The day started off in the usual fashion with the walk around the park followed by breakfast which was a Bean and Cheese Burrito. It was a large size one, so I shared it with the dogs who both, very happily, helped me to eat it. To be truthful, it was not particularly enjoyable, and I was glad to share it with them. Food just does not have the same taste or importance that it used to have, and I eat out of necessity and not for pleasure. Maybe, that accounts for the reason I have not put on much weight as I currently scale out at 165 pounds which is only a few pounds over when I was a very active soccer player. I am not a beer drinker and limit my alcohol consumption to one small glass of wine per evening. 

I went outside to look at the tree branches that are blowing against the roof and making really frightening noises. I was not concerned with the noise of course but what damage the branches may be doing to the roof. The RV does not have a ladder and mine is not long enough as it is only 12 feet, and it needs one at least 15 feet to safely get up on top of the rig. Then I had an idea and backed the truck up close to the RV but after surveying it, concluded that I could not get the truck close enough to be safe and dropped that idea which was to set up the ladder on the bed of the truck.  

Frustrated at my inability to do such a simple task, I put the tools away and called Gerry, the Park Superintendent who happened to be out of town. He does not have a repair person and neither does he have an alternative site that I can use but said he would talk to me when he gets back into town. With nothing left that I could do, I went back inside of Quatro to write, all the time listening to the branches as they scraped across the roof. Luckily, the wind changed direction and swung around 180 degrees which made the branches blow away from the roof for most of the time and hopefully limiting the amount of contact. 

For whatever reason, the park is filling up again. It would be interesting to know what brings people here if there are no football games or concerts going on. Needless to say, Gerry did not talk to me about the branch problem. I received a call from Henly RV Park asking me to confirm that I was coming in December 1 and at least we are all set in that department. That is assuming we get out of here on time. 

We went out for another walk and this time, for a change, we walked the roads in the residential area at the bottom end of the field making a big loop before returning to the field via a different road. Part is residential and the rest commercial but at least, the commercial part had a very wide sidewalk. The residential areas were very quiet with little to no traffic and easy walking. We managed to cover a total of 1.5 miles for the day and found a new place to walk. 

Back in the RV, I had a few chores and then watched a couple of soccer games. One was a World Cup Qualifier and the other was a European Cup Game. By then, it was time for another short walk before retiring to the RV for the evening. 

Written 10/11/2022. Read my other poems at https://pondblog2011.com

Southgate RV Park, Fayetteville, AR Wednesday Day 34 10/12/2022

I awoke early as I knew that we had a Doggy Groomers appointment for Sandy at 10:00 am and it was a 30-minute drive to the shop. We wandered around before returning for a quick breakfast and left the RV around 9:30 am. Both dogs were really excited to get into the truck although Sandy needed a helping hand as there is not a step and the truck is high even for me. We both have short legs…I wonder whose are the shorter in comparison to the rest of our bodies. 

The drive in was short and uneventful, thanks to the map system on my phone. Mikey and I checked Sandy in, and she was too excited to realize we were leaving her. Mikey, incidentally, made the most of her absence by sitting on my lap for the entire trip home. It did not seem to bother him that we had left his friend behind. 

Around 1:00 pm. The phone rang and it was the groomers telling me that Sandy was ready for pickup. We had expected around 3:00 pm and I was very happy for Mikey and me to drive in to pick her up. She sure looks sharp with a short haircut all over. The drive back was uneventful which is the way I like it. 

Back in the RV, I settled down to write for a bit before venturing outside to drain the tanks. I think we have a problem in that department as they are not draining properly. I have a Macerator Pump installed in the RV but have never used one before. First thing was to get out the instruction manual and read up on it and it seemed straightforward enough after I figured out what to hook to what but when I turned it on, the Macerator hose started leaking all over the place. I shut it off and went looking for the duct tape which of course, I cannot find. 

While looking, a car pulled up and a pretty young thing got out and asked if I was Frank. I thought for a brief moment, that the Gods had smiled on me until she introduced herself as Catherine, the tree trimmer that Gerry had promised me. Coming back to earth, we chatted for a bit, and she dragged out a bag full of tools and asked about the ladder to get on top of the RV. Quatro does not have a built-in ladder, but I got my expanding one out and she climbed up to take a look. She asked me to hold the ladder and I was then in the embarrassing situation of having to look up at her as she climbed. Cute ass though and she looked good in jeans, but I quickly slapped myself to concentrate on the job at hand. Incidentally, when you hold a ladder, you must follow what the climber is doing to adjust if needed.  

I was in this position once before in England working on a job and the lady of the house locked her keys inside. I offered to get in the open upstairs window, but she insisted that she do the climbing. I was then in the embarrassing situation of holding a ladder for an overweight housewife wearing a short skirt and having to check on her all the way to the top. That was one I was glad when it was over. I was about 20 at the time and it left a bad impression. Another time, we had a 40 ft metal ladder almost fully extended and I was climbing it to rope it off for security when it started to slide along the metal gutter, it slipped off the end of the hose and fell between it and another house. I rode it down all the way and when it hit the ground, stepped off perfectly. One lucky SOB. 

Once she was on the roof, she spurned the offer of my battery operated chain saw for a hand held Sabre saw with a long blade and went to work. Fifteen or so minutes later, she was finished and between us, we picked up the branches and stacked them by the dumpster. I paid her for her services and asked several times if it was enough and she insisted it was. She said that she did not think the roof was damaged, but I need to get up there to check for myself. I was going to do it when she was gone but she had collapsed the ladder, so I put it away. I will check tomorrow.  

She drove off and I wandered over to check the mailbox to discover that my new replacement Social Security Card was there. I wonder why they are not a real laminated card instead of just a piece of paper. If all of the other credit/debit and other such cards can be plastic, why not a Social Security Card. No wonder I lost the last one. I then adjourned to the RV to continue with the blog. 

Later, we went out walking and then completed the evening in the usual way. 

Written 10/12/2022. Read my other blogs at https://pondblog2011.com