First, a note of appreciation to our veterans. Thank you so much for your service and sacrifice
I have to admit there was nothing going on in Port Aransas this week. I have wanted to do a pool feature for a while. Could I do it in the summer when the water is blue, the temperatures in the 90s, and there are tons of happy people around the pool? No, of course not. Needed to wait for a rainy, cloudy, and in the 50’s. Put on your overcoat and come with me.
Here is the entrance to the pool at Cinnamon Shores the biggest community in the area.
This is an infinity pool. There is a pond in the background.
Mustang Royale is a community next to where I live.
The pool is a little smaller than the last.
Another community in Port Aransas.
The entrance to their pool.
The pool.
Pioneer Park is the largest RV resort in Port Aransas.
The pool entrance.
The pool has a lot of decking tiles.
Sunflower resort.
Sunflower Resort pool.
The Palmilla Beach Resort.
This is one of the prettiest in the area.
The Port Aransas Community Pool
The community pool. There is actually someone in the 83-degree water.
It is Stream of Consciousness Saturday and this weeks prompt is “mean (s). Linda Hill says we can use the prompt with or without the (s). Maybe I’ll use them both. If you would like to participate in this fun go to Linda’s blog and read how. Here is the link.
Friday and another weekend is almost here. This week has been a matter of caring for Bailey and continuing the work on the WIP edits. We have an appointment with the editor in January, so the deadline is getting near. My productivity has not been the best this last week, but I have managed to keep plugging.
I am actually writing this post from the Oncology office of the Blue Pearl Animal clinic in San Antonio. In conjunction with the vets, we have decided on the course of treatment which will include chemotherapy and regular blood panel checking. Unfortunately, Bailey’s liver has been compromised, and the easiest treatment is also the hardest on the liver. So we will have to do intravenous therapy rather than a pill.
This means a greater chance of side effects and rules out home treatment. Will will have to travel to get the treatment and Bailey does not travel well, but we will all have to bear a little inconvenience to keep her feeling well. Today’s JohnKu talks about worthwhile effort.
“Take it easy Little Potato. It is only Wednesday. I set the alarm for Friday.”
It is Wednesday Story Day again and last week we witnessed Larry and Louis come to an agreement over the information that Louis might have on either the motive or possible suspects in the killing of Sandusky. Let’s go to the police station once more as Larry hands Louis that cup of coffee.
“Okay, Louis. Here’s your cup of coffee.”
“Thanks, detective.”
“You can call me Larry since I’m almost positive we are going to become friends.”
“How old is this coffee anyway?”
“I made it this morning.”
“Well, six hours and I’m surprised it is still liquid.”
“Come on Louis. We are not here to talk about coffee. Tell me what you know about the Sandusky killing.”
“As I told you before, Larry, I have no knowledge of the killing. I showed up at work and there he was in the tank.”
“Describe what you saw.”
“I had stopped at the coffee shop across the street and looked over at the plant. There were some lights on and I thought that pretty unusual. By the way, the coffee shop had drinkable coffee.”
“Never mind the coffee. What did you see next?”
“I took my coffee and went into the plant. I passed through the office and went right to the tank.”
“Why did you go right to the tank?”
“There was a light on above the tank and I was sure I turned them all off when I left the previous evening.”
“Okay. Then what?”
“I saw Sandusky more or less floating in the tank.”
“What do you mean, ‘more or less.’”
“Well, he looked like he was doing a jellyfish float. His head was below water, but his back had broken the surface.”
“What did you do then.”
“I grabbed the phone and called 911.”
“There was a phone in the room with the tank.”
“Yeah. It was a wall phone and intercom.”
“Okay, then what?”
“I wanted to make sure he wasn’t still alive and maybe needed help, so I went closer and that’s when I saw the terminal connected to him.”
“How connected?”
“There is an alligator clip which you can connect the terminal to almost anything. It was clipped to his ear.”
“Ear? What the hell?”
“Makes sense.”
“How does it make sense?”
“From where I stood it looked like he had all his clothes on. The ear or hand would be the only clean connections.”
“Okay, I see that. Did you reach in to help him?”
“No way. I needed to turn off the current first. I went to the breaker box and that was when I discovered the current was already turned off.”
“Does this mean anything?”
“To me, it signals whoever did Sandusky in knew if the current kept flowing it would in all probability have cooked him. As it was it only blew up his heart.”
“Who had that kind of knowledge?”
“Sandusky did for sure. I don’t know. Maybe he told someone.”
“Maybe you did him in Louis.”
“Let’s not go backwards, detective. I can tell you this. Whoever did the deed really understood the equipment. I was able to look at the settings later and not only was the power turned off, but the person had calibrated the exact amount of wave to pulverize the heart.”
“Hush. Bailey’s asleep.” “Just resting my eyes Lucy.”
As you may know, Keith Channing has taken the month of November to craft another Na-No-Wri-Mo 50,000 word novel. Therefore I am promptless for Tuesday. Since I have titled this day as anything possible, I thought I would offer a short story. This story is based on an actual incident at our local store where the ending was not so gracious. Needless to say, I was taken back by the lack of customer service.
A request by John W. Howell
“Excuse me.”
“Yes?”
“I see you are out of ham puree baby food.”
“Yeah, so?”
“I wonder if you could order some.”
“The truck comes in on Saturday.”
“Could you check to see if you ordered some more. You see my dog is very ill and she likes the ham variety. It is the only thing I can get her to eat.”
“Pet food is on aisle six.”
“I know that. I’m asking you to go into the office and look at the order book to see if anyone ordered the ham puree baby food.”
“Didn’t you say it was for your dog?”
“I did.”
“So why don’t you just buy the dog food and let it go at that.”
“I told you. The ham variety of baby food is the only thing she will eat.”
“I don’t have time to check right now. I’m sure it is ordered.”
“I bought the last twelve jars last Friday, and no more have come in.”
“See that’s the problem. We order on Wednesday, and so the truck will be here Saturday.”
“Please check.”
“I told you I don’t have time.”
“Can you make time?”
“For who? You?”
“No. Why don’t you do it because it is the right and proper thing for one human to do for another. You are human, aren’t you?
This post is a continuation of the Top Ten Things Not to Do with a historical background. In 1922, the entrance to King Tutankhamen’s tomb was discovered in Egypt.
Top Ten Things Not to Do if You Are Entering King Tut’s Tomb.
10 If you are entering King Tut’s tomb, do not ignore the curse written on the main door. If you do, at best it is just a practical joke. At worst, that look in the mirror ten days later will give you a hint you should have paid attention. (That dry skin mummy look is trying to give you a head’s up to a problem, Faer. Better contact a shaman quickly.)
9 If you are entering King Tut’s tomb, do not disturb that cloth wrapped hulk with the WWF champion belt. If you do, at best it is just a statue. At worst, the spirit of Tiny the WWF champ has been waiting centuries to body slam an opponent. (Well, you woke it up, Fagen. I think you should start looking for a soft landing spot.)
8 If you are entering King Tut’s tomb, do not try any of the preserved food in those gold pots. If you do, at best the food will be dust. At worse, those pickles will have a monumental repeat factor. (Stay close to the facilities, Faine. You just never know.)
7 If you are entering King Tut’s tomb, do not sit on any of the furniture. If you do, at best you’ll pick a solid piece. At worst, you’ll sit in a 4000-year-old chair that has seen better days. ( No need to try putting it back together, Fane. That priceless antique is now sawdust, and the curator is preparing a bill for you right now.)
6 If you are entering King Tut’s tomb, do not touch the king’s sarcophagus with your bare hand. If you do, at best a layer of dust will protect the finish. At worst, the oils from your skin will leave a permanent hand print on the priceless relic. (You may need to confess, Faraz. The CSI is now running the print through an identification process which is bound to lead to you.)
5 If you are entering King Tut’s tomb, do not pull any lever that you may come across. If you do, at best the lever is not connected. At worst, the lever is connected to the trap door under your feet. (Falling through the dark is pretty scary huh, Farnham. Wait until you hit bottom.)
4 If you are entering King Tut’s tomb, do not think you can take a souvenir. If you do, at best the security guy will tell you to put it back. At worst, you will get it home only to discover several Boris Karloff types hanging around your bedroom. (Don’t worry about these guys being see-through, Farquhar. At least they can’t hold a knife.)
3 If you are entering King Tut’s tomb, do not forget a flashlight (electric torch). If you do, at best someone else may have one. At worst you’ll try using a cigarette lighter and end up falling in the coffin with the king. (You can stop screaming now, Farren. The king is not holding you down. That cover merely slammed shut .)
2 If you are entering King Tut’s tomb, do not take a selfie with the king. If you do, at best the picture won’t turn out. At worst, when you look at it, the picture will have some other characters in it which you never saw. (I’m not saying the place is haunted, Farrokh but you now have captured the souls of the king”s guards. Good luck with that.)
1 If you are entering King Tut’s tomb, do not bring your big gulp drink inside. If you do, at best it will be gone before you set it down. At worst, you will set it where someone will knock it over into the King’s sarcophagus. (History records some unknown substance all over the king, Fars. Your secret is safe with us.)
It is Stream of Consciousness Saturday again and this weeks prompt is a bit different so I thought I would quote Linda Hill.
“Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “point.” Open a book on your lap, close your eyes, and put your finger on the page. Whatever you land on, whether it be a word, a phrase, or a sentence, write about it. Enjoy! “
“Welcome home, Bailey.” “Nothing feels as good as home Little Stuff. This grass is divine.”
Friday is here, and it has been quite a week. Monday saw the need to rush Bailey to the Emergency Care Clinic in San Antonio. She was continuing to deteriorate, and we needed some advanced tests and scans that were not available locally. They kept her and did all the testing to confirm the diagnosis. Baily has stage V Lymphoma. As you can guess the prognosis does not include a cure. The best we can do now is focus on her quality of life which we intend to do with additional treatment. We will be concentrating on continuing the drugs that make her feel the best she can for the time we have left.
Thank you for all the good wishes we have received since Bailey’s illness became known and know we appreciate your kindness.
As those of you who have faced the loss of a pet know, it is a hard road that requires courage to do whatever is in the best needs of your loved one. We hope Bailey has the six to ten months of relatively good health that the vet has projected. None of us are ready to say goodbye. We feel blessed to have the time to continue our love for her. When the quality of her life is in jeopardy though we will need to be strong and do what is right for her.
Today’s JohnKu talks of responsibility. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend.
