We had a good nights sleep with the usual interruptions. I am afraid that I am stuck with those for the rest of my natural life. If having to visit the bathroom 3-4 time a night is in exchange for living longer, I will take it every time.

I knew that James, the travelling RV Mechanic was due to pay us a visit to work on a few things but I did not know what time he would be here. I harnessed up the dogs wanting to be sure they had exercised and done their overnight business before he arrived.

We wandered around as we usually do not going anyplace in particular before heading back to the RV where I fixed the dogs breakfast. I made coffee for myself but did not fix any food as I was not in an eating mood and then sat down to work on the blog or at least, that was my intention.

Then James’s van pulled up and the dogs started barking to greet him. I had prepared the space for him to work by moving everything out of his way. I hovered around trying to be helpful wherever I could but really didn’t contribute very much. Mine was mostly fetch and carry or James’s “hold this”.

James was busy for a couple of hours as he re-wrapped wires that the rats had chewed all of the insulation off. It was a wonder that the wires hadn’t shorted out they were so bare. No wonder the thing wouldn’t work. This must have happened when the RV was sitting at it’s last park after the owner died as I have not seen or heard any sign of rats while I have owned it. The dogs would have sensed them anyway. Roaches yes but not rats.

James finally finished and wrote me a bill which I paid willingly and then went on his way to the next job. Incidentally, he is pretty agile for such a big man and can get down to where the work is without too much trouble.

We went out for a walk and then I tidied up the RV so it was nice and shipshape and went back to work on the blog. Soon it was time for the last walk of the day which incidentally, except on Sunday’s, is usually to the mail box just in case I have any mail. Usually, my mail comprises of bills but occasionally, I will get a letter or card from my many friends and acquaintances.

Unfortunately, the mail box was empty. On the good side, that meant there were no bills but the other side meant I did not get to hear from anyone. Still, we are used to that as my lifestyle has changed so much that I have a whole new set of friends that live here in the park alongside me. Different people with the same interest.

We wandered around for a bit before calling it a day and bringing in the bird feeders. Then it was the usual evening meal followed by an English Premier League soccer game. Again, it was 11:30 pm before I got to bed. Oh well…

I slept very soundly even with four trips to the bathroom but managed to fall back asleep when I got back into bed. Typical old man’s complaint…

Eventually, I got up around 8:30 am and after the usual three s’s, I harnessed them up to go out walking. We wandered around the park and hit the outside road. I managed to steer Sandy up the hill instead of down which kept us away from the Giant Oak. Not that there is anything wrong with taking that walk but we have done it the last three mornings and it was time for a change. Like I said before if there is a hill, the dogs will always go downwards.

Back in the RV, I fixed us breakfast and then worked on the blog which kept me busy for a couple of hours. I knew that James, the RV repair man was due to come over tomorrow to work on the heating/cooling side of things plus a couple of other items that needed his attention so I straightened things up putting stuff away so he had a clear shot at the work.

By then, it was time for another walk and we went out to wander around as we usually do. We never really have any destination in mind when we go out walking and I leave it to the dogs to lead the way most of the time. I keep a close eye on where we are going otherwise it would always be downhill.

I decided to go into Austin to the Walmart’s located there as there were a couple of things that I could really use. They were all RV related and Walmart’s has a couple of aisle’s with nothing but RV stuff. The drive in was uneventful and I wandered around as I usually do which is of course, a mistake as things kept popping into my shopping cart that I hadn’t planned on.

I found most of what I wanted that was RV related and of course, a few other things that caught my eye and then paid my bill and walked my cart back to the Jeep.

The drive home was uneventful just the way I like it and I made a point of stopping at Starbucks for a latte. My cars are trained to drive to the nearest Starbucks unless I give them different directions but just lately for these past few months, I have not had the urge to stop and buy a latte. I guess that fad has gone. Just as well as the coffee was getting expensive.

The drive was uneventful and I pulled in to be greeted by my little friends who of course, immediately told me in no uncertain terms that it was “Walkies time, Dad”. We harnessed up after we had brought in the groceries and I had all kinds of help putting the groceries away as I usually do.

We wandered around and managed to cover almost 2 miles for the day before sitting on the deck just watching the world go by. In our case, there is not a lot of activity, just the occasional camper walking their dog or a passing car with the driver waving at us. In most cases, it is a recognition by sight as I do not know all of the campers as so many of them are temporary travelling ones who are just passing through.

I tied the dogs up to the outside table so they could watch as I brought in the feeders for one more day. I can tell we are not getting many feathered visitors by the amount of seed left in the feeders.

With all of the outside work taken care of, we adjourned back indoors for the usual evening meal and entertainment.

Just as regular as clockwork, Sunday rolled around as it always does. If ever we don’t get a Sunday then I would say, we are in deep trouble and it is probably the end of the world…

I got up around 8:30 am which seems to be my regular time. I guess my interior clocks have set the time for me and have figured out that normally, we have nothing going on that requires we get up any earlier. Even the dogs have learned not to wake up before then. They have also learned that when I first get out of bed in the morning, I have a routine I follow to get myself ready for the day and it is no sense in them getting out of bed until I have completed the routine. The longest part of that routine is shaving unless I happen to take a shower as I do every three or so days. Of course, if by chance I happen do do something that makes me hot and sweaty or dirties me up in any way, then I will take a shower before the three days are up.

After the usual morning ablutions, the first thing on the agenda was to bring out the bird feeders. As an example of the shortage of birds, I have not had to refill the feeders for a week or more. From where I sit indoors writing, I can see one of the feeder poles set up with seven different types of feeders hanging on it to attract the birds. There is another similar set up 10 feet away and four more hanging in the tree so there is no shortage of choices for the birds. The set ups on the ground are the ones that I bring in every evening because if I don’t the deer have learned to tip out the seed out and eat it.

With the birds taken care of, I collected the dogs who had already been harnessed up and were patiently waiting hooked to the table while the birds had my attention. We went out walking with the first stop, the closest patch of grass where both dogs relieved themselves from their overnight of “holding it”. What is strange about the dogs holding it is that they are hooked to the table and can move around and pee if they so desire. But, instead, it is wait until we start walking and then they start peeing. We continued on our walk and this time, Miss Sandy led us back up the hill towards Hwy 290. I at least got a change of scenery and we covered 1.9 miles for that first walk.

Then it was back for breakfast and coffee. I tried feeding Sandy but again, she ignored the food. At least, I did not waste a pill because I did not mix one into her food.

Back in the RV, I sat and worked on the blog and brought us up to date and happened to glance at the clock in front of me to see it was almost 3:00 pm. The sun was shining and it was a beautiful Fall day with the outdoor temperature forecast to reach 83 degrees. Maybe it is finally cooling down although I am not a big lover of wintertime. Far different when I lived in New York State where I owned a snowmobile and used to go skiing every winter. But I was younger then and now, the old bones don’t like the cold anymore. Besides, I couldn’t ski now if I tried and it is a dead certainty that I would break something serious besides my pride.

We sat around a lot for the rest of the afternoon before that final walk of the day. Then it was the usual, feed the dogs and feed me, watch TV and then go to bed. Incidentally, it was way past 12:00 pm when I went to bed.

It was a bit overcast when we got up but there was no rain in the forecast and it wasn’t long before the clouds had dispersed for another bright and sunny day. At least it was quite a bit cooler with the current cold front. By 12:00 pm, I had to turn the A/C back on as it warmed up inside the RV.

We harnessed up and went out walking as we usually do and managed to cover a little over a mile for that first walk of the day. Miss Sandy was acting as the lead scout and before I knew it, we were on our way down to the very Large Oak tree located on the outside road and down the hill. Left to their own devices, the dogs always walk down hill regardless of where we are supposed to go. Incidentally, this is the third visit to the Oak Tree in three days.

I put out the bird feeders and just as I was finishing, both Lyla and Celia showed up. I asked Lyla if she would take the torn folding chair to the dumpster which she did. I thanked her profusely and she smiled sweetly and said, “You are welcome”. The kids were too late to help with the bird feeders and they left to go back to their RV. I think their Mother has told them not to bother “Grandpa Frank” as they call me unless it is to be helpful like helping out with the feeders.

Back in The Caboose, I fixed a bacon sandwich as the one I had yesterday really hit the spot. That and the coffee and I was in seventh heaven for a little while. Then I turned to the blog and started working on it and brought it up to date. We have nothing planned for the day.

As we usually do when we have nothing planned, we did a lot of sitting around. The one thing we don’t do and that is to watch the TV during the day time. I kinda have an unwritten rule on that, but it is OK to listen to an Audiobook if we have nothing else to do.

The rest of the day was spent in finding things to do inside the RV and there was even a couple of outside items needing my attention. We went out walking a couple of times so the dogs could stretch their legs and take care of Nature and for me to move around and get some exercise.

Back in the RV, I took care of feeding the dogs and then myself although the dogs are not doing a very good job of eating their food. Sandy in particular is very fussy over what she eats. Mikey, not so much and he likes to sit in my chair alongside of me to finish his bowl of food.

Then it was time to watch television in this case two soccer matches from the English Premier League and before I knew it, it was 12:30 am. At that point, I shut up shop for the day and we went to bed.

Living in an RV Henly RV Park Sunday 10/20/2024

Just as regular as clockwork, Sunday rolled around as it always does. If ever we don’t get a Sunday then I would say, we are in deep trouble and it is probably the end of the world…

I got up around 8:30 am which seems to be my regular time. I guess my interior clocks have set the time for me and have figured out that normally, we have nothing going on that requires we get up any earlier. Even the dogs have learned not to wake up before then. They have also learned that when I first get out of bed in the morning, I have a routine I follow to get myself ready for the day and it is no sense in them getting out of bed until I have completed the routine. The longest part of that routine is shaving unless I happen to take a shower as I do every three or so days. Of course, if by chance I happen do do something that makes me hot and sweaty or dirties me up in any way, then I will take a shower before the three days are up.

After the usual morning ablutions, the first thing on the agenda was to bring out the bird feeders. As an example of the shortage of birds, I have not had to refill the feeders for a week or more. From where I sit indoors writing, I can see one of the feeder poles set up with seven different types of feeders hanging on it to attract the birds. There is another similar set up 10 feet away and four more hanging in the tree so there is no shortage of choices for the birds. The set ups on the ground are the ones that I bring in every evening because if I don’t the deer have learned to tip out the seed out and eat it.

With the birds taken care of, I collected the dogs who had already been harnessed up and were patiently waiting hooked to the table while the birds had my attention. We went out walking with the first stop, the closest patch of grass where both dogs relieved themselves from their overnight of “holding it”. What is strange about the dogs holding it is that they are hooked to the table and can move around and pee if they so desire. But, instead, it is wait until we start walking and then they start peeing. We continued on our walk and this time, Miss Sandy led us back up the hill towards Hwy 290. I at least got a change of scenery and we covered 1.9 miles for that first walk.

Then it was back for breakfast and coffee. I tried feeding Sandy but again, she ignored the food. At least, I did not waste a pill because I did not mix one into her food.

Back in the RV, I sat and worked on the blog and brought us up to date and happened to glance at the clock in front of me to see it was almost 3:00 pm. The sun was shining and it was a beautiful Fall day with the outdoor temperature forecast to reach 83 degrees. Maybe it is finally cooling down although I am not a big lover of wintertime. Far different when I lived in New York State where I owned a snowmobile and used to go skiing every winter. But I was younger then and now, the old bones don’t like the cold anymore. Besides, I couldn’t ski now if I tried and it is a dead certainty that I would break something serious besides my pride.

We sat around a lot for the rest of the afternoon before that final walk of the day. Then it was the usual, feed the dogs and feed me, watch TV and then go to bed. Incidentally, it was way past 12:00 pm when I went to bed.

I got up at a reasonable hour for me, and after taking a shower, harnessed up the dogs and we went out for the first walk of the day. The dogs were really into it and we managed to cover 1.5 miles on that first walk. Not a bad start. When we got back, I brought out the bird feeders and hung them in their respective places. There are not many birds around, mostly because many have flown back to their wintering grounds in Mexico.

Incidentally, the temperature has finally dropped to the mid 60’s and I had to put another shirt on to stay warm on our walk. This is just a short cold front as it is going to warm back up tomorrow although only to the high 80’s where I hope it will stay for the rest of the winter. Yeah, right!

I fixed myself a bacon sandwich for breakfast and it really hit the spot. That and coffee and I had it made. Then I settled down in front of the computer to bring the blog up to date wracking my brain trying to remember just what we got up to yesterday. In the end, I figured that we had not done much different than we usually do with the exception of the trip to Tractor Supply for the bird seed.

With the blog caught up to date, I looked around for other things to do with not much luck in finding anything at all. So, we sat around hoping that something would inspire me other than the dogs wanting to go walking. We wandered around as we usually do going no place in particular. Take that back as we visited the Giant Oak tree again…Sandy seems to like that hike as that is where she leads us. Maybe it is because it is all downhill and the Laws of Gravity are doing the leading. She is not quite so eager going back up the hill. Going down, she leads. Coming back up the hill, I lead and they follow.

The rest of the day was spent just sitting around until that final walk of the day and the usual evening meal and then watching television until it was time to go to bed. Let me re-phrase that as we didn’t get to bed until after 12:30 am as I got engrossed in a movie.

I gotta stop watching late night movies.

We went out for the usual morning walk and managed to cover 1.5 miles, a very good start to the day. Both dogs were into it as there were so many new interesting smells and they moved slowly along from one to the other. Today, after walking the RV Park, we hit the outside road and walked down as far as the Giant Oak Tree which gives us a really good walk. We certainly are not likely to beat any speed records as there are way too many smells that need checking out. Not for me of course but for the dogs. I just have to wait patiently as the dogs take forever if they come across a particularly great smell as first one then the other sniffs away.

We walked around the Park and then hit the outside road. Sandy, who was leading as she usually does, decided that she wanted to walk to the Giant Oak tree again even though we visited it just yesterday. It made no difference to me and Mikey as we followed along behind. I am in it for voluntary exercise as I need to keep moving. Sandy has her own agenda comprised mostly of sniffing everything and Mikey does as Sandy does. Occasionally, he will find a very interesting smell and will dally on it for a bit before letting us keep moving.

Back in The Caboose, I fixed myself breakfast and like I mentioned yesterday, we are trying a new tactic with feeding the dogs as neither of them want to eat following that first walk. We will have to see if it works after a few days.

Then it was time to work on the blog and I noticed I was a day behind. I hate it when that happens as I have the hardest time in playing catch up. Darn memory. I managed to pull together enough to write the blog but it is even more difficult in recalling anything. I hate growing old but considering the alternative, I’ll take it!

With the blog up to date, I looked around for other things to do and not finding very much. When I am bored, I usually take it out on the dogs by making them going walking but first, this time I paid a visit to Tractor Supply which is about 10 miles up the road as I had just run out of bird seed. I bought a 20 lb bag and then wandered around the store to see if they had anything that might work on the water faucet problem that I have.

They had some plumbing supplies but unfortunately, nothing that I could make work so I paid for the birdseed and got out of there.

Back at The Caboose, the dogs gave me a very warm reception jumping around and making a fuss, I returned the attention and we were all happy wagging tails for a bit. Then I harnessed them up and we went out walking again. The late afternoon walk has a second use besides exercise. We always walk up to the Office where the mailboxes are and check to see if we have anything. Generally, the box is empty but occasionally, something comes in the mail. Yesterday, there were two such letters neither of them very important.

The rest of the day was spent in the usual way with food, a glass of wine and television. Somehow, I managed to get involved in a very good movie and it was 12:30 am before I went to bed. Go figure.

Another one of those days with very little going on or different than the days before. We got up at 9:30 am which didn’t matter very much as I had nothing planned.

The first order of the day as usual was to hang the bird feeders checking to see that they all have seed in them. The number of birds that visit has dropped considerably which I put down to the availability of food elsewhere and the usual bird migration to warmer climes for the winter months. Plus of course, I feed the friendly squirrel, not voluntarily but he helps himself and I leave him to eat his fill. I can always buy more seed and he is another of Nature’s creatures even if he is a thief and a scrounger.

I have two big feeders hanging in the tree about 10 ft off the ground so that the deer do not raid them. Even hanging that high and out of the deer’s reach, something works on emptying the seed out of them at night. I put it down to a coon.

We walked around as we usually do and both dogs were into it for a change. We wandered around the park and then hit the bottom road and walked it to the end where the giant Oak Tree is and back which gave us a good start to the day.

Then it was back in the RV to work on the blog and tidy up the place. My idea of tidy would not satisfy any good housewife as all I do is stack up the stuff that is laying around and very occasionally, put some of it back in the drawers. The only trouble with that is I can never find it it ever again as the drawers are all of the moving kind where stuff from one drawer suddenly appears in a different drawer and I have no clue how it got there. Couldn’t possibly be me…

I got too much “stuff” anyway.

We sat around a lot interspersed with the occasional walk and the time crawled along. I guess I should be glad as the alternative of it flying by is not good. Goodness only knows the years pass by so quickly and before you know it, you are old. The next step is even worse and very final…

I decided that I should go grocery shopping and I headed into the HEB at Dripping Springs and purchased the few things I had on my list. Then I made a stop at The Home Depot which is right next door to see if I could find a replacement part for the end of the kitchen sink water pipe with no luck.

Back in the RV, I had a lot of help as I usually do in unloading the goods from the car. I wish they could help putting things away but after a couple of sniffs to check things out, they move onto the next great smell.

The rest of the day was spent in lazing around and trying unsuccessfully to take a nap before the final walk of the day. Then it was time to watch soccer on the TV followed by a great movie that kept me up until 12:00 pm. No wonder I get up late…

I was late getting up and it was past 9:30 when I rolled out. I had slept very with the only interruptions the call of Nature. I suffer from the usual “Old Man’s Complaint” and last night, there were three of those calls but I managed to fall back asleep very quickly after each one. Consequently, I was not ready to get up this morning and had to talk myself into it. I kept arguing with myself, “Get up” and “No five more minutes” and such. In the end the good guy won and I rolled out of bed. The other guy is just a lazy bum…

The first thing was to take a shower and put on a change of clothes which made me ready to face another day and anything that might get thrown at me. I harnessed up the dogs and then it was outside to bring out the bird feeders. I haven’t filled them in several days which shows the lack of birds many of whom have flown away to winter out where it is warm. Wonderful thing Nature. Right now, we are still at the tail end of our own heat wave with the temperatures still in the high 90’s and yet the birds still left. They must have a built in alarm clock telling them when they need to go regardless of the weather they happen to be in at the time.

We went out and wandered around and took the road leading to the Giant Oak Tree. There is usually quite a bit of shade on that walk which is why I like to take it plus the distance to the Giant Oak is a little over a mile round trip which helps our step count.

Incidentally, we stopped at the new Dog Run on the way to walking to the Giant Oak and I let the dogs loose. Sandy wanders around but she is mostly interested in the smells. Mikey? Well he stays within five feet of me and only occasionally wanders away any further and even then, quickly hurries back. I don’t know who is protecting who in his little doggy mind. I have watched other dogs using the enclosure and they chase each other around and make the most of being off the leash. Not Mikey though.

I brought in the Humming Bird feeders and put them away ready for next year as the Hummers have all gone on their long trip. Amazing that such tiny birds can fly all of those hundreds of miles as they do year after year.

Back in the RV, I made coffee and heated a breakfast meal that Sandy helped me to eat. Funny, I don’t seem to want very much like a used to. Often, I end up giving my left overs to the dogs as I have eaten my fill.

I turned my attention to the blog and spent the next hour working on it and then sat around for a bit wondering what else to get up to. We have nothing planned and do not need to go grocery shopping.

We spent the rest of the day walking the dogs and sitting on the deck watching the world go by.

The sun was shining brightly when I rolled out of bed. The forecast is for it to reach 92 degrees again with no sign of rain anywhere in the forecast. We desperately need the rain as things are starting to look dry and sunburnt. For some reason, Nature has decided to prolong the summer hot weather into the Fall and currently, we are at least eight degrees hotter than it should be for the time of the year.

That did not stop us from going out walking and we wandered around the park before heading to the Dog Park where I was able to turn them loose. Sandy did a good job of trucking around on her own with me and Mikey trailing behind to pick up the poop. Mikey is hopeless at walking on his own as he will not leave my side.

We returned to the RV for the mornings breakfast and I did not even bother to feed the dogs as I knew they would not eat. They have hard food available all the time so it’s not like they are going hungry on my account.

I fixed myself breakfast of a couple of waffles which was a disaster and not very good at all but I forced it down. The coffee was OK though. Then I turned my attention to the blog and worked on it bringing it up to date and then looked around for something else to do.

It was another of those quiet and not very busy days when I do more sitting around than anything else especially in the afternoons. The hot weather doesn’t help as both the dogs and I are very reluctant to spend a lot of time outdoors. For them, it is a toss up between a very hot pavement to walk on or to walk in the grass and fight the stickers which are abundant. For the latter, I am very heavily involved as I have to pull out most of them and then they stick in my fingers. Darn things. Maybe, I should start carrying a set of tweezers.

The afternoon passed as it usually does and then it was time for the final walk of the day. We wandered around and covered 2 miles which is enough to satisfy the dogs.

Back in the RV, I brought in the bird feeders and put them away before shutting up shop for the evening. Tomorrow is another day and who knows what it may bring.

I lolly gagged around and eventually crawled out of bed. The clock said it was 9:30 am but we have no plans and besides, it’s Sunday, a day of rest…So we did. Like I said, we have no plans anyway so it’s not like I have to get up early or anything.

After the usual morning ablutions, I harnessed up the dogs and we went out walking the park or at least, that was the idea. We were passing the girls RV and Peggy happened to be outside talking to her sister in law. They invited me to sit with them and made a fuss of the dogs and so we sat for a while.

I had previously put drops in my eyes as I usually do in the mornings but for some reason, they were giving my eyes a very hard time and I had to sit there with my eyes closed, they hurt so much. I put up with it for a while and then said my goodbyes as I stumbled back home much to the dogs disappointment.

Back in The Caboose, I headed for the bathroom and found some different eye drops and put them in and noticed an immediate improvement. I sat there for a while with my eyes closed as the discomfort slowly subsided until it was almost gone. Still, traces of it remained for a couple of hours.

With the eyes somewhat under control, I fixed breakfast for all of us and as usual, the dogs ignored what I put in front of them. It’s OK for Mikey to miss his but Sandy gets her medicine for her bad heart mixed into her food. So when she turns her nose up at the food, she is also missing out on the medication. She takes a heart murmur pill which is huge and I crush them up and sprinkle them on the food. At least, that is the plan but she is not going along with her side of the arrangement. Because of this, I have stopped with medication for a bit until I can get her into an eating routine.

I settled back down in front of the computer and played the usual catch-up with the blog bringing it up to date. By then, it was almost 1:00 pm and I looked around for something else to do and not finding very much.

Basically, it was a very slow day with very little to do. Dog walking and a lot of sitting around seems to be our basic pastime with the occasional trip into Dripping Springs and sometimes even Austin if I want to go to Walmart’s. Even the evenings have changed now that the girls are back working as they have to get up so early to be at work by some ungodly hour that doesn’t exist in my world.

With Daniel and Malinda no longer here, that also changes things a lot as we used to all sit around and have a couple bottles of beer together. Alas, there is nothing much to get up to through the week or come to that even on weekends as people have their own families to spend time with. Luckily, I like my own company and do not need a lot of entertaining,

The rest of my day was spent walking the dogs, bringing in the bird feeders and then the evening meal followed by watching a Premier League Game. I was in bed by 10:30 pm.

I got up late around 9:30 am. For some reason, I just slept late. Still, no biggie as we have nothing planned for the day.

We immediately harnessed up, although I noticed that the dogs were not in any hurry either. Usually, they are waiting impatiently by the door or dashing between me in the bathroom and the door. Today, they were still both laying on the bed apparently not ready to get up. When they realized it was walkies time, they both immediately hopped off the bed and were jumping around with each other as they impatiently waited for me to put my shoes on.

We wandered around but not going very far or making much distance. They had a whole bunch of new overnight smells to check out which took most of their attention. We headed for the new dog run where I was able to unhook their harness so they could run around freely. Well, Sandy did a lot of exploring and I had to follow along to pick up if she pooped. Mikey would hardly leave my side even though I encouraged him to do so. Not much fear of him running away even if he had the opportunity. But then again, I love him too just as much as he loves me.

Back in the RV, I made sure the dogs had hard food and then fixed breakfast for myself which was OK. As usual, the coffee was good. I sat in front of the computer and worked on the blog bringing it up to date. We have no plans for today so it will be a question of what can I find to get up to. I happened to glance up at the clock and it said it was already 2:30 pm. Now where on earth has the time gone?

With the blog all caught up. I sat on the couch and made a fuss of the dogs. I tried dropping off to sleep but that didn’t happen. We sat there for a while and then went out for another walk just around the park, enough to get the blood flowing again.

I sat outside on the deck for a while just watching my small little world pass by. There were people walking dogs, driving cars or out with a friend just walking around. It was very hot out but there was a slight breeze that helped a lot and I had the awning out which cooled things a little as it created a breezeway.

Eventually, after sitting outside for an hour or more, I brought in the bird feeders for the evening and shut up the outside shop. Then it was time to watch the English Premier League on the television,

I was in bed by 10:30 as another day ended.

Last day of the week again. Funny how they keep on coming around but it is a good job that they do.

We went out for the morning walk and wandered around and managed to cover 1.2 miles, the exact same as yesterday only that was for all day. I said in the blog that the dogs were not into walking. Today was different and they were raring to go. We walked the outside road down to the Ancient Oak Tree which has been standing there for well over 100 years and probably a lot longer.

Back in the RV, I fixed my breakfast and made sure that the dogs had hard food. I am trying something new as they have not been eating the morning meal which brings me to another problem of how to feed Sandy her pills which are too big for her to swallow hence the need to crush them up onto her food. So, no food, no pill. Another quandary.

I looked around for something for myself for breakfast and ended up with a bowl full of Muesli and milk. It wasn’t very appetizing but it did the trick. I brought the blog up to date and sat there considering what I should do next.

I am having problems with my expensive hearing aids as first one then the other stopped working. I have had to resort to my back up pair that are much cheaper and battery driven but they help me to hear which is the important thing. Maybe, a trip into my Audiologists office is on the horizon.

The more I thought about it the more it seemed that was a good idea to make that trip. So, I said goodbye to the dogs and jumped in the Jeep to make the drive into Austin. Luckily, my Audiologist is on the closest side to Dripping Springs which saves having to fight Austin traffic too much.

My Audiologist is a sweet young thing that seems to know her stuff. We discussed the expensive hearing aids and the problems I was having with them. Apparently, they have many more capabilities than the cheap ones and can be adjusted, reset and a whole bunch of other things. She thoroughly cleaned the box that charges them overnight and then hooked them up to her computer and made a bunch of adjustments. I kinda sat there in awe as I have been so used to the cheaper ones that are not adjustable or anything else for that matter except to change out the battery.

I put them back in and could tell that they were clearer than before and that both of them were working. I thanked Lisa for her work and made my way back to the car. I did have a chance to say a very quick, “Hello” to Dr Bittar who has been my Ear, Nose Doctor ever since I first moved to Austin way back in 1983. That is more than 40 years with the same Doctor. We met because I broke my nose playing soccer and it went on from there as he noticed the perforated ear drums during the nose treatment.. I haven’t asked him but I wonder how much longer he will practice as he has to be at least in his 60’s or maybe even older.

I drove back to the RV without going into the Walmart’s as I usually do as I really didn’t need anything important that I hadn’t bought yesterday in the HEB in Dripping Springs.

I was met by two very excited little dogs who helped to unload and put away the groceries. Then it was time to harness up to go walking around the park as we usually do saying hello to whoever we happened to meet along the way.

The rest of the day was spent in the usual fashion of the evening meal for all three of us and then watch an English Premier League game.

I really slept very well and felt very refreshed when I awoke in the morning. I lay there for a while thinking about the upcoming day wondering what it might bring different than it normally does. We have nothing special planned and it is really only a question of what to do to amuse myself.

Walking the dogs was the very first thing on the agenda after the usual morning ablutions and a change of clothes. My clothing is very simple and consists of a tee shirt, underpants, shorts, socks and boots which I wear year round. Not the same clothes of course. Very occasionally, if the winter is very cold and I have to be outside, I put on a pair of jeans and sweater and maybe even a heavy jacket. Lucky for me, this is Texas and any bad weather including snow, does not last very long. We are better known for our long and hard, hot summers where 100 plus degree’s is not a bit unusual for several days at a time.

We wandered around while it was a bit cooler but only covered a half mile before returning to The Caboose for breakfast and coffee. The dogs were not into walking only sniffing and we don’t cover much distance doing that.

I stopped to talk to my neighbor, Gina who was in the process of straightening up her RV by unloading things from her Jeep to put into it. Incidentally, she has one of the tiny Airstream RV’s that is probably not much longer than 15 feet but there is only her.

I sat down to start writing after breakfast which for once was very tasty, This time, I heated up a breakfast bowl and along with the coffee, really hit the spot.

I am trying something new with the dogs as neither of them eats in the mornings even though I have prepared their food. Instead, I now feed them in the evenings. They always have hard food available in case they do get hungry. Just maybe, they will eat the food later in the day as like I said, neither of them eat it in the morning.

I looked around for other things to get up to and not finding very much. I was in town yesterday so do not need anything from the stores there. I guess, if I look really hard, I can find something to straighten up or whatever. Or, I could just do nothing as we often do.

So, nothing is what we did for a couple of hours until it was time for the last walk of the day. We did not do so good as we only covered 1.2 miles for the day. Still, like I said, sometimes the dogs are into sniffing and not walking and this was one of those days.

Back in the RV, I found something to eat, cold meat and a couple of veggies to go along with it which satisfied me. Then, as usual, it was TV time watching a Premier League game. I made the mistake of switching channels at the end of the game and got engrossed in a horror move and it was midnight by the time I went to bed. I slept well, horror movie or not.

Another day is starting which they always do. I would be extremely worried if dawn never came on any given day. Well, I guess that if the day didn’t start for whatever reason for us Hooman’s, we wouldn’t be around to worry about it anyway.

The dogs were raring to go so we harnessed up and then wandered around as we usually do but only managed to cover a little over a half mile. There were way too many smells to interest the dogs for them to make any distance.

Back in the RV, I fixed us breakfast as per usual and then settled down in front of the computer to work on the blog. I could have been writing yesterday’s blog or even tomorrow’s as nothing much changes in our lives.

I decided to go into Dripping Springs to the HEB store as I had run out of a couple of items. I bid the dogs farewell and jumped into the Jeep for the short trip. As usual, if I go in for a couple of things, I always see so much more that I can never get out of there with less than spending at least $100.00. Of course, money doesn’t go very far nowadays and the dollar does not buy anywhere near as much as it used to.

I drove home to be met by the dogs who always insist on helping to unload the bags. Their help consists of sticking their noses in the bags to check everything out. Funny but even with their help, I have to put the things away as they are not much good at it.

We harnessed up and went out walking as we usually do. The temperature was still very hot in the low 90’s and we tried to walk in the shade wherever possible. The dogs always try to walk on the grass as I guess the blacktop is hot on their little feet. The only problem with the grass is the stickers which they always pick up.

Back in the RV, my previous next door neighbor, Gina, has moved back in after being away for a couple of months. I think she is a Nurse Practitioner and treats people in their homes or out of her RV. She was having trouble parking her RV so being the nice guy that I am, I immediately went out to give her a hand if only to act as a spotter.

Between us, we managed to get her small RV into her spot. It must be said that Gina is new to RV’ing and has not had much experience in backing up but it will come. Knowing this was the only reason I went to help her as people are funny when it comes to some things as though by offering help, you are implying that the individual doesn’t know what they are doing. There are times when everybody needs help and they should not be to proud or too afraid to ask or accept if it is offered.

With Gina parked, I left her to her own set up as there is not much I can do to help in that department. Back in my RV, I sat outside with the dogs and a tiny bottle of wine and a bag of chips and watched the world go by.

Eventually, it was time to bring in the feeders and then adjourn back indoors for the evenings entertainment.

I slept very soundly and got up around the usual time which nowadays is about 8:30 or so. Prior to actually crawling out of bed, I lay there thinking about what we had to do today different than the usual stuff and came to the conclusion that there was nothing of major importance on the calendar. Yippee, another day of doing nothing…Just as well as the sun is still very warm and the temperatures are in the mid 90’s.

In some respects, I am very glad that other than what I find to do around the RV, I am no longer a working man. On the other hand, if there was a way to trade off, I would gladly wind the clock back 40-50 years. Oh to be young again and be able to kick a ball and chase the girls. Nowadays, if I did chase and catch in my case, an older woman, I would not know why I caught her as sex is just a dirty word, something I read about somewhere and I have forgotten how anyway. I guess I could just love her but where’s the fun in that!

I brought the blog up to date and looked around for other things to do and not finding much, decided to take it out on the dogs by making them walk with me. I did not hear a single complaint when I said “walkies” and off we went.

The rest of the day was spent in walking dogs, eating meals, drinking wine and watching soccer on the TV.

Another week starting. I wonder if this one will be any different than the previous ones? I hope not as I like things the way they are and don’t need any surprises.

We got up around the same time and after the usual three S’s, harnessed up for the all important first walk of the day. First though, we brought out and hung the bird feeders experimenting with a different arrangement. Not that it makes much difference as there are not the numbers of birds around like a couple of weeks ago. I hope they all made it safely to their winter roosts.

We wandered around going no place in particular and managed only to cover a half mile. Not a very good start to the walking/exercise day. Still, from my perspective, better than nothing.

Then it was back inside The Caboose for breakfast. I had a bowl of cereal which did not hit the spot and I ended up throwing it away. I ate most of it before tossing what was left. I offered it to the dogs but they both turned their noses up at it. Can’t say I blame them as it just did not taste that good.

I turned my attention to the blog and brought it up to date before looking around for other things to do as I have nothing planned for today. Maybe, I should drive into town and find something more appetizing to eat! The more I thought about it, the more I liked the idea.

I said goodbye to the dogs as they watched with doleful eyes as I walked out of the door. I felt so guilty that they could not go but it is still way too hot to leave them in the car while I am shopping.

The drive into Dripping was straightforward and I pulled up in front of the HEB. I grabbed a cart that happened to be handy and started on my circuit of the store. I had a list of four different items which was really just a reminder as by the time I had finished shopping, there were well over twenty items in the cart and as usual, the bill was well over $100.00. Pretty much par for the course. Some things, like wine or beer for instance, I just don’t need reminding.

The drive home was straightforward and I was greeted by my little friends who were all excited and jumping up and down as they knew they would go walkies as soon as we had put the groceries away. They tried to help to speed up the process but got more in the way than anything.

We harnessed up and went out to walk the park and the outside road that leads to the big oak tree and managed to cover 2.2 miles for the day. Just love those big stores as they push up the step count.

Back in The Caboose, I sat around for a bit before feeding the dogs and then myself. Then it was time to watch the TV and the English Premier League.

Living in an RV Henly RV Park Tuesday 10/08/2024

I slept very soundly and got up around the usual time which nowadays is about 8:30 or so. Prior to actually crawling out of bed, I lay there thinking about what we had to do today different than the usual stuff and came to the conclusion that there was nothing of major importance on the calendar. Yippee, another day of doing nothing…Just as well as the sun is still very hot and the temperatures are in the mid 90’s.

In some respects, I am very glad that other than what I find to do around the RV, I am no longer a working man. On the other hand, if there was a way to trade off, I would gladly wind the clock back 40-50 years. Oh to be young again and be able to kick a ball and chase the girls. Nowadays, if I did chase and catch in my case, an older woman, I would not know why I caught her as sex is just a dirty word, something I read about somewhere and I have forgotten how anyway because nothing works like it used to.

I brought the blog up to date and looked around for other things to do. On quiet days like today, I take it out on the dogs and make them go walking with me. I don’t think they mind too much as they are always excited to go. We wandered around the park chatting to whoever we happened to run into which are usually the same people out walking their dogs or getting exercise by themselves.

Then it was back inside the RV out of the hot sun and into the A/C to write some more or maybe even just sit around and contemplate life.

Yea, the weekend is here and we get a couple of days off. That used to be the cry years ago but as I have been retired for over 20 years, the weekend is just another couple of day’s. What it does do is offer more exciting things to get up to as that is when those that must work, spend their leisure time. I often get invited to someone’s barbecue or to sit outside with other friends and tell stories while drinking beer. The more beer, the better the stories.

We took that first walk and wandered around as we usually do. Depending on Miss Sandy’s mood dictates what sort of a walk we have. If she is eager and active, we can cover some distance. If, she has one of her pokey moods on then the only thing active is her nose. On those days, we go really slow and are lucky to make one loop of the Commons Building. Mikey, is really adaptable and paces himself based on her. Me, I just hang onto the leash and try not to fall asleep as we walk as our progress can be non existent on those days.

Back in the RV, I tied the dogs up to the table and then brought out the bird feeders. I did not need to fill any of them as there are not the same number of birds around anymore. Then it was back indoors for breakfast and coffee and to work on the blog.

We sat around doing a whole lot of nothing until Marty stopped by and invited me over to their RV to drink beer and chat. I put the dogs indoors and wandered over where the family plus BJ, Peggy and Donna were all sitting around outside. I was directed to a chair and a cold beer was handed to me by Celia, the second daughter, who had taken upon herself the role of bartender.

We sat around for probably a couple of hours as the stories were coming thick and fast. I restricted myself to just two cans of beer although there was more to be had if I wanted. The baby was the center of the attention until she dropped off to sleep. She must have been tired as even with all of the chatter and loud laughter, she stayed asleep.

Eventually, I walked back to the RV and went about the usual business of first, taking the dogs for a short walk and then feeding them when we got back. Then, I brought in the feeders for yet another day before feeding myself and then settled down to watch a couple of Premier League games before finally calling it a day.

Living in an RV Henly RV Park Sunday 10/06/2024

I awoke early and decided to get up just to see what early morning feels like. I took a shower as the bandages are off my arm and it is healing nicely. The shower did not harm the wound at all in fact, it felt good. One more injury that I have survived. I never thought about it before but it is good that the human body is so resilient with the knocks and bruises that it suffers. It just bounces right back after a short healing period ready to face the next thing we throw at it. The sad thing is we take our bodies for granted never doubting for one minute that it will not heal. I am talking the normal type of knocks and bangs that it deals with on a regular day, not major injuries.

We went out walking and took the road leading to the giant oak tree and managed to cover 1.1 miles on that first walk. We saw several deer in the fields on the other side of the fence and I took a few pictures. When we got back, I brought out the bird feeders and then refilled the two feeders thar hang in the tree. That emptied the seed supply so now I need to stop at Tractor Supply to buy more.

I fixed breakfast but Sandy wouldn’t eat hers and I have given up on Mikey’s Breakfast as he doesn’t eat it until the evening. I had corn flakes and although not the most appetizing food in the world, it was better than nothing. I am at a bit of a loss trying to find appetizing food for myself. I guess, the old tastebuds are not functioning as well as they used to. Darn old age but I will take it considering the alternative.

Then it was time to work on the blog and to my dismay, I noticed that I was three days behind until I checked the last unposted blog and saw that I was doubling up on the posting to bring us a little closer to the current date. One of the few readers that I have mentioned that she didn’t like it if the blog was too far behind so now I try to stay within 4-5 days of the actual happening.

After quite a bit of fiddling around on my part, I managed to get caught up with the blog but in order to do so, I had to double up on two of the posts. I didn’t realize how far I had dropped behind and that the blog was that far from when it happened. I finally managed to get everything straightened out and am now waiting for the next big (or little) event to happen.

We went out walking as we usually do when I am looking for something to get up to. I take it out on the dogs by making them walk with me. Actually, it is the other way around as they are the ones who take me out and lead me around. I am really only there to direct them and show them the way. Mostly though, to keep them out of trouble.

Dogs are funny things to take walking. If we are on a hill, they will always walk downhill. Obviously, sooner or later, they have to walk back up again and that is my job, to guide them back.

I thought about going into town but I really didn’t need very much so decided it could keep for another day. We did a lot of just sitting around. I tried to snooze but the best I could do was sit there with my eyes closed. Eventually, we got moving again and went out for that final walk of the day.

The day ended in the usual fashion of food all around and then a glass of wine while I watched a couple of Premier League games.

The day started as it usually does with us going out for that first walk. Prior to that, I had taken the bandages off my injured arm and hopped in the shower, the first in almost two weeks. The arm is healing nicely, and I put on new gauze and ointment and then bandaged it up for a few more days. I think I commented in a previous blog just how difficult it is to bandage oneself if it is high up on the arm. I finally managed it after much cursing under my breath and sometimes out loud causing the dogs to give me “the look”. Now, it is good for another couple of days.

With the arm taken care of along with the breakfast, I sat down and started to work on the blog. This was after completing a few things around the RV which included working on a different arrangement with the bird feeders. One of my neighbors stopped by and we chatted about the feeders. She says that she makes her own version of a seed stick by coating an empty toilet paper holder with glue and rolling it in the bird seed. She brought me one over to try.

I managed to remember enough about yesterday to complete and post the blog before starting on today. It’s not so much that I cannot remember but more of the fact that nothing much happened worth remembering and talking about. I guess I lead a pretty dull existence, and I like it that way. One of the things about growing old is that I no longer need to be entertained and am quite happy to sit and contemplate life in general and if I happen to nod off, who cares…Isn’t that what old men do?

Later on, we went out walking again, The Park is pretty empty which I imagine, is a seasonal thing with the kids back to school and such and there are a lot of empty spaces. Most of the travelers that do stop, generally only stay one night as they are passing through on to their final destination wherever that may be. Many are “snowbirds” on their way to Florida to winter out. We do get a bit of a winter here in Texas. Nothing like the real winter states but it gets cold and sometimes we get subzero temperatures and real snow. The one consolation we have is that our winters do not last very long generally no more than a couple of days.

The rest of the day consisted of a couple more walks and we managed to cover almost two miles for the day. My new little girl friend stopped over and helped me bring in the bird feeders. She is a pretty intelligent girl and can hold a conversation with me. Sometimes, she brings her younger sister over with her.

I was bringing in the awning and I noticed that a couple of tree branches were getting entangled so I stopped over to see if Josh along with Amber could help and cut them back. They immediately jumped into action even though officially, they were through for the day and brought over a ladder and cutters and trimmed back the offending branches. I thanked them profusely and they left, and I completed the task of bringing in the awning.

That was the last outside action for the day, and we adjourned inside for the usual meal and entertainment.

Living in an RV Henly RV Park Friday 10/04/2024

Last working day of the week although it makes no difference to us as the only hard work I do is get up in the morning. After putting on some clothes, we went out walking the park and managed to walk 1.2 miles for that first walk. This time, we walked the outside road leading to the giant and very old Oak Tree. I wonder what stories that old tree could tell?

When we got back, I brought out the bird feeders which is always a part of the morning ritual although we are not getting the large numbers of birds that we got in the Spring and Summer. I know that some of them fly off to warmer climes for the winter and have already left.

Then it was breakfast for me. I am trying something new with the dogs as I noticed that neither of them ate their morning meal until late in the afternoon so now, that is when I put the food down for them. They always have hard food available.

I sat and worked on the blog which did not take too long as I am only half a day behind. This does make it much easier for me with my failing memory. So far, today is par for the course with nothing different or exciting happening.

I decided to go into town to the HEB store and buy groceries. So saying goodbye to the dogs, I pointed the Jeep in the right direction and off we went. I wandered around the store with four items on my list. By the time I checked out, that number had grown quite considerably and I spent nearly $100.00. Par for the course for me. I use visual aids to make up for my poor memory. Not a lot of method to my madness, I’m afraid.

Back in The Caboose, the dogs provided their usual help and in return, I harnessed them up and we went out walking around the park which is still pretty empty. Most of the regulars are still here but even among them, someone moves on even if they have been at the park for a while. Such is the life of RV’ers as after all, it is a home on wheels.

The rest of the day was spent in sitting around outside and watching the world go by before adjourning back indoors for the evening meal and soccer.

I slept very well, so well that I was very reluctant to crawl out of bed and it was almost 10:00 am when I did. We have nothing planned so getting up as late as that did not matter very much. After taking a quick sponge bath as my bandaged arm does not allow for a shower yet, I threw on some clothes and we were ready to go out walking.

I brought out the bird feeders experimenting on which feeders go on which hangers not that it makes very much difference as my friendly squirrel is not fussy.

With the dogs harnessed up we wandered around and took the outside road leading down the hill. It was beginning to warm up but then again, it was almost 11:00 am as we started so late. We wandered around and covered a mile on that first walk. At least, I was wide awake when we got back to The Caboose.

Delores stopped by to tell me she was making the trip to see Malinda and Daniel just outside of Houston and planned on staying over for a couple of days. I was supposed to be going with her but for personal reasons had declined at the last minute. She brought me over a couple of salads she had bought for herself which needed to be eaten ASAP. I thanked her and wished her a safe journey.

Being all caught up with the blog, I looked for other things to get up to. Not finding very much, I sat on the couch and made a fuss of the dogs. Big mistake as the next thing I was fast asleep. I guess I dozed for 30 minutes or so before waking up and we went out for another walk. Heck, I was refreshed and had a whole bunch of new energy after the nap.

We wandered around as we usually do. So much depends on Sandy and what sort of mood she is in. Is it a sniffing mood or a walking one? If it is the former, forget walking very far. As it happens, we only covered 1.5 miles for the day.

Back in the RV, I fixed the dogs their supper and found something for me to eat before settling down in front of the TV to watch an EPL (English Premier League) game

Today is October 1st as the time flies quickly by along with what is left of my life.

This morning was a little different as there was a gathering planned in the Commons. The owner, Sarah and the Park hosts Amber and Joshua put out food and coffee and many of the park guests stopped by to say hello. After walking the dogs who always come first if there are any conflicts, I wandered over to join them. I sat chatting to my usual friends and met a couple of new ones before heading back to the RV to get out the feeders which I had forgotten to do.

With that project taken care of, I looked around for other things to get up to but with nothing outside needing my attention, adjourned back indoors to work on the blog. It was much cooler and more comfortable inside anyway.

With the blog complete and posted, I decided that I needed to go into town to the HEB store. Not that I needed very much and my list only had four items on it. Saying goodbye to the dogs, I jumped in the Jeep and drove the short twelve miles into Dripping Springs to the HEB located there. A couple days ago, I visited the Home Depot which is located right next door in the same parking lot.

I wandered around and found this and that and list of four rapidly grew to twenty or more. Oh well. No good hoarding money if there is a use for it.

I thought about a Latte but decided I wasn’t in the mood and drove on by. Good job too as the line stretched for a 100 yards or better. OK, maybe 10 cars long.

The drive home was fast and trouble free so my timing must have been just right. Back at the RV, I was met by my dogs whose noses were going a mile a minute as they checked out the bags on the deck. Then, they helped to put the groceries away and we were all done grocery shopping for a couple of days. Then we went back out on the deck with a mini bottle of wine in hand to sit and ponder.

Delores stopped over and we chatted about the state of my arm. I had already taken the time to change out the dressing and as the wound itself did not look too bad, figured we were doing things right. Incidentally, bandaging with the left hand if you are a right hander and on your own arm is difficult, to say the least.

We adjourned back indoors where it was cooler and I continued work on the blog finally catching up to date and looked around for other things to do. We went out for another walk this time to check the mailbox just in case I might have some mail. Nowadays, with the advent of cell phones, letter writing is becoming a lost art. Such a shame as I used to be pretty good at it. I can’t remember the last time I actually mailed a letter. On the other hand, I can always count on the bills coming in on a regular basis.

I sat on the deck with a mini bottle of wine as I usually do and enjoyed the world as it passed on by. The dogs love it when we sit around outside and are always vying for my attention which is freely given.

Today, because it is a school day, I did not get any tiny people visitors and had to bring in the feeders by myself. Of course, I am well used to that as it is only this past weekend that the kids have been helping. With everything put away, we adjourned back indoors for the evening meal and a soccer game on the Television. What a life…