Shrub Trimming

Coker, Alabama

Weather: low 70 degrees, high 89 degrees, mostly clear skies

After my morning walk, I returned home and did almost nothing until we left about 1030 hours to go to Terri's house. It felt so good to not have to start work early. Of course, all good things come to an end, and once we did get going, we were busy until we came home about 1700 hours. I used the hedge trimmer to touch up the shrubs around the house and weeded the flower beds. The flower box at the end of the driveway needed some water, so I carried a five gallon bucket of water up there and took care of that little job.

As I was working in the yard today, I found myself thinking (novel concept) about how much easier it is to do yard work now than it was when I was a kid. I did a lot of yard work then to earn money for the movies or an RC Cola or.... Back then, I didn't know anyone who had a power mower. If a person had a mower, it was a manual push mower with blades that turned when the mower was pushed. It was really hard work to mow a yard, and yards tended to be small. If a person didn't have a push mower, the yard was cut with a sling blade, or a scythe. Hard, hard work.

No one had electric or gas powered hedge trimmers. Everything was trimmed with manual hedge trimmers, or lopped off one branch at a time. Weed eaters? Hadn't been invented. If a person had a garden, it was dug up with a shovel or plowed by someone using a horse or mule. Sand spurs and crab grass were pulled by hand. Ouch! I can't remember anyone using fertilizer or weed killer. And the yards were smaller than they are now. My, how things have changed.

Terri has three big German Shepherd dogs who are big babies. They look fearsome, but don't have a mean bone in their bodies. They have always lived in the country, with the freedom to roam the property. One of the hard things Terri and Thomas are going through in getting ready to move out of the house is coming to grips with the fact that they will have to find new homes for the dogs. She is exploring some options for this problem, but I have a feeling that whatever decision is made will still hurt. It's a shame, but these dogs will not be happy in a town environment.

More later, be safe.

Today's Town - Boaz, Alabama: City Of Possibilities

Not all who wander are lost.

Bought Groceries on Sunday

Coker, Alabama

Weather: low 72 degrees, high 89 degrees, mostly cloudy, strong thunderstorms in the afternoon

We did not do much of anything of substance today, other than go for a four mile walk, buy groceries, sell the trampoline, take care of a couple items at Terri's house, go to Birmingham to pick up Thomas - wait a minute, I just realized why I'm tired. I've been busy!

We had decided that we wouldn't buy groceries on Sunday anymore because it's always so busy. However, we were at the point that it was to go to the WalMart Mall for groceries or do without. Since I'm not too keen on doing without, we went to my favorite Mall, which is about three miles away. Fortunately for us, the Mall was not too busy, and we were able to get in and out without too many hassles. After putting the food away, we went out to Terri's because I received a call from a person about buying the trampoline. The caller arrived and liked the trampoline, so I helped him get it taken apart and loaded in his truck. I'm sure it came apart easier than it will be put back together.

After taking care of a couple other little errands, we rode to Birmingham with Terri to pick up Thomas after a visit to see his father in Athens. It rained hard on us most of the way there, but the weather cleared up before we started back, allowing an easy trip back to Tuscaloosa. Carolyn suggested we prepare some food to take with us and stop at a rest area on the way back for a picnic. So that's what we did. I should say Carolyn prepared the food. Egg salad rollups, chips, carrots with ranch dip, drinks, etc., and it was good. There's something about eating like this that seems to make food taste better.

We arrived home about 1930 hours, and were glad to get here. For a day that I didn't do much, I'm wore out.

More later, be safe.

Today's Town - South Bend, Washington: Oyster Capital Of The World

Not all who wander are lost.

Relaxing, Planning, Scheming

Coker, Alabama

Weather: low 72 degrees, high 89 degrees, mostly cloudy skies

Today was a day for relaxing, planning, and scheming. The relaxation was earned because of the hard work this week, even though we took a day to go have some fun. The planning took place because of what we will need to do to get Terri moved when the house sells. And we know the house will sell to the first person that looks at it. We can only hope. The scheming was some out of the box thinking on Terri's long term plans with respect to her housing plans. Even though we were not doing anything physical, we were still tired by the end of the day because of how busy we have been.

Our goal is that Terri and Thomas will be out of the house after July. That should give us time to find them a place to live and get moved. It will be a busy month, with Lori and her family coming up from Texas for a visit on July 10. They will be here for a few days, and we are looking forward to seeing them.

We tried another Mexican restaurant tonight. The best thing I can say about Taco Casa is that it was better than the last Mexican restaurant we went to, but doesn't hold a candle to what we can get in Texas. Am I hard to please? Not really, but if I'm paying for something, I should be able to complain if what I'm buying doesn't meet my expectations.

I had to go to the library this morning to get some books, and it was amazing to me how light the traffic was. The library, which is a very nice one with all kinds of services, only had 4-5 customers. Employees greatly outnumbered customers. I'm not sure what's going on, except that people may be trying to save gas by cutting back and combining trips.

The Farmer's Market in Tuscaloosa was open, but I didn't take the time to stop. We'll have to check it out next week to see if they have anything we might be interested in. We like to visit these markets, especially when they have local products.

More later, be safe.

Today's Town - Lake City, Florida: Florida’s New Gateway

Not all who wander are lost.

Work, Work, Work

Coker, Alabama

Weather: low 70 degrees, high 92 degrees, partly cloudy most of the day with scattered showers late

It was back to the salt mine for us today. I did some more mowing and other little tasks, while Carolyn took care of some things in the house. I will be so glad when this place is off our hands. Work, work, work. I think my middle name has become work. This is not my idea of retirement. Don't get me wrong, we are glad we can help Terri. But we will be glad when this WORK is done.

In the middle of the afternoon, we went back to the RV and meditated for a couple of hours. It was a break that was needed and well-deserved. About 1600 hours, we started driving to Bessemer to deliver Thomas to his father, who was driving down from Athens, Alabama to pick him up for a weekend visit. On Sunday, we will have to go back to Bessemer to pick Thomas up and deliver him back to his house. Getting away for something different from WORK was nice, even if it was just to Bessemer.

After getting back from Bessemer, it was time for supper, so we decided to try out Ryan's, a buffet style steak house. We usually try to stay away from buffets, because it seems we always eat too much. Tonight was no different. Ohhhh! All I had was a couple of pieces of catfish, cole slaw (I love cole slaw), brussels sprouts, a piece of steak (small), and a little ice cream. That doesn't sound like much, but it was obviously more than I needed. After an episode like this, I always resolve to not do it again, and somehow I seem to forget. Maybe I'll tie a string on my finger to help me remember.

Speaking of eating, as we have gotten older, we have noticed that we don't get as hungry as we used to, and can't eat as much. We seem to do best with small meals 3-5 times a day, rather than three regular meals. I wonder why that is so?

More later, be safe.

Today's Town - Carson City, Nevada: Proud Of The Past, Confident Of The Future

Not all who wander are lost.
Speaking

Welcome To New Readers

Coker, Alabama

Weather: low 70 degrees, high 92 degrees, partly cloudy

Terri has an account on My Facebook. Today, she added a link to our blog from her Facebook account so she could share what I write with her friends. I wonder what kind of traffic we will see from that? Welcome to new readers.

Today was one of those rare days that we did not go out to Terri's house. After yesterday's hard work, we needed a break. We did not go anywhere or do anything to speak of. My walk this morning was good, with the sun staying behind the clouds. It was still hot, but not nearly as bad as it could have been. Back to the salt mine tomorrow.

In the afternoon, Terri asked me to go to the University with her as she took care of some errands. She knows that I like the campus, and am trying to learn my way around it. Generally, I am a laid back driver, not getting in a hurry, staying well back from the rear of the vehicle in front of me, and driving like an old man. Terri, on the other hand, is a typical career girl type of driver, always in a hurry, driving too close to other cars for my comfort, and arriving for appointments closer to the due time than I feel comfortable with. I have tried to keep my mouth shut about her driving, because I don't want to come off as being critical. Today, however, I finally said something about how close I felt she was driving to the cars in front of her. I asked her to remember that I am older and not used to this type of driving. Could she please not drive so close? She responded that traffic in Tuscaloosa requires driving the way she drives. My response was that I seem to get around fine driving like an old man. She did back off a little, and I hope this will become a habit with her. At least when I'm in the car.

Late in the day, we decided we wanted some Mexican food, but have not found a Mexican restaurant that was worthy of the name. At least in our opinion. So, you will know we were desperate for Mexican food when we went to Taco Bell. After eating at the Taco Bell in Northport, the only thing I can say is I sure miss the Mexican food in Texas. We'll keep searching for a decent Mexican restaurant, but right now it doesn't look good for finding one.

More later, be safe.

Today's Town - Sequim, Washington: The Banana Belt Of America

Not all who wander are lost.

Realtor Contract Signed

Coker, Alabama

Weather: low 69 degrees, high 92 degrees, partly cloudy most of the day, then a hard rain late in the afternoon

We got our first rain in the last 2-3 weeks late this afternoon. And what a rain it was. Hail, lightning, thunder, wind, heavy rain, it was quite a sight to see. The area has been needing this downpour.

Today was another day of hard work at Terri's house, with a bonus at the end. We arrived at her house fairly early and began working soon after. I mowed the high spots in the yard, which was kind of spotty because it was so dry. After the mowing was finished, I started on the task that I dislike the most, weed eating. Today was particularly bad on the weed eater, one of the most diabolical tools ever created. The weather was hot and muggy, with no breezes. Add in the heat from the weed eater and long pants to keep my legs from being eaten up, and it was a scorcher. In the meantime, Carolyn was getting the inside of the house cleaned up and looking good.

Then, the bonus: we had a Realtor come out to tour the house and give us an idea what we could expect in the market. This lady seemed to have her stuff together, and had an appreciation for the quality of the house and property. This was in contrast to some of the other Realtors who looked at the property. One who looked at the property was honest enough to tell us that he did not know how to price the house because he did not normally sell this type of house. He suggested we contact the lady who came out today. She quoted a price that seemed fair, considering how shaky the real estate market is at this time. I advised Terri that this was probably the right person to handle her house sale, and she signed the contract. Now, let's get this sucker sold and get Terri and Thomas moved. Maybe, just maybe we can get a little bit of traveling done before the summer's over. We have crossed our fingers, toes, legs.......

Now that the house is going on the market, we will be doing mostly maintenance type work to keep it ready to show at a moment's notice. That should make things a little easier on us. We need a break.

More later, be safe.

Today's Town - Lone Pine, California: Gateway To Fun

Not all who wander are lost.

Tannehill Ironworks State Historical Park

Coker, Alabama

Weather: low 72 degrees, high 92 degrees, partly cloudy

We did something different today!!!

The day was not all work and trying to sell the house. We actually got away with Terri and Thomas to do the kinds of things that Carolyn and I have come to love to do so much. The day started fairly late, just like we prefer to do. We didn't leave home until 1100 hours. On the way out of town, we stopped and filled up the cooler with ice. It already had soft drinks and water in it. Next, we stopped at Subway and got some sandwiches. Then it was on the road to Tannehill Ironworks State Historical Park, about 40 miles away.

The park is off Interstate 20/59, just south of Bessemer. It is located a few miles from the interstate, with a pretty drive through rolling hills and pasture land. The first thing we observed in the park on the access road was a sign that stated that the point we were at was the southernmost point of the Appalachian Mountains. We stopped at the access gate where we paid an access fee to enter the park. Being seniors saved us a couple of dollars on the fee. Then we moved on to the park headquarters, where we reviewed the history of the park. It was developed through the efforts of area residents, Boy Scouts, and other interested parties. In this way, the park cost almost nothing for the original development. As a sidenote, my uncle and aunt helped in the development of the park. I can remember them fussing about how folks like themselves had developed the park, but the state took it over and took credit for it.

Our next move was to find a shaded picnic table and eat lunch. It's amazing to me how good a simple sandwich and chips can taste when you're doing what you like. Ummm, Boy!!

After lunch, we began a tour of all the historical buildings that have been moved into the park or restored from the original buildings onsite. We have seen these types of buildings before, but it's always good to see how folks in the 1800s lived. No air conditioning, no central heat, no running water, TV, radio, electricity......... These types of places help us appreciate all the good things we take for granted.

After going through the housing exhibits, we moved on to the Iron & Steel Museum of Alabama. I hesitated to go in there, because how interesting can iron be? Carolyn said let's do it, at least it's cool inside. I'm glad we decided to tour the museum, because it was very interesting. It gave a history of the history of iron and steel making, as well as the use of coal, coke, and charcoal. In addition, a detailed history of the production of iron and steel in Alabama was presented, particularly for the Tannehill Works. This iron works was one of the most important iron and steel making facilities for the South during the Civil War, producing hundreds of tons on a daily basis until it was destroyed by Union forces in April 1865. And, by the way, it was cool. Nice.

The last major site we explored was a restored blast furnace that stood at least 60 feet tall. Very impressive. At one side of that area was a memorial to the iron makers of the Confederacy. That's the first time I've seen something dedicated to people who made materials for war.

Below are some pictures we took.











Restored blast furnace.














A pile of coke, used to produce iron and steel.


Thomas and a corn crib.



A 2000 pound chunk of iron ore.






A memorial to the iron and steel makers of the Confederacy.











A typical restored older house in the park. There are about 15 of these houses in the park. Some of them are being used as rental units.

More later, be safe.

Today's Town - Dothan, Alabama: Peanut Capital Of The World

Not all who wander are lost.