Queen of Procrastination / More affected than I thought

The heat has been oppressive we had a high of 105 a low of 78 with a heat index of 107. These temperatures are making me even lazier than I already am.  I had every intention of raking those pesky mesquite pods this morning but waited too long to get started.

The same could be said for removing the old license tags from the windshield and installing the new one.  Have I mentioned that I am the Queen of Procrastination?  Well, it was obviously too hot to do that so I am OK with not installing it and if I get pulled over I can always show them the tags.

I needed to make a grocery run but to be perfectly honest I was a little afraid.  Briefly considered going to Walmart but quickly ruled it out, it may be a while before I get the nerve to walk into one.

My favorite go-to store is "Little HEB" as it is less crowded than the main one.  However, my thoughts went to the fact that it is way too small and in case something happened there really is no place to hide.  I have never in my life had these thoughts of self-preservation. 

Headed to the main HEB instead and quickly picked up what I needed and left.  I do not know what I was expecting but I looked for new security measures or guards but there were none. I had no idea how much the mass shooting in El Paso had actually affected my psyche.

This evening around 9:30 p.m.  I heard these two loud booms and knew is was the worthless step-son of Mr. Joe.  Ran to my room to find my robe so I could go outside and when I opened the door two more booms went off and I SCREAMED!!!  I think it took him by surprise and either it was the last of his 4th of July stash of fireworks or he decided to quit for the night.  If anything happens to us please be sure to tell the authorities that HE is suspect #1.  The guy is not all there and definitively has mental, emotional and alcohol issues.

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.

September 2018 trip to Ciudad Acuña, Coahuila - México

I was finally able to make a grocery run to Ciudad Acuña yesterday.  When you cross Mexican Customs you go through an automated line that flashes green or red.  If you get a red light the buzzer sounds and you have to go to a second inspection.  I think this is only the second time I have ever had to be searched.

Currently, it is not the Customs Agents who do the inspections but rather Mexican soldiers.  He asked me if I had anything to declare and I said I had an ice chest in the trunk. He looked at the empty ice chest as he brought the drug-sniffing dog around who did not seem interested in my car.  The young man was very respectful and quickly sent me on my way.

They are building a new state of the art Customs Facility and much progress has been made since the last time I was here. Due to the construction, there are a lot of detours and if you are like myself that needs to go down the main entrance into Acuña to find your way around, you might end up getting lost.

Here were Wednesday's exchange rates so you can see what the price would be in regards to its US dollar equivalent...

Compra = Buy ------->  you purchase $17.90 Mexican Pesos per $1.00 US dollar

Venta = Sell  ----------> you purchase $1.00 US dollar for $18.60 Mexican Pesos


Typically Exchange Houses have more favorable rates than banks that is why if you Google yesterday's exchange rates they will be higher than those featured above.

Started my shopping spree at Bodegas Aurrera.  Here they have a 12-pack of Bud Light on sale for $99.00 Pesos ( 99.00 divided by 17.90 equals $5.53 USD).  You have to take into account that you have to pay additional Texas Alcohol taxes in order to bring it back to the USA. 

They also had a good price on bottled water...the US equivalent of $1.25

My next stop was Soriana's. I like this store because it does not have large crowds and has fresh fruits and vegetables.

I bought a bottle of Kahlua for $149.00 Mexican Pesos...$8.32 USD plus $3.75 Texas State Liquor Tax for a final price of $12.07 USD.

El Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) is just around the corner.  Pan de Muerto is a very popular bread made during this holiday and Mom wanted me to buy her some so I obliged.

The return home was a breeze and only a three-minute wait.

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.

We end the month with some much needed liquid gold

Woke up to thunder, lightning and strong winds, turned to look at the alarm clock and it was 6:15 a.m. The thunder and lightning were pretty intense so decided to turn off my electric strip which powers the computer, TV, and internet.

I was a little disappointed that I was not hearing the sounds of rain hitting the roof but after 20 minutes I was rewarded as it came down in heavy sheets.  Went to check for leaks in the kitchen and as I looked out the window noticed that two of my rain barrels (garbage cans) had been blown from their designated location because I forgot to weigh them down with gallon milk jugs.

I was not a happy camper as I was missing out on lots of gallons of the precious liquid but I could not go out in an electric storm to retrieve them.  After the lighting ceased I did go out and put them in place and I now have a full rain catchment system.

Of course, there is always a hitch, I had the kitchen door open as I was putting out more 5-gallon buckets when Paquito spotted it and ran inside followed by Otis and Katia who have never been in the house before.

Otis and Paquito were easy to round up but Katia for some reason is super afraid of me though I have no idea why.  Mom was asleep and she is not a fan of pets inside the house not to mention her allergies to pet dander.  Katia finally came out on her own but she took her sweet time doing so.

This evening KSAT12 reported we received 1.02 inches of much-needed rain. Now I do not have to get up early in the morning to water the trees in order to beat the heat...yeah!!!

Tomorrow we will be back in the three digit range so I took the opportunity to go grocery shopping in these cooler temperatures.

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.