We'er Hanging in There

After the violent weather this past weekend, a cold front pushed through lowering nightly lows into the 30s and daily highs to the mid 50s or so. Wednesday morning, in particular, was cold, with the low hovering just above freezing. I understand the Panhandle even had some snow. Things should warm up by the weekend, though.

The hail and winds did some damage to Donna's tomato and pepper plants, and to some of her other plants. I'm hoping when the sunshine returns that it might perk them up some; we'll just have to wait and see.

While at the kitchen sink a couple of days ago, I saw a woodpecker hugging the trunk of our front bur oak. I slipped into the garage and peered out, hoping to catch some photos. I snapped a couple before he flew to our neighbor's tree, then I snapped one while he visited them.

Woodpecker on the bur oak in our yard. He blends in nicely, doesn't he?

Here he is on our neighbor's tree.

We don't get out much these days, and we avoid as much contact as possible. For groceries, we currently are doing only curbside pickup. For medicine, we do drive-thru. I can't remember the last time we were in a store. And those are just about the only places we go when we venture out. It's rather ironic that with the lowest gas prices in years, we are unable to travel.

Now whenever we go out, I feel sort of like a criminal. We try to be as inconspicuous as possible, pick up our things, then get back to Rio Concho West as quickly as possible. I'm wondering how long it will take for me to mentally return to normal once this is all over. When will I feel comfortable walking into a grocery store? When will I feel safe sauntering into a restaurant? When will I not feel in danger when I'm around crowds of people?

I'm thankful we live where we do. I'm especially thankful we are not currently full-timing in an RV. State parks in many states are closed, national parks are closed, and many public lands have closed. It's a bit challenging to find a place to park an RV these days. And if you are not one of the fortunate few with a washer/dryer setup in your RV, you have to venture out every so often to do laundry in a place that you might not feel safe in.

Yep, I feel pretty fortunate right now.

Keep safe out there.

Stormy Weather

About 5:45 yesterday (Saturday) evening, a storm blew in and almost immediately we lost power. Strong winds were blowing from the north. We looked across the street and watched our neighbor's flag pole bending dangerously low. I was afraid it would snap; it has before, about a year or two ago. Rain began pelting us, and then small hail began falling. The hail was no larger than a dime in our area, though reports around town indicated quarter-sized hail. Winds gusted at 60 mph.

As quickly as it started, it stopped. We had about a quarter inch in the rain gauge. The power remained off until about 7:15, and it drizzled periodically during this time. Then the power returned, and so did the storm. I was afraid the power would go out again, but thankfully it stayed on. This time the wind blew just as savagely from the south. We had more rain and hail as well.

Finally, the worst of the storms subsided, but throughout the night we would continue to get pelted periodically by strong winds, sheets of rain, and small hail. Lightning and thunder kept us company through the night. Altogether, we received almost 2 inches of rain, which is quite a bit for us.

Spring is here!

Even though the current pandemic has been dominating the news lately, Mother Nature let us know that some things are still normal.

Below are some pictures I snapped during the storms.

One of our downspouts pouring out water and hail. Notice the little pellets of hail scattered in the grass.

This is the downspout at the other end of our patio. Pretty good pile of hail washed out of the gutter.

This is from the second part of the storm, when the wind had shifted out of the south. Notice how the trees across the street are leaning north. It's hard to tell in the picture, but sheets of rain were blowing.

The rain is so thick that the clubhouse is not visible at all.

A few moments later, I snapped this photo looking southeast. Although the house just to the left of the hummingbird feeder is visible, it is nearly impossible to discern any detail.

Trying to Keep Things Normal

It's hard to remain normal in these abnormal times, isn't it? But we do what we have to do. And since most folks agree I'm rather abnormal, I'm going with the flow quite well.

The number of COVID-19 cases in Tom Green County has grown to 24. I'd say right now we have generally the same number of cases as other West Texas towns of our size (Abilene, Midland, and Odessa). Lubbock has over 100 cases.

Once we saw cases starting to appear in West Texas, Donna and I began self isolating. In the past two or more weeks, we have only left the house to pick up groceries using the curbside service at H.E.B. and Market Street (United). When we see the delivery folks approach our car, I pop the hatch on our SUV and they load the groceries in and we take off for home. Once home, we sterilize everything, wash thoroughly, and isolate until our next order. Yeah, self isolating ain't too difficult for anti-social folks like me and the old woman.

Other than self isolating, we try to remain normal. I still walk several days a week. However, I avoid contact with anyone, even to the point that I cross the street if other walkers are approaching. We sit out on our patio as much as we can. Unfortunately, a cold front blew through early Friday and stayed until Sunday, so we spent most of this past weekend inside.

On a recent walk, I saw this lovely yucca in bloom. 

This tom turkey was showing off his plumage one morning.

I looked out on our patio Saturday morning. It was pretty chilly out there. The temp was hovering around the mid 40s, and there was a mist in the air. I noticed something on the top wire of the cage on one of Donna's patio tomato plants. Upon closer inspection, I saw that it was a hummingbird. He was all hunched up as if he was cold. The little fellow stayed on our patio much of the morning, going from that spot on the cage to one of the feeders.

Our new tenant.

His second home.

Donna found a couple of shows on the Animal Planet channel for us to watch. The first one she found is The Zoo. Most of the show is set at the Bronx Zoo in New York City, but there are a few scenes filmed at other zoos. Of course, both Donna and I love animals, so we enjoy watching the show just to see them, but I'm amazed at what is done behind the scenes to keep a zoo running. Basically, the same can be said for The Aquarium, which is set at the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta. If you get a chance, tune in to these great shows.

One of the positive side affects of this situation we are currently in is some folks may be rediscovering some simple pleasures. I've noticed people walking in our neighborhood who I have never seen walk before. Now, admittedly, some of these folks may be new to Rio Concho West. We do have a steady turnover out here. But some folks I recognize; they just haven't walked before. I guess they're getting a case of cabin fever and are looking for something to do. That's good. And I've read that gardening is being rediscovered. I wouldn't mind a good plot of land myself to do some serious gardening. I do miss it. It was therapy for me during my work years.

I hope all of you are staying safe out there. Best wishes to all.

It's an Interesting Time

We live in a time of uncertainty. The COVID-19 virus has clearly brought that home for most of us. But we've been living in such times for quite a while now. For example, 9/11 was a terrible time, as was the great recession of 2008. And don't forget all of the hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, and wildfires. Many of us may not have been impacted by these natural disasters, but those who suffered through them undoubtedly put them on a par with 9/11, the recession, and COVID-19.

But we are still very, very fortunate. So many other countries of the world live in tumultuous times on a regular basis. Consider the ongoing civil war in Syria, for example. Those poor folks have lost everything -- loved ones, homes, possessions, and just about everything else. And there is no end in sight to the fighting there. And consider so many of the African countries who live with disease and hunger on a daily basis. Again, there is no end in sight for many of them. At least we believe that this current epidemic will run its course and come to an end. We will then probably develop a vaccine to protect us from future outbreaks. Life will pretty much return to normal for most of us.

What interests me about such difficult and trying times is how people react to them. Right now, we have so many people rising to the occasion to make things better not only for themselves but for others. There's a great deal of innovation going on out there right now as well, with people converting distilleries into temporary factories for making hand sanitizer for example. And what about those folks that are producing make-shift face masks. And people from all walks of life are really doing some innovative things with technology, from teachers to entertainers to news personalities, among others. We have folks helping others wherever you look. That is really great.

But trying times also bring out the worst in some people. The worst people, in my opinion, are those who try to profit from disasters. I'm talking about people who price gouge, or who sell worthless products to gullible folks. Then there are the scammers who devise criminal schemes for personal profit. All of these people should -- when caught -- automatically be given the stiffest sentence such crimes allow, with no hope of parole. And then there are the folks who do nothing but complain about regulations put in place and even openly defy these regulations. They aren't much better than the criminals among us.

Every cloud has a silver lining, and we are seeing so many of these. The worst is still to come, I have no doubt of that. Some of us will undoubtedly lose loved ones. When this thing is over, will we be changed? Will we live our lives differently? Has this event taught us what is truly important in life? Or will we simply return to life as it was a few months ago?

Hopefully, we will learn. I encourage everyone to live prudently in the upcoming months. Strive to put enough money in savings so that should such a disaster occur again, you can weather the storm. Financial experts encourage all people to have savings to enable them to live at least 6 months should they lose their jobs, fall ill, or encounter some other disaster.

I wish all of you good health and good fortune.

Passing the Time

Donna and I are pretty good at entertaining ourselves. That's good, because during these challenging times, you have to find things to do or go stir crazy.

As the week began, we were still getting out a bit, though we were keeping our distance and following the CDC suggestions of washing hands, wiping down surfaces, and so forth. We even took advantage of a senior time at Walmart on Tuesday morning. The store opened its doors to senior citizens an hour before regular start time. Donna and I arrived promptly at 6:00 AM to find a fairly long line. We decided we would brave the line, which really moved rather quickly. Employees were allowing 4 in at a time. This gave them time to wipe down carts and have them ready as all of us old geezers entered.

Most items were in good supply, although selections of bread, cereal, meat, and dairy products were not what they usually are. Paper towels disappeared while we were there, and there was no toilet paper to begin with. But we got mostly what we came for.

One day we drove through a chicken place and got some tender meals. We took our food out to Spring Creek Park and had a pleasant picnic overlooking Spring Creek. It was nice to eat on the creek bank and watch the ducks and other birds. The breeze was light and the temperature perfect.

We've been walking, of course, and doing quite a bit of work in the yard. The mowers came on Wednesday, and I always have to clean up after they cut the grass. I usually get the trimmer out, for the mowers are more interested in quantity rather than quality. So, there is always some touching up to do, often quite a bit. And since they don't bag, there is always grass to blow off the patios and sidewalks.

Donna has tomato and pepper plants scattered around the beds, and all of her patio plants are roaring to life. With the beautiful warm weather this past week and good recent rains, everything is greening up.

Tomato and pepper plants along our north wall.

Earlier in the week, Donna set out here 3 hummingbird feeders. Let the wars begin! Those rascals surely are stingy with those feeders, but they are a delight to watch.

Feeders in a row across our back patio. The little birds dart from feeder to feeder, running off any who dare tresspass on their domain.

We now have 3 cases of COVID-19 in Tom Green County, so Donna and I have decided to isolate ourselves even more. We are now using curbside services to pick up groceries from H.E.B., and we are eating all of our meals at home -- no more take out. The next few weeks should be interesting for us. Will the number of positive cases rise locally (I'm sure they will), and how bad will it get here?

And let me leave you with a humorous story which I like to call, "The Saga of Donna and the Chicken".

I was sitting in my recliner the other day, minding my own business, when Donna looked out the windows overlooking our back patio.

"There's a chicken in our yard," she exclaimed.

Well, I've been here before. Donna sees lots of things; after all, she drinks a lot, you know. For example, Donna has seen ostriches on hikes (turned out to be turkeys), and she is great at seeing things in the clouds, even when there are no clouds.

Well, I moseyed on over to the window and peeked out.

When I peeked out, this is what I saw through the slats.

"Donna," I said. "That's a buzzard."

We stepped out on the patio and were able to snap a few more pics before he flew off.

Donna's chicken.

Technically, I believe that is a turkey vulture. We get quite a few buzzards that circle Rio Concho West. We think it is because of all of us old geezers. They seem to be waiting for us to die. Perhaps we'll just drop dead while we are walking or while we are getting our mail or morning paper. And some of them fly really low through the neighborhood. As we sit on our back patio looking towards our street, many will actually fly level with our eyes since the street is a few feet lower than our patio. So, when you hear of our death, just know we are being taken care of by nature's caretakers.

Take care of yourselves out there, and be smart!

Are We Having Fun Yet?

Well, this virus is not much fun, is it?

As this week comes to a close, lots of places are shutting down. There is no longer any indoor dining at local restaurants, but drive thrus are still open as well as take out, curbside service, and deliveries. To date, San Angelo has not had a case of the virus. In a news report Friday, statistics were provided that indicated 68 people in town had been tested, and the results of 11 tests were negative. 57 tests are still being processed. On Saturday, the number grew to 108 tested, 22 negative results, and 86 pending. The only reports of the virus in the larger area are 1 each in the towns of Lubbock, Brownwood, Midland, and Crane. I've no doubt that we will see the virus here in time, so I expect things to get worse before they get better.

All activities at our RCW clubhouse have been suspended for the duration. Fortunately, all of the employees are still on site. Local grocery stores are still open, though most have altered their hours. Walmart will have a "senior hour" this coming week, so I guess we'll venture out to pick up some goodies.

We are trying to be good team players and do as the authorities are requesting/ordering. I hate that there are those out there that post rants on local media complaining about restrictions. Now is not the time to pitch a childish fit; now is the time to work together. But some folks can only think of themselves. It doesn't matter which side of the political aisle you prefer, in times like these you work with those in authority to make the situation better.

Donna and I have enjoyed the good weather and have spent some time working in the yard. On Saturday, we were surprised with a rainy afternoon that netted us about half an inch. We've had a pretty wet 2020 so far. The ground has remained moist for the most part and things have greened up nicely. But with Saturday's rain came a cool front, dropping daytime temps to the mid 40s. It began warming again yesterday (Sunday), and this week will see temps in the 70s and 80s. Nice.

Below are some pictures of Donna's handiwork in the beds. I don't have any handiwork to show -- I just pull weeds.

We have 2 rosemary plants, and both are healthy. I love the rich green color. We've tried to grow rosemary in pots over the years, but have never had much luck. Plant them in the ground, though, and they do great!

Mint is much like rosemary; in a pot, it just doesn't flourish as well as in the ground. Yes, it spreads quickly, but we put in dividers to restrict its spread. Don't you just love iced tea with fresh mint on a summer day?

Donna created a little herb condo here, with sage, dill, and other goodies. 

Last fall, Donna really cut back her roses, and they are now putting on new growth. I expect them to do well this year.

This is the bur oak tree in our front yard that we trimmed way back in the fall. It has some nice new growth, and I think it is really going to do well this year.

Here is that same bur oak in a picture taken almost a year ago, but from a different angle. You can see how the lower limbs needed pruning back. 

The Weather Is Lovely

It's really nice out here these days. The weather has been just about perfect for my tastes. Each night, the lows can range anywhere from the upper 30s to the low 60s, and the days usually reach at least the upper 50s, sometimes the lower 80s. We've gotten some pretty good moisture as well, and there is a good chance we'll get more this week.

Construction on the new medical facility at the entrance to our subdivision is rolling along. I'm hoping this whole project will turn out well, but I hate seeing something like this come into our neighborhood.

Construction area just inside the entrance to our subdivision.

Right now, they are simply hauling in dirt and leveling the building site.

Building the foundation.

Donna and I have been busy so far this week. Early Monday, we visited our tax accountant and had our 2019 taxes done. It's always nice to get that behind us.

That afternoon, Donna went over to the clubhouse to play cards with her gang. I headed out to the state park and renewed our annual park passes. We've maintained annual passes with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department for a long, long time. I think it is one of the best deals around. I buy one pass for $70, then we add a second pass for Donna at $25. So, for a total of $95 we have unlimited access to ALL of the parks in the Texas state park system. In addition, anyone riding in our car also receives free access to the park. Now, if you don't have a pass, then you have to pay each time you enter a park, and that fee applies to each person in the automobile. Fees vary from park to park, but I think $5 for person is pretty standard at most parks these days. At our local park (San Angelo State Park), the entrance fee is $4 per person. So, if Donna and I visited our local park just once, it would cost us $8. Since we go out there quite a lot to walk and hike, we get our money's worth with these annual passes.

After purchasing the passes yesterday, I parked the car and went for a quick 3 mile walk which led me through 2 of the camping areas. It is Spring Break week out here, and the campgrounds were almost full. I always enjoy looking at the various RVs out there. I miss the RV lifestyle we once led, and I really think about doing it again when spring rolls around each year. But then reality returns, and I realize all the negatives associated with full-timing. But you never know what the old woman and I might do.

Scary sight! That is a big, heavy trailer, and that is an old, small truck it is hitched to. Just because a vehicle CAN pull a trailer doesn't mean that it should. 

I rose early Tuesday morning and took the car to our dealership to have it inspected. I like our Toyota dealership. They are efficient, fast, and service oriented. I've never had a bad experience there. After returning home, I completed the registration process online. We're legal for another year to roam the streets of our nation!

Donna returned to the clubhouse on Tuesday afternoon. No doubt, she and her gang are plotting something devious over there. As a good citizen, I should probably alert the authorities.

Trees are coming back to life.

Another beautifully shaped tree returning to life.

This little redbud is right on our main street, so we see each each time we leave or return.

I stayed close to home on Wednesday because Bug Express was scheduled to visit. One of the perks of living at Rio Concho West is they arrange for the exterminator to visit quarterly. Of course, our HOA fees pay for this amenity, but it's nice when someone else makes all the arrangements. All we have to do is be at home to grant them access. If we happen to be traveling when a visit is scheduled, we just contact the RCW office and they will let the folks in.

Donna had an early appointment with her eye doctor Thursday. I decided to stay home and go for a walk around the neighborhood. It is now warm enough most mornings that I can walk early with only a light jacket, and I can take it off after a mile or so. Nice weather. Thursday night, Donna went to the clubhouse for dinner, but since I didn't care for anything on the menu that day, I decided to stay home.

Friday was a bit cool, or it seemed that way. Actually, the temp stayed in the 60s throughout the day, but there was some moisture in the air and the wind blew rather steady all day. After lunch, we drove to the state park and made the rounds in the south section. It looked as if the lake (O. C. Fisher) had more water, but upon checking the data, it seems to be holding at just under 10% capacity. There weren't as many campers as earlier in the week, so I guess folks are already heading home from Spring Break.

Lake OC Fisher as seen from Pulliam Ridge at San Angelo State Park

View of the Playground Trail as it skirts up Armadillo Ridge at San Angelo State Park. I need to take a good hike!

So, how are you faring with the COVID-19? I hate to see the markets tumbling, especially at our age. It will take a while for them to recover these losses, but I'm sure they eventually will. Angelo State University (ASU) and San Angelo ISD (SAISD) have both extended their Spring Breaks another week. I'm not sure what this accomplishes except a bit more "social distancing". And social distancing requires good decisions on the part of individuals; it's pretty difficult to mandate common sense.

We went to H.E.B. early yesterday morning, and we were surprised at the number of folks there. Usually at that time, we pretty much have the place to ourselves. But it was pretty much a beehive of activity yesterday. People were stocking up. They weren't really panicking, as they were more or less taking their time. There was no pushing or rudeness or anything. But most of the folks had their carts full. We noticed lots of picked over shelves, especially things like toilet paper. Donna and I normally keep a well-stocked pantry. We watch the sales and buy items with long shelf life in bulk when we can to save money, so on any given day we usually have plenty of things in our pantry. I'm afraid the situation out there will get a bit worse before it gets better.

And to end, I'll leave you with a Rio Concho sunrise. I snapped this shot earlier in the week as I was on my walk.

West Texas sunrise.