GroupWBench

So we made it to 2021. Here we go – in February we got hit with one hell of a snowstorm. it was real cold with real snow and seemed to last forever.   

        

It was really only about 4 days but it was 4 days snowed in with constant power and water outages…in central Texas!  I spent a lot of time collecting snow to melt and use for the toilets and for washing hands and dishes. We tried to time things in between the rolling power outages. "Quick we have power, boil some snow, heat some soup!"  We happily cuddled with our toasty warm pup and hid in piles of blankets.  Too bad we didn't think of bringing in the tent and covering it with the blankets until after things cleared up, Bet we would have been a lot warmer.  I have to say that Texas is just not prepared for "SNOWMEGGEDON". The positive thing was Tucker loved the snow and it was a joy watching him play.

   

We had damage to water pipes and the water softener needed repairs. It took a while to get back to our normal routines.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We continued with Tucker's training and boy was he a challenge (still is at times), smart but a real challenge. He was such a strong active guy that at times we felt that we could not keep up. Fortunately, the training was slowly sinking in. In October we took him camping. It was a great trip and Tucker seemed happy to stay the night in the tent even with other people and critters moving around at night. He carried his own pack and kept us warm as the temps dropped lower than we planned for. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

October was a busy month. In addition to the camping trip we replaced the HVAC system. That really hurt the pocketbook but it was necessary. Also, Stan sold his Ford F150 to a neighbor and bought a Ford F250 from a different neighbor. We needed something we could pull the boat out of the water with and possibly a RV later on. We got a fair deal and the truck was named Black Bart. Bart is a gas hog  but is a very comfortable ride and can pull anything we could want.  Stan left his job in August and began the new one in November.         

It was also in November when we finally pulled the boat out for repairs.We replaced the shaft seal, rebedded the shaft strut, and then scraped, sanded, and painted the bottom. That all turned into a bigger, much harder job than expected. Stan did 90% or more of the work. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It was some time in October that we decided that Tucker really needed a playmate. We looked into doggie daycare and other activities but the cost in money and time in transporting him was just too much so the next logical thought was adoption. A search was begun. We looked at rescue sites for hours and hours. It was disheartening to see many wonderful animals in need. (If only I was a billionaire…) We met several dogs we thought might be a good match for Tucker, he needed a playmate. That meant a dog that could hang with his size and be able to romp with him without getting hurt. As for us, we wanted a female and a rescue. I found Molly at a local shelter. She was about 55lbs, looked like a brindle boxer mix and had plenty energy.  I found out she and two others had been found on a construction site where the workers were shooting at them with BB guns. She still has a BB in her ear flap. The vets say it won't move or hurt her and it's better to leave it. How people can be such monsters is beyond me. Anyway, I took Tucker to meet her and they hit it off immediately. Running and jumping and playing like long lost buddies. The next step was to introduce Stan to get his okay, then to start the adoption process.

When I brought her home we met with Stan and Tucker in our neighborhood park so they would be on neutral ground. We didn't want them to get started off on the wrong foot. Then we all walked home together. We shouldn't have worried as the pups bonded so quickly. I'm so happy that they are such good friends. They both are happy dogs and I'm sure we made a great decision choosing the pup we did. Molly, however, was not the right name for this new girl and we had a Molly years ago so a name change was needed. We decided on Rylee.  Of course we did her DNA testing just like we did with Tucker. Her results said she is :   

44%  Catahoula Leopard dog       

40%  Boxer         

7%  American Pit Bull Terrier         

5% Boston Terrier   

4% Bulldog.

There have been lots of up and downs, training and learning on everyone's part but she is a wonderful addition to our home and our hearts.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In typical Central Texas fashion, December rolled in with lots of sunshine and temps in the 60-80''s range – that is until the day we needed to move all the furniture, animals, and people out of the house so we could have the floors replaced. Stan had come to hate the bamboo floors we put in when we moved in. They creaked and squeaked all the time. We picked some nice tile and decided this time someone else could do the work but in order to save money we would prep the floors and then we would just sleep in the shop for the two days we needed to stay out of the house. Well, pulling out the old flooring was way more work than expected. We still had tile in the bathrooms and kitchen that had to be removed with a jackhammer, with amazing amounts of dust and mess. Then all the household had to be moved out to the shop. We were some tired people. Of course the weather was not going to cooperate and Mother Nature laughed as she dropped the temps into the 20-50's range, sent howling winds, cloudy skies and scattered rain. We had no heat in the shop and we nearly froze. A king size bed shrinks significantly when there are 2 adults, two large dogs and the occasional cat sharing it, but they kept us warm. We clearly survived and Mother Nature laughed at us again as she brought back warmth and sunny skies just after we got back into the house. The floors are really nice and no more squeaking, so it was worth all the work.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

That's about it for the highlights. So much more happened but that is about it for the highlights. We had hoped for a quicker recovery from Covid, but the repercussions continue for everyone. The pups continue to settle in and the grandkids continue to grow up too fast. My Dad struggles with the loss of Mom. He may never recover. It breaks my heart. Work goes on. Some days are sunshine filled and others have us just trying not to let it drown us. Ah well, Life…. we just have to live it.

Here comes 2022.