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And damn if Texas didn't turn blue.
Saving the puppies
Nov. 3rd, 2026 16:33Got two more today. I drove about 2 and a half hours each way to pick up these two:
They were going to be put down in a couple of days and a small group got together and found our shelter and I met them halfway to bring them to us. They will be adopted very soon I suspect. Both are very sweet.
They were going to be put down in a couple of days and a small group got together and found our shelter and I met them halfway to bring them to us. They will be adopted very soon I suspect. Both are very sweet.
There and back again
Oct. 30th, 2026 16:13It was pouring rain the entire drive back so I'm more tired than I would be usually after a four hour drive. But at least we made it through with very little traffic and no incidents with our car or anyone elses.
But I'm definitely tired and ready for a nothing day tomorrow.
But I'm definitely tired and ready for a nothing day tomorrow.
Last day already
Oct. 29th, 2026 09:21I took the dogs for a nice morning walk on the beach today. They loved it. There are some steep steps to get back up where our room is from the beach and as I was helping Beaux up the steps he kind of slid back and out of his harness. Not too big of a deal. He's not the running off type. Unless there is a guy running down the beach with his off leash dog who clearly would like to have another dog run after them.
Now Beaux has legs that are less than six inches long. And they are maybe deformed or at least "basset hound shaped". But damn if he didn't run after this full sized dog and scare him so he started running faster and Beaux after him obviously enjoying the run. And me after all three of them with Toby in tow on his leash. I was trying not to laugh. The other dog was startled and more tcomhan a little concerned that this, whatever it is, was catching up, and the guy yelling back "put your fucking dog on a leash!!!!!" like he was under attack.
Beaux was not trained at all when he was young and I've neglected working with him. Toby will stop in his tracks if I snap at him and recall back to me when I tell him to. No questions asked. He was taught by Zoe. But Beaux has had no mentors and no training so he feels free to ignore me when it suits his desires.
We need to do some work.
He finally ran out of gas and decided to come back to me and all was well but for the terrified guy and his dog who continued to the parking lot taking home their story of being attacked on the beach.
Beaux's comment on the subject:
Yesterday we toured USS Lexington. WWII aircraft carrier. It was decommissioned in 1991 so I have seen it underway and, I think, been driving a ship in plane guard when it was on flight ops.
They've done a good job setting it up for touring. Plenty of places to walk around and see. We did one set of ladders up to the flight deck and I was reminded of my last ship when I frequently thought "I'm too old for this" as I went up and down ladders.
We've spent a lot of time outside with the dogs. It has been about 15 degrees too hot but mornings and evenings are nice. The dogs have loved walks in the sand and we've loved having a place to stay that is so convenient to the beach. This is someone's beach condo that they rent out with VRBO and it is really nice. Fortunately for us it is four hours away. If it were closer we'd be here all the time. I do think we'll end up coming back when it is not so warm. We'd be happy in winter coats sitting outside watching the surf.
Headed back tomorrow. The drive is not too bad. Not too congested. Not too exciting. We'll be back by 2PM. Dana has work to do prepping her fossils for Halloween.
Now Beaux has legs that are less than six inches long. And they are maybe deformed or at least "basset hound shaped". But damn if he didn't run after this full sized dog and scare him so he started running faster and Beaux after him obviously enjoying the run. And me after all three of them with Toby in tow on his leash. I was trying not to laugh. The other dog was startled and more tcomhan a little concerned that this, whatever it is, was catching up, and the guy yelling back "put your fucking dog on a leash!!!!!" like he was under attack.
Beaux was not trained at all when he was young and I've neglected working with him. Toby will stop in his tracks if I snap at him and recall back to me when I tell him to. No questions asked. He was taught by Zoe. But Beaux has had no mentors and no training so he feels free to ignore me when it suits his desires.
We need to do some work.
He finally ran out of gas and decided to come back to me and all was well but for the terrified guy and his dog who continued to the parking lot taking home their story of being attacked on the beach.
Beaux's comment on the subject:
Yesterday we toured USS Lexington. WWII aircraft carrier. It was decommissioned in 1991 so I have seen it underway and, I think, been driving a ship in plane guard when it was on flight ops.
They've done a good job setting it up for touring. Plenty of places to walk around and see. We did one set of ladders up to the flight deck and I was reminded of my last ship when I frequently thought "I'm too old for this" as I went up and down ladders.
We've spent a lot of time outside with the dogs. It has been about 15 degrees too hot but mornings and evenings are nice. The dogs have loved walks in the sand and we've loved having a place to stay that is so convenient to the beach. This is someone's beach condo that they rent out with VRBO and it is really nice. Fortunately for us it is four hours away. If it were closer we'd be here all the time. I do think we'll end up coming back when it is not so warm. We'd be happy in winter coats sitting outside watching the surf.
Headed back tomorrow. The drive is not too bad. Not too congested. Not too exciting. We'll be back by 2PM. Dana has work to do prepping her fossils for Halloween.
There is a storm off shore so we got some rain this morning. It was supposed to be raining all week but as with all shore forecasts it is pretty hard to get the storms to cooperate. I checked this morning and it is sitting off shore and will likely stay there moving to the north sometime tomorrow. Unless things radically change we're in for nice puffy clouds interspersed with sun and lots of wind. In other words October at the beach. It is not cold, not hot and 30ish knots of wind. We went for a walk on the beach that ended up to be a pretty long, nearly a mile and a half, walk that has exhaused all the short legged people. I'm happy to be sitting for a bit too. By the end of that much walking I can feel my knee and as a result, my hips. So it was time to stop. Beaux did get in some water time: 
He doesn't really mind the water or not being in the water. He just takes it all in stride. A very short stride but no complaints. So, very typical beach report. Before we left I dropped off my Smart Car. It had a noise up front when I ran the AC. Turned out to be the fan that cools the AC. Had a bad bearing and had to be replaced. Cost about the same as a week at the beach. It has been an expensive year so far. We're above water but it does worry me. I'd be a lot happier with the cost of living going down but that is not likely to happen in this decade. I'll go back to making a few bucks on Prolific. That would cover supplies for today's hobby, whatever that is.
Meanwhile, I'm happy to have the Smart Car back and well. The Lexus made it down to Port Aransas in good shape on one tank of Premium gas. It is an OK long distance car but I don't like it much. I rode in someone elses's Lexus long ago and didn't like it either. Something about the cockpit feel that turns me off. I'm so used to being perched up high in my Smart Car that I feel like I'm down in a hole.
No matter. It is a stand by car anyway since it gets at best 29MPG and mostly 23MPG compared to the 39 I get in the Smart Car with regular gas. No contest.
Meanwhile, I'm happy to have the Smart Car back and well. The Lexus made it down to Port Aransas in good shape on one tank of Premium gas. It is an OK long distance car but I don't like it much. I rode in someone elses's Lexus long ago and didn't like it either. Something about the cockpit feel that turns me off. I'm so used to being perched up high in my Smart Car that I feel like I'm down in a hole.
No matter. It is a stand by car anyway since it gets at best 29MPG and mostly 23MPG compared to the 39 I get in the Smart Car with regular gas. No contest.
On the tracks now
Oct. 22nd, 2026 16:55I went to see the Ortho doc and now have a date. I'll have my knew knee on the Monday before Thanksgiving, 23 November as long as I can get cleared by my cardio doc and my primary care and my blood work comes back good. None of them should be a problem.
This is both a thing I kind of dread and yet don't have much of a choice. I can still walk without a cane (both hips I was walking with a cane by the time I had them done) but the knee is just weak. And a little painful. But I have to really pay attention stepping down a curb as it could easily collapse. And my right hip and hip flexor have been really showing signs of being annoyed.
On my left leg, three years after replacement, I can stand on the leg and do a partial one legged squat with no assistance to it. The right one would buckle if I tried more than an inch or so.
The one thing I remember about the knee was how hard it was to get back to bending it and how I said I'd never do a knee again. So much for that.
Well, it is the last one. I'll be nearly fully bionic now. It will be a year before my right leg is caught up to the left one. But I'll get there.
This is both a thing I kind of dread and yet don't have much of a choice. I can still walk without a cane (both hips I was walking with a cane by the time I had them done) but the knee is just weak. And a little painful. But I have to really pay attention stepping down a curb as it could easily collapse. And my right hip and hip flexor have been really showing signs of being annoyed.
On my left leg, three years after replacement, I can stand on the leg and do a partial one legged squat with no assistance to it. The right one would buckle if I tried more than an inch or so.
The one thing I remember about the knee was how hard it was to get back to bending it and how I said I'd never do a knee again. So much for that.
Well, it is the last one. I'll be nearly fully bionic now. It will be a year before my right leg is caught up to the left one. But I'll get there.
Apparently it's Tuesday
Oct. 20th, 2026 10:40Nothing planned for today other than giving me my biweekly injection of drugs to keep my cholesterol LOW, LOW.. followed, of course by eggs and bacon.
Actually, I was supposed to work with the Texas Humane Heroes today but they didn’t have anything for me. I need to get back to walking the dogs there. I did it a couple of times but never got in the rhythm and with the summer heat never had the motivation. For some reason I went year round at the dog sanctuary regardless of the weather but hesitate at the shelter. Lots of reasons for that and I am helping them do things that no one else can do so I’m contributing. But I’m not walking dogs. Part of what made the sanctuary so good was that the dogs rarely changed. They are there until they die and a spot empties and is filled. So change is slow. Going back every week is predictable. I miss all that. But not the accompanying stress. It was something I did and no longer do.
My day is open. I do need to go to the grocery store for milk and such. Dana made chilli yesterday so we have lots of cold weather food. Stew and chilli. I might have to get one or two things to fill out our food for the rest of the week.
This Sunday we leave for the coast, Port Aransas, to sit and watch the water and eat seafood. I’m looking forward to taking Beaux down to the water. He will be totally weirded out but will love the birds and the action and the naps on the porch.
It will be a huge PIA to get everything together and in the car. We’re staying in a house so will have a refrigerator and will take our coffee press and our good coffee. We will not be barbarians. There are limits to our roughing it. I need to make a list of stuff. I was just looking at the weather. Clear with temps ranging from a low of 71 to a high of 78. Basically the same temperature the entire time we are there. No rain. Wind of course being on the water. But, yeah, pretty optimal.
I bought a really nice back seat set up for the dogs not realizing at the time that it will also be perfect for taking in the house there so they will have a comfortable place to lie near the shoreline door. They will be travelling in luxury. Nothing new there.
I need to make more
Oct. 19th, 2026 15:12
Disappointing. It didn't do the fast popping rise that creates all the nice holes in the bread. Taste was OK but the bake didn't work. There are only about a hundred reasons it didn't work so I'll have to make it another dozen times before I get what I need.
Fortunately it is really enjoyable to make. Creating bread from flour, water, yeast and salt is just magic. Even when it is mediocre magic it is still fun. Much like throwing pottery there are so many things to screw up. Unlike pottery you find out just how screwed up it is in the time it takes a football game to finish.
But it was good with the stew. And fun enough that I'll do it again soon.
Not great but on
Oct. 18th, 2026 21:50The taste of fresh French bread is always good and we'll paired with the beef stew. Delicious.
But, the top didn't split so it didn't open up as it should. I'll cut the loaf tomorrow and we'll see how the texture turns out.
But fun for not having made it in a couple of years.
Spurred on by cooler weather
Oct. 18th, 2026 13:31Dana wanted to make a slow roasted potroast so it is in the slow cooker. Won't be ready until 7PM or so. With plenty of time I thought I'd make some good french bread to go with it. I've not done it in a long time but this is one of the breads I learned on. Flour, water, salt and yeast. Could not be simpler.
This wooden bowl belongs to Dana's family but it is a great one to start the process. If we had a cleaned up empty kitchen counter I'd just dump the pile of flour there and do it on the counter. But I didn't want to clean up a spot for it so in the bowl. Then in the rising container:
It has about three hours of rising to do before it gets popped into the oven. I'm going to attempt a couple of baguettes and a round loaf. The latter will work fine. I suck at baguettes. As long as I've got the round we're fine.
So nice to have the time and space to make bread like this.
This wooden bowl belongs to Dana's family but it is a great one to start the process. If we had a cleaned up empty kitchen counter I'd just dump the pile of flour there and do it on the counter. But I didn't want to clean up a spot for it so in the bowl. Then in the rising container:
It has about three hours of rising to do before it gets popped into the oven. I'm going to attempt a couple of baguettes and a round loaf. The latter will work fine. I suck at baguettes. As long as I've got the round we're fine.
So nice to have the time and space to make bread like this.
Pulling the trigger
Oct. 16th, 2026 16:55I'm about 90% sure I'm getting my right knee replaced. Dana and I talked about it and she was supportive. My pickleball yesterday and today was excellent but marred by my hip hurting. When my right hip had deteriorated to the point that it was not working at all well, the primary indication was pain in my knee. I even got a shot in my knee to see if it would help. When it did not the doc started asking more questions which lead to the fact that is was really my hip that was the problem. My leg mechanics were so bad with the hip problem that my knee was in pain.
Now things have reversed. My knee is sometimes painful but now my right leg and hip are hurting. Not moving around the house but when doing strength training and playing PB. I can not give up either of those two and things are not going to get better.
So I wrote a message to the doc and got one back scheduling me for a consult. At that point I'll be on the track and zooming towards surgery. I've put it off and done the work to make it less likely to happen and things are not going the way I want them.
Annoying but it is what it is.
I'll be doing my lunges and lots of squats and such to get things in the best shape I can so I won't lose too much muscle mass.
Right now I'm waiting to hear back about the consult date. Sooner is better far as I'm concerned. We've got a week off last week in October. After that it is all available.
Now things have reversed. My knee is sometimes painful but now my right leg and hip are hurting. Not moving around the house but when doing strength training and playing PB. I can not give up either of those two and things are not going to get better.
So I wrote a message to the doc and got one back scheduling me for a consult. At that point I'll be on the track and zooming towards surgery. I've put it off and done the work to make it less likely to happen and things are not going the way I want them.
Annoying but it is what it is.
I'll be doing my lunges and lots of squats and such to get things in the best shape I can so I won't lose too much muscle mass.
Right now I'm waiting to hear back about the consult date. Sooner is better far as I'm concerned. We've got a week off last week in October. After that it is all available.
I'm killing a few minutes until it is time to head out. I'm taking my boss from Texas Humane Heroes, a shelter based enterprise that excels in getting young dogs into homes, to meet my old boss at Living Grace Canine Ranch, a sanctuary that specilizes in caring for old dogs until they die and only occasionally rehomes any of them. The two inversely align. The Ranch sometimes ends up with puppies they need to move to somewhere else and TXHH sometimes has older dogs for whom they can't find homes. I'm hoping that there will be some trades.
And I'm hoping to see one of the loves of my life, Khaleisi. No idea if she is still alive. We'll see. There are other dogs that even a couple of years later will still be there so it will be nice to see them.
I really miss the place and the dogs but don't miss the hour round trip and don't miss the control they place on volunteers and general treatmennt of them.
Should be an interesting morning.
And I'm hoping to see one of the loves of my life, Khaleisi. No idea if she is still alive. We'll see. There are other dogs that even a couple of years later will still be there so it will be nice to see them.
I really miss the place and the dogs but don't miss the hour round trip and don't miss the control they place on volunteers and general treatmennt of them.
Should be an interesting morning.
Dishwasher et al
Oct. 13th, 2026 10:40It's been a very expensive month and I'm so in the habit of buying things that cost $20 or less I'm having a hard time stopping. But stopping that is the only way I'll build up the account again.
Our dishwasher was occasionally not getting power. I'd go to turn it on and no lights, no power. Out to the garage, flip the breaker off and on again (it was never tripped) and the power would be back and the dishwasher would run straight through with no problems. Days later or maybe a couple of weeks it would happen again. Not really enough to do anything about it but frequently enough to be annoying. Then last week it would not turn back on. No power at all. So do I call a dishwasher repair guy or an electrician?
I called the former, an appliance company, after a lot of research. They no show / no called me after giving me a three hour window. I went out and turned off the breaker and back on again and it worked. Sheesh.
Then Monday it didn’t work again. I decided to replace the breaker and after a lot of calling and scheduling and going on Thumbtack and talking with Muse I finally found someone who would come out Monday afternoon. Same day. There was, in the end, no extra charge for same day but the charge ended up being $344. To swap out a breaker. To his credit the guy checked everything one end to the other to be sure there were no other problems. And he found one, unrelated one. The dishwasher is leaking.
So now we’ve got another $400ish bill to replace that. At 9 years I expected such but its not like I saved money for it. That would have been too smart.
And we’re still recovering from the car, fixing small things on it, battery, headlights and such.
And, of course, the computer debacle. I need to reset the Chromebox and get some money back for it. I’m very happy having a Windows computer again and the price was OK but still.
And when things were better we paid up front for a VRBO house on the beach in Port Aransas on the Gulf of me (I renamed it again.. If everyone else can rename it I can too…)
And I kind of started doing some water colors. I got really fed up with too much scrolling and playing and thought I’d find something analog. And there is so much available on the Internet to learn from. So I’m spending $10 here, $20 there to get the pieces of the puzzle.
In the short term I think I’m just going to monitor the dishwasher. It is sitting on ceramic tile over concrete and is just barely dripping so we can get away with it for a bit. The scratch and dent place we get our appliances from will still have a $350 dishwasher for a while.
