Henly RV Park Day 1

02/01/2022 Tuesday

The weather is going to get much colder as we have frosts forecast for the next several days. Shades of last February around this time when we had the worst winter in history. We will have to go through the usual winter precautions like turning off the water, draining the hoses and I cover the water source with light green sheets called Plankets that should protect it from freezing. If it gets really bad, the park will turn off the water anyway. I will also half fill my water tank which will see us through the nights. The biggest fear is that the electric grid might fail although I do have a generator that I can run and a propane heater to switch over to. 
 
We went out walking as we usually do to check on my neighbors as they come and go. My neighbor from across the street has pulled out and another Airstream has pulled in. It would be interesting to know their stories as to why they do this and where are they heading but one of the beauties of living in an RV is that you can be as incognito as you want to be, or not. If you are of the gregarious type, the hail fellow well met sort, the extrovert, then this life may be difficult. For the rest of us that are more withdrawn, then keeping to oneself is not a problem. Unfortunately, or not, I fall into this category and although I like people well enough, most of them anyway, I do not need them to survive or maybe the word is exist. 
 
I had to go into Austin to PostNet to get my mail which had accumulated over the past week. You must arrange a pickup day and time beforehand which I suppose is necessary for those who receive a lot of mail. In my case, it is never more than a half dozen pieces every two weeks or so. The one piece that I was especially looking forward to getting was my new driver’s license after all the worry it had given me. I collected it and this time around, it has a terrible picture. Looks like I am drunk, and it is a police lineup mug shot instead of the aging but still handsome old man that I am. Oh well, the main thing is that I am good for the next two years. After that, who knows… 
 
I also stopped at PetSmart to buy a doggy gate that will go between the driver’s cab section in Miss Daisy and the rest of the RV. Someone and I suspect it is Mikey, has discovered it as a pee place for the night and although it is easy enough to clean up with the rubber floors, I need to point him to the pee pads that I put down in the night for just that purpose. I left a perfectly good gate at the old house when I sold it not thinking that I would need such an item in my travels. Oh well, I can say that about a lot more things that I wish I had kept but left behind because of the space problem or rather, lack of it.  
 
From PetSmart, I went across the road at Brody Lane in Austin to the Home Depot located there and bought another small indoor mat to put in front of the sink in Miss Daisy. It matches the two that I currently have except I chose a brighter color to cheer things up a bit. I also stopped at another store to see if they have any of the Thick Cut Marmalade that I like as they were out the last time I was there. This time, I was in luck, and I stocked up with a half dozen jars and also a jar of Marmite, another English throwback. With this my last stop of the day in Austin, I just happened to drive in the direction of a Starbucks on the way home and naturally had to stop for both coffee and breakfast which I had missed with my late start. 
 
I arrived back in Dripping Springs and stopped at the HEB to complete my shopping for the day. It was surprisingly busy and the lines at the checkout stretched back into the aisles even with all the registers working. I wandered around taking my time and carefully selecting the same old stuff that I usually buy. I am very much a creature of habit which includes a lot of the food I eat. I guess the old palate has accumulated its own tastes over the years and I like simple food. I am not much of a meat or fish eater, but neither am I a vegetarian in the strict sense of the word. It is just that food is more of a necessity than a journey and as I get older, just does not taste the same anymore. So, I settle for soups and salads with the occasional roast chicken or cooked sliced ham or turkey. My one failing is that I like a small ice cream for dessert. By the way, so do the dogs and they recognize the carton when I take it out and are all attention with a begging look in their eyes. So, one gets the lid and the other gets the tiny single serve carton, both with a little ice cream added for their enjoyment. I have no idea if it good for them, but they really do like the tiny bit they get. 

We went out for our afternoon walk a bit earlier than we normally do as Sandy was giving me, “the look” which generally indicates the need to “go.” We walked around the park and out on the roads outside with her leading and pulling us in all directions. She never has a plan and is constantly changing her mind depending on which scent or smell attracts her the most. Mikey and I are just along for the ride although occasionally, I do exert my authority. We spent the rest of the day working on the blog and after the final meal of the day, watching television. Sandy was being a bug again which usually involves sitting on the couch and staring at me. If I make a fuss of her, this is normally enough to satisfy her as she is just looking for attention, just like most women. However, this time, she kept it up even after a fuss, so we had no alternative but to harness up and go out for a very short walk on the piece of grass outside of Miss Daisy. This was at 10:00 pm at night and it was dark but this short and I mean short, walk was enough and she and Mikey both did their business. So ended the first day of February 2022. Time sure does fly as you get older.

Written 02/01/2022 – Check my other blog at https://pondblog2011.com