other dog

Here's another picture of the week I didn't get. Me and Roman were sitting on the front porch when he started barking at something. He was looking straight at that sycamore tree but I didn't see anything. Then I saw something go into the ditch out there by the road. I was going to go investigate but it's raining and I could have melted before I made it out there. So I was watching, waiting for whatever is was to come out of the ditch, and when it did it came out of the other end of the driveway culvert, to the right of the mailbox by that little tree. It's a pretty good ways through that culvert since we had the driveway biggerized. And it was the red fox again. It came out, trotted across the road and into the woods. Of course I didn't have my phone to take a picture, a phone picture would have sucked at that distance anyway. But it's a beautiful animal, must live somewhere nearby because I've seen it several times now.

Speaking of tires, I stopped in Parkersburg, WV. back in the 80's to get a motel room. I had picked up a load in Cleveland on a Friday and it was too far out of the way to go by the house, and by the time I got there it would be time to leave again anyway because the load was going way farther south somewhere, I don't remember where now. So I stopped right there at rt. 50 and I-77, the motel had a big dirt parking lot. I went in and asked about a room and was walking back towards the truck, a 77 F model Mack, when a trailer tire just blew out, sitting in the parking lot. Sounded like a cannon, dust and dirt flying everywhere. I had been parked about 10 minutes by then probably. First time I'd ever had a tire blow out like that, blew several on the road, but never when I was parked.

If you keep on about the Yukon Jack i'm going to feel obligated to give it a try.

I didn't want to put tires on the '87 F-150 I had, they had great tread, weren't even half worn out. But I had noticed the dry rot cracks in them. They might last several years or they might give out on the next trip. I ended up pushing my luck just a little too far, and the right front suffered catastrophic failure when I was on the way to Gladys to pick up a load of stuff when we were moving over here to Spout Spring. I went ahead and put 4 new ones on it. I hadn't even looked at the tires on my Impala but when I had it inspected last time inspector guy said everything was good but it would probably need tires by next inspection, for the same reason- dry rot cracks. So, remembering what happened with the pickup, I didn't wait. I went to the tire shop the next day and had 4 tires put on it. They were not even half wore out either. They might have been fine until the next inspection but I wouldn't want Zina to be driving it to Lynchburg or somewhere and suffer catastrophic tire failure.

Those orange peppers there are sweet peppers, taste just like a red or green bell pepper. Zina just got some hot Italian sausage at the grocery store so we can make sausage and peppers sammiches. We took some of those to Connecticut with us and that's what her stepmom made with them and they were fantastic.

Oh. Yes, we left about 8 AM yesterday and got home last night around 6. Nice to be home, with the doggy door, fenced in back yard, beer in the fridge, grass to mow, peppers to pick, and everything else. That's not all, there's lots more still on the pepper trees.

I saw a Schneider truck in the parking lot at a truck stop in Pa.

Another "dogs in action" shot. Sort of...

I was wrong, Zina's first job was at the Burger King on Queen Street, not the one down by the truck stop.

Wow, that is very nice of you. Zina says that's extremely nice. Her Dad seems to be OK, so we're going to head home in the morning.

Here's some dogs in action- https://photos.app.goo.gl/retUYhPexYGqbPtD7

Here's some dogs in the hall. Here's some dogs on the bed Here's a pickup we saw yesterday. Here's a car Zina's dad built. One of several actually but this is the only one he still has. They used to go to a lot of car shows, took it to Macungie to car shows several times.

Thanks Bob.

Now we're staying another day, leaving tomorrow morning.

Somewhere in Hartford is all I know. We were going to leave Friday so Zina could take her stepmom over there and Vicki from Florida could visit her friends tomorrow, and Vicki from Florida could take her Friday. But now Zina said we're leaving tomorrow. She said it was so crowded over there they had beds in the hallway, with patients waiting to get in a room. Her dad has already called home 3 times and left messages telling his wife to bring him a pair of shoes and something else, I forgot what he needed, and to come and get him because he was not staying there. I feel bad for him, I thought about going to rescue him but it's probably best that I not attempt any kind of rescue mission.

She said they were coming home when he was admitted to a room, and that was almost an hour ago. Place must be worse than Lynchburg General.

Zina just said the Dr. finally came, and no surgery was necessary.

You're right about that.

So, the latest update is that he fractured his femur. I think I heard her say hairline fracture on the phone, but that's the main bone in your leg, and he's 91. Vicki from Florida came over here and picked Zina up about 6AM. Vicki from Florida and her stepmom had been at the hospital all night. They're still there, I'm at the motel with the dogs. That's about all I know now.

Vicki from Florida just called, she said they didn't find anything broken, but they were going to do a cat scan. So we might still leave tomorrow, or we might not. If we do it won't be early, like we had planned.

No, thank you for coming out to meet us. It looks like we're going to be here at least one extra day, Zina's dad fell today and hurt his leg. I don't think he broke his hip or anything, but I'm not a doctor ( I just play one on TV) and we couldn't stay at the Holiday Inn Express because they don't allow dogs, so I'm not sure. They called 911 and they took him to the hospital to check him anyway, because it was hurting where he had hip replacement surgery several years ago. Vicki from Florida hasn't called with any news yet, and they took him about 5:30.

There's a restaurant right here in front of the motel, but I don't even know the name of it. Looks like the do a pretty good binness though.

Zina likes when I post pictures of all the dignitaries I meet. Here's me and a dignitary. Looks like I need to start walking more.

I know the feeling, me and Roman both have separation anxiety. When I have to leave and can't take him, like when I go to the doctor or something, he sits in the window and watches, from the time I leave until I get home.

I called ahead and the parts guy said they only had oxygen sensors for 2 wheel drive vehicles, and all the air fresheners they had left were for manual transmissions.