Living in an RV. Sunday, December 24, 2023 – Christmas Eve. 

I got up at a reasonable hour. Not like yesterday when it was 10:30 when I awoke and after a quick shower, was ready to face whatever today might bring. My body was still sore, and the left side of my face was aching although I have no idea what I did to it. Yesterday, for dinner, I cut up some beef I had cooked, tried one piece and it hurt so much to chew that I had to find something else in its place. I ended up with another can of soup. 

I set out the bird feeders and had to refill one of the big ones off the deck as the birds had almost emptied it… again. I had filled them both yesterday. 

We went out for the first walk of the day and just wandered around. There were several people out and about as it was a nice sunny morning, and I did not need a jacket. We walked and for the second day in a row, the dogs helped me out with the cleanup by both pooping at the same time right next to each other. Very unusual. Save on doggie poop bags that way…I think that is called, a twofer, two for the price of one. 

Back in The Caboose, I made them both breakfast and Sandy turned her nose up at what I offered her as did Michael. I don’t know why I bothered. 

Then it was back inside for the usual breakfast although, again, I had to compromise and had a piece of Pumpkin pie and gave the crusts to the dogs. The jaw is getting better though. It is certainly not caused by too much talking as it is hard to hold a sensible conversation with only the dogs for company. No wonder they give me funny looks when I address them as though they were Hooman. 

I decided to do a load of laundry and threw everything into the washing machine, set the timer and in about four hours it was finished. I remembered to open the drains so that the water was not retained or there was a chance of it overflowing onto the RV’s floor. I am talking from experience as it has happened. 

We found a few other things to keep us occupied as well as working on the blog and bringing it up to date. The afternoon slipped by and before long, it was time to go out walking. As I was getting ready to leave, my phone rang, and it was Delores telling me to get over to the Commons as she had some wine that needed drinking. 

I wandered over to the Breakroom after making a circuit around the park for the dogs to do their thing and get some exercise. Dolores was sitting by herself with small bottles of wine, one of which she offered to me. She also gave me Christmas present of a pair of track pants to keep my legs warm. We sat and chatted and then BJ and Peggy joined us, and we solved half of the World’s problems. We finished Delores 4 pack of wine, and I went back to my RV for another one. The girls drink some magical concoction of their own and very rarely do you see them without their flasks, at least in a social scenario. 

The evening finally broke up with me and the girls heading back to our respective RV’s and Delores shutting up shop for the evening. By then, it was dark. I had turned on the lights on the outside of my RV so at least I was able to find my way home. 

Inside of The Caboose, it was time for food all around and then I watched Premier League Football before turning in for the night. I seriously considered hanging up my stocking but decided against it…

Written 12/24/2023. Read my other blog at https://pondblog2011.com

I slept and slept before rolling out of bed at 10:30 am. This is a new record as I have never slept this late before. It does not matter as we have nothing planned for today. It was one of those days when the weather could not make up its mind whether to rain or just plain be miserable. Whatever, it was a certainty we would not see the sun today. 
 
I must have slept badly as somehow the left side of my face was very painful and it hurt to use my jaws. I have no idea what might have caused it unless I slept too long on my left side. I crawled out of bed and did a half assed job of cleaning my teeth as that side hurt to move the jaws. 

We harnessed up and went out walking just around the park. The air was heavy with moisture but not exactly raining although it is in the forecast. We only covered a half mile in the morning as neither dog nor me was that interested. We returned to The Caboose where I fixed breakfast all around. Sandy ate hers, Mikey just looked at his. The can of vegetable soup I had heated up for myself was just OK. My jaws were too sore to chew on anything hence the can of soup. 

I worked on the blog for a while and brought us up to date. It was a quiet day as I had nothing planned and the weather is not very conducive to doing anything outside. We did a lot of sitting around indoors listening to an Audiobook before going out for that last walk. There was still a lot of moisture in the air, and it was threatening to rain which incidentally, it did after we had retired for the evening. 

After feeding everyone, we sat around and watched an English Premier League side, Brighton and Hove, tie their game. Solly was not playing and is out for the rest of the season. 
 
Written 12/24/2023. Read my other blog at https://pondblog2011.com

 I slept like the proverbial log only waking up once during the night. When I next looked at the clock, it was 9:00 am and I made the big effort to roll out of bed. It was a cold and miserable day and raining a light rain that somehow still makes you wet. 

I harnessed up the dogs and put on my slicker, the one with a hood, and off we went wandering around the grounds. It was not unpleasant out as long as we kept moving. We finally ended up back at The Caboose where I tried to dry off the dogs, not very successfully I might add. I made sure to close the bedroom door to keep a soaked little Sandy off the bed. She compromised by sleeping in her basket while Mikey sat in his usual spot on the back of the couch. 

I fed them breakfast and made something for myself which was not very tasty but better than no breakfast as man cannot survive on coffee alone. I considered putting out the bird feeders and decided against it because of the rain. The birds still have access to the two big feeders in the tree and the two off the deck so they will not go hungry. Actually, the two off the deck which are pretty big and hold 3-4 lbs. of seed apiece, were full up this morning, by noontime, they were almost empty. Still, that is what I buy the birdseed for. 

I wrote in the blog until it was almost 1:00 pm. I have no idea where the time goes but it sure is slipping by at a record clip. The day has turned into a rainy and miserable one. We can use the rain as it has not really rained for several weeks. 

Daniel drove by as I was getting the dogs ready for an afternoon walk and motioned me to come to the breakroom after the walk. We wandered around and then I headed back to The Caboose to drop off the dogs and then, I wandered over to the breakroom where Daniel and Jeff were sitting and talking. 

Daniel thrust a beer in my hand, and we sat around for the next hour just shooting the breeze. Finally, the party broke up and we all went our separate ways to our individual RV’s. 

We went out for another short walk and then back inside The Caboose for the evening’s food and entertainment. 

Written 12/22/2023. Read my other blog at https://pondblog2011.com

Living in an RV
Henly RV Park
Friday, December 22, 2023

It was a cloudy day when we awoke and so, we slept very late not getting up until almost 9:45 am. If Mikey had not inadvertently jumped on me, we would probably still be sleeping. I crawled out and took a shower having remembered to turn on the electricity to the hot water tank. 

Then it was time for the first walk. I put on two jackets as I usually do if it cold outside and then took one off leaving us with just the one wool jacket. I harnessed up the dogs and thought about bringing out the feeders but in the end decided to wait until we returned.  

We wandered around and managed to cover almost a mile before returning to the RV where I spent time bringing out the feeders. I also filled the two big ones that hung off the deck as the birds cleaned out both in one day. 

Then it was time for breakfast and coffee. I toasted a couple of Waffles to eat which when covered in syrup, tasted pretty good. The coffee needs work though. I think I will try tea tomorrow morning. 

Malinda walked by and we stopped to chat. She is not feeling well with a heavy cold and is badly congested. I hope she feels better real soon as there is nothing worse than feeling miserable. While she was at it, she reminded me of a get together at the Commons at 5:30 pm or so. 

I worked on the blog and brought it up to date and then harnessed up for another walk. We just wandered around and worked on the number of steps. When we got back, I jumped in the Jeep for the short drive into town to the HEB to buy my contribution to the upcoming party which of course was the inevitable beer. I did some grocery shopping while I was there but two cases of 24 cans each of beer found their way into my shopping cart. 

I drove home and noticed Daniel’s buggy outside of the Breakroom and quickly transferred the beer into it. Then I unloaded the rest of my groceries in the RV. I got a lot of help with noses going a mile a minute but on spite of it, we got the groceries put away. 

With this chore out of the way I got ready to go to the latest party in the Commons. I wandered over and all of the ladies were sitting outside so I joined them and chatted for a bit. I had noticed that Daniel and Jeff were cooking turkeys in a different place, so I wandered over to chat with them. I spent my time alternating between the two groups. Are two people considered to be a group I wonder? 

With the two turkeys cooked, we all adjourned inside to the tables and such that had been set up and proceeded to pig out on Turkey with all of the trimmings. This also included dessert. Some of these campers are wonderful cooks and the food always tastes good. I can never do it justice as my actual consumption is very little compared to those around me. My age probably has a lot to do with that. I even restricted my beer intake to just two cans. 

Malinda and Daniel had bought me a Christmas present. I opened it to find a new bird feeder, different than the rest that I have. I thanked them both for thinking of me. I also got a card from the girls.  

The party eventually broke up and we all made out way back to our respective RV’s. What a wonderful group of friends I have found and so caring and thoughtful. 

I watched a Premier League game before going to bed around 10:00 pm 

Written 12/23/2023. Read my other blog at https://pondblog2011.com  

I got up to a cloudy day and the first thing was to bring out the bird feeders. I had to refill the ones on the deck…again and this time, the two of them had only lasted for one day. Mostly sparrows cleaning them out. There was not as much waste so the change in type of seed appears to be working. 

We went out walking the park and we were early enough that we got to meet a couple of others walking their pets. There were the usual “Good Mornings” as we struggled to keep our dogs from eating each other. 

Back in the RV, I fixed us all breakfast and Sandy was having one of her fussy moods again. She usually eats her food on the bed, so I closed the bedroom door and left her to herself. It must have worked for when I checked on her 30 minutes later, the food was all gone. Yay. The only reason it is important for her to eat is that her medication is crushed up on top of the chicken.  

I sat down to work on the blog and Mr. Mikey slyly snuck up onto my lap. He does it all the time, but it is not very comfortable for me and after a while I make him go back to his own chair. Ten minutes later, he is sneaking back onto my lap regardless of my insistent “No”. Probably because I ran out of being firm as he is such a lovable little boy. It usually goes something like, “No, No, NO, oh OK then” and up he sneaks. Incidentally, Sandy is not much of a lap dog and if by chance she does get up or I pick her up, she will only stay for 10 minutes and then down on the floor she gets. 

I am having trouble with the heating unit in the RV. Daniel has already looked at it, but it needs more work. The unit has two power sources, electricity or propane, but neither is working properly. It looks like I will need to get the RV Repair guy back out to look if Daniel cannot come up with a fix. Somehow, we managed to go through two bottles of propane in just a couple of days although I don’t know how. Technically, the spare is shut off until it is needed. Something else to keep an eye on.  

Incidentally, there is always something with an RV. Most of the time it is minor and quickly repaired or replaced. Very occasionally, a bigger problem arises that is not so easily solved. RVs are built like a giant jigsaw puzzle and when one part goes out, it often affects other parts located in other places. Plus because of what they are, they are not built the same as a house and to make things worse, they have a dual electric system 12 volt when there are no electrical hook ups available and 110 volts when there are. Many parts are built to run on both systems. And of course, everything is difficult to get to. When Daniel was working on my latest problem, he was lying on his back with half of his body squeezed into one of the closets. He had a flashlight and I handed him tools as he worked and asked for them. 

That is why if I even knew what to do, I could not do it. I could probably lay down on my back and squeeze into whatever space I needed to go but I guarantee, I would never come out again…ever. 

The rest of the day was quiet, which is the way I like them. I found a few things to do and spent time on that and a lot more time just sitting around, sometimes listening to an Audiobook. 

I received a text from Peggy telling me that they were sitting outside the Commons and to come on over to join them. Not being one to miss out on a free beer, I took the dogs out for a short walk and then returned them to the RV and then wandered over to the Commons. 

The girls had made friends with another new couple and had set up their game of Corn Hole which for the uninitiated comprises of two boxes set about 23 yards apart. Each box has a hole in it and the object is to toss small, weighted sacks in or as close to the hole as possible. There are all kinds of rules, some of which I think the girls made up as they went along. 

Another of their work buddies, Donna, who is also staying at the park, had joined us along with a travelling couple who happened to stop by. Before long, two teams had formed with Donna and Peggy on one and the new couple on the other. BJ and I sat by the fire keeping it warm as we watched the fun. Later, Gary stopped by with a cooked brisket for our consumption and stayed to watch. 

Everyone had a fun time even though it was sprinkling off and on. The fire felt good and needless to say, I never played but made sure the fire was well stocked instead. We spent a couple of hours out in the sprinkling weather, and everyone appeared to enjoy themselves. 

Finally, I helped to pack the game up back into its bag and loaded it in BJ’s car along with all of the other stuff and the afternoon was over as we made our way back to our individual RV’s and home for the night. 

Written 12/21/2023. Read my other blog at https://pondblog2011.com

I awoke and got up before 8:00 am after a good night’s sleep and pleasant dreams. At least, I was not being chased by a monster or wild animal or in my case, an irate husband. For that to ever happen again, the clock needs to roll back at least 25 years. We did the usual morning thing only this time, I had to refill the feeders as the deer had completely emptied all four of them. My fault for not bringing them in. 

With the feeding chores taken care of, we went out for that first walk and managed to cover 1.4 miles. Sandy was in the groove and every time we walked back to the RV, she pulled and tugged for us to keep moving forward. It is not like I have other pressing things to worry about. 

I spent some considerable time working on the internet trying to get a couple of things straightened out. I need a printed copy of my vehicle insurance to put in the Jeep as the current one is out of date and for some reason am having problems finding it. I managed to find something that was close to what I wanted although a bit different than the previous one, so it is going to have to do. Apart from carrying one in the Jeep in case I get stopped for any reason, I also needed a copy to show as I must replace the sticker. The closest appointment I could make was for two months out way down the road. 

I finally concluded that I was as far as I could go on the license thingy and harnessed up the dogs to go out walking. We wandered around and managed to cover 1.9 miles for the day before returning to The Caboose for the evening. 

Written 12/20/2023. Read my other blog at https://pondblog2011.com  

This is what we are really looking for, rain, lots of rain.

I awoke at a fairly reasonable hour for me and jumped out of bed full of energy and ready to face the world. I just made that up because it looks good. In actual fact, when I did decide to get up, it was more of a crawl than a jump and I definitely was not ready to face the day. That darn bed is so warm and snuggly and very relaxing. 

We followed the usual morning routine of bird feeders and then walks and wandered around the park as we usually do. It was a bright sunny day with the forecast to be in the low 70’s very welcome for this time of the year. We managed to cover a mile on that first walk. I had a few other chores to do, and they were quickly taken care of. 

Then it was back inside the RV for breakfast although both dogs had one of their fussy moods on and neither ate their food. I was not that hungry either but forced something down. Even the coffee does not taste the same anymore. Obviously, my tastes are changing as I grow older. 

Following breakfast, I made the mistake of sitting on the couch making a fuss of the dogs and before long, I dozed off and spent a couple of hours just relaxing. I awoke to find Sandy was giving me “the look” which interpreted from dog means, “I gotta go Dad”. 

We harnessed up and just wandered around and visited a couple of our dog loving neighbors where Sandy and Mikey both got treats. Then it was back to the RV as the day came to a close. 

All in all, another very quiet day. I found a new series on the TV and got engrossed and it was almost 12:30 am before I went to bed. 

Written 12/17/2023. Read my other blog at https://pondblog2011.com  

An Old Man and an RV.
Henly RV Park, TX.      Monday 12/18/2023

I slept very well and managed to wake up around 8:00 am. In my book, waking up and actually getting up are two totally different things and it was closer to 8:30 am before I crawled out. I knew that the bird feeders all needed filling and decided to do it after the morning walk. 

We wandered around the park and took the outside road for just a short distance before returning to the RV where I attended to the seed refill operation. I am trying a different seed mix this time around in the hope of lessening the amount that gets wasted. Fat chance…If I just knew how to talk bird maybe they could tell me. 

Today is a beautiful, sunny day and it is quite warm out although I did need a jacket on the walk this morning. I fixed us all breakfast and Sandy gobbled hers down. I think Mikey is saving his for later as he didn’t eat it. I fixed a Burrito for my breakfast along with the coffee. 

Following breakfast, I folded a load of clothes that I had washed on Saturday. Nearly everything I wear and consequently laundry is of the shorts and Tee shirt variety and really doesn’t need much post wash attention. I do fold things and then put them away, so I am not a complete slob and a few creases here and there do not matter. 

Then I turned my attention to the blog and played catch up but only for today as I was up to date with the rest of it. We sat around for a bit and then went out for another walk. The weather was nice and sunny, but the wind had a chill to it especially in the shade. We did the usual wander around thingy just going more or less where the boss dog directed us. 

We passed Daniel and Jeff working at building another deck and steps similar to what he built for us. This one was for Larry and Crystal, and he went about it a little differently than mine. Instead of building it in place as he did mine, he and Jeff built it in the workshop and then transported it to the owners site.  It looks very good. Now, either Larry or Crystal can paint it. By the time they had finished, Malinda had also joined in helping. 

We wandered around as we usually do before returning to the RV. I sat outside listening to an Audiobook and drinking a small bottle of wine only going indoors as it turned colder. Incidentally, I managed to forget to bring in the feeders and consequently, the deer did a good job of emptying them overnight. I must be going blind as well because I sat outside listening to the Audiobook with the feeders on their pole about 15 feet away and still forgot to bring them in. 

Back inside the RV, it was the usual feed for the dogs and then my routine before settling down to watch TV. 

Written 12/19/2023. Read my other blog at https://pondblog2011.com  

Cobweb covered in dew.

I awoke to a foggy and dull day with a chance of rain in the forecast. We went out walking before putting out the feeders and waited until our return to do that. The two big feeders off the deck are almost empty again. Like I said before, the birds do a number on them. 

We walked Henly Loop all the way to Hwy 290 and managed to get our mile in before adjourning to The Caboose for breakfast. I decided to bring out the feeders as there are still plenty of seeds in the small ones. Time to take a trip into town to replenish the supply. 

I caught up with the blog before deciding on my next move. After much consideration and looking in the refrigerator and writing a list of items, I decided to drive into town only this time, I determined that I would go into Austin to Walmart’s, a distance of about 30 odd miles. 

The drive in was uneventful but I did keep a wary eye out for any stray deer. We passed the spot where the other deer had decided to commit suicide by jumping in front of the Jeep only this time, it was perfectly clear and no sign of any deer. 

I wandered around Walmart’s sticking mostly to my list although a few other things snuck into my cart. I added two 40lbs bags of bird seed to the cart plus a 24 case of beer for Daniel and managed to spend about $220.00. The price of groceries is going higher every day. On the way home, I stopped at Starbucks for a coffee and a piece of lemon cake to fill my rumbling belly. Somehow, their coffee just does not taste the same anymore. 

I drove the backway off the main roads for a welcome change and finally arrived back home to be greeted by the dogs. As usual, I got a lot of help putting the groceries away and then we harnessed up to go out walking. 

We wandered around the park just as we usually do visiting all of our regular stops where the dogs get treats given to them by my neighbors. We walked past, “the girls” RV and they were both outside, so we stopped to chat with them. BJ offered me a beer and that was the end of the walking for a bit as we sat there and chatted for a bit. 

It was getting a bit cold, and I took the dogs home into the warm RV and then putting on another jacket, I wandered back to the girls. Daniel and Malinda and also Jeff and Kerri joined us, and we sat and chatted. Finally, out came the food as the girls had prepared hamburgers. As usual, I could not eat all of mine and had a doggy bag to be eaten later. I only had two beers as I am trying to cut down on the social drinking or I will lose my girlish figure. Yeah, right. 

I walked back to my RV and felt perfectly fine after just two beers so I decided to take the dogs out for the last walk of the day. It was already dark but with my trusty flashlight, we had no trouble wandering around. Then it was back inside for the usual evening’s entertainment. 

Written 12/14/2023. Read my other blog at https://pondblog2011.com  

An Old Man and an RV.             Henly RV Park, TX         Saturday 12/16/2023

Today is Saturday. When I was a working man, I used to look forward to both Saturday and Sunday. For one thing, my time was my own and I did not have to answer to “The Man”. Also, the weekends were when I spent my time playing Soccer, usually Co-ed on Saturday and Men’s League on Sunday, plus it was also when I coached a couple of Youth teams of different ages. Ah well, those days are long gone as are looking forward to the weekends. 

Nowadays, every day is a Saturday or Sunday. Unless I happen to have a doctor’s appointment which might interrupt my busy schedule, my time is my own to do with as I please. What a life… 

Today was no different and it started off by getting out the bird feeders. Except for a large flock of sparrows, the bird population has dwindled down considerably. I still get visitors but not in the same numbers. The most popular feeders are the ones hanging off the deck. They are different than the rest inasmuch as they have open trays which hold a lot of seed. These are also the ones the birds waste most of it. We took our walk just wandering around and covered a mile for that first walk of the day.  

Then we sort of sat around doing nothing for a couple of hours dozing until it was time for the afternoon walk. We wandered around stopping at our usual places like Larry and Crystal’s. She always gives the dogs treats and Sandy always leads us right up to their door. We managed to cover 1.6 miles for the day. Incidentally, the weather had warmed up and reached a balmy 72 degrees. 

Written 12/17/2023. Read my other blog at https://pondblog2011.com  

 

Crystal and Larry’s RV

Delores RV

Tony and Jason. Apologies for the poor picture. For some reason, the picture keeps moving.

I slept well but was very reluctant to crawl out of bed. Even so, by my lazy standards, we got up early. It was a grey day but not raining although we could really use some. Maybe, I should water the outside plants which is always a good way to make it rain. 

I harnessed up the dogs and then tied them up to the picnic table so they could help me hang the bird feeders. With that job complete, I grabbed the small bag of trash and off we went with the first stop being the dumpster. From there, I let Sandy dictate where she wants to take us as both Mikey and I have no preferences. We walked Henly Lane for a bit before returning to The Caboose for the morning coffee and breakfast. 

I had a few chores to take care of inside of The Caboose and then settled down to work on the blog which was easy as I was pretty much caught up. I posted the latest and then looked around for something else to do. 

Tonight, the winners of the Christmas Decorations were announced, and we had a gathering planned in the Breakroom and around 5:30 pm, I made my way over to mix and mingle with many other campers. When I got there, Delores reminded me that I must put on the little hat she had bought me to get into the Christmas spirit and I had to walk back to the RV and get it. I felt like a complete idiot wearing it but whatever. 

Like all our parties, this one had lots of food with all different kinds of dishes. I tried to limit my intake but kept getting more food loaded on by the girls and Delores with whom I was sharing a bottle of wine. I had a can of beer on the side, but I did control my drinking to just those two. 

There were two little girls, daughters of one of the campers having a good time and one of them had acquired a little party hat like the one I had on. Her sister did not have one, so I gave her mine, glad to stop looking like an idiot even in fun. 

The winners of the Christmas house decoration competition were announced. Needless to say, I was not among them as my single string of lights that I always forgot to turn on did not make it against the heavy hitters of Crystal and Larry, Delores, and Tony and Jason. Apologies for the pictures but I could not get them to take any better at night. I wonder if anyone will notice if I quietly take my lights down? 

With the fun and excitement over with for the day, we adjourned back indoors to watch a movie. 

Written 12/14/2023. Read my other blog at https://pondblog2011.com  

I slept like the proverbial log and was not one little bit interested in crawling out of bed. It was warm and cuddly under the covers made warmer by two little dogs snuggled up as close as they could get. I eventually rolled out about 9:15 am not really ready to face the day but knowing that I could only put it off for so long. I suppose that if it wasn’t for having to take the dogs walking, I could stay there all day… 

It was raining a light drizzle and very overcast, one of those exceptionally dull and cloudy days but we harnessed up to walk the park wandering around and the only ones out and about. We did not stay out long eventually adjourning back to The Caboose. I discovered that juggling the dog leashes, a bag of trash plus a couple of small bags of doggy poop and it becomes a problem especially when you add in my walking stick.

Incidentally, I did not put out the feeders this morning because of the weather, but I did replenish the seed in the two big ones off the top deck. 

Back inside of the RV, I fixed the usual coffee and breakfast and settled down to write the blog paying special attention to what day was posted after messing up yesterday. 

It was one of those days with nothing much to do except sit around nice and warm. I was pretty well caught up with the blog and spent time straightening out some personal papers trashing those no longer needed. Then, I sat on the couch for a while doing absolutely nothing. The dogs loved it as they got lots of attention at that time. 

Eventually, it was time for the evening walk although with the clocks changed, it is now a late afternoon walk as it is getting dark by 5:30 or so. We walked Henly Loop to Hwy 290 and then back again and viewed the cows and heifers in the field across from us. 

Back in the RV, I worked on the blog before getting into the evening routine of food, wine and television. Somewhere in there included feeding the dogs. 

Written 12/13/2023. Read my other blog at https://pondblog2011.com  

 Another Monday and another day in paradise. I awoke very late, and it was almost 10:00 am before I crawled out of bed. Like I have said many times before, it does not matter that much as I have nothing planned on most days and those that I do, I make sure to wake up early. 
 
We followed the usual procedure of filling the bird feeders and rehanging them before going out for that first walk of the day. We just wandered around with no particular direction in mind except those of Miss Sandy’s ever busy nose. Mikey waits for her to find something interesting and then he joins in with the sniffing. I haven’t quite reached that point yet and remain upright keeping an eye on things. 

Back in the RV, I fixed us all breakfast and then settled down in front of the computer to play the usual catchup. With such a late start, much of the day had already slipped by and before I knew it, the clock was reading 3:00 PM. 

I was not feeling well and had a badly upset stomach and at one point, made a mad dash to the bathroom, getting there just in time to throw up. What made it more uncomfortable was an empty stomach and consequently, the dry heaves that followed. When the episode was over, I went to bed and slept for a couple of hours and feeling much better when I awoke. 

We went out for another walk about and managed to get in 1.3 miles which was not bad considering that I was not feeling up to scratch. The rest of the evening was spent in the usual way with me eating fruit for my supper. At least it tasted OK and stayed down. I even restricted the usual glass of wine to zero. 

Written 12/12/2023. Read my other blog at https://pondblog2011.com  

An Old Man and an RV. Henly RV Park, TX Tuesday 12/12/2023

The giant oak tree,

I awoke at the normal time for us, and we were up and about by 9:00 am with the usual filling feeders and then out walking. 

Back in the RV, I had received a message from my Bastrop friend, BJ telling me that I had manage to duplicate a posting and when I checked, sure enough, I had slipped up. I have been thinking that what I am going to do in the future is post daily and include Saturday in the posting schedule and then use it also for any poetry I might write and want to share. Part of the problem is trying to cram seven days’ worth of info into five posting places resulting in having to double up some days to keep caught up and in order. Oh well, at least not too many people will be upset as there are not very many readers. 

I fed the dogs and found something for me to eat along with the coffee and settled down in front of the laptop to write the daily blog. So far, not much has happened to write about and I like it that way. I felt physically much better than I did yesterday, and it is another of those days with nothing planned. There seem to be a lot of them lately. 

We did a lot of sitting around, which the dogs really liked as they took turns to get their share of the many strokes and petting that I was giving away. Later, we went out walking again. It was very quiet out with very little activity going on, but we managed to get in 1.2 miles for the day. 

The rest of the day was spent in the usual way, the evening meal, a small bottle of wine and then TV. I watched a Premier League game and then some corny horror show before going to bed. 

Written 12/13/2023. Read my other blog at https://pondblog2011.com  

I went to bed early last evening and had a good night’s sleep feeling refreshed and ready to face whatever this day would bring. We had nothing planned which is true of every day, pretty much. Besides, it is Sunday with not much happening. 

We followed the usual procedure for the morning of bird feeders and walkies. On our stroll around the park, we ran into Greg and Olive, the little Bull Terrier who were also out walking. Olive is renowned for carrying tree branches around with her on her walks and today was no exception as she has a stick easily 4 feet long and 1.5 inches in diameter that she was dragging around, 

On the way back to The Caboose, Daniel called from the Breakroom telling me to come over for breakfast. I put the dogs away feeding them first, so they had something to munch on and then headed over to the Breakroom. Daniel had breakfast going along with the coffee and we sat and enjoyed it plus a lot of funny and/or scintillating conversation. He has led a very interesting life. 

Malinda was still out of town but due back in today. Following breakfast, I walked back to my RV and Daniel went back to his.  

I had no major plans for the day. Not even a trip to the store and guessed it would probably be one of those quiet, peaceful days that we seem to get a lot of. Incidentally, it was much cooler with a strong wind. 

I sat watching the two big bird feeders that hung just off the deck and just like before, a flock of sparrows descended on them. I looked on in amazement as they threw the seed everywhere in their urgency to find the one piece of seed that they wanted to eat. Even before my very eyes the seed level dropped rapidly in the feeders to decorate the paving below. 

Apart from the Sparrows, the numbers of birds visiting the feeders has dropped considerably as many have moved on to warmer climes. 

I wrote a poem and posted it. Something to do with Christmas cheer which I sincerely hope everyone finds and gets all the nice things they want. Me, I do not need or want anything for myself except maybe to not feel quite so sore every day. I am very lucky to have such nice friends and I honestly believe that I will never want for anything all the time I live in this park with all these wonderful people. Compared to yesterday when we spent a great deal of it over at the girls, or the day before over at Daniels, today was very quiet. Maybe just as well or I might turn into a lush with all of this alcohol floating around. Luckily, I am a loner and do not have to have someone else to keep me company. I am quite happy on my own although I really enjoy it when we get together or when the girls, BJ, Peggy and Delores wants my company.  

It gets dark so early now that it is hard to keep track of time and is often much earlier than it seems. Tonight, I had no plans and am very happy and content to spend time with the dogs. 

The rest of the evening was spent in the usual way with the evening meal while watching television. 

Written 12/10/2023. Read my other blog at https://pondblog2011.com  

I got up at a reasonable hour and went through the usual morning ablutions and almost feeling like a new man at the end of it. First thing was the bird feeders followed by the usual walk around the campground. We passed a couple of other dogs taking their hoomans out walking and made the usual acknowledgements of each other. Some people stop and chat, but most are more interested in keeping their dogs away from Mikey and Sandy and out of trouble. 

We walked the park as we usually do, taking notes of the different RV’s that came in overnight or had left. Most of that happens in the lower section of the park. The upper section where I live is mostly permanent tenants although there are five pull through slots for travelers. 
 
Back in The Caboose, I fixed breakfast all around and that all important coffee to start the day. I did the usual household chores, washing dishes, making the bed, cleaning the bathroom and stuff like that and looked around for other things to do. Not finding much, I sat and relaxed on the couch with a dog on either side and before long, dozed off. I didn’t really sleep, just lay there with my eyes closed very relaxed but even so it was nice. 

I eventually made a move which brought the dogs to life giving me, “the look” which interpreted from Dog to English, means, “Take us out walking” which we did. We wandered around as we usually do and then I brought them both inside after receiving a call from the girls to come on over. 

When I got to the girls RV, Daniel was already there. Malinda was away on business. We sat and listened to Daniels and the girls stories for the next couple of hours. I was very careful and managed to hold my beer consumption down to two bottles. The stories were flowing thick and fast and then I decided that I should go back and get the dogs so they could get some exercise. 

I wandered back to The Caboose and harnessed up the dogs and we walked around for a bit. Then we headed back to the girls RV and sat around telling more stories and munching on the never ending supply of goodies that the girls provided. Eventually, I decided that enough was enough and headed back home at the same time that Daniel drove back to his RV. 

Back in The Caboose, I fixed the dogs their food and found something for myself although, I was not that hungry. The small meal along with a glass of wine and I was all set for the evening. 

Written 12/09/2023. Read my other blog at https://pondblog2011.com  

An Old Man and an RV. Henly RV Park, TX Saturday 12/09/2023

It was almost 10:15 am before I even awoke and realized with a start, that I had practically slept the morning away. I crawled out of bed and went through the usual morning preparation to wake up and get active. I could easily have rolled over and gone back to sleep with absolutely no trouble. Nor with a guilty conscience I might add. 

I decided instead to crawl out of bed and headed for the bathroom and the cold water on my face and eventually awoke, sort of. The first thing was to bring out the feeders and I had to refill the two big ones by the deck as they were both empty again. They only last two days before they need refilling which makes me wonder if something else is emptying them at night, maybe a coon or something. Currently, the way it works is that half the seed is eaten, and the other half is tossed onto the ground with the hope that the ground feeding birds will clear it up. That is just plain hoping as they don’t. 

I took the dogs out walking and stopped at the girls RV as they were both outside to say, “Good Morning” and grab a cup of coffee from them. I sat there and chatted for a while and then we continued with our walk. We actually did not go very far as my body felt very sore. Both of my knees were hurting as was the hip muscle and I felt a real mess. Consequently, we only covered 6/10 of mile. 

Back in the RV, I fixed breakfast for us all, but the dogs just turned their noses up at the offering, so they are either not hungry or sick. Actually, I think it was because the meat roll, I offered them was really cold, way too cold to eat straight from the fridge. 

Then I turned my attention to the blog trying hard to remember what exciting things happened yesterday before starting today. I glanced at the clock and was very surprised to notice it was already 3:30 pm. I had no idea where the time had gone although the late start had a lot to do with it. 

I caught up as far as I could on the blog and decided that it was time for dog walks to get all of us some exercise. We harnessed up and walked the park for a bit. Back at the RV, I fixed us all some food and we settled down for the usual evening’s entertainment, English Premier League soccer. 

Written 12/10/2023. Read my other blog at https://pondblog2011.com  

 

I awoke at a reasonable hour mainly because both my legs were hurting. The left one that I recently skinned behind the knee and the right one that nowadays is generally sore. That is the one missing Cartlidge on the right side from all those years of playing soccer and the only cure for it is a knee replacement. I have already had the left knee replaced and am not sure that I want to go through that again unless I really have to. 

While I was in the bathroom, I treated the skinned leg with anti-bacterial cream but apart from rubbing pain reliever cream on the other knee, there is not much I can do for it. The thing is just worn out. 

We harnessed up to go walking but before we did, we brought out the bird feeders as we usually do. The left one off the top deck was emptier than the other one just about 5 feet away. I have no idea why the birds favor that one more. I know that the top deck is covered in seed as it is under the feeders. Wonder why the birds do not go down on the deck to eat that stuff? 

The walk was uneventful, and we only went a half mile as I hurt too bad. We returned to the RV where I fed the dogs and then myself. I really am at a loss trying to find something that I find appetizing but so far with not much luck. 

I was feeling tired and sat on the couch with a dog on either side of me. Before I knew it, I was dozing off and slept for a couple of hours. I awoke with a start and figured out what had just happened, and we went out for the final walk of the day to wake up. 

We wandered around the park as we usually do and then returned to The Caboose for the evening meal followed by watching the English Premier League and then a movie before heading off to bed. 

Written 12/07/2023. Read my other blog at https://pondblog2011.com 

An Old Man and an RV. Henly RV Park, TX Thursday 12/07/2023

I slept very well despite having taken a nap in the middle of the day yesterday, and seriously thought about getting up. Then it hit me that it was only 7:00 am and what the hell do I need to get up early for and rolled over and went back to sleep. But I did get up around 8:15 am or so which is also early for me.   

When I awoke the second time, Sandy was dancing around all over the place, and it was obvious that she had to “go” in the worst possible way. I put on my tracksuit and hustled them out the door and we had hardly hit the grass and she let it rip. Poor little girl. She knew she was discouraged from going in the house and did her very best to hold it. We wandered around for a bit and soon, Mikey had followed suit. Maybe something I fed them last night. 

We went out walking around the park and when we got back, I worked on the bird feeders as they all needed refilling, and I took the time to do just that. At least, I do not have to worry about the Hummingbirds as they are not around. BTW, if I refill all the feeders at one time, it takes almost a whole 20lb bag of seed to do this. 

Back in the RV, I fed the dogs, and Sandy was a good girl and ate her food including her medication. Mikey, well Mikey just as he usually does, ignored his food until he was ready to eat which may well be this afternoon or even this evening which is OK as he is not on any medication. 

I put in a load of laundry and then went outside to open the drain hoses otherwise the waste tanks would overflow inside the house. The full load on a wash/dry cycle takes about 4.5 hours. Luckily, everything is fully automated and after the initial burst of energy to load out the machine, I can forget about it until it is done. That was a good investment on my part.  

I continued writing and caught us up to date and then decided to go into the HEB in town. I needed groceries and as my little portable speaker no longer works, a replacement one for it. 

First, I went to the ATT building to see if they had a speaker but could not find one and then included that on my list items for HEB. As I wandered up and down the aisles with my shopping cart getting more and more full up, I managed to find a speaker and it ended up in the cart along with the groceries and beer. 

I was checkout and received a phone call from Daniel telling me to buy a couple of steaks for us to eat later that evening. I finished checking out and took my groceries to put them in the car and then made a quick about turn to go back to the meat counter where I found us a couple of steaks as Daniel had suggested, 

I checked out again and drove back to Henly where I got the usual help from the dogs. They inspected every bag before giving their signing off of approval. 

With the groceries put away and the beer out in the driveway so Daniel could pick it up, I took the dogs out for their final walk of the day. We wandered around the park and managed to cover 2.2 miles. 

Around 5:30, I wandered over to Daniels RV and we sat chatting and drinking a beer intermixed with him checking on the food as he was cooking steaks for us. There were just the two of us and I restricted my beer drinking to just two bottles. The meal was absolutely delicious. We sat around and chatted for a bit longer and then I said my farewells to both Daniel and Remington. I had not brought my dogs over with me this time. 

Before I left to go to Daniels RV, I had enough sense to turn on the outside lights to The Caboose so walking back home was easy. I brought in all of the feeders and then adjourned inside to watch the usual Premier League game. 

Written 12/08/2023. Read my other blog at https://pondblog2011.com  

The days are sort of running one into the other as there is nothing of major importance worth writing about. Again, I slept very well and woke up around 9:30 am like the proverbial baby. I suppose that age has a lot to do with that although I am on the other end of the scale so to speak.  

We went out for our usual walk and just wandered the campgrounds trying to keep the dogs entertained, Me, I do it for the exercise trying to stay relatively fit and mobile although the old knees get sore if I am not careful. 

I had fed us all breakfast and sat down to figure out the past 3 days, unless something spectacular happens, remembering takes a real effort. Maybe, I need to start dictating notes into my phone to act as a reminder. 

Probably because I got up late, again, the time had flown by, and it was already 4:30 pm. About all I had done all day was a few household chores and a lot of sitting and listening to an Audiobook. 

We went out for one more walk and this time, the girls were not outside so we had no reason to stop and worked on our mileage instead. We managed to walk almost 2 miles and that was without walking the Big Box Stores. 

We returned to The Caboose and sat outside for a while as it had not cooled off yet before heading back indoors for the usual evening’s food and entertainment. 

Written 12/03/2023. Read my other blog at https://pondblog2011.com  

An Old Man and an RV
Henly RV Park, TX
Sunday 12/03/2023

The days are sort of running one into the other as there is nothing of major importance worth writing about. Again, I slept very well and woke up around 9:30 am like the proverbial baby. I suppose that age has a lot to do with that although I am on the other end of the scale so to speak.  

We went out for our usual walk and just wandered the campgrounds trying to keep the dogs entertained, Me, I do it for the exercise trying to stay relatively fit and mobile although the old knees get sore if I am not careful. 

I had fed us all breakfast and sat down to figure out the past 3 days, unless something spectacular happens, remembering takes a real effort. Maybe, I need to start dictating notes into my phone to act as a reminder. 

Probably because I got up late, again, the time had flown by, and it was already 4:30 pm. About all I had done all day was a few household chores and a lot of sitting and listening to an Audiobook. 

We went out for one more walk and this time, the girls were not outside so we had no reason to stop and worked on our mileage instead. We managed to walk almost 2 miles and that was without walking the Big Box Stores. 

We returned to The Caboose and sat outside for a while as it had not cooled off yet before heading back indoors for the usual evening’s food and entertainment. 

Written 12/04/2023. Read my other blog at https://pondblog2011.com   

Who would have thought that we are at the start of a new month but the end of an old year? As I have mentioned many times before in this blog, I have no idea where the time goes for as far as I am concerned, it is racing towards whatever end I may have. Like the sand in the timer, it is slipping out and fast. As I have no control over where or when, but I plan to enjoy life all the way to the end.

The day was very much like most of the other days here at the park. We harnessed up and took that morning walk as we usually do. This walk is not for distance but for the dogs to do their business and we kind of do a lot of stopping and smelling the roses as we wander around and of course, if one finds an interesting smell, the other one has to explore it as well. We can spend 10 minutes covering 50 yards. Then again, very rarely do we set a time limit, so it does not matter how long we take. Nothing of importance happened in the walk.

I fixed us the usual breakfast but am having difficulty in finding food that is of interest to me usually ending up with a Burrito. I had just settled down in front of the computer to do my normal thing and I got a phone call from Delores who wanted to know if I wanted to come over to visit and drink a glass of wine. Ten minutes later, I was sitting down outside of her RV drinking that glass of aforementioned white wine.

We sat and chatted about a whole bunch of different things and after a while, Gary joined us although he preferred to stand rather than take a seat. He also had his own concoction in a flask with him and did not want any wine. Gary can be a very funny man and is always interesting to talk and listen to.

After a bit, Delores pointed out that her glass was empty as was the bottle, so I wandered back to The Caboose which was all of 50 feet away. and grabbed one of my wine bottles stored for just such occasions and we proceeded to go to work on it thinking that was all the drinking we were going to do.

Then we got a call from the girls inviting us over to their RV and we made the short trip. Gary had already gone back to his house, so it was just Delores and myself. We walked over and started drinking beer and later we were joined by both Daniel and Malinda and another fellow camper.

The rest of them started drinking shots which I have already been “banned” from drinking as I can’t handle the hard liquor. The evening wore on as did the conversation, the beer and the shots. I had to answer the call of nature and as we men do when we are drinking outside, found a dark spot away from the others. On the way back, I tripped over something and went down with a boom which brought the others over to get me back on my feet.

I had managed to scrape the back side of my knee and tore the skin pretty good. It made for a dramatic scene as it was bleeding, so I milked it for all of its worth and had the ladies hovering around giving advice and such. I did not think it was much of a deal but as everyone was fussing over me, I played hurt to get more attention.

That brought the evening to a close as both I and Delores were escorted back to our RV’s with neither of us feeling any pain. I harnessed up the dogs and we went out for just a short walk. Back in the RV, I fed both dogs and found something for myself before settling down to watch a Premier League game.

All in all, a very interesting day.

Written 12/02/2023. Read my other blog at https://pondblog2011.com

An Old Man and an RV
Henly RV Park, Tx
Saturday, 12/02/23

I got up late as it was almost 10:00 am before I even woke up and as we usually do, we went out walking the campgrounds and the outside road. At that late hour, almost 11:00 am, most people had done their walking. My leg was a little sore but nothing too serious. My friends were worried about it, and I was getting all kinds of advice as to what to do and how to treat it. Apart from a large band aid, I have no thoughts on any special treatment. 

I was outside filling the bird feeders when BJ stopped in her car and then got out to give me a bottle of antiseptic for my leg which was very nice of her. I thanked her profusely and she went on her way to her RV. 

Following the usual breakfast and coffee, I wondered what I should do today but had no special plans. Somehow, the last 2-3 days have sort of run one into the other and remembering what happened on which day is a bit of a challenge although I am the only one who worries about getting it right. 

I sat there and retraced the day to figure what, if anything, might have happened to be important enough to talk about but the mind was pretty blank. I really do lead a dull and uninteresting life. 

The time went slowly by and by now, I had moved away from the blog and was sitting on the couch with the dogs. When I am bored or feeling at peace with the world, I often just sit there with a dog on either side of me. Sometimes I nod off to sleep, others it is a sit there with the eyes closed just relaxing. Today, was one of the latter. 

We sat for a while and then it was time to go out walking in the park again. We wandered around saying hello to whoever we met and trying to keep the dogs away from each other unless we knew they got along. We took Henly Loop towards Hwy 290 but only got to see the cows and heifers in the field opposite the park. 

When we got back, we sat outside for a while drinking a small bottle of wine before eventually heading back in for the evening. 

Written 12/03/2023. Read my other blog at https://pondblog2011.com