APRIL 18 - 24 FIRST WEEK IN GATESVILLE

SUNDAY APRIL 18....and I was busy getting settled. Will be here until May 24 when I head to Iowa for the summer. I don’t do too much unpacking since I spend most of my time visiting and eating out while I'm here. Too many people to see and gossip to catch up on and coffee and ice tea to drink. Afterall, I lived her for over 20 years so, in a way, it is like coming home.

Sunday means lunch at Johnnie’s. She always has my favorites for my first meal back home- frog eye salad and chicken fried steak. Just doesn’t get much better than setting around the Sunday table with Johnnie and her growing family.

And another Sunday tradition – Ice cream with Brenda and the girls at Dairy Queen. But now, we have a young man in our midst. Candace's little one, Gabriel…what a cutey he is, complete with dimples.

Monday I was off to VA medical appointment with the respiratory clinic and stopped by Sunbelt RV in Belton on my way back home. Don’t know what I’d do without the crew at Sunbelt RV – they are always able to find just what I need – open up that ‘big book,’ get a part number and it will be in within the week.

While I was at VA, they were doing depression screening and asking a bunch of questions seeking clues to depresison. I told the nurse they picked the wrong time to do the screening, after a winter like we had and a horrible damp dreary spring, they should worry about the ones that AREN'T depressed, there has to be something wrong with them!!

Tuesday the sun finally came out! Oh, it had been so dreary and damp. Off to the vet with Holly & Li'lBit to get their annual exams and shots so we can keep going state to state for another year! Li'lBit enjoys the vet, but Holly, the cat from hell, lets me know with teeth and claws that the vet is not her favorite place! After I got the bill, I think I'm sending my vet and his family on vacation! Amazing how those bills pile up when you take care of everything at once!

Li'l Bit goes back Thursday AM to get her teeth cleaned. That is gonna be an expensive day, it is the same day my truck goes in for oil change, inspection, service, etc. Glad stuff like this only happens once or twice a year!

Brenda stopped by with mail and we were off to lunch at Italian place.

Wednesday first thing I had to do is call the company that I have my USB modem with and figure out how to get it loaded on this Windows 7 laptop that won't 'support' the program -- so there has to be a driver or some way to manually load it.

I'm on a new laptop. Last evening I broke my desktop. Actually, I didn't BREAK it, but it locked up on me and after a few attempts at restarting, it didn’t and before I did something disastrous to it I shut it down. In the meantime, I went to Wal Mart and bought me a $300 Toshiba laptop. My ever-faithful old Acer also went belly-up - the on-off switch died. I guess I can't complain, I've had it over 6-8 years and only paid $200 for it! I'm just too addicted to computers and my email to be left without a computer.

I have never had so much trouble with computers in all my life as I have since I started RVing! In all the years I was using a computer, I only had TWO! My first computer YEARS ago lasted forever! In fact, I gave it to the kid next door when I got a new one and he used it all thru high school! I did all my record keeping and made all my handouts for bird marts, etc ....used them all of the time and they were constantly subjected to bird dust from all of the parrots since I kept it near the bird room! And don't forget the cat hair since Holly's favorite sleeping place was on the desk lounging on the key board!

I burned out lots of printers, but never had but one or two problems, easily fixed, with computers. Now, it seems I'm going thru them right and left! Seems I need a new one or a major repair at least every year! I told my sister I wasn't going to worry about it anymore. I'd go with a cheap computer and use my external hard drive to save stuff, then if I had to replace the computer every year I wouldn't be loosing stuff and out of a lot of money! I'll just budget a cheap laptop into my annual expenses!

The new one has Windows 7 on it and I've had so much FUN trying to get programs loaded. Most of my old programs won't load to Windows 7, so I've been wandering all over the internet looking for patches and driver downloads.

Also, the mail program isn't outlook it is Windows Live so I had to get my gmail to download to that. At least it is keeping me busy, out of trouble, out of the bars and off of the streets and alleys!

I met Brenda and her sister Ellen for lunch. Always have enough to bring home a box for supper. They give way to much food at the pasta place, the price is really good for their lunch menu. I do enjoy eating there!

While out running errands, I ran into a neighbor I had when I lived here in town. She has retired from the prison and is working for a computer repair business here in town. Came home, picked up my desk top and took it over to them before the day was over! I think I'll dig out all of the odds and ends of laptop and computer pieces I have with me and before I leave town, take them over and have them destroy the old ones that cannot be fixed! I do all of my banking, etc on line I didn't want to dump them anyplace in case someone would be able to get into them. I'll take the HP laptop back to Staples in Marshalltown…that one went belly-up in less than a year.

Went to the hardware store to see if they still sold “bees wax’ for lubricating screws. They do! I think it will make taking my steps apart and putting them back together much easier if I can wax the threads of the bolts and protect the holes from moisture.

Lou Bright stopped by. I worked with Lou at the prison. Had a nice visit. Hope to have time to meet him and his wife for dinner some night.

Thursday morning was an early start (for old fat retired ladies!) Out the door by 7:30 to get Li’lBit to the vet for teeth cleaning and the truck to the Dodge dealer for it’s Well Baby Check-up!

Li’l Bit is nearly blind, getting hard of hearing, if she looses her teeth, what's she got. I waited for the truck at the dealer, but couldn’t pick up Li’lBit until after 3PM. Holly really missed Li'lBit. She wandered around, laid down by the door like she was waiting for her to come home. Then when I brought Li'lBit in, the two of them immediately went to the bed and remained cuddled up in the comforter until that evening.

Coming to Gatesville is always a high-dollar visit but this is where I do everything. I just feel comfortable dealing with the folks here, lived here for so long.

Friday was a “No Appointment” day so I can keep the money I have in my wallet for another day! The air was super heavy and the dehumidifier ran full blast all morning. Dreary, damp, drizzly 67 degrees -- I could have stayed in Rockport and been treated the same – and been closer to fresh seafood!

Brenda brought my mail....all junk! I'm sure glad she doesn't send me all of that crap when I’m on the road! You would think, since I never buy anything from them, they would stop sending that stuff. Then we headed off to Swindall's (another one of my favorite haunts in Gatesville) for lunch.

Gotta love Facebook. Ran into one of my favorite Sergeants from when I worked at the prison. She called after her doc appointment and we met at Swindall’s (my second trip there today!) for ice tea and a nice long visit.

My sister sent me some pictures that her secretary's husband sent. He is in Colorado opening up their 'summer home" and woke the ground covered with snow. Sure glad that's not me!

The humidity here is getting to me already. If it isn't the blowing dust and pollen, it is the humidity! I cannot believe I lived here over 20 years! No wonder my lungs died!! And I've been blaming it on the birds!

Had a horrible storm come thru Friday nite. Came up from DelRio and picked up speed and intensity all the way. I had the 'sleepies' and went to bed about 9PM. By 11 PM the weather radio was beeping and I was out of bed, had the laptop open with the weather radar running. I hate HD TV, can't get anything during a storm and that is when I need it most!

Sustained winds were 25-35 mph with gusts up to 50 mph, then the 70 mph straight line winds hit. Thought for while it was a tornado, sirens went off but I didn't leave, we were having hail the size of quarters. I just hunkered down here in the RV with the quilts over the critters. By a little after midnite it was gone and I was back in bed with my weather radio tucked in by my pillow!

Saturday morning was still a little windy but the sun was shining. Beautiful day and all of the pollen and dust have gone bye-bye! At least for awhile!