We got up at 8 today, did the pet stuff, and had breakfast. Then we did the wash. When it was done we drove to the Lexington. We had to park 3 blocks away because there was construction at the normal parking lot.
The ship was fantastic. There were 5 separate tours that went through different areas of the ship. We saw the flight deck, bridge, engine room, crew's quarters, mess, damage control, fo'c'sle, medical area, and a lot more. There were interesting exhibits everywhere covering the ships service in WWII and after. Some of the models on display were fantastic.
There were also a lot of exhibits on other Naval activities like a hall of medal of honor recipients, the Texas navy (before it was a state), and rooms containing the history of other WWII ships. Everything was in compartments below decks.
They had a nice cafeteria where we ate lunch. Ellen got very tired going up and down the steep narrow stairs. I don't know what it took to learn your way around the ship. Once your inside it's impossible to figure out where you are.
It was really interesting to look at all of the equipment. I took over 100 pictures of everything. We spent the rest of the day there, leaving at 5 when it closed.
There was a little traffic backup on the freeway on the way home, but it wasn't as bad as Austin and only lasted a couple of miles.
When we got home we fed the pets. Lee called and said he was running late and wouldn't be able to have dinner with us. So we went to the place on Padre island. It was OK, but not great. The food was a little expensive and there wasn't a lot of it. The building is on the water and the view was nice, but limited because it was really hazy.
After dinner we drove around the built up part of the island a little. We stopped at a CVS and got Ellen's drugs. We also got her a potion for her cold. When we got home it was trip planning, surfing, and some TV. The TV her sucks. There's lots of channels, but half of them don't have sound.
Tuesday, April 30, 2019
Monday, April 29, 2019
Day 1275
We got up at 8 today, did the pet stuff and had breakfast. There was no hurry to get going because we couldn't check in at Corpus Christi until noon. We ended up leaving a little after 9:30.
The trip down was uneventful. It's the first "real" tow since they worked on the truck. The truck worked fine except it didn't get very good mileage - 9.9. There was a head wind for part of the way, so that may have been an issue. Also, there was some stop and go because we took 1604 for the first 40 miles. It had several lights and stop signs.
I thought they might have scheduled a hurricane. There was a constant stream of RV's going north. We only saw one going south.
We got to the part a little after noon. We set up and fed the pets a snack. We fed ourselves lunch. Then we left Lucy in the trailer and went off after RV parts. We went to two places. The first didn't have anything. The second had the light, but not the door catches. I called the third place. They had the catches, but it would have been a 16 mile round trip to go there. So I bagged it. Corpus Christi is a lot bigger place than I thought.
On the way home we did errands. We stopped at Academy for ammo (San Angelo and Nebraska). We lucked out. They were having a sale on RIO plus $20 off a $100 purchase. We bought 2 cases for $40 a case. The next stop was Rudy's for lunch meat material. The third stop was HEB.
After that we decided to do some exploring. We went looking for a restaurant that the people at the park had recommended. We went the wrong way and ended up driving some residential areas instead. Some of them were middle class and some were pretty run down.
We ended up going to Padre Island. There's a lot of fishing and tourist places when you first get on the island. There's also an amazing number of residential areas. The houses next to the water are really big and expensive. We ended up stopping at a tourist trinket store. It was huge. Then we played mini-golf.
When we got home we fed the pets and then I installed the new light. I had a little trouble because the polarity of the wires wasn't color coded correctly. The new light is LED and bright though. Dinner was BBQ we bought at HEB in San Antonio. It was pretty good.
The rest of the evening was TV and surfing.
The trip down was uneventful. It's the first "real" tow since they worked on the truck. The truck worked fine except it didn't get very good mileage - 9.9. There was a head wind for part of the way, so that may have been an issue. Also, there was some stop and go because we took 1604 for the first 40 miles. It had several lights and stop signs.
I thought they might have scheduled a hurricane. There was a constant stream of RV's going north. We only saw one going south.
We got to the part a little after noon. We set up and fed the pets a snack. We fed ourselves lunch. Then we left Lucy in the trailer and went off after RV parts. We went to two places. The first didn't have anything. The second had the light, but not the door catches. I called the third place. They had the catches, but it would have been a 16 mile round trip to go there. So I bagged it. Corpus Christi is a lot bigger place than I thought.
On the way home we did errands. We stopped at Academy for ammo (San Angelo and Nebraska). We lucked out. They were having a sale on RIO plus $20 off a $100 purchase. We bought 2 cases for $40 a case. The next stop was Rudy's for lunch meat material. The third stop was HEB.
After that we decided to do some exploring. We went looking for a restaurant that the people at the park had recommended. We went the wrong way and ended up driving some residential areas instead. Some of them were middle class and some were pretty run down.
We ended up going to Padre Island. There's a lot of fishing and tourist places when you first get on the island. There's also an amazing number of residential areas. The houses next to the water are really big and expensive. We ended up stopping at a tourist trinket store. It was huge. Then we played mini-golf.
When we got home we fed the pets and then I installed the new light. I had a little trouble because the polarity of the wires wasn't color coded correctly. The new light is LED and bright though. Dinner was BBQ we bought at HEB in San Antonio. It was pretty good.
The rest of the evening was TV and surfing.
Sunday, April 28, 2019
Day 1274
We got up at 8, did the pet stuff, and had breakfast. After breakfast I got out the ladder to get back on the roof. The weather stripping adhesive on the vent had failed, so I needed to go back up and glue it down. When I put the ladder away yesterday I found a top step for it. Apparently it's an option I bought at some point. I attached it. It made the ladder significantly sturdier.
I got up on the slideout so that I didn't have to use the truck. It took awhile to glue the weather stripping down, primarily because the glue tube kept plugging up. When that was done I packed everything away. The new top step doesn't add any bulk to the folded ladder.
We didn't shoot until 3:30, so we didn't have anything to do except surf. We did do some trip planning. Ellen got a place in Corpus Christi. I found some RV parts places. I also made some tentative trip plans. Currently we'll go to San Angelo and then head north to Garden Home NE (that will take several days). From there we'll either head in on I80, or go up to I90 if the weather is OK.
I toyed with the idea of going to Jennings, but there's no way to get to Louisiana from Corpus Christi except to drive through Houston.
I got very tired of surfing. So about a half hour after lunch we left to go to the Culebra stores. I looked for more adhesive at Lowe's (no luck). Then we bought a new dog shit bag holder at Petsmart. The old one broke yesterday. I also topped off the tank at HEB.
After that we went to the club. My knife wasn't in lost and found. We picked up the photo of the two of us and the dog. Then we sat on the porch for awhile before going to the course. We got lucky and got a ride to our station. We also joined the squad ahead of us. They'd lost one person, so that made a 5 person squad.
I shot pretty good. At the end I felt that I'd have been disappointed if I had two eyes, but it was an OK one eyed score.
When we finished we took the dog home, fed the pets, and went to Pei Wei for dinner. After dinner I put the guns and bags back under the bed. We only have a three hour drive tomorrow, so it will be a low stress day. I won't leave until after rush hour.
The rest of the evening was reading and surfing.
I got up on the slideout so that I didn't have to use the truck. It took awhile to glue the weather stripping down, primarily because the glue tube kept plugging up. When that was done I packed everything away. The new top step doesn't add any bulk to the folded ladder.
We didn't shoot until 3:30, so we didn't have anything to do except surf. We did do some trip planning. Ellen got a place in Corpus Christi. I found some RV parts places. I also made some tentative trip plans. Currently we'll go to San Angelo and then head north to Garden Home NE (that will take several days). From there we'll either head in on I80, or go up to I90 if the weather is OK.
I toyed with the idea of going to Jennings, but there's no way to get to Louisiana from Corpus Christi except to drive through Houston.
I got very tired of surfing. So about a half hour after lunch we left to go to the Culebra stores. I looked for more adhesive at Lowe's (no luck). Then we bought a new dog shit bag holder at Petsmart. The old one broke yesterday. I also topped off the tank at HEB.
After that we went to the club. My knife wasn't in lost and found. We picked up the photo of the two of us and the dog. Then we sat on the porch for awhile before going to the course. We got lucky and got a ride to our station. We also joined the squad ahead of us. They'd lost one person, so that made a 5 person squad.
I shot pretty good. At the end I felt that I'd have been disappointed if I had two eyes, but it was an OK one eyed score.
When we finished we took the dog home, fed the pets, and went to Pei Wei for dinner. After dinner I put the guns and bags back under the bed. We only have a three hour drive tomorrow, so it will be a low stress day. I won't leave until after rush hour.
The rest of the evening was reading and surfing.
Saturday, April 27, 2019
Day 1273
We woke up 8, did the pet stuff and had breakfast. Then I went out to fix the bedroom fan. It went better than expected. I got out the ladder and positioned the truck at the back of the trailer. Then I climbed up on the roof. It was really easy to lift the cover off the sealant from above I cleaned off all of the sealant and put the weatherstripping on. It had it's own adhesive, so that was easy.
Getting off was harder. I couldn't reach the ladder on the truck. So Ellen pulled the truck out of the way and I got down from the top of the slideout.
Then we left to go to the only RV parts store in the area. They didn't have what I wanted. It turns out none of the other store in the area are open for parts on Saturday. That sucked. We stopped at Wally World on the way home, but of course they didn't have what I needed. We hadn't had breakfast, so we stopped at McDonalds to get pancakes and a breakfast sandwich.
When we got home we loaded up the truck and went to the club. They had me classified in the wrong old guy's class, so we got that fixed.
Ellen shot OK today. I didn't. There were too many left to right long crossers. I had fun though. It turns out that I lost my swiss knife somewhere on the course. I'm hoping it shows up tomorrow.
After that we had a late lunch at In-n-Out. I took Culebra - a big mistake. I won't do that again. Then we went back to the club so I could go over the course looking for my knife. No luck. I should have done it when we finished.
Then we went to the clubhouse and talked with some people until the bar opened and the food was served. It wasn't supposed to be a meal, but it was. It was really good - potatoes, rolls, salad, and bacon wrapped pork. We weren't really hungry, so Lucy made out like a bandit. She's really tired though, and a little sore. Here legs aren't working really well.
They had a shootoff with really cool exploding targets. It was fun. They had a drawing, but we didn't win anything. We were were one number off winning a gun.
We got home about 8:30. We fed the pets and then took showers. We needed them. After that it was TV and surfing.
Getting off was harder. I couldn't reach the ladder on the truck. So Ellen pulled the truck out of the way and I got down from the top of the slideout.
Then we left to go to the only RV parts store in the area. They didn't have what I wanted. It turns out none of the other store in the area are open for parts on Saturday. That sucked. We stopped at Wally World on the way home, but of course they didn't have what I needed. We hadn't had breakfast, so we stopped at McDonalds to get pancakes and a breakfast sandwich.
When we got home we loaded up the truck and went to the club. They had me classified in the wrong old guy's class, so we got that fixed.
Ellen shot OK today. I didn't. There were too many left to right long crossers. I had fun though. It turns out that I lost my swiss knife somewhere on the course. I'm hoping it shows up tomorrow.
After that we had a late lunch at In-n-Out. I took Culebra - a big mistake. I won't do that again. Then we went back to the club so I could go over the course looking for my knife. No luck. I should have done it when we finished.
Then we went to the clubhouse and talked with some people until the bar opened and the food was served. It wasn't supposed to be a meal, but it was. It was really good - potatoes, rolls, salad, and bacon wrapped pork. We weren't really hungry, so Lucy made out like a bandit. She's really tired though, and a little sore. Here legs aren't working really well.
They had a shootoff with really cool exploding targets. It was fun. They had a drawing, but we didn't win anything. We were were one number off winning a gun.
We got home about 8:30. We fed the pets and then took showers. We needed them. After that it was TV and surfing.
Friday, April 26, 2019
Day 1272
We got up about 8, did the pet stuff and had breakfast. Then it was load he stuff into the truck and got to the club. We shot a couple of rounds of practice. I shot a lot better than I thought I would. then it was time to go to the course.
We got lucky on the station assignment, station 10. We had one squad mate, but we were a B squad. The only time we had to wait long was when the squad ahead of us decided to argue with the ref. That took awhile.
I shot OK, but nothing to write home about.
When we were done we stopped to get some cat food and some weather stripping. I'm going to try to fix the vent tomorrow. Then we went home, had lunch and switched shotguns. After a little surfing we went back and shot two more rounds of practice. I didn't do very well.
After practice we did a little shopping and then went to shoot. It was hot, but there was a breeze. I shot really well except for one thing. I kept shooting 7's. I shot 8 7's and one 5 of 6. If I'd gotten those targets I'd be class leader. CRAP. I am kind of happy given that I'm shooting one eyed.
After that we drove home with plenty of time before the dinner. Except the lights at Potrenco were out. That had traffic totally fucked up. I tried to get around it, but due to the construction I ended up in a mile long traffic jam on 1604 northbound. It took over an hour to get home.
We quickly fed the pets, took showers, and went back to the club. We got there just in time for the dinner. While doing that I discovered that the switch in the bedroom light no longer works.
The dinner itself was good. It was huge steaks. We could only eat half of ours. Lucy is going to make out. After dinner was a bunch of award speeches. Because the acoustics in the pavilion are so bad I couldn't here a thing. So I surfed instead.
When we came home the Potrenco lights were still out. There wasn't much of a delay because the traffic was light.
I put away the guns and tried to fixed the bedroom light. No luck. We need a new one. The switch just failed, no sign of water damage.
After that it was time to go to sleep..
We got lucky on the station assignment, station 10. We had one squad mate, but we were a B squad. The only time we had to wait long was when the squad ahead of us decided to argue with the ref. That took awhile.
I shot OK, but nothing to write home about.
When we were done we stopped to get some cat food and some weather stripping. I'm going to try to fix the vent tomorrow. Then we went home, had lunch and switched shotguns. After a little surfing we went back and shot two more rounds of practice. I didn't do very well.
After practice we did a little shopping and then went to shoot. It was hot, but there was a breeze. I shot really well except for one thing. I kept shooting 7's. I shot 8 7's and one 5 of 6. If I'd gotten those targets I'd be class leader. CRAP. I am kind of happy given that I'm shooting one eyed.
After that we drove home with plenty of time before the dinner. Except the lights at Potrenco were out. That had traffic totally fucked up. I tried to get around it, but due to the construction I ended up in a mile long traffic jam on 1604 northbound. It took over an hour to get home.
We quickly fed the pets, took showers, and went back to the club. We got there just in time for the dinner. While doing that I discovered that the switch in the bedroom light no longer works.
The dinner itself was good. It was huge steaks. We could only eat half of ours. Lucy is going to make out. After dinner was a bunch of award speeches. Because the acoustics in the pavilion are so bad I couldn't here a thing. So I surfed instead.
When we came home the Potrenco lights were still out. There wasn't much of a delay because the traffic was light.
I put away the guns and tried to fixed the bedroom light. No luck. We need a new one. The switch just failed, no sign of water damage.
After that it was time to go to sleep..
Thursday, April 25, 2019
Day 1271
We got up a little before 8, did the pet stuff and had breakfast. I begun by gathering a bunch of last minute things and put them on the kitchen table. After that I got out the implements of destruction and started washing the car. In a little bit Ellen came out to help.
We washed the car together. When it was washed I left the drying off and waxing to Ellen. I moved the guns into the trailer. Then I moved the rest of the stuff (mine and Ellen's) into the trailer. While I was doing it I noticed that the dinette slide had been leaking. The carpet had a small mold spot on it. I spent some time cleaning it up.
By then Ellen was finished with the car. So I moved it into the garage and hooked up the trickle charger. Then I locked the garage up.
We hooked up, put the pets in the truck, and left. The trip to San Antonio was OK until we got on 1604. There was a convoy of 5 houses being moved on 1604. The assholes were driving down the middle of the two lanes so no one could get by. I finally managed to pass them by passing them in the exit lanes. Shit heads.
Blazing Star had messed up our reservation, so we ended up in a less desirable spot then usual. It isn't too bead though. After unhooking and having lunch we went to the club. We signed in and then walked around the few vendors that were open. We stopped at HEB on the way home to get a few items.
Dinner was a HEB meal. It was TV after that.
Just before I went to bed I realized I hadn't turned off the water. I'll see if Lee can do it. If he can't we'll have to stay here Monday so I can drive up and back.
We washed the car together. When it was washed I left the drying off and waxing to Ellen. I moved the guns into the trailer. Then I moved the rest of the stuff (mine and Ellen's) into the trailer. While I was doing it I noticed that the dinette slide had been leaking. The carpet had a small mold spot on it. I spent some time cleaning it up.
By then Ellen was finished with the car. So I moved it into the garage and hooked up the trickle charger. Then I locked the garage up.
We hooked up, put the pets in the truck, and left. The trip to San Antonio was OK until we got on 1604. There was a convoy of 5 houses being moved on 1604. The assholes were driving down the middle of the two lanes so no one could get by. I finally managed to pass them by passing them in the exit lanes. Shit heads.
Blazing Star had messed up our reservation, so we ended up in a less desirable spot then usual. It isn't too bead though. After unhooking and having lunch we went to the club. We signed in and then walked around the few vendors that were open. We stopped at HEB on the way home to get a few items.
Dinner was a HEB meal. It was TV after that.
Just before I went to bed I realized I hadn't turned off the water. I'll see if Lee can do it. If he can't we'll have to stay here Monday so I can drive up and back.
Wednesday, April 24, 2019
Day 1270
A thunderstorm woke me up at 7. There was a lot of noise and heavy rain. It continued off and on all morning. By noon we'd had 1.14 inches of rain (probably more since the rain gauge doesn't seem to measure correctly). We surfed and played games for an hour or so before getting up and doing pet stuff and breakfast.
After breakfast we waited for the rain to lighten up and then it was time to move more stuff into the trailer. When I opened it up there was water on the bathroom floor and hallway. The slide leak was back with a vengeance. It had soaked the carpet below the slide and then flowed across the bathroom and down the hall.
I spent quite awhile trying to find the leak. The water is coming from the front bottom corner of the slide. The only part of the slide that's wet is the underside in that corner. I looked behind the seals there and found a place with no caulking. I caulked it, but I'm not optimistic.
When that was done it was back to moving stuff. When I was done with that I got all of the guns out of the safe and put them in their cases. That took awhile. Somewhere along the way I seem to have lost the barrel sleeve for the Blazer. How does that happen? The last morning task was doing my exercises and putting the mat and timer in the trailer.
At noon they issued a thunderstorm watch. It doesn't look like the car will get washed today. Hopefully tomorrow morning will be dry.
Lunch was a BBQ sandwich and the last of a box of crackers. Also some leftover coffee cake. Ellen had leftovers, too. We're trying to clear out everything we can.
After lunch we went to the post office and fueled up the truck. There was almost no traffic on 290. I've seen more late at night. The rain was really keeping people home. When we got back I got out the new shooting bags and we transferred stuff from the old ones to the new. The idea was to reduce the amount of stuff being carried. We were both really successful.
It rained really hard in the afternoon (2.4 inches for the day). So we just surfed. It finally stopped raining after dinner (Rudy's sausage and mac and cheese). We moved some more stuff, mainly food, to the trailer. Unfortunately it still leaks, including the fan which hadn't leaked up until that point. I put the garbage and the gun cart in the truck.
The evening was TV.
One note: The heavy rain collected in the plastic roof of the truck shelter. I dumped it out before we left. It was an impressive amount. There was even more collected when I went out later to load up the truck. That one made quite a waterfall when I released one of the tie straps.
After breakfast we waited for the rain to lighten up and then it was time to move more stuff into the trailer. When I opened it up there was water on the bathroom floor and hallway. The slide leak was back with a vengeance. It had soaked the carpet below the slide and then flowed across the bathroom and down the hall.
I spent quite awhile trying to find the leak. The water is coming from the front bottom corner of the slide. The only part of the slide that's wet is the underside in that corner. I looked behind the seals there and found a place with no caulking. I caulked it, but I'm not optimistic.
When that was done it was back to moving stuff. When I was done with that I got all of the guns out of the safe and put them in their cases. That took awhile. Somewhere along the way I seem to have lost the barrel sleeve for the Blazer. How does that happen? The last morning task was doing my exercises and putting the mat and timer in the trailer.
At noon they issued a thunderstorm watch. It doesn't look like the car will get washed today. Hopefully tomorrow morning will be dry.
Lunch was a BBQ sandwich and the last of a box of crackers. Also some leftover coffee cake. Ellen had leftovers, too. We're trying to clear out everything we can.
After lunch we went to the post office and fueled up the truck. There was almost no traffic on 290. I've seen more late at night. The rain was really keeping people home. When we got back I got out the new shooting bags and we transferred stuff from the old ones to the new. The idea was to reduce the amount of stuff being carried. We were both really successful.
It rained really hard in the afternoon (2.4 inches for the day). So we just surfed. It finally stopped raining after dinner (Rudy's sausage and mac and cheese). We moved some more stuff, mainly food, to the trailer. Unfortunately it still leaks, including the fan which hadn't leaked up until that point. I put the garbage and the gun cart in the truck.
The evening was TV.
One note: The heavy rain collected in the plastic roof of the truck shelter. I dumped it out before we left. It was an impressive amount. There was even more collected when I went out later to load up the truck. That one made quite a waterfall when I released one of the tie straps.
Tuesday, April 23, 2019
Day 1269
I woke up at 7, turned over, and went back to sleep until 8. Then it was get up to do the pet stuff and have breakfast. After that it was clean up the house time.
I started by cleaning the guest bath. It wasn't much work. Then I cleaned the guest bedroom. I also got out the cases. The labels I'd put on them were coming off, so I covered them with packing tape. Then I did the vacuuming while Ellen cleaned the master bath. I also cleaned the kitchen counters and the kitchen table. I'm really not sure what took her so long with the bathroom.
Isaac had called and said he wanted to meet us at Torchy's on Lamar at 1. Cleaning was finished about noon, so we surfed until 12:30. We had a great time talking with them. They seem to be doing really well. We talked for over 2 hours.
When we were finished Ellen and I went to a crepe store next door. It was staffed entirely with deaf mutes. There was even one eating there. It was interesting. The crepe was really good, too.
After that it was back home. I stopped and put two gallons of gas in the car because it was getting down to an 8th of a tank and Ellen was going to Hog Heaven. When we got home I put Stabil in the tank so that when Ellen went to Hog Heaven it would get distributed. Then I moved more stuff into the trailer. When Ellen left I did my exercises and took the dog to the mailbox. After that I got out the other two computers and made sure that they were up to date while we still had good internet.
Ellen fixed pancakes and bacon for dinner when she got home.
After dinner she moved some more stuff to the trailer. I watched TV.
One note: The dryer quit heating while we were doing the wash. It's a Samsung, so I figured it had just broken. Ellen looked on the web and it said check the venting and the power cord. It turned out that the power cord was almost completely pulled out. The dryer worked fine when we pushed it back in.
I started by cleaning the guest bath. It wasn't much work. Then I cleaned the guest bedroom. I also got out the cases. The labels I'd put on them were coming off, so I covered them with packing tape. Then I did the vacuuming while Ellen cleaned the master bath. I also cleaned the kitchen counters and the kitchen table. I'm really not sure what took her so long with the bathroom.
Isaac had called and said he wanted to meet us at Torchy's on Lamar at 1. Cleaning was finished about noon, so we surfed until 12:30. We had a great time talking with them. They seem to be doing really well. We talked for over 2 hours.
When we were finished Ellen and I went to a crepe store next door. It was staffed entirely with deaf mutes. There was even one eating there. It was interesting. The crepe was really good, too.
After that it was back home. I stopped and put two gallons of gas in the car because it was getting down to an 8th of a tank and Ellen was going to Hog Heaven. When we got home I put Stabil in the tank so that when Ellen went to Hog Heaven it would get distributed. Then I moved more stuff into the trailer. When Ellen left I did my exercises and took the dog to the mailbox. After that I got out the other two computers and made sure that they were up to date while we still had good internet.
Ellen fixed pancakes and bacon for dinner when she got home.
After dinner she moved some more stuff to the trailer. I watched TV.
One note: The dryer quit heating while we were doing the wash. It's a Samsung, so I figured it had just broken. Ellen looked on the web and it said check the venting and the power cord. It turned out that the power cord was almost completely pulled out. The dryer worked fine when we pushed it back in.
Monday, April 22, 2019
Day 1268
I woke up at 7 today and couldn't get back to sleep. So I spent about an hour surfing, playing games, and playing with the cats. Then it was get up, pet stuff, and breakfast.
After breakfast I continued with getting ready to leave. I went out and aired up the trailer and truck tires. I also checked the trailer lug nuts. That took awhile and the humidity made it less than fun. While I was doing that Ellen cleaned the BBQ. When I was finished I went inside and tried to sign up for a haircut. Unfortunately they wanted me to have an account. Since the wait time was only 18 minutes I decided to just go there.
When I got there the wait time was exactly 18 minutes. Apparently the golden time is Monday before 11. When I got there there were two guys waiting. When I left a little after 11 there were at least 8 and the wait time was 40 minutes.
The next stop was Target for a battery for the new red dot sight (more on that later). Then we stopped at HEB to replace the moldy hamburger buns. We tool Lucy for a walk in the park. Then we took her to Tomlinson's. It's the last time until November. The final stop was Torchy's for tacos and pink stuff.
When we got home I put a new battery in the red dot sight. That's when I discovered that the manual was wrong. There are two pictures showing the battery going in the wrong way. I looked at the polarity markings on the drawing to find the right way. I bet the battery it shipped with will work also, but I didn't try it.
I put the sight on the BB gun and went out the back. There were a couple of squirrels there playing target. Unfortunately the sight wasn't quite on, so I don't think I hit them. I shot pop cans for awhile. It was fun. The magazine needs to be a lot bigger though. I left the gun ready in case the squirrels come back.
One weird thing happened. A couple of dogs walked past the car and into the back yard. They were both medium sized mutts with collars. I went out and chased them towards the street. I lost sight of them in the trees. Then I walked the entire property and couldn't find any place where they could have gotten in the fence. For all I know they are still here. I'm watching Lucy whenever she goes out for a couple of days.
After that it was some surfing and some music editing. I took the dog to the mailbox and started to watch TV. I ended up taking a nap.
Ellen fixed fish burgers for dinner. After dinner was TV and a little more music editing.
After breakfast I continued with getting ready to leave. I went out and aired up the trailer and truck tires. I also checked the trailer lug nuts. That took awhile and the humidity made it less than fun. While I was doing that Ellen cleaned the BBQ. When I was finished I went inside and tried to sign up for a haircut. Unfortunately they wanted me to have an account. Since the wait time was only 18 minutes I decided to just go there.
When I got there the wait time was exactly 18 minutes. Apparently the golden time is Monday before 11. When I got there there were two guys waiting. When I left a little after 11 there were at least 8 and the wait time was 40 minutes.
The next stop was Target for a battery for the new red dot sight (more on that later). Then we stopped at HEB to replace the moldy hamburger buns. We tool Lucy for a walk in the park. Then we took her to Tomlinson's. It's the last time until November. The final stop was Torchy's for tacos and pink stuff.
When we got home I put a new battery in the red dot sight. That's when I discovered that the manual was wrong. There are two pictures showing the battery going in the wrong way. I looked at the polarity markings on the drawing to find the right way. I bet the battery it shipped with will work also, but I didn't try it.
I put the sight on the BB gun and went out the back. There were a couple of squirrels there playing target. Unfortunately the sight wasn't quite on, so I don't think I hit them. I shot pop cans for awhile. It was fun. The magazine needs to be a lot bigger though. I left the gun ready in case the squirrels come back.
One weird thing happened. A couple of dogs walked past the car and into the back yard. They were both medium sized mutts with collars. I went out and chased them towards the street. I lost sight of them in the trees. Then I walked the entire property and couldn't find any place where they could have gotten in the fence. For all I know they are still here. I'm watching Lucy whenever she goes out for a couple of days.
After that it was some surfing and some music editing. I took the dog to the mailbox and started to watch TV. I ended up taking a nap.
Ellen fixed fish burgers for dinner. After dinner was TV and a little more music editing.
Sunday, April 21, 2019
Day 1267
I'm not sure when I woke up this morning, but it wasn't early. Lee texted me a little after 8 to ask if I'd heard two shots behind my house after 11 last night. I hadn't, but I was hearing voices back there all evening. He said he had, too.
I got up and did the pet stuff and had breakfast. After a little surfing it was time to start moving stuff to the trailer. I took severa loads of foodstuffs to the trailer. I also took pet food/treats, the camera, and some toiletries. Then I started on the truck. I loaded the ammo we'l need as well as some plastic totes with stuff. I also cleaned the old grease off the trailer hitch and put on new grease. All of this took at least 2 hours.
When I was finished I did my exercises and then had lunch - BBQ sandwich. After that it was surfing. Isaac texted me to say happy Easter. He wants to come see us on Tuesday.
I got bored with surfing, so I decided to play with the BB gun. I was going to put the new sight on it, but it didn't work. It either came with a bad battery, or just doesn't work. It's Easter, so none of the stores are open and I can't buy another. I decided to read instead.
Ellen spent a lot of the day smoking salmon we bought yesterday for the road. She also fixed smoked hamburgers for dinner. Unfortunately the buns we had were moldy. We used bagels instead.
After dinner Lucy pissed the couch. She did that a few days ago. I hope she's not losing control.
The rest of the evening was reading and TV.
I got up and did the pet stuff and had breakfast. After a little surfing it was time to start moving stuff to the trailer. I took severa loads of foodstuffs to the trailer. I also took pet food/treats, the camera, and some toiletries. Then I started on the truck. I loaded the ammo we'l need as well as some plastic totes with stuff. I also cleaned the old grease off the trailer hitch and put on new grease. All of this took at least 2 hours.
When I was finished I did my exercises and then had lunch - BBQ sandwich. After that it was surfing. Isaac texted me to say happy Easter. He wants to come see us on Tuesday.
I got bored with surfing, so I decided to play with the BB gun. I was going to put the new sight on it, but it didn't work. It either came with a bad battery, or just doesn't work. It's Easter, so none of the stores are open and I can't buy another. I decided to read instead.
Ellen spent a lot of the day smoking salmon we bought yesterday for the road. She also fixed smoked hamburgers for dinner. Unfortunately the buns we had were moldy. We used bagels instead.
After dinner Lucy pissed the couch. She did that a few days ago. I hope she's not losing control.
The rest of the evening was reading and TV.
Saturday, April 20, 2019
Day 1266
I got up at 7:45 today. After pet stuff and breakfast I did a very little surfing and then went out to edge the lawn. The edger needed several doses of starting fluid before it wouold start and then keep running. That really wasn't a surprise.
I took me at least an hour and a half to edge the lawn. It was a little work, kind of like using a gas mower that isn't self propelled. I actually went a little bit overboard in back and mowed the area by the pond. I've never done that before. One weird thing happened. I was edging against the deck in back and I think it caught fire. There was a bunch of smoke and I smelled wood burning. I didn't see any flames. I got Ellen from the house and had her spray the whole end of the deck while I finished the edging.
When I started the temp was in the low fifties. By the time I finished it was in the seventies and I was soaked in sweat. I decided not to shower though and went to Tomlinson's for their Easter thing instead. It was fun. We had them draw a caricature of Lucy. Of course she got plenty of treats, too.
After that we stopped at the post office on the way to Central Market. We bought salmon to smoke there along with a few other things. We also stopped at Amy's for ice cream.
The next stop was the donut shop on Brodie. I wanted to get Lucy a bacon donut, but they didn't have any. So she got dog cookies when we stopped at Sonic for a BLT.
When we got home I got out all of the implements of destruction and cleaned the inside of the car. Ellen spent quite awhile on the can and then prepped the salmon for smoking. I did take a shower whne I was finished with the car. It was almost 90, so that was the second time today I was soaked in sweat.
The only chore left to do before leaving is washing the car. We'll probably do that on Tuesday. It just turned 13,000 today. That means that we've put on just short of 7,000 miles on it since we got here in November.
After the shower it was surfing while Ellen watched a chick flick.
Dinner was a frozen dinner. After that we watched the last three episodes of a Netflix show.
I took me at least an hour and a half to edge the lawn. It was a little work, kind of like using a gas mower that isn't self propelled. I actually went a little bit overboard in back and mowed the area by the pond. I've never done that before. One weird thing happened. I was edging against the deck in back and I think it caught fire. There was a bunch of smoke and I smelled wood burning. I didn't see any flames. I got Ellen from the house and had her spray the whole end of the deck while I finished the edging.
When I started the temp was in the low fifties. By the time I finished it was in the seventies and I was soaked in sweat. I decided not to shower though and went to Tomlinson's for their Easter thing instead. It was fun. We had them draw a caricature of Lucy. Of course she got plenty of treats, too.
After that we stopped at the post office on the way to Central Market. We bought salmon to smoke there along with a few other things. We also stopped at Amy's for ice cream.
The next stop was the donut shop on Brodie. I wanted to get Lucy a bacon donut, but they didn't have any. So she got dog cookies when we stopped at Sonic for a BLT.
When we got home I got out all of the implements of destruction and cleaned the inside of the car. Ellen spent quite awhile on the can and then prepped the salmon for smoking. I did take a shower whne I was finished with the car. It was almost 90, so that was the second time today I was soaked in sweat.
The only chore left to do before leaving is washing the car. We'll probably do that on Tuesday. It just turned 13,000 today. That means that we've put on just short of 7,000 miles on it since we got here in November.
After the shower it was surfing while Ellen watched a chick flick.
Dinner was a frozen dinner. After that we watched the last three episodes of a Netflix show.
Friday, April 19, 2019
Day 1265
I woke up a little after 8. I played a couple of games and then got up to do pet stuff and have breakfast. After a short surfing session I went outside to mow the lawn. It took a little over two hours. I didn't feel like doing anything else, so I'll do the edging tomorrow.
There was a road runner in the side yard when I was mowing it. He just watched me, moving some as I drove around. I think he was eating the bugs I was scaring up. It was cool. He also grabbed a couple of small sticks and took them off somewhere. I wonder if he's building a nest.
I finished about 11:30. I went back in the house and surfed for awhile before having a ham sandwich and crackers for lunch. The weather had been nice all day - mid 70's with a light wind. I decided that I wanted to go to the restaurant across from Tomlinson's for their happy hour. So I surfed until 3:30 when happy hour started.
One weird thing happened. Lee texted me saying that his house alarm had gone off. I asked if he wanted me to check and he said yes. The cops were also coming. By the time I got there the cops were there. Apparently it was a false alarm. Lee called while we were there and I gave the cop my phone so Lee could talk to him.
Ellen has been on a sewing jag today. She spent the whole day modifying both her clothes and mine. I think she's done a shirt and 4 pairs of pants.
We spent about two hours at the restaurant. Ellen had a bison burger because she hadn't eaten much today. Lucy was kind of disappointed that we didn't take her to Tomlinson's. That's because she'll be going there tomorrow.
After the restaurant I drove over to the snow cone place and bought one. I wanted to make sure I got one more before we left. Then we went home for more surfing. I also took a shower to get the grass ckillpings out of my hair. I should have done that earlier.
There was no dinner because I'd had appetizers at the restaurant. The rest of the evening was TV with a little surfing.
There was a road runner in the side yard when I was mowing it. He just watched me, moving some as I drove around. I think he was eating the bugs I was scaring up. It was cool. He also grabbed a couple of small sticks and took them off somewhere. I wonder if he's building a nest.
I finished about 11:30. I went back in the house and surfed for awhile before having a ham sandwich and crackers for lunch. The weather had been nice all day - mid 70's with a light wind. I decided that I wanted to go to the restaurant across from Tomlinson's for their happy hour. So I surfed until 3:30 when happy hour started.
One weird thing happened. Lee texted me saying that his house alarm had gone off. I asked if he wanted me to check and he said yes. The cops were also coming. By the time I got there the cops were there. Apparently it was a false alarm. Lee called while we were there and I gave the cop my phone so Lee could talk to him.
Ellen has been on a sewing jag today. She spent the whole day modifying both her clothes and mine. I think she's done a shirt and 4 pairs of pants.
We spent about two hours at the restaurant. Ellen had a bison burger because she hadn't eaten much today. Lucy was kind of disappointed that we didn't take her to Tomlinson's. That's because she'll be going there tomorrow.
After the restaurant I drove over to the snow cone place and bought one. I wanted to make sure I got one more before we left. Then we went home for more surfing. I also took a shower to get the grass ckillpings out of my hair. I should have done that earlier.
There was no dinner because I'd had appetizers at the restaurant. The rest of the evening was TV with a little surfing.
Thursday, April 18, 2019
Day 1264
I woke up about 8 and played games until about 8:30. There was a thunderstorm last night, but it was nothing to write home about. Then it was pet stuff - but no breakfast. I called the doctor and they said I just needed to come in for the blood test. I was ready to go, but Ellen's asshole was givig her real problems. We didn't leave until after 10.
I made up for it at the doctor's though. I got right in and they took me right away. I don't think I was there 15 minutes. After that we went to the post office and then off to an estate sale off 2222. It was a large house with an amazing amount of stuff in it. I got a couple of wrenches I needed. We also got a present for Sophia and a rabbit plaque for Patty. They had soe other stuff we might have purchased, but the prices were very high.
I decided to take a long way back on a road we hadn't gone on before. It took us past a park high over the river. We'd been there once before. So we stopped again and hiked up tothe top. The view is great, and you get to look down on all the rich people's mansions. It was windy and cloudy, but there was a fair number of people there.
We stopped at Trader Joe's to get more cereal. I also bought a candy bar to replace the one of Ellen's that I ate by mistake. After that we stopped at Rudy's for lunch. It was a little windy, but still nice.
When we got home I decided to shim the weather vane. It turns out that it was perfect in the north/south direction and only a little off in the east/west direction. I added one washer under one of the bolts. That made it perfect in the east/wset direction and a little off in the north/south direction. I'll see how that works, and change it back if I think it needs it.
After that I decided to update my game machine. It hadn't been updated in months. It took hours. The downloads from Microsoft were really slow. There were updates to the virus and display driver also. I also downloaded a free game that features the Notre Dame cathedral. It's a damn shame the sand niggers burned it down. While I did that Ellen went to Hog Heaven. A little later I did my exercises and took the dog to the mailbox.
Dinner was a frozen dinner. After dinner was mainly TV with a little reading. Tomorrow will be mow the lawn.
I made up for it at the doctor's though. I got right in and they took me right away. I don't think I was there 15 minutes. After that we went to the post office and then off to an estate sale off 2222. It was a large house with an amazing amount of stuff in it. I got a couple of wrenches I needed. We also got a present for Sophia and a rabbit plaque for Patty. They had soe other stuff we might have purchased, but the prices were very high.
I decided to take a long way back on a road we hadn't gone on before. It took us past a park high over the river. We'd been there once before. So we stopped again and hiked up tothe top. The view is great, and you get to look down on all the rich people's mansions. It was windy and cloudy, but there was a fair number of people there.
We stopped at Trader Joe's to get more cereal. I also bought a candy bar to replace the one of Ellen's that I ate by mistake. After that we stopped at Rudy's for lunch. It was a little windy, but still nice.
When we got home I decided to shim the weather vane. It turns out that it was perfect in the north/south direction and only a little off in the east/west direction. I added one washer under one of the bolts. That made it perfect in the east/wset direction and a little off in the north/south direction. I'll see how that works, and change it back if I think it needs it.
After that I decided to update my game machine. It hadn't been updated in months. It took hours. The downloads from Microsoft were really slow. There were updates to the virus and display driver also. I also downloaded a free game that features the Notre Dame cathedral. It's a damn shame the sand niggers burned it down. While I did that Ellen went to Hog Heaven. A little later I did my exercises and took the dog to the mailbox.
Dinner was a frozen dinner. After dinner was mainly TV with a little reading. Tomorrow will be mow the lawn.
Wednesday, April 17, 2019
Day 1263
I woke up a little after 8, but stayed in bed playing games for awhile. I got up when Lucy hurt herself trying to jump up on the bed. She was doing that because Devyn had taken over her bed. Fortunately she wasn't hurt badly and in a few minutes she was walking normally again.
I did the pet stuff and breakfast, then surfed. It was raining, so there was no chance to mow the lawn like I was planning to. It's supposed to thunderstorm tonight, so I probably won't be able to do it tomorrow either.
I basically surfed the morning away. The only things I got accomplished were my exercises and putting the cat switch plate we bought on the wall. Lunch was a ham sandwich and crackers.
The guy we met yesterday at Well Fargo called to say that we should switch my play toy account to an interest bearing one. So we did. Then we went to the post office to pick up the property tax bill. Ellen goes to a website that tells us what's been delivered. We also stopped at Home Depot so I could get some washers to shim the weather vane. Lucy didn't find any magic aprons. However, on the way home I stopped for a snow cone. They had sample dog cookies, so Lucy got a couple.
When we got home I took out all of the garbage in the house. Tomorrow is the last garbage day before we leave. We'll have to take all of the rest of the garbage with us. I also took the dog to the mailbox.
Dinner was a HEB meal. After dinner was reading and TV.
I did the pet stuff and breakfast, then surfed. It was raining, so there was no chance to mow the lawn like I was planning to. It's supposed to thunderstorm tonight, so I probably won't be able to do it tomorrow either.
I basically surfed the morning away. The only things I got accomplished were my exercises and putting the cat switch plate we bought on the wall. Lunch was a ham sandwich and crackers.
The guy we met yesterday at Well Fargo called to say that we should switch my play toy account to an interest bearing one. So we did. Then we went to the post office to pick up the property tax bill. Ellen goes to a website that tells us what's been delivered. We also stopped at Home Depot so I could get some washers to shim the weather vane. Lucy didn't find any magic aprons. However, on the way home I stopped for a snow cone. They had sample dog cookies, so Lucy got a couple.
When we got home I took out all of the garbage in the house. Tomorrow is the last garbage day before we leave. We'll have to take all of the rest of the garbage with us. I also took the dog to the mailbox.
Dinner was a HEB meal. After dinner was reading and TV.
Tuesday, April 16, 2019
Day 1262
I woke up about 8, but stayed in bed playing games until almost 9. Then it was pet stuff, breakfast, and start the wash. It's time to start getting serious with preparations. I went out to the trailer and put my clothes in the closet. Ellen did the same. I also got one of the plastic carryalls and filled it with all of the stuff we've purchased for different people. I put it in the trailer basement. That's when I discovered some tools that I'd been meaning to take to Goodwill. So I loaded them and the stuff we had in the house into the car.
Ellen had a doctor's appointment at 11, so it was time to go. The appointment didn't last very long. We were out a little before noon. The next stop was the post office.
I was going to eat lunch at the new Hop Doddy's that they opened yesterday in the old Freddie's hamburger place. Unfortunately they don't open until 4. So I drove to the Goodwill at the Y instead. Then I took Convict Hill to Escarpment. We took Lucy to Tomlinson's and then ate lunch at the Italian place. The next stop was HEB for bananas and milk.
One of the things in the mail was an offer from Wells Cargo for a higher interest savings account. We stopped in to sign up for it. We worked with a really nice banker. It turns out we weren't eligible, but he did get us into an account that pays 1.5% more than we were getting. We had a great talk with him, too.
When we got home I did a little surfing until Ellen left for Hog Heaven. Then I did my exercises and took the dog to the mailbox. Dinner was a HEB meal (shrimp) and salad.
After dinner was TV. I'm limiting the surfing.
Ellen had a doctor's appointment at 11, so it was time to go. The appointment didn't last very long. We were out a little before noon. The next stop was the post office.
I was going to eat lunch at the new Hop Doddy's that they opened yesterday in the old Freddie's hamburger place. Unfortunately they don't open until 4. So I drove to the Goodwill at the Y instead. Then I took Convict Hill to Escarpment. We took Lucy to Tomlinson's and then ate lunch at the Italian place. The next stop was HEB for bananas and milk.
One of the things in the mail was an offer from Wells Cargo for a higher interest savings account. We stopped in to sign up for it. We worked with a really nice banker. It turns out we weren't eligible, but he did get us into an account that pays 1.5% more than we were getting. We had a great talk with him, too.
When we got home I did a little surfing until Ellen left for Hog Heaven. Then I did my exercises and took the dog to the mailbox. Dinner was a HEB meal (shrimp) and salad.
After dinner was TV. I'm limiting the surfing.
Monday, April 15, 2019
Day 1261
I woke up at 7:50 today. I played with the cats for a little bit and then went back to sleep until 8:45. That wasn't really so bad since I stayed up until 1 this morning. Then it was pet stuff and breakfast. I did a very little surfing after breakfast and then went outside to work.
I started by trimming back the azalea. It really needed it. After cleaning up the branches I swept off the deck. There were quite a few leaves on it. While doing that I noticed that some lattice work had come loose, so I fixed that. I also put a screw in the breaker box on the pole by the garage.
Then the real work started. After some searching in the garage and the back shed I found the small hand sprayer. I mixed up some roundup and used it to spray the thistles in the yard. I didn't find many, but they were spread out all over. I also sprayed the front brick work and the area under the truck cover.
It was 12:30 by the time that was done, so I went inside for a turkey sandwich and some surfing. BTW, there's a little wind today and the weather vane is working perfectly. It's fun to watch it spin around.
After lunch was a little more surfing. Then we took Lucy out to the truck so we could give her a dogacure. She didn't enjoy it at all. She did like the treat afterwards though.
I did a little music editing, but boredom was really setting in. I needed gas for the mower and Ellen needed underwear. So We took the truck to the gas station and CVS. That was too short a trip, so we went to Target so I could get a garment bag for the trailer. We stopped for diet ice cream and a smoothie on the way home.
We got home just at 5, so I took the dog to the mailbox. I didn't do my exercises. I'm not sure if I feel guilty or not.
Dinner was fish burgers with some turkey bacon and a salad. It was really good. After dinner was TV. Did I mention I'm sick of surfing?
I started by trimming back the azalea. It really needed it. After cleaning up the branches I swept off the deck. There were quite a few leaves on it. While doing that I noticed that some lattice work had come loose, so I fixed that. I also put a screw in the breaker box on the pole by the garage.
Then the real work started. After some searching in the garage and the back shed I found the small hand sprayer. I mixed up some roundup and used it to spray the thistles in the yard. I didn't find many, but they were spread out all over. I also sprayed the front brick work and the area under the truck cover.
It was 12:30 by the time that was done, so I went inside for a turkey sandwich and some surfing. BTW, there's a little wind today and the weather vane is working perfectly. It's fun to watch it spin around.
After lunch was a little more surfing. Then we took Lucy out to the truck so we could give her a dogacure. She didn't enjoy it at all. She did like the treat afterwards though.
I did a little music editing, but boredom was really setting in. I needed gas for the mower and Ellen needed underwear. So We took the truck to the gas station and CVS. That was too short a trip, so we went to Target so I could get a garment bag for the trailer. We stopped for diet ice cream and a smoothie on the way home.
We got home just at 5, so I took the dog to the mailbox. I didn't do my exercises. I'm not sure if I feel guilty or not.
Dinner was fish burgers with some turkey bacon and a salad. It was really good. After dinner was TV. Did I mention I'm sick of surfing?
Sunday, April 14, 2019
Day 1260
I woke up at 8:50 and got up immediately. After pet stuff and breakfast I did a little surfing. It was cold, upper 50's, and windy. I figured that I wouldn't be able to put the weather vane up, but I could get it ready.
I went out to the garage to work. I'd spent a good deal of time last night visualizing how I might put things together and put it on the pole. That pretty much went out the window when I actually started looking at things. There was rally only one way to do it.
The first step was to center the new bearing in its housing. Yes, the cheap Chinese had shipped it off center. That didn't take long as I have plenty of experience in doing that. Then I measured the length of bar that I needed and cut four lengths. This went really well. Two of the lengths didn't need anything to make the nuts thread on. The other two only needed light grinding.
I put a nut and lock washer on the end of each length to make it "bolt". I put the two bearings on the shaft. Then I put each bolt through the top bearing. I put two nuts and two washers on the bolt between the bearings. Then I tightened the top to nuts to the top bearing. When all 4 "bolts" were installed I lined up the bottom bearing housing with the top one.
The result was a really strong and ridged structure that turned freely on the two bearings. I was pretty happy with the result.
By the time I was finished it had warmed up to about 70 and the wind had died down. So I got out the tools and ladder and got Ellen out to help. When I lifted the vane to the top of the pole it went into the four holes easily. Unfortunately I'd left the "bolts" almost too long to fit nuts on. I had to put nuts without washers on three of the bolts. Then I could put bothe washer and nut on the fourth. Finally I took off the other three and added the washers. When I tightened everything up the vane was level and turned freely.
Putting the tail on the vane went really well because I'd done it before. The end result is really nice. It took about two months from start to finish to get it installed. Ellen took several pictures to send to her sister. I wish the wind would pick up again.
I put everything away and went back into the house to surf and order a car cover for the Bronco. I went back out to do my exercises. Lunch was a turkey sandwich and some crackers.
Lee had texted to say that he'd bring his daughter over sometime in the afternoon, so I surfed until they showed up. I showed them the property. He also wanted to see the new Traeger. After he left we went to HEB, mainly because I was bored.
I was going to stop at the shaved ice place, but they had at least 15 people in line. So I went across the street for yogurt. We stopped at HEB and bought a couple of things.
When we got home Ellen fixed pizza on the Traeger for dinner. After dinner it was TV. I'd had enough surfing for the day.
I went out to the garage to work. I'd spent a good deal of time last night visualizing how I might put things together and put it on the pole. That pretty much went out the window when I actually started looking at things. There was rally only one way to do it.
The first step was to center the new bearing in its housing. Yes, the cheap Chinese had shipped it off center. That didn't take long as I have plenty of experience in doing that. Then I measured the length of bar that I needed and cut four lengths. This went really well. Two of the lengths didn't need anything to make the nuts thread on. The other two only needed light grinding.
I put a nut and lock washer on the end of each length to make it "bolt". I put the two bearings on the shaft. Then I put each bolt through the top bearing. I put two nuts and two washers on the bolt between the bearings. Then I tightened the top to nuts to the top bearing. When all 4 "bolts" were installed I lined up the bottom bearing housing with the top one.
The result was a really strong and ridged structure that turned freely on the two bearings. I was pretty happy with the result.
By the time I was finished it had warmed up to about 70 and the wind had died down. So I got out the tools and ladder and got Ellen out to help. When I lifted the vane to the top of the pole it went into the four holes easily. Unfortunately I'd left the "bolts" almost too long to fit nuts on. I had to put nuts without washers on three of the bolts. Then I could put bothe washer and nut on the fourth. Finally I took off the other three and added the washers. When I tightened everything up the vane was level and turned freely.
Putting the tail on the vane went really well because I'd done it before. The end result is really nice. It took about two months from start to finish to get it installed. Ellen took several pictures to send to her sister. I wish the wind would pick up again.
I put everything away and went back into the house to surf and order a car cover for the Bronco. I went back out to do my exercises. Lunch was a turkey sandwich and some crackers.
Lee had texted to say that he'd bring his daughter over sometime in the afternoon, so I surfed until they showed up. I showed them the property. He also wanted to see the new Traeger. After he left we went to HEB, mainly because I was bored.
I was going to stop at the shaved ice place, but they had at least 15 people in line. So I went across the street for yogurt. We stopped at HEB and bought a couple of things.
When we got home Ellen fixed pizza on the Traeger for dinner. After dinner it was TV. I'd had enough surfing for the day.
Saturday, April 13, 2019
Day 1259
I woke up at 7:50, but it was raining. So I played Mahjong until 9:45. By that time the animals were really hungry, so we got up and fed them and had breakfast. After that I did a little surfing and then went out to grind down the
spindle on the weather vane so I could put on a second bearing.
The spindle didn't need to be ground down much, but it still took about half an hour. Halfway through Ellen said there was a thunderstorm with hail coming. I moved everything so that I could put the car inside and had her drive it to the garage door. Then I finished the grinding and measured the length of the bolts I need to buy. By then there was a strong storm going. So I put the car in the garage. Then I did my exercises and went back to the house.
It was only 11:30, so I did some music editing and surfing. That lasted until about 1. Then we went over to the Belterra ACE to get bolts. They didn't have them. So then we went to Home Depot in Dripping Springs. They didn't have them either. We stopped at the Sonic next door for lunch before going to McCoy's. They didn't have them (notice a pattern?).
I turns out there is only one Tru-Value, and no Aces, in Austin. The Tru-Value is at 183 just north of 71. We went there. They didn't have what I needed, but on of the clerks offered to make some. Unfortunately he broke his die. The only option was to go to Wimberley.
We stopped at both the Ace and Do-it in Wimberley. Neither had what I needed. So I bought some threaded rod and some extra nuts. I'll have to turn them into "bolts" tomorrow. We stopped at a nice outdoor bar with food trucks on the way back. It had a great view. Unfortunately it was 65 degrees and there was a 20 mph wind. It was too cold to stay.
We stopped at the HEB in Dripping Springs on the way home to get a cake for dessert. Then we went to the new bar food restuarant in Belterra. We got some house made potato chips, which were good. We also got potato skins. That turned out to be 2 2inch potatoes cut in half with some bacon bits under a layer of cheese with a few onions on top. They charged $9 for that. We won't be going back.
By the time we got home at 6:30 we had driven over 90 miles after we left Dripping Springs the first time.
We watched TV for awhile and then had some cake. The rest of the evening was a little TV and then a movie.
The spindle didn't need to be ground down much, but it still took about half an hour. Halfway through Ellen said there was a thunderstorm with hail coming. I moved everything so that I could put the car inside and had her drive it to the garage door. Then I finished the grinding and measured the length of the bolts I need to buy. By then there was a strong storm going. So I put the car in the garage. Then I did my exercises and went back to the house.
It was only 11:30, so I did some music editing and surfing. That lasted until about 1. Then we went over to the Belterra ACE to get bolts. They didn't have them. So then we went to Home Depot in Dripping Springs. They didn't have them either. We stopped at the Sonic next door for lunch before going to McCoy's. They didn't have them (notice a pattern?).
I turns out there is only one Tru-Value, and no Aces, in Austin. The Tru-Value is at 183 just north of 71. We went there. They didn't have what I needed, but on of the clerks offered to make some. Unfortunately he broke his die. The only option was to go to Wimberley.
We stopped at both the Ace and Do-it in Wimberley. Neither had what I needed. So I bought some threaded rod and some extra nuts. I'll have to turn them into "bolts" tomorrow. We stopped at a nice outdoor bar with food trucks on the way back. It had a great view. Unfortunately it was 65 degrees and there was a 20 mph wind. It was too cold to stay.
We stopped at the HEB in Dripping Springs on the way home to get a cake for dessert. Then we went to the new bar food restuarant in Belterra. We got some house made potato chips, which were good. We also got potato skins. That turned out to be 2 2inch potatoes cut in half with some bacon bits under a layer of cheese with a few onions on top. They charged $9 for that. We won't be going back.
By the time we got home at 6:30 we had driven over 90 miles after we left Dripping Springs the first time.
We watched TV for awhile and then had some cake. The rest of the evening was a little TV and then a movie.
Friday, April 12, 2019
Day 1258
I woke up at 7:50 this morning. That was too early to get up, so I did a little napping and surfing. We did get up at 8:15 though to do pet stuff and have breakfast. We left at 9 to take Devyn to the vet. It was a battle trakcing him down and getting him into the box. He tore the back of my left hand up really badly.
We only spent a few minutes at the vet. They took the stitches out and pronounced him fine. It looks like he will be screwed up for the rest of his life - head tilt, half closed eye, and not very sure on his feet. Oh well. He was a cool cat before he got sick.
We went to a estate sale after the vet. It wasn't very far away - 29th and Lamar. They had a cat picture that looked nice on the web. It didn't look as good in person. The owner had a lot of cat paraphernalia. We bought a cat switch pate and a solar powered lucky cat. Loop 1 southbound was a parking lot, so we took Lamar in. That allowed us to stop at the dog store we didn't get to last week. There were roach coaches in the parking lot and Ellen had breakfast. We also stopped at the Greek store on Lamar for baklava. After that it was the post office and home.
When we got home I went out to attach the star to the weather vane. It kind of fought me, but I finally got it attached. Then I hung the barbed wire plaque we bought weeks ago in the apartment. I'd finally gotten around to asking Ellen where she wanted it. Finally, I did my exercises before going in for lunch.
Lunch was a turkey sandwich and a raisin cookie (from the Greek place). After a little surfing it was time to put the weather vane on the pole. I got out all of the stuff and Ellen came out to hold the ladder.
My first attempt to put it on the pole failed. It was just too heavy and lopsided to balance on the top and put the bolts in. So I took the fin off and tried again. That allowed me to get the tail bolted on. Then I bolted on the fin. The whole thing didn't work for two reasons. First, the springs weren't strong enough to hold the tail ridged enough. Second, the set screws weren't holding the bearing. I could have fixed the spring problem with the vane on the pole but the bearing problem needed work that couldn't be done on the pole. The only thing to do was take it down. We took pictures first, though.
Taking it down went well except for my forgetting some tools and hardware at the top of the ladder. When I moved the ladder they fell in the bush. It took awhile to find them. Then I put everything away.
When that was done I removed the springs from the tail and used a couple of corner straps to anchor it to the swivel. I also recentered the bearing in it's housing. That's when I rediscovered that the cheap Chinese piece of shit bearing really isn't 1.25". It's slightly smaller. The guy who made the pole had ground down the shaft to fit. I'll have to grind more of it to fit a second bearing. It was after 5, so I quit and took the dog to the mailbox.
I went to Amazon and ordered another bearing while dinner (coconut shrimp from HEB) was cooking. They claim that the bearing will be here tomorrow. That means I'll be grinding tomorrow. I also took a shower. I was feeling like I needed one.
The evening was TV and a movie.
We only spent a few minutes at the vet. They took the stitches out and pronounced him fine. It looks like he will be screwed up for the rest of his life - head tilt, half closed eye, and not very sure on his feet. Oh well. He was a cool cat before he got sick.
We went to a estate sale after the vet. It wasn't very far away - 29th and Lamar. They had a cat picture that looked nice on the web. It didn't look as good in person. The owner had a lot of cat paraphernalia. We bought a cat switch pate and a solar powered lucky cat. Loop 1 southbound was a parking lot, so we took Lamar in. That allowed us to stop at the dog store we didn't get to last week. There were roach coaches in the parking lot and Ellen had breakfast. We also stopped at the Greek store on Lamar for baklava. After that it was the post office and home.
When we got home I went out to attach the star to the weather vane. It kind of fought me, but I finally got it attached. Then I hung the barbed wire plaque we bought weeks ago in the apartment. I'd finally gotten around to asking Ellen where she wanted it. Finally, I did my exercises before going in for lunch.
Lunch was a turkey sandwich and a raisin cookie (from the Greek place). After a little surfing it was time to put the weather vane on the pole. I got out all of the stuff and Ellen came out to hold the ladder.
My first attempt to put it on the pole failed. It was just too heavy and lopsided to balance on the top and put the bolts in. So I took the fin off and tried again. That allowed me to get the tail bolted on. Then I bolted on the fin. The whole thing didn't work for two reasons. First, the springs weren't strong enough to hold the tail ridged enough. Second, the set screws weren't holding the bearing. I could have fixed the spring problem with the vane on the pole but the bearing problem needed work that couldn't be done on the pole. The only thing to do was take it down. We took pictures first, though.
Taking it down went well except for my forgetting some tools and hardware at the top of the ladder. When I moved the ladder they fell in the bush. It took awhile to find them. Then I put everything away.
When that was done I removed the springs from the tail and used a couple of corner straps to anchor it to the swivel. I also recentered the bearing in it's housing. That's when I rediscovered that the cheap Chinese piece of shit bearing really isn't 1.25". It's slightly smaller. The guy who made the pole had ground down the shaft to fit. I'll have to grind more of it to fit a second bearing. It was after 5, so I quit and took the dog to the mailbox.
I went to Amazon and ordered another bearing while dinner (coconut shrimp from HEB) was cooking. They claim that the bearing will be here tomorrow. That means I'll be grinding tomorrow. I also took a shower. I was feeling like I needed one.
The evening was TV and a movie.
Thursday, April 11, 2019
Day 1257
We got up at 8:30, did the pet stuff and had breakfast. I did a little surfing and then went out to the garage to paint the start. When I took off the red masking I noticed that the tape had screwed up the blue paint a little. So I repainted it.
Cooper had a vet appointment at 10:30, so we left about 10. The appointment didn't take long. He weighs 5.5 lbs now. Everything is normal - he's a healthy kitten. After that we went to the post office and then home.
One of the investment funds we are in sent us a tax document today. That's right, a document on April 11. Our tax return from Bob came today, too. It turns out the new tax document changes the return. Ellen had to call Bob and work out the details. He's going to send us a new return. This place is charging us a high service fee. This isn't acceptable. We're going to have a talk with Gerry about fees when we get back.
I just didn't feel like doing anything today. So I spent most of the rest of the day editing music and surfing. Lunch was a turkey sandwich and crackers. At 4:30 I put a coat of clear on the star, did my exercises, and took the dog to the mailbox.
Dinner was a frozen dinner. I've been reducing the contents of the freezer in preparation for moving to the trailer. After dinner was TV and reading.
Cooper had a vet appointment at 10:30, so we left about 10. The appointment didn't take long. He weighs 5.5 lbs now. Everything is normal - he's a healthy kitten. After that we went to the post office and then home.
One of the investment funds we are in sent us a tax document today. That's right, a document on April 11. Our tax return from Bob came today, too. It turns out the new tax document changes the return. Ellen had to call Bob and work out the details. He's going to send us a new return. This place is charging us a high service fee. This isn't acceptable. We're going to have a talk with Gerry about fees when we get back.
I just didn't feel like doing anything today. So I spent most of the rest of the day editing music and surfing. Lunch was a turkey sandwich and crackers. At 4:30 I put a coat of clear on the star, did my exercises, and took the dog to the mailbox.
Dinner was a frozen dinner. I've been reducing the contents of the freezer in preparation for moving to the trailer. After dinner was TV and reading.
Wednesday, April 10, 2019
Day 1256
I woke up at 7:45 today because the vet called me to talk about Devin. She said that the lab came back with the polyp being benign. Reading between the lines it sounds like she doesn't expect his eyelid to ever work again.
I tried to get back to sleep, ut couldn't. So I surfed for awhile and then got up to do the pet stuff and breakfast. Ellen had taken a controller home from Hog Heaven, so we had to return it today. I painted the second coat of white on the star and then we left.
There was an estate sale on Lone Man Mountain road which was on the way to Cabela's. So we stopped there, but there was nothing of interest. We spent awhile at Cabela's because we had a 20% off coupon. We bought Ellen pants and shoes, me some socks, and Dan another reel. We ate lunch at a hamburger place.
It was 3 by the time we got home. I spent some time editing music and then went out to put the first coat of red on the start and do my exercises. After that I took the dog to the mailbox.
Dinner was some cheese, crackers, and grapes. After dinner was more surfing and music editing.
It doesn't sound like much, but I thought it was a fun day.
I tried to get back to sleep, ut couldn't. So I surfed for awhile and then got up to do the pet stuff and breakfast. Ellen had taken a controller home from Hog Heaven, so we had to return it today. I painted the second coat of white on the star and then we left.
There was an estate sale on Lone Man Mountain road which was on the way to Cabela's. So we stopped there, but there was nothing of interest. We spent awhile at Cabela's because we had a 20% off coupon. We bought Ellen pants and shoes, me some socks, and Dan another reel. We ate lunch at a hamburger place.
It was 3 by the time we got home. I spent some time editing music and then went out to put the first coat of red on the start and do my exercises. After that I took the dog to the mailbox.
Dinner was some cheese, crackers, and grapes. After dinner was more surfing and music editing.
It doesn't sound like much, but I thought it was a fun day.
Tuesday, April 9, 2019
Day 1255
I woke up about 8, with no desire to get up. So I went back to sleep until about 9. Then it was pet stuff and breakfast. We also started the wash.
Last night I decided that I wanted to put something on the front of the weather vane. The best choice was a Texas star. I spent quite awhile on the web looking for a local store that had one. Home Depot, Lowes, HEB, Academy, and Hobby Lobby all struck out. I found some at AT Home, so off we went.
I stopped at a gas station and the post office on the way. There were several choices at the store. We found one of the right size, but the color sucked. We bought it anyway.
On the way home Ellen found a cool red, white, and blue paint scheme for a Texas Star. So when we got home I checked the paint supply. We had blue and white, we needed to get red. I started out by painting the back side the same color as the pole. Then I did my exercises and went in to have lunch.
After lunch I surfed for awhile waiting for the first coat of paint to dry. Then I went out and applied another coat to the back. Then I finished installing the set screws in the bearing housing. I also got out mounting hardware for the star and built and installed a mount for it.
Then it was back to the house to wait for the paint to dry. It was dry about the time Ellen went to Hog Heaven. I went out to the garage and taped up the front side of the star for the blue portion. Then I gave it its first coat.
I was pretty sweaty from working in the hot garage and exercising, so I took a shower when I went back in the house. I surfed a little and then took the dog to the mailbox.
Dinner was a frozen dinner. After dinner was mainly TV with some reading and a little surfing.
Last night I decided that I wanted to put something on the front of the weather vane. The best choice was a Texas star. I spent quite awhile on the web looking for a local store that had one. Home Depot, Lowes, HEB, Academy, and Hobby Lobby all struck out. I found some at AT Home, so off we went.
I stopped at a gas station and the post office on the way. There were several choices at the store. We found one of the right size, but the color sucked. We bought it anyway.
On the way home Ellen found a cool red, white, and blue paint scheme for a Texas Star. So when we got home I checked the paint supply. We had blue and white, we needed to get red. I started out by painting the back side the same color as the pole. Then I did my exercises and went in to have lunch.
After lunch I surfed for awhile waiting for the first coat of paint to dry. Then I went out and applied another coat to the back. Then I finished installing the set screws in the bearing housing. I also got out mounting hardware for the star and built and installed a mount for it.
Then it was back to the house to wait for the paint to dry. It was dry about the time Ellen went to Hog Heaven. I went out to the garage and taped up the front side of the star for the blue portion. Then I gave it its first coat.
I was pretty sweaty from working in the hot garage and exercising, so I took a shower when I went back in the house. I surfed a little and then took the dog to the mailbox.
Dinner was a frozen dinner. After dinner was mainly TV with some reading and a little surfing.
Monday, April 8, 2019
Day 1254
We woke up about 8:30. We stayed in bed, surfed, and played with the cats for awhile. I think it was after 9 when we got up to do the pet stuff and have breakfast. I wasn't really motivated this morning, so I surfed for awhile before going out to finish the weather vane.
I started by taking off all of the supports that were attached to the pole. Then I went to the garage to get the vane. That's when I noticed a problem. The bearing was tilted in the bearing housing. The root of the problem was that it was a piece of cheap Chinese shit. The bearing wobbled all around the housing. I eventually got it out with a little force from a hammer and screwdriver.
I went inside and spent about an hour looking a Youtube videos and reading about tapping holes.I figured out what I was going to have to do and what I'd need. Then we left for Lowe's.
Lowe's had the tap I needed, but it didn't have the set screws. Home Depot had both. In addition, the tap was of better quality than the one at Lowe's. It was almost 1 by then, so we stopped at Doc's Backyard for lunch. We hadn't been there since last Spring. The last stop was the post office.
When I got home I went back to work. It was over 90 and I was continually wiping sweat off my face the entire time I was working. I drilled and tapped four holes in the bearing housing. That will hold the bearing in place. I went very carefully following the instructions from the web. All 4 came out perfect. I was really proud of myself.
I had a hard time getting the bearing back in the housing. I tried a vise, a hammer and punch, vise grip pliers and the arbor press. No luck. I finally just sat with the two pieces in my hand. That's when I remembered that the bearing had tilted when it came out. I turns out that if you insert the bearing at a 90 degree angle to the housing and insert it into two relief cuts it fits into the housing with very little effort. Basically it was never designed to be a good bearing. I was just designed to be easy to insert the bearing in the housing. There was even a small pin on the outside of the bearing to keep the bearing from spinning inside the housing. CHEAP CHINESE SHIT.
After that I aligned the bearing in the housing and secured it temporarily with two set screws. I was really hot and tired, plus it was 5. So I called it quits for the day. I did do my exercises before going to the house though.
When I got to the house I took a shower and fed the pets. Dinner was left over sliders from Doc's.
After dinner was TV and surfing.
I started by taking off all of the supports that were attached to the pole. Then I went to the garage to get the vane. That's when I noticed a problem. The bearing was tilted in the bearing housing. The root of the problem was that it was a piece of cheap Chinese shit. The bearing wobbled all around the housing. I eventually got it out with a little force from a hammer and screwdriver.
I went inside and spent about an hour looking a Youtube videos and reading about tapping holes.I figured out what I was going to have to do and what I'd need. Then we left for Lowe's.
Lowe's had the tap I needed, but it didn't have the set screws. Home Depot had both. In addition, the tap was of better quality than the one at Lowe's. It was almost 1 by then, so we stopped at Doc's Backyard for lunch. We hadn't been there since last Spring. The last stop was the post office.
When I got home I went back to work. It was over 90 and I was continually wiping sweat off my face the entire time I was working. I drilled and tapped four holes in the bearing housing. That will hold the bearing in place. I went very carefully following the instructions from the web. All 4 came out perfect. I was really proud of myself.
I had a hard time getting the bearing back in the housing. I tried a vise, a hammer and punch, vise grip pliers and the arbor press. No luck. I finally just sat with the two pieces in my hand. That's when I remembered that the bearing had tilted when it came out. I turns out that if you insert the bearing at a 90 degree angle to the housing and insert it into two relief cuts it fits into the housing with very little effort. Basically it was never designed to be a good bearing. I was just designed to be easy to insert the bearing in the housing. There was even a small pin on the outside of the bearing to keep the bearing from spinning inside the housing. CHEAP CHINESE SHIT.
After that I aligned the bearing in the housing and secured it temporarily with two set screws. I was really hot and tired, plus it was 5. So I called it quits for the day. I did do my exercises before going to the house though.
When I got to the house I took a shower and fed the pets. Dinner was left over sliders from Doc's.
After dinner was TV and surfing.
Sunday, April 7, 2019
Day 1253
We got up about 9:00, did the pet stuff, and had breakfast. A big thunderstorm with a lot of loud thunder started about 6. It was so bad that Lucy had gotten out of bed and was laying on the living floor. She was not a happy dog. It was raining a very hard.
I decided it was perfect weather to do some music editing.
I went out and did my exercises a little before lunch. All of my bread was moldy, so I ended up eating a frozen spaghetti dinner. It was lousy.
We had noticed that Lucy was a little smelly and a lot greasy. So we took her to the pet store for a bath. She was happy about the pet store, not so much about the bath. She did get a rice bone, though.
We stopped at Randall's for the bread and a couple of other things. When we got home Ellen watched a chick flick while I did some more music editing.
Dinner was leftover chicken sloppy joes. We wanted to eat the rest of the buns before they got moldy, too.
After dinner was TV again.
I went out and did my exercises a little before lunch. All of my bread was moldy, so I ended up eating a frozen spaghetti dinner. It was lousy.
We had noticed that Lucy was a little smelly and a lot greasy. So we took her to the pet store for a bath. She was happy about the pet store, not so much about the bath. She did get a rice bone, though.
We stopped at Randall's for the bread and a couple of other things. When we got home Ellen watched a chick flick while I did some more music editing.
Dinner was leftover chicken sloppy joes. We wanted to eat the rest of the buns before they got moldy, too.
After dinner was TV again.
Day 1252
We got up about 8:30, did the pet stuff, and had breakfast. There had been some thunderstorm in the night and it was raining a little bit. That lead to a lot of surfing. I also went out and put away all of the stuff in the garage that I hadn't put away after finishing the post.
I'd run out of cereal, so when the surfing got old we drove to the post office and Trader Joe's. There was a really close lightening strike just as we got to the post office. The thunder shook the car. Lucy whimpered. By the time we got to Trader Joe's the rain had tapered off, but there was a lot of thunder when we went into the store. Lucy was not happy to be stuck in the car alone.
We decided to got to the pet store on Lamar to make it up to Lucy. It was raining pretty hard by the time we got to the Barton Creek bridge and traffic wasn't moving. I ended up making a u-turn. On the way home it was raining so hard that I could barely see out the window. Fortunately no one screwed up as we drove back on loop 1.
We decided to stop for lunch at the Italian place. We haven't been there all winter. I had a pizza, it was great. Afterwards we took Lucy to Tomlinson's to make up for the thunder.
I rained pretty hard for the rest of the afternoon and early evening. The weather radio said that a severe thunderstorm with quarter sized hail might hit us. So I went out and put the car in the garage.
Dinner was leftover pizza. I spent part of the evening watching TV and the rest watching a movie.
I'd run out of cereal, so when the surfing got old we drove to the post office and Trader Joe's. There was a really close lightening strike just as we got to the post office. The thunder shook the car. Lucy whimpered. By the time we got to Trader Joe's the rain had tapered off, but there was a lot of thunder when we went into the store. Lucy was not happy to be stuck in the car alone.
We decided to got to the pet store on Lamar to make it up to Lucy. It was raining pretty hard by the time we got to the Barton Creek bridge and traffic wasn't moving. I ended up making a u-turn. On the way home it was raining so hard that I could barely see out the window. Fortunately no one screwed up as we drove back on loop 1.
We decided to stop for lunch at the Italian place. We haven't been there all winter. I had a pizza, it was great. Afterwards we took Lucy to Tomlinson's to make up for the thunder.
I rained pretty hard for the rest of the afternoon and early evening. The weather radio said that a severe thunderstorm with quarter sized hail might hit us. So I went out and put the car in the garage.
Dinner was leftover pizza. I spent part of the evening watching TV and the rest watching a movie.
Friday, April 5, 2019
Day 1251
We got up about 8:15, did the pet stuff and had breakfast. Then it was some surfing before going out to raise the pole for the weather vane. I admit to delaying the start some because I was dreading the effort. I finally got started at 10. At least the weather was cloudy and relatively cool. The humidity was about 90% though.
I hauled out all of the things I needed to do the work. That took awhile by itself. Then I backed the truck up to the garage. At that point I had Ellen join the effort. We slid the pole into the truck. That actually went much easier than I thought it would. Then I drove the truck down to the hole. I lifted the pole out of the bed while Ellen guided it in. That worked better than I expected also.
The wood brace that I'd built worked as designed. I had to cut some more of the bush away to give it a good foundation though. I braced the pole in the other two directions with boards.
I mixed the two 50lb bags of cement with some of the pea gravel that John had bought. Unfortunately it only filled the hole up about half way. I left Ellen holding the pole straight while I went to McCoy's for three more bags. Of course I had to clean the tools first. The trip took longer than it should have because they were working on Nutty Brown Road.
When I got back I mixed up the rest of the cement with some more pea gravel. It just filled up the rest of the hole. Ellen did a good job. The pole is almost exactly vertical. We left the supports up. I cleaned the tools and then put everything away. It took three hours to do the whole thing. I was tired and soaked in sweat when we were finished.
I went in and took a shower. Then I had a turkey sandwich for lunch. After that we left for the vet to get some more pills for Devyn. I needed milk and bananas, so we stopped at Central Market. On the way back we stopped at Lowe's for some more paint for the pole. It got scratched up when we were installing it.
I'd been promising myself a diet ice cream cone since I took my shower. So I stopped for one. We'd had som much fun watching Lucy and Cooper with her hamburger cookie yesterday that we stopped at Tomlinson's for another. It's Friday and the restaurant across the parking lot was open, so we went over there and sat on the deck. It was really nice. They had happy hour, so we had appetizers and drinks. I had three - the most I've drunk in a long time.
Ellen's asshole was giving her grief so we went home. It was 5, so I didn't take the dog to the mailbox. Instead I just fed the pets. Then it was TV for the rest of the evening. I just had a couple of snacks.
One note: The pills for Devyn cost $50 - $10 per pill. Highway robbery.
I hauled out all of the things I needed to do the work. That took awhile by itself. Then I backed the truck up to the garage. At that point I had Ellen join the effort. We slid the pole into the truck. That actually went much easier than I thought it would. Then I drove the truck down to the hole. I lifted the pole out of the bed while Ellen guided it in. That worked better than I expected also.
The wood brace that I'd built worked as designed. I had to cut some more of the bush away to give it a good foundation though. I braced the pole in the other two directions with boards.
I mixed the two 50lb bags of cement with some of the pea gravel that John had bought. Unfortunately it only filled the hole up about half way. I left Ellen holding the pole straight while I went to McCoy's for three more bags. Of course I had to clean the tools first. The trip took longer than it should have because they were working on Nutty Brown Road.
When I got back I mixed up the rest of the cement with some more pea gravel. It just filled up the rest of the hole. Ellen did a good job. The pole is almost exactly vertical. We left the supports up. I cleaned the tools and then put everything away. It took three hours to do the whole thing. I was tired and soaked in sweat when we were finished.
I went in and took a shower. Then I had a turkey sandwich for lunch. After that we left for the vet to get some more pills for Devyn. I needed milk and bananas, so we stopped at Central Market. On the way back we stopped at Lowe's for some more paint for the pole. It got scratched up when we were installing it.
I'd been promising myself a diet ice cream cone since I took my shower. So I stopped for one. We'd had som much fun watching Lucy and Cooper with her hamburger cookie yesterday that we stopped at Tomlinson's for another. It's Friday and the restaurant across the parking lot was open, so we went over there and sat on the deck. It was really nice. They had happy hour, so we had appetizers and drinks. I had three - the most I've drunk in a long time.
Ellen's asshole was giving her grief so we went home. It was 5, so I didn't take the dog to the mailbox. Instead I just fed the pets. Then it was TV for the rest of the evening. I just had a couple of snacks.
One note: The pills for Devyn cost $50 - $10 per pill. Highway robbery.
Thursday, April 4, 2019
Day 1250
We got up about 8 today. Last night Cooper slept with me even though Ellen was back. That made me very happy. We'll see if that holds up. After pet stuff and breakfast it was a little bit of surfing.
Ellen had a doctor's appointment at 10, so we left a little before 9:30. It was good that we did. The traffic jam started at 290 and didn't end until we were at the bridge. We actually still got there a little early, which was OK because Ellen had to fill out paperwork. For the first time ever the doctor was on time. We were out of there by 11.
There was an accident on Loop 1 south at the bridge. We drove past a miles long traffic jam on the way north. So I decided to take Lamar home. We passed McBride's, so I decided to stop in. I didn't plan on buying anything. I was just killing time. When we got out I decided to see how far it was to the Yard Bar. It was only 3 miles, so we drove there. It was only 11:30 when we got there, so we sat in the dog run and let Lucy socialize. She had a great time.
By the way, it was hot and humid. By noon it was in the mid 80's. We ordered sandwiches for lunch. They had a dog menu and Lucy had meatballs and gravy. She also got some french fries and some bacon. I looked up an estate sale I wanted to go to. It was on the other side of 360. There was another accident on Loop 1 south, so we took it down to Windsor and got off. The traffic jam started just after the exit.
We took Rosebud across the river and went to the sale. I had a secretary desk we were interested in. Unfortunately it was too big and way over priced. There wasn't anything else of interest there.
We took 360 and Loop 1 back. We stopped at the post office and then went home to make sure that Ellen had time to go to Hog Heaven. We had plenty of time.
I did my exercises when she left. It was way too hot, 92, to think about putting up the pole. I surfed until it was time to take the dog to the mailbox.
Dinner was chicken sloppy joes. After dinner was TV. I'm sick of the internet.
Ellen had a doctor's appointment at 10, so we left a little before 9:30. It was good that we did. The traffic jam started at 290 and didn't end until we were at the bridge. We actually still got there a little early, which was OK because Ellen had to fill out paperwork. For the first time ever the doctor was on time. We were out of there by 11.
There was an accident on Loop 1 south at the bridge. We drove past a miles long traffic jam on the way north. So I decided to take Lamar home. We passed McBride's, so I decided to stop in. I didn't plan on buying anything. I was just killing time. When we got out I decided to see how far it was to the Yard Bar. It was only 3 miles, so we drove there. It was only 11:30 when we got there, so we sat in the dog run and let Lucy socialize. She had a great time.
By the way, it was hot and humid. By noon it was in the mid 80's. We ordered sandwiches for lunch. They had a dog menu and Lucy had meatballs and gravy. She also got some french fries and some bacon. I looked up an estate sale I wanted to go to. It was on the other side of 360. There was another accident on Loop 1 south, so we took it down to Windsor and got off. The traffic jam started just after the exit.
We took Rosebud across the river and went to the sale. I had a secretary desk we were interested in. Unfortunately it was too big and way over priced. There wasn't anything else of interest there.
We took 360 and Loop 1 back. We stopped at the post office and then went home to make sure that Ellen had time to go to Hog Heaven. We had plenty of time.
I did my exercises when she left. It was way too hot, 92, to think about putting up the pole. I surfed until it was time to take the dog to the mailbox.
Dinner was chicken sloppy joes. After dinner was TV. I'm sick of the internet.
Wednesday, April 3, 2019
Day 1249
I woke up at 7 today. I don't know why, especially since I was up until almost 1 reading. After playing with the cats a little I went back to sleep until almost 9. Last night I had Devyn sleeping on my left side and Cooper on the right. It was a little warm having two small heaters against you.
When I got up it was pet stuff and breakfast. After breakfast it was a little surfing. The temperature was warming up fast, so as soon as it got to 60 I went outside to dig.
It took about an hour to finish the hole. I had 2 inches to go. The first went fairly quickly. Then I hit a large flat rock. I have no ide haw thick it is. I pounded away at it for half an hour. I managed to break away chips, but I couldn't break it. I finally gave up when I got down to 23.5 inches. The last step was to use pea gravel to flatten out the bottom of the hole. Hopefully that will make it easier to keep the pole straight when it goes in.
It was about 11:15 and I was soaked with sweat again when I finished. I went back inside and edited music until lunch. It was a salad that I bought at HEB the other day.
After lunch I cleaned up the quest bathroom and did a little surfing. I really didn't wan't to hang around the house anymore. So I put the dog in the car and we went to Circle C. We walked around the park. The timing was good. It started raining a little just as we got done.
I stopped at Tomlinson's to get Lucy a treat. I also stopped at HEB just to get something to drink. I didn't go to the post office because I didn't feel like driving that far.
When I got home I put away the cat stuff from the guest bathroom. Then it was a little more surfing until it was time to take the dog to the mailbox.
I fed the animals and had a frozen dinner for dinner.
After dinner I called a halt to surfing and watched TV until it was time to go get Ellen.
When I got up it was pet stuff and breakfast. After breakfast it was a little surfing. The temperature was warming up fast, so as soon as it got to 60 I went outside to dig.
It took about an hour to finish the hole. I had 2 inches to go. The first went fairly quickly. Then I hit a large flat rock. I have no ide haw thick it is. I pounded away at it for half an hour. I managed to break away chips, but I couldn't break it. I finally gave up when I got down to 23.5 inches. The last step was to use pea gravel to flatten out the bottom of the hole. Hopefully that will make it easier to keep the pole straight when it goes in.
It was about 11:15 and I was soaked with sweat again when I finished. I went back inside and edited music until lunch. It was a salad that I bought at HEB the other day.
After lunch I cleaned up the quest bathroom and did a little surfing. I really didn't wan't to hang around the house anymore. So I put the dog in the car and we went to Circle C. We walked around the park. The timing was good. It started raining a little just as we got done.
I stopped at Tomlinson's to get Lucy a treat. I also stopped at HEB just to get something to drink. I didn't go to the post office because I didn't feel like driving that far.
When I got home I put away the cat stuff from the guest bathroom. Then it was a little more surfing until it was time to take the dog to the mailbox.
I fed the animals and had a frozen dinner for dinner.
After dinner I called a halt to surfing and watched TV until it was time to go get Ellen.
Tuesday, April 2, 2019
Day 1248
I got up at 8:40. It was cold again this morning so I surfed after pet stuff and breakfast. Devyn ate pretty well. After breakfast he and Cooper ran around playing for quite awhile. They even helped me a little when I took the sheets off the bed to wash them.
It warmed up pretty fast and by 11 it was warm enough to go out and start digging. I should have started a little earlier. It was still cool, but I was soon soaked with sweat. The first 8 inches were dirt and went pretty quickly. Then I hit rock and had to use the pick. I got down to 12 inches before it was too deep to use the pick. The bottom of the hole at that point was solid rock.
It was lunch time so I went back inside and fed the pets. I had a ham sandwich - the last of the ham. After that I put the cats away and Lucy and I went to Lowe's for a spud bar. I drove the truck. It's covered with pollen even though I just washed it a few days ago.
I wasn't sure Lowe's would have one, but they did. It's a 16 pound "San Angelo Bar". It cost $33. I wasn't going to make any more progress without either that or a jack hammer.
I stopped at Academy to look for a replacement for the fleece shirt Cooper destroyed. No luck, they've shifted to summer clothes. I also stopped at the post office and the diet ice cream store. I deserved it.
When I got home I got out the rest of the tools and went to work on the hole. I dug 10 inches in an hour. I had to break rock the whole way. Luckily the rocks weren't solid. They were just 8 to 10 inch rocks that I had to break into pieces. It was hard work though and I ended up with a nasty blister on my right palm. That's even though I was wearing heavy gloves. I stipped because I just couldn't do anymore. I'll have to finish the last 2 inches tomorrow.
I put everything away and went inside for a shower and a beer. No need to do exercises today. I took the dog to the mailbox and then fed the pets.
I watched TV for about an hour and then had some frozen food for dinner. I have to eat some of it because it won't all fit in the trailer's freezer. The rest of the evening was TV, too. I'm sick of surfing.
It warmed up pretty fast and by 11 it was warm enough to go out and start digging. I should have started a little earlier. It was still cool, but I was soon soaked with sweat. The first 8 inches were dirt and went pretty quickly. Then I hit rock and had to use the pick. I got down to 12 inches before it was too deep to use the pick. The bottom of the hole at that point was solid rock.
It was lunch time so I went back inside and fed the pets. I had a ham sandwich - the last of the ham. After that I put the cats away and Lucy and I went to Lowe's for a spud bar. I drove the truck. It's covered with pollen even though I just washed it a few days ago.
I wasn't sure Lowe's would have one, but they did. It's a 16 pound "San Angelo Bar". It cost $33. I wasn't going to make any more progress without either that or a jack hammer.
I stopped at Academy to look for a replacement for the fleece shirt Cooper destroyed. No luck, they've shifted to summer clothes. I also stopped at the post office and the diet ice cream store. I deserved it.
When I got home I got out the rest of the tools and went to work on the hole. I dug 10 inches in an hour. I had to break rock the whole way. Luckily the rocks weren't solid. They were just 8 to 10 inch rocks that I had to break into pieces. It was hard work though and I ended up with a nasty blister on my right palm. That's even though I was wearing heavy gloves. I stipped because I just couldn't do anymore. I'll have to finish the last 2 inches tomorrow.
I put everything away and went inside for a shower and a beer. No need to do exercises today. I took the dog to the mailbox and then fed the pets.
I watched TV for about an hour and then had some frozen food for dinner. I have to eat some of it because it won't all fit in the trailer's freezer. The rest of the evening was TV, too. I'm sick of surfing.
Monday, April 1, 2019
Day 1247
I woke p a little after 8. It was cold though, so I stayed in bed awhile enjoying the warm bed and petting Cooper. He's been spending the entire night with me for quite awhile now. He even goes to bed when I do.
When I got up it was pet stuff. I also gave Devyn his last pain meds. I didn't have breakfast. I just didn't feel like it. Devyn actually ate pretty well. I had to put him in the bathroom afterwards because Cooper was torturing him.
I called the vet to make an appointment. They said to send them pictures of Devyn's ear first. I took the pictures and then the fun began. I couldn't get on Yahoo mail on my phone without a security code that they mailed to Ellen's email. So I called her and got the code. Then, after a bunch of messing around, I figured out how to attach pictures to the email. It's different than the computer version. When I tried it said my browser wouldn't work. I ended up texting the pictures to Ellen and having her email them to me. Then I forwarded them to the vet.
The vet called back and said his ear look OK. It really does look a lot better than Saturday. There was no need to bring him in.
It was really cold in the morning, 40's. So I read, surfed, and did some music editing. At noon I did my exercises and had a ham sandwich and crackers for lunch. Again Devyn did pretty well on eating.
After lunch I left to go to the post office. Then it was a stop at the gas station and the pet store. I bought 12 cans of cat food and a bag of dog food. After that it was home.
When I got home I locked up Cooper and let Devyn out. Devyn went to sleep in Lucy's bed. After awhile I moved him to a kitchen chair in the sun. About an hour later I let Cooper out. Devyn started wrestling with Cooper. They were running all over the house. Devyn's problem is he can't see Cooper if Cooper jumps on something. Both of them eventually went to sleep.
Dinner was a repeat of the earlier meals. Devyn ate well. I had coconut shrimp and a salad.
After dinner I watched TV. I'm sick of surfing. I managed to give Devyn his pill without too much problems.
Tomorrow I'm going to dig the hole for the weather vane pole.
When I got up it was pet stuff. I also gave Devyn his last pain meds. I didn't have breakfast. I just didn't feel like it. Devyn actually ate pretty well. I had to put him in the bathroom afterwards because Cooper was torturing him.
I called the vet to make an appointment. They said to send them pictures of Devyn's ear first. I took the pictures and then the fun began. I couldn't get on Yahoo mail on my phone without a security code that they mailed to Ellen's email. So I called her and got the code. Then, after a bunch of messing around, I figured out how to attach pictures to the email. It's different than the computer version. When I tried it said my browser wouldn't work. I ended up texting the pictures to Ellen and having her email them to me. Then I forwarded them to the vet.
The vet called back and said his ear look OK. It really does look a lot better than Saturday. There was no need to bring him in.
It was really cold in the morning, 40's. So I read, surfed, and did some music editing. At noon I did my exercises and had a ham sandwich and crackers for lunch. Again Devyn did pretty well on eating.
After lunch I left to go to the post office. Then it was a stop at the gas station and the pet store. I bought 12 cans of cat food and a bag of dog food. After that it was home.
When I got home I locked up Cooper and let Devyn out. Devyn went to sleep in Lucy's bed. After awhile I moved him to a kitchen chair in the sun. About an hour later I let Cooper out. Devyn started wrestling with Cooper. They were running all over the house. Devyn's problem is he can't see Cooper if Cooper jumps on something. Both of them eventually went to sleep.
Dinner was a repeat of the earlier meals. Devyn ate well. I had coconut shrimp and a salad.
After dinner I watched TV. I'm sick of surfing. I managed to give Devyn his pill without too much problems.
Tomorrow I'm going to dig the hole for the weather vane pole.
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