Bad dreams......

About the weather....somebody lied. Although my cheap Walmart thermometer thingys says it was 44 degs last night, it didn't feel anywheres close to that. What started out this morn'n as sunshine has turned into extremely overcast skys. Big ol' clouds out there.

Bout 2:30 am I were sleep'n like a new born baby. Suddenly I wakes up.....I were hav'n a strange dream. A great big round blade look'n thing fell on my foot. It were bout 4 foot in diameter made out of stainless steel an' had razor sharp edges on it. Weigh a ton I betcha. I could see the sparkle from the sharpness. But anyhows, it were just stand'n on edge an' I walks up to it.....just look'n ya know. It start to fall all a sudden for no reason. I jumps back like lickie split, but it hits my foot. Some girl scream. Who the hell that??? I sits down an' take my sandal off....everthing look OK to me. Then all a sudden, blood start build'n up under the shin....like a great big ol' blood blister. The entire top of my foot. The girl still scream'n. That when I waked up. Went to the couch, turn on a light, light me up a smoke an' check out my foot. Look Ok to me.

Now for the strange part....the rest of the story. I had other dreams of these strange look'n 400 pounds discs before. Same freak'n ones. Same color, same shape....everthing the same. In both cases, somebody got hurt when they up an' fall over for no reason. I'm talk'n they got hurt Really bad. One guy what didn't get out of the way in time was cut slap in two pieces. Another had both his feet amputated.....poooof, two feets gone, just like that.

I heared a few times that dreams have meanings. I ain't no "dream catcher" or nuttin like that, so don't ask me. What could the meanings be of these dreams I had??? Kind of makes me cringe to think 3 dreams the same in a short period of time. I had dreams before where I fall off'n cliffs, skyscrapers....stuff like that, but never hit the bottom. How comes that???

Get'n low on propane. Down to less than 8 gallon left in the tank. "Conserve Billy Bob, ya don't need 80 degs in "da house" ya know". So, I got on Google to find propane sell'n places close to Falcon Heights. Only two an' they both 30 plus miles away.....60 round trip. One in Rio Grande City an' the other in Zapata. That's right at 7.5 gallon of gasoline...bout $25 dollar worth. With phone numbers in hand, I'll call each these propane places and see if by chance they have a truck in this area on certain days. And hopefully they will fill a motorhome propane tank from the truck. Most won't. Another thing for the old Billy Bob to fret bout.....run'n out of propane and freeze slap to death.

If all winters are like this in south Texas, I may be look'n for different stomp'n grounds next year. I don't like this crap. I 'member in Port Aransas, we used to wear short most of winter. Only had a couple three weeks of really cold weather. Damn global warming.  

Is that sunshine I see?

Only got down to 45 degs last night, but I were still cold sit'n there on the couch till 11:30 pm read'n shoot 'em up cowboy books. Took a lot of research to get things right, people and places, to write a western book. An amazing thing to do without the internet.

This morn'n I got my first taste of sunshine in probly over a week. Boy howdy, talk bout make a guy wanna jump up an' down an' shout. "Don't git too excitis Billy Bob, the weather forecast thingy has changed again". From the looks of things, start'n tomorrow, it's gonna rain....and no sunshine. That sucks.

I'm pretty much concluded that any problems I have with my solar system is self inflicted. I'm talk'n bout all the tak'n stuff apart, twist'n an'wiggl'n wires, beat'n on stuff...you know what I'm talk'n bout...all men do it. I read somewheres yesterday that if'n ya sit around sip'n too many cups of coffee an' think'n too much, problems are gonna arise that ain't there. In my case, that happens quite often. Although, you might find a little something that ain't right an' needs a quick fix.

Now that brings up just one more thing to think bout if'n you gonna boondock. Light bubs. If'n you're anything like the old Billy Bob, ya got lights turn on where ya ain't at. Like in the bathroom an' you are on the couch. Now each one of them bubs uses a bunch of sun produced electricity......something like 2.5 amps. With just 2 them suckers turn on we talk'n 5 amp hours for every hour they on. But.....if'n ya ain't got the correct bub in a light fixture, it gonna draw too much amps an' possibly melt your light fixture. I knows what I'm talk'n bout here.

I been buy'n regular ol' automotive single element light bubs 'cause they cheap ( 1156's 27 watt) to replace them what burn out. "Too much watts Billy Bob.....ya gotta git the right kind". The reason I says that.....I reach up to turn off the light I use every night for read'n.....bout 6 hours. The fixture were hot. Not warm, but hot. Is that why my batteries ain't hold'n up??? I'm think'n it may be time for me to buy me up some them LED light bubs.....what ya think?

Get'n close to a Walmart run. Bout 70 mile round trip to Rio Grande City. Big ol' Walmart there. With the sun shin'n an' all, I'm think'n today would be a perfect day. Not that I need anything special. Just a ride ya know.

I throwed some bread out in the yard for the birds. Sadie Mae went outside an' ate it all. She one the most selfish dogs I ever did see.....damn.

Rats, mice.....??? No, Sadie Mae. Have ya ever see a dog what shell an' eat peanuts?. An' this ain't the first time. She do the same thing to pecans. Shell 'em, eat 'em up an' leave the mess for her daddy to clean up. Damn fool dog.

Update: After a bit of Google research, I stand corrected.
A 1156 light bub draws. 2.1 amps @ 26.9 watts.
A 1141 light bub draws 1.44 amps @ Oh crap what was it....18.4 watts.
A 1003 light bub draws .938 amps @ 12 watts

Downside of boondock'n

Another cold night of 43 degs. But that may be it for a few days. Still no sunshine....nuttin but a cloudy sky out there. But accord'n to our weather forecasters, we got sunshine on the way. I'm ready an' wait'n. I got me a case of houseatosis or something like that. Wanna go outside an' sit on the porch sip'n up a cup. 

Ok, so we all go'n boondock'n....right? Well let me tell ya bout some the downsides.

As everybody knows, when it's 104 degs outside, it's gonna be a little hotter inside. So what do ya do? Well shoot, ya turn on the AC, that what ya do.  Set that sucker on cold as it go and lay back. Oh wait a minute.....we ain't got no electricity for that. Ain't no way a solar system is gonna run no AC, so ya crank up the generator an' burn up a gallon of gas a hour. Afore ya know it, ya gotta go to town and fill the gas tank. That's downside #1.

Water is a downside no matter how ya look at it, so there ain't no discussion. But like I say yesterday, if you conserve, really conserve, everthing gonna be just fine.

Winter months are another dad blamed downside. This is the time of the year ya gotta "evolve". You know, get used to freez'n slap half to death. The only heat you gonna have is produced by propane.....so ya gotta conserve heat too. In other words, learn to live just a bit on the hindside of comfortable. Speak'n of heat....did you know? The factory installed furnaces in your rig only produce heat at bout 60% efficiency....give or take a few percentage points. For every 1000 btu's of burned propane the furnace produces, 400 btu's, or so, is vented to the critters outside....keep 'em warm ya know. Use of a non vented 99% efficient "safe for RV use" heater alleviates that loss. But of course ya gotta crack a winder bout a inch or so.

Another downside boondock'n is, ya ain't got no neighbors to talk to. To some folk, this is a god send. I know the wimmins ain't gonna like this none 'cause they like to jibber gabber all day long. Men ain't gonna like this neither one bit, "cause they don't wanna have'ta listen to their wimmins jibber gabber all day long. Us men folk, as we grow older, us "oldies" like to be close to other people. Just in case we wanna go "jibber gabber" an' tell a Walmart bag full of lies with some other "oldie" tote'n his own Walmart bag. You know what I'm talk'n bout. Men do that ya know.....stretch the truth just a tad, that what I'm talk'n bout.

That's bout the jist of it....boondock'n ain't cut out for all folks. But it sure do grow on ya onest ya git th hang of it. Ain't no costly $400 plus monthly RV sites what ya gotta pay for. Ya got privacy. The freedom to do what ya want and the feel'n of self sufficiency.

Speak'n of $400 monthly RV spots. Did you know that RV park camp'n sites has gone up in the last few years. I'm talk'n 50 to 100%. They call 'em RV Resorts now. Even State Parks charges has increased.

Ok, I ain't got a thing else to talk bout. Not even in anticipation of warmer days. I'm rock bottom.

Oh yes I do. Since blogger done remove the "follow" button, how the hell do ya follow another blog? Sheesh, why don't they leave stuff alone?

Long term boondock'n

See, I tole ya. Them weather forecasts ain't always right. It were supposed to git down to 36 degs last night an' it didn't. When I get up this morn'n it were a comfortable 43 degs. If'n ya wanna call 43 degs comfortable.
Weren't no sunshine again yesterday, so I been hav'n to run the Onan (generator) bout 2 hours a day to keep the batteries over the 50% mark. A gallon a hour.....yikes. Propane is hold'n up with run'n the Mr Heater like 10 hours a day. Just tak'n a wild guess....I'm think'n bout a gallon a day.....or so.

We got a lot of visitors to Billy Bob's Place what own RV's and stuff like that. Most of 'em camp in RV parks and State Parks where they have access to electricity, water and sewer connections. That's all fine an' dandy....I've done that too. But today we ain't gonna be talk'n bout none of that kind of camp'n, we go'n boondock'n.....yeee ha. Long term boondock'n.

"What the hell is boondock'n Billy Bob"? Well that can be answered in different ways, but it all boils down to camp'n with out the conveniences. You know, electricity, water  and sewer.....rough'n it 2013 style. We ain't talk'n bout no one night stay at the local Walmart....which is considered by some RV'ers as boondock'n. A better term for Walmart camp'n would be dry camp'n.....for one night. Everbody does it. It's the American way.....something free. I might add at this point that most Walmart campers will spend upwards to $100 and more for the free camp'n at Walmart. Sounds like a good deal to me.

Ok, back to boondock'n. Ya find ya a nice little piece of property way out in the "boonies" where ya want to spend a few days. For free. Usually BLM land or National Forest areas what allow such things. Ya pick out a nice camp site and set up camp. Where the hell is the electric plug? There ain't none. Where the water spigot? There ain't none. So how ya gonna camp for a couple weeks or more with no electric and water. Simple, ya either take it with ya or ya make your own.

Now there's more than one way to make electricity. Ya can either go back to town to a rv park an' plug in, or you can produce your own out in the sticks with a generator or a solar system. For boondock'n, it's gonna be generator or solar panels. A short time boondocker....you know, only go camp'n a couple times a year and for only a few days, can get along just fine with a generator. Most RV's (motorhomes) have one built in for that purpose.....or they can be purchased right cheaply if'n ya got a 5th wheel or travel trailer. With the generator comes the noise element, gasoline consumption, run time and maintenance. Everbody hates a generator run'n all hours of the day. It all adds up to $$$$.

Speak'n of $$$$, have ya ever priced a solar system? Not cheap by any means. But a very good investment for long term boondock'n. A good solar system what will meet your electric needs will consist of somewheres around 200 watts PLUS of solar panels, a charge controller and a big ol' battery bank of a whole bunch of amp hours. In my case, 470 of 'em (4 deep cycle 6 volt Interstate golf cart batteries wired to 12 volts). Along with all the required heavy wiring of course. My above numbers are for "long term" boondock'n, not a piddly 3 or 4 days camp'n trip out in the middle nowheres. With a good and properly sized solar system, you can camp indefinitely and still have plenty of electricity....if'n ya conserve. And ya gotta have plenty sunshine too ya know. A complete DIY installed solar system will run ya right bout $1000.....plus.

Ok, so ya want to go long term boondock'n. We discussed mak'n electricity...right? But what about the second most important item....water. Again, most or all rv's have a fresh water tank. Some bigger than others. So how much water is enough? There is never enough. The fresh water tank will only hold so much, so ya gotta conserve....same like what ya gotta do with electricity. Forget the shower a day routine, it's ok to stink a little while boondock'n. Before head'n out to your boondock'n spot, fill the tank.....plumb to the top. Now....ya gonna run out of water sooner than you expect. You have two choices when ya run out, go back to town with the rig and refill your tank or have water jug totes. In my case, I carry two 7 gallon jugs. Quick trip to town in the toad, fill the jugs an' ya got 14 gallons more water. Sell 'em at Walmart for bout $15 each. Ya may make a note here that you're gonna be go'n to town anyhows to restock groceries. Two birds with one stone ya know.

Speak'n of groceries. Stock up before you are a hunnert mile from the grocery store. Plan your grocery shop'n on one pot meals. Use paper plates....cheap at Walmart. Water conservation ya know....wash'n dishes and stuff. Dry goods last a long time. Consider pastas, pancake mix, oatmeal, dried beans....stuff what ain't gonna rot wait'n to be cooked. Do ya like Spam? Fill that freezer to the brim. In my case, 5 or 6# pork chops, 5# hamburger meat, whole bunch of chicken an' a few steaks for special occasions. A couple big ol' bags of froze assorted vegetables....you good to go.

By all means, arrive at your long term boondock'n site with empty black and gray holding tanks. Take my word for it. There ain't nuttin worse than hav'n to go to town and empty tanks. In most places ya camp, it's perfectly legal and acceptable to run the gray water on the ground. But don't even think of dump'n black water on the ground. Illegal, stinks and absolutely unacceptable no matter how ya look at it. In my case, being a single camper, I can go for over a month before dumping the black water tank (42 gal.). Of course I've been knowed to pee in the bushes from time to time. Conservation ya know.

I know I missed a bunch of stuff here, but with what we've discussed, you can go long term boondock'n with no worries. Any help from the readers gladly accepted.

Ok, let's go boondock'n.   

That was fun, but I really wanted to tell a funny story......

Peas an' peach cobbler

Exclusive Weather News: Falcon Heights, Texas. It's freak'n cold.

Well, no it ain't. It was a bit chilly all day yesterday with a high of 47 degs and a night time low of 43 degs. That ain't really  that bad is it now is it? Oh, did I mention it rained all day yesterday? Sure nuff did....what made it feel that much colder. Forecasts call for more of the same weather for the next few days. YUK!!!

This morn'n we gonna be taking a short course in cake bak'n. Billy Bob Cherry Chocolate Cake that is. I tole you yesterday I was gonna bake one up and that's what I did.

So here what ya do. Put ya on a big ol' heavy coat, jump in the car an' go to Walmart to pick ya up a few essential ingredients....
1 box of your favorite yeller cake mix. Brand name recommended....don't be cheap.
1 can of your favorite chocolate fudge frosting...whipped recommended
1 can of Comstock cherry pie filling
3 eggs
1/3 cup veg oil if'n the cake mix calls for oil

Ok, are ya back yet? We got a cake to bake. In a mixi'n bowl, pour the cake mix in. Kind of make a little holler in the middle. Take ya 3 eggs an' beat em' up a little bit. Like you was mak'n scramble eggs. Pour the eggs and oil in that holler and start mix'n with a fork, spoon, egg flipper....anything to get all that stuff all mix up real good. Remember at this time, we ain't put'n no water in the mix. No water. Not the first drop. Now's the time ya put the cherry pie fill'n in there. Yeah, mix it up some more. Take ya a 9 x 13 cake pan and oil that sucker up so's the cake don't stick. I rekon you could use a couple 8 or 9 inches round cake pans if'n ya wanted. Don't need no flour, but if'n ya want to, go ahead. Ya did turn the oven on didn't ya? Set it to 350 degs. Pout that glob of stuuf in the bowl directly into the cake pan. Kind of level it out. Bake for right bout 30 minutes or so. You know how to check when it's done. Toothpick....remember?

 Onest that sucker cool down a bit, smear that whole can of chocolate frost'n all over the top. Eat'em up.

In the above photos, you will notice my cake is NOT yeller. That's 'cause all I had was chocolate. I'm gonna tell ya right now, ya want yeller cake mix, not chocolate. But the chocolate do taste mighty fine.

I been notice when I take a couple hours to write a funny or interest'n story, everbody comments on the other stuff. Why comes that??? Last night I was sit'n on the couch....freez'n my ass off, an' I got to think'n bout peas. Why peas? Hell I don't know, my mind works that way. Anyhows, up till I was bout 8 year old, I live on a farm in Missouri. There was 6 of us boys, I were the youngest. The other boys was orphan kids....or something like that. I was just a kid my daddy dumped there at a very young age. We ate vegetables. I hated vegetables. Vegetables was for girls. I were a meat an' taters, gravy 'n biscuits kind a guy. Bacon....cornbread an' buttermilk. Man eat'n kind of stuff.

We was sit'n there at the big ol' table, a bench on each side for us six kids...an' 2 chairs for Mom's an' Pop. It were supper time. I looks down at my plate an'....Oh my God, there was peas on it. Over there on the counter sits a still hot out the oven peach cobbler. Mom's look over at my plate an' says "Billy eat ever last pea on that plate and you can have a chunk that peach cobbler". I liked peach cobbler ya know, but I hated peas. An' I wanted me a big ol' glob that "still hot out the oven" peach cobbler.

Back in '47, most boy kids weared bib overalls....with the big pocket in the front. Right there under your chin. I slides up a little closer to the table and start sneek'n them peas in that pocket....when Mom's weren't look'n. Then I pretend like I was chew'n. Mak'n faces an' stuff like that....just in case somebody was watch'n me. I got them peas down to where there weren't but bout a spoon full left when Mom's looks over to me an' says...."Billy, you're such a good boy....unlike those other heathern boys". Why she said that, I don't know to this day.

Well that was when I see Joey watch'n what I were do'n out the corner his eye. He didn't like peas neither. Now Joey weren't the smartest slice of bread in a loaf an' he done got caught with a hand full of peas head'n under the table to his pocket. Mom's done catch that boy slap red handed. She snatch that boy up from the table by the nap his neck an' out the back door they go. She whoop hell out that boy. Now I'm skeered. When they comes back in the house, I had done got all them peas in my pocket and Joey, he sit over there cross the table from me giv'n me terrible evil looks, while I'm sit'n there look'n head on to a big ol' chunk of peach cobbler an' a glass of cold fresh squeezed milk out the ice box.

Out in the yard after we finish a delicious southern cook supper, complete with fresh baked peach cobble, I drags out from my front bib pocket half my peach cobbler, along with some peas what got mix in an' give 'em to poor little Joey. That what ya do when ya live on a farm....ya look out for each other.   

 

Margaret an' dynamite

Ok, now that that's said....what about some good news?

Holy crap, there ain't no good news. Weather wise anyhows. It's downright miserable down here in south Texas. Ain't supposed to be, but it sure is. It weren't too cold last night, but when I waked up, it was rain'n. It's 47 degs outside an' not a whole lot more inside. An' accord'n to one follower what live in Ca, there's another cold front headed this way. Geeze Margaret, give the old billy Bob a break. Old Mother Nature's name is Margaret ya know.

I weren't gonna say the first word bout the weather, but I ain't got nuttin else to bitch an' moan about. When I lived in Galveston back in the 60's, it snowed. When I was stationed in Norfolk, Va. in the early 60's, it snowed. When I was prospect'n for gold out in Ca. in early 03, it snowed. Hope to hell it don't snow while I'm wait'n to go fish'n in south Texas.

Let me tell ya, them batteries was low this morn'n. Ya see, we ain't had no sunshine in a week of Sundays and sunshine is what makes my electricity. Had to crank up the Onan generator a few time to charge them batteries up a bit. Of course I crank it up every morn'n to brew me up some coffee. Got a 40 amp charger hook up to it. Let it run for bout 20 minutes charg'n the batteries.

Holy crap, I were sit'n on the couch last night all involve in a shoot 'em up western cowboy book. I jump slap out my skin. Somebody done set off a stick of dynamite. Scare the liv'n crap out me. I don't know what them people got over there, but it ain't no "regular" fireworks. That boom make a M-80 sound like a lady finger.

Speak'n of M-80s, back in the late 50's, I used to got to Tijuana Mexico an' buy my "macho" fireworks. Good place to get "tuck an' roll" in your car too.....cheap. The guy says to me...."ya want some cherry bombs, some M-80s or a little bit of dynamite"? What do you suppose I bought? I bought 'em all....lots. Now these little bit of dynamites was bout the size of 2 M-80s all roll up in one. Bout 3/4 inch in diameter and 2 inch long.....something like that. Boy howdy let me tell ya, them suckers blow stuff up. We was sit'n at the Suzie Q, like we always did when there weren't nuttin to do. Drink'n fountain cokes and play'n the juke box. Here come a police car. Pull up an' park right next to my old '37 Dodge, eyeball'n us teenagers sit'n there do'n nuttin. I tosses one them big ol' "little bit of dynamites" up under his cop car. That sucker go off an' I swears, that cop feller done pee his pants. He also got somewhat upset. Said it weren't funny do'n stuff like that. Took all my firecrackers for evidence in a court of law. Fount out later he took that evidence an' was blow'n stuff up. Hav'n him a good ol' time.

I had thought I might go over to the State Park for a week or so, but I'm think'n I'll just stay right here where I'm at. It's gonna be just as cold an' miserable over there as here, with the exception of electricity and critters run'n through the yard. I like critters ya know. But why pay $96 a week an' still be cold and miserable? This sucks!!!

I might just bake me up a big ol' cherry chocolate cake today. Ain't got nuttin else to do an' I would probly eat it too. Would also put a little more heat in "da house". Fog up the winders an' such. Last time I bake me one was a couple year ago. Old "pesky neighbor" Wayne help me eat it up. He gain 10 pounds an' I gain 1. If'n ya ain't never taste Billy Bob's cherry chocolate cake", just ask Gypsy....she'll tell ya. Yeah, that exactly what I'm gonna do.   

Fireworks....Yeee haa

The elusive green jays.....or what ever.

Holy crap, there was explosions everwhere last night. I ain't talk'n bout wait'n round for midnight to roll in a new year, I'm talk'n  bout soon the sun go down an' git dark. There was big ol' explosions, shoot'n stars, bottle rockets, colorful displays, shotguns, 30 round clips, pistols, assault rifles, some even sounded like a sticks of dynamite. Poor Sadie Mae cuddled up next to me shak'n in her boots.

Falcon Heights, Texas ain't a big place (Population in 2010: 53. Population change since 2000: -84.2%), so where the hell they get all these explosives? These people ain't got no money to be spend'n on fireworks. They need pinto beans an' tortillas. Then I got to think'n......have ya ever been to a fireworks stand an' see who buys the big stuff? It sure ain't the women folk I can bet ya a dollar on that. It's men....macho redneck men. "Hey, watch this" kind of guys. Ain't no little pixie dust sparkle thingys what ya hold in your hand for these guys, I'm talk'n mortar rounds....TNT, napalm, hand held missile launchers...stuff like that.

I had me a neighbor one time what love his fireworks. Go to the fireworks sell'n place and buy big ol' boxes of 'em. Spend a whole paycheck. Take 'em home and start sort'n 'em out on the kitchen table. Carefully examining each and every piece with loving care.....eyes all a glow. That's what ya call "hands on" experience. He have sparkles in his eyes....a big grin on his face. By the time it was dark enough, he was all syked up, ready to blow stuff to kingdom come, sending chills and hysteria throughout the neighborhood. My kind a guy!!!!

What does a guy do when go'n outside is out of the question. I'm talk'n a travel'n man. A boondocker. No electricity or modern day conveniences.....an' it's freez'n cold. Well I'll tell ya what the old Billy Bob do. He sits on his ass over there on the couch. Sometimes think'n, day dream'n, sometimes writ'n stuff down in a notebook and other times read'n western paperback books. I got me bout 300 of 'em if'n ya didn't know. Good 'uns too. With a shortage of electricity there ain't a whole bunch you can do. Ya gotta conserve. Watch'n TV is questionable unless you are proficient in the Mexican dialect, as all the stations are broadcast in Mexican in the area. So, until there is some decent weather, Billy Bob is destined to spend his days "do'n nuttin".....inside. But shoot, I ain't got nuttin else to do. Fish ain't bite'n.

Well shoot, the OFM Barney rolled out early this morning. Headed north of all places. Barney don't stay around much when he gets bored. Always on the go....."hav'n tooo much fun".  See ya down the road a piece Barney. Keep them golf'n sticks tuned up. Buy ya a boat like the "bubba boat".

Ok....I lied. It's gonna be freak'n super cold here in south Texas. Down to freez'n in a couple days. I'm think'n something ain't right. I made me special plans to be at Falcon Lake for the winter 'cause it don't get cold here. Where I get that idea from??? If'n I could, I would move farther south, but then I would be in Mexico. An' everbody know, I can't go to Mexico (red tagged ya know).  "Hey Billy Bob, ya could move over to the State Park....all the electricity ya could ever want....stay nice an' warm". Maybe I just might do that. Gotta think bout it.  

Life is good when you're hav'n fun......an' other times too.