Our RV Adventures

One thing I forgot to mention yesterday about our doctor visits is that we no longer had to wear a mask. Nor were the ladies in the Billing/Reception area. Only the doctors and nurses who were dealing directly with us patients were masked up.

A big difference from the last two years when we were let in the office one at a time, and had to keep our masks on the entire time.

Even more telling, Dr. Spuhler didn’t fuss at me when she saw I still hadn’t been vaccinated.

It’s all winding down.

After talking about our visit to the Buc-ee’s down in La Marque yesterday, I came across this article illustrating how much some places want a Buc-ee’s in their area.

Marathon, TX Buc-ee’s

So much so that they even build their own. And even stranger, no one seems to know where it came from. It just appeared one day out in Marathon, TX, out in the Big Bend area.

When I got up about 4:30 this morning for a potty break, I told Alexa to turn on the fan in our bedroom because it was kind of warm. And Alexa gave me the red ring light and said she couldn’t connect. So not thinking anything about it, I turned the fan on manually and went back to bed.

But when I got up about 8am, none of the Alexa’s were working, and Jan was complaining that she actually had to use the remote to turn the TV on.

Oh, the horror!

Our Alexa system uses our Verizon MiFi, and when I checked my phone, I found Verizon cell system was down, with no bars, nothing showing on my phone. And it stayed that way until around 9:30, when it suddenly popped back on.

And Jennifer, our office manager, said it was out at the Dollar General where she stopped on the way to work. Their credit card machines were only working occasionally, so the checkout line was long.

Thirty years ago today, on April 6, 1992, Microsoft moved on from the DOS environment, released Windows 3.1, and launched their domination of the computer world.

Though there was Windows 1.0, 1.01, 2.0, 2.01, 2.03, and 3.0, 3.1 was the version that really worked and began to come preinstalled on new machines.

A Tandy/Radio Shack ad from 1993

All this setting the stage for Windows 95, three years later.

And so it began.

Thought For The Day:

I think someone missed the point.

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Today was our annual exams with our GP, Dr. Spuhler.

Dr. Spuhler started out as the physician for both our mothers back in the 90’s, and then became Jan’s when she changed jobs and insurance, and needed a new doctor. And at some point I just came along for the ride, I guess.

One funny thing is that the first time I met her, I listened to her for a few seconds, and asked her, “Are you from East Tennessee?”

She smiled and said, “Yes.” And the reason I asked?

She sounded just like Dolly Parton.

And being from north Alabama (and living in Tennessee, among other places), I recognized that accent immediately.

We still have to wait for all our tests to come back, but so far the doctor was happy with us. And we don’t expect any problems with our tests.

So we decided to reward ourselves with Grimaldi’s Pizza for lunch after our good reports. Honestly, we would have probably rewarded ourselves, anyway.

But, hey, it’s Grimaldi’s Pizza.

Like most places we go to, we have our regular favorites here too, starting off with the Small Spinach Salad.

Just a warning. Unless there are 6-8 of you, do not order the Big Salad. The Small one gives Jan and I two servings of salad each.

Then it was on to our Pizza, the 18” The Don, with Italian Sausage, Meatballs, and Pepperoni, to which we added Mushrooms, Bacon, and Jalapenos.

We always get the 18” large one, so we can eat half and take the rest home for another meal.

And we also took a slice of their Caramel Coconut Cheesecake home with us to split later.

Like I said, rewarding ourselves.

Heading out, we make a quick HEB stop, and then another one at the Buc-ee’s on I-45 South in La Marque. I was looking for a new lid for my 40oz ‘Come And Take It” mug.

Found it, and we also got coffee to go, since we didn’t have coffee this morning because of our doctor’s appointments.

I needed a new lid because Karma the cat, as opposed to Karma the fate, knocked the mug off the counter one night recently, and though the metal mug survived, the lid was cracked.

In other Buc-ee’s news, I came across this article by a guy from Mississippi who visited the location just south of Birmingham, AL for the first time. I thought his description of the place was actually pretty apt.

He said it was like if “Love’s (Truck Stop) mated with a Walmart and gave birth to a small theme park…which was then exposed to a blast of gamma radiation.”

Sounds about right to me.

Getting home I went outside and finished up the installation of my new water tank fill valve.

After turning the shore water back on and filling our internal water tank, I watched it long enough to be sure that there were no leaks.

Now with that done, all that’s left is to dig my Oscillating Multi-Tool out of the shed and cut off the old 2 hose splitter so I can install my new 4 hose one.

Maybe Thursday.

Finishing up, here’s something from the News You Can Use department.

How to Keep Your Cat From Eating You Alive During the Pet Food Shortage

On our part, I’ve noticed recently the mostly empty pet foods shelves at WalMart. So the last time we bought 2-30 can boxes of Karma’s favorite.

I mean, would you want to trust your life to a face like this?

Thought For The Day:

Sure, I have a few skeletons in my closet. But honestly, every single one of them deserved it.

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