Sunday, December 19

Some of the campers

Today is Sunday and designated as a day of rest so it was not very hard for us to comply. Heck we don’t do much of anything anyway unless there is an odd meeting or Doctors appointment or we might take a drive into Austin. What we haven’t done much these past few months is to hit the trails. I always have good intentions but never quite get around to it and that has got to change.
Today was no exception as we lazed around Miss Daisy, walking the park for both entertainment and exercise a couple of times but spending most of my time in writing. The one good thing with it is that it keeps my brain active and goodness only knows, it sure needs it as my short term memory has really deteriorated. Sometimes, I have to concentrate real hard to recall a name or something similar. It eventually comes back but I find myself writing more and more notes to myself for fear of not recalling something important.
The one thing I didn’t forget was the invitation to meet and gather around the campfire and join in with the other campers to celebrate Christmas and at 6:00 pm, the designated time, I ambled off over to outside the Laundry Room where everyone was gathered along with a huge wood fire which actually felt good as the weather had cooled off. There were probably twenty or so campers all sitting around or standing in small groups hardly any of whom I knew. The Campground owners wife came over recognizing me from when I stayed here before and we chatted for a bit. I said hello to as many campers as I could but for some reason, I did not feel comfortable in joining in with the general conversation feeling very awkward and reticent. I hung around for a bit taking pictures and then it started to sprinkle and everyone began to move inside the clubroom. I decided that I had enough of the awkwardness that I felt and went back to Miss Daisy. I don’t think anyone missed me at all as I was not good company and it was almost as though nobody knew I was there. It seems that in my old age, I am no longer the gregarius, hail fellow well met person any more. I never had any problems in the past although I have always been a bit withdrawn around people I was not familiar with but I could hold a conversation as needed. This time, not so much and in truth, I was glad to be back in Miss Daisy and alone. I thought about it quite a bit but I have to accept the fact that old age has changed me. That and spending so much time alone that I have lost most of my people skills. Darn, I was such a chatty, know it all, self opinionated, never wrong loudmouth before so maybe the new me is not such a bad thing.

Monday, December 20

Having recovered from the disappointment of finding my new self last evening, I took the dogs walking and chatted to them in the hope of rediscovering my communication skills. They, of course, totally ignored me and went about their business not realizing anything of the dilemma I was in at discovering the new me. Then, as we were walking, I figured out that, “What the hell”, as long as I can communicate with them, which is usually in the form of mumbled commands or jerks on the leash, if they choose to ignore me which they always seem to do anyway, so be it. I’m used to being ignored anyway as for all of the high ranking positions and titles I held in the past, now I am a forgetful old man happy to still be living a lazy life in an RV. In fact, I am very grateful to still be living. Most people ignore old men anyway…

We had nothing much planned for the day except our usual walks around the park and out on the roads outside of the park followed by breakfast for us all before settling down in front of the computer to continue writing this blog. The one item of importance was a final visit to Dr Ann Epstein, my Dermatologist in Austin who needed to do a follow up of cutting and scraping to a couple of spots that she had discovered at our previous meeting a few days ago. This time, I didn’t even have to take my clothes off and put on the backless wonder gown as the areas in question were my right ear lobe and my left hand by the thumb. She did her usual good work and we said our farewells as she rides off into the sunset of retirement. Even her big fluffy dog that is always in the office with her came over to give me a nuzzle as if to say, “Goodbye buddy”. With a feeling of nostalgia, I made my way up to PostNet on Far West Blvd to pick up my mail, once more before driving back to Henly and two excited dogs demanding to go walkies.

Written December 20 – Read my other blog at https://pondblog2011.com