I managed to sleep really well and even got up at 8:00 am all bright and cheerful and ready to face the day. I took a shower which got me even wider awake before throwing on some clothes. Then I fed the dogs and Sandy ate most of hers while Mikey did his Mikey thing of leaving his food until later, much later, usually around 6:00 pm. His breakfast becomes his dinner!
Then it was the usual bird feeder activity although I did not have to refill any of the feeders. Like I said yesterday, the number of birds has dropped quite considerably. I tied the dogs to the table while I was doing the bird feeder thing so at least they could feel a part of it.
With the feeders all taken care of, it was time to go walking. There had been a drastic change in the weather with the wind gusting up to 34 mph making it very cold as we walked around the park. There was no sign of rain, just the drop in temperatures and wind. We did not walk very far as it was too uncomfortable. Even the dogs were ready to come back indoors.
I sat here writing and the wind was quite literally howling around the RV. It is quite a cool sound just as long as I am indoors in the warm and I have no plans to venture out except for dog walks.
I sat and watched as a squirrel climbed onto the bird feeders. He appeared to be only interested in the seed cakes, so I let him eat his fill which was not very much. I like squirrels as well as birds.
I worked on the blog as I usually do, bringing us up to date and then looked around for other things to get up to. I did a couple of household chores and a lot of sitting around with a dog on either side of me.
Then it was time to go walking again and we walked the outside roads. There were no exotics to look at, so we just wandered around managing to get in a mile on a very cold and windy day.
There was no sitting outside because of the cold temperature and I shut up shop after bringing in the bird feeders and adjourned back indoors to the warmth of the RV for the evening meal and television.
I was up at a reasonable hour and after a change of clothes, was ready to face the world. It was a cloudy day but no sign of rain. After the usual bird feeder hanging which included any necessary refills and some re-arranging of the feeders themselves, we went out walking.
We took the outside road which is the real Henly Loop and walked down the hill in the direction of the giant oak tree. Today we went all the way to the bottom of the hill before turning back to head home. Altogether, we covered 1.2 miles for the morning walk.
Back in the RV, I fixed breakfast for the dogs and Sandy was a good girl and licked her bowl clean, Mikey did his usual Mikey thing of ignoring his food. He will eat it this evening as he usually does. He is a one meal a day dog. His choice!
I had a couple of RV things to take care of before making my own breakfast which today was a couple of waffles with syrup on them. Very tasty. I stayed with the tea to drink.
Then, as usual, it was blog time. I managed to remember what happened yesterday mainly because not a great deal had occurred except the trip for groceries and the couple of beers in the evening with my friends. I started on today but again, nothing much has happened so far.
The sparrows must have found a better site that feeds them as they have really slacked off and there have been very few of the bird visitors to talk about.
James, the RV repair man was on site. I had a request to repair the toilet where the flapper arm does not hold liquid as it should. Maybe, he will fix that while he is here. I kept an eye on him as he moved his van to different sites until, finally, he pulled up outside of mine.
We chatted as he worked on the unenviable job of replacing the rubber gasket that seals water in the toilet. He had previously put on rubber gloves for this task. My part of the job was to hold the plastic bag open to receive the old gasket which he deftly dropped in and then I disposed of it.
I squared away with James, and he went on his way. At least now, the toilet will hold water for a while to act as a buffer to prevent sewer gas smells wafting into the bathroom. This is a weak point in the sewer system, that and solids blocking up the tank and pipes which require constant attention and treatment.
Then, it was time for one more walk around the park. We usually make good use of walking by taking our one small bag of trash with us as we pass the dumpster anyway. Incidentally, I re-use the plastic shopping bags for indoor trash and have a hanger that allows me to keep the bags stretched open while in use. A very quick and simple way to handle the trash system inside the RV.
We managed to cover 2.4 miles for the day as we wandered around the park. It was a pleasant day, and the sun had some heat to it. I even dug out my Stetson hat to shield my balding head and received a couple of comments from other campers all being smart alec’s about the hat. I am definitely not a cowboy.
We sat outside following our walk and drank a beer and munched on potato chips and watched the world go by. Not that there was much in the way of activity. A couple of cars and then a couple of people walking dogs or not, as the case may be.
We finally moved back indoors, and the rest of the day spent in the usual way. I watched the latest version of “All Quiet on the Western Front” which was one of the best movies I have seen in a while as I munched on the evening meal.
I got up at a somewhat reasonable hour for me and after following the usual morning routine, went out walking the dogs. First though, I brought out the bird feeders none of which needed refilling which has to be a first. We walked around the park and the outside roads, but Sandy wasn’t into it, so we did an about turn back to the RV. We did manage to cover 1.5 very reluctant miles.
One of the dogs, probably Mikey, had an accident in the night on one of the removable carpets. I took it outside and hosed it off and then hung it to dry. It is no good getting mad at whichever dog did it as they do not know better and when ya gotta go, ya gotta go!
I sat and wrote in the blog and caught us up to date. This month is almost over as they just fly by although this is the shortest month in the calendar. It does make me understand that for me, time is running out, so I plan on making the most of what is left.
It is surprising how long blog writing takes, especially if, for whatever reason, I fall behind. Then, I really must wrack my brain trying to remember what happened. With the blog up to date, I looked around for other things to get up to.
It really was a quiet day, and I did a lot of sitting around which meant I did a lot of nothing. I did do some work on my taxes but got frustrated. That is why I pay someone else to do them. My frustration was in trying to locate a missing form which I still haven’t found. In the end, I put the taxes back on the shelf to work on another day. After all, I still got a month and a half…
We wandered around for the last walk of the day going nowhere in particular. It’s not like there are many choices unless I jump in the car and go walking in the park in town. We did manage to cover 2.1 miles for the day. We sat outside for a while enjoying a cold beer until it started to get dark. Then, I brought in the bird feeders, and we shut up shop for the evening which was spent in the usual way. I did watch the latest version of
I slept well for half of the night and then tossed and turned for the other half. When it got light enough, I was ready to get up to welcome the new day. We followed the usual morning procedures and finally ended up dressed to face whatever fate would bring us. I usually pull up the blinds to welcome the new day, but the East side is governed by the sun rising every morning. If it cloudy or raining, then it matters not if I raise the blinds. If, on the other hand, it is a sunny day, then I keep the blinds lowered on that side to help shield the indoors from the suns heat. Warm is OK, hot is not good as then I have to turn on the A/C. RV’s are not renowned for their insulation qualities. After all, the walls are only 2 inches thick, and you can’t squeeze much insulation in that small space plus, there are several large windows that are on the sun side.
First thing was to harness up the dogs and grab the small bag of trash that we dispose of every morning. Second thing was the usual bird feeder routine, followed by walking around the park with a stop at the dumpster to get rid of that small bag of trash. This morning, we covered almost a mile which was a good start to the day.
Back at the RV, I fixed breakfast all around. Mine was a Burrito which was OK. I stayed with the tea as a beverage. Mikey ignored nis food as he does on many mornings. Sandy licked her bowl super clean, so I guess she enjoyed cleaning up the package the chicken came in.
Then, it was time to write the blog. I managed to remember what happened yesterday and completed that before starting in on today. The day was not very old and apart from walking in the park, we did not have much to write about.
We have no plans except, I may go into town grocery shopping.
I happened to look out of the window and noticed that the four donkeys from across the street were wandering around the camp site. Apparently, the owners had been doing some work putting in new driveways for a couple of lots and the four donkeys had got out. They must have found the campsite more interesting as they wandered around eating the grass and anything else they could find,
Malinda contacted the owners and before long, a couple of workers were here and drove the donkeys back across the street. The donkeys did not really want to go and put up a bit of a fuss, so I wandered over to be a helping hand. At least, I helped guide the donkeys in the right direction and between us, they were put back inside the fence on the right side of the street. Incidentally, those donkeys are the friendliest you can imagine.
I chatted to the hired help for a bit before going back glad for a break from our usual routine. Today, it included that trip into town to the HEB store where I wandered around putting things in my basket that were not on my list, I read somewhere that the reason for the list is to control the urge to throw everything and anything in the cart. Well, it does not work for me as I ended up with several items that were not on my list. Maybe I really needed them and just plain old forgot to write them down. Yeah, right…I do need visual reminders most of the time and that is my excuse,
I checked out of the HEB store and seriously thought about a Starbucks coffee and then decided that I really didn’t need one and drove home instead. A few months ago, that coffee would have been considered essential, but my tastes have changed, including the need for the stuff.
Back at the RV, I got a lot of help as I usually do from my two little friends in putting the groceries away with noses buried in each bag just to check them out. With shopping complete for a couple of days and everything put away, it was time to go out walking the dogs again.
We wandered around as we usually do, going nowhere in particular and taking a long time to do it before returning to The Caboose to sit outside with a beer watching my part of the world go by. I heard a whistle from Daniel and then an arm waving which meant to come over for a beer,
The Contractor was on site working on the new parking lot and had blacktop left over, enough to take care of Daniel’s site and Daniel had moved his RV to a temporary site for that reason. We sat at the old site as his outside table and chairs were still set up. He plans on moving the rig back and resetting it in a couple of days when the new blacktop has had a chance to harden.
We sat and drank a couple of beers, and were joined by our new neighbor, Gina, who has just moved in. Apparently, she has some problems with her RV and both Daniel and Malinda were helping her fix them. The two of them are so helpful when it comes to the tenants here in the park.
I bid them all “Goodnight” and wandered the 25 yards back to my RV where both Sandy and Mikey made a fuss of me. I fixed them their evening meal and then fed myself before settling down to watch television to finish off the evening, I watched “All Quiet in the Westen Front” and was very impressed by it.
I had another one of the mixed-up nights sleeping like a baby at times and at others, wide awake wishing it was morning. Of course, when it really was the morning and around my normal time to get out of bed, I was fast asleep and snoozing my fool head off. Eventually, I got up and we went out for the first walk of the day.
First, I brought out the bird feeders and did some different re-arranging of them to spread them out a little more. I even filled the water feeder but for some reason, it drains out. Then it was time for the first walk of the day, but we did not go very far and barely covered a half mile.
Back in the RV, I fixed the dog’s breakfast and then fed myself. As it was close to noon time, mine was a ravioli frozen dinner. Incidentally, I stayed with tea as it was not bothering my stomach. This was followed by the usual blog session as I scratched my head trying to remember what happened yesterday.
I worked on my taxes for a bit but am having trouble finding everything needed. One more thing to worry about. I fiddled around doing this and that but really nothing too important, but it killed time until we went out walking again. We went on our usual route only this time walking past the huge oak tree and managed to cover 1-6 miles.
Sandy is not very good at this walking thing. She thinks it is for her to smell EVERY possible smell out there. Consequently, we wander around in a general direction with a lot of stops and starts. She has an endless bladder and pees on everything she can smell. Sometimes Mikey will follow suit, but he is not as bad as she is. His problem is that he tends to lag a lot and the leash is rubbing against my leg which, with just wearing shorts, is very aggravating. So, I am constantly saying, “Come on, Mikey”. He gives me a look, catches up for a half minute and lags all over again.
In his earlier days with a different owner, he may have been trained to walk to heel as it is firmly ingrained in his brain.
When we got back, we sat outside for a while drinking a beer which does not seem to bother my stomach as the wine now does. It slowly got darker, and I brought in the bird feeders for another day, and we went back inside the RV for the rest of the evening.
I got up early for me and was working on the feeders when Daniel, Malinda and Peggy hollered at me to come over to the Breakroom for coffee, which of course, I did. We spent 30 minutes or so just chatting before going our separate ways.
I finished bringing out the feeders and then harnessed up the dogs for their morning walk. We actually managed to walk 1.6 miles for that first walk of the day. Sandy wanted to keep walking but me and Mikey wanted to go back to the RV and beat her in a 2-1 vote.
Back at the RV, I found a few other things that I needed to do like water the few plants still alive after the frost we had received a couple of weeks ago. I guess I need to stop at Home Depot and buy some more. At least, I have a better idea of what not to buy. Anything with green leaves is deer food. I need spikey or prickly stuff which the deer will not touch.
With all the outdoor work caught up, I went back inside for breakfast except it was almost noon time which make it brunch. Because it was so late, I heated a frozen dinner and ate it instead. Then, I spent time working on the blog bringing it up to date and took care of a couple of other things including throwing in a load of laundry.
I just love having my own washer/dryer combo machine. Incidentally, I always have to remember to open the outside drains when I do laundry, or the water could back up and overflow into the RV. Under normal circumstances, the freshwater drain, and waste drain are closed and need to be opened periodically to empty the tanks. The reason for keeping them closed and only draining them periodically is that the solids get left behind as the fluid drains out which causes major problems to the system. Then, if that happens, the drain line needs backflushing to clean it out. This is not a difficult or messy task, but it is a pain to have to do it. So much for the daily “poop” discussion.
We went out for another walk and hit the outside road leading to Hwy 290. Walk wise, it was a very good day as we managed to cover 2.5 miles.
I got a call from Daniel inviting me over to the Breakroom where Malinda had been at it again and this time cooking hot dogs with all of the trimmings. The usual crew were there except Gary and Delores plus we had the addition of an extra camper that I had not met before.
When we got back, we sat on the outside deck for a while enjoying a beer until it began to cool off. Then, it was back indoors to feed the dogs and the usual television. Written February 24, 2024, read my other blog at https://pondblog2011.com
I had a very restless night tossing and turning and awake more than asleep. Some of the time, I lay there with my eyes closed but my mind was wide awake and at others, I managed to doze off. Needless to say, when morning came, I was fast asleep and it was 10:30 am before I actually crawled out of bed and even then, very reluctantly. Good job, I have nothing planned for today.
I wandered around raising the blinds to let the sun in and noticed that it was already warm in the RV. I changed the thermostat to air and with a welcome roar, the A/C kicked. Then, I lowered the blinds on the sun side.
Only in Texas do you need AC and heat on the same day but then again, only in Texas do temperatures fluctuate so much and go from one extreme to the other.
The next move was to bring out the bird feeders, making sure that they had seed in them. I tried a different arrangement of the hangers to see if I could even out how the birds eat. I have two identical large circular feeders that hold a lot of seed. Yesterday, I noticed that one was almost empty and the other almost still full up and they are right next to each other. Go figure…
I found a little bundle of feathers by the deck and checked it out. It turned out to be a sparrow that had probably run into the glass door of the RV and was dazed from the crash. It was still alive, so I kept my eye on it and gradually it recovered. It was gone by the morning either of its own volition or an animal of the night might have got it. I am hoping for the former.
We went out walking but did not go very far and only covered a half mile. Still, we have all day to make it up. Then, it was back indoors for breakfast which Sandy ate. I don’t mind if Mikey doesn’t eat breakfast as he is a light eater anyway, but I do worry about Sandy as her very expensive medication is mixed with the food. She is supposed to take it twice a day and sometimes, it is only once. I fixed my own breakfast and today, I had a couple of waffles covered in syrup along with the tea I have switched to at least for breakfast.
Then, it was blog time which meant, scratching the memory to remember what happened both yesterday and today up to the present moment. Because I had finished yesterday’s blog last evening, it was easy to remember what had happened so far today, mostly because it was not very much and almost a repetition of yesterday except for the getting up very late bit.
Luckily, I do not have any appointments of any kind today although I am thinking of going into town and after much consideration, that is exactly what I did. I needed to change all of the ink cartridges on my printer and that was my main reason for going into town. Of course, being in Walmart’s, I wandered around and bought a few other items. Some of it was food but I did buy four new Tee shirts. Then I spotted a pair of boots that I liked and found a size that would fit me. My others are pretty old, and I have had the soles replaced once before. Now, even with inserts, they are not very comfortable so maybe a new pair is in the offing.
The ones I picked out were comfortable and a different color than what I am used to. I bought them anyway and considered it money well spent. I made my way to the check out and would you believe that there was no wine in my cart? This is so unusual for me, but I have to let my stomach settle down before drinking that stuff again. Beer appears to be OK.
I drove back to Henli and considered stopping at Starbucks but found the idea very unappealing and drove straight home to be met by Sandy and Mikey. As usual, they helped to put the groceries and such away, but I never got any feedback from them on the new boots.
It was almost 5:00 pm when I got back, and we went out walking the last walk of the day before shutting up the outside shop and retirng indoors for the usual evenings food and entertainment.
I got up around 8:30 am to another sunny day. The wind had dropped considerably, and it was comfortable outside as I put out the bird feeders. Then we went out walking the outside road all the way to Hwy 290. We did not get to see any exotics or come to that, domestic animals this time around.
Back in the RV, I fixed breakfast and neither dog wanted to eat it. I ate mine, By the way, yesterday, I switched to tea as a beverage instead of coffee and liked it enough to do the same thing today. Heck, I was brought up on tea in England after all. I had to adapt to coffee when I came to America.
Then, it was time to write. I managed to remember what happened yesterday and brought us up to date. We have a busy day in front of us today with a visit to my Dentist in Austin.
After playing catch up with the blog, I put it to one side as it was time for me to make the drive into Austin to my Dentists who, by the way, had moved his offices to a brand-new site. It was not too far from the old place of business, and I arrived right at 1:00 pm, my appointment time.
The very nice, chatty lady worked on cleaning and getting things ready for the Dentists to do the final analysis which was that one tooth needed filling. I spent almost 2 hours in the chair with the bottom line that I need to come back in a couple of weeks for a filling.
I got out of there and started the drive home and ended up in heavy traffic. I finally got there, and it was almost 4:00 pm when I arrived.
As usual, the dogs were pleased to see me, and we harnessed up and wandered up Henly Loop almost to Hwy 290 before turning back. On the way back, we stopped to talk to Malinda who was sitting outside of the laundry room waiting for her wash to dry. Later, we were joined by Daniel, and we sat and drank a couple of beers.
Then, I headed back to The Caboose and put the bird feeders away for the day. The dogs and I sat outside on the deck, and I drank a beer which, incidentally, does not appear to disagree with me. So maybe, it is just the wine that is giving me problems, darn it as I like wine.
With the beer finished, we all went our separate ways, them to their RV and me, back to The Caboose.
The rest of the evening was spent in the usual fashion.
It was a funny old night. At times, I slept like the proverbial baby and at others, I lay there, wide awake. I glanced at the clock, and it said 7:00 am and I thought to myself, I can’t possibly get up at this god forsaken hour, just five more minutes…I managed to stretch it out until the clock said 7:30 am and crawled out of bed.
I took a shower and put on a complete change of clothes because it was due. I like to change every couple of days this time of the year. Hot and sweaty summer weather is a daily change. I do have a doctor’s appointment today, but it is not the kind where I take my clothes off as it is with my eye doctor. That is not until 1:40 pm.
We went out for the morning walk after I had refilled the bird feeders with the seed I bought yesterday. It is amazing how much seed the birds go through with the deer acting as the cleanup crew at night. It was chilly enough that we only did one circuit of the park which included a trip to the dumpster.
Back in the RV, I fixed breakfast of a taco that Peggy had given me as we walked around. It was meant for Daniel, but he had already left for places unknown. I accepted it gratefully. One man’s gain is another man’s loss and so on…
With both the dogs and me taken care of breakfast wise, I settled down to catch up with the blog trying to kill time before driving into Austin. Having a midday appointment is good in one way but it does mess up the day somewhat.
I got tired of sitting around waiting for the time to pass and after saying goodbye to my little furry friends, I drove into Austin for my 1:00 pm appointment, The traffic wasn’t too bad and I made good time which was a shame because after I arrived and walked in the door, the receptionist informed me that my appointment was for 1:40 pm. There was nothing else for it but to sit and wait and people watch.
Eventually, the eye testing person came and led me back to the area where they make things happen and went ahead starting in on a whole bunch of different tests. After about an hour or more of testing by a couple of different technicians and another much younger Doctor, everyone disappeared and finally Dr Tybor came in and did yet another bunch of tests. Two hours and forty-five minutes later, I walked out of there with the testing complete. The bottom line is that my eyes have not altered since the last testing and there was nothing that needed to be done this time around.
I paid my bill and said goodbye to everyone as I walked out of the door clutching a business card with my next appointment in August.
The drive home was straightforward, and I decided to go home a different way for a change, eventually arriving back at The Caboose to be met by my two dogs. We immediately harnessed up and then wandered around the park for a bit before returning back to the RV where I played blog catchup.
Then it was time for the last walk of the day which led us to Daniels and Malinda’s RV where they were sitting outside with Remington. When we first walked up, Remi was all happy barks to see the dogs but as we sat and chatted, she got more and more frustrated and, in the end, Malinda put her back inside their RV. I stayed for a bit longer and then we continued our walk around the park.
Incidentally, I refused the offer of a beer as I am still trying to discover the reason for my upset tummy. I am pretty sure that it is the wine as I tried a beer when I got back to my RV and there were not any side effects. Darn, one less bad habit to break.
I brought in the feeders and shut up the outside shop for the rest of the evening. I fixed us all food although Miss Sandy has one of her fussy moods on, again. Still, she eventually ate her food.
Then it was the usual sit and watch a Premier League game and this time, I got to watch Brighton and Hove Albion win by a 5 goal margin. Solly is out for the rest of the season.
I went to bed at 8:30 pm, an unheard-of time for me.
I got up around 8:00 am. I must be getting into an early rising habit. Yeah, right…
The first thing was to bring out the bird feeders and filling them as needed and then that daily walk. This time, we took the outside road leading down the hill. It had warmed up and the sun was shining brightly as we wandered around. We walked all the way down the hill to the bottom and then back up again to return to The Caboose and managed to cover 1.3 miles. Not bad for that first walk.
Then it was indoors for the usual breakfast but today, I chose to drink tea instead of coffee. It went down just fine along with a meat pie that I decided to eat. The dogs had their own food which neither finished. Their loss.
This was followed by working on the blog until we were all caught up. I looked around for other things to do differently than the normal run of the mill housekeeping chores and found a couple of things.
I decided that I should go into Dripping to do some grocery shopping and harnessed up the dogs for a short walkabout. Then, I hopped in the car for the short trip. One reas0n for the trip was because I was out of doggy poop bags and had to leave one of those delicate morsels where it lay after Sandy had done her business. I try to pick up after the dogs and be a good steward of the park. Besides, it’s the rule around here that you pick up your dog’s poop.
I wandered around HEB clutching my very short list and found the poop bags grabbing two packs which will last me probably at least three months. I had other things, but my list was pretty short. I wandered around to get in my walking miles as well as to buy a few groceries,
When I left the store, I contemplated on whether to buy a Latte, but it was not appealing. Boy, have I changed? Once upon a time, I could not pass a Starbucks without buying a Latte. Oh well, like everything else in my life, time marches on.
Back at the RV, I got all kinds of help with the groceries although some of it was questionable to say the least. After everything was put away, we harnessed up and went out for the final walk of the day. We ran into Greg who was following Olive around and trying to get her to walk in a somewhat straight line. Olive did not have her stick with her this time. Then we stopped at Crystal and Larry’s RV where both dogs were given a bunch of treats. Incidentally, they both know the way to this RV and drag me to it so they can get all of those goodies.
We finally ended up back at The Caboose and chose to sit outside for a bit before eventually going back inside for the evening. Following the evening meal all around, we sat and watched a Premier League game, but I started nodding off again and switched off the TV and we went to bed.
It was a strange night with periods of being awake and others of dozing off. I have no idea why I was so restless. Well, maybe I do because I had an upset stomach which was painful enough to keep me awake. This has happened a few times recently and maybe a trip to the Doctors is in my future. As it began to get daylight, I lay there feeling sorry for myself before deciding to get up. Incidentally, I had taken several stomach pills and I suppose that in the end they worked as the discomfort went away.
At that point, I got up and wandered around The Caboose pulling up the blinds to let the morning in. Then it was on with the harness and out the door to be met by a frigid blast of very cold area. The temperature was 31 degrees with an absolute howler of wind making it feel even colder.
We wandered around just long enough for the dogs to do their business and then made a beeline back indoors where I fixed us all breakfast. It was nice and warm inside the RV, so different than outside and I had no plans to go anywhere even though the sun was shining. Dog walking was the extent of my outside activities, and they would be short.
I turned my attention to writing the blog to keep caught up as much as possible and even then, I had to wrack my brain to remember what had happened in the past 24 hours. Most days are very repetitious with very little change in our routine, Sometimes, I will go into town grocery shopping or to my doctor’s office but most of the time, we walk for entertainment and exercise.
The rest of the day was spent in the same way and was very restful and come to that, very peaceful. At one point when I was sitting on the couch making a fuss of the dogs, I dozed off for a short time. I even seriously considered taking a nap but, in the end, just lay there with my eyes closed, relaxing.
Then it was time for the afternoon walk around the park. In the end, we got in exactly a mile for the day. Better than sitting but still not far enough. I used being as cold as it was as the excuse, and it had nothing to do with my laziness.
I brought in the feeders noticing how empty some of them were. I had filled them this morning, but I guess the birds were hungry. I have a flock of sparrows that use the feeders. The flock is probably 50 birds strong, so I am feeding a big family. I know what one of my chores is tomorrow morning…
We went back indoors for the evening meal followed by the usual television. This time, I did not drink anything as I usually do in the hope of helping out my stomach. It worked this time around and as I suspected; the wine is a part of the problem. Darn, it looks like I must forego my evening nightcap.at least for a while.
Just as I did the night before, I dropped off to sleep in the middle of a movie and so went to bed.
I awoke at a reasonable hour following a good night’s sleep without an upset tummy. So, it appears that alcohol may be the cause of the problem, darn it. Now, what do I do?
I lay there for a while noticing how cold it was anytime, I poked out from under the covers. I figured that the gas bottle was empty, which always happens at night. Eventually, I crawled out from under the covers and dressed and went outside, braving the cold blast that hit me when I opened the door. Sure enough, one of the bottles showed zero gas and I switched to the other bottle after changing out the empty for the spare I usually carry. The only time I don’t have a spare is if I am waiting for Daniel to refill the empty bottle which, by the way, is never longer than a day or two.
With the gas hooked back up and the empty placed where Daniel can see it, I went back indoors and waited for the heater to kick back on. Sometimes, it needs persuading to do just that which usually consists of shutting the gas off and then reopening it again. Generally, though, turning the thermostat off and then back on, will do the trick.
We went out walking as we usually do and just wandered around. It was very brisk out and Mikey wasn’t too happy being out in it. Sandy was in her element and pulled and tugged us in every direction. I had forgotten the phone and guessed we covered around a half mile before heading back to The Caboose.
There, I refilled every feeder and rehung them using up my supply of seed which means a trip to Tractor Supply for more. At the rate the seed is disappearing from the feeders, that means today.
Back inside the RV, I fixed breakfast all around. Mikey ate his and Sandy ate half of hers. I had a burrito which was OK and the all-important coffee, which was also, just OK. Then, it was blog time as I racked my brain trying to complete yesterday’s blog. Luckily, I managed to remember the important stuff.
I watched as the birds swarmed all over the feeders. Most of them were sparrows and the flock was at least 40 birds strong. No wonder, the feeders are empty every evening. They are a pretty jumpy lot, and the flock is always taking off and then re-settling as something real or imagined, goes by. I have eight feeders that are basically open holes in a tube with perches for the birds. These are very popular with the birds as they squabble over whose turn it is. There is one feeder that has a long perch the length of the feed tray on either side and for some reason. is not as popular as the others. Oh well…It means that I do not have to fill so often.
Incidentally, this is the feeder that I drove into Tractor Supply to get different seed for. I am going to put nothing but Millet in it and leave all the mixes in the other feeders. Maybe, I can get more birds to eat out of it. There was a non-stop stream of birds around the feeders, mostly sparrows. We did have a pair of doves and even a friendly squirrel today.
We went out for another walk and just wandered down as far as the Giant Oak before heading back. Altogether, we have been out walking three times today and covered about 2.5 miles. I say about as one walk, I forgot the phone.
After the last wander around, we adjourned back to The Caboose and brought in the bird feeders. At least, I remembered this time. With all the outside chores taken care of, we shut up shop and settled down for the evening meal and to watch the English Premier League At least, that was the plan but an hour later, I woke up from dozing and figured that if I was that tired, we should go to bed. It was only 8:30 pm but I guess I needed to sleep and so we did.
I had gone to bed early last night after all of the excitement of the day although, I awoke early as unknowingly, I waited for yesterday’s alarm to go off which it did. I had no reason to get up early and tried to go back to sleep but to no avail. So, there was nothing else for it but to crawl out of bed to face the day.
I decided to take a shower and then put on a change of clothes which was a good start. Feeling a little more human, I harnessed up the dogs and then tied them up as I attended to the bird feeders. Then it was time to go walking but first, as I usually do, I spent time refilling them. It is amazing just how much get wasted on the ground. Well, maybe it is not wasted as the deer do a very good job of vacuuming up the seed during the night. They certainly keep the place tidy as by morning, it is almost shipshape ready for the cycle to start all over again.
We went walking and took the road that leads to nowhere that runs past the RV Park. This road is one long slope and depending on which way you are walking, coming or going always seems to be uphill. It is quite a climb which is why I do not like walking it. The dogs did not care although Mikey had one of his lag behind days and I was constantly chiding him to “Come on”. He would hustle for a dozen steps to catch up and then drop back again. Maybe, it was some of his original training, if he had any, reminding him to walk to heel.
Back at the RV, I fixed the dogs their breakfast and then found something for me to eat. I have trouble finding food that I find both tasty and interesting enough to eat but this morning, I heated a packet of Cheese Ravioli in tomato sauce which was very tasty, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was almost lunch time anyway.
I worked on the blog and brought it up to date and then posted it and looked around for other things to do. I decided to go into Dripping and go grocery shopping. I did not need very much but top of the list was beer for the campground, my contribution to our parties.
I wandered around HEB and found all of the things on my list plus a couple more, of course. On the way home. for the first time in a while, I stopped at Starbucks and bought a small Latte.
Back at the RV, I got a lot of help from the dogs unloading and then putting away the groceries. Sandy was demanding to go walking so we went through the harness routine and started to wander around for a bit and on the way back, Daniel called me over for a beer. Jeff and Terri were sitting there, and I walked in the direction of their RV. Remi was barking up a storm and I dropped the leash and the dogs both raced over to Remi who greeted them with lots of barking and nose rubbing. Dogs have it made.
After a while, both Jeff and Terri left and the three of us sat and chatted for a bit until Daniel suggested we go to Henly to eat. That sounded fine to me, and Daniel told me that he was driving but in my car as his had a trailer hitched to the back of his. I did not care and happily put the dogs inside The Caboose and jumped in the passenger side of my own car.
Daniel made good time on the drive and commented on the Jeep and how well it drove. I think he was serious and not just being polite. The Restaurant was busy but not crowded and we sat and enjoyed a very nice meal. As usual, my Haddock and rice was way too much food and I ended up having a “to Go” box. Daniel had ordered a pitcher of beer and between the two of us, we finished it up. Malinda had a different drink.
The drive back was uneventful but fast with Daniel driving again. He parked the Jeep in front of my RV, and we said our “Goodnights” following a very enjoyable evening. My two little friends jumped all over me, glad to see me back as was I.
We sat and watched television until I awoke again after having dropped off to sleep and we went to bed.
I awoke early and even made myself get up instead of just lying there. The intention was to go out for a bit longer walk and so I harnessed up the dogs and off we went. I did not even spend time on the bird feeders figuring I would work on them when we came back.
We wandered around the park and on the outside road in and some instances, covering the same ground twice. There were a few people out and about, some with dogs and we went through the usual dog meets dog routine. Either that or quickly change direction to avoid the encounter altogether.
Back at the RV, I worked on refilling the bird feeders which empty pretty darn quickly. Especially the big ones that hold a lot of seed. On the other hand, I have a couple that have the same seed in them as the rest, but the birds will not eat out of them. Go figure…
Back inside the RV, I fixed the dogs breakfast, made my coffee and then re-heated the left over from yesterday evening’s meal from The Boil Shack and had a fish breakfast. I cannot remember ever having had fish for breakfast before, but it did not taste any different than if it had been lunch or dinner.
Then it was time to wrack my brain trying to remember what happened yesterday and last evening. I sat for a long while catching up with the blog and then looked around for other things to do. I thought about going into town but in the end, put it off for another day as I really did not need that much.
We went out walking and had not gone very far, only to the girls RV, and I saw they were sitting outside along with Malinda and Daniel. The dogs spotted them when I let them go and they galloped off to meet the Hooman’s and of course Remington. I finally caught up and took the beer that had been thrust in my hands.
We sat outside for a bit, and it suddenly started to rain resulting in a mad dash to get indoors. The girls have a big RV and they had seats for all of us as we sat and chatted and drank a couple of beers. We listened to a number of funny stories from Daniel and Malinda, not to be outdone, came back with stories of her own. All in all, it was a fun evening.
Daniel and Malinda headed back to their RV, and I sat and chatted for another 30 minutes or so before we headed out the door. Only then, did I realize that I had not brought in the feeders. They were still all intact as the deer had not yet visited. I brought them all in and put them away and we headed indoors to shut up shop for the night.
I fixed our evening meal and as we usually do, we sat and watched TV for a while cut short by me dropping off to sleep, again. An hour or so later, I awoke from my uncomfortable position in the armchair, and we went to bed.
I got up early as I was well aware that today, at least for us, was going to be a busy one. The morning started off as it normally does except this time, I had set the alarm to wake me at the god-awful hour of 7:00 am. I hardly know that time exists except on days like today.
I had a couple of important things to do, and it started with the dogs jumping in the Jeep and us taking the drive into Dripping Springs to the dog groomers located there. We have been here before, for a Sandy haircut. This is a first for Mikey who does not need trimming anywhere near as much as Miss Sandy. I chatted to the receptionist and then they carried the dogs to the back.
I walked out of the door feeling a little lonely without my two buddies and made the drive back to the RV. My next appointment was also very important, as I had to drive to Austin to get my Driver’s License renewed. Hopefully, it will go well as my age is now a factor.
Back in the lonely RV, I fixed breakfast and thought about the day ahead. I knew it was going to be busy with a lot of sitting around and just waiting because of the appointment for the Driver’s License renewal. The drive in was uneventful and I decided to stop where I had hit the deer in the hope that I might find the missing license plate from the Jeep.
Needless to say, there was no luck in that direction, so we headed on into Austin. On the way, I stopped at the Jeep place and ordered the part to replace the one broken by the dogs leash. It was not cheap, nearly $400.00, but what the heck? I will take it out of the dogs allowance.
From there, I headed into Austin to the Driver’s License Department to renew my own license. I have reached the stage in my licensing career when I can only renew for two years at a time.
As expected, the place was absolutely packed with a waiting list a mile long. Still, I had to renew to be legal and went about the business of filling out forms and then just sitting around waiting for my name to be called. There were around 50 people waiting as was I.
People were coming and going, and the wait went on forever like the best part of three hours before I finally walked out of there. At least my license was renewed for a couple more years and a lot can happen in that time. If I am able to renew again, I will be 90 years old. I can already hear the comments…I struck up a conversation with the lady sitting next to me. She too was an older lady but not yet my age, so we had that in common and we chatted to pass the time. I was one number ahead of her and the last I saw of her was in the Parking Lot as we both got into our cars.
The drive home was long but uneventful, but I did go around in a couple of circles finding my way out of Austin. On the way to the groomers in Dripping Springs, it was bumper to bumper traffic especially through Oak Hill where the road construction is ongoing.
I stopped to pick up my two little buddies who were as pleased to see me as I, them. They both looked pretty sharp with their new haircuts. Sandy was cut short as she tends to tangle a lot. Mikey was just a trim which suited him just fine and he looked good.
As expected, both of them squeezed onto my lap for the drive home in bumper to bumper traffic and gratefully jumped out when we reached the RV. As they were already harnessed up, we went out for a walk around the park stopping at Crystal and Larry’s for their usual treats.
Back in the RV, I tied them up so they could watch as I brought in the feeders for the night. Then we adjourned to The Caboose for the usual evening meal. All in all, a busy but productive day.
I lay in bed all warm and snuggly with two dogs for company. None of us wanted to get up and so we just lay there until finally, I crawled out. We have nothing planned for today but tomorrow is going to be a busy day with the dogs going to the groomers and me having to renew my driver’s license. Both are very important.
It was still a bit blustery outside but not quite as cold as yesterday and the first job of course, was to bring out and then re-fill the feeders for our feathered friends. The dogs are of no help in this operation except to sit and supervise with Sandy muttering under her breath, “Why can’t he hurry up. I gotta “go”.
With the birds finished for another day, we wandered around with Miss Sandy leading the way as she usually does. Every now and then, Mikey takes it into his head to be lead dog, but he quickly reverts to form and joins me as we trudge along behind the Boss Lady.
We wandered around and then headed back to The Caboose for breakfast and for me, coffee and toast. Then it was time to play catch up with the blog but luckily, I am not behind except for the normal one-day lapse. Good job as with my memory, I would have to make things up.
After working on the blog, I sat on the couch with the dogs which was my first mistake. The second one was closing my eyes and although I did not sleep, I just stayed there very comfortably sitting on the couch with a dog on either side of me.
We stayed that way for an hour or more until Miss Sandy started getting restless because she had to “go”. We harnessed up and went out walking the park and hit the road all the way down to the Giant Oak Tree. Altogether, we managed to cover 1.5 miles for the day. Not bad for walking with a sore knee. I hope the damn thing gets better soon as it is very restrictive.
Back in the RV, we sat outside for a while although it was a bit on the cool side, just drinking a beer and relaxing. I seem to do a lot of that. Most of the time was spent watching the birds and their antics on the feeders and when we came back inside, the birds continued to amuse me. After a bit, I went back outside and brought in the feeders for the night to keep them away from the deer. Actually, the deer in their own way are very helpful as the birds make such a mess and the area below the feeders is covered in seed and such. The deer did a good job of vacuuming it up.
Back indoors, I worked on the blog and brought it up to date before the usual evening meal and television and food for my little friends.
I got up early and heard the wind howling around the RV and just knew that our walk was not going to be that comfortable. It was chilly out and I was glad of my heavy jacket. The first thing was the bird feeders both filling and hanging before we went out to wander around. We only made one loop of the Breakroom before returning to the warmth of The Caboose. Even the dogs were glad to get back inside.
I fixed us breakfast and then went about the task of folding yesterday’s laundry and putting it away. Then I spent time on both the computer and the phone first making sure the current Jeep insurance policy was in effect before cancelling another one that I had taken out thinking that the original was out of date. For some reason, I had tried to insure the Jeep twice, which of course is a waste of money and probably illegal. Besides, the Jeep is not worth that much except to me.
With that business taken care of, I looked around for other things to do. Then I remembered that Sandy was out of her very expensive pills, and I called the Vet to make arrangements for me to pick them up later today. My Vet is almost into Austin, and I racked my brains to see if there was anything else I needed that called for a trip to Walmart’s as I was so close. I could not come up with anything and so drove in just to pick up her pills.
The trip both there and back was uneventful, which is the way I like them. Just for a change, I decided to take the long way back as it was quite pleasant driving inside the warm cab. Not so much outside as the wind was still blowing very strong plus it was cold.
I arrived back at The Caboose to be met by my little friends and we immediately harnessed up and went out wandering as we usually do. It had warmed up quite a bit, but the wind still had a chill to it. We wandered around for a bit but finally found ourselves back where we had started.
Back indoors after unharnessing the dogs, I sat down and caught up with the blog. By now, it was almost 5:00 pm and would be dark in an hour. We had no reason to go back outdoors for today so we “shut up shop” lowering the blinds and such and turning on the indoor lights and the fireplace which is such a cheerful sight.
Then, it was, feed the dog s time and finally feed me. Sometimes, I wish I did not have to eat as more and more, food to me is not enjoyable. Probably an age thing. I eat because I must eat not for pleasure. That is probably the reason why I have kept my weight to 165 pounds. The only difference now is once there was muscle and now there is fat…Big sigh.
I watched television accompanied by Mikey sitting in the recliner alongside me. Sandy was off on her own, which is the way she likes it. She is very reluctant to jump up on my lap most of the time and then doesn’t stay there very long.
The next thing I remember is watching a football game, English style and then waking up at half time. That was it for us as we wandered off into the bedroom for that well-earned rest.
I awoke after a very good night’s rest and the bedside clock said it was 10:35 am. I had to do a double take as I could not believe my eyes that was really the time. Luckily, we had nothing planned and I crawled out no more rejuvenated for the late start than at my “normal” time. That damn bed can be so comfortable and inviting sometimes, especially if I have nothing planned for the day.
The first course of action after the usual morning ablutions was to harness up the dogs so they could watch as I brought out the bird feeders. The feeders were still pretty full from yesterday so I did not have to refill anything. It had rained overnight and there was a lot of standing water everywhere. We need the rain plus a lot more.
We wandered around the park not really going anywhere except the dumpster which is usually the first thing we hit every morning. We managed to cover a half mile and even Sandy was not into walking. We came back to The Caboose, and I fixed our breakfast.
Then it was time to work on the blog and I spent the next hour or so doing just that. It came on to rain which was most welcome and as we did not have anything planned, it did not interfere with us at all. It really was a dull and gloomy day, and I was glad that we did not have to be outside for any reason except the dog walks and I could pick and choose their timing.
I got a text message from Peggy reminding me of the dinner planned for this evening in the Commons. Good job she called as I had forgotten all about it. Tonight, we are having spaghetti and meatballs, one of my all-time favorite’s foods.
I took the dogs out one more time and we wandered around and managed to cover a mile for the day, which is our daily goal. I like the days I am in the big stores as I can really rack up the mileage just wandering around. I put the dogs back in the RV and wandered over to the Breakroom where the usual crowd was gathered. Much to my surprise, instead of a beer, I had a cup of coffee pushed into my hands. I had no problem with that as coffee mixes better with food than beer does.
The girls had cooked up spaghetti and meatballs and it was delicious. There was ice cream for dessert, another one of my favorites so all in all, I made out very well.
Malinda was babysitting her three grandkids, the oldest, a girl, being around nine going on eighteen and the youngest of two boys I believe is six. They interacted very well with the adults, a sign of a good all-around upbringing.
I finally left and wandered back to my RV and watched a Premier League game after feeding the dogs.
Today, I awoke at a reasonable hour and jumped out of bed ready to go. Well, in my mind maybe. I sort of laid around before finally getting up and taking a shower which felt so good that I overindulged and spent a lot of time (and water) standing under it.
I finally got out and dressed ready to face another day, sort of. It was a cold and blustery outside and I was reluctant to go out but had to knowing that the dogs had to go. Well Sandy had to go as Mikey had an accident overnight and pooped in the house. He sometimes will do that if his tummy is upset. One of the prices to pay for having pets.
It was cold out and very blustery and not a bit comfortable, but needs must as the saying goes. We wandered around with Miss Sandy taking us here, there, and everywhere as she usually does. We actually did pretty good and walked a mile, (in my own shoes).
On our return, I started the usual things like getting breakfast and that all important coffee. I have two coffee machines. One is the type that froths the milk for a Latte in one action and makes coffee in another. It still froths the milk but for some reason definitely unknown to me, will not brew coffee so I had gone out and bought a small coffee maker to do that part of it. Well, today that small coffee maker thing blew up in my face. Well maybe, blew up is too strong a word but it definitely stopped working after making several strange clunking noises and a couple of bangs. I could not get it to work and as coffee is an important part of my day, decided that there was nothing for it but to go into town and buy a new one. I jumped in the Jeep and made the short trip to HEB as that is where I had bought the original one. Sure enough, they had one exactly the same which I grabbed and then looked around for something for breakfast, finally settling on bacon to put in a sandwich.
Back in the RV, I washed the new coffee maker as per the instructions and then brewed coffee with no surprises. I had the bacon in the microwave doing its thing and eventually ended up with a bacon sandwich and coffee. I really had to work hard for that one with the trip into town and all.
I had started a load of laundry remembering to open the drain lines, and the washing machine was working hard all the time the bacon sandwich saga was going on. I also had some meat cooking in the countertop cooker, so we were busy on several fronts. Just as well as it was too cold and very dull and blustery to be doing anything outdoors. Not that I have anything that needs doing as I had refilled all the feeders this morning.
With the writing all caught up, I looked around for other things to get up to, not very successfully, I might add. With the wind blowing and the drop in temperature, I was very happy to be indoors in the warmth.
Later on, we went out for another walk and just wandered around. With the trip into town, I managed to cover 2.3 miles for the day. Love walking the Big Box Stores.
The rest of the evening was spent watching an English Premier League game.
We got to see this guy the other day and again, he was all by himself. The deer were probably close by as they usually are, but we did not see them.
I had a terrible night, tossing and turning and because I was awake, several trips to the bathroom. Finally, I could stand it no longer and got up to face the day. Again, we have nothing planned and getting up early did not count for much. I harnessed up the dogs and they sat tied up to the table as I went about the bird business. I ran out of seed but had enough to re-fill all the feeders. A trip into town is called for if only to get the seed.
We walked around the Park but did not go far, just enough to get us started. Both of my knees are sore for reasons unknown except old age and walking was not much pleasure. We did cover 0.6 tenths of a mile which is not very good by our normal standards. The trip into HEB, Home Depot and Tractor Supply will help later today.
I caught up with the blog finishing and posting yesterday and brought today up to date. By then, it was already 1:00 pm. I had a couple of other chores which I took care of and then took the dogs out for another walk. I had decided that the trip into town was now a necessity hence the dog walk.
When we returned to the RV, I put the dogs inside, hopped in the Jeep and away I went into the wild blue yonder. Wait a minute, that is a World War 2 song, and I was driving a Jeep not flying an airplane…
My first stop on the way in was at Tractor Supply for bird seed. I bought two 40lb bags of the stuff. Probably, the birds will waste one bag and eat the other one. Wasteful things, birds. Usually, the deer eat the dropped seed off the ground, overnight. Even though Mother Nature’s clean-up crew are at work, it is not a good thing as it keeps bringing the deer back.
With the seed safely tucked away in the back of the car, our next stop was HEB. I did make a stop at The Home Depot along the way but only to enquire if they sold printer ink (which they don’t) so I moved on. I wandered around HEB and managed to spend $170.00 on everyday things. The only luxury item was a case of beer for general consumption back at the RV Park. My small contribution to our wild and crazy get togethers.
Back at the RV, I unloaded the groceries with a lot of help from my two little friends whose noses were going a mile a minute at all of the wonderful smells. The roast chicken especially was very attractive even to me.
We went out for another walk, this one for the dogs and just wandered around. Daniel spotted us and waved for us to come over. Both Daniel and Malinda were there along with Terri although Jeff was nowhere in sight. We sat there with a beer and chatted about everything and before long Donna joined us followed by “The Girls”. We chatted for a long time before BJ said she wasn’t feeling well and went back to her RV. Her leaving started a general movement back to our own RV’s and with “Thank You’s and “Goodnights”, we went on our way.
I really am lucky guy to have found such a wonderful group of people plus the ones that were not there last evening like Gary, Jeff and Delores. We are there for each other and help is always only an ask away.
I had managed to consume three beers during the course of the evening. That would have been four except the dogs knocked a half full can over and I did not notice it in time for the rescue. Oh well, three beers are good.
Back in the RV, I found food for the dogs and then something for me to munch on as I tuned in to yet another English Premier League game. When I awoke, it was half time in the game, and I had missed it. I gave up watching as a bad job and we went to bed to fall instantly asleep.
I did not sleep that well and for some reason, had to answer the call of Nature almost a half dozen times, mostly because I was awake. It is never that many when I sleep well. One of the banes of growing old. I have no idea why I did not sleep as well as I should have. I was like waiting for the morning to come so I could get up…
We harnessed up and walked around after the usual, bird feeders’ routine and managed to walk 8/10 of a mile, which is a good start. As we have no plans for today, this leaves lots of time to get our quota which is the minimum of a mile a day and more if possible. I got to stay healthy somehow and as my running days are long gone, I must rely on the dogs to keep me exercised. Incidentally, I never hear them complain about walking too much unless the weather is bad.
Following our walk, we adjourned back inside of The Caboose for breakfast all around and this time, Sandy ate hers as did Michael. I made a bacon sandwich for myself, and it was OK. Something missing in the taste though.
Then it was time to sit in front of the computer and play catch up with the blog. Luckily, I thought I was not far behind and only had to write about yesterday afternoon and then start on this morning. Nothing of major importance had happened anyway so it was easy, and we have no plans for today. It took a while to play catch up with the posting, but I finally managed to bring it up to date. For some reason, it turns out that I had not posted in four days although I don’t know why as I try to post every day.
We completed the blog and just sat around waiting for the next thing to get up to. As nothing showed up, I just relaxed and tried to doze off. I could not even do that and just sat there with my eyes closed pretending to be asleep. The dogs took full advantage of my laziness and zonked off, one on each side of me. It seems that unless I have a trip into town or something similar, I have nothing to get up to in the afternoons.
Time, as it always does, marched on and soon it was time to go out for the afternoon walk around the park. Unless it is a Sunday, we always include checking my mailbox on our afternoon walk. I have changed nearly all of the forwarding addresses to Henly and get very little anymore from my PO Box at Far West. Maybe I can close that one in the near future.
We went out for the final walk of the day and although not great, we managed to cover 1.3 miles.
I slept like the proverbial log except for the bathroom calls, one of the banes of getting old. Stil, if making frequent trips is the price to pay for growing old, I’ll take it.
I got up late around 9:30 and we went through the usual morning procedures of bird feeders and harnessing up the dogs. Then we walked around the park. We only crossed paths with one other dog and its owner. I tried to walk the outside roads but there was no shelter from the wind which was blowing up a storm this morning. We turned back into the park where the RV’s and trees act as windbreaks which made for much easier walking. We only walked a half mile.
Back in the RV, I fixed us breakfast and then hopefully devised a new way for Sandy to take her medicine, First, I gave her some of the meaty portions of her food for her to eat which she did. Then, I repeated the process only this time added her crushed up pill to it. Incidentally, she eats on the bed which of course is in the other room so I never know what I will see when I check. Lo and behold, she had cleaned up her bowl. Yay, something going right for a change.
We sat and worked on the blog which did not take long as we have been keeping up to date. Most of everything we do happens in the morning and unless I go into town or something similar, the afternoons are usually the same day in day out. Mostly, doing nothing.
I was looking through some documents that are on my computer and noticed that my car insurance was due for renewal and spent some time working on it. Incidentally, I looked around for a new insurance company as the current one wanted to charge me $1000.00 a month. I ended up going back to one of my original companies for half that price. I expect to pay more because of my age but a thousand dollars a month was ridiculous. Incidentally, I do not drive very much anyway, just the occasional trip into town for groceries and an odd trip into Austin and that is about it. The Jeep does a lot of sitting and waiting. It is very patient about it though with no complaints…
We went out for the afternoon walk and just wandered around. We stopped at Larry and Crystals for the dogs to get their usual treats and then at the Office for more, this time from Terri, the Office Manager. We were at the Office checking our mailbox which is located outside. We wandered back to The Caboose and shut up shop for the evening after sitting outside for a while and then bringing in the bird feeders. This is generally the last thing we do every day, unless I forget. I know that the deer will have emptied them by the time I get up and go outside in the morning.
I slept well waking up a little after 8:00 am and made a big effort to actually get up. Once, out of bed, I put on my jacket remembering how nippy it was outside yesterday morning. It was a sunny day outside and we harnessed up for the usual morning chores like bringing out the bird feeders. Altogether, I have eleven feeders hanging up around the RV. Two are in the tree, two are on the deck and the rest are on hanger poles. In the spring, that number will increase as I will have at least four hummingbird feeders hanging up.
I had not been out very long before I discovered that the sun had some heat to it so off came the jacket while I finished re-filling the feeders. Today was a “big” day as just about every one of them needed topping up.
With the birds all set for another day, we wandered around the park with no specific direction in mind but for some reason, none of us were into walking and we only covered a half mile.
Back at The Caboose, it was the usual breakfast all around. Neither Mikey nor Sandy ate theirs. It is so aggravating as they ate the same stuff yesterday. For a change, I ate sardines on toast which was very tasty although I prefer the sardines to be in Tomato sauce, and these were in oil. Still, I ate them anyway.
Then it was blog time and I sat writing for a while bringing us up to date or should that read, up to the minute?
It was a very slow day with not much of anything going on. The high point was the walks around the park although it was quiet with only one new RV pulled in. The usual dogs and their people were out walking. We must all be on the same timetable.
We did a lot of sitting around and I tried to take a nap but all I managed to do was sit there with my eyes closed. Still, even that was restful and peaceful, and we managed to pass a couple of hours this way. Then it was time to walk again, and we just wandered around going nowhere, fast.
The rest of the evening was spent in the usual way. All in all, a very quiet day.
I slept very well and awoke around 8:00 am. Not to ruin a good thing, I got up immediately and lifted the blinds to let in the morning sun and the heat along with it. After the usual morning ablutions, we harnessed up and went outside, I brought out the bird feeders which I had almost forgotten to bring in last evening and then we went walking the park.
The wind was howling with gusts up to 35 mph and it had a real chill to it. Needless to say, we made a short circuit around the RV and came straight back indoors.
I fixed breakfast and Miss Sandy, and I had some strong words about her eating habits which currently are nonexistent as she leaves everything, I give her which is no different than what she is used to. I do not mind her not eating as goodness only knows, she is a bit on the chunky side, but it means she is not taking her heart medicine which is a worry. Maybe, I need to find another way to administer it.
It was warm and toasty in the RV and I settled down to write the blog. Mikey was in his usual spot, on my lap, where he is allowed to stay until I get uncomfortable with sitting in one position with my knees closed tightly together to make Mikey a resting place. Then I gently usher him off to his own chair as I stretch to try to get the feeling back in my legs.
I could hear the wind howling around the RV and felt warm and very comfortable inside. I sat there and wondered if there was anything that I needed to do or worry about. I do need to get my taxes together, so I started to put together some of the paperwork. I am still waiting for some of it to come back to me from the different companies involved. I hate tax time…
I got as far as I could get with that for the time being and sat around for a while just contemplating and trying hard to doze off. It did not happen, so I harnessed up the dogs who were more than willing to go out walking.
We wandered around and ended up at the mailbox and of course, checked to see if there was anything of interest. The answer was a definitive, “No”. I collected what was in there and we continued walking and ended up at Larry and Crystals who feed my dogs treats. It occurred to me that I do not know their dogs name and will find out next time we stop. Incidentally, their dog is of the large variety and still a puppy. He tends to be a bit rough with my dogs and so they do not play with him when we visit. They stay as far away from him as they possibly can. He had already scratched me when I happened to get too close. Just his youthful exuberance.
We wandered on after thanking Larry and Crystal for the dog treats and managed to walk 1.1 miles for the day, which was not bad considering how uncomfortable it was outside with the very cold and strong wind.
Back in the RV, it was the usual thing for the evening. I caught up with the blog and then fed both dogs before finding something that I could munch on. Then it was the usual English Premier League game and the end of the evening.
I awoke to a freezing cold bedroom because the heat was off as the gas bottle had run out… again. I lay there for a while figuring out in my mind what I needed to do. Quite obviously, I had to get up as I could not change out the bottle while lying in bed. The problem was that the bed was snug and warm and very inviting and getting up meant leaving all of that, putting some clothes on and going outside where it was even colder.
I lay there for a while and in the end, common sense prevailed, and I jumped out and quickly and put on my tracksuit. Then, I opened the door and stepped outside braving that first jolt of cold air. After a couple of minutes, I figured out it was not so bad, and I quickly switched over the empty bottle to the full one. I didn’t change out the empty bottle itself waiting until I was fully clothed as this trip was just to get heat in the RV.
Back inside the RV, I switched the thermostat lower to get it started and it was not long before the furnace kicked in and we had warm air circulating again. It’s funny that as far back as I can remember, I have yet to have a gas bottle go empty during the day and we use heat in the daytime the same as at night.
I put on some practical clothes after the usual three S’s and harnessed up the dogs so we could go for a short walk. First though, I brought out the feeders and as they were all full, rehung them. We set off not intending to go far as I had a breakfast appointment with everybody at 10:00 am in the Commons. We wandered around for a bit before returning to the RV.
My next move was to wander over to the breakroom where the usual gang was assembled and this time, for a change, I was not the last to arrive. Included in the party were BJ and Peggy who were the ones that put it all together. Delores, Daniel and Malinda, Gary, Jeff and Terri, Donna and myself. We sat down to a meal of biscuits and sausage gravy and Cowgirl Quiche which was delicious. As usual, it was too much food for me and I noticed that Gary, who I was sitting next to me, could not eat all his either. Following the food, we sat around for a bit drinking coffee and chatting until gradually, we began to leave one by one.
Back at the RV, I harnessed up the guys and we went out walking. This time we hit the trail and took the outside lane and then the bottom road and with the earlier walk, managed to cover 2.4 miles before heading back indoors. for the dog’s breakfast. Sandy had one of those days where she would not eat her food meaning she did not get to take her pill and not getting the healing effects that the pills are supposed to give. It was also another $3:00 down the proverbial drain which is not as important as keeping her well.
Back inside the RV, I did some writing and caught up with the blog and then did a lot of sitting around just being lazy. I happened to glance up at the clock and it said that it was almost 4:00 pm. I had no idea where the day had gone.
We harnessed up again and went out walking this time taking Henly Loop towards Hwy 290. There were a lot of deer visible in the preserve and we got a couple of pictures albeit from a distance. Altogether we covered 3.7 miles for the day. One of our best yet.
The rest of the evening was spent in the usual way with food all around and television.
I awoke at 1:00 am wide awake and ready to go until I looked at the clock and saw what time it was. Then, like magic, I was tired again and went back to sleep. I awoke at a much more sensible time around 9:00 am and managed to crawl out from under the covers. I don’t know why the bed is so inviting. It is certainly not because of any beautiful young lady lying there and the dogs are a very poor substitute, so it has got to be something else. Probably because of my age and that sleeping is easy and very comforting and makes up for that missing young lady…
After the usual morning ablutions, we harnessed up for the first walk of the day. I tied the dogs to the garden table and then went about the usual bird feeder routine. Depending on whether I must refill the feeders decides how long this task can take.
With the feeders filled and hung, we went out walking around the park and stopped at Larry and Crystals although we only got to chat with Larry. He took over the role of dog feeder and handed out treats to all three dogs. Sandy especially really pigs out on those treats and usually manages to get at least three of them before we go on our way.
We made one loop of the park which includes walking the outside lane to get to the bottom entrance. Today we turned in and walked back up through the park to The Caboose, a distance of 0-7 miles. The wind was very strong with gusts up to 35 mph which made for interesting walking.
Back at the RV, we sat outside for a while as the sun was warm even though the wind was strong. Finally, we came back inside for breakfast which both Mikey and I ate. Sandy? Well, she did her Sandy thing of ignoring her food, so we ignored her. No idea why she will not eat what I put in front of her.
I settled down in front of the computer and wrote about today so far. Nothing of any major importance has happened and hopefully won’t for the rest of the week. Our next big event is to renew my driver’s license but that is not until the 14th of this month. That is a really big deal for me. We have no plans for the rest of today and as windy as it is, I am not going very far. Walkies are my limit. I glanced up at the clock and it was already 2:00 pm.
I had started a load of laundry to be doing its thing as I wrote and had also changed out the bed covers for a clean set and had thrown the used sheets in the washing machine as well. Now, all I must do is wait for the clothes to dry before folding them and putting them away. I just love having my own washing machine and the only thing I must remember is to open the drain before starting the machine otherwise, we would have a flood indoors.
I glanced out of the window at the bird feeders and noticed that we had a squirrel eating at the seed. The last one somehow died after leaving the feeder and I found it on the road. It did not appear to have been run over or hurt, that I could tell. Hope this one has better luck. They do not eat much, not like the deer who inhale all the seed in one mighty gulp and then tip the feeders sideways to empty more out. The one good thing that the deer do is to clean up any surplus seed that the birds have dropped under the feeders.
We sat and wrote in the blog until we were caught up and by that time, the wash was ready. With help from both dogs, we eventually folded everything that needed it and put everything away.
I remembered to go outside and close the drains. The reason we do this is so that the fluids do not drain out and leave the solids (poop) behind. By keeping the drains closed, the solids are mixed in with the fluids and we have some control over when to drain them, flushing everything out at the same time. Great subject to write about!
We went out for another walk around the park but did not go very far as the wind had a real chill to it. I found it uncomfortable and even Sandy was glad to turn back. Incidentally, the wind was strong enough that I could hear it howling around the RV.
The rest of the day was spent lounging around doing a whole lot of nothing. I even broke one of my own rules and watched Brighton play. I try not to watch TV through the day if at all possible.
