01/19/2022 Wednesday
We did not have much planned for today except a trip into Austin to CRN, the company that builds and colors the teeth implants that we are currently working on. They needed to confirm that the coloring was correct and would match my existing teeth. As this was not until later in the day, we went about our usual business of dog walks and breakfast before settling down to read and answer emails.
The appointment was for 1:30 pm which meant leaving by 12:00 pm to make sure to get there on time. I hate being late for any appointment and usually err on the early side preferring to wait around rather than be rushed or even worse, late. The traffic is so unpredictable especially with the road construction going on Hwy 290 in Oakhill. I did arrive 30 minutes early and per their instructions, called them to let them know I was in the parking lot. Twenty-five minutes later, I got a call to “Come on in”. I must have spent 5 minutes in the office as they matched colors before I was out of the door and on my way home. Before leaving the parking lot, I thought and thought if there was anything that I needed in any of the stores before heading back to Dripping Springs, but nothing came to mind. I stopped at the Farmers Market there but was a bit early and rather than wait around even more today and not really needing anything, came back to Miss Daisy and to two excited little dogs.
My neighbor across from me who had first problems with one of his slides and then having to get the rear bumper on his RV re-welded back on, had James, the travelling repair person stop by again. He had mentioned that the slide needed parts and that is what they worked on this time around. With such a busy week, I was glad to not have anything specific planned for the rest of the day.
We went out walking as is our customary fashion and met a couple of other dogs walking their owners along the way with Sandy doing her best to make friends. Mikey not so much. Altogether, we covered 2.0 miles for the day.
01/20/2022 Thursday
I woke up to a big day in my life, my 86th birthday although there were no fireworks, marching bands or pretty girls in pom poms to welcome it in. It was quite literally freezing when we got up this morning, and I had to put on warmer clothes, except for the shorts and I haven’t decided just how cold it needs to get before I wear long pants although my metal/plastic knee replacement does get a bit cold. I think I wore long pants maybe a half dozen times last winter, and it was the worst winter on record so more of an exception. It’s not that I have anything against wearing long pants, but I am a creature of habit and wearing shorts is who I am.
We went out for a very short walk and even Sandy was ready to come back in for breakfast and coffee for me. I sat in front of the computer and read a bunch of emails many of which were of the congratulatory sort from friends and well-wishers before it was time to go to Northwest Austin to PostNet to pick up my mail which had accumulated over the past couple of weeks. On my drive back to Henly, I stopped at one of the Starbucks stores on the way as the company had offered me a free drink or goodie of my choice for my birthday and after all the money that I have given them over the years, getting something free from them was too hard to turn down.
Arriving back to be greeted by my wonderful companion dogs who always miss me and make me feel special when I return, I promised them we would go out walking, but I had to check emails first. I wish I had done this while I was in Austin as one of them was from my Optometrist telling me that my new glasses were in and ready to pick up. Cursing silently under my breath, I jumped back in the car and made the 12-mile drive back to the Optometrist’s office where I tried on and walked out with the new ones. They have improved my vision quite considerably, thank goodness. I even went a bit fancy, and the glasses are almost frameless, very lightweight with big lenses all in an effort to get as much vision as possible to my old eyes.
The drive home was uneventful, and we went out for a very short walk around the park. It has been cold all day with a strong wind and trying to rain. With the temperature hovering around freezing, any sort of precipitation is not a good thing, and we are under winter precautions here at the park. This means to fill up the freshwater tank in Miss Daisy or at least, have enough water in it to last a couple of days and turn on the pump inside the unit and disconnect the hook up to the city water to see us through this cold spell. Hopefully, it will not be too severe or too long. I do have a backup space heater of the tower type that swivels from side to side, and it does mean wearing a sweater inside Miss Daisy. The bedroom is the warmest of the two rooms so if we really get cold, that is where we will go and crawl under the covers, but I don’t anticipate that having to happen.
The rest of the evening was spent in the usual way with food, wine and television, nothing special or different. So ended my 86th birthday. The many birthdays wishes that I received, some from friends and acquaintances that I have not heard from in years, was very heartwarming. Long gone are the days of birthday celebrations and wild parties or just plain old having a few beers with my mates. Now I celebrate reaching one more year in this journey of life and wonder what the next may bring.
Written 01/19/2022 – Read my other blog at https://pondblog2011.com