Terlingua Dreams

Terlingua Dreams
Governors Landing Campground - Lake Amistad - Del Rio, Texas

Friday, May 31, 2013

The heat is getting to me

I am beginning to think that I am getting soft with age :-(  

Had to run several errands in town today and every time I got off the car I felt the heat to be unbearable.  Yet today we only got to 99 degrees...just imagine when the daily triple digits arrive...on second thought, NO...I do not want to imagine it!

The most important errand was pre-registering mother for her tests at the hospital next week.  If you can I highly recommend you do this ahead of time and not the day of.

Before coming home decided to stop and pick up the latest advertised special at Long John Silvers.  It is called "The Big Catch" and it truly was big and also delicious...well worth the $4.99 price.

This afternoon I took an unscheduled almost three hour nap as I watched the evening news.  Only reason I got up was because the trees and flowers needed watering.

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.

Thursday, May 30, 2013

Medical Paperwork

The clinic my mother goes to underwent new ownership at the beginning of the year.  When we went in January we had to fill out new forms.  Today we were given even more to fill out.  The lady at the front desk asked us a lot of questions and then gave us like six releases to sign.  When she went in for her consultation the nurse asked us yet again the same questions!  Why is it that they can not come up with a standard or universal form?

It was a muggy hot day   Though it only got to 91 degrees it felt much hotter.  I did not go outside to water the trees and weeds until after ten o'clock tonight.

I do not follow NBA teams from the Eastern conference but have been watching them to see who will play against the Spurs.  I never thought that there could ever be anyone more eccentric than Dennis Rodman when he was in the NBA...but as usual I was wrong...that is all I am going to say about that!

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.


Wednesday, May 29, 2013

High Winds

Last night we had high winds that per Weatherbug had gusts of up to 63 mph.  The lights kept on flickering and making the internet connection go down. It took me over an hour to write last night's short post.   I even turned off the A/C to protect the system.

Went to put out the trash this morning and found downed tree limbs, buckets from my rain catchment system for dummies in the next lot, and a lot of junk that Walter's owner had taken out of his horse trailer earlier this week...now in our property.

We were under a tornado watch this evening but thankfully that has expired.

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.

Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Car is legal now

Went to get the Toyota inspected first thing this morning...well, actually it wasn't quite morning...closer to 12:40 p.m.   I did not go to bed till late as I was all excited about the Spurs win last night.  Was watching KSAT 12 News live broadcast as people flocked to downtown San Antonio to celebrate.  The police even asked them to cut their live broadcast so people would go home...lol! :D

A family owned business that I highly recommend


The price of gasoline has gone down some.


If you factor in their .12 cents off card the price for regular gas today was $3.14 a gallon.  I really hate having to buy a cash card but getting that additional discount per gallon kind of makes it worthwhile.

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.

Sunday, May 26, 2013

After twenty years...my luck ran out :-(

Yesterday as I was exiting San Felipe Lion's Park a Del Rio police squad car was pulling in.  He looked at me and I immediately knew that I was going to get stopped.  I turned right and left the park...he made a quick U-turn turned on his lights and pulled me over.

Why is it that when that happens the first thing they say to you is "do you know why I pulled you over?"  Now how many people are really going to own up to that?  Let's see officer...I think I was going 50 mph in a 30 mile zone?  How did you know I had a dead corpse in my trunk?   I have respect for all law enforcement officers but I find this one question to be down right ridiculous!

Yes, it was my fault I had an expired inspection sticker that I did not get to for all the car problems you are already aware I had.  He was a very young officer no more than 23 years old.  He asked me if I had been enjoying the park as he eyed the ice chest on my back seat.  Told him I had not...I was driving around town charging my battery.

I think the only reason he believed me was because my mother was with me or I think he would have asked me to open up my ice chest...which I was secretly hoping he would do...as I had plastic ice cream containers with horse pellets that I could not feed to the mare because when we got to the Duck Pond her owners were there.

So my record of not being pulled over and given a ticket for twenty years...came to an abrupt end :-(   The good thing was that he cut me a break and only issued me a "warning ticket"....thank you so much officer!


Mare Update

Before heading to the lake we went by the Duck Pond so I could feed the mare which I have named Claire.  There was a young couple who had driven their car into the property and as we slowly drove by...saw that the man moved her empty down ice chest from where it had been (see picture of my last post about her) to another location as he proceeded to get water out of the creek...that means she had gone without water for two days!  GRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!



However, this is not her owner it must be his son or some family member.  Decided to come back after our trip to the lake.

Claire is such a gentle horse it is a pity she is treated in this manner.  She seemed to appreciate her pellets.



Her eyes are red, have secretion and are dirty!

They filled her ice chest but it is still filthy!



Saturday, May 25, 2013

Governors Landing / State Park

It may seem silly to some but you have no idea how rattled I became when the only reliable car we have suddenly became "unreliable".  Not so much for myself but because I have an elderly mother and we live out in the county...not within the Del Rio City limits and if she became ill...I don't think I can depend on an ambulance to find us in a hurry.



With that in mind and my dream of the alternator being the culprit...decided a trip to the lake was in order just in case my brand new battery needed charging. Yes, I know that does not make any sense...but what the heck...it makes sense to me!  In particular a trip to my favorite Amistad campground...Governors Landing.  With the holiday weekend I figured there would be a lot more campers there but even though four sites were occupied...I believe only one was a real camper and the other three were just locals taking in the view.


Was glad to see high speed boats and regular boats enjoying themselves at the lake.


I had to throw in this picture for my Houston friends...it is a private joke :-)

Believe it or not this truck/camper made it
all the way from Indiana.

I was going to go check out San Pedro campground but missed the exit and did not feel like turning back.  So went to check out the park on Highway 90...back in my day known as State Park...it has a new name but I have no idea what it is, lol :D




Everyone looked like they were having a lot of fun especially the little ones.  A lot of other stuff happened today but it will have to wait for another post.

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.

Friday, May 24, 2013

Rain / Headache / Mare

We got some needed rain last night...per Weatherbug .44 of an inch.  It helped tremendously in keeping the temperatures in the more comfortable 85 degree range...this morning it was a cool 68 degrees.

While my headache has not gone away it has been manageable but this morning it was just brutal.  I do not like to take medication but since the aspirin did not help...I took one of my pain pills that I usually only take when my back is giving me problems.  I bought it last year and to date have only taken one.

I went to lay down and did not wake up till a little after 4:00 p.m.  Wish I could say it went away but I still have it...even though in the tolerable range.

On the back of my mind I was worried about the Toyota...so much so I even dreamt about it!  Mother asked me where I was going...told her to start the car and take it around the block.  I know...I'm crazy but in my dream the car was dead and it was not the battery that was the problem but the alternator...thankfully that was not the case.

She was eating something someone had thrown
Look how thin she has gotten since the last
picture I took of her and her hair is falling off!

Later on in the afternoon I told Mom that we needed to take dad's car for a spin as it had not been driven in a couple of days.  With my headache and battery problems, I had totally forgotten about the poor mare.  We drove by where she is located and it was just heartbreaking, she looks so thin and her hair is falling off.  To make matters worst she did not even have water in her filthy ice chest.  By comparison Walter is living a pampered life.





Why doesn't the Sheriff's department do something?  She is in plain view, she is starving to death and has no water!!!  I will never know why in Val Verde County animal abuse cases go unpunished.  I did a little detective work of my own and I now know where she lives and the name of her worthless owner even though I do not know what good that does either one of us :-(

Good night.  May you have Terlingua Dreams.


Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Triple A to the Rescue

I think one of the best decisions I ever made was to join the American Automobile Association otherwise known as Triple A.  I was in my early twenties, single and living in the big city.  I have always strived to be self sufficient and not bother my friends or family with little things like flat tires, jump starts and the always dreaded mechanical failure.  If you use them just once a year...you basically have recouped your annual dues.  Even if you don't use them at all...the peace of mind it buys is priceless.



He jumped started the Toyota and for a little extra removed the battery from mother's mini-van.  I went off to town to purchase a new battery for her car while at the same time charging my own battery.  It was awfully hot as I decided not to turn on the A/C hoping that would  help in charging it up faster.

Later in the afternoon something kept on nagging at me...my sixth sense?...so I went to start my car.  Darn it!  It was almost out of juice but I floored it and got it started.  By now it was close to 7:00 p.m. and the dealership was closed...I was not about to have it be drained by morning.  So off I went back to the auto parts store to have them check both the battery and the alternator.  Lucky for me it was only the battery that needed replacing.  Oh well...had to replace two batteries in one day :-(

I was going to drive to the lake and then around town but thought it best to bite the bullet and just get it replaced...it is after all almost four years old.  Was glad it happened while I was in Del Rio where I have access to another vehicle and not in Houston or worst yet in Terlingua!

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.

Tuesday, May 21, 2013

A little yard work...a little basketball

Today I felt good.  My back was feeling strong and my headache while still there was not as intense as it has been these past couple of days.  Decided to take advantage of that and do a little yard work on the south part of the property that borders Walter's corral.  You can click on the header picture and it will take you  there or you can click here  http://mylittlewalter.blogspot.com/

By the way his empty bags of pellets have come in handy when bagging thorny bushes that here in the desert west there are no shortages of...guess bags of dog food would also work...but we have no pets.

Anyone watching the NBA Western Conference semi-finals?  Those Spurs really know how to give their fans heart attacks!  Though we went into overtime...we managed a win :)

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.

Monday, May 20, 2013

Shot Batteries / Mare Update

I was getting ready to drive into town got in the Toyota and it was dead...darn it all I just drove it Thursday!  This is the only "reliable" newer car we have!  Our cars are pretty old, I am talking 20 to 30 plus years old.  I have the habit of parking them with the motor facing the street in case I need to jump start them.  As luck would have it I did not do this on Thursday night nor did I do it for my mother's mini van that has been sitting there for two months with another dead battery.

This has been a very reliable battery probably has lasted 8 to 10 years
too bad they do not carry them in Del Rio.

Went to practically all of the Auto Parts stores in town and boy...batteries sure have gotten expensive!  A comparable battery is going to run me $152.37...I am sorry but that is ridiculous!

Headed to my local mechanic's shop and that poor man is having more issues.  This time he is the one with the health problems and was on his way to the doctor so I will come by another day.  Dad's old car better hold out...that's all I have to say :-(

Mare Update

The poor thing is still there but they have moved her dirty ice chest to another location.  They moved her rope so she can reach other areas she can graze on but it bears mentioning that there is not much left to do that.


She came up to me and I showed her I had brought her horse pellets in Walter's pink container (sorry Walter) but she didn't seem to know what they were.  After some encouragement she began to eat them but she kept on looking at me with distrust.  She ate everything though.


It became clear why there were two five gallon buckets by her dirty ice chest.  She is located by the Duck Pond the closest thing Del Rio has to a zoo and people come to  feed the ducks.  Then there is a little dam and this water flows down to the Rio Grande which is not too far away.  Her owners are apparently too lazy to bring city water so they get the water from here.




This is where they moved her ice chest to.


However the ice chest and water are still filthy!




Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.

Saturday, May 18, 2013

One Heck of a Headache

I have suffered from headaches practically all my life.  It is just something I learned to live with.  After I retired for the most part they went away and I began to think that they were a thing of the past.  Since Wednesday they once again reared their ugly head.

If that was not enough my blood pressure has been through the roof since that "incident" with that inquiring officer....coincidence?

I have not left the house since we went to HEB on Thursday.  Friday was another record setting day...reaching 104 degrees.  By comparison today was a mild one only getting to 94 with a heat index of 100.

I have mentioned this many times in this blog in the past and I appeal to all of you out there in the blog sphere...if you go visit a person specially an elderly one...please have the courtesy to call before you come over.  Elderly people take naps and people that care for the elderly use this time to do things they can not do when they are awake...like take a bath.

I know a lot of people have pets, I myself have had pets in the past.   I no longer do because my mother suffers from severe allergies.  She is HIGHLY allergic to hair and pet dander.  I know a lot of people love their dogs as if it was their child...I totally understand...I felt the same about mine when I had them but...PLEASE ask before you visit if you can bring them along.

I apologize if I have stepped on anyone's toes.  I am tired and my head hurts!

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.

Thursday, May 16, 2013

Record setting 106 degree day

It was a hot and miserable day...it set a new record high for this date of 106 degrees.  Went to hang some clothes outside and even though I had long sleeves and my straw hat I could feel the heat penetrating my body.  We were going to go to HEB but decided to postpone our trip until this evening when it would be cooler.

The mare I wrote about yesterday is still there but they moved her rope to get to the area where my car was parked.  Her ice chest was moved as well and hopefully they cleaned it.  I could not stop to check  as we were in a hurry...mother was expecting an important phone call this evening.  However, I will go check on her tomorrow.  I just knew nothing was going to be done about her...it just pisses me off!

Gas has gone down in price and I might just break down and buy their store card to get an additional .12 cents off the price per gallon.


My San Antonio Spurs played Game 6 tonight against the Golden State Warriors. There was less than two minutes left in the fourth quarter when I finally looked out the window to see why the darn neighbors dog had been barking non-stop for the past five minutes.

That is when I saw a horse by the front gate.  Of course the first thing that came to mind was Walter had gotten out of his corral...little Walter couldn't you have waited a little longer...say till the game was over?  Went outside and it wasn't Walter!  It was two horses that were grazing along the side of the road at midnight.  Sorry for the poor quality but as you all know my camera is a POS.




By now even Walter was making his horse noise from his corral and Pacquiao would not shut up either.  It spooked the horses and they moved on.  Just another example of people letting their horses out to graze on other people's land and then claiming that they got out on their own.........grrrrrrrrrrrr!!!

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.

Wednesday, May 15, 2013

Where do you live? Where do you work? WTH?

I think most of the people that read my blog are aware I have a soft spot in my heart for cats, dogs and my little Walter (he is a horse).   I can't stand to see an animal suffer needlessly at the hands of owners that couldn't give a darn if their animals have water, food or a shelter from the brutal West Texas sun.


Today I am not going to talk about Walter as most of you are aware of his situation and I have a separate blog for him...click on my header picture and it will take you there.


There is a horse that has been grazing in one spot for more than a month now.  Her owners leave her there day and night and only bring her water once in a while.  She is in plain view of everyone, Border Patrol agents pass through here 24/7 as they patrol along the Rio Grande and there is only one way in and out of this heavily patrolled area called Vega Verde in south Val Verde County likewise for sheriff's deputies.


I have stopped on another occasion and seen an old ice chest with the top removed almost empty but I did not have my camera and she was grazing on the opposite side.  This afternoon I stopped and she walked right up to me as if hoping I was bringing her something.  She has grazed on all there is to graze yet she remains here.


I took some pictures and was walking back to dad's car when a constable in a big white pick up stopped and asked me if I had seen a guy go by in a blue motorcycle...yeah right, I said to myself!  Told him I had not.


Noting that he was a constable from another precinct I said to him that perhaps there was nothing he could do for this horse since it was not his jurisdiction to which he quickly added...all of the departments work together.  Yeah, I see how together they work...having gone to the Sheriff's Department in person on three occasions and I am still waiting for them to do something about Walter!

Her rope does not reach to where the car is or she would
have already grazed on that portion too.

I asked him if there was anything that could be done about this horse that was hungry and had filthy water.  He told me that he did not know as he was not up to date on Texas laws governing horses but that he could find out.  Told him I would appreciate it, that I would show him pictures of the filthy water but was not familiar with the features on my camera.


He immediately said he could probably see them as my camera was similar to his...yeah bet you have a cheap camera like mine...handed it to him but I have no idea if he was able to see it or not as he asked me "where do you live?"  I told him...followed by where do you work?  WTH does that have to do with this horse?  He irritated me...I said to him "don't you think that is a lot of questions?"  He apologized and said he was only trying to be friendly...I told him I had nothing to hide...I was retired....grrrrrrrrrrr!!!!!

I don't know about you but if you are trying to be friendly you ask about the weather, what you think of the San Antonio Spurs, the lake levels, mundane everyday things like that...not trying to get personal information about a person that 1) you did not pull over  2)  a person that was already on her way when you stopped to ask about a "biker"  3) someone that is not under any obligation to answer your questions because I have not committed any infraction or crime.

At least she has shade :-(

Got in my car and left.  He made a U-turn, stopped and got on his phone.  Hope someone can help this poor horse...but I am not holding my breath on it happening either.

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.

Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Busy Body

I am so glad I discovered blogs, they give you a different perspective on things, you get to travel vicariously with the people you follow and hopefully you also learn something along the way.  Such was the case last night when I was reading Rob's blog http://observations-on-the-road.blogspot.com/2013/05/mondays-arent-so-bad-its-your-job-that_13.html

I have always been fascinated by western movies and how life was in the old days.  Became intrigued by Wyatt Earp and his wife Sadie Jo and started reading up on them.  Very interesting, thanks Rob for awakening my curiosity.

I have often griped about mother's friends showing up unannounced or saying they forgot her telephone number.  Do not know why, she has had the same telephone number for over forty years and is listed in the phone book.  Even had some cards printed up and I pass them out whenever they come.

With my insomnia and reading up on the Earp's I did not go to bed until 6:10 a.m.  Woke up at 8:00 a.m. to serve mother breakfast then went back to sleep.  I kept on hearing a knocking...but as sleepy as I was, it did not register that someone was at the front door.  Then someone banged on the living room window and startled me as I was napping in dad's recliner.

After she yelled at me and told me who she was I went to open the door.  The first thing out of her mouth was "why is your living room always so dark?"  Wanted to tell her that we do not open up our blinds when we have the air conditioning going but of course since she lives off her daughter and son-in-law what does she care what they pay on their electric bill.........grrrrrrrrrrrrr!

Next thing out of her mouth..."you know your plants are dry, you really need to water them".  I looked at mother and she gave me "that look"...bit my tongue and told her "thank you for letting me know"...darn busy body!  OK...end of rant!

It was hot and humid and felt a lot warmer than the 86 degrees we supposedly reached.  Rains were forecasted but did not materialize until after 9:00 p.m.  We got .19" and a lighting show to go with it.

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.


Monday, May 13, 2013

WIFI / Bar-B-Que

With the rains of Friday and Saturday and the weekend crowds, I had postponed my trip to town.  Have been having problems opening up a document using Acrobat even though I downloaded the latest version.  Decided to try it at the library...lord and behold, I could open it there!

Val Verde County Library in Del Rio, Texas

I am aware that I suffer from CRS...but I know I have been to the library on more than one occasion this year.  When I walked in the first thing I saw was this WIFI sign...I have moaned and groaned on this blog about how our library does not have WIFI when even small town libraries do.  I asked the guy at the front desk when they got it...his response was...A YEAR AGO!   Now I do not want to call him a liar but that is not true!


If you recall I had Cricket as my ISP and it was worthless...almost as slow as my former dial-up service.  If I wanted to watch a video or open a big file I had to go to the library.  I have only had Road Runner since late October 2012...right before my trip to Terlingua.  So no...don't be telling me it has been a year...grrrrrrrr!


These now two empty lots to the right of the library will be where hopefully the new addition will be built.  It is really needed as this library was built in 1969, and the town has grown a lot since then.  Hopefully it will be approved in the November 2013 elections but it has been a political hot potato for decades.

On these two lots sat two beautiful old houses that the city
demolished after it acquired them.

This is a beautiful  tree that has been here for ages.
On the blogs I follow there has been a lot of talk about Bar-B-Que lately.  Barney of Old Fat Man Adventures http://ofmadventures.blogspot.com/2013/05/good-eats-again.html and Dave of Living Out Here http://livingouthere.blogspot.com/2013/05/lunch-report-coopers-old-time-pit-bar-b.html

It is no wonder I have had B-B-Q on my mind.  Went and got my usual brisket plate and got Mom her smoked turkey leg.  While there is another big national place in town and I think one going towards the Lake...this one is across the street from HEB, is close to us and most importantly it is locally owned.
 


Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.

Friday, May 10, 2013

We got rain!

I have gotten to the point that I no longer believe weather forecasters...they are always wrong!  Kept on getting weather alerts this afternoon but 3:00 p.m. came and went and nothing.  Finally at 5:40 p.m. it began to pour and along with it came pea size hail.  Of course I could not find my camera so was not able to capture any of the hail.

Looking to the south of the property

My poor flowers :-(
 
This is the spot where my Kodiak Canvas tent used to be

Looking to the north of the property.
This is where Cliff and friends have so kindly freed
up a lot of room by cutting down pesky mesquites trees :-)

Per Weatherbug we got .06 of an inch but it seemed like a lot more.  The high today was 91 and the low 69 with winds at the peak of the storm from the NW at 38 mph.  It dropped 18 degrees real quick like.

Set up my rain catchment system for Dummies :D

I hope you too were the recipient of some liquid gold.  It was really needed in this part of West Texas.

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.