I had a funny old night and seemed to be awake for a lot of it. I have no idea why I could not sleep. I even thought about getting up early but convinced myself not to and lay there until 8:30 or so. After the cold-water routine on my face, I felt awake enough to face the day and we harnessed up and went out to wander around.
It was quiet outside, and we did not get to see any other campers except from a distance. There was one lady walking a large dog who, when she spotted us, went off in a different direction to avoid a confrontation. If she hadn’t, we would have…
Back in the RV, I put some stuff away and then decided that it was breakfast time. I got to use the new toaster that I bought yesterday and ate a couple of slices of toast done to perfection. Then. I sat down in front of the computer and played blog catchup. I was only a day behind which for me, is difficult to remember but after much concentration and reliving yesterday over and over, I finally was able to recall at least most of it.
With that done, I turned my attention to the day itself and what were we going to do for the rest of it. We did a lot of sitting around and of course, continued with straightening up the inside. All of the boxes have been unpacked and most of the stuff put away although there are still some things laying around. Now that I am at the end of the boxes that Malinda and Delores had packed because of the fumigation, I have a better idea of what I need to buy to replace the things they deemed unfit and were discarded.
I have already replaced a couple of obvious things like the toaster and some bathroom stuff and need to continue on putting the rest of it away.
We went out for another walk and just wandered around not going anywhere in particular. Sandy had on one of her “hang back on the leash” days as she spent forever working on all of the delicious smells she discovered. When she found a particularly good one, Mikey would come over to investigate and we would hang around some more.
The rest of the afternoon was spent working on “stuff” or just lazing around until it was time for the evening walk.
Today, I had the luxury of not having an alarm clock wake me as I had no reason to get up early. As it was, I awoke at 9:00 am and rolled out of bed. I was determined that I would have that shower and I scratched around and found a towel and shampoo and cleared enough stuff out of the way to get in the shower. It felt great.
After getting dried and dressed, I harnessed the dogs, and we went out for the morning walk. It was already hot out and is going to be another scorcher. We ran into Daniel and Jeff and chatted for a while before they moved on to work and we finished our walk.
Back in the RV, I found everything and made coffee and for lack of anything else, heated a Burrito of which, I only ate half. Somehow, it didn’t taste so good. Then I sat down and played blog catchup and brought us up to date.
I decided to go into Austin to the Walmart’s located there. This is the closest Walmart’s to me, and the distance is about 60 miles round trip. I said goodbye to the dogs and jumped in the Jeep and headed into Austin. Luckily for me, this Walmart’s is located right on the very edge of town and is a straight shot from my RV. I knew what I was looking for but even so, I still managed to buy a couple of other things that happened to catch my eye.
I located the carpets which were the main reason for the trip and picked up four for the living area and one for the bathroom. I also bought a small fan to help cool the place down on the really hot days.
I walked out after spending $217.00. This is the second set of carpets I have bought for this RV. The last ones were trashed along with a lot of other stuff because of the Roach infestation. The theory being that they were impossible to clean and cheap enough to buy. I might have thought differently if I had been around, but I was in the hospital because of the roaches and others were making the decisions of what to keep and what to trash. Still, a few hundred dollars is a cheap price to pay for all of the work that was involved that my good friends did for free. Well, OK, not exactly free as I took them all out to dinner. Big deal…
I took the dogs out walking and we just wandered around going nowhere in particular. For some reason, it was very hot out probably because of the high humidity and consequently, we didn’t walk far. Back at the RV, I tried sitting outside but again, the high humidity spoilt things and we ended up indoors in the A/C.
I am slowly getting the things put away but am in no hurry. It doesn’t matter how long it takes as long as it is done right. It is amazing, the amount of “stuff” we accumulate over the years. What makes it worse is that I had to duplicate much of it when I was away.
I slept well and awoke early knowing that I needed to be up and about when the workers come to spray the RV. As it happened, there was just one man, and he arrived a little after 9:00 am and was gone by 10:00 am. He finished the work he had to do, and this is the final treatment at this time. If we see more roaches that are causing a problem, we will require additional treatments but that is in the future. Hopefully, not at all.
We went out walking as we usually do and just wandered around. We ran into Delores and stopped to chat for a while and then moved on but did not see anyone else. Back in the RV, I fed the dogs and then fixed my own breakfast. I do not have anything to make coffee or even milk and that decided me to jump in the car and make that short drove to HEB.
I did some food shopping while I was there. I also returned the coffee maker I had bought yesterday as I had found my own while working on straightening things up.
Back in the RV, I made slow but steady progress on putting things away. I found and killed a couple of roaches mixed in with the stuff that Dorothy and Malinda had not yet packed, Needless to say, they did not live long, nasty, dirty expensive things. I can see where they could survive the several fumigations if they were in a plastic bag which is where I found them. There are probably more that I need to find.
We went out for another walk, and I don’t know if it was my imagination, but the dogs too seemed pleased to be back. Probably because they recognized all of the smells.
I was washing some dishes and discovered that my plastic draining board was missing. I knew that something was out of place and washing dishes was my way of discovering what it was. I jumped back in the Jeep and drove back into town but could not find what I wanted which means a trip to Walmart’s tomorrow. Gotta have a draining board.
The rest of the evening was one of a little more cleaning up and a lot of TV watching until I went to bed at 10:00 pm.
I awoke in a strange bed, at least strange to me with more than a month of being away. At first, I wondered where I was and then it all came flooding back that I was in my own bed in my own RV. I lay there for a bit contemplating on what to do today knowing full well that most of the day would be taken up in unpacking boxes. I can’t put anything away as the Bug Man is coming back tomorrow to do a final spray.
I got up but could not take a shower as all of the necessary things that I would need, soap, shampoo etc. were still all packed in God know which box. I would need to unload and put things in their proper places which I can’t do until after the Bug Exterminators finish their work scheduled for Thursday.
I got up and splashed cold water on my face to wake me up and then walked out into the living area which was a total disaster with packing boxes everywhere. Nearly all of them were still full for the aforementioned reason and I had no idea what was where,
The biggest blow was not being able to make coffee as I didn’t know where the coffee pods or even the darn coffee maker was and had to settle for a glass of water. Same thing with the tea bags.
I ate an apple and then settled down to write the blog all the time thinking that maybe I should go into HEB to get those missing supplies. If and when I do find the missing stuff, that will only mean I have added to the number.
Following my thoughts, I drove into the HEB in Dripping Springs and found all of the things on my list plus a couple more that were not. Funny how it always happens that way.
I got a text from Peggy inviting me to go to the pool and drink beer with them. I drove down and Peggy, BJ and Donna were in the water. We sat there chatting and having a good laugh about life. I told them a few stories of my travels.
Back at the RV, I took the dogs walking and they spotted “the girls” outside of their RV. I let go of the leashes and off they went. It is really funny watching them go with Mikey in the front and Sandy not far behind both running at top speed.
We sat there drinking for the rest of the evening with me telling them stories of my travels. Eventually, I walked back to my RV with the dogs, and we shut up shop for the night.
I awoke in anticipation of this being my last day here and lay there thinking about what I needed to do to make this happen. I got up and took the dogs out for their morning walk in the courtyard. We wandered around with Miss Sandy leading the way as she always does. My job is to make sure she does not lead us into trouble and that she does not try to eat everything in sight as she comes across it. We wandered around for a bit and then I took them back inside and made my way to the Breakroom for breakfast.
There were a few missing faces and when that happens, I always wonder if they are just late, away somewhere else or if something more serious is wrong with them. After all, these are old folks in the last stage of their lives. One lady was talking to herself very loudly and kept it up the entire 30 minutes I was there. Another patient shouted at her, but she did not even hear him as she kept on with the one-sided conversation.
Yet another patient got up to leave even before she had started her breakfast but was so confused, she only made a couple of steps. I signaled to one of the orderlies and she came over and persuaded the patient to sit back down. Such is the confusion brought on by old age. Today, I had the table to myself which is the way I like it. The ninety-six-year-old gentleman that I sometimes sit with has told me his life story and his age at every meal…
Following breakfast, I started working on packing the small amount of “stuff” that I have with me. Most of my belongings are in the RV or were when I left. I think some may have been thrown away because of the Roach Infestation but I will find out pretty soon. I know Suzanne took my printer to trash it and I have already bought a new one which, incidentally, is still in the box. The last time I was in Walmart’s, I bought two large plastic hampers in anticipation of this move, and I have already loaded them out and ready to put them in the car tomorrow morning.
I went to lunch and was able to sit on my own which is the way I like it. It’s not that I am averse to sitting next to or opposite somebody but in so many cases, conversation is very limited by how far gone the other person is or how hard of hearing they are. While at lunch, I informed a couple of people of my plans to leave tomorrow morning directly after breakfast. In the end, I chatted to one of the Directors and she wished me luck for the future.
My stay here been okay, and I am lucky that it was only temporary. I can’t imagine having to spend the rest of my life in a place like this. Maybe, as time progresses, and if I do develop Alsheimer’s, then I will be glad to stay here. Who knows and at least for the foreseeable future, I am OK on that front. There is no place like home…
I looked at the packing I had done so far and what was left to do which was not very much at all. I could start loading out this afternoon but then things would get hot in the car so I will wait for tomorrow. Heck, I am only moving 25 miles or so, about a forty-five-minute trip. As I have no fixed time to be at Henly, I will play it by ear as to when we start the drive. The 25 miles should not take long anyway.
Another day that I have to spend here but at least, time is progressing as we move towards the “Get the Hell Out of Dodge” day. It is subject to change (hopefully not) but is set for Tuesday, July 23.
I was awakened by Sandy who was doing her best to let me know that she had to “go”. As I dressed, she was hopping on one foot to the other as she desperately tried to hold it until we got outside. Realizing the seriousness of the situation, I quickly finished dressing and attached their leash’s and out the door we went. She was in so much of a hurry that she barely gave me time to open the door and when I did, rushed outside. You could almost see the big sigh of relief as she squatted down and did her business.
We wandered around as we usually do but it was a bit of an anticlimax after the initial rush for the door. Then, I put them inside and walked over to the Dining Hall for that first coffee of the day and something to eat. I think I have written about the food before, but it is very repetitious. Still, a man has to eat repetitious or not. The coffee is always good…
Back in my room, I worked on the blog and wondered what else I might get up to. Maybe go for a drive? I have nothing planned for today or tomorrow except to start packing the car. In the end, I did nothing except sit there with my eyes closed perfectly relaxed as I waited for it to be lunch time.
I had a knock on the door and when I answered, it was one of the Staff reminding me that lunch was in ten minutes or so. I thanked the nice young lady and told her I would be there. I made my way to the Break Room and found a place to sit and ate the food that was put in front of me. The chocolate biscuits for desert were good. The rest, not so much. I reminded myself two more days, just two more days and then I can resort back to my old habits of eating when I am hungry and not because the clock says so. I am even looking forward to providing my own meals as at least, they will be things that I like to eat and/or drink.
Following the meal, I harnessed the dogs, and we went out in the yard so they could wander around, although, still on the leash. Sandy has discovered that by one of the doors that leads to the Breakroom, someone had gotten in the habit of throwing out half-finished hamburgers and such and so she drags us over to that spot and checks it out. She will not eat the bun part but if she discovers a piece of hamburger meat, she is in seventh heaven. We go through this ritual every time we go out in the yard.
Eventually, I managed to guide her in a different direction, and we wandered around with the dogs doing their business and me following behind, poop bag at the ready. Luckily for me, there is a trash container with a lid in the same corner where the food is tossed out, so I do not have to carry the poop bags very far.
Back in my room, I worked on the blog and brought us up to date and wondered what else I should get up to. Most of the packing is semi done and only requires a few pieces gathered up and put in the bags. That will be one of the last things I do when we walk out of here. That and emptying the refrigerator. This time, I will borrow the Managements cart to move the stuff to the car instead of carrying one box at a time as I did the last move.
I wrote a blog yesterday, the first in a month which got the writing bug started again. Actually, that is not quite a true statement as I was writing for the best part of June but was not posting any of them to share with the world. For a bit, I will simplify the posting and not add one of my pictures as I normally do.
As I wrote yesterday, things are at a standstill as far as moving back to my RV as we await what is hopefully. a final spray treatment next week. Actually, it is not a spray but the strategic placing of bug killer in tiny containers. In the meantime, I am wishing my life away as I await the word to move back. I desperately want the time to go faster but only for these next few days. After that, it needs to slow down to barely a crawl to extend whatever time I have left in this world. Some people are just never satisfied and that includes me…
I got up just before 7:00 am which gave me time to walk the dogs before Breakfast. The walks are conducted in the grassy courtyard areas surrounded by the buildings a part of which is the Dining Room. A couple of the tenants who are waiting for breakfast, sometimes come out to say hello to the dogs as we walk by.
Then, I put the dogs back in my rooms and joined those awaiting breakfast, lunch or dinner, whatever meal is being served. I suppose the food is not bad as I have never experienced cooking for the masses before and in truth, it is palatable. There is an awful lot of repetition such as scrambled eggs served for all three meals and always a scone or slice of toast. The toast I can eat but I always leave the scone. Just not palatable enough for me. Maybe, if it had butter on it…
Incidentally, I try to sit alone but occasionally, one of the other men will sit at my table and we try to hold a conversation. My problem is that the gentleman who likes to sit with me the most is ninety-four years old, and deaf as a post and no hearing aids although he has most of his faculties. At the very least, conversation is not only difficult but very repetitious as I can guarantee hearing how old he is down to the day twice or more as we sit there. On the other hand, the same conversation is very sparse as we concentrate on eating which is the way I like it.
Following breakfast, I harnessed up the dogs and we went out into the courtyard to walk about and do our business. The dogs that is, not me as I would get locked up if I acted like a dog or at the very least, asked to leave. Then back indoors to sit around as I looked for things to do other than write the blog.
I got a call from Delores, my very good friend from the RV Park with some good news. Apparently, there is supposed to be one more round of spraying as Malinda and Suzanne understood it, but Delores dug a little deeper and the spraying this time consists of placing small “bombs” of bug killer in various places inside the RV just in case there are any bugs left alive. I used those myself and they are not a risk to live with. So, it looks like I may be able to move back in on Tuesday. Yay…although I will not get too excited until I am back in The Caboose.
With the good news ringing in my ears, I looked around for something else to get up to. My gaze fell upon my “stuff” littered around the rooms and I promptly started to gather the stuff up and put it in neat bundles where I can easily get at it when I start packing on Monday which is not going to take too long. All of my clothes are already packed except for what I have on and a small bag of laundry which will keep until we get back to Henly even if I do have to pay to use those machines. Here, it is free.
We went out for another walk which gave the dogs a chance to relieve themselves and then it was back indoors for the evening meal. Incidentally, the outside temperature was 95 degrees and probably hotter inside the courtyard as there was not much breeze and the whole area is enclosed by the buildings.
By then, it was time for that evening meal if you can call 4:00 pm evening. Still, we all congregated in the Break Room as we usually do. Most people have their own seats not assigned or anything like that but by choice and they sit in the same place every time. Then there are a couple of both Men and Women who can’t seem to make up their mind where they want to sit and consequently, end up stealing another person’s regular spot. So far, it has not yet come to blows or even an argument probably because these people are so old, they would fall over if they took a swing. The offended party usually finds somewhere else to sit mumbling under their breath. A couple of days later, it changes again as the people with the wanderlust steal someone else’s seat. Incidentally, I don’t think these people do this on purpose. They are probably confused as they are most of the time.
Back in my room, I worked on the blog grateful to use my creative juices once more although there was not a great deal to write about. I caught up with the blog except for the last little bit that always gets written the next day, just in case something exciting happens between the evening meal and the morning.
The few of you that have followed the blog in the past may be wondering what has happened to it as I have not posted for almost a month. The fact of the matter is that there has been a combination of events that have happened resulting in me not writing or posting.
For starters, I got sick around June 24th which forced me to move out of the RV for a short stay at a Nursing Home. From there, I moved to a private house that took in boarders and stayed there for a couple of weeks before moving yet again to another much larger Nursing Home named Sodalis here in Austin, where I am currently staying.
The basic problem and the reason for the moves was that the RV got infested with Roaches and needed to be fumigated and then cleaned before it was livable again and when I got sick, with the RV empty, my friends went into action. So far, it has been fumigated twice and had one good cleaning but apparently, the roaches are still there albeit in only ones and twos. It is scheduled for a final fumigation (hopefully) this coming Tuesday. If, after this treatment the Roaches are deemed to be gone, then and only then, can I move back in.
This is my first and hopefully, last time dealing with Roaches. I had no idea they could multiply so fast and apparently, a single Roach is enough to start the process and I do not know where the original Roach came from. I have to thank my good friends at the RV Park for taking care of all of this while I am away which was not my original intent. Funny how life has a way of mixing things up.
Today, I received the confirmation that the final RV fumigation has been scheduled for next Tuesday which will be the moment of truth as far as I am concerned. I hate living in a Nursing Home with all of these old fogeys. It makes me feel older than I am.
I sat at a table for breakfast with a 94-year-old guy the other day and got to hear his history. I also sat with him for lunch and for dinner and heard his story all over again on every occasion. Incidentally, the ratio of men to women here is around thirty-five women and maybe seven men when they are all here. If this is a normal ratio, I guess the men naturally die off first. As far as I can tell, I am the only temporary inmate. All the rest are here until they pass on.
I am lucky that I have both of my dogs here with me. They give me a reason to move around instead of just sitting around. We go walking at least three times a day and sometimes more, so they do keep me active. I also have my new to me, Jeep and I go shopping occasionally when I run out of beer or other essential items.
My rooms are more like a small apartment. It is comprised of a huge living room with a sixty-inch TV, two bedrooms and a large bathroom. Don’t know why I have two bedrooms. Probably because it was the only open apartment when I first moved in. I do not have a kitchen but then again, all of my meals are supplied. I do have a small refrigerator enough to hold snacks and beer and a freezer unit for ice cream plus a small microwave if I do get hungry. With things so much “up in the air”, it is hard to know what tomorrow will bring. Depending on the happenings here and with the RV will dictate the next posting.
Even with the shortened night, I awoke wide awake and ready to go. We harnessed up and hit the roads around the park. Then we went outside to Henly Loop and walked towards Hwy 290. We did not go all the way as the sun was already hot and there was not much shade at the top end. We managed to cover 9/10’s of a mile on that first walk.
I fixed breakfast of oatmeal which was a disaster and ended up in the trash bin and made do with a couple of chocolate cookies. I hope the rest of the day improves food wise.
James called me to say he was on the way and today, he is going to change out the board so maybe we will have hot water. We also have another couple of problems that I will have him look at. Always something with an RV.
I moved my car so that James could park his big van closer to the RV and waited for him to arrive, which he eventually did and immediately went to work.
This was by far and away the biggest project he had had to do for me as he was exchanging the complete hot water heater for a whole new unit. He has, in recent months. paid several visits to make repairs but no sooner would he leave, and the damn thing would go out again. James was as frustrated as I was with the whole thing and besides, I was tired of taking cold showers.
There was nothing I could do to be of any help as he spent a great deal of his time lying on the floor with his head and shoulders poked into one of the cabinets as he worked on disconnecting the original unit.
It was like he had two parts to the project as half of the time he was laying on the floor indoors and the other half working through the compartment door outside for which he was able to stand up. One thing I did notice was that the new unit was more compact than the one he removed, which may have helped with the re-installation.
In all this time, as there was nothing I could do to help, I sat on the couch with the dogs away from the action and watched him work.
A couple of nonstop hours later he announced that it was finished, and the water was already heating up. These units run on both propane and electricity. I prefer electric as it is simpler to pay the electric bill than having to make sure there is propane in the tank and all that is involved in changing out empty propane tanks.
I paid his bill and added a bit extra for work well done and he wrapped up his things and went off to work on someone else’s RV.
I didn’t realize it until I saw that both the new and the old unit had 20-gallon tanks attached.
We went out for the last walk of the day and found ourselves over at Cheryl’s RV and at her invitation, sat down and drank a beer with them. Bethany and her daughter were both there and a little later, we were joined by Cheryl’s boyfriend. We sat there chatting before moving on.
Daniel and Malinda were not outside so we did not stop at their RV but continued with our walk eventually ending back up at The Caboose. Altogether, we covered 1.8 miles for the day.
The rest of the evening was spent in the usual way with food and then watching a movie. At least, we went to bed a little earlier than the previous night.
I slept like the proverbial log even after going to bed at a respectable hour and only woke up once for the call of Nature. It was almost 9:30 when we crawled out of bed, so I guess my body needed sleep. It didn’t matter as we have no plans for today.
I jumped into the shower and wallowed in the luxury of having hot water and probably spent more time there than necessary. I dried off and put on some clothes and felt ready to face the day by taking the dogs for a walk.
Prior to and while I was in the shower Sandy had been doing lots of little dances and I surmised that she had to go. She managed to hold it long enough for us to harness up and get off the porch and then she squatted for at least 5 minutes. Well, maybe only 30 seconds but you could almost see her heave a sigh of relief.
We continued with our walk and headed on Henly Loop towards Hwy 290 but only made it 2/3 of the way as we ran out of shade cover. The sun was already very hot, and it was going to be another scorcher of a day.
Back in the RV, I fed the dogs as they always come first and looked around for something to eat for myself. Nothing I looked at was very appealing and I ended up with two slices of toast, one with peanut butter and the other with marmalade. The tea tasted good but this time I cut back on the sugar to one pack instead of two.
I did some housework and then settled down to write the blog and thought about the day ahead. I have no plans except to stay cool. The guy that washes RV’s is supposed to give The Caboose a bath today.
He pulled up with his trailer full of water tanks and such and parked close to the RV. I stayed indoors as he went to work, and I could see water on the windows and hear the high-powered washing as he went about his business.
Altogether it took 3 hours, but I had a nice clean RV. Now if I could just get someone to take care of the inside…
It was late by the time he pulled out and then we went out walking the park. We met a couple of others doing the same thing with their dogs and depending on the dog, made friends or not.
Back in the RV, we settled down for the usual evening’s meal and entertainment.
I had a good night’s sleep and awoke around about 7:30 am. We lay there for a while before crawling out. I thought how nice a shower would be but decided I was not brave enough for the cold-water torture and put on my clothes after having a shave and splashing cold water on my face. Then, I was ready to face the day here in the park.
I had previously noted that I was out of paper towels and jumped in the Jeep for the short trip to Tractor Supply which is the closest store to me. I bought a couple of other things as well to make the trip worthwhile. It’s amazing how difficult life becomes when we run out of stuff.
Back in The Caboose, we had already been out for one walk before I went to the store but we followed up with another one so the dogs could stretch their legs.
I looked around for something to eat for breakfast and ended up with a toasted cheese sandwich. Instead of coffee, I stayed with tea which hit the spot yesterday. The nutritionists say that breakfast is the most important meal of the day and for me, one of the hardest to figure out what to eat, I think tomorrow morning, I will try cereal as I haven’t had it in a while.
With the blog all caught up, I looked around for other things to get up to.
I spent a lot of time just wandering around doing other things not blog related until the evening started to come in, Then, I harnessed up the dogs and we headed for Daniel and Malinda’s RV where they were sitting outside. Peggy and BJ were both there and we all sat and chatted for a while enjoying a nice cold beer.
The girls left to go back to their RV, and I sat and talked a while longer to Daniel and Malinda who both have some pretty wild stories to tell. They have led a very interesting life. together. Some of our talk was about the recent hailstorm and the fact that they had a loaner car. They told me that both their Jeep AND their truck suffered hail damage and they are stuck with the loaner as they are being repaired. It is a very nice car though.
Probably the only reason that my car was totaled so quickly, and I was able to buy a replacement Jeep was because I did not have to wait for repairs as it was a total write off.
I walked back to The Caboose after saying “Good night” to my friends and brought in the bird feeders which generally signals that another day has come to an end.
We finished the day in the usual way of food and television.
Another day, another dollar as the saying goes although it doesn’t apply to me so much as I don’t work anymore having been retired these past 20 years. I rolled out of bed around 8:30 am and saw that it was another cloudy day but at least, no rain in the forecast.
We did things a little differently today. Instead of going walking around the park as we usually do, and because I was carrying the filled up outside trash bucket, we walked to the dumpsters and took the long way back around the Commons Then we headed indoors for breakfast which today was something different for me as I emptied a package of oatmeal in a bowl and stuck it in the microwave. It actually tasted pretty good. That and the morning tea and I was all set to face another day.
I sat down to play catchup with the blog and quickly brought it up to date and looked around for something else to do.
James, the RV repair man said he would be out today to work on the hot water…again. This time, he is going to install a whole new board because quite obviously, there is something wrong with the old one. It will be a lot more expensive for me but hopefully, it will give me hot water again and for a long time.
We sat around a lot doing nothing and even on our walks we stayed within view of the RV just in case he showed up. As it turns out, I knew he was on site as I saw him pull in, but he headed down the bottom of the park. That was the only time I saw him for the rest of the day.
Around 5:30 pm, we harnessed up and went for a longer walk as I figured that he was not coming to my house today. It was really a wasted day as far as I was concerned with a lot of sitting and waiting and I still do not have hot water.
We went out walking and ended up at Jeff and Terri’s RV as they were sitting outside and spent an hour chatting to them before moving on. Our next stop was Daniel and Malinda’s and again, we sat around just chatting and drinking beer. So, both stops on this evening’s walk were accompanied by beer. A great way to spend the evening.
Delores joined us and added to the conversation. We closed shop as the evening wore on and walked back to the RV accompanied by Remington who was leading Malinda. She is always worried about me after we have been drinking a few beers and often her and Remi accompany us back to The Caboose. I am grateful that she cares enough to do that.
Back in the RV after Malinda and Remi had gone home, I went out and brought in the bird feeders and put them away for the night.
Then, for whatever reason, we started watching television instead of going to bed and when I looked at the time, it said it was almost 1:00 am. That did it as we hustled to bed ending another day.
I slept very well and awoke around 8:00 am ready to get up. The sun was shining, and the forecast was for it to reach 96 degrees which is bloody hot by anyone’s standards. Still, this is Texas, and our summers are always like this.
We went out for the usual first walk of the day, which I suppose is the most important as it gives the dogs the chance to relieve themselves after a long night. We wandered around the park but did not see anyone else.
Back in The Caboose, I fixed us all breakfast. I have been having trouble finding things to eat for myself and have tried a variety of things lately. Today, I settled for sardines on toast. It was OK but next time, the sardines needed to be in tomato sauce and not oil. I even switched to drinking tea instead of coffee. What do they say about variety being the spice of life?
I had received an invitation from the Austin Men’s Soccer League that I had been a member of many years ago, to join them in a reunion that was being held at Zilker Park today. I had turned down the invitation. For one thing, it is too bloody hot to be out on the soccer field even just to watch. For another, they wanted to give me a presentation for years and years of service and membership, which is another thing I am not into. Oh well, they were the good old days, probably some of the best days of my life spent on the soccer fields…
It was a quiet day with not much going on and Sandy was giving me “the look” which interpreted from Dog to Human meant, “I gotta go, Dad”. We went out and wandered around and then came back to the A/C which, incidentally, was going full blast.
Daniel and Malinda had been out motorcycle riding as they now both have their own bikes. Daniel stopped by and we chatted business for a bit before he left to go back to his RV. I gave him back his knife that somehow had ended in my pocket after we were doing something.
He said he had traded in his big bike and bought two smaller ones so that Malinda had her own and that now she no longer needed to ride behind him. That lady amazes me as I don’t think there is anything she can’t do.
We went out for another walk and managed to cover a mile, which in this heat isn’t bad. The dogs want to take it in small doses and are glad when we go back indoors as am I.
We went out for one more walk around 6:00 pm and the temperature was still 93 degrees.
Then it was back to the RV as another day came to an end.
I had a good night’s sleep and awoke around about 7:30 am. We lay there for a while before crawling out. I thought how nice a shower would be but decided I was not brave enough for the cold-water torture and put on my clothes after having a shave and splashing cold water on my face. Then, I was ready to face the day here in the park.
I had previously noted that I was out of paper towels and jumped in the Jeep for the short trip to Tractor Supply which is the closest store to me. I bought a couple of other things as well to make the trip worthwhile. It’s amazing how difficult life becomes when we run out of stuff we are used to.
Back in The Caboose, we had already been out for one walk before I went to the store but we followed up with another one so the dogs could stretch their legs.
I looked around for something to eat for breakfast and ended up with a toasted cheese sandwich. Instead of coffee, I stayed with tea which hit the spot yesterday. The nutritionists say that breakfast is the most important meal of the day and for me, one of the hardest to figure out what to eat, I think tomorrow morning, I will try cereal as I haven’t had it in a while.
With the blog all caught up, I looked around for other things to get up to.
I spent a lot of time just wandering around doing other things not blog related until the evening started to come in, Then, I harnessed up the dogs and we headed for Daniel and Malinda’s RV where they were sitting outside. Peggy and BJ were both there and we all sat and chatted for a while enjoying a nice cold beer.
The girls left to go back to their RV, and I sat and talked a while longer to Daniel and Malinda who both have some pretty wild stories to tell. They have led a very interesting life. Some of our talk was about the recent hailstorm and the fact that they had a loaner car. They told me that both their Jeep AND their truck suffered hail damage and they are stuck with the loaner as they are being repaired. It is a very nice car though.
Probably the only reason that my car was totaled so quickly, and I was able to buy a replacement Jeep was because I did not have to wait for repairs as it was a total write off.
I walked back to The Caboose after saying “Good night” to my friends and brought in the bird feeders which generally signals that another day has come to an end.
We finished the day in the usual way of food and television.
I got up early with thoughts of a nice warm shower flashing through my mind. I wandered out into the kitchen area and my nose told me that one of the dogs had had an “accident”. Sandy had got up with me as that is very unusual and was hopping around with that “I gotta go” look on her face. I threw on some clothes and we barely made it out of the door and onto the grass and she erupted. She wasn’t kidding about having to “go”.
I made a big fuss of her, and Mikey looked at me as if to say, “Why is she special? All she did was poop”. We took a short walk as she kept going through the same motions so she must have an upset tummy. By the time we finished our walk and returned to The Caboose she had settled down and as if to show me, did another this time, hard poop.
Incidentally, most dog owners in the park, follow an unwritten rule that is, “Pick up your dog’s poop”. It only usually only applies to built up and public areas and obviously not out walking in the fields and woods and such unless it is a playing field.
With that adventure out of the way, we returned to the RV for breakfast which both dogs ate. I found myself something to eat and for a change, drank a cup of tea which went down just fine.
Then I settled down in front of the computer and played catch up with the blog bringing us up to date.
With that out of the way, I decided to drive into Austin to my Ear Doctor’s Office. Actually. This time I needed to talk to Lisa, the Tec person who works on hearing aids and such as my newer ones had been repaired and were waiting for me to pick up.
The drive in was uneventful and I made good time without speeding. I don’t need any tickets. I walked in the office and by chance parked right next to an Identical Jeep like mine. It was odd to see two identical cars parked next to each other.
Lisa quickly took care of me, and I had my newest hearing aids back on and the older ones are retired until the next time something goes wrong. It seems like there is always a next time. The “new” aids are much more receptive than the older ones.
Leaving the Dr Bittars Office, who I have been going to see for at least 40 or more years after I broke my nose playing soccer. I headed back home intending to stop at Walmart’s on the way. But the traffic was really bad, and I changed my mind and headed for the HEB in Dripping Springs instead.
I wandered around the store grateful for the list I had made and even more grateful that I remembered to bring it with me as last time, the list was left behind. On that trip, I relied on visual prompts. It seems like every time I visit these big box stores, it costs me at least $200.00 and that is just for one person. I can’t imagine what a family’s grocery bill is like, especially if there are kids.
The drive home was peaceful or at least, best as can be expected on a busy road. I consider myself a safe driver but there are some real idiots out there and I try to stay alert. Yesterday, a car was speeding in the turn lane using it to go by everyone and as his personal lane. It must have been doing 90 mph. Where are the Troopers when you need them?
Back in the RV, as usual, I got all kinds of help unloading the bags. I need to train the dogs, so they actually put things away at least on the lower shelves. Yeah, right.
We harnessed up and went out walking the park and stopped at Cheryl’s RV as she was sitting outside with her two girls. They both came over and gave me a hug which was sweet of them. Cheryl offered me a beer which I gratefully accepted but she could not get her dog to stop barking even after she put him in the bedroom.
We sat and chatted until her boyfriend came home and then we left to continue our walk, Incidentally, the dog was still barking…
We returned to the RV and settled down for the evening with the usual food all around and then watched some dumb show on the TV.
I slept very well and reluctantly crawled out of bed around 8:30 am. We have no plans for the day and will take it as it comes. First thing was the morning walk and we wandered around covering our usual 0.8 tenths of a mile. It was pleasant out, but I could already feel the heat in the air, and it was going to be another scorcher.
We ran into one of our neighbors who was out getting some exercise and chatted to her for a while before continuing with our walk.
Back in the RV, I notified James, the travelling repair man that par for the course, I have no hot water. I am sure he was thrilled to death to get that email. I did manage to take one shower after he repaired it the last time. I suggested he install a new board if that is what it takes and to heck with the cost. I will gladly pay for it just to have hot water. Now, I am waiting to hear back.
I looked at the clock and it is already almost 1:00 pm. I have no idea where the time goes but it sure is just flying by and my life along with it.
It really was a quiet day and was filled with household things I had been putting off mixed in with a couple of walks around the park. It seems like all my friends have left town or are at least staying indoors as no one else was about. The heat may have had something to do with it as the temperature had crept up to 96 degrees with the first 100-degree day forecast for the end of the week. Luckily, it is dry heat, but it is still bloody hot.
We took our final walk and then closed the doors on another day in paradise.
I awoke early and was ready to get out of bed by 7:00 am. I thought about it for a long time and finally crawled out around 7:30 am. I don’t know why as I have no plans to go anywhere or do anything special.
As there is no hot water, I still could not take a shower, but I made do with a sponge bath to at least freshen me up. Then, it was time to harness up for the first walk of the day. We wandered around and covered our usual half mile before returning to The Caboose for breakfast and that all important coffee. This time though, I drank tea to see if it would be a suitable replacement as coffee is no longer doing the trick. The jury is still out on that one.
I had a call in to James, the travelling repair man and he showed up to work on the hot water heater for the umpteenth time. I know that he is just as frustrated with the darn thing as I am especially as he has not charged me for the past couple of visits which has been for the same water heater. He finished working on it and then I asked him to work on one of the front blinds that had locked up.
It was a difficult place to work, and he had to climb up on the front countertop to reach the problem area. He finally had the blind repaired and operating again.
I paid his bill, and he packed up his stuff and went on his way. Let’s hope the water heater stays working this time around.
I found some regular household chores that needed my attention and took care of them and then took the dogs out for their afternoon stroll. When I got back, there was a message from Daniel asking me if I wanted to go eat at the Crab Shack which is a few miles down the road from us. We all piled into their car which, incidentally, is also a loaner as they are having their Jeep worked on to repair the ice storm damage. Daniel drove at his usual 90 mph, but we made it safely.
As usual, the food was excellent, and I managed to clean my plate which is unusual as normally I have a doggy bag. Guess I was hungry.
Daniel dropped me off in front of my RV and I was greeted by two very excited little dogs. We went out for a short walk so they could do their business and then adjourned back inside The Caboose for the evening.
Again, I awoke early and when I looked at my watch, it said it was not even 7:00 am. I tried to go back to sleep as it was a very overcast day with the promise of rain in the forecast but to no avail. In the end, I got up and harnessed the dogs to go out walking.
When we got outside, I discovered that it was raining in the wind, but we kept walking anyway. By the time we got back to the RV, my clothes were damp with moisture. It was not cold outside and not uncomfortable.
We only covered a third of a mile before returning to The Caboose and obviously, it was not far enough as one of the dogs had an “accident” indoors almost as soon as we got back, I cleaned up the mess all the while muttering things under my breath like, “Darn dogs” or “You better not let me find out which of you did this” and other similar things. While I was muttering out loud, the dogs hid in the bedroom until I was through both cleaning and complaining. I don’t know why they are afraid as I would never physically punish them and never have. The most I ever do is yell at them, and they scurry off to find their hidey holes.
I fixed us all breakfast with the usual result of me being the only one to eat it. It’s OK if Mikey saves his for later but Sandy has her medicine mixed in with hers and it is important that she eats it as she is supposed to take her medication twice a day. What is the old saying, “You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink”. The same thing applies to my dogs and their food.
I heated a breakfast Burrito for myself with that all important coffee. I say that every morning but in truth, coffee is a habit developed over the years of living here in America. I don’t particularly like the taste of the stuff. Sometimes, I drink tea for a change which is an English habit.
After breakfast, I sat down in front of the computer to catch up on the blog. With that done and it usually takes an hour or so, I sat back and considered our options for the rest of the day. It was already 1:00 pm and the rain had moved on although it was still a bit cloudy.
Daniel and Malinda stopped by to look at my Jeep. I had asked them to give me a hand in adding a tow hitch to it and they both willingly agreed. The new hitch unit had been delivered and Terri had brought it to my RV. This Jeep has never been set up to tow anything.
I drove the Jeep over to Daniels shop where he and Malinda went to work. I handed them tools as they needed them or held something in place as they attached it but really, my contribution was not very much.
They both spent a great deal of their time lying on their backs under the back of the Jeep as they worked on detaching the existing part from the bumper system which was difficult to remove. Daniel cut a piece out of it so that the new tow bar would fit. Then they worked on re-attaching the new hitch to the rear of the unit and finally, putting everything back together again. It must have taken at least an hour to do the work and for much of the time both Malinda and Daniel were laying on their backs on the hard concrete floor and working on the unit above their heads,
Greg stopped by and joined in and helped by handing tools and holding parts to be fixed. I did the same but spent most of the time helplessly standing by and just watching on. I felt bloody useless to be truthful.
Finally, the work was complete, and the Jeep sat there only now it had a brand-new tow hitch. We tried it out by hooking up the carrier that it was installed for, and it worked perfectly. Now, my new to me Jeep looks just like the old one except for the color.
I thanked Malinda, Daniel and Greg for all the work they just did, and they went back to their own RV’s and, in Malinda and Daniel’s case, to take a shower and clean up. I am so lucky to have such friends. I drove the Jeep from the shop and back to its regular parking space in front of The Caboose ready to be used for the next trip to the grocery store.
The rest of the day was spent going out for one more short walk around the park and then it was back to the RV for the rest of the evening. I even went to bed early. I must have got tired from watching everyone else do all the work.
I lay in bed having woken up early and I mean early, at least for me. It was not even 7:00 am and here I was, wide awake but not quite bushy-tailed. I lay there for a bit and then rolled out and got ready to face another day. I do have plans for today, which is unusual as I need to go and get two of the Jeep’s tires changed out because they show signs of deteriorating. I should have noticed it during the sale of the vehicle, but it slipped by.
We went out for our usual walk around the park and got to meet a different set of people because of the earlier hour. When we returned, I put the dogs in the RV and after feeding them and then left to drive into Austin.
Traffic was heavy with many people on their way to work but I was very careful and paid attention to what was going on around me. The new to me Jeep handled very well once I got used to the self-correcting steering. After a while, I hardly noticed it twitching in my hands as it worked on keeping the front wheels straight and in between the white lines.
My first stop on the way in was to get the two tires changed out. They were both the front tires and as if to prove a point, both were very low on air. I drove slower than I normally do just to be safe and made it to the tire place just outside of Dripping Springs.
There, I had them change out both front tires for new ones along with the usual balancing and such. I paid the bill of $400.00 and continued my way to my Hearing Doctors office.
My appointment was with Gina, the Audiologist, as one of my expensive hearing aids was not working. I still have my original set which I was wearing in place of the others. They are not quite as good and are battery operated. I must make sure that I always carry spare batteries with me.
I chatted to Gina about the Aids, and she promised to send them back to the manufacturers for service. They are still under an extended warranty so, just for a change, I don’t have to pay for anything.
I drove back to Henly and on the way, kept thinking I should stop and buy groceries. In the end, I decided that I should use up some of what I already have before adding new stuff to it and besides, I am not sure there is room for any more in the refrigerator.
On the way back in to Dripping Springs on the long hill leading into town. I have watched the building of the entrance including a set of traffic lights and the road leading into a subdivision. So today, I decided to do a bit of exploring and turned down the road.
I was totally amazed at the rows upon rows of new houses. There must have been 500 or more and most, except for those under construction, were all occupied. Not sure if they are in or outside of the city.
Back at the RV, I was greeted by two excited little dogs, and we went out for a short walk just so they could stretch their legs.
I was expecting a package from Amazon and got word from the driver that he was on the way. The package is a new hitch carrier that Daniel has said he will install on the Jeep. Then, I can use the carrier in case I need to carry something big. When not in use, it folds upright and out of the way. It was originally installed on the “old” Jeep and worked very well. As I do not want a truck and my carrying days are limited to small stuff, this arrangement works out very well. Incidentally, the first thing I did when I got the car was to fold down the back seat as it probably will never get used.
The box was delivered to the front office and Terri loaded it onto her 4×4 and brought it over. I helped her unload it and it sits awaiting Daniel to do his thing.
We went out for another walk around the park and were careful to avoid passing any of the RV’s where my friends reside in case they were sitting outside. I never want them to feel obligated in offering me a beer or to sit and chat. I want to always be sure that I am not imposing. So, no self-invitations.
Back in the RV, I fed the dogs their evening meal and found food for me to eat. Then it was the usual watch TV until it was bedtime. Incidentally, I went to bed a little earlier around 9:30 pm as for some reason, I was tired. Must have been all the excitement of a busy day…
I woke up early but was still too lazy to get up. I just lay there under the covers contemplating the day ahead before eventually rolling out. The dogs are no help to this as neither one of them makes any attempt to get up before I do.
I harnessed them up and then they helped to get out the bird feeders, sort of. Mostly, it was just sitting there and watching. Then we went out walking in the park, but I realized that I had forgotten my phone. We trudged back to The Caboose to retrieve it and started the walk all over again. I like to carry it not only to measure the distance but just in case of an Emergency. I hardly get any calls and it must be something really special to receive one.
I stopped to talk to my next-door neighbor who is some sort of medical person that treats people at home. She told me she is going to be gone for a month or two and that her RV will be put in storage down in the field until she returns at the end of July or August.
We wandered around saying “Good Morning” to anyone we passed before heading back to the RV for breakfast and coffee. My tastebuds are not very active early in the morning and I really have a hard time finding something that appeals to me. The coffee is always good, though.
I worked on the blog and brought us up to date and then sat there thinking about what I should do for the rest of the day. We went out for another walk which is what we do if I need to get some exercise. The dogs are only too happy to take me for a walk.
I thought about going into town and then figured out that I had left it a bit late and why buck all that traffic. Common sense prevailed and I put that trip off until tomorrow.
Instead, following our last walk of the day, we sat outside on the deck as it began to cool down. I ended up over at Daniels and Malinda’s RV drinking a couple of beers before returning to The Caboose for the rest of the evening.
I did not wake up until 10:00 am. I must have been really tired to sleep so long. Even then, I was in no hurry to get out of bed but eventually did. I splashed cold water on my face which woke me up and was ready to go. I would have taken a shower to do the waking up thing, but I have no hot water again and am not brave enough to take another cold one unless absolutely necessary.
The first thing, as it always is, was to walk the dogs around the park for the usual 0.7 of a mile. That is not a number I pulled out of thin air but is roughly the distance we cover when we walk within the park. It increases when we walk the outside roads.
It was a very cloudy day and when the sun did shine through, it was hot. I was very glad of the cloud cover as were the dogs. Back in the RV, I fed the dogs and neither one would eat the food I put in front of them so either they do not like it or are just not hungry. Ot maybe, both. Incidentally, they always have hard food available in their bowl.
I emailed James, the repair man to give him the bad news that I have no hot water…again. He must be just as frustrated as I am that his repairs do not last. There must be something else causing the problem.
I worked on the blog and brought it up to date. Hard to believe that we are in another new month, the sixth one of the year. So, halfway through.
Daniel called me and we discussed a hitch for the new to me, Jeep, which, unfortunately, does not have one. I do not plan on towing anything, but I do want to replace the carry-all for those moments when I have something to haul from A to B. I went ahead and ordered the part he told me, and it should be here tomorrow. He said that he will put it on for me. Apart from being a very helpful guy, I think he likes the challenge of working on new things.
I looked around for something else to do but could not find anything. With the blog up to date and not needing anything from the store, we went out walking, which is something I can do when I have nothing else going on. We wandered around before returning to The Caboose where I put the dogs indoors.
Then I wandered over to Daniel and Malinda’s RV to join the Girls who were already over there. We sat around talking, eating and drinking for a couple of hours before we each headed back to our respective RV’s.
As usual, I was very reluctant to leave the bed as it was so nice and cozy. I lay there for a while and then forced myself to crawl out to face the day. As far as I can remember, we have nothing of any consequences planned so the day is our own to do with as we please.
One of my expensive hearing aids is not working and I need to plan a trip to Austin to visit my Audiologist. Luckily, I have my much cheaper set available, and they hear almost as well as the expensive ones. Apart from the cost, the basic difference between them is the expensive ones are charged every night and the others work off batteries. The bottom line is that both sets help me hear although the expensive ones are much clearer.
I was planning on taking a shower but when I tested the hot water, it was barely warm enough, so the shower idea fell by the wayside. Guess I need to call James again
I harnessed up the dogs and we went out walking around the park and managed our usual .07 of a mile which seems to be our standard for the morning walk. It was quiet outside with a couple of people walking dogs and others standing around and talking. I noticed one rig that was getting ready to move on.
On our travels, we ran into Gary who was back visiting. He has moved his rig and he told me this morning that he is looking to downsize to a more towable sized rig. Gona miss him when he moves on. One of the most helpful guys in the entire park besides being a super nice guy.
Back in the RV, I fixed breakfast all around although I did not enjoy mine very much. I offered what was left to the dogs and they turned their noses up as well, so it ended up in the garbage. Still, the coffee saved the day.
I sat around working on the blog and brought us up to date. It took a lot of head scratching to remember yesterday’s details, but I finally got it all pieced together.
Then it was sit back and think of something else to get up to.
We went out for another walk, the last of the day, and ended up at Jeff and Terri’s RV as they were sitting outside. We visited for about 45 minutes and then went on our way and this time found ourselves at Daniel and Malinda’s house. We sat there for an hour or so drinking beer until I decided it was time to go home. Malinda walked me home and helped bring in the bird feeders before bidding me “Goodnight”.
I slept late, and it was almost 9:30 before I even rolled out of bed. I have no idea why as I went to bed at a reasonable hour and haven’t been on any long hikes lately. Still, I’ll take it as I felt really good when I crawled out. The dogs slept right along with me making no effort to wake me up.
It was an overcast day when we went out walking in the park. I could tell that neither dog was into the walking so we returned to The Caboose after covering .08 of a mile. There, I fed the dogs with the usual mixed results. I don’t know why they are such fussy eaters, but both have moments when they gobble the food down and the next day with the same food, it gets ignored. Maybe, because it is the same food, and they need variety.
Breakfast for me was a couple of pieces of toast with the all-important coffee which is what really gets me going. Back in England when I lived there, it was a hot cuppa tea that did the trick. I guess we all have our preferences. England, way back then, was not a big coffee drinking country and tea was the preferred drink. Probably, it still is as Tea plantations, and such were an integral part of British History.
We have nothing planned and still have no wheels anyway so it will probably be another quiet day on the old plantation.
I worked on the blog and caught everything up and sat there wondering if I wrote what I would like to see happen, would it? Probably just Wishful thinking on my part.
We did a lot of sitting around because we had no wheels to go anywhere. I sat there feeling sorry for myself in my enforced state of incapacitation and got to thinking about the situation. Everything comes down to the Insurance company and what is their final word. It would be nice to know what I am working on the payout but not necessarily important as I can well afford to pay extra for the car I want.
I passed the time by looking at cars on different dealerships and kept saying to myself, “I like that one” or “that one is nice” and “If I had wheels, we could go see that one”.
The day was spent sitting around, walking dogs, more sitting around and eventually shutting up shop for the evening.
Today is the last day of May and yet another month slips on by. Not much we can do about it. The English have a saying, “Time and tide wait for no man” and the older I get, the faster the tide is going out…
I slept very soundly, and it was almost 10:00 am before I even woke up. Not that it matters much as we have no plans for today, but I hate to waste half the day asleep. We went out walking as we usually do before returning to get out the bird feeders. We had a tremendous lightning storm last evening followed by very heavy rain.
Then it was breakfast all around, different for the dogs than for me. I ended up with a Bacon sandwich that Sandy helped me to eat. After I gave her some of mine, she proceeded to eat her own food which she had ignored up to that point. Mikey was saving his for later as he often does.
I sat down in front of the computer and managed to recall enough of yesterday to write it down. My short-term memory is getting worse, and I really have to think hard to recall what happened the previous day
For some reason, I had managed to screw up the last few postings and had to straighten out the mess. I finally managed to get it right after a lot of cussing and some thinking…
We did a lot of sitting around in the afternoon with a couple of doggy walks mixed in between. Then I remembered that I needed a couple of things at HEB and had this brand new to me car sitting there. Without further ado, I jumped in and made the short trip into Dripping Springs to the HEB.
I had made a list but managed to leave it on the table and left without it but figured that as I usually buy the same things every time, this should not be too hard. We wandered around and there was one item that I knew was important and I could not for the life of me, remember what it was. I was hoping to spot it and it would jar my memory.
As it happened, it paid off when I got to the toothpaste section, and it was as though a bright light had gone off as I looked at my brand of toothpaste and said to myself,” Sucess” and grabbed a couple of tubes of the stuff.
Back at the RV, I got the usual help with the bags accompanied by a lot of nose sniffing as I unloaded the “new” Jeep which, incidentally, drives very nicely. On the way home from the store, I noticed that one of the big ponds I passed on the way was now full to the brim with the overnight rain. It must have really rained hard to fill that large area as it has been empty forever.
We sat outside for a while and then shut up shop and adjourned back indoors for the rest of the evening.
I slept soundly and was just not ready to get up. Then I remembered that Malinda was going to take me car shopping and very reluctantly crawled out of bed and happily jumped into the hot shower that James had fixed the day before.
My car, here at the park, does not get used very much, maybe one trip a week for groceries and such and the rest of the time it sits. It is remarkable that just that one trip suddenly becomes all important mainly because of not having a car. I feel like I am stranded, and, in a way, I am although I am surrounded by people willing to give me a ride. The feeling of having no control really bothers me.
I got a call from the Insurance company accompanied by various forms, and such sent by email which Malinda, very kindly helped me to fill out and return and I believe that technically, I no longer own the Jeep. Apparently, this was the go ahead I had been waiting for and Malinda drove me to Carfax where she had already arranged for me to look at a Jeep.
We were greeted by a very young salesman who knew his stuff and after discussing a few things went out to test drive the car that Malinda had found online. Although very similar to the one that was totaled, it is newer 2020 model and has more bells and whistles than the old one plus it only has 31,000 miles on it and is hardly broken in. It drove very nicely, and we headed back to the office to finish the paperwork.
An hour later, I was the proud owner of a 2020 Jeep Cherokee.
We drove back to Henly with Malinda driving at 90 mph or at least, that is how it seemed. I managed to keep up with her until we reached Dripping Springs and then I caught a traffic light and that was the last I saw of her.
I pulled into the RV park to be met by both Daniel and Malinda where I handed the driving off to Daniel who wanted to try out the new Jeep and the three of us went out to eat and had a very enjoyable time. Daniel passed judgment on the new to me Jeep and gave it the thumbs up. Thank goodness for that as I would hate to have to take it back because he didn’t like it.
Back at the park, I thanked Malinda profusely for all her help and we retired to our respective RVs for the evening.
Living in an RV Henly RV Park Wednesday 05/29/2024
Living in an RV Henly RV Park Thursday 05/30/2024
The first thing I did when I awoke was to pull up the front blind so I could look at my new to me, Jeep. I was extremely pleased with the car and can’t thank Malinda enough for picking it out. She has very good taste.
We went out walking as we normally do and wandered around the park and ran into a couple of park friends who complemented us on our new wheels. Seems like everybody knows all about it. News travels fast around here.
Following our walk, I caught up with the blog and did a couple of other household chores before deciding it was time to go into town, grocery shopping. I headed to HEB and made sure that I knew where I was parked as I would not recognize the vehicle out of all of those in the lot.
Shopping was its normal wander up and down the aisles hoping that the various items on display would jog the list in my brain. I had written the list down but of course, had managed to leave it behind. Actually, when I got home, the only thing missing was toothpaste, so I did not do too bad although there were several “extras” in the cart that were not on the original list.
As usual, I got all kinds of help with their very busy little noses from the dogs as I unloaded and put things away. With the last thing stored, I harnessed them up to go out walking.
We wandered around the park and found ourselves over by Jeff and Terri’s who were sitting outside. They offered me a beer and we sat and chatted for quite a while before moving on. We did not go far and ended up at Daniel and Malinda’s RV as they too happened to be sitting outside.
We stayed and visited with them for an hour or more before heading back to The Caboose for the evening meal. While we were visiting, Daniel complained that I needed a haircut and I tried to point out that I had only just got wheels again. Without further ado, Malinda ordered me to sit in a chair and she produced her haircutting equipment and went to work. Luckily, I did not need it to be styled and a short back and sides was ideal. Fifteen minutes later, I was almost bald, my hair was so short but that it how I like to wear it nowadays.
I thanked Malinda profusely as I will never be able to repay her for all her help and then a free haircut on top of that…
Incidentally, while she and I were over at my RV, an adjuster pulled up for the hail damage The Caboose had suffered which I had James’s repair. I have a thousand-dollar deductible on any repairs, so I was not expecting to get much, if anything from the Insurance but we will see.
After the Adjuster had left and as it was getting dark, Malinda helped to bring in the bird feeders and then, she headed back to her RV, and I went inside of mine.
The rest of the evening was spent watching TV and it was almost 12:30 am before I went to bed.
