Walkin’ around money

Spring flowers along the road between Houston and San Antonio

It has always been my want, when I have had the capability, to have some ‘walkin’ around money’ on my person. Like I inferred that hasn’t always been the case but mostly I try to have $50 or a $100 with me. It’s just easier that way. Cash works and I know my balance by looking in my wallet. And I think it lessens some of the chance for Identity Theft. I really don’t like giving my credit or debit card to some of the people out there working today and see them walk away to do ‘who knows what’ with it? I’m talking about restaurants specifically, because based on the number of times we eat out we have lots of exposure to shenanigans with our cards. So……..yesterday we went to the hospital for my latest procedure and I left some cash here in the motorhome in my little ‘possibles’ drawer just because………..well, you understand. So this AM I opened my drawer to get one of my ‘possibles’. A‘possible’ is something that you may possibly need and so you keep it or them in a known location. Fist place to look when you’re looking for something. A little bit different than the ‘first out’ box. That’s the box that goes on the picnic table to hold all the stuff you need first when setting up. Anyway, I opened my ‘possibles’ drawer and said “Holy Crap” where’d all this money come from? I had forgotten. So Kat says, “who cares, just close it and open it again!” Gosh I like Kat and the way she thinks. Unfortunately, this time it didn’t work. Damn!!!!
So my procedure. We went in for my six month change. I had the stent replaced by cystoscopy. This was a little different than the first time. That was done by poking a hole in my back. A cystoscopy goes through the front door. Not my recommended way of getting from A to B if you get my meaning. There was a chance they could remove the thing, stent, but no luck this time. So I have a new stent and I’m good for another six months. But the last couple of days have been no fun. I’m in day two of being constantly linked to the bathroom. Getting a little better, but it seems I pee about every 32 seconds. Well…….that may be a bit of an exaggeration, but it’s often, very often. It’s also uncomfortable. And that is an understatement! But like I said, it’s getting a little better. And I’m trying to drink lots of fluids. That seems kind of counter productive but it is what I’m supposed to do. Other than that all is well. Looking to get back to Pickleball next week. Until then it's 'Piss Fire' and save matches.

We awoke to another real nice Texas morning. It has been kind of hot but the last couple of days have been a little cooler. Very nice mornings. The windows are open, fans are blowing and there’s a real good Texas breeze moving things around too. I can hear the trains a couple of miles away, Air Force fighter jets coming and going from Randolph AFB (the sound of freedom) and the birds are singing away. We have Redbirds (cardinals), House Finch, Red Wing blackbirds, White Winged doves, a Black Crested Titmouse (is that the singular of Titmice?) and maybe a Chickadee? And there was another Katism this morning. Get it? KATism. I got up to pee, of course, and went back to bed and got an immediate back rub. I was purring away and said “this must be my lovely wife” only to get this response. “it better be, ‘cause it’s too early in the morning for murder”!
I’m a happy man! Gotta’ pee!

San Antonio

OK! Almost San Antonio. Actually it’s Schertz, TX. About 30 minutes northeast of Audie Murphy and right off I-35. We’re in a pretty good park that is far enough from I-35 to barely be heard. Nice pool and a lid over the picnic table where we do our crafts.

You can see that Kat as done a very nice Afghan, but of course as she would tell you, “she only makes dish rags, some of them just happen to be bigger and more decorative than others”. Anyway they’re pretty cool. She has another started and it’s actually better, but then I picked the colors on it! So just in case, you may want to get a ‘bid’ in. I don’t know what she intends with them? I’m still carving of course. I finally finished my first bark carving ‘in the round’, its on the left with the ‘pot-bellied stove, ‘Dead Eye’ is in the center and a new ‘whimsical house’ is on the right. That one is spoken for. Although the recipient, one TT, doesn’t know it yet. But Kat and I spend considerable time doing crafts outside in the breeze. And here in Texas I can always let the wind do my clean-up. I learned that from Dubanoski. It’s effective.

Jerry and Linda, friends from Bentsen Grove live here in SA and we have gotten together a few times. Jerry plays Pickleball here and he has taken me to the Canyon Lake Community Rec Center to play. Real cool! It’s a nice facility and real nice folks. I have a little trouble because they use orange balls and the court and walls are kind of a beige color and balls are hard to pick up visually with so little contrast and me with my cataracts. But, I convinced one or two folks that a darker ball really is better, but little matter because its still fun.

While Jerry and I play, Kat and Linda shop. I guess it works out. Now they are going to go to some kind of weaving class. That’s of course after they shop. Kat and I went to the annual Hot Dog and something/something sale at Camping World and overheard a group of RV’ers talking about going to the Grist Mill in Gruene for dinner. The hot dogs were crap and not being averse to eating out or eavesdropping we headed for Gruene (pronounced Green). We ended up in a huge traffic jam because it was outdoor festival day or week or ??? in Gruene. But it was kind of cool so we waded around town and through the vendors and skipped the Grist Mill because of the crowd. But Kat saw some guy doing some kind of yarn weaving and now she and Linda are going to a class today, after shopping for their stuff, which he, by the way, supplies, but I guess you can’t be to sure. Don’t know how much longer I’ll be able to afford playing ‘free’ Pickleball??

In our travels we were driving through New Braunfels looking for a bakery Jerry had told me about and passed one of the Schlitterbahn Water parks and I said I wouldn’t mind trying some tubing. This is like the World Capital of tubing. So Kat said, “yeah, that would be fun”. This requires further investigation and planning. I’ll let you know how it turns out??? But is sounds like a plan to me!!!!

And the bakery was good. Advertised as the oldest in Texas. I got some strudel and a fried pie. Both yummie!!! It’s the German influence here in Hill Country. And I’m half German, half English, and then mix in some ridge runner, and farmer, about half on me is Army, and I’m pretty much all Red-Neck not to mention a Tea Partying libertarian. Let’s see does that add up? Close enough, I guess! Whew! That could make a fella’ one screwed up puppy!

Houston

We stayed in south Houston on the outer belt about 20-30 minutes from downtown. Big city! The 4^th largest in the country now. 4^th or 5^th? I have a hard time driving where there are 6 or 7 lanes of traffic. Just too much to keep track of. Nevertheless we made it in and out a few times.
First we had to go to QTC for my medical exams, as I explained in the last post. We got there only to find they had been cancelled. I almost went Postal on’em. Kat pretty near had to jump on me and hold me down. This was after initially trying to get them changed, being told ‘no way’ and leaving Mission early, and driving 400 miles to make the appointments. So I was pissed, but I won’t belabor the point. They got me in the same day and completed both of my exams and we were done 4 days early. So it worked out.
OK! I am told by my ‘faithful reader’ that she is kind of in the dark about all this VA medical stuff. And I guess I have to admit that I’ve kinda’ been ‘tap dancing’ around the issue. As they say, ‘my bad’! So here is the deal. My prostate cancer has returned in the form of a metastasized tumor near the prostate and spread some to the surrounding area. The initial prognosis was grim ( as in Grim Reaper) and scary but it is looking much better. I am being treated in San Antonio at Audie Murphy hospital. AND, the treatment is so far successful. My tumor has decreased in size from last October to now. That is due to the estrogen hormone therapy that I’m on. I have a ureter stent to unblock my kidney and bladder caused by the tumor. We’re here in San Antonio to have all that checked. I got my second hormone shot (every six months) and now go in for the stent replacement or removal. The decrease in size of the tumor may allow that this time. Cool!! That will be on the 19^th and 26^th of this month. At this point I don’t have any symptoms. I feel good since the stent relieved my kidney problem. I do have those damn Hot Flashes though, but I get no sympathy from Kat and the women I know. LOL.
But first I have to finish Houston where we had to go to get compensation and medical exams for VA benefits. My VA regional office is Houston because of our address so we go there for VA benefit issues, prostate cancer being an Agent Orange (from Vietnam) presumptive disease.
I guess I’m jumping around a bit here. But back in Houston where basketballs were everywhere. I wrote this recently in an email…… Went into Houston today to the Galleria.Mall.  It is supposed to be the second biggest in the country next to the Mall of America in MN.  I don't know how they rate those things but this one is big.  But I can't believe they don't add a store or two so it would be real Texas and the biggest?  I think Kentucky won my unofficial "Most T-Shirts" contest at the Mall.  It's Final Four week and lot's of fans were out.  VCU was in the lead for most of the day but then there was a late surge by KY and they won going away.  Butler was third with UConn dead last, barely avoiding a shut out.  But then they were all probably getting ready for the game with Butler.  We ate at the Rain Forest Cafe.   I splurged and had my traditional burger.  Pretty good but kind of expensive compared to what we're use to.  I can usually get a pretty good Cheese or Bacon burger in South Texas for about $5.  That's with a water.  Cheap!  Here it was $10………….. 
Time to fix a hot dog for dinner.  My kind of living burgers and hot dogs.

That was a few days ago. Then we drove out west of Houston to check out a couple of smokehouses and their barbecue. This seems to be one of the barbecue centers of the country. I know Memphis is another and there is one in the Carolina’s maybe. Anyway we see lots in the Texas Hill Country area. So we were curious. After about 40 miles of looking we picked Hinez (I think it was) and ate there. Real good! You could kind of tell by the looks of the joint. It was! A joint I mean. Right down to the two large Pin Oaks growing through the roof. No kidding! But I can’t speak much to the winner of Barbecue Capital of the US. I think it depends on the establishment more than the local. The Commissary in Memphis would be hard to beat. But so would ‘492’ in Mission????
Then it was on to San Antonio.  We skipped the Space Center.  Been to Cape Canaveral.