For some reason, I did not wake up until almost 10:30 am. That is the first time that has happened in a long while. I thought I slept well although we did have a heavy thunderstorm and a lot of rain in the night which I probably lay there and listened to. The lightning was very bright, and the thunder was awe inspiring, it was so loud. Mikey got under the covers with me, but Sandy just rolled over and went back to sleep. Tough little girl, that one. 

Even though we got up late, I was in no hurry to get out and about but eventually forced myself outside to work on the bird feeders. The dogs were on the deck watching as I went from one feeder to another until, eventually, all of them were full and rehung. Incidentally, switching to a different feeder type has helped with the Grackle problem as they are just big enough birds that balancing on the short perches is more difficult for them. I noticed that the smaller birds have returned now that the number of Grackles has dropped considerably. I even have Goldfinches which are very pretty birds. 

I watched as a Grackle discovered a way to eat the seed without overbalancing. It perched on the seed block hanger and ate the seed in the feeder next to it without any effort. Smart bird. 

There was rain in the forecast and the skies were very grey. It looked and felt like it would rain at any minute, so I geared the dogs up and we went out walking. We only covered a half mile as I had one eye on the storm clouds and did not want to be caught out in any rain showers. I am afraid I might melt if I get too wet…and besides, it is a pain having to dry the dogs off. 

Back in the RV, I did have to dry the dogs’ feet and legs before I let them back in. Me, I just took my boots off and put my indoor shoes on. 

I fixed us all breakfast and we all ate it. I had bought some beef chops for myself and because she is not eating well, I cut one up for Sandy. She gobbled it down, so I guess she liked the change of meat. Of course she chooses the most expensive of them. Still, whatever it takes to get her to eat her food, mainly because her medication is crushed up and added to it.  

Me, I settled for something out of a box called, “Dirty Rice” which I enjoyed saving the pork chop that I was going to give Sandy for me to eat later. Incidentally, Mikey eats whatever I put in front of him but in his own time so it may sit for a while before he gets to it. 

The dogs quickly found their hidey holes and went to sleep while I sat in front of the computer and played catch up for the past three days. I did not realize I was that far behind as I write but do not post, every day. Oh well, not the end of the world as I am all caught up now. 

The forecast is for it to rain off and on all day which is OK. We have nowhere we need to go or anything that needs to be done, and I am quite happy sitting indoors with an Audiobook or in front of the computer, writing. 

Incidentally, we still do not have hot water as neither the propane nor electricity is working on heating the tanks. I took a cold shower yesterday and if nothing else, it woke me up very quickly.   

I sent a message to James, the RV Repair man and am waiting for whenever he can get here which is probably Wednesday. The hot water heating system is giving us a lot of problems. As I mentioned before, it heats on either propane or electricity which is my method of choice because of its simplicity. With propane, I must change out gas bottles as they run out. With electricity, I just flip the switch. 

We took another walk around the park and up the road leading to Hwy290 mainly because I spotted some exotics by the fence and managed to get a couple of pictures of deer. 

Back in the RV, I sat around on the deck just watching the world go by, waving or shouting out to people as they walked past. 

The afternoon slipped by and soon it was time for one more walk. This time, we just circled the Commons and as both dogs did their thing, ended back up at The Caboose. By then, it was starting to get dark and the constant flow of birds to the feeders had stopped so I brought everything in and put it all away ready for another day,  

Then we went back indoors for the evening meal and to watch television. Incidentally, I am having tummy problems in the form of a bellyache especially at night. I think it may be caused by the couple of beers or the wine that I drink in the evening. Next, lay off the booze completely to see if that is the problem or if it is something more serious. 

Written Sunday, April 28, 2024, read my other blog at  https://pondblog2011.com 

Living in an RV Henly RV Park Monday 04/29/2024

The upset stomach mentioned above kept me awake for some time until the stomach chews kicked in. Then it eased off enough for me to go to sleep although it did wake me a couple of times through the night. I have no idea what the problem is and am hoping it is alcohol which is an easy fix. 

I harnessed up the dogs and we went out for the first walk of the day just around the park and back up the hill on the outside road, enough to get the blood flowing. Then it was back for breakfast and that all important coffee. Today, I decided to try cereal for a change in the hope that the milk would help my stomach feel better. The jury is still out on that one. 

Then, it was time to work on the blog which was all caught up except for posting yesterday which I quickly took care of. 

We went out for another walk so the dogs could stretch their legs, but we did not go far, just around the block a couple of times. When we returned to The Caboose, I spent some time working on straightening out the Bank Account or trying to. It is going to take a trip to the Bank and a one on one to do it right. 

We did a lot of lazing around, something the dogs are good at. I am not far behind and catching up fast. 

By late afternoon, we went out for the final walk of the day and just wandered around the Campgrounds. We only walked 1.5 miles for the entire day. We sat outside and just watched the world go by until it started to get dark and then it was time to bring in the feeders for one more day. 

The rest of the evening was spent in the usual way. 

Written Monday, April 29, 2024, read my other blog at  https://pondblog2011.com

Notice the lawn is flooded.

I slept very well, and it was a long night for which I was very grateful. The only reason I awoke when I did was for the call of Nature. After using the john, I looked at the bed and it was very inviting but as it was already 9:25 am, I decided that I should crawl out of there. Good job, we are never very busy. 

It was a wet drizzly day and not a bit inviting outside but needs must, and I harnessed up the dogs. We wandered around but did not go very far. We met two other small dogs and we, the owners, tried to get the dogs to make friends but that lasted all of two seconds, and we had to separate them. Even Sandy was trying to get into it. The other owner was good about it as her dogs were as bad as mine.  

We continued our way around the park and managed to cover a half mile. Incidentally, we were right outside of Remington’s RV when the fracas started and Remi, not to be outdone even though he can no longer see what is going on because he has lost his viewpoint, was barking up a storm. Remi has lost his place sitting in the window since Daniel and Malinda changed RV’s. Incidentally, the new rubber foot on the walking pole appears to be working well but I will need to keep an eye on it just in case… 

Back in the Caboose, I heated up a burrito and managed to force it down. In retrospect, it was not a very good choice, but the coffee was good. I was out of milk and had to drink it black and liked it better than how I normally drink it. I think as I age, my tastebuds are also deteriorating. Pretty soon, it will not matter what I eat, it will all taste the same. It will be a case of satisfying the brain and not the stomach. 

I glanced at the clock, and it only said it was 12:45 pm. This is turning out to be a very slow day. I found a few odds and ends to do but after taking care of them was at a loss as to what else to get up to. In fact, I did a lot of sitting around sort of dozing but not really and managed to pass a couple of hours doing nothing. 

Then it was time to harness up for the last walk of the day. We stepped outside and the rain was blowing in the wind but not enough to get us really wet, just a bit damp. Our walk consisted of a trip to the mailbox and back and then it was back indoors in the warmth. It really was one of those sorts of days. 

The rest of the day was spent indoors feeding the dogs and then myself and watching TV. Definitely, no sitting outside. 

Written May 3, 2024, read my other blog at https://pondblog2011.com

Living in an RV Henly RV Park Saturday 05/04/2024

We woke up to another dull and gloomy day, it was not cold out, but it looked like rain. It was OK while we were walking, and we were not out long enough to get wet. I waited until we returned before bringing out the feeders. I had no sooner gone back inside when my friendly little squirrel was helping himself to the seed. Go for it, I said in my mind. I just love watching Nature at her very best. 

Incidentally, when I went to bed last night, there was only one RV in the parking lot in front of me. This morning, when I got up. All five of them were full. Guess they came in when I was watching the movie. I have done that many times, arriving in the dark to a brand new place and then setting up. Usually, under those circumstances, only the bare necessities are hooked up and sometimes, even levelling the rig waits until morning. If it is an overnighter, not even then. 

I fixed myself breakfast of a bacon sandwich and overcooked the bacon, it broke into tiny pieces when I bit into it and only the bread held it together. Stupid me, not paying enough attention… again. I fed the dogs but neither of them ate what I put in front of them which was no different than what I fed them yesterday. But then again, Sandy never ate yesterday’s offering until late in the afternoon. 

As I am out of milk, I drank my coffee black as I did yesterday and to be truthful, could hardly tell the difference. At least, it woke me up, sort of. 

I started a load of washing that will take the next 4.5 hours which is OK as I have no plans and even if I did, I have a washer dryer combo and I do not have to be here for it to complete the cycle. I did remember to open the drains to allow the water to run out otherwise it could flood the coach. I know, I have already done that although it was a different RV. With the problems that I have with the hot water, this wash was strictly cold water. 

I glanced at the clock, and it said it was 12:30 pm and I wondered what I should do while waiting for the laundry to be completed. In truth, I did a whole lot of nothing and just sat around. Nice to be able to do that as my days of deadlines are virtually over. Just the odd appointments here and there and most of them are medically related. 

I was watching a Pigeon that was on one of the bird feeders and it could not figure out how to get to the seed. This particular feeder has the seed in a canister with glass fronts, so the seed is visible but the only way to eat it is at the very bottom where the seed tray is. That Pigeon never was able to figure it out and flew off in disgust after trying to get to the seed through the glass. Then a Grackle landed and knew instinctively where to find it. I hate to think that Grackles are smarter than Pigeons. 

Peggy walked by with Remington on a leash as Daniel and Malinda were off site attending a funeral. I stuck my head out and we had a conversation. Remi was his usual friendly little self-giving me kisses. I love getting dog kisses. 

The rest of the afternoon was spent just lazing around before going for that final walk of the day. 

Written May 4, 2024, read my other blog at https://pondblog2011.com    

I slept late again but a lot of that was due to having an upset stomach in the night and spending time in the bathroom, several times in fact. I guess that something I ate disagreed with me. It seems my stomach is much more susceptible to getting upset nowadays. Maybe age has something to do with it. Even after I crawled out of bed, my stomach still felt a bit queasy. 

It was a very dull and cloudy day with a strong wind, and it looked like it would rain at any minute. I brought out the feeders, including the two new ones, Both Gary and Daniel stopped to look at the water system. I texted James and explained the situation and he texted Daniel back with instructions on what to do to at least get hot water on the gas side of things. So, at least there will be hot water. Thank goodness I showered yesterday. 

We went out for the morning walk and covered exactly a mile, it was a dull windy day, and I was glad to be back indoors although I sat inside with the sliding door wide open listening to the sounds of the world on the highway. 

Daniel and Malinda were working on their new RV transferring stuff from one to the other, but they had them side by side down in the bottom section by the new Commons which made it a lot easier. I walked through their new unit yesterday and it is very roomy indeed, 

The Grackles may have learned as there are very few of them on the new tube feeders, I bought yesterday which of course, was the whole idea. My friendly little squirrel was back again though. I do not mind him as he does not eat very much and prefers seed cakes anyway. He is funny to watch as more than once, he has fallen off the feeders. 

It was a very quiet day, and it was not until the evening walk did it liven up a bit when we were out walking and stopped at The Girls RV at their invitation. Of course, the beer was flowing freely, and I managed to drink 3 bottles. 

Daniel, Malinda, and Donna also stopped over and the evening was well spent on idle chit chat and such. After about an hour or so, I was the only one left as Daniel and Malinda both left the party as they are early risers. Donna had left early. 

I hung around for a bit longer and then I walked home. One of the girls, this time BJ, decided to walk me home although there was no need as I was in good shape after only 3 beers. I thanked her profusely for her caring. 

Back in the RV, I fed both dogs and found something for myself before settling down to watch soccer…again. 

Written Saturday, April 27, 2024, read my other blog at  https://pondblog2011.com 

I awoke late and it was almost 9:00 am before I crawled out of bed. Still, we have nothing planned so the day is ours to do as we please. Of course, most days are like that… 

As usual, we went out walking as the first thing to do for the day and covered a little over a half mile, enough for the dogs to do their thing and for me to stretch out the overnight kinks.  

Then I spent time on the feeders filling those that needed it and rehanging them. I have taken the two big circular feeders out of action as the Grackles delight in emptying them by tossing the seed onto the ground. 

Then it was the usual coffee and breakfast before settling down in front of the computer. 

I happened to go outside and noticed that the water was boiling over again, which is what James had worked on yesterday. I called him and he instructed me to use gas until he can come back to fix it. Darn thing. Luckily, I took a shower this morning as there is no telling when James will return. 

It was a windy, cloudy, and generally a very overcast day but we had no plans except maybe to go into town for a couple of groceries and even that was not an absolute must do. It depends on if I get bored and want a change of scenery.  

From where I sit at the table writing and such, I can see through the outside sliding glass doors and the bird feeders that are in the yard. With the change of feeders, there are only a couple of Grackles, but I do have a grey squirrel working on them. I do not mind him as he is very amusing and anyway, he is working on the seed cakes which need to be cleared up and new ones placed. When I go into town, I think I will buy a couple of large pipe feeders to replace the round containers I have just taken down which have a large circular tray for the seed, making it easy for the Grackles to plunder. 

The wind had dropped, and grey clouds have moved in so maybe it will rain. We could use some of the wet stuff. The squirrel finally finished one of the seed cakes and then literally fell off the feeder. It then scampered away, obviously quite unhurt and his hunger satisfied. 

Something was niggling in the back of my mind, and I had no idea what it was. Even though I tried really hard to remember it. I could not so, I gave up worrying about it and decided that I should go into town and buy a couple of large tube feeders like the ones hanging in the trees. The more I thought about it, the more it seemed like a clever idea to go grocery shopping at the same time. 

I said goodbye to the dogs and jumped in the Jeep for the short 12-mile trip into Dripping Springs. The Tractor Supply store is about three quarters that distance, so I stopped there first. I wanted to buy a couple of large tube feeders to replace the round tray ones that the Grackles empty in one sitting, mostly by tossing the seed they do not like, onto the ground. 

Of course, the deer come along in the evening and clear everything up. I go to bed and there are seeds everywhere. I get up in the morning and everything is very nicely cleaned up as if by magic. Thank you, deer! The trouble is that if the deer are unhappy with their share and if I forgot to bring in the feeders, they will empty them for me by tipping the seed onto the ground. 

I found what I wanted and then drove on to HEB in town. I wandered around taking my time reading from the list I had made out which had very few things on it. My lists are always like that, and I make sure to cover every aisle so as not to forget whatever it was, I might want that I forgot to write down. I managed to spend about $220.00 dollars and only a small percentage was on beer and wine, The rest was necessities at least in my mind. 

I toyed with the idea of buying a latte but decided against it as they just do not taste as good as they used to. So, I drove back to Henly to be met by my buddies whose first question was, “Where have you been? And the next one, “What have you got for us,” 

I got a lot of help putting the groceries away as I usually do with their little noses going a mile a minute as they sniffed at the bags. Despite their efforts, I managed to put everything where it belonged and gave Daniel the beer I had bought for him. 

Then it was walking time wandering around the park and altogether, I managed to cover 2.9 miles for the day. A very good day all around. 

Back in The Caboose, I sat outside on the deck watching the world go by. Both Daniel and Gary did some work on the water so at least I have water now albeit from propane. I prefer using the electric side but unfortunately, that is not working as it should be and is still susceptible to overflowing. I need to get James, the Repair man back to take a look. 

It cooled off and started to get dark, so I brought in all the bird feeders and then we shut up the outside shop for the night. I fed the dogs and then myself and we watched a Premier League game before heading off to bed. Altogether, an exceptionally good day. 

Living in an RV Henly RV Park Friday 04/26/2024

I slept late again but a lot of that was due to having an upset stomach in the night and spending time in the bathroom, several times in fact. I guess that something I ate disagreed with me. It seems my stomach is much more susceptible to getting upset nowadays. Maybe age has something to do with it. Even after I crawled out of bed, my stomach still felt a bit queasy. 

It was a very dull and cloudy day with a strong wind, and it looked like it would rain at any minute. I brought out the feeders, including the two new ones, Both Gary and Daniel stopped to look at the water system. I texted James and explained the situation and he texted Daniel back with instructions on what to do to at least get hot water on the gas side of things. So, at least there will be hot water. Thank goodness I showered yesterday. 

We went out for the morning walk and covered exactly a mile, it was a dull windy day, and I was glad to be back indoors although I sat inside with the sliding door wide open listening to the sounds of the world on the highway. 

Daniel and Malinda were working on their new RV transferring stuff from one to the other, but they had them side by side down in the bottom section by the new Commons which made it a lot easier. I walked through their new unit yesterday and it is very roomy indeed, 

The Grackles may have learned as there are very few of them on the new tube feeders, I bought yesterday which of course, was the whole idea. My friendly little squirrel was back again though. I do not mind him as he does not eat very much and prefers seed cakes anyway. He is funny to watch as more than once, he has fallen off the feeders. 

It was a very quiet day, and it was not until the evening walk did it liven up a bit when we were out walking and stopped at The Girls RV at their invitation. Of course, the beer was flowing freely, and I managed to drink 3 bottles. 

Daniel, Malinda, and Donna also stopped over and the evening was well spent on idle chit chat and such. After about an hour or so, I was the only one left as Daniel and Malinda both left the party as they are early risers. Donna had left early. 

I hung around for a bit longer and then I walked home. One of the girls, this time BJ, decided to walk me home although there was no need as I was in good shape after only 3 beers. I thanked her profusely for her caring. 

Back in the RV, I fed both dogs and found something for myself before settling down to watch soccer…again. 

Written Saturday, April 27, 2024, read my other blog at  https://pondblog2011.com    

I had a strange night’s sleep but was awake enough to crawl out of bed around 8:30 am. The first thing was to raise all the blinds to let the new day in and then the usual morning ablutions. It did not include a shower as we are still without hot water, and I forgot to turn on the water heater which takes around 15 minutes. That is OK as the dogs smell worse than I do so they are not going to complain. 

I harnessed up the dogs and brought them outside so they could “help” with the bird feeders which I proceeded to bring out and hang. I had already decided that I was not going to refill the two big ones and in fact, put them in the storage unit. I am tired of the Grackles stealing the feed. I counted nearly 60 of them at one time around the feeders and on the ground yesterday. I do not mind feeding them, but they are so wasteful, and half of the seed ends up on the ground. At least it gives the deer something to eat when they come visiting during the night, so it does not look like I have much of a clean-up job. The deer are like big vacuum cleaners just sucking up the seed. 

With the two big feeders gone, the word must have gotten out as so far, there have only been a couple of Grackles. They have problems trying to perch on the small pipe feeders, which is why they do not like them. 

We went out for the first walk of the day and walked up Henly Loop towards Hwy 290. I was looking for the cows and heifers and managed to find the adults but no sign of the heifers, so I guess they have gone to the slaughterhouse. I know this is the way of the world, but I do not have to like it. One reason is I eat very little meat and what I do eat is usually chicken. 

We met a couple of other campers walking their dogs or on their own and exchanged the usual morning greeting. 

Back in the RV, I changed the bed covers to a clean set as between us, me, and the dogs, we make the sheets and the pillows quite dingy. 

I decided to put in a load of laundry, and it was doing its wash thing for the next couple of hours. When it had stopped, I switched it to the dry cycle which as about 1.5 hours. I just love having my own washer/dryer. So darn convenient plus I do not have to worry about adding in quarters. 

I worked on the blog as the machine did its thing as there was nothing, I could do except change it to dry after the wash cycle was finished. I like to use the timed cycle system so that I can add Gain to make it smell nice on the drying cycle. 

We went out for another walk and left the washing machine hoping that when we got back, it would be finished and ready to go into the drier. Altogether for the day, we covered 1.7 miles. Incidentally, I found the missing cows, but the baby calves which actually are already the size of the cows, are no longer with them, so I am assuming they have been rounded up and are in calf heaven. I know it is business and that meat is in demand, but it still makes me sad. 

We sat on the deck for a while after our walk just watching the world go by, not that there is much of that in this park.  

The RV repair man, James was on site working on another rig down in the bottom section of the park, He texted me to say that he was held up on the project he was working on and may not get to me today and was not sure when he would. I texted back “that was OK” as I can live without repairing the problem for a few days. A cold-water shower would really wake me up… 

The rest of the evening was spent in the usual way with food for the dogs and then for me and watching a soccer game on the TV. 

 Written Tuesday, April 23, 2024, read my other blog at https://pondblog2011.com  

We had a tremendous thunderstorm just after I went to bed, and I lay there watching the flashes of lightning and listening to the rumble of the thunder. At one point, the storm was directly overhead or at least seemed that way, it was so noisy and there was no time between the lightning and the thunder. 

Me and the dogs snuggled up feeling safe in our environment and even with all that noise and activity, managed to drop off to sleep. I slept very well, not waking up until the morning, not even for a bathroom break which has not happened since I was a young man, many years ago. 

Needless to say, when I woke up this morning, I did not want to get up except for Nature calling with that stored-up bathroom break. It was a big temptation to go back and snuggle with the dogs, but I forced myself to crawl out of bed and stay out. 

I could see where the rain had pounded some of the plants and had washed dirt onto the blacktop but other than that, it was nice and peaceful as I opened all the blinds to let the sunshine and the new day in. The rain has saved me from having to water the plants for a couple of days. 

I brought out the feeders filling those that needed it especially the two big ones and then we harnessed up for that first walk around the campground. There was no obvious damage from the storm. 

Back in the RV, I fixed us all breakfast which the dogs ignored. I ate mine but only because I was hungry and then settled down to work on the blog. I caught up with yesterday and then started work on today. 

I have no plans except to relax and enjoy the day and the dogs. We went out walking three times through the day and managed to cover exactly 2.2 miles. Not bad going at all. 

After the last walk, we sat on the deck just watching the world go by drinking a small bottle of wine which always helps me relax. Finally, it was time to bring in the feeders except for the two big ones which were empty, …again. Way too many Grackles.  

With the feeders all stored away, we adjourned back indoors for the usual evening meal all around. Today was a good day as Sandy ate her food. I was tired for whatever reason and went to bed a little after 9:00 pm. 

Written Monday, April 22, 2024, read my other blog at https://pondblog2011.com 

Living in an RV Henly RV Park Monday 04/22/2024

I got up at a very reasonable hour, for me that is, and the first thing was to bring out the feeders as it usually is. Both big ones were empty and needed filling, which I did before we went walking around the park. We covered a little over a mile on that first walk. It was a bit breezy, and the wind had a chill to it. 

We met a couple of other dogs taking their master’s out walking just as Sandy and Mikey were doing to me. When we got back, I brought out the small bird feeders and refilled the two big ones. I thought that I needed to assess the merits of refilling those tomorrow morning and decide that it was worth one more try. The darn Grackles just waste so much seed and it ends up on the ground. At least, it gives the deer something to eat.  

Back indoors, I fixed breakfast that neither dog ate. Maybe, I need to change the food and think about something different in their diet. I ate mine refusing to be caught up in the dog’s bad habits. Incidentally, they always have hard food available, so they are not going to starve if I do not feed them. It does present a problem with Sandy and her medication as they are crushed up pills on her food and are too big to feed any other way. 

I settled down in front of the computer and worked on the blog for a bit before switching my attention to the website. I spent at least three hours working on it trying to work out the problems with the posting. Altogether, a very frustrating three hours. 

Then it was time to go walking again and we took the road that leads to Hwy 290. The reason for this choice was because this morning on our walk, one of the mature cows in the field next to the road was walking in the same direction as us and seemed very upset bellowing at the top of her lungs as she tried to find the other cattle that are in those fields along with her. Presumably, one was her offspring. 

This got me curious so instead of turning into the park, we walked up the road following the direction of the cow. I could not see the other two cows and two calves either so now the mystery was, “Where are they.” 

Unfortunately, the heifers are bred for slaughter but usually the couple of female adults are fertilized and the cycle starts all over again. The only part that did not make sense is where were the other two adults. As there was no way I would solve the mystery, we went back to the RV, but it still bothered me. 

When we got back to the RV, the first thing that I noticed was that the two big feeders were empty…again. So, I will not bother to bring them in tonight nor will I fill them tomorrow and they can hang there empty. Let us see what the Grackles do about that? They have trouble balancing on the other feeders so maybe they will leave them alone. Yeah right. 

It was not yet dark but out of spite to the Grackles, I brought in the feeders for the night. That was our last outdoor job for the day. The rest of the time was spent in the usual way with the evening meal and then watching a Premier League game on the TV. Incidentally, I was in bed by 9:30 pm. 

Written Monday, April 22, 2024, read my other blog at https://pondblog2011.com

I awoke late and it was almost 9:15 am before I crawled out of bed. I jumped in the shower and was surprised to find that the water was not very hot. Needless to say, I did not stay in it for long and quickly dried off and dressed for the day. 

I went outside and checked the water heater but could not get the thing to work on the electric side. The propane side works fine so at least I have hot water until James returns to check what is wrong. 

We went out walking in the park as we usually do but did not go far before returning for breakfast and, in my case, coffee. Then it was time to turn my attention to the blog to bring it up to date. With that all caught up, I looked around for something else to amuse me. 

I was looking out of the window at the garden and noticed a few weeds had grown in the past couple of days. I put on my outdoor boots and let the dogs out on the deck so they could watch and got to work, pulling weeds. I spent probably 30 minutes on the weeding but managed to clear the entire small garden of the things. I got lots of comments from my neighbors as they walked by, mostly complimentary, others just funny. 

With that finished, the dogs, especially Sandy, were bugging me to go walking again and as we had finished the weeding, off we went wandering around the park. We stopped to talk to a few of my fellow campers on the way around including the older couple parked next to me. The wife had a broad British accent, so we caught up for a bit on the old country. 

We wandered in the direction of Jeff and Terri’s RV, and they were sitting outside and invited us over to drink a beer. That beer turned into three by the time I left to go home. We took the long way around the Commons which brought us past the Girls RV, and they happened to be sitting outside. It would have been rude of me to just keep on walking, so I did the polite thing and sat down with them where another beer was thrust in my hands. Not one to look a gift horse in the mouth as the expression goes, I pulled up the chair and we sat and chatted for another hour or so.  

Three more beers later, I decided to go home as by now, the time was around 9:00 pm, I was in surprisingly good shape as all the drinking had been done over four hours or so. I bid the girls goodnight and the dogs, and I made our way back to The Caboose followed closely by Peggy who kept an eye on us to make sure we made it OK. Thanks Peggy. That is what I call caring even if she did ignore my protestations that I was perfectly OK. 

The only bad thing about the evening was that I forgot to bring in the bird feeders and consequently, the two big ones were empty by the morning. 

I watched TV for a bit and woke up around 12:30 am having dropped off to sleep with the TV still running. I shut it off and we all went to bed to end another delightful day at Henly RV Park. 

Written Friday, April 19, 2024, read my other blog at https://pondblog2011.com

Living in an RV Henly RV Park Saturday 04/20/2024

I had another good night’s sleep and awoke to a cloudy, foggy day. I took one look at the weather and pulled the covers over my head, The dogs kept bugging me to get up, so I eventually did just that. It was a very grey cloudy day and not at all inviting but needs must as far as the dogs are concerned. 

We wandered around the campgrounds, and I noticed my next-door neighbors were getting ready to pull out. I bid them “A Safe Journey” and we went on with our walk. By the time we got back, they were gone. 

 That is pretty much what happens with many of the campers that are parked near or around me. My site is permanent, but the other close ones are temporaries for the travelers of which, there is a constant stream. 

We wandered around and covered about ¾ of a mile before returning to The Caboose for breakfast. Neither dog ate theirs which means that Sandy has not taken her medicine yet. Just got to keep on trying. 

I worked on the blog and brought us up to date and then sat thinking about what to get up to for the rest of the day. The only pressing thing is groceries and I could put that off for another day if I need to. 

I decided that the grocery thing was a good idea and chose to drive into Austin to Walmart’s there as I had a few other things on my list that HEB does not carry. I said goodbye to the dogs and then jumped in the car for the 30-mile trip. The drive in was uneventful, which is the way I like them. 

I wandered around the store checking my list from time to time. Naturally, I would spot something not on it and whatever it was ended up in my shopping cart.  

One of the things I needed was hacksaw blades which I found in a locked cabinet, I found a store clerk who found another and then a third before the last one had the keys to unlock the cabinet door. It hardly seems worth the labor and effort for a $2.00 item. 

I completed all the shopping and went to check out. I am one of the lazy people that does not self-checkout very often preferring that a store clerk does it for me at the cash register. My bill was over $200.00 for a cartful of goods although I did buy floral underwear and Tee shirts that added to the cost. 

Incidentally, the floral underwear is to brighten my morning when I pull them on as no one else will see them. Well, maybe the dogs… 

The drive home was uneventful, which is the way I like it and when we reached Dripping Springs, I stopped at Starbucks for a coffee and a piece of cake. The cake was delicious, but the jury is still out on the coffee. For some reason, it just does not taste good anymore. I solved that problem when I got home to the campsite because I placed it on the top rail and managed to knock it off onto the deck where it spread out in one big circle. I went indoors and grabbed a pan, filled it with water, and washed the deck off. So much for drinking coffee. I swear that someone is telling me to lay off it what with it not tasting quite right and then spilling it. Oh well, 

The dogs had observed the coffee incident from afar and as I started to bring in the groceries, deemed it safe enough to come over and make a fuss of me. My cussing and swearing aloud gave them a hint to wait a couple of minutes. 

They helped me to bring in the groceries and put them away with very busy noses and inquisitive minds. With that out of the way, it was time to harness them up to go walking. We wandered around as we usually do chatting to the people that we ran into. 

Most Park tenants are very friendly and like to stop and chat. A lot of it is nosiness as they try to find out about any newcomers especially if they are long termers. 

Back in the RV with the groceries put away and the walks done for the day, we sat outside and watched the world go by. There was not a lot of activity, just a couple of people doing laundry or the occasional car driving by, but it was nice, quiet, and peaceful. 

I sat outside until it started to get dark and then brought in the bird feeders. The two big ones were empty thanks to the Grackles, so I left them hanging overnight. No sense in bringing in empty feeders. 

Then we adjourned indoors for the rest of the evening spent in food all around, a glass of wine for me and watching a soccer game. 

Written Sunday, April 21, 2024, read my other blog at https://pondblog2011.com 

After another late night, I was very reluctant to wake up let alone actually get out of bed. Finally, I managed to open my eyes enough to see that the clock said it was 9:15 am. It does not matter as we have nothing planned for the day, so a late start does not hurt anything except to give Daniel something else to kid me about. 

I am still without hot water as Daniel has handed the job over to James, the RV Mechanic, and there is no telling when he will be in, I braved washing my hair in cold water and after the initial shock, it was not too bad, I contemplated on taking a cold-water shower but decided against it and dried my hair instead. After putting on my clothes, we harnessed up and off we went walking the campgrounds and managed to cover a mile on the first walk of the day. I was wide awake by the time we got back. 

Gary stopped by and we chatted for a bit and then went about our business. He mentioned that he had put one of the wire protectors back in the ground as the deer had pulled it out. So much for plant protection… 

I fixed us all breakfast and Sandy picked out the good parts and left the rest meaning that she probably did not get very much of her medicine. Mikey did his usual Mikey thing of saving it for later. 

I worked on the blog and brought us up to date and when I looked at the clock, it was already 1:30 pm and I had no idea where the time had gone. I also worked on a poem and managed to finish it. 

Later, I sat outside on the porch and just watched the world go by after having written that verse for the blog. It had cooled off considerably, but we spent an hour or so just sitting on the deck watching as different people passed by. Most said hello as they passed. 

The Grackles had returned in large numbers and totally covered the bird feeders with a whole bunch more on the ground. Remarkably busy birds, Grackles. They fight and squabble amongst themselves and then something startles them and off they fly only to return a couple of minutes later and then it starts all over again. As I watch them outside on the feeders, they have almost emptied both big ones which are the only ones they can perch on. I have seen them try the smaller tube type feeders and they are too big for the small perches. They do keep me amused. 

We were at the stage where it had both cooled off and had started to get dark, but the Grackles were still hard at it so until they go, I cannot bring in the feeders. Well, I could but the whole point of them is to feed the birds. 

It eventually got dark enough that the birds gave up for the day and I was able to put everything away for the night. 

Then, we adjourned back inside for the evening meal and television. 

Written Wednesday, April 17, 2024, read my other blog at https://pondblog2011.com 

I slept pretty good without having any nasty dreams and woke up bright eyed and bushy tailed as the expression goes, ready to face the day. I always say that, but the truth is that I live an extremely comfortable and busy enough life along with my two little dogs. We do not want for anything as if we do, I go out and buy it. That plus I have a lot of friends here in the campground and we are never lonely.
 
Just recently, I was in Walmart’s and happened to be looking at men’s underwear and spotted some that caught my eye. Underwear is underwear so nothing much changes there except the patterns on the material which were bright and cheerful. I could not resist and bought two packs of four. Me and the dogs are the only ones who will know that I have on floral underwear. 

We managed to cover a mile on our walkabout which was only around the campground and the outside roads with our first walk of the day. The weather was overcast, and I could feel raindrops in the wind although it never came on to rain properly. We hustled back and I made everybody breakfast including my own and then sat in front of the computer to play catch up with yesterday’s blog and the beginning of today. 

I finished and posted yesterday and started today bringing us up to date, blog wise and then looked around for something else to do. We spent a couple of hours just lounging around until it was time to go out walking again. Incidentally, I really am a lazy bum as there are things to do in the RV such as tidy up and put some of the junk and paperwork out of the way. Tomorrow maybe? You know the old saying, “Tomorrow never comes”? That is what I am working on.  That is why I could never live with another woman as I am way too untidy a person.

We walked around the park and managed to cover 1.3 miles. As long as I walk more than a mile, then I am satisfied because at least I am moving. More is better. A lot of it is because the dogs are not that good at walking. All Sandy wants to do is sniff everything for interesting smells and then take 5 minutes lingering over each one. Then when she discovers something, Mikey is right there with her. Well maybe it’s not that long but it sure seems like it. 

We sat outside as we usually do if it is not too cold just watching the world go by. Not really much to watch as it is quiet in the campground most of the time. Eventually, we moved back indoors after bringing in the seed feeders and I fixed us all food. 

Then, as usual, I watched a soccer game before sliding off to bed. 

Written Monday, April 15, 2024, read my other blog at https://pondblog2011.com

Living in an RV Henly RV Park Monday 04/15/2023

I slept well and awoke ready to face the day. We have no plans, so it all depends on what comes up through the course of the day. 

Daniel stopped over early while I was still in my birthday suit, which is the way I sleep and shave to get ready for the morning. I hastily grabbed my towel, and we discussed James coming over to fix the hot water problem. No telling when that may happen. Incidentally, it is hard to shock Daniel. 

After completing the usual morning rituals and dressed and ready to face the day, I harnessed up my little buddies and tied them to the table. Gary stopped by and said hello to them, and we chatted for a bit. He really is such a nice guy. 

Then it was all about bird feeders as I filled them and hung them out in their special places. We went out walking around the park and managed to cover 0.8 miles on that first walk. Sandy was reluctant to go very far and as she governs almost everything we do; we just go along with her.  

I made us all breakfast with mine different than theirs and Sandy half ate most of hers. She got the important part with her medicine on it which is really all that matters.  

I looked at the clock and it said that it was 12:00 pm already and I had no idea where the time had gone. We did not have anything planned or anything that needed taking care of and consequently, it was a very slow day, and we did a lot of sitting around doing nothing. I like to sit quietly with my eyes closed but not asleep and just relax. The dogs were in seventh heaven as they sat with me, usually one on either side and they too go to sleep. 

I decided to drive in to Tractor Supply as I needed a couple of plant supports and while I was there, I purchased more wild bird feed. I found what I wanted in the plant supports but they are not as good as the two I already have. Much thinner wire making them hard to push into the ground without bending them. I tried to cut them down to the size I wanted but unfortunately, the blade in my hacksaw is worn out and I need a new one. Incidentally, I now have three 20lb bags of bird seed, so we are OK for a week or so. 

Back in the RV, I took the dogs out walking and we managed to cover 2.6 miles for the day. When we got back, we sat on the deck and watched the world go by until it was almost dark and then I brought in the bird feeders for one more day. 

The rest of the day was spent as it usually is with me feeding the dogs and then myself and watching TV. Normally, I try to go to bed between 9:00 pm and 10:30 pm but last night, I got into a movie, and it was 12:30 before we crawled in the sack. 

Written Monday, April 15, 2024, read my other blog at https://pondblog2011.com 

I woke up early but delayed getting up due to my laziness and because it was so comfortable laying there cuddling my two dogs. We eventually made the move and crawled out and after the cold-water treatment, I was ready to go.  

The first thing was the feeders as it usually is. I was lucky with only having to refill the two big ones, then we went out for the first walk just around the grounds. We managed to cover exactly a mile before returning to The Caboose for breakfast. 

I heated up a burrito which went down well. That and the all-important coffee and I was ready to face the day although we did not have anything important planned. As with every day, things will come up that will need my attention. 

Next thing was to work on the blog as I scratched my old brain trying to remember what had happened in the past 24 hours. Instant recall is a thing of the past and I literally must concentrate on remembering things. Luckily, if I remember one thing, it usually leads to another and another ad infinitem. 

I happened to glance out of the window and spotted a loose dog wandering around. I got on the phone to Malinda and she and Terri managed to capture it and get it back to the owners who live here in the park. Luckily, the dog is a big old softie so capturing was not a difficult job. 

With that bit of excitement out of the way, I turned my attention to the garden. I mentioned in a previous blog that I had bought a couple more flowers and so I went about the task of planting them. I really got in the mood for the job at hand and followed the planting by watering every plant in the garden. Not content with that, I started to pull weeds then got my trusty hoe out and really went to work. 

I had to keep one eye on the Caravan birdhouse that I have. It was originally hanging from the tree but the string broke and I never got around to rehanging it but just set it on the outside table. This did not stop a pair of Finches from taking over and nesting in the thing. One of the finches is constantly bringing food to the other one who must be sitting on eggs as I have not heard any sound from the birdhouse indicating babies. Busy little bugger and brave too as sometimes, I am sitting no more than ten feet from the birdhouse. It is fun to watch them. 

With the outside work all caught up, we went out for another walk around the park. It was quiet except for both Daniel and Jeff hard at it with their weed eaters keeping the grass in check.  

When we returned, we sat on the deck for a while watching the world go by. Then, I got a call from Peggy to “Come on over.” I harnessed up the dogs as they like to visit other people as well and we walked over. I let the dogs go when I was 50 yards away and they both ran at top speed to greet the girls. Funny to watch. 

Both Daniel and Malinda were there along with Donna, and we sat around talking and drinking beer. Daniel and Malinda both left after a while and the four of us continued with the conversation until it was time to go home. Peggy insisted on “walking me home” despite my protestations that I was not that drunk and could find my own way. She saw me inside and then left to go back to her RV. I am surprised she did not undress me and put me to bed…

I turned on the TV to watch a soccer match and the next thing I remember was waking up with the clock saying it was almost midnight. I never saw the end of the game. I went to bed and almost fell instantly to sleep. Funny what 4 bottles of beer will do to you… 

Written Friday, April 12, 2024, read my other blog at https://pondblog2011.com

Living in an RV Henly RV Park Saturday 04/13/2024

I got up at a reasonable hour on a bright sunny day. We had nothing planned except maybe a trip to HEB later today. We harnessed up and the first thing was the bird feeders which I inadvertently forgot to bring in last night. That is what happens when I drink four beers. Luckily, the deer had only emptied the two big feeders probably because they are the easiest to tip sideways. 

I refilled them and while I was at it, also refilled the ones in the trees and on the deck before we went out to walk around the park to cover 7/10’ s of a mile. 

Back in the RV, I fixed us all breakfast and Sandy today was a good girl and ate hers. Mikey, as usual, saved his for later which is OK as he is not taking medicine as she is. I made myself a bacon sandwich which went down rather well as did that first cup of coffee. 

Then it was time to work on the blog for both yesterday and today and as usual, I really had to think hard to piece together what we did. With the blog complete for one more day, I looked around for other things to get up to, one of which was to go into town grocery shopping. 

I put together a list, sort of, mostly basics knowing full well that when I start walking the aisles, other things are going to catch my eye… and my pocketbook. 

The drive into town was straightforward and I made good time although I was not on the clock and had the rest of the day for this chore. I parked outside of the HEB store and made sure I knew the location to save me wandering around the parking lot looking for a lost Jeep. 

Inside the store, I did more wandering going from aisle to aisle finding the things I wanted and ended up spending $220.00. A lot for a few things and I did not even buy beer for the gang. Incidentally, the wandering around part is to get in as many steps as I can for the day.

The drive back was uneventful and even though I considered a Starbucks, I decided against it as they are not tasting quite right anymore. 

When I got back to the RV, I unloaded the Jeep and placed everything on the deck so as not to have two little dogs getting in the way and only when the car was empty, did I open the sliding door to be attacked by Sandy and Mikey. I made a big fuss of them before they turned their attention to the bags that were all over the deck. Their little noses were going a mile a minute as they checked them out. 

Back inside of The Caboose, I got all the help I needed in putting the groceries away and with that chore complete, we harnessed up and went out walking around the park. Altogether, I did 2.4 miles for the day. Those big stores really wrack up the mileage. 

I grabbed one of the beers I had bought, and we sat outside for quite a while just watching the world go by, which incidentally, was not very much. Just the occasional camper walking his dog or the odd car driving by. Most campers are very friendly and usually wave to acknowledge that they see you. Some even stop to chat or enquire about the garden. Occasionally, there are a couple that keep their eyes to the front and never acknowledge my existence, but they are in the minority. 

It got dark enough for me to bring in the feeders which is what I had been waiting for and with them all safely put away, our day was over. 

The rest of the evening was spent watching a couple of soccer games before heading off to bed. 

Written Sunday, April 14, 2024, read my other blog at https://pondblog2011.com 

I awoke early, for me, and crawled out of bed. The first thing was to open the blinds and let the daylight in after slopping cold water on my face to help the wake-up process. It was a nice sunny day although a bit windy and we harnessed up to go out walking. We barely covered a half mile, but it was enough to get the blood flowing. 

I checked the Jeep but could not see any visible damage to it from last night’s hailstorm. I did not bother to check the roof of the RV as it does not have a built-in ladder. I could always get my expanding ladder out of the storage box. Maybe later… 

Following the usual routine, I had brought out the bird feeders before we went walking. It does not look like the deer were visiting last night probably due to the thunderstorm. There were no signs around the park that we even had a storm. 

Back in the Caboose, I fixed breakfast all around although Sandy did not eat hers, as usual. She paid remarkably close attention to me as I ate a Burrito. She had a couple of tasters as did Mikey. 

I happened to notice a recording of Adagio for Strings and made the mistake of clicking on the link. It was such a beautiful, sad, and melancholy piece that tears streamed down my face. I guess I am just an old sentimentalist at heart… I like things that move me. Music, Pets, Women… 

I was discussing music with one of my friends as she had her radio on playing one of the oldies, but goodies and we got into a discussion of the music we both like versus the modern-day stuff. Both of us are older so we belong to the generation when good old rock and roll was king. Compared to those days. modern music leaves a lot to be desired.  

Funny, I can remember the adults when I was growing up saying the same thing as I am saying now. 

We went out for another walk about but did not go very far. Consequently, our mileage for the day was only 1.1 miles. Still better than sitting around and not getting any exercise. When we got back, we sat outside on the deck for a while, but it was a little on the chilly side and we eventually went back inside. 

I worked on the blog and did a couple of other things before winding up the day with food and television. 

Written April 10, 2024, read my other blog at https://pondblog2011.com                               

Henly RV Park
Living in an RV
Thursday, April 04/11/2024

I knew that today was going to be a busy one, so I set the alarm to make sure that I woke up early. In truth, I did not sleep that well sometimes just lying there with my eyes closed but not sleeping. Consequently, even though I thought I set the alarm, I was late both waking and getting up. I had the alarm on my phone set for 6:00 but if it went off, I did not hear it and awoke with a start with the clock saying 6:15 am. I was already late in starting my day. 

The reason for the early rise was to take my Jeep into Austin to the dealership for them to do some work on it. The Jeep is equipped with a system that allows me to set the height of it if I choose to go 4-wheeling to give more clearance space underneath. The dogs inadvertently tangled their harness in this switch and broke it is why it had to be replaced. I also had a newly developed problem with the windshield washers not working at all and as we later found out, due to a broken hose. 

I had to take the dogs out for their morning walk, which only increased the time I was late. We did a quick once around the block, and I hustled them back indoors.  They are still mad at me for that, and it is now 2:00 pm. 

Saying a quick goodbye and locking the door behind me, I jumped in the Jeep and pointed it in the direction of the repair shop. Needless to say, I could not have chosen a worse time to travel with everyone going to work and all, like me, heading into Austin. The traffic was literally bumper to bumper all the entire 40 miles which meant that I was 30 minutes late for my appointment. 

I was expecting the young man that took care of me to say something like,” You are late and have been moved back in the pecking order,” but he just smiled and took down all the information and told me to go to check in at the counter to finish the paperwork. 

I had previously made arrangements with my good friend Delores. that she would come and pick me up to take me back to the park for the rest of the day but when they told me it would only be a couple of hours of work, I got on the phone and explained the situation to her. She was halfway here from the campground and after sampling the same traffic that I had, bumper to bumper and a lot of crazy drivers, was only too pleased that I had called so she did not have to complete the journey in. 

I hung out in the waiting room and then went to look at all the new cars on sale and thought of my Jeep. Quite honestly, I am very satisfied with what I have and with the small amount of driving that I do nowadays, it just ain’t worth spending money on a new one. 

Eventually, after a couple of hours, the young man I was working with came and told me the Jeep was ready and “Sign here and here” and you are on your way. I thanked him and made the trip home the back way which was remarkably interesting getting out of Austin but thanks to my trusty route finder, we made it home all safe and sound. 

I made one stop in Dripping Springs at the Tractor Supply there and bought bird seed and a couple more plants which I could not resist and then made the short drive back to the RV park. 

The dogs were very pleased to see me, and we went out for a walk before going indoors. I brought out the rest of the plants and while I was at it pulled a few weeds. I planted one of the new flowers but still have the others to put in the ground. The dogs were tied up to the table, so they could feel like they were joining in with the work. 

With the work out of the way, we adjourned back inside of The Caboose for breakfast which was more like brunch as late as it was. Then, I turned my attention to playing catch up with the blog and brought it up to date and posting the latest of them. 

With that out of the way, I looked around for other things to do and my eyes caught the sorrowful gaze that Sandy was giving me. Interpreted, it meant that she wanted to go out for a walk, so we harnessed up and wandered around the park. We walked for the quality and not the distance which meant a lot of stopping, sniffing, and peeing. Mikey is as bad as she is when it comes to the afore-mentioned actions. 

We wandered around but did not cover much in the way of distance, but we got in a lot of the actions. 

The rest of the day was spent lazing around including a lot of sitting outside until it got dark and then I brought in all the bird feeders for the night. We finished the day watching a premier league game. 

Written Friday, April 12, 2024, read my other blog at https://pondblog2011.com