Checking in

Hello folks. Just a quick update. Cooler temps are finally here. Last week we had a low of 38. The roof on our house had frost. Warmed up to the mid 70's that afternoon. Was only 45 this morning. How 'bout those Red Sox?!!! Last Wednesday, the city gave us free flu shots. I didn't even feel the needle. Felt fine. Thursday, we go pneumonia shots. Didn't feel it at the time(9:30am). By noon, it felt like I had been kicked by a mule. I ran a low grade fever for the next 2 days and my shoulder was killing me. It's better, now, but it is still sore. Everyone of our guys said their shoulder was killing them. One guy was running 102 temp and his shoulder had a red place the size of a tennis ball. Saturday, his wife loaded him up and took him to a minor emergency clinic. They told him he had "hyperactive immune response" and perscribed "fluids, rest and motrin". The only good thing is this shot is supposed to last for 5 years. I'm not looking forward to a re-ride. The chickens have pretty much dried up. Deb said this morning that she's going to have to buy eggs this week. I think it's time to start having chicken&dumplingson Sundays. I gotta go to a class in Grand Prairie on Wed thru Fri. I'll probably leave out of here around 10 Tues morning. I would like to get there before the Dallas rush hour traffic hits. I just might stop over and spend the night with Vanessa on the way home. If we don't get out until 5 on Fri, that would put me getting home around midnight or later. The next day is opening day of deer season, but prospects look bleek. Brent let his place grow up so bad that the broom weed is over the hood of the pickup. He said he would take care of it, but, we all know Brent. I did manage to get my blind out of the field, and just left it by his hay barn, for now. Even if the deer did come to a feeder, you couldn't see them. Well, they say oil is up to $91 a barrel. They are now forecasting gasoline to be over $3.00 by the end of the year. OUCH!

Oh, Paul Nelson was named Chief of Police in Burnet. This is what he's been working for a long time, I just hope he knows what he's getting into. The longevity at that job is only about 2-3 years. We wish him all the luck. He offered me the Captain/Investigator slot, but I can't afford the cut (about $10K). If gas keeps going up, I might reconsider. Take home ride, 5 minutes from the office, go home for lunch, and NO NECKTIE! We'll see. . . . Guess I better get busy around here. Peace be with you, Rick.

Back again! Vanessa informed me last night that I was tardy with an update, so here goes. We made it back in one piece. Had fun, walked a lot. Lost most of the time, but as usual, we started winning on the night before we had to leave. Deb won several jackpots on the penny slots. I picked up a couple of hundred on the craps tables the last night. We found a foot long (and fat) hot dog at The Slots-o-Fun (across the street from the Riviera) for only 99 cents. We would get one and half it and we were both full. Drinks were very reasonable there, also. (Beer $1.50) We finally took the Laughlin Tour. Due to a major wreck on the interstate, and construction on the main drag, the bus trip out there took from 8:30AM til noon. We got to eat and play til 5:15 and then load back up. A lot of the casino's were right on the Colorado River. BEAUTIFUL! The water was clear as glass. Not like here. Laughlin is definitely more laid back and peaceful. It's good that they showed movies on the bus, because there ain't nothing to look at on the trip. The weather was absolutely gorgeous. 60 in the morning, afternoon high of 78-80. No humidity. We also noticed, even at night with all the lights, NO BUGS! They even put in a Denny's right next to the Tahiti Village, very convenient. After Deb finally got up in the mornings, we would go to the hot tub. AHHH! Sure helps after walking 5-10 miles the day before. We really hated to have to leave, but the dogs were sure glad to see us. Deb said when I got out to open the gate and spoke, Bear started smiling. Thanks, again, to Jim Younger for keeping an eye on the place and feeding the critters. Good thing he came by, the water line to the cows' water trough broke and he shut it off for me. Thank God for PVC. We sure did miss our water softener, too. Depending on where we were, a beer was anywhere from $1 to $7. Another neat thing, you can get bus pass for $5 that's good for 24 hrs and go anywhere you want. The shuttle from the Tahiti takes you to the strip every 30 minutes, too. We met a lot of nice folks from all over the world at the hot tub. Well, I gotta get to work. Love to all, and VIVA LAS VEGAS.