Volume 18 - Day 123/242, 2026 - Sunday

Meet Bryon, soon to be the second most famous Bryon in the United States. Not sure exactly where in Italy I met Bryon (and parents and siblings), but I was immediately drawn to the entire family. Although small in size, Bryon is very large in presence, as only a true stand-out personality can be. He is kind of shy, but once you get to know him, he will tell you the whole story. I actually vacuumed my bedroom and the bath today, and did laundry and domestic stuff like that. I had a devil of a time getting the bed spread to spin properly in the washer, but finally I did, and the bed is all made up again, and ready for many nights sleep. It was another beautiful day in central Texas, and the temperature got up to the high 70s, but the humidity is very low. I have the windows open, and the air conditioner has been turned off for the last four or five days. There are a few things on the calendar this week, and I will be going in to Austin three of the five days. Tomorrow, I will be visiting Trader Joe's with Gina, to get some desperately needed supplies. Ice cream. Then, a couple other things through the week, nothing that could cause any stress, I hope.

Volume 18 - Day 122/243, 2026 - Saturday

Today (as I predicted) was a beautiful day in central Texas. Right now, it is sunny and about 71 degrees. When I got up this morning, and did the walk with Richard, Paul and James, it was 48 degrees. When I made it to the blood drive, it was a little bit warmer, and I had on a light jacket. The blood drive was very good, we had 27 donors show up, and we have 25 qualified to donate. That was better than the blood banks' goal (23) and a little bit short of my goal (30). BUT...I think we are on a good track for doing this on a quarterly basis, and I came home with some cookies. Today was our third blood drive, and I think everyone is happy with the results. After the blood drive, I came home and napped for a little while, and just within the last hour, Paulina is home from Poland. She was on the same flight today that I was on a week ago today. She has already started unpacking, and half of her suitcase was stuff I bought. The plan, the whole time, was that her checked bag to be mostly empty on the way over, and very full on the way back. It worked! I don't have a lot on my chore list for the next week, and I will not be complaining about that at all. 

Volume 18 - Day 121/244, 2026 - Friday

I'm feeling pressured to vacuum the Curious House, and it is pretty intense. Silly people tell me I can choose to clean one room at a time, and I assume that is something that people less compulsive than me are capable of doing, although I may give it a 'go' at some time in the near future. I bought a few cleaning supplies last week, but I can't really remember where I put them. Likely in some logical 'cleaning type' of a place. Here is something that I bet you have never experienced. Earlier this week, I bought some scones for breakfast, and I had the last one for breakfast this morning. I put it in the microwave for two rounds of 15 seconds each, and retired to the office to do stuff. As I was almost finished, a house fly crawled out from under the scone. Apparently, I had microwaved the fly along with the scone, and I am surprised that the thirty seconds of microwaving did not cause the fly to expire, but the kleenex crush did the trick. Worst case, I expect house flies are mostly protein, so... It did rain off and on all day long today, so I did nothing at all, and only went outside to take the girls out. Gina called me to see if I was at home, and brought me some homemade chicken noodle soup. I have already eaten about half of it, so I have to other half to look forward to in the next couple days. It's delish! I think the rain is over for the next couple of days at least, and tomorrow is our neighborhood blood drive, so I will hang out there for most of the morning. Everything has really benefitted from the rains, and we at the Curious House have received a little less than two inches in the last couple days. No complaints!

Volume 18 - Day 120/245, 2026 - Thursday

We finally did get some rain, but not until this afternoon. It was a platelets day, and I donated double platelets today, and I left the blood bank at about 2PM. I am not in the least ashamed of the fact that I drive like a little old lady when it is raining outside, and the ride home proved that point. It rained 'cats and dogs (see the earlier post about how that phrase originated)' and I am always surprised to see other drivers acting like it is just another day in central Texas. The generally accepted speed on MoPac this afternoon was close to 40 mph, and rain water was flooding the lower parts of the roads. Carefully, I made it back to the Curious House, and so far, my gauge records about 0.27" of the wet stuff. We are expecting more overnight, and tomorrow is supposed to be really wet. I have nothing on the chore list except a note to give the girls their pills, so I think it might be a good day for being lazy. The temperature did not get out of the 60s today, and that is just a little bit lower than it should be this time of year. I started reading a new book today, Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klume. It is our book club book, and one of the book club members said he was not particularly fond of the book, so I was prepared not to like it...BUT NO! I am about a third of the way in to the book, and I am finding it pretty interesting...if you like books about ghosts.

Volume 18 - Day 119/246, 2026 - Wednesday

We had a 'trace' of rain so far today, but there is more expected overnight and for the next couple of days. The only thing I had on my list to get accomplished today was an appointment this afternoon, and so I spent the morning doing a couple things around the house. It was not a typical day, very cloudy and overcast, not the kind of day that is conducive to feeling perky. I did get the grape vines removed from the front bed, and over the weekend I will work on taking control of the morning glories in the back. Tonight was the neighbors dinner, and it was fun. There were ten of us, and we met at a pizza place in Georgetown. Everyone swears by the meat balls, but I had calamari and pizza. I have enough left over for at least two more meals. I am not counting on a walk in the morning, it may be raining, according to the radar forecast. I do have a couple appointments in Austin tomorrow, so I will do my best to avoid the rain. 

Volume 18 - Day 118/247, 2026 - Tuesday

I'm having a hard time not being tired. I am getting plenty of sleep, I just feel tired. I think it is just from the last couple weeks of traveling, but I don't like it. I did do a few things today; I went to the ROMEO breakfast, went to HEB on the way home (I needed some dog food and ice cream), came home and watered new plants, put some rings around the three new trees to keep the mulch from washing out (I hope), planted some seeds in three pots, repotted the sweet potato vine I was given last year, and went to the Neighbors dinner place to confirm our reservations for tomorrow night. In between things, I took a nap for about an hour. I don't have a lot on the list of things to get done for tomorrow, but I am pretty sure I will find something to do to pass the time. Since I am all stocked up with ice cream now, I am relatively confident that there will be some ice cream for me in the near future. It's a hard life!

Volume 18 - Day 117/248, 2026 - Monday

Contrary to what my watch reports, I think I had a pretty good nights sleep last night. My watch says had a low 'sleep score' of 59, and that I should try to get to bed at the proper time this evening, to increase my score. Whatever. As usual (usual for being at the Curious House), I walked with Richard and Paul, and when I got home, I did more catching up. I am pretty close to being caught up, and as usual, I am putting some stuff off to another day. I had to ask James to help me get my printer going this morning, and it was kind of fascinating to hear him interact with AI about how to get the printer and computer to work together. One thing about the AI person, he talks WAY TOO FAST for me to follow the commands, but James was in his comfort zone, and everything is working as intended now. The landscape folks were here at about 9 o'clock, and they got everything done by about 1 o'clock. I did go to Home Depot while they were here, and I brought back some mulch for the flower beds. I also got some new light bulbs for the kitchen; nothing is easy anymore. There are no more incandescent bulbs, so what I got are LED bulbs, and you can set them between 75 and 110 watts, and you can decide what color light you would like. I set these to 75 watts, and they are all set for 'daylight,' and I am very happy with the result. Now I can see what I am doing in the kitchen. I noticed the first morning glory blossom of the season, so I hope you enjoy it.

Volume 18 - Day 116/249, 2026 - Sunday

I hope I am just a victim of jet-lag, because I really do not feel good. I just got up from a nap to take the girls out, and post this entry. My sinuses are providing me no respect at all, and I am not all that in favor of blowing my nose every twenty minutes. I am actually exaggerating, I am blowing my nose every 15 minutes. I did manage to get quite a few things accomplished today; I cleaned and refilled the hummingbird feeders, filled up the dog water bowl in the front of the house, updated the letter board, wound and set the clocks that I stopped before my trip, bought a mop (that was not easy), and Val and I went to Farmer's Nursery in Leander on a quest for two peach trees. I realize that I am being compulsive abut the peach trees, but I would really like a couple producing peach trees. I found two very healthy looking trees, and the man at the nursery said it would take five or six years for them to be the size of the trees in the photo accompanying this entry. I would have thought it would take much longer than that. I expect I still have five or six years in me, so I got them. Tomorrow, the landscapers are expected to work on the front and back beds, so I will have them plant the two trees, and transplant three other trees I have. I also need to go in to Austin to pick up prescriptions, and check a few other things off my list. AND, I hope I feel better tomorrow.

Volume 18 - Day 115/250, 2026 - Saturday

I am back in Texas after my 17 day trip with and without Paulina. I think we went our separate ways on Tuesday, or maybe Wednesday. Paulina went to Berlin for work, and then to Poland to visit her family. I went to Munich to visit Lisa and Hanna that I met when I went to Antarctica. I had a great time visiting with them and seeing lots of the sites in Munich, and yesterday, I took the train from Munich to Berlin. Today, I flew from Berlin to Amsterdam, and then from Amsterdam to Austin. In the Amsterdam airport, I bought some tulip bulbs, certified safe, and now I need to decide what to do with them. They are legal to bring in to the U.S., and I declared them, and there was no issue. I think it is interesting that security staff will freak out if you have a pocket knife when you are boarding a plane, but the airline will give you a very nice knife (not a pocket knife) with your meal. I just think that is interesting. I am making a list of all the things I need to get accomplished tomorrow, as I think it will be a busy Sunday. Right now, my body thinks it is 3AM, but I am going to stay awake until my usual Georgetown time of 9:15 before I go to bed. We will see.

Volume 18 - Day 114/251, 2026 - Friday

This day started out just fine, but kind of took a nose-dive once I got to Berlin. It's really only first world problems, but it has made me a little bit crazy. I got up this morning, packed my carry-on (and I was right, I had room), and then went across the street for coffee and two muffins. I left the hotel at about 10:20 and walked to the train station. About a 20 minute walk. I had walked it yesterday, just so I would know where I was going, so I even took a couple different streets than the directions, and got there just fine. I boarded the train just about 20 minutes before departure, and it was a nice ride (about five hours) from Munich to Berlin. Once I got in the cab to the hotel, it all went south. I asked the cab driver (before I got in) if he accepted credit cards, and he said yes. I showed him where I was going (an airport hotel), and he acted like he knew where he was going, but I don't think he really did. When we got to the hotel, he could not confirm that his credit card machine was working or not, so he asked my name, and said if the charge had not gone through properly, he would come back tomorrow. I told him I would be leaving at 7AM. I was in the room for about 15 minutes, when the phone rang. The front desk said the cab driver was in the lobby and told them my credit card had been declined. UGH! So, we tried using a different credit card, and he still could not get his machine to work, so I paid cash. SO...I expect I will have three credit card charges for the cab ride, AND I paid him in cash, AND the front desk thinks I'm a fraud. First world problems. BUT, now I have had a nice dinner, and I am ready to call it a night. I should be home late afternoon tomorrow, see you all soon.

Volume 18 - Day 113/252, 2026 - Thursday

This morning, I walked to the train station, just so I could get my bearings, and know where I need to go tomorrow. It is about a 20 minute walk, so not a big deal. My train leaves at 12:48, so it will be a leisurely morning. Lisa met me at 11AM, and we walked around the neighborhood for a while, and Hanna joined us at about noon. We covered a lot of territory today, for sure. 19,590 steps! After Hanna met up with us, we walked up the 306 steps of the Alter Peter Tower. Hanna is afraid of heights, but she did it. Personally, I am afraid of steps, but I made it to the top, too. We had pretzels for lunch, and we continued our adventures in Munich. I got back to the hotel at about 3:30 and went down for a nap. We met up again at 6:15 for dinner, long with Pat and Matt, Lisa and Hanna's boyfriends. We had a great dinner, I had Schnitzel with Bratkartoffein, delicious. Then a nice walk back to the hotel, hugs and handshakes all around. This is my last night in Munich, and tomorrow will be (about) a five hour train ride to Berlin, and I will spend the night at an airport hotel, for the start of my journey back to the U.S. I will be back early evening of Saturday, and I have LOTS of photos to show you. Photo: Me, Lisa, Pat, Hanna and Matt.

Volume 18 - Day 112/253, 2026 - Wednesday

Paulina and I were awake at 3:15AM this morning (Ireland time), and headed to the airport at 4:15. I got to meet Paulina's brother (Lucas or maybe Lukas, not sure of the spelling), and Anna, one of the women that works with Paulina. Then we went our separate ways; Paulina headed to Berlin and I headed to Munich. My plane was late taking off, but I made it to Munich and took a cab (Uber was not helpful) to my hotel in Munich. I checked in to my hotel, did a little bit of work, and then Lisa came and we walked around some spots near the city, including the HUGE Nymphenburg Palace and the Palace Park. We didn't go in, but my first impression was that is was as big or bigger than the Louvre. It was plenty big! After that, we went to the Unchner Fruhlingfest (Spring Festival), which is a scaled down version of OktoberFest, only it is April, and that is where we met up with Hanna. We rode 'one of the largest transportable Giant Wheels in Europe, the Willenborg Riesenrad.' It goes to a height approximately 50 meters higher than five Olympic diving towers. It's pretty high. Then it was off to dinner, and then back to the hotel. Public transportation is very good here, and I bought a one-day pass, so we got around just fine. I also got in over 17,000 steps today, so there is that! Overall, it was a great day, so nice to see Lisa and Hanna, who I met on the Expedition to Antarctica. We have just kept in touch and I was too close to Munich not to take a little side trip. Tomorrow, there will be sites to see, and then dinner with Lisa, Hanna and their respective boyfriends. I am really looking forward to another great day! Photo: Me, Lisa and Hanna at the top of the Ferris wheel.

Volume 18 - Day 111/254, 2026 - Tuesday

There are a few things that I cannot comprehend that are going through my little pea brain today. I went on another tour today, eight people on a bus designed for about 65. We headed to Belfast, and made a couple stops along the way. The high point of the tour was the stop at the Titanic Belfast Museum (not sure if it is museum). I think I was told it is the number one tourist destination in Ireland, but not sure, I might have just made that up. Another thing I can't wrap my head around; I apparently did not take a single photo today that I think is interesting enough to include with this post, so you get what you get. You can search names of passengers and crew that were on the Titanic, and there was a William (Thomas) Evans listed as a crewman. I looked him up online, some info shows him as a cabin steward, other information shows him as a 'stoker.' He was about 34 years old when he died, his body was recovered and then buried at sea. The personal effects when he was recovered included an envelope, addressed to his mother in Southampton. My imagination is guiding me, and I will see what other information about him I can find. We have early flights tomrrow, and the alarm is set for 3:45AM, so that means I am done for the day!

Volume 18 - Day 110/255, 2026 - Monday

We got up and out at about 7:15 this morning, as I remember, and had a small breakfast at the hotel. Paulina escorted me to the pick-up point for my ALL DAY tour, and then she headed to her office to get some work done. Here are a few pieces of trivia that I picked up along the way today: Many homes in Ireland have small windows, because when it was overseen by England, they charged a 'daylight tax,' so to overcome that, they made smaller windows or painted the windows so the daylight could not penetrate. Guinness Brewery wanted to purchase the land it is situated on, but the owners would not sell, but they agreed to a 9,000 year lease which is still in effect, at 45 pounds per year. The term 'raining cats and dogs' originated here, because animals (cats, dogs, rats, whatever), would seek warmth and shelter in the thatched roofs, and if it rained hard and long, the thatched roofs would collapse, along with the cats and dogs, so therefore... The tour took us to a few counties, we covered about 700 kilometers, and we did it all in only about 12 hours, not thirteen. Lots of castle ruins, one actual castle, the Cliffs of Moher, small villages, and this and that. Plenty of photos to look back upon in my old age. Paulina and I had dinner, and we are both tired, so it is time to call it a night. Tomorrow is a tour to Northern Ireland, which will include visiting the place (not sure what that means) where the Titanic was built. I smell even more t-shirts.

Volume 18 - Day 109/256, 2026 - Sunday

We were up early this morning, and left Berlin and flew to Dublin. It was not a long flight, a little more than a couple hours. We Ubered downtown and checked in to our hotel at about 3PM, then went for a little walk, bought some t-shirts and a rubber duck, among other things. I am apparently now collecting rubber ducks, although it is not something I was consciously aware of until this moment. We made it back to the hotel, and took a quick nap, and then we went for dinner, meeting with a friend of Paulina's; Angelique. Angelique used to work with Paulina, and she lives about 40 minutes from downtown Dublin. She took public transportation to dinner, which meant that she wore no jewelry. The things you learn to survive in a city. Dinner was in a Pub that looks to have been open longer than anything in the U.S. After dinner, we walked back to the hotel, about five minutes, and now I am done for the day. I am going on a tour tomorrow...13 hours! What in the hell was Paulina thinking when she booked that tour for me. She is blaming the whole thing on Marian in Georgetown, apparently Marian and Ronnie took the same tour at some point. The Cliffs of Moher Tour, returning to the city at approximately 8PM. Holey-Moley!

Volume 18 - Day 108/257, 2026 - Saturday

As a tourist in Berlin, I find it to be a sad and sort of depressing place. I really do understand that is an exaggeration, but as someone who will be here only a few nights, the most seen tourist destinations are about the Berlin Wall, and other spots about the cold war, communism, struggle and strife. Even though we visited many other lovely and interesting places, the unhappy bits are the ones that made the biggest impact on me. Don't get me wrong, there were t-shirts and other souvenirs involved, but I did not want to buy any t-shirts about the wall, I do not want to make a serious time in my life and the lives of others, into something you put on a t-shirt. We will all head to the airport tomorrow morning, Krisa will go back to Poland, and Paulina and I will fly to Dublin, Ireland. I think I will spend about three nights in Dublin, then head to Munich to visit Lisa and Hanna, and then I return the the U.S. on next Saturday. 

Volume 18 - Day 107/258, 2026 - Friday

Today was KIND OF a less hectic day. We got up and went for breakfast croissants and coffee (American for me), and then back to the hotel for a little bit of a rest. We checked out of the hotel at 10AM, and took an Uber to the airport, and our flight left at about 1:15 for Berlin. I tried my very best to sleep during the flight, but that was not to be. Once we got to Berlin, we retrieved Paulina's luggage and met Krisa outside the baggage claim. Krisa and Paulina have been friends for many years, and I met her a few years ago, and have visited with her in Georgetown and Poland, so it is always very nice to hang out with her. We checked in to the Berlin hotel, and after a bit of a rest, we walked to the Brandenburg Gate (also, maybe, referred to as 'Pariser Platz'). Of course, on the way to dinner, there was a souvenir shop, so now I have TWO MORE t-shirts. I had schnitzel for dinner, and there was a lot of it, and then we walked back to the hotel. I think tomorrow will be a jam-packed day, so I am going to sign off for now. Mas manana!

Volume 18 - Day 106/259, 2026 - Thursday

And so, another day is coming to an end, and it has been a fun day for sure. We got up this morning and I had some sort of chocolate croissant and coffee for breakfast. We then headed for the ferry dock, and took the ferry from Naples to Capri. In the movies, I have always heard of it as 'The Isle of Capri,' and I had no preconceived notions at all about the island. I had no idea that people actually lived on the island, I thought it was just a bunch of resort hotels; but that just reinforces that I really never thought of it. As I have found out, it is a very nice island, catering to very nice people, most of whom are some of the luckiest people on the planet. I'm not going to go very far down that rabbit hole, but it was much more than I had expected. The ferry took about an hour each way, and we both took short naps, both ways. We took cabs to various sides of the island, since we only had about three hours before the ferry headed back. When we got back, we had a late lunch (early dinner?), and went back to the hotel for more naps. At 7:30, we headed out because Paulina was on a mission to buy refrigerator magnets, and I was on a mission to just spend some money. That has not been a challenge in the last 8 days, and I expect there will be many more opportunities. Tomorrow, we will have some breakfast, check out of the hotel at 10, and head to the airport. This time tomorrow, we will be in Berlin for a couple days.

Volume 18 - Day 105/260, 2026 - Wednesday

I knocked on Paulina's door this morning at about 7AM (as I recall), and we walked to the tour pickup point, which was close to the train station. We had breakfast there, and the tour guide met us, and we went and made two other stops to pick up participants. I think this bus carried twenty folks, not including the tour guide and the driver, so it was a much more manageable group, and no one was particularly obnioxious. There were people from Paris, Dallas, Canada and some Asian countries, so it was a good group. On the way to Sorrento, we passed Mt. Vesuvius and were close to Pompeii, which is interesting that we were that close to Pompeii but did not stop. I am pretty sure we bought t-shirts at every stop we made today; Sorrento, Positano and Amalfi. I have no idea how many photos I took, but I am sure I could have taken photos until the battery in my phone died, there are just so many beautiful sites to be seen. Somewhere between Positano and Amalfi we stopped for lunch, and then when we got to Amalfi, there was suddenly an option to take a boat ride off the coast. I am 100% sure that, if that boat and that body of water were anywhere in the U.S., we would not have left shore. But, we did, and we all made it back and nobody vomited. We did see Gina Lollobrigida and Sophia Loren's home while we were touring by boat, and lots of interesting 'blue caves.' Overall, a good day. We got back to the hotel, rested for a while, then went for dinner at a seafood restaurant. I cannot tell you how many decades it has been since I had a fish dinner, the WHOLE fish, and I had to work around the fish bones. I have to admit, I did pretty well. Tomorrow, I will knock on Paulina's door at 9, and we will take a Ferry to Capri. So far, and very interesting and fun visit to places I have NEVER been before, and will likely never be again.

Volume 18 - Day 104/261, 2026 - Tuesday

Today was not quite as busy as yesterday, but we still got a lot of things done. We were up and had breakfast, then chilled out in our rooms until the noon checkout time. We took a cab to the train station, and the train was delayed 20 minutes (I didn't think that was supposed to happen in Italy), so we hung out in the First Class Lounge for a little while. We got on the train, and made it to Naples with no problems. Looking out the train windows at little communities and villages, I wondered if the residents worried every day about their own challenges, as I worry regularly about my challenges. Don't get me wrong, I am a very lucky man and I know it, I just have challenges, sometimes. Not nearly as many now as I have had in the past. Whatever! The hotel we are staying at is definitely not a budget hotel, but it is interesting that it costs a dime (10 cents in Euros) to use the elevator before 6PM. I cannot think of a single time that I have had to pay to use an elevator. We got checked in, and shortly after we went into the old part of the city, did some sight seeing, and had pizza. Back now at the hotel, and so we are going to meet tomorrow at 7AM for our next adventure. 

Volume 18 - Day 103/262, 2026 - Monday

This was certainly a busy day! I woke up this morning in Florence, had breakfast at the hotel, and took an Uber to the train station, and we left for Rome at about 9 o'clock. I think. We didn't waste any time once we got to Rome. We checked in to the hotel, and then took off to visit the following: The Vatican, Piazza Novona, Trevi Fountain, The Pantheon, Neptune's Fountain, The Roman Forum, the Colosseum, the Spanish Stairs, and the monument to Victor Emanuel. Victor Emanuel III was the King of Italy from 1900 until he abdictated in 1946. He was also the Emperor of Ethiopia from 1936 until 1941, and King of the Albanians from 1939 until 1943. He was a busy guy. I have hundreds of photos, so if you want to see them, make an appointment when I get back to Texas, and we can look together. Tomorrow will be much less hectic, we will meet in the lobby about 9, have breakfast, and take the train to Naples in the early afternoon. We will be in Naples for three nights, so maybe I will unpack, but probably not.

Volume 18 - Day 102/263, 2026 - Sunday

It has been a really long day today, and I am ready to crawl in to the bed and go to sleep. We left the hotel this morning at about 6:45 (I think), and walked to the train station which is where we caught the bus for our 12 hour tour. AND...it was almost exactly 12 hours! We went to Siena, had lunch at a winery (kind of the Walmart of wineries), then to San Gimignano (where we had what is known as the 'World's Most Famous Gelato' in 2024. It really was good. Then, we went to Pisa, and you know what we did there. After Pisa, we got back on the bus and headed back to Florence. We stopped for dinner after getting back to Florence, and got back to the hotel at about 9 o'clock. We will be up early again tomorrow, meeting in the lobby for breakfast and check-out at 7:15, catching the train to Rome at about 8:30, and then a busy day of seeing the sights and buying even more crap. Having a wonderful time, wish you all were here!

Volume 18 - Day 101/264, 2026 - Saturday

We got up this morning and had breakfast in the hotel, and then we walked around for a while. We met Holly and her sister Lisa for a few minutes, before we headed for the train to Firenze. If you're an Aggie, that is Italian for Florence. Lisa is teaching an art class in Venice, so that is pretty interesting. Oh, and Holly lives in Oregon, not in Washington state as I previously reported. The train to Florence was fun, I think it was about three hours, and I took a nap or two on the way. The sights from a train in Italy are very much the same as in the U.S., it just happens to be a different country. Small cities along the way, towns and villages where ordinary people live, I just enjoy it. We got to Florence around 4 or 4:30, checked in to the hotel, and then wandered around, bought crap, had dinner, and now back in the hotel for the evening. We are going on a 12 hour tour tomorrow, leaving at 7:30, to Pisa, Siena, and San Gimignano. We meet at the train station, so we will be leaving the hotel around 6:30 to get there on time. Good night! Oh yeah, I probably took about 250 photos today, so...

Volume 18 - Day 100/265, 2026 - Friday

Against considerable odds, we made it to Venice this morning at about noon. It was not as dramatic as I am making it sound, but before takeoff last night, the Captain reported that they had determined there was ice on the wings, and we needed to de-ice the plane. It was, according to my watch, 46 degrees Fahrenheit, so the probability of ice on the wings was relatively small. Whatever. I probably got more sleep overnight than I really think I did, but it was fitful at best. We landed, and all the new entry rules went into effect today, and all the systems were 'down,' so everything had to be done manually. That all took a while. We finally got through, got on a boat to the hotel, checked in, had about an hour of quiet time, and then we started sight seeing. We are only here overnight, we are taking a train to Florence tomorrow. On the plane, I met a very nice woman from Washington state, as I recall. You all know I am not much for details. But it was nice, she is here with her parents and sister, and hopefully we will meet up again. Paulina and I had dinner at the hotel, and now it is time to go to sleep. Venice is a beautiful place, and there will be lots of pictures to share later. I am attaching a photo of me and Paulina (my travel agent) on the Rialto Bridge. Good night.

Volume 18 - Day 99/266, 2026 - Thursday

It's days like this that I wish I were more technologically competent. Or maybe I just need to invent a pocket-sized IT guy. Right now, I am at JFK waiting for our (me and Paulina) flight to Venice. I was up at 4:30 this morning, Arjun picked us up a little before 8AM, we made it to the airport with no issues, got through TSA with no issues, and had some breakfast. My friend Terry joined us and sat with us for a while, and then we headed for JFK. Even though my phone says I have WIFI on the plane, I cannot figure out how to make it work, which is why I am doing this journal entery now, instead of doing it 'somewhere over the Atlantic' which is what I had meant to do. I am also TOTALLY aware that these are first world problems, and I will suffer through, since air travel is so much more practical than taking a boat to Europe. True dat! SO...we will get on the plane at about 9 o'clock Eastern Time, and get to Venice about noon tomorrow. To be honest, I really have no idea, but I will be in a plane, and whenever the plane lands, that will be fine with me. On the way in, I THINK we flew past Manhattan and Central Park. If the photo with this entry IS NOT Manhattan and Central Park, feel free to keep it to yourself, just leave it be. Otherwise, life is good, Val and Evan and Albert and Amber are taking care of the girls, and I will go places in the next couple of weeks that I have never been before. I always wanted to go to Austria! 

Volume 18 - Day 98/267, 2026 - Wednesday

So...tax extension has been filed and check for 2025 and first quarter of 2026 are in the mail. I went to Target this morning and bought a pair of pants, and I have already taken them back and got a credit on my credit card. I had not really looked at them when I bought them, I was just paying attention to the color. When I got them home, they had some 'bleached lines' on them, that is the only way I know how to describe them. The lady at customer service said that was 'the style,' and I explained to her that it was not 'my style.' Then I bought some socks, and now I am just about ready for my trip. I have a load of clothes in the dryer, and I will get finished packing tomorrow morning. That will be the absolute last thing I do before I leave. It was a nice day today, in the lower 80s, and it is expected to get warmer and wetter as the week goes by. You never know about rain, so I will let the sprinkler run this evening, and turn the system off before I leave. I am expecting tomorrow to be a pretty long day of travel, but I also expect that I will survive the whole thing. I am looking forward to seeing things I have never seen, making new friends, and meeting up with friends from other adventures. It will be good! I got gas in the little white car today, I have no complaints about the price of things, there is no real reason to complain (which is really unlike me), but I just need to remind myself and everyone else, that I am a very lucky man!

Volume 18 - Day 97/268, 2026 - Tuesday

This is a pretty exciting day! It is not everyday that you have a crater named after you, the Carroll Crater on the dark side of the moon! I've been humming Pink Floyd for the last several days, too. Okay, not named after me, exactly, but my middle name is Carroll, so I'll take it. I also share that middle name with my friend Melody, so lots of cool people share that name! It is easy enough to see the exact Carroll that it was named after if you have access to the internet. Carroll Crater is a lunar impact crater located on the surface of the moon. It was officially named yesterday, April 6, 2026, by the crew of the Artemis II mission. Other than finding that out, today was a relatively normal day in the life. Breakfast with the ROMEOs, a stop at the UPS Store, an appointment with the CPA so I now know how much I owe the IRS, then home to take a nap with the girls. I am in the process of gathering stuff up to take with me on my trip with Paulina. We will meet Krisa in Berlin, and I will visit with Lisa and Hanna in Munich. In the meantime, it will be making new friends in Ireland and other points, and seeing how many family photos (ussies) I can photo bomb. It's what I do!

Volume 18 - Day 96/269, 2026 - Monday

I didn't have a lot of chores on my list today, but I did get a few tings done. I trimmed back one of the peach trees in the back yard that was a victim of a late frost, and hopefully that will help the pieces of that tree that are still alive. I also got all the prep done for my appointment with the CPA tomorrow, so I am pretty confident with that. Today was a platelet day, and all the staff at the blood center were wondering where Paulina and Marian were, but they were happy to see me. It is kind of odd to donate solo, but Marian and Paulina will be back to donating soon. Before I got home, I stopped to see how long the wait was for a haircut, and decided I would need to go back, since I was meeting a service man at Val and Paulina's, to see about getting their garage door repaired. I met with that guy, and shortly after that, Val was home, and he took over talking with the repair man. I took off and made a visit to the bank, and then went to get my haircut. The lady that cut my hair was a talker, and I was not particularly in the mood to talk, but it all worked out. I stopped at Cane's on the way back to the Curious House, and I just finished a three finger combo meal. Excellent! Now, I am in for the evening, and I expect I will be in the big chair with a couple girl dogs before long.

Volume 18 - Day 95/270, 2026 - Easter Sunday

I hope everyone had a Happy Easter, it was a lovely day in central Texas, the temperature never got out of the middle 60s, and it was jacket weather this morning! The photo is of the beautiful sunrise this morning, and it was well worth documenting. I met Reuben and Alisha for brunch, and that was fun, I haven't seen them in a couple months, I think. I got home, did a few little things around the Curious House, and went down for naps with the girls. Oliver, Val and Paulina came over for a few minutes, Oliver is headed back to Galveston after being home for the weekend. Val went to Home Depot and got a post to keep my plum tree upright. I think it is a plum tree, I am not sure, but it is something with some small fruits on it. I've had to windows open, but closed in the bedroom, it is too chilly for napping in there with the windows open. Tomorrow will be a platelets day, and Tuesday I have an appointment with the CPA. I am in good shape for the CPA, but there will be a few pieces of information I still have to collect.

Volume 18 - Day 94/271, 2026 - Saturday

One of my favorite things about the Curious House are the windows in my bedroom. I spend a lot of time back there with the girls in the big chair, watching television. I open the blinds all the way up when I get out of bed in the morning, and lower them about two-thirds of the way about 2 or 3 o'clock in the afternoon. The windows are west-facing, so there is a lot of sun in the afternoon, which is why I bring the blinds down in the afternoon. I planned to NOT go to estate sales today, and then the rain caused me to coward out and not go to Holly's for Migas and Mimosas. We only got a little over a half-inch of rain, but it rained pretty hard for a while, and I understand it rained much heavier south of Georgetown. So...basically, I did nothing all day but watch tv. I went out a little while ago and did the best I could raking and sweeping and blowing the oak tassels (or catkins) off the front patio and driveway. They have dyed the concrete in many places, but I expect the summer will bleach the concrete back to white during the heat of the summer. The good news is, the sprinklers are off for the near-term, and the bad news is there is not more rain expected in the near term (or the long-tern as far as that goes).

Volume 18 - Day 93/272, 2026 - Friday

No more rain since my entry yesterday, but with any luck, there will be more over the weekend. My phone says we will have some light showers pretty soon, but it doesn't look like anything will fall from the sky any time soon. I took another virtual class today, and it was an elective. There are still two required classes I need to take, and I will hopefully be able to find them offered virtually in the near future. After the class, I went down for a nap with the girls, and Oliver came over for a few minutes. He is home for the Easter weekend, and yesterday when he arrived, it was the first time he had been home since Val and Paulina moved in. After a while Paulina, Oliver and I went in to Georgetown, we intended to go to the Georgetown Welcome Center to get Texas (or Georgetown) magnets to take with us next week. I am not sure if they will be open tomorrow, but they closed at 3PM today. After that, it was salad and pizza for dinner, and it was really good. We are all glad that we discovered the place on Leander Road. I am planning to go visit Holly, Gavin and Mace tomorrow for their spring time open house, hopefully with no rain. We shall see... Georgetown is officially recognized as the "Red Poppy Capital of Texas," designated that by the Texas Legislature in 1990. The recent rain was pretty heavy at times, and kind of beat these poppies down, but they are still pretty, especially en masse!

Volume 18 - Day 92/273, 2026 - Thursday

There was no walk this morning, because it was raining. This is not a usual comment about walking, so it is not straying from my vow yesterday to quit talking about walking. Since this time yesterday, we have received 2.28" of rain, and honestly, that amount was quite unexpected. Thankfully, the rain, pretty strong at times, cleaned the pollen off the solar panels for which I am very appreciative. The sun is out right now, and we will not be expecting any more rain until Saturday, which will be nice if that really happens. Whatever happens, I will try my best to turn off the sprinkler before it is scheduled to run on Saturday. While it was raining this morning, Gina came and picked me up and we went to Trader Joe's. You know, Trader Joe's, the place that I am really not cool enough to visit. I finished shopping quicker than Gina, so I went and sat in the car. While I was checking out, there was quite a commotion in the parking lot. Apparently someone was backing out of a parking place and hit a pedestrian (female). There was more commotion when several emergency vehicles arrived 'on the scene'. By the time we headed home, the rain had ended, and the rest of the day was dry and comfortable, I think the temperature only got up to the low 80s. I am not sure what is going on, but Callie is not feeling well...she might have pulled a muscle or something, she is not jumping up on the chair or the bed, but she is eating just fine. I will watch her overnight and maybe take her to the vet tomorrow, after my virtual class.

Volume 18 - Day 91/274, 2026 - Wednesday

The score is now 3-0, I have been in Austin for three days in a row now, but I will not be driving in tomorrow, in fact, I have nothing t all on my calendar for the next two days. Actually, that's a lie; I am taking a virtual class on Friday, but at least I don't need to go anywhere to take the class, and I don't have to wear pants. Yes, there was a nice walk this morning, I think I might quit remarking about that, and as of tomorrow I will only be reporting if I DO NOT take a walk, or if something extraordinary happens on the walk. You're welcome! Let's all work toward keeping Austin weird; on the way in to Austin this morning, I passed this truck, and was a little bit startled until I figured out it was a dummy in the back seat. Not sure if there was a dummy in the front seat or not, but I did manage to get a few photos during the next several miles. Interesting! I did make it to two meetings, and I was on time for both of them. This afternoon, I had an appointment to get 'cracked,' and I am on a monthly rotation for 'cracking.' If everything works out overnight, we MIGHT get a bit of rain, and I hope this forecast is not an April Fool's joke. I am reading a new book (for the last couple days), called The Secret Lives of Murderers Wives', by Elizabeth Arnott. It is very interesting, and I am going through it pretty quickly. It is about women who were married to serial killers, what they had/have in common and similar characteristics the men they were married to shared. Fiction (I think), but interesting. 

Volume 18 - Day 90/275, 2026 - Tuesday

Yes, of course I had a walk this morning with Paul and Richard. Then we had our ROMEO breakfast, and Bob joined us for the first time. We might have overwhelmed him, but we are hoping he will become one of the regulars. Not only do we solve the problems of the world, but we also eavesdrop on conversations and criticize diners at other tables. Okay, that is me, really, sharing my thoughts with the servers helping the diners at other tables. After breakfast, I got back to the Curious House, and did some more work on my taxes, and I am very happy with my results so far. I am pretty sure I will be ready for my appointment with the CPA a week from today. Late this morning, I drove to Dripping Springs to visit with my friend Betty who is on a six month RV trip across the country, going here and there. She lives in Maumelle, Arkansas, and I think going cross-country at your own pace is probably one of the coolest things you can do. Unless, of course, you do it on a train, but then you could not have lunch with your friends along the way. Tomorrow will be another busy (sort of) day, and the third day in a row that I will go in to Austin. Two meetings in Austin and a chiropractor appointment in Georgetown. 

Volume 18 - Day 89/276, 2026 - Monday

This is pitiful; I had lunch with Michael and Lynda this morning, and book club met at the Curious House this evening, and I did not take a single picture of either event. I think I am losing my touch. Richard and Paul and I had a nice walk this morning, and after that, I went down for a little nap while I watched the morning news shows. I went in to Austin for lunch with Micheal and Lynda, and got lost in the process. Siri wanted me to go to one restaurant location but lunch was at another location. I made it on time though, and spent some time catching up. On the way home, I needed to stop at the bank and then HEB. I got gas in the little white car, and snacks for book club. I will be eating the snacks for at least a couple days, not that there is anything wrong with that. During book club, the girls went over and spent the evening with Val and Paulina, and Paulina even let them get up on her new couch! We are all back at the Curious House now, and pretty soon it will be popcorn and ice cream. No ice cream for the girls! Tomorrow will be the ROMEO breakfast and I think another friend of ours, Bob, is going to join us. After that, I am going to have lunch with my friend Betty, and I am really looking forward to that. I am also working on my income tax, and I have an appointment with the CPA next Tuesday. I will have enough stuff done that he can estimate my tax liability and file an extension. Whatever!

Volume 18 - Day 88/277, 2026 - Sunday

I stayed pretty busy today, starting with a good walk with Richard and Pau. I watched part of Sunday Morning, but lost interest and started cleaning (straightening out) the garage. I almost filled the recycling container with paper bags that I have been saving for too many years. I am not saving them anymore. After that, I went to one of the big box pet stores (not sure which one) and got bird seed and some dog food. I am stocking up on dog food because I will be out of town for a couple weeks in April. After that, Val and I went to an estate sale that I was at yesterday, but the main thing I went back for was already sold, that's just the way things go. I thought it was too expensive yesterday, it would have been better at 50% off, but it was a goner. I watered plants, and then some other neighbors (Albert, Amber and their son Evan) came down, Evan is going to help watch the girls and water plants while I am gone. After that, I went to Costco with Linda and Jimmie, and now I am ready to have some ice cream and pile up for the night. I think the girls are pretty ready to chill out as well.These geraniums are at least three years old, and I have two potts of them, and they seem to be very happy, which makes me smile. I also put some potting soil in the pot with the big ficus, and I will give it a little fertilizer later this week. 

Volume 18 - Day 87/278, 2026 - Saturday

We went to seven estate sales today, and at one of them, across the street from the actual sale, there was a house with an absolutely beautiful stand of red, white and pink amaryllis. Absolutely beautiful. The Curious House boasts a few amaryllis, all procured over the years from Trader Joe's, and they get better every year. I'm happy with them. Before estate sales, Richard and Paul and James and I had a nice walk, and there was some (only some) good conversation. Seven estate sales is a LOT of estate sales, and it was me, Diane and Marian. I am pretty sure everyone bought something, and I spent about $25 and got a few cool things. I am going back to one of the sales tomorrow to check out a couple things that will be half-off. You never know what might happen on the last day of a sale. After the sale, Marian, Paulina and I went to the Georgetown Community Center, where they were having a native plant sale. By the time we got there (1PM) they had sold out of everything and the place was next to empty. I guess it was a competition between estate sales and native plants, and the sales won. I hired a new lawn care guy, and he cut the grass this afternoon, the first time of the season. He did a good job, and I think we will be on a two week rotation. Every two weeks should be plenty. I just got back from the quicky-picky, where I got my lottery tickets for the next few days. One of these days...

Volume 18 - Day 86/279, 2026 - Friday

Today is Val's birthday, so HAPPY BIRTHDAY VAL! The day started with a good walk, and then I got back to the Curious House, had a scone, did a few things in the office, and then I went down for a nap. I didn't do a whole lot for the rest of the day, the girls and I just kind of hung out. I did get a few things in the office done, and got some planning done. I talked to a couple people in Chicago about flights to and from Africa for my trip in September. I think I (Paulina) found better and less expensive flights round trip, so I probably will not use the recommended vendor to book those flights. We have had a cool front come through, so it is 17 degrees cooler right now than it was a five o'clock this afternoon. The cooler weather is only going to last a couple days, but we will take what we can get. I went to dinner tonight with Val and Paulina to celebrate his birthday, and had cake from Upper Crust after dinner. Tomorrow will be seven estate sales, and I am looking forward to that. In the afternoon, there is a native plant sale going on at San Gabriel Park, and I expect I will go to that, just to see what I can find. 

Volume 18 - Day 85/280, 2026 - Thursday

This time tomorrow should be a little bit cooler than it has been lately in central Texas. The weather prognosticator said it is unusual to have 90 degree temperatures in March, and so far there have been five days at 90 degrees or better. I think that is the most 90 degree days in March ever here. Maybe tomorrow it will break, and we will be more seasonable, and I can open the windows again. Maybe. Paul and Richard and I had a nice walk this morning, I need to start walking a little further to get my knee used to it. I had a zoom class this morning for three hours, and then a zoom meeting for one hour this afternoon. Other than that, I did very little of anything today. I did get a few things done in the office between zoom meetings, and I have absolutely nothing on my list of things to get done tomorrow. There are seven estate sales on Saturday, and that might well be a record for us. I plan to finish the current book, The Bean Trees, over the weekend since book club is Monday night and I am the host this month. I have to say, I am not particularly fond of this book, but I will get it finished. I do have a nice little group of Bluebonnets in the front bed, and they are particularly lovely this year. Lots of them on the sides of the highways, always a sign that spring has sprung!

Volume 18 - Day 84/281, 2026 - Wednesday

The day started with a pretty good walk with Richard and Pau, and then, I had an appointment at the Curious House with the landscaper. All I really want is to make, what appears to be, a very complicated estimate a simpler for me to understand estimate. I don't need a lot of this and that, I just want to add some plants and get two peach trees bought and installed. So, I hope to get the revised estimate later this evening or tomorrow, get it approved, and then wait for all the work to happen. I did get a new lawn maintenance person approved, and the grass will get cut on Saturday. Today was a platelets day, and it is pretty crazy that I was the only one that could donate platelets today. For one reason or another, Paulina and Marian were not able to give, so that is unfortunate. Whenever I am disqualified for donating, I take it very personally. Whatever. Tomorrow, I have a couple zoom meetings; one is a three hour continuing education class, and the other is a committee meeting. I haven't looked yet, but Marian says there are a lot of estate sales this weekend, and that is always fun. I'll let you know. You can always count on the rose bushes in the back yard, they are very little maintenance, and they are absolutely stunning. 

Volume 18 - Day 83/282, 2026 - Tuesday

I had a nice walk this morning with Richard, and after the walk, I met with Rick and Richard for our ROMEO breakfast. I got a good bit of office work done, I really don't pay attention to doing the 'worst first,' but I settled down and did a couple things that I have been putting off. It was not as bad as I expected, and now it is done. I also finished the fountain planter on the back patio this afternoon, and I got the three functioning fountains up and going. I am pretty satisfied with the new plantings, and I will just need to keep everything watered. I still can't find the large peach trees that I am coveting, and I am ready to approve a bid for filling in the landscaping in the front and back, we just need to agree on some changes. Unfortunately, that means they are going to be back at the Curious House tomorrow. Also tomorrow, Marian and Paulina and I have appointments to donate platelets, and Val's birthday is Friday, so she has ordered a cake from Upper Crust, AND, I need to pick up another prescription while I am in the neighborhood. 

Volume 18 - Day 82/283, 2026 - Monday

So...it was kind of a busy day, but only busy because of a couple things I chose to do. I did walk this morning with Richard and Paul, and then I had a 9:30 appointment at the dermatologist. This appointment was my annual follow-up, and all is good, she froze off several pre-cancerous spots here and there, mostly face and hands, all the places where the sun shines. I think I am lucky so far, because I was pretty well known for sun worshipping, and I have NEVER used tanning lotions or oils or sun blockers. The hotter, the better...but then, I moved to Texas. After that appointment, I went to one of the local nurseries and bought some plants to convert two fountains (two of the same fountains) into planters. I never really liked these fountains, but I think they will do well as planters. I have done the one in the front (see photo), and I will do the other one tomorrow morning. My lawn service guy raised the rate per visit again, so I decided to find another service. The man that Richard has hired will be by later this evening or tomorrow and give me a bid, so I think that is who I will be going with. Frequently, change is a good thing. I had a wonderful conversation with Deb this afternoon, we chatted and laughed and gossiped for 39 minutes! She was on my list of people to call because I had told her I would like to be in her book club, but it is just not going to happen. Any way, we had a great talk, and we all miss her and Jay, but if I can wait five years, she and Jay may be back here for one of their grand kids high school graduation! They moved to Vancouver, Washington three years ago, time flies! 

Volume 18 - Day 81/284, 2026 - Sunday

After our morning walk, I got to the Curious House, and watched Sunday Morning, which I like to try to remember to do on Sunday mornings. One of the things they featured was a free app called iNaturalist, which is similar to other apps I have that identify plants that one might come across. Yesterday, I had the landscaping cleaned up around the house, front and back, and fresh mulch put in all the beds. While I was out with the dogs this morning, I noticed the blossom that is included as the photo with this entry. I expected it was an early morning glory, but I used the new app, and it was identified as a Periwinkle (Vinca Major). I wonder how this periwinkle got in that back bed? I have not introduced periwinkles into any of the landscaping, but I am happy to have it. It shares many features with morning glories; a fast-spreading, evergreen ground cover known for its dark green leaves and pale blue, pinwheel-shaped flowers that bloom in spring and summer. Maybe I accidentally planted periwinkle when I thought I was planting morning glories. I think I will go out and see if the morning glories are really morning glories. Whatever. Paulina and I went to Costco this morning, and then I was on a mission to find peach trees, bigger than the five-gallon sizes that are pretty common. No luck, but I am not done trying. Apparently, Vance will be in town tomorrow, so I know one place I won't be going to, for my own sanity. More later...

Volume 18 - Day 80/285, 2026 - Saturday

It is only the last part of March, and the temperature is bordering on Summer. It was in the lower 90s today, same for tomorrow, and who knows when we will get any rain. Not in the near future. I am watering the grass twice a week, and that is earlier than usual. I had a nice walk this morning with Richard and Paul, and then I had a zoom call with the Condo owners in Playa. It took them 25 minutes to determine (or confirm) whether there was a quorum or not, and I left the zoom meeting at 11AM. The estate sales were calling, and it was just me and Marian. We hit six estate sales, and I spent about $25 on stuff I really needed. When I got home from the estate sales, I drove to Leander (or Cedar Park) to a tree farm, looking for some peach trees. They said they do not sell ANY fruit trees, and was going in to a big explanation about WHY they don't sell fruit trees, but I did not care WHY, the website said I could buy peach trees there. Whatever. I am on a mission. I did stop at a newly reopened restaurant in Georgetown to see if it would work for our next neighbors dinner. I didn't think it would. When I got back to the Curious House, Paulina and I went there for dinner, and Richard and Marge were walking out, so they came back in and sat with us while we ate. We brought something back to the house for Val, and that was pretty much the end of the day. Paulina and Val are now 100% moved in to the house next door, and they are spending their first night in their new house. I am lucky to have them as new neighbors. Old friends/new neighbors! Tomorrow I am going to brunch with Candy, and then going to Costco with Paulina. I also need to stop at HEB to get some impatiens to fill in the big planter at the front door. I will be trimming the current impatiens back, they have gotten straggly and stringy. It will look odd when I cut them back, but I expect they will feel better about themselves. The photo for this entry is the first sighting of (I think) Texas wine cups. Maybe, maybe not, but a sure sign that spring is short and summer is (I think, again) here.

Volume 18 - Day 79/286, 2026 - Friday

I am getting pretty good at staying in bed until six o'clock. All I have to do is remember that I have nothing to do when I get up, and I just stay in bed. I do get up around six, and check email and get ready for a walk. So, we did have a good walk this morning, and I was supposed to have a landscape vendor come by to give me an estimate between 8 and 11, but that means 1:45 in vendor speak. I did help Val move a few things in to the house, and suddenly, my Google Home app decided to revolt, so Mateo came out to get that straightened out. I had intended to go in to Austin at some point today, but I changed my mind, so (maybe) I will do that on Monday. I am supposed to have a zoom COA meeting for the condo in Playa tomorrow morning, but no link yet. I will check with them tomorrow morning and see what the status of that is. I finished listening to my most recent book, All the Little Houses, and I am not sure if I liked it or not. I downloaded The Bean Trees, which is the book club book for this month, and I have about ten days to finish it. I think that is plenty of time to get it done. The girls are trying their best to teach me how to take several naps during the day, and they are having some success. I think there will be a visit to Costco tomorrow, and there are six estate sales to go to, but we will be leaving later than usual because of my early morning zoom call. It should be a good day.

Volume 18 - Day 78/287, 2026 - Thursday

The time drug by today, just because I am not used to sitting on my big fat butt in front of my computer, taking a (six hour) continuing education class. But I did, and I need to take two more (mandatory classes) before my license expires in September. Not a challenge. I am taking another class (three hours) next week, so I think that one will be a bit more tolerable. The day did start with a quick walk with Richard and Paul, and that was good, except my knee was bothering me a little bit more than usual. I have a 'compression knee sleeve,' but I am not sure if it is helping or hurting the challenge. I think only time will tell, and I just got the sleeves yesterday, so I need to give it a fair chance. Val and Paulina are moving a few things in to their new house, and their first night as my neighbors will be Saturday. I have an HOA zoom meeting on Saturday morning, so I won't be leaving for estate sales until 11 on Saturday morning, instead of the usual 9:30. More sturdy stands the bowing reed than doth the mighty oak. I remember that from High School. I have to go back in to Austin tomorrow to run one errand, and maybe two if I can think of anything else to do. I can usually come up with a couple things.

Volume 18 - Day 77/288, 2026 - Wednesday

It was an interesting day. I actually stayed in bed until 6 o'clock this morning, and then had a nice walk with Richard and Paul. After the walk, Val and Paulina picked me up at about 9:15, and we headed off to the Title Company, where they closed (and the transaction funded) on their new home, next door to the Curious House. Billy and Gina were great neighbors, and I am very happy that my new neighbors are friends of mine for the last several years! Sorry that Billy and Gina moved, but happy that Val and Paulina are the new neighbors! Tonight was the monthly neighbors dinner, and there were 15 of us in attendance. It is always nice to see former neighbors, current neighbors and future neighbors at these dinners. I have about a half hour on my most recent book that I am reading, and then I have to start the book club book for this month, The Bean Tree. Book club is at the Curious House this month. As we were leaving the restaurant, I thought I heard someone call my name, and I actually did, it was not just my imagination. Dale and Jonathan were sitting at the bar, and it was great seeing them, I know Jack Allen's Kitchen is one of their favorite places, so it ws not surprising to see them there. I have a couple things on the calendar tomorrow, including a zoom continuing education class from 10AM until 4PM. It's okay, I will survive!

Volume 18 - Day 76/289, 2026 - Tuesday

There was no walk at all this morning, it was too cold and the wind was still blowing pretty briskly. I knew I was not going to walk, so I tried staying in bed as long as I could, and I made it until 6AM, which is really late for me. I think I need to start staying in bed longer, since I really have no reason NOT to stay in bed. I got a few things done when I got up, and left the house at about 8:30 to get gas in the little white car, and then met Richard for our ROMEO breakfast. After breakfast, I had a couple errands to run in Austin, and I picked up Eileen for lunch. We had lunch (I didn't eat because I just had breakfast) at a very trendy place at the Arboretum. It was kind of like the Trader Joe's of little restaurants; really too cool for me. I ordered a beverage which I did not really care for, a ginger and something. Nope, I don't need to go back there. It was fun catching up with Eileen, and I need to do that more often. I got back to the Curious House and did a few things, and then I headed out to HEB. Yes, I actually did it, but I probably should have stayed home. I gave several people the stink-eye, but I got out with no actual physical trauma. The physical maladies came about when I was putting the plants back on the back patio and the front patio. The weather prognosticators said we probably experienced our last freeze of the season, fingers crossed. I have one appointment on the calendar for tomorrow, and that will be fun!