June 9, 2024

            Good Sunday morning to you, we have another warm and sunny day here in Hewitt, TX.

Yesterday’s events in chronological order: after posting my blog on Saturday morning I headed to the other Ford Homestead to feed and water the animals. They are all happy to see me when I have food. I returned home and we sat around for a while basically waiting on time to go to town for lunch. As usual, the lady was getting our order together as we entered the store. There was a fellow there who evidently needed to talk, not me but another talker. He made several comments then he asked how long we have been married and my favorite wife’s reply was, “55 years”. He then noted that he had been married, I think he said 30 years and his wife divorced him. He went on to say she got $320,000 in the divorce.

Lunch over, we headed for the Home store to get the $139.00 string trimmer. I found the trimmer and it was priced $169.00. I found and employee and explained that online it was $139.00 but here at the store it is $169.00. He checked the prices and said, tell them at check out and they will charge you the on-line price.

At check-out I explained the situation to the checker, and she went and talked with another checker, then she said it is $169.00 here at the store but if you order it on line, it is $139.00. I said so I need to go home, order the trimmer on line, drive back to the store and pick it up. I told her no thanks and we walked away with the trimmer laying at her station. 

We went to the cheap store where we purchased a pan and a tarp. I will use the tarp to cover the riding mower. Leaving the cheap store, we returned home to rest, and after the period of rest I decided to bring the trailer up close to the gate. Now the yard is dry so driving in the yard will not leave tracks. I want the trailer close enough to the gate that I can connect to it next Saturday without backing the pickup into the yard, just in case we get more rain this week.

There was some debris in the front yard, so I proceeded to pick it up. The grass is growing and the small pieces of leaves and little sticks take away from the smooth even look of the Ford’s yard. After the removal of the debris, I then watered the flowers in pots and filled the bird’s baths with water. 

It was now time to feed the animals so I drove over to Dave’s house. I not only feed the animals I also cleaned out part of the pig’s pin. They have two guinea pigs and they have a tendency to leave a lot of Poopa-Loopa in their pen. Cats, lizards, and pigs fed, I returned to the Ford’s Homestead.

My favorite wife and I did sit outside yesterday and there was a breeze for most of the time, but about 30 minutes before we went inside, I did turn the big fan on. As we sat outside it was said that the flowers in the pots in the back 40 needed to be watered, so I proceeded to finish my first adult beverage and then went to water the flowers. Task completed; I was allowed to have another beverage as I rested from all the exhausting watering.

I wanted to run the water sprinklers one minute in each section just to see if they are all working properly, but being old I forgot to do that. 

Now we are at the Sunday events: I did go the feed the animals and returning home I did cover the riding mower with the new tarp. I am not happy with the new tarp as it isn’t as heavy duty as the one, I usually get.

Tarp installed I tried to cool off and then got ready to go to the cracker store for breakfast. The food and service were good and upon completion of the meal my favorite wife suggested that we could go to the Wally store. At the Wally store we looked at string trimmers, they have mostly battery powered trimmers, but they do have a gas-powered trimmer for $118.00. It did not show on the box that it was an easy starting trimmer, and I do want one with the easy start. I will check to see what I can get on line and I will keep the one at Wally world in mind.

Back at home I rested for a while then started this posting. Maybe I will be able to remember to run the sprinklers later this evening, after the sun is mostly down.

            Well, I guess that is it for now, we hope you have a wonder filled Sunday, be thankful for all you have and as always, be safe in all you do.

Nothing to do.

Senior ole person who is thankful that he can still do some work, Don the Ford

May today be better than your best day, but not as good as tomorrow!

June 8, 2024

            Good morning from me to you, it is Saturday again and we hope you have a good day.

            Let’s start with this: as someone who have read my postings should know, we here at the Ford’s Homestead have had 4 power outages in the past two weeks. Thursday morning, I stepped out into the garage, and pushed the button to open the garage door. You guessed it, the door would not open. I pushed the button a bunch of times but nothing. I pushed the other button that turns the light on and the light on the garage door worked, but the door would not open. I started thinking, did this have something to do with the power outages. My brain was buzzing, I will need to get this fixed as I do not like having to manually open a garage door.

            As I pondered the problem it came to me, the door will not close if there is something in the way of the sensors, maybe it will not open if there is something in the way of the sensors. I checked the sensors, and our cat Molly was sitting in the way, causing the door to not open, she moved, and the door opened.

            Let’s see what the Don did yesterday: I fed some of the animals at Daves house, I returned home and picked up debris from the back 40 along with the Poopa-Loopa. Then I coiled the hose up and got the riding mower and checked the air pressure on the tires. The new tires are holding the air pressure. I then checked and added a little oil and gas. The mower prepared for work I was able to drag my ole body onto the mower and mow the back 40.

            Mowing complete, I then use the battery powered string trimmer to trim the weedy areas. All the work complete and tools put away I ventured into the house for a shower. My ole body washed I headed into the kitchen to get lunch, and the leftovers were good. Lunch complete I then headed for the ole recliner where I rested this ole senior body.

            The rest of the afternoon I did very little as I was waiting for time to go and finish feeding the animals at Dave’s house.

            I went over to feed the animals at Dave’s house, and there was a truck with a large trailer in Dave’s driveway. There people had permission to go through Dave’s back yard to remove a tree that had fallen over the fence into Dave’s back yard. the tree was large, and the trailer was getting full. The photo was taken after the top of the tree had been removed.

            Prior to feeding the animals I had gone to the gas station to get gas in my favorite wife’s van. After feeding the animals instead of heading for home, I was allowed to go and pick up food for supper and take it home. I had evidently been gone for a long while as I received a call from my wife wanting to know where I was. She noted that her and a friend were waiting on me to go outside and sit. Arriving at home we went outside and I learned that our friend had brought snacks to enjoy while we were resting and discussing world affairs. The snacks were good.

            We had sat outside for a while, I had enjoyed the conversations and the adult beverage, when I realized we had not harvested the Black Berries. I still had enough energy to get out of my chair and go out to the back 40 and say, “ouch”, a bunch of times.

            Well, as you can see, another do-nothing day, but today may be a do something day. I need to feed the animals this morning, I want to get a new tarp to cover the riding mower, I want to get the new gas-powered string trimmer, I want to get a sandwich for lunch, I would like to go to the cheap store, I hope to get some rest back at home, then go and feed the animals at Dave’s, then maybe I will have time to sit outside and rest. Another do-nothing day.

Rest is needed!

Senior ole person who needs to get going, so he can get done, Don the Ford

May today be better than your best day, but not as good as tomorrow!

June 7, 2024

            Hello to you and the rest of the reading group also. We here at the Ford Homestead wish each of you a very Good Morning.

            We did little yesterday, I did go feed the animals at Dave’s house yesterday afternoon, and I will head over there as soon as I finish this posting, as some of the animals need to be feed morning, and some in the evening. My favorite wife and I did harvest the black berries again yesterday, we got a couple quarts, and after supper at the restaurant we did sit outside and enjoy the quiet evening.

            My plan for today is to finish this posting, go feed the animals, come home and mow the back 40, take a well-deserved shower, and then rest. 

            Another subject: I have almost decided to purchase a new gas-powered string trimmer rather than a battery, which I might do tomorrow.

            I know this is a short post, but I need to get going, so, have a good day and may we all be safe in all we do.

Yard man Don!

Senior ole person who is going to be very tired this afternoon, Don the Ford

May today be better than your best day, but not as good as tomorrow!

June 6, 2024

            This morning, we can say, “Good Morning to all”. Yep, we have the power on this morning, it isn’t storming this morning, the sun is shining this morning, and even though it is cooler this morning, it will be hot this afternoon.

            Being hot this afternoon is ok, as it is too wet for me to get out into the back 40 and mow, so all I will need to do is, sit around trying to stay cool.

            I have been thinking about purchasing another battery for the string trimmer which also works on the leaf blower, or should I just purchase a new gas-powered string trimmer as it would cost a little less than the battery. I have two batteries one will not charge so I only have one that works, and they both did work in either the leaf blower or in the string trimmer. If I don’t get the battery I will likely at some point in the future have the second battery go bad, then what do I do. Senior people always have difficult problems to solve.

            We have good neighbors, and I am happy about that. Yesterday as several of the neighbors and I were standing in the street in front of our house during the time that the power was off, we heard a noise. The noise was a cracking sound from a couple houses up the street, where a very large limb broke out of the tree.

Later in the afternoon when my favorite wife and I were sitting outside, we observed one of the young ladies who live in the house with the broken tree limb, take a saw, and go out to the tree limb. The neighbor who lives next door to the lady went over and talked to her, then he went back to his house where he got his chain saw and came over and cut this very large limb into smaller pieces. Then the lady was able to handle the smaller pieces and she piled them up. It is good to have a neighbor who will help.

As I have noted I have helped our next-door neighbor open her garage door when the power goes off, a couple times now. I was presented with a thank you present yesterday, photo to follow.

            I haven’t opened it yet, but I bet it will have a good taste.

            Tres and I was outside this morning as he was checking the front yard out, when I noticed that we have a second volunteer sunflower, photo to follow.

We assume a bird may have planted these sun flowers as we did not plant them. They are very small, and the stalk is very thin too.

I have a note about our pot hound Tres, he likes to go out in the garage and lay, with the garage door up enough he can see under it, but not enough for him to get out. He will stay out there for as long as he wants and when he wants to come back in the house, he will bump the door knob a couple times, which I hear sitting here at the desk, and then I let him in. He has done the same thing from inside the ole office when he wants to go out to the garage. Smart dog, or you might say, he has me trained well! 

            I guess that is all for now, we hope you have a very good day and please be safe in all you do.

Nice weather today!

Senior ole person who should do something but… Don the Ford

May today be better than your best day, but not as good as tomorrow!

June 5, 2024

            I would like to say good morning to you but, so far it hasn’t been that good. At about 6:30 the power blinked and then it went off for 3 hours. I was getting ready to take a shower when the blink occurred, so I thought the power might go off while I am in the shower, so I stationed a battery powered light in the shower room and left it on. Yep, while I was in the shower the power went off, but my battery powered light was lighting the room adequately.

            I got calls from others in the neighborhood asking if we had power. This is the 4^th power outage we have had in 2 weeks. I was about to get the generator out and start it up when the power came on. 3 hours seems to be a long time when you don’t have power.

            Question: do we save money when the power is off?

            After the power came back on my wife headed out to get some groceries, and I went to the gas station to get some gas for the generator, I also got a breakfast burrito form my enjoyment on the way home from the gas station.

            We have almost an inch of rain in the free rain gage this morning.

            Yesterday: I did get the front yard mowed and trimmed, I did pick the black berries, I should note that the birds are helping themselves to the black berries. Speaking of birds, one of the baby birds in the nest under the car port was out of the nest but not on the ground. We saw it flapping its wings as if it was practicing flying.

            I have a photo of a bloom and it is different from the other blooms.

            This bloom is on a Plumeria of which we have 5 potted plants. This is the first bloom for us on the Plumeria this year.

            I don’t have any real plans for today, I will get Dave from work. If it had not rained, I might have mowed the back 40. I was going to call the city and ask them to do something about the standing water in the ditch behind the house, but now that it rained the water is not standing any more.

            I guess that is all for now, we hope you have a very good day and please be safe in all you do.

From bad start to good day!

Senior ole person who needs a nap, or maybe lunch, Don the Ford

May today be better than your best day, but not as good as tomorrow!

June 4, 2024

            We want to wish you all a Good Morning. We are looking at another very hot day with extreme humidity.

            I did take Alex to the high school so he could work out with other members of the football team. When we picked him up after practice we learned, to use the weight room you have to pay. Now I am not sure what the amount was as I heard $50 and $100 mentioned. Alex said he was not going to pay that to work out in the weight room.

            We the people pay an enormous amount in taxes to support the schools, and then the students have to pay to use the facilities.

            What did the Don do yesterday: other than get upset about the school situation, he did harvest the black berries and he did get on his knees in the front yard. Why was he on his knees, well of course he was praying and then he was cleaning the dirt out of the plastic pipe that goes under the sidewalk. This pipe was placed there originally to allow me to run an extension cord under the sidewalk, and it also serves to get rainwater from one side of the walk to the other side. The pipe is about 1.5 inch in diameter, and if I had been thinking about the water drainage, I would have had a much larger pipe.

            Once the water gets under the sidewalk it pools in the Jasmin bed, so I worked on the drainage for the bed. I think we are ready for the next rain, as long as it isn’t 4 inches of rain again.

            We did sit outside yesterday afternoon; it was very hot, and we had the big fan blowing air on us.

            Today’s adventures: possibility, the front yard might get mowed and trimmed. I said possibly because it is very hot already this morning and I don’t like to work in the heat, in truth I don’t like to work most of the time.

            Note: the last time our yard man Alex was here, he cut the weeds in the ditch, and he used the battery powered trimmer. The second battery was giving him some problems as it would run and then stop and then run. After he finished, I took the battery to the charger, and it will not charge. The battery has an indicator light which shows it needs to be charged, but it will not charge. I check the price of a new battery yesterday and it was $179.00. you can purchase a new leaf blower, with a battery and a new charger for $239.00. Maybe I should use gas trimmers.

            Speaking of the ditch, I did spray about ¾ of one side with weed killer. I need another gallon to finish and then do some touch up weed killing.

            I have a couple photos for the none reading public, one is of a sunflower bloom, it is very small, one is of a baby bird in its nest under our car port, and one is of the father of the baby birds.

            Well, I guess I will stop and then get started on my morning work. We hope your day is outstanding and as always please be safe in all you do.

School charges kids? 

Senior ole person who need to work early to beat some of the heat, Don the Ford

May today be better than your best day, but not as good as tomorrow!

June 3, 2024

            We got through another day with the power on all day, so we say to you, “Good Morning”. I did very little yesterday, I think I picked up the limbs from the back 40, these limbs were distributed during the last storm. If memory serves me, and sometimes it doesn’t, I also harvested the black berries yesterday. As I think about this, other then reading from the bible and taking a couple naps, I did almost nothing. Now my favorite wife and I did sit outside yesterday afternoon in the sweltering heat, we did have the big fan on, but it was still hot.

            No big plans for today but if I go outside, I will have things I can do. I do need to get Alex and take him to school this morning, he is on the football team and his group works out, that is in the weight room, from 9:00 to11:00. I will also get Gabi and bring her here to the Homestead as she has some art work she is doing for me. When she completes the project, I will have a photo for your enjoyment.

            Speaking of photos, I have another bloom photo. You can see the one bloom and there are others behind the leaves.

            Now you know all there is to know about me, wow that isn’t very much to know!

            I will stop for now and say, “please have a good and safe day in all you do”.

Nothing doing.

Senior ole person who can do nothing and still get tired, Don the Ford

May today be better than your best day, but not as good as tomorrow!

June 2, 2024

            I did not send a post Saturday due to a power outage; I started this posting yesterday but did not finish it because we had our sons coming to the homestead so we could go out and have lunch together.  I have a couple things to present so maybe I will actually finish this today.

            Thursday afternoon we received 1.25 inches of rain. Thursday night into Friday morning we received 2.75 inches of rain, that is a total of 4 inches in a 24-hour period.  

            We wish you a good morning, and today is a good morning, as we now have power again. Friday morning at 3:30am, that is when we were in bed, yes, we still have a bed in the Ford’s ole house, the power went off. The power stayed off all day Friday, and it did not come back on until Friday night at 11:30pm, that is 20 hours without power. Even though we were not happy about the power outage, we were thankful it was not as bad as those people who were in the tornados. I did use the generator to provide power for the two refrigerators and the deep freeze. We also provided some power for lights in a couple rooms. If you have never had a long hour power outage, you can’t Imagin how it messes up just about everything.

            The new battery backup helped as my favorite wife and I used it to watch the local news while the power was off. It also kept the house phone on line and the security cameras.

            I did not get to pick the black berries Friday so Saturday’s harvest was big. Alex started the picking of the black berries and my favorite wife, and I finished the harvest.

Saturday morning first thing I went out to the garage to put thigs away. I needed to get all the extension cords rolled up, I needed to get the generator back into the garage, and get the flower pots out of the garage, mission accomplished.

            A neighbor came over to see our generator and to get some ideas of what he needed to do, as he is considering getting a generator. We had some good discussions about how we used our generator.

            Our sons and their families went out for lunch with us Saturday, it is the first chance we have had to get together and celebrate Mother’s Day. We decided on the George restaurant. After lunch Patrick and Karla came to our house while Dave and his family went to their home.

            Back at the homestead we did sit around for a while discussing many topics, before we decided to go to the cheap store. We checked things out at the cheep store and I did purchase a couple items. Returning home, we did have some interesting conversations before Patrick and Karla headed for home. 

We were once again alone at the Ford’s house with nothing to do, so I did get a short nap. I did have some time to read from the bible, I do read from the bible daily, before getting ready to go outside for our peaceful time (no TV noise). A good friend did come over and sit with us as we enjoyed the nice afternoon.

Now to the photos and different topic: photo one is of a wild flower blooming in the fence back at the ditch, I have always referred to them as Morning Glories. The other photo is of a cactus type plant and the start to this bloom looks like a small Christmas Tree.

            I do need to remove the fallen tree limbs from the back 40 today, but other than that, no real plans. We hope your day is restful and full of goodness, while you stay safe in all you do.

Be thankful!

Senior ole person who is thankful that he can do things, Don the Ford

May today be better than your best day, but not as good as tomorrow!