Volume 13 - Day 31/334, 2021 - Sunday

The Sunday Brunch routine continues to go forward, and today it was just me and Candy, and pancakes and eggs, and sausage, and bacon. After brunch, I headed to Costco and bought a few things that I really didn't need, and I didn't even know they existed until I walked in the door. But, I have had Costco on my list of things to get done for about a month, and now I have done it. Done it! I got home with every intention of taking a nap, but that didn't happen. Even though I did not really want to bring anything to the Lazy House from the farm today, I knew I would bring something back. I got it in my head that I was going to bring the live plants in the house, orchids, a giant ficus that Jody and I bought years ago that was about six inches high and cost $6.99, and a schefflera that has been in the bathroom for a couple years. All are happily situated now in the Lazy House, and will hopefully be happy getting more attention now than they have in the last year or so.Tonight's picture is part of what I spent all that money on at HEB the other day. I liked it the last time I had it, but tonight I was kind of underwhelmed! I am trying to reconcile in my head that tomorrow is February.

Volume 13 - Day 30/335, 2021 - Saturday

I had weird dreams last night, and heartburn from something I ate about three days ago, or at least that is what I think it was from. Odd. I got up kind of early this morning and did a little putzing around, and then I went out to the farm, and cleaned out the office and the bathroom off the den. Two more rooms cleaned out. That leaves the laundry room, master bath and master bedroom, living room, dining room, breakfast room and garage. Then I will start on the outbuildings. But, I am basically okay with the way things are going. It was 80 degrees in central Texas today, and the photo accompanying this journal entry is either the front or the back of a front. When I left the Lazy House this morning (heading to the farm), the closer I got to the farm, the cloudier and foreboding the skies became. After about an hour at the farm, the skies started to clear and the sun came out. It was really kind of pretty, and it was a lovely winters day for the rest of it. I did not really do anything productive after that, although I did make another trip to the farm later in the afternoon to feed the chickens, feed the cat and water the plants that I hauled back outside last week. Brunch is tomorrow at 11, than a nap (I hope), and then another trip to the farm. I don't think I will really be too motivated to bring anything back to the Lazy House from the farm, but you never know.

Volume 13 - Day 29/336, 2021 - Friday

I got my new driver's license today, with the Lazy House address on it. I guess it is official! My old driver's license was only about two years old, but this new one is totally different. It has all kind of hologram looking stuff, and different kinds of textures in the plastic. It has the same photo, but the photo is black and white instead of color. It'll do, but this is the first driver's license I have seen with this design. I had a really good day today. A zoom call first thing in the morning that was a lot of fun, then off to the office, then back home. Carrie and her mom Darlene stopped by on their way back to Austin. They had been to Killeen to get the vaccine shot, and all I know is I am (I think), on two lists. Maybe I will get my shot be summer, which could be next week. The weather forecast is calling for temperatures in the 80s over the weekend. After Carrie's and her mom's visit, I went and got my hairs cut, then it was off to the farm. On the way back from the farm, I stopped at HEB. I have no freakin' idea how I spent $92 on just a couple bags from the grocery. I did get some good stuff though, so I am set for meals for the next several days. Even though I spent $92, I made a pile of eggs for dinner, and it was great. The girls enjoyed it, too. Tonight's pic was just a quickie over the wall in the back yard.

Volume 13 - Day 28/337, 2021 - Thursday

I am just about as happy as a pig in sh*t. That is pretty happy too, I have to tell you. Back in October, I took three clocks in to the clock repair shop, two of which had NEVER worked since se had them. The one I am going to talk about today, is one that Jody brought in to the family, and I do not know if it ever worked when he had it, but he kept schlepping it from one place to another. It works now! It's an Ansonia clock, and the clock shop does not know for sure if it is Pizarro or Don Quixote, and they told me last year that I could get a replacement sword on line. I have not been able to find one, so if any of you are feeling detective like, feel free to scour the Internets to see if you can find me a replacement sword. But I am tickled pink that I have three more clocks that are making noise in the hallway. Otherwise, I did three zooms today, got some good work done in the office, and made it to the farm, all in the same day. My last zoom today (7PM) was the Water Oaks Woman's Book Club. They let me in, so all is good. This months book is American Dirt, and I have only started the book, but it is pretty darned graphic and interesting so far. Next months book is The Splendid and the Vile, by Eric Larsen. Never heard of it, but always open to good book recommendations. I've got a month to finish them both, hut I expect it will only take me a week or ten days. Welcome to the full moon peeps!

Volume 12 - Day 27/338, 2021 - Wednesday

I took the picture that is included with this journal entry about a week ago (at least), and when I was at the farm this afternoon, it was still blooming, but looking a little bit haggard. In the spring, there are hundreds (maybe thousands) of iris blooming at various places, plus lilies of various kinds, cannas, roses...too many different types of flora to think about now. But right now, everything (almost) has been hit with a few light and one pretty significant freezes. Much of the things are ready to be cut back, and that will be done in the next few weeks or so. I spent most of the day today standing up. Since COVID has been around, most of our meetings, local, statewide and national, have either beed cancelled or held virtually. There is a lot of up-front work that goes into virtual meetings, that is what a lot of us did today. Pre-taping segments for a four day meeting takes time, but in the end, it all comes together and looks GREAT! I am really glad that someone in production knows what they are doing!

Volume 13 - Day 26/339, 2021 - Tuesday

Six years ago tonight, at just about this time...I was in a wanna-be Uber, on my way to a Hotel in NewYork City. I had managed to get on the last flight that was allowed to land at LaGuardia. I don't remember the airline (maybe Jet blue), but my booked flight had been cancelled because of the blizzard (not the DQ kind) that was expected to cripple the Northeast. I really did not have any concerns about the whole 'blizzard' thing, until I spent several hours on the plane with nothing to do but watch CNN and the Weather Channel, both of which were forecasting major power outages and crippling ice storms and snow fall. The airport, when we landed, was really quiet, and there were no cabs to be had. One of the Skycaps knew somebody who knew somebody that would come and take us to the hotel, which cost just a bit north of a hundred bucks. And then, nothing happened. No real bluster, no real anything. As I recall, it was a lot like a snow storm in Texas...nothing to get really too worked up over. AND, we had (pretty much), the whole place to ourselves! To say it was anti-climactic would be an understatement, but I was totally okay with that. Things got back to normal within a day or two, and it was an overall fun, successful and enlightening trip. I won't really discuss the purpose of the trip, but I can tell you, if you have attended two or three Inman Conferences, it is my opinion that you don't need to attend anymore! The photo in this journal entry is the view from my hotel window. A really good memory!

Volume 13 - Day 25/340, 2021 - Monday

It was an absolutely beautiful day in central Texas. The closer I got to Austin this morning, the cloudier and gloomier it became, and it was just the opposite when I left Austin and headed north. On my way in, there was a slow down (no stoppage) on the Interstate. One thing I don't really understand...the persons involved in the incident we off on the shoulder, but the Police blocked the left lane, which caused the slowdown. I expect there is a very logical, public safety explanation, but I really don't want to hear it when I am the one experiencing the slow down. I think eventually the clouds dissipated (from west to east) in Austin, and by early evening, it was beautiful as far as the eye could see. Overall, it was not a bad day, temperatures were in the middle 70s, and it is supposed to cool down tomorrow to seasonal temperatures, in the 60s. I did not bring a single thing from the farm back to the Lazy House this afternoon, but I did stop at Hubert and Pauline's on my way home, and I have two bags of homemade cookies and a back of homemade cinnamon rolls. Not a bad haul if I do say so myself. The chickens seem to be happy, the cat is happy (although I did not see him today), and I have to think that all is right at the farm. Tomorrow I will be waiting on a delivery (estimated to be between 7AM and 1PM), a 10 o'clock zoom and a 1 o'clock CE class (also via zoom). If it's Monday, it must be Antiques Roadshow, and, as a matter of fact, it is

. 

Volume 13 - Day 24/341, 2021 - Sunday

This is what central Texas has looked like for about the last 36 hours or so. It started yesterday, late morning, and it is supposed to continue through late morning tomorrow. We in Texas are known both for our wines and our whines, and whining is much more common than the wine. I started unloading boxes this morning, and before I headed to brunch, I had all the books on the bookcases and a little bit more. I found some boxes I had apparently hidden in the garage, and I brought a few more boxes this afternoon after my farm visit. I think I have enough to do these next few days without bringing anything gargantuan back from the farm. I am ready for a lighter week. I did stop at Dairy Queen this afternoon, and there are two Cookies & Cream Blizzards in the freezer right now. I hope I remember to eat them before they spoil!

Volume 13 - Day 23/342, 2021 - Saturday

If I had not been there to witness if for myself, I would question the integrity of the main topic of this entry. The parcelling out of 'stuff' at the farm continued unabated today. I made my first trip this morning about nine o'clock, and brought back about seven boxes of books. My intention was to get Jody's study cleared out today. You could not possibly imagine the stuff that was in that room of the house, but it is totally empty now. Altogether, from just that room, we cleared out about 15 boxes of books and treasures, and five bookcases. All that stuff is now at the Lazy House. Between Carrie, Mike, Candy, Marshall, Terry and his two eighth grade boys, lots of patio furniture left, two black leather La-Z-Boy chairs, another oriental rug, a washer, dryer and two pedestals, a marble top chest, another chest that used to be a radio cabinet, two marble topped tables, a teak dining room table and six chairs, a bedroom chest and dresser and maybe more. Maybe less, but I am going to stick with maybe more. Towards the end of the day, it started to dribble a little bit, but not enough to really bother anything. Everything is going to be much easier tomorrow. I will not bring a single thing from the farm to the house tomorrow. Okay, that's a lie, but I won't be bringing a lot of stuff. I have to go and at least feed the chickens and the cat, and I will spend a good part of the day putting books on shelves.

Volume 13 - Day 22/343, 2021 - Friday

Today was another good day, and a beautiful one in central Texas. I had an early morning vendor appointment, and that went really well. At the same time, I had a TREPAC Leadership zoom, and that went well, too. I did a little bit of putzing around, and then Michael and Lynda stopped by with lunch, and they brought the plum tree they had gifted me for Christmas. After a nice lunch, we dug a hole in the back yard (third try was the charm), and the plum tree is now happily planted in the back yard. There are LOTS of big rocks in this area, just a few inches under the soil, which is why we had to dig around for a place to dig. After that, we all went to the farm, and I filled as much stuff from the house into their car that they would allow me. I still think I am making good progress on the farm front, so I am satisfied with that. The weekend has started, and that means I will get more stuff from the farm house to the Lazy House. Candy and Terry are supposed to be at the farm over the weekend as well, and they have called dibs on several items. Everything is (more or less) working out as intended. Barney the cat is happy, the chickens are happy, the cattle are happy, I am happy.

Volume 13 - Day 21/344, 2021 - Thursday

Just in case you were wondering, I had a most excellent day. I know you all already know that I am the luckiest man (still) alive. I got to spend most of the day at Texas REALTORS®, doing what I love to do, and that is getting the word out about TREPAC and working to spread the gospel of member participation. You might have seen a pic I posted earlier on my Facebook feed, I was having to stand on books so I could be included in the video shot. All the Texas REALTOR® staff (let me think of a good word here), tolerates me and most (not all) of my craziness. I do my best work IN THE MOMENT, and planning is not something that I am really good at, but even I think that is really not accurate. I just plan to get stuff done, and some of the plans only hit my little pea brain in the moment. So, that was about the first third of my day. The second third was spent in the office and then at the farm, making sure the chickens and the cat had plenty to eat. The third third of my day was spent on this zoom meeting with about 50 peeps enjoying the Spazmatics in concert. What a fun time! And, so right now, I am thinking about how I am going to finish the fourth third of my day, and once I figure that out, I will let you know!

Volume 13 - Day 20/345, 2021 - Wednesday

I had a Twinkie and a Ding Dong for lunch. Other than that, the day was not awful. I watched some of the Inaugural events, then I listened to some, then I turned it all off. Our office was closed today, I did some errands and went to the farm twice and brought stuff to the Lazy House. I hung a couple pictures, hung the new shower rod in one of the guest baths, put up the shower curtains, emptied a box or two, put a couple tables here and there, and I am not sure if I like where I put them or not. I just took a break and hung another picture in the office. I tend to get bursts of energy, usually earlier in the day, but I will take my bursts as I get them. I remembered to bring my pizza pan from the farm, so I stopped at Papa Murphy's on the way home and picked up a pizza. I never would have thought this, but perhaps I should have 'conditioned' the oven before using it the first time. just about 20 minutes in to baking the pizza, I opened the oven door and a blast of noxious fumes wafted their way up to the ceiling. The smoke detector did not go off, so that was good. If I wake up dead in the morning, alert the coroner to check for noxious off-gassing from the oven that infiltrated the pizza. I'm a Forensic Files devotee, so I know they can check for stuff like that. I think I have a mouse living in the car. This is the second time I have left a breakfast bar in the car, only to return and find it chewed-into. This particular breakfast bar was only in the car for about thirty minutes before I found it. How does one go about evicting a mouse from ones car? If you have a cue, please PM me.

Volume 13 - Day 19/346, 2021 - Tuesday

Well, well, well. Yes, I am well, but I expect that I would be weller (not with water) if I could get a vaccination. I am on one waiting list, but it is really difficult, at my advanced age, to traverse the web-sites to see if there are other locations offering the vaccine. The way I understand it, I am a member of Group B, kind of like finding out you qualify for AARP. But, I will keep logging-on and receive the continuous rejections with a smile. My entire day today revolved around a delivery for one of our landlords. The delivery window was between noon and 6PM, so I did not leave the house particularly early, but I did make two or three stops on the way in to the office. I did some power real estate, signed a bunch of stuff, and finally I got the call that the delivery was on its way. And then it started raining. And then a cold front came in. And by the time everything was done, I was soaking wet and freezing. Well, not literally. So it was back to the office after that, and then off to the farm to feed chickens and the barn cat. Tomorrow is not an office day, so it will be kind of a slow day. i am considering a visit to Costco. Maybe, maybe not. But definitely another relaxed trip to the farm to pack up a few more things to bring to the Lazy House.

Volume 13 - Day18/347, 2021 - Monday

To me, more than anything else in the world, is my own very personal harbinger that things just might be getting back to some semblance of normalcy. Jody's grandfather clock has not worked since sometime in late March or early April. It is a long story (go back on posts if you are really interested, or you can just ask me), but this clock is a very delicate and finicky timepiece. It is not as old as I thought it was, and I did a little research on it before this journal post. The tag inside the door says 'Herschede Hall Clock, Model 217.' According to Mrs. Google, I guess it is about 90 years old or so (I thought it was 120 years old), they are all hand made, no expense spared, and allegedly the Cadillac of hall clocks. I just hope I can keep it running now, and chiming its way into the future. It has a few idiosyncrasies, and I like it just the way it is. It's a lot like me, old, warted, whiskered, and frequently forgets what time it is. Otherwise, for a Monday, this was a pretty good Monday. Hours of zoom meetings, lots of good work done, lots of good information shared about Texas history, and lots of great words shared with my Texas REALTOR® colleagues and Texas REALTOR® staff. Thanks to everyone that helps me look (at best) adequate, it is not that easy!

Volume 13 - Day 17/348, 2021 - Sunday

Well, another weekend has come and gone. I don't know about you, but I made the best of my time. It was another beautiful day in central Texas, temperatures in the middle 60s and lots of sunshine. I got a couple errands run this morning, before meeting up with Candy and Terry for brunch. I am kind of liking this regular Sunday brunch gig. A different place every Sunday, whosever turn it is to pay is also responsible for picking the location and making the reservation. Candy is up next, and then me, and I already have the place in my head. It's a secret. After brunch, we all went to the farm. I thought I had made so much progress the past week, but when there are other people there, it is like I have done nothing. Imagine one of those hoarders programs, except you can see a lot of the floor at the farm, and you don't have to climb over anything. I am still on track with getting one room completely cleaned out per week, so that is good. I think this week I will concentrate on the laundry room, it is a small room, and not a lot to get out of there. Terry helped get a trunk into my car and into the Lazy House, and I have to admit, it looks better than I expected. Things are coming together, and that is making me happy. I like the Lazy House better and better each day. It is good. I went back to the farm after they left, and did some more stuff, cleaned the chicken coop, brought another car load of stuff back to the new house. Terry got the pendulum on grandfather, and got the tv in the kitchen working on an antenna. I don't know if he did anything different than I did, but when he did it, it works. Grandfather is still running, but he is slow, so I will have to adjust the pendulum, but so far so good. Jody loved seeing this llama. I think he is a lonely llama, and I don't understand how people can put one llama, or one ostrich (emu?) or one horse in a pasture. I think they all need some company. The llama is also attracted to red, so when he is up by the road, he pays a lot of attention to the car...

Volume 13 - Day 16/349, 2021 - Saturday

I am pretty satisfied with what I got accomplished today. I emptied a few boxes that were in the garage, and made three trips to the farm, bringing two carloads of stuff back to the Lazy House. Only two carloads because one of the trips to the farm was only to retrieve my cell phone. That is the second time this month that I have gone off without my cell phone, and I am not sure HOW that is possible. Apparently, the Prevagen is STILL not working. BUT, nevertheless, I am happy with what I got done. I will make another trip or two tomorrow, but I am still on target for cleaning out one room per week, so there is no complaining about that. I had stuffed salmon for dinner. The challenge is, they do not do a single salmon, they only prepare them for 'duos,' which means I will have the other one Monday or Tuesday. It could be worse. It was really a pretty day today, lots of sun and temperatures in the 60s. Shirtsleeve weather for sure. The girls outdid themselves today, too; nine chickens and I got 11 eggs today. It would really be helpful if the piglet would pull a weed or two when she is in the backyard with her sister, but apparently that is outside her pay grade.

Volume 13 - Day 15/350, 2021 - Friday

It's tax day, but it has not been a particularly taxing day. It was not as good of a day as yesterday, but it was not a bad day. It was not the best of times, it was not the worst of times. I think it was just a day. There were lots of good things that happened today; I was on three zoom calls, we got some good work done. One of the better things I did today (IMHO), was to retrieve the pendulum of Jody's grandfather clock that was damaged during the move. Now here is the not so good part. Believe it or not, I cannot figure out how to attach the pendulum. I have seen that clock every day for almost 30 years, and I NEVER studied how the pendulum was attached. It is nowhere near as easy as it sounds, believe me. I have asked Mrs. Google, and she has come up with nothing. I know it cannot be that complicated, and I will devote 15 or 20 minutes here and there until I get it figured out. I went to the farm after I retrieved the pendulum, fed the chickens and fed the cat, but I did not bring a single thing away from the house. I will concentrate on doing some of that over the weekend. I am still on target for getting one room cleaned out per week. I still have plenty of time.

Volume 13 - Day 14/351, 2021 - Thursday

LOOKAWOTIDID2DAY! I found table legs that could be bought LOCALLY, and I put screwed them on my birch cutting board table top. That is a pretty good step forward for the office at the Lazy House, in acknowledgement of my wood shop challenges in junior high. In addition to that, this is probably the best day (so far) of the new year. I had a couple good zoom meetings today (three more tomorrow), I got some errands done, and my cousin Janet reached out to me via e-mail. That was really nice, we have not been in touch with each other for at least 15 years. If you see her on Facebook, give her a shout out! One of my zooms today was to attend the installation ceremony of my friend Erica, who is the 2021 President of the Reading Berks Association of REALTORS® (RBAR). She will have a great year, and everyone in Pennsylvania will benefit from her leadership. It could be just my imagination, but I think the girl dogs may be barking less when they are outside. Not less when they are INSIDE, but I will take what I can get. OH, and I stopped at Dairy Queen this afternoon on the way home from the farm, and there are a couple cookies and cream Blizzards waiting for me in the freezer! Not a bad day!

Volume 13 - Day 13/352, 2021 - Wednesday

And now for something completely different. And if I am lucky, just a few minutes of distraction from the cares and worries of the day. This photo popped up on my cell phone today, one of the recent updates causes random photos to appear. This photo was from April of 2017, and we were in DC for our annual Hill Visits. Not sure what building we were in, but probably on that has been mentioned A LOT lately. These wimmin accosted me to be in a photo with me, and I did not agree until one of them offered me their tiara in exchange for posing for a photo. I complied, and after the deed was done, these wimmin all took off like there was a truck out on the street throwing gold chains out the back. They were all pretty fast except for that one, and I knocked her ass down and grabbed my bounty and headed back into the building. There was a little issue getting the tiara the metal detector. I was asked if I was carrying any concealed weapons and I told the security guy just this one little weapon of mass distraction. I winked, he winked, and I waltzed through the line and made it in time to give my presentation. I can neither confirm nor deny that any of the aforementioned events happened, or are just a fig newton of my imagination.

Volume 13 - Day 12/353, 2021 - Tuesday

Well, there I was, minding my own business in the office, having lunch and chatting with Carrie and Kerry (I had chicken somethings, one of my usual choices), and I got this notification: Water Oak's Propane Substation is on fire. The fire trucks are here now, putting it out. I think if the intention was to get my attention, it worked. There was no explosion, and there are people still over there working on stuff. The substation is about two or three blocks from the new house. I was not made aware that the house I bought was not serviced with natural gas (that's what I thought I was buying), but it most likely would not have changed my mind about it. BUT, this is the second challenge in less than a week. Over the weekend, the demand for propane (it was cold outside) overwhelmed the supply, and the delivery pressure went way down. That problem was fixed, but right now there is no propane for heating, hot water, cooking or 'gas' logs in the fireplace. I really am not too terribly inconvenienced by this, it is, after all, a first world problem, and I will survive it. The low temperature tonight is forecast to be 30 degrees, but I have a couple blankets and two dogs to keep me warm. I just think it is an interesting happenstance!

Volume 13 - Day 11/354, 2021 - Monday

All the talk about snow is yesterday's news! By the time I got up and headed in to Austin this morning, there was NO SNOW or ICE on any of the roads. Here is something I never knew was possible; it is supposed to be very cold overnight, maybe the coldest night of the season, and we are expecting fog to accompany the cold temperatures. There is some concern that the fog may cause icing on the roads because of the cold temperatures. Something else to worry about, as if I don't have enough already! After my escapade in the kitchen last night, I decided to get more creative, so I went to HEB this afternoon, and got some salad fixin's. I know positively, that this is the first of any kind of salad makings I have bought since Jody died. I have (probably) eaten some salad since then, but this is definitely the first salad stuff I have purchased and consumed in almost a year. I cannot say the same thing about potato chips or ice cream or key lime pie! I am not going to say this is a new trend, but it was good, and there is more in the refrigerator.

Volume 13 - Day 10/355, 2021 - Sunday (it's a Snow Day)

...dreamed I was an Eskimo...and my mother cried, Don't Eat the Yellow Snow... Yep, I was attending (enrolled) in college in the late sixties and early seventies. I was a fraternity guy (not a GDI), and I had a blast. Phi Zappa Crappa. Not really, but Frank Zappa was one of the people I thought a lot of at the time, and I tend to have flashbacks now and again. I have seen a lot of my friends 'snow pics' today, and I am including one with this journal entry. What I haven't seen is something that is the most difficult to comprehend, and that is a photo of my two girls dogs, out in the backyard, actually taking a pee. It was not easy to get them outside to do anything, let alone to get off the porch, get their feet in the snow, and squat down to take a pee. Just remember, don't eat the yellow snow! I made some questionable decisions today. I left the house about 10:00 and headed to Target. Made it with no issues, it had only been snowing at that time for about four hours. Got what I needed at Target, and headed to brunch (scheduled for 11:15), got to the restaurant, and they were closed because of the snow. A bunch of wusses. Regrouped, and ended up at a place that was not afraid of snow, and Candy, Mike and Terry and I had a nice brunch, all social distancing was properly observed. I got home and immediately tried to talk myself out of going to the farm this afternoon. Couldn't do it. The cattle would be okay, the chickens would probably have been okay, but I was worried about Barney. It is really cold, so he needs his food. I left for the farm about 3:45, and it was a little bit tricky in some places, but I made it to the farm and back with no real issues. And, while I was there, I picked up the measuring cups, so I could make myself some DELISH Hamburger Helper. The girl dogs approved, too! I went out to put faucet covers on the two hose bibs at the new house (Lazy Acres), and I almost fell on my ass. I expect I will feel all that tomorrow morning. The pic is of the farm, from the road. It was actually a really great day, and I am happy with myselF today! Happy, warm, fed, content, happy.

Volume 13 - Day 9/356, 2021 - Saturday

Today was kind of a fun day. I stayed in bed pretty late, and that was a pleasure. I figured out how to work the girls bark collars, and put them on them a couple times. The Piglet is NOT a fan of the bark collars, but I think they will work in the long term to keep them from barking at EVERYTHING! Time will tell. I went to the farm twice today, it turned off colder than I expected last night, so I wanted to make sure everything was okay, nothing burst, and it was all fine. I cleaned out the freezer of the refrigerator in the back kitchen, so that is progress. I welcomed my first guest (at least I can't think of any other visitors since I moved in), and it was a pleasure to see my friend Janis. Janis lives in a historic house in Georgetown, and I have known her for 25 years. She also brought the girls some chew toys, so she has friends forever of the girl dogs. One thing about living in town too is, I am just minutes from Target. I can be back and forth from Target for little or no reason. I had intended to make a skillet of hamburger Helper this evening, but once again I was thwarted. When reading the directions, the recipe called for various measurements of water and milk, and I do not have any measuring cups here. So I made an egg loaf instead, and I have it on my list to bring measuring cups from the farm to the new house tomorrow. I expect there will be at least on more trip to Target tomorrow as well, and we may even get snow (or a wintery mix at least) over the next couple of days.

Volume 13 - Day 8/357, 2021 - Friday

It is Friday. Usually that is something we all look forward to, but I am not too sure about this Friday. It is supposed to get really, REALLY cold here over the next four or five days. Overnight on Monday night (I think), the low temperature is going to be in the 20s, and that will be of a little bit of concern. It will be back up into the 40s on Tuesday, and then it will warm up to seasonal temperatures after that, but we do not like the cold. We do not like the hot, either, so it seems we are never satisfied. I guess that is accurate. I grew up in Michigan, and I never really thought about freezing temperatures, it was just something that happened, and we were ready for it. I don't really know if it got below freezing last year at all, but it is an event, here in central Texas. Otherwise, today was a day of some accomplishments. Two good zoom meetings, a few chores, chickens and barn cat fed, and I got my haircut. I even did a little bit of grocery shopping. Tomorrow I will make another trip to the farm; I am slowly moving things, five or six items at a time. No hurry. They may not be as spectacular as sunsets at the farm, but I still have the opportunity to see the sun go down here at the new house, the Lazy house.

Volume 13 - Day 7/358, 2021 - Thursday

I don't know what the rest of y'all did yesterday, but I went out and bought a bike. It was even before I needed to be distracted from current events. I have been trying to buy a hybrid for a while, planning to get back on the bike and get some exercise. I think biking is really good exercise, but it does not seem like exercise to me. Years ago, I did long distance bike rides, and I loved doing it. I have always been a pretty good bike rider, and it is probably one of the reasons I am still around. I have always been a smart ass, but I could run and ride my bike faster than the people I was smarting off to, so I escaped most of the time. Every now and then I got caught, but I was too much of a smart ass to learn a lesson, and it continues to this day. And yep, that's a kick-stand! I have gone from cool to practical, and that is okay with me.

Volume 13 - Day6/359, 2021 - Wednesday

I have no words. I am speechless. I am ashamed. I could use a hug. 

Volume 13 - Day 5/360, 2021 - Tuesday

Today was a pretty good day, I got everything on my list crossed off (except for one thing), even though I was not successful with all those chores. I am in the market for a hybrid bike, and I went to Academy with every intention of procuring one there, but alas, it was not to be. If you know of any place that actually has bikes in stock, let me know, or I may be reduced to more on-line shopping. I was able to have a sigh of relief when I took the pendulum of Jody's grandfather clock to the repair shop, and they said it can be repaired. The movers broke the pendulum last week during the move, and I was very happy that the clock shop did not think it was a terrible issue, although parts will need to be procured. The clock is over a hundred years old, and I will be delighted to have it tick-tocking again soon. The post office is a long story, and I will not bore you with all of it, but I finally got a key to my mail box at the new house. Now I can start putting in change of address requests, so I am happy about that. I got a couple other things taken care of, but I won't bore you with all the details. Just because I don't reside out in the country anymore, does not mean I have quit paying attention to the clouds. I actually have a pretty good view from the back porch, although these clouds are not a result of that...just a photo I took while driving down the road this afternoon.

Volume 13 - Day 4/361, 2021 - Monday

My, my, my...the first Monday of the new year. A lot of people are betting that 2021 will be a better year than 2020, but I also predict that the year will be much more interesting, in a different kind of way, than 2020 proved to be. Aside from the pandemic and a couple personal things that happened early in the year, the year (in my opinion) did not get really too interesting until the fourth quarter, and the whole shit show is spilling into the first quarter of 2021. Today was a pretty productive day for me overall. I made it into the office this morning, and then headed home for a 1 o'clock appointment at the new house. The water softener was installed at the new house today, the gutter installation is about half-way done, and the car charger was corrected this afternoon as well, so I am glad for all those accomplishments. I do not have anything on the calendar for tomorrow, but I am pretty confident that I can easily fill up the day. I need to go back to the Post Office...I was there a little over two weeks ago to get a key to the cluster box, but they were not sure that my house (number) existed. They told me they would give me a call when they got it all figured out, but I will be pro-active and see what I can find out. I really need to start getting the addresses changed on all the various accounts and subscriptions, but I need to make sure I can access the mail box before I do that. I am getting to the farm on a daily basis; there are chickens to feed, pool skimmers to clean, a lot of this-and-that to keep taking care of. No freezing temperatures are expected until the late weekend, so I turned the water back on to the cattle trough in the back pasture. As I was walking back to the house, I took this photo...moving from the farm to Georgetown is really a bittersweet thing, but I think long-term it will be the right thing to do. Now, if I can just get the dogs to quit barking...

Volume 13 - Day 3/362, 2021 - Sunday

Oh my! Tomorrow is a work day. Hmmm. I slept very nicely last night, and did not even get out of bed until almost 7 o'clock this morning. I got up, putzed around for a little while, did a little bit of this-and-that, and then headed in to Georgetown (I still say that, even though I started out in Georgetown this morning) to have brunch with Mike and Candy. We have been doing Sunday Brunches for about the last four or five weeks, and it is really nice. Social distancing, masks, outside seating if we can. Today was perfect; by 11 A.M., the temperature was in the mid 60s, and there was a heater right next to our table, even though we did not need it. After brunch, I went BACK to Target, bought a couple more things, and came home and did a little bit more. Things are coming together here, and at the farm I think one of my goals will be to empty one room per week. Maybe more, maybe less. And when I say 'empty,' I mean get everything out that I am taking, or donate, or leave for an estate sale. That is the plan anyway. Today was also chicken coop cleaning day, and I got the trash can up at the road for pick-up tomorrow. When I got home this afternoon, I took a quick nap, and this evening I did my first load of clothes in the new machines. Not sure if I did it all right, but they are all washed and dried. The piglet was trying her best to keep her eyes on me when I was trying to nap, but drifting off to sleep won out!

Volume 13 - Day 2/363, 2021 - Saturday

I keep discovering more and more conveniences for living in Georgetown, as opposed to living on the Edge of Nowhere. But really, this is only my second day, but I have done a couple good things, in my opinion. I have renewed my print subscription to the Austin newspaper. We had a subscription when we first moved to the farm, but two or three years or local carrier died, and then the delivery became sketchy at best. When Jody died, I cancelled the subscription, since it was not worth the aggravation. The electronic edition is okay, if you grew up with electronic stuff, but I really like getting the newspaper, and reading it. My subscription is supposed to start tomorrow. Fingers crossed. The hot water here was tepid at best, so I went on-line to see what the recommended temperature is for a residential water heater. Opinions range from 120 to 150 degrees (150 degrees is recommended with lots of disclaimers). Something between 135 and 140 degrees seemed reasonable, so armed with that knowledge, I ventured into the attic to see what the temperature setting was. There are two waters in this house, which seems to me to be a little more than necessary, but who am I to question that. There was no temperature setting for the water heaters, but as you can see I can choose low, hot or very hot. I switched them both from low to hot, and I am much happier with the temperature of the hot water now. I went and got the girls from the kennel, and found their monthly meds and gave them their proper doses. They seem happy with the back yard, but they are still kind of iffy about the house. I expect they will be all settled in about the same time I will be, a week or so. I rearranged the furniture in the office this evening, and I think I like it better this way. You are all welcome to come and decide for yourselves.

Volume 13 - Day 1/364, 2021 - Friday

Okay boys and girls, fasten your seat belts, I am starting Volume 13 with this journal entry. Holy Mother of Whatever You Believe In. Another year, another commitment to 364 more days of this journal. Once I start, there is no going back! So, right now, I want to rescind any criticisms or unkind remarks I may have said or implied about my current Internet and Cable provider. It has been a long journey, but it is amazing how ONE PERSON, just ONE PERSON can fix all the negativity you might have about something, and in my case, it WAS my current provider (to be unnamed because they have more money than I do). Tonight, and kind and knowledgable man named Brett (two t's I think, not sure) came to the (new) house and fixed EVERYTHING. Well, not everything, but I now have cable and Internet, and I am a happy guy. I understand that, when you live in the first world, you are prone to first world problems, but I have no first world problems at the moment, all thanks to Brett. If you need more information, PM me, and I will be happy to share all the dish with you. Last night was my first night in the new house, and I did not sleep very well, but I think that will fix itself over time. Fireworks were prevalent, and I expect you think the firework bidness is all fun and games. This photo shows you behind the scenes of a fireworks stand I pass a lot on my way to and from the farm. Just a look at the 'dark side.' The girls come home tomorrow, and I have a few more things to do between here and the farm, but I expect tomorrow will be a good day!