Traveling with the Longdogs: Schertz TX

Showing posts with label Schertz TX. Show all posts

2026-01-12 Adoption is in the air.

There is a new baby in our house. Her name is currently Tina but Dave thinks he would like Diva better but "Diva" has both positive and negative descriptions. Scratch that.....her new name is XENA (the Warrior Princess). It sounds the same as Tina to her and it makes her ours.

She needed a new home and we weren't hard to convince that we needed another dachsund. She was posted on Adopt-a-Pet as a rehome from another family. It was posted a week before I even saw it and I wasn't even sure I should be looking. I hesitantly showed Dave and he said he was sure she would already be gone but I should apply just in case. I did the paperwork Saturday morning and sent it in. They forwarded it right away and her other mom texted me Sunday morning and asked when we could talk. Well, right away! So we talked and asked lots of questions and set up a meeting at a park that afternoon. Her mom chose us out of a number of other respondees. We all agreed to make the transfer later the same day.our

This is my husband Dave holding our new baby while we filled out some transfer paperwork. It was chilly, well chilly for Texas and dachsies never turn down a blanket.

Now, you may wonder why her family wanted to rehome such a beautiful baby (okay, she's 2 1/2 years old). They got her five months ago from a coworker who wasn't able to keep her but it turned out that their older dog didn't like her. The white spot on her upper muzzle is where their older dog bit her. Hopefully the fur will grow back. They loved her enough to know she would have a better life in another home. We have had 6 dachshunds since we got married and every one of them needed a new home for one reason or another so this was a perfect fit for us.

She was unhappy to leave but the car ride home was uneventful. She loves riding in the car.

She loved her big new fenced in yard. Lots of room to roam and dachshund tested for escape artists. All was quiet as she explored the first day. Night time went well. She went in her crate upstairs about 10:15 and slept until 8:30 the next morning. Going outside potty was not so great as all the dogs behind our house were having a barkfest so she was afraid. Later in the day, it was quiet again so she had a good time.

Doggy blankets are plentiful in our house so we can meet all her blankie needs. We even still had a couple toys as well as a collection of doggy bowls.

She is giving us both plenty of lap time.

She loves a good time of pull the rope and did I mention she is a parkour expert? We are going to have to work on that as she zooms from floor to furniture before you can blink an eye and zipping up stairs is also a game to her. Not so good for dachsies.

She also loves to chase balls, toys, ropes, etc. and brings them right back to you. We are working on walking on a leash without pulling. She is very strong. I discovered that she knows "sit" so we stop and "sit" when she starts to pull. She also responds very well to "come" and know what "no" means. She is very smart so we will really need to work with her. She has figured out that the dogs on the other side of the fence aren't going to get her. They barked this morning and she ran to the fence and barked twice then ran back to the porch. She gave some guys putting up a canopy next door a couple warning woofs then went on her way. Dachsies can be determined barkers and they have big dog voices but I think she is going to be a good girl about it.

Let me end this first post by say she got the zoomies at bedtime last night and raced around the bedroom for 19 minutes. Then she didn't want to go in her crate for bed. I let her stay on the bed where she settled right down. After I finished reading my book, I picked her up and put her in her crate where she went right back to sleep. I don't mind if she sleeps on the bed but I was afraid she might wake up every time I got up to go to the bathroom which is several times a night and I didn't want her leaping on and off that high bed.

All in all, I think her transition is going great.

2025-5-24 On the Road Home

Our adventure wasn't quite over when we left Wilderness Oaks in Rockport. We had a leisurely morning because the next stop was only a little over two hours away. Elaine always stays a night in Schertz before she heads all the way back to Abilene but this time she booked a couple of days at Sun Retreats in New Braunfels instead of her usual RV park in Schertz. I decided that I would spend a couple more days with her. Sun Retreats is a bit more expensive than either of us like to pay but we were able to use Passport America so that really helped. The park is located off I35 on the south edge of New Braunfels so it's a convenient location. I was once again really bad at getting pictures. Elaine had a pull-through and I had a back-in close to her spot.

We enjoyed the outdoor pool several times while we were there. It wasn't too crowded during the day as a lot of people in the park work. Evenings saw more activity, but it still wasn't too crowded.

They also have an indoor pool but we just looked and didn't use it. Nice for cold or bad weather though. the resort also has amenities like exercise room, laundry, activities room, etc.

One day we drove out to River Road which is a really nice drive. We stopped in at Lazy L&L to get a tour as a possible future rally location. Have to check out possibilities when you can.

We made a trip into Schertz one day and I picked up Angus, my son's dog. He is staying with us while Steve and Helen are in Maryland at her mother's. Dave came out that evening for dinner. My site backed up to a ranch area so Angus got to meet a couple cows.

Angus spent the night with me. He is a very good camper. He loves to go in the RV.

Before I left the park I dumped my black tank without a problem but sprung a waterfall leak when I emptied the gray. Thank heavens there was no problem when I did the black tank. I figured I would be calling my RV repair place for an appointment but Dave wanted to look at it first. It turned out to be a large slit in the macerator hose which fanned out when it hit the back edge of the RV. I ordered a new hose from Amazon.

It arrived the next night and Dave was able to replace it himself. A disaster averted and ready for the next trip. Now I will be sitting at home until the next trip which will be 19 June to Hords Creek COE park near Coleman TX.

2021-02-20 Another Year, Another Birthday

First Apocalyptic weather and then another birthday......challenges for sure. The grandkids arrived in San Antonio on Friday evening. Saturday morning I got a big surprise when my son, daughter-in-law, grandson, and granddaughter showed up and cleaned the house from top to bottom. That was indeed a wonderful birthday present. They disappeared for the afternoon. We had a family birthday celebration on Saturday night. I am wearing the family birthday hat which is very colorful and eye-catching when you can see the candles on the top.

Somehow the picture of the birthday cake is on someone else's phone but I did get these two pictures. Both of my grandkids are artistic like their grandpa. The inside of Cameron's card is a little hard to see but it is a picture of a dachshund.

Morgan always goes all out with her creations. She loves construction paper and a glue gun. There were pop-outs and drop-downs all over.

There were other birthday presents as well but I was a little lax in the picture department since it was my birthday. My DH's present is brakes for the CRV toad I got in December. I just have to set up the time. The toad was pulled behind a diesel pusher in it's last life so it has an air brakes setup. I emailed the company that designed the system and told them I had a gasser motorhome. They said they could install a small compressor on my RV connected to the hydralic brakes so the system could work for me.

2021-02-18 Apocalyptic Weather in Texas

There really isn't much other way to say it. Arctic weather descended on all of Texas last weekend. We had unprecedented cold everywhere. North Texas and the panhandle are used to cold and snow. The rest of us are not. We do not have snow equipment, salt, etc because it just isn't needed.

Many places have been without electricity since Sunday and are just now getting it back even here in San Antonio and Houston. It is a checkerboard of what works and what doesn't. Here in Schertz, at least at my house, we had rolling power outages since Monday that ended yesterday. It was normally 2 hours on and 40 minutes or so off. Not too bad and very manageable. Most of the homes around here are all electric so when you lose power, you lose everything. Our house is well insulated and never dropped to cold temps that a jacket and blanket didn't take care of. Frozen pipes was another big issue.

We got a call from a neighbor yesterday morning who is up in Wisconsin with relatives. They covered all their outdoor faucets but forgot a stand alone faucet in their yard away from the house because they never use it. Well it froze and broke. People feeding their dogs and cat were running faucets in the house but couldn't get the water turned off to the house. My DH went over and shut the water off at the main and was able to cut the pipe off and cap it (after the second try). Really unbelievably cold....down to single digits and night.

We never had any water problems as our kitchen is not on an outside wall and DH covered our outside faucets as soon as we heard that cold was moving in. Snow of any kind even a dusting is a very rare occurence here.

Dave shoveled the patio and a 6 by 6 area of the backyard for Harley to go outside. As you can imagine, Harley was not in the least excited about going out. He held it as long as he possibly could. Dave had to resort to throwing the ball out to get him off the patio. Pupper just can't resist a ball!

Snow is finally melting today because the sun is shining. Don't know if it will all go though so freeze tonight means icy roads again in the morning.

Today was the first day we got mail since last Saturday. Thank heavens Fedex and UPS still managed to make their deliveries as Dave had medicine enroute. I know that some areas might have been undeliverable but with fast food places lined up with customers, it is kind of sad that the post office delivered no where for a week.

HEB did not open at all the worst day after announcing they would only be open from 12-5. It was really bad then. Right now the grocery stores are out of so many things especially perishables of any kind. People started complaining about others hoarding but my friend's DIL works at Walmart and they had to throw out 3 semitruck loads of perishables because they were past the sell date. She asked if they couldn't have donated to Food Bank or others who needed. The DIL said they have done that in the past only to be sued by someone who said they got sick.

This photo is from the first go round of snow. We had several snowfalls. DH still goes out and does his walks but our vehicles haven't moved since last week.

Thank goodness I winterized my RV when I came home from the last trip in December. Hopefully it will be okay. Supposed to be 73 on Wednesday.....I can't wait. That is my kind of winter weather.

2021-02-14 Happy Valentine's Day

My DH really surprised me on Valentine's Day with roses, candy, and a card. This wasn't easy to pull off since he hasn't been out much at all. Apparently, he picked up everything on Friday when he made a very quick run up to the base to pick up prescriptions.

I wasn't expecting anything considering how much he has had to do around here but it was really a nice surprise.

2021-02-10 Moving on Down the Road to Recovery

Recovery is progressing very well. I had the PT at home for two weeks, three times a week. Then I diligently did the exercises and icing on my own 3 to 4 times a day. The second week we added the following exercises.

Friday, 5 February, the PT supervisor Jeff came to evaluate my progress. He said I was doing great and we picked a cane out from my DH's collection. Yes, he has a collection not that he has ever really used any of them. They are not your standard aluminum pole. One was about the right length and was light so I was set. No more walker. We talked about whether I should continue with PT. I said I thought I could probably benefit but only if at my house. I haven't stayed away from other people to start going to group therapy at this point. He said that would probably be approved but would be 2 times a week for 3 weeks instead of 3 times a week for 2 weeks.

On Monday night, I still hadn't heard from Kris about what time she would be coming on Tuesday. She said that her lead hadn't added it because they were still waiting to hear from their HQ so it would probably be Wednesday.

Tuesday, 9 February, I had an appointment with my orthopedic doctor, Dr Ursone. He said I was doing great. He said that he didn't think I needed any more PT because I was walking so well and pain was low. Actually, I have more pain at this point from my other hip. It doesn't hurt all the time but "catches" and locks up when I get up from sitting. Yes, I am definitely going to need another hip replacement.....the only question is when. I have another appointment with Dr Ursone at the 6 week point.

In the meantime, I have increased all the exercises on my own.

2020-11-17 Another Birthday Happy 17th Cameron

Earlier in the day we played a few games.

It is so hard to believe that Cameron is 17. The last few years have flown by.

You may remember the "Birthday" hat that everyone "gets" to wear thanks to Helen. Dave's contribution years ago was a McDonald's birthday plate. The kids have long ago outgrown the idea but we still use it for the birthday person's cake. What do you get a 17 year old......how about some Sonic gift cards to start.

Morgan didn't want Harley to be left out.

Cam is an Adidas fan.

And a soccer addict.

He also got a battery starter than also charges cell phones, etc.

Sometimes birthday cakes take on a different form in our family. You just never know.

Cam thought this was great and that is all that counts.

Coping During Coronavirus

So how do you all cope while the coronavirus has us in Stay at Home mode? Well, I learned how to do Curbside Pickup for borh Walmart and HEB. I like HEB produce better but their pickup dates were over a week out although they have improved that in the last two weeks but I just noticed that they added a charge for choosing a two day out pickup. I changed my pickup date to next week. Walmart has always had more choice in Pickup Dates close to when you ordered. They have not added a charge. Pickup is very easy at both locations but I still see idiots hopping out of their cars to chat even though the signs specifically ask you to stay in the car. They are also the ones without masks. The store employees all have masks on and generally do a great job.

I also spent some time rock painting before Easter so the neighborhood kids could find them as they walked around in their little family group. The neighborhood also asked people to put a teddy bear in the window so the kids could count them. They have been very good about not congregating with their friends.

I also learned how to use Zoom so I could host a Virtual Brunch for one of my RV groups. We had a lot of fun chatting with each other.

My DH painted a couple of designs on our wood fence which led to a neighbor asking if he would paint a concrete Texas for her yard. He can't stand still for a moment so he has to keep busy.

He also made a stand for his weight bench that kept him busy for several days.

One of our Texas Ramblin' Roses groups put together a Virtual Trip for the Texas Ramble rally that we had to cancel. There were six different parks involved. She posted pictures from other times she has visited and asked others to do the same. Since I hadn't been to three of the parks, I really enjoyed it. We even had a campfire one night, lol.

Another Virtual Brunch......even non-techies can handle this when they just have to sign in.

I've only been out for grocery pickup and a trip to the motorhome in storage to run the generator. Okay, okay, I did take a little ride one day to take some wildflower pictures that you saw on the last post last month. Sad to see the great gas prices when I can't take off and travel. I'm sure once things open up the gas will rocket up in price.

DH managed to trade one of his motorcycles in on a new Africa Twin. He and my DS go out riding frequently. They head out into the countryside. I'm glad they can do it or I think he just might drive me crazy, lol.

We had to cancel all our RV rallies in March, April, and May. We were hoping to go to Abilene TX in June but discovered that they had the worst per capita coronavirus record in Texas and the 4th in the country so we cancelled our rally there as many in our group are over 65 with some other health issues that don't ordinarily hold us back. Just wouldn't have been smart.

Texas State Parks opened for Day use only a couple of weeks ago. Although you had to make online reservations to limit contact with staff, rest rooms and any other facilities were off limits. I don't know about you, but I can't go all day without a bathroom. At least if you were in your RV you would use your own bathroom.

Just got word yesterday that overnight camping will open May 18 but only to those who already had reservations before this all started. Hmmm. No info on when you could actually make future reservations. I think Memorial Day weekend will be chaotic so I wouldn't plan to camp then anyway.

I keep in contact with friends and we share what we are doing. Carolyn has been doing a lot of cooking and freezing meals. This was her latest soup.

Not an exciting post by any means but I thought I should have some record of what was going on during this time period. Hope you are all doing great. This too shall pass.

Wildflower Extravaganza

At the same time that the Coronavirus is stealing all the headlines and occupying everyone's thoughts 24/7, we sometimes forget other things going on around us. This was also a banner year for blue bonnets and other wildflowers in central Texas and the Hill Country. 2010 was the last really huge extravaganza of flowers even though we do have wildflowers every year. I never did get to make the drive up to the Willow Tree Loop near Fredericksburg due to the Stay at Home guidance for all of us over 65 with other health issues but I did take a few drives close to home that didn't require me to stop anywhere. One of the properties out along 3009 between Schertz and Highway 46 had a really spectacular show this year. I don't remember seeing it like this before.

I love the blue bonnets the most but the Indian paintbrushes and other yellow and orange flowers are beautiful too.

A couple of these were taken by my daughter-in-law Helen from the motorcycle out on the Willow Tree loop. There were no crowds there as they went during the week.

Indian Paintbrushes usually come out after the bluebonnets are blooming but they stole the show in this yard.

These were taken along 306 heading towards Canyon Lake.

There were a few other people pulled off in this rest area along 306 but we all kept our distance and just enjoyed the show.

A young couple plopped their baby down in the midst of the bluebonnets to take some photos that I'm sure will be treasured. I just hoped that there were no rattlers anywhere near where they were crouched down along with the grandparents.