Summer Is Heating Up

It's been a rather pleasant summer for our area so far this year. 

We've had good rain this June and July, perhaps the most we've seen this time of year since we moved here in 2011. And we've had very few triple digit days. Lawns are quite green for our area for this time of year, and that is a nice change. Usually everything is just about burned up about now.

But we've got quite a bit of summer left -- almost two months, in fact -- so it may heat up and be miserable from here on to fall. Who knows? In fact, our weekly forecast calls for several triple digit days ahead, so things are heating up. But I'm grateful for the pleasant summer we've enjoyed thus far.

And things are heating up in our little community, as well. We seem to be getting back to normal. The activity calendar is almost full again with all sorts of things happening at the clubhouse. This past Thursday night, for example, the residents of our community enjoyed our first birthday dinner in well over a year. We had a good turnout for the event, and there were quite a few faces we did not recognize. A good number of people have moved into RCW during the pandemic. It will be fun to get to know all the newcomers in our little community and make new friends.

In my last entry, I mentioned many of the good things about living here. One of the bad things is the turnover. Our independent living community has a minimum age of 64. As a result, we do get quite a few people moving in and out. As people age, some move on to the next stage, which for many is assisted living. A few just move on to another place, though. And, of course, at our age some of our neighbors pass on to their final reward. So just about every month, one or two folks leave and we get one or two new residents.

A couple we are friendly with will soon be moving to Florida to be closer to two of their children.  They will continue to live independently, which is good. Donna and I would like to get closer to our daughter and her family, but we have not been able to find anything we like in our price range near where they live. So, we'll continue to hang around RCW for a while longer and let Donna pester the folks here.

San Angelo, though with a population of about 100,000, is really something of a small town. We see folks in grocery stores and restaurants that we know, either from RCW or from previous experiences. In fact, we have a rather new maintenance man who joined our community a few months ago. When he was introduced in our local newsletter, I thought I recognized his name. Turns out, he is a former student whom I taught in nearby Ozona in 1991 or so. This past week, he stopped in to change the air filters in our system, and I had a pleasant visit with him. 

Lots of folks from Ozona migrate eventually to Angelo as it is the largest town in the area. Some come here seeking work. especially in the medical community, while others work in retail areas. It's always a pleasant surprise to run into one of them. Many educators from the school system in Ozona retire here, and we see many of them often, as well.

I keep threatening that our lives will get more exciting soon. However, the latest upsurge of COVID cases is making us act cautiously. While our RCW community has a very high rate of vaccinated people, the city as a whole has not done nearly as well. So, Donna and I continue to wear masks anytime we go out. We feel comfortable with our masks and our shots, so we do venture to places we might not have before, such as dining out and the farmers' market, but we still try to be smart about things.

Stay safe out there, and please try to do the right thing.

A Good 5 Years

We moved into our home here at Rio Concho West at the end of June in 2016. It has been a good 5 years for us. I really don't believe I've enjoyed living anywhere as much as I've enjoyed living here.

No place is perfect, and there are certainly things here we can complain about. But overall, I really am quite happy here. All maintenance is provided, so we have nothing to worry about in our house or yard with very few exceptions. I've gotten quite lazy these past 5 years. For example, a couple of days ago, our disposal clogged up. Donna picked up the phone and called the office, and a couple of hours later a polite young man appeared at our door to repair it. And on his way out, he noticed a fire ant bed in our yard, and he treated it as well, without even being asked to. Thanks, David! 

Another lovely West Texas sunrise taken from the mean streets of our little neighborhood.

One of the best things about the neighborhood is the community itself. It is very quiet and peaceful, and we feel very safe here. Our neighbors are great. Walks in the neighborhood are wonderful, as we know almost everyone we encounter on the streets. It's nice to stop and visit folks as we walk around the community. The clubhouse provides us with a place to congregate for dinners, games, and other activities.

Another sunrise. This was taken from the back of the new long term care facility that was recently completed in our neighborhood.

We are located very close to good shopping and restaurants. H.E.B. and Walmart are only a mile or so from our front gate, and Sam's Wholesale is across the street from Walmart. There is also a Lowe's on the other side of Walmart. For eating, we have several fast-food restaurants within a mile of the front gate, such as Chick-Fil-A, Panda Express, Newk's, Dairy Queen, Taco Bueno, Wendy's, Jimmy John's, and  Firehouse Subs. Just a bit farther, and full-scale restaurants are available, such as Outback, Chili's, and Red Lobster. A couple of urgent care clinics are also within a mile or so of the entrance. A fire station with emergency personnel is behind the Walmart.

You can see some of Donna's flowers in this photo, mostly roses. We walked out a day or two later to discover that deer had eaten every single rose. I guess that's the thanks we get for taking care of that fawn.

True, we do think of leaving from time to time, but that is what we've always done. Donna and I have always been restless; we find it difficult to stay in one place for long. But the longer I stay here, the more reluctant I am to leave. It's a nice feeling to know that if something happened to me, Donna would be living in a safe place among friends.

On to other things . . .

Since last Sunday night, we've had quite a bit of rain. I think it was Sunday night that it rained almost half an inch. A couple of days later, we received almost 2 inches of rain. Then a day or so later, we received just over half an inch, bringing our weekly total thus far to about 3 inches. At 5:00 this morning, it started again and has not let up much. As I write this at 8:15 on a Saturday morning, I'm sure we have received much more than an inch, as it has been coming down quite hard at times. It's nice to know that our reservoirs are filling up. A rainy spell such as this can add enough water to last several years.

We continue to venture out more and more, and we are selectively visiting certain restaurants. It's so liberating to be doing things again. But we still practice proper behavior, such as mask wearing, social distancing, and cleaning our hands, tables, and other items. We never go out without everything we need to feel safe.

As I've said before, Donna and I have always been careful. We've always treated hotel rooms upon arrival (wiping down hard surfaces, spraying beds and chairs, etc.), so this is really not a change for us. But it is disturbing when I'm in a restroom and see men walk out without washing their hands. Have we not learned a single thing over the past year or so? Some of us, I guess, will never learn.

I hope you have a happy July 4th. Be safe out there.