Volume 15 - Day 59/306, 2023 - Tuesday

Surprise, I am in Cancun for our NAR President's Circle Annual Conference. The trip has been planned for quite a while, six months or so, and it is always a great learning experience, and a great time seeing colleagues from across the country. Lots of folks from lots of places, all with one mind-set, protection of property owner rights and REALTOR® concerns. I was up at about two o'clock this morning...MORNING... and left for the airport at about 3:30. You never know what traffic is going to be like. There were no hithces, so that is always a good thing. We arrived in Cancun about 11AM Cancun time, which is the same as Eastern time, until Texas goes on Daylight Saving Time, and then it will be the same time here in Cancun as it is in Mexico. The room was not ready, so we had lunch, then loitered at the front desk until we got the text that our room was indeed ready. A change of clothes, and then we headed to one of the pool areas and did the lazy river thing a couple of times. Then a nap, dinner, hanging out and now it is about time to call it a day. Or a night. Not too much tomorrow, conference registration, a welcome reception and then an after party. The business stuff for real starts on Thursday and goes through Friday. I will be leaving on Saturday, and then I'm going to Playa del Carmen and spend a couple extra days. It should be a pretty good week, overall! Me, Nancy, Tobetha, Ben, Kirk, Adrian, Amy, Devin and Carrie. It seems Margaret is MIA.

Volume 15 - Day 58/307, 2023 - Monday

I am beginning to believe that, Highway 29 in Georgetown is the automobile wreck capital of Texas. I have seen four wrecks in the last two days, and the one depicted in this photo take the prize. This is what I saw this afternoon as I was driving home. I don't think anyone was hurt, but I'm pretty sure the truck was totaled. I had to run an errand later this afternoon, and on the way home, there was another wreck. CRAZY. It was a pretty quiet day in the office, and it should be kind of quiet the rest of the week. Our walk this morning was good, I started without a jacket, but I turned around and went back for one. It made it up to about 80 degrees today, and I think tomorrow may be the last day of meteorological winter. It is hot one day and freezing the next, but we are a lot luckier than many parts of the country. I really can't think of anything else that happened today that was of any interest to me, and so probably of no interest to you all, either. That's it!

Volume 15 - Day 57/308, 2023 - Sunday

I don't know who these people are, but I am pretty sure they are my people. I parked next to this car when I went to brunch this morning, and I asked a couple of tables with kids if it was their car, but there were no takers. The car was still there when I left, so maybe it was someone at church or one of the staff. Who knows, but I think it is a cool thing for the back of somebody's car, much better than 'baby on Board.' Today was a most excellent day, starting with a walk in the fog with Dick and Paul. Then off to brunch, then home, then a nap, then off the ATT store, then home, then a nap, then off to Best Buy (one in Georgetown one in Round Rock), then home, then off to dinner with seven of the neighbors here in Georgetown. I should have gone on a bike ride, but I didn't, and that is okay...I think there is plenty of time to train for the thirty mile ride I have booked. I'm back from dinner now, and Marge is in charge of getting next months dinner planned. I look forward to it, I have a good time with the peeps up here. I have at least one appointment scheduled for tomorrow, and then the rest of the week will be pretty easy. Stay tuned!

Volume 15 - Day 56/309, 2023 - Saturday

It was chilly for our walk this morning, but it is supposed to be warmer tomorrow. After our walk, I got a few things around the house finished, and then Marge and Teri and I headed off to the only estate sale we could find. When we got there, there were at least 40 people in line, so we did not bother to go in. It was cold, and there is usually no reason to stand in a line for a sale. For most of the day after that, I was in the big chair with the girls watching conspiracy theory television. I did venture out for a bit this afternoon, and listened to the only person in the world that believes the Putin invasion of Ukraine is not Russia's fault. Don't get me started. There were a couple nice naps interspersed throughout the day, and that is always a nice thing. Tomorrow will be a walk, then brunch, and then a neighborhood dinner in Georgetown. I have been watching the 'coming soon' signs in Georgetown, and when I passed by this afternoon, the new sign was up, so it seems there is a new restaurant. I will give this place a try pretty soon, I hope it is good!

Volume 15 - Day 55/310, 2023 - Friday

What family does not have its' ups and downs? Whatever, it is Friday, and I know Friday is the favorite day of the week for many. I have become one of those. The older I get, the more I appreciate weekends. Today was about 30 degrees (maybe 25 degrees) cooler than yesterday, and it was a brisk walk we had this morning. This Redbud tree is really knocking itself out, so I thought I would share it with you, I have been watching it for a couple days, and it was worthy of being documented for all time. The Mountain Laurel in Jay and Deb's front yard is blooming, too, and I got a good smell of it yesterday. Mountain Laurel blossoms smell like grape bubble gum, and when I was going door walking for a city council candidate in 1986 or so, right after I moved here, I would take a good smell of every Mountain Laurel I passed. And for about the next three weeks, I could not breath. It was my initiation to allergies in central Texas. After our walk, I got in to the office early, and got a lot of stuff done, talked with a couple clients, and left the office about 2 o'clock so I could get my hair cut. I got home and took a nap, and then it was off to book club. Book club is experiencing some shrinkage, so we may be on a recruiting binge, not sure how that is going to work out right now. Estate sales tomorrow, and that is always fun, then I have a few chores to get accomplished. I think there will be a couple naps thrown in to the mix as well.

Volume 15 - Day 54/311, 2023 - Thursday

Well, this is really kind of sad. We have speculated that, perhaps, that corner lot would not be built on, that it will be left with the trees and just left alone to thrive. Yesterday when I got home, I saw the trees that once graced the middle of the lot had been removed, and forms were being laid for a new foundation. Even though I understand progress, I also believe that I am frequently an idealist, and that every piece of ground does not necessarily need to be concreted. Balance is not always in the best interest of us, and so it goes. We got in a walk this morning, just me and Dick, and that was nice. After that, I was off to a breakfast meeting at the Williamson County Association of REALTORS®, and that was a lot of fun. I saw several colleagues that I had not seen in quite a while. Then on in to the office, where I got lots of stuff done before leaving at about 3:30. There were no errands to get completed on the way home, but I did get a few more things done after I got home...a couple calls with clients, a couple e-mails, and a little bit of this and that. Tomorrow is Friday, and we will have book club tomorrow night. Estate sales are slated for Saturday, and I need to get busy to see if there are any good ones waiting for us to plunder!

Volume 15 - Day 53/312, 2023 - Wednesday

I am of the opinion that there really should be a better way. I may have mentioned to you that, I am trying to find out if I am eligible to be a 1). Blood Donor, 2). Organ Donor and/or 3). Bone Marrow Donor. It seems that there is a real need for this right now, and in the mid to late 1970's I had hepatitis. It was not a severe case, I was off work for a couple weeks, and had jaundice, but that was it. I have always assumed that I was not eligible to donate blood because of that. When I lived in Memphis, I had been a frequent blood donor, but quit after that spell of hepatitis. I called my primary care physician (not really, you cannot call him, I had to e-mail him) as asked if the hepatitis he knew I had eliminated me from being able to donate. He said it depended on what type of hepatitis I had, and I asked him how we could determine that. We knew I did not have Hep C, because I had been tested for that. That left, apparently Hep A and Hep B. Well, he said, go donate blood and they will test your blood and let you know. In my little pea-brain, it seems like there should be just a simple blood test to tell me if I can donate or not, BUT NOOOO. You have to do the whole thing and then, if you got da bad blood, they will send you a registered letter letting you know. Seems like a long way around just to figure that out, but I caved and donated a pint this morning. I will let you know if I receive a registered letter from them. Otherwise, not a bad day, it hit 91 degrees here in central texas, but it will cool off a bit tomorrow, and go back up over the weekend. Stay tuned.

Volume 15 - Day 52/313, 2023 - Tuesday

A good walk this morning, about sixty degrees, and it was a banner day for giving pooches treats. Three or four sets of pooch walkers, at least five pooches ready for their morning cookies. Fun city! After the walk, Dick, Jack and I met up for the ROMEOs breakfast, where we talked, laughed and insulted each other until it was time to go. It is a good Tuesday morning tradition that I like a lot. I think I will listen to the last hour of my book this evening, after Finding Your Roots. I usually get to the end of the book, and finish it off at home instead of on the way in to the office. I want to know how it ends up. I stopped in at Jay and Deb's house this afternoon, and checked on the progress of the patching and painting. Everything is going according to plan, and the repairs look like there was never anything there that needed to be repaired. They should be done in another day or two, so we are right on target. After that, I re-potted a couple plants on the back patio, I know those two plants are much happier now. I think I actually bought those plants when we were living at the farm, I don't think i will buy a bunch of potted plants this spring, just because it gets so hot here. Tough on potted plants. Me, Jack, and Dick.

Volume 15 - Day 51/314, 2023 - Monday

Well, some people had the day off, but not me. It was a nice morning to walk, temperature was in the high 50s, we peaked out today at about 84, not too bad for a winter's day. I had a ten o'clock appointment, so I left the house just before nine, and the traffic was not too bad. I am almost finished with my latest book, Lessons in Chemistry, which I am really enjoying. Another one recommended to me and now by me. It was a relatively calm day in the office, and I left there about 1:30 or so, and was going to make a stop at Walmart, but they no longer have an entry directly to the garden department, and I did not want to go through the whole place just to look at flower pots. There is always tomorrow. My calendar for the rest of the week is pretty clear, but next week will be pretty full. I got most of my chores done over the weekend, but I still have not vacuumed, and I do not feel like it is a really high priority right now. I am certain I can find something more interesting to take up my time, I will let you know. The Christmas Cactus is still going a little crazy, better late than never, and the orchid has two blooms, and more to come.

Volume 15 - Day 50/315, 2023 - Sunday

1. Go for walk. Done.

2. Go to brunch. Done.

3. Go to Goodwill. Done.

4. Go to Home Depot. Done.

5. Go for bike ride. Done.

6. Do another load of laundry. Done. 

So, it might not sound like a lot, but it made the most of a beautiful Sunday in central Texas. In between those things, I did get some stuff straightened out in the garage, I did get at least one nap in, and I did buy a couple pots at Home Depot that I think are wrong and will have to return for others. I am pretty sure I did a few other things today as well, like breathing. I did a lot of breathing. And I did my Wordle today as well. In three. Although I am not on my longest streak, I have a pretty good streak going, and it makes me crazy if it takes me more than four. Currently, the girls are out in the back yard with pork chop bones, they are quieter than they have ever been, and the bones ought to keep them quiet for another twenty minutes or so. Not a lot on my calendar this week, and I am perfectly okay with that. I also put the plants back outside, got them watered, got some of them trimmed up, and got the front patio swept. I hope there will be no more freezing temps, but that is yet to be seen. None in the foreseeable future, anyway. Reuben, Mike, Candy, Alisha, and me.

Volume 15 - Day 49/316, 2023 - Saturday

Three years ago today.

Volume 15 - Day 48/317, 2023 - Friday

Well, this is what I get for trying to get in to the office early. Apparently, everyone else is trying to get to their offices early as well, and that, as usual, is not going to work for everyone. I did, in fact, make it in to the office earlier than usual, and I got done that which needed to get done. I had an in-person  meeting at 11:30, and that was good. It is always good to have meetings in-person, especially when you like the persons that are in-person. I was supposed to meet a contractor at a property that is going to be on the sales market in a few weeks, but that got postponed until early next week. So, I was home, and it was a good opportunity to take a nap with the dogs. They always enjoy a good nap with me in the afternoon. Or in the mornings. Or at night. They are indiscriminate nappers. I went to dinner tonight with Val, Paulina and Oliver, and we had giant pork chops at Perry's at the Domain. Oliver opted for steak. I brought pork chop bones home for the girls, and they will get those later in the coming week. Tomorrow is estate sale day, and tomorrow afternoon will be a gumbo party (pre Mardi Gras) with some good friends in Austin. Always something to do...and I HAVE to get laundry done over the weekend.

Volume 15 - Day 47/318, 2023-- - Thursday

If it is Thursday, we must be one day closer to the weekend. Paul decided not to walk this morning, and Dick overslept, so I walked solo this morning. Walking solo has a couple things to adjust to: I walked on the sidewalk instead of in the middle of the street, since I was not walking with anyone, and I could deviate from my usual route. I also got in an extra half mile, so I did just over three miles in the same amount of time. The photo accompanying this journal post is of an old cattle chute adjacent to one of the walking trails in the neighborhood. Chutes like this were pretty common on old ranches, and I expect this one saw a lot of cattle. If I was a little kid in this neighborhood, it would probably be one of my haunts, but I think the liability today is more than the HOA will be willing to accept, so I think its' days are probably numbered. The office was not bad today, it is relatively calm after the ice storm last week. The weekend is going to be a little bit busy, I have a few things on my chore list, one of which is to get the laundry done. The weather is changing again, and we are expecting a freeze overnight and on Saturday night. On Sunday, we are supposed to be back in the 70s, so you never know what might happen.

Volume 15 - Day 46/319, 2023 - Wednesday

It was not foggy at all (as I recall) this morning when Dick and I went for our walk. Paul did not join us, so we started about five minutes early. By the time I left for the office this morning, it had become quite foggy, and I thought I would document it for your pleasure. Two years ago today, we were in the third day of the snowpocalypse, we had no power for several days, and it was really cold. The house remained warm, though, and I don't think the inside of the house ever got below the middle 50s. We had a high temperature of 81 degrees this afternoon, but it is going to change severely tomorrow and going into the weekend. I expect we will have another freeze overnight tomorrow night, which means I will need to bring the plants back inside. That is not too much trouble, since I have thinned out the potted plants to a manageable number. Not a bad day in the office today, and I did make it to Costco this afternoon, and even that was not too much trouble. I was talking to the cashier, and he mentioned something I had some knowledge of, and I responded that there were a lot of old people hanging around where he was talking about. As I walked out of the store, I realized that I had just referred to a group of people as 'old people,' and I thought that was kind of ironic. There is nothing of interest on television this evening, but I won't let that stop me from parking myself in front of it with my fingers crossed. The most exciting thing that happened today was a meaningful one-on-ten relationship I had with my toes. There are no photos, don't ask.

 

Volume 15 - Day 45/320, 2023 - Tuesday

Happy St. Valentine's Day everyone, I hope you all had a great day, a nice dinner and maybe a little bit of wine. Okay, now here is the bad stuff. I am sure that by now you know there was ANOTHER shooting last night, this one at Michigan State University. That makes 68 shootings this year, and we are only on day 45. If my math is correct, that is one shooting every thirty six hours. Is anyone else scratching their head, wondering how that can be happening, and how we can stop this? Maybe all the pacifists should go buy a gun, just to keep them out of the hands of crazy people. A lot of people think I am a crazy person, but I am not THAT kind of crazy, I am a totally different kind of crazy. So, if you have any suggestions, let em know and maybe we can start a different movement. Today marked the end of the 2023 Texas REALTOR® Winter Meeting. We had our Board of Directors meeting, scheduled from 9AM until noon, and we got out of that meeting ONE MINUTE early. Perfect. Then it was on to the office, where I got some work done, and headed home. I had a few errands to run, but I got home before five o'clock. Not a lot going on this evening, but at least I don't have anywhere to be by a certain time tomorrow. We peaked out at 81 degrees this afternoon, and it was truly a beautiful day. Did I mention that today is St. Valentine's day? Happy Valentine's Day!

Volume 15 - Day 44/321, 2023 - Monday

One more day of the Texas REALTORS® Winter Meeting. Today was the Awards Luncheon, and there are certainly a lot of worthy colleagues in the state of Texas. It was really a lot of fun hanging out this morning and afternoon with friends and colleagues from across the state, and early tomorrow morning will be the Board of Directors meeting. The BOD meeting starts at nine is there are three hours anticipated, but I have a feeling it will be ending a bit earlier than that. I am not aware of any controversial issues that might make the meeting run long, and there is nothing wrong with that. After the luncheon, I headed in to the office and got ready for a three o'clock zoom meeting. I left the office at about 3:30, and made it home (with the top down) about 4:45 or so. It was a lovely afternoon, although it was kind of cloudy, we did have an afternoon temperature in the mid 70s. Lovely. It was a bit chilly during the morning walk, but we all survived. No walk for me tomorrow (see a few sentences above), and no ROMEO breakfast tomorrow either. Tomorrow is St. Valentine's Day, have you got something special for that someone special in your life? I'm sitting here watching Antiques Roadshow, and so far it has been somewhat underwhelming. Ugh. For your viewing pleasure, this photo of me and my wicked step-sisters, Nancy and Deborah.

Volume 15 - Day 43/322, 2023 - Sunday

No matter what the chore, no matter what the volunteer need, one thing you can always count on with my Texas REALTOR® colleagues is, professionalism is key. No matter what we do, you can always count on us to make lasting impressions on all that we meet. Take this random photo for example. Just minutes prior to our Corporate Ally Program meeting with TREPAC Trustee Alumni, we had a photo session with the leader of the Purple Solution, PAC Chair Ben Rodriguez, Jackie York, and me. Always playing his A-Game and supported by all his volunteer colleagues, you can always count on PAC Trustees and Trustee Alumni to put their best foot forward. Okay, shut up! What you can really count on is, all of us doing really hard work but having fun at the same time. We get the work done, and at the end of the day (or maybe in the middle of the day), we take a few minutes and have a lot of laughs. Now that I have made that all perfectly clear, just know that this is the third day of our Winter Meeting, and there are two more days to go. A luncheon tomorrow, and a BOD meeting on Tuesday. I have always found volunteering to be really rewarding, no matter what the volunteer assignment was, and this is not an exception. I thrive in my various volunteer assignments, and I appreciate all the confidence that has been shown me. I think there is some kind of football game on tonight, but I think I will pass that and see if there is anything good on tv. And just to be clear, sometimes I crack myself up!

Volume 15 - Day 42/323, 2023 - Saturday

The photo included with this journal entry should not necessarily be interpreted as a one photo definition of the day. I just thought it was interesting, so I wanted to save it for posterity. The little drop that could! And it took a while for it to realize its' full potential. And, it was satisfying...maybe even hypnotizing. But now it's gone, and I have moved on as well. Another day of Winter Meeting is in the books, and there was plenty of information shared and received. Seeing and catching up with old friends is always a rewarding experience, and this Winter Meeting is proving be a great opportunity. It is a chilly day, not sure how chilly it was this morning, but we are expecting a freeze overnight. Three more days and it will be a wrap. About a half-day tomorrow, a few hours on Monday, and a few hours on Tuesday. 

Volume 15 - Day 41/323, 2023 - Friday

I moved to Austin in 1985, and have never regretted it. It is a wonderful place, always a beautiful place. I wasn't lucky enough to live here in the prime of the City, which, in my opinion, was in the early 1970s. I have been told that, in those days, there was nothing but green in Austin. Green everywhere you looked. There were two high rise buildings then, one black and one silver. And the Capitol. And the University. And green. There was a lot of green. In the 37 years that I have lived here, there has been a lot of change, and I am not going to go through those changes here. I am just going to say that it has changed, and there are parts of me that wish the city had not changed so quickly and abruptly. But it is still beautiful, there is no denying that. Today has been a day mostly of meetings, and that has been a good thing. I got my walk in this morning, then went off to the office for a bit, and then headed to the Texas REALTORS® Winter Meeting. Tomorrow will be a really early day, and I expect I will make a trip home and back during the day, just so I can check in with the dogs. I also expect it will a later arrival home, but it will be fun, and well worth it. Enjoy the pretty photo!

Volume 15 - Day 40/325, 2023 - Thursday

One more, just one more. Or maybe more later, who knows... This is Rosie, one of the elephants I met last Sunday, and the piece of art that I am holding was done by Rosie. Basically, it is a trunk painting, which I think is pretty interesting. They call it an elephant kiss painting, and there are more than 400,000 nerves in an elephants trunk. That makes the trunks pretty sensitive, it you ask me, which you didn't but I volunteered it for you, so get over it. It was a good morning for a walk, and at the end of the walk, I pulled both of Jay and Deb's cars out of their garage awaiting the transport company. They did not show up, so this afternoon, I put them back in the garage. I can now say that I have driven a Corvette with a stick shift, even if the drive was less than 75 feet. I got in to the office and cleared off my desk, had a quick meeting, and then basically just finished off a bit more paper work. It was a great day to put the top down, it was 75 degrees, but there is a cold front coming in overnight. The high tomorrow will be in the 50s, and that still is not exactly terrible. Tomorrow starts several days of Texas REALTOR® meetings, and they will wrap up on Tuesday. I will miss walking at least a couple of those days, but it will all be okay. 

Volume 15 - Day 39/326, 2023 - Wednesday

There will probably be one more day (after this) of elephant pictures. I think they are tending to be repetitive, so I'll quit. I had to keep asking people what day it was today, and I am really not totally convinced that it is NOT Thursday. It really does feel like Thursday, but I guess it is not going to be Thursday until tomorrow. It was cold and drizzly this morning when we walked, but we did it, and it was good. Tomorrow will still be cool, but no rain is expected. This morning, I had a 9 o'clock zoom, then I zoomed in to the office and had an in-person meeting at noon. I then zoomed home to meet the housekeeper, which was totally worth it. I think having the house cleaned every five or six weeks is just about right. No need to go crazy, and I am really not that messy. Tomorrow will be a relatively simple day, and I do not have anything on the calendar. Friday through next Tuesday will be a little bit busy, with Texas REALTORS® Winter Meetings going on. Then it will quiet down again for a bit until about the end of the month. It will all work out okay!

Volume 15 - Day 38/327, 2023 - Tuesday

It's raining. We need rain, we don't need ice but we need rain, so I am not going to complain. It should be much cooler when we go for our walk in the morning, IF we go for a walk in the morning. We are not gonna rain if it is walking outside. I did that on purpose, don't e-mail me. After the walk this morning, the ROMEOs (four of us) met up for breakfast, and we had a blast. Then, for me, it was off to the office. I got in and met with Maggie to prep for a listing appointment we had at 1 o'clock. The appointment went well, and we were happy with that. Dribbly rain during the appointment, dribbly rain the rest of the day. You know, since I know you follow this journal like you play Wordle every day, that the girls do NOT like to get their feet wet, so that will be a challenge for the next several days. Tomorrow I have a zoom meeting at 9, an in-person meeting at noon, and the housekeeper shows up at about 2PM. It will be a good day. About today's photo: When is the last time you were able to tell someone you were close-up to an elephant's ass? Well, now you can!

Volume 15 - Day 37/328, 2023 - Monday

Monday after a week of ice storms, power outages, trees and tree limbs down. There are still thousands of families in central Texas with no electricity. People's last nerves are raw, tempers are flaring, and patience is running out. When I am very, VERY quiet in the office, people begin to worry, but I remained calm, and went on about the business of the day. It was a nice day outside, sunny and bright, and temperatures in the 60s. I think it was 59 degrees for the morning walk, and that was nice. I wore a light jacket, and I was quite warm by the end of the walk. It is possibly going to rain beginning late this evening, and there is an 80% chance of rain tomorrow and a 90% chance of rain on Wednesday. It was a nice 'top down' kind of day on the way home, and I also stopped and bought some PowerBall tickets. If I win, you may never hear from me again, so be advised. Otherwise, I think it is time to go settle onto the couch, and see what is worth watching on the tube this evening. I fear I already know the answer to the question. PHOTO: Another elephant pic, get used to it for the rest of this week. Jack, Floria, me and Teri. It was a really fun day!

Volume 15 - Day 36/329, 2023 - Sunday

So...today was a most excellent day! It all started with our morning walk...I did half of the walk, because Jack, Floria, Teri and I were heading to Fredericksburg at 8:30 this morning. We all had a great time on the way to the Elephant Preserve, and it was great! I understand that some years ago, there were some issues with this place mistreating animals, and I was not interested in supporting that. I knew some people that had been recently and they said it was a great experience. From what I could tell, there was no problems made public in the last several years, and I would go back again, it was a great experience. I assume these are retired circus elephants (Asians, not African), and there was a little bit of kitsch in the program, but I was there to get close to elephants, and that is what we did. An hour-and-a-half, and it was interesting and fun. I doubt that many people know there are elephants in Fredericksburg, but if you want more information, you know where I am. I expect there are at least 250 photos of the day on my phone, and I will probably post one for at least the next four or five days. We had a really good lunch in Fredericksburg, then headed back to Georgetown. Once I got home, my friend Terry (not Teri) came over and hooked up my UPS and my PetCube. The PetCube was a gift from Melinda, and it is really cool. I can spy on Callie and the Piglet when I am not home. It make a tome when the camera connects, so the Piglet already knows what that means, and she pays close attention. It's fun, thank you Melinda and Steve! So, not a bad day, I feel quite accomplished, and I will talking elephants for a couple days. You wanna go? I'll go back with you!

Volume 15 - Day 35/330, 2023 - Saturday

Dick and Paul and I walked this morning. Jay was the impetus for us walking, and it was kind of odd not having him and one or two dogs to accompany us. We made it, and we will continue our walks, but between the three of us, it will be much easier to find reasons NOT to walk. Marge, Diane, Pam and I hit the estate sale circuit, and everybody came away with something. Pam was the big winner of the day, and we all had a blast. It was surprising to see different neighborhoods, and the various levels of tree damage. Some neighborhoods were really hit hard, and the damage is really saddening. After that, I took the girls to the beautiful parlor this afternoon, we are pretty much on a two month rotation for beautification. They are glad to be home, I think, and they are both passed out and taking a nap. We did have a guy come out this morning and get started hauling away debris and tree limbs. I was really pretty lucky, and my stuff is all cleared, but he will be back tomorrow (and maybe Monday) to keep working on Deb, Jay, Margie, Dick, Mo, Jo, Gary and Angie's properties. There is just a LOT to haul off, and then he has to wait in line an hour or two just to dump the stuff. Really time consuming and hard work. Tomorrow will be a fun day, I will report more later. Oh...the photo of the day is the Christmas Cactus and Orchid blooming in the bathroom. I think they like that big window.

Volume 15 - Day 34/331, 2023 - Friday

There were good things about the day, there were sad things about the day. The power went out overnight, but came back on, and I don't really remember if it went out during the day or not, it is just something that is expected now. It was not quite as cold this morning when we did our walk, but it was not hot, either. Today was our last walk with Jay, he and Deb left about 3:30 this afternoon, on their way to a new adventure in Vancouver, Washington. That weeping sound you heard, starting at about 8 o'clock this morning, was me, crying like a 13 year old girl. It is expected...I cry at everything, and I am not the least bit ashamed of it. You don't like it, don't come near me. I'm not sure how far they will make it tonight, but they will make a little bit of progress, anyway. I have no idea how long it will take them to drive to Vancouver, I expect three or four days, at least. Things were closer to an ordinary day here as far as the weather is concerned. Still power out all around central Texas, and Austin has declared a disaster for the area, trying to get more assets to correct the challenges. No firm timeframe for all electricity to be restored. It should be a little warmer overnight, and in the seventies on Monday. I drug all the downed limbs from the front and back yards out to the curb this morning, and there are several of us that have hired guys to come and chop it all up and haul it off. What a mess.

Volume 15 - Day 33/332, 2023 - Thursday

I don't really mean to be complaining, but I am more tired of re-setting all the digital clocks than I am of all the other stuff that has been going on for the last few days. In Austin, about 30% of Austin Energy customers are still without power. On the evening news, they are considering an emergency declaration about it. I don't know what that will do, but that is what they said. At the Curious House, we had a pretty good thunder storm (THUNDER STORM), and about every 30 seconds, my phone would notify me that 'lightning has been detected near your location.' That went on until about 4 or 5 o'clock, just about the time that the power went out. Who knows, really, because it gos out, comes back on, and repeats throughout the day (and night). We left for our walk this morning at 9:15, and it was good to get back outside. The power came on in the office at about 10, and I got to the office at about 11. I hung out until about 2 or 3, and headed back home. While I was at the office, the power went out at home again, and it stayed off until, okay, I don't really know when it came back on. I honestly kind of enjoy when the power goes out, because it is a relief that there is absolutely nothing I can do about it, so I just sit in the big chair with the dogs, lean back, and take a snooze. Nothing wrong with that. The house never really gets uncomfortably cold, I set the thermostat way down when I go to bed. I am going to go ahead and post this while there is still power...have a good evening!

Volume 15 - Day 32/333, 2023 - Wednesday

I am not gloating, but the power at the Curious House stayed on for 99.9999% of the day. As a precaution, I turned off my desktop computer, and turned off the printer. I only lost power for about one minute, which was hardly worth the bother of resetting the GFCIs and all the clocks. I am not, however, complaining. There are thousands, almost two HUNDRED THOUSAND customers are without power in central Texas. That's is the number of customers, not the number of people that are affected. Once again, I am NOT complaining. There is no power in the office, but none of us even tried to go in today. The city is closed down again tomorrow, and everything is supposed to be better by tomorrow afternoon. The high temperature for Sunday is forecast to be in the low 70s. We will not complain about that at all. The girls and I mostly just hunkered down in the bedroom, in the big chair, stayed warm, took naps and watched television. They are happy about that, they really have no idea about what is happening outside their house. The grass is crunchy with ice, so it is interesting to see the Piglet trying to figure out why that is happening, but they are not intimidated by it. All-in-all, most people around here just did not even bother to try to get out, I guess that level of acceptance is something that comes with advanced age. Boring.