Hopefully, no rain, and maybe even some sun. We got some light misty drizzle yesterday, and it was mostly overcast with occasional sun. We need slow rain, but didn’t get it.

Didn’t do much at all yesterday. Slept in, a lot. Then piddlefarted around the house. Read. Dammit. Didn’t want to lose momentum but there it is.

I’ll try to do better today. It’s the start of Spring Break, so the kids are home all week. That’s once they GET home. Still have youngest on a trip until late today.

I’m going to try to combine trips and do a scrap or trash run when I go to check on my rent house. I think today will just be fact finding, and I’ll get all the gear and supplies I need to hit everything at once. Or to come back with a contractor if the garage door needs anything scary done to it. Stored energy demands respect.

———
With the decrease in global stability and upset to the status quo, I’m expecting disruptions and attacks. Hoping for nothing serious, but it won’t hurt to have food in the freezer and on the shelves. Ideally, having the ability to shelter in place for a few days or weeks without going out would be a good thing.

Dirty bomb in a shipping container, or VBIED attack on crowds or buildings seem to be the most likely major attacks; with self radicalized lone wolf attacks to increase.

Or they could be stealing as much money as possible and fleeing as the regime has other things occupying their time.

Prediction is hard. Better to be prepared for a broad spectrum of things.

Stack.

nick

Dunno if it will be raining today or not. National forecast has less severe weather possible for us today than yesterday. It wasn’t too bad most of Saturday but it did eventually rain a bunch. The nearest creek had a debris line about 2ft higher than normal when I took the dog for a walk last night. So we must have gotten a lot during the gully washer…

Despite my desire to sleep in, I was up at 930 and moving around. I didn’t do much productive work though. Read during the day, which is always a time sink. Did some cleanup and outdoor stuff before the rain started. Did some minor car maintenance.

I’ll do more today. I’ve got lots of pc and network stuff I can do if it’s too wet. And stuff always needs cleaning, sorting, and putting away. The list is long and growing. I’m knocking off little tasks if I can when I happen to walk by them. It’s not super efficient to watch, but it does get them done, and it feels like progress.

Baby steps.

Stack something.

nick

Warm and moist again. Unpleasant in the sun, ok in the shade. Partly cloudy to actual rain is possible if the national forecast is true. Yesterday it ended up being partly cloudy, and the clouds were low and dark. All over town it was similar, low dark clouds, no rain, and humid.

I lost most of my morning to sugar. I really need to figure out a ‘breakfast-y’ snack that I can eat instead of a donut or some other sugar. Now that I know for sure what’s happening, and I can see the graph, I’m less interested in continuing my bad habits.

In the afternoon I did my pickups and I dropped stuff off at the shop. I didn’t make it to my rent house to see why the garage door is jamming. Just as well because when I rescheduled, she told me about several other things I should take a look at. I really need to schedule a few hours there. That’s not much, since it will be the first time since the storm cleanup…

Today I’ve got a couple of pickups. One is right by the house, one, not so close. And there is an estate sale that has some stuff for my hobby that I’d like to pick up if the price is right. All this is mostly work avoidance if I’m honest with myself. Yesterday took far too long, and it felt like a couple of months ago, before I realized I was spending all my time doing pickups.

I’m bidding on less, in fewer auctions, and winning fewer items because I’m less aggressive on price. It’s a noticeable difference. Just because I’m not using the extra time effectively, doesn’t mean I don’t have more.

And I need to be better about that. Meantime, stack. It’s easy!
nick

Warm and moist again. Sunlight optional. It got into the 90s yesterday if you were somewhere sunny. It was a bit more reasonable for MARCH in the shade, or light overcast. About a decade ago, I remember being at the Rodeo, and having to recharge my cool vest about 4 times. I’ll take this mild but slightly warm weather.

What did I actually do yesterday? Couple of pickups took me to Missouri City, and to The Woodlands. It wasn’t a very eco-friendly day given the amount of driving I did. Got some stuff for the kids, the wife, the BOL, and for me though. And it was cheap enough that the gas and tolls weren’t an issue. The time used kinda sucked though.

Then I went grocery shopping. No yellow tags, no mark downs, nothing I wanted on the clearance shelves. I think it’s the first time I didn’t even save a dollar on my bill. I bought soda and fresh veg, snacks for the kid’s lunch, and that was about it. Still came to almost $200.

My lottery tickets were “not a winner” too.

Today I’m gonna do another pickup, and move stuff around. If it isn’t raining. There were some dark clouds in the overcast yesterday depending on time and where I was. No moisture from the sky hitting my windshield, but a bit of threatening…

Kids have some standardized testing today so it’s an “early release”day. They used to say “early dismissal” but now everyone slips and says “early release.” Yeah, it’s just like a prison, except the going home at the end of the day part. Our schools were originally designed to provide factory workers. Now they provide inmates.

Stack something that is a treat. You’ll be glad you did.

nick

Another beautiful day to go with yesterday’s eventual niceness. That’s my hope, that’s my dream… and if not, it’ll either be hot, moist, and windy, or cool, moist, and not as windy. It’s March and March can’t make up its mind.

I did very little yesterday morning. Too much sugar, too little caffeine. I did get the kid and get to the dentist on time. She will need a filling soon, and I need to not let so much time pass between cleanings. Whole lotta scraping goin’ on.

Between getting the kid, getting to the office, having the work done, and getting home, the afternoon was pretty much gone so I decided to spend a bit more time on dinner. I had started some meats thawing so I had chicken thighs that were mostly soft and ready, and I’d been craving some fried chicken, and I found myself with the time I needed…

Pan fried the chicken in the 10″ Wagner “Chicken Fryer” cast iron in lard and a bit of bacon fat for flavor. Quartered some heirloom baby potatoes, tossed them with oil, salt, crushed pepper, and rosemary then roasted them in the oven. Threw a loaf of shelf stable bread in the oven too, along with a peach cobbler. Same brand mix for the cobbler and the coating on the fried chicken, although different flavors. Peaches from a can. A bit of leftover corn to add some color to the plate. Delicious. Chicken was crunchy, juicy, and tasty. Potatoes were just right. Cobbler was the right mix of crunch, chew, and soft gooey. W and D2 enjoyed it too. Sometimes it’s worth it to spend a little extra time on dinner, just to prove you can.

And everything came out of long or medium term storage except the potatoes. Although it’s been weeks since I bought them, I don’t keep potatoes or apples all winter like my parents did, because we have them in the stores. And the purple potatoes don’t last as long as the red and white. They do taste like baked bread though, and that makes it worth having some go bad every once in a while.

Today I’ve got a couple of pickups to do, and I’ll likely move some stuff around at the shop and maybe at my storage unit. I’m still not out of there and another month passed. Dang.

If muzzie terror attacks at home, and hot war overseas doesn’t motivate you to put a few things back, IDK what would… stack something.

nick

Another beautiful day should be heading my way. Yesterday was as beautiful as the day before, and today should be the same. Sunny, warm, not super moist.

Didn’t get much done during the day. I have productive days, then a completely unproductive day. Tried to get dinner at D1’s new job, but the line was out the door again. I’ll get some yuppy burger later. I did get my pickup done, and swung by the “good” Goodwill out in Katy. Didn’t get anything good. Did have some uncomfortable side effects from the carb pill, so I was home most of the afternoon.

The pill didn’t limit the peak, btw, but did change the slope of the down side. It really extended the time it took for my sugar to get back down to ‘normal’, about an hour longer. Not sure I see much of a benefit, but we’ll keep exploring.

Today I’ve got a dentist appointment, with D2 coming along for hers too. I’ll be working around that time and the taxi commitments, maybe I’ll get some work done.

Or maybe not much.

I’m sure I’ll stack something though.

nick

Cool, clear, and beautiful. Great day yesterday, hopefully another today. Mild, mid 70sF, warm in the sun, cool in the shade. Couldn’t ask for better. MAYBE 10% less RH. But I quibble. More of this please.

I did get outside and did some work around the house yesterday. Cut the grass, blew the leaves, moved some stuff on the patio, looked at the driveway… and rested afterward.

Today, I’ll do more of the same. I might even add in some work on the truck. Trying to get my house in order, because I feel like change is coming, and probably not in a good way. Some of the stuff here happened for the lockdown, and never got undone. Time to refresh that.

And, spring cleaning is a thing. New beginnings and all that.

Plus, more room to stack.

nick

Supposed to be another fantastic day today. Yesterday cleared up and warmed up, turning into another picture perfect weather day. Forecast for today is the same.

I did some auction things in the morning, and then did my pickups in the afternoon. I took surface streets because the Loop was backed up, but got caught in a 20 minute delay anyway as the Trail Riders crossed my path. Some of the riders are riding more than 100 miles, some more than 200. It’s always fun to see them on horseback and riding in wagons. There are people along the routes to cheer them on, and the riders wave and have a good time with the kids and adults that come out.

Since the Trail Riders have arrived, that means the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo is underway. Great weather for it this year. It’s a big deal and I’ve written about it a couple of times before. Fun for the whole family.

Today I’ve got one kid duty and the lists to fill my day. Oh what will I do to fill my time? Uh, dood, I’m sure I’ll find something.

Lots of work to be done. But also lots of fun to be had. These are the Good ol days. Make sure you live them.

Get busy stacking!

nick