully, this should be the end of it for a while. A good note, I asked the vendor if he would take a look at the ductwork (we have mice, we live on a farm), and he said everything is in good shape. Good news. I had a zoom call this morning at 9 o'clock, and it was cancelled until tomorrow at 10:30. Then I had a really GOOD zoom call starting at 10 and that went until noon. Then it was in to the office to do some power real estate, a 4 o'clock appointment, and then home, by way of Discount Tire and HEB. I have been plagued with an on-again-off-again low pressure light for my rear drivers side tire. Eventually, I expect I will need to cave in and see if they can find a nail or something in it, but I just have not had the luxury of time to concentrate on that quite yet. HEB was pretty good, only spent $57, but I did cave in and bought MORE bananas. I hope to get these eaten (there are only four of them) before they go bad. We shall see. Once I got home, it was time to feed the girls and myself. I had celery, hummus and grapes for dinner. I fantasize about dinner most every hour of the day, and then I have celery, hummus and grapes. What in the hell is wrong with me?

Volume 12 - Day 202/164, 2020 - Monday

I think I lucked out with these Hibiscus. I do not know if I have ever seen a white Hibiscus or not, but, considering my advanced age, I guess anything is possible. Or more likely probable. When they redid the back porch, suddenly there was a series or cinder blocks along the deck, and so I went and bought six small hibiscus to put in the cinder block holes. They are coming along, and these were getting ready to bloom yesterday, so I am glad I paid attention to them today so I could share them with you. I think one of my plumeria is getting ready to bloom too. If they do well in hot, steamy climates, they should be in heaven! This was not the worst Monday I have ever spent, so there is something to be said for that. They are supposed to haul off one of the containers 'by the end of the week at the very latest!' I worked my ass off to empty that container, and I am tired of looking at it, plus, I could use the space to move Jody's car to a better location. Eventually, I hope to get the garage cleaned out so I can put the car back in the garage. That might be a target for this weekend, although my weekend keeps getting busier and busier.

Volume 12 - Day 201/165, 2020 - Sunday

It is thundering outside, and the clouds are getting darker, but I do not think there will be any rain out of this. I had a telephone alert that there was 'heavy rain near JBAcres,' but I would not put any money on it. False alarm if you ask me. I worked and glistened my ass off today! I emptied thirty six boxes, got one of the containers emptied (I e-mailed the guy to come and take it away), there are four cans of trash out on the road, and the chickens have a clean coop. The only thing that is still lingering on my list of chores is to cut the dead blooms off the geraniums. There is still tomorrow, so maybe I will and maybe I won't. I even emptied books that were stacked in the shower of the hall bath, and put them on the bookshelves in Jody's study. They are in no particular order, and that will wait until another day. Overall, there was some good progress made, and I am satisfied with the day. Kay from our office came out with her daughter and grand-daughter, and they took away some things that they liked. Overall, it was a good day. I hope I sleep tonight, I am achy all over, particularly my feet. I think that is pretty much what old people talk about; I have an ache here, and an ache there...do you want to see my scar?

Volume 12 - Day 200/166, 2020 - Saturday

This is day 200 people. Just letting you know. I got most everything on my list checked off today, and a few more things, too. I did not do anything with the storage containers today, but there is always tomorrow. Kerry and Ellyn are (maybe) coming by tomorrow to see if Ellyn would like any of the furniture. One of the goals tomorrow is to try and condense everything into one container, and then I can call and have the empty one removed. I think that would be a real treat for my psyche. That would kind of mean that I am halfway through with getting everything out of the containers, and that will be a HUGE accomplishment. I have lots of books and albums that I am donating to the Buda Public Library, where they can sell them and put the proceeds towards their library fund. I got the trees watered this afternoon, and all the potted plants have been watered. It did not make it to 100 degrees today, but I am not sure what the high temperature was. I have seen a lick of news today, and I do not feel at all deprived! The big machinery is gone from the end of the driveway, and so is most of the corn that was all around here yesterday. Corn out here is 'seed' corn, 'sweet' corn is not a crop, just a few rows of 'sweet' corn in folks gardens. 'Seed' corn is what they grow out here, there is some cotton coming up, and there will be wheat in the fall.

Volume 12 - Day 199/167, 2020 - Friday

I can't cook. I can  heat stuff up (and sometimes I don't even do that). There is no sense in thinking otherwise. Jody was the cook, I was the dishwasher, which gave him the right to use every pan in the kitchen to boil an egg. I'm a good pot washer. Eggs I can do. It was what was for dinner tonight, and the girls understand that when they get fed, I thin feed myself, and they get some of what I am having, which is sometimes the only reason I even bother to heat stuff up. I could do perfectly well on three or four lemon Oreos, and some skim milk. I'm working on a life balance, did you get that part? I had four appointments today, and I then stopped in to the office. I expect I am working myself up to going in to the office about three days a week, and we will see how that works out. My weekend will be spent trying to make some progress with the containers in the driveway, and getting a few more things put back in the house. It will all be okay...

Volume 12 - Day 198/168, 2020 - Thursday

This is going to sound really queer, considering the times in which we are living, but I feel that I have made progress towards achieving goals, quotas, finishing up stuff that I never really wanted to start, and just plain old bringing several things to their pre-ordained conclusions. And I have achieved a calm today, that I think I have been lacking for a while. I feel at peace, that I am not being pressured to perform, and that I can for the first time in a long time, just sit back at enjoy the place at which I find myself. It is all (probably) just a fig newton of my imagination, but I am not going to argue with it, and I am going to enjoy it, at least tomorrow, when I fully expect I will give myself an unachievable task to get finished by an arbitrary deadline. So be it. I only left the house today to take care of one errand, and that was for a total of less than five miles. Tomorrow, I have three appointments and one zoom, and then I will be back home for the weekend, and back inside the storage containers, doing my best to get them emptied out. I have told the company to get them out of here on August 5th so I don't have to pay another months storage fee, so that is a pretty good indication that I will get it all taken care of before then. I may even try to get one out of here before that arbitrary date, wish me luck!

Volume 12 - Day 197/169, 2020 - Wednesday

Since the Covids, we generally have one person in the office Monday thru Friday from 10 o'clock in the morning until 2 in the afternoon. On Wednesdays, Carrie and I and Kerry and Tosalyn are in the office to go over property management stuff, and to make sure we are not letting anything fall through the cracks. This is a photo of us this morning, in full C-19 gear, doing our best to make sure we do not spread the virus. We also have a couple air cleaners in the office that run 24 hours a day. We are all just trying to do our best. Otherwise, I was a pretty good day. A couple conference calls, and I did not make any stops while driving to and from the office. It remains hotter than the hinges of Hell here, but it is supposed to cool down by about five degrees in the next several days, when the High Pressure systems slide a little bit further north. Any relief will be totally welcome. Tomorrow will be a day at home, so that will be nice, too.

Volume 12 - Day 196/170, 2020 - Tuesday

Every time I see this guy, I am surprised he hasn't curled up and died somewhere. he is not in good shape at all. I am not sure if his right rear leg is broken, but it does not function very well at all. When I took this picture, he had been asleep with his head in the water bowl. With all the other ailments he is experiencing, I do not think the heat is helping his condition at all. In other news, I tend to have 'Karen' moments when faced with doing my own checkouts, whether it is Home Depot, HEB or CVS. Today, I had to go to CVS, and there WAS NOT A SINGLE CASHIER in the place. The only alternative was to do the self checkout, and I am of the opinion that, if it is not convenient for me, and since I am suddenly acting as your employee, then I feel I should receive the employee discount. No room there for negotiations. Whatever. I have not seen any of the run-off election returns, but I did hear that 37,000 people in Austin voted. Out of a population approaching 1 million. I guess it is just not that very important to too many peeps. Don't complain to me if you don't vote, and if you DID vote, don't complain to me anyway!

Volume 12 - Day 195/171, 2020 - Monday

So...this whole Covid-19 thing, for me, started about 10.8 pounds ago. In my estimation, since this physical (social) distancing thing has started (or at least become more evident), I have gained almost 11 pounds. Not bad for someone with two or three gallons of Blue Bell in the assorted freezers. I went through a chocolate milk phase, too. I think the coke float thing has just about run its' course, too. I'm not stupid...I am NOT going to get rid of the sweet junk food stuff I still have, but today, at the grocery, I did not buy any Blue Bell or Chocolate milk. Gonna go through what I have and then see what new thing I can binge on. I went through a celery and hummus phase for a while (and that is sounding pretty attractive again), and I went through a long phase of sugar free popsicles (they are really good). I have never been one to do things in moderation, I do things in phases. So, I am not sure what my next phase(s) will be, but they are always kind of interesting. I am also in kind of a string-cheese phase right now, too. This too shall pass.

Volume 12 - Day 194/172, 2020 - Sunday

This picture pretty much represents
my weekend. Emptying boxes, going to Goodwill, placing this and that back in the house. Gathering art work to try and decide where to put it. Doing laundry, AND folding it and hanging stuff up. I also went to Bed, Bath & Beyond. I was probably their best customer of the day. I did get the chicken coop cleaned out too, and it is so hot that I expect the egg production will slow down pretty soon. It was 105 degrees today with a similar humidity percentage. At 9 o'clock, it was still 99 degrees. It was just very VEry, VERY hot today and it was stifling. Honestly, it was like a sauna. I also made a stop at home depot, and got a few things that I could not find at BB&B. One load of clothes just finished drying, and I think I will get the jeans out of the dryer and leave the rest in there til I feel more like folding clothes. I think I am done for the night!

Volume 12 - Day 193/173, 2020 - Saturday

It was 103 degrees in Austin today, and the forecast is for 106 tomorrow. My goal was to empty 10 boxes from the containers today. I think I emptied between 15 and 20, I emptied two wardrobe boxes, I have one wardrobe box with clothes that I am keeping, and I have another wardrobe box to empty. I took one load of stuff to Goodwill, and I have Jody's truck half filled with stuff to take tomorrow. Tomorrow I will empty the other wardrobe box (I haven't opened it yet), and some more boxes, bring in the clothes that I am going to keep, and take another load to Goodwill. Then I want to go to Bed, Bath and Beyond. Then I am going to do a couple loads of laundry, do my regular weekend chores around the house, and that should be about it for the day. I have uncovered lots of note from Joel to me, and from me to Joel. I have no idea where all these things have been hidden away, but they date back to 1994...at least that is the earliest one I have found so far. I have also managed to discard two trash cans full of stuff, so far. It is kind of like an archeological excavation of stuff, stuff that I remember, but have not seen for a long time. Kind of interesting... And suddenly I am having a hankering for a Dairy Queen Drumstick Blizzard! Have you seen the commercials? They have been playing non-stop!

Volume 12 - Day 192/174, 2020 - Friday

Something occurred to me today; before the Covid'
s, Friday's were referred to as 'casual Friday's,' which makes me wonder that, since now most of us never get beyond the boxers and t-shirt stage, what does your 'casual Friday' look like? I wonder how much more casual can we get, and how long until we think nothing much about seeing REALLY casual days, all thanks to the Zoom. This is the kind of stuff that keeps me awake at night. Today was overall a pretty good day. I got up and took a chair apart (just the legs) and put it in my car to transport it to the condo. Got to the condo, took some listing photos, and it is now, officially on the lease market. All that really needs to happen to it now, is for it to have a REALLY good cleaning, and it will be ready to go. I have not yet emptied any boxes in the containers, but I am expecting to make really good progress on that front over the weekend. I honestly expect that most of the stuff in boxes will be discarded. Things that were in dresser drawers and things like that, we had not opened those drawers in YEARS, so I don't think there is a great need to keep a lot of it. About the most interesting thing that happened to me today was my inadvertent involvement in a high-speed police chase. I was heading north on IH-35, in the middle lane, and I was traveling about 70-75 miles per hour. There was a car in the right lane, and a car, traveling about 200 miles per hour, passed us on the shoulder. Then, all of a sudden, there were cops everywhere, covering all the exits, this and that. I got off on my exit (which has a long service road to my turn), and suddenly, to my great surprise, comes the same car, at a diminished speed of about 150 miles per hour, coming at me head-on, going the wrong way on the service road. Followed by lots of cops. I wish I knew how that all ended, but so far there has been nothing on the news.

Volume 12 - Day 191/175, 2020 - Thursday

Let's start with a multiple choice question. What do you see in this photo? A: A dead skunk. 2: A 'possum at a costume party. 3: A 'have you seen me' flyer from a milk carton. D: None of the above. If you answered A, then you win the test. It is not everyday you see a dead skunk right where hoomans habitate. The last dead skunk I encountered was a baby skunk in the pool skimmer. Neither one of these events is settling, and I have no interest at all in relocating the corpse. Otherwise, day was rather uneventful. I am still feeling just fine, thanks for asking, and tomorrow will be at least ten days after my possible exposure the the Covids. Thank you very much for asking. Tomorrow I will have a zoom meeting at 10, then I will head in to Austin to see what is going on in the office. I have a chair that I want to take to the condo, and I hope to get it on to the lease market early next week. Hopefully the lock work has been done and arrangements have been made for the deep cleaning. Then, for the weekend, I plan to start going through boxes out in the containers. I did make a run to Goodwill this morning, so I am making progress, one or two drawers or boxes at a time.

Volume 12 - Day 190/176, 2020 - Wednesday

I don't know for sure, but I don't think this is the same gecko that is on the insurance commercials, but it could be; first, I have not seen one of those commercials lately, and B., I think I heard something say 'hold my beer' the other night, and it sounded like something with a British accent. Another possibility is that I was just dreaming the whole thing. Whatever. For sure, this fried gecko (tastes like chicken), was discovered on the circuit panel of one of our air conditioning units this afternoon. Not the one that failed yesterday, the other one, the one that was serviced a couple months ago. At least the whole panel did not get fried along with the gecko. I took the big plunge yesterday, and cancelled my home delivery of the Austin American-Statesman. This morning, the paper was delivered at about 9:15, and it seems that, even though the subscription was cancelled, they can't even get that part of it right. I am still working on all the little gimmicks of the E-Edition of the newspaper, but I expect I will get the hang of it in another week or two. I cleaned out bathroom drawers and cabinets this morning, and some of the chest-on-chest drawers in the bedroom. It is an ongoing process. I will make a trip to Goodwill in the morning, and then go through more drawers and boxes.

Volume 12 - Day 189/177, 2020 - Tuesday

It was a pretty busy day for staying close to the house. I did wander off to the grocery store in Jarrell, and I paid $79 for a half-gallon of chocolate milk. Let me rephrase that: I went to the store for a half-gallon of chocolate milk, and ended up spending $79 for pretty much nothing. But, I did get the chocolate milk! I spent some time trying to get stuff in the house straightened out. My goal was to get the office in some kind of order (again), and I did get that accomplished. I also cleaned the dining room table off, but there is still some work to do in that room with some miscellaneous tables. So, I will put the day down as a win. I had not started Jody's truck in a while, and I decided I would take it in to Jarrell for grocery shopping. Battery was dead. I bought this phone charger at Costco about nine months ago (maybe longer) and the advertising boasted that you could also use to to charge a variety of things, AND you could start a car with a dead battery, using the enclosed battery cable (included in the handy traveling case). When I got home from the grocery, I tried it out, and it actually did a great job of jump starting the truck. As long as I was at it, I took the girls for a ride. I don't know if they still sell these phone chargers at Costco, but they work! Last thing, the AC on one side of the house is out, so I will have more vendors in the house tomorrow...

Volume 12 - Day 188/178, 2020 - Monday

Honestly, I am not too concerned about this at all, but you will need to stay tuned for the next three or four days. A week ago today, June 29th, I was really excited that there were two guys here to finish installing the moldings and finish painting so I could start getting the furniture moved back in to the house. Today, I found out that one of the guys tested positive for the Covid on Thursday. So far, there is a possibility that I was exposed to it (I guess being in the same house with him counts as being exposed), but I am not showing any symptoms. The new CDC guidelines say that you should start showing symptoms within 10 days, as opposed to the previous guidelines that said 14 days. SO...I am even days in to the possibility that I was exposed. I stayed home from the office while a whole other group of people moved furniture and stuff back in to the house. I will stay home from the office for the next two days, just as a precaution. I have been good about masking and sanitizing, so, again, I am not too worried. But, stay tuned. I am smelling and tasting stuff, my most recent temperature reading was 97.2, and I do not feel bad, considering my advanced age. On a positive note, the sage is really blooming nicely, and it would be realy great if we could get some rain here!

Volume 12 - Day 187/179, 2020 - Sunday

See Bill. See Bill and Janis. See Bill and Janis socially distancing. See Bill and Janis socially distancing at the early voting place in Georgetown. Janis was leaving just as I was arriving this morning We talked for a few minutes, and she told me about how someone would open the door, guide you to the proper places. As I approached the door, I was putting on my face mask, and the strap broke. I asked the docent (okay, I don't know what they are called, and they are not volunteering, so I am going with docent) if they had other masks. They did indeed and they handed me one. As I put on that mask, the strap on that one came unglued as well. Finally, the third mask was a charm, they took my ID, I signed (using a sanitized ink pen), and I was given my ballot. Easy schmeezy, in and out in less than ten minutes. I then headed to the office, and then to the condo. Carrie and Marshall met me at the condo, and everything that is leaving the condo is gone. There is nothing left but a nicely furnished condo. Tomorrow, I hope to have a lock smith at the property to adjust one of the latches, and then have a DEEP clean of the unit, then it will be on the market. Carrie and Marshall are taking one of the chairs from there, and I have another chair at the house that I want to replace it with. I pretty much cleared off my task list, so I am very happy about that. It is terrible to be so old that you realize how really tired you are, but I have pretty much had three jam-packed days. Tomorrow, they people are supposed to be here to start unloading the containers. That is going to be like a ballet of putting stuff here and there, no, not there, over there. I think the end may actually be in sight. Fingers crossed!

Volume 12 - Day 186/180, 2020 - Saturday

This Fourth of July will go down as a really productive day. I got up this morning, and did three loads of clothes. I have one more load to do before the weekend is over. I did a few things around the house, and then at about 9:30, I headed in to the office. I posted checks and made a bank deposit, and then it was off to the condo. I cleaned out the refrigerator, and loaded up my car with a bunch of stuff. I actually think that, if Carrie and Marshall help me with a load tomorrow (tow cars, two loads), that will be everything that I need to clear out of the condo. Then I need to have a locksmith out, and then have it cleaned good (we have owned the condo for about five or six years, and it has been vacuumed twice, maybe), and then I will get it on the lease market. That will be pretty good. On the way home, I stopped by one of our properties to see how the tenant was doing (supposed to have been gone on the 30th), and he is not doing too well. It is a mess! But, that is okay with me, it is his security deposit. When I got home, I tried to take a nap, and then I had another energy spurt, so I got Jody's study straightened up, and ready for the folks that are supposed to be here on Monday to move furniture back in. I will have them bring in the bedroom furniture, but not too much of the den furniture. I have different plans for that. If you know anyone that is in the used furniture resale business, let me know. They could hit the jackpot here! Fireworks should start just about any minute. I tried watching a couple Holiday shows on tv, but they could not keep my attention. Secure your pets, they will be freaking out with the fireworks. I do not know why I even need to remind you, but I guess we all need to have a reminder now and then.

Volume 12 - Day 185/181, 2020 - Friday

I got a few things checked off my list today. I DID go to Home Depot. I DID go to HEB. I DID go to Tractor Supply. I DID go to the condo and bring back a few things. I still have eight things on my list to accomplish in the next few days, and I either will or I won't get them all done. I am pretty sure I can get most of it taken care of. Voting is one of the things on my list. The polls were closed today and tomorrow, but I plan to get that done on Sunday. They are supposed to come on Monday to start moving furniture back in to the house, so I would like to get the garage cleaned out before they start. In order to get the garage cleaned out, I need to clean the cabinets that are still empty in the living room, that will give me some work space in the garage. I think it will all work out, I have a plan. There was a male Karen in HEB this morning, and he tried to give me some crap. I explained to him that he had not seen any crap yet, and he shut up. I was just standing there, minding my own business, trying to be polite to other people, and he insisted that I move up in the line. I understand that I am crazy, but there are ten other kinds of crazy all around us, so everybody just need to be on their best behavior. This is Texas, lots of the crazies are carrying guns! On my way home from the condo, I got a refresher course in traffic jams. It was really just a pretend traffic jam, but I actually did come to a full stop a couple times. Mainly it was just the Interstate Creep effect. And, there was no real reason for the creep. No wreck, nothing. That always baffles me.

Volume 12 - Day 184/182, 2020 - Thursday

Every day, I feel a little bit older than the day before. Even though my dad died very young (he was 39 and I was 16), he worked hard and was tired at the end of the day. I tend to fall asleep in the chair watching the news, just like he did. I am not sure, but I think I went in to the office every day this week. And every morning, on my way in, I decided that I wanted to stop at a couple places on the way home. And every day, on the way home, I passed right by those places because I just did not feel like stopping. So, I have decided that, early tomorrow morning, I will go to Home Depot, HEB and Tractor Supply. Maybe that will be the way I get it done. I really need dog food, meal worms (for the chickens), and some more garden hoses. So, tomorrow morning will be the charm. I know that tomorrow is the day to observe the Fourth of July, but what about the Fourth of July. Do we get mail service tomorrow? If not, do we get mail service on Saturday, the Fourth of July? I am not sure. The State of Texas is now under mandatory face covering (masks) because of the Covids. Any county with 20 or more Covid cases is under the mandatory face mask ruling. That's gonna piss a lot of people off, but I think it is just about the least we can do to get through this. I made it in to the office, did a bit of power real estate, and then made one (just one) stop on my way home. It was a 'have to' kind of stop, and no, it is none of your business. The sage all up and down the Interstate is blooming, which supposedly means we will be getting some rain, but the sage at the end of the driveway is not blooming, which is just one more confusing message. I got nothing if not confusing messages. And who doesn't like flamingos?

Volume 12 - Day 183/183, 2020 - Wednesday

Today is officially the halfway mark of the year. I am hoping we can all make it to the end, and start all over. Not a bad day today, but there was a lot of stuff crammed in to it. I only had one zoom meeting, and I was in the office for a while this morning. The weather was not terribly extreme today, as a matter of fact, we reached our average high temperature today, just 94 degrees. On the way home this afternoon, there was a miniature traffic jam on the expressway, causing only minimal delays. I did notice, as I was leaving the office, that traffic congestion is getting heavier around the office, so I think that is an indication that more people are getting out, more people are going places, more people are (fill in the blank). I have an appointment to get my hair cut in the morning, and then I have a zoom meeting at 10. I have not stopped at Tractor Supply or Home Depot yet, but that is on my list of accomplishments. I plan on having a relatively calm and quiet weekend, and hope to make a real dent in some tasks that no one will even know that I have accomplished. But I will know!