Just three more months until Halloween

It was a scorcher today even at 6:45 a.m. it was hot and humid when I went outside to water the trees and bushes. Even the cats demanded to be fed so they could go hide before the sun came out. When I finished my morning chores I came inside and took a shower. Afterward, I sat on my recliner to watch my Sunday cable news shows but ended up falling asleep. I so needed that!

Yesterday, I bought some store-made Mexican Ceviche with avocado slices...it was delicious, I had it for breakfast...perhaps it was a contributing factor to my morning siesta.

Today is the last day of July 2022 and all I could think of is that in exactly three months it will be Halloween, if you are a long-time follower you know exactly where I am during that holiday. I am hopeful that I can finally make it there after a three-year absence. To all my friends and acquaintances I hope you too are making plans to attend as I so want to see you guys. Life is short and we are not getting any younger.

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.

Aunty Acid

Lower gasoline prices / Walmart / HEB

Yesterday (Friday, July 29th) I got an e-mail from HEB Pharmacy saying I had some prescriptions ready to be picked up. It was already 2:00 p.m. but I also needed to go to the post office to pick up our mail. I debated whether or not to go but I am expecting some important documents so decided to bite the bullet and go out in the heat. 😟

By the time I reached the pharmacy drive-thru, it was 3:00 p.m. and the line was LONG! The drive-thru is close to the gasoline pumps and people were driving like maniacs trying to beat the next guy to the line. The price had gone down since the last time I was here to $3.739 for a gallon of unleaded but it did not merit the recklessness exhibited by some. I opted to not pick up my prescriptions.

Since I was already out and about I went to Walmart to check out a folding picnic table I saw the last time I was there. The Chili Cook-off is only three months away and I want to be ready. There is another table I saw on the YouTube Vlog Dome Life that you can set up using only one hand. It is sold at Home Depot and I will have to go check that one out when it is not so hot.

Avocados finally went down so I bought three but it will be a while before I am able to eat them as they are hard as rocks.

Rick and Kathy Rousseau http://ricknkathyrousseau.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2022-07-28T22:16:00-04:00&max-results=1&start=1&by-date=false on their blog featured strawberries and made me want some. I was surprised they were so affordable and had to buy them.

This was the going price at the Walmart pumps on Friday...

Forward to this morning. I was wide awake by 4:30 a.m. so decided to start my day. The pharmacy does not open until 8:30 a.m. on Saturdays but this time I went inside. Even though it was still early the parking lot was packed.

There was plenty of water in the 40-bottle package but none in the 24-bottle pack which is what I normally purchase.

Last week I bought HEB's version of Spam but they did not have the low sodium can until today. It was a bargain at $1.48 each. Another plus is that they do not expire until 2026.

Bought some more Family Size cans of Beef Stew at $4.18...expires in 2025.

Some off-brand cans of corn at .58 cents...expires in 2024

Pasta Rings with meatballs for .67 cents...expires in 2024

The lady in front of me at the checkout lane arrived at the store at the same time I did. It does not show up in the photo but she had a long sleeve shirt, face mask, disposable gloves, and a clear plastic shower cap on. That will be me in a couple of years. Glad she is not taking any chances as the new Covid strain cases are growing locally as well as in Ciudad Acuña.

This was the price at the pumps at HEB this morning. I do not know why this phone does not photograph pixel images well.

$3.729 for Unleaded
$4.699 for Diesel

We are in the triple digits and have been for who knows how many days now with no probability of rain.  

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.

Aunty Acid

Two long established businesses close their doors in Del Rio

Earlier this month I noticed a "Going Out of Business" banner as I drove down our main drag Veterans Blvd. For those that are not familiar with Del Rio, this was the former location of the second HEB store after Little HEB clearly became too small for the fast-growing population and before they built their large flagship store.

There are two businesses at this location and I was not sure which one was the affected one but as soon as I drove into the parking lot it became clear.

Unfortunately, it was Fallas, a store where I buy my camping clothes...you might recall my $5.00 blue jean duster as well as two of my $5.00 Terlingua coats. They sell surplus, factory irregulars, and overstock items from other vendors and manufacturers. I have purchased several pet beds for my cats at discount prices. This was the first store to bring Betty Boop merchandise to Del Rio of which I am a huge fan.

I was surprised they had so much inventory. One of their employees told me that all their Texas stores were closing and they had sent their merchandise to their Border Stores which are their top sellers.

They were liquidating everything including their clothing racks, fixtures, and equipment.

I will miss this store in particular during Chili Cook-off time when I could purchase clothing items for a mere $1.99 or less.

We are also saying goodbye to our local Sears store. This is the only store that will deliver an appliance and bring it into your home. When we bought our last refrigerator we found a better price at Home Depot but the deal breaker was that they would only deliver it to your door...you had to bring it in yourself...yeah, right with my bad back! 😒

Both stores will be missed by both Del Rioans as well as Ciudad Acuña residents.

Good night. May you all have Terlingua Dreams.

Aunty Acid

The Dog Days of Summer

As I grow older, dealing with these triple-digit Texas temperatures seems more challenging. It is not like they just started happening it gets HOT in Texas every summer and always has. When I lived in Houston it was not only hot but humid but for some reason, I do not recall it affecting me perhaps because I went from my air-conditioned house to my air-conditioned car to my air-conditioned office.

Every time I go into town now I come back exhausted. I like to watch late-night comedy shows so I can laugh and relax after listening to the not-so-nice news of the day. I have not even made it past the ten o'clock nightly news lately thus my lack of posts.

I much prefer sleeping to going online. With that said I am wide awake by 4:00 a.m. At least I am getting six hours of sleep nightly that when one suffers from insomnia is a wonderful thing. If you can sleep through the night you do not know how fortunate you are.

Since the rise of gasoline prices, I have been filling up as soon as I use 1/4 of a tank. My trip to México last week brought my gauge closer to half a tank but at least gasoline prices are going down so I put it off a little longer. Sunday I made an early trip to the HEB gasoline pumps where I was the only car there...at least for a few minutes...then everyone started to show up.

$3.859 for Unleaded gas
$4.789 for Diesel

Before going inside the store I spotted this El Camino...it has been a long time since I have seen one.

I stocked up on more canned goods, water, toilet paper, and something I have not eaten in a long time...Beef Jerky...

Monday I went to Walmart and was surprised to find they were mostly out of water.

Laughed at the price of a dozen eggs...😂...there is no way I was going to pay that plus we don't eat that many eggs.

Gasoline was .03 cents cheaper here. I apologize as I do not know why these photos came out smaller when I emailed them to myself.

The weather is so crazy from drought, fires, triple-digit temperatures, monsoons, and torrential rains in our nation as well as in the rest of the world. I hope wherever you may happen to be reading me that you and your family are safe.

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.

Aunty Acid

July 2022 trip to Ciudad Acuña, Coahuila - México

Click on the Pictures to Enlarge

Like my June 2022 trip to México, I was there for the same reason...to take one of the cats to get neutered. If you would like to read about it you may do so on my other blog Walter's World by clicking on my header picture or this link https://mylittlewalter.blogspot.com/

If you are planning a trip to Ciudad Acuña anytime soon you will be glad to know that the six-lane project leading to the Del Rio International Bridge is almost finished.

After dropping Chester off at the vet's I went about running my errands. First on my list was getting a haircut. Our regular stylist used to run her business from her house, then she rented a beauty shop which I was never able to locate...then Covid-19 hit and the border was shut down so I do not know what happened to her.

Ciudad Acuña has four major grocery stores Gutierrez, Merco, Bodegas Aurrera, and Soriana. Gutierrez in my opinion has the best prices and two large stores to choose from. They also have canvas coverings so you can park your car in the shade. I neglected to take a photo of them though I have pictured them before on this blog.

First of all, today's Exchange rates are as follows:

C stands for Compra (buy) Pesos
V stands for Venta (sell) US Dollars
As a tourist, you are interested in the second one

Both Gutierrez and Merco have no-frills beauty salons at very reasonable prices. They used to charge $80 pesos...$4.00 USD for a haircut and with a tip of 20.00 pesos (one US dollar) your haircut would cost you $5.00 dollars. Like everything else, the price has gone up but only by a dollar so, including the tip, I paid $6.00 USD.

A Mexican no-frills Beauty Shop

When I arrived the senior citizens who work at the check-out lanes for tips as sackers told me the Beauty Shop opened at 10:00 a.m. so in order to kill time I went around checking prices and taking pictures.

Bananas $17.90 a kilo or .90 USD
Remember a kilo equals 2.2 lbs

Gutierrez buys directly from Coahuila farmers and in my opinion has the best produce at very reasonable prices.

$26.90 a kilo / 1.35 USD a kilo

$9.90 a kilo for carrots/.50 US cents
No price on the Calabacitas

Hass Avocados...

$79.90 a kilo / 4.00 USD per kilo

If you prefer the smaller avocados they had the mesh bag ones with four each...

$49.90 / $2.50 USD or .62 cents each

You may think that avocados are a bit pricey but due to Organized Crime that targets growers for extortion they have to hire security and pass on those costs to the consumers.

I usually bring an ice chest with me but at the time I loaded my car I made sure I had enough room for the two pet taxis that go on the back seat not knowing I would not be able to catch one of the cats. The reason I did not place it in the trunk is that I wanted to buy an extra large galvanized metal tub. They did not have the correct price and I did not ask as I still had to get my haircut and mostly because the employees were stocking shelves.

México has excellent prices on hair dye, toothpaste, face cream, make-up, cereal, hair products, and personal hygiene items because American brands have factories there.

$37.60 for a 3-pack of Colgate toothpaste
$1.88 USD or .63 cents each

$45.50 for a large toothpaste with a free toothbrush
$2.28 USD

Not even at Dollar Tree can you get this deal for 10 razors...

They range in price between
$21.52 to $25.00 pesos
$1.08 to 1.25 USD

Kellogg's large cereal box...

$39.90 / 2.00 USD

Herdez hot sauce is much cheaper than the one I bought at Soriana on my last visit.

$22.90 / $1.15 USD

Another item that is well priced in México is bleach. Though these are not made by Clorox they do have a factory there.

$29.90 / $1.50 USD

I needed to head to the north part of town to run more errands so I did not buy anything at Gutierrez besides I had left my reusable bags in the trunk and did not want to have to go get them. Remember if you ever go grocery shopping in Mexico you have to bring your own bags. In the north part of town, they have another Gutierrez as well as Soriana across the street from one another.

Picked up Chester and headed back to the International Bridge to come home. If you enlarge the bottom photo to the right you will see the canvas shade structure I mention above but at the smaller Bodegas Aurerra.

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.

Aunty Acid

Breaking a mental and financial barrier

I managed to get to the Courthouse Annex not as early as I would have wanted but like yesterday the weather (heat) worked in my favor. I was the only person there purchasing my 2022-2023 license tags. This year it cost $74.00.

I was so glad to see the following gasoline price both at Walmart and HEB.  It kind of breaks a mental as well as a financial barrier in my mind.

Yes, it finally went under the four-dollar mark!!!

I went to Walmart to continue with my prepping but it has taken me a long time this evening to be able to email the pictures I took to myself so I can post them here. Even though I live in a Central Time zone, my blog is set to Pacific Time to give me a bit of a cushion since I can not go online until after midnight.

I will cover my Ollie's and Walmart trip in a future blog as I do not have time to beat the Pacific Time midnight deadline this evening.

Good night. May you all have Terlingua Dreams.

Aunty Acid