Saharan Dust

I don't know how it is where you are, but over the last 2 weeks or so we have been getting warnings of the cloud of Saharan Desert dust that is headed our way. This is a yearly occurrence here.  It comes right after the smoke from fires burning the landscape down in Mexico.  This year I didn't smell any smoke or suffer the usual effects.  However, they warnings for the impending dust cloud (Am I racist is I say African dust?) was that it was supposed to be worse this year.  Well it rolled in sometime Friday evening.  I didn't really see it as I stayed inside most of the day.  But I started getting a scratchy throat and headache.  Ever since then I have ventured out only to set out our can for trash collection and water my puny tomato and pepper plants plus several philodendrons that we cut out of and over grown pot and replanted.  That's maybe three times.  It seems to have paid off as the effects have lessened.  They say the dust will begin to lessen some today, but just for the day.  How do they know this stuff?  Oh Yeah, science.  

Saturday evening I got an emergency notification on my phone but the wife didn't.  It seems the mayor of the rat hole south of us is panicking about the rise in cases of the China flu.  Of course that set all the social media sites aflame with every type.  Starting today I am getting off most all social media and avoid all the craziness.  The mayor never lifted a finger about all the protests and gatherings of the sort 2-3 weeks ago but wanted the governor to give them authority to arrest and/or fine those that wouldn't wear a mask or social distance etc.  I wonder how many of those that were near those gatherings are part of those numbers.  They claim those catching the flu are now the age group of those that gathered.  So they really aren't invincible.  You should have seen the photos of the rivers near here that are popular with tubers over Memorial Day.  I probably could have crossed the river without getting wet by using them as support.  It was crazy.  Pictures from Padre Island were standing room only and that's huge beach, mile after mile of open beach. Weekends, the beach is to be avoided.  Their hypocrisy knows know limits.

I have a rather long list of things I need from Home Depot.  I guess those will wait a bit.  At least until the dust is settled-see what I did there?  

Happy Trails

Tuesday Update

Today will be a bit of a busy day.  The fridge repair guy will return with the new part and we will finally have it back to normal.  We have done OK without the icemaker/water dispenser, it's just a little inconvenient to have to rely on bottles of water and bags of ice.  They take up a lot of room and we have to move things around to find what we are looking for.  I drink a lot of water and sometimes I forget to replace the bottles I have used and then I am without my cold water.  We also have the pest control coming out for his quarterly visit.  I am not sure how good his spray will work outside since we are currently having a small thunderstorm and a good amount of rain.  At least I can get him inside, which he didn't do on his last visit due to the health restrictions they are under from the chinaman kung flu.  

We will get the baby today and she will stay a day or two.  That will be decided during her stay, how long she is here.  Their dog is sick again.  He was very sick the last time she was here.  We kept her because she won't leave him alone and he just didn't feel good at all.  She lays all over him and tries to play with him.  They are best buds, except he is miserable right now and needs a break.  They have really hit a rough patch here lately.  Things breaking down, sick dog, sick baby, car issues and it all hits their small income pretty hard which just compounds things.  We help out when they let us and it is hard to see them struggle with these things along with all the bad news in the world.  It takes it's toll on a young family.  We know very well how it is and brings back some not so pleasant memories for us.  I try to keep the 'fatherly' advice down as much as possible.  In fact, no advice has been given, I know that it can always be worse and try to stay positive and not interfere.

The weather here will be somewhat stormy over the rest of the week.  We had hoped to head down to Padre Island for a day drip and just sit on the beach for a couple hours and take the kids with us if they could get away.  They could use the break too.  But with inclement weather predicted we will not go and take a look at weather conditions for  next week.  I will need to look for something to keep the sun off of us for a few hours while we are there.  We all have some pretty fair skin and need to avoid the burns we can get down there.

Hope y'all had a great Father's Day and are avoiding the kung flu.  It has hit closer to home here lately.  We are on our guard for that as much as I hate it.

Happy Trails

It's Always Something Else

Finally got the repairman to come out and take a look at the fridge this past Monday.  I had attempted replacing one of the water lines that had sprung a hole and would spray water every time the ice maker would fill or use the water dispenser in the door.  Fairly easy except for having to get the old bones down on the ground to install one end of it.  Well I couldn't get it in far enough to stop it from leaking at the fitting.  So the expert takes a look and can tell right away there is something wrong with the part that the hose fit in to and that is why it won't stop leaking.  Now we are waiting on that part that they had trouble finding.  It is coming from Indianapolis.  They will call when it comes in.  So my simple repair will be come somewhat more expensive.  SMH.

I  did get the garage straightened up anyway and got the old fridge hauled off.  I found a guy I have used a few times now to haul off old appliances/BBQ Pits and he charges nothing.  I give him a 20$ for gas anyway, but he even refused that one time.  He and I really hit it off and we stood around and flapped our jaws for an hour.  That's practically unheard of for me.  When he showed up the first thing he said was that, "I see you more than I do my own relatives."  I told him that I probably treated him better.  We are both the same age and have practically identical outlooks.  That's rare.  I consider him a friend.  Just an all around great guy.

I have been making a few touch up repairs to spots on the siding.  I need to make some more and get some matching paint to cover those up.  Shopping and comparing paints and reviews of paint has occupied some time.  I will go with another brand than I have used in the past.  It seems the one I have decide on gives a lifetime guarantee if applied to a properly prepared surface.  Well I think I can do that.  It's very spendy at 80$/gal.  But if it works better than what I have now, I don't mind paying the price.  I will get one gallon and it should cover most all of two walls that get the worst sun exposure etc.  That should delay me having to hire a painter for a few more years and put my mind at ease about the bad spots.

We hope to take a little day trip today to get out of the house and see something other than each other.  We considered heading down to Padre Island but I can't get any updated info on beach driving conditions.  So now I think a short trip into the Hill Country will happen.

Happy Trails   

Late Post for Tuesday

It's Tuesday afternoon here.  I am just relaxing a bit after tackling the clean up I had planned for the garage.  I needed to get some things squared away since I was planning on calling the refrigerator repair guy for the old one I have in there.  I wanted to see if it was worth fixing or getting it hauled off.  Apparently it's going to get hauled off.  The labor alone was going to be 350$ before they even knew what all was wrong.  They were assuming the compressor from what I told them over the phone.  Not gonna happen.  It was a cheap garage sale fridge and an old one at that.  It had trouble cooling things down anyway for the year I had it prior.  But I will still get them out to fix our main fridge.  I replaced the water line that feeds the icemaker and water dispenser.  However I could never get it to quit leaking at one of the fittings.  In fact, it would blow the hose out of the fitting when I turned the water on.  So hopefully they can get that squared away and we can have ice once again instead of buying bags of ice every week.  This has been going on since late March or April.  It will be good to have ready made ice and cold water once again.

I have been pretty busy around here over the last month or so.  Trying to upgrade things and repair/paint others.  There is still much to be done if I look long enough.  However it is getting hot for outside things and garage things.  So those will wait other than the regular yard work.  In fact they are predicting our first triple digit day today.  Previously they had said a high of 106, but have reduced that several times over the approaching days.  That would be a record for this time of year.  From what I see on my weather station thing is 92 at 2:00 PM.  It may not get to 100 from my experience.  I hope it doesn't.  I am nursing some late planted tomato plants and some bell peppers.  High heat would just about kill my chances for tomatoes.  I had not planned on putting any in the ground this year.  But someone gave me a couple plants and bell pepper and basil to plant.  So I got them in the ground even thought they were more than a month late.  We shall see what happens.  

Now I need to go call my guy to haul off this old fridge.  

Happy Trails

I Got Nothing...Maybe a Little Tomorrow

Seriously....

I'll work on something for tomorrow....maybe.

Happy Trails

Back On Line

I see that Blogger is going to try a new interface.  I guess I will need to learn that now.  I am actually trying it today.  Things look a little different and I had trouble finding how to start a new post.  I could see all my previous posts but the 'create new post' wasn't where it used to be.  Obviously I found it after a few.

The Man Cave is mostly finished.  All the paint and flooring is completed along with the new/used desk in place.  Still need to refinish the old leather work desk.  It's been sanded and will soon get some new paint.  I will need to put some quarter round down to finish the flooring but that will need to wait.  I was wanting to get all the junk that I moved out of there back in.  It was all over the house and was starting to annoy me.  I have most of it back in although most is in boxes waiting to be sorted and either put in it's new place or disposed of.  I have a lot of old PC cables I have held on to that will get tossed along with other junk.  I still have too much and should just toss it all.  Once all that is put away then I will have to figure out what goes on the walls.  That will change quite a bit.  I have a several certificates from various things that will not go back up.  Any art work will be Western or Texas oriented with more family photos that are stored away.  I am not in a hurry for that as I am enjoying the clean fresh painted walls.  Here are a few pics of how this all happened.

It seems every one has gone nuts with this latest police involved death (George Floyd).  I have kept to myself as far as social media is concerned.  It seems everyone wants to be first to comment on their take on what happened and what should happen.  Even before they actually have all the facts.  It happens every time on social media and then they find out they didn't know all the details.  Social media IMO is the tool that is used in dividing this country than most anything. (But that's another story).   This case seems more cut a dried and there is little doubt about what has happened.  But I also see the rioting as having another motive than justice or simple protests.  It's an opportunity to divide us even more.  I truly believe there is someone funding a lot of these 'protesters' that we would never have heard from otherwise, just like the antifa bunch.  Their warped view of justice isn't helping anything at all.  It's just pure lunacy.  Other than this small paragraph I have taken the stance of following these words found in scripture: "swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger."  It would help a lot if we all did this.  But now I hear that those rioters are going to move into neighborhoods next.  They are pushing their luck and will get whats coming to them if they pick the wrong one.  

'K' is doing better finally.  She had to get a second round of antibiotics and it has played havoc with her system too.  But she is better and seems like her self these.  That has allowed us to have the Grandbaby to stay a few days starting today.  That lifts our spirits more than anything else.  We haven't seen her in almost three weeks except on facetime and this was much needed.  What a blessing this little one has been.  Especially with all we have been through this past year.  She has been the bright light in a very dark time for us.  Prayerful thanks are always given.

Happy Trails