Volume 16 - Day 91/275, 2024 - Sunday

Happy Easter to you, if you celebrate this day. It was warm and humid this morning when we went of our walk, and it got warmer and more humid (humider) as the day went on. After the walk, I did a whole lot of nothing much. I did get all the art rehung, so there are no more framed pieces sitting on the floor in any of the rooms. I took a little bit of a nap, and at about 10:30, I started getting ready to go in to Austin. I had tickets to Wicked, and that was fun and good to see. I honestly had no idea what the premise of the show was, so it was fun. I am amazed at people who arrive for shows like this 45 minutes or an hour late. I think if I was going to be 15 minutes late, I would just forget about it. People were coming and going through the whole performance. Whatever. When I got home, I fed the girls and myself, and now I am getting ready to was an installment of A Gentleman in Moscow. I read the book several years ago, and I thought it was a movie released in theaters, but I guess it is a kind of a mini-series on Showtime and Paramount. I did not even now I got Showtime and Paramount, but you learn something every day. Tomorrow will be a hot day, predicted to be 87 degrees. Then there is a cold front coming in, and rain in the late afternoon and overnight. I will let you know if that really happens or not.

Volume 16 - Day 90/276, 2024 - Saturday

Well, even though it is a weekend day, it was kind of busy. We had a nice walk this morning, me, Paul and Richard. Once I got home, I fed the girls, and went down for a quick nap. Not sure if I got a nap in or not, but before long, it was time for estate sales. There were three sales, and Marian, Pam and Diane joined me. All together, I think I spent almost $63. My haul included a pair of monkey bookends, THREE clocks, and a bell. I think that's it. So far, the clocks are running, so that is a good thing. I can't really complain at the expense or the fact that they may or may not chime, and I am happy with the haul. Everybody bought something. Before we took off for the estate sales, Jimmie and Linda and Wells (their grandson) came down and Wells brought me TWO packages of Hippie Crack. I love that stuff, it's granola that they get at a bakery outside Washington, D.C. Shortly after I got home from the estate sales, it was time to take the girls to the beautiful parlor. After that, I went to Golden Chick in Georgetown, where I had twenty fried shrimp. Not the best, not the worst, but it is just a testament to me being a victim of Madison Avenue. If it looks good in the tv commercial, I have to have it. After that, I made a couple other stops, and then went down for another nap. Interestingly, I woke up from the nap, and thought I had left the girls outside, before I remembered that they were at the beautiful parlor. I got the girls, and then later, I went with Jimmie, Linda and Wells to get ice cream. Time to call it a day!

Volume 16 - Day 89/277, 2024 - Good Friday

It was kind of an ordinary Friday, started off with a nice walk with Paul and Richard. I left for the office about 9 o'clock, and there was absolutely nothing going on there. I do not think the phone rang more than twice while I was there. I got a few things done, and left a little after (or maybe before) noon. We shut the place down at 3PM, it was a quiet day. I made a couple stops on the way home, and made myself a pimento cheese flip for lunch. The girls and I have been outside three or four times since I got home, it is a really nice day, but a little humid and cloudy. Not sure what the temperature got up to this afternoon, but it was a top down kind of day, and that was nice. Tomorrow will be estate sales (there are three), then the girls are going to the beautiful parlor, then I have two or three more errands to run before calling it a day. This evening, I have gotten a burst of energy, and I am moving existing artwork around in the Curious House, and hanging new pieces that I have collected over the last couple months. It is definitely a net gain on art work, and maybe more tomorrow.

Volume 16 - Day 88/278, 2024 - Thursday

I was feeling a little anxious about the platelet donation today, but it was mostly because I did not know what to expect. I still don't know how they can take blood out of my arm, extract the platelets, and then return the blood back to my body. It's interesting, and I thought I would know when blood was leaving and returning, but I had no clue. The whole exercise took about two hours and fifteen minutes. I didn't know this, either: Platelets are tiny, disc-shaped pieces of cell that are found in the blood and spleen. Platelets are pieces of very large cells in the bone marrow called megakaryocytes. They help form blood clots to slow or stop bleeding and help wounds heal. You can donate platelets 24 times a year as opposed to only six times a year for whole blood. All of this may or may not be accurate, it is what I found from Mrs. Google. Go investigate for yourself! Okay, back to ordinary stuff. We had a nice walk this morning, we did not win the Power Ball jackpot last night, and I went in to the office early so I could get to We Are Blood at 1PM. I got home about 4:30, fixed dinner for the girls (the girls are always first) and me, and now I am about to go sit in the big chair and watch some tv.

Volume 16 - Day 87/279, 2024 - Wednesday

Well, today did not turn out too much like I expectd it would. It started out like most days, we had a nice walk, and then I had a bit of breakfast, and then headed in to the office. I have one zoom scheduled for 10 o'clock, and another scheduled for 11:30. I decided to do the 10 o'clock call at home, and then I would go in to the office. The 10 o'clock lasted longer than I expected, so there was not enough time for me to get in to Austin before the next zoom started. The second zoom lasted until 1 o'clock, so it was really no use to go in to the office. Okay, no issue. I spent the rest of the afternoon doing a few things in the office at home, and a couple errands. There was a nap involved, too. By then, it was time to feed me and the girls, and then book club was tonight, too. Book club is always fun, and tonight was no exception. I think there were eight of us there, and this months book was The Secret Life of Sunflowers. I think it was pretty unanimous, we all liked the book, and we all learned some things abut Vincent that we had not been aware of previously. Next months book is The Little Old Lady Who Broke all the Rules. It sounds pretty fun. I still have about an hour to go on the book I am currently reading (listening to), and then I have another book in que before I start the Book Club Book. 

Volume 16 - Day 86/280, 2024 - Tuesday

It was chilly this morning, somewhere around 45 degrees, but it was a good walk. After the walk, all the ROMEOs met for breakfast, and we solved many of the worlds problems over omelets and pancakes. Every Tuesday, I also choose a victim of a photo with a perfect stranger. Today's victim is depicted in this journal entry. After breakfast, it was off to work, and that was nothing too taxing. I have resumed reading The Women which I think is a very good book. I had to set it down for a while, because it kind of took a toll on me, and I felt that I was getting really depressed. I sat it aside, took my trip to Miami, and took it back up when I got home. It is not quite as emotionally taxing towards the end of the book, but it is still kind of concerning. These veterans, men and women, suffered a lot during their time in service to their country, in the late 60's and throughout the 70's. I recommend it to you, but be ready. I had one errand to run after I left the office, and got that taken care of. Tomorrow, I have two zoom meetings, and that will occupy a pretty good part of my day. On Thursday, I am scheduled to donate my first batch of platelets. I have always donated whole blood, but now I am starting platelets, and I am a little bit nervous about it. I feel confident, however, that it will all be fine.

Volume 16 - Day 85/281, 2024 - Monday

Okay, I have been plagued by first world problems today, but it will all be okay. I will not even share the problems with you, because there is the definite possibility that the problems were caused by me. Crap! There was no walk today, it was raining when we would have taken off. Not walking gave me a chance to do a few things (home office wise) that I have been putting off. Then, it was off to the office. I got in, touched all the papers that needed to be touched, and that was the end of that. It is very comforting to know that I can leave town for a week, and life goes on. Maybe it is also a notice that I am not really needed in the office anymore, and that is not a terrible thing. I had a few errands to run on my way home, a stop at the pharmacy and a few other things, but I made it home by about 4:30. I took about a ten minute nap, and then fed the girls and myself. I am on a streak of cleaning things out of the freezer, and tonights dinner only expired in 2022, so I am getting better. Coming home this afternoon, there was a school bus on the other side of the Parkway. If a Parkway separates you from the school bus flashing red lights, are you supposed to stop. I probably knew that when I got my drivers license, but not sure any more. I stopped anyway, just to be safe. You can never be too careful!

Volume 16 - Day 84/282, 2024 - Sunday

Okay then, as Sunday's go, this one turned out to see more accomplishments than usual. As per the routine, we started the morning with a nice walk. I won't necessarily share with you everything I got accomplished today, like sitting on the back porch trimming my toe nails, but there were other things. Fixed breakfast for the girls, washed clothes, made an egg loaf and shared that with the girls, went and bought some donuts, moved a couple pots of morning glories, took a nap, went to the movie I mentioned last night, went to AT&T, and then went to HEB. Oh yeah, I also bought MegaMillions tickets, just in case. There is still one thing on the list I haven't finished, but it can wait. A couple weeks ago, Jimmie gave me some bluebonnet seeds, and I bought two small bluebonnet plants at HEB, and planted them. They have taken in to being planted nicely, and hopefully the seeds I put under them will germinate in the next year or two. Pam also gave me a few packets of wild flower seeds, and those are in the ground too. Now I am home, ready to settle in for the evening. We have chances of strong rain and winds overnight, and not too sure how long it will last, but I am ready. The sprinklers have remained off since before I went to Miami, and it looks like they may be able to stay off for another week or so. Fingers crossed.

Volume 16 - Day 83/283, 2024 - Saturday

First full day back home, and things are getting back to normal. A little bit. The day started with a nice walk; me, Paul and Richard. We had all kinds of things to talk about, and it was good to be walking again, even though there was a pretty good bit of walking in Miami. After the walk, I fed the girls, had some breakfast for myself (bagels), and then headed off to the estate sales with Pam, Marian and Diane. I spent about $30 on a few very special items that I did not know I needed until I set eyes on them. I think everyone bought something...maybe not Diane, I'm not sure. I know for sure Pam got a new cake pan! I need (not really) to go to the grocery. I am out of bread and milk, and I ate the piece of apple pie that Pam brought me as a welcome home gift yesterday. I vacillated back-and-forth (get it?) all day about whether to go or not, and so far, I have not. Apparently I am going to leave it until tomorrow. Tomorrow morning, I need to do laundry, get it started during the walk, get if finished during the Sunday Morning program. I also want to go to a movie tomorrow, The American Society of Magical Negroes. I saw the previews for it a couple months ago, and it is now playing, so I will take that in tomorrow. So far there is only one blossom on my Meyer Lemon tree (bush) on the back patio. It has born fruit for the last two years, and I hope there will be more than just one this year. Both years previously, I have harvested about a dozen lemons, and I have shared them with friends. For dinner tonight, I cremated a chicken pot pie, even though I followed all the instructions. Okay, most of the instructions. The only instruction I did not follow was the part where it said to wrap the edges of the pie with aluminum foil. I cut off all the horribly burned parts, and ate the rest. I think I may need some adult supervision every now and then.

Volume 16 - Day 82/284, 2024 - Friday

Okay, I am home, the girls are home, Mike is home, Melinda and Steve are home, Nancy is home, and I think Ben and Tobetha are on their way home. There are probably another thousand or so folks that attended the President's Circle conference with us that are home, too, and I hope all safely. It was a pretty long day today, up early, packed, headed to the airport, finally got on a delayed flight and am back in central Texas, and happy about that. It was REALLY windy in Miami this morning, and it was raining. I think some of the storms that we had in central Texas last week are now in Miami, and they were predicting about 4 inches on the east coast of Florida for today. Having said all that, there is now a tornado watch and a severe thunderstorm warning for central Texas and the Curious House. Soon. I will be back in my normal routine; estate sales tomorrow, regular times for all my regular this-and-thats. Did y'all miss me. No? I didn't think you would.

Volume 16 - Day 81/285, 2084 - Thursday

This trip to Miami and our annual President's Circle Conference has been chocker-block full os small, meaningful and memorable events. It has not been all the conference information and camaraderie that has been the most significant (although that has been very worthwhile), it has been the small moments, barely minutes of interactions that I hope to remember fondly when I am old(er). And I realized this evening, that this trip in particular has been full of those small moments. This morning, I was able to sleep a little late, and when I did get up, I got some work done, and then showered and dressed, and we all headed out for brunch. Mike drove in from Delray Beach, and after that, Mike and I headed back to the hotel to take naps. Later, we went down to the pool and hung out for about forty five minutes, and then we all gathered up and went to dinner. After dinner, we went to a Sinatra Tribute on the hotel. Frank Sinatra played here at the Fountainbleau during much of his career, and this particular show, although sparsely attended, was filled with LOTS of money. The security in the room was not protecting the singer or the orchestra, but they were certainly in evidence. I am not sure of the guy that was the singer, he made it clear that he was not an impersonator, and I don't know if the orchestra has a particular name, but I could have listened to the orchestra (22 pieces) for hours. It actually did transport me back a bit, and it was really cool. The putz that opened the set was a Catskill comedian, and I know that the comedy was true to form in the 60's, but that was almost 65 years ago. But, it was all good. Then we went and had a drink in the bar, and among other things, there was a moment in the bar. Ask me later and I will tell you. Needless to say, I think this place spends (literally) millions of dollars on the music and sounds throughout the facility, and it is something that draws you in and keeps you there.

Volume 16 - Day 80/286, 2024 - Wednesday

It was another kind of busy day, and another day that started really early. It has all been worth it though, because I have seen (and hugged) friends and colleagues from all across the country that I have not seen for a while. And then, there are my special peeps, and it is always really nice to get a chance to hang out with them. And we all take full advantage. Today there was a breakfast, then a series on presentations, all of them were really interesting even if we (I) never heard of the presenters before, and then there was a Texas luncheon, and then there was (almost) a nap. Before there was a nap, though, we all got up and went to the WynWood Walls, an area in Miami that has transformed a forgotten industrial area into a mecca of large-scale street art. It was really interesting and fun to view. Then we ate a little more, then we got ready for the closing reception this evening, and then we went to dinner at Queen Omakase Restaurant, a wonderful place in an old re-envisioned movie theater. Very interesting, and very good food. Overall, a really great day. Tomorrow will be less busy, but I am sure there will be a lot of action packed in. Oh, and Happy Birthday again to Tobetha!

Volume 16 - Day 79/287, 2024 - Tuesday

Well, it is actually Wednesday already in Miami, but I still have about 30 minutes to get this journal entry done before it is tomorrow in Austin. Today was a good day of learning, listening, lounging and lunching. There was also breakfast and dinner. Today was the first day of President's Circle, and the speakers were interesting, but Leon Panetta was was the best. They always try to have a balance at these meetings, and for that, I am appreciative. After the meetings, we headed back to lunch at a place we found yesterday, Rosetta on Collins Avenue in South Beach. Then back to the hotel when we changed and headed for a fun boat ride to celebrate (sort of) Tobetha's birthday, which is tomorrow, unless it is already tomorrow where you are. In that case, it is today. After the boat, we got back to the hotel, and then we went to Gianni's Restaurant, which is in the former Versace Mansion. All-in-all, it was a fun and pretty busy day, and tomorrow is expected to be pretty much of a repeat.

Volume 16 - Day 78/288, 2024 - Monday

I am staying at the Fountainbleau, which sounds really ritzy and all, but the reality is, just like the Waldorf Astoria in NYC, it is just an old building with inadequate electric service. And now, I need to add that there is inadequate wifi service as well. It is truly frustrating that emails will not send, which causes great concern and anxiety. I will overcome this, and I will have it leave my top-of-mind, but for now, it is a problem. I hung out with a bunch of my peeps today, and it was good to have a chance to mess around and act stupid. It is one of my greatest talents. We all had a nice lunch, and I did not bring a pair of shorts, so I bought a pair just in case I actually go and hang out at one of the pools. There was a nice welcome reception early this evening, and I am back in the room, doing what I really do best, which is nothing at all. Tomorrow we will have a busy morning, and the programs will be over by noon, and then there will be some exploring to get accomplished. It will be fun! 

Volume 16 - Day 77/289, 2024 - Sunday

Happy St. Patrick's Day, and surprise, I am in Miami! I will be here for a few days at a REALTOR® conference, and so far it has been fun, hooking up again with my TREPAC buds. Paulina has a meeting tomorrow, so we flew down together, had dinner, and now I am back at my hotel, and Paulina is on her was to her hotel. She has a 9 o'clock meeting in the morning, and I have a morning free. My first meeting is tomorrow afternoon, so that means a little bit of extra sleep. That will make up for not much sleep that I got last night. We went to a pretty well known restaurant in Little Havana for dinner, and we were right in the middle of a protest. I am pretty sure there are lots of things that Cuban Immigrants could be protesting about, but I am not sure exactly what this particular protest is about. I know there was news coverage of it, and there was a state Senator (I think) being interviewed by one of the news stations. Dinner was very good, I opted for seafood since we are this close to the water, and an extra treat, they had Key Lime Pie. Time for some snoozing right now.

Volume 16 - Day 76/290, 2024 - Saturday

The girls and I slept most of the day, and that was just exactly what I wanted to do. Well, there was a walk this morning, and then Pam, Diane and Marian and I went to two estate sales. The first one was an embarrassment on so many different levels, but the second one was okay, I spent $7. After that, as I said above, I slept most of the day, watched some tv on the History Channel, but nothing that was really remarkable. I did get up and check the mail, and that was my most ambitious endeavor. We have had rain off and on, and so far we have about a third of an inch. There is supposed to be some more significant rain overnight, the worst of it about 4AM Sunday morning. During our walk this morning, this moth (I think itis a moth) was in the middle of the street at one of the intersections we pass. It may or may not have some wing damage, but I did move him/her into a grassy area, just to insure that nobody runs him/her over. The rest of it is up to him/her!

Volume 16 - Day 75/291, 2024 - Friday

Friday is in the top ten of my favorite 'F' words. We did not walk this morning, there were some little dribbles of rain, and some lightning off in the distance, so we called a rain day. That meant the girls and I all piled back up in the chair after they ate, and took benefitted from a little extra snooze time. I got up, got dressed, and went off to my annual (or maybe semi-annual) dermatologist appointment. All was pretty good, she froze off a few pre-cancerous things on my face, and a few non-keratosis things here and there. I looked up the meaning of non-keratosis, and I really could not find anything meaningful, but it is something that is a common condition, probably in old people. I qualify. Then it was off to the office, and I had a couple things I wanted to get done, and then I remembered I had a lunch date with Jetta and Julie. I had not seen them in a good while, and it was nice to catch up. We are somewhat committed to not letting too much time go by before we hook up again. Then, back to the office, and I did get everything accomplished that I wanted to do, and I headed home about 3:30. We have been expecting some pretty severe weather, but so far, nothing really exciting. We got 0.06" of rain in the gauge this morning, which is better than nothing, but we could really use more. If I turn off the sprinkler controller, that will put a hex on the rain chances...what to do, what to do? 

Volume 16 - Day 74/292, 2024 - Thursday

So...there was an interesting article in the New York Times this afternoon about the benefits on laying on the floor. Interesting stuff. So, after this journal entry, you will find me on the floor in the bedroom, thinking of nothing much except to keeping Callie and the Piglet from licking on me. Can't wait. Did I mention the new book I am reading? The Women. It's very interesting, very compelling, very sad, very disturbing. It is about an Army nurse in Vietnam. I looked it up, Vietnam is one word. It is a 14 hour listen, and I am about a third of the way in, and it is a very good book. We had a nice walk this morning, and all was good in the office. If it's Thursday, it must be cheeseburger day from Sandy's. And so it was. I made a couple stops on the way home, and tonight was the neighbors dinner. We had a great time, and Deb (see last nights' journal) was here from Vancouver. We all had a blast, there were eleven of us, at Tony & Luigi's in Georgetown. We laughed, we talked, and had fun. In the photo, clockwise, from the left: Judy, Richard, Margie, Doris, Marian, Ronnie, Linda, me (with head detached from body), Deb, Jimmie and Mike. We are now looking for a volunteer to coordinate the dinner in April. Let me know if you are interested.

Volume 16 - Day 73/293, 2024 - Wednesday

After the walk and all that usual stuff, I headed in to the office, by way of Pease Park. This was the second day that I went in search of the Pease Park Troll. I new the construction was underway, but since this is Spring Break, the park was full and there was not a single place to park. I called Carrie, and, just as I suspected, I needed to park and walk the trails to find it. I did just that, and it was fun! The Troll is an installation of Thomas Dambo, a self professed 'Recycling Art Activist.' This guy has installed more than 100 Trolls worldwide. If you get a chance, it is worth the walk. I am not sure how long it will be in the park, it might just compost itself over time. In case you can't readily tell, this is a lady troll! It was a quiet day in the office, as compared to the first two days this week, and I really appreciated that. I met Michael and Lynda for lunch, and that was nice to catch up with them. Then, back to the office for a few minutes, and I was headed back to the Curious House by about 2:30. Not much else going on tonight, tomorrow will be a pretty typical day, and tomorrow night is the neighborhood dinner. That should be fun, Deb is here from Vancouver. 

Volume 16 - Day 72/294, 2024 - Tuesday

If it's Tuesday, it must be ROMEOs breakfast day. I scoped out the place and found my victim for meeting a perfect stranger. Okay, well, I don't really MEET them, I just go and ask if I can take an 'ussie' with them. I also remembered to find someone that was not backed up to a light source. SO...I took the ussie, and five minutes later she was joined by another man...maybe he had to pee, but I was in and out, nobody got hurt. As always, the day started with our morning walk, and it was in the mid-50s, so really no big deal, weather-wise. It is supposed to be warmer in the morning, maybe a little drizzle, and then the weather heads south for the rest of the week. I made it in to the office, and there is a lot of accounting stuff going on, everybody is getting a head start on their taxes, so there are lots of questions. Mostly all the answers are available to them, but it is easier to just call us to do it for them. I headed home about 2:30 (I think), and all is good. Again, there is nothing really very interesting on tv tonight, but I will figure something out. It should be an early day for me in the office tomorrow, and I also have a lunch date. More about that tomorrow. 

Volume 16 - Day 71/295, 2024 - Monday

Well, maybe this truck was just a teeny bit higher than 13 feet, 5 inches. I sometimes have trouble with photos to include with this journal, but today, I turned around just to take this pic. I noticed it from the other side, and had to steer around glass and debris. By the time I got back to take this pic, the police were there. I doubt that it will cause any issues for MoPac traffic, which is what this road goes under. It was a nice day today, we started with a walk, and I was pretty busy in the office. I left to visit a property at 2 o'clock, and when I was leaving that property is when I first spied the truck stuck under the overpass. I made it home with no problems, stopped at HEB and got a few groceries, and a LOT of dog food. I'm not sure what is on tv tonight, but if I can't find anything interesting, I may venture off into NetFlix land. Antiques Roadshow is generally my goto on Monday nights, but it looks like both episodes are going to be repeats. Wish me luck. I will refrain from complaining about Daylight Saving Time, but know that I am not happy about it. I am also doing my very best to refrain from making comments on any of the political stuff swirling around. I'm not really too sure how long that will last, but when I just can't take it any more, I think it will be really fun! Fasten your seat belts... 

Volume 16 - Day 70/296, 2024 - Sunday

Everybody say YAY YOU! It was another really good day, and I got lots of stuff done today, even though there was NOTHING on my list of chores. Once again, let me be clear: I am not a fan of Daylight Saving Time. I will be finished with those exclamations in a week or so. We had a nice walk this morning, it was still chillier than I would like, but we got it done. I had intended to make an egg loaf this morning, but I really was not hungry, so... I piled up with the girls and we watched Sunday Morning, or most of it anyway. Then I headed out to Home Depot, but I could not find any Bougainvillea, but I did buy some lilies. Then, I decided that the things I was going to plant where my existing Bougainvillea were, would just be potted...since I think the Bougainvillea still have some life in them. We shall see. I went BACK to that estate sale that I went to yesterday (twice), and walked out with a few more treasures. You really can't beat 75% discounts on stuff I really don't need. I had an early dinner with Val, Paulina and Oliver, so we could all be back in front of the televisions for the Oscars. I have really been looking forward to the Oscars this year, but right now I am undecided. I am happy with the award recipients, and I expect I will be fine with the whole thing when it is over.

Volume 16 - Day 69/297, 2024 - Saturday

Overall, today was kind of a lazy day. I had NO chores on my list, so I had very little to actually accomplish, and I accomplished that! It was a really chilly morning, compared to what we have been used to (it was about 43 degrees), and we had a nice walk. Having not walked yesterday, we had a LOT to catch up on, and we did get caught up. After the walk, Diane and Marian and I headed off to estate sales. We scoped out three estate sales, and we went back to one late this afternoon, and got a couple good bargains. Marian and I MIGHT go back tomorrow, I will have my alarm set for 1:40, just in case. 75% off starting at 2. Tomorrow, after the walk and Sunday Morning, I have plans to make an egg loaf for me and the girls, then maybe a quick trip to Home Depot. I am in search of some SMALL bougainvillea to fill up a couple pots in the front of the house. Maybe two for each planter. Maybe. And, I am looking for some hanging baskets for the back patio that might be attractive to humming birds. We'll see. I spent a good portion of the day setting clocks forward an hour, much to my chagrin, in preparation of Daylight Saving Time. I expect I will find clocks here and there that I have missed, up until June or July. I think now it is time to go pile up with a couple girls dogs in my lap. I need to rest up for tomorrow.

Volume 16 - Day 68/298, 2024 - Friday

Yay! It's Friday. I said many times, I have only recently begun paying attention to weekends, but now I pay attention to them. Today was a good day, no walk because of the weather, which really did not happen. At our usual start time, there was supposedly a front coming through with rain, and there was definitely some lightning. At best, we got a trace of rain. At any rate, I had a 9 o'clock appointment in Austin, so I would have only done half a walk, but with the weather, I left earlier than I had planned. You never know what to expect of Austin drivers on wet roads. It was all good though, I got to my 9 o'clock, got to the office for my 10:30, and then had lunch with my good friend Diane. After lunch, I was back in the office to make sure all was good, and I left for home about 3. My friends Alisha and Reuben called and come over with a home made apple pie that Reuben made. YAHOO! No half-an-apple-pie-from-HEB in the near future for me. This pie ought to keep me for a week, maybe ten days. I can't wait. There are three estate sales tomorrow, and then I have two movies to go to tomorrow and one on Sunday, in preparation for the Oscar show on Sunday. I still will not have seen all the nominated movies, but more this year than usual. 

Volume 16 - Day 67/299, 2024 - Thursday

Today was a long day, but it is close to being over now. Yes, there was a nice walk, nice conversations, nice ideas. Then, I had a continuing education class from 9 until 4. By zoom. That is a long time to sit in my chair in the office and pay attention. But I did, and I got that checked off my list. I have another three hours of CE to get done before September, so I am in pretty good shape. Round IS a shape, right? That's what I have always been told. So, after that, I had an HOA committee meeting tonight. I'm on the Landscape Committee. Kind of interesting, kind of contentious, there is a lot of stuff that needs to be done, mostly due to the last couple of years freezing weather, and the improper plantings in the common areas by the past property developers. It will all turn out alright. I have an early day tomorrow, so I will most likely only be able to do half may walk. I have an appointment in Austin at 9AM. Then a 10:30. Then a noon lunch date. I also understand there is a home made apple pie in my future. I will definitely make room for that!

Volume 16 - Day 66/300, 2024 - Wednesday

What day is it? Whatever. There is a chance of high winds and large hail in the next couple days, but so far, it looks like the Curious House is out of the path. We had a nice walk this morning, five of us, and then off to the office. Before I left, I cleaned the hummingbird feeders, filled them up, and hung them back out off the back porch. It should be just in time for them to arrive, and I hope there will be a plethora of hummers this summer. Jimmie and Linda invited me to the Bon Aire in Austin for dinner tonight. He loves himself some boiled swimps, and the Bon Aire never gets them wrong. I had a dozen swimps and a pork kabob, and yummy dinner indeed. All About Eve is on the television, and I thought I could remember when it first came out, but that was in 1950 and I wasn't born quite that long ago. I have seen it many times, and there are some great catty lines in it, just what I like. Bette Davis is quite the bitch, someone to admire and put on a pedestal. So, I think I will end this entry, and go pile up with the girls, and enjoy the show!

Volume 16 - Day 65/301, 2024 - Tuesday

Another pretty damned good day. Good walk, and then the ROMEOs breakfast. There were five of us, and I continued my quest to take selfies (ussies) with total strangers. I love it when people say I shouldn't do things...it just makes me want to do it more. This lady (see photo) had no problem with me taking our photo. I need to remember NOT to take photos with the sun (or other light sources) behind me. I am also not sure, but I think I won the trophy for 'worst hair' of the day. I am trying to let it grow out...okay, trying might not be the correct term, but it is growing out, and I think it is at that 'awkward' stage. It will either work out okay, or I will cut it all off again. I am not really that concerned. There is no one I am trying to impress, especially about my hair. Okay, I sometimes wonder why I do things that I do. About six weeks ago, I bought a package of theater tickets for all the Academy Award Best Picture nominated films for this year. There are six films (out of 11 I think) that I have not seen. SO...starting tomorrow, and for the next five days, I will see six films. It will all be okay, and probably no harm will come to me because of it. I have two films to take in tomorrow...oh, well.

Volume 16 - Day 64/302, 2024 - Monday

I admit, it was a tremendous personal sacrifice, but the pizza is done. Finished. Of course, the day started off with a nice walk this morning, and there were SIX of us walking. Always fun. After that, I was in to the office, a little sooner than usual, because I THOUGHT I had a 1:30 meeting at the Board of REALTORS®. What I thought was an in-person meeting, turned out to be a zoom meeting, so I did not have to go anywhere for the meeting. As it was, I left the office at about 3 o'clock, and got home about 3:45. Richard came over and made arrangements to reinforce a place for me to hang a heave piece of art in the garage. I would ordinarily say that Richard came over to 'help me' hang the framed piece, but in this instance, Richard did it all, I was there for moral support. When that was done, I walked Richard home, and got to see Margie for the first time since they returned from New Orleans. She looks great, you could not tell she had any health issues to look at her, and her cheeks were rosy pink. Great to see her. It is always interesting to me to see my orchids put out new blooms. I think this one will be in full bloom in another three or four days. Very nice!

Volume 16 - Day 63/303, 2024 - Sunday

Today was a fun day. A busy day but also a fun day. I got in a nice walk this morning with Jack, Richard and Paul, then back home where I had several spurts of energy. I put a load of clothes in the washer; the blankets from the bed for this load. As of now, I have washed four loads of clothes, which comes to washing clothes about every six weeks or so. Don't judge me. According to Mrs. Google, I still change the bed linens MUCH more than the average. Everything is crossed off my chores list; I planted six amaryllis, twenty-one packets of morning glory seeds, one packet of bluebonnet seeds and two bluebonnet plants, as well as three packets of wildflower seeds. I also trimmed back the ornamental grasses in the back yard, rearranged the furniture on the back deck and patio (back to the way it was before I rearranged it last night). In between times today, I had a nice brunch with Alisha and Reuben, hung several pieces of art in the garage (garages aren't just for cars anymore), and vacuumed here and there. I watched a You Tube video about how to fold fitted sheets, but that did not help at all. Now I am pretty much done for the day, but I will go out later and water the plants and seeds that I put in the ground. The red buds are blooming all over the neighborhood. The flowers on red buds (should it be one word or two?) develop before the leaves in the spring, emerging in clusters along the branches. Redbuds (equal time for both methods) are ramiflorous, bearing flowers and g=fruits on bare branches. This is a rare trait in trees that grow in temperate climates. Flowers bloom between March and April and last for two to three weeks. PAM, if you are reading this, please tell Paul.

Volume 16 - Day 62/304, 2024 - Saturday

As usual, we had a nice walk this morning, and then I took a little nap, then got ready to hit two estate sales. After the second estate sale, there was a traffic jam on the narrow street, because none of the old people wanted to give an inch. It was my first real experience of a Sun City Standoff, but it was fun. I got out of the car, directed traffic, showed one old guy how to put his car in reverse (not really), and got back in the car after having been praised by all those involved. I'm pretty sure it was praise! I was in a pretty good mood until I went to the office for a 1PM appointment. Just one of the attendees at the appointment, not anyone that was involved with the actual transaction, put me in a bad mood. I have routines, and I have to stick to my routines, even if the routines are messes up from the start. It's along story. After the office, I took a long, slow ride home. I stopped at HEB, bought two pots of Bluebonnets to plant in the front yard tomorrow, along with some seeds Jimmie gave me. I am also going to plant three packages of wildflower seeds in the front, hoping the bees will like them. I pulled all the dead morning glory vines off the trellis in the back yard, and there is already new growth going up. I have morning glory seeds to plant, too. One of the fountains on the back deck had a rust hole in it, so it was taken out of commission, and I replaced it with this one. There is still some tweaking to do on it, but I am not really 100% convinced that I like it. AND it is really loud! It will probably be alright. I think we are doing brunch tomorrow, but I am not 100% sure of that either. I hope we will, it has been a couple weeks.

Volume 16 - Day 61/305, 2024 - Friday

And now, for something completely different. It is after 11 o'clock, and some several minutes past my sleep time. Not my bed time, my sleep time. I went to dinner this evening with Jimmie and Linda, and then we went to a Blake Shelton concert. It was pretty darned interesting. The concert start time was 7PM, so we left the house at 4. Had dinner. Got to the venue at about 6:30 There were two warm up acts, no one that I was particularly familiar with. Blake came on at 9PM, and we left at 10. They could all still be there for all we know. I had fun watching the people; a never ending line of comers-and-goers. The space was less that 50% full until about 8:30, and then I would say it was about 95% (at least) full. Apparently it is de rigueur (the current fashion for you Aggies) to arrive late, or in this case, just about the right time. Anyway, it was fun, we had a nice dinner and we enjoyed each others company. I was surprised that all three acts advocated that all the attendees consume goodly amounts of alcohol. Odd. Whatever. The day started as most do with a nice walk with the boys, and then off to the office. It was a calm day in the office, and I got home early, and you know about the rest of the afternoon and evening. Good night!