Tag: Bastrop Animal Clinic

Follow Up to the Last Blog

June 16th, 2021
05/24/2021

Bastrop County Courthouse

Even though it was raining pretty hard on Saturday, I decided that I really needed to drive back to the house and load out the Savio filtering system that I had promised BJ. I had thought long and hard about postponing it until next week when the weather might be a bit nicer and not teeming down with rain but was concerned that things might start moving Estate Sale wise, a lot faster and I do not want to be around as those preparations move forward.

So, I bit the bullet and loaded the dogs in the truck. They didn’t care rain or no rain as long as they got to go for a ride with me or maybe it’s just the ride in the truck regardless of who is driving. Luckily, as we got closer to the house, the rain eased off and apart from one small shower, remained good all the while I was dismantling the filter unit. With it loaded in the truck, we headed back to Henly and the Eagle stopping of course at Starbucks for the inevitable latte. Those things will either be the death of me or I will need to take out a loan…

The next day being a Sunday, the main reason for trying to get this all organized to happen on this day was so that Sandy could get both her Rattlesnake booster and Rabies shot which I thought was missed a couple of weeks ago. The Bastrop Animal Shelter clinic is only open a couple of days a week, Sunday being one of them. Another reason to make the trip was that the truck needed filling up and I knew we would be passing the Exxon station at Cedar creek which has the cheapest prices for diesel and gasoline for miles around. I barely made it according to the readout as it showed that we were down to 60 miles left in the tank when we pulled in. Not being sure how accurate these readouts are, I sweated a bit until we pulled up to the pump. It actually took quite a while to diesel up as first the pump wouldn’t start and I had to get the attendant to help me. Of course, the minute she walked up to the pump and touched the lever, it started right away making me feel like a complete idiot. This particular pump shuts off after pumping 30 gallons so I had to repeat the process for a second time in order to fill the tank. I have a 60 gallon tank that I have installed for the longer trips when hauling the Eagle as not all gas stations can accommodate an F250 truck hauling a 33ft 5th wheel trailer especially given the height of the RV at close to 13 feet. With the truck only getting 9-11 mpg when hauling, the small 22 gallon original tank that came with the truck good for maybe 200 miles when hauling would require a couple of fill ups a day on any long trip, not what I wanted to have to do.

The total cost was $158.00 and happy at having a full tank with the readout showing it good for 940 miles, I headed to Bastrop Animal Shelter. As it happens, there were only a couple of other people with their pets in front of me and it was no time at all when one of the technicians whisked her away and just as quickly brought her back with the same admonishment that she needed to lose weight. Sandy just looked on, a picture of innocence as we discussed her eating habits. She only had the Rattlesnake booster as the Rabies that she received last year is good for 3 years and this is her second year. They did give me a new certificate and outlined this so that the groomers would understand. Who knows where we will be in a years time so this might well be the last time we visit this clinic. Sad really as they are such nice doctors and technicians and the place is subsidized making for much cheaper cost.

We headed back to BJ’s house which is also in Bastrop and by now, it was really raining. After unloading the Savio Filter, we all went inside and drank coffee and just chatted for a bit about the world, this country and all of it’s woes, the Pond Society and the upcoming tour, which incidentally, I don’t miss. Funnily enough, the talk turned to politics even the old adage goes you should never talk politics with your friends but with our joint dislike for both Trump and the Republican Party it seemed the most natural thing to do. Not sure if we solved any of the problems but we gave it a good try. Like minds and all of that stuff. While the adults chatted, the kids, I mean dogs, had a fine old time sniffing around the new surroundings. I like visiting BJ and Sam as invariably BJ will send us home with some goodies or another. She is a good cook and this time is was a container of Lasagna. Sam is very interesting to talk to being an Engineer from way back. He amused us today with his stories of building a canoe, the type that is enclosed with only a small opening for the occupant, only to realize that he was too big to fit into it and ended up giving it away.

The drive home was unpleasant to say the least as it rained hard the entire way. That did not stop the truck from turning into the Starbucks in Bastrop seemingly of its own accord. I really need to work on that and either reprogram the truck or me or maybe, both. Neither did it stop other traffic from whizzing by regardless of the driving conditions. You have to wonder just what it is with some people when they get behind the wheel of a car?

For the very first time, we bypassed the house having nothing to stop for and made our way back to the Eagle. With the rain stopped, Sandy decided that we needed some exercise and took Me and Mikey out walking which was a very nice way to end the day.

Tuesday 05/25/2021

We headed back into Austin because I had an 11:00 am appointment with Dr Epstein, my skin Doctor. She is the deadly sharpshooter with her spray bottle of freezing material that I truly believe is attached to her like a permanent extension of her hand. This time, the trip was uneventful although she did take one sample. Hate it when she does that as it sometimes means further treatment. While I was in the area, I contacted my Audiologist whose office was next door with a hearing aid problem and we figured what to do about it.

On the drive home, I stopped at the Post Office in Oak Hill that delivers my mail and put a Stop Delivery on it which is good for 30 days. We will figure what to do as that date approaches from that point on. It means having to visit that particular Post Office every few days in order to go through the junk mail which is about all I ever receive. That and a couple of bills that are still delivered the “old fashioned way”. Things are really moving when I no longer have a permanent mailing address.

Written 05/25/2021

Don’t forget to check out my old blog at https://pondblog2011.com
I have decided to reprint the poetry that I have written these past 11 years that was posted in the blog listed above. So, starting tomorrow, every Tuesday and Thursday there will be a posting of my poetry from long ago added to this blog. Much of it reflects my changing life and my different interests over the years. With over three hundred poems, it should be good for a while before I run out of ideas. Enjoy…
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A Long Trip – 05/01/2021

May 24th, 2021
Sandy and Mikey

Well, today was different than the days that we have been spending lately as we had to make a trip to Bastrop Animal Shelter. That is where I was lucky enough to find both Mikey and Sandy although at different times a couple of years apart. Mikey is actually the oldest both in age and in joining our household which at the time comprised of Ginny, a mini Dachshund and Petey, a small Chihuahua He fit very nicely into the little group although he was the youngest of them. As time progressed both Petey and then Ginny passed into the Doggy Park up in the Sky leaving Mikey on his own which I knew we had to change. So back to Bastrop and luckily we found Sandy just waiting to join our family.

We have lived together as a happy family for nearly a couple of years since Petey passed and we try to do everything together if at all possible. The two of them have become great friends even though they do have different personalities. Mikey is very outgoing in many ways but suspicious of strangers. He is also very affectionate and needs a lot of attention. Sandy, on the other hand loves everybody human but hates other dogs that is until she touches noses and only then does she quieten down. Otherwise she embarrasses both me and Mikey by screeching at any other dog regardless of it’s size, at the top of her lungs. She doesn’t bark like a normal dog but really does screech. There is no other word for it. I am always full of apologies for her behavior to whoever the owner is of the dog she is screeching at and at the same time, like I said, totally embarrassed. Oh, yes, while all of this screeching is going on, Mikey is either desperately trying to jump up into my arms or is hiding behind me. I think he is embarrassed too. Most other dog owners understand and smile and comment as they pass by. Some will stop just so the dogs can make friends, or not, whichever the case may be. When I rescued Sandy, she had a bad case of Heartworm so we embarked on a course of treatment over the next few months at the Bastrop Clinic and finally, the Vet announce that she was all clear. Just before Petey passed on, he developed a bad case of coughing which turns out was related to his Heartworm and when I took him in to the Vet’s, he passed that same night.

Sandy started coughing a couple of days ago and I immediately thought of Petey and what happened in his case which got me worrying about Sandy. She didn’t act sick in any way and took both Mikey and I walking just as she normally does but the cough persisted. I made up my mind and as the following day was a Friday and knowing that the Clinic at the Bastrop Animal Shelter would be open, I decided that we needed to make the trip to get her checked. She needed her other Annual Vaccinations anyway and I figured we could get everything done at the same time. Incidentally, it was a round trip of 140 miles all on main highways and with not too much traffic. Mikey’s Vet is much closer and no more than 20 miles up the road from the Eagle but is also a lot more expensive. It would have cost me a couple of hundred dollars for the same treatment that Sandy had today and she got hers for less than $100.00.

The last time I was at this clinic, there was a long line of people and pets waiting to get shots or heartworm medicine which being almost a year ago, was just at the start of the Covid crisis. Today, there were just 3 people with their pets ahead of me so the actual visit did not take very long. Humans, other than the Staff, are not allowed inside the clinic with their pets and we had to wait outside as the Vet checked Sandy over and ran a few tests and gave her the rest of her shots. She eventually reported back and said that she was still Heartworm free but had a murmur in one of the valves of her heart but nothing of major importance. She assured me the cough would pass and true to her word, Sandy has not coughed since before we left on the trip. There is some medication she will need to take for the next week but it appears that everything should be fine.

One of the bonuses of the trip was getting to fill up the truck at an Exxon station located just outside of Bastrop in Cedar Creek. This station has the cheapest gas for miles around and it has always been this way. . In my case, it is diesel which today cost me just $2.50 a gallon. I didn’t require a full fill up and pumped around 30 gallons which is about half the capacity of the 60 gallon tank that I have had installed. So, I actually saved some of the cost of the journey which is good considering that I only get 17-18 mile to the gallon and that is without towing the Eagle, my Travel Trailer. Then it drops to around 10 mpg. My last fill up in Dripping Springs H.E.B. I paid $2.70 per gallon and it cost me $135.00 for a full fill up.

Both dogs are snoring their fool heads of as I write, probably worn out with the excitement of the trip and in Sandy’s case sore from the number of shots that she had. We have to go back next week for her Rattlesnake booster shot as the Vet had decided that she already had enough shots for one day. I got to talk to a few interesting people and got to meet their dogs and all but one of them wore a mask even as we waited outside.

As we walked back to the truck parked outside of Bastrop Animal Shelter Clinic, I could hear the other dogs in their cages and pens in the Shelter itself barking away and wished I could adopt everyone of them and give them a home and the love and attention that all dogs and cats deserve. But, I need to stay with the two small dogs that I have especially living in the small space of the RV.

Written 05/01/2021

Check out my other blog at https://pondblog2011.com
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Tag: Bastrop Animal Clinic

Follow Up to the Last Blog

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A Long Trip – 05/01/2021

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