Wednesday 12/08/2021
Another day in what it left of our lives. The sun was shining and it was already 67 degrees when we walked out of the door around 8:00 am for that first uneventful walk around the park. I pretty much let Sandy dictate where she wants us to go with a gentle nudge here and there to point her in the right direction. We did our usual half mile circuit visiting the trash container along the way to dispose of a bag of garbage that we had accumulated overnight. It’s amazing just how much we generate when you consider there is really only me. The dog’s contribution to the garbage is minimal, Everything is in some sort of package and then there are the empty cans, jars and bottles which all add up. Unfortunately, this campsite does not do any re-cycling so everything is trash and it all goes in the big containers for the weekly pickup to wherever it is buried in some landfall or another. I hate to be another contributor to the earths demise in this way but there are very few other choices. I was looking at the wine selection in the Supermarket and some bottles are marked down to as low as $3:00 a bottle and I got to thinking how does anyone make any money on a price like that. Then I also got to thinking that this included a large glass bottle. If bottles can be manufactured that cheaply, no wonder it doesn’t pay to recycle them. This price is probably a marketing gimmick but even for the more regular low price of between $8-10 dollars a bottle, that is still ridiculously cheap for the cost of producing the wine and the bottle, let alone the work involved plus shipping and distribution. It makes you wonder how the vineyards make a living. I’m not complaining mind you as I probably could not tell the difference between cheap wine and the quality expensive stuff. Maybe that’s because I have never tasted the expensive stuff! It’s even worse when you compare the cost of a bottle of cheap wine to a Grande latte at Starbucks with it’s paper cup.
The InstaPot finished doing it’s thing last evening and I carefully ladled out equal amounts into six different plastic containers and put them into the refrigerator, meals for the rest of this week. It sure is a lazy man’s way to cook and I love it. Guess that because I am a lazy man…Now all I got to do is to pay a trip to the HEB store for some fresh bread to go along with the stew. The InstaPot cooks other things as well as stew but as I can’t find the book that came with it, along with a whole bunch of other missing items so I’m kinda restricted. Anyway, I like Stew.
We went out for the afternoon walk around the campgrounds and out on the roads and covered 2.4 miles for the day, pretty good for just wandering around before adjourning back to Miss Daisy for the evening.
Thursday 12/09/2021
I had to set the alarm in order to make sure that I woke up at 7:00 am as I had an early appointment with my skin doctor and I had to drive to Austin in rush hour traffic. I have been going to see her for many years and in a previous blog, I outlined that fact that she is retiring, rather forcibly as she pointed out, due to her Office Building getting demolished in order that the next door Hospital can expand. The Hospital owns her building so she didn’t have much in the way of a choice. She has been practicing for many years and she told me that it was too much expense, especially at her age, to set up another practice so she chose to retire. She is a great Dermatologist and I will miss her. Incidentally, she attacked me with her magic freezing spray bottle once more and for the final time.
I made a couple of other stops after I got out, one of which was to World Market to buy my favorite English Marmalade. Unfortunately, they didn’t have my usual brand so I ended up with with a couple of other different types at least to give them a try. I also bought 3 jars of Marmite which is a very popular English breakfast spread usually on toast.
From there, I made a stop at the Firestone Store in Oak Hill to make arrangements for them to replace the brakes on the Jeep as I know that they need it. We set that up for 12:00 pm for tomorrow.
My final stop of the day was to the Veterinary Clinic that I have been visiting for 35 or more years with countless dogs and cats, 22 animals in all over that time period. I needed some heartworm and flea and tick pills for Mikey, who unknown to him, will share them with Sandy until I can get over to Bastrop Animal Shelter and pick up her supply. I’m sure he won’t mind. Actually, my real reason for visiting other than the pills, was to say goodbye to my long standing Veterinarian that I had written about in an earlier blog and who was retiring from practice at a comparatively young age,
For me, it was a day full of nostalgia and mixed feelings as I said goodbye to two people who have been very central in my life over the past 20 plus years. I will probably never see them again and I wish Dr Ann Epstein, my skin doctor a very Happy Retirement and Doctor Barret Donop, my Veterinarian all the best in his future endeavors in Colorado where he plans on moving.
I left the Veterinarians and took a slow drive home which I mean quite literally as there was a wreck on Hwy 290 which goes into Dripping Springs. The usual 30 minute trip took closer to an hour as we inched slowly forward at a snails pace. We finally passed the wreck which involved at least three vehicles, a couple of cars and 5th wheel tractor trailer dump truck, a part of the construction that is going on as they widen the road. Hope that no one was hurt.
I finally made it back to Miss Daisy and to two excited little dogs who were ready to go out. We went for a walk around the park and roads before coming back to put away the things that I had bought while shopping a part of which was $480.00 worth, a years supply of Heartworm and Flea and Tick pills for Mikey. Sandy gets hers from the Bastrop Animal Shelter which is trip in the future for us. In the meantime, she can share Mikey’s supply.
I wrote for a bit and then decided we should walk again for a couple more trips around the park. The dogs were in seventh heaven with three walks in a day. Altogether, we covered 2.6 miles, good exercise for us all.
Written 12/09/2021 – Check out my other blog at https://pondblog2011.com