Volume 13 - Day 90/275, 2021 - Wednesday

So, in the tradition of traditions, and going forward in the 13th year (and most likely the final year) of this tradition, I guarantee that you will all be sick of iris photos before too much longer. The magnificence of the blooms varies from year to year, and this is not going to be an exceptional year, dang it. They would have been better if we had not been plagued with the severe ice storm back in February. It made a lot of flora go asunder. But, there will be more wonderful years to come, and I hope that next year they will all be amazing a new owner of the farm property. Today was a busy day, several zooms, lots of stuff accomplished at the office, and then off to the farm. I have decided that, by the power or observation, that there are either fleas or mites in the chicken coop. I am going to go with fleas as the diagnosis, and that is a terrible realization. However, they should be under control within a week or so, just another something you deal with when you live in the country. Lots of critters make lots of opportunities for lots of challenges. 

Volume 13 - Day 89/276, 2021 - Tuesday

I hope you will take a few extra seconds when considering this journal entry, to actually look at the blooms on these orchid plants that I brought from the farm to the Lazy House. They were not among the first items transferred to the Lazy House, but they were moved pretty quickly. There was not a single bud on them in late December and early January, but now they are covered in buds and there are five or six blooms showing off very proudly. Outside my home office window right now, the neighbors' lawn service is busy cutting the grass and edging. I don't know about you guys, but I think that might just be a little bit to late for a lawn mower running outside the window. Just a thought. It was a pretty good day today, not too busy, but tomorrow will be a jam packed, FULL day. I have four zooms, the first one is at 10 and the last one is at 4. Only one on Thursday (I hope I can make it), at 9:30...but I am flying to Lubbock mid-day, so I absolutely hate rushing here and there. I am not a good rusher! So...just once again, take a few extra seconds to look at the blooms, or just go outside and take a deep breath. What ever you want to do, just take a few extra seconds and enjoy it.

Volume 13 - Day 88/277, 2021 - Monday

Regrettably, not everything I have found when moving stuff from the farm to the Lazy House, has improved with age. I found two bags of jelly beans (remember my jelly bean stage?), and their 'best by' date was July, 2018. Estimating the purchase date by the 'best by' date, I guess I bought them around 2014. I ate a few of them this afternoon during a zoom meeting, and they were not easily consumed. Really sad, but what do you expect for a Monday? Otherwise, this was not the worst Monday ever, and I am happy about that. I had a series of zoom meetings, the first one starting at 9 o'clock, the last one starting at 3 o'clock. Tomorrow, I only have one zoom scheduled, and there are a few more scheduled this week, but you never know. One of the meetings today was cancelled, and you just have to go with the flow. I did make it out to the farm, and there is some good progress being made, and I am happy with that. I had eggs for dinner, and there is certainly no shortage of eggs either at the farm or at the Lazy House. It was a beautiful day today, disappointed that there was no rain, and I fear we are getting set up for a pretty extreme year of drought. Start conserving now!

Volume 13 - Day 87/278, 2021 - Sunday

I kind of took the day off from moving stuff from the farm to the Lazy House. I feel much better knowing that I have finally found someone to do all the tree work, etc., and I think I am back on target to get the house on the market in the middle of May or the first of June. After brunch this morning, I went to Costco, mainly for coffee pods, and did not buy too much more than that. I was unable to pass up the opportunity to buy more toilet paper, so if you need some, I can trade some for bit coins. After Costco, I came home and took a nap before going to the farm and cleaning the chicken coop, feeding the cat, and doing a little bit of this and that. I am happy that the bird feeder I bought a couple weeks ago has been discovered by some of the neighborhood birds, and that makes me smile. That thing holds about ten pounds of bird seed, and it has rained twice since I put it out there, and it does not seem to have clogged up at all. Later this week or maybe next weekend, I plan to put two or three hummingbird feeders out, so keep your fingers crossed. I have an off-and-on busy week this week, including my first flight in over a year. I will head off to Lubbock to see some friends and colleagues Thursday afternoon, and I will be back home Friday afternoon. In and out, nobody gets hurt. Things are getting a teeny tiny bit back to normal...baby steps!

Volume 13 - Day 86/279, 2021 - Saturday

I put in a full 8 hours today. I made it to Home Depot before 9 o'clock, and apparently they use a terrorism truck rental watch list then Penske does, so I was able to rent a van and made it to the farm to pick up a few things, mainly the one piece of art that would not fit in my car or anyone else's car or truck. I brought a few extra things, too, and had the van back to them before noon. Then I made a few stops, picked up a plant for Michael and Lynda (and delivered it to them), stopped at the bird place and got some hummingbird juice, went to Lowe's on the search for some large based three way light bulbs (no luck) but found more hummingbird nectar at about a third of the price, then went to the office, then back to the farm, then to HEB and then home. I have been waiting for one of these wine iris to bloom, and after taking the picture, thought that this too is one of the things I will miss at the farm. 

Volume 13 - Day 85/280, 2021 - Friday

Okay, so for those of you who are wondering, I walked myself back off the ledge. I got a good nights sleep, I have found someone to do all the necessary work at the farm (it is going to take five weeks), and it was another beautiful day in central Texas today. The weather forecast for the weekend is still calling for rain, but not as much as was predicted earlier in the week, but I have already cancelled the helpers I had asked to help on Sunday, and I am not going to get that started again. I am pretty much just going to chill. Now that the plan has been firmed up for the final stages of make-ready work at the house, I have a better outlook about everything. It is truly a relief. I think I might try to rent the panel van from Home Depot this weekend, and move a few things that won't fit in the car, and that will make a big difference in my frame of mind. The only things left after that will be given away or taken to Goodwill. This was a pretty good wreck in southbound IH-35 this afternoon. Luckily, I was headed north, but we all had to slow down to take a good look. I don' think there were any injuries, but there was some really neat vehicular damage. I had FOUR zoom meetings today, starting at 8:30 and ending at 1:30. Then, I left the office and went to get my hairs cut. I (again) don't think I will try to structure every minute of my weekend, but I expect I will get some things done that need to get done!

Volume 13 - Day 84/281, 2021 - Thursday

If I could get paid for worrying, I will be a rich man. I often told Jody that, he did not need to worry about anything, because I worried enough about things for both of us. I had an absolutely horrible night last night, and today was not much better. Some of my friends are blaming my malaise on the fact that i got my second shot yesterday, but I don't think that is it at all. We had some pretty bad storms overnight, and my cell phone kept going off all night long...TORNADO...LIGHTNING...HAIL... All. Night. Long. And, in the dark, being surrounded by storms, all my demons decided to make a visit. And it did not get better until just a bit ago. The farm suffered immense damage last month during the freeze and ice storms, and I was worried that there would be more damage. But anyway, this too shall pass, and I totally expect that once I get a good nights sleep, it will all be better. Oh, and I have had a headache all day, too! BUT, it was a beautiful day, I had a couple meetings, and I have to tell you, when I went out to the farm this afternoon, I could not see any more damage (there may not have even been any rain out there), the birds were singing, there was a lovely breeze, and it let me know there is hope for tomorrow. The proof is in the iris!

Volume 13 - Day 83/282, 2021 - Wednesday

Paul gave me my second shot this morning, so far so good. The lady that gave me my first shot was one lane over, and I got to say hello to her. My appointment was at 10:20, and for sure I did not want to be late. I got there about 9:45, and there were really no bottlenecks, in-and-out nobody got hurt. After that, I took off to the office, cleared off my desk (yet again), had lunch, and then headed off to the farm to meet a contractor. Maybe, just maybe, this one guy can do everything...trees, landscaping, make readies inside and outside. We will see, but I am ready to get this part of the project going so I can get the house on the market. We are supposed to have another storm come in overnight, but not really bad until about 3:30 in the morning, and then done by about 5. Then there is a forecast for rain on Sunday and the next four days or so next week. Excuse me, I am heading for the big chair.

Volume 13 - Day 82/283, 2021 - Tuesday

After the storms last night, it was a brilliantly beautiful day in central Texas. Blue skies, vibrant sunshine, 82 degrees, gentle southerly breezes, just absolutely wonderful. Overnight, we had hail, gusty winds, a half-inch of rain, but no local damage of note. I worked from home today, and got a few things done around the house. I actually dusted a few surfaces, and those few surfaces look much better as a result. Now if I could just work up the energy to vacuum; over three months at the Lazy House and I have still not vacuumed. It doesn't look, necessarily, that it NEEDS to be vacuumed, but I think the floors and rugs could probably use a good going over. I made it out to the farm and got the chickens and cat fed, so all is good there. Tomorrow, I get my second shot, and I am looking forward to it. In case I have a bad reaction, I have a few magazines stacked up on the kitchen island that I can tackle. Oldest on top, newest on the bottom. And, the companies keep sending me subscription renewals, and I keep shredding them, I just don't seem to be able to work into my schedule. But, I am pretty sure it will all work out.

Volume 13 - Day 81/284, 2022 - Monday

Nothing truly disappointing today, which, in itself, is disappointing. Disappointing because I (like most people) find it much easier to complain about things that it is to find the good in stuff, even though I think I try to find good things to report at least half of the time. If you want to fact check this, just feel free to go back through more than twelve years of entries, and be sure to let me know! Today was and remains one of those typical grey days in central Texas. There is a chance of some thunderstorms overnight, and I will welcome the rain if we get any. There are more chances of rain later this week, on Wednesday and Thursday. I went in to the office this morning, and cleared off my desk, did a little of this and a little of that, had a nice lunch, and took off for the farm. Got the chickens fed, got Barney fed, brought ONE thing from the farm to the Lazy house, and I am settled in for the night. Even though yesterday was the first FULL day of spring, I am a little bit behind in posting 'spring' stuff, but I think this is a pretty little picture of the plum tree at the farm.

Volume 13 - Day 80/285, 2021 - Sunday

Let's just get the disappointments out of the way and it will all be uphill from there. I reserved a truck (16 footer, but it was all they had available) last Wednesday, to pick up on Sunday and use it for five or six hours. I made arrangements for some help, and the plan was to get ALL the furniture out of the house at the farm, bring two or three things to the Lazy House, and take the rest to Goodwill. The reservation was through Penske, to be picked up at Home Depot. When I made the reservation, all the information they took was my name and my cell phone number. The truck was there as promised, and they asked for my driver's license. I am allegedly on some sort of terrorist 'don't rent him a truck' watch list. They said there was a note on the reservation (I doubt it) that they needed a managers approval before they could rent me the truck, and they could not get anyone to answer the phone. Fuggedaboutit. So, I had this all worked out, but it didn't happen. On a more positive side, I had brunch this morning with Candy and Terry, I went to the farm alone and filled up two more trash cans and put them out on the road. I cleaned the chicken coop, fed the cat, brought several more things from the farm to the Lazy House. I was back at the Lazy House by 3 o'clock, and got a few more things done here, did a little bit of real estate, had a couple pimento cheese flips (two different containers of pimento cheese, WAY past their best by date), and settled in for the night. Three loads of laundry done. On one of my last trips to NYC, I went with some friends to see Kinky Boots. One of the things I brought to the Lazy House today, was the sippy cup from the show. You could get a glass of wine in a sippy cup and enjoy the production even more! I am thinking of going to sip some wine in just a few minutes!

Volume 13 - Day 79/286, 2021 - Saturday

Today's theme is...Things that I believe. I believe the orchids I moved from the farm to the Lazy house are happy. There are four plants that were given to Jody on various occasions by my or by friends. This particular photo is of two blooms (of three on this plant). Three of the plants have over twenty buds on them, and I am not sure what is going on with the fourth, there are just no buds on that one. I will show you, loyal followers, more blooms as they appear. I believe I have enough towels and wash cloths to supply an orphanage. Or a single location (at least) of a secondary hotel brand. Why do I have so many towels and wash cloths? I have no clue. But I have plenty. I just washed a load of clothes that is nothing but towels and wash cloths. I will do two more loads of laundry tomorrow morning (sheets, pillow cases, blanket, etc., and another load of real clothes tomorrow night when I return to the Lazy House from the farm. I believe my beard trimmer is going to be thrown away tomorrow. It has chosen recently that it does not want to personally groom my harrier parts as it once did. Walgreen's, here I come! I also need to replenish my magnesium supply, so I hope to make only one trip. I believe that ALL the furniture will be cleared out of the farm house tomorrow. That will make it possible to contract for the touch-ups and fixing up of the interior and exterior of the house, and I really think I am a couple weeks ahead of my plan. There will still be about three sets of cabinets/cupboards to be cleaned out, and as of now there are still two empty garbage cans that will not be empty after tomorrow. I believe the piglet is also a victim of the COVID-19 pandemic. I believe she has gained about 10 pounds of weight during the pandemic, and that means she added about 30% in the last year or so. I believe that this is it for tonight.

Volume 13 - Day 78/287, 2021 - Friday

The bigger the wheels, the smaller the (insert totally inappropriate body part in this blank space) __________. I have always said that people (I think it's a man thing, right?) who drive vehicles like this are over-compensating for something (wink-wink), and I am pretty sure I know exactly what inadequacies they are trying to make up for. But I digress... It's Friday, and that in itself is something worth celebrating. The day started with an 8 o'clock zoom, then I did a few things around the house, before I went to my 10:30 appointment, and then I made a quick trip to the Texas REALTORS® office, and then I was off to the office. I got my desk cleared off, totally screwed up a deposit, got it fixed (I think), partook in some office gossip, and then I headed north. I made a stop at WalMart, but did not find what I was looking for. Made a stop at Home Depot to reserve a truck for Sunday, and was told I had to call another company and they would deliver the truck to Home Depot, where I can pick it up on Sunday. $150 later, and I think the inside of the house on the Edge of Nowhere will be cleared out on Sunday. That is pretty damned exciting, if I do say so myself! How was your day? And how do you think that truck got turned around backwards? Do you think it jumped over the concrete divider? It doesn't seem to have too much damage, but it sure screwed up traffic.

Volume 13 - Day 77/288, 2021 - Thursday

It was an interesting day. Lots of good stuff accomplished, there were a couple deliveries, and that is good. The blinds are finished...they brought the one remaining blind this morning, and they repaired one of the blinds in the bedroom that has fallen more consistently as the days went by. Last night that one particular blind fell COMPLETELY, and I was able to get it back in working order. I did not raise that blind on purpose this morning, so the blind (not literally) installer could see it fail, and it did. So, the repair was made, and I will let you know if it falls down again. Hopefully not. Some patio furniture was delivered today as well, so I put one piece together before I left for the farm. I put a few things in the car and got it all unloaded when I got home. The neighbors (the ones we like) were out at the farm today too, helping get stuff moved and all ready (closer-and-closer) to getting the interior and exterior painted before getting the farm on the market. My sixty-second microwave dinner turned out to be (literally) a slab of spaghetti, but it was not terrible. Plus, it only took sixty seconds to prepare! There is a lot on my plate for tomorrow, and it all starts with an 8 o'clock zoom call. Oh, and it looks like they are finally starting the expansion of the 'propane farm.' Maybe we won't run out of propane again, the next time the temperature gets below 65 degrees.

Volume 13 - Day 76/289, 2021 - Wednesday

Today contained a few challenges and a few rewards. Mostly challenges, but I don't want to overlook the rewards, because those are more important than the challenges. Unfortunately, the challenges will be on-going for the near term, and I/we tend to forget the rewards, and concentrate on the challenges. So, for now, let me just concentrate on the rewards. Reward number 1: We did not experience terrible storms that were forecast overnight. We (me and the girls) were wakened at 3:30 this morning with hail outside. No damage that I am aware, and there was no more tree damage (that I could tell) at the farm. Reward number 2: I presented at a pretty good Zoom meeting at high noon, and it was over in the allotted 30 minutes. in and out, nobody got hurt. That's a reward! Reward number 3: I got to vent and unload to a couple people on my way to the farm this afternoon (about a couple of the challenges that I am choosing not discuss). True friends are those that listen to you when you are needing to get stuff off your chest, and so I want to thank those true friends and colleagues of mine. I would share their names with you, but you go find your own sources, I'm not gonna share. Reward number 4: I got some more stuff packed up from the farm and put in my car, and took a few more things to Goodwill when I was on my way back to the Lazy House. Step-by-step... The chickens were good, and Barney made a quick appearance, life is good. Reward number 5: I made it home, the girls were happy to see me, and I expect I will see the sun come up tomorrow. Not a bad day, if I do say so myself. I took this picture on Sunday. I had been to the farm the previous day (I am there every day), and I swear that on Saturday there was not a bloom AT ALL on this tree. Things happen quick, you need to pay attention!

Volume 13 - Day 75/290, 2021 - Tuesday

I relay this opinion with a comfortable level of confidence, that this is not how the HelloFresh people expected their flat bread to look after the average consumer followed the directions to prepare it. AND, the cookie sheet (baking sheet in HelloFresh jargon) may need to be sacrificed, too. BUT, the rest of the meal was yummy good, and that puts me down to only four more meals to go this week. Pretty usual kind of day, I like getting to the office before anyone else gets there, but that does not happen as frequently as it used to. I like being there alone so I can just clear off my desk with no interruptions. I did manage to get a lot of stuff (mostly clerical stuff) done, and that gives me a good sense of accomplishment. I went out to the farm this afternoon, did the usual chores, threw a bunch of stuff in the trash, brought a couple boxes of stuff to the Lazy House, and dropped two boxes of stuff to Goodwill. I think this will be a pretty good week of getting the INTERIOR of the house cleaned out, and ready for the painters to do the inside and outside. After that, it will be the garage and the front barn. The garage will not be too much of a burden, the the front barn, that is another story! 

That will take a while!

Volume 13 - Day 74/291, 2021 - Monday

I remembered what I wanted to rant about yesterday, and I wrote it down, so I wouldn't forget it again. It seems the Austin American-Statesman has decided that death pays. The font size of the obituaries in the paper have increased noticeably. I understand that the actually still subscribe to the print version of the paper are senior citizens with failing eyesight, but I also have several magnifying glasses placed strategically around the house. Truly, individual obituaries now occupy a full page or a half page in the paper. And then there are photos...taking up additional space. I am going to copyright the name Austin American-Obituary, just in case they confess and want the updated name and they offer me big bucks for it. 'Nuff said. For now. It was a busy Monday...I met with some clients to get one of their investment properties on the market, and we had a nice lunch and caught up after not seeing each other for two or three years. Then off to the office, a little bit of power real estate, and then off to the farm where I loaded a few things into the car, and my neighbor (the one we like), loaded a few things up and so there is more progress being made. I may try to take a box or two of stuff to Goodwill a couple times this week, just to keep the momentum going. Barney was relaxing on a chair this afternoon when I went out to feed him. He hardly moved a muscle when I walked past.

Volume 13 - Day 73/292, 2021 - Sunday

I had a rant all ready for this journal entry, and now I can't remember what I was going to rant about. I'm not sure, but I don't really think the Prevagen is working. Or worse, maybe it is working. Ugh. I went to brunch this morning with Candy, Mike and Terry, and then I came back to the Lazy House for a nap. I took off for the farm about 1:30, and I wasn't sure if I was at the farm or if I had been reincarnated as Tippi Hedren and was doing a remake of The Birds. It didn't take long to figure out I was at the farm, and so I fed the cat, cleaned the chicken coop, took Pauline and Hubert some eggs (and took away two bags of Pauline's cookies), and cleaned out what was still in the laundry room. I think I am still on track, there are now three cans of trash up at the road, and I expect to do a little bit every day this week, so progress is going forward. I got home and actually made one of the Hello Fresh dinners that has been in the refrigerator for two weeks, so that first delivery of food has all been made. This week, I will work on the food that was delivered last week, and I am NOT getting any food this week. Once I start back up again (assuming that I will, not sure), I am only going to get a max of three meals a week, since the meals are for a minimum of two. I now have two sets of leftovers in the refrigerator, so I will not starve any time soon. If anyone remembers what I was going to rant about, let me know and I will rant about it tomorrow.

Volume 13 - Day 72/293, 2021 - Saturday

For all practical purposes, today was a grey, wet, mess. I recorded 0.02" of rain overnight, and so far today, there has been about 0.09" more in the gauge. I got up as usual (I'm just lucky that way), and putzed around for a little while, and then went and met Kay at 9 o'clock for an estate sale. It was the darkest, big, relatively new home I have ever been in. No wonder the people died, it was really kind of depressing. Everything about it was dark. I bought a $6 Roseville pot, kind of pretty, and DARK green. Then I went home to take a nap. The sun broke through, so I decided to go to HEB and get a few things, mostly dog food. Before I got there, it started raining again. I bought some DARK red wine. I went home and took another nap. The sun came out again, and I decided it was time to go to the farm, with a few more stops between here and there: Ace Hardware (to see if they had some of that OxyClean stuff for a DARK stain in the bedroom carpet from dog vomit, and to the consignment furniture store to see if they had any interesting clocks. They didn't. I got to the farm, ran the hose to the pool to add some water, fed the cat, fed the chickens, gathered eggs, and Candy and Terry (with his two sons) met me out there. A few more things are gone out of the house. I am thinking of calling the consignment place to see if they want to come and pick up the furniture that is left in the house. It does not seem like I am going to find any more takers, so that would solve that problem. On the way back, there was a wet wreck on 29 that had traffic backed up jut a little bit. It is supposed to be windy and rainy overnight, so maybe we will get a little more rain. Fingers crossed.

Volume 13 - Day 71/294, 2021 - Friday

I purposely did not go in to the office today, partly because I was waiting on a delivery, and partly because I just did not want to go in to the office today. The delivery never came. The delivery was scheduled for between noon and 4. I had ordered this item about two months ago. The delivery was scheduled last week. They called today and said they could not deliver it today, but they could deliver it tomorrow between 9 and 4. Nope, not gonna work. To make a long story short, The item is still in Dallas, and won't even be in Austin until Monday. So, now I have another scheduling conflict, so we will see how this works out. I have no real faith that it will be delivered on Monday, but we will just wait and see. I took off to the farm early, and made a stop at Harbor Freight for a few things I need, mainly a new tarp to cover part of the chicken coop, in case of rain (haha) and especially for some respite from the pounding sun in the summer time. Of course, I got the wrong size tarp, and stopped at Home Depot on the way back from the farm and got the right size. I will try my best to get it installed tomorrow afternoon. Again, we shall see. I had leftovers for dinner tonight, and I am fresh out of leftovers. I do have SIX Hello Fresh meals in the refrigerator, one from last week that I have not gotten around to cooking, and five that were delivered Monday of this week. I cannot keep up. I am a housekeeping failure. 

Volume 13 - Day 70/295, 2021 - Thursday

Okay, now that I have your attention... It seems my rant from earlier this week (Tuesday, mebbe) was seen by a couple journalists of the local newspaper, and there were two (count 'em, 2), not one but two articles in the morning newspaper bemoaning the fact that daylight saving time begins this weekend. When the whole thing started (55 years ago?), the farmers were afraid that the extra hour of sunlight everyday was going to burn up their corn crops in the fields. I could not make this stuff up. Arizona and Hawaii have the right idea, they do not spring forward OR fall back. It doesn't save any energy, it actually wastes energy now, because of the wide spread use of air conditioning. It's a health hazard. Germany was the first country to observe daylight saving time. There is no 's' on the saving part of daylight saving time. It's singular. It lowers students SAT scores. Whatever. Today was another busy day, and apparently, there is an app or filter for just about everything. The photo in this journal entry is what happens when someone (not saying who) in your office decides to play around at lunch. We now return to our regularly scheduled program.

Volume 13 - Day 69/296, 2021 - Wednesday

There was a segment on the national news tonight, about what is the last picture on your phone before we all had to start social distancing a year ago. More importantly (to me), it was what was the last picture you took that included other people, before we had to start social distancing. I looked back, and a year ago tomorrow, March 11, 2020, it appears that I was presenting a class at the south office of our board of REALTORS®. After that, it was pretty much downhill, socially speaking, of course. It has been a long year, and so far, so good for me. I contend that I am a lucky man, and that fact sort of supports that supposition! Whatever. OMG! I went out to the farm after leaving Austin this morning, and as I was leaving to go to the Lazy House, I looked over and saw one of the cattle loose in the grass field between the pasture and the house. That is what I thought I saw, anyway. SO, I turned around, went back inside the house, grabbed my binoculars, and confirmed that there was indeed a bull loose. So, I called my good neighbor (the one we like), and he came over to help me run herd to get that boy back where he was supposed to be. While I was waiting on him, I checked on the bull every now and then, and he seemed to be inching his way closer and closer to the house (and my biggest fear, closer to the pool), but he was in no hurry, just taking his time grazing. When the neighbor got there, he said 'where is the loose cow?, and I pointed over and said 'it looks like two of them are loose now.' He said, those cattle are on the other side of the fence, and I...whatever...there was not a loose bull, I swear there was a loose bull, but, nope. They were all where they were supposed to be. I got all worked up over nothing. Dammit.

Volume 13 - Day 68/297, 2021 - Tuesday

I am close to, but not quite, at a loss for words. Never fear, I have plenty left in me for this journal entry, so just sit back and be incredulous with me. DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME STARTS THIS WEEKEND. Oh, the humanity of it all. I remember, in the good old days, that it was an every six month kind of thing. I think. Now, we have (it seems) nine months of daylight saving and three months of standard time. Who makes up these rules? Soon, there will be a ground swell against this, and then it will die out. Then again, when it is over, there will be a ground swell against it, and then it will die out. It is like your cell phone service; you probably hate it, but it is too much damn trouble to change it. UGH! It has been and it is expected to be cloudy this week, and possibly stormish beginning the weekend. Of course, I have big plans for getting rid of some stuff at the farm this weekend, so if there is a chance for rain and bad weather, I expect it will happen. But, the clouds this afternoon on the way to the Lazy House from the farm were very interesting. It does not take much for me to pay attention to clouds; I like them very much!

Volume 13 - Day 67/298, 2021 - Monday

OMG! I received my first delivery of HelloFresh last Tuesday...a week ago tomorrow. I have cooked four of the five meals that were delivered, and another box of five meals was just delivered. I have already decided to 'skip' a week, what would normally be delivered next week. I am not sure I can keep going forward with this. The meals I have prepared have been good (not great, mainly because I was the cook and I have challenges with following directions), but really time consuming and the clean-up is nothing to be flip about. There is also the issue that the deliveries are meals for two, and I am only one, which means I have leftovers. I like leftovers, but it is just too much. The idea was that, I would not have to go grocery shopping, I could save that time, blah, blah, blah. I think I can still come out ahead by just buying the ready to eat meals at HEB, which would give me an entree and a vegetable, and then I could supplement it with a salad. It will also give me more opportunities for Ding Dongs and Twinkies, too. The bottom line is, I think I am still just a work in progress! I took off from the office and headed for the farm this afternoon, all is status quo there, I didn't see Barney, but I see evidence of his existence several times a day on the videos. The chickens were good, one of them would not get out of her nesting box, but the other eight were happy for the meal worms and the fresh flock block. It is not every day that you get to see some chicken butt...

Volume 13 - Day 33/299, 2021 - Sunday

I got up this morning and did some piddly stuff around the house, straightened up a little of this and a little of that. I checked the status of the estate sale, and it did not open until 11 today, so I headed off to brunch with Candy, Mike and Terry. After brunch, I took off for the estate sale, and I was really disappointed that the other painting was already sold. I am disappointed that it wasn't there, but I am really happy that I got the one that I did. I can stare at that painting for hours...and I do, but I am just glad that I have one. After that, it was off to the farm, where I cleaned out more of the laundry room (there is still about a half garbage can of stuff to go through), fed the cat and cleaned the chicken coop. It was an absolutely beautiful day in central Texas, and I took a quick pic of these lovely spring flares. There are buds coming up all around with these warmer days, and everything is getting back to how it was.

Volume 13 - Day 65/300, 2021 - Saturday

"Queen Mariana of Austria after Velasquez" Jean Townsend, 2012. I do not have the words to express how much I am ABSOLUTELY in LOVE with this painting. Nothing presumptive...it says it all right on the obverse. Obviously done in 2012 by a lady named Jean Townsend, and she has a couple sites that I checked out on the Googles. I think it could possibly be my very best EVER estate sale find. I am totally in love with it. So, how was your day? I started out sorting things in the closet, went to a couple estate sales, went to the Farmer's Market in Georgetown, went to the FedEx pickup place in Georgetown, came home and took a nap. Then I went out to the farm, cleaned out some of the laundry room, fed the cat and the chickens, collected eggs, came home via HEB (had to resupply the Blue Bell and the chocolate syrup), came home, made another dinner (third one so far, maybe I am getting better at this, not sure), and now I am ready to call it a night. Did I tell you how much I like this painting I got today at an estate sale?

 

Volume 13 - Day 64/301, 2021 - Friday

Oh my goodness. I just got off the phone with my bff Mikey in Florida. We talk several times a week, and the very best thing I can EVER do is listen to him laugh. I love that. Hearing him laugh at my crazy escapades and first world problems makes my life whole! Thanks, Mike! Today was just filled up with stuff, and I hope I made some progress doing something. I am pretty sure I did. I did not get everything done that was on my list, but much of it. Tomorrow (and Sunday) will be kind of busy, too. Estate sale, farmer's market and brunch on Sunday and maybe there is someone that would like to look at the farm house on Sunday. That will be interesting! I did another one of the Hello Fresh dinners tonight. I think I will need to cut back on the number of dinners I order each week, because I cannot do this EVERY night. Tonight's dinner was good, but it made me anxious, and when everything was done, I found several ingredients that I forgot to include. I think I need to ask them for just 'one pan' dinners. Tonight, I used two skillets, three bowls and a variety of measuring cups and measuring spoons. I cannot keep doing that. PLUS, now I have more leftovers in the refrigerator. I cannot make any progress in getting rid of these meals!

Volume 13 - Day 63/302, 2021 - Thursday

For a variety of reasons, today was a long, long day. I had the girls at the vet at 8 o'clock this morning for all their annual shots and check-ups. Everyone survived, and they need to go back in a few months to get their teeth cleaned. I got home and headed off to the county appraisal district office to contest some tax crap, and they were closed. They were having an in-house training session. So, it looks like I will stop there on my way in to Austin tomorrow, after my 8:30 zoom. I had an e-mail from the construction guy that built the Lazy House. He wanted to stop by to get me to sign off that the water heater issue was fixed. It looks like they covered that repair, which they could have just said so in the beginning, and I would not have been all up in a wad over it. I had to get the girls to the beautiful parlor at 12:30, and after I dropped them off, I headed to the farm. Thursday is the day the pool peeps come out. I saw that they had already been there and left, but then they came back...so I was there to talk with them about the freeze damage. I originally thought there were only two pieces of the filter that were damaged in the freeze, but apparently the filter itself froze and I have to replace that, too. MAYBE the pool will be running again by this time next week. I got home from the farm and the girls were not ready, so I went down for a nap, and I probably napped for ten or fifteen minutes. I did eventually go and pick up the girls, and all is well. They made two trips in the car, they did not like either destination, and they may never get back in the car again.

Volume 13 - Day 62/303, 2021 - Wednesday

I knew the girl dogs were not going to be happy, but I did not know to what extremes they would take it. I was wakened this morning (4:30ish) to the sounds of the Piglet wretching. On the bed. Close to my head. And laundry day is not until Sunday. It could have been worse, and so it was. Callie started it this evening as she was eating her dinner. I don't know if this will affect their shots tomorrow or not. I changed the appointment time from 9AM to 8AM, because I have another conflicting appointment. If they are not puking everywhere, I can still get them to their appointment at the beautiful parlor, after which I expect they will have diarrhea and that will be the end of one or more rugs in the Lazy House. Hello Fresh update: It took me a good 45 minutes to make my dinner tonight, and I think the instructions said I should allow about 20 minutes. Being a novice, I think I did pretty good. I think (maybe) the spaghetti was a little bit undercooked, but it most likely won't kill me. Spaghetti (they call it 'pasta,' but it's spaghetti), shrimp, zucchini, garlic butter, parmesan. It was good, but I don't think I can do this every day. I may also need to cut back to three meals a week instead of five, since the smallest portions are for two. I have a BIG portion of leftovers in the fridge, so maybe this will work...maybe not...but I will give it a fair trial.

Volume 13 - Day 61/304, 2021 - Tuesday

I know it is only wishing my life away, but it should already be next week sometime. This has been a difficult week, and it is only Tuesday. Ugh. I got my food from Hello Fresh this afternoon, just in time for me to open a soggy cardboard box and be overwhelmed by all the stuff inside the box. Bags of ingredients, little packages of pork and shrimp, cards (double sided) with directions and more directions. I may not be cut out for this, or perhaps it will give me a new career path. One of those is more accurate than the other, and you are welcome to chose one and submit your vote, taped to a $50 bill, and mail it to me, or you can even Venmo your vote to me if you prefer. The first one hundred votes will be acknowledged as winners, and you will be rewarded with a personal mention within a journal post on your birthday. What could be better? It's been a long day. The Piglet and her sister the demure one are going to be really unhappy with me on Thursday. They have appointments at the vet (lots and lots of shots and stuff) and then they have an appointment at the beautiful parlor. I could have spaced it out, but I may as well get it all done in one day, they will hate me less for that. It's all about them!

Volume 13 - Day 60/305, 2021 - Monday

I am practicing my hold my breath until I turn blue. I have not had a thing of nutritional value again today. I started a subscription to Hello Fresh last week, and my first selection of meals was supposed to arrive today. I got an e-mail confirmation and everything, but as of now, nothing. I was all set to actually cook something with the ingredients that were to be delivered, so now I think I will just pout and have another Ding Dong. I have suspected for a while that I have a mouse in my car, and we all know that, if there is one mouse, there is most likely an entire colony in there somewhere. I saw evidence of nibbles, not mouse poop (the car interior is black), and it is not unusual for people to have mice in their auto air conditioning systems. Look it up. Anyway, I set two traps inside my car last night, and one of the traps was a winner. Winner, winner, mouse for dinner! SO...now I have three traps set, and I will let you know what goes on. I hope to get them all, eventually! I went out to the farm this afternoon, after I left the office. It is chilly here today, wind out of the north, but the expected rains did not happen. We need the rain, but if it rains, that means that the girl dogs will not get off the back porch... But I digress. All was good at the farm, or as good as could be expected. Fed the cat, fed the chickens, collected eggs and cleaned out another room, the master bedroom. I am getting really close to having everything out of the house that needs to be removed. Once that is done, I will start on the garage, and then get started making the interior and exterior minor repairs and then get the property listed...late April or the first of May, it looks like my time line will be achievable!