My day did not go as planned / My CRS is getting worse

Woke up at 4:47 a.m. and as much as I wanted to could not go back to sleep.  Gave up around 5:30 a.m. and decided to start my day. Took a shower, got my morning chores out of the way, my plan was to go stock up on a few more items as soon as the sun rose which per AccuWeather would be at 7:57 a.m.

I was on my way to town at 8:00 a.m. as soon as I turned onto the road a rattling noise was coming from what seemed to be the motor. Figured maybe the car was just cold so went one block and it got louder so I pulled over and sure enough I had a flat tire on the front driver's side of the vehicle. I turned around and came back home to call my wonderful Triple-A that I have not had to use in a long time.

As I looked for my card to call them the expiration date made me smile...it expires today October 31st at 11:59 p.m. which is good timing...as this call will not affect my new membership period that starts tomorrow.

After calling them went to take down all the stuff I have in my trunk so they could easily access my spare tire. The Triple-A (American Automobile Association) guy showed up on time but he had no intention of changing the tire instead he aired it up and asked me where I was going to get it fixed.  I told him and he said he would follow me to make sure I got there safely. I actually prefer this method rather than having to ride on the spare and then having my own tire dirtying up the trunk.

Prior to the guy arriving I went into a panic because I seldom if ever have cash on me more so with this pandemic I do not want infected bills or change of any kind as I always pay with a credit card. The problem is this small family business only takes cash. I was rummaging through things until I finally found my emergency $20 bill.

The good thing about a small town is that while I doubt they know my name they know our cars and where we live so I could have come back later to pay them if I needed to. We have been doing business with them for a long time and the dad was making fun of me because I had a surgical mask, with a cloth mask on top of it and my face shield for extra measure. He would have really had a good laugh if I had also been wearing my surgical gloves.

The dad waved me to the car and showed me my expired license sticker on my windshield. I was incredulous as I vividly remember standing in line back in July to purchase my new license sticker and then installing it? Did they give me a 7/20 sticker by mistake?  Will tackle that mystery later. The charge for fixing my flat tire was $5.00 which was well worth the price.

Went to the post office then headed to HEB but by now the parking lot was full so instead headed to the bank to withdraw some money that I asked the clerk to put in an envelope as I did not want to touch it and will keep it around for another emergency this time in a place I can actually remember.

Decided to drive by Walmart to see how full their parking lot was and in comparison to HEB it was not too bad. This time I found a strong young associate to place two 40-packs of water in my cart. Bought a three-pack of lettuce, jalapeños (oddly they did not have serranos), and some hard as rock avocados but not wanting to upset JudithK or Penelope I will not divulge the price :-)

As I was standing in a long line to check out it suddenly hit me...I did not have my boxes with me...how was I going to get the water in the car when I usually tear it apart and place them one by one in said boxes?  I swear my CRS gets worse by the day!

Mustering all the strength I could, I managed to get the water in the back seat and that is where they are going to stay for now. Wanted to make another observation...it appears that more than a few people are planning to have a Halloween party. The phone of the lady in front of me kept on ringing and she kept on going back to pick up more stuff or sent her husband to get it for her. Good luck with our COVID-19 numbers fifteen days from now!

While I did not need to gas up noticed the price had gone down to $2.659 for a gallon of unleaded gasoline.  Hope you all have a safe Halloween.

Good night. May you all have Terlingua Dreams.

Aunty Acid Saying of the Day

Political Cartoon of the Day

Seriously, why am I still surprised when this happens?

It was cold last night which made for some good sleeping weather.  However, that sentiment was not shared by the cats especially Paquito who came to whine by my bedroom window. As I prepared to go outside to feed them the wind was so strong it was preventing me from opening the kitchen door with one hand while I held their food container in the other. I would later learn on the news at noon that we had gusts up to 51 mph this morning.

We have had strong winds for a couple of days now but not like this morning.  It was then that I allowed myself to be amazed that the power had not gone out...that was a mistake!  As soon as that thought crossed my mind at 10:33 a.m. the electricity went out.  Seriously why am I still surprised when this happens?

I immediately thought of an article in The Del Rio News-Herald that they allowed people to read for free with regards to the elections which took into account this possibility:

"Val Verde County Clerk Generosa “Janie” Gracia-Ramon and her staff are preparing the venue for voters to cast their ballot. Ramon said she and her staff have prepared for many possible scenarios that could take place, such as the power going out."

I will not know until Sunday since our local newspaper only prints on Wednesday and Sunday how they handled this glitch.

This time the power going out was not as big of a deal as it has been in the past since an air conditioner was not needed this morning.  Plus the sun was shining brightly, and I used my solar light to charge my cellphone at the same time.

Finally, at 11:52 a.m. the power was restored but too late for me to watch a show I wanted to see...will just have to find the time to watch it On Demand.

The winds finally died down this afternoon. We had a high of 75 degrees today...which I consider to be perfect weather.

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.

Aunty Acid Saying of the Day

Political Cartoon of the Day

Cold temperatures / Internet and Cable issues

It has been very cold (for this part of Texas) this morning it was in the mid-'30s but felt colder because of the wind chill factor. It rained Tuesday as well as early this morning but I do not know how much as I have been having problems with the internet and my cable connection. 

Last night I was trying to make a post but the internet kept on dropping me so I gave up, turned the whole thing off hoping to get back to it later but thankfully fell asleep. This morning I spotted several Spectrum trucks going by as I wheeled the trash can to the curb.

I think I mentioned that Mr. Joe and his wife are remodeling their home. They borrowed a trailer and strapped all the stuff they are getting rid of and parked it on our side of the street next to our fence. With the strong winds, a lot of it blew away...I certainly hope they pick it up...as I certainly am NOT going to!

If you have Google and who doesn't?  It will send you picture memories from last year, or two or three years ago. Today I got "memories" of my 2019 trip to Terlingua and me setting up my camp. I am not going to lie it made me sad :-(

Yesterday my best friend sent me a text saying " No Terlingua this year but we are camping anyway" along with a picture of her camp.  I figured she was in Lajitas, Texas since it looked like a private campground but that was not the case she was in another part of our Lone Star State.

Good night, May you all have Terlingua Dreams.

Aunty Acid Saying of the Day

Political Cartoon of the Day

The cold front is here

The cold front arrived much earlier than forecasted, I was under the impression I had until noon today but the winds and the tree limbs rubbing on the roof woke me up early this morning. Oh well, at least I got four hours of sleep. 😟

Depending on which webpage you read be it The Weather Channel or AccuWeather we are going to be in the mid-'40s until Wednesday when it will warm back to the high '60s. We have a good probability of a rain shower or two this evening as well as tomorrow and that is good news.

I do not know how you guys feel but this afternoon when it was confirmed that the GOP voted this terrible excuse of a judge to the Supreme Court while millions of Americans have already voted and the main election is only eight days away...it made me physically ill 🤮🤮🤮

JM Hegar who is running against Sen. John Cornyn in Texas and whom I fully support summarized it like this:

All this with just one week until Election Day. Meanwhile, Texans are struggling as COVID-19 cases around the country continue to rise without any sign of relief coming their way.

This whole process has been a sham -- starting as voters are already casting ballots, breaking Senate precedent to jam through the nominee, and confirming Amy Coney Barrett with just one week before voters decide who they want to make these decisions.

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I absolutely abhor and despise Moscow Mitch McConnell, Lindsey Graham, and John Cornyn. I was so incensed that I went and made more contributions to their political opponents.  If you can and so desire please consider contributing to your candidate of choice so we can VOTE THEM OUT!

I am so pissed off I hope they have a repeat of the last celebration that took place at the Rose Garden for this same individual.  In case you are wondering...No, I do not feel bad about saying this!

While I do not think I will be able to get any sleep tonight I sincerely hope you will.

Aunty Acid Saying of the Day

Seems I get more done when I do not have a plan

Yesterday afternoon just like we were told we had strong winds and the temperature dropped about twenty degrees. I was hoping the winds would be stronger so the broken limbs that are hanging by a thread would finally break off and I could drag them to the curb. Unfortunately, that did not happen.

When I went to feed the boys this morning it felt wonderful it was in the '60s and it made me feel invigorated. Wednesday when I went to vote I needed to pick up a couple of items from HEB but by the time I passed by there again, there were far too many vehicles in the parking lot.

Texas has had a resurge of Covid-19 cases in the past couple of days and Del Rio is not the exception. Per the Mexican newspaper El Zócalo, there were 40 new cases reported in a single day. They are awaiting the results of 273 tests so that number could rise. http://www.zocalo.com.mx/new_site/articulo/se-disparan-en-del-rio-los-contagios-de-covid

With that in mind, I decided to take advantage of this cool morning hoping it made people stay in bed longer as I headed to HEB to purchase more canned goods as I am contemplating going into self-isolation once more.

Picked up more HEB brand soups (Hill Country) that are .20 cents cheaper than Campbell's and quite tasty.

I bought some more menudo...

 

Topped off my purchases with chili...

Much like this past Wednesday when I ended up voting without planning to...this morning I ended getting my flu shot much the same way. I had intended to do that this coming Tuesday but now that I was here...why wait?

I had no idea the people sitting in the Pharmacy waiting room were there for the same thing. I thought they were waiting on their prescriptions or I might have changed my mind. It took longer to get my flu shot than it did for me to vote.

Tomorrow we will be back in the high 80's but a cold front with the possibility of some rain will make its way down to us early next week.  We are in dire need of rain.

Good night. May you all have Terlingua Dreams.

Aunty Acid Saying of the Day

Del Rio Civic Center / Cast my Vote

Mornings have been cloudy, gray, and humid. This morning was not the exception. I wheeled the trash can to the curb and in that short time worked up a sweat. The cats followed me meowing in unison demanding to be fed...they have me well trained!

I needed to go pick up the mail at the P.O. Box but true to form did not make my way into town until 3:00 p.m.  I had so much mail I could barely take it out of the box...when was the last time I was here?  I needed to pick up some items from HEB but first I decided to go check out our Civic Center where early voting is taking place instead of at the Val Verde County Courthouse. 

As I have mentioned previously there is little to no information in our local paper that prints twice a week, I do not have a radio except in my car and the only station I like is from Ciudad Acuña and of course, they talk about what is going on in Mexico, not in Del Rio.  I, therefore, had no idea how many people are early voting or how long the lines were.

With social distancing, I was afraid that with our high temperatures (they have been in the '90s) and the fact that there are no trees at the Civic Center like there are at the Val Verde County Courthouse I would have to bring an umbrella and a chair to wait in line.

I had no intention of casting my vote today but when I got to the parking lot there were more campaign vehicles than voters. I could not pass up this opportunity.

The Police Headquarters are in the back of the Civic Center and when you drove in they were upfront and told you which way to go. When you went into the building the Val Verde County Sheriff Deputies were manning that post. So there is no reason not to feel safe when you come to vote.

Much like the last time I voted everyone was in full PPE and they even offered free gloves (they looked like the ones that come with hair dye kits) since I was not planning on voting I did not bring my own and used theirs instead.  

I did not have to wait in line and was given a ballot immediately as in Del Rio we do not use voting machines just regular paper ballots which I think are the best. They had long tables separated by cardboard inserts and you chose where you sat taking into account social distancing. I think there were about 25 people voting at the time I was there. I was out of there in 15 minutes only because I double-checked my ballot twice.

I feel so much better now! I only wish my Houston friends were as fortunate as some have had to stand in line for a couple of hours.  My neighbor (in Harris County) felt lucky to only have had an hour and fifteen-minute wait.

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.

Aunty Acid Saying of the Day

Disclaimer: A Political Post - May offend your sensitivities

If you are a regular reader you know that my favorite cable channel news anchor is Rachel Maddow of MSNBC at 8:00 p.m. Central Standard Time. A couple of weeks back she put out a call to the young people of our country to volunteer as poll workers so our senior citizens that usually man these positions could stay home and be safe in the middle of a pandemic. I am heartened that many heard her plea and now many cities and counties across our nation have a large batch of new poll workers.

Long before other anchors talked about making a plan to vote she was on top of that. One of her suggestions with regards to that plan was for each of us to decide what if any campaigns we should decide contribute to. That made a lot of sense to me. Prior to 2018, I had never attended a political rally, made a financial contribution to one, or much less volunteered my time to a campaign. Maybe because I had never had a candidate inspire me to do so (Beto O'Rourke) or because I was so busy working, my contribution was limited to just casting a vote.

I come from a family that votes. My father was always talking to the neighbors, friends, strangers, and urging them to register to vote and then to actually go out and do so. I know if my dad was still alive he would be going out of his way to get the vote out. He taught me that our democracy depends on the free exercise of this privilege that so many people died and fought for but many take for granted. He always said it did not matter who you voted for...the important thing was to vote...so your voice can be heard and thus make a difference in our community, state, and federal elections.

That takes me to the second point Rachel made...now is the time to contribute if you so choose to do so to a candidate of your choice. There are two politicians that I absolutely deplore, the first being Moscow Mitch McConnell.

I, therefore, made a contribution to Amy McGrath who is running against him.

Belinda,

Thanks so much for joining the team that’s going to help me replace Mitch McConnell in the United States Senate.

First off, I want to let you know that we can win this: We’ve pulled to a virtual tie in polling, we’ve closed the gap in fundraising, and we’re giving Mitch the biggest challenge he’s seen in his 35-year career.

The bad news is, Mitch is already on the attack—he’s been on the air for months and has shown he’s willing to lie about me and my positions. I’ll be fighting back every step of the way. Can you make a donation today to help make sure voters know what’s at stake in this election?

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The second politician I despise is Lindsey Graham so I joined the campaign of Jaime Harrison...

Thanks so much for your generous donation.

Our grassroots campaign could not be possible without supporters like you -- and together we’re fighting for a more hopeful future for South Carolina.

I promise you that this campaign will be different. With you, we will build a movement fueled by people who believe in what is possible.

Your support means everything,

Jaime

P.S. Please follow my campaign on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/JaimeHarrisonSC/) and Twitter (https://twitter.com/harrisonjaime) to stay in the loop!

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The other campaign that is near and dear to me is the Senate race in my home state of Texas.  John Cornyn has had an 18 year run in the Senate and nothing to show for it.  I am therefore backing MJ Hager.

I dreamed of being a pilot ever since watching Star Wars as a little girl. I was often dismissed with claims that "the front is no place for a woman," but that wasn't a good enough reason for me to let go of my dream. So, I became a commissioned officer in the Air Force, qualified for the Air National Guard, and went on to serve three tours in Afghanistan as a combat search-and-rescue and medevac pilot.

During a rescue mission, my helicopter was shot down by the Taliban, and I was injured by enemy gunfire. I was honored to have received both the Purple Heart and the Distinguished Flying Cross with Valor for my service.

The dysfunction and blatant obstruction plaguing Washington is not good enough for the people of Texas, and frankly, it’s beneath us as a country. I’m running to break the bottleneck that’s blocking any constructive progress in Washington from coming to reality and to take this Senate seat from special interest control for the people of Texas.

It’s time for a change, and that’s why I’m fighting -- and why I’m asking you to fight with me.

Thanks,
MJ

DONATE

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After the disrespect that Georgia senator Purdue showed to Vice-Presidential candidate Kamala Harris by purposely mispronouncing her name during a Trump campaign event after knowing her for four years, I decided to back his opponent Jon Ossoff.  I will make a contribution to his campaign tomorrow.

ElectJon.com

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In lieu of being able to attend the CASI Chili Cook-off in Terlingua that understandably was canceled due to COVID-19...I have decided to use the money I set aside to attend this dearest to me event...donating the proceeds to help like-minded candidates in their bid for office.

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.

Early morning power outage / Breakfast Tacos / Walmart

Saturday morning was nice and cool so I took out my new pruning shears and cut as many branches as I could from the trees and shrubs.  Not so much because I wanted to but because I was looking for Katie who as of this evening has been missing for three days.  I will cover that topic in my other blog.

Later that evening my arms were hurting so much I took two aspirins and turned on the 10:00 o'clock news but fell asleep shortly afterward. I woke up at 1:30 a.m., 2:30 a.m., and 3:30 a.m. but was able to go back to sleep. The only reason I knew what time it was, was due to the fact that I could see the time on the cable box.

The next time I woke up I had no idea what time it was because the house was dark except for my solar lights that we use as night lights on the hall and the bathroom.  I fell asleep on the living room recliner and since it is electric I had a hell of a time getting out of it...note to self...change the back-up batteries!

Headed to my bedroom to find my wristwatch but when I was not able to do so I remembered the cellphone that I never use.  It said it was 6:10 a.m. so I opened the front door and sure enough all the street lights including ours were out.

I was irate, so why did the power go out this morning?  No one in their right mind would have had their A/C on if anything they would have had their windows open much like we did.  It is Sunday so people were not at work.  I could not go back to sleep, with no power I could not go online so I sat in the dark until the electricity came back on at 7:19 a.m.  I still have no idea what to attribute this to as our lowly newspaper did not address this.

Went to Stripes to buy some tacos for breakfast...they were good!  I then headed to Harbor Freight to use my 30 percent off coupon that expired today. While I still have plastic disposable gloves I figured with said coupon it would be a bargain. However, I was told that it had to be an item under $10.00 which it was according to the shelf price but not the price at the register, so I walked out without buying anything.

Walmart is next door and with only a few cars in the parking lot decided to make a stop.  Saw this nice looking muscle car with Oklahoma license plates.

Made a beeline for the produce aisle where I bought some spinach, tomatoes, and avocados. Once again went to check out the clearance aisle and was surprised to find ladies swimsuits selling for $1.00.

In many of the blogs, I read bloggers have said that they have been unable to find small chest freezers. They had these on sale today.

Gasoline is once again on the rise.  Walmart had the cheapest price at $1.859 for a gallon of regular unleaded gasoline. When I passed by there they were several RVs filling up.

Our "cool front" lasted all of one day.  Today we topped out at 95 degrees.

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.

Political Banner of the Day

Aunty Acid Saying of the Day

Cool front on the way / Yardwork / Pollito

It was a sunny, warm, and breezy day with a high of 86 degrees today. We are supposed to get a "cool front" tomorrow.  I finally decided to move the limbs that I could break off from the tree that fell a couple of weeks ago and dragged them to the curb.

Yesterday Wednesday was trash day and I needed to pick up all the crap the litterbugs toss out their car windows but Mr. Joe (step-father to the drunk) and his wife have been remodeling their home since last week so I did not want to pass by their house. Instead, I focused on the south side of the fence.

I had already picked up what I needed from the street and had entered the property but not by the front gate but by the area I had cleared a couple of months back when Pollito's sidekick entered and parked his truck. As I was coming into that same area I noticed even more pesky mesquite pods and was picking them up when a truck that I did not recognize stopped. I looked up but I did not know who they were since I was not wearing my glasses and frankly did not care.

A man stopped got off and I wanted to scream when I realized it was Pollito walking up to me without a face mask on...grrrrrrrrrrrr!!!  Why does this freaking man come around to bother me? The gall of him turning off his truck and assuming that I would want to engage in a conversation with him! He wanted to commiserate that there would not be a Chili Cook-off this year as he was planning on attending. Thankfully, he has always attended the "Other Cook-off".

As if I did not have enough reasons to dislike this clown he gave him another one...guess who he is supporting in this election?  It did not take long for him to realize he made a BIG mistake telling me that and he quickly retreated!  I was so happy I was able to give him a piece of my mind and I felt great all day...😁... I am still laughing this evening!

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.

Aunty Acid Saying of the Day

First Day of Voting in the Great State of Texas

Today was the first day of voting in the Great State of Texas and I am so PROUD of my fellow Texans who turned out in droves to vote in cities large and small despite the voter suppression that Republicans and its leader Texas Governor Gregg Abbott has been trying to pull on its citizenry. 

I know per the Google report all bloggers receive monthly about their stats and that came as a surprise to me...that more people that access this blog...do so from their cellphones. If you do so then you can not see the header picture unless you go down to the very bottom and chose the Web Version which probably many are not aware of. That will tell you the voter suppression we are suffering and that even the Texas Supreme Court (all nine Republican) have upheld.

Here is said header picture...

Texans stood in line for as long as six hours in some locations just to exercise their right to vote and did so willingly and knowing that this election is the most important one in their lives because our democracy, our health, our values, and everything we hold dear to us are on the line.

I urge all Texans and fellow Americans to VOTE. Vote your conscience and show up at the polls decisively so no one can try to take your vote away from you even if the current administration will try to do so and is actively trying to put a new Supreme Court Justice in the middle of an election to take away your right to elect the candidate of your choice.

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.

Back to Triple Digits / More Memes

 It has been very warm for October here in the West Texas desert. Yesterday we hit 102 and today we reached 103 degrees. Needless to say, I did not get any yard work done this weekend.

Someone came honking at 5:30 a.m. at the rowdy/drunk neighbors house and woke me up. Who the heck does that on a Sunday morning? Tried to go back to sleep but since I could not, decided to go online. Found some more memes that made me laugh and warmed my heart such as:

We certainly have not heard from Barr since the Rose Garden mass spreader event nor from Pence's Covid-19 pink eye during the fly incident.

One of my favorites...

This video cracked me up...it is his Evita...excuse me Covita moment :)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H369_S1f0cU

I was so tired I was able to take an hour nap this afternoon. This evening I watched the CNN Special, First Ladies this week's emphasis was on Jackie Kennedy my favorite First Lady of all times. 

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.

Aunty Acid Saying of the Day

I said NO to salads / YES, to Muffins and Carrot Cake

Yesterday I made a quick trip to Walmart but I got so busy watching the Vice-Presidential Debate and then commenting about it that I did not get a chance to make a post.  Stayed up until the early morning hours just laughing at the memes creative individuals made about the fly on Pence's head.

Of the ones I could post this was my favorite. I wanted to put it in my last post but with this new Blogger format it is difficult to update a post so I just made it my temporary header picture.

Upon arriving at Walmart I headed to the produce section to stock up on salads but I just did not feel like buying any...frankly I am sick and tired of salads. The price of avocados caught my eye as the HEB ad had theirs selling for much more.

I was down to my last serrano pepper but only bought a few because they were not so fresh. Then I headed to the bakery and bought some muffins and a carrot cake...I suppose my blood sugar was low.  I had never tried their potato salad as on the few occasions we purchase some we do so at HEB. Who puts onions in potato salad?  Never again...

Headed to the clothes clearance section and picked up a couple of well-priced items. Made me a little sad as this is what I usually do in preparation for my Terlingua trip that will not take place this year...😥

In lieu of a salad bought some cans of Progresso Light soup. I also picked up a couple of boxes for the boys to nap in.

We continue to have wonderful temperatures in the 60's during the morning and afternoons in the low 90's. 

Good night. May you all have Terlingua Dreams.

Aunty Acid Saying of the Day