Another birthday has come and gone this one no different from the rest like the others just a card or two a birthday call from my friends who wished me all the very best to be another year older.
Those that called all said the same. You look good not changed a bit just like you always have but with a little less hair, a wrinkle or two an extra pound to carry around another year older.
This year is different as it seems messages received by electronic means on Facebook, Twitter and my blog too all wishing Many Happy Returns and for all of my years, not left behind messages of the electronic kind but the fact remains for all of my skill I cannot change nor have the will another year older
The messages all did say Happy Birthday, enjoy the day we are sure you will in your own way we know that you are happy to celebrate this life with the view of another year older.
One of these days The Lord will come knocking my soul to take and my body to rotting in my grave when the time comes around the time when is normally found my Birthday to celebrate here on earth no longer will happen for I will be to all of my friends just a memory and no longer will my friends say another year older.
With heartfelt Thanks to all of those that remembered my Birthday. I love you all…
Today will be my birthday, again Seventy Six this makes and all have been most welcome for at no time did I find no longer a birthday I wanted this time this birthday no different from the previous five will be spent at home with my dogs and my cats and the fish too as they do splash happy birthday they say all with one mind to make it the best for we are here and to us you are more precious, more dear. Happy Birthday dear friend they all do recite even though you don’t hear us we see the light of one more birthday as it comes your way from us, your friends, have a wonderful day.
The last twenty years alone have I been no mate to share how I spend my life no one, it’s true, to give me strife but no one to love unless animals do count as endless of them have I shared as I mount the stairway of life as on it goes when it will end only God knows but one thing is certain that in this life birthdays do count even with the strife they may bring as without them it’s true life as we know it does not renew.
Every life has a purpose of this we are sure what it is may not always be an open door but unless suffering in body or in mind with open arms each birthday we find through one more year not shedding a tear of all of life’s troubles whatever you hear with that in mind we have nothing to fear except fear itself as we march bravely on looking for the next verse in this song of life as its inevitable end we must mind and no more birthdays we’ll have of the earthly kind.
It’s been a while since I wrote a poem probably because my thoughts are not rhyming in fact you could say in a disjointed way that all of the words are colliding the words just don’t flow like they should my brain is covered with a hood and none of my thoughts come out in a rhyme as I can’t think of anything good so this will be a short poem today and people will say what’s wrong with that man and in my own way I will turn around and say sorry nothing is left in the can.
The little boys are back and say teach us more on how to play this game that we think is fun not just us but everyone who has ever kicked a ball they, like the boys, come back for more.
Yesterday, the first training we had in more than a month, it’s too bad that our coach had us running laps which is nothing new but he surprised us all and with sprints we did run against the other team and fun and games was had by all as one team was better by far and left the other team behind left them eating their dust and grime.
The coach promised that even we’ll get at training on Thursday, for it’s a safe bet that the team that won on Tuesday will find that they too will be left behind and it will be there turn to say we didn’t run very well today.
As usual, we got up around 9:00 am as we had nothing planned except for walking the dogs and doing some exploration of the park and then returning for a leisurely breakfast. Following my usual routine, I sat in front of the computer going through my messages and either answering or discarding as we usually do. Sometimes, something would really catch my eye and I would follow up on it but most of the time, it was read and discarded.
My next door and closest neighbor, has set up a tent and is working on his truck under it. The thing is a big diesel and when he starts it up, I can feel the vibrations from inside my RV. Well maybe not vibrations but it is noisy. He also has a bunch of tires stacked around his RV which looks pretty unsightly. The neighbors across the street have three dogs which they let run loose and I heard loud barking from outside with Mikey retaliating for all he was worth to find that a large Lab type dog and two little Chihuahua’s has surrounded my RV to bark at my dogs which they could see through the windows of the cab. The Lab even got up on the step leading into the cab. They eventually went back but it bothers me that the owners would let them run free.
I thought about things for a bit and the next time we were walking, I took note of all of the empty spaces and as there were several, decided on my next move. The following day, Friday, which as it happens was very stormy with a lot of thunder and heavy rain, called the Park Super, Andy and asked him if I could move to one of the other sites. I had picked one out that was not close to other RV’s and asked for it. He fiddled on his end with the system and finally said that I could have it.
Day Three Friday
So as soon as it stopped raining and the thunderstorm had passed, I went through the procedures of getting the RV ready to move, disconnecting water, sewer and finally the electricity after closing the slides and raising the jacks. I moved Eagle Two a few sites away and set it back up doing everything in reverse. Compared to hooking up the truck to the Eagle, this move was a piece of cake. Then I walked back and moved the Jeep. By the time I was through, I was totally soaked with sweat even though it took less than fifteen minutes. That is how humid it was. I could not get the RV’s A/C unit to kick in and it was hot inside. So I got out a small fan that I have and plugged it in and it would not work either. Next thing was to check the fuses and finally, get out the instruction book but nothing I did would help matters. I opened the screen door to let in outside air which was cooler than in the RV even with the high humidity and sat there thinking of what might be wrong. Finally, I went outside and checked the power hookup only to discover that although I had plugged everything in properly, I had forgotten to turn on the 50 amp switch. Stupid of me. That did the trick and the A/C was soon blasting away. What I forgot was that things like jacks and slide outs and lights, were all working off the RV’s battery which is not powerful enough to operate the A/C unit. I won’t make that mistake again.
I stood under the cold shower to cool off and put on a change of clothes and surveyed my new site. My nearest neighbor who is at least 25 yards away has a big dog but it is not only on a leash but it is also muzzled and when it started to bark, the lady of the house brought it inside. The trailer on the other side is currently not occupied and maybe used on weekends or something like. There are several unused parking places and there appears to be a lot of permanent residents.
I decided that I needed to go grocery shopping and jumped into the Jeep to find the nearest store. I set my GPS to Rockport which is 3 miles away driving close to the Gulf and found an HEB (hooray). It was one of the larger stores and had a good variety of stuff and I spent an hour or so wandering around filling my cart mostly with things I really needed. A couple of other things snuck in there that I could probably do without but what the hell, life is short and in my case, growing shorter by the minute. I set the GPS to find a Starbucks but even though it had directions, we never did locate the place, darn it. Try that one again next time.
On the drive in both directions, I noticed a lot of RV Parks and RV’s on private property. They are very popular down here which is surprising taking into consideration the sort of weather they might have. I could probably have found any vacant park without too much trouble but it is always a guessing game. I look at park revues for any indication to stay away
Arriving back at Eagle Two, I was met by two overly excited little dogs who had missed me. They helped me put the groceries away, most of which went into the refrigerator before we harnessed up for their walk. I tried the dog park again but that doesn’t work too well as Mikey just sits under my chair and Sandy after a few exploratory walks, just plops down in the long grass. We gave up on the Park and finished by walking around before returning back for the evening.
I have not yet unloaded the Jeep of the Wicker Loveseat as it not very comfortable being outside with the heat and humidity. Maybe I’ll just leave it packed for the next and hopefully cooler site.
Most evenings are the same with feeding dogs and then me before settling down with a glass of wine to watch TV. If I’m lucky like on weekends, I get to watch the English Premier League. Otherwise it is a murder mystery or horror movie and hope not to dream about it while I am asleep which incidentally is of the very sound variety. By the way I am not very happy with then name Eagle Two and am trying to think of something more unique. Last Chance maybe or how about Final Ride or maybe something less sinister. I suppose I could name it after any one of my three wives but that would be a bit ironic considering each ended in divorce and although my memories are of the fondest kind, not that much. Any suggestions?
So ended Day Three at Rockport RV Park already with some adventures.
The year is now twenty twelve Is that significant you may ask only to those whose age extends beyond that when the tasks of running and jumping and being young and loving and laughing has long passed. Until all that is left in this shell of a man are desires and thoughts and memories when all of those things he was able to do he does through others unbeknownst to them he lives off their youth and absorbs their hunger for life even though they haven’t a clue that by his teaching, sharing and playing too is yet another way for him to hide growing old before his time.
Young and old and in between we are all living the impossible dream of that day when our maker must face and we can say that in our place we did run and jump and play with the best and when the time came we did not rest but passed on what we had learned in our life that others may learn and without strife our place to take in this world of life.
I started getting ready for the big move on Tuesday, September 31 by working on the stuff outside of the RV. Things like loading the Wicker Couch onto the carryall along with a whole bunch of other things that I had stored out there. Stored is probably not the right word as that conjures up visions of a room or shed that can be securely closed. No, my version of stored was to slide it under the RV usually in a plastic container and out of the rain and weather. I had to be careful what I put there as the Park has strict rules about stuff outside of your RV.
With the outside completely cleaned up and everything tied down on the carryall, I was ready to face the inside. Some I couldn’t do until the next day as I would still need coffee and breakfast as would the dogs. Well breakfast for them at least. There was a bunch of other stuff laying around that needed picking up and storing securely away.
Then came the big day, Wednesday, September 1. I got out of bed early (for me) took the dogs for a walk enjoying this last walkabout in this park for a while. I stopped and chatted to a couple of people, long term neighbors who knew I was on the move and came back to the RV to have breakfast and finish the packing. When I say packing, some of the loose stuff goes into drawers. Other things like the computer and printer are put on the couch. Finally, with everything in it’s place and tucked safely away, it was time to lower the RV and pull the chocks and drive it out onto the park road so that I could hook up the Jeep.
Hooking up was a simple job and worked very well but disengaging the drive train turned out to be a problem which I eventually figured out. With the brake unit in place on the jeep, we were ready to roll. I checked the site and made sure it was clean and was just about ready to drive off when the Park Super stopped by to wish me safe travels. He had noticed the problem I had with the Jeep transmission and commented on it. We bumped fists and I drove off feeling both sad and elated that I was leaving a park that I had lived in for almost a year and the great adventure was actually starting. The sale of the house and leaving an era of my life that had lasted thirty six years was behind me and it was time to move on.
This was the first time of driving the RV towing the Jeep behind and I noticed that it swayed quite bit especially when cars and big trucks whizzed by. I think some of that is due to the extra hand tools stored in the back which has probably added quite a bit of weight. When we get parked again, I need to redistribute some of this weight either by putting tools in smaller boxes and into other compartments or by just getting rid of many of them. I probably have duplicates of everything as that part of me was very reluctant to let go.
We made good time travelling IH 281 and then IH 37 towards Corpus and passing around San Antonio. Didn’t meet any traffic jambs or accidents along the way and it wasn’t until we got 40 or so miles out of Rockport and onto country roads albeit with 75 mph speed limits, did things get a little more complicated. Finally, after about four and a half hours of driving we arrived at Rockport Retreat RV Park.
I drove in and found my site and as a nice touch, the Management had put a welcome note on the number stand so I had no difficulty in identifying that I was at the right place. Again, I had problems with the Jeep after unhooking it from the RV but eventually got the transmission working again.
Mine was a back in site which was no problem for Eagle Two and I quickly hooked up the utilities and was ready to go. I ran into a problem with one of the slide outs as somehow or another, a piece of plastic trash has gotten under the slide in the living room and is preventing it from opening properly. Something I need to work on tomorrow. I noticed too, that I had lost one of the wheel hub cap covers on the rear wheels along the way, something else I will need to order and replace. WIFI reception is very good, better than at Henly and I was able to watch my favorite programs without them slipping in and out on me. We sat and watched for a while and the three of us went to bed with the first day of the new adventure starting without too much trouble.
I am glad in this world I have lived all these years The things I have seen and the stories I have heard All the good and the bad and the regular things All the hoping and wishing and impossible dreams The things that between them make up this life The good stuff and bad stuff and stuff that makes strife
Where would we be if we didn’t have stuff What would we do if life was enough With our dreams and our hopes and our thoughts of the same Moments of glory, of wealth and of fame
And along this road that we tread as we go we pile on more stuff to add to the load of the already burden of doubt and of fear as we add to the stuff that life brings each year.
As if stuff was not just the mind burdening kind we add to it with the physical find of all of the things that our world can supply Stuff we must have if just for the day
After that, we can throw it away as no longer will it of interest be as it joins the other stuff we have hidden in attics and closets, garages and sheds in boxes and cases and other places too anywhere to add to the unwanted stuff one day we find, “Look at this, Look what I found. Didn’t know that I still had this around. This is something I need. Boy, what a day. glad that I kept all this stuff”. we do say.
And to the stores we eagerly seek more stuff of the kind when our resolve is weak and we bring it home and use it one time maybe twice if it was a real find then into the closet, spare bedroom or shed does it go to join the rest of the stuff.
Oh! what a beautiful day, I stand outside in the sun and say “Where else would I want to be today”? The truth of the matter is that I can think of no better place to be than in Austin in Texas in January. The temperature is so sublime, the sun is warm, the weather is fine, this evening the temperature colder will feel and it might go down to 30 degrees but even with this little freeze will not dampen the spirits raised during the day when the sun feels so warm to make us say “Oh what a beautiful day”.
It used to be six months ago when I was sitting around and things were slow trying to find something to do, something useful, something new.
Generally, I would find something of the physical kind as that is what I have always done when I am of the mind that something I need to do today in the yard that I can say, “Look at this, look what I have done, different from I did before” as I view my work and feel so fine that I was not wasting my time.
Now, I am much older and know that physical things no longer show as top of the list when things are slow as they used to years ago.
My thoughts turn to the writing thing, a story or poem anything is better to fill my time instead of things of the physical kind.
It’s not that I am a lazy man, far be it for I have found that I enjoy working hard and things I take to put together, something to make or a garden to shape so that things will grow, flowers will bloom and people will know that it did not happen all by itself, it took a little work from me and Nature and God and between we three we have turned what we have for all to see into this thing of lasting beauty.
I walked around the garden today To see what Nature had to say Being winter this time of year Brings frosts that can be very severe So far we have but a couple of light freezes Enough to kill the tenderest of greenery The hardiest plants have withstood the touch Of Mother Natures icy fingers and such Are the sights that today I see As I walk around the garden for me A chance to see what remains to be found Now that Nature has levelled all growth to the ground
After the frosts their havoc did wreak I busied myself in the garden to keep The worst of the frozen material at bay And cut and raked and collected it up And placed it on the pile of dead stuff To rot and to turn into compost so fine That on the garden be placed to complete the rhyme Things grow, things die, things rot and return Back to the soil from whence they began.
After the frost
The garden so green and so fine with lush growth Will return when Spring with the sun and her warmth Decide that Winter has now long gone And time for the cycle to renew again Once more to fill the garden with hope And growth will begin where today there is none All it takes is rain and a lot of sun And the loving care of folks just like me Who believe that Nature can use some help To shape itself and with its growth Renew itself again and again. The only help that folks like me Are to the garden, it’s plain to see That some sort of order of which there is none The way Nature grows it she lets it become A wild and somewhat unruly beast But that’s only because in our orderly minds Things have to be in some sort of lines Whereas Nature is happy to have things grow Any which way its true as long as a show Of beauty she puts on for all to see Mother Nature is here for eternity
It will grow back
And when we are gone and that we must face In this World is Nature with her beauty and grace No more will mankind with their orderly minds Disturb what is now Mother Nature’s kind.
Have you ever had one of those days when you just should never have got out of bed? I had one of those days yesterday much to my dismay.
It all started on our early morning walk which usually takes us around the park as we check out who has arrived and who has moved on. True to form, Sandy, very impatiently I might add, was doing her usually jumping up and down at the door the minute that I got out of bed not wanting to wait for me to shower and dress for the day. I ignored her and went about my usual routine before strapping on her harness and then Mikey’s to take them out for their first walk. As we hurried past the RV’s in the park with Sandy pulling and straining to get nowhere fast with the occasional stop to smell the roses, we came to the last RV in the row parked next to the exit to the road when all of a sudden, two very large dogs came running at us, neither of which was on a leash. I started to holler at them and the owners came dashing out but not before one of them had grabbed Sandy by her harness and was violently shaking her. Luckily, she slipped out of the harness which the dog had grabbed and eventually made her way back to me, unhurt and hardly fazed by the ordeal. The owners had by now, grabbed the dogs and had put them back inside and were full of apologies for what had happened. We chatted for a bit and went on our way.
As it happens, another Park tenant had witnessed the whole thing and reported it to the Management who in turn, wanted my side of the story before talking to the other dog owners about keeping their animals under control. It all ended OK but could have been worse. The thing is, I felt helpless apart from shouting at the other dogs the minute Sandy slipped her harness and was out of my reach and even though she gave a good account of herself, it could have ended up very badly for her. BTW, she is not too smart as she is more than ready to get into a fight regardless of the breed or size of the other dog.
Such are the hazards of owning small dogs. Oh yes, while all of this was going on, after initially barking at the two other dogs, Mikey was cowering behind me wanting nothing to do with the fracas.
Then I got a call from ATT who are my service providers wanting to talk about my service both current and at the old house. I must have been on the phone at least a half hour going backwards and forwards with a Rep that would only offer me two solutions, keep the service to the house which I no longer owned or cancel the service. I tried to explain that I no longer lived their or even owned it and travelled around and he eventually handed me off to his Supervisor. I explained to her that I had a little remote server that I was paying $50.00 a month for that gave me service to the RV and we eventually managed to work everything out. What a frustrating experience that turned out to be.
As a postscript to this event, I received an almost identical call from ATT the following day asking almost the very same questions as the previous Rep which I tried to explain to the most recent caller. She ignored me and proceeded to bombard me with a lot of questions with the bottom line being that the service to the house was cancelled but that i could still keep ATT through my personal ATT router. Which, incidentally is how yesterdays conversation ended. Wonder if I will get another call tomorrow?
I went into town later that day because I needed a few things and because I had an idea to improve the drawer space in Eagle Two. I thought that maybe if I went to enough stores, I could find a three drawer cabinet that would fit under the table. I went to 4 different places, Office Depot, Home Depot and the like and even a couple of used furniture stores but with no luck. So, I need to add that to my list of things to search for. While I was in Home Depot, I did purchase a Ryobi Hand Vacuum to clean the RV and also a small trash bin with a foot operated lid. I have been using a special gadget that holds plastic bags and hangs on the top of one of the cupboard doors but as it is always open at the top, emits odors from whatever I have thrown away. Besides, where it was located hanging from the under sink door, it got in the way. I think I might have accidentally dropped a knife in it as I can’t find the knife anywhere and I have searched all over. If I did, the knife is long gone in the city dump. So, now I have a new small trash bin to take up space in a very limited area anyway. The bag sizes are also smaller meaning more trips to the trash dumpsters but at least they are lighter and we can take them with us on one of our walks.
I also went grocery shopping in the HEB in Dripping Springs for a few items and managed to cover almost 4 miles of walking for the day. Those big box stores can do that for you. Great exercise.
I am slowly coming to realize that I no longer am a landowner with a house or have ponds and fish to maintain. Now, when I get up and after the dogs have taken me for an early (for me) morning walk, unless I have business in town I really don’t have anything urgent that I need to pay attention to. Sure, I still have the occasional appointment which I plan for in advance but other than that, my time is very much my own.
I am trying hard not to waste it as life is precious and the days are getting shorter and shorter as I grow older. I spend a lot of time working on this blog and my most recent project is to copy all of the poems that I have written starting from early 2012 currently posted in my other blog listed below. Altogether, there are almost 300 of them and I am reposting them at two a week on Tuesdays and Thursdays with the other three days reserved for my current writing some of which also includes poetry. A lot of the that writing has been taken up with my stay here at Henly which as I wrote in an earlier blog, is coming to an end around this time as we approach the end of the month. With nothing now to hold me back, we are going to tour around for a bit while I am still able. I have a rough trip mapped out which is subject to change for any number of reasons including the availability of whichever campground I am looking at. That’s the beauty of an RV. If you don’t like a place or campground, you can just move on to the next one on your list.
As I transposed the poems from one blog to the next, I had the opportunity to read everyone of them and was amazed at the quality of the writing as compared to today. Maybe because it was a fresh and new thing or because my brain was ten years younger, it seems there is much more quality to what I wrote back then. It is fun reading this stuff as it also gives me the chance to re-live some of those moments or mourn the passing of one of my many pets or renew acquaintances with long lost friends. Poetry is a magical way of writing although it doesn’t appeal to everyone.
As we walked this afternoon, I got to thinking about the weather here in my part of Texas and how this summer compares to many of the previous ones. I have lived in this State since 1977 and I truly believe that this has got to be the coolest summer in all of that time. There have been others where it was hot and barely reached 100 degrees on several days but so far, we have not even come close. A few years ago, Wichita Falls set a record of 100 straight 100 degree days just to give you an idea of just how hot it can be. I am not complaining about it just stating my observations. Is it just an anomaly or a one off or is global warming really making itself felt? In any case, I’ll take it this way as it is so much cooler, comparatively speaking.
Football season has started, that’s Soccer to the uninitiated. I have always wondered why the American form of the sport is called football as very little, if any, apart from the kickers, use their feet. Most of the time, they are too busy beating up on their opponents. With the English Premier League up and running, this time, the fans are back to watch their teams and being as raucous and as loud as they possibly can be making up for missing out on a year or so of supporting their favorites. From what I can see, not too many are wearing masks and it will be interesting what might happen in a couple of weeks. Maybe there are restrictions like having to produce proof of having a shot or something similar. I have a great grandson that plays for Brighton and Hove Albion of whom I am very proud. He is reliving my dream as although I was a very good player, I was never good enough to play at the professional level let alone in the Premier League. Go Solly. At least, I can cheer him on from my side of the pond thanks to the miracles of modern science.
Well, it’s time for the final walk of the day, at least that is what Sandy is telling me. Mikey. not so much but he will go along just in case he misses out on something. More later.
This writing thing has a hold on me Every time I can I try to see If something else I can write Poem, story it matters not To give it a try with all I have got Another posting, look at that He is good for that’s a fact Let’s wait ’till tomorrow and we will see What it is that he has come up with today To share with us and in his own way satisfy the urge that he has to write In the hope that he might Strike a chord, a harmony or two As with his writing he finds out who He really is.With notebooks and pens scattered all around On this journey of writing they can be found Within his reach as thoughts he does sound Not to forget but to write them down The thoughts come in and just as fast Do leave his mind, they do not last Unless pen to paper he does apply To make those thoughts reality take In his search for words that he might make The perfect story or poem with rhyme He writes so fast not wasting time In an effort to get words down to see What has he written this time for he is an old man and time he hath not To write all the things, they are a lot In his hurry to beat the clock on the wall The one that says, that’s it, that’s all Try as you might, you still will fall at the end, just like us all You cannot beat time how hard you may try for in the end we must all die. And time has run out.
I got up late as I sometimes do with nothing special planned for the day and took the dogs out for a walk just like our usually way giving them time to smell the dew which still lay out upon the grass and stretch their legs and run around while I walked behind them coming up last. The first walk of the day is always fun as the sun has not risen too high and the temperature is not so hot as to make walking hard to try. We try to walk three times a day if Sandy has her say barking and whining and letting us know that it it is time to go out walking so she can run ahead and drag Mikey and I along in her stead.
After we come in from the walk I take care of the important things like feed the dogs and then myself ready to face what the day brings maybe something different or just the same who knows as we play this game of life living day by day hoping to continue in the same old way. Just as I usually do I check for messages in the hope of a clue or an answer to some question I asked about some very important task or maybe just to stay up with current events not that much of it makes much sense as I read the news of what is happening around and of the stories so profound that my little part in the world that I play seems not to matter except it’s my way of living my life and strange though it seems I too still have impossible dreams and hope that I can make the most of what little time remains on this earth.
Today even before I had known I looked at the time and it had flown and before so very long it was time to go walking with the dogs again only this time the sun was high and so as we walk we always try to be on the shady side of the street and sometimes we often meet other dogs with humans in tow all going walkies like the good humans we are hoping that the dogs won’t take us too far.
Today I managed to get up late and as also because no plans have we three I sat in front of my trusty laptop and read my mail in case I would see something important for me to say which is not always the way as most of the time the news that they write is not of interest to me in spite of the fact that I read it all just in case I find something out of place or maybe just a comment or two to let them know that there are others who read what they say and hopefully it will make their day. Bloggers are a peculiar bunch each with their views or maybe a hunch of how the world needs our help or maybe something that we see and of which we disagree. I suppose that I am one of those although very rarely do I compose anything that will cause anyone stress spending my time in writing bad verse or of camping or hiking or just plain old life which of course causes much strife as thank goodness we are not that alike and there is enough blame to share around and try to do it without getting up tight.
As evening draws close and the sun goes down we will go for walkies again just a short trip around the park even as it is getting dark as just though the sun goes down the heat of the day is still hanging around and although not as hot it is still warm and will remain that way until the dawn when it will be the coolest time but me and the dogs will be sleeping again to wake at goodness who knows when.
Our evenings are spent in a lazy way after having such a hectic day I feed the dogs and then feed me and settle down in front of the TV to hopefully find a game to watch preferably soccer or if this does not work maybe a movie that I can find horror or action will suit me fine. Then into bed at the end of the day having spent it in our own way. Today I have no clue after getting up late with nothing to do where the time went so fast and had passed in a flash and tomorrow we get to do it again not sleeping late rising earlier today before walking the dogs in our usual way.
I really like this RV life to wake whenever and with little strife picking and choosing what we will do and sometimes we have no idea as to how we will spend the rest of the day we only know that it is all play.
The reason I do not have a wife is because over the years they have given me strife and eventually they all left me for greener pastures which I hope they could see were no greener than the ones they had but I guess I must have been bad enough they couldn’t stay and so they went on their way.
The first was a childhood dream of having someone to share my life after years of bouncing from home to home and old enough to make her my wife I asked Ann to marry me and she consented gracefully and we had two wonderful baby boys and all of them filled my heart with joy. But alas it was not to be and five years later she left me for who I thought was a mate of mine and instead behind my back the two of them were having fun which caused the marriage to be undone.
The second wife was a different woman much older and married to a man who was in the service a soldier he who very quickly showed me what he could do to someone who messed around with his wife causing him so much strife. I spent two days in hospital and when I came out I did learn that Valerie the woman his wife had left him for good just as I was hoping she would and we got married just as time progressed and off to America a new life to live. We had a daughter Leslie of our own to share the life with the two girls and her son but after fifteen years passed by we parted as by mutual consent and I moved away with my work returning occasionally but never to stay.
I met Susan much younger than me and we hit it off quite handsomely and I married her to make her my wife and her family gave us strife as they thought I was way too old and if the very truth be told I probably was but I loved that girl and she loved me at least for a while until fifteen years later she said one day, I am going away and am not going to stay married to you anymore of this I am certain and very sure that I no longer love you and so I must leave and my grief was intense as I begged her to stay but she left me anyway.
After three strikes and out I decided right then that I would never ever marry again no matter what they can offer me as dealing with women is not my way as I cannot get them to stay longer than fifteen years at a time with me aging like a good bottle of wine I kept my word and to this day me and women have stayed away from anything close to matrimony.
A Bachelor for these past thirty or more years not having to endure the tears and frustrations that having a wife did bring to me and others who have no wives and who would rather single be than have the misery of feeling guilty every time there’s a fight of who is wrong and who is right and and I had to make a choice and so I gave up on having a wife.
Do I miss the comforts of love of course I do but there is a price as you have to learn how to get along and deal with each other and be strong in the face of adversity when it arises and share the problems and the love together.
I loved all of my wives with all of my heart but it was not strong enough to last which makes me sad.
Prologue. Ann, my first wife married the man she left me for and they raised three daughters. She is now 83 and is living in a Nursing Home in England. We stay in touch although somewhat intermittently. Valerie, my second wife died at the age of 85 back in England which in truth she loved and always regretted the move to the US. Susan, my third and final wife is now 63 and remarried living out in the country somewhere in Texas. We tried to remain friends as we had a mutual interest in Soccer Refereeing but her husband was way too possessive.
Looking back at my old posts that I have scheduled for a repeat it seems to me that way back then the poetry I wrote was fresh and sweet. Whether because it was new to me and I could write as the words flowed or maybe because the ideas were fresh and my brain reacted to the test. In any case what I write today does not seem to flow in the same way. maybe because I write in one line instead of phrasing a few lines at a time which is what I am trying to do and why I do I haven’t a clue.
This is the way I write today and as you can see it is no way the same as that written above which is the way I really love to write my verse but the end result is just the same and not difficult I am torn between choosing the best and looking to see which passes the test as this one is much easier to rhyme a few short lines all at one time with the last word the important one each one rhyming and with some that carry over to the next phrase until we reach the bottom of the page and at that point we have had enough of writing down this terrible stuff.
I think today is Saturday as I no longer keep track of the days nor time the luxury that old age brings so unless I have something planned that warrants waking beforehand getting up early is a thing of the past
Some would call me lazy and maybe that’s true only enjoyed by a very few mostly rich or old a luxury earned after long years of labor enjoying the time and never missing out in favor of a moment of peace and quiet
The dogs are very content with this moment with the person they sleep with each night who loves them more like so many others before but this is their time of sharing his life so when they came to my door we became a family of three for the company and our family is complete for all to see
We come and we go taking life slow going for walks as our daily routine after getting up late it’s the first on our plate wondering just what today may bring.
Probably not a good choice for a title as there is always something to write about. I just have to figure out what is of interest to others who take the time to read this blog. One thing that has surprised me is the number of readers that followed my other blog, https://pondblog2011.com which was a considerable number and well over a couple of thousand, have not bothered to switch over and read this one. I can’t believe that they were all Pond Enthusiasts as many of the blogs were about other things like Hiking, Photography and plain old everyday life. There was also a lot of poetry which I like to write when the mood strikes me.
It could be that like me, I add a “follow” or a “like” to many blogs because they have followed or liked mine. I usually do take the time to read them before adding a “follow” or a “like” just in case I seriously have problems with what is written or I strongly disagree with their approach. Generally though, most blogs that I come into contact with are interesting enough to read hence the follow.
Because of the lack of response from others, I recently decided to take a look at the list of three thousand or so blogs that I had added likes and follows to over the past ten years. It occurred to me that many of the names on this long list had not been blogging in a long time so I had to assume that for different reasons, they were no longer Bloggers. Consequently, I have taken them off that list and have narrowed it down to around a hundred. If none of them show up in the future with a like or comment on my blog or a blog of their own, then they will join the others in that Bloggers Graveyard up in the sky or wherever missing bloggers go when they no longer respond.
Like many of you out there, I am trying to clean up my mailbox because it has so much junk mail. If it is not something I am interested in, then I delete it after unsubscribing from that list. I am not interested in getting rid of my wrinkles as I consider them to be a mark of character nor do I need any magic pills to help my sex life as that has long gone out of the window or come to that, find another mate or life insurance and on and on. It’s amazing that as soon as I delete the ads after unsubscribing from their lists, within a week, they are back and filling my mailbox with more junk. The only ones I think I can control are the bloggers. I either take myself off their lists or them off of mine. Problem solved.
I suppose that really, the bottom line is, who do I write for? Certainly not to make any money as no one wants to buy my drivel. Most of my blogs are my own thoughts and musings unless I am writing about actual events like fish rescues hiking, a winters storm or Good Neighbors to name a few. My poetry is often prompted by a single line that pops into my head and then I go from there. Much of it is about my thoughts and feelings on any given day on any given subject, sometimes caused by the loss of a much loved pet or event or something similar. No, I write because it satisfies the artist within me. When I was much younger, I used to draw a bit and was pretty good at it but somehow, over the years, it has faded from my talents to be replaced by words which I use in place of a pencil or crayon.
I like to write. It satisfies something within me whether it be good and interesting or plain old drivel, I still have to get it out. Like most humans, I thrive on praise even though it sometimes embarrasses me if it is offered in person and the “Likes” are praise indeed. On the other hand, the lack of a “Like” is not the end of the world as life still goes on and I certainly don’t want a “Like” out of sympathy. If I haven’t earned it, so be it and that’s how it should be.
So, if you like any of my stuff, give me a like and a follow. If you don’t, no big deal as I am still going to write anyway.
