Volume 13 - Day 304/61, 2021 - Sunday

It is Halloween, and it has been another good day. Had a nice walk this morning, and then did a little bit around the house, and then brunch with Candy, Mike and Alisha. New spot, the Simmer Down Cafe in Georgetown. Had not been there before, but it was good. Crowded but good. We sat on the patio so there was no wait. I hopefully took care of the area that Callie has been 'skunked' twice in the last six weeks or so. We shall see if that works or not. Jut trying to make it less easy for the dog to surprise the skunk. I got some other work done around the house, and then Nancy and Melinda arrived. We are having a pajama party before we head to San Marcos tomorrow for a leadership retreat. While they were here, we visited with Nancy and her friend from Louisiana, said hello to Dick and Marge, then went to see Judy and Bob, where the wine, conversation and munchies were really good. We then left and walked the neighborhood, visited with more friends, had a little bit more wine, and more good conversations. In the photo for this entry, that is Nancy on the left and Melinda on the right. I am in the middle. A great time was had by all.

Volume 13 - Day 303/62, 2021 - Saturday

Today was a most excellent day! But wait...did I mention that there was ANOTHER skunk incident last night. No? I didn't think so. Yep, last night, Callie found herself another skunk, and got sprayed again. It was not as bad as the last time (about a month ago), but it was frustrating, just the same. I felt somewhat defeated, having just about decided that the house no longer had a skunk odor in it, and now I am starting the process all over again. I am not sure which is worse; skunk odor or Febreze. They both make my eyes burn, and make it hard for me to sleep comfortably. But, it is true, the house once again smells like skunk, and I have had several professional sniffers come through the house and confirm it. Other than that, it was a great day. It started with a nice, brisk walk with Jay and Ginger, and then later in the morning we went in to Austin to the 'Art From the Streets' show and sale. Austin's homeless produce art works and they are sold during this event. I did not buy anything (the t-shirt does not count), but I do have an interest in one persons work, and will probably reach out to him this week coming. Getting back to the Curious House, we discovered that Marge and Dick returned home from their summer in Chicago. It was great seeing them again, and we all had a blast sitting on the driveway tonight, having a bit of wine and some early Halloween candy. Tomorrow is the real day, and I have reason to believe that it will be even more fun than today. I have been a little worried about Barney the Cat, but Patsy (the good neighbor from the farm) sent my this picture of him last week. He is doing just fine without me!

Volume 13 - Day 302/63, 2021 - Friday

Okay, well, on Monday, October will be done. Crazy. It was kind of chilly this morning, and it is supposed to be even cooler tomorrow morning. I walked this morning with a real jacket on, but still wore shorts. My legs don't seem to get too cold, my feet get cold, my hands get cold, and the jacket just keeps me warm enough. I took my time getting ready to go in to Austin this morning, and it was a calm day overall. I got home about three o'clock this afternoon, and then took the car to get it washed. I had thought about going to the $12-quarter-car-wash, and then vacuuming it myself, but I decided to go to the full service car wash. It is all purty again, so that is good. Tomorrow morning, Deb and Jay and I are going to head in to Austin and take a look at the 'Art From the Streets' show and sale. They promote art work from Austin homeless folks and provide a place for it to be shown and sold. I have wanted to go for years-and-years, but tomorrow will be the first time I have actually made it. I am looking forward to it. Then, tomorrow evening, we will have wine on the driveway, and we are looking forward to Dick and Marge being back from their summer in the Chicago area. Sunday will be brunch, and then my friends Melinda and Nancy will be here for Halloween night, before we go to San Marcos for a TREPAC meeting on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. I saved the scariest thing I could find of the neighborhood Halloween decorations for tonight, the last night of the theme pics. I hope you will be able to sleep after seeing this.

Volume 13 - Day 301/64, 2021 - Thursday

Against my better judgment, I decided to go protest my charges with the Toll Road authority. The first conversation went kind of like this: You are at the wrong place, we just collect money here, you have to go to the other place. Why is your address on the bill? Because all we do is collect the money, you have to go to the other place. I went to the office, and at about 2:30, I went to the other place. Here is how that conversation went. You know you are at the wrong place, right? The other place told me to come to this place. I was at the other place this morning. You know you are at the wrong place, right? Do you go home every day and tell your husband nothing is your fault, it is the other guys fault? Yes. So, admitting defeat, I left, but at least I walked away with a new TXTag. I can only imagine the amount of issues that is going to cause, going forward. We had no rain today, but the wind was really crazy. I had a gazing ball on the patio, and the wind knocked it out of its base, and there were shards of glass everywhere. I swept it all up, but every time I go outside, I see more bits of glass. Ugh. This is the weekend eve, and I am looking forward to it, as I am with every weekend. Tomorrow is expected to be a pretty good day, weather-wise. Winds are supposed to die down, humidity is supposed to be non-existent, and the temperatures are supposed to trick us into thinking it is just a few days from November.

Volume 13 - Day 300/65, 2021 - Wednesday

I am feeling very pleased with myself. I am sure you are painfully aware that this is Medicare open enrollment season. Why can't you just change or add/edit/delete at any time? I don't know the answer to that question, and I am not really asking that question, because I do not have another hour to spend talking with someone about Medicare. But I digress... I did cross Medicare off my 'to-do' list today, and I am feeling very smug about that. I did cave by agreeing to an HMO (my primary physician in in the 'group'), and it also means that I will need to use one of the pharmacies that is on the approved list, but it is what it is. I am paying just under $6K for my various Medicare stuff right now, and I think I will cut that expense drastically. Maybe it is too good to be true, but I doubt it could get worse that it already is. All the little bits help. The only downside to this whole thing is, if it all works out like it has been presented, I won't be able to complain about Medicare anymore. I think I can live with that. I had lunch today with some great colleagues this afternoon, then I did a quick video. Once I got home, I ordered some secret stuff from Amazon. The rain and storm (thunder and lightning) came and went overnight, and I still have electricity. I have learned that I cannot take that for granted any more. The humidity has taken a nose dive, the high temperature was in the 70s today, and right now I have windows open and I am authoring this journal entry with fuzzy slippers on. If it's not one thing, it's another...

Volume 13 - Day 299/66, 2021 - Tuesday

O.M.G! First off, Happy Birthday Patsy! Okay, I got my early morning stuff done, but I went for only a short walk this morning. I was planning to be in Austin not later than 9:30, and I got there a little earlier than that. Today was the day we decided to divest ourselves of all the old records at one of our storage rooms. I think the total was 43 boxes of paperwork and files shredded. Tosalyn and I were there by about 9:15, and the shredder guy got there at 11, and we were pretty ready for him. We still have some organizing to do, but we are in a lot better shape now than we were yesterday. While we were there, I took a look at MY storage room at the same place, and I think I could actually get started cleaning that room out...and maybe have it cleared out by May or June. That will be another cost saving, which is not a bad thing. I may stop again tomorrow and see what I can get in the car, just to make a start. Ironically, there are lots of pieces of art that I had actually forgotten about. Much of it was in the bigger office we had before the internet took a toll on office space. No thanks, I'll work from home. Okay, no problem. 

Volume 13 - Day 298/67, 2021 - Monday

One more day of warm (fingers crossed), and maybe it will be a bit more fall like, and the humidity will be lessened. We have already had fake fall, so this next front (hopefully) will bring in the real thing. I got a lot of stuff on my list accomplished today, actually, no reason to be shy, I got EVERYTHING checked off my list today. Tomorrow I will be wearing my play clothes in to Austin, since we are going to be moving stuff into and out of our storage lockers. We have a date with a shredding company, so we are cleaning out old files (anything older than 2018), to make room for stuff from our OTHER storage garage, since we are being 'evicted.' Just another case of location, location, location. The property has been sold, and they are going to demolish it to make way for yet another set of condos or commercial. Whatever. We have until the middle of November, but we are going to get a good start on it tomorrow. I am on a mission to eat stuff out of the two freezers, and I had my heart set on a frozen entree until I discovered it had a 'best by' date of 2018. You guys have totally messed me up with all that. I have to agree, though, that the stuff I threw out tonight (best by sometime in 2008), was even too old for me to risk. Pretty soon I will be making my order to Omaha Steaks!

Volume 13 - Day 297/68, 2021 - Sunday

Today was a day that I did very little of anything. I think I repeat that phrase on most weekend days, but today was really a day in which I accomplished pretty much of nothing. I did my early walk with Jay and Ginger (the Husky), and when I got home, I considered a nap, but deferred to watering the plants instead. I have the sprinklers set to run three days a week (as opposed to my two day a week official watering schedule), but I turned the sprinklers off because we are supposed to get some rain Tuesday into Wednesday. Whatever is going on in California is supposed to reach us mid-week, and there is a promise of at least a little bit of rain and some cooler temperatures. I did meet Candy and Mike for brunch this morning, and then stopped at Tractor Supply on my way home, to pick up a couple of those five gallon plastic buckets. I can always use more five gallon plastic buckets. It was grey and overcast when we were walking this morning, and we generally (on Sunday) go back into the area that is now being developed. Being developed means they are bulldozing the trees and putting in roads and retention ponds. As I said, it was grey and overcast, but I saw three Iris plants, and decided I would save them after brunch (hence the stop for the five gallon buckets). Jay went with me are we carried the buckets and shovels and gloves, only to discover that what I thought were Iris, turned out to be yucca. I had fantasized about these Iris in a scene from Little House on the Prairie, that they had survived for decades, and now they were going to be victims of development. But they weren't Iris, they were yuccas. So much for the fantasy.

Volume 13 - Day 296/69, 2021 - Saturday

As I sit here writing this journal entry, having just recently returned from Jay and Deb's, I an eating cucumber slices and ranch dressing. Yummy! I took a big Yeti cup of red wine with me (box wine) and I drank on that for most of the evening. The cucumbers and ranch dressing are satisfying my need for something to eat. I jumped off my wagon of trying to limit my carb intake today, and finished a piece of apple pie I have been eating on for a week, and a couple other things that Dr. Atkins would not recognize. I a focusing on cleaning out the freezer(s), so I can order some steak, burger patties and wieners from Omaha Steaks. Just thinking about that has caused my Facebook feed to start sending me coupons for Omaha Steaks. I am particularly interested in the bacon, burgers, steaks and wieners they offer. They say that, for every wiener you eat, you lose thirty five minutes of life. If that were true, by my calculation, I have been dead for about three or four years. Maybe yes, maybe no. I did a lot of nothing today, and that was not the worst of it. It was actually the best of it. Tomorrow is another day of doing a lot of nothing after I go to brunch. It looks like it will be just two of us, me and Candy. Jay and Deb and I went to the 'art stroll' in Georgetown last Thursday, and to be honest, I was less than overwhelmed. There were some nice pieces, but nothing that spoke to me, We did get to visit the inside of a nice little church, the best part of which was the rafters. 

Volume 13 - Day 295/70, 2021 - Friday

I have a much more robust of weekends suddenly. I can remember when I thought weekends were just another couple of days, but now I relish the thought of the weekend. I have nothing on my calendar for the weekend, and I think that is absolutely great. I will do a few things, one of which may be going to the toll company to complain about another bill I received in the mail today. I went through this over the phone with them a few weeks ago, and today I got another PAST DUE invoice for $20.39. Now I am pissed off. So, that might be one of my chores for tomorrow. Their customer service office is open from 8AM until Noon, so that could take up a good part of my day. Today was a good day, including getting my hair cut this afternoon. Early this evening, I put my new grill together, and then went down and had dinner with Nancy, Paulina, Val and Ollie. Have I mentioned recently that I am a really lucky man? If not, please be advised, I am!

Volume 13 - Day294/71, 2021 - Thursday

It was another good morning for walking, so we did. It is interesting just how many people cannot keep up with the recycling day. We have trash service every Thursday, and recycling pick-up every-other Thursday. What about that so so difficult to keep up with? Maybe it is early-onset...but it is hard to say. I had vowed not to go in to the office today, but, you know, stuff happens. I needed to go to the Appraisal Office, so I got that taken care of, and suddenly there was something I needed to take care of. Nothing life shattering or anything like that, it just needed to get done, and there were a lot of details to pay attention to. So, I got that done, and had to do a telephone appointment with a prospective client. We spoke twice, and both times, she had to cut the call short. I hope to finish the call tomorrow. Deb and Jay and I went to the Georgetown Art Stroll tonight, and that was fun. We didn't buy anything, but we had a really good cookie from Galaxy Bakery (one of my favorite places) and we checked a new shop we had heard about, Kilwins. It's an ice cream/chocolate shop, with all kinds of other treats. Sea salt/caramel/chocolate covered apples. Boxes of lovely truffles, fudge, omg. It's called Kilwin's, and I understand there are stores across the country. Get ready.

Volume 13 - Day 293/72, 2021 - Wednesday

Throw away the damn onions. NOW. There is a salmonella outbreak (just saw it on the news), that is affecting Texas more than other states. Red, white and yellow onions from Chihuahua, MX. Just throw them away, don't even think about it. Otherwise, it was a great morning for a walk. Jay is feeling better, and it was close to 70 degrees, so it was really nice. There was also a beautiful sunrise, so a little bit of an extra bonus. I am enjoying the casual starts of my mornings, and I made it in to the office just about 10 o'clock. Planning is already starting for the next real estate year, so that is always fun. I made it home about 3 o'clock, and considered stopping at another craft store to check out wreaths, but changed my mind. I may actually venture out later this evening, just to see what is available. You never know. I am working from home tomorrow, and I have two or three phone appointments on the books, but it will be nice not driving in to Austin.

Volume 13 - Day 292/73, 2021 - Tuesday

Fake fall is over, and we are back to late summer. Gone (I hope temporarily) are the cool, pleasant mornings, and the high temperatures in the 70s. We are back to lows in the seventies, and high temperatures in the high 80s and low 90s. It is going to be that way for at least the next eight days, but it could be worse. It could be lows in the 80s and highs in the 100s. But I digress... I got off to another slow start this morning. Jay got his third jab yesterday, so he was not up for walking this morning, and I used that as an excuse not to walk myself. By later in the day, he asked if I was working from home, he was feeling better and going to walk the dogs. By then, I was in the office. On the way in to the office this morning, I stopped off and early voted, and then made a stop at the office before going on in. Once in the office, I finished up some stuff I had started yesterday, made some phone calls and was put on an interminable hold. I gave up after a while. On my way home, I made another stop at the post office, and then I decided I would stop and take a look at a fall wreath for the front door. There were none to be had, but I say a nice Christmas door decoration, but I fell over backwards at the $80 price tag. Again, I think I am fiscally out of touch with reality. That is the only way I can explain it.

Volume 13 - Day 291/74, 2021 - Monday

Another really nice day in central Texas, but things may change a little for the warmer and more humid. Humider? I am planning to enjoy this week, with a very light schedule, and I hope I do not clutter it up with a bunch of last minute meetings and zooms. I took my time getting in to the office this morning, but I was there by the mid-10AMs. I left at just a little after 2, and stopped off for a couple errands, and got home in plenty of time to take a nap during the news. I am anxiously awaiting Antiques Roadshow, and then I will be ready to call it a day. Early voting started today, and I plan to go vote on my way in to the office tomorrow. I have a pretty decent record of voting, and I think I have only missed voting a couple times, if that, since I have been eligible to vote. I like voting, that way, I can complain with a clear conscience. Since I do not live within the city limits of any city, I only get to vote on county issues or state issues. I think I will be within the city of Georgetown before too long, and that will be okay with me, too. In keeping with my Halloween theme, I watched a couple Godzilla movies (okay, I watched 'at') over the weekend. My cable service has the absolute worst movie channels. Godzilla counts as scary, right?

Volume 13 - Day 290/75, 2021 - Sunday

I wonder if this is what it is like to be retired? I did not sleep very comfortably last night, and I don't know why, but I just lay awake, not sleeping. As usual, I expect I actually slept more than it felt like, but it did not feel like much. I crawled out of bed at about 6:30, and met Jay for a walk about twenty past seven. I was back home by about 8:30, and I did a couple Sunday things (meds, coffee, another load of laundry, just stuff), before I got ready to go to brunch. I have already shredded my to-do list, so I honestly cannot remember what I got accomplished today, but it was a good day. I was surprised how chilly it was this morning, and before the walk I looked but could not find any sweat pants. I did find a couple pair before I took off for brunch, and that saved my a trip to buy a pair. I did get a nice nap in once I got home from brunch, and I am always happy to get in a nap. It is kind of a weekend thing, but I also usually fall asleep during the week when I am watching the news. I do not know if I even have one meeting scheduled for the coming week, and that is kind of unusual. I do have a haircut on the schedule for Friday, but that might be all of it.

Volume 13 - Day 289/76, 2021 - Saturday

Today was really a good day. I got up this morning, did a little of this and a little of that, and then did a nice walk with Jay and his two dogs. It was 49 degrees outside this morning. FORTY NINE DEGREES. It seems that winter is here. It did get up to about seventy five degrees this afternoon, but already it is down to 60 degrees, and is is not even nine o'clock. So, I did my walk, and did not even take a nap afterwards. I did re-install the garage door opener app to my phone, so that is working again. Then a bit more of this and that, and then I did go down for a nap. I went down to Dan and Nancy's about four for dinner (ribs and burgers), and then back home for wine on the driveway. By the time we called it a night, it was kind of cold outside. So, that is it for today, but I will leave you with this...this is our offices version of 'many hands make light work.'

Volume 13 - Day 288/77, 2021 - Friday

I am so happy that this is Friday. I know all the weeks are of the same length, but I also know that sometimes, some weeks seem to take longer to go by than others do. I also understand that, having said that, when November gets here, I will probably remark that October went by really quickly. At some point, I expect I will need to make up my mind. I have my early zoom meeting, and then it was off to the office. After I was there for a while, Tosalyn and I headed off to Buda to take a look at a property, and then we were back. Carrie and I went to get lunch at the Sine Die Smokers gathering, benefitting a couple good causes, #nohunger and the Central Texas Food Bank. We are in good hands going forward, with kids like Mace in charge. I was successful in winning one of the silent auction items, too, so that is a plus! After I got home, I did get in a quick nap, and just as I was going to consider something for dinner, Nancy texted me that she made some jambalaya if I wanted to come down. And so I did. Dan's good friend from Kentucky is also visiting, so that was fun. There is a cool front coming through, and even though the thermometers say it is 70 degrees outside, if feels much cooler, and the humidity is really low, which helps. I have a few things on the schedule for tomorrow, but nothing really earth shattering.

Volume 13 - Day 287/78, 2021 - Thursday

Well, we got 3.32" of rain overnight, and my electricity is still working. That's a WIN, I don't care who you are! I had a nine o'clock zoom this morning, so I had to decide the best way to do it; zoom from home and go in to the office after 1 o'clock, or zoom from the office and get there pretty early. I chose to zoom from the office and make the highest and best use of my time. SO...I did not walk this morning, I left for the office about 7:30, got there about 8:15, zoom started at 9, and finished early at about 12:15. All in all, I got some good work done while zooming at the same time. I had a call from the clock repair shop, and on the way home, I stopped and picked up clocks that were ready. I think I have maxed out on clocks, either that, or I need more wall space and more table top space. BUT, I think I'm done for now. Sadly, I think the busiest department at Kohl's is the part where you return stuff you bought from Amazon. For the first time ever, I needed to return something, so I took it to Kohl's, and it was really easy. Sorry about that Kohl's. Tomorrow I have an early zoom, then off to the office, then off to Buda to look at a property, then off to lunch for my main-man Mace (www.sinediesmokers.org), and then home for the weekend.It is supposed to be cooler, and it is supposed to feel like fall in central Texas and at the Curious House.

Volume 13 - Day 286/79, 2021 - Wednesday

I have had full electricity in the house for over 24 hours, but as I sit and write this entry, it is raining outside. It is supposed to rain pretty much from now until at least Friday morning. They are forecasting that we (close to the Curious House) could receive 7 inches of rain by Friday morning. All I really care about at this point is that the house is A.) not hit by lightning (again), B.)not a victim of MORE circuit breaker failures, and C.) not flooded out and washed downstream. I really do not think any of those things is asking too much, but that does leave a wide variety of other malfunctions that could be realized. I guess only time will tell. This weather event is also supposed to reduce the temperatures for the near future as well, so maybe this is the really and truly the beginning of fall in central Texas. Today was a bit of a busy day, office wise. A couple meetings, some that went too long, but overall, not too bad. As of this morning, the skeleton had shimmied down the post, but maybe he will be back in the following days,

Volume 13 - Day 285/80, 2021 - Tuesday

Well, once again I have electricity flowing from all the proper places within the Curious House. The electrician got here at about 2 o'clock, and he left about 45 minutes later. he replaced six breakers, made sure all the necessary voltages and groundings were correct, and that was that. It is supposed to rain and storm here for the next three days (three different weather systems are going to meld together), so I have a very low level of confidence that I will survive the next several days fully electrified. Kind of a weird apprehensive feeling that I have never experienced before. Time will tell. It was raining on my way in to Austin this morning, so I did not do my walk. That gave me time to get in to the office early, and leave early enough to get home early to meet the electrician. Does caution beget fear, or does fear beget caution? I was talking to someone about my morning commute, and I was asked if I was afraid to drive. Well, no. I am afraid of all the idiots surrounding me on the highways in the rain. I try very hard to exercise caution, but I don't equate that with a fear of driving. I get nervous under those circumstances, and maybe nerves equate to fear. I'm not sure.

Volume 13 - Day 284/81, 2021

Have you ever had that feeling that you just could not win? I know it is not anywhere close to the truth in my case, but here it is... Apparently, there was a very brief power outage here at the Curious House neighborhood this morning. I mean REALLY brief. Like seconds. Like five seconds or less. Well, six of the new circuit breakers that were recently replaced need to be replaced again. I can't stand it. The refrigerator outlet (in the kitchen) is not working, but the outlet three feet away from it is working. Microwave is not working. Garbage disposal is not working. Ceiling light and fan in the bedroom, not working. Receptacles in the bedroom, not working. Lights in the bath and closet, working. That is just some of the working/not workings that I know about. Okay, guess what I will be doing tomorrow? Waiting on the electricians to come out and save me. Ugh. I totally understand that this is a first world problem, and I also understand that I am lucky to have this problem. But if I was not trying to lose a few pounds, I might just go and have a box of wine.

Volume 13 - Day 283/82, 2021 - Sunday

I have recovered. It is interesting that, my arm that was SO sore yesterday is nothing today. I did take it easy today, but a few things that I put off yesterday, I got done today. I made it to the grocery but I forgot to get cottage cheese and dry dog food. Dry dog food goes really well with cottage cheese, you should try it sometime! I did have one quick appointment that I could not change this morning, and I made it to the airport and back with no issues. I missed brunch this morning for the first time (I think) since we started meeting up for brunch. I also took a rain-check on a visit to Michael and Lynda's. I did not want to take the chance of feeling bad today, so I asked forgiveness yesterday. Nothing worse than last minute cancellations, and I get that. My week coming is a relatively calm and quiet one, and that is something to look forward to. Do you guys remember when we all looked forward to the ice cream guy coming through the neighborhood? We are reliving that today, except the new Good Humor guy has changed his name to the Amazon Guy.

Volume 13 - Day 282/83, 2021 - Saturday

OMG. I got my third jab yesterday, and it is not as if I feel bad, but I just do not feel good. I did a short walk with Jay this morning, and then talked with Dan and Nancy for a few minutes, and then I went back in the house and piled up in the big chair. I slept mostly until 4 o'clock this afternoon. I did get up a couple times to take the dogs outside, but I was pretty much useless. I finally had something to eat at about 5 o'clock, but I thought that was going to make me sick too. I have already cancelled my walk for tomorrow and brunch tomorrow and a get together with Michael and Lynda. I expect I will feel better tomorrow, but I think I am just going to take it slowly. I had a whole list of things to get done today, but I did not do anything. SO...even though I slept most of the day, I do not think I will have too much trouble going back to sleep in about a half-hour. I expect part of the tiredness was also part of the really busy week I had last week, but it will all work out in the end. No Halloween pictures today, I am going to take a break from those on the weekends. I have a few photos I have been holding back, and so tonight's post reflects one of those. The is my anti-anxiety drug, ice cream and chocolate syrup! Yummy.

Volume 13 - Day 281/84, 2021 - Friday

Yippee-Skippee, it's Friday! As I write this, I am waiting to see if I have any negative affects from my third Covid Vaccine jab. Seven-and-a-half hours ago, and so far, so good. Many people I know have said they have experienced bad affects from their 'booster,' but so far, all is good. i did not even feel the poke, at all...nothing. Best shot I have had in a long time, although, I have to admit, I was not sitting in my car for this one. That is kind of a novel approach to a vaccination. But, all is well that ends well, so I will let you know how I fared tomorrow. Otherwise, today was a pretty nice day, and it did not hurt that today was Friday. After a late afternoon, last minute appointment, I went down the street and had dinner with Nancy and Dan. Burger patties for me (I am kinda doing a modified Adkins thing), and I am just trying to lose a little (interpret that however you would like) bit of weight. The weekend will be nice and calm, and it is supposed to be warmer than usual, and more humid than normal, but we should be out of summer starting next weekend. Again, fingers crossed. I also (fingers crossed yet again) think I have all the changes to the new iPhone under control, and things are doing pretty nicely right now. This fuzzy spider took Ginger (Jay's Husky) by surprise the other day when we were walking, so I thought I would share it with you. I am going to give you a break on the weekends, and not show the Halloween pics seven days a week. Now, it is time for me to call it a day...

Volume 13 - Day 280/85, 2021 - Thursday

Okay, another day is in the can. It has been rewarding and fraught with anxiety at the same time. Good because we made it through our virtual TREPAC Orientation with not too many traumas, anxiety ridden because I got my new iPhone activated and it is not quite 100% doing what I need it to do. I have recognized two things it does not do that my old phone does (I still have the old phone activated), but I am sure that, in a day or two it will all be working just fine. It was a lovely day in central Texas, and I again stayed at the house and put in my time. I have a 9:30 in the morning, a 1 o'clock in the afternoon, and then I am meeting one of my colleagues in the early evening...somewhere between here and College Station. Just a day in the life. I am really looking forward to the weekend, and there is a rumor we may actually have some cooler weather by the weekend AFTER this one. My timeline is always the middle of October for the cooler weather to arrive, and it looks like I may be right, again!

Volume 13 - Day 279/86, 2021 - Wednesday

Today was a long day, and I fear that tomorrow will be kind of a repeat. It was a day filled with interesting information and good ideas and thoughts, but it was long. I was at my computer from nine in the morning until about 2:30. I wonder if I have eye strain? Probably not. I am pretty sure though, that I have butt strain. Just sitting that long in one spot can cause butt strain. There is a weekend coming, though, and life will get somewhat back to normal. Jay's birthday was this past Saturday, so I took him and Deb to dinner tonight in Georgetown, at Bob's. Jay had never really cared for catfish, but he wanted to try it, and he liked it. After dinner, we went and rode around San Gabriel Park and Berry Springs Park. It was a lovely evening, and good to be outside. SO...this is not something I found in the Curious House neighborhood, but I saw this on Facebook today, and it can be yours for $70. Not sure that I need one, but maybe. Probably not. I did get my new iPhone today, and I will get it all hooked up tomorrow or Friday.

Volume 13 - Day 278/87, 2021 - Tuesday

We are almost at hump day. Wednesday and Thursday will be relatively long zoom days for me, a two hour session each morning, and a two hour session each afternoon. On Friday, I have an appointment to get my third jab on Friday afternoon, and I timed it that way, just in case I have any negative reactions. I was fine the first jab, maybe a little lethargic on the second jab, but I am not really expecting any bad reactions from the third jab. But...I am a planner, so I did not was to get it when I needed to do important stuff the next day. When I get home on Friday, I need to help Dan move a piece of furniture for Paulina, and I am giving her a little patio set that I really don't have room for anymore. A beautiful day again here in central Texas, it was about 58 degrees this morning for my walk, and maybe a little bit cooler tomorrow. The temperatures will be going up gradually next week, very little chance of rain, and maybe some more permanent cooler weather about the middle of the month. This neighbor is basically across the street (sideways) from the Curious House. I can keep this theme up for at least another ten or 12 days. That skeleton is not an optical illusion, it really is about 15 feet tall or more! Enjoy!

Volume 13 - Day 277/88, 2021 - Monday

It has been a lovely day in central Texas. There is a slight breeze out of the north, which is lowering the humidity levels. When I got out for my walk this morning, the temperature was in the low to mid 60s. Lovely. Over the weekend, I got a bill in the mail from the TxTag (the tollway) people. The bill had a picture of my car, with my old license plate, and it said I owed $8.35. I thought it was odd because I have a TxTag on the car, so why are they sending me a paper bill. I called at 7AM. They said, well, we show that you own $288 and change. How is that possible, you charge my credit card. We ran your credit card in March, and it was declined. I guess the expiration date changed, why didn't you tell me the card was declined? That's not our job. Well, that was the first part of the conversation. After the walk, I had to call another person to make a payment. Before the thing was over, I owed TxTag about $350. Ugh. I commute to Austin at least five days a week, and that means ten trips on tollways each week, and they are not responsible for anything. Don't get me started. Whatever. It seems that my new neighborhood is kind of crazy for Halloween decorations. I am going to see how far into the month I can get showing only Halloween decorations. First up...

Volume 13 - Day 276/89, 2021 - Sunday

I got a lot of things done today, but if I had to recite a list, I would come up short. There are still three things on my chore list, but they are all things that don't really need to be done if I don't want to do them. Four things, if you include giving the dogs a bath. Jay and I did a longer walk than usual this morning, usually we do a bit of exploring on Sunday mornings. We went and checked out the areas that they are clearing and where new roads and streets may be going. It is a lot of clearing, and we can only speculate where roads will be and where houses will end up being built. In the meantime, I am still relishing in the decision I made, and I doubt that I could be in a better place, house and neighbor wise. I got to brunch with Sharon, and that was fun. Sunday brunch is always good and something I always look forward to. On the way home, I made a couple stops, and got home and went down for a nap. When I regained consciousness, I re-potted the Meyer lemon tree I bought last week, put some finishing touches on a couple this-and-that things, and went down for another nap. Yesterday at Home Depot, I was amazed by the number of solar light things that are available. I put these (see photo) around the deck, and I like them very much. I don't want any really bright lights out there in the evening, and so far I think these will do just exactly what I want them to do. So far, so good.

Volume 13 - Day 275/90, 2021 - Saturday

So...I got a lot of stuff done this morning, and through the afternoon. I did not, however, get the dogs bathed. I have no idea why I am avoiding that, but I am. I put the piglet in the sink this morning, but I just could not seem to get motivated to put the skunk odor stuff on her and then give her a bath. And she is not the stinkiest of the two. Callie is a LOT stinkier than the piglet. But, I did get all the bed linens washed, even the pillows, and I will see how it goes tonight. I did make it to Home Depot today, and spent WAY too much money, and then a couple other errands. I have prepared meals in the refrigerator for the entire week, so that is a good thing. Right now, as I write this, I am eating cottage cheese and blueberries. I am trying to do some easy things to lose a little weight I have gained over the last ten months or so. I did manage to work in a couple naps today, too. Tonight, the neighbors all met at the Curious House, and we sat out on the deck and had a great time catching up with all the goings on in the neighborhood! I am a lucky man, and I am so happy that I found this house and this group of friends to share stuff with. HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO HAY! I hope you enjoy the view off the deck this evening.

Volume 13 - Day 274/91, 2021 - Friday

I make this declaration on an annual basis, but I am not sure if I made the statement in the last two years or so (since the Covids): The city is full of freaks. And they are not wearing masks. The Austin City Limits Music Festival started today, and usually there are about 150K attendees, but the news tonight said there will only be about 80K attending this year. Austin is so weird. There are people on the streets offering Covid testing for $45. You have to either show proof of vaccinations or a negative Covid test within the last 48 hours. So, you can get tested while you walk to the entrance. $45. Aren't most Covid tests free? Whatever. I did a short walk with Jay this morning, and then I had a zoom that was only about 30 minutes. My 11:30 zoom only lasted for about 45 minutes. I think everyone is tired! I will finally give the dogs a bath tomorrow, and wash sheets and bedding. I think most of the stink is gone, and hopefully it will be really gone tomorrow afternoon.