Volume 134 - Day 334/31, 2021 - Tuesday

The last day of November. I think this was a really good day, honestly. It got started with my walk, and that was nice, and though it started out on the chilly side, by the time it was over, I was all toasty and warm. At the end of the walk, I went down and sat on the porch with Nancy and Dan for a little while, and then the Romeo's took off for our Tuesday morning breakfast. When I got home from breakfast, I sat down at my desk and did not get up until about 2 o'clock (PM). Newsflash: The housekeepers showed up at about 1PM...only one person, but before they were finished, there were three of them. The house looks great, and I am now on a once-a-month schedule with them. I am very happy with them, and I will happily recommend them if you are in the market for a housekeeper. I think everyone that comes in the house will be happy that I finally caved in and hired someone to do the stuff that I am perfectly well capable of doing, but I just don't want to do it. I am pretty sure that is called 'stimulating the economy,' but I am not 100% sure. Right now, I am doing a load of laundry, so EVERYTHING will be clean before the end of the day, including ME! The photo accompanying this journal entry is what greeted me when I walked out the front door this morning, what could be a better prelude to what the coming day had in store?

Volume 13 - Day 333/32, 2021 - Monday

One more day and November will be over. I'm not exactly sure how I feel about that. On the one hand, there is nothing I can do about it, and on the other hand, there is STILL nothing I can do about it. So, it seems that December will arrive on Wednesday, right on schedule. It was really cold this morning, about 38 degrees, but it got up into the mid 70s before the day was over. A lovely day in central Texas. All was good in the office, and Carrie and I took an expedition to Barton Springs Mall. I cannot remember the last time I was in a mall, but it has been quite a while. While we were out and about, I had a call from Jimmie, one of my neighbors, inviting me to dinner tonight at a place called Farm to Fork, in Liberty Hill. Very nice, I had a Patty Melt, great company, great meal, all-in-all quite an enjoyable evening. Jimmie and Linda have been traveling quite a bit, so it has been a while since any of us in the 'hood have seen them. A great treat, thank you very much. My Christmas Cactus in the bathroom is just about to burst forth with bloom, again, apparently right on schedule. Interesting how stuff like that happens!

Volume 13 - Day 332/33, 2021 - Sunday

Weather-wise, today was a much lovelier day than yesterday. I did not take tremendous advantage of the day, but it was very nice to sit in the sunshine every now and then. We got our walk in, and I did a load of clothes. Nothing heroic. Then there was brunch, and there were seven of us, a great group, lots of laughing and conversation. I got home, finished up the work I had started, and now I am ready for the coming week. I am trying to remember if I got a nap in, but I am pretty sure I did, it is my modus operandi after all. I had a sudden realization this afternoon, and that is that I am as old as the people I accuse of being old. Well, hell. The amaryllis I bought as a bulb a while back decided to burst forth in bloom today. It was not open last night when the wine gang was here, but this morning I was surprised to see it in all its' glory. I will plant it out in the yard later. My Christmas Cactus is about to bloom out, too, so that is pretty great. I am always surprised that I can nurture things, it is not one of my talents.

Volume 13 - Day 331/34, 2021 - Saturday

Weather-wise, this was a terrible day. It started with an abbreviated walk in the rain, and when I got home, I fed the girls, and then I was off to HEB at about 9 o'clock. I expected it to rain because, as I reported yesterday, I watered all the plants outside. My 12:30 appointment cancelled (Note: Always confirm appointments before you show up and they don't!), so I went in to the office and cleared off my desk, and then headed to my 2:15 appointment (which I had already confirmed). By that time, it was really a steady drizzle, not a hard rain, and the temperature was in the low 50s. Cold, wet, miserable. I left Austin and headed home, and my IT guy was there by 3:30. Apparently, the iMac was too old to be updated, too old to be doing what I wanted it to do, so by 4:30 I had gone to Best Buy (even though I am boycotting Best Buy), and came home with a new iMac. It is huge! The screen is probably 50% larger than the old iMac, and that is nice. SO...it seems everything works on this new iMac, and it seems to be a LOT quicker doing every single thing that it does. Tomorrow, I will get busy with the stuff I wanted to get done yesterday. This evening was my turn to host the wine get-together, and it was really fun. The rain has stopped, but it is still chilly outside, and I have still not turned the heat on inside the house. I did turn the fireplace on this evening, and that was nice...

Volume 13 - Day 330/35, 2021 - Friday

I did not go anywhere today. I did go outside, I watered plants in the back and plants in the front. Once again, I rearranged the garage, and twice I went to check on the mail, and it was there when I went out at about 5 o'clock. I did go on my walk this morning, and I was really bundled up; two jackets, sweat pants, knit hat and gloves. I worked on my leaning ficus, put new batteries in eleven fake candles (36 batteries total), took two or three naps, considered going to HEB but decided I would go tomorrow. I bought MSOffice twice today, and still cannot make it work. I have an appointment with an IT guy tomorrow at 3:30. I need to be able to use Word and other stuff, and I am tired of messing with it. I ate way too many M&Ms, a few grapes, some cheese, and a micro-wave dinner I got at HEB earlier in the week. I cleaned off my home office desk, which really means I hid a bunch of stuff that I won't be able to find in a couple months when I am looking for it. I talked to Diane, Peter and Paulina. I watched my neighbor across the street put up his Christmas lights, I brought my neighbors trans and recycle bins up to her garage door, and brought my bins into the garage. I took bottled water to the men collecting the trash. I did NOT buy anything on line today. I reacted badly to the stock market downturn. I fed the dogs twice. I had a bagel for breakfast. I talked to one of our agents three times. I shredded a bunch of papers. Otherwise, I did nothing. I took the photo accompanying this journal entry a couple months ago, and I think it is one of those things about 'me thinks the bakery protests too much' moments. Do you really need to advertise that your bakery is sanitary?

Volume 13 - Day 329/36, 2021 - Thursday

Happy Thanksgiving everyone, I know I certainly have plenty to be thankful for this year. I got up this morning and did my walk with Jay and Dick. When I got home, I fed the dogs, piled up in the big beige chair, and took a nap for about an hour and a half. I got up, did a few things in the house to make it look more like a house (inside), and then I set about rearranging the garage, again. I think that is my new hobby, I rearrange the garage two or three times a week these days, and I am going to keep at it until I am satisfied with my efforts. After that, I got in the car and went to check out the new HEB. I knew they were closed, and that was the whole intent, to go over there with nobody else around. I just wanted to see if any of the ancillary buildings had any appearance of being occupied yet. I know what a brand new HEB is like (overwhelming), but I am interested in the smaller stores that will be around it. No signs yet. This crossword puzzle is a sure sign of my advancing age. I saved it from the newspaper tis morning, and I will work on it off and on until I get totally frustrated. The good news is, I also kept the solution to the puzzle, just in case I need it later.

Volume 13 - Day 328/37, 2021 - Wednesday

Apparently, I am not finished ranting about this, and 'seeded' grapes are NOT something I am grateful for. And another thing, that spelling of the word 'grateful' just doesn't look right. But I digress...who in the hell would ever purposefully but grapes with seeds in them. What does one do with the seeds, except look stoopid, walking around with a spit cup, missing the cup, and then searching through the shag carpet to try and find the seed. What will they think of next? Any day now, due to supply chain issues and the lack of computer chips, I expect they will begin marketing televisions, new and improved exercise model, complete with NO remote. It could happen! I got a few things accomplished around the house today, due mainly to a spurt of energy early on. I got the final bedroom dressed, so now it looks like a bedroom, did a load of clothes (really, I washed floor mats from the bathroom), and emptied a few more boxes, boxes that had been living in my bedroom closet for a couple months. Things are coming together, and I am close to having the house ready for the housekeeper to arrive next week. 

Volume 13 - Day 327/38, 2021 - Tuesday

OMG! Traffic sucks! The fake news (haha) is reporting that the airports are jammed with people, but I think they all decided to drive instead. And they are all stopping at the local HEB on their way out of town. I got in to Austin this morning and went directly to an appointment I had to preview a property that may be coming on the sales market soon. A lovely property nicely situated, close to the University and the Capitol. We shall see. After that, I headed in to the office, and got my desk cleared off, and then I logged on to a 1 o'clock zoom. After that, I took some stuff to our storage locker, and then headed back north. That is when I was confronted with traffic, HEB patrons (not gonna do any name calling), and then I tried to navigate the aisles at Home Depot. I have bought WAY TOO MUCH lighting for the outside of the house, and once everything gets installed (hopefully in the next two days), I will take all the stuff that is not needed back and get a credit on my card. I am mad, but I hope there is a method to my madness. Today was the first official Tuesday morning ROMEOs coffee/breakfast meeting. ROMEO stands for Retired (the word Really can be substituted since I am not totally Retired) Old Men Eating Oatmeal. The closest any of us had to oatmeal was Dick, and I don't even remember what he ordered. We are going to get the group to (maybe) six of us, but I think it is going to be a fun group.

Volume 13 - Day 326/39, 2021 - Monday

It is that time of year, when I cannot really get my feet comfortable. If I put on fuzzy slippers, my feet start sweating, without fuzzy slippers, my feet are freezing. Is that too much information? Maybe, but this is my journal, so just skip around until you find something more interesting, which there may or may not be something that qualifies in this entry. Earlier this morning, mu overwhelming concern was the day that our garbage and recycling would be picked up this week. Our regular collection day is Thursday, and Dick came to the rescue and said we would slide to Friday. When I was living on the Edge of Nowhere, Holidays did not make any difference, the collection day was the day, nothing changed. This week, I fear I am going to have to lease some space in some neighbors recycling container, I cannot believe where all this stuff comes from, but the barrel is full, and there are are four days left. I have a new obsession, it is these little snack packs. Nancy introduced me to them while we were in San Diego, and I never even knew there was such a product available.Of course, this obsession is a pale second to my primary obsession (currently) which is Peanut M&Ms. But that is a whole 'nother story. I purchased an air fryer today, so now I am in need of some stuff that can be air fried. Any suggestions?

Volume 13 - Day 325/40, 2021 - Sunday

I had a burst of energy this morning after our walk. The fourth bedroom, the one I have been using as a dump site, is actually cleared of most of the junk now, and it almost looks like a bedroom. I have to move nightstands from the third bedroom (for consistency) then make the bed. I have ordered a bedspread from Amazon, so by the time the housekeepers get here on the 30th, it should almost look like someone lives here. I don't want them to just turn around and walk away, shaking their heads. I also (throughout the day) cleaned out three closets, put some clothes for Goodwill in my car, and then headed off to meet Michael and Lynda for brunch. It was really nice seeing them, and fun catching up, it has been too long between visits. After brunch, I went by the Food Bank to pick up a couple auction items I bought during the Austin Empty Bowl project fundraiser. Hopefully, this will be an in-person event next year, fingers crossed. And then home. The rest of the Christmas lights were put up on the house this afternoon, still have the trees to go, and I may do some lights around the driveway and the sidewalk, not sure yet. I am positive that I bought way too many lights, not counting the ones that were up in the attic. Those are the ones that will be wrapped around the trees, front and back. Since the Curious House backs to a 'parkway,' I had the lights on the house all the way around, front, sides and back. I plan to turn them all on Thanksgiving evening, and let them go from dusk to light, maybe 6PM until 6AM. Through New Year's Day. Then they will all get packed up for the year, and it will start again next November. You never really know what you might see on an early morning walk. This knife (play knife?) was laying on this bench at the 'pocket park' this morning, and since I am such a devotee of Forensic Files I didn't touch it, I just documented the scene in case something comes up in the future.

Volume 13 - Day 324/41, 2021 - Saturday

I am kind of tired tonight, I got up this morning, did my walk, had a bagel for breakfast, took the girls to the beautiful parlor, came home, started working in the garage. It seems I am obsessed with the garage. It is never organized enough for me. I spent hours today, moving shelves, throwing stuff away, rearranging stuff. I am kind of satisfied for now. I have no idea what tomorrow will be like. I know for sure it will start with a nice walk, then a little bit of this-and-that, and then off to brunch. The Christmas lights started being installed this afternoon, and they might get finished tomorrow, but they will be done before Thanksgiving. News Flash: I have arranged for a housekeeper to start this month, and then come to the house on a monthly basis going forward. I think it is about time I got this done. I have lived in Texas for 36 years, and one thing that I have always been concerned about is the ability to grow various flora. I know that many of the Texas native plants are lovely, but I miss some of the things that are easy to grow in other parts of the country. When in California last week, I was reminded how easy the Birds of Paradise are to grow there, and I really with they would grow here. It is HOT and DRY here, so that is always a challence!

Volume 13 - Day 323/42, 2021 - Friday

YES! Friday! And next week will be a short week. I got in to the office this morning, after my 8:30 zoom meeting. Zoomeeting might be a little bit more like it. We generally have these meetings every Friday, and we have become such good friends, they sometimes degenerate into some kind of monkey business. BUT...I have relinquished control, and Nancy is making great decisions, and the 2022 fundraising year will be terrific! Yesterday was really a good day, and today was another great day. I have big plans for tomorrow; the girls are going to the beautiful parlor in the morning, the Christmas lights are going to be put up in the afternoon. Jay and Dick are coming over at 11 to help me put up a couple bike racks in the garage, and I plan to spend some more time rearranging the garage. Tomorrow night is wine on the driveway to Dick and Marge's, but we may move into their garage, depending on the temperature. Working on plans for Sunday, not sure what that day will being. I had a little bit of slow time this evening, and I was going through some of the photos from San Diego. I like the picture that is accompanying this journal entry, it was our last dinner in San Diego before heading home the next day. Photo credit Leslie. So much fun, a lot of hard work, lots of meetings, lots of memories.

Volume 13 - Day 322/43, 2021 - Thursday

I made it to Bryan/College Station and back today, with no problems. I think I was home by about 2:30 or 3, and I really don't even remember what time I left this morning. I made a series of phone calls on the way up and the way back, so that was okay. Once I got home, I had a few more phone calls to make, and a consult with a potential listing client. As usual, the day started with a walk, and I expect the same for tomorrow, and then I will head in to the office. I am currently on a mission for a house keeper. I have lived in the Curious House for almost a year. I vacuumed (wink, wink) once, and dusted AT some surfaces once or twice, but I think it is time to get the house deep cleaned. It is not dirty or messy, just needs to have some attention paid to it. AND...there are no house keepers to be had around here. My friend Dick found a house keeper, she came and looked, and she said she could not work him in to her schedule. Ugh. But I love a good challenge. Have you heard about the lunar eclipse that is supposed to happen (early) tomorrow morning? I think we will have too many clouds, and I have absolutely no interest in getting out of bed at 3AM to confirm it cannot be seen because of clouds. This photo was taken last night, I like it. 

Volume 13 - Day 321/44, 2021 - Wednesday

Earlier this year, I took a vow to refrain from publishing photos of wrecks I see (until I run out of things photos for this journal), almost on a daily basis, while traveling here and there in central Texas. I have no intention of breaking that vow today, because, technically, this is not a photo of a car wreck. I was traveling home this afternoon, and fire trucks and other emergency vehicles were entering the Interstate, and fortunately, my exit was just a bit before the location of the fire. How does a truck catch fire while traveling down the road at 60 or 70 miles per hour? That is not a rhetorical question, I just don't know how it can happen. There was apparently enough time for the truck to pull over to the shoulder of the road, at which time, I assume, a couple hundred people called 911 from their cell phones. Other than that, and the wreck I saw on the way IN to the office, it was a normal day. Wrecks, unfortunately, are normal as well, but truck fires are a different animal! I am going to head off to Bryan/College Station tomorrow. A quick trip, just to take care of a errand, and then back home. There is a cold front expected tonight, which is supposed to lower our temperatures by about 20 degrees. High temperatures for the next several days are expected to be in the high 60s and low 70s. It's about time!

Volume 13 - Day 320/45, 2021 - Tuesday

I made it to bed this morning at about 3 o'clock, and I did not really sleep very comfortably. I knew I wanted to go for a walk with my buds here in the subdivision, and that starts at 7AM. I am pretty sure that I will be out like a light pretty early tonight, I am thinking 8 or 9 at the outside. SO...after my walk, I visited with Dan and Nancy for a while, and then I got ready and headed in to the office. I left the office at about 1 to go retrieve the girls from the kennel, and when I got there, they were under the dryer, so I had to go back about 45 minutes later. A minor inconvenience. I also stopped at HEB and got a few things, and then rearranged the garage a little bit after that. SO...all in all, not a bad day on no sleep. Just sitting here, though, is making me a little bit drowsy. I got to see my friend Kimmish (from Lincoln, NE) for literally just a few minutes while I was in San Diego. Over a year ago, she and another friend Jef (with one f) had a plan to take one quick trip every month, and, well, you know what happened. We are talking about getting that plan back in motion starting in January, which will be here sooner than any of us think.

Volume 13 - Day 319/46, 2021 - Monday

Don't believe everything you read on the Internet. And, while I am at it, don't believe EVERYTHING you read in this journal. To be clear, as I write this, it is actually 2:23AM on Tuesday, Day 320, but I just got home from my adventure in San Diego, and I have not yet done yesterdays entry. This is it, so even though you will most likely not read this until tomorrow, it is today, but I am posting this as of yesterday. Got that? It was a long day...8:30 (Pacific) Board of Director's meeting until just about 12:30PM (Pacific). My flight was not until 7PM (Pacific), but I had nothing better to do, so I went to the airport at about 1:30PM (Pacific). The flight was delayed, we left about an hour late, and then we sat on the tarmac for a while, and we finally got to Austin at about 12:30AM (Central). All other time references, going forward, will be Central time unless otherwise noted. SO...that is about it for today, time for me to check out!

Volume 13 - Day 318/47, 2021 - Sunday

Another pretty darned busy day in San Diego. Breakfast meeting this morning at 8 o'clock, a couple more throughout the day, then a quick trip to the fashion mall (I was there on my last trip) with Melinda and Nancy, then a 3 o'clock closing session with Simone Biles, then the Region 10 Caucus, then dinner, and now in the room. Best quote (not exact) of the Simone Biles interview; If Plan A and Plan B don't work out for you, you've still got the whole rest of the alphabet to go. BOD meeting in the morning, and then I fly home at 7PM. The BOD meeting is scheduled to be over at noon, but my flight is not until 7, but I will find something to do after the meeting. I may just go to the airport and watch the people. I am relatively easily entertained. I will be glad to be home, and back to my routines. I am looking forward to picking up the girls, seeing my friends, just the everyday stuff. Just the everyday...stuff...

Volume 13 - Day 317/48, 2021 - Saturday

Another good day in San Diego, although I have been a little more tired today than the last few days. I had forgotten how much fun these trips were, but I also forgot about how much work was involved, too. Like most of these conferences, there is a lot of walking involved as well. I am pretty sure I have set a record for 'steps' the last couple days. The opening session today featured Drew Brees, the former quarterback of the New Orleans Saints, and also the guy that grew up just outside of Austin. Interesting interview, fun to hear. After the session, I went to the Public Policy Coordinating Committee (which I will serve on next year), just to get a head start on what their work is. There was some lively debate during the committee meeting, and they got a lot of work done in the hour-and-a-half meeting. We went to lunch, then I went back to the hotel and took a nap. Off to Belmont Park at about 5:30, and then I (once again) came back to the hotel. Everyone else went to the Keith Urban concert, but I was done. Any complaints can be forwarded to the pig, care of this journal.

Volume 13 - Day 316/49, 2021 - Friday

We are all kind of getting back into the swing of things with in-person meetings. This morning started with an opening general session; we heard from our chief lobbyist in DC, our chief economist, and a variety of other folks, experts in their particular niche of the real estate profession. Then it was off to lunch, then back to the hotel for a little bit of a nap, then off to the trade show. Then, back to the hotel, a quick lookee-see in the gift shop, where I refused to pay $38 for a t-shirt, or $85 for a pair of shorts, but I did pay $2.97 for a diet Pepsi. We went to dinner tonight in La Jolla, and did not get home until almost 11 o'clock Pacific time. So, here I am, recounting the events of the day, and happy to be able to have made those memories with so many friends and colleagues from across the country. 

Volume 13 - Day 315/50, 2021 - Thursday

Being in San Diego has reinforced something for me, and that is that no matter how long you are apart from friends, they are still friends, and you CAN actually pick up where you left off. My Day started with an early meeting for a council that I served as co-chair for, and the meeting went well, and my pieces of the presentation went well and for that, I was happy. In the last 24 hours I have reconnected with dozens of my friends and colleagues from all across the country while here attending meetings, receptions and dinners. Tonight was the installation gala for incoming NAR Chairman Leslie Rouda Smith. Leslie os a Texas REALTOR® and we are happy to have her in the NAR leadership role. Tomorrow morning my first meeting will be at 9AM, then one at 1:30 and one at 4. In between, we will visit the Trade Show, and then we will head off to dinner tomorrow night. Happy to be here, and happy to be here with my agent colleague Maggie. It is fun to see this meeting through the eyes of someone who has not experienced it before.

Volume 13 - Day 314/51, 2021 - Wednesday

Today was a pretty long day of mostly traveling, but I am in San Diego, had some dinner, and now it is time to go to sleep. The day started with me finishing my packing, watering plants, winding clocks and a lot of this and that. I had a whole list, and I got everything on the list crossed off, which was the intention the whole time. I got the girls to the kennel, and that is kind of something that makes me feel guilty, but it will all be better in several days when I am back home and they are as well. I made it in to the office, got a few more things done, and then headed to the airport. My flight left at 2:10, landed in San Diego at about 5:30 (7:30 Central Time), and now it is WAY past my bedtime if I were still on Central Time. I think it is crazy that, when we landed in San Diego, it was DARK. Not just dark, but DARK!

Volume 13 - Day 313/52, 2021 - Tuesday

Here is an interesting (perhaps entertaining) piece of personal trivia: I am packing for my trip to San Diego tomorrow, and it seems I no longer own a white dress shirt. In fact, it seems I only own about three button down dress shirts, all blue. Every closet in the Curious House has been properly searched, but alas, there are no white shirts. Do they sell white shirts at Target or Walmart? Those are the most convenient spots for me to visit tomorrow on my way to the office. I guess it could be worse, I have voluminous pairs of boxers, socks and a substantial number of new white t-shirts. I think during the move, I purged many white clothes because the had all yellowed with age. But I also guess I purged that memory from the grey matter held within my cranium. There may be an old saying about waiting till the last minute, but apparently that has been purged as well. Otherwise, this was not a bad day, all things considered. I am experiencing guilt pangs for taking the girls to the kennel tomorrow. They are pretty sure that I am up to something, since I have been packing. We went on another walk this afternoon, and I think they did better, but that may also be wishful thinking on my part. I bought these shoes about two years ago, but you all know what has been going on in the world since I bought them. I have never had a chance to wear them, but I think they will make their debut Thursday night. Literally, a flash in the pan!

Volume 13 - Day 312/53, 2021 - Monday

It made it up to close to 80 degrees today in central Texas. I only wore one jacket for our walk, and I was toasty warm by the time I got back home. It is 63 degrees outside right now, the house is still kind of chilly from last week, but I am remaining strong in spite of all of that. I got in to the office this morning, cleared my desk, went to a noon appointment, went back to the office, did some more stuff, and headed for home by about 2:30. I made one stop on the way home, collected my mail (nothing that was saved, it was ALL shredded), and embarked on a neighborhood walk with the girl dogs. My goal was to take them two or three blocks one way, then turn around and take them down to the end of the cul-de-sac, then back to the Curious House. About mid-way in the walk, Jay was walking towards his house, and the girls were delirious. Totally uncontrollable. Hysterical. I did not realize that Jay would be out with his two dogs, and he went on ahead and we loitered until they were pretty well in front of us. We completed our walk without further incident, and the girls were pretty tired by the time we got home. I am glad that I picked up a couple poop-bags while walking this morning, and one of them came in handy during the walk. I expect both the girls (and I) will get better at this walking thing as time goes on. Solitaire. What I do when I don't want to pay any attention, don't want to concentrate, and just want to retreat into mindless distraction. I do it more than you might imagine!

Volume 13 - Day 311/54, 2021 - Sunday

Today was a really busy day, and it was a fun day too. A good walk this morning, we are starting now at 7AM instead of 7:30, which is one of the many good things I can attribute to being back to Central Standard Time. I can think of nothing good about Daylight Saving Time. Nothing. Back to walking; we were four this morning; Jay, Dick, Dan and me. Lots of conversations, and some exercise as well. We generally go 45 or 50 minutes on the walk, so nothing too crazy. After the walk, I started doing laundry, and I caved in and gave Callie a bath. Six weeks of smelling like a skunk was enough. Fresh new sheets on the bed, more laundry working, and then it was off to brunch. After brunch, I made a stop at CVS, then Home Depot (I bought exterior Christmas lights, among other things), and then to Academy for a couple more pair of lounging shorts. Once home, I cleaned out LOTS of t-shirts from the closet, and I am going to make some calls later this week, to see how many t-shirts are needed to make quilts. I actually found three companies that do that in Austin, so that will be kind of fun. I also harnessed up the girls and took them for a walk this afternoon, nothing long, but it was a start. I also stopped at Dan and Nancy's and their two dogs and my two socialized for a little bit...so that was good. Over all, a really good day!

Volume 13 - Day 310/55, 2021 - Saturday

Okay, I doubt very much that there could have ever been a better day than this one. U+It was kind of chilly when we went out for our walk this morning, but it was all okay. After the walk, I had a bagel, and then Jay and I headed off to LaGrange,  Texas, home of the Chicken Ranch. The really good new is, I did not buy this car, but I have not given up hope. There is another car that I will go take a look at in Boerne two weeks from now. I have kind of decided that I am too old and too spoiled to buy a vintage car, but I am still open to considering it. After Jay and I went to look at this car, I went and got new harnesses for the girls, trying to get them to walk like civilized doge on a leash. Maybe it will happen, maybe not. I saw an advertisement for a place in Georgetown with  a new type of harness, so I went to check it out. Well, I turned around, got the dogs, so they could be FITTED with these harnesses, and I will do my best to see if I can get them to walk on a leash like a civilized canine animal. We shall see... Tonight was wine night on the driveway, and Dick and Marge were the hosts. I have not laughed this hard in a LONG time, and I am so lucky to have found my way to this place that these people are my friends. I am grateful for having found this place.

Volume 13 - Day 309/56, 2021 - Friday

For having had such a really good day, I am really more tired than I was expecting. It was chillish this morning for our walk. My thermometer said 39 degrees, and I dressed in layers, and was nice and toasty for our morning walk. It is supposed to be even cooler tomorrow morning, but then it is supposed to warm up, and be back up into the 80s next week. I am very happy to report that I have found a great kennel for the dogs. I will be leaving for San Diego next week, and will be back six days later. I took a look at the new kennel today when I dropped off their vaccination records and all that stuff. It's a nice place, fire sprinkler systems, fire alarms and the place has someone there 24 hours a day, occupying an apartment on-site. Perfect. I got to the office, had an 11:30 zoom meeting, then went to move a few more things from one storage unit to the other. That whole process is under control, I think. On the way home, I stopped at HEB and got a few dinners to hold me until I leave next week, and then went to Galaxy Bakery and bought cookies for some of the neighbors. When I took Dan and Nancy's to them, they had just received an order of cookies from somewhere, so we just traded cookies. I have a few things on my planner for tomorrow, and we will see how all that goes. Stay tuned.

Volume 13 - Day 308/57, 2021 - Thursday

Apparently, this week is the exact opposite of last week. It is Thursday already, and it feels like it should be Tuesday. Apparently leadership retreats make time fly by. Either that, or I slept through the whole thing. It was a bit chilly this morning for our walk. Dick joined us, so we are now three in our walking group, which is pretty fun. We are also talking about meeting for coffee on Saturday mornings. That sounds like something old men do, so I guess that is what is about to start happening. Today was the day for group photos at the office, and that was fun. Did I mention that it was cold? We walked to about five or six different places for photos, and that was about an hour. Tonight's photo is NOT one of the backdrops we used, but that is one helluva big box of Merlot! After the photos, Tosalyn, Carrie and I went to the storage spot we are being evicted from (see post from several days ago), and took a few things to the other storage room. Gonna do more of that tomorrow, and we have to have the room cleared out by the 15th. I think ultimately, we will have a guy come and haul off some washers, dryers and big stuff like that. We cannot find anyone that either wants them for resale or for charitable causes. If you know anyone, let me know.

Volume 13 - Day 307/58, 2021 - Wednesday

We all really need to be careful about what we ask for. We asked for fall to arrive, but I am not sure we were expecting THIS MUCH fall. Right now, my sophisticated weather station at the Curious House registers the temperature to be 47 degrees (F). On Friday morning, which gives me a full day to find a house sitter and escape to a warmer clime, it is supposed to be in the high (haha) 30s. BUT...it is supposed to warm up for the weekend, and be pretty nice. Apparently, after Halloween, the next worthwhile Holiday is Christmas. We just gloss over Thanksgiving, and go straight to guilt commercials for gift giving. Luckily, I don't have that many candidates for gift receiving, but I am having a big birthday soon, so I am trying to decide what guilty pleasure I might enjoy. Stay tuned...I have a couple ideas. I'm back from our Leadership Retreat, and all is good. Lots of work done, and lots of plans made for the 2022 year, as evidenced by the photo accompanying this journal entry.

Volume 13 - Day 306/59, 2021 - Tuesay

Hi, Madeline! There are lots of things that go into a TREPAC Leadership retreat, lots of planning for the next fiscal fundraising year, lots of planning. Lots of autopsies; what worked, what didn't work, what could have been done better, what is worth doing again. Searching for the peanut M&Ms. It's all in the details. Tomorrow, we will wrap up this retreat, and we will all head back to our boards and regions, and share the stuff that we have planned. Today is election day and the (apparent) sixth and final game of the World Series. Many of the elections are going the way that pleases me, but I cannot say the same for the World Series. As of now, the last ten seconds, the Braves are champs! Congratulations to them, they just had the better team. There is a cold front headed this way, and there is supposed to be rain overnight as well, going into the next couple days. Chilly and rainy for the next several days. But for now, it is time to call this day over.

Volume 13 - Day 305/60, 2021 - Monday

Well, as I predicted several weeks ago, November is here. Just as I predicted. I don't understand why my predictions are ever doubted, this one was spot on! And, since it is now November, I am somewhere south of Austin, verging on the Hill Country, and a retreat with some of my favorite peeps and some great staff from Texas REALTORS®. It is kind of early evening (in reality), but it is past my bed time as I compose this. We will be meeting for another couple days, do some team-building, and some planning for 2022. Today started with a nice walk, then Melinda, Nancy and I headed out for breakfast. I took off for the office after 11 this morning, got some stuff done, and then headed for the retreat location. I ended up in the wrong place, and just sat there in my car waiting and no one showed up. I have no idea whose house I was at, but it was not where I was supposed to be. I just watched the weather forecast, and it looks like rain and a cold front starting tomorrow afternoon and going in to Wednesday. We will all be heading home on Wednesday afternoon, and it looks like we will be stuck in rain and gusty winds. I can't really think of anything else, so that will be it for this entry. Good night.