04/30/2022
For some reason, we awoke late, and it was almost 10:00 am when I crawled out of bed. It matters not as the only thing I have planned is a few chores around Mr. George and even they are not earth shatteringly important. We went out for our usual walk saying hello to a few others that were out and about and even running into Melinda and Daniel to chat with them for a bit before returning for the usual breakfast and coffee.
I worked on writing and then posting the blogs bringing me up to date. Included in that was working on a few photos that I had taken on our walks. Mostly flowers and such as I have not seen any of the animals that we sometimes see, recently, especially in the game preserve right next to us. I have no idea how big it is, and the exotic animals may have a lot of acres to forage and wander around in. While I was driving back from Dripping Springs the other day, a large coyote crossed the road in front of me and stood on the other side, looking around, before disappearing into the brush. Strange to see them active during the day. He was very impressive as he stood there, and I can understand why small animals including dogs and cats are easy prey for them.
I went into Dripping Springs to the HEB store as I was low on a few things. This time, the parking lot was comparatively empty compared to last week during the Frontier Days Festival. I always bring a list for reference but mostly, I shop by habit. The list is really for the odd thing or two that may be different than normal, that is, if I remember to add it to the list in the first place. As usual, the shopping was uneventful. One thing I noticed was that very few of the patrons are wearing masks. I could count on one hand those that did. I did not put mine on for the first time that I can remember.
I stopped at Starbuck’s; a habit I need to kick as they no longer taste as good as they used to. At least, it is not almost one a day as it used to be in years past. It would be interesting to know just how much money I spent at that place over the years. Maybe not. The drive home was uneventful, and I arrived back to the dogs. If the front blind is up on Mr. George, they both sit in the big front window and grow excited when the car pulls in. Maybe, I should not feel so honored as they grow just as excited when another dog walks by. I had lots of help with the groceries as per usual before we harnessed up to take a short walk.
We sat for a while, and it occurred to me that I needed to empty the outside garbage container that I have, and as the dogs were more than ready, I grabbed the bag and them and we walked the 50 yards to the dumpster. With that chore out of the way for another week, we took another short walk before retiring back to Mr. George but not before, sitting outside for almost an hour just passing time.
Written 04/30/2022. Read my other blog at https://pondblog2011.com
Henly RV Park May 1 – Day 1 Sunday
05/01/2022
The start of a new month. In England, this day is known as April Fool’s Day and the objective was to try to fool as many people as possible with stories and actions true or otherwise and if they fell for it, you shouted “April Fool” at the top of your lungs. At least that is what I remember about it when I was a kid. I probably played my fair share of jokes and had them played on me. As I am too old to fool anyone anymore, to me, it is just another day on the Calendar although to a lot of people, it is a reminder that income taxes are due by the middle of the month.
That thought prompted me to remember that I had an appointment with H&R Block later in the morning to get my own taxes done. I got up early enough to take the dogs out for their morning walk around the park and managed to cover a little over a mile before heading back for a quick breakfast watching the time all the while.
The trip to Dripping Springs was uneventful, and I like it that way. I managed to find the Tax Office where I spent the next hour working with a very nice lady by the name of Julie. Well, she did all the work while I just sat there and answered her questions to the best of my ability. I had spent time collecting up all the necessary paperwork from my very poor filing system prior to this meeting so was sort of prepared. For the past several years, I have been able to do my own taxes as I was on a fixed income and nothing really changed but this past year, I sold my house at a large profit, which accounted for my needing professional help. At the end of the session, which did not turn out too badly for me in terms of the amount of Capital Gains Tax I had to pay, I paid both the IRS and H&R Block, thanked Julie very profusely and said my goodbyes.
My next stop was to HEB right across the street to stock up on groceries for the next few days. I think I have mentioned before that I like to eat simply, and this time was no exception. I settled for the chicken breast and bought a double pack which will last me a while. I also bought another bag of bird seed to either feed the birds or the deer, whichever gets to it first. I do have plans to modify the feeders to make it harder for the deer. With the grocery shopping done for a few days, I drove to Starbucks and ordered a latte although I did compromise by getting a Tall instead of my usual Grande.
Back at Mr. George, I took the dogs out for a short walk around the park and ran into Daniel on his 4-Wheeler. He stopped so that he could make a fuss of the dogs which he always does and this time, Mikey actually came over to sniff his hand. Sandy, of course, was all over him for the attention he gives her and then we continued our walk. Back at Mr. George, we sat outside for a while watching the world go by, but I do not see as much action at this site as we are further from the main entrance of which I had a perfect view of all the comings and goings.
The day ended in the usual fashion except that I discovered the latest versions of Yellowstone had been posted and we watched all 8 episodes in one sitting. Great action program although the amount of foul language is probably too excessive for many people.
Written 05/01/2022. Read my other blog at https://pondblog2011.com