Today, it is raining in Henly, I mean real rain. The sort that hammers on the roof and keeps you awake just in case you might have been dozing off. Then again, the monotony of the constant rain drops can make you doze off if you let it as it can be very mesmerizing. Luckily, it is not cold as it is a summer rain after all.
Actually, I don’t really mind the rain as we can use it to help this beautiful Spring along with all of it’s new growth. It’s pretty amazing the amount that has come back after the worst winter freeze in I don’t know how long. Here and there are a couple of trees that didn’t make it but on the whole, everything is re-growing and is a beautiful shade of bright green. I love the Spring with things so fresh and beautiful and the feeling of re-birth. I kinda wish I could be reborn every Spring and then I think of the learning curve and tell myself, “Forget it, bad idea”.
Today, we are trying something new. Nothing very earth shattering but all the same, new to us. Yes, today for the very first time we are doing our laundry using the equipment here in the Laundry Room at the Park. Normally, on my trips back to the “sticks and bricks”, I take the laundry with me but since the freeze, the washer at the house is not filling properly so I opted to skip it this time around and try the park facilities at a $1.75 for the wash and $1.50 to dry so not bad especially as I only do laundry every couple of weeks. Funny how doing laundry when you own a house is not really something one thinks about as usually most folks have their own laundry room equipped with a washer and dryer. In previous years when I used real money to go through life, I would collect all of my spare change in a couple of stoneware jars. I cashed in one of them a while back and had nearly $3500.00 in it. I saved the other one for whatever reasons and forgot about it until I found it at the house last time back. It is full of quarters and dimes so now I have a ready made supply of laundry funds. Tee shirts, shorts and underwear go a long way and make up my EVERYDAY wardrobe and a clean one of each every couple of days, does the trick.
Talking of money, times have certainly changed. I always carry some cash just in case but very rarely use it for any reason. I use a bank card to pay for just about everything unless I have the need to charge the item. Strange how times have changed. Real money is almost a thing of the past at least to the middle class. Not sure how the other half lives and pays their bills. I even pay for my Starbucks by showing them my phone with their App displayed which makes it very convenient for me and them too I guess. No more messing about handling dirty money.
I chat to several people everyday especially my friend BJ as we have a myriad of topics in common. She likes to give me Motherly advise and I like to rebuff her suggestions on a regular basis as I am too old to be Mothered. I do like it that she takes the time to Mother Hen me as it has been years since anyone has tried that. Not working though…
After the requisite time for both the wash cycles and then the drier cycles, I drove back to the Laundromat on the campsite and carefully folded my clean laundry feeling good about the fact that I had at least two weeks of clean clothes plus lots more in the drawers. I did run into one young guy doing his laundry but he wasn’t very talkative so I quickly gave up on him. Normally, I would walk but because of the wet weather, opted to take the truck.
Living the RV life I think suits me. With very little to worry about except what I want to worry about is a real boon. No house to take care of or fishponds to maintain and no deadlines other than what I set or are set for me. No alarm clocks either and the other morning, we didn’t wake up until 10:30 am. Can’t remember the last time that happened. The dogs seem to have fallen into the same way of life and although they like and have to go walkies especially first thing in the morning and last thing at night, they are not overly bothered if I write or do other stuff all day long. We are still trying to get things organized and I am busy going through old files and tossing anything that is junk. I have brought several of the plastic storage boxes from the house and am slowly filling them with things that can go under the bed or in the downstairs storage area. Still some room left but I have to be careful and not have too much junk. Weight is also a factor when one is on the road. I still have several of my pictures to hand but have been toying with the idea of using plexiglass instead of the real glass that is currently in the frames. Less chance of breakage if one of the pictures was to come loose in our travels.
I met a couple of the older female residents yesterday both of whom are long timers. One is building a house which I believe she said is in Lubbock and hopes to move into it next year. The other I think is a permanent resident with no long term plans. Hope I get to know more of them as it always nice to have neighbors. The younger couple next door with the two teenage girls are very friendly and we stop and chat when we meet. Other than that, people are coming and going all of the time and the Park is usually around half full. Some of the RV’s are very nice and quite obviously, very expensive. A small fortune on wheels but there is a lot to be said for not having to tow a Fifth wheel with a tow truck. Besides, those luxury RV’s are self levelling and such saving a lot of time and effort. Maybe I will look into a good used one when I sell the house.
Apparently, I ordered something else on Amazon and it is due in later today as they have just informed me so I might go back to pick it up, not necessarily because I need whatever it is but because packages left too long outside in my neighborhood are inviting thieves. It never used to be like this but times have change and not necessarily for the better. There is definitely an increase in petty thievery as a lot more people are either falling onto hard times or are just plain dishonest. I need to go to the HEB food store to replenish our supplies so we will combine the trip.
So it goes in the life of a lazy old man living it out in an RV. Tomorrow, who knows? It may have stopped raining and we will hit the trails… or not. We’ll decide when the time comes.
Written 04/27/2021
Check out my old blogsite at https://pondblog2011.com
Your blog is so much fun; it makes me laugh. As far as being the mother hen, you did listen when it came to your Covid vaccine, and I’m just going to keep harping on the other things.I would hate having to go to a laundromat but it sounds like you have that financing figured out. Also, I would be washing more than every couple weeks. Can’t believe you slept until 10:30 the other day. It does sound like you have your dog is trained very well!
As with everything else in life, one learns to make adjustments as you go along which is exactly what we are doing in the RV both in the everyday living and in what we need to do that. I have all of the stuff from the house and now need to sort it out and maybe discard some to keep down the weight. Usual question of “do I really need this or that”. Actually, the dogs have me trained as they demand to go out first thing in the morning raining or not. Incidentally, the laundromat here is very nice and is 100 yards from the RV.