Volume 13 - Day 273/92, 2021 - Thursday

Today has been a tremendously rewarding day for me, and there is no way I can explain that to most of you. Those of you that have shared the last few years of my life with me will (maybe) understand, but all I can say is, we all worked really hard together, and in the next several days, we will all know if we were successful or if we missed our mark a little bit. No matter what, tomorrow is a new day, and it all starts over again, and we will all work hard to make it a winning year again. It did not rain overnight, and it has not rained yet this evening...it is supposed to rain, and there is a lot of lightning all around, but no rain. I did my morning walk, with Dan instead of with Jay. Jay had to take his (Ginger) dog to the vet, so Dan stood in for him. Jay and Deb fear Ginger may have diabetes, so we all have our fingers crossed. I made it in to the office about 10AM, and got a lot of things (lots of this-and-that) done, and left for home about 2. I had a couple errands to get completed, and that was pretty successful. Tonight was book club night, too, and that was fun. There were only three of us at the book club, but the three of us had a lot of fun. We talked about the book for a while, and then we just sat around and gossiped. What could be more fun than that? My former neighbor (the one I liked), sent me this picture of Barney this afternoon. I have been wondering about ham, and I am glad to know he is still being looked after!

Volume 13 - Day 272/93, 2021 - Wednesday

It rained overnight, there was lightning, but nothing struck the house. Apparently at about 1:30AM there was a LOUD clap of thunder and lots of lightning, but I slept through the whole thing. The dogs don't care about it either. The gauge showed 0.92" of rain, and that gave us just under 1.75" for the month. Not enough! No more rain is expected until late tomorrow night, and that is expected to go through the weekend. I did my walk this morning, and it was nice and cool. I took my time getting ready and got in to the office about 10:30. Did some this-and-that, and headed off to Costco. I think I need to plan on going to Costco at least once a month. There were lots of things there that I would like to buy, especially in the prepared food section, but I fear most of it would spoil. Tonight for dinner I had an HEB prepared meal that I bought over a week ago. I still have chili in the refrigerator that Deb brought me on Sunday, so I will have that tomorrow night, with a turkey wiener and some scrambled eggs. Whoa, that's making me hungry! I still have not bathed the dogs...maybe that will be something for me to do on the weekend, when it is raining non-stop. I am not commenting on the photo that accompanies this post, use your imagination!

Volume 13 - Day 271/94, 2021 - Tuesday

I am looking forward to a nice rain overnight. It would be really nice if it was accompanied by some really great lightning (especially off in the distance), but PLEASE, no more lightning strikes on the house. PLEASE. I have never said that before, but I have never had a house struck by lightning before. Like many things in life, lightning strikes other peoples houses. I do know one set of friends that had lightning strike their home, and they certainly had it MUCH worse that I did. I had a nice walk this morning, and then I putzed around the house for a little while, and headed off to the office. On my way, I stopped at Tractor Supply and HEB. At Tractor Supply, I got this skunk odor removal stuff, but I have not used it yet. The directions say it has to stay on the dog for five minutes, and then the dog is to be bathed with regular dog shampoo. Now, where did I put the shampoo? Any shampoo. I just use Irish Spring on my hair, and that would probably work for the dog, too, but it is a pretty good excuse for putting it all off until tomorrow. And, the odor is diminishing every day, and I am the only one here, except for the dogs, and they don't seem to mind. I stopped at HEB again on the way home to the Curious House, got stuff like celery, carrot sticks, cottage cheese and nuts. Nuts are really expensive. I will get more the next time I go to Costco. 

Volume 13 - Day 270/95, 2021 - Monday

I as scheduled to do a cruise in January 0f 2022, but I just cancelled my reservation. I love cruising, but I am not convinced that I want to do that at this juncture. The biggest decision for me was what to do with the dogs. I really do feel guilty when I have to have someone sit with them for extended periods of time. I just made the decision, I am comfortable with it, and I bet that if I change my mind closer to the sail date, I will still be able to make the trip. That is my take right now. When I went out to fetch the paper this morning, I was greeted by these lovely clouds. During my morning walk, they became less dramatic, but still lovely just the same. I had one class to attend today, and two other meetings (one was a zoom). Tomorrow, I have nothing on the agenda, so it will be a lazy and most likely a very calm day. I feel I may need an intervention soon; I am averaging at least one (today 2) Amazon purchase a day for the past five days. It is interesting, I made a purchase yesterday, got exactly what I wanted, did not waste time going from store to store, and it arrived today. I think I am getting the hang of this. Now, if I could just figure out food deliveries, along with grocery deliveries. I really like going to the grocery store, and I fear I may never be seen outside the house again...

Volume 13 - Day 269/96, 2021 - Sunday

Today started out kind of stinky. I let the dogs out, and apparently there was a skunk close by, and Callie found it. She does not stink TERRIBLY, but just enough to stink up the house and make my eyes burn. It is like she walked through a place where a skunk had sprayed. I never did see the skunk, but I can certainly smell it. I have shallow bowls of vinegar spread out throughout the house, but it is strongest in the bedroom, and so far the vinegar is not really working. I took off to brunch after some little accomplishments in the house, and on the way home, I stopped off for a couple errands. When I got home, I went down for a nice two hour nap, and then got up and did a few more things before starting some laundry. I was invited to Deb and Jay's for dinner tonight, along with Diane, Jack and Teri. Lovely. I have a few more tweaks for the deck, but I like it very much. We are looking forward to some rain this week, and I may tire of rain at times, I will never complain about it.

Volume 13 - Day 268/97, 2021 - Saturday

Admittedly, this was a busy day, but it was busy because I needed it to be busy. After my morning walk, I did a few things around the house. Nancy and Dan came over and we rearranged the furniture on the patio and the deck, and I am happy with the outcome now. It was a little bit stressing, but I am content and happy with the final produce. There are a few finishing touches that I need to get done, but overall, it has been worth all the stuff that has been done. I waited too long to try and take a photo, so it will just have to wait until the next entry. I left the house this morning at 9:30, and got back home just a little after three. The first and last stops of the day were taking and retrieving the girls from the beautiful parlor. They hate going, but they love coming home. In between those two items, I went to two nurseries, two home improvement superstores, two clock repair shops, one costume shop (returning the costume from last night), and the office. It seems like I am missing something, but that is the most I can remember. I made dinner for me and the girls, and then it was time for the last house concert of the season. Tonight was blues night, and, well, three out of four ain't bad. As far as I am concerned, this concert was a loser. I won't be having a blues night next year. I am also considering having the concerts in April, May, September and October, instead of June, July, August and September. Just trying to avoid the worst of the heat, but there may be rain in the spring. It's a trade-off. Tomorrow is expected to be a much more calm day. I have about seven things on my list of chores, and that is achievable. I think there will be time to work in a nap or two, as well.

Volume 13 - Day 267/98, 2021 - Friday

Finally it is Friday. It has definitely been a week and I am ready to relax a little bit. The deck is (almost) done, but when I got home, it was too dark to take a photo, but I will work on that tomorrow. I did get three pieces of furniture for the deck, kind of a love seat and two chairs. The chairs swivel and rock. All three pieces are really nice, but right now it looks awkward out on the deck. It will all take a little tweaking, and then it will be fine. It was a less busy, busy day today. We had our weekly zoom call at 8:30 after my walk with Jay. Furniture was delivered right at 10, and they started working of the deck about 10:15. There is still a bit of work to finish on the downspouts, but they can finish that before they get their final payment. Overall, it is exactly what I asked for, so that is really great.Stay tuned tomorrow for a photo. I went to Gruene for a Mystery Dinner Dinner kind of thing, thankfully I was not the bad guy, and it was a lot of fun, I did win the prize for best actor (I think), but the main part was, it was fun! My part was Old King Cole, and aCasey and Jaime's son Moom Pi made my crown. This photo does not capture all the players, and it was a LOT of fun!

Volume 13 - Day 266/99, 2021 - Thursday

Overall, I am comfortable with my decision NOT to pay the $7 toll for the Express Lane on my commute home this afternoon. Had I spent the $7, I expect I might have made it home about ten minutes sooner than I did, but I didn't, so that is that. Yesterday was a long day (I got home AFTER 10 o'clock), and today was a long day as well. It was not as long for me as it was for some of my colleagues, who had MUCH longer drives home that I did. At least one had a five-and-a-half hour drive, in the dark. Ugh. But, I am comforted with the fact that I will (hopefully) sleep better tonight than I have for several nights this past week. Mainly just from the tiredness I am experiencing. My first choice of word in the previous sentence was 'exhaustion,' but I doubt that I am really exhausted. Just tired. I'll be better tomorrow. My garage door openers were replaced this afternoon, and thanks to my neighbor Jay, I am mostly back living in a world of leisure. When I was a kid growing up outside Detroit, there was no such thing as a garage door opener or a remote control for the television. I need to correct that last sentence a little bit, I was BOTH the garage door opener and the remote control for the television. I am a little bit disappointed that the vendor did not complete the deck, but they are closer now than they were on Tuesday, mainly since the DID show up today, not yesterday. They did remove the rail separating the patio from the deck, so I can now access the deck from the patio, and I like that very much. I have no idea if they will show up tomorrow or not, but the new furniture for the deck is scheduled to arrive, so...

Volume 13 - Day265/100, 2021 - Wednesday

Okay, today (I think) was officially the first day of fall, and central Texas took the whole idea to heart. This morning, the temperature was about 61 degrees, and tomorrow morning, the temperature is expected to be lower than that. Welcome cooler weather. There is no updated photo of the deck, because there was nothing done on the deck today. Nothing. So, we shall see if they will be finished tomorrow or not. If they show up, I think they can get it done, but again, we shall see. I just got home about a half hour ago, I had a dinner to attend in Austin. Did you know there is a whole different world happening outside after dark? I had no idea. There is, and it is very similar to the world I generally experience in the daylight, only it is happening in the dark. Crazy! The dinner I attended tonight was with TR TREPAC staff and the TREPAC Leadership Team. Lots of fun, lots of jokes and laughing, a few tears here and there (me), and Vera made an appearance too. It will be a full day tomorrow, and if there is any news about the deck, I will share it with you.

Volume 13 - Day 264/101, 2021 - Tuesday

I think it would be pretty good if I had to put on a jacket tomorrow for my walk with Jay. I don't think it is going to happen, but maybe it will on Thursday morning. Oops, I am not going to be able to walk on Thursday morning, I have a nine o'clock appointment in Austin, so I will have to leave early. And I doubt that I will be home before 7 Thursday evening. Look, squirrel! So, let's talk about today to start with. They got a little bit more done on the deck today, and they say they will be done on Thursday. I really think they could have had the whole thing finished in two days if they really wanted to. They got here after 9:30 this morning, and they were gone by 1 o'clock. That is one of the advantages of having cameras around the outside, I kind keep an eye on things if I need to. I really cannot get a very good photo of it with the rail still on the patio. Tomorrow that should be gone, and maybe they will have the rails around the deck installed, and that will give me a better idea of what it will be like. So far, so good. Tomorrow, I will not actually leave for the office until about 3PM, I have a dinner appointment at 6:30, and I will probably make it home around 10 or so...then an early day on Thursday. I live a charmed life, and I know it, life is good, I am a lucky man!

Volume 13 - Day 263/102, 2021 - Monday

Not bad at all for a Monday. I got up, did my walk, and my first appointment was at 10 o'clock in Georgetown, so that was really sweet. I contracted for adding a deck off the back patio about two months ago, and the work was supposed to start the last week of September, but they started a week early. The current patio is about 12 x 15, and the deck that is being added is about 10 x 17, so the deck will just about double the size. It is still kind of hard for me to imagine it until it is done, but I will post more pictures as the get more stuff done. I really kind of expect they will be done on Wednesday, but we will see. After my appointment, I headed in to the office, got my desk cleared off, and left for home about 2 o'clock. My mail this afternoon was really heavy, but there was really nothing of any substance. All junk, destined for the shredder. Tomorrow should be a calm day, but that is yet to be seen.

 

Volume 13 - Day 262/103, 2021 - Sunday

OMG, this is heart-breaking. I have not seen anything about it on the news yet, but I have had a couple text alerts about this, and I drove past this morning. A place in Georgetown (not naming the place) where I have boarded the girls in the past, burned last night and at last report there were 75 dogs that died in the fire. I cannot comprehend that. I did not think the place was big enough to accommodate that many animals, and the fire started (or was reported) at about 11 o'clock last night. The first question in my mind is, is there anyone there overnight with these dogs? Shouldn't there be someone on the premises at EVERY place that boards dogs (cats, etc.) overnight. Are there any regulations? I have no idea about any of this, and honestly, I never considered these questions before, but I expect we will hear more about this in the coming days and weeks. I cannot comprehend it. I made it to brunch this morning, and it was just me and Sharon, but we had a nice brunch and a nice visit. She is moving next Friday, and I just cannot comprehend having to do that again, either. After brunch, I got the car washed, went to the grocery, came home and took a nap. After I got up from my nap, I went BACK to HEB for a couple things I forgot, and them made a stop at Home Depot, then watered plants. I'm starting a weight reduction period tomorrow, nothing crazy, but I might be crabby for a couple days. I would avoid me if I were you.

Volume 13 - Day 260/105, 2021 - Saturday

Saturday. I really love Saturdays. This morning, I got up just a little bit later than usual, and walked the neighborhood with Jay. I got back home, ate a couple bagels, and then took a nap. I love Saturday and Sunday naps. I had an appointment at 1 o'clock, so I was pacing myself. I wound all the clocks (that takes about 20 minutes) and then I got ready for my appointment. I left the house around 11:45, my appointment was about an hour away, and got back to the Curious House about 4 o'clock. I had intended to go to the grocery on the way home, but I procrastinated, and I can do that tomorrow. I also threatened to get the car washed, but I can do that tomorrow, too. Once I got home, I had a pimento cheese sandwich, then went down for another nap. The Saturday night group met at Deb and Jay's house this evening, and as usual, it was a lot of fun, varying conversations, and lots of opinions. Tomorrow there is the usual brunch, then maybe a car wash and a visit to the grocery. And at least a couple naps. These clouds were seen from my appointment this afternoon, and they were really lovely. Beautiful blue skies and magnificent big white clouds.

Volume 13 - Day 260/105, 2021 - Friday

Friday, and it is the weekend. This week was a long one, I thought it would never end. Nothing really terrible happened, it was just a series of inconveniences, and those may all come to an end next week. By Thursday (fingers crossed), all the burnt up (burnt up?) components of the Curious House may finally be replaced, and all should be back to the standards that one living in the first world is accustomed to. I confess that I am spoiled and fragile, so just get over it. I got up and did my walk with Jay, and then I settled in for my weekly 8:30 zoom call. I worked from home today, and actually got a lot of stuff done. I showed a property at 10:30, got a contract off to a prospective client, and was amazed when I got finished up and it was 2:15. That is usually the time I finish my day in the office, but then I have to drive home. I don't even think I took a nap today, but maybe I did, maybe I just don't remember. While I was on my way to show a home this morning, I remember thinking, as I passed whatever was burning on this truck, if something was about to blow up. I made it past with no issues, and I have not heard of anything about it on the news, so I guess it was just another day in the life of someone else. I have a 1 o'clock appointment tomorrow afternoon, and that will call it a day!

Volume 13 - Day 259/106, 2021 - Thursday

My sprinklers are working again, but now the garage door opener is not working at all. First world problems, I admit that. Spoiled old guy. I admit that. Lucky man, yes, I am. The garage door openers are scheduled to be replaced next Thursday. It cannot be soon enough for me, thank you very much. I left the office this afternoon about 2:15, and apparently only my lane on MoPac came to a complete stop. And there was no apparent reason for the stop. We just all stopped. I am sure there was a good reason, I was just not aware of it. I am thinking of working from home tomorrow. I have a couple property showings tomorrow, I need to get a couple contracts sent out, and I am really (honestly) looking forward to the weekend. I don't have much of anything planned, and I like that just fine. I am the old person I used to make fun of 40 or 45 years ago. 

Volume 13 - Day 258/107, 2021 - Wednesday

I still feel like this week have drug by, and I still feel like it should be next week already. This morning I determined that the controller for the sprinkler system was destroyed when the lightning struck the house. It is not so much the things that were destroyed as much as it seems to be a process that will never end. I keep finding things that no longer work, and I guess I need to go around the house and see what else has been affected. As a single gentleman farmer type of guy, I have plenty of clothes and underwear, so I don't have to wash clothes that terribly often. I just went in and pushed a few buttons on the washer and dryer, and those things seem to be working. I did not really do laundry or let the dryer run, but at least the lights lit up like they will at least TRY the next time I do laundry. I know some freaks that do laundry every day, and only use towels ONCE. That is jut not natural! Don't quote me on that, though. I am not sure why I had such a cross look on my face in this photo, taken three or four years ago on a weekend day when Jody was taking the girls for a ride. It popped up on my phone this morning, so I thought I would share it with you. I guess I am going to pre-order a new iPhone 13 Pro with all the bells and whistles. I still have a couple days to change my mind...

Volume 13 - Day 257/108, 2021 - Tuesday

It seems like it should be at least Wednesday already, but it is still only Tuesday. Today was really kind of busy, with a bunch of stuff crammed in to a relatively short period of time. I had three zoom meetings between 10 and 1:30, and there was a little time to breathe between the three. So, for the next several days, and going in to next week, my schedule is relatively open. Maybe one or two things a couple days, and nothing at all on a couple days. The last thing for the day was to attend the HOA meeting of the Curious House. It was the first HOA meeting in about three years, and the HOA is still controlled by the developers. It will likely be that way for another year or two, but I will attend the meetings as I become aware of them, just to keep my toes in the water. I signed up to speak, but when my turn came, I 'passed' and let them know I just signed up in case anything stupid happened. I took this picture this morning on my walk with Jay. We are now starting our walks at 7:30 instead of 7, and the sun is definitely casting longer shadows. I always wondered what it would be like to be tall, and I am still wondering.

Volume 13 - Day 256/109, 2021 - Monday

It is my studied opinion that Baylor Scott&White Health is the Discount Tire of the health care industry. I apologize to Discount Tire for that comparison. I had an early morning appointment with my doctor, and it all went well, if you think that going to confession at a Catholic church is fun. I had a lot of things to say, and I said them all, and life will go on. I like my doctor, but I do not at all care for the bureaucracy that I have been thrust into, and really without my permission. I guess I will do my best to cope with it, hopefully it will only be something that I have to deal with twice a year. After that appointment (I expect the blood work results in a day or two), I made it in to the office about 9:30, and got down to business, and had a really productive day. I headed back to the Curious Hose at about 2:30, and had a 3:30 appointment with the people that installed the garage door openers when the house was built. Yep, more victims of the lightning strike, and they have to be ordered (apparently they are 'special' garage door openers), and I have an appointment to have them installed in 11 days. I think this is about to be the last thing (hopefully) that needs to be replaced from that storm, and then I will begin the task of seeing if I have any insurance coverage for all that. And so, I thought I would share this photo of clouds with you today, because I like clouds, and they stir my imagination.

Volume 13 - Day 255/110, 2021 - Sunday

Everything on my list of chores for the weekend has been accomplished, and I am feeling very smug about that. I have a few chores, as a result of having completed the other chores, that I will work on tomorrow. I got up this morning, and Jay texted me that he would not be ready for our walk until about 7:30. Starting Tuesday (I'm not walking tomorrow), our new start time is 7:30 in the morning. After our walk, I fed the girls and did some stuff around the house, and then headed off to brunch. Just me, Candy, Sharon and Mark, but we all had a blast. If you were there, you would understand the significance of the photo accompanying this journal entry, but otherwise, you can just consider this a 'stink-eye' photo! I once again avoided disaster this afternoon. I was potting some plants that I picked up at Home Depot, and I disturbed several nests of wasps. Coincidentally, I had bought four cans of wasp spray on the same trip to Home Depot, so I was prepared. Remaining still and (somewhat) calm after disturbing a plethora of wasp nests has proven to work for me twice now, in the past four weeks or so. I moved a few things out of the garage, too, and I am still culling stuff that I moved from the farm to the Curious House. There is still one bedroom here that looks like I just moved in, and I threatened to work on that room this afternoon, but I will put that off for (still) another time.

Volume 13 - Day 254/111, 2021 - Saturday

My list of accomplishments for today was relatively conservative, and I think I got a good bit of it done. Tomorrow will be a day of sitting in the office and doing book work. I am determined to get my tax information to the CPA not later than January 15th next year. Everything is pretty well under control, I have two or three months of expenses and income to enter onto the spread sheet, and I will get it done tomorrow. After brunch. Maybe. The girls are always pleased when I succumb to my cravings. I went to Raising Cane's this afternoon, and got chicken fingers. For me, the three finger combo is totally adequate, but for the girls, I get the four piece and share. They are very happy about that! This evening, Saturday evening, we all met at Diane's house for wine and wisecracks. It was a great evening, there was a beautiful crescent moon off the terrace, and the conversation was great. Angie and Gary were back from their three week trip, and it was a lot of fun! Life here at the Curious House is really a delight! The move from the farm to the Curious House (the details) continue. I was owed a bit of a refund from ATT (we had a land line at the farm) and I got a letter today and a debit card from ATT for $4.24. I wonder how much the printing, postage and all that cost for a $4.24 debit card? I am going to use that bastard, just for the hell of it, and I will probably spend it all in one place! The cost of processing, plus the value of my time to activate the card puts it, in my opinion, at a no win deal! Interesting!

Volume 13 - Day 253/112, 2021 - Friday

This is what your seven head of longhorn cattle look like after they have been delivered to the auction barn. One less thing to worry about, and you can think about them the next time you enjoy a burger. It's just what happens. In the meantime, we will revitalize the grasses and the pastures, and everything will work out just fine. I got a notice from the Williamson County Road Bond Program (that is kind of a long name for a bunch of bureaucratic planners) today, and they have determined that they want 0.02 acres of my 30 acre tract that fronts on County Road 322. That would leave me with 29.98 acres on that tract. It seems kind of stupid if you ask me. 0.02 acres of land is, I wonder, how much. The answer is 'not much.' AND, I totally expect this plan to take DECADES to come to fruition, and I also expect that I will be long gone before it gets worked out. I am not hungry, but I wish I had something to eat. I want to get in the car and go visit some kind of fast food place, but I really don't have the motivation to do that, either. On the good news side of things, I have air conditioning back again, so that is good. I think the only thing to fix now are the garage door openers. Those two thangs just ain't right after that lightning strike!

Volume 13 - Day 252/113, 2021 - Thursday

Today was a pretty good day, lots of small accomplishments. After my walk this morning, I went in to the office kind of early, got a lot of stuff done, got my desk cleaned off, made a LOT of progress, and left for the Curious House about 2 o'clock. I made one stop on the way home, looking for something you would expect to find in the particular store I was shopping in, but the greeter (not that obvious) was not aware of that produce in the store, and apparently not inclined to look on their computer inventory program to confirm one way or another. SO...I came home, found it on Amazon with two clicks, and it will be delivered tomorrow. I doubt that brick-and-mortar retail will be able to survive this, especially if they hire staff that is more concerned with checking their cell phones than they are with actually selling product. I am sounding like an old man, even to myself. As I was driving home, I went via the Interstate, and before I got to the entrance, there was a car in front of me from Wisconsin. I knew what was abut to happen, because the lady driver was hanging her hand out the window with her cigarette. Smoking is a choice that I do not criticize in others (I used to smoke, and most of my friends used to smoke. But flicking your butts out the window is a hard no for me...luckily (for both of us probably), I did not get an opportunity to confront her (YOU DROPPED YOUR CIGARETTE), and I went on about my business. It is true, Texas is 'The Friendly State,' but I would welcome people to go back to Wisconsin if that is the way they think is the proper

way to handle trash. 

Volume 13 - Day 251/114, 2021 - Wednesday

I am sitting in the office of the Curious House, sweating like a big guy. Okay, there was really no need for further descriptors, I AM a bug guy, but I am still sweating in the house. I have the garage door open to the house, since the AC out there is working, but the idea of gathering up the girls and sleeping in the garage just does not appeal to me. I may change my mind later, that is yet to be seen. I was told today that the new furnace component to the HVAC will be replaced beginning on Friday morning. We think the compressor is still working okay, but that is yet to be seen. Fingers crossed, but the way this event has been playing out, I will just play the wait-and-see game. Overnight was not at all unbearable, and somewhere around 3AM I actually got under the covers. It was really pleasant this morning, and after I let the girls out, I opened the bedroom windows to get some fresh air in the house. Not that I smell or anything, but... The photo that accompanies this post is actually one of my favorites. I guess it was four or five years ago at the farm. I was minding my own business, and turned around and this rat snake scared the hell out of me. He hung around long enough for my to take this photo, after which time I relocated him over to the neighbors. No sense killing a perfectly good snake...

Volume 13 - Day 250/115, 2021 - Tuesday

Well, depending on who you care to listen to, the Curious House was either struck by lightning last night, or it wasn't. If it wasn't struck, the other possibility is that lightning struck a nearby transformer, but I am the only house in the neighborhood that has been affected. The whole house surge protector was not damaged, but 16 of the 25 circuit breakers in the garage have been 'fried.' Nothing inside the house, or I should say inside the living quarters of the house, have been damaged. In addition to the circuit breakers, the 'furnace' part of the HVAC system is a goner as well. No AC until Thursday or Friday. All of this has pretty well taken up my whole day, and I think there will be bits and pieces of it going on until the HVAC gets fixed. Then there may well be various claims to see if I can recover any of the expense. I think there may be issues with the two garage door openers, they have a battery backup, and I am not convinced that they are operating 'as intended.' Maybe it is just my imagination. I have not experienced any terrible inconvenience is the last 25 hours, but I may change my mind on that in another day or two. The house is at 79 degrees right now, but it is not a humid kind of warmth, and the ceiling fans are helping. Tomorrow, after my walk, I have a zoom from 10 til 12, and then may go in to the office, maybe not. I will be playing it by ear to see what happens. I need to go and check my laptop to make sure it works before I need it in the morning.

Volume 249/116, 2021 - Labor Day Monday

I did a little bit of labor today, but nothing much, really. I did my walk in the morning, then I am pretty sure I took a nap. I got a little bit of energy about 10:30, and started pitching, shredding and organizing papers that I moved from the farm to the Curious House. Bank statements and various bits of this-and-that dating back to 1985 or so. Stuff that I HAD to move from the farm and I am now going through and disposing of. It is a pretty good feeling, actually. And now, for something completely different... I have spent thousands of dollars on a solar system here at the Curious House, and now the breaker box in the garage is f*cked up. I have electricity to most of the plugs in the house, but no lights, and both of the refrigerators do not have power. I am a sad little farmer right now. I guess I will run extension cords from outlets that work to the refrigerators, and I will see if I can find someone to come out in the morning to fix this. Sometimes (most of the time) I feel like the luckiest man in the world, and other times (like now, and not very frequently) I feel like I can't win. It will all be okay I expect. SO...as I was cleaning out stuff this afternoon, I ran across the photo that is accompanying this post. My high school graduation class photo. My year books are long gone, a victim of the many moves I have made, but every now and then, something turns up.

Volume 13 - Day 248/117, 2021 - Sunday

There is still one day left of this Holiday weekend, and I am going to try to make the most of it. I did the usual stuff this morning, went for a nice walk with Jay and Ginger (the Husky) and then tried (and failed) to take a nap. During the walk, a crazy KAREN person was on patrol for a car and its' occupant that has been moving around the community for a week or so. We think it is just a guy with no home parking and sleeping in his car. Not sure what she would do if she ever finds him, but I expect it will make Facebook. Usually I easily take a nice little 30 minute or so nap on Sunday morning, but not this morning. Then, it was time to get ready for brunch, and I was about fifteen minutes late. We met at Alisha and Ruben's home, where Ruben had prepared massive quantities of delicious food. After breakfast, we sat around and talked for a while, and I left just before everybody got nekkid and jumped in the pool. Their pool is beautiful, and it was a long project that just finished in time for the Fourth of July. I left and headed to HEB, where I bought massive quantities of dog food, and a few things for myself. Never fear, I doubt I will go hungry anytime soon. Just before I sat down to compose this entry, the winds came up and the thunder started, and we may even get a little bit of rain. Today was the hottest day of the year, so far, 102 degrees. Ugh... Fingers crossed that they show up tomorrow (between 8:30 and 11:30) to fix my car door.

Volume 13 - Day 247/118, 2021 - Saturday

I did not do a whole lot today. I had intended to do more, but my inner procrastinator won the challenge, and there is always tomorrow. I got my walk in with Jay this morning, and then I came home and got in a little nap. That was interrupted with a little bit of real estate, but it all worked out in the end. I left some paperwork in the office yesterday, so I decided to go in to Austin to get that, and on the way, I stopped at two estate sales. The first one worried me that I was going to catch something just from walking into the house, and the second one was just kind of plain. Both were in Barton Hills, and really upscale neighborhood, but you can't account for some dead peoples stuff. I expect the same will be said of me when I croak my last! Then I went to the office, did a few things, and left to head back north, and forgot to pick up the papers that was the whole reason for going to Austin in the first place. I had every intention of stopping at HEB on the way home to the Curious House, but I put that off until tomorrow, too. Or maybe Monday. Saturday night wine was at my house this evening, and a good time was had by all. I got the chance to meet Peter and his mom, and that was nice. 

Volume 13 - Day 246/119, 2021 - Friday

Okee-Dokee, it is the eve of a three-day-weekend, and I could not be happier. Okay, well, that is probably a stretch, but I am not sad that there is a three-day-weekend coming up. I had a couple zoom meetings today, and got some work done at the office. Quesadillas for lunch, then off to get my hairs cut. Then back to the Curious House, and then pushing one set of neighbors to let me do them a favor. There is a story there, but I will save it for another time. It is really pretty funny, but still, another time. Once I got settled in for the evening, I took a short little nap, and then I ventured down the street to enjoy a delicious dinner with Nancy. Dan is visiting his dad in one of those nondescript states at the top of the map, and he will be back late Sunday night. Dinner was delicious, and it is interesting how broad the conversations can get. Everything from high-functioning addictions to the origins of life to the afterlife. Very interesting, only made better after a couple glasses of wine! I don't have a lot on my chore list for the weekend, but I am pretty confident that I will be able to fill up the time. I found this photo last weekend going through boxes, and I wish I had uncovered it a couple weeks ago, when I did the mural theme week. I expect this photo (it really is a photo) was taken about 1996 or 1997.

Volume 13 - Day 245/120, 2021 - Thursday

There is not a thing on tv worth watching, so I am defaulting to Dr. Pimple Popper. Even that does not hold my attention these days. Mondays and Tuesdays are generally my best nights for watching television, mainly because of Antiques Road Show and Finding Your Roots. Even those are not very dependable, I guess because they really cannot tape new episodes because of COVID. Speaking of COVID, I have not yet received my antibody results, but I expect I will get them back tomorrow. I think it will be (maybe) another good conversation starter. We'll see... I am really kind of wanting to sleep longer in the mornings, but I am still getting up around 6. One of my favorite things is to get up (on the weekends) and then take a little nap about 8:30. Perfect on Sunday's while I am watching Sunday Morning. Office was good today, nothing overwhelming, so we are sliding into the more calm real estate and leasing seasons. I left the office and got to the Curious House about 3 o'clock, and did a few things around here, and then went down for a little nap. The girls get their meds this afternoon, but I was a day late with that. I doubt that it will make too much of a difference. There was a nice little cloud formation over the back fence this afternoon, hope you enjoy this pic.

Volume 13 - Day 244/121, 2021 - Wednesday

It seems like it should be later than Wednesday, but on the other hand, it does not seem like it should be September 1st already. Never satisfied. I got up this morning and did my walk, then headed in to the office early. I had a ten o'clock appointment, then another appointment to show property in Spicewood. All of that accomplished, I stopped by and visited with Michael and Lynda for a few minutes, then back to the office. Earlier in the day, I filled out a survey for sponsored by the University of Texas Health Sciences, and on the way home to the Curious House, I stopped and had blood drawn to participate in a COVID antibody test. The test (and this program) is to detect both vaccine-induced and natural antibody presence. I should get the results in two or three days. I think it will be interesting. I heard a public radio program this afternoon where a physician said she did not recommend participating in antibody testing, because not everyone knows how to interpret the results. Well, I don't know how to interpret the results of an Egg McMuffin, either, but that does not dissuade me from participating. But I digress... While I was getting the blood drawn, I had a call from Linda (different Linda) asking if I wanted to go with them to Liberty Hill for dinner. Well, hell yeah! We went to a place I have never been, Dahlia's. Great homey, down to earth place, I had a burger covered with pulled pork and bbq sauce. I don't know what was in the bbq sauce either, but that did not keep me from participating, either. Can you see a theme here? Just before we left, I took a look at the pie counter, and with all my will, walked away!