Days and Days

 Well, hopefully everyone survived the first week of November - happily or no.  I am, myself, happy.  We’ve needed some positive change for a good long while now.  Though I suspect the next two months will be almost as hair-raising as the past 4 years. 

 For me, the past week has not only been fraught with the election results (and I tried very hard to just check the status only 2x a day rather than 84 times – I was sorta successful – more than twice less than 84), it seemed that I was on-the-go every day.

 For instance,

 Wharton has a museum – the Wharton County Historical Museum.

 

‘It’s our heritage.
It’s who we are.
It preserves the past and
 tells the story of how we are here today.’

 Unfortunately, during the GREAT FLOOD OF 2017, the museum

 

did not fare well.  It’s been closed since then and is, just now, seeing the end of a long dark tunnel of negotiation and repair.

 Obviously, the outdoor spaces suffered also.  Several long years ago, my friend Bobby was instrumental in designing and getting installed, a Cactus Garden.  It suffered also.  However, over the past many months he has been working to bring it back from a flooded, weedy, mess to a garden filled with a variety of shapes and colors and prickly things.

 

I’ve been “the audience” and because I haven’t been hands-on involved, I can make suggestions that would appeal to other non-cactus experts.  It’s looking really very good.

 So, it’s November.  We’re having fall here – sort of.  Last week temperatures were in the 70’s falling down to the 40’s at night.  Wonderful!  Beautiful!  Perfect! 

 

Our version of “Fall Color”.

 Mostly our leaves turn brown and drop off.  But this tree (a gen-u-wine weed/trash tree) does produce a few colorful leaves.  Look close – you’ll see a couple or 3 red leaves.

 I spent several days working in the yard.  There is a 10’ fence surrounding the property where stands my new house.  Over the years, the weeds completely covered the fence and my sister spent much time cutting back all the growing stuff; then had someone come out and spray the fence and ditch with “kill all growing things” stuff.  Worked fine.  With the cooler weather I’ve been working on pulling down all the dead stuff, much of which is dewberry canes.  The first two days, I looked like I’d been in a loosing fight with a prickly pear cactus!  Then, I put on long sleeves and went at it some more. 

 

Coming along nicely

 Bobby and I went on a short adventure, one day, to

  

Vacek’s Barn

Antiques,

Vintage Items,

Salvaged Treasures,

and Junk

 It’s in Bay City, just south of Wharton by 30 miles or so.  If you’re ever in Bay City – go.  It’s an unusual place although it has

ohmideargodhowmuchisthat????

prices.

 For instance – those trees – three sizes, 18”, 2’, 3’ – a marbled glass.  They had prices of 40 – 50 – 60 on them.  Sez I, has to be cents, not dollars.  Wrong – dollars.  Pass.

 

There was all kinds of rusty stuff, old doors, windows, containers, lockers, yard arty sort of things, fence parts, pipes, - STUFF!

 Inside there were many other oddities like

 

Uhhh – yep, those are shotgun casings in a big wooden bowl.  There were several of those.

 

My first response is – I don’t know.  However, my daughter says, if you dribble paint on lightbulbs and turn on the light, the bulb gives off a mosaic sort of effect.  But I’m thinking these are burned out bulbs, so I still don’t know.

 

Personally, I’da thought this was trash but, you know, trash/treasure.  Poor guy has truly been through the wars.

 There were many other unusual items but there was only one thing I would have actually bought.

 

I don’t know what it is.  It’s about 18 inches long and as big around as my wrist and tapered at one end.  Maybe a chair arm???  Don’t know what I’d do with it but the price was definitely past my $10 limit ($130).

 

This week we are having Indian Summer (again) with temps in the mid to high 80’s.  Ugh.

 I am currently looking at sheds for my back yard.  This is not something I am enjoying.  I’ve looked at a variety but am probably going with Tuffshed.  They can give me what I want AND most importantly, deliver and build it on site.  I can find cheaper versions but they arrive in multiple boxes as kits. 

 Well, that’s life here on the TX Gulf Plains.  How’s things there?

 10 Nov 2020