The return of normal weather

While this morning it was still cool for this area at 43 degrees (?) I ventured out to be one of the first at the laundromat. Well, I wasn't...there were four other cars there.  Got off to check if the one washer that has a special price for us regular customers who know of its existence was available but it was in use.

Would not have minded paying the regular price for another one but with three screaming kids running around to their heart's content while their mother was glued to her phone...decided to pass and try my luck another day.

Drove to the Stripes closer to the house (the one going to Mexico) instead of my favorite one on Veterans Blvd. to purchase a breakfast taco and a hot cup of chocolate.  It hit the spot.

Yesterday I had a very busy day and by the time I was able to go online the power went out twice so I decided to skip the post and go to bed instead. There have been a couple of power outages this week though they have not lasted long.

I have been waiting for a package coming from Argentina for over a month and that was using a courier service that then ended up being dropped off at the big post office where it was about to be sent back since USPS does not make home deliveries where we live.  It was thanks to my friend that sent the package that I was able to track it down.

I went back to Dollar Tree to purchase more cereal and canned goods then headed to Walmart.  Stocked up on more items before the coronavirus strikes this area and I will be scared to leave the house.  As of today, there are 65 confirmed cases in the USA but since so few people have been tested I am sure there are many more we do not yet know about. Just in San Antonio, Texas, there are eleven cases.

Gasoline prices have gone back down. Walmart had the cheapest price at $2.039 per gallon for unleaded gasoline.

Saw this neat little trailer in the parking lot. Unfortunately, the other side was the pretty side with all the red pop colors that matched their truck.  I wanted to take a picture but they had their door open and were running their generator, lol!

It was a nice sunny day with a low of 43 and a high of 77 degrees. Hmmm, as I am typing this KENS5 in San Antonio is saying that the low in Del Rio was 32 degrees, not 43 per Accuweather the website I use.

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.


Aunty Acid Saying of the Day

Getting ready for a hard freeze

We have been experiencing strong winds all-day but thankfully they subsided late this afternoon. Yesterday I picked up and put away any objects that might become projectiles saving myself the trouble of having to do it today.

I had every intention of driving into town and picking up more groceries at Dollar Tree.  I do not know about you but I am very worried about the Coronavirus and its ramifications.  If you watched the news you probably saw how unprepared this administration is to handle this pandemic.

I am no fan of John Kennedy - Republican US Senator from Louisiana (no relation to the late great JFK) but he sure gave a dress down to someone (whose name I did not catch)  Chad Wolf - Acting Chief of DHS who could NOT answer any type of questions regarding this virus including if the government had enough masks in storage for all our citizens.

I suppose I have it easier than most as I am retired and do not have to go to work but I worry about those who do.  If you can not go to work how are you going to pay your mortgage or rent?  How are you going to feed and clothe your family?  Lots of questions that need to be addressed.

We had a low of 43 a high of 79 with a real feel of 68 and in the shade of 65 degrees. Bundle up fellow Texans...it is going to be a COLD night!

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.


Aunty Acid Saying of the Day

Yard work / Stocking up / Dave is back

Thursday night (Feb 20th) I could not go to sleep for the life of me finally managed to doze off Friday morning for three hours.  We have been having a lot of wind lately so had to pick up even more trash along the street side of the fence.

Noticed more weeds were growing so went and got my hula hoe also known as a stirrup hoe and tackled the bigger ones.

I was out there for about two and a half hours and I still was not able to get them all.  I hope it rains soon it would make the chore easier but then again, even more, would replace them.  It is a never-ending battle.

It was 2:12 p.m. and I had not eaten breakfast yet, came in to eat a quick bowl of cereal when the phone rang and I much prefer talking to my best friend than doing yard work!

My back was beginning to hurt so I decided not to push it and concentrated on filling up a large size cat food bag with old Houston phone books and magazines that were too far gone to make the cut for my next trip to the Recycling Center.

I went to bed as soon as my Spurs game was over and slept soundly for nine hours.

This morning I got an early start and ran several errands.  One of those included a trip to Dollar Tree where I was so glad to see the big size and regular size boxes of brand name cereal on their shelves.  On Wednesday, I paid $3.64 at HEB for a Family Size box of Cheerios.

I have been waiting for the opportunity to stop at a laundromat drove by two this morning. They were both packed, I suspect they will be for a while with this cold and miserable weather.  We had a low of 52 and a high of 68 degrees with the sun finally making an appearance.

A former blogger came back online Dave of "Living Out Here" fame.  Here is a link to his blog
http://livingouthere.blogspot.com/2020/02/lytle-tx.html

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.


Aunty Acid Saying of the Day

Recycling Center / Library / Grocery Run / Gasoline Prices Rise

While it was cool this morning it was not cold. The rains we were expecting did not materialize. We had a low of 48 and a high of 61 degrees and it was cloudy all day.

I had to run several errands so my first stop was the Post Office to pick up the mail. I forgot they close for lunch and there was a long line waiting for them to open. Glad I was not one of them.

I have been carrying my recyclables in the trunk but kept forgetting to drop them off. Today was finally the day to do so.

I looked at those new pallets and remembered all the ideas on Pinterest for their use. Too bad I do not have building skills or tools. Brought back memories of me and another campmate dragging pallets people left after the cook-off back to our camp so we could make a campfire that evening.

Then headed for Val Verde County Library to get a copy of a sample ballot along with a copy of the Nonpartisan Voters Guide put out by the League of Women Voters' of Texas (LWV) for the March 3, 2020, Primary Election.

In the parking lot, there were two camper vans from northern states.

This Chinook had Wisconsin license plates

There was another one but I did not see it until I was driving off. As many vandwellers know libraries are a great place to charge your electronics and use computers.

I went on another grocery run to HEB and was shocked to see that gasoline prices had gone up considerably. A gallon of regular unleaded was $2.159 that is an increase of .17 cents!!!

Milk, eggs, and cereal showed an increase from last week.

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.



Aunty Acid Saying of the Day

Just a short post this evening

Since yesterday was a national holiday the post office was closed.  I wanted to make a trip to town to pick up the mail but my morning chores took up too much time.  By the time I was ready the wind had kicked up and the cold front blew in.

We had a low of 49 with a high of 89 degrees but due to the wind, it felt like 76 degrees.  We are not expected to go above 56 tomorrow with rain and drizzle.

The cats are driving me crazy had to take a nap this afternoon after dealing with them. The late-night comedians all have re-runs this week so I can not depend on them to cheer me up.  I think I will call it a night early.

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.


Aunty Acid Saying of the Day

A beautiful sunny 89 degree Winter Day

It was foggy this morning and on the cool side. It was not heavy jacket weather but cool enough for me to wear a blazer.

I went to check out winter clearance items at Marshall's but they have not been marked down enough to my satisfaction...will perhaps pay them another visit next week.

Why is the expiration date on Harbor Freight coupons printed so small? Or perhaps it is just my eyes?  Had cut out two 20 percent off coupons only to learn they expired earlier this month. I had to go back to the car to get my cellphone only not to be able to access my e-mail account. Oh well, I really did not need that tarp.

I wanted to go to Dollar Tree but there was a homeless man asking for money almost by their door.  I have noticed we have had an increase of homeless people and panhandlers in the city.  Wonder if they are coming from California?  Read they have a serious problem in the Los Angeles area.

Did a quick grocery run to Walmart instead. I was surprised that even though it was a national holiday there were not many people there. I supposed they spent their money on their sweeties on Valentine's Day.

The trees are blooming all over town. These were by Jack in the Box.

There are many lush trees down the main drag but I could not safely pull over to take a picture.

We had a low of 63 and a high of 89 degrees today. However, Old Man Winter is going to make an appearance late Tuesday night and bring with it much needed rain.

Good night. May you all have Terlingua Dreams.


Aunty Acid Saying of the Day

Lower gasoline prices / Trees are Blooming / Weeds

I have been freezing to death for the past couple of days. We had a low of 43 with a feel like 39 degrees this morning and a high of 59.  I am dreading getting the electric bill or rather the e-mail as I am enrolled in paperless billing.

I put off my trip to town until the afternoon when it warmed up. Gasoline prices continue to go down maybe not as much as in San Antonio, Texas but going below $2.00 threshold is great!  Not the clearest of pictures I apologize for the quality...a gallon of unleaded gasoline was selling for $1.989 at HEB.

Last month I posted a couple of pictures of some plants that I was on the fence as to whether or not to get rid of. Though I have kept this avocado tree in the porch and covered it with a cardboard box at night it's not looking good.

Can you believe it is mid-February and the trees are starting to bloom?

Though we did not receive a lot of rain this week it was enough to make the weeds grow :-(

Some crabgrass to add to the mix...

Hope you all had a great Valentine's Day.

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.



Aunty Acid Saying of the Day

It finally warmed up / An Apology to Rick and Kathy Rousseau

It finally warmed up today!  We had a low of 40 with a high of 69 degrees.  The sun finally made a presence this afternoon.  While it rained it was not enough to fill up my water catchment tanks.  Not a problem though, I am now filling up the five 32-gallon trash cans that I previously only used for rain catchment with our tap water that comes from San Felipe Springs.

Belinda, why are you doing that?  Called me crazy...but who amongst my dearest friends hasn't?  Remember I have a little bit of bruja but mostly intuition and can also read minds...now you know that I am officially CRAZY! :D

Ok...I now have deviated from the topic...so what else is new?  I firmly believe that while the news cycle has been focusing on the Democratic Caucuses we have forgotten about our soldiers suffering from brain injuries after Iran attacked our soldiers in Iraq.

I fear the Iranians will soon target our infrastructure including our grid and water systems.  So while the water I collect will not last forever at least I can survive for a couple of months before I eventually die.

Last week I took a much-needed break from politics.  Last night I found out how #45 has taken a prominent role intervening in Roger Stone's sentencing. Kudos to the lawyers that resigned!

I was so happy relishing in the first rodeo trip Spurs win that I had not checked what was going on in our Nation...shameful!  I hope some of our GOP Senators are slapped silly into reality...Yes, I am talking about you, Susan Collins!

I meant to make a post last night regarding this but I was much too tired and in total denial.  I apologize to bloggers Rick and Kathy Rousseau and their readers for going off on their blog regarding this topic.

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.

It was a foggy, rainy, windy, gray and cold day

If you have been reading me for a while you know that I do not like cold or hot weather extremes. I am fine in the 60 to 80-degree range but face it...this is West Texas...the range I want is never going to happen aside for a couple of weeks in the Spring.

Today we had a low of 45 and a high of 54 degrees.  As I type this it is raining and we are at 45 degrees with a feel like temperature of 40.  I am freezing to death and have the heat set at 78... I can just see my Canadian readers laughing as they read this :D

I will make it short tonight as I missed my regular shows so I could watch a Spurs game and finally see them pull off a much needed win this evening.

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.



Aunty Acid Saying of the Day

New medical provider / Lower gasoline prices / Dad's old car

After experiencing cold weather on Thursday and Friday I almost canceled my doctor's appointment but glad I did not. For those readers that live in cold climates, I tip my hat to you, I do not know how you do it.

I have been considering for a while now to change my medical provider and after my last visit with her, it pretty much sealed it.  I do not know how it works in other parts of Texas or for that matter in the rest of the USA but in Del Rio, you have to submit an application and then wait to be approved by said provider.

I think I am going to like this new medical professional and he right away addressed the problem of my high blood pressure which runs on both sides of my family.  After only four days with the new medication, I could not believe I got my blood pressure down from the usual 170, 160, 150 over whatever...to 116/62 77 today.

Like with most medications at the start, they make me sleepy...with my insomnia...I consider that a bonus.

It is always a good thing when gasoline prices decline. This was the going price at Walmart on Friday...

The following picture is blurry, sorry about that, it shows HEB's price to be the same $2.029 per gallon for regular unleaded.

Saturday and Sunday were warm and sunny days so I took the opportunity to rake more leaves in the front yard.  I was minding my own business when I heard a car stop and a door open...I just knew it was either Pollito or his sidekick...so I just kept on doing my thing and pretended they weren't there as I had my back towards the gate.

To my surprise, it was neither one but a well-dressed man probably in his 60's who wanted to know if my car was for sale...by that he meant dad's old car. I told him I was not considering selling it but rather fixing it up to use as a second car in case mine broke down.

He asked if he could just see the inside of it and I agreed. He seemed enthused about it and asked how much I would let it go for.  Repeated that I was not considering selling it but if I was I would have to research it.  He kept on looking at me and told me that I looked familiar that if I remembered him...to which I replied that I did not...he repeated that several times.

He gave me his name and number in case I changed my mind and left. Not three minutes had passed when he came back to tell me he remembered where he had met me.  Hmm...I find it hard to believe that in his line of work where he meets a lot of people he would remember an incident that took place over a year ago...or perhaps it is the former Houstonian in me that made the warning bells go off in my head.

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.



Aunty Acid Saying of the Day

A cold front is on the way

We had a very warm and sunny day.  It started with a low of 44 reaching a high of 87 degrees one degree short of tying a record set in 2008 of 88 degrees.  As I was running errands in town this afternoon I had to turn on the car A/C.

We are expecting a significant drop in temperature in the early morning hours and it will stay cold for the next two days.  Some cities in Texas have already received or if not will be receiving in the coming hours' snow or wintery mix.

I no longer trust the original post office where we have our P.O. Box and where last month two of my checks were lost so I made my way to our second Post Office in Del Rio to mail off a payment.  Walmart is not far from there so made a quick stop.

Gasoline prices have gone down some but not as much as in San Antonio as evidenced by blogger Andy's comments. The going price at Stripes today was $2.049 for a gallon of unleaded and $2.069 at Walmart for the same.

As I am typing this I am watching the State of the Union address...can our country be even more divided?  The most entertaining part was watching Nancy Pelosi's facial expressions.

Ok, I have to go watch my Spurs play, this speech went over the allotted time.

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.


Aunty Acid Saying of the Day

It was a beautiful sunny but cold day

Once again I was wide awake by 5:00 a.m. but forced myself to stay in bed until 8:00 a.m. when the boys started meowing by my window probably to shame me into feeding them. They have me well trained!

It was cold and I could see Mr. Joe's roof had ice on it that was slowly melting. Can you believe it is already February?  I have a feeling this year is going to fly by just like last year. Before you know it March will be here and I will no longer be able to sneak in a trip to Terlingua well if I want to use a tent that is.

I have been getting e-mails from Basecamp Terlingua who has some original casitas for rent.  Has anyone stayed in one of them before?  https://www.basecampterlingua.com/

They would make for a great weekend retreat but I would probably be tempted not to leave my room. If anyone decides to stay there and they ask you how you heard about them...tell them it was through my blog...maybe they would reward me with a free one night's stay?  Not likely but I can always dream, can't I?

Is anyone planning to attend a Super Bowl party tomorrow?  I do not know if I will even watch except for perhaps the half time show.  I remember many moons ago Kroger's would offer a 10 percent discount if you shopped during this event. I loved it very few people mainly women and elderly customers.

I am happy my Spurs won tonight...I would be even happier if I could have a cold one to celebrate :(

We had a low of 41 and a high of 75 degrees today.

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.



Aunty Acid Saying of the Day