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!

Volume 18 - Day 75/290, 2026 - Monday

I got cold overnight, partly because I left the windows in the dining room open and one window in the front bedroom open. I had closed the bedroom windows, but it was down to about 39 degrees outside when I got up, which accounts for me being cold. So cold, that it woke me up, but I didn't wake enough to do anything about it. I now have an extra blanket on the bed and all the windows are closed, so I expect I will be much more comfortable tonight. I did even less than a half-walk this morning, again because of the cold weather and the winds...it has been really windy for the last couple of days. After my abbreviated walk, I did very little for the rest of the day. I did bring all the plants in, front and back, and I expect I will take them all back out tomorrow. This cold weather, forecast to freeze overnight, will hopefully be the last freeze of the season, and I will be okay with that. I went to dinner with Jimmie and Linda this evening, raw oysters, calamari, and a bowl of gumbo. All really good. I have a few things on the schedule for tomorrow; no walk...ROMEO breakfast, pharmacy stop, lunch with Eileen, and a couple other things. Wednesday is shaping up to be a pretty good day as well.

Volume 18 - Day 74/291, 2026 - Sunday

It was 93 degrees in central Texas this afternoon, right now, it is 76. The low temperature overnight is expected to be about 39 degrees, and overnight on Monday about 35 degrees. On Friday, it will be 90 degrees again. Crazy. It did make for a nice walk this morning, and I did very little after the walk. Jimmie, Linda, Marge and Richard and I took off for lunch at the Salt Lick in Round Rock and then we filed into the Dell Diamond to see Banana Ball, featuring the Texas Tailgaters and the Indianapolis Clowns. I've had tickets to this game since October, and ever since then, I thought the Savannah Bananas were playing the Texas team. No matter, it was fun, and they certainly don't waste any time. AND...the games do not go over two hours, not matter what inning it is. I like that. After the game, we met Ronnie and Marian, their daughter, son-in-law and grand baby at Culver's for a little bit of custard. I'm watching the Oscar's now, and I doubt very much that this will end on time. Nothing on the schedule for tomorrow, walk and in the afternoon I will go with Paulina to run a couple errands. I still have not gone to the grocery, but maybe I will check that off my list tomorrow. Fingers crossed. In the photo, one of the players on the Texas team is batting on a unicycle. And...he got a single. Texas won the game, 7-2. Or maybe 7-1. Not sure.

Volume 17 - Day 73/292, 2026 - Saturday

Overall, today was a most excellent day, in several different ways. Don't mess it up! It started out with a good walk with Richard and Paul, and when I got home, I had a bagel for breakfast. We had six estate sales to hit this morning, and Marian and Judy and I took off for that and had a great time. Judy finally bought something, Marian got a signed basketball from Tech, and I spent about $70 on stuff that I did not know I could not live without. The very best find of the day is Beulah! Meet Beulah, she is Bertha's sister. Beulah is happily ensconced in the living room, and so far, Bertha is in the garage. Beulah just absolutely makes me smile every time I look at her. After estate sales, I went in to Georgetown and had a six shrimp combo (shrimp, salad, fries and a drink). Then I went back to one of the estate sales, because Val saw a trunk that he wanted. When we were there this morning, it was priced at $225. They were closing for the day at 3, so I got back there at 2:45, it was half price, and I ended up with it for $100. Okay, really, Val ended up with it for $100. Later on in the afternoon, Val, Paulina and Oliver came over to do their final walk-through of the house next door that they will close on next week. I could not ask for better neighbors, so I am really happy about that. I expect tomorrow will start with a walk, and then late morning Jimmie, Linda, Richard, Marge and I will head off for lunch and then hit Dell Diamond to watch the Savannah Bananas. It should be a fun day, even though the weather forecast says it will be 91 degrees. Ugh!

Volume 18 - Day 72/293, 2026 - Friday

It turned out to be a really lovely day in central Texas, even though it started out a little bit chilly. If you think high 40s is chilly. I know it is much colder in other parts of the country, but we think 45 degrees is close to closing the roads temperatures. Paul and Richard and I had a nice walk, and then I did very little of anything until it was time to go pick up Marian to go to the blood bank. We met Paulina there, and the three of us wore our Lady Gaga t-shirts, so that called for a photo opportunity. Going to donate platelets is a fun part of my routine, and three of us going together is even more fun! Marian and I stopped at Upper Crust on the way there, and they were already out of cinnamon rolls, but they did say that, in the future we could order on-line and pick them up when we were going to donate. That should work! I've been having a hankering for pizza, but I was strong, and ate some chicken and cranberry salad flips. Maybe pizza tomorrow. There are six estate sales tomorrow, so there is no telling what I will find that I can't live without. Stay tuned!

Volume 18 - Day 71/294, 2026 - Thursday

It cooled off overnight, enough so that I had to put on a jacket to walk this morning. After the walk, I had an early morning appointment, and then I was on a zoom meeting later in the morning. The hallmark of a really successful zoom meeting is one that does not last as long as expected. The zoom meeting today was really excellent, both because of the content and the work we got done, but also because it did not last as long as we expected. After that meeting, I went over to Paulina's, where we (really not me, all Paulina) did a few final things for our trip next month. By the time I left Paulina's this afternoon, we (again, mostly Paulina) changed my KLM return flight from Berlin, made hotel reservations in Munich and Berlin, and booked two or three tours across Italy, Ireland and Germany. There will be lots of train rides, so I am totally 'on-board' with that. See what I did there? I have had the ficus tree in the photo accompanying this journal entry for at least two decades, maybe three. We bought it from HEB, and when we bought it (maybe three bucks) it was less that a foot high. Now, it is a great big ficus, and it takes very little care, very little attention. It is not like me at all!

Volume 18 - Day 70/295, 2026 - Wednesday

It was raining, thundering and lightning this morning, so I did not walk. Neither did Paul or Richard. With any luck, there will be a nice walk tomorrow morning. The temperature is expected to be in the 30s and 40s tomorrow morning, after being in the low 80s today. In the next couple days, we are expecting the daytime temperature to reach 90 degrees. Crazy. I had a zoom meeting this morning; it was actually an in-person meeting, but I had to get in the que for our NAR Legislative Meeting in DC coming up in June. I clicked on the registration button at 2 seconds past noon, and I was number 3000 and something in line to register. It all worked out okay, and I am registered. We have always done this meeting in May, but this year it will be in June for some unknown reason. I have another zoom meeting tomorrow morning, then an appointment after that, and then I will go to Paulina's so we can make sure we have everything together for our trip to Italy, Ireland and Germany next month. OMG, that is coming up in less than five weeks! We have been planning this trip for over a year, and it is getting ready to happen! The clouds gave way to sunshine and blue skies this afternoon, and that always makes me feel better!

Volume 18 - Day 69/296, 2026 - Tuesday

The house is very quiet right now. I took Mike to the airport this morning, and Jimmie and Linda caught a ride, too. It just so happened that they had ordered an Uber to take them to the airport, but since I was taking Mike, it was not necessary for them to take an Uber. They probably got to the airport a hour earlier than they needed to be, but I think that was not a problem. I got to and from the airport with no problems, and then I met Richard and Rick for our ROMEO breakfast. After that, I came home and took a nap, and later in the day, I got a message to go pick up a prescription. SO...my new general practitioner passed his first test, and renewed that prescription, so that is a good thing. For dinner, I had the rest of a salad and chicken that I had left over from dinner on Saturday. I think the rain chances are lessening, but I really can't tell for sure. It was expected to start raining early this evening, now it seems the rain won't really hit here until about 2 in the morning. I like rain and storms, but early morning storms like that are a little bit concerning here in central Texas. I have a zoom meeting tomorrow, and then a registration call for our Hill Visits in June. Then I will likely be done for the day, but you never know.

Volume 18 - Day 68/297, 2026 - Monday

Today has been a very quiet day...last night, after the Lady Gaga concert, I got to sleep at about 1:30 (actually this morning) and got up at about 5:30. Richard and I had a nice walk, and then I had a cardiologist appointment at 9:30. All is good. I got home, and had a nice long nap, and then Mike and I went in to Georgetown for dinner. All-in-all, not a terribly busy day, but there will be plenty of stuff to do tomorrow. It will be another early day tomorrow; Mike leave early in the morning so I will take him to the airport, and Jimmie and Linda are also going to the airport, so it will be a full buzz! I almost forgot...for lunch, Mike and I went to Golden Chick and had the fried shrimp. Nothing much can be better than that!

Volume 18 - Day 67/298, 2026 - Sunday

It is after midnight (CDST), and I am up much later than usual. Richard and Paul and I had a nice walk this morning, and then a bunch of us from the neighborhood met for brunch at Monument Cafe. Many of the staff were surprised to see me and Richard on a Sunday, not a Tuesday. After brunch, Mike and I came back to the Curious House and mostly napped the afternoon away. At about five o'clock, we headed in to Round Rock to meet up with Val and Paulina, and we went in to Austin for a Lady Gaga Concert. It was a really good concert, but really, the one in Miami was better, but the seats in Austin were actually the ones that I bought, as opposed to the crappy seats we had in Miami. It's late, I am headed for another nap.

Volume 18 - Day 66/299, 2026 - Saturday

I did half a walk this morning, and my knee is still bothering me, but it seems to be better than it was. Honestly, the only time I pay attention is when I am walking or climbing (or descending) steps. Previously, it would wake me up at night hurting, but it hasn't done that lately. Twig said he had Rooster Comb injected in his knee a while back and that was very helpful. I looked it up, I may check with my doctor about that. We didn't do estate sales today, but we filled up the day with no problems. Val came over and got more boxes, and then this evening, we (Mike and I), met Paulina, Val and Oliver for dinner. On the way home, the rain arrived, and it was raining so hard that I could not see the lane markers or the curbs, and I ran up on a curb. No damage, but then the rain eased up and we got home. There was some really interesting lightning displays, and some thunder, but not as much thunder as you would have expected with all the lightning. I checked the gauge in the back yard, 0.70" of rain, and that is great, we will take all the rain we can get. Hopefully it will rain overnight, I like hearing rain while I am sleeping. Neighbors are having brunch tomorrow at 11:30, and that will be fun, then we have big plans for the evening. Stay tuned!

Volume 18 - Day 65/300, 2026 - Friday

I did a half-walk again this morning, mainly because of my knee. I just realized as I was sitting here, thinking of this journal entry, that my knee has not bothered me too much later in the day. I had a doctors appointment at 1:30 this afternoon. On the way, I stopped at Galaxy Bakery to get some scones, because Mike is here from Del Ray for a couple days. I got to the doctors appointment a little bit after noon, and they did not care that I was that early, but they really get cranky if you are late. I always think, if I get there early, they may take me in early. They didn't, but it was not a terrible wait. I actually fell asleep a couple times in the lobby. After the appointment, I had some blood drawn, and I got one of the results back, so far. Within acceptable norms. BRAVO! After the appointment, I headed in to Austin to pick Mike up at the airport. On the way, I finished listening to my latest book, Logical Family by Armistead Maupin. I have read (really read) most of his books, and this one was a good read too. It is more or less his biography to date, and it was really interesting. After Mike and I got back to the Curious House, we went with Linda and Jimmie to Taylor for some catfish. I was very hungry, but I really did eat too much, so I am stuffed right now. While in Taylor, we saw a young man unfurl his prayer blanket, make sure he was facing east, and then he did a series of prayers. I know very little about my own religion, and I know absolutely nothing about eastern religions, but I respect this young man for his determination to do what he needs to do.  

Volume 18 - Day 64/301, 2026 - Thursday

The girls had an appointment at the beautiful parlor this morning at 9 o'clock, so I got them there, and on the way home, I stopped at HEB. I got gas in the little white car, and then parked and went inside to get a few groceries. I got in the '15 Items or Less' line, and the woman (not lady) behind me (I'll call her Karen) decided that I had 16 items in my basket, and I should not be in that line, or that I should, at the very least, let her go in front of me. I took a quart of milk out of my basket and put it in her basket, which then gave her 16 items, and that was not an adequate solution to the challenge, in her opinion. I also had a gift card, which would not work, so I just paid for my groceries and left. The next problem was, I was parked in the first parking space outside the doors, so of course she had to continue the confrontation. The only thing that could have made this more fun, would have been if I did not take my basket back to the basket place, and driven off. But I did, and she didn't, and no matter what, I still feel good about the whole thing. As infrequently as I go to the grocery, I think I 'average' less than 15 items per visit, so it all balances out. The Mountain Laurels are blooming in central Texas, and those plants are one of my first memories having moved to Austin back in 1985. They smell like grape bubble gum, and it is something to enjoy every spring.

Volume 18 - Day 63/302, 2026 - Wednesday

Well, the end of another day...I did a partial walk this morning with Paul and Richard, and then got ready to head in to a meeting in Austin. I had one errand to run on the way and I still made it to my 10 o'clock meeting with a few minutes to spare. After the meeting, I made it home in time for my Noon Zoom call. The call was scheduled for an hour-and-a-half, but it was over in less than 30 minutes. That is the kind of Zoom call I really like. After that call, I went to my 2:30 appointment in Georgetown, and got home and tried to take a nap. I maybe napped for ten minutes, but that was okay. Tonight was book club night, and I left early...BEFORE the photo was taken, but this photo is of the book club, minus me. Again today, I did not make it to the grocery, but I will have to go tomorrow, because I am almost out of milk. First a walk, then the girls are going to the beautiful parlor, then a few other chores, and one of them will have to be the grocery! Life is good!

Volume 18 - Day 62/303, 2026 - Tuesday

Okay...I got home from my most recent time zone travels on Sunday evening. Yesterday and today, Richard and Paul and I took abbreviated walks...I believe my walks were more abbreviated than Richard's or Paul's, and I blame that on my knee. It has been bothering me a little more than normal (if knee pain can indeed be normal), and the most recent cortisone shot (January 20th) has lost its' oomph. I also got a statement from my health care provider (no names but the initials are BS&W). The cortisone shot I got on January 20th was $1,869 and change, and there were a LOT of errors on that statement. My insurance protested, and they ended up paying $4.77, which left me with a charge of $288. I still think $288 is way too much for nothing but a cortisone shot. Dr. Google agrees with me! It is not a battle I am going to win. Ugh. After our walk this morning, I met Rick, Richard and Paul for our ROMEO breakfast, which is always fun. When I got home, I did some stuff around the house, and I filled up my waste bucket with stuff I trimmed off the various grasses. I still need to trim back three or four of the grasses, but I am out of room right now to dispose of it. Tomorrow, I have a meeting in Austin, then a Zoom meeting, a chiropractor appointment and tomorrow night is book club. It's gonna be a busy day. Last week at the meeting in Las Vegas, Sean Spicer gave me a hat with the 'Seal of the President of the United States' on it, and the next day I got the opportunity to meet Pete Buttigieg. I was very happy to meet Pete, and he signed the hat for me. That was one of the high points of the meeting for me, and I will not document the many faux pas I committed in the short two or three minutes I was with Pete. Ugh!

Volume 18 - Day 61/304, 2026 - Monday

First things first: Set your clocks for 5:30AM (CST) and walk outside to witness the total lunar eclipse. All times are CST. The eclipse will start about 2AM, but it will be full at 5:33AM, and it is probably worth a look. As I was thinking about the past week of travel, I realized I could qualify for my own Planes, Trains and Automobiles YouTube. I was also in four time zones, and met lots of very nice people. It is, however, really good to be home. I got a few things done today, one of which I did not get done, going to the grocery. There is always tomorrow, so tonight I made an egg loaf, and I will share it with the girls when I finish this entry. I will not try to bore you very many more days with stuff from my adventure, but the photo in this post is my high school graduating class in 1969. I think there were 202 graduates in the class, but I did not bother to count in the photo. It's not that hard to find me, since all the photos also have the names below them. This (I believe) will be a relatively calm week, but again, I am glad to be home, and I am not forgetting that I am a lucky man.

Volume 18 - Day 60/305, 2026 - Sunday

I'm home, and I am glad to be home. I was gone just a little over a week, and I am glad I am not out of town right now. My train ride from Detroit, in total, was just a little bit over 38 hours, and I cannot think of a better way to spend 38 hours. Surprisingly, I slept very well last night, and I am not bothered by noise. If you have ever been to the Curious House, you will certainly acknowledge that statement. I like the whistle, the bells, the creaking and the swaying back and forth of the train. The picture with this entry is me in my bed in my room on the train. I also like looking out the windows. I may have mentioned before that, when I was a little kid, I could stand for hours looking out the window of our house on Balsam Street, one of the houses I went past while I was in the Detroit area. I like the little towns, the little hamlets, the farm land, just the stuff. At some points on the train ride home, we were four hours behind schedule, but I got off the train in Taylor, just about 40 minutes late, so we made up some time. Jimmie and Linda picked me up, and when I got to the Curious House, Val and Paulina were here with the girls. Now, all is quiet, and I will be back to a normal (normal?) schedule tomorrow. I don't think I have any plans to go out of town until sometime in April, so I will be home at least that long. I am still having a little bit of an issue wrapping my head around the fact that today is March 1st, but I guess I will get used to that tomorrow, as well.