Long Hollow

Not-So-Hidden Treasure

I've been driving in, around, and through Austin for almost 20 years now, but for the most part, I have traveled the same routes over and over and over.

Lately, I've been venturing out into unknown territory so that I'm better acquainted this wonderful city and its neighborhoods, and that's how I discovered this vintage grocery store, now operating as a sandwich shop.

It's situated only a few blocks from familiar roads in all directions, but I never knew it was there until yesterday. I snapped this photo with my iPhone and drove on...but then turned around, parked, and stepped through those awesome screen doors.

Right away, I had a flashback to a small grocery store my grandparents ran so long ago I could barely see over the counter. The register, the counter, the shelves behind it were all in the exact same place. It was weird, in a very cool way, and I had a sudden urge for a candy cigarette.

Instead I wandered to the back and grabbed a Texas Tea from a cooler and started conversations with other patrons who were waiting on sandwiches. Alas, I had already eaten lunch, but vowed to return.

So I did today. TG and I shared a chicken salad sandwich (with cheddar cheese, avocado, and bacon!) and a small serving of quinoa salad, because the owner (I guess he is, anyway) gave us a taste of it when we first arrived.

Oh. My. Gosh. It was all so good! I can't believe it's been there all this time and I never knew it. 

The neighborhood surrounding the shop is perfect for Halloween night. Tall oak trees, picket fences and porches. It reminded me a lot of an upscale version of Scout and Jim's neighborhood in "To Kill a Mockingbird". 

Most of the houses were dripping in decorations. I had to snap some photos with my iPhone...but not enough to have the cops called on me.

 

 

The owners of this house mixed Halloween and politics, Austin-style...

 

Do you decorate? I used to, but in these empty-nest, pre-grandchildren years, this is the extent of my decorating...

Sigh. Where did the time go?

We won't have any trick-or-treaters - we live too far down a dirt road - so I think I'll just settle down with some popcorn and watch "Young Frankenstein" to celebrate. 

What are your Halloween plans? Whatever they are, have fun!

 

Halloween wraps fear in innocence,
As though it were a slightly sour sweet.
Let terror, then, be turned into a treat...
~Nicholas Gordon

 

Just Another Day at Work in Austin, Texas

 

Austin real estate in a nutshell:

Number of people moving here, wanting houses > Number of houses available

Consequently, it's important for an Austin real estate agent to be acquainted with builders and new homes. 

So today I attended a class on helping clients find and purchase new homes. We even had a field trip to this cute little subdivision only 10 minutes from downtown Austin. 

 

The homes had small yards and detached garages...some with small apartments on top.

(We had fun imagining who would stay in the apartments. Older children returning home? Visitors to ACL or SXSW, needing to rent a room? In-laws?)

 

 

It is so cool that part of my job involves exploring new homes, opening closets, cabinets, and drawers.

And getting free lunches.

 

 

I loved the pops of colors and Craftsman-style touches on many of the homes.

 

 

A MetroRail Station is adjacent to the neighborhood and all of these homes face a small dog park.

Very urban without being right downtown.

 

Yes, I love my job.

(Contact me if you want more information about these urban gems!)

 

P.S. Happy Halloween Week!

Dodging Rain and Traffic Jams...and other sweet!s of the week

I made another overnight trip to the Houston area this weekend to visit my mom. Because of the weather forecast, I expected to be driving in rain coming and going.

And dreaded it something fierce!

So what a sweet! surprise to have sunshine to and from Houston, with the predicted rain passing through early this morning while I snuggled in bed.

Unfortunately, a section of the interstate we needed to travel was completely shut down for maintenance. Not so sweet!, but my son Daniel acted as navigator, directing me onto side roads where we avoided the worst of the traffic jams using the mapquest app. Absolutely sweet! 

But while we were at Mama's, Daniel spotted a baby gecko whose hind legs had gotten tangled in a spider web. Daniel rescued him and untangled his legs the best he could using some tiny scissors. He let him go in the front yard, hoping the little guy wouldn't get into any more trouble.

Witnessing the care and compassion that resides in my son's heart...the sweet!-est of all.

"The best portion of a good man's life:

 his little, nameless unremembered

 acts of kindness and love.”

 ~ William Wordsworth

 

Here are some other sweet!s from the past week....

Monday: new leads and listing appointments; a soul-cleansing night wind, starry sky, and bright clouds

Tuesday: being qualified for phone duty; Rudy's barbecue; touring homes with friends 

Wednesday: meeting the "Williams" of "Keller Williams";  grocery shopping with your daughter

Thursday: a day spent working from home, playing catchup; your first listing appointment

Friday: the golden morning light of autumn; being present in the moment; a new haircut; helping a friend celebrate the last day of her 20's; catching up with friends over Mexican martinis

Saturday: sunshine when you expected rain on a roadtrip; a quick visit with your grandpuppy, son and daughter-in-law; your other son riding shotgun, acting as navigator around traffic jams; a mother's hug and kiss, and the joy in her eyes when she sees you; your son's gentleness and care with your mother...and a baby gecko; staying up late, laughing with your mom at "Big Bang Theory"

Sunday: waking to the sound of rain; a too-quick visit with your nephew; driving into a beautiful sunset, instead of driving on a wet highway; home

 

I hope you are able to dodge things you are dreading in this coming week. Don't forget to share some of your sweet!s (or the link to a blogpost about them) in the comments!

Slow down, you move too fast...

 

It wasn't a dramatic sunset, just soft faded blues and pinks, that grew deeper and darker as the sun slipped out of sight.

I could have gone to the movies with friends tonight. Instead, I opted to stay home and take care of some crabby gray-haired to-do's and head off a few youngsters that I can tell will be troublemakers if I don't put them in their place now.

My challenge these days is time management, making sure I use that valuable resource in the best way possible, taking care of myself as well as the never-ending, ever-increasing, to-do's that come with learning a new industry, building a new business, while trying to maintain the ones I've already got going...and have a life.

And that's why I poured a glass of wine and headed out to the back deck to my rocking chair tonight to take a deep breath,  just as the sky started it's quiet show...

Just a thirty minute investment that reaped the energy and motivation I needed to finish a project.

(Thank you to my sweet friend, Ann, who texted me a portion of the 59th Street Bridge Song lyrics this morning when I told her how busy I had been lately...reminding me to at least stop a minute to watch a sunset.)

Life, I love you. All is groovy.

New Careers, Full Moons, Church Bazaars, and other sweet!s

Long ago I dreamed of having the job I have now...only I didn't know what it was at the time. Does that make sense?

As with any entrepreneurial endeavor, it's agonizingly slow getting started, but I'm confident in my abilities and that I'm on the right track. That's sweet! all by itself. (But if you, or anyone you know, needs/wants to buy, sell, or invest in real estate, please send them my way! I can use all the referrals I can get!)

Anyway, this past week I attended the Realty Roundup in Austin, a conference sponsored by the Austin Board of Realtors that brought together people in all different areas of the industry.

And people in the real estate industry are some of the friendliest, most giving and supportive people I've ever met. In fact, just a chance encounter on the stairs turned into a friendship with an agent from another Keller Williams market center in Austin. We hung out together the rest of the day, going from booth to booth picking up freebies, talking to vendors, and tossing business cards into fish bowls in hopes of winning a drawing.

She won a big basket,  but my name was never called. However, I don't hold a grudge. We look forward to getting together again soon. 

Dr. Jim Gaines from the Real Estate Center at Texas A&M University was one of the main speakers at the Roundup. Using lots of charts and graphs, he assured us the Austin market was just going to get bigger and bigger and bigger.

For an Austin Realtor, the news that everyone wants to live in Austin is pretty sweet! As good as a gift basket any day!

And here are some other sweet!s from my past week...

Tuesday: spotting old trucks when you're out on a property tour with friends; photo shoots; meeting clients

Wednesday: rush hour traffic in the rain when you share it with your daughter; rain; a random encounter with a stranger turning into a friendship; great news about the Austin real estate market 

Thursday: walking at sunrise; meetings with vendors over morning coffee and lunch; an afternoon walk with your puppies; baby geckos; playing around on MLS; a longtime friend getting married; homemade pumpkin bread, courtesy of your daughter-in-law

Friday: friends becoming prayer warriors for other friends; dancing under a full moon with friends and strangers in your church parking lot; making it home in time to watch the end of "The Lost Boys" with your daughter

Saturday: sleeping in; walks with your puppies on crisp autumn days; butterflies and fall wildflowers; sipping on a Bloody Mary while you work at your church bazaar; cake walks, washer tournaments, and ziplines; watching Monty Python's Search for the Holy Grail for the zillionth time with 1/2 of your kids

 

Sunday: waking early without an alarm clock, in time to walk your puppies before Mass; chipping away at your to-do list; working on your laptop on the back porch, watching the sunset, listening to the little creek below you singing its gratitude for the recent rain; a good report from a friend with cancer

 

Last, but not least, getting comments on your blog even though you haven't had time to make your rounds lately.

Blogging is a give-and-take thing, and I'm so grateful to those blog friends who continue to have patience with me as I try to find my balance in this new time-sucking career of mine. I miss making my regular blog rounds, but I'm finding my footing and will be back soon.

The essence of true friendship is to make allowance for another's little lapses. 

~David Storey

Please share one of your sweet!s from the past week in the comments! And don't forget to keep your eyes open for them in the coming week. They're there, I promise!

The Sweet Sound of Rain

When it rains, you grow.

~ On a local church sign

 

I woke to the sound of rain Sunday morning.

Such a sweet sound when you live near a lake that now resembles a creek after months...well, years...of too much sunshine and too little precipitation.

Tonight the frogs living near our pond are singing in celebration. Another sweet sound.

The rain has slowed for now, allowing the half moon to come out and smile on us tonight, but more rain is expected to continue off and on for the next several days. 

I admit if we're going to have too much of something, I would rather have too much sunshine, but I realize that to be healthy, whether you're human or the Earth, you need some of each. 

Many a man curses the rain that falls upon his head, and knows not that it brings abundance to drive away the hunger. 

~Saint Basil

 

Here are some other sweet!s from my past week... 

Monday: working out before letting your day get away from you; pink and blue variegated sunrise skies; brisk mornings and frisky puppies; discovering Asian Fusion; warm Turtle brownies, courtesy of your daughter

Tuesday: your husband making an old, dirty rug you love look brand new with a pressure washer; a sale from your etsy shop; free lunches; property tours; a friend calling to check on you  

Wednesday: discussing marketing strategies with your son; photo shoots; getting to see a dear friend while she's in town, meeting her colleagues, and finally (sort of) riding a mechanical bull

Thursday: making new connections; chipping away in all to-do areas; a check in your mailbox; being able to talk to your mom at least once every day

Friday: new buds on your crape myrtles; learning something new and making new friends every day; making time to work on your children's story for the first time in a couple of months

Saturday: free training; your son's friend arriving just in time to help carry groceries into the house; joining your writing group at an ice cream parlor to celebrate meeting our writing goals; watching "Cactus Flower" while making cyclops cookies with your son 

Sunday: waking to the sound of rain; being able to wish your son a happy 25th birthday in person; your son wanting to help a stray dog; being able to make someone happy with simple gifts like fried chicken tenders you only make once or twice a year on special occasions; making it to a writer's group meeting for the first time in ages; watching Galaxy Quest with your son 

Monday: yellow and purple wildflowers decorating the roadsides; a second day of rain; the healthy birth of a brand-new niece; getting to know members of your church better through a Bible study; capturing the sight of a frog hopping in your car headlights

What sweet!s did you collect this week? I hope all of you have a balance of whatever you need to help you grow!

'Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears?
What if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You're near?
What if trials of this life
Are Your mercies in disguise?
 

~ Laura Mixon Story

 

 

Sunshine in My House

"A good laugh is sunshine in a house."

~William Makepeace Thackeray

 

We were already running late to church this morning when we spotted him, a little dirty-white fluff of a dog at the top of our dirt road near the highway.

I knew before he asked that Daniel would want to get out and check on him, so I bit my tongue about being late and gave thanks that my middle child, who turned 25 today, is such a caring, thoughtful, compassionate human being.

I've been lucky to spend a lot of time with him this past year, hanging out watching movies here at home, and hitting the road to visit my parents, where I watched him and his brother shave my daddy's grizzled face and clean his dentures and hold my mama's hand. 

This has been a tough year in many ways, and having Daniel here at the house these past few months has lightened my heart. Besides always being eager to help with dog-care, laundry, cooking, or whatever we need, he makes me laugh, listens to my rants, offers encouragement and support, gives wise advice and a shoulder to cry on.

He hasn't just become an adult...he's now a friend. His birthday is one of the best gifts I've ever received.

I could go on and on and on about his awesomeness, but I've written about it before more eloquently than I can today (here and here and here and here and here and here) and right now I need to go finish cleaning up the kitchen.

In honor of his birthday, I made some of his favorite foods: Cyclops Cookies and Jim's Chicken Tenders (from a recipe given to us by our friend Jim, of course.)

Consequently, every surface in my kitchen is covered in grease and flour. Daniel's totally worth it, though. 

Oh, by the way, the puppy was excited to see Daniel at first, but then got scared and ran to the house closest to the road. We're hoping that's where he lives. We went on to church (really, really late!) and then kept our eyes open as we drove back home afterward.

No sign of the little guy. I hope he's okay and we scared him from straying close to the highway again.

My prayer today is that today is the beginning of a wonderful year for you, Daniel...that all of your thoughtfulness is returned to you times ten.  May you have clear paths and bright skies, and no matter what this year brings, I hope you continue to 

 "Be silly. Be honest. Be kind."  

~Ralph Waldo Emerson

 

P.S. Happy birthday wishes to my sweet sister-in-law Kim, my young cousins Ashley, Kayce and Kayce's daughter, Tayvie, and my inspirational South African friend Pete! 

 

 

Five Things on Friday

 

 

1.

Wildflowers are blooming like it's springtime instead of autumn. Plants I thought had died are sprouting blossoms again.

Maybe it's like this every year, and I just forget. That's okay. I love the surprise of it!

2.

Waller Creek runs through Austin down to Lady Bird Lake. Near downtown, it's dirty, stinky, and can be dangerous during flash floods.

Thank goodness there are people working to change that. A representative of the Waller Creek Conservancy spoke at our office meeting last week, describing the tunnel which will control flooding problems, as well as the walks and green spaces planned that will help Austinites and visitors enjoy the creek.

I can't wait to see the finished product!

3.

If you're planning to sell your home, here's a tip: make sure all of the toilets have seats. You're welcome.

4.

I'm still bringing my camera to work, using it to take business portraits of fellow agents for their business cards. It's a great way to get to know my colleagues. Photography can be a useful addiction!

Meet Patrick....

5.

I grew up in Pasadena, Texas, and spent a lot of Saturday nights at Gilley's, but for some reason I never sat my bottom on that mechanical bull Debra Winger made famous in "Urban Cowboy".

So of course I had to change that by climbing on the one in The Trophy Club Wednesday night for a photo with my friend who was in town for the City Government Convention.

We just wanted our picture taken, but the operator started moving the bull a little bit, setting us to giggling. 

 

 Now I can say I rode a mechanical bull without being thrown off! Yay!

 

Linking with Nancy at Random 5 Friday.

Heading West...and other sweet!s

My middle son and I were headed west on I-10 out of Houston tonight after a weekend visit with my mom when this glorious sunset appeared before us.

We were ooh-ing and ah-ing and I itched to grab my camera, but I played it safe and ordered delegated the picture-taking to Daniel. He was a good (and talented) sport about it.

And, of course, spending time with my mom is always sweet!

Last night, we enjoyed a marathon of "Modern Family" episodes. Daniel snagged the extra wheelchair for an up-close seat and I couldn't resist snapping this photo of the two of them hanging out, watching TV and enjoying adult beverages...

How's that for grandmother/grandson bonding? 

Let me point out that the horse painting on the wall is my very own paint-by-number from around 3rd grade or so. Just the fact that my parents were proud enough of my paint-by-number of a horse that they kept it hanging in the front room is pretty dang sweet!, isn't it? 

Here are a few more sweet!s from the past week...

 

Monday: an i-phone and your daughter with you to take the photo because you're driving when you spot a glorious sunrise over the mist-filled hollows and hills; help carrying groceries in and putting them away; an afternoon walk with your puppies

Tuesday: property tours with friends; feeling like you're making progress...even if it's in baby steps

Wednesday: shopping clearance racks with your daughter and a 30% off coupon; watching praying mantises frolic on the window screen with your son

Thursday: faces at work becoming familiar; referrals; the smell of brownies baking in the oven

Friday: your daughter helping you peel two dozen boiled eggs so you can make pink deviled eggs; helping to surprise a dear friend for her 60th birthday

Saturday: road trips through Texas with no traffic; laughing at episodes of Modern Family with your mom and son; customers becoming clients

Sunday: rainclouds breaking and temperatures dropping; magnificent sunsets; a safe trip home; your mom calling to check on you; a good report from a friend going through chemo for acute leukemia 

What sweet! moments did you collect in the travels of your past week?

Remember...

"Happiness is not a destination; it is a manner of traveling." ~ Haim Ginott