AUSTIN, Texas, Feb. 28, 2005 — The thing about life is that we all get old, things get dirty and things break.

I am up early for me. I get showered and dressed and go to my dad's. I'm promised a visit from someone to repair his refrigerator 'after 8.' I visit with my sister, watch TV, read, drink a pot of coffee Dad makes for me. Finally, the guy comes about 10:30. He figures out he needs to replace a gasket, a switch and a defrost timer and adds up the damage. Now we have to wait for parts. OK. So I go home and vow to tidy up a few things there, get a workout. I tell my dad and

sis that I will see them in the afternoon or early evening and that I'll take them out to eat.

So my seond day is disrupted of my own plans. But I can't say I didn't enjoy the reading the paper and channel flipping. Saw a couple of interesting cooking show bits and fragments of very old ('30's) movies.

I go to the gym after doing a couple of things around the house. I have a good workout and feel good after. Have I mentioned that it's spring? The sun is shining and things are blooming. Bulb plants, of course. Redbuds coming out. Evening Jasmine and Razzleberries and that fresher, lighter green on boxwoods and ground covers. Last freeze date here is one to three weeks away (depending on who you listen to and luck). But spring is definitely asserting itself. We've had so much rain the deer have left the blooms on Dad's bulb plants alone. The Mountain Laurel at his house is blooming a bit filling the air with that smell of grape syrup if there were such a thing. So, yeah, the sunshine and the cool air and blooming, greening things makes me feel good. In spite of the fact that overall I've been suffering from some little bug or something.

I get a shower, eat a little cereal and go back to my dad's. They are napping in the easy chairs. We watch a little TV and then we go to NXNW and eat. My sister eats a steak and little else. She doesn't like a lot of things. And she can't have leafy vegetables or something (even though for her it's a good excuse) because of blood thinners or some condition or whatever. So it's not much fun eating out with her. I have the smoked pork and red cabbage with garlic mashers and a beer. Good. But I enjoy eating out more when other people enjoy lots of food.

We go back and I get out a game (Sequence) and play three games with my sister. I try to just relax and enjoy playing and not worry about 'everything I need to do.' It works. Sort of.

I go home, have a drink, finish the papers, work the Monday Times crossword, watch TV.