Volume 16 - Day 335/31, 2024 - Saturday

Did I mention that I turned the heat on last night? I turned the heat on last night. Just to keep the chill off. It was 37 degrees when we left for our walk this morning, but it was not bad when the sun finally got up. Richard was feeling a little stuffy, so he did half a walk. Paul started late, but he caught up with us, and we solved several of the worlds problems. There was a very nice sunrise this morning, as you can see from the photo accompanying this entry.Steve and Melinda (my friends in Longview) sent me a Little Debbie's Pyramid of cakes and muffins, I am pretty well set for the rest of the year. I did a little bit of this-and-that before I headed off for estate sales. I was solo this morning, and I have to admit, nothing was missed by everyone that did not go. There were three sales, and I did not buy anything, and I did not even see anything that I considered buying. It was not a good day for estate sales. Val and Oliver got back from Las Cruces this afternoon, and they stopped by on their way home. I still have some chicken and mashed potatoes, enough for about a half meal tomorrow. I have an appointment at the blood bank tomorrow, just to shake it up a little bit, and see what goes on over the weekends. My usual day for donating is Fridays, but it will be interesting tomorrow. Here is something you may never have expected to hear me say...I am watching the Texas/TAMU game on tv, and so far, so good. It is interesting that Texas has a pretty good team this year, that has taken me by surprise. From the comments on Facebook, not too many people care for the Aggie coach. Hmmm.

Volume 16 - Day 334/32, 2024 - Friday

Honestly, there were a few unexpected things happening today. Everything started out as usual, Richard was not feeling too great, so the walk was me and Paul. After I fed the girls and had some cereal, we all get in the big chair and took a nap. I got all stirred up and did a few things around the house. With the cooler weather, there is not a lot of stuff to do outside, so that is always welcome. After a while, I did get up and go to HEB, where I was not accosted by any pregnant women. That is a definite relief. As I was getting home from the grocery, Alisha texted me that someone she knew that sold her a car was now working for a VW dealer in Waco and they had ONE Buzz that was available. SO...I called Marian to see if she thought Ronnie wanted to drive to Waco with me to look at it, and he did. We got there at about 5:30, and the Buzz is REALLY a neat vehicle. I was close, but in the end, we could not meet anywhere on the trade in, so we drove home. If it was meant to be, and all that stuff. I expect it might happen, but who knows. For sure, I don't. There are two estate sales tomorrow, and after that, I am not too sure what I will be doing. I am threatening to turn the heat on in the house, it was 37 degrees outside this morning, but about 65 degrees in the house. It is forecast to be a little bit cooler tomorrow morning, but I still haven't turned the heat on. Whatever.

Volume 16 - Day 333/33, 2024 - Thursday...Thanksgiving Day

Happy Thanksgiving everyone, I hope you had a great day. I did. I did just what I wanted to do, and it was great. We started with a nice walk, and then after I fed the girls, I went down for a nap. I got up after a while, and did some more of my personal accounting stuff, getting everything ready for filing my taxes next year. After a while, I got up and took a lock box off one property, put a sign up in front of another property, and went in to the office for a little while, and got everything that was on my desk OFF my desk. I am ready for Monday. Once I got back home, I finished putting all my 2024 stuff on my spread sheet, and that is a nice feeling of accomplishment. My Thanksgiving dinner was great; Carrie brought (on Tuesday) me a chicken breast in rice and some mashed potatoes. I actually heated up the chicken breast in the little oven (not the real oven) and cooked some alternative mashed potatoes on the stove. Boiled water, butter and milk in a sauce pan and everything. I cannot remember the last time I used the stove, but I think today was an culinary accomplishment. Plus, I have leftovers for another day or two. It will be cold tomorrow morning for our walk, maybe in the high 30s, and I hope to dress accordingly. I also need to go to the grocery (I am leery of pregnant women), and I may stop by the VW dealer in Georgetown. I thought I was going to creep around the dealership on my way home this afternoon, but they had all the driveways blocked, so there was no creeping. Enjoy the rest of your long weekend!

Volume 16 - Day 332/34, 2024 - Wednesday

The things I did today, the day before Thanksgiving.

 1. I could not sleep, so I was up at 5AM.

 2. Wound a set clocks, this is a Wednesday and Saturday thing.

 3. Took a nice walk with Dick and Paul. It was warm enough that only a light jacket was needed.

 4. Fed the girls, and I ate an Apple Fritter, the fritter was bought six days ago, but it was still good.

 5. I got two months worth of prep for my 2024 taxes done. I may do more later.

 6. I went to HEB and was assaulted by a large (tall) pregnant woman. HEB Security did not arrest either one of us.

 7. I took a nap.

 8. I visited a property and removed the sign and lock box.

 9. I reviewed a lease application and talked with the Landlord to get the applicant approved.

10. I talked with the applicant and let them know they were approved.

11. I went to the bank.

12. I took the photo of the sunset and clouds that is accompanying this entry.

13. I fed the girls, again.

14. I put a chicken pot pie in the oven (not the big one), and am waiting for it to be done.

14. I cannot predict the future, so I don't have any idea what I might do to fill up the rest of the evening.

That is it for now...

Volume 16 - Day 331/35, 2024 - Tuesday

Step One: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place turkey in shallow pan. Bake for one hour. I am pretty sure I learned my lesson four years ago, and I won't be baking anything (period) in the foreseeable future. I have used the oven at the Curious House two or three times. Just not something that is important to me. I am pretty sure that everything I need to eat comes ready-made or served at a Restaurant. Today, Carrie brought me some pre-packaged stuff for Thanksgiving. Apple Tarts, Chicken (they didn't have turkey), dressing, mashed potatoes, and potato chips (my request) from Trader Joe's. I am all set and ready to do nothing. Since I am not going in to the office tomorrow, this is the eve of a five-day weekend. I am ready. It was a quiet day in the office today, and it should be quiet for the rest of this month. Incredible to think that next week will be December, and the year is almost over. It has been a good year, so I am ready to start a new one. I plan to get financial stuff ready for my 2024 income tax over the long weekend, that always gives me a sense of accomplishment. It is cold in the house right now...okay, chilly. We did not get out of the 60s today, going to be 80 tomorrow, and then another cold front or two. I wish the weather would make up its' mind. 

Volume 16 - Day 330/36, 2024 - Monday

It was 84 degrees in central Texas today, it is 52 degrees right now, supposed to drop another 10 degrees overnight, and the high temperature for tomorrow is forecast to be 68 degrees. 85 degrees forecast for Wednesday, and then we don't get out of the 60s for the rest of the seven day forecast. That's why you always carry a sweater or a light jacket in the fake fall. Maybe starting Thursday, it will be real fall. Not sure. However, this is the weather we really like, especially when you are tired of the hundred degree days. We had a nice walk this morning, I expect we will be bundled up again tomorrow morning. I took the white car in for more service this morning, and I picked it up after 5:30 this afternoon. Now, I can't get the radio to play for more than 7 seconds. Why do service people insist on pushing buttons when they have cars in? Why do they need to move the seats? WHY! Now, I will be back tomorrow to find out what button they pushed and get the radio back to normal. Ugh. Otherwise, today was a pretty good day, I have a 10 o'clock appointment tomorrow, and then I have to run some errands in the afternoon. Overall, I am looking forward to the long Holiday weekend. I have not found any turkey dinners that I want to order, so I think I will go to HEB on Wednesday and see what they have in their ready-to-eat meals. I am okay hanging with myself for the weekend, it will be calm and quiet, and I expect there will be some naps involved. I will probably post a few more photos of the morning glories, I expect we will have a frost in the next couple of weeks, and that will be it for them. Enjoy.

Volume 16 - Day 329/37, 2024 - Sunday

It was an in-between day for our walk this morning. Not too cold, not too warm, kind of just right. I started out with a fleece jacket, and I took it off about half-way through the walk. Once I got home, I watched CBS This Morning, took a nap, pulled some weeds, trimmed some plants, pulled some more weeds, went to Costco, sent a couple text messages to a prospective tenant, pulled some more weeds and took another nap. I was showing a property virtually this afternoon, and that was a first for me. The client is in Washington State, and it was fun. It was a pretty good drive to and from, but it was okay. I was a little retentive because of the time difference, but it worked out just fine. I got home and took ANOTHER nap, and then went to get Val and Paulina and we went to dinner at Urban Eat. Drink. Tomorrow morning, I am taking the little white car in for MORE service, and I should have a loaner so I don't have to hang around. The coming week is short and sweet, and that is just fine for me. I will get some book-work done during the long weekend, already trying to get ready for next years taxes. I was much happier with my Wordle results this morning, and that is more in line with my results. The forecast high is 85 on Monday, and 68 on Tuesday. Interesting.

Volume 16 - Day 328/38, 2024 - Saturday

It was chilly this morning, but not as bad as the last couple days. We had a good walk, and then I got back and fed the girls and I had some cereal for breakfast. There were two estate sales this morning, the first one was nothing to get excited about, and neither was the second, but I think everyone bought something at the second one. Once I got home, I went down for a nice nap...a couple hours. I did not go anywhere else all day long, not that there is anything wrong with that. I actually got something accomplished that I thought would be impossible, but I found a file I was looking for from 1999. Crazy that I could still but my hands on it 25 years later. Not too sure what the morning will be, but I am pretty sure there will be a walk, and I have an appointment to show property at 3 o'clock. I may do one or two more things in between, and I am going to dinner with Val and Paulina. Next week is looking to be a calm week, and it will be a short week, with a nice, long weekend. I am looking forward to doing more and more of less and less. I try and remember to do Wordle every day, and I can usually solve it in three tries, maybe four. Today I considered just giving up, but I finally got it in six. I never start with the same word, I usually start with a word I see on tv or hear on the radio. 

Volume 16 - Day 327/39, 2024 - Friday

Muscle memory is an interesting phenomenon. The ability to perform a motor task without conscious thought after repeated practice. It's a type of procedural memory that involves the brain encoding a movement into long-term memory. My experience with muscle memory peaked when I was doing long distance bicycling. I experience a little when we walk in the mornings, because we take the same route every day. I had another experience with it today. Today was a platelet day, and when I got in the chair, the Phlebotomist handed me the squeezy ball. I started squeezing it, and she said, I haven't even done anything yet, you don't have to squeeze. Muscle memory! So, there you have it. It was a double platelets day, and I really like doing that, most of it is because of all the people I interact with when I am there. We did have a good walk this morning, even though I only did a half-walk because I had an appointment in Austin between 8:30 and 9 o'clock. I made it to the appointment, and then got to the office about 10. I left for We Are Blood about noon, and I was driving down North Lamar next to an autonomous (self driving) car. I am not sure if autonomous automatically means self driving or not, so whatever. I see these self driving cars on an almost daily basis, but there is usually a real person in the car in case of emergency. There was no one in this car. Not in the front, not in the back. Maybe it was delivering pizza. Not sure. Only two estate sales tomorrow, but maybe they will be half way decent. Fingers crossed.

Volume 16 - Day 326/40, 2024 - Thursday

Book club just ended, and it is time to compose this journal entry. It was 36 degrees when we took our walk this morning, so our walking attire was a bit updated. Unfortunately, my hair would not cooperate with the stocking cap, and it kept popping of my head. I will have to work on a solution for that, but for now, I won't need the hat for several days. I am feeling somewhat accomplished, because things I have been working on for a while are seemingly working out. Things I have been planning and coming together, and it makes me feel satisfied. Whatever. Book club was fun, but none of us were really too happy with the book, but we did get a chance to sit around, criticize those we do not agree with, and complain about all the crap going on in the world. That was fun. We are not having book club or neighbors dinner in December, and our book for January is Goyhood. Look it up, it should be an easy read. Tomorrow is a blood day, and I have a few errands to get done before the weekend. Two estate sales on Saturday, and I am not sure that they hold much promise. We shall see. 

Volume 16 - Day 325/41, 2024 - Wednesday

Today was a busy day. Today was a lovely, chilly autumn day. Tomorrow is going to be a cold (?) morning, but ultimately a pretty good day. I had a half-walk this morning, because I had an 8 o'clock appointment to get the little white car serviced. I waited on the car to be serviced, and it was a lot longer than I would have expected. AND, I am taking the car back on Monday for more service...but I will (allegedly) be provided with a loaner while the car is in service. I finally got to the office about noon today, and all was good. I got stuff done that needed to be done, and after I got home, I spoke with the insurance lady again, and turned in my application for the Medicare Supplemental plan I have been working on. That has been a chore, but I think the coverage will be much better than the Advantage Plan I currently have, and along with the drug coverage and dental coverage, the premium will be about $220 per month. Much better than the +/- $700 a month I had been quoted, without the dental. Insurance, is this what old people think is interesting? Oh, please, someone help me change the subject. Okay, here's something...tonight was the neighbors dinner, and it was a great time. We went to Juliet's on the Square in Georgetown, and there were twelve of us. Deb was in town to visit with her daughter and grand children, so she joined us, too. It was a fun evening, and we are lucky to nurture the friendships we have made together around the Curious House. 

Volume 16 - Day 324/42, 2024 - Tuesday

Well, the saga of Medicare Advantage Plans vs Medicare Supplemental Plans is ongoing, but I think I am making some progress. You just have to find the right people. One of my colleagues gave me the name of a person that spent 75 minutes with me, over the phone, coming up with the plan(s) that will work for me/ A couple places never even called me back after I spent time filling out their on-line questionnaires and/or answering all their questions. And, if this all works out, my anticipated premiums (not current premiums) for the supplemental plan will be in the area of $155.78 per month as opposed to $666.20 per month that I was quoted yesterday. I'm just waiting on one answer from my doctor and then I will get the application process started. If you are on the verge of signing up for Medicare, start with the Supplemental Plan, not the Advantage Plan. Take my word for it. And...bonus, this agent has the same birthday as my friend Mike in Del Rey Beach. Not the same year (Mike is REALLY OLD), but the same date, December 12th. It was a good day for a walk, and we solved a few of the worlds problems, and then Rick, Richard and I went to enjoy the ROMEO breakfast. Tuesday is Total Stranger Tuesday, too, and the photo accompanying this entry is todays victim, with Richard photo bombing in the background. Tomorrow, I have an appointment to get the little white car serviced, and that should not take too long, and then I will be back in to the office. I am a lucky man, yes I am!

Volume 16 - Day 323/43, 2024 - Monday

Well, overnight we got 0.09" of rain in the gauge. Through the day, we got another 0.55", and that is it until (maybe) Thanksgiving Day. On my way in to the office, the temperature dropped 12 degrees, from 72 degrees to 60 degrees. It got back up to almost (almost, not quite) 80 degrees this afternoon, and the forecast is 81 degrees tomorrow. There was no walk this morning, the only time we don't walk is if there is lightning or rain, so we called it a rain day. The office was kind of quiet this morning, and I am still wrapped up trying to change my Medicare Advantage plan to a Supplemental plan. It is just a time consuming process. I was expecting a call from one company this afternoon at 2:30, but it never happened. Customer service at its' finest, I guess. Tomorrow I expect there will be a good walk, and then the ROMEOs will have a nice breakfast. The cold front this morning did not really do anything, but there is another cold front coming on early Wednesday morning, and the low temperature during walk time is forecast for 39 degrees with 26 mile per hour winds. Crazy weather. Has everyone started their Thanksgiving plans? I intend to make NO PLANS, and I have declined a few invitations. I probably will get myself a turkey dinner (do they make them for two?) from HEB and sit around like a lump for most of the day. That sounds perfect to me.

Volume 16 - Day 322/44, 2024 - Sunday

I've got a package of baby carrots in the refrigerator that I bought about a week ago, am I supposed to throw them away? They're HEB Organic, and the expiration date is November 3rd. Maybe I bought them longer than a week ago. I don't pay much attention to expiration dates, but the news is talking about E.Coli. problems with baby carrots. Not sure what to do...I'll keep them a while longer and see if I can figure it out. It was a nice morning for a walk, and after the walk, I closed the windows in the Curious House. Not because of the heat, but because of the humidity. We have had just a little bit of rain today, but are expecting more overnight and into tomorrow morning. I was not in any particularly hurry to do anything today, so that is what I did...just about nothing. There were a couple naps, and I did make a trip to HEB where I spent almost $100, which is the most I have spent on groceries in a long time. I should be good for a couple week, with the exception of milk and baby carrots. See the opening sentences of this journal entry. There was actually some news on this evening, and now a 90 minute version of 60 minutes. Is it just me or does that not make sense? We keep waiting for the temperatures to cool down, but so far that hasn't happened. The coolest day this week will be a forecast high of 69 degrees, with 80 degrees on this side of it, and 78 degrees on the other side of it. The photo accompanying this entry is of the sunrise this morning, very nice.

Volume 16 - Day 321/45. 2024 - Saturday

It was another chilly morning, and I wore sweat pants and a jacket for our walk. The moon was still great big, and the steam rising off the creek (really it's the south branch of the San Gabriel River) was really pretty. It was a really lovely day, the temperature made it up into the high 70s, and there was not a cloud in the sky. The estate sales were kind of lack luster, I did spend $11 (I think) and I also think that everybody spent something and brought home something. There were two estate sales, and on our way to one we saw a garage sale that looked interesting, and we back tracked to that, and I bought something that I don't know what it is for $3. I may include a photo of it tomorrow, at first I thought it was a Mahjong set, but now I think it might have something to do with Chinese or Japanese calligraphy. Whatever it is, it is really interesting, and the box it is in is really interesting, too. After that, I went down for a nap, and at 1 o'clock, Jimmie, Linda and I went to HEB for some sort of food tasting event ahead of the Holidays. We got tickets stamped to win a door prize, and then we were off to find some lunch somewhere. We went to Dahlia's in Liberty Hill, but they were in between shifts of brunch and lunch and would not seat anyone for about 30 minutes, so we went to Hell or High Water (also in Liberty Hill), and had a good lunch. When we got home, it was back down for an extended nap, and after I finish this journal entry, I may go back down for another nap. I think that is really what weekends are for, so I plan to take full advantage. 

Volume 16 - Day 320/46, 2024 - Friday

It was chilly this morning, and I wore sweat pants for our walk, with a fleece jacket. It warmed up nicely during the day, to about the middle 70s. Tomorrow we will be back up to the 80s, and it will not be a sweat pants morning...close to 60 when we walk. I got in to the office and did what I needed to do, and headed off to a meeting at the Austin Board that started at 11:30. I had actually forgotten about the meeting until I got up this morning and looked at my calendar. After the meeting, I had a couple errands to run on the way home, and had a nice afternoon. I did make a few phone calls to clients, and then took a quick nap. In the late afternoon, I had another quick meeting, but we met out on the back patio, and that was great. The girls were not at all happy about that, and they are still on Daylight Saving Time as far as their dinner is concerned, and the Piglet is VERY vocal about it. After I fed them and had more of the left overs from my Wednesday night dinner, I went down to Linda and Jimmie's to watch another episode of Only Murders in the Building, and then we played a couple games of Rummikub. Tomorrow there are two estate sales, and then there is something going on at HEB that I am going to with Linda and Jimmie. Then, hopefully, naptime. If yo uhaven't already, you need to go outside and look up, it is a glorious full moon.

Volume 16 - Day 319/47, 2024 - Thursday

It was chilly for our walk this morning, and tomorrow morning, I think I will be in sweat pants for the first time in a long time. I LOVE sweat pants. Then we get back up into the 80s by the weekend (I think), but next Thursday there is a chance of a a light frost in the Hill Country. I don't think it will be that chilly here at the Curious House. I got in to the office about 9:30 this morning, and I left at about 12:45. There was a meeting going on in my office, and I did not need to be a part of it, so I took off and bought a new Apple Watch. This watch is supposed to be even better for old people than the other two Apple Watches I already have. The down side to this is, I have to wear the watch while I am sleeping. I am looking forward to seeing how well I am sleeping, how much rem sleep I have, and all kinds of other things. I am not crazy about sleeping with a watch on, though. In case Helen is reading this entry, the full moon in tomorrow, but I will send you reminder, just in case you are not reading this journal entry. Boring traffic congestion photo accompanying this entry, but it is the best I could do. Sorry.

Volume 16 - Day 318/48, 2024 - Wednesday

Hopefully, there will be a cool (haha) front coming through this evening or maybe tomorrow. It will only lower our daily temperatures about 10 degrees, but we will be closer to our normal temperatures, which are the 70s. I was up early again this morning, and got a few things done around the house before heading off for a walk with Dick and Paul. There are too many problems facing the universe right now, so we did not have time to solve all the problems. There is always tomorrow. I did not go in to Austin today, and did some work from home. I had a 1 o'clock appointment at the house, so that was convenient. At about four o'clock this afternoon, I headed in to Austin to attend a Major Investor event for TREPAC, and I got home about 8:30. I am going to get this journal entry done, and then call it a night. It was good to see many good friends and colleagues tonight, some that I have not seen for a couple years. The photo accompanying this entry is me, Melinda, Eileen and Jennifer. I would like it very much if tomorrow were Friday, but it will be Thursday, and that is getting close to Friday. Tomorrow night is our HOA annual meeting, so that will be (I expect) kind of chaotic. I am famous for signing up to speak, but when called on, have very little to say. You just never know if someone is going to piss you off, so better to be prepared. 

Volume 16 - Day 317/49, 2024 - Tuesday

Not a bad day, all things considered. I wish I could sleep longer in the mornings. I started waking up around 4:15 this morning, and I finally got out of bed about 5:15. It just makes me tired in the afternoons, and I just got up from about a ten minute nap that makes me feel somewhat better. Little short naps are good for me. I got a lot of stuff done before our walk this morning; got everything in the front and back watered, including the three new trees in the back. I want to find some kind of root stimulator for the new trees, to make sure they get off to a good start. Marian is checking into this for me, she is looking for her own trees, as well. Breakfast with the ROMEOs was fun this morning, and everyone knows their lines and how the game is played. This lovely lady is this weeks choice for Total Stranger Tuesday. I got in to the office about 10:30 and we got lots of stuff done, and I left about 1:30 to head back to the Curious House. I will not be going in to the office tomorrow, I have a dinner to go to in Austin tomorrow night, so I will stay home. Since I will be home anyway, I made an appointment for some work to get taken care of tomorrow at 1 o'clock, so everything works out. On the way home this afternoon, I got the little white car washed, so it is all pretty again. They have been power washing stuff at the office, so it was kind of splotchy. The ten day forecast is saying there could be a couple days below normal temperatures, and there are two days that could leave a light frost on things. That will definitely be a change!

Volume 16 - Day 316/50, 2024 - Monday - Veteran's Day

We only made it to 84 degrees today, that is 11 degrees above normal. I know I will regret all this grousing when we get below 32 degrees for two days in a row, but I am really ready for some fall like weather. We had a nice walk this morning, and then it was in to the office for me. I left about 12:45, because I had a two o'clock appointment to have the trees I bought yesterday planted. Pictured here are the two peach trees. They are awfully scrawny looking right now (perhaps the scrawniest trees I have ever seen), but I expect that, with my nurturing and high level of care, they will be beautiful by this time next year. We had a row of trees at the farm; apples, peaches plums (I think) and pears. We did get some fruit off them, mostly apples, and I enjoyed tending them. So, we will see how these go. There is also another Mexican Plum, which hopefully pollinate with the plum tree that Michael and Lynda gave me when I moved in to the Curious House. Some things that should be easy are just becoming more difficult. I have to shop around various drug emporiums to see who at the moment has one of my prescription meds in stock, and when I find one, I have to act quickly to get it refilled. SO...what a mess. I can't believe tis, but I did not even mention that I did laundry yesterday, most likely because I tried to put it out of my mind. Now, almost everything I own smells Downy fresh. If everything goes according to plan, the ROMEOs will have a  nice breakfast tomorrow. Fingers crossed.

Volume 16 - Day 315/51, 2024 - Sunday

It took extra long for our walk this morning, we kept running in to people we haven't seen in a long time, so it was fun getting a chance to catch up a little bit. There was also a really pretty sunrise, hope you enjoy this pic. I fed the girls and had some cereal, and watched the rest of Sunday Morning, or at least part of it. Some of it didn't keep my attention, so I was up and down. At about 10:30, I went to a nursery in Leander that I had been referred to by Marian. I bought a Mexican Plum and two peach trees, and they will be installed tomorrow. Michael and Lynda gave me what I think is a Mexican Plum about three years ago when I moved in to the Curious House. I took a leaf off the tree and a couple photos of it to the nursery to try to confirm the species. I had hoped it was a self pollinator, but, even though it has bloomed once or twice, there has been no fruit, so hopefully with the addition of the addition of the plum I bought today, I will have some fruit in a year or two. They also said that cross pollination will not hurt, so one way or another... Peach trees do pretty well here, and there is one house in the neighborhood that gets lots of peaches from his tree, so fingers crossed. On the way home, I got gas in the little white car and a few items from the HEB. Then down for a nap. Later on, I went back to the estate sale I went to yesterday, and bought more than I should, but, whatever. Tomorrow should be a relatively quiet day in the office, I need to be home by 2 or 3 to meet the tree planting guy. Always something.

Volume 16 - Day 314/52, 2024 - Saturday

It was a little bit chilly this morning for our walk, but we made it with no problems. I think my outside thermometer said it was 59 degrees, and I wore my usual shorts, t-shirt and a cardigan sweatshirt over it. Very comfy. Between the end of the walk, feeding the girls and myself and before the launch of our estate sale visits, I did have a couple minutes to go down for a nap. There were three estate sales today, and they were all underwhelming. I did buy a few things, Marian spent $1, and Diane and Marge did not buy anything. The rest of the day was spent doing as little as possible, but again, I had time for a couple naps. There is no rain in the ten day forecast, so I let the sprinklers run overnight, and they will run again tonight. Tomorrow, I am going to a nursery in Leander, to see if I can find another plum tree for the back yard. I think I am looking for a plum tree, anyway. When I moved in to the Curious House, Michael and Lynda gave me a tree (I think a plum tree), and I hoped it was self-pollinating, but I don't think it is. SO...I am going to take a leaf and a couple photos of the tree to see if I can find one to be planted near it so maybe I will get some fruit in the next couple years. Maybe. There were no photos taken today to accompany this journal entry, but one year ago today, we had the first Drinking Liberally at Water Oak get together. We need to have another one of those, we met some nice people, and we continue to see and hang out with them every now and then. It was fun, and a good way to meet like-minded folks.

Volume 16 - Day 313/53, 2024 - Friday

Yes, you are right, this week was pretty exhausting, and there is no single reason for that exhaustion. I am looking forward to the weekend, and I have no real chores on my list, which means there will be plenty of time for naps. There is a cold front working its way through central Texas, and I have the windows open again to get fresh air in the house. I closed them this morning and turned the air conditioner on, not because of the heat, but because of the humidity. Paul and Dick and I had our usual morning walk, and that was good. I got in to the office earlier than usual, because this was a day for me to go and donate platelets. A double platelet and plasma day. All good. I got home this afternoon about 4:15, and Paulina and Oliver arrived at 5 and we went in to Georgetown for dinner at Juliet's on the Square. This restaurant just opened a few months ago, but I had eaten at Juliet's in Austin before. There is no possible way we could have been seated any further from the door than we were. Maybe they just didn't like my looks, maybe I should have shaved. But, I didn't. I will try to stay in bed a little longer tomorrow morning, we shall see how that works. there are three estate sales, and that will be fun.

Volume 16 - Day 312/54, 2024 - Thursday

We got a little bit of rain this afternoon, a couple of really good bursts, so there is almost a third of an inch of rain in the gauge. Does anyone remember when it was exciting to go to the mailbox? There is very little in the mail that comes to me that does not go directly into the shredder. I do much of my banking electronically, and, honestly, I cannot even remember what I used to get in the mail that I would look forward to. I now get a lot of solicitations from a wide variety of charities, and a People magazine now and then. They do not seem to be delivered very regularly, but, bottom line, going to the mailbox is no longer fun or rewarding. Sad. The office was calm, I had an 11 o'clock meeting that went pretty well, and a few phone calls to make and LOTS of emails to return. I left the office about 1:30 and got home about 2:15. I tried to go down for a nap, but the girl dogs would not listen to me. And then, the rains came, so they would not venture into the back yard because that would cause them to have wet feet. These girls are not wet feet girls. I'm trying to think of what I had for dinner, but I don't remember. Maybe it was M&Ms that Tobetha and Ben sent me, I'm pretty sure it was not pizza, I still have half the pizza that I had delivered last week. After I ate what I can't remember, I went down to Jimmie and Linda's to watch another episode of Only Murders in the Building, and then we played a couple games of Rummikub. I finished Bride yesterday, and it was good for the most part. Who knew women wrote bodice rippers about vampires and werewolves, but they do. Does that make me insensitive? Maybe. I started reading Let's Pretend This Never Happened, and I actually laughed out loud a couple times. So far, I like it very much!

Volume 16 - Day 311/55, 2024 - Wednesday

Welcome to the day after. Paul and Dick and I had a nice walk this morning, but we did not solve all the worlds problems, which is what we usually do during our morning walks. I got home from the walk, fed the dogs, had some cereal, and took off in to the office. I think I got to the office about 10, and I left at about 1:30. I got everything done that needed to be done, and here I sit in the office at the Curious House, and comfortably settled in to my everyday habits. Nothing better than structure! A little tv tonight, and then sleep. I slept well last night, but I just feel tired this evening. This morning, before I got out of bed, the Piglet was scrunched up on one side of me, and Callie was scrunched up on the other side of me. Perfect. I have not run the air conditioner for a few days, the windows are open, very nice. The low temperature this morning was about 48, so the house was nice and cool. Only down to about 60 degrees overnight, and maybe a little bit of rain tomorrow. All good. The glories are liking the cooler weather, too, and so is almost everyone I know. 

Volume 16 - Day 310/56, 2024 - Tuesday - Election Day

This is the day, folks, I hope you all participated in the Democracy we all enjoy! We had a nice walk this morning, and then the ROMEOs  (me, Paul, Dick and Rick) met for breakfast. Even breakfast was fun, and today's Total Stranger Tuesday victim was easy to spot: Her name is Pat, and she was happy to play, so that was fun, plus, the ROMEOs know their parts in the game. Then, off to the office, and I had an 11 o'clock zoom to attend, and then it was business as usual. It was a little bit busy, but nothing that we could not handle. I left the office for the Curious House about 1 o'clock (I think), and I had one stop to make, and I got home close to three o'clock. Paulina came over about 4:30, and we booked our flights from Austin to London Heathrow and from Geneva back to Austin. In the middle will be Krakow and Amsterdam, but we got the big lights out of the way. I'm looking forward to traveling...I have a cruise in February, DC in May, Europe in June. It will all be good, and I am glad to be traveling with folks who know what they are doing. All they have to do is point, and I will go there.

Volume 16 - Day 309/57, 2024 - Monday

As far as Mondays go, this one was pretty good. I knew I needed to be in Austin early this morning, but it wasn't until I got up that I figured out that I needed to be in my office at 8 o'clock this morning, and not at 9 o'clock. That changed things a little bit for me. No walk this morning, and I was in the car on the way in to Austin at 6:30. I got to the office about 7:30, which was fine, you just never know what is going to be happening with traffic. Getting there a little early gave me time to get some things done, checks posted, stuff like that. At about 8:25, we (me Carrie and Kerry) headed to the Texas Real Estate Commission (TREC) to attend their November meeting. I have been at a few meetings before today, but Carrie and Kerry had not, and I had a great time. I saw several people I knew from my years working on TREC Committees, and I enjoy the machinations of TREC. I think Carrie and Kerry got a new perspective of how TREC works, and that made me feel good. We got back to the office about 1 o'clock, and I got more stuff done, and left for the Curious House about 2 o'clock. I had a couple stops to make on the way home, and those stops were successful, too. Once I got home, I got the girls out, got them fed, and then Jimmie and Linda and I went in to Georgetown for dinner, at Tony & Luigi's. We also stopped for ice cream on the way home. So far, we had 0.02" of rain (again), but it is just starting to rain now, and it is supposed to rain for a while overnight. I will enjoy that, if it happens. Fingers crossed. 

Volume 16 - Day 308/58, 2024 - Sunday

I walked with Richard and Paul this morning. Today is Paul's birthday, he is 78! I took the girls out into the the back yard a few times, and this evening, I went down to Linda and Jimmie's to watch Only Murders in the Building and played a couple games of Rummikub. That is as much as I got out of the house today. I had an appointment to show a property at three o'clock this afternoon, and the person I had the appointment with is not very communicative. I have asked her to call me several times, nope. I texted her to confirm the appointment and asked her to call me. Nope. I was about to leave at 1:45 (the property was almost 40 miles from the Curious House), and she texted and said she had been called in to work, and could we rescheduled. I had shaved an everything! At least I didn't get stood up. Ugh. It is still warm, very windy, and still no rain. They are swearing to all they hold important that we will get rain tomorrow night, and that a cold front will lower the daily temperatures by about 15 degrees. There is also the possibility of some severe weather. I generally like that, and I like lightning during the night, so we will see. We are going to attend the TREC (Texas Real Estate Commission) meeting tomorrow, and we will get four hours of CE credit for doing that. I have attended the meetings before, and I think they are very interesting, and I like watching how things work. I printed the agenda, but the meeting notes were SEVERAL HUNDRED pages, so I passed on that. There are apparently going to be some interesting disciplinary hearings, and I always like watching that stuff. Pink clouds this evening, enjoy!

Volume 16 - Day 307/59, 2024 - Saturday

We had a nice walk this morning, we solved a myriad of the worlds problems, and then I came home and did a few putzy things around the house. At 9:30 we set off for the two estate sales that were on the list. Diane and I bought stuff at one of the sales, and Marian, Marge and Pam bought nothing at either one of them. Today was the last day at both the sales, and that is always interesting. I like when Sunday is the last day, it gives me Saturday to preview and then go back. Whatever. When I got home, I had a few things to do, which included a trip to Home Depot and the grocery. Everything is checked off my chore list, now I just have to do the stuff I want to do with the stuff I got at Home Depot. I did pretty well at the grocery, but they should not have had the Golden Oreos on sale at the check out line. Two for $7. Ugh. And when I went to look at the mail today, there was another package of M&Ms from Ben and Tobetha in the mail. I am set! I am still hoping for some rain, and I don't have a lot on my list for tomorrow, in fact, I have nothing on my list for tomorrow. It would be great if it would rain all day, and I just just stay in and nap with a couple dogs in my lap. Callie took her last pill tonight, so she is done. One of the things I had to get at HEB was the little red cheeses that I put her pills in...now she is all set too...We are all lucky...man and beasts! If I hadn't known better, and if I was still living in Michigan, the clouds would mean it was going to snow. But I'm not, and it didn't. 

Volume 16 - Day 306/60, 2024 - Friday

Today was a busy day, and I got a lot of things done. Paul, Richard and I had a nice walk, there was a lot of discussion, mostly about why I SHOULD have my left turn signal on even IF I am in a designated left turn lane. If I am in a left turn lane, not making a left turn from a regular lane of traffic but a DESIGNATED left turn lane, I do not activate my turn signal. OY! I expect that conversation will continue for a few days, because I will keep bringing it up, mainly just to aggravate Paul. I know his buttons. Then it was in to the office. Since this is the first day of the month, there was lots of stuff to do, and I got a lot of it done. Then, I left at about 1 o'clock and decided to get the little white car inspected. When I got to the inspection station, I told the man at the desk that I figured every old man from Sun City would be there, it being the first and all. He said they had all been there at 7:30, and I had avoided the rush. After my inspection (yes, Paul, my turn signals passed), I went to Costco, and bought a few things. Then home, where I went online and did the paperwork for renewing the little white car registration. Then I did a thing...I ordered a pizza for dinner. I have been lusting for pizza for a while, and this ought to hold me for four or five more days. I, as a CDO person (so OCD I put it in alphabetical order), got started on resetting all the clocks in the house. I got ALL the wind up clocks done, and I should be finished with the rest of them sometime tomorrow afternoon. Going forward is not so bad, going backwards hurts a little bit. Estate sales tomorrow, gonna be a fun time, even though there are only two.