Journal, December 5

Hot Wheels, Star Wars - Author's Picture

We went on our first weekly pilgrimage to Walmart. I say first, because we usually end up going at least twice, Friday and Saturday. I'll have to go pick up my mom's groceries tomorrow. Since I have a little birthday money in my pocket, I hope to take my wife to a late lunch or early dinner at the Sirloin Stockade in Paris, Texas. It's a bit out of the way, but we both like it. We'll go before our meal, probably, to visit the Goodwill store. I can always manage to find something I need (or think I need) at those types of stores.

The picture above shows Hot Wheels Star Wars ships at Walmart. I couldn't remember if I had them, so I took the shot and brought it home to check. It turns out that I already have the A-Wing Fighter (R), but I don't have the E-Wing. If they're still there tomorrow, I'll get the E-Wing.

As we were travelling, we passed through Detroit, Texas. It describes itself as the "Little Motor City." On the outskirts of town, you can see the Gulf Coast Bank. Years ago, before the name change, the bank was robbed. The robbers flew a helicopter onto the grounds, below radar, and then robbed the bank. They took off again, still flying low. I don't know whether they were ever caught. I just don't remember.

On one bridge, we saw the remains of three large hogs. Feral hogs are rampant in Texas. You always hear about someone hitting a hog and causing massive damage to their vehicle.

On Sunday, I anticipate a trip to a historic cemetery halfway between Detroit, Texas, and Clarksville, Texas. The cemetery has been on my "to visit" list for quite some time. I hope to get out there his weekend and take a look around. Naturally, I'll take pictures.

Christmas Is Almost Here

Christmas Is Almost Here

I like the home office decorations from last year (pictured). It's almost that time again! I think today is the day, assuming that nothing goes wrong, that I'll install my Christmas tree and decorations. As always, I may be absent from the blog, especially during the week of Christmas. Merry Christmas to all!

Journal, November 28

I just heard that a former local pastor passed away. He was a good guy and a good friend to have. Nothing terrible happened to him or anything; he was very much an elderly person.

I got a couple of Star Wars action figures for my birthday a few months ago, but I haven't had the opportunity to open them yet. Soon, hopefully, I'll be able to do some (or some more)unboxing. I can't name them all right now, but I do know I received about seven packages.

The other day, I was surprised to see (in the small town where I was born) an ice cream truck! Talk about bringing back memories! We last had an ice cream when I was a little boy. I still remember that music and being ready to run out to the street.

Some time ago, my sister-in-law ended up spending several days at a hospital in Arlington, Texas. She wasn't sick, though she was recovering from a bad spider bite, but she was there because of a friend of a friend. He was in a bad highway accident, and last I heard, he wasn't doing well at all. Sad news, but I also just heard that he made it through surgery and might be released in a few days. So, I guess he was not as bad off as I had thought. I actually went to high school with his sister.

Happy Thanksgiving 2025!

Ham Ready To Go

I had this ham up and cooking yesterday before noon. It only took maybe a couple of hours before it was done. Same deal with the turkey. As usual, everyone enjoyed it. I didn't overcook it or dry it out, like I've sometimes done in the past. I thought the ham was exceptionally good.

The Time Approaches

Ham and Turkey

I laid out the turkey and the ham yesterday. In our house, I'm always the one who cooks the meat. We have other "traditional" dishes too, like dressing, but my wife cooks it. We have other side dishes, which my daughter prepares, and of course, we have random foods like cranberry sauce and rolls. This year, we've done away with "homemade" desserts. Instead, we have a couple of bought pies, pumpkin and pecan. I'm not sure whether Mom will come to the house for lunch. If not, I'll take her a plate. Or plates, probably.

The weather may be bad on Thanksgiving Day. I've seen reports of rain. I'm still annoyed by grocery shopping around Black Friday. I hope we can go late in the evening when the traffic is minimal. I've heard some people say (funny) that they get road rage in Walmart.

Christmas Decorations

Christmas Decorations

I got my office Christmas tree put up yesterday. It's half-completed in the picture. I worked on straightening out the branches a little later.

Here's a picture of all of my decorations. The ones on the left are a floral Santa boot, two toy soldiers, and a metal decorative Christmas tree. I bought most of those things at the Dollar Store's after-Christmas sale last year. However, I've had the boot for a long time. I've got some glitter-decorated pinecones that I'll add to the display later. Right now, I don't know where they are.

New Wreath and Christmas Activities

Wreath 2025

Well, we ended up going to Walmart this past Sunday. We got the kids some Christmas gifts. We'll have to do it one more time, at least. It'll probably take place after Black Friday. Nothing spectacular happened during our trip.

On that same morning, I cut the bottom out of a plastic barrel that will serve as a dog's house. It'll keep the rain off the dog whose current house is in disrepair. I had to use a drill to make a hole for the saw blade. Then, using a jigsaw, I cut the barrel according to the marks that had been drawn on the lid. It took about 30 minutes to do it.

The picture shows a newly updated wreath that my wife has at her office. It looks much nicer, she said, than the one that was previously there. The new wreath actually fell off of the door, but we found a wreath hanger today that will be installed tomorrow.

Christmas Tree

Merry Christmas in November!

It's been a long day, and it's not over. I got early (for me), and just after noon, I took my mom to her doctor's appointment. She had a checkup, then had to get labs, and finally had to have an X-ray and an ultrasound. This time, it only took about an hour and a half. The radiology clinic already had its Christmas tree on display (seen in the picture). I also noticed that they still have a Halloween decoration on the door.

I got home between 2 and 3 PM. Then, later, we went to Walmart for the weekly grocery run. We finally picked up a Turkey for Thanksgiving. We made it home around 7:30 PM. I dread next week, but not because of the Thanksgiving cooking. Mainly, I dread it because we'll need groceries again, and next Friday is "Black Friday." Maybe it won't be too crowded if we go late in the evening. We don't "do" Black Friday. Too crowded.

I think we may go do some Christmas shopping tomorrow. We need to find gifts for the kids. It has been a tough year, and we won't be able to buy very much. Fortunately, we are prepared for the Thanksgiving meal.

Rainy Day

Rainstorm Approaching

The rain started early this morning, accompanied by a loud clap of thunder that woke me up. Then the lights went out. They didn't stay off very long. It's raining again; it looks like another shower is approaching.

I set out to do nothing today, but instead I found myself busy. I changed the cat litter boxes. I washed dishes. I did the laundry. I got the coffee pot prepared to make coffee for my wife this evening. I haven't really been drinking coffee for the past two weeks. Instead, I've had tea both hot and cold.

Tomorrow I'll be busy with driving my mom to her doctor's appointment. I suppose we'll also buy groceries tomorrow evening unless we change our minds and if we have enough daylight. It's got to the point that I don't like to drive after dark because of the wild hogs and deer that come out in the dark.

Currently, I'm sitting at my desk drinking boba tea. Yesterday I worked on my short book 3820, recording notes and developing Dobbs City a bit more. A portion of it has been drawn on graph paper. I've also been able to get into the mind of Izzy Kent a bit more. She's a young, fascinating character. Her name is actually Elizabeth, Izzy for short. 

New Pond

New Pond

Last week was tiring. I did everything from going to the doctor to dealing with flat tires. Nothing required much effort, it was just time-consuming.

On Monday, I had a three-hour round trip to the VA dermatologist. All they had to do was just look at my arm, where they did the TB test. That's it, just look at it. It seemed almost like a waste of time, but I did manage to get a flu shot while I was there.

Tuesday, my son-in-law had a blowout on the way home from work. He didn't have a spare tire. It cost close to $200 to get someone to come fix the car on the side of the road. Then, that evening, the wife and I had to go get the car and bring it to the house. He went that same weekend to get a new set of tires and spent more than $400 to get that done.

I woke up one morning to the sound of heavy equipment. I went outside and saw a bulldozer and a backhoe hard at work. My brother-in-law was having a pond dug at the southeastern end of the property. I walked to it later. It's about nine feet deep at its lowest point. I didn't estimate the diameter. It's going to be stocked with catfish, eventually.

I found a recipe for crockpot chicken that I made one day last week. I thought it was too salty, but everyone else (said they) liked it. My daughter said it was something that she could eat again.

The pasture is being bush hogged today. The grass is tall. Honestly, it could have been baled again.

I saw the Northern Lights the other night. I didn't think they could be seen from Texas, but that's what the news and neighbors said it was. It was just a pale color standing right about the distant northern tree line.

We went to get groceries on Saturday instead of our usual Friday. We did it because we had to go to Hobby Lobby for my mom, and we thought it would be less tiring to wait until Saturday. We still didn't make it home before dark. I was supposed to install mom's new propane heater on Sunday, but I couldn't get the propane nozzle turned off. I hate that, but there was nothing that I could do.

Journal, November 10, 2025

I watched Subspecies, which I hadn't seen from the days of my youth. Radu the vampire always creeped me out, and I just figured out why. He reminds me, vaguely, of Count Orlok from the 1922 movie Nosferatu. His hands are especially similar, as well as his gait. The face, while not identical, is twisted enough so that, like Orlok, Radu cannot be mistaken for a human. I wonder how much influence the 1922 movie had on the newer one.

Today we had another 3-hour round trip to the VA clinic. All they had to do was look at my arm. It was a TB test, and I had to have it to continue taking Taltz. It almost seemed useless to go, but I did get a flu shot while I was there. So, that takes care of the flu shot for this season.

For a short time, after the next updates, the novella 3820 will be put on hold until more research and writing come to pass. I have story-advancing chapters that must be developed first, and they have proven to be challenging to record. I totally love my characters. Currently, the blog is set to auto-update well into 2027. This doesn't mean that I'm not paying attention; it only ensures that I don't miss updating the content. Also, beginning in 2027, the content will be posted every other day instead of daily. I have determined that I don't really need daily content. Every two days will suffice. If this is a problem, I will address it with anyone who contacts me about it, and I may consider resuming daily updates. In the meantime, in the future, it will be every other day.

Gloomy Day

Author's Picture

This picture is entitled, on my computer, "landscape." It was taken in front of our home where the yard turns into pasture. It was raining that day, and gloomy. The picture was taken in October, a few days before the end of the month. Now, as we have moved into November, we are experiencing cold days. Tonight, the temperature is supposed to drop into the low 30s or high 20s. We have set our faucets to drip so our pipes don't freeze up. While I do enjoy snow, I must admit that I despise the cold. I was happy back during the summer when we were experiencing 100-degree days. I hope we live long enough to see summer again. I can't wait.

Long Day

Author's Picture

Whew, it's been a long day. We set out for my dermatologist appointment at 12:20, and returned around 6:30 PM this evening. Of course, we had to stop and buy groceries on the way back. We did have a good lunch at the San Luis Tex-Mex restaurant. Now we get to do all that again on Monday because I had to take a TB test. At least I'll have a free weekend. The picture is of a helicopter on the grounds of the VA hospital. I think it's a Huey.

Thanksgiving Month

Author's Picture

Halloween (October too) has come and gone. The decorations have been stored, and Thanksgiving decorations have been brought out. It won't be long until it's holiday time. And time for the nightmarish Black Friday sales events (which I don't participate in). I am, however, looking forward to some ham.

I have a doctor's appointment on Friday. It's a three-hour round trip. I dread all that time riding in a car.

Old Men

Author's Scoundrels

The other day I and the two old gentlemen turned the heater on low for a while. They seemed to enjoy it. I've been busy today. Laundry, dishes, and more laundry. Fed the dogs. Hooked up the water hose and watered all of them. Finished my Lovecraftian Media page. Lots of research and work went into that page. Now I've got to make a 3-hour round trip, Friday to see my dermatologist. I stay busier than I'd like.

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween!

Tomorrow is that time of year when goblins, ghouls, and divers other spooks roam the land for one night! Whether you're doing trunk-or-treat at your church or trick-or-treating in the neighborhood, be safe! Check out the following safety tips from The Pioneer Woman.

Journal, October 29, 2025

Author's Picture

Well, Fall seems to be transitioning into pre-winter. We're under a wind advisory, and the weatherman says that the wind has it feeling like it's in the 30s outside. I don't care for the cold. We're overdue for a cold, wet, and possibly snowy winter. I don't like it, but I'd best be ready for it. Hopefully we won't be doing anything that's not routine. I'd hate to have to be out in bad weather.

Oh, it was cold in the house this morning. I turned on the electric heater. I got warm, and so did Duke the tabby. It's the first time this year that I ran the heater for so long at one time.

October and Gloomy

It's raining and gloomy today at the Lonestar Compound. It's in the 50s outside. I took a brief video of the north and east of the property while it was raining. I had a dream about that far-off tree line to the northeast. In the dream, I saw a tentacled mass moving north just alongside the tree line. I might work that dream into a story at some point. Today I saw a white figure, briefly, when I was in the living room. I understood immediately that it was a hallucination. I speak to my VA doctor about that regularly.

I've been looking through my antique and vintage dishes. I had a gorgeous green pitcher that dated to the depression era. Being ignorant, I poured extremely hot liquid into it. It cracked and broke immediately. Another platter that I had was accidentally dropped. It broke into pieces while I was outside cooking on the grill. That was when I lived in Longview, Texas. I've broken many antiques in an attempt to use them. Those instances took place many years ago. I guess you never forget it, and I sure hate that I was careless.

Happy Halloween from the Lonestar Crew. I remember when I was young and my mom took us trick-or-treating. It was always chilly, sometimes sprinkling rain. That's what it's been doing all day here. I hope youngsters can stay dry and warm when the candy day arrives. Peace to you and yours.

Journal, October 27, 2025

Platter - Author's Picture

A lot of people make fun of him, but I'm a fan of Nicolas Cage. I've never seen a movie of his that I couldn't watch. I watched Season of the Witch a couple of days ago. Cage even made a Lovecraft-inspired movie called The Color Out of Space. I'd seen Season of the Witch before, but I enjoyed it the second time. It stars Cage and Ron Perlman. It's part of my Halloween "watch list."

Tonight we had a dinner of fried chicken, mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese, and cabbage. I got off pretty easy. I only had to cook the cabbage, and I finally learned how to season it. 

The picture I've posted came to me from a deceased associate's kitchen cabinet. He passed away, and his dwelling was practically falling to pieces. He permitted us to claim what we wanted. We did. He passed away at the age of 82 with no family and no friends except for the Lonestar Crew. Anyway, the dish shown is a platter. I can't discover exactly what it is, other than it is a vintage item. I've seen similar items for sale online for anywhere from 10 to 60 dollars. We use this dish every year around holiday time to hold turkey and ham.

October Weather

Popcorn!

It's chilly outside (for Texas). Worse, it's raining today. Gloomy. I don't really mind "gloomy" but I don't care for the chill in the air. It happens every October. The picture shows my last image of the fair that I went to this year. Everything was closed when we got there, but my kids went later and brought us some popcorn back. They ate funnel cake, deep-fried cheese on a stick, and macaroni and cheese.