Volume 12 - Day 274/92, 2020 - Wednesday

As you are most assuredly aware, this is the day AFTER the debates. This is going to be one of those events that you will ALWAYS remember where you were during the debates! "Where will you be during the debates?" No more clarification, everyone will know what that means! Enough about that. Pay attention, please, I NEVER go into politics on this blog OR on my Facebook page, NEVER. Just remember that. As I expected, as soon as I published the journal last night, the photos that I sent myself THREE times last night, finally appeared in my e-mail. This morning. my devices said it was 56 degrees again, but I think it was cooler, the news weather peeps said it was 48 in Georgetown. All I know is, it was lovely, cool and not very humid at all. I had an 8 o'clock zoom, then I took off in to Austin, and got back home about 3 o'clock this afternoon. I stopped on the way home to get my sofa cushions...they are better than the original cushions, not sure how much better, but just let it be said, I could probably stuffed them with dollar bills and achieved the same level of comfort for what they charged to replace the foam. Whatever. I guess (again) that you get what you pay for! No zooms tomorrow until mid-afternoon, so I will talk it slowly in the morning, and get motivated at about 9 o'clock. They are baling hay in the front field right now, and I will see if I can provide you with a count tomorrow.

Volume 12 - Day 273/93, 2020 - Tuesday

My journal entry is being posted later than I had intended this evening, because I could not get the photo I wanted to use to download. I have no idea, sometimes, sh*t just happens. It is, after all, 2020. So, I went on to public domain photos, and downloaded what I thought was appropriate for this entry. The deal is, this morning when I got up, it was a lovely 56 degrees with very low humidity. It is supposed to be cooler overnight tonight, just by a degree or two, but we will take what we can get and be happy about it. With the cooler weather, the air conditioners are not running, and I am watering the pot plants every other day instead of every day. Resources and energy savings are always nice to have, the energy being my lazy butt energy, since I don't need to get off my aforementioned butt to water the pot plants! I went into the office this morning, and got back home in time for a two o'clock zoom meeting. Tomorrow I have an 8 o'clock zoom, and then I will head in to the office after that. I need to make an appointment to get my windshield replaced, but it is not on top of my priority list, since I can't see the rock chip and cracks from inside the car. Out of sight, out of mind. I still have not got the sofa cushions back yet, tomorrow will be two weeks, and it was supposed to take less than one week. I wonder what in the hell have they done to my sofa cushions? 

Volume 12 - Day 272/94, 2020 - Monday

The news says that traffic in Austin is back to 80% of pre-Covid volumes. I have been enjoying the commutes that I make, and have not had too many problems. This afternoon was a little bit different than recent experiences; there was a wreck on the southbound side of IH-35 (thankfully I was on the northbound side), and traffic was literally backed up for miles. Tens of miles! Southbound traffic was rerouted to the service road, and it was just pure, total chaos for the southbound folks. I have a couple nice pictures of sunrises and clouds, but I thought I would regale you with a picture of the wreck. I don't really think you can grasp the extent of it, because the debris was scattered over about 3/4 of a mile...lots of mess. I did not see anything on the news about it, but I have to admit, I really did not pay that much attention to it, either! Otherwise, it was not a very bad day. I had an appointment to got a rock chip fixed on my windshield, and they said they can't fix it, I need a new windshield. That will be two new windshields in about three years (in December) for this car. I honestly do believe this car is a rock magnet going down the expressways.

 

Volume 12 - Day 271/95, 2020 - Sunday

It was kind of a busy day, lots of this-and-that stuff done. I got up this morning and had some coffee and read the (e-edition) paper. I went out in the backyard with the girls and gave myself a pedi. Lounged around doing nothing of any consequence, and I headed off to Costco at about eleven o'clock. On the way home, I stopped at the HEB and did a little bit of grocery shopping, then to Tractor Supply for chicken feed. The girls are supplied with plenty of dog food, the chickens have a fresh supply of food, and I have a fresh supply of food. Overnight, we are supposed to have some gusty winds, and a cold front is due by early tomorrow morning. The overnight low one day this week is forecast to be in the FORTIES, and then back up a little bit; highs in the 80s and lows in the 60s. Bring it on! The only thing that could make it better would be if we could get some more rains. I expect a second cutting of hay this week, too, which will be good. I don't have enough cattle anymore that I need the hay, but I can sell what I don't use. The neighbor that got the pears last week brought me a jar of canned pears...not jelly, not preserves, just canned pears. They are really delicious, but the canning process did not make them any softer...they are still hard as rocks. But delicious!

Volume 12 - Day 270/96, 2020 - Saturday

Since I really did not have anything that really needed to be done today, I made a list of towns that I want to go to in the next couple months, just something to do on the weekends. I asked Mrs. Google about half-day trips in central Texas and came up with the list. I have been to almost every single city on the list, but it was more like 'just passing through' or maybe a stop at the Court Square or something like that. Today, I went to Brenham, home town of Blue Bell. I asked Mrs. Google if the tasting room and store would be open, and she was non-committal. Turns out they were not open, but it was a nice ride and I actually could have stopped at a number of flea markets and antique stores, but I am trying to refrain right now. I am still in a mode of getting rid of stuff, more than I am of collecting more stuff. I expect that will pass soon. I did get to see some parts of Brenham that I had not seen before, it is a lovely town, very nice downtown area and nice residential areas. Quiet, peaceful, tasteful. Many of the things that I am not. Tomorrow I will go back in to Taylor and do some shopping at Tractor Supply. I also need to get a new Carbon Monoxide detector, the one we have had for at least 15 years finally gave up the ghost yesterday. Time for a new one.

Volume 12 - Day 269/97, 2020 - Friday

We have two pear trees out next to the driveway, one is a year older than the other. The older pear has born fruit for at least the last two years, but as far as I am concerned, the fruit has not been edible. It is hard as a rock. The pears on the tree look lovely, but again, they are hard as a rock. Our neighbor took a bunch of the pears and canned them, and they brought me a jar, and they said they are delicious. I will give them a try one day this weekend. So, as I was eating dinner this evening, I (for some reason) started thinking about dispensing with one of the three refrigerators we have at this house. We have two refrigerators inside the house, one in the garage and a chest type freezer is also in the garage. At this stage in my life, even I think that is one refrigerator (at least) too many, so I am thinking about giving one of them away. I will let you know how that works out. I don't have any firm plans for the weekend, but I do know for sure that I need to go into Taylor and stop at the Taylor Feed store. I need advice on how to rid my chickens of mites. The fact that they have mites does not seem to bother them at all, they look like someone has been plucking their feathers, but it has not hampered their egg production, either. I think they are beginning to molt as well, and just seasonal stuff (I think) is causing their egg production to slow down. I also need some chicken feed and some flock blocks for them, and then I may wander somewhere else, just for the hell of it. The weekend plans are fluid at this point!

Volume 12 - Day 268/98, 2020 - Thursday

What a nice day this was, today. Very moderate temperatures, worked from home, hardly went outside at all (but it was lovely when I did), and I got a good bit of work done. I had a nine o'clock zoom meeting this morning, and then I had the day pretty much to myself. I looked all business-like on top, and party on the bottom. That is really the only benefit to zoom meetings, you don't really need to get dressed up. Just don't pick your nose unless you turn off your video. You would be surprised how many people DO NOT take that into consideration. One of the BEST things that happened today is that, through the wonders of technology, I was able to attend the installation of my friend Kim (Kimmish) as the incoming President of the REALTORS® Association of Lincoln (Nebraska), and it was great. Through our various associations and meet-ups, we get to be friends with folks all across the country. It was really a fun installation, and I know is going to continue to make her association a star in the REALTOR® universe!

Volume 12 - Day 267/99, 2020 - Wednesday

It is officially the first FULL day of fall, and it has been a pretty good day to be a cat in central Texas. I had not seen Barney in a couple days, but this afternoon I saw him taking a rest in the grass next door. The rains have certainly greened everything up, so it was a perfect place for him to take some Barney time. There was just a trace of rain today, but we are not going to complain about the 7.7" we have received so far this month. I don't think there will be much more this month, but we have had enough to get us through comfortably until next month. I tried to make appointments for the girls to get beautified, but the beautiful parlor said they are making appointments three weeks out. I guess I should have made them appointments for the next time the last time we were there. So, instead, I am taking them to the vet on Friday for them to get a bath and be groomed. In my (self-serving) opinion, that is much more reasonable, and maybe the real problem is that I am just being unreasonable. I get my hair cut on Friday as well, so we will all be beautified on the same day.I also expect the girls will come out of it looking a lot better than I will, too.

Volume 12 - Day 266/100, 2020 - Tuesday

 

There is not much I can say of a negative nature about the 7.65" of rain that has fallen on the Edge of Nowhere so far this month. I has most likely NOT helped the trauma that the bigger trees have suffered in the drought and extreme heat we lived through earlier this year, but I certainly has not hurt. The flora that surrounds the house as well as the grasses and pastures are lovely and green. I have not surveyed as to whether the tanks have risen any, but I have my doubts about that. From what I can see of the neighbors tank, it may have come up a little bit, but we are not complaining. Again, I would really be happy to complain about rain, but I doubt that will happen this year. I made it into the office about 9:30 this morning, and everything was good. I had a couple meetings, and got some other things done, and headed for the house at about 12:30. I stopped at the grocery on the way home, and spent $70 or $80 on groceries, and I have really nothing to show for it. Some pre-made meals, a box of wine, some HUGE green grapes, a half gallon of skim milk, and two donuts. I am trying my best to cut back on crap, but the donuts called out to me, and I could not help myself. On Saturday, I noticed a rock has chipped the windshield, and so I was trying to make an appointment with Safelite to see if they can fill it instead of replacing the windshield. The first try was not successful. At one point, the person trying to make the appointment said that a 'live' agent would be joining the call, and I let asked her if she were 'dead.' It was important for me to know, because, even though I speak to dead people A LOT, I have never had an 'in-person' discussion with a 'dead' person. It was not appreciated on the Safelite side, and that attempt to make an appointment soon ended unsatisfactorily. I got home, tried again, and I have an appointment for next Monday. Mission accomplished!

Volume 12 - Day 265/101, 2020 - Monday

 This was a perfect day for a hundred-car pile-up on IH-35, both going in to Austin and coming home from Austin. There were periods both ways that I could not see anything in front of me, and many people were acting like it was an ordinary day. As I have professed many times in this journal, I drive (frequently) like an old granny, and I drive particularly old lady like when it is raining. If you think that is bad, it is even worse when it is raining and it is dark outside. All-in-all, though, everything turned out alright, I did not see any wrecks either direction, so that is a positive note. I got in to the office, and did one zoom thing, and I left at about 12:30 so I could get home in time for my 2:30 zoom. It took a little bit longer to get home, but I made it with plenty of time to share. So far today, we, at the Edge of Nowhere, have received just at an inch of rain, and we expect some more overnight and into Tuesday. Tomorrow morning will be kind of slow, I can take my time going in, and leave to come home a little bit later. And that is about all the news that is fit to print!

Volume 12 - Day 264/102, 2020 - Sunday

 Apparently, another of my fetishes is vacuum cleaners. I can easily identify the locations of no less than seven vacuums in the house or garage, and they all work. No sense in keeping crap that does not work or only works perfunctorily. I vacuumed my usual paths today with my new little canister vacuum that took me a long time to locate on the world wide web. It gets great reviews on the web, but every place I tried to order from was sold out. I ordered the vacuum and extra vacuum bags from one place, the vacuum was sold out but they sent the bags. Somewhere a computer is scratching its head over that one. Anyway, I finally procured the vacuum and it sat on the dining room table for about two months. Then it migrated to the floor in the dining room, and tonight I actually plugged it in. I like it a lot! It reminds me of an old Jack Nicholson movie, and if you don't know what that means, you just need to figure it out for yourself. I took another little drive this afternoon, this time to Belton, and I figured out some back roads to get there. There was NOTHING to stop along the way for, but when I got to Belton, I did get to see parts of their downtown and older residential areas. Very nice indeed. I need to find a path that I can drive back and forth on that will afford me places to stop, shop, look, and this and that. Maybe Brenham next week. I wonder how far that is? Hmmm. About sixty-five miles one way. Could be worse. Maybe there will be something BESIDES Blue Bell.

Volume 12 - Day 263/103, 2020 - Saturday

This is the second attempt at this journal entry, and it is driving me berserk, and it is not that long of a ride. The new format is odd to me, and I cannot get the photos positioned properly, and that is causing me an added measure of angst. Whatever. I am pretty sure I have asked this question in previous journal entries in previous entry years, but do you know what this plant is? The volunteer to grow about this time every year, and one of them is almost as tall as I am. I don't dislike them, I am just curious as to what they are and I also wonder how they got here. I did nothing at all today that would make a difference to anyone, and absolutely, positively nothing at all that will make the world a better place. I took a round-trip to nowhere in particular, and made it back. I investigated a few places in Granger, headed in to Taylor, then to Thrall, then back through Bartlett and then back home. Nothing of any particular interest, but there was a small farmer's market in Granger that I did not stop at. I am still looking for places to stop at, but so far, nothing. I would like to explore more things north of the Edge of Nowhere. Having moved here from Austin, I tend to head in that direction when I need to go shopping, but I am pretty sure there are perfectly adequate shopping opportunities north of here, maybe Belton or Temple, or even Waco. Waco might be pushing it a little bit, but I am not sure. I know there are maps in this house somewhere, I just need to find them. Another thing I have noticed lately, there are no doves this year. We have always had doves around the house, and I miss hearing them coo. I expect it is just another 2020 thing. DAMMIT.

Volume 12 - Day 262/104, 2020 - Friday

 I am very happy it is Friday. No particular reason, but I am happy about that. I closed on the re-finance of the house today, shaved eight years off the mortgage term, and my new interest rate if 2.25%. I am pretty happy with that. If you need a referral for a pretty good mortgage guy in Austin, just let me know. After the 10 o'clock closing (it took about 20 minutes, I did not need all the explanations), I made it in to the office in time for my11:30 zoom and my 1 o'clock call and my 1:30 call. Then a couple of us headed to an estate sale (we like estate sales on Friday and we haven't been in a couple months), and it was really the most disappointing estate sale we have been to in a long time. I am hunting for cuckoo clocks and old wall clocks that chime (they don't have to keep time, just run and make noise), and there was a cuckoo clock in the list of items, but it must have been sold before we got there. Did I mention that this was also the CREEPIEST estate sale we have ever been to? It was. There had to have been, at a minimum, 2,500 dolls inside this house. I am comfortable saying that I believe that to be a conservative number. There were dolls EVERYWHERE! All manner of dolls, and the display case photo of these bride dolls was at the top of the stairs. Wall-to-wall dolls. None of us bought anything, and we will try again next week. In the meantime, I am now fetishing for a 'Chucky' doll, 'Bride of Chucky' doll, and/or creepy-ass dolls like that. Keep your eyes open and let me know what you find. 

Volume 12 - Day 261/105, 2020 - Thursday

 

I don't like this at all. I was not given the option to post on the old format, so I am stuck with the new format.It is okay, really, except for loading the photos to the journal entry. Maybe I will happen upon it accidentally in the near future, just about the time they (who are they, by the way?) decide to change it again. But, the bottom like is, this is a free service I am using, so I guess I have no real right to complain. I made it through the day, the clouds looked really promising, but so far, very little (and I mean that literally) rain here. I was coming home from Round Rock and it poured down, but less than 0.05" in the gauge. More than a trace, but just barely. The clouds looked promising, and there was some really neat lightning, like three blots at a time, but no rain. I will go in to Austin tomorrow and get some stuff done in the office, and hope to be heading home by early afternoon. I had a lead on a showing (through one of those syndicators) but he said his wife was not convinced on the neighborhood, and that is okay. Better than not hearing back or showing something that the prospects are really not interested in. As you can see, I still haven't got the hang of inserting the photos...Boo-Hoo...

Volume 12 - Day 260/106, 2020 - Wednesday

And it is only Wednesday. Today was a little bit busy, lots of driving involved, a couple zoom meetings, and then trying to find someone to re-stuff the sofa cushions. You would think it required an act of Congress to get sofa cushions replaced. I found a place about fifteen blocks from the office, but they are very strict. Can you send us an e-mail with photos of the cushions and the dimensions? Yes, but no. Can I just stop by with the cushions, they are in my car. You can leave them at the curb if you would like. No, that sounds like they would be soon decorating the interior of a tent. Do you have an appointment? No, you are an upholstery shop. Do you have an appointment time available on Friday? Yes, let me check...how does 3:30 sound to you. Let me get back with you. SO, I am now on a quest for another shop, this time in Georgetown. I found one on line, and there was an address, but no phone number. Do you think it is ligit if you don't have a phone number? I know you probably don't need a land-line (I still have one), but some way of communication seems necessary for a business. I will drive over there tomorrow afternoon. There are two more listed in Georgetown, but I know the general area of this one. I am not heading in to Austin tomorrow, but I will be on Friday. Busy morning of meetings tomorrow, and by the time they are over, it will be too late to go in to Austin. The sage is blooming, and that gives my hope that there may actually be some rain in the next couple days. That would be lovely!

Volume 12 - Day 259/107, 2020 - Tuesday

You all know that I got a new couch, right? And you know it is beautiful, right? Have I mentioned to you that I think the cushions are filled with rocks? Or, if not rocks, maybe plywood. My intention was to take the cushions in to an upholstery shop in Austin, and have them replace the rocks in the cushions with a more comfortable foam, or something. But then I decided to wait and invite a bunch of people over, preferably people with generously proportioned (Rubenesque) posteriors, thinking that maybe it was not the cushions, and perhaps all they really needed was to be 'broken in.' Whatever. I was on the phone with Mikey a little while ago, and he suggested that maybe they did something unusual with the cushions to prepare the for shipping, and that I should at least see what the cushions are made of. So I did. The cushions are stuffed with something that LOOKS like a foam rubber product, and maybe it is, but I do not think there is enough ass-time between now and the next ice age to break these cushions in properly. SO, I am reverting to my original plan to take the cushions in and have them re-stuffed with something that is more pleasing to ones ass. Stay tuned!

Volume 12 - Day 258/108, 2020 - Monday

I am still resisting change. My blog URL insists that I change to their new format, I will give it another try one day this week, but not today. The only thing about it that did not work last week when I gave it a go, was the photo piece...I could not get the photo to be where I wanted it in the post. I will eventually have to do it, but not today. As Monday's go, this one was not terrible. I had a relatively casual morning, and I got in to the office about 10 o'clock. There were plenty of things for me to do, and I did most of it. I will go in to the office at least a couple more days this week, but I know for sure I will be home on Thursday, because that will be a day FULL of meetings! I am going to have to stop at the grocery tomorrow on my way home from the office. I have run out of milk, and that is a disaster for me. I also need a couple other things, but I could go a while longer if it were not for the milk depletion. Since I wear the same clothes all the time, I had very few clothes to wash last night, but I did get the wash done and even got the clothes dried and hung up those that needed hanging. There are still a few things in the dryer (I think), that need to be folded. It'll wait. I would really like to be motivated enough to dust the furniture and vacuum, but I will take it slowly. I have not dusted or vacuumed since March, so I guess it is true; dust only gets so thick... The photo in the blog tonight is just a view from the front yard. The trees are dropping their leaves, and I don't think it is because fall is in the air, I think it is because of the heat and really dry conditions we experienced earlier. We are hoping for more rain this week, and hoping the latest hurricane in the Gulf does not hurt life or property.

Volume 12 - Day 257/109, 2020 - Sunday

The registration for the farm truck is due next month, and you have to have the vehicle inspected within 90 of renewing the registration, so I decided that TODAY was the day I was going to get the truck inspected. AND, it took me ALL DAY to get it done. The truck has not been started (therefore it has not been moved) in several months, so the first task was to get it started. That did not take long because of my handy-dandy jump starter/cell phone charging device that I got a year ago from Costco. It is surprising how many times I have used that thing, but it is worth every penny (and it cost several pennies) that I paid for it. Okay, I got the truck started and I headed in to Georgetown to get the inspection done. Three different places (it is now about 11:30 AM) and a couple phone calls, and nobody can do the inspection today. They blame it all on the Covids, that it has backed up the license renewals for the people that do the inspections, so they have no one to do it on Sunday. I finally found a place that said I could make an appointment to have the truck inspected at 5 o'clock this afternoon, so I took it. I always worry that the truck won't pass inspection, even though it is thirteen years old and has less than 40K miles on it. SO...I passed by a 'brushless car wash' place, and decided I would get the truck washed. I have had the truck for 12 years, and I have NEVER had it washed. The car wash place was like one of the old quarter-car washes, except it is now $13. BUT, the truck has not looked this good since I drove it off the used truck lot 12 years ago. When I got home, I even vacuumed it out too! Fabulous. I headed back in to Georgetown, stopped at the auto parts place and got some Turtle Wax Headlight Lens Restorer (my friend Humberto in McAllen swears by it), and then I got to the inspection place, and it was easy-schmeezy! All done, registration done on-line, and that is it for another year.

Volume 12 - Day 256/110, 2020 - Saturday

I was not keen on the new blog format that I tried (ruefully) last night, so tonight I am declining to use the new format. I will give it a go another time. A nice day in central Texas, I did very little of anything that could be considered productive today, I did get in the car and drove to Liberty Hill, just for the hell of it. I did not see a thing that I needed to stop for, so I basically just took a two hour drive to nowhere. I meant to stop and get some lotto tickets, but I forgot, and I expect I will NOT win, since I don't have a ticket. Tomorrow I think I may drive towards Elgin, just to see what there is to see there, maybe not. I do need to do a few chores tomorrow, but nothing of any consequence. I did water pot plants this afternoon, since we have been a couple days with no rain. I think the ground plants are still quite comfortable, and there is a chance of rain again next week. Something with dirty feet has been walking across the pool deck, getting drinks of water from the bird bath. I think it looks like raccoon tracks, but I can't be sure, I am really not THAT rural. Anybody know?

Volume 12 - Day 255/111, 2020 - Friday

I am not at all comfortable with this, but I am going ahead with it any way. The site I use to post my daily journals has adopted a new format. They tried to get me to change over a few months ago, and I refused, and chose to stay with the old format. They tried to get me to move the the new format last night, and I chose not to do it. They are beckoning to me to change to the new format again tonight, so I am giving it a try. I am not particularly good with change. Not all change, but usually not comfortable with change to technology that I have grown comfortable with. BUT...I am not yet kicking and screaming, and I will just see how this works before I start. It is the weekend eve, and I am happy about that. The past work week crammed five days into four, and it is over now, so next week I can pretty much relax. Lots of zooms, but again, next week will be kind of slow, comparatively speaking. The recent rains (there was none today) have donewell by most of the in-ground plants, and these lilies are blooming very nicely. Now I need to put my head down and think of something to do this weekend.

Volume 12 - Day 254/112, 2020 - Thursday

I am not really sure how this happened, but at one point today, I got logged on to the wrong zoom meeting. I am sure I am not the first person to be misdirected (misguided?), but I was pretty surprised when I logged on, and this was what I saw. I am pretty sure they were surprised to see me as well. It was like I travelled back in time or something, truly odd. But, having spent most of the day on my butt in from of a couple computer terminals, I made it through the day none the worse for wear. I expect tomorrow will be a relatively calm day, it will start out slowly, and I will make my way in to the office, get some work done, maybe hit up an estate sale (if we can find one), and then head home and shelter in place for the weekend. The couch I ordered MONTHS ago was in fact delivered today, and it is beautiful, but it is also hard as a rock. I am going to find a place next week that can change the cushion filling with something that my ass will actually leave a dent in when I sit down. Other than that, I am totally happy with that on-line purchase, even if it did take months to happen.

Volume 12 - Day 253/113, 2020 - Wednesday

I was totally panicked because there was this stuff that kept falling out of the sky, and I had to go feed the chickens, and had to collect eggs and stuff like that, and I was just unsure about how to dress for the event. It all worked out oaky, though, and both the chickens and I survived the event. After tomorrow, things will calm down, but there will be a little bit of stress tomorrow. I don't exactly remember when the house flooded, but I think it was late March or April. Anyway, once all the furniture was packed up and put in containers in the driveway, I decided I would not bring a lot of that furniture back in to the house, it was a time to pare down and be a little bit selective. AND, during that time, I also stressed out over a new couch for the den. I finally succumbed to peer pressure across several states, and ordered a couch on line. Since that time, the delivery date has been extended twice, but this morning, I got an e-mail letting me know that the couch would be delivered TOMORROW! I will be presenting a class via zoom tomorrow between 10AM and 2PM, so I have no reason to believe that the couch will be delivered outside that time. I expect five or ten minutes after I start the class, they will show up. That is always the way it works out.

Volume 12 - Day 252/114, 2020 - Tuesday

For as little as I did today, I feel like I was roughed-up, rode hard, and put up unkempt! I am not used to these long days anymore, and there was a lot of stuff to do. There was a lot of stuff to NOT do, and just go ahead and reschedule that. Last minute stuff makes me a little bit crazy, and feeling that I am not in charge of stuff (like my schedules and appointments) makes me a little bit crazy. I am usually not a control freak, and I am really not a micro-manager (although I have been accused of MUCH worse), but I just felt like I could not connect all the dots today. Tomorrow and Thursday should be better (I will not be in the office at all), and Friday will be lovely. I will get to the office on Friday, and I hope there will be an estate sale to attend as well, that always brightens up the days! We had a little bit more rain this afternoon, and it is supposed to rain more tonight and all through tomorrow. Every day for the next seven days shows a chance of rain, so that is great, and the temperature today not not get above 85, I don't think. More rain equals more rain (blood) lilies! Better than a car wreck!

Volume 12 - Day 251/115, 2020 - Monday - Labor Day during Covid

I found this wheat penny several days ago when I was digging for 3 cents at the MacDonald's drive thru. I am surprised I remembered where I put it, it is a 1957, almost as old as me, and in a whole lot better shape than I am. I lazed around for a good bit of the morning, and then I had the idea of just getting in the car and going exploring. Jody and I would occasionally do that, just driving aimlessly with no particular place to go. That would make a pretty good song. SO...I decided to hear north up 95 to Belton, then take a left and go to Harker Heights, and then take another left and go to Florence, and then take another left and head home. I was expecting to make two or three stops on less-travelled roads, but alas it was not to be. The GPS in my car does not do less travelled roads, so after I got to Belton it was mainly Interstate (who knew there was an I-14?), until I got past Harker Heights and Fort Hood, and then it was a smaller road, but nothing to stop and look at. I had my heart set on stopping at a couple junk shops or something like that, but nope, it did not happen. I think I may need to go and get a couple state and/or county maps to find my way around on smaller roads. Jody was always the co-pilot, he loved maps. The rain lilies (or blood lilies if you prefer) are really springing up everywhere, and they are really pretty. Hopefully there will be a little bit more rain tomorrow, there was none overnight, and I am going to go and do a LITTLE BIT of watering in a few minutes, before I settle in to watch Antiques Road Show.

Volume 12 - Day 250/116, 2020 - Sunday

After the recent rains (there was no rain today), the rain lilies (or blood lilies) are starting to pop up here and there. It has been a long time, and I almost forgot about them. Today was a pretty day, but (again) there was no rain (I am disappointed), and it was back up into the 90's. Interestingly, today it was a hundred degrees in Denver, and they are expecting three or more inches of snow on Wednesday, How is that possible? I heard some places in the nondescript, square, northern states, they are expecting up to 13 inches of rain next week. I am totally amazed with that forecast. Oh yeah, I am not a winner in the lottery. Boo-Hoo. I don't know if anyone was a winner or not, but I also bought some scratch offs, and I am pacing myself with those. I did not have many chores on my list of things to get accomplished, and I am pretty sure I got everything done. The most important thing was to get the chicken coop cleaned, and I got that done. It was hot and muggy up in the coop this afternoon, and that was kind of surprising. I fear I will be getting new tires on Tuesday. Ugh.

Volume 12 - Day 249/117, 2020 - Saturday

Yesterday's entry did not get posted until this morning. My Someone cut the fiber optics cable for my Internet Provider, so I had very limited service last night. I did everything I knew to do (reset lots of different things) and finally called the provider, and their phone messages said, basically, we were all out of luck. That was comforting, and when I got up this morning, everything was back to abnormal! I went to get the leak in my tire fixed this morning, and after waiting a hour-and-a-half, I was told I needed new tires. They did not even attempt to fix the leak. Had they said 'okay, we'll put a plug in it but you really need to get new tires pretty soon' that would have been acceptable, but they did not, so I left. I expect I will have new tires sometime next week. I was very un-Karen like, did not make a scene, I just did not drop $1,200 right then and there. I did buy some lottery tickets later this afternoon, so I am expecting to be rich by the morning. I will let you know, maybe. Maybe not. Tomorrow I am planning a quick grocery trip, maybe a visit to Stein Mart (since they are closing up), and maybe a stop at Bed, Bath and Beyond. No real reason, just because! This storm dropped over an inch of rain in about 40 minutes, and that was nice. Strong winds, too, lots of lightning, lots of thunder. Electricity went out a couple times, just long enough to mess up the clocks. I have not reset them yet. Maybe later. Maybe not.

Volume 12 - Day 248/118, 2020 - Friday

It is Friday, it is raining, and I bought a jigsaw puzzle this afternoon. It has come to that! Ugh! In the last twenty four hours, we have had over an inch and a quarter of rain, and that is lovely. I have not had to water anything manually for three days now, and it looks like at least another two or three, if I am lucky. There is more rain in the forecast, not a lot, but we will take it. Then there is a cold front expected next Tuesday or Wednesday that is supposed to lower our temperatures again. This afternoon when I left the office (to go get my hairs cut) it was 76 degrees. After I got my hairs cut and headed home, the sun came out and I saw it hit 81 degrees on the car thermometer. That is practically unheard of during the day in Texas. SO, we are looking forward to at least five or six days of (relatively) cool weather in central Texas. I have had a slow leak in one of my tires for about six weeks, and I just keep adding air to it, but I have decided to bite the bullet tomorrow and got get the tire plugged. I figure that is at lease a three hour chore. Tomorrow is also the grand opening of a new Harbor Freight store in Georgetown, so I will make sure to stop by to buy MORE bungee cords and maybe some other stuff that I don't need. Those are my plans for the weekend!

Volume 12 - Day 247/119, 2020 - Thursday

This is not a complaint. The skies have been grey all day long, and we have had at least one nice little shower. We got about a quarter-inch of rain, but parts of Austin received over an inch, and northeast of us they got seven inches. A quarter-inch is better than nothing, so there are no complaints here. In the next week or so, maybe another inch-and-a-half, and that will be lovely, PLUS the temperatures are down considerably, and there is a cold front (really) expected next Tuesday. I don't expect this is really fall weather, this is our annual fake-fall. It just lulls us into a false state of calm, and then we will get blasted with 100 temperatures again til the middle of October. Our Texas REALTOR® meetings concluded today, and I will head in to the office tomorrow and see what is going on. I have a stop or two to make on the way in, and then it will be a three-day weekend, which I am really looking forward to. We should have more three-day weekends, in my opinion. And grey skies and cool weather, just right for taking a nap! Or three...

Volume 12 - Day 246/120, 2020 - Wednesday

RAIN! It rained overnight! And it rained during the day. By tomorrow morning, I think we might log an inch of rain in the gauge. The little rain gauge that could! I had forgotten what it was like to drive in central Texas in the rain. IH-35 has been in a state of construction since they built it 50 or so years ago, and when it rains, you can no longer tell the old lane markers from the temporary lane markers. So, it makes for interesting creeping into lanes you thought were your but really aren't. But, I will deal with it for the next few days I hope, that is what we are hoping will happen, which also cools the temperatures down. I am also very pleased that I do not need to water trees (a Wednesday thing), and I don't have to water pot plants today, and I don't need to water the beds this weekend (I hope). I won't be going in to the office tomorrow, I will be on a couple pretty long zoom meetings, and then Friday will be a stress free day. I think!

Volume 12 - Day 245/121, 2020 - Tuesday

Today was the second day of the Texas REALTORS® annual conference, and again, everything is being done virtually. It is really well done and presented wonderfully, but it is still nothing at all like being around all our friends and colleagues in person. Maybe next year. I left for the office early this morning, and got on a meeting at 10 o'clock. Got some work done in the office after that, and then headed home for another meeting that I found out was cancelled as I was driving home. SO, looked around to see what there was that I could log on to before the three o'clock, the four thirty and the six o'clock. Lots of stuff going on during this week, but it will be winding down starting on Thursday and Friday. Next week should be an easy week. It sprinkled a little bit in Austin this morning, and then this afternoon, I saw it raining a tiny bit here on the Edge of Nowhere. When I was watering plants in the front this evening, I checked the rain gauge and it shows 1/10 of an inch, you could have knocked me over with a feather, I had no idea it rained that nicely. Hopefully some more rain tomorrow through the weekend, which is expected to bring us some cooler weather. Fingers crossed!