Volume 15 - Day 334/31, 2023 - Thursday

There was no walk this morning because it was raining. YES! Not hard, but it was more like a heavy dribble. Dribbling enough that we didn't walk, and that was a nice change of events. We all agree that, when we crawl out of bed in the morning, none of us really want to walk, but we do, and that makes us all feel better! We had a nice luncheon for the office today, and we went to one of my favorite places, Vinaigrette. It's my new favorite place, since they closed down Zax's a year or so ago. At about 2:30, the sun came out, it the rest of the day was lovely. I think it got up to about 73 degrees this afternoon, and the next seven days will have high temperatures in the 70s, even with a 'cold' front coming in early next week. Tonight, I attended the annual HOA meeting in the Curious House subdivision. Why they ever allot themselves one hour for these meetings is beyond me, mainly because I can talk and complain about stuff for an hour all by myself. I met lots of new people, and at least a few of them thanked my for bringing up issues within the community. Oh my. In the photo is me, Kiko, Laura, Carrie, Kerry and Margaret. It was fun and the food was great!

Volume 15 - Day 333/32, 2023 - Wednesday

I am thinking of starting a new group, The Dead Santa Society. I think it's kind of a catchy name, what do you think? It seems there are a lot of dead Santas in the Curious House neighborhoods. If you spot a dead Santa on your ventures forth, take a photo and send it to me. I will of course give you photo credit, let's see how far we can take this. It was a good walk this morning, and I got into the office about 10 o'clock. It continues to be quiet in the office, and I can't believe that tomorrow is already the last day of November. Poor squirrel. Apparently a squirrel thought it was tougher than an electrical transformer, and cut off power to about forty thousand utility customers in South Austin. I waited around in the office for a while waiting for the electricity to come back on, but I left about 2:30, and the power came back on about 15 minutes after I left. But, I was too far gone to turn around... I took the Meyer lemon bush back outside this morning, and I need to get up and uncover the plants out on the back patio. No indication of freezing weather in the long term forecast, and we might even have a little rain over night. Fingers crossed. Tomorrow night is the annual HOA meeting, and I am sure that will be exciting. Said nobody ever. They have removed all the rain possibilities for the weekend, and it will be just like spring for the next week or so. Don't forget to be on the lookout for dead Santas!

Volume 15 - Day 332/33, 2023 - Tuesday

Well no record breaking walk this morning, but it was 46 degrees when I got up, and the forecast was 35 degrees. That is a big difference. It was  pretty day today, but they are forecasting grey skies and dreary for tomorrow and maybe the next several days. Rain expected on Thursday. The ROMEOs had a nice breakfast this morning, there are five of us attending pretty regularly. I got in to the office, and it is really quiet this time of the year, and (knock wood) it is really kind of nice. I made it home about 3:30 this afternoon, and for dinner I am scarfing down Thanksgiving leftovers from Kerry and Carrie. Yummy good! I am still listening to the Barbra Streisand book, I have about 19 hours left out of a total of 48 hours recorded. Interesting. Thursday night is our annual HOA meeting, and everyone is getting prepared for that. It should be interesting. Then next week, book club. Our book, which I thought was very interesting, was Mr. Texas. In addition to the book, we each were charged with reading a biography, and to attend the book club dressed as the biographer. I am ready for it, and it should be fun! There were some really lovely clouds at the end of the walk this morning, enjoy!

Volume 15 - Day 331/34, 2023 - Monday

There were six of us walking this morning, there have never been that many walking. Rick joined us for the walk, and it was COLD, 34 degrees when I left the house. I broke down after I got home this afternoon and turned on the heat, just to take the chill off. I will cut it back later this evening, and probably repeat the process tomorrow. Overnight tonight is the last forecast of really cold weather for the near future, and it could definitely be worse! The good news is, I slept through the national news this evening, and that is probably the smartest thing I have done in months. There was nothing particularly exciting going on at the office, but we did find a copy of the County tax for the office and the personal property tax on-line. We called the tax office, and they said they have not yet mailed the tax bills, which I think is kind of crappy. They are due, but they haven't mailed the invoices. Makes no sense. We have digital cable tv at the office, and I am not a fan. Generally, the video is pixelated or there is no sound. It is almost like when I was a kid, and we had to move the rabbit ears around, or turn the rotor on the outside antenna, once we got to be really middle class. Carrie found the perfect way for the best reception, but I could not motivate her to stand there with the receiver box for very long. Kind of selfish if you ask me.

Volume 15 - Day 330/35, 2023 - Sunday

Other than going for a walk this morning, and going outside with the girls today, I did not leave the house. Okay, that's a lie; I did go outside a few times to bring plants in to the garage, and to cover plants on the back patio. We are expecting possible freezing temperatures overnight tonight and Monday night. Then there are no near freezing temperatures after that in the immediate forecasts. I mis-judged how cool it was this morning, and should have worn a heavier coat, and I won't make that mistake again tomorrow. I did a few little minor things around the house today, really small things that I have been meaning to do for a while, but just kept putting it off. Otherwise, all I did was watch tv and take naps. I considered getting out and doing something, but I thought better of it. I cannot think of anything that I need to buy, so these Black Friday and Cyber Monday things are really just wasted on me. I'd be happy to make a purchase if there was something I wanted, but so far, no. I think football teams should be penalized for running long. Every week I expect to watch 60 Minutes at 6PM, and almost every weekend (during football season) the program does not start on time. It throws my while schedule off. Boo-Hoo! On a more positive note, my Christmas Cactus is starting to bloom, and it looks like it will outdo itself this year. Stay tuned.

Volume 15 - Day 329/36, 2023 - Saturday

Well, we are back to clouds and gloom today. We started the day with a nice walk, and then a couple naps after I fed the girls. It was a good day for napping, and I decided to go to a movie, and I liked it very much. Saltburn. I had seen a couple commercials over the past couple weeks, and it looked interesting. Even after reading the reviews, I still wanted to see it. The reviews were not bad reviews, but they recounted something that I did not recognize from the commercials. I was happily surprised with the movie, really creepy and interesting. Odd. Just the way I like movies. There were four people in the auditorium, so I can only assume that this is a cinematic adventure for very distinguished palates! That's my story and I' sticking to it! When I got home from the movie, I went and had ice cream with Linda and Jimmie, and their two grands, Wells and Eden. It is sprinkling a little bit now, which just makes it feel even colder outside. Not sure what I will have on my agenda tomorrow, but Iexpect I will come up with something.

Volume 15 - Day 328/37, 2023 - Friday

So, another nice day in central Texas, much better than yesterday. We had a nice walk this morning, and the later in the day, I went to Costco. It was not crowded, no standing in line to check out, just a nice experience. Once I got home, I had some lunch, then went down for a series of naps. Val, Paulina and Oliver came and picked my up at about four o'clock, and we headed in to Georgetown for a nice dinner, and then the lighting of the Square. I thought we had made reservations early enough to find a decent parking spot (4:30), but there were lots of people there already staking out claims for the lighting.  Dinner was really nice at the City Post (the old Post Office building), and then we got to the Square at about 5:30. There were singers from Dallas (we have to import a choir?), and then right at 6 o'clock, they lit the Square. It was all fun, lots of people, but honestly, the people were part of the experience. Georgetown is still small enough that you can take advantage of stuff like that, and I think I will do it again next year. This was only the second year they have done it, and they did a good job. Me, Paulina, Oliver and Val.

Volume 15 - Day 327/38, 2023 - Thanksgiving

It did not seem as chilly this morning as it did yesterday, but tonight feels colder that last night. I'm so confused. Paul and Dick and I had a great walk this morning, it was full of laughs, and great fun. After the walk, I did nothing. Sent Thanksgiving messages to some peeps, took some serious naps, and finally got productive late this afternoon to go have lunch with Pam, Paul and their daughter Leslie. We went to the Walburg Restaurant, where they had one meal, no substitutions, and no seconds. It was great! Turkey, ham, green beans, mashed potatoes, mashed sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce, rolls, and I am sure I am leaving something out. Oh yeah, dressing, I forgot the dressing. And pumpkin pie. And Diet Coke. It was great, and after dinner, we drove out to the farm since they had never seen the farm. I forgot about being able to stand in one place and see forever. When I got home, the Piglet thought she was going to starve to death, so they got fed, and right now, I am just getting ready to watch an evening of television, and wake up tomorrow for another day. This is me, Pam, Leslie and Paul after dinner this afternoon.

 

Volume 15 - Day 326/39, 2023 - Wednesday

There could hardly ever be a more beautiful day that today in central Texas. It started out kind of chilly, in the high 30s, but it ended up sunny, with cloudless blue skies in the 60s. Magnificent. We had a nice walk this morning, and Rick caught up with us for just a little bit. I got back after the walk, and fed the girls and took a nice little nap. I had a relatively productive day, too, getting much of the stuff on my list done, even though I had intended to pace myself a little bit. I did get out and went to an interior store I had heard about, but was kind of disappointed with it. Then, I stopped at HEB and got a few things, just a couple bags worth. Then I was down for another nap with the girls, and then dinner (a sandwich), and now I am waiting on something/anything worth watching on tv. I think I am out of luck there! You never know what you might see in downtown Austin, and yesterday when I was on my way home, Santa was outside City Hall, but I don't think that was Rudolph he was riding. Keep Austin Weird!

Volume 15 - Day 325/40, 2023 - Tuesday

Apparently, winter is here! It is 52 degrees outside right now, and I am not liking it. It was chilly and windy on our walk this morning, and the nerds decided to see what our elevations were during the walk. From the lowest point to the highest point on the walk, we have about a 115 foot rise, not all at once, and there are several peaks and valleys, but from low point to hight point, about a 115 foot rise. We have a new ROMEO in the 'hood, his name is Rick, and he moved here from Sacramento. He is really tall (compared to the rest of us) and a nice guy. Always nice to make new friends. I went in to the office for several hours after breakfast, and all was good and quiet. I am going to skip out the rest of the week, so I am going to have a five-day-weekend. I am pretty sure I will find something to occupy my time, I always do. Apparently, my resting face is (insert appropriate adjective here), and I think I need to work on the ability to put on my fake face while, at the same time, trying to find the proper button to push on the phone. Ugh, technology. I was trying to go to a website this afternoon at the office, and I got three letters in the URL wrong, and I had to call IT to get my computer started again. Always something. Wheel of Fortune is on, so I need to wrap this up. I have had three spam calls while posting this entry, and none of them have given me the pleasure of being ugly to them. The nerve!

Volume 15 - Day 324/41, 2023 - Monday

It was my first day back in the office for a week, and it was a good and productive day. Incredibly, I got a LOT of stuff done, and I am happy about that. It was 66 degrees when our walk started this morning, and I think it got up to 84 degrees in central Texas today. That is it for the 80 degree temperatures I think. There is supposed to be a cold front coming through overnight, and the high temperatures for the next six days do not get past the low 60s. 56 is the lowest high temperature, and the lowest low temperature is forecast to be 39 degrees. Something needs to make up its' mind! Once again, I failed to take a photo to accompany this journal post, but I looked back on my phone, and found this photo from this date in 2011. We had a bunch of happy hens! I have photos beginning in October of 2011, and I am not sure what happened to the photos taken before that time. One of these days I will research that, but not today. I'm tired of MidiCare commercials, but I called my Part C and Part D provider today, just to check, and they did not try to sell me anything else, so it seems like I am covered. I hope so. Tomorrow will start with a colder walk, probably a faster walk, then breakfast with the ROMEOs, and then off to the office. REMINDER: I am the luckiest man in the world!

Volume 15 - Day 323/42, 2023 - Sunday

I actually got a lot of things accomplished today, even though the day was really grey and really gloomy. It started off with a nice walk, and then I watched part of Sunday Morning. Kind of boring, so I decided to go run some errands. It was apparently donut day in Georgetown. I usually go to this place once a week, either Saturday after garage sales or on Sunday. You have to get there kind of early, they close at 1 or 2, and they are sold out of stuff I want pretty early. There was a line when I got there and there was a line when I left. After that, I drove in to Georgetown, checking out a new restaurant that has been threatening to open for the last month or two, Grumpy Georges. The web-site and the Facebook page is (somewhat) active, but I don't think they are really open yet. So I made reservations for me and Paulina, Val and Oliver elsewhere, for the day after Thanksgiving. Then, I took a couple things to the Post Office, then took off to Home Depot. I did not find what I was looking for, but I did find some light bulbs, and then I had a call from Paulina. She and Val were at Home Depot, and they say my car, so we had a quick visit. I was cautioned NOT to go to Costco, so I didn't. I made it home, did some laundry and a few other things, and took a couple naps. Early evening, Linda texted me, and we went and had ice cream, and that was it for the day. It has misted rain all day, and when I looked at the gauge, there was 2/100", so not even enough to talk about. Everything is wet, though, so that is okay.

Volume 15 - Day 322/43, 2023 - Saturday

It was nice to be walking again this morning with Paul and Richard. I missed walking with them. I got home and fed the girls, and I had a bagel for myself. Shortly after that, Marge, Pam and Marian and I went to two yard sales. I spent three dollars and walked away with treasures I did not even know I treasured. Then it was time for a nap, then a little bit of this-and-that around the house, then another nap. I did manage to go to the grocery store, and got a few things to put into the garage. I had some sausage for lunch, not sure how long it had been in the refrigerator, and there was no expiration date on it. That is my kind of food. For dinner, I had some chicken noodle soup, and now it is time to slow down for a little while. I did also manage to go through all the mail that was in the box from the last week, and tomorrow I expect I will do laundry, and catch up on getting stuff recorded so I will be ready for the next tax season. I also think there might be some donuts in my future. I did not take any photos today, and this was on my camera roll from a year ago. I know exactly what it was and where the photo was taken, but your combined imaginations will make a much better tale than reality.

Volume 15 - Day 320/44, 2023 - Friday

Okay, I'm home, and I think everyone is glad for that. Well, everyone being me and the girls. Everything today went pretty much according to plan, except for the Hilton employees that were striking outside the hotel, and they were blowing horns and banging on whatever they could find to bang on at about 5 o'clock this morning. That kept up for about an hour, then they quit. They started up again about 9 o'clock, which was when I was checking out of the hotel, and getting ready to head to the airport. Yesterday, the Starbuck's people at the hotel were picketing, so I guess there is a bit of unrest here and there. Okay, yeah, I know, there is a lot of unrest going on EVERYWHERE! We made it to the airport with plenty of spare time, and there were LOTS of our Texas peeps on the plane, all but ten passengers got off in Austin, some were transferring to other planes, and I know some of our colleagues were connecting to Lubbock. I got to Val and Paulina's house at about 6 o'clock, gathered up the girls, and headed home. Val and Paulina (and Oliver) are very generous to watch the girls when I go out of town, and I do not want to take advantage, but they insist it is no issue. All was found to be good at the Curious House, I gathered up mail, took a look at a few things that needed to be looked at, and I am about ready to call it a day. I have no idea what time I will wake up tomorrow, but I know it will be interesting!

Volume 15 - Day 320/45, 2023 - Thursday

Okay, my conference is over. It started with a lunch, then a late General Session, Regional Caucus, and then dinner. I will leave tomorrow morning, and be back home (hopefully) by early evening. I'm ooking forward to getting back into my 'routines,' and to getting the girls and hunkering down. It was a beautiful day here in Anaheim, no rain, lovely clouds, mountains, you know, all the Southern California stuff. There was plenty of networking going on, and lots of seeing long time friends and colleagues. I also know there were other friends here, but our paths never did cross. I have been lucky enough to hang out with my TREPAC peeps, and it has been a really good week. BUT...we are all ready to get home. We were all happy to see Chris, a Texas friend that now lives in California. So nice to see him, and this photo is Nancy, me, Chris, Melinda, Andrea and James. 

See you tomorrow.

Volume 15 - Day 319/46, 2023 - Wednesday

Well, I am cold and wet, but I'll talk more about that in a few more sentences. Apparently, advanced age does not always contribute to good decisions. It was another busy day, our first session was at 8:45 this morning, and then there was a lot of this-and-that. The morning session included recognition for the annual REALTOR® Good Neighbor acknowledgements. Lots of our colleagues do a lot of good things in their communities, and it is always nice to see their work rewarded and recognized. Following that, our keynote speaker was Nicole Malachowski, a retired Air Force officer and the first woman pilot selected to be a part of the USAF Demonstration Squadron, aka The Air Force Thunderbirds. She was a very good speaker, and she shared a lot of great information. You can Google her and get much more (and probably better) information about her. Another excellent program I attended today was the Federal Legislative and Political Forum: Which Way Will Swing Voters Swing. Very interesting, and very well presented. The reason I am cold and wet is because it has rained most of the day, and I went to Knott's Berry Farm in spite of that. I bought a poncho at Walgreen's, and they were handing out ponchos at the event, but I am still cold and wet. Time for this day to end. Talk to y'all more tomorrow, Forensic Files is calling me.

Volume 15 - Day 318/47, 2023 - Tuesday

It seems like it should be later in the week and not just Tuesday. A busy day again, starting off with a General Session at 8:45 this morning. Part of the session included an interview with Mindy Kaling. My friend Jennifer from Houston did the interview, and it was pretty interesting and fun. That was followed by a Federal Political Coordinator meeting. I'm not an FPC, but many of my friends are, so I sat in on it. Trade show. Late Lunch. Passed on going to the Angels Stadium, just in the room doing some work and being quiet. Another General Session tomorrow morning, but I think I may try to get some breakfast first. You never really know what you will come across at these meetings, but I was not expecting a trained owl. Just there, between the hotel and the Convention Center. Whatever. I found out about the Disney fireworks. This is 'off-season,' and they only do fireworks on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. So, I stayed up well past my bedtime last night, waiting for nothing to happen. 

Volume 15 - Day 317/48, 2023 - Monday

Today was a full day of meetings, classes and networking. It started with an 8:30 class, which I only got to stay for the first half of the class. I missed a lunch meeting I was supposed to attend, which was a briefing lunch for my meetings at 1 o'clock and 2 o'clock. After the 2 o'clock, I took a rest and got ready for the Installation dinner for my friend Tracy, who will be the NAR chair in 2024. Good stuff. Last night I talked about my 'upgraded' room selection in the hotel, and that it was kind of underwhelming. Here on the west coast, we are two hours earlier than in Texas, so, at 9:30 Pacific Time, I was sleeping. Apparently, every night at 9:30, Disney has fireworks. I work up, but did not get out of bed to look out the window. I'm writing this entry a little bit in advance of actually posting it, anticipating I will be able to include a photo of the fireworks. Interestingly, I looked out the window shortly after 9PM, and the area was completely dark, no lights at all. I thought it was odd that, maybe Disney is not open on Mondays, but I looked out a few minutes later, and the lights were back on. I doubt it was a power failure, but I swear there were no lights on. Tomorrow will be another full day, beginning at 8:45, and going til about 8 o'clock tomorrow night. Okay, it is 9:46 and no fireworks. Maybe I was hallucinating. 

Volume 15 - Day 316/49, 2023 - Sunday

Well, everything that needed to be done, got done today. It has been a while, I guess, since I have traveled on a Sunday. The airport (on both ends) was crazy busy, the plane was full, and there were people everywhere. I got my walk in this morning, and it was supposed to rain today, but I am not sure if it did or not. Everything at the Curious House is under control, and I will be back on Friday afternoon. I am in Anaheim for a REALTOR® conference, and it will be a late start in the morning. Late, only because my body thinks it is too hours later than it is in California. I think the room I am staying in was an upgrade, but not sure why. Apparently, a room NOT overlooking a parking lot or the HVAC system is an upgrade. Who knows? I had a nice plane ride, sitting next to Alisha. I am about 8 hours in to the new Barbra Streisand (STRY-SAND) biography. Only about 40 more hours to go. Pretty interesting so far. I had dinner tonight with Nancy, Melinda and Holly, and that was nice. Now, even though it is early here, I am ready to call it a night. More tomorrow.

Volume 15 - Day 315/50, 2023 - Saturday

It was not as chilly as I was expecting when I got up this morning, and I overdressed for our walk. But it was good. I am trying to remember if I had anything for breakfast this morning, and I am drawing a blank. Pam and Marian and I hit two estate sales this morning, and we all came away with a couple treasures. Then it was down for a nap for me. I did have a couple conversations with clients and colleagues, and got a little bit of business taken care of. I have a few things that need to be taken care of this week, but not an overwhelming amount of stuff. I got the dogs fed, and fed myself, and I have been watching forensic type shows most of the rest of the day. I think there will be a harvest of lemons before too much longer, and they look really nice. I think there are about a dozen or so on the bush. I would really prefer that the bush would become a tree, and every year I threaten to figure out how to do that. So far, it is still a bush. There are better than average chances for rain tomorrow and Monday, but we had a break today, although there was very little sun. 

Volume 15 - Day 314/51, 2023 - Friday

"Doesn't like California, it's cold and it's damp..." Well, I can tell you, these lyrics ain't got nothin' on us right now. It is cold and damp at the Curious House, we have had just over an inch of rain in the last 24 hours or so, and it is expected to continue being cold and damp for the next few days. I did go out and turn off the sprinklers, so this weather has been gentle soaking rains, which we all appreciate. It was not raining for our walk this morning, and that was good. I have determined that I have very little motivation to get up in the mornings, and even less motivation to go out and walk, but I do it, and once I am with the other guys walking, it is good. It's the motivation part that I have problems with. I don't want to do it, but after I get started, I'm good with it. There was a few little flurries of activity in the office today, and I had an appointment at 2:30, which put me home just around four o'clock. The girls and I have all been fed, and I am close to hunkering down in front of the tv. I include a photo with each of my journal entries, and I did not consciously take a photo for this entry, but while looking at photos, this one was there. I know there are 'butt dials,' and I guess there are 'butt photos' also. I cannot imagine the circumstances or the subject of this photo, but I do not see anything obscene with it, so here it is. If you determine there is something naughty there, let me know.

Volume 15 - Day 313/52, 2023 - Thursday

Welcome to Friday Eve...my fourth favorite day of the week! It has been a long day, longer for other of my friends, but long for me who is out of the loop. It is still early, but it seems later than it really is, and it is all relative to the time that I got up this morning. AND...this morning seems like it was several days ago! Melinda and I had a great, but short, visit that lasted about 20 hours, give or take. Paul and Dick and I had a good walk this morning, and then it was off to the office. It started raining on my drive in to Austin, and it has rained for most of the day. When I last looked, there was a little over a half-in in the gauge. The girls are not keen on rain or wet grass, but they are making the most of it. Tonight was the kick off of our Drinking Liberally of Water Oaks group, and it was great, much fun, much good conversation, and meeting several new neighbors/friends in the neighborhood. I expect it will only get better from here, and the word of mouth will be a great thing. I expect tomorrow will be a pretty busy day, my last appointment will be late afternoon, and then it will be the weekend. Yeppers! Here is a photo of some of the group at the meet-up tonight. I am the luckiest man in the world!

Volume 15 - Day 312/53, 2023 - Wednesday

It was a bit of a busy day, starting off with a nice walk this morning. I went to pick up Melinda at the airport, then headed in to the office for a few minutes, just to touch a few things that needed to be touched. Then Melinda and I went back to the Curious House, and among other things, went down for a nap. We headed back in to Austin at about 4 o'clock to attend an ABoR Major Investor dinner, Pork Chops and Politics. Melinda was a speaker, Ben drove in from Beaumont, Colin came in from Oregon, along with his wife Molly. There were about 80 people at the dinner, and it was very nice. Lots of good information was shared, lots of good memories all around, and the food wasn't too bad, either. Melinda has a flight at 6 o'clock in the morning, so that is about all for this journal entry. This photo is of Colin, me, Melinda and Ben. Good friends.

 

Volume 15 - Day 311/54, 2023 - Tuesday

Honestly, the dark is sneaking up on me. Not everyone (Mikey) is as passionate as me in my dislike for the time changes, and I am certainly not a fan of it. This too shall pass, and I will soon forget about it all together, until the next time. A nice walk this morning, followed by a ROMEO breakfast. I had an early appointment, which put me into the office close to 11:15. I was signed up for a CE class that I thought was three hours, but it turned out to be two hours, and that was nice...I left for home about 3:30, made a stop or two, and got home around 4:30. Tomorrow morning, I am going to pick Melinda up at the airport, tomorrow night there is a dinner to attend, and then Melinda has a 6AM flight on Thursday morning. That means 3:30 wake up call! The thing I am most worried about is that I need a button sewn on the sport coat I am planning to wear, and I doubt I am capable of that. Life is hard. One problem with the dark sneaking up on me is that I don't always have something to photograph, so you guys are just stuck with the wall in the back yard. 

Volume 15 - Day 310/55, 2023 - Monday

We had a great sunrise this morning, and a lovely sunset this evening. The photo accompanying this journal entry (sunrise) is courtesy of Jack, thanks Jack! He has a better view of the east, and I have a better view of the west. There were five of us walking this morning, and as usual, it was fun. It is much easier walking in the mornings when it is not 100 degrees outside! I made it in to the office a little earlier than usual this morning, and interestingly, ALL our tenants have paid their rents! I am still kind of waiting for the other shoe to drop. Overall, it was an unremarkable day, nothing of any real interest to anyone other than me happened, so that is it for this entry. Have a good evening, don't forget to turn on the lights!

Volume 15 - Day 309/56, 2023 - Sunday

Well, hell. This is the last night of the weekend. It will all work out alright. Today was not as busy as yesterday, I should have gone to the grocery, but I can still go one day this week. There were three of un on the walk this morning, and then I made egg loaf for me and the girls. I have been craving egg loaf lately, and I have to admit, it was really good. The girls liked it, too. I re-visited one of the estate sales I went to yesterday, there was something I had my eye on, and today it was half-price. I had resigned myself that it would be gone, but it was still there, in the same place, and now it is happily taking up space, temporarily, on the kitchen counter. Another clock, it works, and it doesn't just run, it races! Whatever. I cleaned the front and back patios this afternoon, and put the potted plants back where they are supposed to be. I love my leaf blower, too! Val and Paulina came over this evening, and we went and had pizza in Georgetown. We were planning on going to Jimmy Vegas' for brisket, but they are (obviously) closed on Sunday and Monday. I had no idea. 

Volume 15 - Day 308/57, 2023 - Saturday

Well, well, well... It's Saturday, and that is my cue for a lot of things. Of course, there was a morning walk, only three of us this morning, but we got most of the problems of the world solved. Once I got home, I did a load of laundry, and got ready to go to the estate sales. There were five of us in the bus, and there were five estate sales. Plus three garage sales. The first estate sale was on the same block as three garage sales. The estate sale there was pretty good, I bought a few things I could not live without, and we went to one of the garage sales. We are kind of discriminating. Whatever. I did buy a few other things at the garage sale. The other estate sales were a little bit underwhelming, and I probably bought a couple more things. Everybody bought something, and that is the sign of a good estate sale day. When we got home from the sales, I did more laundry, took a quick nap, and then Pam and I went to Marble Falls to go to the pottery place there. Pam had her eye on some metal cacti, and she got what she wanted. It was a fun afternoon, riding (Pam drove) to Marble Falls and back. Back at the Curious House, I did more laundry, and everything I own is now freshly laundered. I have no idea how many clocks I have running in the Curious House, but I would guesstimate that it is about sixty or more. They are all ready for the end of Daylight Saving time, except about three or four, and those clocks should set themselves back automatically. We shall see. I think I am done for the day.

Volume 15 - Day 307/58, 2023 - Friday

It was a beautiful day in central Texas, in so many ways. The day started off with a nice walk, there were five of us, and it was not bitterly cold, it was pleasantly crisp. It actually felt like fall, not summer and not winter. We don't get a lot of fall weather here, so it was really nice. I made it in to the office in time for my 10 o'clock appointment, and that all went really well. At a little bit after 11, we left to go downtown to the annual 'Cookin' for a Cause.' This is a fund raiser for No Hunger Inc., and the Central Texas Food Bank. Carrie and I have been supporting this great cause for three or four years, and it is a wonderful thing. This Non-Profit was started by Mace, the son of my friend Holly. I think (I am not sure) that Mace is a Sophomore in High School, and this has been his charitable endeavor for at least ten years. I think. He is an amazing young man, and he is tenacious in his work for this cause. Check him and NHI out on Google, and you can see the whole thing. After lunch, I went and got my hair cut, then made it to the Curious House, met up with Deb and Marge and Richard, and then turned around and went back in to Austin to pick up the silent auction item I won at the 'Cookin' silent auction. I could have left it and retrieved it on Monday, but there is plenty of stuff they will be working on until late in the night, without having to keep up with auction items. Tomorrow is estate sales (five of them), and hopefully just a lazy day. This photo is on Mace, Peter, Laura, me and Carrie. It seems I am always photoed (sp?) with my mouth open. Well, there was brisket!

Volume 15 - Day 306/59, 2023 - Thursday

Happy Friday Eve everybody. Thursday is my fourth favorite day of the week, generally speaking. It was cold this morning, and indeed the water in my bird feeder in the back yard did freeze over. The water in the dog bowl in the front did not freeze, and I am pretty sure that covering the potted plants with a bed sheet was all that was necessary. The potted plants that are hanging on are troopers, that is for sure. They were tortured with the heat this past summer, and I am not sure I have it in me to help them through too much freezing weather. I won't have to worry with it for at least a week now. I am looking forward to 'falling back' on Saturday, I am not a fan of changing the times in spring and fall. Today was a good day in the office, and since it was Thursday, we went to Sandy's and got cheeseburgers for lunch. Tomorrow, we will go to lunch downtown, the annual Sine Die Smokers Cookin' for a Cause. Always a great event, great food and a wonderful cause. We are proud to be supporters of it. Photos tomorrow! I think the photo is a Passion Flower, but I am not sure. The garden at Monument Cafe was full of them when the ROMEOs met for breakfast on Tuesday.

Volume 15 - Day 305/60, 2023 - Wednesday

I have basically concentrated on eating all day today. This morning, I had an apple fritter for breakfast, an egg salad sandwich from Thundercloud for lunch, and for dinner I had an 8-day-old sandwich fro HEB. And a blueberry donut. Ugh. It was chillish this morning, the temperature when I got up was 37, and it was 36 when I left for the walk. There were five of us, possible a record, and it was good. It made it up into the high 50s be the afternoon. Overnight it is supposed to be colder, and then a warm-up is expected. We should be back in the 80s by the weekend. I have (or will) cover the potted plants with a bed sheet tonight, and that should be all that is necessary. Fingers crossed. This wreck was on southbound IH-35 this afternoon, thankfully, I was headed the other direction. Traffic was backed up for a LONG way, and I certainly know the feeling. For the first day of the month, the office was relatively calm today, I have one appointment in the morning, and I am not expecting anything big to happen. I am ready to fall back.