May 12, 2024

            I want to wish each of you a good day, and especially the mothers who might read this, “Happy Mother’s Day”. Now that I have said that, we are supposed to have a 100% chance of rain and storms today, wow how do we celebrate in the rain and storms?

            We here at the Fords homestead plan to go out to have lunch today, that means no cooking or clean up afterwards at the Ford’s homestead.

            What have I done this morning, before I started this soon to be review of our efforts from the previous day. This morning before starting this post, I watched a couple church programs on the TV, then I came to the Ford’s ole office and decided to attempt to uninstall the old, and then install the new. The main problem was getting each wire in the right place. There were 12 wires from power cord to security cameras connections. It took this ole person a while to remove and install, the good thing is, “it works”! I now have the security cameras back on and recording. I still need to read the instructions and this unit has a couple more features than the ole one had.

            Now lest see how yesterday went: we had planned on leaving the house about 10:45 and head into Waco. That did not happen, as we were waiting on a delivery of Flowers. So, I decide to leave my favorite wife here at the homestead while I went to get my prescription. On the way back home from the pharmacy I stopped and let the boy scouts (Alex’ troop) wash my ole pickup truck. When I got back home, we sat around for a little while and my favorite wife called the florists to see if they knew when the delivery would be, they did not know. We then decided to leave and the flower delivery person can come back later.

            We went out to the Fords ole Chevy and as we were getting in, the delivery person pulled up in front of the house. We got the flowers and they were pretty, then we headed into Waco. Arriving at the sandwich shop the lady said we were late; then she placed our order without asking what we wanted.

            After eating we went to the adult beverage store to get some booze. I pulled up the to drive through window and the lady cane to the window and without opening the window she held up two fingers and I nodded my head; she knew I wanted two bottles.  

Leaving the adult beverage store we headed for the cheap store looking for a dog lead, they only had them for medium sized dogs, and Tres is large. My favorite wife was able to purchase a couple flower pots and two bags of potting soil. We would like to plant a couple flowers today but I think it is too wet and stormy.

            Back at home my favorite wife went into the back 40 and began pulling weeds from the flower beds, I decided I should do something too so I picked up sticks, then I pulled weeds from the #1 berry bed. I cut some limbs that were hanging over the fence from the neighbor’s yard. then I cut some limbs from the pecan tree in the back 40, these limbs were getting too close to the electrical wire that powers our house. I also removed a limb from the pecan tree in the front yard as it was touching the house.

            I moved the benches that we sit on when we wash the dog to a dry area and pulled the hose out to the benches. I then began removing the weeds that my favorite wife had pulled from the flower bads, she left them in piles so I could get them picked up easily.

            Finally, she was finished pulling weeds and I was finished picking them up, we started the dog washing event. When the dog was washed, I suggested that my wife go take a shower as she had crawled all around those flower beds and her clothes were dirty.

            I then went and harvested the black berries from the three beds. That finished I fed the Dog. Then I got my adult beverage and went outside with the Tres to rest a little while. A few minutes later my favorite wife also came outside for some needed rest. After about an hour and a half resting, we decided to head inside for some more needed rest.

            Well, as one can see, another day for ole senior people who have nothing to do.

            We hope your Mother’s Day is enjoyable and please be nice to all mothers, while you are trying to be safe in all you do.

Happy Mother’s Day.

Senior person who hopes it stops raining so we can go out for lunch, Don the Ford

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

May 11, 2024

            Good Saturday morning to you and only you, you are my favorite…

            Today is Saturday and our plans are, go into Waco for lunch, drop by the cheap store to see if we can get a new lead for Tres, stop by the adult beverage store, get the Ford’s ole Chevy washed by the boy scouts, (they don’t call them boy scouts any longer, but I do). Then come home and do nothing, it should be a good day.

            What has the Don done early this morning, no one asked. He went out back and picked the black berries, he raked up weeds that his favorite wife had pulled from one of the flower beds, he picked up sticks that had fallen in the back 40, then he came into the homestead hoping for something to eat. Early morning work is cool.

            I had ordered a new DVR for the security cameras and it was supposed to arrive next Monday. I get an email saying it was out for delivery, I should get it today. I wonder if it came from the Amazon here in Waco, nope it came from another place here in Texas.

            We did sit outside yesterday afternoon, it was trying to sprinkle a little, so we went out to the front porch, and a friend came over and sat with us. A couple hours of general discussions are good.

            Well, I guess I will stop for now, nope I don’t have any photos, so please have a productive day and stay safe in all you do.

Sat all day!

Senior ole person who may work too hard, or not, Don the Ford

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

May 10, 2024

            I want to say good morning to one and all this morning, we hope everyone has a good day. My day yesterday was a little odd, and yet it was good, story to follow.

            Imagin if you will, waking up to a slight sound which at first may have sounded as if the dog Tres, was wheezing. So, you walk into the other room where the dog was, and he is ok. The sound was now louder and coming from another room. You walk into the kitchen and the sound is even louder, and it seems to be coming from the Ford’s ole office. The sound is rhythmic, it had perfect timing, and once I was in the ole office, I thought the sound was coming from the electric panel. Now I know there is nothing in an electric panel that will make sounds, but I opened it any way. The sound was continuous, I felt of the panel to see if it was warm, I looked at all the breakers to see if any were tripped and all was good.

            At this point I thought, maybe the sound was coming from the cabinet which is above my desk and next to the panel. There are several items from my ham radio days in the cabinet like walkie talkies and many other things. I searched through all those items, but the sound was not coming out of there, it still sounded like it was from the panel.

            Finally, I looked at the security camera controller that sits on my desk in front of the panel, and it was making the sound and flashing the 3 small lights on the front. I unplugged it and finally silence. I plugged it back in and the sound started again. And as one might guess, my security cameras that are attached to that controller do not work. Before that one person asks, I do have other cameras that are not connected to the controller, and they are still working.

I did get the instruction book that came with the controller in hopes that there would be some instructions as to what the sound would mean. The instruction book explained how to install and set up everything, but nothing about problems.  Yes, I have ordered a new controller. 

A different subject: my favorite wife and I did go out for breakfast, and it was good. We stopped at a store where my favorite wife purchased some peppermints, they are for the Dog. Then we went to the flower shop where she hoped to find a specific flower, but they did not have it, we did get another flower which will go into the front yard.

All that done, I went out back and prepared to mow the back 40. I removed debris, the garden hose and dog Poopa-Loopa. I then got the Fords ole rider out with the new wheels and tires and check the air in the tires, all was good. I decided to approach the mowing in a different rhythm yesterday, I used the ole riding mower and then I used the battery powered string trimmer. Actually, that process was better than my ole way of first mowing what I consider as difficult with the walk behind, then the rider, then the string trimmer. The back yard looked very nice at completion of the project.

My favorite wife and I did sit outside for a couple hours yesterday afternoon enjoying the weather before the storms came. When the storms came, we were lucky and only got some wind and rain. Yep, another ½ inch of rain in the back 40, and yes there is some standing water again.

This morning as I was preforming my usual duties I noticed a flower blooming. This flower, as I understand it, only blooms at night, and when the sun comes up the bloom leaves. I do have a photo.

            Well, I guess I will stop for now, we hope you have a safe day filled with all kinds of goodness, and maybe even a friend to talk with. 

Odd but good day.

Senior ole person who has too much to do today, so I will do nothing, Don the Ford

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

May 9, 2024

            I guess it is a good morning, it isn’t raining but it is foggy and misty, so allow me to say good morning to you all!

            My big plans for the day are to have breakfast with my favorite wife and then if the grass is dry enough, I want to mow the back 40. As I have said earlier, the ground on the back 40 is still wet, but the grass was dry yesterday afternoon, and if this foggy mist doesn’t make the grass too wet, I will attempt to try the new tires on the ole riding mower, in other words, get on the ole riding mower and mow.

            I am trying to think if I did anything yesterday, well I did work on the string trimmer, I think it has trimmed its last grass. That means I will need to use the battery powered trimmer until I get a new trimmer, it is heavy compared to a gas-powered unit. I have looked at some new string trimmers on line and the gas units seem to run from $150 and up. I would like to get one that is easy for an ole man to use.

            I did take some shirts to the cleaners yesterday and I stopped at the teller machine for our weekly stipend.

            My favorite wife and I did sit outside for a while yesterday afternoon and the weather was hot and humid. I even had a fan running to provide some air movement. The quiet time was nice.

            I am surprised that I did not get a comment from anyone as to the pornography subject. I thought that would cause a response.

            I need to get away from this computer and head out to breakfast, we hope you all have a good day and as always stay safe in all you do.

Storms go away please!

Senior ole person who is ready for breakfast, Don the Ford

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

May 8, 2024

            Howdy to one and all, I did not say good morning because I know most of you do not get up early and when you read this it is afternoon. Yes, I know you are the only one who reads this early in the morning, so good morning to you.

            Let us see what occurred yesterday. I had planned to mow the front yard after my reading of the bible, which would have been about 10:00am, but that schedule went south. After my reading I did call our Medicare provider about a bill that my favorite wife has received. We have no idea what it was for so got on the phone and inquired about the bill that was received via text message. We do not pay bills that come via text or email, we still require paper invoices.

            I know that most of you “real people” do the automatic payments, but we don’t. the first person I spoke with ask some questions and then transferred us to another person where we learned whet the bill was for. Then we learned that the bill was not sent to our provider, instead it was sent to us, they corrected that as we talked. I then told them we do not accept bills via text or email, we want paper, and that has now changed we will get all paper bills in the future.

            So, the above phone calls to the Medicare provider took about 30 minutes. I started outside to get the mower when I received a call from a nephew in Missouri. We talked for a while about many things and that took another 30 minutes or so. I was now at my normal lunch time, so I did not get the mower, instead, I decided to get a quick lunch of leftovers an then start the mowing process.

            Lunch was complete and I took about a 15-minute break to allow the food to settle in my ole belly. Then I headed out to get the mower and I brought it to the front yard, where I saw that I needed to pick up debris. That completed I started the mowing process. Now the temp was in the 80s and I think the humidity may have been about 200%, I was sweating before I started mowing. I did get the front yard mowed; it does look good. After putting the mower away, I returned to the house where I took off the shirt which was soaked with sweat. I have now started complaining about the summer heat!

            The temp was 90 degrees when my favorite wife and I went outside in the afternoon to sit and watch the neighborhood. I even got the small fan out and turned it on as the breeze was not consistent.

            The back 40 is no longer standing in water, now it is not dry, only the standing water is now gone. We have a slight risk of storms this afternoon, and tomorrow we have a higher risk of storms. I have photos of blooming flowers.

             Different topic: I can only assume some of you watched the so-called news yesterday and you heard about the trial that is going on for a past president. They had a female porn star as a witness yesterday and I think again today. I had a thought which has nothing to do with the trial, but it has to do with prostitutes. As I understand it a prostitute gets paid for sex. He or she and the person who is paying for sex, can be arrested, for having sex for money. Porn stars get paid to have sex in front of cameras, so why are they not arrested. So, is there a difference?

            Well now that I have you thinking I will get out of your way and do nothing again today. we hope you have a good day and please stay safe in all you do.

Flowers be pretty.

Senior ole retired person who likes to blog but has nothing to say, Don the Ford

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

May 7, 2024

            The sun is up and the clouds are gone for now, so we say good morning to you! We hope this day is one of your best days ever, and please be nice to others.

            Yesterday, what did the Don do: well, he wanted to do several things, but he just did a few things. He did get a good nap, he did get a cup of real coffee, he did sit outside and read another one of his papers, this one is titled, “Will what begins as great end that way?” The paper can also be called, “The future defined.” The Don also went to the shed and got the ole string trimmer, it stopped working the last time he mowed, and he needs to see if he can get it running again. Yes, the Don has a battery powered trimmer, but it is heavier than the gas-powered unit, which makes it more difficult for an ole person to use.

            The back 40 is still so wet I don’t even like going out back, but I forced myself to check the black berry beds, and I found the first almost totally ripe berry. I did pick it as I assumed the birds would get it if I waited until today.

            I guess I will now need to be checking the berry beds daily for a while, never any rest for and ole Ford.

            Arriving back at home after picking Alex up from school and dropping him off at his house, my favorite wife and I did sit outside for a while yesterday afternoon, even though it was in the 80s and the humidity was high. The Tres was laying there on the driveway keeping an eye on something, photo to follow.

            Today I want to work on the trimmer, and maybe mow the front yard, if I get enough time I might work on the paper, Will what begins as great end that way?

            Well, I guess that is it for now, we hope you have a good day, and as always please stay safe in all you do.

Soon to be berry picker.

Senior ole person who should get to work but may not, Don the Ford

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

May 6, 2024

            To all we wish a good morning. We did get more rain yesterday, but thankfully it was not too much, the free rain gage has a little over 5 inches still in it. I guess I should dump the water out, and stop talking about the rain. 

            Let’s see if we did anything yesterday; nope we did nothing much. If memory serves me, and it often does not, my wife cooked a roast with potatoes, carets and onions, which we took to a friend. The food smelled good as it was cooking, and I did get to taste a small piece of the meat when it was complete.

            My favorite wife and I went to the cracker store for our lunch and I had a new chicken sandwich which they have just started providing. The food was good and the service was very good.

            Back at home, we rested for a while. The sun was still shining so I decided to check the berry beds for any ripe berries. There are several red berries but none of our berries are ripe yet. A neighbor has said he has already picked a quart of black berries from his plants this year.

            I decided to replace the tires and wheels on my ole riding mower, so I moved the truck out of the car port and brought the mower to the car port. It was difficult getting the ole wheels off the mower but it was easy putting the new wheels with tires on the mower.

            There was a small accident during the wheeling process, I fell off my seat. The seat I was using was a stool on wheels and I could move around to do the necessary work without getting up. As I was moving from one spot to another the rollers seemed to have stopped and I kept going. It was a good 20-inch fall from the seat to the cement driveway. I feel find this morning so I guess I was not hurt in the fall.

I also drained the oil from the ole riding mower, removed and replaced the oil filter, and then added almost two quarts of oil. I was able to get through all the wet lands in the back 40 to put the mower away.

Back at the house I found it was time to feed the pot hound, then get a cold glass of water and sit down and rest. I was sweating as if I had worked hard, I think it was mostly due to the humidity, the cap I was wearing was soaked with sweat.

When happy hour came, I was able to get a cold adult drink and find a chair to sit in, near the Ford’s ole swing, where my favorite wife decided to sit, even though it was in the direct sun light. We received a call from a friend who was coming over and she asked if she should bring a pizza with her. Not wanting to seem impolite we said YES, bring a pizza. Pizza was good and conversations were light, that is until it began to sprinkle rain. Yes, mother nature was attempting to disrupt our afternoon relaxation time. We headed for the front porch and continued our time together relaxing.

As you can see, another day with little to do and no time to do it. We hope you have a good Monday, and as always, please stay safe in all you do.

The Don has Fallen!

Senior ole retired person who needs to check where he is rolling, Don the Ford

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

May 5, 2024

            Should I say good morning to everyone, I guess it depends on how one defines good morning. I got up, I feel good, I checked the free rain gage, and it now has 5 inches of rainwater in it. We did get through the storms last night without any major problems, other than the rain which kept falling, so I will wish everyone a “good wet morning!”

            Yesterday was a normal Saturday for us, we did go to the sandwich shop and eat lunch, we did stop at the Donna’s friends store, her friend was out of town. We did go to the cheap store and the one thing I was going to look at was either sold out, or moved some place in the store which I did not see. The Donna did purchase a couple items for the yard, then we went to the grocery store. The parking lot was over full, but we were blessed as we got a parking space very close to the front door. The Donna went in and shopped, and I sat in the vehicle and watched too many people going in and coming out.

            Back at home I decided to work on my story, “Time Travel”. I had the paper copy open so I could read it and I had the copy on the computer turned on too. I have in the past stated that I learn best by seeing something or hearing about something. I do learn by reading but not as fast or as easy, so I had the computer reading it too me. The area that I thought might be incorrect, was, in my opinion, correct, and I did add a couple sentences to another part of the story. I did adjust the font up one size to make it easier to read without my glasses. I need to print the entire story with the larger font, I might do that today.

            Change of topics: the new tires and wheels for the riding mower are still in the garage, I did not bring the ole rider up to the car port yesterday, and with this additional rain last night, it may be several days before I get to work on the ole rider.

            I did however put my rubber boots on and go out to the back 40 to view the black berries. I did fine a few red berries and yes, I will share a photo, we will be saying ouch in the near future.

            Since it was too wet to sit on the Ford’s ole swing, we went to the front porch yesterday and sat there for a while. Yes, it did rain while we were sitting out there, but we did not get wet. It seems to me that every day I find the TV less interesting and quiet time, reading something interesting more enjoyable.

            I guess I will stop for now and wish you a good safe day.

5 inches of rain!

Senior ole person who don’t like to say ouch, but likes the berries, Don the Ford

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