2014 - Day 120/245 - Wednesday...

As a certifiable (albeit self-diagnosed, not that there is anything wrong with that) wearer of the OCD mantel, this is just another example of the many, MANY things that tends to cause craziness in my head.  I cannot for the life of me understand why the postal carrier at our office is seemingly incapable of lowering the tops of the mail boxes when s/he is finished sorting the mail into the various receptacles.  I started out asking that the carriers lower the tops, and that was met with success for that particular instance.  The next tactic was to put a request on the inside top portion of our particular box.  There was never a positive reaction from that.  Next and finally, I resorted to a PLEA to (if nothing else) help preserve my sanity and not be forced to contact a postal carrier customer service representative, which would, in all likeliness do little except to make my head explode and get grey matter on the ceiling of my office.  And there goes the security deposit!

And what exactly is wrong with self-diagnosis?  I have been a high functioning self-medicator for years, and there is nothing wrong with that.  I'm just sayin'...

And another thing...when did Highway 183 and MoPac (Loop 1 for the out of town subscribers) become IH-35.  I had a 8 o'clock appointment this morning in Cedar Park.  Of course I was early, why do you even bother asking.  The appointment ended at about 8:10, and there I was stuck in traffic that emulates and possibly exceeds the crap on IH-35.  I had no choice but to start making phone calls and making sure people were awake and ready to start their day.

Deeds, Actions, Changes, COMPULSIONS, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2014 - Day 119/246 - Tuesday...

Tonight at dinner, Vera the favorite girl chicken (and truly the mistress of her domain, and that is everything) was checking us out from the back patio.  I knew that meant she was ready for some attention.  And I needed a photo for this journal entry.  I went out to the front after dinner and lots of the girls thought I was going to give them something to eat (I am easily mistaken for Jody by a chicken) but they were curious enough to gather 'round for photo opportunities.  I got a couple good shots of Lucy and Libby, and a couple of the unnamed Silver Lace Wyandottes, but look our, Vera is back in town.  She chased everyone away and stood for (in old film terms) a couple rolls of exposure.  I have to admit, she is a pretty girl and can really work a runway!

Today was a pretty quiet day, and I expect the same for tomorrow.  I have an early appointment, and maybe one more mid-day, we will see how that goes.

Deeds, Actions, Changes, VERA, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2014 - Day 118/247 - Monday...

Today was an incredibly productive and rewarding day.  Even for a Monday.  How could it not have been great, when I was greeted with this beautiful pre-sunrise view on my way into the office.  Absolutely beautiful.  Look closely and you can see the cattle looking at me like an idiot, not to mention the garbage collection truck behind me that could not understand why I was stopped in the middle of a county road.  Whatever...  And can anyone tell me what is the politically correct term to describe the person or persons who are contracted with to remove household refuse from ones property?  I tried to call that guy that owns the Clippers, but his mailbox was full, so...

I got to the office about 7:45 this morning, and sat in the parking lot talking to someone I absolutely adore, so that was nice.  I got a good bit of work done before I left about 12:15 to go to my first of two or three meetings this afternoon.  Planning, planning, planning.  That is not to be confused with plotting, just so I am clear on that point.

Tomorrow will be a full day in the office.  It is the end of the month and pretty darned close to the beginning of the next one.  Busy time of year, too.

Deeds, Actions, Changes, CLOUDS, Kindnesses, Wh
irled Peas, FUN!

2014 - Day 117/248 - Sunday...

Jody and I did make it in to Georgetown for dinner tonight at the Catfish Parlour.  Mine was not really that good, so I sent some of it back to the Chef.  This is what I sent back.  There is always a really bad joke on the checks at Catfish Parlour, and when you pay your tab tonight you were supposed to ask the cashier "What's the best time to make an appointment at the dentist?  Tooth Hurty!"  Yeah, whatever...

My old creaky body was not going to submit to sleep last night, no matter how much self-medication I shoved down my throat; Merlot, Ambien and Excedrin PM (a double),  Not happening.  I went out on the couch until about 3 o'clock and finally went back to the bed to sleep.  EMILY, be sure to ask me about the dream I had (and no you freaks, it was not about Emily!).

So, when I got up this morning, I was similarly not disposed to do any work around the house, but I did do some work in fits and starts here and there.  I changed the HVAC filters in the house, reversed the ceiling fans for summer temperatures, put new batteries in the under counter cabinets in the kitchen, cut grass for about an hour (mostly up by the road) and cleaned out the chicken coop and put fresh nesting material in the nesting boxes.  I really like the pine shavings to use in the nesting boxes.  It give the chicken crap a nice outdoorsy smell.  What could be better.  Oh yeah, I also got 13 eggs today, that is a record for this month.  With 27 chickens, I feel like I should be getting about 20 eggs a day, but we aren't.  I need to have a stern talking to with the chickens.

Deeds, Actions, Changes, CREAKS, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2014 - Day 116/249 - Saturday...

The day went pretty much as planned, although there were a couple periods that I thought things were going to be thrown off schedule.  I asked Jody to make a call to the weather service and remind them that there was not supposed to be any chance of rain until the overnight, but he plead that he had no influence on mother nature.

I got up earlier than I would have liked this morning, and made a pile of eggs.  I thought that would have been this journal entry's photo of the day (good grief those eggs were ugly but they sure were good) but it turns out I have a couple others that should be in the entry but only one (and not even the best of them) will make it.  Jody made brats for dinner on Thursday (I think, it might have been Wednesday) and I saved the goo left over from those to cook the eggs in this morning.  I did add a little bit of butter.  Like I said, they were ugly but really good.  I am a firm believer that you can cook the badness out of anything (like salmonella and those other exotic intestinal things).  Just fire it up and you can still eat it.

After breakfast, I power washed the pool deck with the intention that I would paint it later in the day.  After the power washing, Jody and I went into Austin (Costco and some other errands) and headed back and had lunch at our usual (forgive us Mikey for we have sinned, but it is you fault because you are the one that told me about the Oreo cookie milk shakes) and then headed home.  We got home about four o'clock, and I started painting the pool deck.  The part that I had expected to be the most difficult was the easiest and the part I thought would be easy and instantly gratifying was difficult and not really that rewarding.  I had guesstimated it would take three gallons of paint and I have just a teensy bit of paint left to do some detail things tomorrow.  The pool deck had been an egg shell (ivory, beige, whatever) and the beige (ivory) that they had at the paint store looked too yellow to me, so the deck is now WHITE!  It glows in the dark.  It is visible from the space shuttle.  Elk are using our pool deck to guide their migration paths.  The University of Texas sent interns to dig around the site to see if toxic waste had been buried nearby.  All I can say is, it is bright.  AND...there is always next year...  This is a shot of the deck just before 1).  I finished the paint job; 2).  It got dark and I could net see anymore except from the glow of the paint; 3).  I ran out of paint, or; D).  All of the above.  HINT, HINT, HINT...always go with all of the above if you are not sure...  YES, YOU WIN!  Congratulations!

Deeds, Actions, Changes, PAINTED, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2014 - Day 115/250 - Friday...

Friday and I remain conflicted.  I want to go out and power wash the pool deck so I can paint it tomorrow, but I think I will be better off waiting until the morning so I will (probably) do a better job.  I want to go do it, but that is just the OCD (or maybe the
AR, but I have been warned not to say anal in this journal) in me.  I think I just need to chill for the rest of the night.

When I went out to gather eggs, Earl the Squirrel (or possible Earl the Girl Squirrel) was out for his/her photo-op.  I think he/she is in cahoots with Vera, and making calls to the union organizer, demanding equal time on the blog.  I am not sure, but I think this post may appease him/her temporarily.

So, tomorrow I will get up, cook a pile of eggs for me and Jody, then go out and power wash the deck.  Then I expect that Jody and I will go into Austin (can you say Costco?) and then by the time we get home, I expect the sun will have sufficiently dried the decking so it will be ready for paint.  That is the plan, anyway.  I will report what actually happens tomorrow night, same time (approximately), same channel.

Deeds, Actions, Changes, SQUIRRELS, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2014 - Day 114/251 - Thursday...

Okay boys and girls, we are coming into the home stretch here, getting closer to Friday and the conflicts that come with that day...

I had a couple meetings to attend today; the first was a breakfast for the Platinum Top 50 Agents in Austin at the Headliners Club.  No, I am not a member of the Platinum Top 50, I am just a Broker involved at the Board, and I did the meeting wrap up.  The speaker was one of the city folks talking with us about the CodeNext programs the city is working on.  I was there to do a TREPAC pitch, and it was a great event.  I will share with you that there was an OBSCENE amount of bacon on the buffet line.  I do not think I have ever seen that much bacon for that few attendees.  Crazy!

Before and after I did some power real estate.  After that, I headed off to another PT50 event closer to the Board.  It was a High Tea Fashion Show to benefit the local organization, Mobile Loaves and Fishes.  Another really fine event.  While I was there I saw my first Broker Teresa (see photo) and another former office mate Jane.  It was nice to see them both and all the rest of the colleagues that were in attendance.

I think I only have one or two things on my calendar for tomorrow.  Let's see how that turns out.

Deeds, Actions, Changes, BACON, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas FUN!