Volume 16 - Day 244/122, 2024 - Saturday

I had a relatively busy day today, considering that there were only three estate sales on tap. After my walk with Paul, I got home, fed the girls, had some cereal, and pulled weeds between the sidewalk and the street. Last year, I had the grass removed from that area, cut off the sprinklers, and had stones put there. The weeds were all the same kind, they were rooted just in the rocks, so they were not hard to pull out be hand, but they were milky and sticky. I have washed my hands, paying special attention to the black marks from the sticky, but the black spots are still there. After the weed pulling, Diane and Marian and I went to the estate sales. Diane bought nothing, Marian bought a video and a game, and I bought another bell and a couple pieces of art. I needed all that stuff. Then I went down for a nap. I slept hard for about an hour, and then I went to get Oliver to take him to lunch. Then we went to Costco, back home, cut some of the apple pie to keep, and sent the rest of it to Oliver. I cannot even consider keeping a whole Costco apple pie at the Curious House. When I got back, I fed the girls, fed myself something (that I don't remember), and watched a little bit of tv. TV is ruined because it is the first day of college football. I was looking through pictures for something to post with this journal entry, and came across the first selfie I ever took, May of 1964. I was twelve. Ugh.See you next month.

Volume 16 - Day 243/123, 2024 - Friday

I went in to the office earlier than usual, and that worked out well. On the way home yesterday, I had stopped by a property and took the lockbox off in anticipation of a new tenant moving in there today. The key I had in my pocket was the key the tenant needed, until the property is rekeyed next week. All turned out well, and I am glad I left the Curious House earlier than usual . All was good in the office this last business day of August, and it is interesting that we are almost into September. The days are going by. I left the office about 2 o'clock this afternoon, and planned to go to HEB and pick up a few things I did not get yesterday. On the way, Linda called and asked me to do she and Jimmie a favor, which I was happy to do. I got the favor done and then headed to HEB, and then this happened, although I did not know it until I got home. I have never, NEVER EVER in my life (and I am pretty old) bought chocolate ice cream. I have never ordered a scoop pf chocolate ice cream. I have eaten chocolate ice cream in the past, because when I was a kid, ice cream came in three flavors in one container; vanilla, chocolate and strawberry. It was called Neapolitan. Prepare to be informed...it is/was called Neapolitan because it is presumed to have originated in Maples, Italy. The first Neapolitan style ice cream was a trio of pistachio, cherry and chocolate. Whatever. Now I have this ice cream that I will suffer through, but it would also NOT surprise me if, at this late stage in my life, I find that I like it. Stranger things have happened.

Volume 16 - Day 242/124, 2024 - Thursday

Welcome (almost) to the Labor Day Weekend. So far, I have only been in the office one day this week, tomorrow will make two, and then we have a long, three-day weekend. Fantastic. I got back into the walking groove this morning with Paul and James, and that was fun. I had a couple errands to run this morning on the way to the office, and I feel accomplished for having checked those things off my list. THe office was good, a few things stacked up, but I got everything done. Carrie and I had burgers from Sandy's for lunch, and that is always a great choice. I made a couple stops on the way home, and a quick trip to the HEB as well. I only spent $27 at HEB, so there must have been a lot of stuff that I forgot to buy. Tonight was book club night at Marian's, and we all had a great time talking about the book, which we all liked. When Dick and Marge are in Chicago for the summer, they join us via Zoom, and it is always fun to have then join us, so good to see them! Then, we veered off into politics, and we all had a good time discussing current events. Have I mentioned that tomorrow is Friday? And it will be the start of a three-day weekend? Just making sure. It should be a good day in the office tomorrow, and nothing too much to get all worked up over. 

Volume 16 - Day 241/125, 2024 - Wednesday

Okay, I'm home, and I'm happy to be here. The Board of Directors meeting ended early, and I left Grapevine about 11:30. I stopped at a McDonald's somewhere, and had a fish filet and a medium fries. $8. I got to Paulina's about 3 o'clock, and I think the girls were happy to see me. It's kind of hard to tell, but once we got home, they got back into their normal routines. I am back in my normal (questionable?) routines, too, and that makes me happy. The girls got fed, I took a ten minute nap, and Jimmie and Linda and I went for ice cream. It rained a little bit on us, but the rain is welcome. I finished my book club book on the drive home, and I cried a good bit of the way while listening to the book. It was a great book, and it was a very emotional read (listen). The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah. I read another of her books earlier this year, The Women, and I liked that one a lot, too. Intense, if you like intense reads. Or listens. The picture accompanying this journal entry came up on my memories today, and I always liked this spot. I would pass these mailboxes every now and then, when we were living at the farm, and I always paid attention to them. I just liked the look. Enjoy.

Volume 16 - Day 240/126 , 2024 - Tuesday

This TR Conference is almost done, tomorrow morning will be the Board of Directors meeting, and then I will be headed home. This morning there were two meetings, and then dinner this evening. Lots of camaraderie with friends and colleagues. Not all of them, of course. People I have know for a while, that have always been difficult, continue to be difficult, which is their prerogative. I am pretty certain people think the same of me, so they don't need to engage with me, which is my new tack. I think it will work out pretty well. I did get a little bit of work done as well today, and that is always a good feeling of accomplishment. There is a lot of networking being done as well, and I cannot think of any interesting stuff to include in this journal entry about a real estate confrerence, so I am going to quit trying. This photo however, is me and my friends Tera and Linda, from Waco. I have known them both for years, and happy to hang out with them as much as I can. Just one more anecdote, the t-shirt I'm wearing got me and Holly a really good table in the restaurant tonight!

Volume 16 - Day 239/127 - Monday

Okay, another day has come and gone, and I am one day closer to being home. I was another good and busy day of learning and sharing, and seeing friends and colleagues that I have not seen in a while. The only thing I am missing, except for the girls and everything else, is something sweet to have after dinner. I've seen people with ice cream, but I can't figure out where they got it. I expect I will survive. I have a breakfast meeting tomorrow, and then a couple classes after that, and then the Board of Directors meeting on Wednesday. I expect I will pick up the girls about 4 or 5 o'clock on Wednesday, and then I can get back into my routine. I just looked at the room service menu, and the least expensive dessert is $12. By the time you add all the fees and a tip, it will be $30, and instead, I will just feel smug that I was able to resist. I have paid some attention to the weather at the Curious House, and it looks like there has been some rain, and I am glad about that. The weather forecasts calls for more chances through the week. No rain here in Grapevine, but there was a pretty nice sunset this evening. Enjoy!

Volume 16 - Day 238/128, 2024 - Sunday

Okay, that is a wrap for the first full day of the TR Shaping Texas Conference. It was an early day, breakfast with Melinda and Nancy. Then Political Involvement Committee meeting, Opening Session with Emmitt Smith, a meet & greet, then welcome reception and and the last piece of business was a TREPAC Alumni gathering with the current TREPAC leadership. Lots of good information shared, and during the PIC meeting there was lots of information about AI. My question was, is a machine (AI) deserving of First Amendment rights? I don't think a machine should qualify, but I am not the smartest person in the room, even if I am the only person in the room. I have six things on the calendar for tomorrow, and that, I think, is kind of average. I just went and looked out the peep hole in my door, and a bunch of my colleagues seem to be having a party of their own in the hall. I would have joined, but that would have meant I needed to put clothes on. Nope, way too late for that.

Volume 16 - Day 237/129, 2024 - Saturday

I can finally remember where I went today. For weeks, I knew I was attending a conference beginning today, but whenever someone asked me where I was going, I could not remember the name of the city. I finally got it down today: Grapevine. Why would there be a city in Texas named Grapevine? I have no idea, but at least I can remember it now. Paul and I did a nice walk this morning, I started packing and checking off things on my list of chores before I left. Pam, Diane, Marian and I hit four underwhelming estate sales, but at least I did not get thrown out of any of them. After the estate sales, I finished up house chores and took the girls to stay with Paulina, Val and Oliver. Oliver said he took his SAT test today, and he and everyone he knows ran out of time with four math questions left. I am pretty sure I took the SAT about 55 years ago, but I remember nothing about it. I left Paulina's and drove to Grapevine. I made one stop along the way, because I thought the gas gauge on the little white car was not working. I stopped at Buccee's, filled the car up (five gallons) so I guess the little white car gets much better mileage than I thought it would. I got to the hotel, checked in, and I have not left the room since. My friend Nancy came by and we sat and talked and gossipped for a couple hours. Now, time to call it a done day. Just to be clear, I always get the best rooms with the best views when I check in to a hotel. The photo accompanying this entry is typical of the views I get from a hotel window.

Volume 16 - Day 236/130, 2024 - Friday

Well, I give up. The flag has defeated me, and it is now inside the house in one of the spare bedrooms. I need to find a different place for it, where it will not get caught up in the gutters. That is not as easy as it sounds. There is a tree in the way of the next best place for it, and there are not many other practical options. So, it is in the house for the near term. I was not in the office very long today, it was quiet, and I got everything done with no issues. I got the white car washed on the way home, and tomorrow morning there will be four estate sales for us to hit, and that is always fun. I have no idea of what I may find that I cannot live without. The girls were just barking at some people walking past the house, and it is kind of windy and a little bit darker than I was expecting. There is some rain happening south of us, but I have no fantasy that we will get any of it here. The photo accompanying this photo was taken yesterday during our morning walk. This is Thor, and Thor belongs to Greg and Leisa. Every now and then, when we cross paths walking, Leisa will let Thor off his leash and he we RUN to me to get his cookie. That is something that always makes me smile. He gets his cookie, and then he turns around and goes back to his mom. 

Volume 16 - Day 235/131, 2024 - Thursday

Well, it was 109 degrees yesterday, and a cool front came through today, and it was only 107 degrees. The last two overnight temperatures were record breaking high low temperatures. If you're an Aggie, that means the low overnight temperatures were higher than they had ever been. If you still don't get it, ask Mrs. Google. G-o-o-g-l-e. It was a warm walk this morning, and we were joined by James, and it was nice seeing him. I am not sure why, but I did not get in to the office until about 9:45 this morning. There was nothing I can think of that slowed me down, and I was surprised it was so late when I got there. There was not a whole lot to do in the office, but I stayed busy while I was there. It was a platelet day, so I headed off for that about 12:15. Yesterday was Kay's birthday, and there was a birthday lunch for her, but I missed it because of the platelet gig. The machine only wanted a single platelet draw from me, usually I donate a double. But, there is no arguing with a machine that sucks blood out of you, so I was only immobilized for about 2 hours instead of the usual three. I always have a good time when I am donating, and I really like the staff there. I wonder if I would recognize them if I ever saw them outside the blood bank. Maybe, maybe not. I had one errand to get done on my way home, and that was no real trouble. There does seem to be a rash of stupid drivers on the road recently, and it's not a wimmin, either. Just a bunch of crazies! Tomorrow is the weekend eve, and there is one more week before we have a three day weekend! I'm ready for it!

Volume 16 - Day 234/132, 2024 - Wednesday

Okay, we made it through another hump day. Have I mentioned that it is hot here in central Texas? On my way home from Austin today, my car registered 109 degrees. My watch said it was 104 degrees. The little weather station in the Curious House said it was 111 degrees. There is not a lot of difference in those three numbers, but it is definitely hot. It is supposed to cool down starting tomorrow, but the weather prognosticators have been known to lie to me before, so we shall see. It was a relatively quiet day in the office, but it was still busy. I had two zoom calls, one at 10 and one at 11:30. During the calls, I was multi-tasking, and I got a good bit of stuff done. I had one stop to make on the way home, and, honestly, I cannot go outside with the girls and be outside more than three or four minutes before I begin to glisten. Tonight was our neighbors dinner, and there were 8 of us. We met at Jimmy Vega's Smokehouse in Georgetown, and we all had a good time and a good dinner. I think I am a very lucky man to live in this neighborhood, with all these good friends.

Volume 16 - Day 233/133, 2024 - Tuesday

If you judge the quality of your day by the number of tenants that are screaming at you, and by the volume of their screams, then today was a good day. Yesterday was a bad day. There was no walk this morning, Paul was not walking, so I took the opportunity to sit in the big chair with the girls and just be calm for a while. Today was the ROMEO breakfast, and if it is Tuesday, it must be Total Stranger Tuesday. And, today was a three-fer! These three ladies came in to the restaurant one at a time, and eventually there were three of them. They were seated not far from us, and after I finished my breakfast, I explained my mission, and they agreed. It is always helpful that I direct their gaze to Paul and Rick, who wave at them and give them assurances that I am not THAT bad of a person. Anyway, it was fun, and they were very smiley! You can see Paul and Rick at the table behind the strangers. Me too. Then off to the office. All was good in the office, and I got my stuff done (is it ever REALLY done?), and left for a 2:30 appointment. The appointment was fun, and it resulted in a new property for our portfolio. I got home close to 5, and I am pretty sure the girls thought they had seen the last of me. What they probably thought was they would never have another meal. So far, the flag magnets seem to be doing their job, and that is good. I called my pest control people yesterday, to tell them that I believed I have voles running around. They said they did not treat for voles. I said, well, it seems like the same thing you use for mice or rats would work for voles. I was put on a prolonged hold, and she came back and said they could not target voles, because they are considered wild life. I'm done.

Volume 16 - Day 232/134, 2024 - Monday

So far, so good. The flag magnets arrived this afternoon, and the disclaimer says 'THEASE MAGNET ARE VERY STRONG! KEEP OUT OF REACH OF CHILDREN AND AWAY FROM PACEMAKERS. NOT FOR CHILDREN UNDER 14 YEARS. MADE IN CHINA. That is verbatim. Again, so far, so good. They are indeed VERY strong, I have no kids under 14, and so far I don't have a pacemaker. The flag has not blown onto the gutters since I put the magnets on, but I am fully of the belief that, if we get a good gust of wind, the flag will magnetize itself to the gutter, and I will need a ladder to un-magnet it. A nice walk this morning, then in to the office. I spent the entire day working on one property, but at least I got it done. Tonight, I will try my best to avoid the convention, but it is being covered for the next four days. There is not a single thing that either party could do at this point that would change my vote, NOTHING, so there is really no reason (IMHO) for me to watch 20 or 25 hours of the convention. The temperature in central is predicted to be 107 degrees tomorrow, so I might just have to go and hide in a cave somewhere. Tomorrow will be the ROMEO breakfast, and Wednesday night will be the neighborhood dinner. It will be fun to see everyone!

Volume 16 - Day 231/135, 2024 - Sunday

There is a possibility that it is even too hot at 6:30 in the morning to walk. Probably not, but I am considering it. After our walk this morning, I settled in to watch Sunday Morning, and much of it kept my attention. After that, it was time to join Terry, Alisha and Reuben for brunch. It was a blast. I have not laughed like that and that hard in a long time. I can't really tell you about all the stuff we laughed at, but it is possible that my Instagram name has been changed to something obscene. Maybe. And my legit Instagram name is OShux51. I think. Try it and see if that's me. After brunch, I came home and tried to figure out a way to keep the flag from getting stuck in the gutters. I tried several things, and nothing worked. By this time tomorrow (thank you Amazon), I will be the owner of 8 (EIGHT) flag magnets, made especially to keep flags from curling around stuff and to weight the flag down sufficiently so it will not keep getting caught in the gutter. It sounds too good to be true, and I will report back tomorrow. After pondering the flag situation for a while, I went to another estate sale (I had been to this one yesterday, and today was half price day), and told them about being ejected from a sale yesterday. They said 'Are you the one they called the cops on?' Apparently, word travels fast in estate sale circles. No, I'm pretty sure they did not call the cops on me, but there were people reporting that, after they threw me out, they had more ruckus and more screaming. Too weird! Jimmie and Linda are back in town, and we went for ice cream this evening, always fun to hang with them, and the people at the ice cream place see to enjoy our company. Apparently they don't know me that well. Whatever.

Volume 16 - Day 230/136, 2024 - Saturday

Okay, it was a pretty normal, typical Saturday for me; I had a nice walk with Paul, did a few things around the house, went to estate sales and was thrown out of one of them, had brunch with Val, Paulina and Oliver, took the long way home, tried to hang my flag and I am still unsatisfied with the way it is working, and now I am doing the daily journal. Pam, Diane and Marian and I went to four estate sales, and I was thrown out of the third one. It is a long story, but the determining factor was when I told the woman at the cash stand that she needed a valium, and did anyone in the place have one they could share. When I got thrown out, Marian put her item down, and stormed out with me. By this sale, Pam had abandoned the events because she was getting a migraine, and Diane did not even know we had been thrown out. Whatever. I may or may not be allowed back in to that particular companies sales in the past, and I am not sure I will want to go...but I probably will, just to see if they recognize me. I might need to do something with my hair. Lunch with Val, Paulina and Oliver was really good, we went to the Original Pancake House, and there was a wait at 1 o'clock. I had a selection from the 'Senior Menu' which was really, REALLY good, and we had a great time together. Then, We went to a Russian Market and a French Bakery. The had croissants but no baguettes. The croissants looked good though, and I may need to go back again sometime when I have not just had pancakes and eggs. I may go back to one of the estate sales tomorrow, and I think I am going to continue to putz with the flag later tonight, after it gets a little bit cooler. Maybe not. 

Volume 16 - Day 229/137, 2024 - Friday

I should not curse the weekend, but today was a very calm and quiet day. Having said that, I expect the phone to start ringing any minute. It was only 101 today, 102 forecast for tomorrow, and that is kind of the norm these days. I am very happy that air conditioning was invented in 1902. Paul and I had a nice walk this morning, and then it was in to Austin for me. The quiet continued, and I got home way earlier than usual, and went down for a very nice nap. I did get the flag and flagpole I ordered a couple weeks ago, but I now need to rethink where I am going to hang it. I fear that, if I put it where I intended, it will (maybe) cause the exterior camera focused on the driveway to register motion, and I will be flooded with videos of the flag. I will get this figured out over the weekend. Estate sales tomorrow will be fun, and I am looking forward to that, and then lunch with Val, Paulina and (maybe) Oliver. It was too hot to think about a photo for this entry, so I looked back on archived photos. I have photos on my phone starting in 2011, and apparently, on this day in 2013, I encountered loose livestock on my way in to Austin.

Volume 16 - Day 228/138, 2024 - Thursday

Well, it looks like the FaceBook gendarmes reinstated my journal entry from yesterday. They could have told me. They said it violated community standards, and that I was trying to get viewers to click on a link to another site. Wrong. This is the third time their algorithm has identified one of my posts was violating something. I protested all three times, I don't know if they reinstated the other two or not. Whatever. Paul and I had a nice walk this morning, and then I was off to the city. There were a few things I needed to get done, and I needed to go visit a property. On my way home this afternoon, I was planning to make a couple stops, but I changed my mind and just made it home with no stops. I am trying to think of something interesting to include in this entry, but apparently I am even boring myself. The heat is taking a toll on the morning glories, and the once full and lush vines and thinning and becoming more sparse. There were a couple little blooms this morning, and all I can do is keep watering them. No rain in site, and it was 102 degrees today in central Austin.

Volume 16 - Day 227/139, 2024 - Wednesday

I got a notice from my insurance company that one of the policy payment on one of the rent houses was past due. I spent (literally) hours on the phone today, trying to get this figured out. The mortgage company shows that they paid the insurance on July 23rd, the insurance company has not received it. They are stopping payment and sending a new check. They were going to overnight the check by FedEx to the insurance company, but the insurance company only has a PO Box and cannot accept overnight envelopes from FedEx. The mortgage company is only set up to overnight via FedEx, and cannot put a check in overnight mail via USPS. I suggested someone at the mortgage company walk the check to the Post Office and that was not received well. Also, the insurance company can accept a wire transfer from me (the insured person), but they are not set up to receive wired funds from the mortgage company. SO...they are going to put another check in the mail tomorrow...regular mail...and I will call them back on Friday to confirm that the check was put in the mail. Then I will wait a week or so and call the insurance company back to see if they received the check. Worst case scenario, I will wire funds to them and then try to get a refund from the mortgage company. I have no confidence that that will happen without more hickeys. The school year in Georgetown starts tomorrow, and Paul and I are looking forward to seeing the kids and the bus drivers again, that we have not seen for the last three months or so. The bus drivers were doing test runs this morning, and this one stopped for an ussie! We also saw Patsy (or Peggy) walking too, and I teased her about starting 11th grade tomorrow. NOT. Which caused Paul to wonder if I would go back to 11th grade knowing what I know now. It was an interesting question, and even though I have had some really hurtful experiences since I was in 11th grade, and there are things I certainly regret, I would choose not to change anything, because, in the end, everything turned out okay. Feel free to discuss.

Volume 16 - Day 226/140, 2024 - Tuesday

I had an all-day, in-person meeting at the Board of REALTORS® today, so I did not walk or participate in the ROMEO breakfast. Dang it! The meeting, however, was a great way to hang out with a bunch of friends and colleagues, and it was a lot like old times. NOTE: The following content may be unsuitable for children, and may (or may not) contain one or more of the following: crude indecent language, explicit sexual activity, or graphic violence. Then again, it may not. Reader discretion is advised, and I am not fishing for comments here. In the late '80s, I participated in psychological counseling every week for three or four years. I may have mentioned that to many of you in the past. It was a good experience for me, and I learned a lot about myself, and learned things that I still practice to this day. One time I told my therapist about a dream I had. I was an old car, there were some dings and dents in the body, but it had a good motor. Kind of telling, huh? If you saw my journal entries over the past two days, there have been some remembrances about Jody, my husband. We were together for 28 years, we were legally married in 2013, and he left this plane in February of 2020. I'm going to tell you about a dream I had last night, a very vivid dream, and remember, I knew exactly what it meant even before I Googled it this morning when I crawled out of the bed. I dreamt I was drowning. It was very real. There were people around me, in the water near me, and I remember struggling to surface and hold my hand and clinched fist above the water. I remember I breached the water and said 'help,' before sinking again. I did not yell the word, I just said 'help.' And then I sank down again. And I woke from the dream. Like I said, I know exactly what the dream meant, and I think it was sparked by my memories of Jody over the past several days. To be clear, I think about Jody every day, but maybe just a little extra this week. The moral of this post is, maybe, we all have our dreams, but we seldom share. I am honestly glad I can remember this one so clearly, even if that does sound kind of creepy.

Volume 16 - Day 225/141, 2024 - Monday

I finally got the prescription challenge solved this afternoon. I went BACK to the CVS I went to yesterday, and asked them about the particular prescription. Yes, we have it, but we asked your doctor for an alternate drug because your insurance (MediCare) will not pay for it. I said, well, my insurance has never paid for it, I always pay cash for that prescription. That changed everything, and within 20 minutes, I had the prescription, and I was on my way. They never asked ME if I wanted it via insurance, but whatever, that is done, I don't need to concern myself with it for another three months. Traffic was not particularly difficult this morning, I keep expecting it to be congested because school is getting back in session in central Texas. We had our last office meeting this afternoon, talking about the changes to MLS at our association, so I believe our agents are better prepared than most of the agents in Texas and across the United States. Time will tell, and the whole thing is not really that difficult. It will all smooth itself out in the next few months. August 12, 2013 was the day that Jody and I were legally married by a Republican Justice of the Peace in Glastonbury, Connecticut. I have very vivid memories of it, and I miss my husband very much. I'm going to leave it at that, I could go on-and-on.

Volume 16 - Day 224/142, 2021 - Sunday

I spent some of the day reading about Maltipoos, and I am becoming more convinced that the Piglet is one of those hybrid dogs. Pretty much has her down, so that will put the notion that she is overweight to rest. That does not mean she will no longer be referred to as the Piglet, some things are just too good to modify. Paul and I had a good walk this morning, then I watched some of Sunday Morning. Parts of it kept my attention, and other parts not so much. I did go out and trim back the morning glory vines, and that was one thing on my chore list. There are still two things on the list (I started with three), but I will get to them in a week or two, no hurry. After that, I went to brunch with Candy, Mike and Alisha. It was fun, we had not had brunch in a couple weeks, and I like seeing them all. I was on a quest to find a pharmacy that had one of my prescriptions in stock. It has been a bit of a challenge recently to get it filled. I found them at a CVS in Georgetown, and my doctor has sent them the paperwork. But, between this morning and now, they too are out, and it is on back order. They are sending the doctor a request for an alternative, and we will see how that works out. After that, I spent a good part of the day doing nothing, but I did spend some time watching the hummers at the feeders. It will be time to clean and refill the feeders tomorrow or the next day. 

Volume 16 - Day 223/143, 2024 - Saturday

Well, Paulina may have come up with the answer to why the Piglet is heavier than other Maltese dogs are, and heavier than what the Googles say she should be. What is a Maltipoo? Known as a designer dog, these charming little pups are a fairly new breed. Falling into the popular category of poodle mixes, Maltipoos are a mix between the Maltese and the Poodle. Well, that is interesting. I never heard of a Maltipoo before, and you can learn new stuff every day. According to the Interwebs, a Maltese should weigh about 10 pounds, and the Piglets weighs about 17 pounds. That is well within the weight range for a Maltipoo. I never thought I was feeding her too much, and she and Callie get exactly the same amount of food every day, she just weighs more. Apparently, it is not an issue. Done. There were four estate sales today, and all of them were disappointing. I did buy a few things, and they are still in the car, I will retrieve that stuff tomorrow. Otherwise, most of the day was spent napping in the big chair with two dogs napping along with me. I got nothing on my chore list done, and (maybe) I will get that stuff done tomorrow. Brunch is set for tomorrow, and that will be fun, it has been a while since we all met up. HAPPY BIRTHDAY MELODY!

Volume 16 - Day 222/144, 2024 - Friday

So, Friday is my favorite day of the week, it is the start of the weekend, and usually the weekend means I will have nothing to do, but stuff I want to do. I really (REALLY) wanted to hit an estate sale before I went in to the office this morning, but the way things worked out, I wasn't able to. There was one item at one of the sales that I really wanted, but maybe it will still be there tomorrow. I doubt it, actually. If it is still there, and I get it, I will let you know what it is/was. It is something that I had many, MANY years ago in Memphis, so time will tell if I procure this one or not. I made it in to the office and got things done that needed to be done, and then I headed off to the blood bank to give another round of platelets. Every time I go, I learn new things, and make new friends. I cannot relay to you how much I enjoy have a sharp needle stuck in a vein and left there for about three hours. Interestingly, I never even know if they are taking or giving, and the staff is kind of surprised about that as well. Whatever. Val and Paulina picked me up this afternoon, and we went in to Georgetown for dinner. Pizza and salad. Apparently I am a poor communicator, because I did not eat all my salad, and asked for a carry out. That request was interpreted to I did not want the salad, and it was discarded. I need to work on that. Tomorrow will be four estate sales, and who knows what else. I need to pull some weeds, which I will do, but so far I have nothing else on my chore list for the weekend. Perfect!

Volume 16 - Day 221/145, 2024 - Thursday

Thursday is my fourth favorite day of the week. And, unfortunately, I am back to posting wreck pictures, because I was too distracted to take any better photos today. There were plenty of opportunities for me to take more interesting pictures, I just did not have the sense to actually take my phone out of my pocket. So, there you go. I was back and forth to Austin twice today, and that was the plan the whole time. I went in this morning to do office stuff, and I went back this evening to attend a TREPAC event. It was a little bit confusing to the girls, but it all worked out just the way it needed to. Interestingly, since the pic of the day is of a wreck, it is interesting (to me anyway) that I spent two weeks recently in France, and the whole time I was there, I do not recall seeing one traffic incident. I also think all traffic in France is an incident, but there were no wrecks that I can remember. Everyone there drive like a crazy person, so maybe that has something to do with it. Only about 95% of the people in central Texas drive like crazy people, so maybe if we can convert the other 5%, we will be done with wrecks on the roads. Something to think about!

Volume 16 - Day 220/146, 2024 - Wednesday

IT'S HUMP DAY, and I am totally okay with that. We made it to (I think) 102 degrees in central Texas. I think that was the 17th day over 100 degrees, compared to over 40 days over 100 degrees, this time last year. Those are Austin statistics, so maybe here at the Curious House, we did not hit temperatures that high. I made a couple stops on the way in to the office to put some lock boxes on houses, and then had a good day in the office. I had a quick zoom call at 12:30, and that was good. I stopped and got the little white car washed on my way home this afternoon, and tried my best to take a nap after I got home, and I am doubtful that I had any success. I am trying to keep the morning glories going, and, as I have noted before, I think it is just too hot for them to bloom. The vines are full and seem to be doing well, just no blooms. Sometimes I wonder what the point is...I would like to see blooms. I had two meetings on my calendar for Thursday, and they have both been cancelled. So...I will go in to the office as usual tomorrow, then head back to the Curious House, and then go BACK in to Austin for a 5:30 TREPAC function. Stay tuned.

Volume 16 - Day 219/147, 2024 - Tuesday

YAY! It's Total Stranger Tuesday! I missed a couple Tuesdays while I was on vacation, and I was not really feeling in the mood this morning, but I found a couple victims, and everything was better. It was kind of like a two-fer! I love talking to strangers, just ask Michael! After Paul and I walked this morning, it was on to our regular ROMEO breakfast. We weren't there long before we gave Dick a call in Buffalo Grove. He was having a ROMEO breakfast outside of Chicago, and it was great to talk with him, even if it was only for a few minutes. But I digress. The two total strangers shown in this journal post probably don't qualify as perfect strangers any more, since I even know their names now. No, I am not going to say their names here. But, they were really nice, and I kept bothering them, and the more I bothered them, the nicer they got. They area mother and her son, and today is the son's birthday. 19 and a Leo. I only know that because my grandmother was a Leo. Her real name was Martha Jane, but we called her Leo. No, we didn't. Anyway, it was fun, and while I was bothering them for the final time, I saw my friend Gary having breakfast with some of his friends. So, we hugged and I had to head off to work. I was in the office for a while, and then I headed to a lunch meeting (haha) I had with Holly and Eileen. We had a blast gabbing about all the stuff we had not gabbed about since the last time we saw each other. Then back to the office, and then I was off to Cedar Park to put a lock box on a house. I got home about 4 o'clock, tried to go down for a nap, but did not have any success. All is good right now, and it is time (almost) for Finding Your Roots. It is going to be a good night.

Volume 16 - Day 218/148, 2024 - Monday

Have I mentioned lately that it is hot in central Texas? Over 100 degrees at least the next seven days. I'm having a relationship with my air conditioner, and DON'T JUDGE ME! The good thing is, I generally produce more electricity than I use, so I ignore pleas for conservation. So far, there have been no mentions of the need for conservation, but I expect we will have some in the next few days. Now, as far as Mondays go, it was not too bad. We had another staff meeting to make sure everyone is good with the new MLS rules that go into effect (affect? I think effect is correct in this instance) in the middle of the month. I am also really happy with all the consideration and cooperation from many of our colleagues, everyone wanting to help each other with the new best practices. I am pretty sure it will all be fine, so that is my story and I'm sticking to it. I had one stop to make on the way home, HEB. I needed some skim milk, and apparently the only place I can get it is at HEB. My choice. I am particular about some things, and could give a crap about others. And, as long as I was at HEB, I might as well get half an apple pie, some cookies, a prepared dinner, and some Coke Zero. Oh, and ice cream. That was one of the main things I was there for. AND, I should also take a look in the trunk of the white car every now and then. When I was putting groceries in there, there were four six packs of Coke Zero in the trunk, just waiting for me to pay attention. The photo with this entry is one of the potted Morning Glories I am trying to keep alive, this one is on the back porch. Two pretty little blooms, this particular pot gets a bit more shade and not 14 hours worth of direct sunlight everyday.

Volume 16 - Day 217/149, 2024 - Sunday

It was a busy day of getting things done around the house that were needing to be done. There was a nice walk this morning with Paul, and then I watched some of Sunday Morning, but I kept getting distracted with little bursts of energy to do this and that. I watered a few plants here and there, and then, my real goal, was to get hangers on three or four pieces of art, and to get them hung. I got the wiring done, and then headed out to get the red car washed. Getting that done, I went back to an estate sale that I visited yesterday. I was a little bit disappointed that a painting I saw yesterday was gone, but that is what happens. Today was half-price day, and I ended up leaving with a few treasures, one of which I had my eyes on yesterday. I was surprised that it was still there, and now it is mine. You will just have to come for a visit to the Curious House if you want to know what it is, and hopefully, I will be able to remember. Linda sent me some meat loaf via Jimmie this afternoon, and I had a meat loaf flip, and the rest of it for dinner tonight. All the art work is hung, including a few pieces that I got before I went on vacation. All is good. It was cloudy most of the day, which kept the temperatures down. There was a good rain storm in Austin this afternoon, but not a drop here at the Curious House. UGH. The coming week looks pretty good, ROMEO breakfast on Tuesday, and lunch with Holly and Eileen. Life is good, and it only gets better with friends! This is a photo of the things I had put on the down spouts to keep the voles from running up to the gutters and making the Piglet a crazy person.

Volume 16 - Day 216/150, 2024 - Saturday

The hummingbird feeders are all clean and refilled with fresh syrup. It is a Saturday thing. Just like estate sales. We hit five estate sales today, and I bought $12 worth of stuff. I am hitting one again tomorrow, discount day. They have some really cool stuff, maybe some of the stuff I like will still be there. I had a few errands to make today as well; confirmed a place for the neighbors dinner on the 21st, got some stuff at Home Depot to put handers on some new artwork, and then had dinner with Val and Paulina. Oliver was working, so he did not go with us. I did take a really long nap this afternoon, probably a couple hours, and it was nice. Tomorrow I am planning to get the rad car washed, and then maybe a movie, not sure about that yet. Dinner tonight was at an Indian restaurant in Round Rock, it was really good food, but way too much food. And rice. LOTS of rice. This morning when I got up, I noticed this orange cat on the window sill of the front bedroom. He is welcome to hang out as long as he wants, he may be lessening the vole population. I have had guards put on the downspouts (photo tomorrow, maybe), so they are no longer running up the downspouts. So, between those things and the orange cat, they may take it upon themselves to relocate. The photo looks like daylight, but it was before 6 this morning.

Volume 16 - Day 215/151, 2024 - Friday

Apparently there is a website where I could post photos of these toes and make a lot of money. I have a variety of these toe pics, so if you know the details, make sure you message me! I had a couple meetings today, phone and in-person, and the in-person meeting is where we found that my shoes and the undisclosed persons toes were a pretty good match. I guess it is true, great minds do share the color spectrum. On the way home this afternoon, I stopped at HEB and bought three squeeze bottles of mayonnaise, one container of cut up watermelon, and three six packs of Coke Zero. I think I may as well just give in to the concept of going to HEB on a daily basis. Once I got home, I went down for a nap, and it was a pretty long nap, and definitely a good nap. I don't know if it is because of my recent trip, but I have just been feeling tired for the last couple days. I do, however, feel just fine after a nap. There are five estate sales to hit tomorrow, and they are pretty spread out. It could take a while. I have plans for dinner tomorrow night as well, so that is good. There is a little chance of rain over the next couple days, but not enough of a chance to turn the sprinklers off. The morning glory vines are doing really well, but there are not that many blooms, I think it is just too hot. 

Volume 16 - Day 214/152, 2024 - Thursday

Okay, enough small talk. You already know I had a nice walk this morning with Paul (and James joined us too). You know I fed the dogs, had breakfast, watered plants in the front and back. Went in to the office, did stuff, left the office, stopped at a property, got home, took a nap, got pissed off because my 3 o'clock zoom meeting was cancelled. No respect. I get no respect. Clocks. I have some clocks. I don't know how many clocks I have, but a bunch of them. And hats. I have a lot of hats, and I don't know how many hats I have. I get a hat from most of the places I visit, and my trip to France and several cities in France made for the purchase of several more hats. I don't wear hats, because I have no neck, and, in my opinion, wearing a hat only emphasizes that physical shortcoming. The story goes that my grandmother used to hold me in her lap and tell me she was sorry I had no neck. I don't remember that, but apparently she was correct. So, someday soon, I will include these hats on the wall(s) with the other hats. I am undecided about putting these hats in a space of their own, so when I see them, I will remember that trip. Maybe. Maybe not. Stay tuned.