Volume 18 - Day 205/160, 2026 - Friday

Today turned out to be a busy day. After walking this morning, I filled the bird feeders with seed, watched hummers play, and got a few things done around the Curious House. I had a nice phone call with potential clients, and we are making plans to meet next week. Since the Buzz is still in the shop, Oliver drove me, Paulina and Marian to the blood bank; the three of us (the usuals) donated platelets, and Oliver donated whole blood. The more people that donate platelets of whole blood, the better I like it. I am coordinating a blood drive in the subdivision tomorrow, and so far we have 17 people signed up to donate, and the four of us today count for tomorrow, so we are at 21 donors. Not sure if I can get nine more volunteers for tomorrow, may yes, maybe no, but my goal is 30 donors, the blood bank goal is 20, so we have already surpassed that. I will be totally stressing until tomorrow afternoon at 1 o'clock, just to see how many donors I can get. We stopped at Sandy's for milk shakes on the way home, and we did not get back home until around 6 o'clock. I think we (the four of us) are all tired, but now there is nothing to do but chill out for a while. I forgot to mention that we stopped at Upper Crust on the way to the blood bank, and I got two slices of cranberry nut bread. I think I am the only one that bought anything. Too bad for them!

Volume 18 - Day 204/161, 2026 - Thursday

It was not as hot today as it has been the last couple of days. I think the high temperature today was only 98 degrees, which is just about average. When I got up this morning and let the girls out, it was 81 degrees, way too hot for 5:30 in the morning. Paulina came over this morning and had coffee, and later in the day, Oliver and I went to the Post Office and then to my doctors office so I could tweak my appointment in January. I guess I will know if that worked out in about six months from now. I had two calls scheduled for today, one at 1PM and the other at 2PM. The one o'clock call went very nicely, and there will be a follow-up tomorrow. The two o'clock call was postponed until next week, and the notice of that was received at 1:46PM. There is nothing good I can say about that, stuff happens, but if the call was being postponed, I am pretty sure it was apparent before 1:46PM. Whatever. I have been (kind of) trying to consume real food for the last couple of days, because tomorrow is a platelet day. Ronny and Marian were heading for Cancun on their way back to Austin, last I heard. Marian, Paulina and I will all be donating platelets tomorrow, and we will have a blood drive in the neighborhood on Saturday. Once I publish this entry, I will check estate sales for the weekend. The next couple days will be interesting, for sure!

Volume 18 - Day 203/162, 2026 - Wednesday

Late this morning, there was a Past President's luncheon at the Austin Board of REALTORS®. I am not certain if the photo accompanying this entry was the year I was President (2014) or not, but it is within a year one way or the other. It was fun seeing old friends and new friends, and I made a short visit of it. I had a doctors appointment later this afternoon, and everything went fine, I am apparently a healthy old person, and my next appointment is in six months. I do have another appointment with a surgeon, just trying to determine if I do or do not need a knee replacement. I am not advocating for the replacement, but if that is the determination, I guess that will be in my near future. I have always thought of myself as a lucky man, and I guess that trend will continue for a while. I am only walking about half as much in the mornings, and I would like to get back to the 2.5 mile morning walk. That will be my goal and the determination about what to do with the knee. Tomorrow I have two calls to place and so it should be a pretty easy day. With any luck, I will get the Buzz back tomorrow afternoon, and then Friday will be a platelet day. It was 103 degrees at the Curious House yesterday, and today was forecast to be the same, but I have not paid attention to where we ended up. Bertha in the Gulf is about finished, and she has dropped a lot of rain in Louisiana and is expected to come ashore in Galveston in a day or two, weakened greatly. 

Volume 18 - Day 202/163, 2026 - Tuesday

Paul and I had a ROMEO breakfast this morning, and I ate about 2/3's of the largest pancake I have ever seen. One pancake, two eggs over easy, a side of bacon and a side of spinach, please. I get the spinach just to fool my platelets and iron levels that I am eating healthier than usual. I'm pretty sure it is working!After breakfast, I got ready for my 1 o'clock zoom meeting, and then that was it for the day. For dinner, I had the second half of the turkey & avocado sandwich I brought home from Dahlia's the other night. Maybe, just maybe, it was a little gamey, but so far I am still breathing. I have a luncheon meeting tomorrow, and then after that, I will come home, change clothes and go to my doctors appointment. That should be interesting. Even though I have not been a particularly vocal proponent for the traffic signal at the Parkway and the highway, I think it will be a good thing once it is finished. It is getting closer (I think), and I expect the lights should start flashing just any minute now. Even though I continued to make left turns onto the highway, the traffic signal will make that much easier, and it should tone down the volume of concern from other neighbors. Fingers crossed!

Volume 18 - Day 201/164, 2026 - Monday

I have found recently that, when trying to peel oranges, I can hardly do it. I assume that is one of the consequences of old age, generally I have no issues with things (opening bottles and tying my shoes), but peeling an orange has become a challenge. To add insult to injury, the orange was not even good. That was another first for me. My walk with Paul this morning was my activity for the day. The rest of the day was spent doing little of anything, but I do have a couple things on the calendar for the rest of the week. Tomorrow will be the ROMEO breakfast and a zoom meeting tomorrow afternoon. I am working to make our neighborhood blood drive a success on Saturday, so I am trying to make sure all the neighbors know about that. So far, we only have six sign-ups, but folks generally wait til the last couple days before signing up. The goal for the drive is either 20 or 30; 20 if you are with the blood bank, 30 if you are me. This will be the fourth drive for the neighborhood, and we have always made the goals. I have a doctors appointment on Wednesday, the first official appointment with my new GP. I expect nothing extraordinary will come of it, but I have lots of questions for him, and lots of things to clear up about protocol. Of course I do. We are expecting high temperatures to be 100 degrees or more this week, and we have been pretty lucky so far this year. There is the possibility that a storm could develop in the Gulf this week (Bertha), and if so, I hope it will bring us some more rain. No damage, just rain. Fingers crossed.

Volume 18 - Day 200/165, 2026 - Sunday

I bought the table on the right (in this photo) yesterday at one of the estate sales. What I didn't realize was, I had another of the exact same tables at the Curious House, that I bought at a DIFFERENT estate sale, at least a couple years ago. Whatever, now I have a pair of them, and I like the little drawers in each of them, perfect places to hide little things. Sunday was a day of doing not very much of anything. This morning, I went with Paulina and Oliver to the storage building, and I just went along for the ride. I did not take anything to storage, and I did not bring anything back from storage to the Curious House. I just went for the ride. We had a new man cut and trim grass today, since the previous guy fired us for being too picky. We are being picky with this guy as well, and we are searching, once again, for another lawn guy. First world problems! Paulina called later in the afternoon, and I went over there and had some goulash for dinner. Very good! She had my plate piled high, and I could not eat all she had on my plate, but Val took care of that. The coming week should be relatively calm, nothing tomorrow, breakfast and a virtual meeting on Tuesday, a luncheon and a doctor appointment on Wednesday, a virtual meeting on Thursday, and donating platelets on Friday. That is about as far in the future as I can remember. Tomorrow morning, I expect I will water trees before walking, since the rain forecasts show nothing for the next ten days. 

Volume 18 - Day 199/166, 2026 - Saturday

The rains have stopped and we are back in summertime. Lake Travis is full, and it is the first time Lake Travis has been full since 2019. Nothing beats a drought like a flood, and it has been a mess for the people that have really been affected. Lots of property damage, a couple lives lost, and some of the rivers, particularly the Llano, are still rising. There were two estate sales today, and it was just me and Paulina, Paulina drove because the Buzz is still in the shop. I spent a total of (about) $32, and everything was half-price. Since the man that has been cutting our grass fired us last week, we have a new man starting tomorrow. It is more, but hopefully the new man will be paying better attention to details, and we will not have to continually point out things that the crew did not seem to care about. Maybe. I think the man is a Texas Tech student or graduate, because his company has the work 'Raider' in it, which is kind of a dead give-away. I think there is going to be a trip to the storage place tomorrow, for me to take some stuff there, and for VPO to get some stuff and bring it to the house. I am getting in to the habit of cleaning and filling the hummingbird feeders two at a time. The hummers are much more in evidence this year than I have seen them in the past, and I truly enjoy watching them. They are VERY busy! 

Volume 18 - Day 198/167, 2026 - Friday

Well, the rain is over, and in three days this week, we received 3.09" of rain at the Curious House. Some places in Texas received almost 20 inches of rain, and rivers west of us (the Llano River in particular) are still rising. There is no rain in the forecast for at least the next ten days, which will put us right back in to a normal Texas summer. Hopefully, we will not just dry up totally between now and the next rain, fingers crossed. I had an appointment in Austin this afternoon, and Oliver went in with me, and on the way home, we just kind of took a tour through Austin, showing him this and that that he may not have been aware of. We also made a stop at Upper Crust, and I have sweet things in the refrigerator that will last me a week or ten days. Tonight, VPO and I went to Dahlia's for dinner, starting off with onion rings, and I brought half of my turkey and avocado sandwich home with me. We had meant to take a photo while we were at dinner, but we are forgetting that detail more and more. On the ride home, the photo accompanying this entry popped up on my feed, so I thought I would share it. About three or four years ago, in Playa, my first or second scuba lesson. HOODATHUNKIT?

Volume 18 - Day 197/168, 2026 - Thursday

Since the rain started on Tuesday, we have recorded just a little over 3 inches of rain at the Curious House. I expect many of you have heard of the flooding to the west of us, and they are getting more rain as we speak. We are expecting a little bit more rain overnight, but, while we are happy with the rain, there has been a lot of property damage to our west, and I believe two people have lost teir lives. We will all start drying out tomorrow, and hopefully it won't be too long before we have more rain, but a little rain at a time is the best here. I was up very early (4AM) this morning and took my neighbor James to the airport for his 7:30 flight. The drive was not bad at all, and when I got home, I piled up in the big chair with the dogs and took a nap. Later in the morning, I put on some pants and went to HEB. I was in the '15 Items of Fewer' line, and the woman in front of me spent $324 on groceries, and I believe she was over the limit. I said nothing, but I'm telling you. That was about all I did today, and I can't think of anything I didn't do, so that is just fine. I may drive in to Austin tomorrow, it is still too early to make decisions like that, and I will know more tomorrow.

Volume 18 - Day 196/169, 2026 - Wednesday

I has not rained all day today, but it has rained off and on for a good part of the day. There was no walk this morning, and I will not walk tomorrow morning, either. I am taking my neighbor James to the airport tomorrow, his flight leaves at 7:30, which means we will be hitting the road at about 4:30. I will be awake anyway, probably, so it is not a big deal, happy to be able to help. I had a zoom meeting at 11 this morning, and then I had an appointment in Austin at 2, and that put me back home at about 4:15. All is good, the girls slept through my absence, and they had no strong opinions of my adventures. It was somewhat discomforting to be driving in the rain to Austin, but I made it there and back with no challenges, if you don't take the crazy drivers on each side of me, acting like it was sunny and dry on MoPac. More rain is expected overnight and tomorrow, but we should start drying out over the weekend. I hope we don't get too dry!

Volume 18 - Day 195/170, 2026 - Tuesday

We (the Curious House) finally had some rain, but not nearly as much as many other areas of central Texas. Since I emptied the rain gauge this morning, we have received another 1.06", making the total for this month, so far, just short of an inch-and-a-quarter. Not complaining, and I have fingers and toes crossed that we get more in the next couple days. If you know of anything else I need to cross, let me know. Today was also a day of small accomplishments, most of which have no impact on anything at all. I had an appointment in Austin at 11 o'clock this morning, and after that, I stopped along the way back to the Curious House for a variety of small tasks. Because of the temperature change, I stopped at Discount Tire and got the tire pressure corrected (in the rain), then I went to Galaxy Bakery, Little Caesar's Pizza and HEB to put gas in the little white car. The news continues to report about the dangers of some kind of stomach bug going around, but I am in little risk since I very seldom eat fresh vegetables of any kind. Fingers crossed for that, too. Once again, we are being teased that Daylight Saving Time might become permanent, and I am all for it. I recommend we all contact our elected officials and lobby for that change, I expect they will be happy to speak with you about that, and not all the other travesties going on. 

Volume 18 - Day 194/171, 2026 - Monday

I took the Buzz in to the collision center this morning, and Oliver picked me up and gave me a ride home. Just before we turned in to the subdivision, we could hear the ambulance coming up behind us. We were in the turn lane, so there was nowhere for us to go, and the ambulance waited until it was right next to my door to blow its' horn for the oncoming traffic to yield. That horn is really loud, and it was really a surprise, and you will be happy to know that I am sporting a fresh pair of boxers as I compose this entry. I did not go anywhere else today, except to check the mail, and I have waited patiently all day for it to start raining. At some point, it started drizzling a little bit, probably around 5:30, and I did not even know it until I took the girls outside. I may regret that I am hoping we get a really good rain, because we are under a flash flood warning until Friday at 7PM. We shall see. The piglet got her face washed this afternoon, which is one of the things she cares for least of all. Honestly, it is not one of my favorite things, either, but she looks much cuter and I expect much more comfortable now than she did. I expect it will be a challenge getting them outside later this evening before we retire for the evening, again, we shall see.

Volume 18 - Day 193/172, 2026 - Sunday

Well, ARGH! Still no rain, and it had better rain soon because I did not water anything today. They (the prognosticators) are saying we (the Curious House) can expect about 2 inches of rain in the next few days, and they (the prognosticators) need to either shut up or put up. Or something like that. Otherwise, it has been a relatively okay day, I went and hung out at an open house with Maggie this afternoon, and it was fun to visit with her again. The neighborhood news is that Val broke one of his toes this morning, and I know what that is like, I have broken several toes in my lifetime. This too shall pass, but it is amazing how much pain can radiate from such a small appendage. A toe qualifies as an appendage, right? On the way home from the open house, I stopped at a roadside stand and bought some peaches. I have been craving peaches, and now I have some. On another note, and I think I mention this on this date every year, 58 years ago today, my dad died. Fifty-eight. I was 16. Interesting how quickly things can change in a life. I have  a few things going on this week, and it should be a good week, as weeks go.

Volume 18 - Day 192/173, 2026 - Saturday

NO RAIN! NO RAIN! Ugh. There were chances of rain today, and we actually did get a trace of rain at the Curious House. I missed it, the only way I knew it was because the back deck was a little bit wet, and it was not from me watering the plants. Because I did not water the plants in the back today, because it was supposed to RAIN! Even though there are still rain chances in the forecast, I will water some stuff in the back later this evening. There were six of us doing estate sales this morning, and we made it to five estate sales. There was a Buzz full of buzzing, and I had a blast, it is a good group doing this every Saturday. Someone else will need to drive next weekend, I am expecting the Buzz to still be in the body shop, and Marian and Judy will be out of town. I am sure we will figure something out. Cumulatively, at the five sales today, I spent $8 and change for the cast iron Elmer Fudd bank shown along with this journal entry. No markings, but I love this find, and it was 66% off. 66%? Whatever. Tomorrow, I am helping Maggie with an open house, and that will be fun.

Volume 18 - Day 191/174, 2026 - Friday

All Friday's are pretty good days, aren't they? Today was no exception, it was a pretty good day. After my walk, I took the previous estimate from the VW dealer in Georgetown, along with the estimate from the crappy insurance company (whose name shall not be spoken, but it rhymes with State Farm), to the VW dealer to have them compare estimates. The bottom line is, I will take the Buzz in on Monday for the repairs to begin. Hopefully, they will not have to order any parts, but I expect to be without the Buzz for ten days to two weeks. That's the part I don't like, and I especially don't like that this process is no longer 'all about me,' but that's the way it is. To be clear, the VW dealer is being great, and they are making the process easy for me. SO...I got home from that, and messed around the Curious House for a while, and then did nothing else for the rest of the day. I am getting pretty good at that! Watching the humming birds takes up a little bit of my time, and it is especially interesting when they fight for territory. There seems to be fewer of the Lesser Finches (less finches?), but I think it is WAY too early for them to be migrating. We shall see.

Volume 18 - Day 190/175, 2026 - Thursday

Hot, hot, hot. Don't get me started on the heat in central Texas, I have lived here for 41 years, and I know what the weather will bring from one season to the next. Not that we have four seasons here, we have summer, fake fall, fake winter, fake spring, and then we go back to summer. We have about three-and-a-half months to go before we get some cooler weather, and that will be lovely. It has been almost three weeks since we had any rain, and we had about 5.5" of rain in June, and about 65% of that was in one day. Even I am bored by this post so far. Paulina and Oliver and I went to Dairy Queen for lunch today, and I mentioned to one of the employees that one of their digital signs was grammatically incorrect. I don't think she was particularly motivated to correct it, and I doubt I will go back any time soon to check. I also made a quick trip to the post office to mail a couple checks; whenever I actually mail something, I like to go to the Post Office instead of putting them in the neighborhood cluster box. Just one of my things. I will likely go out later this evening and water some plants. I water in the morning, but with the heat, I check a few things in the evenings. We have better than average rain chances next week, and I will cross whatever needs to be crossed to make sure it really happens. The piglet needs to have her face washed, and we BOTH hate it when that happens!

Volume 18 - Day 189/176, 2026 - Wednesday

Well, that's done. Maybe it will be less of a deal next year, we shall see. There are lots of pieces of paper with this return, and that has been the norm for thelast several years. I am hoping that my working to simplify things will carry over to my tax filings going forward. Today was a relatively quiet day, not much accomplished (if you don't count the tax return). It is really just too hot to do much of anything. I did get in the car to buy lottery tickets, and make a visit to the bank. No rain lately, but there is a chance over the weekend and especially next week. I had ribs, leftover from the Fourth, for dinner tonight, and I must admit they were really good. My skills at heating stuff up is getting better and better, and I am proud of that! Ugh!

Volume 18 - Day 188/177, 2026 - Tuesday

I met Paul and Rick at Monument Cafe for our regular ROMEO Breakfast, and it was nice to be doing that again. For one reason or another, it feels like we had been absent for a month, but it was probably a couple weeks. When I left, I decided to go to Galaxy Bakery to get some scones, but I changed my mind. I still have cranberry muffins from Costco that I bought a few weeks ago, and cinnamon rolls from Upper Crust that I bought yesterday, so I am fixed for baked stuff for a while. I was up really early this morning, 4:45AM, because I heard the piglet get off the bed, which meant she was heading for the closet...but I got her outside instead, and I was not about to get back to sleep. I did get a few things done in the office that had been hanging out for a while, so that was good. It was a good feeling of accomplishment. I went to dinner tonight with Jimmie and Linda, and they are leaving for England tomorrow. They will fly to New York and meet friends and get on the Queen Mary. Sounds really fun! The rest of this week is pretty open, so maybe I will do laundry one of these days, maybe not.

Volume 18 - Day 187/178, 2026 - Monday

Callie is feeling better, I really am at a loss about what could have caused her the discomfort. She puked one more time after my post yesterday, and not since then. She is perkier and playing with Oliver, so I think she has gotten over whatever it was. I tried to blame it on the cottage cheese, not really sure that could have been it, but I will lay off that for a while. Paulina made some rice this afternoon, so I put some of that on their food tonight, and so far, so good. I picked Marian up about 11:30 this morning, and we drove in to Austin, with a stop at Upper Crust. I have cinnamon rolls for a couple days, and carrot cake for about a week. Life is good. Then we headed off to the blood bank, and donated platelets. Paulina joined us, but she was declined, not sure why. I know for a fact, Paulina eats a lot better than I do, so I am not sure why she was declined. It is terrible, to me anyway, when you are declined, because you are trying to do something good. I have been declined once since I started donating, and it was because my iron level was too low. I found out today that red wine will help your iron level, so... Whatever. I have nothing planned for tomorrow except the ROMEO breakfast. I will argue more with the insurance company whose name shall not be said, but it rhymes with State Farm. They sent me an estimate for the damage to my Buzz (caused by a gentleman rear-ending me), that is $1K less that the estimate I got from the VW dealer. I am not through with that! UGH! 

Volume 18 - Day 186/179, 2026 - Sunday

Well, I hope you had a pretty good day today, the day after the fourth! Warning: the next sentence may contain graphic verbiage that you may find offensive, so this is your last chance to log-off and go on about your business. I have spent the good part of the day cleaning up dog vomit. Callie have vomited seven times so far, and it is still daylight outside. I usually blame stuff like this on Lexie, but nope, this time it is Callie. It has not affected her appetite, not at breakfast (after the first three times) or at dinner (after and before the last four times). Whatever. Of course, as many times as I have taken her outside, she is not at all interested in doing anything but sitting or laying down in the grass. So, I can now qualify as having a PhD in dog vomit, and not voluntarily. When I was not cleaning up after Callie, the rest of the day was relatively uneventful, and I guess I am fortunate for that. I read the papers, both the Statesman and the NYTimes, printed a couple things and made some notes about stuff I need to do later in the week, and I had salmon for dinner, which should be helpful for my platelet donation tomorrow. I will pick Marian up at about 11:30 and, most likely there will be a stop at Upper Crust for cinnamon rolls and carrot cake. Life is good, and hopefully Callie will improve over the next day or two. I found three or four sets of morning glories that have bloomed three at a time, and they are really pretty. They are doing really well so far this year, and they are very low maintenance. Lucky for them!

Volume 18 - Day 185/180, 2026 - Saturday, The Fourth of July

Happy Birthday U.S.A.! I enjoyed this calm and peaceful Fourth of July. There was a nice walk this morning, and the plants, front and back, are needing watering on almost a daily basis. We have not had any rain for a couple weeks. And I don't think there is any in the next ten days, either. I hope I am wrong. I took off to pick up three racks of ribs and some cobblers this morning, and this afternoon I had dinner with VPO. The girls have a few rib bones to enjoy at some point, and I am pretty sure they will enjoy those. The rest of the day was spent napping and watching some television with the girls. I do not have any challenges sitting with the girls, and I think they are happy to have me around. I expect there will be some fireworks to watch from the back deck this evening, there have been every year that I have been in the Curious House. There is not a lot on the calendar for next week, Paulina, Marian and I are scheduled to donate platelets on Monday, and I really like doing that. The flags in the photo are from the farm, Jody gave me the flag pole as an anniversary gift years ago, and I still have a fondness for flags.

Volume 18 - Day 184/181, 2026 - Friday

After walking with Paul and James this morning, I sat on the front patio for a while and read the newspaper and had a cup of coffee. P&O (no V) came and visited for a little while, and then they took off for breakfast. And yes, I still get a physical newspaper. I came very close to getting my haircut later this morning, and on the way there, I looked in the mirror and decided I really did not need a haircut. As long as I was in the car, I decided to make a stop at Target, and while I was at Target, I decided that if I bought a few more pairs of boxers, I could delay doing laundry for a while longer. I call that thinking outside the washer and dryer. VP (no O) and I headed off to Belton at 4PM, with the purpose of going to the Belton Rodeo. We stopped at Schoepf's BBQ for dinner, and then headed to the Cadence Bank Center, where the rodeo was held. We stood in line in the sun for about 30 minutes, I guess they did not open the doors until 6PM. The rodeo started at 7, and there was a lot of patriotic chat by the emcee, and then they got down to business. It has taken me this long to attend my first (and last) rodeo. I felt sorry for all the animals; the sheep, the calves, the horses, and even the cowboys themselves. But, being the snob that I am, I am really not one to judge, and I will leave it at I simply will not be quick to attend another rodeo. One of the better parts, was a 'skit' with a bad man and a heroine named Cow Patty. By the photo accompanying this journal entry, you can get the general drift of the action.

Volume 18 - Day 183/182, 2026 - Thursday

If you are wondering about mail delivery tomorrow, don't ask the Googles. In the same search, the Googles say NO mail tomorrow, and scroll down and the Googles say YES, there will be normal mail delivery tomorrow. I am pretty sure I will know the true answer by this time tomorrow. Gina and I made a pilgrimage to Trader Joe's this morning, we go about every three or four weeks. I spend a LOT less money when we go to Trader Joe's, mainly because they don't sell dog food. At least, I don't recall seeing any dog food there. When I go to HEB, I easily spend about $60 on dog food, while covers about two weeks, maybe a little bit longer. SO, I do have some treasures from Trader Joe's; grapes, blue corn chips, water melon and cantaloupe slices. That will likely hold me over the weekend. I expect I will visit Target tomorrow, because Target is where I get the dog treats for my morning walks. That is about it for today. I had no photos from today, so I looked back a year ago, and it was raining. Really raining. The rain a year ago caused a lot of damage, serious injuries and some loss of life. Just looking at the photo makes me feel a little bit cooler. No rain in our forecast, just more hot. I cannot even walk to the mail box without glistening. Don't forget, tomorrow is Rodeo night!

Volume 18 - Day 182/183, 2025 - Wednesday

I did a solo walk this morning, and I took a different (and shorter) route than usual. I thought it would be about the same walking distance, but nope. After the walk, I did a few things around the Curious House, and then I headed in to Austin. It was kind of like the old days...all lanes, north and south bound on the Interstate were stopped. I never did see what the problem was, which is typical, but I got to my meeting on time. On the way, I picked up a prescription, too. I got home about noon:30, and I had an appointment with ADT between 1 and 5. The guy got here, fixed the doorbell camera, and installed two more cameras. I am pretty well covered now. My new hoses were delivered, and the old hoses are in the rubbish can, just in time for tomorrows pickup. I did manage to break the hose reel, which is something I do every time I get new hoses. I will get a new hose reel tomorrow. I am spending more time in the big chair in the bedroom with the girls, and I like looking out all the windows. The hummers have been pretty entertaining, and every now and then, they have a mini-war over the feeders, proving that not everything I watch is on television.

Volume 18 - Day 181/184, 2026 - Tuesday

Oh, Lort! I was having a perfectly okay day until I tried to login to my account at the Credit Union. When I did that, a note popped up that said (something like) we have f***ed with all our accounts, so you will need to login with your password. Well, my password had been saved IN the computers and the iPhone, and I was doing something wrong, but NOW I have a NEW password at the credit union. Maybe I wasn't having a perfectly okay day, because I just now remembered the 45 minutes I spent on the phone with ADT, trying to add a couple upgrades to my service. BUT, having taken all my aggressions out on ADT, I was a perfectly friendly person the rest of the day, so that was kind of a win/win in my opinion. I met Maggie at a property this afternoon, and that was fun. On the way home, I decided to go take a look at the swim beach in Georgetown. Who knew there was a swim beach in Georgetown? I didn't, but I found it, it is about 14 miles from the Curious House, and the beach is pea gravel, but with sandals and a blanket, you can pretend you are somewhere in Europe. I (think) I did see some beaches in Europe that were pea gravel and not sand, but I could be wrong. But, whatever, you can go to a beach in Georgetown, and you won't track sand into your car or the house. Another win/win!

Volume 18 - Day 180/185, 2026 - Monday

Just in case you want to know, tonight is the full moon. I should probably start spending more time on the front patio, that is why I expanded it five years ago. It has always been comfortable, and I think it is more so now. I rearranged the furniture with help from Val, Paulina and Oliver, and the bronze sculpture (formerly the top part of a fountain) I bought yesterday, is now ensconced in the corner, and I think it is ABFAB! I need to check, but I don't think you can see it from the street unless you are really looking, and that is perfectly fine with me. It is heavy, very heavy. It took three men and a two-wheeler to get it onto the patio, and I plan for it to remain there for quite some time. You might be able to zoom in on the photo, but if you can't and you want to see the details of the piece, let me know and I will send you a photo. Otherwise, today was a good day, I went nowhere, and tomorrow I will be planning a visit to HEB. On Wednesday I will go in to Austin for a meeting and to pick up a prescription, and on Thursday, Gina and I are going to Trader Joe's. Friday, believe it or not, I am going with PVO (I'm tired of typing their full names, so they are now collectively known as PVO) to the rodeo in Belton. I have never been to a rodeo before, so this will be a totally new experience. Always go for the new experience!

Volume 18 - Day 179/186, 2026 - Sunday

When Paulina and Oliver got home from church this morning, we all piled up (Paulina, Val and Oliver) in the car and headed to Marble Falls to have lunch at the Blue Bonnet Cafe. The last time Paulina and I were there (three weeks ago), I had liver and onions. Yummy good. Today I had catfish, fried okra, candied carrots and french fries. You can't beat it. I was the only person that did not bring pie home, but I still have carrot cake from Upper Crust that I got last Monday when we donated platelets. It's fine! After we left the restaurant, we stopped at the Mexican import place again. When we were walking in the place, Carrie, Susan, Terri and another lady (from Memphis and I can't remember her name), were walking out. It was like old home week in Marble Falls!  Once we all got home, I think it was nap city all around! I had to go check out a property late this afternoon (Paulina went with me), and when we got home, we rearranged the furniture on the front patio. There is always something to do, whether it needs to be done or not. I have NOTHING on the calendar for tomorrow, and I like that very much. I was kind of excited that the coming weekend will be a 'long weekend,' but then I remembered that every day now is a long weekend day. I like it!

Volume 18 - Day 178/187, 2026 - Saturday

There were three estate sales today, Marian and Judy and I got to the first one, there was a line, and we decided not to even stop. There is no reason to stand in line at an estate sale in 90 degree sunny weather. Marian and I had previewed the sale from photos on line, and nothing jumped out at us that we were in particular need of. We did hit the other two sales, and we all came away with stuff we could not live without, so that made it a good estate sale day! After the sale, I did a few things around the Curious House, getting ready for the Curious House Concert tonight. I think it was a great concert, and everyone seemed to enjoy the jazz group (Swing Shift of Austin) and the popsicles. I learned tonight that 'popsicle' is a trademarked word, and I most likely should not have been using that word so carelessly. Whatever. The photo is of the group, most of them anyway. After the photo was taken, two or three other neighbors joined the group, and it was a lot of fun. There was a good breeze, I did not get one mosquito bite, and there was plenty of shade. Tomorrow will be a trip to Marble Falls, and I will fill you all in on that tomorrow night. Maybe.

Volume 18 - Day 177/188, 2026 - Friday

On this date in 2015, the U.S. Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage across the country, ruling that state-level bans on same-sex marriage violated the due process and equal protection clauses of the Fourteenth Amendment. By 2015, Jody and I had already been legally married for a couple years, but I can remember exactly where I was when I heard that news. Never in my wildest dreams did I think this would happen in my lifetime, and I cried in a professional setting that could not understand if I was crying happy tears or sad tears. Back to today... I walked this morning and prepared for my doctors appointment, which did not happen. The appointment, which I thought was my regular six-month check up, was only for a blood and urine test. If I had actually been aware of that, I would have spent a few minutes studying for the urine test. Whatever. The results that have been returned so far, show everything to be within 'acceptable ranges,' and I continue to be 'unremarkable.' And boring. After that disappointing appointment, Marian and I went to two estate sales that were just Thursday and Friday sales. I bought the little print that is included with this entry for $7. Tomorrow there are three more sales, and maybe I will find a few more things that I cannot live without. Oh, and the Curious House Concert is tomorrow night, and I think that will be fun. More later.

Volume 18 - Day 176/189, 2026 - Thursday

It is way past my bedtime, but I will tell you more about that a few sentences from here. I walked with Paul this morning, that is the first time I walked in a while, so that was good. My knee is not really getting any better, and I will find out more about that tomorrow at my doctors appointment. There are a couple things (I think) that could avoid a knee replacement, one of which may include a trip to Germany. Cheaper than a replacement, much more fun, and a much quicker recovery time. I did visit the chiropractor this afternoon, and then Oliver and I went to Costco. I got a few things, including a pistachio cheese cake, which I took to our neighbors dinner tonight. Gina and Billy hosted the dinner at their home, which is beautiful, and Gina is a wonderful cook, and none of us left hungry. When Gina and Billy lived next door, I was the recipient of food frequently, and I brought steak, chicken and cheesecake home with me this evening. Gina and Billy have three pooches, so there was a lot of petting, snuggling and baby talk as well as the great food. We are skipping July for neighbors dinners, and Marian and Ronny are in charge of coordinating for August. Really...we are already making plans for August. I think book club is skipping July as well, but I will really need to check my calendar to be sure.

Volume 18 - Day 175/190, 2026 - Wednesday

Evidence that I trimmed the crape myrtle limbs off the garage roof, because if you don't have a picture to prove it, it didn't really happen. And geraniums, I trimmed to dead-heads off the geraniums. I will trim a few more over the weekend, but I will need someone to hold the ladder for me. I am not totally stupid! I got a few things done in the Curious House this morning before I left for my committee meeting, the most significant of which was getting the damage claim filed with the totally useless insurance company the man that hit me uses. I won't mention the name of that company (again), but the name rhymes with State Farm. Again. SO...we will see where we go from here. I was required to send 11 photos of the Buzz, the VIN number, a shot of the odometer, and a couple other things. Ugh. Someone from that insurance company should be doing this, I did not cause the challenge. I DO cause lots of challenges, but I did not cause this one. I got in to Austin in plenty of time to chill before the meeting started, and it was another day of good works for our REALTOR® association. Once I got home, it was mainly nap time, and tree trimming. I trimmed the limbs today so I can put them in the can for pickup tomorrow. Tomorrow I will also check for estate sales over the weekend, I have an appointment with the chiropractor, and a visit to Costco. Fun times! 

Volume 18 - Day 174/191, 2026 - Tuesday

I didn't realize it was Tuesday until Tuesday was almost over. I will try to remember that tomorrow is Wednesday, but there are no guarantees. I left to go in to Austin this morning at 7 o'clock to get to my 8:30 meeting. The photo accompanying this entry is the view from the third floor of the Austin Board of REALTORS® where the meeting was held, and where I will be (again) for most of the day tomorrow. Volunteer servants doing their servant thing! It was good working with my colleagues, making good decisions for all our members. I got home this afternoon at about 4:30, and the girls had convinced themselves that they were never, EVER going to be fed again. For them, today was a lot like the days when I was still doing business and would be gone for most of the day. They don't want to get back in to that routine, and I don't want to do that, either. I like the life of a retired person. Thursday I have a chiropractor appointment and the neighborhood dinner Thursday night at Gina's house. I am bringing apple pie from Costco. Friday, I have an appointment with my 'new' GP, my first real doctors visit with him, and I have a couple pages of questions and concerns. He may not want to be my GP after that appointment, we shall see. 

Volume 18 - Day 173/192, 2026 - Monday

When Paul and I walked past the little pond in the subdivision, this heron was in the water. When I got on the sidewalk to take a picture, it flew up in to this tree, which was still a good setting for the photo. Thanks. I did a lot of busy work this morning, and ran errands. I watered the plants front and back and made a quick trip to HEB. I had a $100 Gift Card, which I spent and more. I also went to Georgetown Donuts (my favorite) and got a half dozen donuts. At noon, I picked up Marian and we headed in to Austin to donate platelets. I made two stops on the way; I picked up prescriptions and we made a stop at Upper Crust Bakery. I have cinnamon rolls for a couple breakfasts and two pieces of carrot cake. Interestingly, I have not consumed the cupcakes I bought yesterday at GOGO'S TREATERY, so I would say I am pretty well set with sweet things for at least the next ten days. Paulina met us at the blood bank, and we all donated platelets. Our next visit will be on July 6th, and we all like doing that. Tomorrow, I will not be walking, I have an 8:30 meeting at the Austin Board, and breakfast is provided, so all the bakery goods will stay in the refrigerator for a while. Good grief!

Volume 18 - Day 172/193, 2026 - Sunday

Happy Father's Day to all the Dads out there, and also Happy Summer Solstice day, the longest day of this year! I walked this morning with James and Paul, and then I did some grown up things in the office at the Curious House. Went through the mail for the last week, paid a few bills on-line, and sorted through some things. I went out into the garage this morning, and found a GFCI had tripped, and some of the stuff in the beer fridge freezer had thawed. Some of it was not totally thawed, and I put that in the refrigerator part. The items that were totally thawed will be put out in the trash on Thursday. Those things are still in the freezer, I don't want the garage to start stinking until Thursday. I still have not completely unpacked the carry-on, there is plenty of time to do that next week. I had a two o'clock appointment in FAR south Austin, and that drive was about forty miles each way. The client was a man I represented over twenty years ago when he bought his home, and it was nice to see him again. He told me I had not changed a bit, and that was a little bit concerning. After that appointment, I had dinner with Val, Paulina and Oliver at the Cheesecake Factory at the Arboretum, and now I am ready to be finished with this day. Tomorrow will be a platelets day, and I need to pick up prescriptions and maybe hit Upper Crust for cinnamon rolls. We shall see. Marian will ride with me, and we will meet Paulina at the blood bank, so the three of us are back in the groove. I may even do a little bit of grocery shopping tomorrow. Maybe.

Volume 18 - Day 171/194, 2026 - Saturday

I am back home again from my past week's escapades, and I am pretty sure the girls would like me to leave again so they can become more spoiled with Val, Paulina and Oliver. I got off the train in Temple so we could stop at GoGo's Treatery for FroYo, cupcakes and macaroons. All very yummy. I took a couple naps on the train, and I apparently slept through the stop in Cleburne, when I woke up, I was surprised to find that we were in McGregor. Whatever. I emptied 3.96" of rain from my gauge, and I will record that shortly. I have unpacked the necessities, and I will do the rest tomorrow, but for now, I am ready to go pile up in the big chair with the girls. I was happy to see this rainbow on the way home, that was a welcomed surprise, and for a while, there was a double rainbow, but it did not photograph very well.

Volume 18 - Day 170/195, 2026 - Friday

Happy JuneTeenth everybody! I was going to include the ussie of me and Richard for this entry, but I thought the contrast of the sad buildings and the St. Louis Arch in the background was more in keeping with why I ride trains here and there. Sadly, I am a little bit disappointed in this leg of my return home. The parts I am in control of are just fine, like looking out the window of my room and seeing the real country. The parts I cannot control are the alleged rudeness of the staff on this leg of the trip. Maybe it is just my imagination. In addition, my room is cold enough to hang meat, and the solution was 'there's a blanket up there.' Not good enough. Whatever. I just got back from dinner, salmon and red wine (I know), and now I am in the room for the night. We are in St. Louis, and I think this stop will be about a half hour. I am not sure where we will be when I wake up in the morning, but I am looking forward to getting home. I think I will be in Taylor about 6:30 or so tomorrow, not exactly sure. I think Paulina and Oliver are going to pick me up, and then we will have catfish for dinner in Taylor. I have work to get done over the weekend so Eileen won't be mad at me, and I have a listing appointment on Sunday. Life goes on! 

Volume 18 - Day 169/196, 2026 - Thursday

A lot of times, people do not really understand why I take the train home from conferences and meetings, and this is a perfect example. We are outside (on this side) of Martinsburg, somewhere, and we are on the other side of Point of Rocks, also somewhere. The train I am on stopped to let another train pass, and what better view could I have asked for? I just got back to my room after dinner, met a nice lady traveling with her husband and 10 month old child from Richmond, and that is what my idea of train travel is. I was in the First Class Lounge in DC for a few hours, and never once heard the baby cry. Fingers crossed. It was a fun day today, I went with Taylor, EIleen and Brandy to the Smithsonian Castle, and I have to admit that I was somewhat disappointed, very likely because I did not know what to expect there. I got back to the hotel, checked out, and headed for the train station. The train left two hours late, but again, I take the train because I am not in a hurry. I expect to get to Chicago tomorrow morning, change trains, and head for Austin tomorrow afternoon. I have space in the room if anyone wants to join me!

Volume 18 - Day 167/198, 2026 - Wednesday

Another day of good meetings, good information, and good friends. I acrtually stayed in bed until about 8:30 this morning, so there was nothing to be in a hurry to do, no really early meetings, and that was appreciated. Brandy, Holly and I went to the NAR building, and I am lucky to be able to do that every year. The rooftop of the building has a great view of the Capitol, and it is always a great place for photos. Needless to say, we all took advantage of it. We got back to the hotel a little bit before noon, and hung out in the bar for a while, and then I went to my room and took a nap. The last meeting of the day, our Regional Caucus, started at 4PM, and that is my last meeting of this trip. Steve, Melinda, Nancy and I went to Drunk Shakespeare at a small playhouse not far from the hotel, and most people in the audience thought it was hilarious, but I am apparently too old for that particular humor, which I think is interesting. I am usually all about inappropriate humor, but this just did not do it for me. Tomorrow, Eileen, Taylor and I are going to the Smithsonian Castle, and then I will head for Union Station to begin my journey home. I really enjoy train travel, and I expect to totally enjoy the trip home. The journal entry tomorrow will be from the train, en route from Washington, DC to Chicago, where I will change trains. Stay tuned.

Volume 18 - Day 167/198, 2026 - Tuesday

So, today was another busy day, and honestly, I cannot really remember all the things I did today. I do remember the highlights, though. Lunch at the Old Ebbitt Grill, and the quest for the best calamari continues. A nice nap was one of the highlights, and then there was a reception for PAC investors. More importantly, it was another opportunity to see friends and colleagues from here and there. This year is kind of odd, because there have been lots of issues getting to DC this year. My flight on Sunday was delayed, other flights were cancelled, and attendees are still arriving. One friend missed his connecting flight in Atlanta, and the airline DROVE him to the plane, and he boarded from the tarmac. Interesting. Tonight, a bunch of us had dinner at a Spanish restaurant not far from the White House. Again, everything is more difficult in DC than I remember from all the Legislative meetings I have attended. The photo accompanying this entry was taken yesterday at the trade show; Brandy, Holly, me and Eileen along with the mascots from the Washington baseball treams. I think. 

Volume 18 - Day 166/199, 2026 - Monday

I profess that I am likely the luckiest man in the world. I am in DC, attending the NAR Legislative Meetings, and I am surrounded by friends and colleagues. It makes me question my decision that this would be my last conference, but maybe I will change my mind. I was up early to go get my 'credentials,' and the opening session began at 8:30. I had asked to meet Doris Kearns Goodwin, someone I had previously met when she spoke at a meeting I attended in Marco Island, Florida. I carried her bags on that trip, and when I found out she was our opening speaker, I wormed my way to meet her backstage after her presentation. I have better photos of the two of us than the one posted with this journal entry, but in this photo, we were laughing and kidding, possibly over the fact that she is the reason that Winston Churchill's tits are included in the painting in the rotunda in the Curious House. It's true, and if you want more information about that, you are welcome to ask. Whatever! After that, there was a lot of networking, and lots of scooping things up in my bag at the trade show, then lunch at The Hamilton, (where we had the VERY BEST calamari I have ever had). Then, it was time for a nap, and the next function was at 5PM. I met Eileen and Holly at 4:30, and we made it to the convention center, and then there was dinner at Joe's Seafood. Somethings are just kind of a tradition at some of our conferences. After dinner, we hooked up for one more drink (diet Pepsi for me), and now I am back in my room to complete this entry before midnight. Again, I am a lucky man, and I don't know how I have cultivated all these friendships over the years.

Volume 18 - Day 165/200, 2026 - Sunday

Okay, I am here. Paulina took me to the airport, we left about 10 o'clock for my 12:20 flight. I did not have much for breakfast, so I had a $28 club sandwich, which was not too terrible. The flight to DC was delayed, the airline said that TSA was grounding flights into Reagan because of weather in the area. When we arrived, about an hour late, there was no apparent weather conditions that would have caused any issues, but I am just a passenger. Whatever. I made it to the hotel, checked in to my room, then met Steve, Melinda, Nancy and Brenda at the International Committee reception. That translates to 'free food!' I am back in my room, and honestly, I am tired. Tomorrow will be a busy day, and it will start early and go late into the evening. It has been a great afternoon, and I have aeen lots of friends from Texas and across the states, and that is what all these conferences are about. 

Volume 18 - Day 164/201, 2026 - Saturday

The estate sale today was a huge disappointment, but I did manage to buy a couple things. I spent $6.50. After I got home, I went down for a quick nap, and Paulina and I went to Marble Falls to check out the Mexican import place. She bought a few things, and I bought a little pillow. Then, we went IN to Marble Falls (the import place is outside Marble Falls), and had lunch at the Bluebonnet Cafe. I had liver and onions for lunch, with fried okra and spinach. Probably the least offensive food I have had in a while. On the way back, we stopped at the import place again, I have my eye on something, more about that later. I am just about done with my prep for going out of town tomorrow, I have to change the feeders for the humming birds, and vacuuming is also on the list, but I might not have time for that. Ugh! The next several days will be filled with meetings and seminars, and I will take the train home, that is the part I am looking most forward too. Of course, I will also see lots of friends from Texas and across the country, but I am in the winding down mode of my volunteer service. Time to quiet down! The photo did not come out too great, since I had it in 'portrait' mode. Oh, well. Pretend there is a neon sign behind us saying Bluebonnet Cafe. 

Volume 18 - Day 163/202, 2026 - Friday

Well, hell. I did four loads of clothes today, and at (kind of) the same time, I was also taking a class. Whenever we had a break, I was doing something in the laundry room. For the second time, I have had issues washing the quilt/spread/blanket thing that is on my bed. Today, I washed that with nothing but two pillow cases, and I eventually had to stop the washer, try to distribute the girth of the spread, and put it back on just the spin cycle. I finally got it as 'spun' as I could, and ended up putting it in the dryer, still loaded with water. Apparently, the reason I do not frequently do laundry is, that I am just not that good at it. I swear I have washed that quilt/spread/blanket thing before and did not have that problem, but, whatever. I am good for about another month, so if you smell something, it is likely me. After the class, I made a trip to the Post Office, then back to the Curious House, and then a quick trip to HEB. I am going out of town on Sunday, and I am in the process of marking things off my packing list, and throwing things in the vicinity of my carry-on and my back pack. I am getting better at not packing a lot of stuff, and I am kind of happy about that. We shall see how it all works out.

Volume 18 - Day 162/203, 2026 - Thursday

I have never seen a traffic jam caused by porta-potties. Apparently there were too many potties on this trailer, and three or four of them flew off the trailer onto the expressway. Okay, well, I am not sure that happened at all, but now that I have your attention... I did my four hour class today, and I have another one tomorrow. After tomorrow, I will have all the REQUIRED education to renew my real estate license, plus several that I just took because I had nothing better to do. After the class, I took the Buzz to the VW dealer in Georgetown for a damage estimate. Less that I expected, just about $2,300. Now I am having a contentious time with the insurance company. Not my insurance company, the insurance company of the man that ran into the Buzz last Saturday. I won't mention any names, but the company name rhymes with State Farm. I am not a fan. Whatever. After the class tomorrow, I may go to HEB for just a few things, and I need to do laundry and a couple other things around the house before I head out of town on Sunday. And, I expect there will be a couple other things I will need to do, like seeing if I can fit into any of my conference clothes. 

Volume 18 - Day 161/204, 2026 - Wednesday

After our walk this morning, I got ready to drive in to Austin for a ten o'clock meeting. Traffic was typical, I encountered an invisible wreck, and it took about 30 minutes to go four miles on MoPac. It must have been an invisible wreck, because when traffic started moving, there was nothing I could see that caused the slowdown. I got to my meeting, and I was only four minutes late. I always leave early because you never know what will happen along the way. I ran a few errands on the way home, and one very fun thing I did was to take a big jar of coins to the bank to cash them in. I have been putting coins in the jar for a LONG time, and some of the things I found in the jar were pretty interesting; three or four foreign coins, fourteen dollars worth of two-dollar bills, and a note that Jody had written. Jody's note said 53 nickels, 2.65. 107 dimes, 10.70. 75 quarters, 18.75, and 315 pennies, 3.15. To say the least, I was really surprised to find that note. Tomorrow I will call the Volkswagen dealer and ask them what time to body shop is open, so I can go get an estimate for the Buzz repairs. I am taking a four hour virtual class tomorrow and Friday, so maybe I can get the Buzz to the repair place after 2PM. Probably.

Volume 18 - Day 160/205, 2026 - Tuesday

Today was a busy day for a Tuesday. Besides our early morning walk, I had two zoom meetings, an in person meeting and a couple errands to get done. The two zoom meetings were nicely spaced so there was an hour between the first one and the second one. I did get a couple errands completed before my three o'clock appointment, so that meant it was nap time. A couple times! Dick and Marge are heading back to Chicago (Buffalo Grove) for the summer, so we had a Bon Voyage dinner for them tonight. There were 23 of the neighbors attending, and it was great. The server in the restaurant was a little bit stretched, but otherwise, we had a great time talking and having a great time. I am pretty sure we are all happy to have such a great group of friends, and it shows every day!

Volume 18 - Day 159/206, 2026 - Monday

I did a couple of errands this morning before I went to pick up Marian, and we drove in to Austin for our platelet donation. Of course, it goes without saying that we stopped at Upper Crust Bakery on the way, just to pick up a few things to sustain us for the week coming. While we were standing in line, my friend Teresa came over, and there were hugs all around. Marian does not know much about that past life, but now she has a few bits of information. Teresa was my first broker when I got my real estate license, back in 1995. There has been a lot of water running under that bridge! Teresa was there with Omar, who I did not recognize at first. Omar and I are both on a committee at the Austin Board, so that was interesting to see him this morning. We made it to the blood bank, and we were in and out with no big issues, nothing exciting happening! There is a lot to be thankful for if there are 'no big issues' while we are donating platelets! While blood and platelets were flowing out of my arm, I was listening to the book we are reading this month for book club, Vera Wongs Guide to Snooping (on a Dead Man). It is certainly an easy read (listen), and I don't need to think too much about it while I am listening! I got home and went down for a nap, which is also a good thing, and now I am done for the day. I do need to go and check the mail, but that will be it for me.

Volume 18 - Day 158/207, 2026 - Sunday

Up until about 6:30 this evening, I had nothing to eat today with any nutritional value. For breakfast, I had a scone. Not terrible. For lunch, I don't even remember what I had, but I know there were some M&Ms involved. Paulina and I went to see The Bird Cage this afternoon, it is hard to believe that the first time I saw it was 30 years ago. While we were doing estate sales yesterday, Marian said she and her daughter Lexi were going today. Val, Paulina and I watched La Cage aux Folles at the Curious House last week, so it was fitting that we go see The Bird Cage today. We saw Marian and Lexi, and after the movie, we did the selfie that is accompanying this journal entry. My resolution to boycott CBS has been tweaked a little bit. I will NOT watch ANY CBS news programming, but I will watch the shows I like on Thursday evenings, and I am watching the Tony Awards right now. Sue me. So far, the Tony's have been really good, but CBS had nothing to do with that. Whatever. When we got home this afternoon, I fed the girls and for dinner I had the chicken and rice that Paulina brought me at some point last week. Yummy good. Tomorrow is a platelet day, and it will be me and Marian, and that will be a good day.

Volume 18 - Day 157/208, 2026 - Saturday

Overnight we collected 1.57" of rain, and that is excellent. It was an estate sale day, me, Diane, Marian and Paulina. While were were stopped at a red light, the guy behind us said his foot slipped off the brake pedal, and he hit us in the back. The force seemed like more than a 'creep,' so maybe he uses both feet and when his left foot slipped off the brake, his right foot was on the accelerator. Who knows. There is not a lot of damage to the Buzz, but I expect the whole back piece under the tail gate will have to be replaced, and a little piece of the tailgate will have to be repaired/painted. I don't know dollar wise, but likely several thousand dollars. We (that means I) had not intended to call the Police, but one saw the incident and pulled in behind us. I have been watching TOO MANY YouTube videos lately, so when the officer got out, I immediately asked him if I was being detained, and that I knew my rights, particularly my first and fourth Amendment rights, so don't mess with me. He went along with it, the other guy and I exchanged information, and we went on to the sales. I am pretty sure we all bought something, in fact, I bought quite a few things, and it was a good day of estate sales, all things considered. Now I just need to get the stuff out of the Buzz and spread it around in the house! After the sales, I had one errand to run, and then Paulina and I drove to Temple to visit a friend's 'Treatery!' FroYo, macaroons, cupcakes, everything you need for a good a lunch! We brought stuff home, too. There is not a lot of chores on my list for tomorrow, but I am pretty sure I can do something to make it interesting.