Carol's Pond

  Carol's Dragon Fly Ranch Home of Carol's Pond December 25, 2021 Merry Christmas Over Christmas break in the 1956-1957 school year, my family went to California. We visited Disney Land and Knots Berry Farm and Forest Lawn National Cemetery. But at my Aunt and Uncles house, we picked oranges on Christmas Day. The picking of oranges on Christmas Day occurred again in 1995, but in Ft. Myers, FL. Today in Mt. Pleasant, TX at Carol's Pond, I went fishing. It was below 80 (79 in fact) so it was cold. But I managed to catch a nice bluegill. It was his lucky day, he was released to bite again. The pond is about 4 feet low. Goat Island where I was fishing from is now Goat Peninsula. I made Mother Nature a deal. If Mother Nature does not fill Carol's Pond by January 1, at midnight on December 31, I am going out on the deck and shoot her a full moon. That is not a pretty sight. So if you hear about a guy in Texas getting a lightening bolt up his butt on ...

  December 22, 2021 Yesterday, December 21 is my favorite day of the year. It is the shortest day of the year and now the days will start getting longer and that means warm weather is on the way. If it is below 80, it is cold. I think the turtles here in Carol's Pond have dementia of some type. This morning it was 42 degrees, very cold, but there was a turtle up on the log. Why isn't he buried in the mud on the bottom? Right now there are 2 on the log and the temperature is 61. I am surprised. Last Saturday, the 18 th , I was at an estate sale in Hughes-Spring TX and on the way home, a mature Bald Eagle went across the road in front of me. That is the first one I have seen here. I think it had been having lunch on the side of the road. While they primarily eat fish, they will eat carrion. And speaking of critters, I offer a reward of a credit 2 cents for the death of the armadillo that is destroying my yard. By credit, you pay me. I won't hold my bre...

November 29, 2021 This date is the 55 th Anniversary of Carol Ellen Hodgdon's passing. While that is a lifetime, it seems like it was just yesterday. I miss her more everyday. Later, Rex  

  Carol's Pond Oct 9, 2021 A tribute to another great lady, Lorna Bailey Lorna's uncle, Charles Bailey was married to my first cousin, Louise Fivecoat, so are Lorna and I cousins? I don't know and I don't care. Lorna was a great friend, confidant and a great lady. Lorna lived in Alabama but for a short period in 1991 she moved to Lebanon. She had worked as a locksmith and was extremely helpful in helping me get A Better Lock Company up and going. She went through all the tool catalogs with me, pointing out the tools I had to have, tools that would be nice to have and what I did not need at all. She saved me a lot of money. In January this year, she came from her home in Alabama and was my nurse while I recovered from cataract surgery. Because of Parkinson's I shake too bad too put drops in my eyes. Lorna was a great nurse. We had a great time while she was here. We tormented her sons, telling them I lived in a nudist colony and that they pass...

  Why did I move to Texas and some other thoughts. I know many of you have wondered and some have asked why I moved 800 miles away, especially considering my health. There are several reasons. Since the hospital bought my house, I had to move someplace, so I decided to move where it was warmer. The other reason I moved so far away, is my health. In 2002, I put Frank and Rusty, Kenny and others through a lot. I did not want to impose upon my family and friends again. Parkinson's Disease is a very nasty ugly disease. And besides the shakes which are a major pain in the ass, the other sides effects are worse. Sometimes now, I drool or slobber like a St. Bernard dog. It disgust the hell out of me. The hyper sexuality is very frustrating, I feel like I am 15 again again but while my mind says go find a woman, my body says what the hell do you think you are doing. The muscle weakness is also very frustrating. While Parkinson's is a degenerative disease of the brain, i...

  June 17, 2021 Today was a day of accomplishments. The major accomplishment was riding a train pulled by a steam driven locomotive. That is something that I had wanted to do for years and years. I have ridden modern diesel electric trains from Indiana to California and again from Indiana to Seattle to Los Angeles and then back to Indy. Sadly this train was fueled with fuel oil. It was a full size boiler on a narrow gauge frame. The train was delayed about 30 minutes so we got a late start. We stopped 4 times for water and to oil the engine on the way up and 3 times on the way back. The scenery was magnificent. However, Silverton is a tourist trap. They cut into our lunch time so I just had an order of french fries and a sweet tea for $10. I did not have time to finish either one, because time was against me. On the way to the restaurant, I saw a shop I wanted to go to. There I found the wallet and check book cover I have been looking for. They turn the tra...

  June 16, 2021 Today was a very short driving day. It was only about 150 miles from Farmington, NM to Durango, CO. I tried to call the train station this morning to make reservations and could not get a live human on the phone. The clown that invented automated answering machines systems had to be one sadistic jerk. But I walked in the depot and luckily someone had canceled and I was able to get a ticket. I will be on the train that is being pulled by a steam locomotive. To ride a steam train has been a dream of mine for many years. We tried in Alaska but they were doing the diesel that day. Ticked me off, which is easy to do. Like Virginia City, NV, Durango, CO is a tourist trap. However, I had been looking for new moccasins and found a pair made in Canada. The others I had seen were made in the Dominican Republic. At least Canada is an ally. My old ones were purchased in Mt. Home, Idaho in 1968. But sadly my feet have grown and I can no longer wear them. ...