New Eye Doctor / Ollie's

I mentioned last November that I had ordered new eyeglasses and went for the third time to have them adjusted only to be told that the Optometrist was unexpectedly retiring and moving out of town while only giving his staff and patients a two-week notice.

I have a great doctor who is always on top of my health needs urging me to go to the dentist, eye doctor, getting a mammogram, bone density test, pap smear, etc., etc., things women my age need to address before they become a problem. I asked for a referral to an Optometrist...one was the Betty Boop-hating optometrist that I have mentioned on this blog before or an eye doctor from a San Antonio practice that has a branch in Del Rio, as a bonus, he also resides here. Who do you think I chose?

If you guessed the San Antonio Optometrist you would be correct!  I really liked him and he has an uncanny resemblance to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy...whom I hold in high esteem. 😊

I have put off going to have my eyeglass prescription filled as I hurt my shoulder doing yard work. I have for well over a week been in excruciating pain but was afraid to go to the doctor and then be funneled to physical therapy when the Chili Cook-Off is only a couple of weeks away...nothing is messing with my Terlingua trip this year...I repeat...NOTHING!!! If that means car camping since I will not be able to set up my tent as pounding stakes to the ground would not be a good idea...so be it.

Got an email this afternoon that I had a prescription ready for pick-up at my HEB Pharmacy. When I got there the drive-thru was limited to only one lane with a long line, so I decided to bite the bullet and go inside. I am so proud of myself as I fought against my demons and did not go shopping.

I headed to Walmart and ordered new eyeglasses and once again fought the need to go shopping and headed instead to Ollie's to use my one-time 15 percent off coupon on the entire purchase of my cart.

I am enamored with the shoe trays they sell at Ollie's as I have found so many uses for them besides their original use. I purchased four today as well as body lotion, rubber grip slim hangers, and liquid hand soap.

Afterward, I headed to the Post Office to pick up our mail only to be surprised that there were no cars there or at the Federal Courthouse across the street.  I had no idea that today was a Federal Holiday...Columbus Day! 

I pride myself on being a "news junkie" but this past week I have disconnected from the world due to my shoulder injury.

With fuel prices on the rise, I was surprised to see that unleaded gasoline had gone down .04 cents to $3.15 for regular unlead and $4.59 for Diesel. I apologize for the poor picture quality.

Usually, Walmart has the lowest price in town but that was not the case today...except for Diesel fuel...Murphy USA was .30 cents cheaper than at HEB.

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

Unplanned shopping spree...

I had not had a chance to check my e-mails until this afternoon when I found one from HEB Pharmacy letting me know I had prescriptions ready to be picked up. I had every intention of using the drive-thru window but when I arrived it was a mile long...so I decided to go inside.

That was a BIG MISTAKE that ended up costing me $87.63 that I had not planned on spending. I have no one to blame but my curiosity as I wanted to see if the items I normally purchase had gone up in price...I confirmed that they had NOT. Not being satisfied with said confirmation...I decided I would purchase those same items...to beat the future price increase!

My pre-packaged salads...

Serranos and garlic...

Jumbo Turkey Franks...

Hormel Chili to go with my turkey franks...

HEB brand Beef Stew...

Large eggs - 18 count

The mistake I always make...I went on an empty stomach...my sugar levels must have been low.  To compensate I bought lots of cookies and pastries.

While I did not purchase Egg Nog...it made me think of Penelope so I will include the price...

While I have plenty of toilet paper I decided to purchase the HEB brand which is pretty good and less expensive than Charmin.

I bought lots of can goods which are cheaper at this time of the year like corn, french cut green beans, peas, mixed vegetables at .50 cents each.  I also purchased canned soups, menudo, chips, hot sauce, and HEB brand zero-calorie cola which I got for free by purchasing HEB low salt Fritos that also go perfect with chili and that in Texas we call Frito pie.

I was glad to find that avocados were still selling for .78 each so I purchased four as they were just ripe enough and would make my salads more palatable.

I normally do not buy bacon and after looking at the price I don't think I ever will...

It continues to be warmer than usual for this time of the year...

I apologize for photobombing you this evening. 😁

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.

Aunty Acid

A new type of doctor's appointment / Prescriptions / Back to Salads

I had canceled my doctor's appointment back in May and re-scheduled it for today. After much thought, I decided to cancel it first thing Monday so I would not be charged for not giving 24-hour notice. The scheduling clerk asked why I was canceling and I told her about the jerk with Coronavirus symptoms that I was standing in line behind a couple of weeks ago when I went to drop off some documents for my doctor and how it freaked me out.

She thought I might be interested in a telephone visit instead. I told her I had no idea how to do that on a cellphone. All I knew was how to Skype from my computer and I was not interested in that either. She said no...he will call you at home and you can talk on a regular phone. Loved the idea and decided to give it a try.

His nurse called me 30 minutes before to make sure I would be able to take his call and to confirm my medications. I really enjoyed this kind of doctor's visit from the safety of my house and wearing my pajamas. My telephone appointment lasted for 25 minutes.

I have a confession to make, I told the doctor a little white lie...he asked if I knew how much I weighed...I stated that I did not (OK, no shaming allowed).  Asked if I felt I had lost, gained, or remained the same weight wise...I was honest and said I felt I had gained weight.

I was hoping to get off one medication but instead came away with another prescription. I figured HEB would not fill it until tomorrow but got an e-mail a couple of hours later that this medication was ready. Since I had others that I had not picked up yet headed to HEB's pharmacy.

I can not believe that I have not had a salad in two or is it three weeks? Rectified that and bought spinach, garden salad blend, mini carrots, grape tomatoes, avocados, cantaloupe, and bananas.

Mini carrots and grape tomatoes...

This photo is for JudithK...if it will make you feel any better they are as hard as a rock and it will be a while until I can incorporate them into my salads.

Cantaloupes...

Have gotten a little tired of Nido Powdered milk on my breakfast cereal so bought a gallon of 1% Lowfat Milk. Since everything can not be healthy I also bought a slice of carrot cake!

I was surprised to see a well-stocked selection of both disposable as well as cloth face masks and an ample supply of hand sanitizer. So if you need some...head to your local HEB.

I apologize for the poor quality of the picture
as there were people waiting for me to
move on so they could buy these products.

What also surprised me was that you were allowed to buy up to 10 sanitizers.

We had a low of 77 and a high of 105 degrees. There is no probability of precipitation in the foreseeable future so if your city is getting rain you are very fortunate.

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.


Aunty Acid Saying of the Day

Why the price disparity?

Last week I went for my six-month check-up.  My labs had good as well as bad news. The good news is my glucose levels were normal, the not so good was that my cholesterol was high but not outrageously high that she would consider putting me back on Statins.

In between visits I have to keep track of my daily blood pressure readings which sometimes are normal and other times not so much even though I take two daily doses of my medication. High blood pressure runs in both sides of my family so I am resigned to the idea that I will have to be on BP medication for the rest of my life.

I have mentioned in prior blog posts that even though HEB has lower grocery prices than Walmart, Del Rio has had a population explosion and it is always packed.  I much prefer to shop at Walmart and avoid the crowds.  With that in mind, I changed my pharmacy preference to the latter.

When I went to pick-up my medication I got a shock. The clerk said it would be $145.87, I told her there had to be a mistake as I paid $16,30 for the same medication and quantity at HEB.  She sent me to another line where they confirmed the amount saying that my medication was not in the $10 or $20 dollar formulary.

Went to HEB where it was in their affordable formulary and while it had gone up since the last refill it only cost me $20.60.  Anytime I can save $125.27 I will gladly brave the crowds and you will not hear a peep out of me.

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.

Expensive medication / Spurs rose colored glasses

It has been in the 90's for the past couple of days. Have not turned on the A/C because mother has been coughing and I do not want her to get sick.  At night I open the windows and close them in the morning so the house stays cool.  It helps that we have several shade trees and strong winds that do not seem to want to subside.

Got up early so I could go pick up some medication at HEB. Last week the doctor ordered an eye ointment but insurance would not pay for it, asked how much it would cost if she paid for it...$240.00 he said...called the eye doctor back and asked him if he could prescribe a more affordable medication.  He did so Thursday and HEB never filled it. Today I went to see why and the pharmacist said she could have it ready in an hour and a half.

Not wanting to have to drive back to town went to have breakfast at Chik-Fil-A and took advantage of their free WI-FI.as I killed time. The first and only time I have been to this fast food chain was twenty years ago in Houston.  I had no idea they had a children entertainment area like McDonald's. There were a lot of screaming kids, do not think I will be back unless I use the drive-thru window.

Gasoline prices have gone down some. Stripes was selling regular unleaded for $2.04 per gallon if you paid with their credit card or $2.07 if you paid with cash or another credit card.

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.


Spurs Corner

I am so sick and tired of national media disrespecting the Spurs.  All I heard after the game Thursday night and all day Friday had to do with Harden. Not a single sports show or sports analyst gave the Spurs any credit for having won without two key players and on the road.

No one is giving us any chance in this series against the Golden State Warriors.  I beg to differ and think we have a good chance. I may be accused of having Spurs rose colored glasses but I take the Spurs in 7.

Wine and Beer tasting at HEB

Noticed that the temperature inside the house was on the warm side.  Went to check the thermostat and it was 84 degrees when I had it set on 78.  Then this little thing was flashing at me and I had no idea why.  This A/C unit is only 2 years old so I did not expect it to break down so soon :-(

Called the A/C people and the lady told me that the flashing light was to alert me that the batteries on the thermostat were low.  She told me to just yank off the cover and replace the batteries...glad I did not do that!  After I got my step stool saw that there was a battery compartment that I could not see since I am short....see why I need a tall weathered cowboy?

Put in fresh batteries of two different brands but nothing worked so called her back and asked her to send me a technician.  They told me it would be late in the afternoon before they could get to me but they made it sooner and it was the actual owner and his worker.  A part will have to be ordered and wont arrive until Wednesday but they fixed it so that we still have a working A/C.

Needed to go pick up a prescription at HEB Pharmacy and was dreading it since it was Friday afternoon and the start of the Labor Day weekend.  Was pleasantly surprised to find only one person in line but as my luck would have it...it was one of mother's chatty friends!  Oh well...

On two separate occasions I have seen a wine and Frio Light beer (HEB's house brand) tasting set-up but was too busy to stop.  Today I decided a taste sample was in order.  Don't for a minute think that you get a nice glass of wine...it is a little plastic cup the size of a ketchup paper container at a fast food chain but smaller.

The wine was a red California table wine called Plush and quite good.  I bought a bottle for steak night in Terlingua.  I had to ask her if I could also sample some Frio Light which she took out of some cold compartment which made it taste better.  What beer does not taste good cold?  Think I need at least a six pack before I can give a fair review.  If some HEB executive is googling Frio Light reviews...I could use a couple of cases of complimentary beer for the Terlingua Chili Cook-off.  Drop me an e-mail at terlinguadreams@gmail.com

I told her it tasted a bit like Keystone Light.  She told me samplers had mentioned that it tasted like Natural Light, Keystone Light and even Coors Light..........BLASPHEMY!!!!  I had to correct her on the spot that it did NOT taste like Coors Light! 

As you know my beer of choice is Coors Light but if finances are low I will go with the more budget friendly Natural Light for my trips to Southern Brewster County which is only two months away :D

Cyber Journal Note:

Mother's neighbor Joe mowed along the outside fence line and I thanked him.  Said it benefits both of us as he also parks his cars there.  Real sweet guy.

For the love of Betty

My back is feeling much better so decided to take advantage of that and drive to town to pick up Mom's medication.  I like to go early to avoid the long afternoon lines at the pharmacy.  Lucky for me there was only one person in front of me.  When I was signing for the medicine the lady clerk said, "So you like her too!"

I had no idea what she was talking about and I guess the blank look on my face said as much.  She said "you like Betty Boop! "  Then I knew what she meant because I was wearing my Betty Boop t-shirt and had my Betty Boop purse with me :)

She was wearing a white zipped smock and she unzipped it so I could see her Betty Boop shirt!  Lol...I guess there are lots of us that are crazy about this cute doll!  I had never seen the design she was wearing before...so I asked her where she had purchased it and she said online.  Need to go check it out before they start charging tax for online purchases...I am not too happy about that :-(

What I am happy about is that gas prices have been going down.

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.

Old Memories / Flaming Bird

The winds began blowing around 3:00 a.m. and they blew with a vengeance.  Today we had a lot of errands to run so was glad that by noon they had subsided.  Other than that it was a beautiful sunny day.

Today we passed by the street we first lived when we moved to Del Rio and it brought a lot of memories for us both.  The house is no longer there as a matter of fact none of the houses in the side of the street we lived on are there.  Nothing but vacant lots.

As I was in line at the HEB pharmacy got a whiff from one of the grocery carts of another person also in line.  He was raving about the "flaming bird" special so had to go to the Deli to check it out :-)

It must of made other people in line hungry as well...as I spotted two others...jajajajaja :D   It really was delicious and came with grilled onions and jalapenos.  It is on special this week for $4.00.  It was enough for mother and I and we still have the other half for another meal.

I am navigating between two browsers but it's getting better.  The gasoline prices have remained steady and hopefully will continue that way.

Wanted to welcome Sue Castle to the blog roll.  Your readership is very much appreciated.

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.