Wednesday – 11/10/2021
We got up around the usual time and as we normally do, the first thing was to take the dogs out for their morning stroll. It was quiet out with only a couple of people out and about. I passed the Laundry Room and it appeared to be busy even at that time of the morning. I guess some people get up much earlier than I do. Change that to “Most” people. We wandered back to Miss Daisy and breakfast before settling down in front of the computer to write. I am pretty caught up on writing nowadays which is just as well as my memory is slowly going and I have a hard time recollecting what I did a couple of days ago unless it was something big like going grocery shopping. A lot of that is because very little changes on a daily basis and one day is pretty much like the rest and it takes something different to make it stand out. With the writing finished for the day, I sat and listened to an Audiobook story for a while, something I like to do but never thought that I could relax enough to spend the time. In my past life, time had to be filled to the limit with whatever was going on. Nowadays, I am quite content to listen to a story read to me by another artist with no feeling of guilt that I should be doing “something”, not wasting my time sitting around.
From where I sit writing, I can see the Laundry Room and can sometimes tell if it is being used. At least I can see when a car is parked in front but for the walkup customers, I have no idea if the the machines are being used. There are only two of each, washers and dryers so they can get busy. They are all older machines and a couple work on the honor system where you put the money into a collection box as the money slide doesn’t work. I eventually chose a time when I thought the machines would be open and loaded everything into the Jeep for the short drive over. Alas, my timing was off as both washers were busy and I had no alternative but to head back to Miss Daisy and wait it out. After a couple more false trips I eventually got lucky with the assistance of Alice, who helps out around the office, as she grabbed the machines for me. My next door neighbors, Anna and her husband were using the driers so we got into a conversation about the British Royalty, a subject that I know little about other than what I read or hear or from what I can remember from my early years in England. We both returned to our respective RV’s with me waiting for the wash to complete which I figured to be about 45 minutes. In fact it took almost an hour as I patiently waited it out. What choice did I have? With the clothes safely in the dryer, I went back and took the dogs for the final walk of the day before heading back once more to fold the clothes and then going back to Miss Daisy with the laundry done for another week or in this case, ten days. I noticed a single sock mixed in with my laundry which I know didn’t belong to me and remembered that Anna had been folding socks of the same variety. By now, it was dark and I had grabbed a flashlight to find my way to their RV and found her husband was sitting outside under a tent cover and the by light of an electric lead lamp, was working on a painting of a couple dancing. He was painting with oils and was doing some correctional work. Apparently, it was for a client of his and he was working off a photo on his cell phone. Pretty neat and obviously, he is a talented guy. Anna had told me that he was an Art Major. Who would have thought it as he doesn’t come across as the artsy type. Quite the opposite in fact as he is pretty aggressive in his actions and manner of speaking. Or maybe, my idea of Art Majors is that they are all laid back. I complemented him on his work and went back to Miss Daisy.
Back in the RV, I put the laundry away and then went about the task of making the bed which, as I have described before is always a chore. This time, it went a little better as I am beginning to find ways to make it easier. Who would have thought that making a bed could be so difficult and frustrating. The rest of the evening was spent in the usual way with the evening meal and then watching the television which these last few days, has become increasingly “spotty” even with my booster. I am still trying to get used to how dark it gets and so early. I personally would be very happy if there was no such thing as daylight saving time. All we have to do is start the day earlier although that in itself would be quite a chore with many people starting work at 8:00 am or a little sooner. It was explained to me back in England when I was just a young 4 year old kid, that DST was implemented during the second world war to give people that worked outside an extra hour of daylight all as a part of the war drive and it was increased to double daylight saving time when the clocks were changed an additional hour for a total of two hours. Then, when the war ended, it kinda stuck although it was reduced to just the single hour of the regular DST. According to my Iphone, here in the US, DST was invented by George Hudson in 1895 during the second US industrial revolution era of inventions (1850-1914). In England, it was the brainchild of a man named William Willet and the Summer Time Act was finally passed in the UK in the summer of 1916. For better or worse as apparently, several countries have had different people “invent” the same thing. I read an interesting comment by an American Red Indian Chief who quoted about DST, “Only a white man would cut a foot off the end of a blanket and sew it on the other end to think that he had a longer blanket”. So true and we think we are so smart.
Thursday – 11/11/2021
It rained hard during the night accompanied by a lot of lightning and really loud thunderclaps. It was close enough that Miss Daisy shook with the repercussions. I lay awake and listened to the storm first in the distance, then closer and closer until it seemed to be right on top of us before slowly receding back into the distance. I was afraid that the wind would get up and that I would need to bring in the canopy, something I was reluctance to do until I blow it off as I know that it has a good covering of leaves and pine needles. Luckily, there did not appear to be any wind and as the storm receded into the background, I drifted back off to sleep. By this time, Mikey had snuck under the covers and could not get any closer to me, worried by all of the noise. Sandy, who was on the other side, is made of much tougher stuff and was content just to push up against me a little bit. Normally she won’t at all as her little body gets pretty hot and she is uncomfortable. Morning came and with the light, I crawled out of bed hit the bathroom, dressed and was ready to face another day with whatever it may bring.
We went for a short walk before returning to Miss Daisy for breakfast and then settled down to write which is something that I look forward to every day. I really like to get the creative juices flowing even if it is only to recount the happenings of the day. I have tried to write a book and actually have completed two separate ones but have never bothered to pursue getting them read or published. As both of them are really Autobiographies and they would not be of much interest to others. The second one is incomplete anyway as I am still alive and will probably never get finished. I am not inventive enough to write a novel. More of a reporter than a novelist.
We went out for the final walk of the day as Sandy was being a bug and was very insistent. As it happens, she was just letting me know that she had to “go” which she did at least a couple of times. Mikey was in the same boat and also caught up in the same urgency. Must have been something they ate that didn’t agree with them. One thing is certain, I will definitely pay more attention to Sandy when she starts being a bug as now I know that she has a reason. We sat outside for a bit although it is almost getting too cool to enjoy it for very long and my next door neighbor came over to chat for a bit. He offered me a green pepper that he has growing but I respectfully declined. Hot peppers are not my thing unless they are in a mild salsa and eaten with chips to take off the edge. My stomach can’t handle that sort of food.
We ended the day in the usual way with food for us all and then a glass of wine to watch the TV before heading of to bed. The wine is for me, not the dogs and they don’t watch the television either usually sleeping somewhere close to me.
Written 11/11/2021 – Read my other blog at https://pondblog2011.com