Day 84

This is the last day of 2014.  I'm not sure why people celebrate the new year.  Are they particularly happy that they are a year older?  Oh well.

We got up and went to Cabela's.  I had a $100 gift certificate from Melissa and a coupon that got me things at employee discount.  We ended up buying $300 worth of stuff.  Ellen got some archery stuff.  I got some spare rubbers for the cart and Polaris, a magazine for the .17, and some self defense 9mm ammo.  We each got new shoes.  They're waterproof for the next time we have to shoot at Capitol while it's raining.

After lunch at Dan's we went to the pinball place.  It's across I35 from Cabela's.  It was OK.  They had about 2 dozen machine, including 8 Ball Deluxe.  They wanted $5500 for the game.  Unfortunately many of the machines had very weak flippers.  There were some that were nice, though.  We spent about $15 and left.

After a stop at the post office we went home.  We spent the afternoon and evening watching TV and surfing.  I also did a little reading.

I guess we'll ring in the new year looking at computer screens.  It's too cold to shoot off any fireworks.

Day 83

This was an almost total do nothing day.  I didn't wake up until 10.  Really.  When I did get up I fed the cats and took out the garbage.  That was about it for the day.  Ellen did the laundry.  Other than that we really just surfed and read today.  I didn't get any warmer than 45 today, so going outside was right out.

I did read last Sunday's paper.  For some reason they threw one on the side of the road outside our fence.  So I bought it in and read it.  It really didn't seem to be worth the money to me.

I also reviewed the report I got from Social Security.  It was kind of neat seeing how much I earned back in the 70's.  The numbers also confirmed that I really do want to start collecting ASAP.

Late in the afternoon I decided to start doing something on the railroad.  I got out the wiring books and reviewed some stuff.  Then I reviewed some of my planning notes.  I actually don't remember some of the stuff I wrote.  That makes deciphering it a little tricky.

I did decide that the next thing to do is lay out the control panel.  I don't want to do any more wiring until it warms up.

That was it.

Day 82

We woke up at 8:15 this morning because I forgot to turn off the alarm.  We decided to stay in bed an surf.  We asked the dog up.  She was nice and soft and sweet smelling.  She also loved laying between us since it was cold last night.

Later I got up, got dressed, and fed the animals.  Ellen stayed in bed.  When Lucy was finished eating she went back to bed.  She was really disappointed when Ellen got up right away.

I went out and cleaned out the car.  The shop vac did a good job on the mats and then I used we paper towel to clean the inside.  It ended up cleaner than when we left yesterday.

I also added two pieces to the cart to fix the shifting box issue.  I used two pieces that I'd made earler that turned out too short.  They were perfect for this application.  Unfortunately that was the only part of the job that went easily.  Because it was assembled, putting the pieces in place wasn't easy.

After that we went to the post office and lunch.  We went to Rudy's  We wanted to sit outside since it was nice (68 degrees) and it's supposed to get nasty and cold for the rest of the week.  Lucy was happy with her brisket tributes.

One the way back we stopped at Academy to get some archery stuff for Ellen.  They had a large supply of stuff, but not what she wanted.  We also stopped at a pet store so Lucy could get a treat for dinner.  We stopped at a toy store so Ellen could get another Star Trek model for the one she wrecked.  We stopped at the cookie store next door.  The cookies are expensive, but really good.  The last stop was Circle C, where Lucy did a whole lot of retrieves.  She actually did two drink stops before she wanted to go.

When we got home I did some internet shopping.  I got another battery and a battery charger for the tank.  The charger that comes with it charges at 300ma and takes 4 hours to charge the battery.  The new charger charges at 1 or 2 amps.  That's much better.  I couldn't resist.  They had a 20% off sale, so I bought another flashlight.  Oh well.

The evening was TV and surfing.  There wasn't any football (sigh).

Day 81

We got up at 8:15 to go to Capitol.  That was a waste.  It was 35 degrees and raining hard.  There was no way I was going.  The weather map showed that it was worse at Capitol.  It also indicated that things might get better later.  They did, so at 10 we left.

When we got there it was still raining very lightly.  We got on a squad right away.  I shot like crap.  Ellen shot OK.  The mud was incredible.  It caked our shoes.  There was a layer on the soles thicker than an inch.  The wheels on the cart had a greater than inch thick layer on them, too.  The guy we were shooting with had a real shooting cart.  He had to take the front wheel off because the mud jammed it.  All in all it was miserable, but the targets were good.

Lunch was too old salad and chicken noodle soup.  It ranks as one of the worst gun club lunches I've ever had.  After lunch Ellen used the Weatherby on the skeet field.  It worked like a champ.  After that we went straight home.

Cleanup was a problem.  I had to spend quite a bit of time washing mud out of the car's wheel wells.  There was mud on the side of the car that the hose wouldn't remove.  I had to get a towel and use it to wipe down the sides.  The front mats are bad, but I'll try to clean them tomorrow after they dry.  I had scraped off a lot of the mud on the cart tires at the club.  It stuck like cement, I almost had to chisel it off.  When I got home I had to use a wire brush on the rest.  The hose wouldn't touch it.

The new cart worked well, except that the middle boxes slide sideways.  The don't fall out, but they slide.  I can fix that easily and probably will tomorrow.

After that I was tired.  So the rest of the afternoon and evening was surfing and football.

Day 80

I got up today and decided to go to Icehouse for breakfast.  The sticking point was that I wanted to talke a load of stuff to Goodwill, too.  That included the old light fixtures.  So I went out to the garage and changed out two fixtures as quickly as I could.  It took about half an hour.  Then I loaded up 4 fixtures, and old homemade shop light that the previous owner had made, some clamps, and two fold up work tables in the truck.

We went to breakfast first.  It was good, as expected.  The pancakes are really good.  Then we went to the post office and Goodwill.  Goodwill said they didn't want the light fixtures, but would take them and scrap them.  I guess I'll just have to throw the last two away.

We stopped at the grocery store and got something for dinner.  Then we stopped at Circle C.  It was 44 degrees, a light rain, and the wind was blowing.  Lucy loved it.  She did a whole lot of long retrieves, until I finally called it quits.

After we got home I went out to the garage to clean the new 20 ga and clean up the garage.  I took hours, but I got a lot of things cleaned up and reorganized.

Tonight is just surfing and maybe football.

Day 79

It's done.  We spent a portion of the morning in bed surfing, but we got up relatively early.  I went out to the garage.  None of the old lights worked, so I put up the new one I bought the other day.  It uses T12 bulbs.  The first one uses T8 bulbs.  So do the old lights.  That solves a mystery.  The prior owners left 8 T12 bulbs in the apartment attic.  Apparently at one time the fixtures were different.

I took a look at the ballast in the new light.  It's enough different that it isn't worthwhile to try to swap them into the old lights.

After that I finished the cart.  I modified the latch so that it would close tighter.  Then I attached the rack to the frame.  It looks really good.  For once nothing fought me.  One mounting point fit exactly.  The other was too short, but I had the perfect things to extend it in my hardware collection.  The end result looks really nice and weighs significantly less.  We'll try it out on Sunday.

After that it was off to the post office.  Then it was a stop at Lowe's for a couple more light fixtures.  The last stop was Circle C.  Lucy didn't run yesterday, which was good as she was stiff.  Today she did a credible job, but nothing spectacular.

When we got home I called the alert company about Mom's button.  They refused to talk to me "because I wasn't authorized".  They only want to talk to Mom.  I have to talk to Dan about it.

I tried to get the tank to work.  I thought the transmitter was broken, but it was just bad connections in the battery compartment.  The tank wouldn't come alive, but that may have been because the battery was discharged.  So I put it on the charger.

I went out to get the mail and met one of the neighbors.  We talked for an hour until it got dark.  Then Ellen came after me in the car.  I hadn't taken my phone and she thought something might have happen.  That was really nice.

When the tank battery was charged I fired it up.  The dog really doesn't like it.  She ran to the bedroom.  When I drove it to the bedroom door she jumped up on the bed.  I didn't take it further.  The cats don't like it either.  I got to chase them around a little before the holed up in the bathroom.  I haven't used the cannon yet.  The battery takes a long time to run down.  That's nice.  I may get a better charger for it.

The evening has been TV and surfing.

Day 78

So today is Christmas.  It was a great Christmas day - sunny and 70 degrees.

We surfed for a little in the morning and then opened presents.  We made out really well.  Hooch gave me a cool RC controlled tank.  It not only goes forwards and backwards, it turns, the turret turns, and the cannon shoots.  It's very cool.  I also got a red dot for an AR.  Melissa gave us a box of barbeque stuff.  The box is incredible - heavy wood.

Because it was sunny and warm I went out in the morning and painted the cart.  I put it in the sun so that the sun and wind could dry it out.  Later in the afternoon I went out and finished it.  I put on the storage box sides.  I also put another coat of paint on it when I was done.  It's finished and ready for mounting.  Unfortunately the latch is loose, so I'll probably work on that before I attach it.

We had a really nice Christmas dinner - ham and potatoes with ice cream. 

There was no football today.  That sucks.  I've been watching historical shows.

Day 77

When we got up this morning we immediately left for Lowe's.  I really wanted to get the paint so that I could finish the cart.  I also got another light.  I plan to swap its ballast into one of the existing lights.  Because we hadn't had breakfast, we stopped at Jim's after the post office.

The next stop was Tomlinson's for cat food and a Christmas present for Lucy.  She got a chew toy.  While we were there Dan called.  Tony was last heard walking 7 miles home from the freeway, where he ran out of gas.  One of his buddies went looking for him at 3am, but Tony was too incoherent to tell him his location.

The last stop was Circle C.  We walked to the upper creek crossing throwing retrieves all the way.  There was enough water up there for Lucy to swim, so I threw a whole lot of water retrieves.  I threw retrieves on the way back, and then more when we got back.  The dog just didn't want to stop.  She likes it when the temperature is in the 40's.

While we were at the park Dan called again.  A social worker had called him.  Apparently Tony had found a hospital to go to last night.  They took a look at him, called Dan, and decided to commit him.  I guess he'll spend Christmas in the looney bin.  That's actually the best thing for him.

When we got back I went back out to the garage.  I cut pieces for the base and top of the storage area.  Then I put everything together and painted it.  I've got one more coat to put on, attach the sides, and then it's ready to put on the frame.  It looks pretty good.

The evening was watching TV and surfing.  No football.

Day 76

We were just surfing and not doing much this morning when the insurance people called.  I spent some time talking to her.  It looks like she'll try nagging me to lose weight for awhile.  That's OK, I need it.

While we were talking, Central Texas called.  They left a message saying my order had come in.  So we went to the post office and then over there.  They told me that it had come in yesterday, but they hadn't checked it in until today.  That's really cool.  Order it Friday afternoon and it arrives Monday.

We noticed while we were out that everything is jammed.  I think there's more people out today than there was on Black Friday.

We stopped at the grocery for a couple of things for Christmas dinner.  Then we went to NXNW for lunch and an IPA.  While we were there Hooch called.  Apparently Tony is off his meds and acting strangely.

I called Tony when we got home.  He seemed to be OK and promised to go get his meds.  I called him later and he said that he'd gone to Costco, had trouble transferring the prescription, and then got what he needed at Target.  He said he was headed towards Dan's.  I called him an hour and a half later and he said he was "on Cornell headed that way".  Unfortunately Dan texted about 4 hours later saying he was MIA.  Apparently he showed up while Dan was gone.  A neighbor called him "agitated".  I'm concerned, but I don't know what I could do.

While that was going on I went and did a little more painting on the cart.  I'm going to need some more paint and some more nuts and bolts.  I realized that I'll have to put a metal bottom on it in order to stabilize it.  That will involve more cutting, hole drilling, and countersinking.  Oh well.

The evening was spent watching a movie and surfing.

Day 75

It's becoming a pattern.  We wake up at a fairly normal time and then stay in bed surfing.  I guess it's not that different from surfing at the table after breakfast.

After breakfast I went out to the garage to work on the cart.  I started by doing the last painting on the plastic.  I decided on the method for holding in the boxes and made it.  That's when I noticed that the back frame was crooked.  Also, the bottom brace looked crappy with all the unused holes.  So I made up a new bottom brace and straightened out the frame.  It was a little tricky drilling holes in the new brace that matched the holes in the tubing.  I managed to do it pretty well.

After that I degreased the frame pieces and sanded all of the metal.  Then I put the first coat of paint on one side of the frames. 

The dog deserved a doggy day, so after the post office we went to Circle C.  There were three packages at the post office.  At Circle C we walked over to the creek.  I threw retrieves for Lucy the whole way.  When we got to the creek she started doing water retrieves.  She did those until I decided she was really tired.  Of course she wanted to do more.  On the way back she did more retrieves.

We have a tired doggy tonight.

The evening was TV and football.

Day 74

We spent a good portion of the morning surfing in bed again.  After breakfast we went to Lowe's so that I could get some paint for the cart.  I ended up buying some other things, too.  I woke up last night realizing that I needed to build some additional parts, so I got an aluminum strip for that.  I also got a light for the shop.

We stopped by the post office.  One of the letters was a recall notice for the Oregon car.  Another was a threatening letter from Marion county telling us to buy a dog license.

The final stop was Circle C, where Lucy did an incredible number of retrieves.  She really likes 50 degree, cloudy, days.

At home I put up the new light.  It works fine, which confirms that the ballasts of the other lights are all history.  Because the new light doesn't have reflectors, it's not as good as the old ones.  I'll probably try a ballast replacement next.

I put two coats of paint on one side of the plastic pieces.  I also filled up all of the random holes in the cart metal with pop rivets.  I'll have to put it together tomorrow to see how I'll do the additional parts.  They need to hold the boxes in front and back.

The rest of the day was TV and surfing.  The Cowboys won (bad) and so did the Seahawks (good).

Day 73

We spent part of the morning in bed surfing again.  After breakfast I went out and worked on the cart.  I got all of the pieces finished, and all of the holes drilled.  I was all ready to paint when I discovered that I only had two colors - white and pink.  So I had to quit.  That was all right though, because it was aboiut time to go to the party.

The party was fun.  A lot of Dola's friends were there and some of the neighbors.  We stayed from 1:30 until 5:30.  It was a good time, with good food.  Both of use had fun talking with different people.  Lola's boyfriend has purple hair.  Oh well.

When we got home it was surfing, football, and TV for the rest of the night.

Day 72

We got out of bed really late - about 11.  We surfed for at least two hours before that.

I ate breakfast and then looked into ordering a youth shotgun.  I ended up ordering it from Central Texas.  I called Dave first to make sure he hadn't gotten one.  I also told him to look at the Central Texas website.

After that I went out and worked on the cart.  I was there until five.  I didn't spend all of my time working on it.  I tried to debug the lights, since they weren't working again today.  I unplugged each individually, with no improvement.  They just don't want to work when it's cold.

I managed to cut a couple of pieces of metal I needed and all fours of the container plastic pieces.  It all worked out well, but took a lot of time.  I had to redo the hinges - I put them on the wrong piece.  I got the door connected to the hinges.  I also got part of the latch done, but then I ran out of time.

While I was doing that, Ellen was working on the Salem website.  Dave like the Central Texas thing so much that he wanted her to add it to there site.

When I went in at five Ellen announced that we had to go to Costco to by stuff for tomorrow's party.  Great.  I love driving around at 5 on a Friday.  We got to Costco and bought a cake and a veggie plate.  The Mopac was clogged up, so we went back on Escarpment.  That was actually a good thing, because we got to see the lights.

We watched the Trail Blazers play the Spurs in the evening.  The Trail Blazers played like crap and lost.

Day 71

After waking up and doing some surfing - in bed and out, I went out to work on the cart.  I had a couple of more holes to drill, and then it was time to do some assembly.  I assembled it into two sections, because there were more holes to drill that weren't needed for the assembly.  It all went together pretty well.  It's not perfect, but it's a good job.

After a couple of hours of work Murphy struck.  Even though I have a huge number of screws, bolts, nuts, and washers from estate sales I didn't have what I needed to attach the rack to the cart.  So it was off to Lowe's, with stops at the post office and Circle C.  The dog did a huge number of retrieves.  It was perfect conditions for here.  It was cloudy and about 50 degrees.  She really wanted to go, too.

I also picked up some plastic to make up the sides of the box.  I think it will work better than aluminum, and a whole lot cheaper.  The parts I needed cost $15.

When I got back I went back to working on the cart.  I managed to put attach the hinges and the mounting brackets.  The next step will be to see if I can cut the plastic successfully.  If I can, I'll paint it inside and out.  I stopped at that point because it was time to get the mail.

I met Lee while I was getting the mail.  He wants to go shooting with us.  We'll probably do it in January.  Dola came out and told us that someone in the neighborhood was robbed today.  That sucks.

The evening was football and surfing.

Day 70

We were up by 8, but stayed in bed surfing until about 9:30.  It was raining lightly when we got up.  I pretty much did that all day except for a period in the afternoon when we had a real thunderstorm.  There was really loud thunder and really hard rain.  Lucy was not happy.  Neither were the cats.

The first order of business was to string the lights so I could get the Star Trek ornaments up.  I've been neglecting it for days.  It turned out not to be as bad as I expected.  The result looks pretty good.  Then I put all of the presents under the tree.  They make an impressive pile.

After the tree I went out to work on the cart.  Yesterday everything went smoothly.  Today not so much.  I misdrilled some holes.  I also had some problems with drilling some holes where I couldn't use clamps.  Finally, two of the large holes that were already in the material are right where I need smaller ones.  And I don't have larger diameter screws.  Damn.

A little after noon the alert company called.  They don't have a web tracking function.  So I spent a bunch of time looking for alternatives.  I found one that looks pretty good and is a lot cheaper.  So I cancelled the first company and ordered from the second.  The online ordering process was screwed up, so after two tries I called them.  I finally got it ordered.

I looked up the status of the stuff that Cabela's was sending.  It arrived at the post office, so we drove there.  They had a package Ellen was waiting for, too.  I drove the truck and the roads were very slick.  I spun the tires several times.

After we got home I didn't feel like going back out to the garage.  So I surfed instead.  After dinner it was TV and more surfing.  The vet called.  The dog's blood work looks normal - so no more pills.

Day 69

We got a fair amount accomplished today.  I guess that's what can happen when you get up at 8.

We started by going to get the car's oil changed.  While we were there Hooch called.  We agreed on Mom's Christmas present.

Then we went to the grocery store.  It was time to stock up on the usual, plus we got a ham for future consumption.  After that it was a stop at Circle C so the dog could run.  See didn't seem too excited when we drove up, but she sure did a lot of running.

When we got home I called up the monitoring company and set up an account for mother.  It took awhile.  If I'm lucky the stuff will be there by Christmas.  They are sending it USPS.

After that I took the pruner out to the gate and started chopping away at the tree limbs overhanging the driveway.  The result should keep it clear for the trailer for quite awhile.  It did take the better part of an hour to do.

Finally I could work on the cart.  I cut up the rest of the parts.  Then I started drilling holes.  Using the drill press and a corner clamp made it easy to make accurate holes.  The downside is that it's slow.  I have to drill a total of 24 holes to assemble the main parts.  I managed to get 14 done before it was time for dinner.

I've been having Ellen fill Lucy's dog bowl while I take her to the mail.  This has caused Lucy to really want to get back home.  When I open the gate she runs really fast to get back to the house.  It's funny. 

The evening was surfing and reading.  Ellen is watching a bunch of weird fantasy shows.  They suck.

Day 68

We woke up at a decent time today, but stayed in bed surfing until about 10.  I needed to mail the Cabela's stuff today, but after breakfast and surfing it was noon before we got to the post office.  That made me one of those people I hate - retired but going to the bank/post office at noon.  The line reached almost to the door.  It took half an hour to get served, but that wasn't really that bad.  It cost $21 to mail the package.

After the post office i made a stop at home depot to get the rest of the stuff I needed for the cart rebuild.  Then we went to the Italian place for lunch.  The last stop was Circle C.  The day was great.  Not a cloud in the sky, sunny and warm.  Lucy did a lot of retrieves even though it was sunny.  She was a happy dog.

When we got home I went to the garage to work on the cart.  I put the drill press together.  I used it to drill a couple of holes, with a corner vice to hold the parts.  It worked well.  That's when I realized that I'd cut 5 parts wrong.  So I spent the rest of the time recutting them.  I still have some hacksaw work to do on all 5.  After that I'll finally be able to get back to drilling holes.

I emailed Cabela's a copy of the post office receipt so that I could get reimbursed.  The lady I sent it to replied in a few minutes.  It was 6:15, so she was working late.

After dinner it was football and surfing.  The Bears suck.

Day 67

Yesterday at the gun show I saw a mini drill press.  It looked like just the thing to use for the cart rebuild.  The guy wanted $99 for it and I decided not to get it.  That night I was glad I did.  Harbor Freight had an online coupon for their mini drill press for $50.  So I printed it out.

After breakfast we went over to Harbor Freight to get the drill press.  It was a much nicer tool than the one at the gun show.  After that we just went back home.

I packed up the stuff for Cabela's and then went out to the garage to work on the cart rebuild.  The new metal cutting disk worked great.  The only bad thing is that the stuff from the estate sale had holes drilled all over it.  That's going to make things look a little funny.  I managed to get all of the pieces I need cut out.  Tomorrow I can break out the drill press.

I worked until dinner time.  It was a little early because Ellen was going to archery.  I watched a Netflix movie and football while she was gone.  Unfortunately the Cowboys won.

Day 66

We went to gun shows today - one in Dripping Springs and another in New Braunfels.

The one in Dripping Springs wasn't very big.  The only think of note was that prices are coming down.  Some of the dealers recognize that and some don't.

After that we stopped at Home Depot and I picked up the stuff I need to build the new cart rack.

Then we drove to New Braunfels.  On the way we saw an estate sale sign, so we stopped.  It wasn't very interesting.

The New Braunfels show was a lot bigger and had some interesting guns.  It also had a mix of dealers that had gotten the message and those who hadn't.  I saw one dealer who was asking $125 more for a Shield than another dealer two aisles over.

The drive home was a nightmare.  We got up to about 2.5 miles south of Slaughter on I35 and traffic was stopped.  We got off, but the frontage road was a parking lot, too.  After about half an hour we were able to take a side road to get to William Cannon.  To add insult to injury by that time the freeway had cleared up.

We finally made it to the post office.  The only good thing was that with the intersection at William Cannon closed, driving back on 290 was really fast.

We didn't get home until 5.  I was wiped out and spent the evening watching TV and surfing.  Maybe I'll work on the cart rack tomorrow.

Day 65

We actually got up at a fairly decent hour today, about 8.  After breakfast I did some surfing and Ellen did some Christmas cards.  Then we went out to do some estate saleing. 

We only went to one place.  I scored some stuff though.  I got a whole bunch of square aluminum tubing and some aluminum angle iron.  At Home Depot or Lowe's it would have cost at least $50.  I got it for $7.  I also got a bunch of wire staples for a quarter.

We had to drive back on I35 because there was an accident on the Mopac.  Luckily I heard about it on the radio at the sale.  I35 wasn't too bad except for one slow down about the university.  We stopped at Wally World so I could get my pills.  We also stopped at Home Depot and Lowe's to get light bulbs.  They are getting hard to find, so I bought 4.

When we got home Ellen dropped one of the light bulb packages on the floor.  Scratch two light bulbs.  I used one of the others to fix the light.  Then I took the Star Trek ornaments to the garage and shaved the bases down so they would fit in the light string.  They work fine there.  I also planned out how to use the aluminum I bought to make a new holder for the cart.  Unfortunately I have nothing to cut the material.  I discovered on the net that I can buy a 10" abrasive blade for the miter saw.  It makes it a big Dremel tool.  I'll buy one of those.

While I was doing that Ellen made bacon wrapped shrimp for dinner.  They were really, really, good.

I spent the evening surfing and watching Gold Rush.

Day 64

We didn't get up until 11 today.  I'm not sure why we stayed in bed so late, we just did.

By the time we got finished with breakfast and a little morning surfing it was after noon.  We went to the post office and then went looking for a picture frame.  We found one at Michaels.  Then we went to Home Depot and Lowe's looking for a bird feeder to replace the one the squirrel killed.  Ellen found a solar powered one she liked.

When we got back I tried to put up the Star Trek ornaments.  Unfortunately they don't fit the current light strings.  I'm going to try to modify one tomorrow.

I got out the ladder and tried to replace the light bulb that blew out in the living room.  Unfortunately we don't have the right one.  I'll have to try to find one tomorrow.

The evening was surfing and football.

Day 63

We went to Capital today.  If we're going to the state championship, we need to get some practice in.  We shot both courses, and it was fun.  I didn't shoot particularly well, but I shot better than the last time we went.

On the way over we stopped at the vet so that Lucy could have a blood test.  They weighed her and she's now back to 58 - fighting trim.

The day was a little cool and cloudy.  That suited Lucy just fine and she was having fun doing retrieves.  At least she did until she came back after on with blood coming out of her mouth.  We're not sure what happened, but we think she bit her tongue.  That was the end of the retrieves.

After Capitol we drove a little farther north to Anderson and 183.  That's where the archery store Ellen wanted to go to was.  Unfortunately it didn't have the kind of stuff that she wanted.

On the way back we stopped at the post office.  There were two packages waiting.

When we got home I opened the package from Cabelas.  It was supposed to be some stuff I order on cyber Monday.  Instead it was stuff I didn't recognize.  At first we thought it was a Christmas present.  Then I checked the tracking number.  It matched the one Cabela's had sent me.  So I emailed them to find out what to do.

It started raining lightly about 4 and has been raining all evening.  I finished up the station model and then watched TV.  The accountant called and we talked about Social Security.  I will be applying.  I also called mother.  She seems to be doing OK, but her memory is completely gone.

Day 62

I woke up at 6 this morning and couldn't get back to sleep.  So I surfed instead.

We got up at 8.  Ellen started the wash and I took out the recycling and opened the gate.  She surfed and I worked on the station model until the window guy showed up.  It cost $155 to fix the window.  That's probably more than the whole window cost when it was new.  When it was time to pay him I gave him a $20 tip.  I just felt like it and it seemed to make him happy.

After the window was done we went back to the river to the mini golf course.  It was really great, with entertaining holes and some really neat sculptures.  There were two courses.  We played one.  Ellen said she was too tired to play the other.

We went across the street to the dog store.  It had a lot of neat dog paraphernalia, but nothing that Lucy needed.  We did buy her some treats.  They were really high class, but very expensive.

After that we had to go to Zilker.  Lucy was really anxious to go, since we had driven by it on the way over.  She did a whole lot of retrieves.  She doesn't run like she did when she was younger, but she still has a lot of stamina.  She just has to take some little breaks every so often.

After the park we went to the trailer park roach coaches for lunch.  The tacos there are really good.  After that we went to Costco for water.  We also stopped at the toy store there that had a Lego I wanted.  It's an alligator riding a mechanical alligator.  When we got it home I put it together.

The evening was watching zombie movies.  Ellen went to archery.

Day 61

I made a concerted effort to get up earlier today.  We made it by 9:30.

After breakfast I decided to actually start to put the signal tower that's been on the kitchen table together.  It went together better than I thought.  I did about half of it and then needed to stop to let it dry.  So I decided to go to Sears to get a replacement socket wrench for the one I bought last Friday.  The process was simple.  They had a group of used replacement ones and they just gave me one.

After that we went to Zilker.  The dog did a whole lot of retrieves and then we walked across the street to look at the Ferris wheel that the had set up.  The sign said it cost $6 to ride.  No way.  Then we walked over to Barton Springs.  The snack bar and train were open.  So we ate lunch there.  It was expensive, but that is to be expected.

We drove home down 1st St just to look at it.  It seems to me that there are more roach coaches there than last year.

When we got home I decided to try to find a place to replace the garage window.  It was a pain.  All of the glass places are in north Austin.  I finally found a place that said they'd come out tomorrow.  I didn't ask how much it would cost.

The rest of the day was mainly surfing and football.  I did try to remove the lights from the string we bought.  The package said you could, don't believe it.  Maybe we'll try to string things tomorrow.

Day 60

Two months since leaving and this is the laziest day we've spent.

We didn't get out of bed until noon.  Really.

I decided to do something, so I hung up the rest of the Christmas lights and the palm tree lights that we bought yesterday.

Ellen says that her sister wants a Christmas list.  I could barely make up one for Hooch, I don't know what to do for her.  I decided to ignore the problem for the day.

The rest of the day was spent watching football. 

Tonight the Time Warner internet took a dump.  Ellen is at archery, so I'm using Verizon.

Day 59

We didn't get up very early this morning - it's becoming a pattern.

When we did we ate breakfast and loaded up the car with all the stuff for Goodwill (Christmas tree, vacuum cleaner, other misc).  Ellen had to call into the Salem annual meeting, so we drove to Goodwill where the cell signal is better.

She sat in the car listening to the meeting while I shopped at Goodwill and Tuesday Morning.  I bought some books on CD.

After that we went to the post office, At Home, and Target.  We were looking for some lights, a bird feeder, and a picture frame.  We found the lights.  We need the bird feeder because a squirrel knocked down and killed the old one.

We ate lunch at P. Terry's and then took the dog to Circle C.  I didn't think she'd do much, but she really ran a lot.  We didn't get home until 5.

The evening was total TV watching - a show about gem prospectors.

Day 58

We went estate saleing today.  The first stop was a place in Dripping Springs that was basically a pole building full of tools.  I bought a few Craftsman hand tools.

The next two stops we houses.  We didn't buy anything at one, and a rabbit for Patty at another.

After that we went to Tomlinson's for dog food and the Italian place for lunch.  The dog got a munchy while we at lunch.  Hooch called.  He wanted to know what we wanted for Christmas and I talked to him about Mom's present.  He wanted more info.

After that we went to the park.  We started by throwing bumpers for Lucy.  Then we walked over to the creek.  It was clear and full.  Lucy was wading in it before we got there.  I hadn't brought the bumper, so I found a bumper sized stick and threw it.  She did retrieves until we were tired.  She was still running around when we walked back.

When we got home I spent a lot of time getting info on Mom's present (a mobile panic button).  There are lots of options.  I sent him the results.

Lucy didn't really want to go to the mailbox with me.  I had to keep talking to her to get her to follow me.  She didn't even run back to the house when I let her back in.  Now she's permanently attached to the bed.

I'm trying to find some present choices for me.  Over the last couple of weeks I've basically bought everything I want.

Day 57

We got up at 8 today, but didn't feel like doing anything because it was raining.  So we surfed instead.

Eventually I started to feel guilty, so I went out to the garage to finish up with the tool chest.  I lined the rest of the drawers and moved all of the tools from the old box to the new.  I also lined the drawers in the work bench and moved the cleaning stuff into it.  When I was finished I had several duplicate tools.  They will go to Goodwill.

After that effort I went in for a late lunch.  Ellen wanted to go to the grocery store, but I didn't feel like it.  So she went alone and I stayed at home and surfed.

When she got back we decorated the tree.  I'll put up the outside lights when it quits raining.

I discovered something really disappointing today.  Google deletes blog posts older than 4 years.  That means I've lost all of the entries covering the beginning of retirement up to the December following out moving into the house.  I'm really going to miss the description of our full timing, the house search, and the move into the house.  Crap.  I did save everything off to the computer today so I won't lose anything else.

Tonight is watching football.  There's a lot of estate sales tomorrow.

Day 56

It was foggy and misting when we got up.  That left Capital out.  I broke a cat bowl, so we were going to need to replace it today.  So we went to Barton Creek Mall.  I wanted to get some shelf lining for the new tool chest.

When we got to Sears, they had a lot of things on sale.  The lining was on sale, which was good because I needed two rolls.  I also got some metric wrenches and some wrench holders, also on sale.  Ellen saw a Christmas tree she liked.  It was on sale so we bought it, too.  We're doing our share to increase Christmas season sales.

After Sears we walked all through the mall.  The only thing we ended up buying was a vegetable slicer that Ellen wanted.

After the mall we ate lunch at the Thai place near Kohl's.  It was good and inexpensive.  Then we went to PetSmart and got new cat bowls.  They look pretty neat.

After that I was tired, so we went home.  I spent some time cutting shelf liners.  I got 5 done, but I have three left to do.  It was time to get the mail, so I quit and took the dog to get it.  On the way back I noticed that UPS had left a package at Beaver's.  So I took it into their porch.

When I got back inside I put up the new tree.  It was kind of a pain in the ass, but it will be easier next time now that I know how it goes together.

The evening was surfing and TV.

Day 55

We got up at 9:30.  That's beginning to be early for us.

After breakfast and some surfing we went to the post office and Home Depot.  The one on Slaughter had a lot of those tool chests.  It weighs 170 pounds, so I'm glad there were some people there to load it onto the truck for us.

When we got home I backed into the garage and we unloaded the chest.  It wasn't actually too bad.  We slid it off the back and onto the step stool.  It did end up falling a few inches to the floor, but that was all right.  After that we went inside for some lunch and surfing.  Cabela's had some cyber Monday items I liked with free shipping.  So I made an order.

Then it was time to put the chest together.  The packaging was amazing.  They used cardboard, styrofoam, and these really stiff cardboard like braces to build a really sturdy package.  There was no way that the small drop we had when unloading would hurt it.  Even though it was sturdy, it was easy to take apart.

Putting the chest together was fairly easy, but time consuming.  The handle and wheels were attached with bolts that bolted into the chest.  Unfortunately paint had clogged up the threads in some of the bolt holes.  That made it hard to get the bolts in.  The other issue was the need to put the chest on it's back, and then put it upright again.  That took some effort.

I had some drawer liner left over from an earlier chest.  It was enough to do one of the drawers.  So I cut it up and moved the wrenches into it.  It looks really good.  I have another 8 drawers to go.  I'm not sure what I'll do with the old chest.

Ellen went to archery in the evening.  I watched a couple of movies on Netflix.

Day 54

Another late morning following a late night.  I had an additional excuse - I didn't sleep very well last night.  Getting old sucks.

We spent all of the rest of the morning surfing.  The only thing I accomplished is taking a load of garbage out to the cans.  Ellen did get a couple of Christmas presents boxed up and ready to mail.  So we went to the post office.

After the post office we manufactured things to do.  We went to Target to look at Christmas trees (no luck).  Then we went to Home Depot to look at Christmas trees and tools on sale.  No trees, but I did find a tool chest I like a lot.  Unfortunately they didn't have any in stock.  I have to drive to the Slaughter store to get one.  That will wait until tomorrow.

We stopped at the bank and I opened a new account for the Social Security money.  It was way too cold (45) and windy for the dog to go to Circle C.  Instead we had an early dinner (we skipped lunch) at Cheddars.

Then it was home to watch TV, surf, and football.