Volume 13 - Day 181/184, 2021 - Wednesday

I used considerable restraint this morning by NOT taking photos of a traffic jam (wreck?) that slowed my commute by about 20 minutes this morning. One reason for my discipline is because I reported in this journal that I was going to take a hiatus on wreck photos, AND because by the time I got to the 9alleged) wreck, there was nothing but fire trucks and police cars. Nothing else. Insert haha anecdote about donuts and dalmatians here. I did make it in to the office with no other real issues, and got some paperwork done, answered some e-mails, and went to a noon lunch appointment. Back to the office and soon after I was off to the farm. All was good, it is just hot and muggy and all that stuff. I saw Barney yesterday, so that was good, and the chickens are, apparently, taking a hiatus on laying eggs. There were only two eggs this afternoon. I mentioned yesterday, maybe, that I need to stop bringing things from the farm to the Curious House. Here is photo proof. Jody always said that there was a fine line between yard art and crap on the porch, and that I was erasing it. I don't deny that, and I am STILL carting stuff from the farm to the curious house!

Volume 13 - Day 180/185, 2021 - Tuesday

My refrigerator reports that I need to change the air filter and the water filter. I was not concerned about filters when the refrigerator was delivered, but it is not easy ordering those filters on Amazon. There are approximately a gazillion different kinds of air filters and water filters for refrigerators, and some have different model numbers but apparently work with my refrigerator. I took a leap of faith this morning, and went for broke and ordered both an air filter and a water filter that I hope will fit. And I ordered two of each. Or maybe three. I was out early because I needed to be out at the farm at 8 o'clock this morning to meet the final vendor for getting everything done. I left there and went to the office, with a quick stop at Walgreen's. I was a good day in the office, and I got my desk cleared off without too much trouble. I left the office at about 1:30 and headed home. Took a quick nap, in between rain showers, and then left for the farm to feed the cat and the chickens. More rain. There is still rain in the forecast for the rest of the week, and I am not complaining about that at all. The gate camera at the farm caught a humming bird that was investigating stuff, and I thought you would enjoy that on this penultimate day of June, 2021.

Volume 13 - Day 179/186, 2021 - Monday

Rain is good, usually. Overnight at the Curious House, we got ALMOST an inch of rain. Out at the farm, we got between four and five inches of rain. One of the stock tanks overflowed, and the dam failed...so that is a bit of a problem. There is still plenty of water in all the tanks (total of four on the acreage), but it is just one more thing to think about. But I think I will be done with most of this within the next few weeks. I still have one building to clear out, but I think I can get that done in a week or two. I worked from home today, and had lots of folks out here working on the Curious House. I had a whole house surge protector installed, just because some of the neighbors said they lost all their electronics during a recent storm. Yesterday, the power went out for a couple hours, and EVERY GFCI in the house tripped. I have no idea why that happened. I was still finding GFCIs that needed to be reset this morning, including one in the garage that has the beer fridge on it. I don't think anything spoiled. They also started installing the solar panels today, and they will be back tomorrow. The whole thing ought to be operational by the middle of July, and I will be glad for that. In the meantime...I will be back in the office tomorrow, and the rest of the week, and then I am looking forward to a long Holiday weekend.

Volume 13 - Day 178/187, 2021 - Sunday

I need to quit bringing stuff from the farm to the Curious House. I have one more building to clean out, and I started that today. I loaded up the car with some stuff that I wanted to keep, and I filled up one trash can with stuff I did not want to keep. Between throwing stuff away and giving stuff away, I hope I can get the front barn cleaned out without bringing too much stuff to the Curious House. That is yet to be seen! I got up this morning, and everyone on the brunch team was otherwise occupied, so I made an egg loaf for me and the dogs. I checked the radar and it looked like we would have rain starting around 2:30, so I wanted to get stuff done at the farm before it rained. I got there about 12:30, and headed home about 3, and it was just sprinkling. I got home and went out in the back yard with the girls, and it was sprinkling a little bit, but that's all. We all came back inside, and at 4:02 the power went out. And then it started to really rain. Two-hours-and-fifteen-minutes later, the power came back on and the rain quit. The house never got too warm, so that was good, and we got 0.97" of rain in the gauge. All-in-all, not a bad afternoon. And, while I was at the farm today, I checked out the fruit trees. Both of the apple trees are doing pretty well, one of the peach trees is pretty good, nothing on the plum tree, one of the peach trees has lots of shriveled up peaches, and the olive tree did not survive the snowpocalypse. And I did not see any figs on the fig tree, but I bet if I look closer I will find some.

Volume 13 - Day 177/188 - Saturday

Saturday. A nice day to do little of nothing. Or a lot of other stuff. I got some errands run, including getting the car washed. Went to Tractor Supply and got dog food, flock blocks, and meal worms. I also stopped at the bar-b-cue place and got a five pack of chopped pork, so I'm ready for dinner for at least a couple nights. I did not get a nap today, and that is kind of unusual for me. I love my weekend naps. I watched part of a movie on tv, and then headed to the farm. All is good, and I had to run some water in the pool, and I will run some more tomorrow. It has been hot and there has been some shrinkage! I mean evaporation. When I got home, I got ready for the first (maybe a series) house concert at the Curious House. It was fun, there was a jazz trio, and about twenty of the neighbors stopped by. Bring your own chair and whatever you want to drink. I hope to do it on the last Saturday of July, August and September, too. I had bubbles and sidewalk chalk in case any kids came with their parents, but none showed. BUT, the bubbles and the chalk went to good use. Three or four people drew with the chalk on the driveway, and we ended up with two variations of hopscotch. Here is something you most likely never expected to see; me hopscotching down the sidewalk. Does anyone in the audience know CPR?

Volume 13 - Day 176/189, 2021 - Friday

Okay, it is back to being in central Texas, and life remains good. I was in Florida for six days, but I think it is always to get back home. There is not much difference (temperature and humidity wise) between central Texas and Florida (said no one, ever). I always thought the heat and humidity here was out of control, but make it worse, and add mosquitos en masse, and it will cause you a bit of concern. I am not going to keep talking about it, so here you have it, the last I will say. Temperature wise, our seven day forecast we might be in for some rain next week and that is always good. I got in to the office this morning, and it took me two trips to get my desk cleared off. In between, I went to Texas REALTORS® and did a couple quick videos. I made it out to the farm by about 3 o'clock this afternoon, and my fabulous neighbors (Jim and Patsy)had been very kind and took care of Barney and the chickens. Jim is (almost) as CDO as I am, and he has been busy shredding the tall grass and making everything look really purty! I am a lucky man on so many fronts. On the way home, I stopped off at the hardware store and bought a couple outdoor thermometers and a couple fold-up lawn chairs. The girls were happy to see me when I got home, and after the news (most of which I napped through), they were fed, and I took off to run a couple more errands. Tomorrow will be a fun day, stay tuned! Oh, and I brought a new hat home with me for the office walls!

Volume 13 - Day 175/190, 2021 - Thursday

I made it home from the President's Circle conference, and I am really happy to be home. I have not been bitten by a mosquito in the last twenty minutes, and that is a big improvement. I think (I'm not sure) that the girls were happy to have me home, you can never tell with them. I stopped at HEB and got some milk and other necessities (bananas, blueberry muffin, stuffed salmon for dinner tomorrow night), and even had a chance to make it to the book club meeting this evening. It was excellent. Next months book is The Murmur of Bees by Sofia Segovia, and it sounds like it will be a really interesting book. There were plenty of outstanding things happening at the PC conference, but one of my MOST favorite things was getting five minutes to talk with Doris Kearns Goodwin, a historical biographer, historian, former sports journalist and political commentator. She was getting off an elevator as I was getting on (or maybe the opposite, I don't remember), and I asked if I could walk with her. She was very gracious as we walked to her car, and we had a very nice (if unfortunately brief) conversation. I can't tell you everything that we talked about (because it's a secret), but it was fun. She was one of our guest speakers, and I loved her energy and all the pieces of history she has up in her head. SO...that was very fun! Anecdotally speaking, the elevators in the hotel were also named Doris. I think they were twins: Doris Opening and Doris Closing.

Volume 13 - Day 174/191, 2021 - Wednesday

Today is our last day/night in Florida. It's been nice, but I was not prepared for the humidity and the bugs. Especially the bugs. I have always been a mosquito magnet, and this is not the place to be if that is your reality. The hotel was nice, it was absolutely wonderful seeing friends and colleagues that we have not seen for 18 months or so, and the speakers and session providers (except for one) were excellent. Today we had planned to do a tour of some of the islands and smaller waterways on miniature two-person catamarans. But, just before we got there, they called and said there storms and lightning in the area, so all the tours were cancelled. We made it back to the hotel, rented a cabana, and headed out there. About 30 minutes in to that, it started raining, thundering and lightning, so they closed all that down. The last plan of the day was pretty successful, which was dinner in Naples at a nice, mainly seafood restaurant. The food was good and the group of friends we were with was excellent. The picture I am posting with this entry is part of the reason I missed my entry last night, but only part of the reason. The other part of the reason was the amount of wine I consumed, so, there you have it...

Volume 13 - Day 172/193, 2021 - Monday

So...today was the first day of our RPAC President's Circle meeting in Marco Island, Florida. We had a few good guest speakers and and at least one not so good guest speaker, but overall a really good (as usual) event. Always good to see my friends and colleagues from across the United State, and making new friends at the same time. Tomorrow will be our last day of conference, but we are staying an extra day, so we will be returning to central Texas on Thursday. Tomorrow, too, we will be having a Texas luncheon and then there will be a couple other closing events going on through the evening. THIS evening several of us enjoyed a sunset cruise and dinner that was very nice, lots of fun and great networking with all our TREPAC committee chairs and vice chairs, and a really good dinner as well. HOWEVER, tonight I also experienced mosquitos in Florida. There are droves of mosquitos here, and I am a mosquito magnet. It could be a result of the Corona Vaccination I received earlier this year, but so far I have not experienced a magnetic experience with common metal objects. But I digress... As I have previously reported, I am a really lucky man, and I am happy to report that, as often as possible...

Volume 13 - DY 171/194, 2021 - Sunday`

Okay, so I think this is Sunday,Right. This is kind of what it is like to be retired, right? You don't care what day it is and you don't care what time it is. I spent a great day with friends on the beach, under a cabana, taking a nap and networking. Tomorrow the real wirk begins with the President's Circle conference here in Marco Island, Florida. So far it has been a geat two days, but we arrived early and we will leave a day after the conference ends. Tomorrow we will hear from some political peeps on both sides of the aisle, and that is always the best. I am 100% capable of making up my own mind, after I have been presented both sides of the issue, from goot and competent sources of the issue. I am looking forward to it. But let's get back to today. It was all about beach, sun, chips, queso and ice cream. We started out under some umbrellas and chaise lounges secured by Melinda, and tehn we moves on to a little cabana (number 14), where we had more food and beverages, and ice cream sandwiches. A good time was had by all. It was not quite as good as being kidnapped and held hostage in Mexico, but the ice cream was delivered by hotel staff and I did not have to go schlep it and pay cash. It's kind of a long story. Then, there were naps, and a reception, with an offering of really good beef and seafood, and I enjoyed the beef and especially the really lovely shrimp. Then on to a stint at the Tiki Bar, more networking and then up to call it a day. I am the luckiest man in the world! Please excuse any typos if you see them. 

Volume 13 - Day 170/195, 2021 - Saturday

I am somewhere in Florida. A place called Marcos Island. I got on a plane this morning in Austin, landed in a place (allegedly) called Houston, got on another plane and landed in some place called Ft. Meyers. It may be called Fort Meyers, but I am not sure. Then, we got on a bus, and drove for about an hour and arrived at a hotel in a place called Marcos Island. I honestly have no idea where I am, but so far I have seen a lot people I know from across the country, so maybe we are all in the right place. We got here, where ever we are, about 3 o'clock (Eastern), and by five o'clock we were gathering and saying hello and giving hugs all around, and it was almost like when we used to be before the pandemic. Tomorrow will be the first day of registration and meetings, and we will be done by Tuesday afternoon. We are staying an extra day, so that will be fun. Beach time, maybe a massage (I really doubt it), and just some time on the beach when we are not in meetings. There is a lovely moon out is the sky over the Gulf this evening, and all is right with the world.

Volume 13 - Day 169/196, 2021 - Friday

Today was a pretty busy day. It always happens when I am preparing to go out of town for a while. I left the house and decided to make a pit stop at HEB for dog food, so I would not have to stop later. Half-way there, I realized I had left my phone at home, so after I bought dog food, I went back to the Curious House to get my phone, and as long as I am there, I may as well put the dog food in the house. I made it in to the office at about 10 o'clock (I think), but on the way in, I stopped at the pharmacy and picked up my monthly supply of prescriptions. Once in the office, it was a pretty calm day, but there were a lot of distractions. I kept finding one more thing to get done, and when I did, I left the office to get to the farm, in time to meet a vendor, taking care of little things out there. Barney and the chickens were doing just fine, and all was good with the pool. On the way home from the farm, I made a couple stops, and then I had another appointment at the Curious House, but now the day is almost done, and I am about ready to call it a day. I made a conscious decision several weeks ago to quit posting photos of car wrecks, at least for the immediate future. It is hard for me NOT to take pictures of wrecks, because they are really more prevalent than other interesting visuals. Today, I passed up four car wreck photo opportunities in order to post this lovely photo of some clouds! I don't think I will have too many issues finding good photo opportunities for the next several days, and for that, you are very welcome!

Volume 13 - Day 168/197, 2021 - Thursday

I had a lot of stuff on my list of chores today, and I think I got most of them crossed off, plus a few more to go along with it...one of the more exciting things was setting the trash can out at the curb. Trash collection is every Thursday, and recycling is every-other Thursday. I am kind of amazed at the lack of trash I produce, and I really wish I could get a smaller 'senior citizen' size trashcan. In Austin, there are three different sized trash cans available, but here, there is only one size, and that size is called 'bigger than you will ever need'. This afternoon, I was a judge for a hamburger cook-off at the Williamson County Association of REALTORS®. There were six different burgers to judge, and we had to try really small bits of each. There were some really good ones, and I am pretty sure everybody had a lot of fun. It was the most recent in a long list of opportunities for me to be totally inappropriate! That is one of my favorite things to do. This photo is of me and Ruby, some things never change. Just a couple of goof-balls with hamburger bun hats.

Volume 13 - Day 167/198, 2021 - Wednesday

It was a casual start to the day...after we were at 100 degrees the other day, we only made it to 98 the last couple days. I watered plants this morning, and I (think I) set the sprinklers to run tonight. I should be on a Wednesday and Saturday watering schedule, according to the last number of my street address, so I have my clock set for 10 o'clock tonight to see if I did it right. Setting the sprinkler is supposed to be easy enough that a third grader can do it, but I don't know any third graders. I will let you know if it worked tomorrow, unless something interesting happens that I need to report. There is always the possibility that something interesting will happen to me...maybe. I got in to the office and got my desk cleared off, and all is good with that. It is mid-month, so generally pretty quiet, and we all like that. I made it out to the farm, Barney was under the truck, and all was good with the girls. I got back to the Curious House in time to take the other girls outside, and then I headed into Georgetown to meet the main characters of the Saturday night driveway group. We had a nice dinner, and the conversation and camaraderie was equal if not better than the dinner. I am tremendously happy with the friends that I have made in the short time I have lived here, and it is totally worth nurturing. Tonight's picture is of the group tonight: Clockwise from the 7 o'clock position is Diane, Marge, Deb, Jay, Moi, and Richard. Fun times!

Volume 13 - Day 166/199, 2021 - Tuesday

I stayed at home today from the office, I had some work scheduled at the Curious House, and I expected them at 9 o'clock, but they did not show up until after 10. I expected it to be a four hour job, but it was a five hour job. I am really crazy about some stuff, and one of the things they did is slightly crooked, but I do not have to look at it on a regular basis, so I did not have a (real) hissy fit over it. It is still REALLY hot and humid here in central Texas, and as a property manager, the HVAC calls are just beginning. I have a real empathy for people with air conditioner issues, but we can only do so much. We are still in the process of recovering from the freezes in February. The power grid is asking consumers to conserve, and the sentiment heard all over the state is 'hell no'. It is too hot to have the air conditioning turned up to 78, and we all gotta eat, too. Speaking of eating, I had a frozen dinner tonight that included a 'best by' date of 19APR2017. It was not the worst thing I have ever eaten, and so far I am not suffering any ill effects. I let you know more tomorrow.

Volume 13 - Day 165/200, 2021 - Monday

We are reaching a milestone today, there are 200 days left in this year, and tomorrow will put the total at less than that number...a milestone, measured by me, and relatively impressed with self-described milestones. I totally understand that the majority of you, loyal readers, are not as crazy, anal retentive and/or as obsessive/compulsive as I am, and for that, I salute you. I often query as to exactly what caused this in me and who reinforced it in me, but I can remember being this way to some of my earliest memories. It's a curse. Whatever. The corn is coming along nicely out by the farm, although there is no hope for the wheat. It hit 100 degrees in central Texas today, the first of the season. It looks like we will be flirting with 100 degree temperatures for the rest of the seven-day forecast. Welcome to summer in Texas. We are already experiencing power outages in Austin, and the power grid is asking people to conserve energy where they can. It seems there were no lessons learned back in February. Go figger! 

Tomorrow I will be working from the Curious House, meeting some vendors there, and then possibly meeting some vendors out at the farm. 

Volume 13 - Day 164/201, 2021 - Sunday

I'm gonna be rich! AND...I just have to answer a few questions, and then wait for the debit card to arrive with $10M. Just three working days, and I will have it. I think I might go camp out at the airport and wait. These people are pretty honest it seems, since they said I should not deal with anyone else, because everyone else just wants to swindle me. I like transparency and full disclosure, so I am pretty sure this is the real thing! But...while I wait, I had a nice brunch with Candy this morning, and then I came home and took a nice nap. I went to the farm, cleaned the chicken coop, collected eggs, checked on everything (and everything was just fine, thanks), and then came home and took another nap. I got almost everything on my list checked off, and I still have laundry to do, but that will be started in about another 30 minutes. I got one of the guest bedrooms straightened up this morning, and that just leaves me with one more bedroom to do, and then I might have to consider vacuuming the house. I don't want to go too crazy quite yet, though! I have lost my phone and my car keys two or three times today, so I need to work on something to stop that. This week coming will be a slower week than last, just a few things every now and then that need to be accomplished. Nice and easy does it. 

Volume 13 - Day 163/202, 2021 - Saturday

I did a pretty good job of going through the magazines today. I got through about 10 of them, maybe more, but I have to tell you, the crossword puzzles in the People magazines are the easiest of all the crossword puzzles. I did not even need to go on the Internet ONCE to figure out an answer, and for me, that is saying something. I will go through a bunch more, and by the end of the coming week, I hope to have cleared out all the magazine stack, and I will start a new pile. I was pretty much useless today, I did not even go out of the house today except to go out with the dogs, until after two o'clock. At about 2, I left to go to the farm, and made a stop at the True Value Hardware store on the way and bought a few things. This is the first weekend in recent memory that I have not had a list of things to buy, and that was nice. Tomorrow I need to get some milk, but not at the hardware store. All was good at the farm, and I got back in time to take a nap. The third or fourth nap of the day. After the latest nap, it was off to the neighborhood driveway Saturday night social, and I had a lot of fun there. I am totally delighted that I am living in the Curious House, and I have met a lot of the

neighborhood peeps, and I is GREAT!

Volume 13 - Day 162/203, 2021 - Friday

I HAVE TO get through these magazines. I counted them (of course I did), and there are 37 magazines piled up on the kitchen island. I DO read the newspapers when they arrive, so I don't have them all stacked up, but I just got behind with the magazines. My goal is to get through several of them this weekend. I do pretty well unless there is a crossword puzzle in one of them, and then I get distracted and progress is thwarted. There were no zooms today, and I got plenty of stuff done in the office. I also got my haircut this afternoon, and then headed off to the farm. Barney was in evidence, and the chickens were all accounted for, so everything on that side of things is okay. Tonight for dinner, I had something out of the freezer that Jody bought before he died. It was good for being around for as long as it has been. I am planning to do as little as possible over the weekend (except for the magazines of course). 

 

Volume 13 - Day 161/204, 2021 - Thursday

Are we all really sure that we want to get back to normal? I fear traffic is the first thing that will remind us that we really DO NOT want to get back to normal! The Curious House is about fifteen miles closer to the office, and that makes it, easily, about thirty minutes less of a commute. I needed to get into the office early today for a nine o'clock zoom, and I always try my best to give myself plenty of cushion, and I made it to the office in plenty of time, but there were a couple spots where traffic came to a dead halt. It could have been worse, but it is something we all need to think about. My nine o'clock went very well, and I think it might have even ended a few minutes early (thanks Marvin), I got some more work done in the office, and then I headed back home for a one o'clock zoom. I was conducting that meeting, and we had scheduled it for FOUR HOURS, but we all got done early, and we were all ecstatic about that. After that, I headed off to the farm, got the cat and the chickens fed, and now I have pretty much finished up another day, and it is downhill for the rest of this week!

Volume 13 - Day 160/205, 2021 - Wednesday

Today was a LONG day...three zoom meetings and one face-to-face meeting. It has been a long time since I have had that many zooms in one day. I am totally miserable right now, because, since I worked (zoomed) from home today, I spent some of the time grazing. Popcorn. Chips. Pimento cheese. Bagels. String cheese. Diet soda. After my last meeting, I took off for the farm, and took care of what needed to be taken care of, and then I stopped on the way home for an order of chicken fingers. Miserable! The recent rains were a blessing and a curse. The hybrid blurse. The wheat that was grown and helped along with the early rains is now wasting and rotting in the fields. The fields are too wet for the tractors to harvest, so the wheat is just wasting away. Too late for this crop. It was hot and humid today, and I doubt there will be any relief until October. Life in central Texas. Two zooms on the schedule for tomorrow (it is obviously zoom season), but then that will be it for the foreseeable future. Did I mention earlier that I have new neighbors at the Curious House? They started moving in last weekend, then it has been quiet for a few days, and there is now another truck unloading more boxes and stuff. They have not been terribly friendly so far, but maybe they are just too tired. Or maybe I am just the creepy old guy next door. Either one is possible.

Volume 13 - Day 159/206, 2021 - Tuesday

Well, the rain was supposed to be out of the forecast, which would also mean that the rain pics accompanying these entries would be over, but it was just not true. So, with a little bit of luck, this will be the last rain pic for at least a couple weeks. We don't want to go too long with no rain, but we are well fixed for rain in central Texas at this red-hot minute. The rain gave out by about 9:30 this morning, and now it is just steamy hot. Steamy hot means the humidity is intolerable. It hit the mid 90s today, and overnight we are supposed to tie a record for the hottest low temperature on record for this date. Mid to upper 90s tomorrow, but a cooling trend towards the weekend. I hope my incessant weather reports aren't too disquieting, I will try to come up with more interesting topics going forward. I have the television on right now, waiting for Finding your roots, and there was a commercial talking about some drug that is supposed to cure some condition, and they were listing off all the possible side-effects of the drug. I think it would be interesting if one of the listed side-effects was to cure the condition the patient was taking the drug for. That would be worth something. They could just throw it in there, and see if anybody was really paying attention. I am especially concerned when they disclaim that you should not take the drug if you are allergic to it, but how will you know if you are allergic to it if you don't take it at least once. Do you guys worry about stuff like this? Okay, time to change the channel.

Volume 13 - Day 158/207, 2021 - Monday

Yesterday, I was summoned to my CPA's office. We made a 1 o'clock appointment, and it could have been worse. They needed answers to a couple things, and I caused them confusion and doubt to the best of my ability. I escaped unscathed after making notes of the three questions they needed clarification about, and e-mailed them that information after I got home. Before going home, I went by the farm and did my daily chores (I did not cut any more grass), and had every intention of stopping at HEB on the way home, but missed the exit (I get deep in thought), and blew it off. There was nothing I was in desperate need of, so I can put that off until tomorrow. I was basically going to get cat food and donuts, but I (and the cat) will both survive until tomorrow or the next day. Maybe longer. I am kind of proud of myself for being this close to having my taxes done this early. I believe in extensions, and have taken advantage of them for decades. Who knows, maybe one of these years I will get them done by April 15th. Maybe. As I reported last week, the girls were schlepped to the beautiful parlor, and I thought I would share this photo of them to accompany this journal entry. As I said, Callie looks pretty much the same, but Lexie (the Piglet), looks totally different. She went in all curly and chaotic, and came out looking more like a girl dog.

Volume 13 - Day 157/208, 2021 - Sunday

I don't think I even mentioned that my car is smarter than I am. I honestly don't this it is necessary to mention that, since most people I know are aware that I am not the smartest person in the room, not the brightest bulb in the package, and, generally speaking, not considered the icing on the cake. But I digress. Last Sunday, my car said I needed to change the 12 volt battery in the car. So, I made an appointment to have the battery replaced using my 'smart' phone, and the first appointment available was June 16th. Okay, the car said it needed a new battery 'soon,' but it really did not define 'soon,' so I just kept driving. On Tuesday, it said (and I am paraphrasing) Okay Dumbass, if you don't replace the 12 volt battery, you're gonna need to pull over and walk. So, I went to the service center (I did not pass go), and they replaced it for me while I waited. SO...all is good, but it could have been ugly. No rain recently, there is a chance of rain overnight, but then they are not predicting any more rain until October or November. Seriously! I went to the farm today, cleaned the chicken coop, fed the cat, and cut (at) some grass. The grass was really high, but it looks a little bit better than it did. I may cut some more tomorrow afternoon, and through the rest of next week. In the meantime, I am just in the mood to take it easy for a while, and enjoy the easier things that are available to me.

Volume 13 - Day 156/209, 2021 - Saturday

This makes two weeks in a row that the Saturday Night Driveway Group has enjoyed a really lovely sunset. I am really happy to be moved to the Curious House, and Saturday nights are really something to look forward to. There are about five sets of regulars (including me), and we talk on a wide range of subjects, ranging anywhere from politics, women's health, current events, polyamorous relationships, Christianity, toilet paper and seersucker shorts. You just never know how one subject will lead to another. But, I am truly glad I am here. I got new neighbors today, but I have not met them yet. Seems like a young couple, with a newborn and a little dog. I may try to make their acquaintance tomorrow or the next day, I don't want to bother them while they are moving in. Today was a 'no-rain' day, but there might be some tomorrow night. Otherwise, the rain is out of the forecast for the foreseeable future. We have had enough to last us a little bit. I was on a quest for short pants today, and I found some, but now I am obsessed with them, and won't be satisfied until I have more short pants than I need. I am going to Morocco in December with Michael and Lynda, and so last night I looked on-line to see what the most popular souvenirs from Morocco are, and it seems the leather goods are really popular and relatively inexpensive, so I may come home with a new jacket. Tomorrow is brunch day, and then I will be off to the farm to get a few things done, and I think I will be able to work in a nap or two as well. 

Volume 13 - Day 155/210, 2021 - Friday

Today has had a couple ups-and-downs. It started with an early zoom call. After the call, I headed in to the office and had a few stops to make along the way. One stop was at the post office, where I wanted to purchase five rolls of first class stamps. I was surprised to find that they did not have five rolls of first class stamps. Logically, IMHO, I should be able to buy A LOT of stamps at the post office, and they should have a large vault with thousands of rolls of stamps. Apparently not. After much discussion and sharing of opinions, I was informed that they could fill my order on Tuesday. I suggested that perhaps if I went to Costco, I could get five rolls (or sheets, who cares) of stamps AT A DISCOUNT. Alas, that was a situation I would not find a resolution to. So, I was then off to the office, and I had another zoom shortly after I would get there. I decided to stop at McDonald's to take my lunch to the office. I was scheduled to be a pretty long zoom. I asked for a 'Filet o Fish combo meal' with a Diet Coke. The response was, 'you want a little fish?' No, I would like a Filet o Fish combo meal with a Diet Coke. The response: We are still serving breakfast, we don't serve Filet o Fish until 10:30. It was 10:26. I was, once again, defeated. The rest of the day was better, and that was nice. I only got rained on twice today, but we are expecting possible flooding over the weekend. Finally (this is where you applaud), I am in the market for a new head shot, and I am considering something like the caricature I am including with this post. It does, in fact, reflect how I have been feeling lately, too. Thoughts?

Volume 13 - Day 154/211, 2021 - Thursday

I understand that everything we do is leaning towards 'specialization,' but even I think this is carrying things a little bit too far. AND...I think it is interesting that Target is promoting this so heavily. It is on an end-cap, apparently in the 'men's landscaping' department. I was in the market for a new beard trimmer (and yes, I understand that a beard trimmer can have multiple purposes), but apparently this particular item, priced at $90, has only one very specific purpose. Designed for Groin Grooming. I did, however, accomplish my task, and I bought a $29 beard trimmer. And no, you cannot borrow it. It rained almost all day today, a solid 10 hours of rain. I got the girls to the groomer this morning, and I have to tell you, the Piglet is almost unrecognizable. She is not nearly as piglet-like as she was this morning, and I say that every time I take her to be groomed. I have already made the next appointment, two months from now. Are little sissy dogs like these two supposed to be groomed every two months? Every three months? If any of you know the answer to that question, please feel free to pipe up. I had two zooms today, one tomorrow, and after the second zoom today, I brought the girls back home and then headed off to the farm. And it was still raining. It has quit raining for now, but there is a 70% chance of more rain overnight, and all weekend. I have to admit, the thunder and lightning show last night was INCREDIBLE, and I cannot remember a better show of nature's capabilities. I just took another look at the photo accompanying this post, and it is cracking me up, AGAIN!

Volume 13 - Day 153/212, 2021 - Wednesday

I really don't much care what day it is, but I am not opposed to knowing what day it is. Long weekends just cause me confusion, but I am now relatively confident that today is Wednesday, and tomorrow is Thursday. I really don't care that it has been raining A LOT recently. Less than an inch-and-a-half in April, 8.3 inches in May, and already almost three inches in June. And, we continue to have better than even chances of rain for three or four of the next seven days. Bring it on! Nothing breaks a drought like a flood, and a good rain and a new calf are always welcome in Texas. About ten minutes after I took the photo for this entry, it started raining really heavily. By the time I got to the Curious House, it was done, but now, for the last fifteen or twenty minutes, we are receiving monsoonal rains. It is an interesting time in which we are living. Otherwise, there was some excitement on many fronts today. A couple offers for the house at the farm, which we are now negotiating, the survey crew was there this morning to do the new survey for the property, and all was well with the chickens and Barney. Life is good. Oh, and there was a malfunction at one of our state agencies, and the real estate licenses for every brokerage in Texas were changed to 'inactive' status. Just between us, that caused some sh*t, but it should all be fixed at some future point. How was your day?

Volume 13 - Day 152/213, 2021 - Tuesday

Okay, so...since there was not a loud outcry accusing me of disgusting innuendo (I said I was nekkid yesterday), ponder on this for just a couple minutes. I got home this evening, and turned on the tv to see what catastrophe I had (so far) missed. No news, but commercials caught my attention. As I have professed before, I am a victim of Madison Avenue. But I digress... I have mentioned in this journal that I am taking Prevagen, just to see if I think it will help me with better cognitive things...every now and then, I can't think of a word, just stuff like that. So...there was a commercial about Prevagen when I turned on the television. Immediately following that commercial was a commercial for a drug to help men with erectile dysfunction. And then it struck me...if you chose not to take Prevagen, and you were a victim of erectile dysfunction, would you know it? I think not. Maybe. This is the kind of stuff that keeps me awake at night, but I think it is a valid concern. If you are worried with erectile dysfunction, maybe it would just be better if you didn't know it. FYI: This topic will not be accompanied with a photo for this journal entry. DAMMIT! 

Okay, now for something completely different... Overnight, we got 2.16" of rain at the Curious House. It REALLY rained! So far today, there has not been any rain, but they are forecasting more overnight tonight and every day this week. I think they are forecasting about 3 more inches of rain in this area over the next seven days.