My computer was hacked

Last week my computer was hacked. I had several tabs open when it started slowing down to a crawl and I thought Spectrum had gone down again. Then it locked up and started flashing and a loud recording in a woman's voice came on telling me it was Windows Defender Security Center who had blocked my PC for security reasons.

They make it seem so official but they are Internet Scammers. The only blogger I ever remember this happening to was Dizzy Dick about six or seven years ago but his was Ramsonware so he turned it off immediately and took it to a PC repair person but I don't recall what the outcome was.

I should have done the same but it did not take long after speaking to her to realize that she was a hack with a strong British accent. When they want you to check your bank account or give them your cellphone number...hang up immediately!!!

This woman allegedly named Diane said she needed this information to pass on to the FBI...yeah right! I went immediately to our local FBI Office which was very difficult to find let alone get into. The officer was very nice and knowledgeable and said it was a good thing I did not provide them with that information. He gave me an official FBI webpage where anyone can report it if it happens to them...IC3.gov

I hope your week was better than mine. It has been cool and drizzly and late this evening as well as all day tomorrow we are expecting heavy rains.

Gasoline prices continue to go down for now. It was $2.699 for a gallon of unleaded at Walmart on Friday.

Good night. May you have Terlingua Dreams.

Aunty Acid

Spectrum Service Outage

Since August we have been experiencing various service outages with our ISP, Spectrum. Usually, it involves the internet but today it is all-inclusive...cable, landline phone, and internet. I called them but they had such a long wait I opted to let them call me back on my cellphone which thankfully is with another provider.

Briefly considered going to the library but remembered that they open at 1:00 p.m. on weekends. They also have Spectrum as their ISP so it would not have done any good. Two weeks ago I went to print out some documents only to find that several of their computers were not working. I had better luck this week.

The customer service representative informed me there was a two-city-wide outage as a fiber optic cable had been cut and they were working on it. I regret not asking her what other city was involved. She also mentioned that if the outage lasted more than four hours we could get reimbursed...I thought that was funny...how much would I receive...a quarter? 😄

Ordinarily, I would not care if it involved cable. Still, today Telemundo was going to carry live El Día de los Muertos parade from Mexico City and I was looking forward to watching it. I am seeing it now but it keeps on going on and off.

It has been a while since I posted gasoline prices. I was in shock to learn what California residents are paying for theirs. We have more reasonable prices at $2.829 at HEB. I filled my tank up at Walmart for $2.819 for regular unleaded.

Aunty Acid

We went from summer to winter in 24 hours

Last week and this Saturday we had sunny skies and temperatures in the low 90's. That all changed Sunday when our first cold front arrived earlier than expected around 2:30 p.m. We had strong winds from the north and showers that lasted until noon today. This morning it was in the low 40's, which for Texans is considered COLD. 

I spent last week getting ready for the cooler weather since I can not lift more than 10 lbs per doctor's orders. I needed to run more errands but was not able to get around to it, putting it off for today. I knew better...I only mustered the strength to go outside twice and that was to feed the cats. 😺

Del Rio only has one climate-controlled storage facility and it has a waiting list. The owner called me back in July to let me know that a 10 x 5 unit had become available if I wanted it. Unfortunately, I was not able to open it, as I do not have the arm span of Victor Wembanyama. 

That particular unit is located at the entrance of the facility and while it was around 105 degrees that day it did not seem like the A/C was set at 72 to 74 degrees as I was told. I have a little more than a year's supply of food that I need to move but it has to be at a climate-controlled storage. I'm still on the waiting list but it could be months or years until one becomes available.

In the meantime, I rented a regular unit at a location closer to the house where I am putting some of the boxes I brought down from Houston. However, I need to make time to go through them and get rid of things or donate the "stuff" I no longer need.

Good night. May you all have Terlingua Dreams.

Aunty Acid

Finally...RAIN!!!

After days, weeks, and months of severe drought conditions in my little corner of southern Val Verde County...the sky opened up and gave us some much-needed liquid gold in the early morning hours of Tuesday, October 24th, as well as today. If we are lucky the rain will continue on and off for a couple more days.

My primitive rain catchment is full, and I am using all types of containers to bottle up this precious liquid.

The temperatures are still warm so the A/C has not been turned off. However, that will soon change as a cold front is expected to arrive next week.

Good night. May you all have Terlingua Dreams.

Spurs Corner

I am on pins and needles looking forward to the first Spurs game of the regular NBA season. In Del Rio, we get out local channels from San Antonio, Texas a city 144 miles east of us. Alamo City residents as well as all the residents of areas that get their programming are looking forward to this much-anticipated game and seeing Victor Wembanyama's first official game as a Spur.

Aunty Acid

Walmart Auto Service Center / Sirloin Stockade / Mr. Gatti's Pizza

I picked up an old rusted roofing nail on my right passenger side the other day and lucky for me I noticed it and even took a picture of it. I took it to the small family business shop we frequent but the guy told me that it wasn't there. How odd I thought as from prior experience I know these things don't come off easily. When I got home I looked over the tire and while the square top had come off...the nail had not...I even used a marker to pinpoint the location. How could he not see it when he took the tire off? I must say I was rather disappointed.

Last August 18, 2022, I bought new shoes for Midnight as well as road hazard, wheel balance, and rotation for the life of the tires. The service guy suggested I not only get my tire fixed but also rotate my tires at the same time...I agreed. He told me it would be at least an hour and a half before they could service my car but the way I see it, it is better to wait in an air-conditioned waiting area and not by the side of the highway waiting on a Triple-A truck to come to my aid. However, I would like to add that I absolutely 💓💓💓 my Triple-A membership and have nothing but praise for the organization and its drivers.

I must say Walmart Auto Service Center has gone high-tech since last year. They asked for my cellphone number and kept on sending me texts letting me know they had started working on my vehicle and that I could click on a link and watch it live?  I tried but I needed to have the Walmart App...if you have been following me for a while you know how I feel about Apps...👎

I walked around the store checking prices as it has been a while since I purchased food since I have at least a year stash of non-perishable items. Was glad to see many things had gone down in price. I also found new products such as Blue Bunny Soft Ice Cream. I will need to try it out but today I did not bring my ice chest with me.

It was almost two o'clock and I was starving so I headed to Sirloin Stockade (a buffet restaurant). An older couple was leaving as I was heading for the door when the gentlemen said," Sorry Honey, we were not able to keep the lights on for you". I just smiled and went inside...that is when I understood what he meant. The lights were out though there were a few people still eating.

The cashier told me they could not accept payments and were now closed. I asked if it was a rolling blackout but she said No...that their power had gone out slowly during the lunch buffet. They currently had an electrician working on it but he had to turn it all off including the A/C...that was my clue to make a beeline for the door...in Del Rio, you can not be without air conditioning.

What else was open where I could eat a buffet-style lunch that included salad, fruit, and hot soup? I knew just the place...Mr. Gatti's Pizza. My friends would be proud of me and probably not believe me if I told them I only ate two small slices of pizza but a lot of the other stuff.

It has been extremely hot this summer and we still have more days in the triple digits to look forward to.

Good night. May you all have Terlingua Dreams.

Aunty Acid

Unplanned trip to the Amistad National Recreational Area

Yesterday I was on the east side of town an area I do not often frequent. There is a loop that was opened a couple of years ago to make it easier for 18-wheelers to transit through Del Rio without actually having to go through the city. I got a wild hair and decided to check it out. Found there were more cars on it than truckers. I went over two or three bridges (CRS) that said I was crossing San Felipe Creek. I had no idea San Felipe Creek encompassed such a large area.

I was getting worried as I had no idea where I was headed until I spotted this road sign, then I knew I was close to Lake Amistad, and yet I still took the wrong turn and was headed to Sonora...😄...Lol, memories of my first years in Houston, where I constantly got lost. At least unlike my father and most men I know...I had no problem asking for directions.

My first stop was the San Pedro Campground the largest in the Amistad National Recreational Area. There was not a single person camping which made me glad...I will tell you why later.

I happened upon the "Billy Bob Tree" and it was looking sad. I even questioned if it was the same tree...but it was. Has anyone heard from him lately?

I headed to my personal favorite Governors Landing. One of these days I am actually going to spend the night here though not anytime soon with this heat.

It just breaks my heart to see the lake levels plummet every time I visit.

No people are crazy enough to be camping here either. Only the Border Patrol at the highest point of Governors Landing keeping a watchful eye.

The Highway 90 bridge...

Governors Landing has both a camping area as well as a public area where people can come fish or have a picnic. Lots of folks here though I did not take pictures of them.

The public picnic area...

A trail that leads to the water. Apart from my fear of snakes, it was hard to walk on so I did not go very far. To think that only a few years ago this was all under water.

Now to get back to why I was happy that there was no one camping at either campground. As I have mentioned many times I follow the vlogs of several vandwellers, especially those that spend time in Quartzsite, Arizona, and/or New Mexico on YouTube.

I am not going to give names but there is a dangerous situation happening where two bloggers, each in their own vehicles, that have chosen to stay in Arizona during this dangerous heat. There is no reason for this...they could have moved to higher levels...even CVK who has a homestead at 7,000 feet as well as his friends have left for a cooler location.

I don't often read comments but I did, to try to figure out the reason behind this lunacy. Apparently one of the parties feels she owes the other something for taking her to the airport and looking after her van while she flew back home.

If you want to help your friend work on their van build why not do so somewhere else and not where you are putting your life at risk?  Many have commented how her organs could shut down at the insane daily temperatures where it does not even cool down at night.

Many of her readers including myself would not mind pitching in gas money or even a stay at a nearby hotel but she does not want to. I had to unsubscribe from her channel. I have enough worries of my own to take on additional ones.

Good night. May you all have Terlingua Dreams.

Auntie Acid

Running errands all over town

I had a lot of errands to run today that I had been putting off due to my plumbing problems. I went to the Post Office to pick up our mail. I am curious to know how many times I have opted out of getting AARP's bi-monthly magazine as well as their monthly Bulletin. However, this month's issue appears interesting.

I have been carrying around my recyclables in the trunk and remembering the Center is open till noon on Saturday headed there. This year a second Dollar Tree opened its doors. Two months ago as I was headed east of Highway 90 was surprised to see that another one along with a Family Dollar next to it (they are owned by the same corporation) was being built. Decided to go check it out since I was already on that side of town but it is still not completed.

I went to Walmart Optical to get my eyeglasses adjusted. The A/C was nice and cool and for once did not mind waiting. However, as my luck goes they were done in no time. I went to check the price of their galvanized trash cans. I need to look back on prior pictures but it appears they went up by five bucks though I could be wrong.

Their River tubes were on sale.

Many vandwellers that I follow on YouTube refill their gallon jugs at Walmart. Their prices have increased from .29 to .36 cents a gallon but it is still a good deal.

I decided to have an early dinner and stopped at Wendy's to try their Summer Strawberry salad. It was delicious as well as their unsweetened iced tea.

In a prior post earlier this month, I posted an Auntie Acid meme where she questions if she is getting older or were stores now playing really good music? Well, that happened to me today as I ate my salad. I was bobbing my head and moving to the music. I was not the only one, the lady at the table behind me was singing along and a gentleman about my age was more discreetly dancing in place.

It is now 6:40 p.m. It is 105 with a feel-like temperature of 110 degrees. I am so looking forward to fall weather though I know it will be a while.

Good night. May you all have Terlingua Dreams.

Auntie Acid

I am done with Angi

I can not believe my bad luck when hiring people for a simple one-time job such as the services of a plumber. In my last post, I mentioned that I had booked the services of Angi.  Angi formerly known as Angi's List and bought by its competitor HomeAdvisor, renaming the merged company to ANGI Homeservices, retaining Angi's List ticker symbol and stock history.

The reason I went with them, to begin with, is that they supposedly stand behind the work of the service provider in case something does not go as planned. My first appointment was supposed to be on Friday, August 4th at 10:00 a.m. It was canceled as they claimed that all slots were booked.  It is my opinion that they did not have a Del Rio plumber and were bringing one from out of town.

After waiting for four additional days their plumber did not even show up or have the courtesy to call and inform me. This is unacceptable and I will NEVER do business with them.

I called their service center only to be told by their AI service that I needed to download their App or use their Live Chat.  If you try to download their App you will be amazed at how badly they are rated. They have gone downhill since it was Angi's List.

The best their Chat person could tell me was to give them a chance and they would probably arrive later!

I later got an email asking me to rate that person and the name that showed up on my screen did not even match the name of the person. I am so glad I took screenshots of that conversation.

Your booking was rescheduled.

Hi Belinda, Unfortunately, we could not find a professional to complete your Faucets, Fixtures and Pipes - Repair or Replace service at your chosen date and time. We apologize for this inconvenience as we know your time is valuable. We have rescheduled your booking to the time below.

New Booking Details: Faucets, Fixtures and Pipes - Repair or Replace

Tuesday, August 8, 2023 at 3:00pm

Plumbing Problems / Angi

It has been hot as hell this summer with no relief in sight. I run errands early in the morning and try to get home as soon as possible before the oppressive heat of the day. At least that was the case until yesterday. All of a sudden a leak developed in the kitchen sink and even though I have a water meter key to shut it off at the meter as well as the faucet keys under the sink it continued to leak.

I had to go to pick up our mail at the post office so I timed how long it would take to fill a container and the back-up bucket. I made it back in 30 minutes just in time. This had happened to me before but after two days finally quit leaking. This is what happens when you procrastinate and do not address the problem when you should.

I have been to the City of Del Rio Water Dept. twice asking them to come fix the meter. While they have come out my issue has not been resolved and I am not the only one. People are complaining about their high water bills. I suppose I should be glad our bill has only reached $100.00 and not $700.00 like other people.

The city is tearing up streets and upgrading the water lines which is good but at the same time, there is a shortage of personnel to address other issues.

I have used Angi once before when the neighbor's tree fell on my driveway and I could not go to Houston to take care of the problem. It was expensive but well worth it. I was Googling Plumbers in Del Rio as I did not want to use the one we have used in the past. Though it is rated one of the three best, it has gone downhill since the widow of the owner put her young incompetent nephew in charge.

With my poor record of hiring people in particular in the lawn care sector, I did not want to mess up on this and decided to use Angi. Unfortunately, they did not have any available slots for today or the early morning hours tomorrow. It came to $400.50 you pay Angi and they pay the provider. I had questions so I called the main line but all I got was a message telling me to download their App. I hate Apps...I wanted to talk to a live person!

I hope I do not have to spend another sleepless night monitoring the water bucket level as I have been so tired lately.

Good night. May you all have Terlingua Dreams.

Aunty Acid

San Felipe Lions Park

Most days I get up early to feed the cats and then start the never-ending task of doing yard work before the sun and the heat make it unbearable. I am glad I drugged to the curb most of the pesky mesquite branches I have trimmed but not had an opportunity to move to the pile. I say that I am glad because yesterday they finally came to take them away after over a month.

I had to run errands in town yesterday and before coming home decided to go by San Felipe Lions Park to see what the flow rate of San Felipe Creek was.

There were a few people there but no one was swimming. The creek flow was very poor.

It looked more like a pool than a creek.

The houses in the background are personal residences and have private access to the creek from their properties. They have signs on their property to that effect.

Even though we have had rain this year, the faucet has been turned off and we are once again experiencing drought conditions and the creek flow is testament to that.

San Felipe Lions Park is where Mayor Dora Alcalá Hike and Bike Trail begins. Though with this heat I did not see a single hiker or biker.

I do not know on what day we are of triple-digit temperatures in the Del Rio area as we get our news channels from San Antonio and they focus on that city.

This evening at 10:18 p.m. per KENS-5...Del Rio was sitting at 97 degrees.

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.

HEB / Dr.'s Appt. / Heat from Hell

I had a lot of errands to run today so obviously I barely got a wink of sleep. I was at HEB before 8:00 a.m. glad that the store and the parking lot were partially empty. No screaming kids or people blocking the aisles while chatting with their friends as though they could not call them from the phone that is glued to their hand. Only us older folks at this early morning hour (at least early for me).

Their strawberries looked tempting but I did not buy them. Avocados went up in price...I love them so much I purchased them anyway. 😊

$3.48 divided by 6 = .58 cents each

They had these huge avocados for $2.25 each.

A two pound package of Cooked Ham finally went down in price...

You will have to hear me whine again...there was only ONE 12-pack of White Claw Hard Seltzer - Black Cherry. What is going on...why the shortage? 

They only had the variety pack and Watermelon...at least it was not Mango flavor 😝

I almost broke down and bought a slice of red velvet cake but I was not about to pay $3.68 for something I used to purchase for $1.98.

Their 53" River Tube is cheaper and safer that the raft I found at Walmart last month. If I had someone to go tubing with, I would have purchased it.

Gasoline is once again on the rise. I was almost at half a tank because it has just been so hot to stop to fill up in the afternoon. It has been a long time since Diesel was cheaper than Unleaded gasoline.

A couple of years back I documented how the store employees fed some homeless cats. Today there were no cats but plenty of birds though by the time I took the picture they had flown away.

This afternoon I went for my follow up appointment with my Doctor that was cancelled in May. I was the last person to leave their office. I have not yet decided if I will get my labs tomorrow or next week.

We have been experiencing hellish temperatures and they will continue for a while.

I am sorry for my readers that live in Arizona and Nevada as this Sunday they will be breaking records that have stood since they began to keep them.

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.