We did our usual walk around after a night of sleep and dreams. At least, my upset stomach of the night before brought on by the Brats or the Hamburger, or both, had not bothered me, and I had slept peaceably enough. Unfortunately, long gone are the days of blissful, untroubled sleep which was the sleep of my youth when my prostate did not control the amount and length of sleep that I got. Nowadays, there is always one interruption although it is close to morning and if I ever got up at a reasonable hour instead of waking and sleeping late every day, would be considered normal.
Following breakfast, I sat down and answered a couple of emails and trashed a lot more before concentrating on writing. I thought about the party and my close call with Nature as I hurriedly left, wondering that if I get any future invites, what should I eat? Definitely not the Brats. Ot that, I am quite sure. I received a phone call from one of my ex-neighbors from the old house and we chatted for 30 minutes or more. She is from Peru and has travelled all over and is remarkably interesting to talk to.
I spent time working on the blog before taking the dogs walking just so they could stretch their little legs. I needed the exercise too after sitting around. It was a slow walk as it had warmed up and we were in no hurry anyway. We met a couple of other dogs taking their humans walking and whenever we can, I either hang back or change direction so as there are no confrontations. Between the dogs that is as the humans all get along fine.
We came back and the dogs settled down to rest after their exertions while I pottered around on a few chores. These included working on the bird feeders to try to stop the deer from emptying them which they do on a regular basis. I devised a system where I taped another bar across the feeder pole and then hooked the feeders at the bottom in an attempt to stop the deer from tipping them to empty the seed. While I was at it, I also fixed the pole so that I could put Hummingbird feeders out. The pole is pretty crowded but hopefully, the birds won’t mind.
With that little project complete, I settled down to an Audiobook story and finished listening to Stephen King’s, Billy Summers. It was a remarkable story and King is such a talented writer. I really like his work. Following the end of that story, we went out for the third walk of the day much to the dog’s delight. Mine too as I also needed the exercise. It is so easy just to sit around. The one thing I do not do, unless it is an important soccer game, is watch TV during the day and even then, the game must be something like the FA Cup final or the World Cup Final. Something really big and important.
We finished off the evening in the usual way and this time, I watched Brighton and Hove Albion, the team my Great, Great Grandson plays on, beat Chelsea. Overall, another enjoyable day and anytime any team beats Chelsea, it is a bonus.
This coach is similar to the one that hosted the barbecue. Beautiful…
We did our usual walk around the park with a beautiful sunny morning. The wind was still blowing but more like a soft breeze than the heavy gusts of the day before. Following breakfast, I was sitting and writing when a knock came on my door which by itself is unusual as we tend not to get very many visitors. I opened it to see Melinda standing there and wondered what I had done wrong as she usually only knocks for one of those sorts of reasons. Turns out it was nothing like that at all. In fact, the exact opposite as she came to inquire of my future plans. I am scheduled to pull out at the end of the month but that is not fixed in stone which I told her. She offered me a new site, #19 on the left side of the park with a lot more shade than I have now for my future use when I stay there. The times that I do travel, they will sublet it out until such times as I come back. I quickly thought it over and decided it was a good deal and agreed to it. Not sure when I need to move as the site is occupied until next week. There will still be a couple of weeks left to the end of the month, assuming that I decide to travel and not stay another month. It is a good deal for me as I now have a guaranteed site for the future regardless of any travelling I may do. She also invited me to a cook-out that was going to be held that evening at site 13.
I busied myself around Mr. George working on a couple of small projects that I had been putting off. I have a couple of mats inside to soften walking and they tend to slide around. I purchased some rug grippers online and spent time attaching them to various mats. I also had some backup keys made and sorted them out into the proper groups and installed them in two magnetic lock boxes to be attached to both the Jeep and to Mr. George, just in case. If I can get into the RV, then I can get at the spare keys I have there. I worked a bit more on the lock, but I need a file stone that will fit in my drill as the space is so small that it is impossible to use a hand file.
I remembered about the barbeque invite and decided that it sounded like fun and an opportunity to meet some of my fellow campers and at 6:30 pm, I grabbed a bottle of wine, my contribution to the party, and my deck chair and wandered over to Site 13. This site has a large Class A sitting in it that does not look very old. I had admired it before on my walks with the dogs. The owners, Cindy and Ed greeted me warmly and Cindy offered to show me the RV which is obviously her pride and joy. It is a brand-new 33 feet long Miramar and is absolutely beautiful inside. Heck, it even has two bathrooms. She showed me the drawer spaces, some in unusual places where the designers had not wasted anything. It even has a washer and dryer. My guess, somewhere in the $200,000 – $300,000 range but if they can afford it, what the heck. They too have been here for a couple of months, but I did not get the chance to talk about their plans.
The party was fun with a lot of banter going on. There were around twenty or so people, mostly regulars and extended stay tenants in attendance all sitting in a big circle with the cooking ongoing at one end. I knew a lot of them from my walks. People were chattering away and when the food was served, hamburgers or brats, or both if you so desired with all the fixings, the chatter died down for a bit as people concentrated on their food. My next-door neighbor was sitting on my left and another neighbor on my other side and I spent most of my time talking to them. Occasionally, someone else would ask a question of me or pass a remark but it was a big circle and difficult to hold a conversation across it.
I ate more than I should of food that I do not normally eat and began to feel the urge to use a bathroom. I quickly said my goodbyes and hurried back to my RV which was not very far away and barely making it to the bathroom in time. Quite obviously, brats and hamburgers are not high on my list of things to eat, and I paid the price. Pity really as I had enjoyed the evening. I will know better next time if there is one.
With my stomach settled down, I fed the dogs before watching Seal Team with all the blood and gore. I sat and wondered how it was that the Seals, who were supposed to be incredibly good sharpshooters, let off such long bursts of machine gun fire at the bad guys instead of aiming and picking them off and how, with all the bullets flying around, very rarely did a Seal get hit and yet bad guys were falling down all over the place. That and they never seemed to run out of bullets. Only in the movies.
Another nice sunny day although it was windy enough to turn us around from the direction, we were heading so that we had our backs to it. Well, my back to it as the dogs do not count because they are already low to the ground. As we walk, I am always looking for something that would take a good picture for the blog. One thing I have noticed is that the Live Oaks that surround us are in different stages of both dropping leaves and growing new ones. Some look positively barren and brown and are still covered in dead leaves while others, that may be in the same group of trees, are covered with all new growth. I wonder if Nature does that on purpose or is it something to do with the age and size of the tree. Live Oaks are different anyway as most other trees drop their leaves in the Fall.
We passed another Class C that was getting ready to pull out only this one had a hired truck and driver to do the towing and the owners were following in their car. Must be locals. Today, the park is pretty empty except for the permanent tenants but even as we watched, another small RV came in.
Back in Mr. George following the usual breakfast and coffee, I settled down in front of the computer. Most emails were of no interest and quickly passed over and today, not even one that required my attention. Socially, I have very few friends and acquaintances other than the few I do correspond with, and I am not interested in “friending” people just to add to the count. As it is, on my Facebook account, I have a lot of “friends” who I have no clue who they may be. I usually unfriend as many as possible as soon as I see a new one pop up. Never understood why anyone would want to be “friends” with someone electronically specially someone you have never met and, never will. Not my definition of a friend at all. There must be two sorts of friends, the Facebook kind, and the real-life ones and I choose the latter.
I worked on posting a couple more blogs which generally takes a bit of preparation time with adding pictures and such. Looking out of the window, the one with the new pull-down blind, I sat and thought about the future, what to do and where to go, or not. Unless something comes up that currently I am unaware of, there is nothing stopping me from moving on at the end of the month. My taxes are done, I have no more doctors’ or other appointments in the immediate future and nothing to hold me back. I think that I will stay in the local states Texas, New Mexico, Colorado, Arizona, and Utah. and limit the travelling and the hope that the price of gas will come down.
I talked to my next-door neighbor about putting the bird feeder under the trees on her little lot so that I can see it from where I sit and write, and she was all for it. I had to punch a hole in the ground with a long metal bar and then pound the metal legs in the rest of the way. I devised a way with some hangers, to stop the deer from tipping the feeders over to get at the seed which, hopefully, will work. We will see. I had a couple of other small chores that I needed to do around Mr. George and when they were finished, I went back inside to the A/C and sat and listened to an Audiobook for a while before taking the dogs out walking for the last walk of the day.
I drove into town today and stopped at Starbucks along the way a latte I had the urge to drink kidding myself it helps me to think that is just not really true as in fact like the taste although with what it costs to me it really is an expensive waste knowing this did not deter as I bought one anyway sipping my drink in a pleasurable way as I drove along the road today I stopped at the grocery shop a place I have been many times before with a list of things, I needed to buy which I always get at this store I walked around in a measured way looking at the items that were on sale do I need this, or do I need that and all of these things to no avail? I stuck to the list that I had carefully made ignoring the others I could see not allowing myself to be phased by all of the goodies in front of me I checked out and paid my bill and walked back to my car loaded the groceries in the back and drove back home not very far to two little dogs who greeted me and helped to put the groceries away knowing that when we were through, we would all go out to play walking the park as we usually do checking the smells as we walk along saying hello to people we meet or barking at dogs for way too long doing what we usually do every time we go out for a walk returning back to our RV after walking around the block.
It was a dull and cloudy day when we finally awoke and crawled out of bed. Neither dog was in any hurry to get up and did not even bother to bug me when I showered, most unusual for Richie who really likes attention. Still, that did give me more time to get going and before long, I was lacing up my boots. That brought them both running, and we took a stroll around the park. Back in Mr. George, I fed both dogs, not really expecting them to eat the canned food. We have several varieties and types but unless, their food has chicken breast that I have cooked for myself, or something similar mixed in, they are reluctant to eat. Not spoilt of course…Even then, they will pick out the good stuff and maybe eat the canned stuff later in the day, maybe.
The walk around was no different than the hundreds of others we have been on, and we returned to Mr. George. I had already made plans to go into Austin to retrieve my mail and planned on grabbing breakfast and coffee to go on the way. The trip in was uneventful and so was the mail, nothing and I mean nothing of importance. I suppose that is a good thing as I had no nasty surprises. I did get a call back notice from Ford telling me that my 2021 F450 had a recall but as I no longer own that vehicle, did not think I should worry about it.
On the way back to Henly, I stopped at a 7-11 to gas up as it was the cheapest, I had spotted on the way in, and it cost me $74.00 for the Jeep with its 25-gallon tank. Cannot wait to fill Mr. George who has a 45-gallon gas tank.
I spent the rest of the cloudy day working on the blog and doing other things that did not require too much physical labor as my old body was still sore from yesterday’s exertions.
We got up to another beautiful sunny day although it was very windy and blustery and took a long walk around the park and on the road at the bottom of the park covering about a mile. A very good start to the day. I fixed breakfast for us all before settling down in front of the computer. As usual, most of the emails were trashed and the couple that had any meaning were quickly dealt with.
I was checking the files in the file cabinet after yesterday’s clean up and suddenly, the front of the file drawer fell off. Why it decided to fall apart today, I have no idea. I looked it over but could not see any damage to it and after studying it for a bit, managed to put it back together as the clips all snapped back into place. Something to watch out for in the future. I swear these sorts of things happen just to keep me on my toes. For some reason, this reminded me that I needed to go into Austin to pick up a cover that I had previously ordered for the Blue-Ox towing unit installed on the back of Mr. George. While in Austin, I visited Walmart’s and picked up some groceries, enough to get me through the next few days and replenished my supply of wine with a couple of bottles of the cheap stuff.
Prior to that, I stopped at Whole Earth Provisions, a camping store, as I was looking for another pair of walking shoes instead of the boots that I normally wear. They had to have hard soles as I have discovered the hard way, that I cannot wear shoes such as sneakers anymore. Just do not have the balance for them. Another part of growing old. I thought the last pair I bought was a size 11 extra wide. I finally settled for a size 10 wide, and they fit perfectly. Needless to say, I put my old boots in the box and kept the shoes on and wore them home. Incidentally, I went through the shoes and boots that I had and donated all of those that I can no longer wear. Someone else can get some use out of them.
Back at Mr. George, I first had to put the groceries away before we went out for a walk. The dogs helped as they usually do getting more in the way than actual helping but we had fun. I harnessed them up and we walked around the park and was just settling down to sit on the wicker couch when I realized that I had lost the case for the snap on sun covers… again. This is the second time it has happened and both times is when I pull out the phone, usually to take a picture. Remembering where I took the pictures was easy as I only took two and all I had to do was retrace my steps to the picture sites. The dogs still had their harness on so off we went, first to one location which, of course, happened to be the furthest away, with no luck and then on to the second where the case lay. I need to put the glasses case in a different pocket, I guess. Still, we all got some extra exercise out of it, and I covered over 2 miles with walking in Walmart’s as well.
We sat outside for a while and watched the world go by before adjourning to Mr. George to spend the evening in the usual way.
It was a dull and cloudy day when we finally awoke and crawled out of bed. Neither dog was in any hurry to get up and did not even bother to bug me when I showered, most unusual for Richie who really likes attention. Still, that did give me more time to get going and before long, I was lacing up my boots. That brought them both running, and we took a stroll around the park. Back in Mr. George, I fed both dogs, not really expecting them to eat the canned food. We have several varieties and types but unless, their food has cut up chicken breast that I have cooked for myself, or something similar mixed in, they are reluctant to eat. Not spoilt of course…Even then, they will pick out the good stuff and maybe eat the canned stuff later in the day, maybe.
The walk around was no different than the hundreds of others we have been on, and we returned to Mr. George. I had already decided to go into Austin to retrieve my mail and planned on grabbing breakfast and coffee to go on the way. The trip in was uneventful and so was the mail, nothing and I mean nothing of importance. I suppose that is a good thing as I had no nasty surprises. I did get a call back notice from Ford telling me that my 2021 F450 had a recall but as I no longer own that vehicle, did not think I should worry about it.
On the way back to Henly, I stopped at a 7-11 to gas up as it was the cheapest, I had spotted on the way in, and it still cost me $74.00 for the Jeep with its 25-gallon tank. Cannot wait to fill Mr. George which has a 45-gallon gas tank and gets maybe 8 mpg if I am lucky.
I spent the rest of the cloudy day working on the blog and doing other things that did not require too much physical labor as my old body was still sore from yesterday’s exertions. We did our usual walk around later in the day and noticed how empty the park is. A lot of campers have moved on to who knows where.
There was not a cloud in the sky when we took our morning walk, a sure sign it is going to be hot. It was already 70 degrees on that first walk of the day and forecast is for it to reach 95 degrees today. I guess, the Texas spring has lasted its usual 3 days and now it is already summer. That is one of the problems with the Texas weather that you do not ease into it a few degrees at a time. It warms up a bit from the winter cold and bam! It is 100 degrees. It does not stop there as it can easily reach 110 degrees or more In the Summer and for several days on end. The record is held by Dallas, of 70 consecutive 100-degree days set in September 2011.
I played in a Soccer Tournament also in Dallas back in the day, not the dates mentioned above, thank goodness, and it was 107 degrees. Those on the sidelines were standing in a line in the shadow of the floodlight poles as that was the only shade around. Those that had the misfortune to be playing, were calling for a sub every 10 minutes and at the end, even the subs were refusing to go in for their mates which by itself is very unusual as everyone normally complains about not getting enough playing time. Needless, to say, the game was played almost at a walking pace towards the end.
That was the hottest I had ever played in and never want too again. Luckily for me, or maybe unluckily, depending on how you look at it, now I am now too bloody old and feeble to play, hot weather and all. Human Nature being what it is, we complain when it is cold and freezing and say things like, “Can’t wait for the summer to be here” and then when it arrives along with the 100-degree heat, we are wishing for the return of cooler weather. There is no pleasing humans.
After not being able to locate a certain document because my filing system is non-existent, I decided that I should spend some time on trying to straighten it out a bit. I worked for almost three hours and ended up with a large plastic bag full of papers that I no longer needed all torn up into tiny pieces. I found stuff that was 30 years old which, needless to say, was not of any use to me so it had to go. Talk about re-living the past as it flashed in front of my eyes as I scanned each piece of paper. When I was finally through, I had located the document that I was searching for, much to my relief, as it made the effort worthwhile.
I bagged up the rest of the garbage and put it in the Jeep along with the hydraulic lifters that I was planning to return to Amazon and telling the dogs I would not be long, dropped the trash off at the dumpster and then headed into Dripping Springs to the UPS store. My timing was bad as it was rush hour and the traffic was bumper to bumper for at least a mile. We slowly inched our way forward and eventually, I arrived at the UPS office just in time as they close at 5:00 pm. This time, knowing the drill, I had already pulled up the Amazon App and retrieved my return information. I was out of there in no time flat. Just as I was leaving, I noticed the beautiful rose bush and switched off the engine to take the picture.
Figuring that I had earned a Latte for such a busy day, I stopped at Starbucks before making my way back to Henly and to two excited little dogs. It was 91 degrees outside, and I decided to wait a bit before taking them out walking although they could not understand my reasoning with Sandy giving me the evil eye. I sat and wrote for a while just to keep up before strapping on their harnesses.
Following the walk, I sat in front of the computer for a while before stopping for the day. This was followed by the evening meal which for me was the chicken and vegetables I had cooked a couple of days ago. Both dogs watched every mouthful I ate just in case I dropped something, and, in the end, they each did get a taster. After all, who can resist those big brown eyes with their unwavering stare. If their goal were to make me feel guilty, they succeeded…
Mr. George and the Jeep – All of my physical worldly possessions are in these two. Interesting that when you get rid of the clutter, just how little you really need to live comfortably.
We took our usual stroll around the park noting the comings and goings of the many campers. This place is constantly on the move except for the few residents who live here full time albeit for 6 months or a year or sometime longer. Many are here on work assignments and stay as long as that particular project lasts. I am in my 5th month this time around but plan to leave at the end of the month, I hope. So far, places unknown but Mr. George is an RV, and I can point him in any direction.
I spent time on finishing off a couple of blogs and posted them along with accompanying pictures. Hard to believe that we are in April as the year is flying by along with my life. Big sigh…I received notification that the blind I had ordered has arrived. I harnessed up the dogs and we wandered over to the office. There was no mistaking which was my package as it was 5ft long. It was not heavy, and we made our way back to Mr. George where I carefully opened it to inspect the contents. I will attempt to install it tomorrow which will not be hard but just a little tricky. I have also received the pair of hydraulic lifts for the bed and need to install them as well. The hardest part of this installation will be in lifting the bottom of the bed, mattress, and all. Looks like tomorrow may be a busy day.
The rest of the day was uneventful and very relaxing. Later on, we did the walkies thing although it has warmed up considerably. Spring is here in Texas, and it will probably be summer on Tuesday with the temperature forecast to be 95 degrees.
Spotted on my walk around the park this morning. My heart goes out to them.
We got up early, for us and wandered around the park getting in that first walk of the day. The sun was shining bright, and it had already warmed up to 65 degrees. Looks like it is going to be another hot, sunny day. I ate breakfast and spent some time talking on the phone to my good friend BJ about, of all things, ponds. You know that previous life that I had way back when.
After breakfast as I had planned, I looked at installing the new blind. It did not appear to be very hard but first I had to take the valance that covered the top of the window off, to clear the way for the blind installation. There was nothing complicated about the installation except for lining it up and the difficulty of getting to the screws with my electric screwdriver. There was not enough room to use a regular hand one and luckily, I have a small battery-operated unit that just fit. With the blind installed and operable, I turned my attention to rehanging the valance. This was even more difficult due to the lack of space, especially now that the blind was installed. I eventually succeeded and chalked that as a job well done. Now, at least I can shut out the afternoon sun. I had wondered for a long time why the previous owners or even the RV manufacturers had never installed a blind there.
The next project was to install the power lifters in the storage area under the bed. Easier to get to but a much more difficult project. First, I had to roll up the existing mattress to the top end of the bed not affected by the work which by itself was no easy task. I finally managed to drag and sort of fold the mattress and it fought me all of the way. Keep in mind, this is a short queen mattress of the expandable foam variety all of 12 inches thick and hard to compress in any way, shape, or form. It has a mind of its own or seemed to plus, we are talking RV here and the bedroom is not a lot bigger than the mattress.
I finally had it clear of the bottom section of the bed and was able to raise the lid of the storage area which is also the deck of the bed. Following the directions and with the help of my electric screwdriver, I carefully placed the parts where I thought they belonged and snapped on the two hydraulic lifts, one on each side and promptly discovered that they would not operate in the position shown on the drawing. I could not close the lid or even make any difference to its position. I had no choice but to take everything off and start over using plan no 2 on the paperwork supplied. With everything re-assembled in the new location, I gently pushed the lid down to test it out and with a loud pop and bang, the wood frame split in a couple of places. The dogs did not understand the words I was using and paid me no mind, lucky for them as they are too young to learn such language.
I looked at the situation and the damage the springs had created and wondered if I might be better off without the lifters. I do not plan to use that storage for anything other than just that, storage. It contains items that for sentimental reasons, I am still hanging onto and should probably throw or give away and will not get visited or used very often. With that thought in mind, I went about cutting a piece of wood to act as a prop to hold the cover open when I did need to get in there and at the same time, screwed a block on the underside of the door for it to prop against. That is, if I ever need to go looking. I then went about unscrewing all the hardware and putting it back in the boxes it came in to return it later.
I struggled with the mattress after repairing the damage caused by the power lifters and finally got it in place. This was followed by the dreaded, “make the bed” routine which, I must say is much easier now that I have gotten it down to a fine art. Practice makes perfect and all that…
I was one tired old man with aches and pains in places I did not know still had muscles which maybe I do not and which accounts for the aches and pains. When we went out for that final walk of the day. It was late, for us, walking around as the work had taken much longer than I anticipated. Still, with the window blind installed and an attempt to attach the bed lifters leading to the decision that the depth of the storage area at only 30 inches, apparently, only allows for a 20-inch lift which is hardly sufficient, has decided me that I will do without the lifters and use lifting the mattress when needed, as weight training.
The day ended in the usual fashion following the walk. I watched a couple of English Premier games marveling at the skills those players have and moaning and complaining like a crazy man when one of them messed up. Just another typical supporter.
The view from my window of the deer in the Animal Preserve.
We got up early knowing that today is moving day albeit the grand distance of 50 yards to a different site. Our first walk of the day around the park was quiet as we only saw one other dog, walking his master. Following a quick breakfast, I caught up on today’s news and checked emails. Out of around fifty or so, there was only one that required my attention. The rest are mostly junk. Trouble is, I must at least take a quick look to make even that determination. I am very suspicious of anything that requires an answer and generally will not unless I recognize the email address as legit.
With the usual morning tasks taken care of, I turned my attention to what was at hand, moving Mr. George to Site #4. This is the site I was in with the Eagle before taking the trip around Texas last fall. This one is a gravel site, a bit muddy it rains but definitely cooler in the summer with not having the reflected heat from the blacktop. I packed the carry all on the Jeep with a couple of loads of stuff that I had outside with some of it under the RV. This included the wicker couch and table and big outside mat that I have. I then turned my attention to the RV where I had previously spent some time packing things away or moving them to safer places for the short trip and deeming it ready to roll, jumped in the driver’s seat to start the engine and nothing happened. The battery had gone flat again which is surprising as I had just started it a couple of days ago just to be sure. With no alternative, I hooked up the battery charger, set it to full charge and sat back to wait.
After about 30 minutes, Daniel showed up and I asked him to watch and be ready to unhook the battery as I jumped into the driver’s seat and turned the key. The engine fired up immediately and Daniel disconnected the charger. The problem is that with the engine running or even just the key in the ignition, the entry steps do their thing and retract back under the RV making it difficult to get in and out and having Daniel there to do the outside work, like disconnecting the battery cables, was a very big help. He stayed with me and directed me to the new site helping to get the location right the first time. He even helped with the levelling because as is the usual problem, the front wheels were off the ground, again. Finally, satisfied that it was the best we could do he drove me back to pick up the Jeep for the last trip.
The new site has totally different views that the one I just vacated. As I sit and write this blog, I can see the fields across the street where the exotic animals wander around and as I watched, a deer came into view. With the change of site, I am also lined up a bit differently and the afternoon sun shines directly in the widow alongside the desk. This window does not have a blind or shade of any description and knowing this, I had already ordered one for it a couple of days ago. It is due in on Saturday, the sooner the better as the afternoon sun is hot. RVs are notorious for heating up very quickly as with 2-inch walls, there is not much insulation.
The hydraulic springs that I ordered for the bed storage area came in today, something else that I need to work on. Amazon is a great company and so many of the things I order are here in a couple of days and sometimes, the next day. Instant gratification like buying something in a store and walking out of the door with it in your hand, well almost…
When I was just a very young lad after my final day at school my very first job was for a man who said I will teach you something cool I will teach all the arts of how to build and lay a few bricks and in return you work for me learning all the construction tricks that was seventy years ago and to his workplace I did show learned the trade and worked hard and knowing what I needed to know and watched as other did other trades different that laying brick learning as I watched them saw and hammer and all of their other tricks absorbing all that knowledge knowing that the time would come wanting to be skilled in many things so I could complete the sum with all that knowledge I had learned and good at leading men as the years rolled by, I changed my work no longer one of them instead, the leader of the crew who told them what they needed to know and they went about their tasks confident with what they could show as the years rolled by I changed again and this time in an office went at a University to apply my skills as one of the Management for twenty-two years I worked there happy in my destiny thinking back to that time when that first man came to me and said you are a bright young lad why not come and learn a trade which started off my life and it has never been the same I have been retired for twenty-four years and now live in my RV travelling when I want, and other times am stationary but one of the things that I still have and will never lose is how to work with my hands and my love of tools which are all boxed up and travel with me taking space and adding weight and most of which will never get used but for old times’ sake I keep them with me to remind me of the boy I used to be starting out at my first job now just a memory but one I keep along with the tools to remind me of my life when I was just a little kid before my worldly strife seventy years have passed, and I have grown so old when that man said come work for me my future he had told and though my days of using tools have all but now long gone I have them all with me still so my memories carry on.
Nothing planned for today except start getting ready for the move to Site 4. There is not a lot I can do prior to the actual move as I do not have to pack the outside things but just put them onto the Jeep carrier and move them that way. It will take a couple of trips but as it is only 50 yards and if I drive slowly, no big deal. Actually, I was surprised that I stayed in site 21 for as long as I have as it is classified as a temporary pull thru site for the overnighters and such.
We went out for our usual half mile walk around the park and noticed a lot of other empty sites, so people are still travelling regardless of the gas prices. I suppose a lot depends on the need to travel for business or if it is just for pleasure. and with the latter, a couple of days extra spent at a nice campground may be preferable.
I sat and wrote for most of the morning and posted several more of the finished blogs adding pictures as I went along. In the end, I am completely caught up to date with writing and posting, thank goodness as it is much harder to play catchup. Today is a cloudy day and very windy but it has not rained although we could use some. Probably waiting for Thursday when I move Mr. George to Site #4.
Th rest of the day was spent in the usual fashion, walking the dogs, and then retiring back to Mr. George for the rest of the evening.
I awoke in the night to the sound of the wind and the occasional shudder from Mr. George as another violent wind blast struck, him. It must have been really strong to rock the RV like that. I did not know it until the morning, but it also rained. Glad we were not outside in it. Thinking that there was nothing I could do about it, I rolled over and went back to sleep. It would have to be a tornado to tip Mr. George over.
I checked around in the morning but apart from my outside trash can blown over, which, incidentally is anchored to the wicker couch, there did not appear to be anything damaged or missing. We went out for the morning walk as it was a beautiful, sunny day and passed one other camper walking his hound dog. Actually, they passed us as everybody, and their dog walk faster than we do. Back inside Mr. George, we did the usual breakfast thing before sitting down in front of the computer to record the day’s narrative.
Having caught up with the blog, I went out and programmed in the Key Fob without any trouble whatsoever except for trying to read the very fine print on the back of the lock itself telling me which button was what. I had to get my magnifying glass to help me. As I get older, the print gets smaller or so it seems. While I was at it, having located extra storage under the bed, I heaved it up and propped it open with a chunk of wood and then found some of the storage boxes that have stuff in that I am probably never going to use again, ever. That is, until I need whatever it may be and then I will go searching until I locate it, heavy bed, and all. The bed in my last RV did not have storage under it but the Eagle did. In fact, it had the full length under the short Queen size bed as storage and was already equipped with hydraulic lifter assists. It looks like Mr. George previous owners took off the ones that were installed for whatever reason, maybe because they had made some adjustments for the bed to fit a King Size mattress. Anyway, I jumped online to where else, Amazon, and found what I needed, ordered them and they should be here tomorrow. Thank goodness as lifting the lid that covers the storage area which includes lifting the new mattress, was about as much as I wanted to handle. The hydraulic lifts will certainly help although the plan is not to use that storage for anything that I am likely to need in the immediate future. You could call it, long term storage for stuff I should probably throw away.
I also worked on getting Mr. George ready to move tomorrow, putting in expanding rods and such to stop things from moving around too much. Stuff on shelves is likely to pop off with movement and the things on the counter will go in the sink or some other safe place even for such a short distance. On the last trip with Miss Daisy, the refrigerator door came unlatched and there were cans and such rolling around all over the place. I ignored it and continued on my way to clean it up at the next stop, a hundred miles or so, later. Moving also includes hooking rubber tie downs around the furniture to stop the drawers from sliding open and to keep the moveable furniture in place. This includes the small file cabinet I have with my important (to me), papers and now the new desk and office chair, Bungy cords are great for this sort of work. Even though the distance is short, trucks or RV’s being what they are, ride extremely hard and things bounce around even at very slow speeds.
I decided that as I had not seen anyone going to the laundry room, I should take a chance and do mine. Prior to this, I had to go through the dreaded, make the bed routine and change the sheets. As it happens, it went very well this time and with only the minimum amount of cussing although Mikey was determined to help and kept getting in the way. I need to train him to fold down the top sheet after making the bed which is the hardest part due to the stretch required just to reach it. Two people, or a trained dog, would be able to do it much easier, one on either side.
Wonders on wonders, I got the App to work for both washing machines although they both showed different finishing times for some reason. Guess I need to work on that next time. I wandered back to Mr. George to write before heading back over an hour later to put the stuff in the dryers. This time, the App worked correctly and the finishing time, which takes an hour, is only a minute apart on both machines. The miracles of the internet or maybe, I have finally figured it all out. I folded the laundry feeling good about getting it done and especially good about making the bed without any trouble, with Mikey’s help of course.
With the laundry put away, I turned my attention to the immediate problem of walkies. We harnessed up and walked the outside road that has the next to least amount of traffic and managed to cover 2.2 miles for the day.
I was sitting outside in the wicker couch watching the world go by and at the same time, offering whoever was passing, a couple of large plastic totes for the taking. I managed to get rid of one to an older couple that were very friendly although Mikey did not think so. He eventually shut up and thanking me profusely, they went on their way. One down and one to go.
A late start, a late breakfast but what the heck. I do not have much planned for today but do have to drive into Austin to get my sunglasses fixed or a new set ordered, whichever applies. I spent time working on the blog writing and such before putting everything aside for the Austin trip.
The drive in was uneventful and my first stop was at Goodwill which was on the way in. I dropped off five different camera bags that I no longer use and are taking up space, not having found anywhere else that would take them. Hopefully, some avid camera fanatic will find them useful. I also dropped off two pairs of shoes that I no longer wear and are taking up space that I can ill afford to give up.
My next stop was just around the corner to my Optometrist where I had originally purchased both my glasses and shades and was warmly greeted by the desk staff. I have been coming here for more than 30 years although the staff changes frequently. I was directed to one of the glasses specialists who took one look and said, “she would be right back.” Actually “right back” took almost 30 minutes but she returned with the clip on repaired much to my satisfaction. While I was there, I ordered another set as a backup for when I start travelling again.
From there, I located and headed towards Cothron’s Locksmith to get a couple of spare keys for the RV along with two of magnetic lock boxes to attach them to both Mr. George and the Jeep. Gotta be prepared especially with the new electronic lock. Things can happen like the batteries running flat which would prevent the electronic part of the lock from working. While I was in the locksmiths, a middle-aged Genteman walked in who had to be the tallest person I have ever seen in my entire life. I asked him and he told me that he was exactly 7 feet tall and “No, before you ask, I was not a basketball player”. He said he had some sort of medical problem which had caused the growth. We chatted for a bit as we waited for our keys. I also stopped at the place that I had bought the Blue-Ox towing unit and ordered a cover for it.
With the keys paid for, I made my way to Walmart’s and did some grocery shopping buying the usual things. My grocery list does not change very much although occasionally, I do add something different. I have recently discovered vegetables in a plastic bag that can be microwaved and that is my latest fad. I am using the new cooktop for pork chops or chicken breasts, a perfect match with the veggies. Gotta eat healthy…I treated myself to a Latte on the way home before driving the back way for a change of scenery.
Back in Mr. George, I tried the new keys just to make sure they worked as there is no sense being locked out with keys that do not open the door. That is the whole purpose of getting the extra keys anyway. Satisfied that the spare keys all worked, I harnessed up the two excited little dogs and we went out walking.
The day ended in the usual fashion watching TV and the evening meal. Incidentally, with the change of the clocks, the evening meal has been pushed back, not on purpose but because we are usually doing things much later. For instance, it was almost 6:00 pm before I got back from my trip into Austin. That was followed by some chores that needed doing before walking the dog and then meal preparation.
For some reason, I woke up early and even made the effort to get out of bed. I had slept well which probably accounts for the early waking. As usual, we went out for the first walk of the day and this time, I let Sandy wander wherever she wanted to go. It was interesting as we crossed the road several times and zig zagged on the grass at each interesting smell. Many of the camp residents use this road a lot to walk their dogs as it dead ends and has almost zero traffic, Sandy was in seventh heaven and Mikey did his share of sniffing but usually only when she discovered something of interest and then of course, he had to check it out as well.
Back in Mr. George as I watched, several of the campers in the temporary lots pulled out. I imagine that the ones with kids were weekend campers and were heading back to their “sticks and bricks” homes. Two more pulled in almost immediately to take their place.
I decided that I needed to work on the new electric lock that I have installed. For some reason, it will not allow me to change the code and I am stuck with the factory code known to every RV crook. This means that although I have the convenience of just pushing buttons, so does anyone else who may be so inclined. I messed around with it and even took it off and then reassembled it again all to no avail. Need to do some more research to find out the problem.
Closer inspection showed that the tongue was binding, and I decided that I needed to file the door plate where the actual lock tongue makes contact as that is a part of the problem. I probably have a small file somewhere, but goodness knows where. I jumped in the Jeep and made the short run to Home Depot and with the help of a young salesperson, found something close to what I needed. I took a chance and stopped at Starbucks and yea, they were open, and I ordered my usual Latte. When I got back to Mr. George, just for the hell of it, I tried the new combination and what do you know. the door opened without any trouble. Just to be sure I was not dreaming or something. I tried the new combo both to lock and unlock, several times and each time, it worked perfectly. Wow, somebody has taken pity on me. Now all I need to do is use the file just a little bit to make sure the lock is not binding and program in the key fob and hope not to mess that up while doing it.
We went out for the final walk of the day mostly in the park. Murphy’s Law follows us around even when walking because if either dog “poops within the park,” I pick it up using the special plastic bags that are sold by the enterprising pet stores, for such things and then put the bag in the one of the three dumpsters. Two are located next to the washroom and the third is in the bottom section. Depending on which direction we are heading, I carry the bags and put them in the closest dumpster, and we often change course especially for that purpose. If anyone were observing our path, they would think I was drunk as there is no logic to the trail we take as we often backtrack to the closest dumpster. The dogs don’t care as they are simply happy to be out and about. I mumble under my breath, a lot, especially if either dumpster is at the other end of the park and we have already passed them at least once and sometimes more. Still, it is all good exercise for both them and me.
We sat outside and watched the comings and goings as yet another RV pulled into the temporary slots with a much younger couple and a very young baby that staggered around and had on a huge diaper almost as big as it was. Sorry about the “it” but I have no idea of the sex of the infant. Fun to watch though and it brought home the comparisons between most of the campers who are old and retired and this younger couple who are just starting out.
The rest of the evening was spent in the usual fashion with food all around while watching television and drinking a glass of wine. Well, I watch the TV and drink the wine, The dogs just sleep…
We got up early for a change especially for us for no particular reason as we have nothing special planned for the day. I do have several small things that I need to attend to, mostly of the mechanical nature in and around Mr. George. We went walking as is our usual habit first thing in the morning, but it was very quiet around the park being Saturday and for the working people, a day off.
Back in Mr. George, I fixed breakfast for us, and I think, I have the hang of the new coffee machine. Incidentally, the Lattes are delicious. Money well spent as is the case with the new cooker. The chicken breasts that I cooked the other evening are really tasty. Following breakfast, which I eat at my new desk and at the same time, reading emails or, as in most cases, trashing emails before turning my attention to the daily news most of which is very depressing. Satisfied that the world is not coming to an end…yet or that we are not heading for a Nuclear War, I moved on to the blog. Even though I have kept up with the writing, which is a good thing as I have a tough time recalling what happened yesterday and anything further back than that becomes guesswork. In a way, the blog is a diary of events from day to day and I suppose that if I really needed to, I could trace some special event back in time. I was blogged out ahead by fifteen blogs that I had not posted yet, so I spent time on addressing the problem. For me, when I write a blog, I like to attach a picture, well actually two pictures. One is on the actual blog, and it does not have to be blog related and not always my own although I prefer to use my work as much as possible. The other picture shows on the website where all the blogs are displayed and is a lead in picture just to pretty up the site. Incidentally, the blog site log in is https://livinginanRV.blog although if you are reading this, you already know that. All of this takes time especially when I get behind as I need to make sure that things get posted in order and not on Saturdays and Sundays as those days are reserved, Saturday for poetry and Sundays…nothing. Got to give my few readers a break. Even after several hours work, I still have nine blogs that have already been written to prepare and post. Incidentally, I work on my pictures using Adobe Lightroom Classic touching them up as required which again, takes time.
Time flies by so fast here inside of Mr. George or even when I am out and about. The days are much shorter than they used to be all those years ago when I was a little kid, and I am not talking of daylight-saving time. Time, for me, is racing to the end with ever quickening speed, I guess. Just as at the opposite end of the scale when I was out and about with my childhood buddies, the days were endless. At least, the days are no longer measured by productivity or achievement anymore and if I don’t want to do anything, I don’t. That is why I like to write so much as even if the physical body is slowing down, the brain is still continually active.
Around 4:30 or so, both dogs became restless, and I figured we should go for a short walk around the park. The temperature has already reached 87 degrees making this the hottest day so far this year. To think that only a couple of days ago, it was in the 50’s. Only in Texas.
Later that evening, we went out for another short walk. By then, it had cooled off a bit and we covered 1.7 miles for the day.
When I went to bed last evening, I had trouble getting the tall portable heater unit to work and thought that like most modern-day appliances, it had reached its prescribed useful life and had quit on me. After all, the coffee pot just quit working after about 3 years or so of constant use every morning, so why not the heater unit as it was about the same age, maybe a bit older but not having had anywhere near the use that the coffee pot got…I thought about switching on the coach heaters but decided against it knowing that I would not get that cold in the night. After all, I do have my own personal cuddly little hot water bottles in the form of Mikey and Sandy. Mikey is the real cuddler. Sandy, not so much unless it suits her as she tends to get hot and consequently is uncomfortable. Typical female. We all slept OK even without the additional heat from the defunct tower heater.
It was a little cool when I eventually crawled out of bed which got me moving a bit quicker. We did the usual walk, running into Daniel on the way who naturally had to make a fuss of Sandy. Even Mikey made a halfhearted attempt to be friends. We returned to Mr. George for breakfast and coffee using the new coffee maker once more. I think I have the hang of this one now. While I was at it, I checked the heater unit and plugged it in to a different outlet and lo and behold, it worked. Take back all my bad thoughts about the manufacturers. Now, I need to check out that outlet and see what is wrong with it. Always something.
I was in the bathroom doing my usual morning ablutions, one of which is of course, to shave. Somehow, my electric razor popped out of my hand and landed in the toilet which, because the lid happened to be up, submerged before I could rescue it. I fished it out and shook it a few times to get most of the water out of it and put it to one side waiting for it to dry. An hour later, when I deemed it had sufficient time to dry out, I tried it and it would not start so I plugged it in to recharge it and went about my business which consisted of the usual checking emails and answering those that needed a response. I tried the razor again and it worked fine until I tried to shut it off and it just kept on running. At that point, I figured that I needed a new razor anyway and added it to my list of things to do later that day. I have had that one for at least 10 years so maybe it is time for a change albeit, a forced one.
I had other things I wanted to work on but decided that just in case I might have to drive into Austin to replace the razor, I should leave straightaway for Dripping Springs as by then, it was 3:30 pm. I am not a beard person having tried it in my younger days and decided that I like the clean-shaven look. As it turned out, the local Walgreens had several different kinds of electric razors in stock and I chose one by the same manufacturer, Braun, as I have had exceptionally good luck with them in the past. Good old German Engineering and all of that…I would still be using the other one if it were not for my carelessness. Maybe, I will close the lid of the toilet in the future, but it is a guy thing, to leave the lid up. And the butt of many jokes.
From there. I headed to the HEB store and purchased a few things that I needed before heading back to Mr. George and two excited little dogs. After putting the groceries away, with a lot of unwanted help, we went out walking looking to see how many new arrivals there are. Daniel had told me they were expecting 8 altogether today. We eventually adjourned back to Mr. George for the evening but first spending some time sitting on the wicker couch, observing the coming, and going. Always interesting to people watch. Incidentally, we covered 2.2 miles for the day.
I love to write especially in verse although some of my stuff cannot get worse a bunch of drivel and words do not rhyme wondering why I waste my time on writing stuff that no one will read just to satisfy my need to write the words all bottled up inside to get them down in some sort of rhyme not caring if anyone reads the stuff just writing it down for me is enough and so dear reader you have taken the time to read these words that do make a rhyme although the meanings do not make much sense all jumbled together in the wrong tense in order to get the rhythm that I need the words must rhyme for me to proceed and having done that one more time it is time to end this silly rhyme.
We awoke later than usual even for us. Funny, the dogs seem to be very content to snooze right alongside of me although when we do make a move, they are generally in a hurry to get out of the door for obvious reasons. Ignoring them, I took a shower and changed clothes, and at the same time, admiring the hamper that contains dirty laundry and observing just how full it is. Time to make that trip, I guess.
We went out for the morning walk but with little activity and observed several open slots. The blacktop contactors have gone including all their equipment, so it was nice and peaceful. It had warmed up and I did not need a jacket and we walked one of the outside lanes, but the traffic is a bit of a problem. Some drivers slow down and give us a wide berth, but others treat the lane like their own private speedway regardless of who or what may be walking there. No one should be in that much of a hurry.
Incidentally, the new latte machine works just fine. I just have to learn the different techniques for this one. It is only a coffee maker for gosh sakes, how hard can it be? I also looked at the new roaster oven as I need to put it to use cooking the chicken, I bought a couple of days ago. It does not appear to be too difficult, but neither is boiling water and I can mess that up too.
I threw the bag of clothes in the car as all the detergent and stuff is there and made my way over to the laundry room. At least, that is where I was heading but I ran into Daniel and spent a pleasant half hour shooting the breeze with him before finally making it over. For the first time ever, none of the machines were in use and I chose the ones closest to the window in the hope that I could get the app to work. After loading the laundry, I got the App to work on the first machine but had to resort to the old fashioned, stick the quarters in the slot, for the other one. At least, the one will tell me when I need to go and put the laundry in the dryer.
Back in Mr. George, I sat and wrote for a while as I was waiting for the laundry to do its thing. The App told me that the laundry was ready, and I made my way back. Apparently, another camper had need of the machine and had taken the laundry out of the washer and had placed it in the closest dryer. That was OK as I understand that there are just not enough machines. Pity they had not put in quarters and started it while they were at it…I got the App to work on both dryers and made my way back to Mr. George to wait for it to tell me when to go and fold and get out of there. Interesting that when I went in the first time, none of the machines were in use. When I went back, they were all in use. Timing is everything in life.
With the laundry folded and put away for at least another couple of weeks, I turned my attention to researching the electronic locks and how to program one. It seems simple enough, but for some reason, I cannot get it to work. The lock works fine using the manufacturers issued code but as that is a standard code for all new electronic locks. it is not much of a deterrent. Something else to work on. Because of my inability to reprogram a new code, I cannot recode the key fob either, darn it. Still, even punching in the current code is an improvement on having to use a key every time.
We went for the final walk of the day and managed to cover 1.5 miles total and when we got back to Mr. George, we sat outside for a bit passing comment to the neighbors as they walked by. Finally, we adjourned back inside, and I put the new cooking unit to work on the chicken breasts I had bought a couple of days earlier. This time around is a bit of an experiment both in the cooking and the amount of heat the unit generates on the marble countertop. Well, imitation marble. The unit worked like a dream and the chicken was beautifully browned and cooked, in a very short time.
I fed the dogs, but they turned their noses up at the canned food that I normally serve them, waiting patiently and expectedly for some of the wonderful chicken they could smell. They each got a taster but that was all. OK, a bit more than a taster which of course, made them ignore their regular food even more. The way I see it, they can knuckle down and eat what is in front of them or as Marie Antionette once said, “Let them eat cake” only in this case, dry dog food, which is always available to them.
The rest of the day was spent in the usual fashion of watching Seal Team on the TV with a glass of cheap wine.
I had a tough time getting to sleep last evening as my mind was buzzing with the things that I needed to do like, work on the lock, talk to Daniel about working on the reclining chair and maybe packing it for return and such. I finally dropped off and woke at the usual time around 9:00 am. As usual, after showering and changing clothes, we went out for our morning walk around the park. I stayed away from the lower end as the contractors were back blacktopping the gravel roads that they put in last year. This park is spending a lot of money on upkeep and improvements, but it is paying off as there are very few empty sites. Today, as I was writing, several RVs pulled into the temporary lots in front of me and now the whole row is full, again…
I have things I need to do if I can work up enough enthusiasm to do them. Fixing the lock is my main priority and deciding what to do with the recliner is also high on my list, although, I cannot do that without help from Daniel. He is busy working with the Blacktop Contractors, but much to my surprise, he did stop by and fixed the recliner for which I was very grateful. He also took a look at the lock and made a couple of adjustments and observations which helped a bit. It still needs some work though as I am not able to change the entry code or get the key fob to program in. I must remember to always carry my keys with me, just in case.
I checked my emails and much to my surprise, I had received an email from the reclining chair manufacturers offering me $120.00 to find a local person to fix the chair. Now, all I must do is find that person…
The rest of the day was spent in the usual fashion, writing in the blog, walking around the park, and watching TV after the evening meal.
We awoke later than usual even for us. Funny, the dogs seem to be very content to snooze right alongside of me although when we do make a move, they are generally in a hurry to get out of the door for obvious reasons. Ignoring them, I took a shower and changed clothes, and at the same time, admiring the hamper that contains dirty laundry and observing just how full it is. Time to make that trip, I guess.
We went out for the morning walk but with little activity and observed several open slots. The blacktop contactors have gone including all their equipment, so it was nice and peaceful. It had warmed up and I did not need a jacket and we walked one of the outside lanes, but the traffic is a bit of a problem. Some drivers slow down and give us a wide berth, but others treat the lane like their own private speedway regardless of who or what may be walking there. No one should be in that much of a hurry.
Incidentally, the new latte machine works just fine. I just have to learn the different techniques for this one. It is only a coffee maker for gosh sakes, how hard can it be? I also looked at the new roaster oven as I need to put it to use cooking the chicken, I bought a couple of days ago. It does not appear to be too difficult, but neither is boiling water and I can mess that up too.
I threw the bag of clothes in the car as all the detergent and stuff is there and made my way over to the laundry room. At least, that is where I was heading but I ran into Daniel and spent a pleasant half hour shooting the breeze with him before finally making it over. For the first time ever, none of the machines were in use and I chose the ones closest to the window in the hope that I could get the app to work. After loading the laundry, I got the App to work on the first machine but had to resort to the old fashioned, stick the quarters in the slot, for the other one. At least, the one will tell me when I need to go and put the laundry in the dryer.
Back in Mr. George, I sat and wrote for a while as I was waiting for the laundry to do its thing. The App told me that the laundry was ready, and I made my way back. Apparently, another camper had need of the machine and had taken the laundry out of the washer and had placed it in the closest dryer. That was OK as I understand that there are just not enough machines. Pity they had not put in quarters and started it while they were at it…I got the App to work on both dryers and made my way back to Mr. George to wait for it to tell me when to go and fold and get out of there. Interesting that when I went in the first time, none of the machines were in use. When I went back, they were all in use. Timing is everything in life especially the washing machines.
With the laundry folded and put away for at least another couple of weeks, I turned my attention to researching the electronic locks and how to program one. It seems simple enough, but for some reason, I cannot get it to work. The lock works fine using the manufacturers issued code but as that is a standard code for all new electronic locks. it is not much of a deterrent. Something else to work on. Because of my inability to reprogram a new code, I cannot recode the key fob either, darn it. Still, even punching in the current code is an improvement on having to use a key every time.
We went for the final walk of the day and managed to cover 1.5 miles total and when we got back to Mr. George, we sat outside for a bit passing comment to the neighbors as they walked by. Finally, we adjourned back inside, and I put the new cooking unit to work on the chicken breasts I had bought a couple of days earlier. This time around is a bit of an experiment both in the cooking and the amount of heat the unit generates on the marble countertop. Well, imitation marble. The unit worked like a dream and the chicken was beautifully browned and cooked, in a very short time.
I fed the dogs, but they turned their noses up at the canned food that I normally serve them, waiting patiently and expectedly for some of the wonderful chicken they could smell. They each got a taster but that was all. OK, a bit more than a taster which of course, made them ignore their regular food even more. The way I see it, they can knuckle down and eat what is in front of them or as Marie Antionette once said, “Let them eat cake” only in this case, dry dog food, which is always available to them.
The rest of the day was spent in the usual fashion of watching Seal Team on the TV with a glass of cheap wine. BTW, it amazes me that none of the team ever gets shot with all of those bullets whizzing around and yet the bad guys are falling left, right and center.
This lucky buck has quite a harem. What a set of antlers.
I did not know it, but I had a busy day ahead of me. We started in the usual fashion, a fast walk around the park followed by an even quicker breakfast. I took a quick glance at the mail to see if anything needed my immediate attention which I quickly took care of. Mostly junk anyway.
I drove into Dripping Springs to the Fed-Ex office there to return the lock and as usual, nothing was straightforward. For various and different reasons, I ended up paying $20.00 to return it but at least, it is no longer in my possession. From there, I went across the street to HEB to see if they had a new coffee maker as mine quit this morning but as I wanted a machine that would make a latte and they did not have anything, I had no choice but to drive into Austin… again and made a beeline for the Walmart’s closest to me. To my dismay, they did not have what I wanted in the way of coffee makers. I did buy a portable grill to cook the chicken and pork chops that I occasionally eat as I was tired of cleaning up the mess caused by an ill-fitting fry pan lid which allowed cooking fat to drip everywhere. I figured that I could probably use it for other things and broaden my horizon on the food that I consume.
I could have lived without the portable grill but not, unfortunately, the coffee maker or in my case Latte maker. I made a beeline for the Home Depot next door to see if they had anything. I needed a packing crate anyway so even though they were out of coffee makers, it was not a wasted trip.
There was a Bed, Bath and Beyond in the same lot and I headed over. Luckily for me, they had just what I wanted. Well not just what I wanted as this one has more bells and whistles than I will ever use and consequently was a bit more expensive, but as I could not see facing the next couple of days without my morning Latte, I went ahead and made the purchase. While I was in Walmart’s, I had bought the few groceries that I needed so except for a stop at Starbucks, where else? I made the drive home. Incidentally, the lady that helped me in Walmart’s with the latte maker told me that they had a lot of goods on back order and had been for a month or more.
I drove back to Henly and that is when my troubles really started as when I entered the pin for Mr. George, I heard the lock work, but the door would not open. I messed around with it trying this and that and even though I had the key, it would not budge. I could hear the lock open and figured that something was binding stopping the door from functioning properly.
In the end, I had to use a large screwdriver to pry the door open without damaging the door itself which I finally did. I had an idea of what the problem might be and removed a couple of pieces of the lock which immediately freed up the movement and enabled the lock to work properly. It looks like, the original owners may have changed out the lock before me and added an extra strike plate doubling the thickness which is now causing my lock to bind. Something else needing my attention tomorrow as by now, it was late in the evening. We still had to take a walk albeit a short one because it was much later than I had anticipated because of the lock problem.
Following the walk, we had our evening meal and sat and watched television which included the glass of wine. The end of a very busy and somewhat frustrating day.
I got up and showered, shaved, and put on clean clothes while my two little dogs were in the living area running up and down with their legs crossed. As quick as I try to be, it is never fast enough for them, but they usually do a good job of “holding it.” We took a short walk around the park as the weather was little damp with light rain showers before adjourning to the warmth and comfort of Mr. George. I still have a lot of cleaning and tidying work to do and as it is a miserable, windy, and rainy day with heavy rain forecast, it is the ideal time to get it done. Mikey has taken over the recliner while I work on the computer and Sandy has gone back to bed, which actually sounds like a good idea.
I worked for a couple of hours before deciding that as the new lock has arrived, I should take the time to install it. I have a little experience as I put one in once before in the Eagle when it was parked in my old driveway back in Austin. I made the mistake there of locking it from the inside with me being in inside doing the locking, only to find that it would not unlock, and I could not get out. I had to call my neighbors who had a workmate visiting and between them, they literally spread the door jamb wide enough to let me out. It did not do any damage to the RV, but I learned that lesson really quick. I made the necessary adjustment to the lock and from then on, it worked just fine.
Before installing the lock, I hooked the battery charger back up as the battery will not lower the blind a sure sign that it needs charging. There must be problem somewhere for this to keep happening. I would take it back to Crestview, but they might not get to it straight away and then we would need to find accommodation in a Motel and for how long?
I went to work on the lock and this time, I had different problems as the existing hole in the door needed some adjustment not being quite large enough. I knew that I had a rasp somewhere that would do the work of filing down the door opening. A rasp is like a large flat file with much deeper serrated edges to file off the wood. I eventually located it in my tool collection after digging through several boxes. At the same time, I located a set of Allen wrenches that I also needed. That was after asking my neighbor who I know has that sort of thing and I had to trot across quickly to tell them I had found my own. I eventually got the lock installed but it still needs some adjustment. At that point, the weather started to turn nasty, and I stopped for the day on the lock. It works with a key, and I still have to program in the fob. Tomorrow will be a good day for that.
Looking at the incoming weather, I quickly harnessed up the dogs and we went out for a very short walk just as far as the office where I had a delivery, again…This time, it was the towel holders that I had mentioned in a previous blog which I had managed to find on Amazon, where else! The smallest amount was a packet of 8. I can use 3 and maybe my friend BJ would like a couple as they are very useful. It is about fifty yards to the office and by the time we got back, the dogs were soaked requiring that they be toweled down before being let loose inside of Mr. George.
I had to change clothes as I was also wet before settling down in front of the computer with a cup of tea. The dogs are still learning the new furniture, well Sandy is as Mikey has already claimed the most comfortable chair in the house, the new Lounger. With a bit of encouragement from me and dirty looks from Mikey, I got her to jump up in the Lounger and at present they are both zonked off, fast asleep. They really do get along very well and only when Mikey decides he wants to “ride” her, does she get mad at him. Her fault anyway as when they play, she always turns her rear end to him and uses her butt as a weapon.
Another Class A, this time an older model has just pulled in across from me in the pouring rain. Needless to say, they are sitting and waiting for it to subside before setting up.
With us all snug and dry and all caught up on the writing, it was time to think about the evening meal. I had planned to go in to HEB and to Fed Ex to drop off the other lock, but it took me much longer than I had anticipated working on the new lock so the trip will now be tomorrow. With the evening meal out of the way and the dogs happy with what they had, we settled down to watch TV. The medication that I had collected from PostNet the other day is working and I was able to enjoy that glass of wine as we watched the television, without getting an upset stomach.
The new office space. The chair will go under the desk when not in use for more room and even though the recliner looks cockeyed, it is the angle of the camera and not the chair.
I got up pretty early, for me, and we went out walking but just before I left, I received a text message from Melinda stating the Daniel would be stopping by around 10:00 am. This caused us to cut the walk a bit short and we were back in time for breakfast and coffee before Daniel was knocking on the door. He had his friend, Jeff with him who also helps around the park, and they quickly started work after reviewing the situation. In less than an hour, they had torn out the existing couch and table and discovered a whole bunch of electrical cables in something of a disarray and definitely not organized at all. The first thing that Daniel did was to straighten out the mess and install a new outlet box that will fit under the desk. Satisfied with their results, we all went outside, this time joined by Melinda, Daniels better half who immediately pitched in to help. It took about an hour but between them, they assembled both the desk and the chair. Luckily, all the parts were there but we did notice that one of the arms on the chair appeared to be bent. It also has an interior piece of the frame that is pushing hard against the cover material and will probably wear through pretty quick. Maybe, I can get the arm replaced.
With everything assembled, they lifted both the desk and the chair inside, having to remove the safety handle by the door in order to get them through the door opening and placed them in position. They all fit very nicely although a little snug which I knew would be the case but that is OK as the desk chair can go under the desk when not in use. I will not be sitting in both at the same time although Mikey lays claim to one or the other depending on which one, I am sitting in. We were all more than satisfied with the result. I helped them clean up all the debris which went into the dumpster, some on my carrier on the Jeep and the rest on Daniels work vehicle.
While this was going on, the gentleman from Wisconsin stopped by to pay me for the Blue Ox towing unit and we said our goodbyes as they were pulling out and I wished them a safe journey. I had asked $300.00 for the towing unit which they had given me and while Melinda and I were at the dumpster, I discussed the fact that I could “not get Daniel to talk money and would you please take this $300.00 for all of the work”? She, in turn also protested that it was too much but as I was so grateful for their help, I figured it was the least I could do. Not like it was my money anyway as all I did was pass it along. Besides, I got rid of the excess weight of the towing unit which is probably at least 100 lbs. altogether and the worry of where to store it. In Mr. George.
I adjourned back inside and surveyed the mess created by hastily moving things out of the way plus the contents of the table and drawers from the discarded unit. I worked diligently arranging and re-arranging the little storage cupboards over the desk which, incidentally, are much easier to reach now that the couch and table are gone. I had bought some small plastic storage boxes especially for this purpose.
All this work had taken the best part of the day and it was time for the evening walk. We did not go far before adjourning back to Mr. George. On the way back, I ran into both Melinda and Daniel who both thanked me again for my generous payment which, they said, they had just spent some of on a decent meal in town. They warned me that the weather forecast was for strong winds and rain and to make sure everything was secure.
We adjourned to Mr. George for the rest of the evening after following their advice, to end a highly successful day. The dogs were a bit confused by the new seating arrangements and it took a while for us to get it figured out. The trouble is that they both want to be on my lap when I am using the recliner. Mikey figured out that was not very comfortable and moved over to the office chair while Sandy stayed on my lap. We have a few bugs to work out in that department.
