We bought a blood pressure machine, a thermometer and a scale for the people.   There wasn’t a doctor or clinic in Encinal at that time. So we had that for people to come and check their blood pressure for free and we went to the senior center and checked the blood pressure of the people there for several hours.  A lot of people would go to have their blood pressure checked.  A funny one was Chachi Soto, he was a big guy.  He reminds me of Hoss Cartwright from Bonanza, big guy like that.  He eventually became the constable there. 

My friend Sije told me a story about Chachi.  Some people were on their way to Laredo and they had a flat tire.  But they discovered that they didn’t have a jack to lift the car and put the spare tire on.  Chachi said, “I can lift the car.”  “Oh yeah?” “Yeah, just be ready.”  So they loosened the lugs, had the spare tire ready, then Chachi lifted the car off the ground.

They took the lugs off, pulled off the flat tire and quickly put the spare on, and then put the lugs back on.  All the while, Chachi was holding the car off the ground.  He was really strong.  Wooh, he could lift the car. I lifted a pickup truck one time when Cecilo Jr. and I were trying to see who could lift the truck.  He also could lift the truck.  Other guys there couldn’t do it. 

When Chaci came to have his blood pressure checked, we could barely get the cuff around his arm. It barely would catch on.   His arm was as big as a leg.  He wasn’t fat, he was real strong. 

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