POST 1440; OCTOBER 14, 2014; HURRICANE, WEST VIRGIIA

Some three weeks have passed since my arrival at the home of DALLAS in Hurricane, West Virginia.  Dallas has often expressed his pleasure of my presence, including me in his daily comings and goings, including Friday and Saturday night dances, Tuesday and Saturday Church activities, lunch at the Senior Center each weekday, and visits to friends and relatives.

Have been asked to accompany SALLY - a dance partner - to be her partner each Monday evening to learn Ballroom dancing and has asked me to help her learn the Charleston (Dance), which is somewhat new to me.

Have been asked often if I will stay the Winter in Hurricane.  A series of severe storms have passed through, including dropping snow in some of the higher mountain passes leading East to the State of Virginia.  Looks more and more that I should winter over.

For the past two weeks, have invested five or more hours daily helping Dallas with his home and property maintenance...about one acre and two homes surrounded by extensive grass and gardens.  Very much enjoy  manual labor, and have the grounds looking spiffy manicured nearly 95 percent complete.

Yesterday I , for the first time, drove his riding lawn mower.  Drove it into a drainage ditch, becoming high centered on a buried steel drainage pipe, becoming firmly stuck.  To get unstuck, the pickup truck was used to pull it out.  To properly align the mower, I manually picked up one end and moved the machine about 5 feet out of the ditch.  Was surprised I could lift and move it.  Today, found I strained a tendon  from my hip down my left leg.  Spent the morning manually raking fallen leaves and dead grass.  Seems the injury is minimal as I walked to the  grocery store with little difficulty.

Please say HELLO to SCOTT JACKSON and BRIAN BOOTHE, local Barbers.  $10.00 got me a haircut, only to have my $$ returned after sharing walking stories fo the next hour or so.

Local art applied to a roadside Mail Box.

MURAL painted on a downtown Hurricane building.

Please say HELLO to Mr. HULL, trying out SAM after Senior Center Lunch.

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Have beecome lax with updating this Blog.  In truth there is much near by to investigate and write about.  Having no transportation - except for SAM, it would take the better part of a day to reach such places.  Should I decide to remain the Winter, am considering purchasing a car, which would cost something under $1,000.00 - less than half the cost to repair SPIA.

We shall see.