Notice what the sign says, Bull and Bear Ranch?

I got up at a reasonable hour and we harnessed up for that first walk of the day. I tied the dogs up outside so they could watch me put out the bird feeders which needed seed replenishing. At least, it is the birds that are emptying the hoppers and not the deer, which is the way it is supposed to be. 

With that chore complete, I watered the flowers as they looked dry because we did not get any of the promised rain, last evening. We wandered around and ran into Daniel and Malinda and were introduced to Daniels daughter, Sandy and son in law, Randall along with their kids who are staying the weekend. The two young boys, Caden and Maddox, politely shook hands with me as Malinda introduced them. 

We went on our way and wandered around, but it was already hot and humid out. Luckily, there was a bit of cloud cover, but the humidity was already very high making it feel hotter than ever. The sweat rolled off me as we walked, and I was soaked by the time we got back. 

I fixed breakfast and tried to get the dogs to eat something mainly to take their pills but to no avail as neither dog would touch the food. Guess they are just going to have to get better without them although I will keep trying. What is the old saying, “You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink”. Well, the same thing applies to dogs and pills… 

Giving up on the pill thing, I turned my attention to world news and then to writing the blog catching up with yesterday’s events before they slip away from me lost forever in that great mystery of failing memory. As an ex-athlete, the old adage was that it was always the legs that were the first to go. Well, my legs are fine, and, in my case, it is the memory that is slowly failing. So even though my legs are holding up, I will probably forget how to walk. Just kidding…I sure hope not. 

I sat writing for a while and noticed that a new RV had pulled into the spot next to me. Earlier, I had said goodby to the South African friends who had moved on this morning. They come and they go… 

We sat on the couch for a bit, and I managed to get both dogs interested in their food. I kinda held my breath as they were eating not wanting to distract them in any way. Both dogs ate their pills, I am happy to report. 

Looking around for things to get up to as it was so damn hot outside, I decided to load the guys into the Jeep, and we would go out for a drive around. We took the first road that turned off from Hwy 290, not knowing just where it would take us. We drove out in places we had never been before and took a few pictures. I came to a road I thought I recognized, and we took it only to discover that we were covering the same ground all over again. I finally got us out of there and we drove around some more. We came across a very large estate and the houses were humongous, all of them. Not just one or two but the entire estate was made up of these huge mini mansions. 

Incidentally, we drove around with both dogs on my lap. Mikey, as he usually does, had grabbed the prime position on my knees. Sandy, who was a bit late in the game, kind off pushed her way on sitting half on me and the other half on the seat and consul. Mikey kept slipping between my legs and I spent the entire trip boosting him back up. Sandy, on the other hand, made herself very comfortable in her limited space Mikey had left her.  

We drove around for a while just for the hell of it and then finally, after a couple more wrong turns, I finally got us back on the highway. On the way, I discovered I had a message from Peggy, telling me that I was late for the birthday party for both Peggy and Malinda. 

 I took us back to the RV and let the dogs into The Caboose. and then snuck back out the door and made my way to the Commons Area. As I was late. Most everybody had finished eating but was sort of waiting on me. A few were working on their second helpings of ribs and such so I was not the only one eating. 

With the main course out of the way, it was time for the birthday cake, not one but two, one for Malinda and the other for Peggy. I had a small piece of both, but the chocolate was so heavy and rich, I barely finished it. Because I was too late to the party, I was also too late for beer and had to make do with water which was probably better for me anyway. 

Incidentally, Delores was not there to defend herself, but we re-lived last evenings episode of her story, over and over cracking up with laughter every time. We sang “Happy Birthday” somewhat off key to both Malinda and Peggy which brought the evening to a close. 

I walked back to the RV and then took the dogs walking as although we had been out and about, they never got out of the Jeep to do their business. Sandy sensed something downwind and kept barking and whining in that direction, so I let her lead us to whatever was bothering her. She led us to Remington who was outside with Daniel and Malinda along with Gary and Toni. Everyone made a fuss of her, including Remie, and then we went on our way to complete our walk. Through all of this, Mikey had jumped up in a chair as though he was above all of the fuss and bother. Gary made a fuss of him anyway. 

Back in the RV, as I had already eaten, we sat outside listening to an Audiobook and then finally went indoors. All that was left was to feed the dogs who, as they have been doing lately, turned their noses up at the offering. Their loss 

What remained in what was left of the evening, as it was now almost 9:30 pm, was watching television until midnight. 

Written 06/17/2023. Read my other blog at https://pondblog2011.com  

An Old Man and an RV. Henly RV Park,TX. Sunday 06/18/2023

We see all types of entrances on our drive.

I awoke after a good night’s sleep but every time I thought about getting up, I just rolled over and dozed off some more. Finally, I climbed out of bed and got ready for the day but by then, it was past 9:00 am and half the cooler part of the day was gone. 

The first action was to harness the dogs and then tie them up to the table so they could watch as I brought out the bird feeders. I changed the water in the water feeder after giving it a good cleaning and noticed that our one and only rose was gone, eaten by the damned deer. They have no conscience or respect for other people’s property, bloody four-legged crooks. I hope the rose gives that deer diarrhea. 

With that chore out of the way, we made our way over to the Breakroom where Daniel and Gary were sitting outside drinking coffee. Daniel made me a cup and a little while later, we were joined by Malinda. The dogs got more than their fair share of petting and attention. 

The four of us sat and chatted for a while before the party broke up and we went on our way to the first stop at the dumpster with our bag of trash. From there, we took Henly Loop towards Hwy 290 only because it has a lot of shade at this hour of the morning and managed to walk a half mile before returning to The Caboose for breakfast and another cup of coffee. 

This hot weather makes me want to stay inside in the A/C rather than be out and about walking and what not and we had no plans for the day. Consequently, that is what we did, staying indoors working on the blog and catching up with everything to bring us up to date. 

We took another short walk just around the Commons area staying in the shade and then came back and sat outdoors for an hour or so listening to an Audiobook with the big fan focused directly on me and Mikey who was sitting in the deck chair alongside me. I had given Sandy a couple of rib bones from Daniels earlier party, and she was busy working on them and not concerned about the heat at all as she had food on her mind. Mikey was not a bit interested in bones, so Sandy got his share. 

We sat there for an hour or so but even with the fan, I could feel myself getting hotter by the minute in the 100-degree heat. The story I was listening to was very good, but we came to the end of a chapter, and it was the signal for us to do something else. 

I packed everything away including the big fan I had brought out to stay a bit cooler and then harnessed up the dogs. We did not go far but still managed to rack up our mile for the day. This is the minimum that I shoot for but if it stays this warm, it is going to be hard to get in the steps. The answer is to get up early before it gets hot. Yeah, right… 

We got back to the RV and huddled indoors in the A/C in an attempt to cool off which took a while, but we eventually managed it. I worked on the blog to get us up to date so that I do not have to try and remember what happened today, tomorrow. 

The rest of the evening was spent in the usual way, food, drinks and television. 

Written 06/18/2023. Read my other blog at https://pondblog2011.com