August 17, 2024

            It is the start of a new day, and we say good morning to you, and you alone. I have little to add to the posting since I gave you all yesterday's info, yesterday.

            Our plans for today would be to go to lunch with Patrick, Karla, David, Claire, Gabi and Alex. There are usually some lively conversations during our lunch, along with good food. Other than that, no real plans. We usually go to the cheap store after eating lunch, but when we are with the family, we will probably skip the good deals. 

            A friend came over yesterday afternoon at happy time and we all sit outside relaxing and conversing for a while. It was hot and we had the big ole fan on. The ice in my glass was melting before I would get the drink in my glass drank. Melted ice gives me more to ingest, and it waters the drink down.

            Since I have nothing else to share with you, I will post a photo of a couple flowers blooming here at the Ford’s Homestead.

            These flowers bloom with several colors, and they have been blooming for several weeks. Well, I wish I had more to present today but I don’t. Maybe I will have something to talk about tomorrow. 

No plans, no work!

            Well, I guess I will kick back and do nothing until lunch, Don the Ford

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

August 16, 2024

            Hello to you and those other people too. I want to say good morning to all of you.

            I will need to go get the grandkids and take them to school in a few minutes. It is a challenge when you hope to find a way where there is less traffic on the way to school, and all the other drivers are doing the same thing.

            I am back and it is in the afternoon, I did get the kids to school but there was a major problem, aka wreck. Now we had decided to try a different route which would bring us to the same destination and we took Panther Way from Hewitt Drive, and it is not a big street. We made it to the turn and there was a policeman who arrived at the same time we did with lights flashing. He made us and all the vehicles behind us turn around and go back. We could see there was a car turned over on the road that we wanted to go onto. Big delay but we got them to school almost on time.

            I returned home and I watered the potted plants this morning, which isn’t too much of a project in its self but I decided to also water the berry beds and then it takes more time. I was doing nothing but standing there spraying water and I was sweating. The flowers and berries watered I decided to wash the windows on the Ford’s ole pickup. Even though the truck is parked under the carport, it still gets that sticky stuff from the trees on the windows and body of the truck.

            The windows looked good so I decided to use the window washer / squeegee on the truck body. It has a sponge and a squeegee so I started washing the truck with the sponge part of the window cleaner. I did not need to bend down or stretch as the window cleaner has a long handle, and it worked better and easier than I expected. I did need to squeegee the windows a second time as I got water on them when I was rinsing the soap off the truck.

            That done, I was very hot and sweaty so I decided to take a shower. Now I had my favorite wife take the bandage off my back, and after the shower, I put a clean Tee shirt on with no bandage. There have been no problems with the area on my back for two weeks, so we decided to try it without the bandage. So far, so good.

            All cleaned up, I decided to do my daily bible reading and then have lunch. Finally, I was able to get some time in the Ford’s ole recliner resting my eyes before my favorite wife returned from town.

I need to clean the office and it is a time-consuming event with all the items I have in the room. Each item needs to be moved, that area cleaned, the item cleaned, and then replaced. Obviously, I start up on the higher areas so that any dust that escapes my grasp will fall to a lower area which I will also clean. The floor gets the last cleaning.

Ok an odd experience this morning early. Tres and I had ventured out to the front yard for his morning review of the area and I was looking up into the sky. Now it was before sun up and I was looking to see if there were any stars that I could see. I looked around and saw nothing, and then I saw it, what at first appeared as a single star, but then I noticed it was flashing. I thought it must be an air plane but it is very high, and there seemed to be two flashing lights side by side. I thought it must be a plane heading my way as it did not seem to be moving. I kept watching it and it did not appear to move. I watched it for a couple minutes and decided maybe I have now seen a space ship, could it have been the space station. I don’t know what it was but it was there and it flashed.

Well, I did go and get gas for the Ford’s ole Chevy and when I returned, I remembered that I had started this posting this morning and had not finished it, so now it is finished.

We hope you have had a good day and we hope everyone stayed safe.

Space ship or station?

Senior ole person who needs to take another break, Don the Ford

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

August 15, 2024

            It is over, and I want to say thanks to all who wished me a happy birthday. I even got a call from a friend who I ran around with as a teenager. It has been a while since we had talked and it was a pleasant surprise when he called. That being said, we wish everyone a good morning.

            Yesterday was pretty much as I had forecast it to be with a couple small exceptions. I did not need to get Gabi from school, and my favorite wife and I went out for supper. We did sit outside for a while yesterday afternoon, and it was hot but there was an occasional breeze which would interfere with the big ole fan’s air flow.

            Plans for today are to follow my normal schedule with the one exception and that is, take the Tres to the vet. I think vets charge more than human doctors. One month of the meds that Tres gets for itching cost more than what I pay for an entire year of my meds.

            If you live in or around Hewitt Texas you know how bad the traffic is when school is in session, and yesterday it was even worse. It seemed as if every parent or grandparent were taking their kid or kids to school. They have buses for the kids to ride but it seems that many do not ride the buses. I expect today to be the same, and I hope it gets better as everyone gets use to this year’s school schedule.

            Actually, I need to get going so I will stop for now and say, we hope everyone has a good day, and be safe in all you do.

Grandkid transporter.

Senior ole person who does not like taking Tres to the vet, Don the Ford

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

August 14, 2024

            This is a good morning as it is The Dons birthday. The Don is not 21 years ole again, heck he might even be over 50 years old, again? Before we go any further, I want to wish everyone a good morning. We hope you all have a wonder filled day.

            Now since it is The Dons birthday, he decided to provide a photo of him for your enjoyment. If you think he looks very young in this photo, we say thanks, and we know you are stretching the truth, as he is now as of this day, 77 years old. 

            The photo was taken as a selfie, the orange line in the photo is the Tres’ lead. The Don likes hats and that is why he has it on, yes, he still has hair on his head, although it is kind of gray. What are The Dons plans for the celebration of his birth? First, he will take the Gabi and the Alex to school, they have to be there by 8:25, then I go home and brush my teeth and get ready to go to the dentist, I have a 10:00 appointment. Yes, a dental appointment on my birthday, and later in the afternoon I will get to pick up Gabi from school, Alex stays for football practice. If you are thinking The Don really knows how to celebrate, you are incorrect? 

            The Don will likely get to sit outside this afternoon with his favorite wife and enjoy the quiet time, and maybe an adult beverage.

Speaking of quiet time, yesterday morning while The Don was outside working, aka watering the pots and the berries, along with removing more of the dead from the #3 black berry bed, it was very noisy. Now this wasn’t just the birds having conversations, there was hammering off in the distance which sounded like someone was getting a new roof. There was the sound of a train going through town, and the tree trimming people were making a lot of noise with the chain saws and tree limb chippers. The noise was bad enough, but the heat and the humidity made it even worse.

Did The Don do anything yesterday that hasn’t been previously presented? Yes, The Don did pick up Alex from football practice yesterday morning at about 10:30. I had stopped by the chicken place and purchased an iced tea for me and for Alex. When the Alex got into the Ford’s ole Chevy with me, he noted that Gabi had sent him a text wanting him to ask me if I would get her some chicken for lunch. well, being a nice grandpa, I gave in and headed for the chicken place, again. I did ask Alex if he wanted any chicken for lunch and he said, “yes please”. The chicken that they wanted came as a meal, which includes an iced tea. That meant that Alex got two ice teas, you know, football practice in the heat, dehydrates a person, and the two ice teas can help to rehydrate a person.

Another fact about yesterday, Claire started work at Do it Best, she will be working in receiving. Best wishes for Claire in the new job.

I started out at HWI (Hardware Wholesalers Inc) now known as Do it Best, in 1971 in the receiving department.

I guess that will be all for now, we hope you have a good day, and we hope that everyone stays safe.

77^th Birthday celebration.

Senior ole person who is now another year older, Don the Ford

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

August 13, 2024

            The sun isn’t up yet, but I think it is a good morning here at the Ford’s Homestead, and we wish you a good morning too.

            As you might know, I did work outside yesterday mowing and trimming. The reason I brought this back up is sweat, the clothes I had on were soaked. I do not mean damp, but they were soaked and it took a long while for them to dry before I could put them in with the dirty clothes. 

            A happy event occurred yesterday, The Don got an early birthday cake and a funny birthday card. The cake is a Rum Cake and it is GOOD! My favorite wife got one of these cakes for her birthday and she shared it with others, I do not plan to share this cake, it is mine, all mine. The birthday card was funny as it compared ole people with ole cars, and it was correct.

            Today’s activities: I do need to get Alex from football practice this morning, I need to water the flower pots and I might get the riding mower out and mow parts of the back 40. Other than that, not any real plans.

            We did sit outside yesterday afternoon and it was hot. We did have the big ole fan on for most of the time, but not all the time. There were some good breezes blowing for a while and we enjoyed mother nature providing the breeze.

            Cat subject: molly the cat has been staying outside and in the garage for quite a while. We put her out do to the fact that she would hide under a bed and not come out, it was as if she was afraid of everyone. Lately she has been coming into the house and checking things out but not staying too long before wanting to go back outside. She does act normal now, not afraid of people, as a matter of fact she wants to be petted a lot. I guess one day she will come back in and decide to stay inside.

            Well, I need to get started on watering pots, you do know the term Pot has a couple different meanings. After watering the pots, I will see if I want to get on the riding mower, or not. We hope you have a good day and please stays safe in all you do.

Pots or Pot?

Senior ole person who needs a piece of cake before I get started, Don the Ford

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

August 12, 2024

            I am starting this post before 7:00am this morning but I plan to get out and mow a soon as it is light enough to see and mow safely, so I will finish the post later. Allow me to wish you a good morning, and the rest of the readers get a good morning also.

            I want to get out and mow as early as possible, to beat some of the heat and the sun shining on me. Our yard man will be at football practice this morning so I must do the work myself. The security cameras are indicating that it is bright enough to get started, I hope I don’t bother any of the neighbors with the sound of the mower. Wow, if I had an electric mower, they would not be able to hear me mowing.

            It is now 11:00am and I am back at the keyboard. I did mow and trim the front yard and I used the leaf blower to get the grass off the street and walkway. During this process I have noticed that the acorns are starting to fall off the Oak trees. Just what we need, another year of millions of acorns.

            I proceeded to the back 40 where I used the walk behind mower to mow in close to some items in prep for the string trimmer. You can use the trimmer to get in close but if you use the mower first there is less for the trimmer to do. I did get the back 40 trimmed and I hope to get the riding mower out later today and mow some areas, not everything needs to be mowed.

            Mowing finished, I was allowed to take a shower, then my favorite wife put a bandage on my back. I was able to get my ole tired body dressed and out to the Ford’s ole Chevy where we headed to the George restaurant for a late breakfast. The late breakfast works, as an early lunch too. Food was good, service was very good, and we made it back home so I can finish this posting.

            Sunday, we did very little other than rest. We did sit outside in the afternoon for a while enjoying the calm afternoon. I have a photo of the Tres in the back 40 after a wash job. I don’t know if he even knew he had the towel on his back.

            Sunday evening, I had Clam chowder for supper, and I decided to add to the chowder some shrimp, which I cut into small pieces. It was ok but not anything exciting. Shrimp alone, or clam chowder alone, but not together.

            Well, I think I will go and rest my ole body in the Fords ole recliner. We hope you have a good day, and please stay safe in all you do.

Don a Yard man?

Senior ole person who is tired and full of good food, Don the Ford

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

August 11, 2024

 

            This morning, I greeted a neighbor as they were preparing to leave with their trailer attached to their pickup truck heading for the gulf coast. I asked if I could go along and they said yes, but I think they meant no. I would like to also offer you all a good morning and a safe day.

            Our Saturday was more or less normal, we did go to the sandwich shop but the lady who normally takes our order was not there. We were told, she had the day off for her birthday. I asked if she was 21 again and there was laughter. The young lady took our order noted that we come there every Saturday, but she did not know what all we ordered, so I had to tell her. As we sat at the table, I reviewed the bill as it seemed different from past bills. The other lady usually charges us for one drink and gives us one drink. This young lady did not charge us for either drink so I, not wanting to cheat anyone, took the bill to the young lady and noted that we were not charged for the drinks. She said yes, I was correct, she gave us the drinks. It wasn’t a mistake, she gave them to us, and if it is a gift then I can accept it. 

            After eating we headed to the cheap store, to see if there was anything we need. We both found and item that we wanted and a box of chocolate mints, I think the bill was about $13.00. I needed a new wire for charging my cell phone and that is what I bought. They had remote controlled helicopters for I believe $39.00. It was big, about 1.5 feet long. As I looked at them and I thought I would like to have one if I could control one of them in the air. There was a man who appeared to be older than me looking at them also. I suggested to him that he and I did not need one of those, he laughed and agreed.

            On the way home from the cheap store we stopped at Wally world to get some tape and bandages for my back. While there I asked if I had received the RSV shot, they checked the records and said I had not. Leaving there we stopped at the pharmacy that we use and I asked about getting the RSV shot. I got shot. My doctor during my recent physical said they were recommending ole people to get the shot. It did not hurt and my arm did not get sore.

            Back at the homestead we did very little until about 4:00 when we decided to wash the dog. We soap the dog up and then let him run loose with the soap on him. One of the odd things he does when he is covered with the soap, he will find a spot in the yard that has no grass and he will try to roll in the dirt.

After the wash job we received a text from a friend saying her son had grilled some ribs and he was bringing some to them for supper. They said he would bring us some too, if we wanted them. Naturally we said yes to the ribs. He brought us ribs and a bowl of beans; they were very good. Wow a good free supper, and my wife did not need to cook, excellent.

We did get to sit outside yesterday afternoon and enjoy the quite afternoon. Plans for today, none. Just take it easy and try to rest my ole senior body.

            I just remembered that I need to water the flowers this morning, so I will say so long, we hope your day is pleasant and please stays safe in all you do.

Water boy Don.

Senior ole person who works too hard, or at least thinks he does, Don the Ford

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

August 17, 2024

“Good morning to you, good morning to me, good morning to us, good morning to them.”

            Did I leave anyone out of the good mornings, I don’t think so. Why is it such a good morning that one person might ask, well I will splain Lucy. If you don’t know what those two words mean, you are too young to be reading this posting, or maybe you are too old to be reading. We got some rain yesterday, and the free rain gage shows forty-five one hundredths of an inch of rain. For that one person who has a problem with measurements, forty-five one hundredths is more than four tenths of an inch, but less that one half inch.

We did sit out on the front porch yesterday afternoon during the happy rain time and enjoy the breeze and rain. Ole people who have to pick up aluminum cans to get money to buy food, will enjoy the rain because, they can get a free shower by sitting in the rain. I feel very clean right now.

            Let us see why there was no posting yesterday. We went to the eye doctor yesterday; my favorite wife had an appointment. We drove down to Tempel Texas, about a 30-minute drive, and we were going south bound on the interstate, when we observed the northbound lane was blocked by a wreck. Traffic was backed up a couple miles due to the reck.

We spent a couple hours at the doctor’s office with various tests and then we talked with the doctor. They did not find anything different from the last visit. Actually, we sat around most of the time waiting, and that was a little boring.

            Before heading out to Temple I did water the flowers in the flowerpots out in the back 40, even though they said we had a 30% chance of rain in the afternoon.

            Back at home we did very little as we did not need to pick anyone up from football practice or work. I guess leaving the homestead fairly early that morning and sitting at the doctor’s office was kind of tiring and boring, so we just took it easy the rest of the day.

            Unknown reason for injury: the Don must have injured his arm Thursday. Thursday afternoon the Don’s left elbow began to feel odd. It was as if it was swollen and when he would bend his arm it felt tight. That went on for a while but later on it began to hurt when he moved his elbow. As the night progressed the Don lying in bed was keeping his arm against his body not wanting to move it at all. The Don had no idea what he had done and was considering on seeing a Doctor Friday. Oddly enough, when the Don woke up his arm was much better and as the day went on it got even better. I still do not know what I did to my elbow, but it did hurt. I would say it is 98.5% better this morning compared to yesterday. I move it without any pain. 

Different topic: the electric company is removing tree limbs away from power limes here in Hewitt. On Friday afternoon they were working in the ditch behind our house, a couple houses down from our house. I don’t know how they get the trucks and chippers into the ditch, but they do. I was looking over the fence and watching what they were doing, when I put my hand on the metal post of the fence and it was sticky, due to the pollen or something dripping off the tree over the fence. Sticky leaves and anything under them get sticky. 

We did enjoy sitting outside during the rainy part of the afternoon, the temp was much cooler but I still had a cold drink.

Well, I guess I will stop for now, you do not need to know we will likely do our normal Saturday routine, which includes a good nap. We hope your day is safe and filled with nice happenings. Please try again to be nice to that one person, I was nice to them, and you can be too.

Thanks for the rain!

Senior ole person who needs to do what? Ole people don’t remember! Don the Ford

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