05/24/2021
Even though it was raining pretty hard on Saturday, I decided that I really needed to drive back to the house and load out the Savio filtering system that I had promised BJ. I had thought long and hard about postponing it until next week when the weather might be a bit nicer and not teeming down with rain but was concerned that things might start moving Estate Sale wise, a lot faster and I do not want to be around as those preparations move forward.
So, I bit the bullet and loaded the dogs in the truck. They didn’t care rain or no rain as long as they got to go for a ride with me or maybe it’s just the ride in the truck regardless of who is driving. Luckily, as we got closer to the house, the rain eased off and apart from one small shower, remained good all the while I was dismantling the filter unit. With it loaded in the truck, we headed back to Henly and the Eagle stopping of course at Starbucks for the inevitable latte. Those things will either be the death of me or I will need to take out a loan…
The next day being a Sunday, the main reason for trying to get this all organized to happen on this day was so that Sandy could get both her Rattlesnake booster and Rabies shot which I thought was missed a couple of weeks ago. The Bastrop Animal Shelter clinic is only open a couple of days a week, Sunday being one of them. Another reason to make the trip was that the truck needed filling up and I knew we would be passing the Exxon station at Cedar creek which has the cheapest prices for diesel and gasoline for miles around. I barely made it according to the readout as it showed that we were down to 60 miles left in the tank when we pulled in. Not being sure how accurate these readouts are, I sweated a bit until we pulled up to the pump. It actually took quite a while to diesel up as first the pump wouldn’t start and I had to get the attendant to help me. Of course, the minute she walked up to the pump and touched the lever, it started right away making me feel like a complete idiot. This particular pump shuts off after pumping 30 gallons so I had to repeat the process for a second time in order to fill the tank. I have a 60 gallon tank that I have installed for the longer trips when hauling the Eagle as not all gas stations can accommodate an F250 truck hauling a 33ft 5th wheel trailer especially given the height of the RV at close to 13 feet. With the truck only getting 9-11 mpg when hauling, the small 22 gallon original tank that came with the truck good for maybe 200 miles when hauling would require a couple of fill ups a day on any long trip, not what I wanted to have to do.
The total cost was $158.00 and happy at having a full tank with the readout showing it good for 940 miles, I headed to Bastrop Animal Shelter. As it happens, there were only a couple of other people with their pets in front of me and it was no time at all when one of the technicians whisked her away and just as quickly brought her back with the same admonishment that she needed to lose weight. Sandy just looked on, a picture of innocence as we discussed her eating habits. She only had the Rattlesnake booster as the Rabies that she received last year is good for 3 years and this is her second year. They did give me a new certificate and outlined this so that the groomers would understand. Who knows where we will be in a years time so this might well be the last time we visit this clinic. Sad really as they are such nice doctors and technicians and the place is subsidized making for much cheaper cost.
We headed back to BJ’s house which is also in Bastrop and by now, it was really raining. After unloading the Savio Filter, we all went inside and drank coffee and just chatted for a bit about the world, this country and all of it’s woes, the Pond Society and the upcoming tour, which incidentally, I don’t miss. Funnily enough, the talk turned to politics even the old adage goes you should never talk politics with your friends but with our joint dislike for both Trump and the Republican Party it seemed the most natural thing to do. Not sure if we solved any of the problems but we gave it a good try. Like minds and all of that stuff. While the adults chatted, the kids, I mean dogs, had a fine old time sniffing around the new surroundings. I like visiting BJ and Sam as invariably BJ will send us home with some goodies or another. She is a good cook and this time is was a container of Lasagna. Sam is very interesting to talk to being an Engineer from way back. He amused us today with his stories of building a canoe, the type that is enclosed with only a small opening for the occupant, only to realize that he was too big to fit into it and ended up giving it away.
The drive home was unpleasant to say the least as it rained hard the entire way. That did not stop the truck from turning into the Starbucks in Bastrop seemingly of its own accord. I really need to work on that and either reprogram the truck or me or maybe, both. Neither did it stop other traffic from whizzing by regardless of the driving conditions. You have to wonder just what it is with some people when they get behind the wheel of a car?
For the very first time, we bypassed the house having nothing to stop for and made our way back to the Eagle. With the rain stopped, Sandy decided that we needed some exercise and took Me and Mikey out walking which was a very nice way to end the day.
Tuesday 05/25/2021
We headed back into Austin because I had an 11:00 am appointment with Dr Epstein, my skin Doctor. She is the deadly sharpshooter with her spray bottle of freezing material that I truly believe is attached to her like a permanent extension of her hand. This time, the trip was uneventful although she did take one sample. Hate it when she does that as it sometimes means further treatment. While I was in the area, I contacted my Audiologist whose office was next door with a hearing aid problem and we figured what to do about it.
On the drive home, I stopped at the Post Office in Oak Hill that delivers my mail and put a Stop Delivery on it which is good for 30 days. We will figure what to do as that date approaches from that point on. It means having to visit that particular Post Office every few days in order to go through the junk mail which is about all I ever receive. That and a couple of bills that are still delivered the “old fashioned way”. Things are really moving when I no longer have a permanent mailing address.
Written 05/25/2021
Don’t forget to check out my old blog at https://pondblog2011.com
I have decided to reprint the poetry that I have written these past 11 years that was posted in the blog listed above. So, starting tomorrow, every Tuesday and Thursday there will be a posting of my poetry from long ago added to this blog. Much of it reflects my changing life and my different interests over the years. With over three hundred poems, it should be good for a while before I run out of ideas. Enjoy…
Rain? Rain? That seems like a long time ago. It seems our weather just swings from one extreme to another. All of the time that we were having so much rain my friend in Michigan has been having drought. Isn’t it interesting that the weather is now a political thing also with all Democrats believing it is an indication of global climate change, and Republicans all burying their heads in the sand.
This has been a most extraordinary year as far as the weather goes and we are only in June with the hottest months yet to come. My guess is that a few heat records may well be broken.