Carol’s Dragonfly Ranch Home of Carol’s Pond April 27, 2026 April is almost over, just 3 more days. It has warmed up enough today I may have to turn on the AC. I may have to change the name of this blog to Carol’s Rabbit Ranch. I was out last night hunting armadillos and saw 2 cottontails in the side yard and this morning there was one in the back yard. Yesterday morning on my way to church, 2 deer went across the road in front of me. I enjoy watching them jump fences. It is still very dry. We need rain desperately. The turtles in Carol’s Pond have claimed one end of Goat Island. My neighbor dropped a couple of pine trees in the pond over by the dam and the turtles like them too. Samantha, the green lizard that likes to flirt with me was walking the deck rails a couple of weeks ago and Sam a brown and blue lizard may have taken up residence in the garage. I left the door open a inch or so. But I do not know if he stayed or left. My hea...
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Carol’s Dragonfly Ranch Home of Carol’s Pond Dec 7, 2025 Things have been fairly quiet at the pond. Most of the livestock have burrowed into the ground trying to stay warm. I understand that. I despise cold weather. I thought I had moved far enough south to avoid it, but I did not move south far enough. But I did see some of the residential deer herd last week. There was 4 of them, 1 buck and 3 does. The buck was missing half of his rack. I don’t know if it was a natural shed or if it was broken off defending his women or like the one I shot in Idaho, did some hunter blow it off. We shall never know. Whitey stopped by today to looking for lunch. I don’t know if he or she was successful. Whitey changed locations on Carol’s Pond and I lost sight of the hunter or is that a fisherman or fisher-woman. You all can decide. I have been seeing small wood peckers that normally live far to the north. We used to see them in Indiana. I think t...
Carol’s Dragonfly Ranch Home of Carol’s Pond March 4, 2026 Hopefully winter is over. I detest cold weather. I keep my thermostat on 76 and still sleep with a sheet, and an electric blanket and still another blanket on top. Being cold sucks. But I am afraid I am going to have to get tough and ugly with Mother Nature. I realize Nancy Kissack out in California is trying not to drown because of all of the rain and fog she has had. We have had fog, but no rain. So I explained to Mother Nature that if she does not bring us rain and I mean several inches, that I will be forced to step out on the deck and shoot her a full moon in broad daylight. Nobody and I mean nobody wants to see my bare ass, but Mother Nature is forcing the issue. Carol’s Pond is at least 2 feet low. Goat Island is now a peninsula and has been for several months. The Idaho desert was not as dry as it is here. I bought a Sony All-in-One computer at a sale for $20.00 It had be...
Carol’s Dragonfly Ranch Home of Carol’s Pond January 2026 This is my anniversary month. My niece Erika was born on January 24. I was Honorably Discharged from the USAF on January 25. I entered the USAF on January 26. I was divorced on January 27. My Mother passed on January 30. My sister passed on January 31. I had a total hip replacement on January31. This last week of January tends to make me nervous. Another reason to me nervous this week is the weather that is due in tomorrow. Freezing rain and snow are predicted along with very cold temperatures. The electrical power here is horrible. I have lost power more times in the 7 years I have lived here than I have in all of the other places I have ever lived. And for the most part, it is unnecessary. Put the electric underground. This area of Texas has an abundance of pine trees. I like the trees but pine is a soft wood and the soil here is a favorite of the pine trees. They sprout up ...
Carol's Pond
Carol’s Dragonfly Ranch Home of Carol’s Pond January 8, 2026 Happy New Year everyone. For January, the weather has been great, but we do need rain desperately. December was an expensive month, I had 3 trees removed and my driveway, torn out and replaced. Two of the trees were very large pine trees that I hated to see go, but I think one was on its way out. But the two of them they had destroyed over 25 feet of my drive. The other tree was a Bradford Pear. When blooming they are very pretty, but they are an invasive species and should be removed. From its location, it too was going to impact a different section of the drive, so out it went. Today was the first day I could drive on the new concrete. I really liked the slogan the concrete company has; “ If you don’t use concrete, it is your own asphalt”. This same company removed some pavers and poured a small slab for me a couple of years ago. Pavers may look good, but in a wheelch...
Carol’s Dragonfly Ranch Home of Carol’s Pond Dec 7, 2025 Things have been fairly quiet at the pond. Most of the livestock have burrowed into the ground trying to stay warm. I understand that. I despise cold weather. I thought I had moved far enough south to avoid it, but I did not move south far enough. But I did see some of the residential deer herd last week. There were 4 of them, 1 buck and 3 does. The buck was missing half of his rack. I don’t know if it was a natural shed or if it was broken off defending his women or like the one I shot in Idaho, did some hunter blow it off. We shall never know. Whitey stopped by today to looking for lunch. I don’t know if he or she was successful. Whitey changed locations on Carol’s Pond and I lost sight of the hunter or is that a fisherman or fisher-woman. You all can decide. I have been seeing small wood peckers that normally live far to the north. We used to see them in Indiana. I think the ...
Carol’s Dragonfly Ranch Home of Carol’s Pond October 1, 2025 September was an expensive month. Between the ophthalmologist, the dentist and the cardiologist I have funded their retirement. But not all of the news from these doctors was good. They tell me I have the start of Macular Degeneration. My Mother had this as well. The only way I could tell something was wrong, I can no longer see well enough to drive at night. That is no big deal, because I seldom go out at night. The dentist was the next expense. But for some news about critters, I saw Baby Samantha strutting across the deck like she owned it. She is only about 2 inches long. And I saw the resident hawk last week. I think it is a red tail hawk but I did not see it soon enough to be sure. A couple of years ago a Red Tail Hawk ate its lunch sitting on top of the purple martin house. It would have some lunch, fly over into my neighbors yard and come back with more food and contin...
Carol’s Dragonfly Ranch Home of Carol’s Pond September 5, 2025 August was a very expensive month, both financially and health wise. In the health department, the ophthalmologist informed me that I have Macula Degeneration just starting. This can be an inherited condition and my Mother was a victim of it as well. For now they just have me taking vitamins. In the monetary department it was $2100 for new glasses. I think that is outrageous. My last pair I got at Costco and while the lenses were fine, they were never right. I can see a lot better with the new ones. While Macula Degeneration is a slow moving condition, I can no longer see to drive at night. This is no big deal because I seldom go out at night. Wildlife has been scarce because of the heat. But I did see a young lizard where I take old computers to be recycled. He wanted to go into the office but the lady said no, he had to stay outside. He went back out willingly. But I di...
August 10, 2025 Carol’s Dragonfly Ranch Home of Carol’s Pond It has been rather quiet around here. I think the heat is the culprit. All of my livestock, Sam, Jr, Samantha and Samatha Jane are in hiding, But there are some new members around. Last week I saw a pair of Roadrunners. Normally I only see one at a time. I hope they settle in and stay. They are pretty and very tall. The door from the sunroom is a full length glass or from 6 inches off the floor to the top. The first time a roadrunner came up and stuck his head right up to the glass, checking out my living conditions. Kind of like barracks inspection in the USAF. They are not afraid. My neighbors across the street have 4 yapping mutts, ankle biters that bark all the time. It they think someone in China is going to fart, they bark. The people on the east side of me have 2 dogs. One is a super stupid Schnauzer and the other is part great dane and part pitbull. The Schnauzer barks ever...
Carol’s Dragonfly Ranch Home of Carol’s Pond July 20, 2025 So far, July has been a month of travel and of falls. I fell once in Indiana at my Sister-in-Laws house while trying to move a footstool that must weigh 16 tons, more or less. More I think. The only injury was to my little toe on my right foot. I have no idea how I did it. And I have fallen 4 times since I got home. No injuries. I tend to fall when I first get out of bed and I fall back onto the bed. It just makes me mad. Thankfully this area did not receive the rain or storms that Kerr County did. Kerr County is 458 miles from Titus County where Carol’s Pond is located. I arrived in Indiana on July 1 st so I would be in time for Carol’s and my 6 th Anniversary. Last year I was not in shape to drive it and I will not get on another stinking airplane. Our Anniversary is July 2 nd . On July 5 th the Class of 66 had its 59 th reunion. Jerry Mundell was also in Lebanon and we...
April 1, 2025 Carol’s Dragonfly Ranch Home of Carol’s Pond The weather has been rather nasty. Mother Nature has thrown a temper tantrum this past month. We were without power for about 2 days. But there has been high winds and hail. The hail was small, but it still made a lot of noise on the sunroom roof which is all glass. The sunroom had one panel that liked to leak, not much but enough I sat a bucket to catch the drips. But this past Veteran’s Day, my God son Russ Voorhies got on the roof and caulked the living you know what, out of it. IT STILL LEAKED!!!! However since the weather has warmed up, the caulk has settled and the leak is gone. It is supposed to rain for the next several days, so we shall see. I have spent the morning working in the yard picking up the dead limbs that came down in the storm. I got 4 wheel barrels full from the back yard alone. There is a load on the deck and the back walk going to the shop. The front yard wil...
May 16, 2025 Carol’s Dragonfly Ranch Home of Carol’s Pond Well today is another anniversary. Sixty-one years ago today an old lady made a left turn and hit me broadside on my bicycle. That was on a Saturday about 11 A.M. It was Wednesday before I knew who I was and where I was. That wreck still causes me problems today. But while I was in the hospital, my friends Gene and Janet would come to visit me and Janet would go visit Carol. It was here I first heard of Carol. While I was still in the hospital, Carol was transferred to Sloan Kettering in New York for surgery. Gene and I both worked at the Avon Theater. Gene was the projectionist and I ran the popcorn machine. One night after the show I was cleaning the machine and heard voices coming down the stairway. I did not know anyone was in the balcony. I looked around the corner and there she was. It was the first time I ever saw Carol. I was in love immediately. And I still am in love with Ca...
Carol's Dragonfly Ranch Home of Carol's Pond May 15, 2025 Today is the 23rd Anniversary of the wreck with the Mack Truck. I have had some visitors recently; Blue Boy, the Great Blue Heron flew past just to say hello as did Whitey, the Great White egret and one of my favorites, the Roadrunner was in my neighbors field. Road runners are a pretty bird. My back door has glass to within about 4 inches of the floor. The roadrunner came right up to the glass and looked in. They are not afraid. And Woody Woodpecker has been very active this spring. I have seen Woody twice but not well enough to identify it. And the bull frogs in Carol's Pond have been serenading me too. Out on Goat Island I found a complete turtle shell. It is not completely empty, part of it's body is rattling around inside. I have it outside where it can finish drying. A week or so ago, we had so much rain the water was going over the dam. That make...
February 22, 2025 Carol’s Dragonfly Ranch Home of Carol’s Pond It has been a cold miserable month here at Carol’s Pond. Below 80 is cold. But despite the cold I have had several visitors. One of the local Roadrunners has visited twice. Even coming up and looking in the sunroom door. They are a pretty bird. Mostly gray and white to blend in with the brush where they hunt. The other visitors were also from the avian world. I am not sure if they were crows or ravens. Either one is welcome. On a side note, the Boise Idaho Zoo had a raven that was a character. It would come to the front of the cage, put its wing down like it was injured, ruffle up its feathers trying to look sick and it would then beg for peanuts. I would toss it a peanut and it would gulp it down, shell and all and keep begging. I would toss another one in and it would pick it up, pull up its wing, smooth out the feathers and run to the back of the cage. There it would p...
January 5, 2025 Carol’s Dragon Fly Ranch Home of Carol’s Pond Happy New Year I was in Lebanon, Indiana in mid December for the funeral of Carol’s older brother, Buddy Hodgdon. It was a very sad affair but it was well attended despite the cold weather. Buddy was a veteran of the U.S. Navy and an all around nice guy. It is windy here in northeast Texas today. One could almost surf on Carol’s Pond. There aren’t any whitecaps yet, but they are close. The Purple Martin bird house is swaying in the wind like a pendulum. This wind is supposed to blow in some cold weather. Hopefully, it will blow the cold right on out of here. Cold weather is never welcome here and below 80 is cold. I managed to give away 2 computers this past week. I have one coming back that they decided they did not want, so I will get it ready and find someone that needs it. The computers I give away run Linux Mint. They do not run Windows. While they originally used ...
November 11, 2024 Carol’s Dragonfly Ranch Home of Carol’s Pond I want to wish my wife a very happy Birthday in Heaven. I also want to thank all of those that have or are serving in the Armed Forces of the USA and especially those that made the ultimate sacrifice. Whitey the Great White Egret has stopped in a couple of times recently as have some of my lizard friends. I think they hid when it was so hot and dry. And last week, one lone duck stopped in for a day or so. No idea what kind of duck, but it did like to dive. This week, Gene Voorhies and his son, Russ have been visiting me. As hard as I worked Russ, he may never come back!! Russ is currently a First Sgt in the military with the rank of E-8. The 3 of us had dinner on Applebee’s to honor our service. But now for the rest of the story. We rounded the corner here on the county road I lived on and there were 3 cattle standing in the road and they were ‘talking’ with my neighbors catt...
Carol's Dragonfly Ranch Home of Carol's Pond September 25, 2024 I must apologize for going so long between post. I have been doing some serious reading, often 2 books a day, but the eyes say stop for a while. My livestock, Samantha, Sam, Bob, Sam Jr. and Samantha Jane have been in hiding. I think it was just too hot for them. But I have seen a very young one and I have named it, Little One. Little One might be 2 inches long and is probable Sam's relation. Of course these are small lizards. Don't ask me what kind, I don't know. Whitey, the great egret has been missing too, but I finally saw him on my neighbors pond. But now he is back to Carol's Pond, along with his mate or friend or whatever. Blue Boy is still MIA. Last week the new windows came in and were installed. I have rejected several of them for various reasons. So now we wait for the replacements. If I was the supervisor at the factory someone would be looking for a new job with ...