San Antonio Shoemakers

I received an unexpected e-mail earlier this week from San Antonio Shoemakers better known as SAS.  At first I thought it was a joke but I checked it out and it is legitimate. A lady named Christina Gauna in their Marketing & Advertising Department sent me a very nice e-mail thanking me for mentioning them on my blog post http://terlinguadreams.blogspot.com/2014/08/i-cheated.html

I was so surprised that a company of their stature would take the time to send me a thank you note that it made my day.  It also made mother's day as she was busy checking out their new catalog :)

I need to go to the grocery store as we are low on everything but I just have no get up and go.  I am not going to complain about the heat since there are others out there that are having it worst that me. I can at least hide out in the A/C.

Remember last month I went and got my license tags a week before the end of the month?  Well, it was for not...as I have not gotten around to removing the old decal and applying the new one. With my luck I will get pulled over, all because of my laziness!

I am not even going to mention the five sacks of mulch that are still in the back of my trunk.  I need to move my heavy duty ice chest that holds my Kodiak canvas tent and sweep the area real well so I can put the sacks there. I only want to have to do this once but it's beginning to look like I will have to do it twice as next week is almost here and we have two out-of-town trips on the agenda.  However, there is no motivation on my part to do anything...sigh...where is my tall weathered cowboy with an iron clad back to do the heavy lifting?

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.

We have a new neurosurgeon

First and foremost I want to thank all you wonderful readers that took the time to comment on yesterday's post.  I received great advice and you touched on things that I had not even considered.  Your opinion is invaluable to me because it deals with the care of the person I love most in this world...my mother.

The office of her Uvalde physician called first thing this morning with a referral and an appointment.  Researched him online and we are both very pleased with his credentials.

You do not know what a weight has been lifted off my shoulders!

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.

How do you find specialist in your area?

I do not even know how to begin this post...as you know my mother has had her share of back problems this past year.  Last August she underwent not one but two Vertebroplasties.  Here is a link if you do not know what that is http://www.spine-health.com/treatment/back-surgery/vertebroplasty-procedure

The neurosurgeon that performed the surgery was not to our liking.  Apart from the first surgery where she experienced a few pain free days, the pain came back even worst.  A second vertebroplasty was performed within three weeks of the first.

This time a month passed and more pain.  He wanted to perform a third surgery but mother decided to see if it would heal on its own as it was torture having to make the trip to San Angelo and back and the relieve was short lived.  He was not happy with her decision.

There was a long list of events that lead us to question his competency and that of his staff.  It is all documented in this blog and I will not bore you with the details again. This doctor was like a cowboy herding cattle. To make a long story short we are no longer seeing him.  The Uvalde doctor mother is currently seeing said he would find her a physician who could help her...I took him at his word.

Last week mother was in severe pain and I called his office on Friday.  He called us at home on Saturday morning.  When I asked him if he had found a doctor for her...he seemed oblivious to the fact that he had said he would do so.

I am aware that he has a lot of patients and finding a doctor for mother is not his job but why did he say he would and then forgot about it?  Does he not read his notes?  Does his nurse not read his notes?

I thought perhaps I would be hearing from his office Monday or Tuesday but the call never came.  I do not know whether to call them again or find a neurosurgeon in the San Antonio area myself.

My question is how do you all go about looking for a doctor?  Referral from friends or your personal physician?  The Internet?  If the Internet what sites do you use?  Angie's list?  I do not want to make a mistake and end up with a doctor the likes of the one in San Angelo!

Please feel free to chime in, I welcome all comments.  Thanks in advance.

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.

I cheated :-(

I have a confession to make...I cheated last week...I had no idea Stripes sold menudo on weekends so I caved in :(

It serves me right that it would not be tasty because I also cheated on the establishment where I usually purchased it. There IS a reason for the price difference!

While I know most people in Texas know what a well prepared bowl of menudo should tastes like...if you happen to be from out of state and stop at Stripes for breakfast...don't make a judgement call.  It is like eating at Taco Bell and thinking that is what real Mexican food tastes like.

In order to right a wrong, I decided to go to El Taco Riendo, a very small restaurant that prepares excellent menudo, tacos and lunch plates.  Even the Sheriff's deputies were having breakfast here this morning...yes, you heard right MORNING...I went there at 7:30 a.m. because they run out fast.

The following picture is for Tffnguy of Terlingua or Bust fame and the story of his SAS shoes http://terlinguabound.blogspot.com/2014/08/old-shoes-what-not.html

Since my mother will only wear SAS shoes I can understand how he feels about them.  We have a factory in Del Rio and they also have a small outlet store where they offer the public a small discount from their regular store prices.

I was going to inquire as to whether or not they made snake boots, but alas they are closed on Sunday.

I have been very tired lately.  Last night I didn't even make a post because I kept on dozing off while on the computer.  Sleep is a precious gift when you suffer from insomnia, so I went to bed early.

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.

A big welcome to Mair

I want to welcome Mair to the blog roll.

Mair is a lady with building skills and is also handy with tools...something I so like to see in my gender.

She has recently become a landowner in my favorite desert and hopes to one day call Terlingua home.

I wish she would consider starting a blog as she is a very good communicator and I am sure many people would be interested in following her journey.

Welcome aboard!

Homemade air conditioner

It was a balmy 103 degree day / 39.4 Celsius.  Went outside early this morning to charge my Wakawaka as well as my other solar lantern and quickly retreated indoors.

Ralph was here this morning but then disappeared.  He is still noncommittal...typical male!

I need the opinion of people that are currently living in Terlingua to see how doable this homemade air conditioner would be there. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HxSLbpAwibg

There are a lot of other versions but this one seemed the easiest and was short and to the point.

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.


****************************UPDATE*****************************


Here is another video even simpler than the above referenced one because it does not require power tools to drill holes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FaC0dlRENk0

Commitment Phobia

It appears Ralph does not want to make a commitment to this relationship yet. He comes and goes...even though he was here for two days...this evening he is once again MIA.

Since I have commitment phobia as well...I have not wanted to invest $$$$ in our relationship. Decided to pay Dollar Tree a visit.

I know some might think I am being a cheap skate...but for a buck you can buy a lot of things here.  If things do not work out...well, I am only out a dollar.

While he likes his turkey hot dogs, decided he might enjoy some dry food.

They had so many toys, collars, leashes etc. etc. but that will come later...if there is a later.

Why do retailers seem to start holidays earlier and earlier each year?  We still have Labor Day yet they are already having a Pre-Season Halloween sale!

Folks it is still August!

If that was not ridiculous enough...they already have Christmas stuff on their shelves :D

Heads up...2015 Calendars and planners are in...so you better hurry because they run out fast, as I learned last year.

Even found a calendar desk pad and threw it in my cart as well.

With all the turmoil in the Middle East decided to fill-up my tank while the price is still reasonable. With your Stripes gift card $3.07 for regular unleaded and $3.51 for diesel.

It was another scorcher, we got to 100 degrees / 37.7 Celsius.  Lucky for me, it was only 96 when I was filling up.

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.

A quiet place

Every now and then we all need a quiet place to retreat to.  Of course my number one choice would be Terlingua.  However, that is not possible in these awful three digit temperatures of West Texas.
 

 
I also like to go to my favorite campground at Lake Amistad...Governors Landing...but not in a non-air conditioned car.

So I decided to go to my old stomping grounds about two blocks from where we lived when we first moved to Del Rio.

I think I have mentioned on prior posts that moving from Austin, Texas to Del Rio was a cultural shock.

Dad had interviewed in Uvalde, Eagle Pass and Del Rio.  However, the job offer came from Del Rio.  Mother was hoping for Uvalde, Dad was hoping for Eagle Pass and I was hoping they would forget about moving and we could stay in Austin.

One of the things I loved most about Austin was going swimming at Barton Springs, it was cold as the dickens even when the temperatures were in the 100's.

While not Barton Springs by a long shot San Felipe Springs offered a nice place to cool off and make friends.

This particular area along the creek is not a popular location like say by the State Park or San Felipe Lions Park...both of which I have featured on this blog on several occasions...in particular during Easter when you are allowed to camp out for the weekend.

After the deadly floods of 1998 they made this into a park.  During the weekdays there aren't too many people here which suits me just fine.

This day it was just me and some friendly ducks.  They came up to me hoping I would feed them.  Sorry, maybe next time...

I liked her little poofy hair :)

 They made a nice couple.

Even Dad's old car seemed happy here in the shade.

Of course there are always those darn people that don't care about putting trash where it belongs, grrrrrrrrrr!!!

Apart from the above two pictures, everything was beautiful. The sound of the water had such a calming and relaxing effect.  If I had a strong back and could drag my zero gravity chair by the banks...I bet I could of taken a nice nap.

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.

A Finished Out Cabin

Do Derksen Portable Buildings offer finished out cabins? This question has been asked of me many times. While in the past the answer was no or on a very limited basis...it appears that Derksen is now trying out a new line of turnkey cabins...all you need is your clothes and toothbrush to move in.

I lucked out as this is the only finished out cabin on their lot or for that matter in their current inventory.  The guy was still putting the finishing touches on it and invited me to tour it.

I took this picture from the lot next door. You can see a small door
to the right of the cabin.  That is where the water heater goes.

Carpenter is putting finishing touches

I know there are many DIY (do it yourselfers) out there who are very handy and knowledgeable about construction and have the tools necessary to go about undertaking a project of this magnitude. Alas, that is not the case at least for me.

Living room

It is a beautiful one bedroom cabin with a large closet, a decent size living room, small kitchen, and full size bathroom.

Kitchen

Pantry

It is 16 x 32 and sells for $35,995.00 while I know that is not cheap...it is very doable perhaps even more so if you go through a bank or lending institution and get a mortgage loan. You would do away with the $9,998.75 security deposit Derksen requires and get a more favorable interest rate thus a lower monthly payment depending on the length of time you choose to repay your loan.

It comes fully insulated, is wired for electricity, plumbing, has an A/C unit in the living room, ceiling fans, decorative lighting, flooring, water heater and a lot of other things that I am probably leaving out.

Bedroom

Closet doors, love the hardware.

I went to talk to the lady who operates the lot and whom I believe is the wife of the owner.  She was on the phone to a very interested customer...that is how I found out the details of this new line of cabins.  I got a business card and was planning on contacting her later but I misplaced her card!

Bathroom

I do recall her name is Leah.  As soon as I find her card, I will update this post. Mention my blog and you will get a discount of....absolutely nothing....jajajaja! Maybe I should have a talk with her as all the Derksen posts garnish a decent number of readers and e-mails.  In particular the solar cabin post http://terlinguadreams.blogspot.com/2013/06/a-solar-cabin.html

If you are not handy like myself or just want to avoid the hassle of hiring someone to finish out your cabin...this is certainly an option you could consider.

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.

Pissy Ants / Phone Calls / Computer Woes

Yesterday I felt pretty worn out after three doctor appointments in a week.  I guess the lack of sleep and stress is getting to me.  I pretty much did nothing even though there is a lot to do around here.

Today I had to once again go on a killing spree...an ant killing spree!  The rains always bring more out and those pissy ants are hard suckers to kill...but kill them I did...thank you Ortho-Orthene :D

Glad I had finished when Ralph showed up.  He follows me everywhere and I am afraid I am going to trip and fall on him.

Fire Ants in West Texas do not make mounds

The phone never stopped ringing today.  It made my mother happy as it was family members she has not heard from in a while.  It was hot, another 102 degree day...seems to be the going temperature lately. I can hardly wait for mid-October when we get our first cold front or at least temperatures in the 80's.

Orthene works pretty quickly

I am having a lot of problems with my computer.  It freezes up and I think it is pretty much on its last legs.  I write a comment and it takes a while for it to even appear on my screen.  I do not even hit preview anymore as it sends my comments to comment heaven...so sorry for the misspelled words I leave in your respective blogs :-(

Long line of pissy ant mounds going from one
tree to the other.

I have downloaded Malware software and done scans but nothing seems to help.  I was hoping to be able to fit in a trip to Houston and see if I could purchase one there.  They certainly have more stores and back to school specials than in Del Rio.  However, I don't think I can work it into the schedule this month.

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.