The New Year is Here or just about.

Four steady travel days. Some long, some shorter. Today we went to a small town in northern Iowa to visit Dan Kelley, son of Butch's sister Marlene and her husband Bernard. Dan is in his final round of battle with a very ugly cancer, sarcoma. They have made great strides with what they used to refer to as the big C. Almost like you could not say the whole word out loud. Well, sarcoma is still like that, an ugly word you never want to hear and a kind they have had only a modicum of success in curing. That is the kind of cancer Dan has been battling for over a year. Everything has been done that could be done and he is losing the war. He is surrounded by friends and family who love him and tell him so. He has a beautiful wife, Sara and four grown children, Melissa, Elizabeth, Adam and John who along with their spouses have given him 5 beautiful grandbabies. We were fortunate enough to get here and see him this last time before his passing. He will leave a big hole in many lives.

Bill and Jo and Butch and I went to Terril, Ia and back today. On the way back I called my friend Denise and said, "Where is the party tonight?" She said it is at our house at 6:30 and it is too bad you are going to miss it. I said we will be there because we are only a few miles out of town. So tonight we were able to go to a gathering of our Jefferson friends for new years eve. And I fell off my diet wagon for the first time. I will get right back on that diet wagon in the morning. It was great to see everyone.

We are toying with the idea of heading back south in the morning as we have done everything we came back to do. I would not say it is set in cement just yet. I haven't got the final word.
I have been taking pictures right along and will post them when I return. Not easy working with the Kindle Fire and other peoples computers for some chores. Like photos and blogging.

Mexico to Missouri

We left Mexico about 8:45 AM Friday morning after getting Marlene's meds and headed north on 77. North of LaGrange Texas about 10 miles we witnessed a flying car. I am not kidding. An airborn car came across our lane in front of us. It had to be about 4 to 5 feet off the ground. There was a car behind a truck in front of us  so we do not know what precipatated the flying car and we have been speculating on it ever since. Butch slowed down thinking he would have to stop but there were others stopped already because there had been a previous accident as there were two young people wandering around their car and you could see their airbags had deployed. We do not know if the two incidents were connected. I would have stopped. I had some concern because I saw the flying car land. It hit very hard in the ditch and smoke immediately rolled out from beneath it.
That was quite exciting in a worrisome kind of way.

Then we had just come through Waco, looking for a motel to stay in when son Gary called to ask where we were. I took the opportunity to ask him to research on the computer, he is very good at that, a motel for us north of Waco. Preferably a Motel 6. He called back shortly as we were on the edge of Hillsboro TX to tell us there was a Motel 6 right there at Hillsboro!. He said Expedia suggests this one at Hillsboro and gives it a high rating. He gave us the exit number which happened to be 2 exits from where we were at that very minute! How good is that. We avoided being involved in a very bad accident by mere seconds and then received a phone call at exactly the right time. We are mighty fortunate people I tell you! Oh, and it was an excellent motel too.
Today we left Hillsboro very early and enjoyed a very smooth trip through Fort Worth, Texas. The best trip through there we have ever had(7:00 a m). While we were going through Fort Worth they had one of those Amber Alert messages that said an elderly couple had been reported missing driving a white Buick. I told Butch often times those alerts are slightly premature and the parents just forgot to check in with the kids. I also said I do not want to ever be the elderly couple in the white Buick. Butch said, "Oh, I don't know, I might like a white Buick."
We ran into bits of snow in north Texas and then more as we were in Oklahoma. All of this was old snow and none was on the roadways. Hope that continues but I hear that is not the case in Iowa. So after this message gets posted I must check the road conditions in Iowa.

We arrived in Lee's Summit Missouri at the Gary and Susan Brooker residence and have enjoyed a delicious South Beach supper.
Tomorrow we will venture even further north to the fine state of Iowa.
Till next time...

Leaving for Iowa

We will be going back to Iowa today. Butch's nephew Dan is not doing well so we are going to be with family during this difficult time.
We will be traveling by car and leaving the motorhome in Texas. That will be very different for us as we have not taken a long trip by car for over 10 years. Dealing with winter will be very different for us as well but we have had experience.
I am leaving my laptop in Texas and will be relying on my Kindle Fire. Blog entries will most likely be spasmodic at best although I do plan to keep you posted as much as possible.
Till next time...

Elise Xmas Videos...plus one old one.

Mostly Christmas but one old one from Amanda's camera
 Santa's Helper
 http://youtu.be/tfqDC4lEdBU

 Elise says No
 http://youtu.be/THJbn9JlWwo

Cool Cups
 http://youtu.be/pjqXafWn7oM 

Santa Gifts
 http://youtu.be/cAzRQPzbuE0

More Gifts
 http://youtu.be/3Fo38O8ZgZI

Elise showing Joy
http://youtu.be/_rc6JyRZw_8 

 Elise & Mommie with Playdoh
http://youtu.be/I-CMGKySki8

Cold front...

Butch is off to play pool in league and I would usually be on my walk but the thermometer is at a chilly 41 degrees so it will have to warm a bit before I venture forth. They say you burn far more calories in cold weather so maybe I need to get my slightly chubby behind out there anyway. We made it through Christmas with the diet habits intact. Butch is 3 lbs from his goal. (Of course he is!) I am at least 10 to 15 from mine. My resolve is still strong although the difficulty will increase with one of us on it and one not. I remind myself that being 10 to 15 away is certainly better than 30 to 35. All my friends were good to me and did not present me with sugary treats. I truly appreciated that very much. Well, it is time to remove myself from this computer screen and get to something constructive. Later...

Elise's Big Smile

I must say that Elise's big smile stayed with me all day yesterday. She is a happy little girl but I do not believe I have ever seen her smile so big. In talking to her grandpa last night he shared that she is into sharing these days. She will break off a piece of whatever she is eating and place it in front of you and says,"In case you change your mind later."

 

Ethan is ready for Santa

He is so excited. Those bright smiling faces are so fun to see.

Looks to me like Santa is on a diet.

Santa needs to shave

Elise has not liked beards I would say since birth. When her great grandpa picked her up she would touch his face and utter one word "shave". So when I saw what her mother had put on Facebook I simply had to share it.
Elise's mom, Amanda says,"What did Elise leave out for Santa?? Most children leave out cookies and milk, but not my girl. She insisted Santa needed a razor and shave gel because Santa needs to shave! She has told Santa that he needs to shave his whiskers because they are gross every time she sees one."

Christmas Eve 2012

From our sunny South Texas home to yours. I am perspiring as I write this and it takes a pretty good imagination for it to feel like Christmas. Do I miss being with the "kids" for Christmas?  The truth of the matter is the answer is a big old "YES". Some years more than others. Perhaps because it has been so many years away from them at this time of year. We try to make up for it in the warmer months but that can be hard too. We all lead such busy lives. I do look for it to get better. Our home in Jefferson is being built around a big expandable round table where we can all gather in one place at one time. That has been in my mind from the inception of the whole idea. So my hope is that we can have all of our celebrations rolled into one big one in the summer when we can all gather together. As always I feel that you keep up with us throughout the year through this blog. For many years I wrote a Christmas letter and mailed out nearly a hundred of them. In 2002 I started this blog and a couple of years after that I decided that most of you, if you had an interest, knew what we were doing, sometimes every day! The only negative to that is I may not hear from you and know what you are doing. So if you are so inclined let us know what you are up to wherever you may be. So we hope your Christmas is everything you want it to be this year and every year. Merry Christmas ya'all!!

Elise with her Mom and Dad

Elise with her Dad Brad and Mom Amanda

Not so sure about something?

Mindful meanderings

Computer class this morning and that is always a busy and interesting day for me. Today we had a new member to the park. He has a brand new computer and guess what? Windows 8! But the more I work with it and get acquainted the more it grows on me. It is really working out well to have these new people letting me learn on their computers. I have already learned quite a bit. I spent about an hour after class with him and we were able to take off Norton and enable his Windows Defender AKA Microsoft Security Essentials. We put Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox on as alternative browsers. One of his main concerns was "Where do I find my email and how do I get to it". He already had a gmail account so that made it easier.
I think he is now able to do basic functions.
It was chilly this morning but this cold front will soon be history and they are telling us we will be  able to have Christmas around the swimming pool if we are so inclined

Two Stories

I was visiting with a gentleman in the park about going home for Christmas. He said, "We used to. But one year we went home, opened up the house, bought a bunch of groceries and prepared a bunch of food. All the kids came home from hither and yon. We ate, talked and opened gifts and then the kids scattered hither and yon." He said, "We looked at each other as we sat there by ourselves and said, "Why did we do this?" And that is the last time we went home for Christmas. I thought those of you who wonder why many people stay here for the holidays might better understand upon reading his story. My two cents: Our children live very busy lives as we did as well when we were their ages. Now it is getting a bit better and they are not quite so busy being parents as our children's children have grown and they are becoming grandparents themselves. I do not mind stepping back and watching them enjoy the grandparent experience just as we did. Not only do I not mind, I very much enjoy watching them and how they relate to the next generation. Do I wish we were there for Christmas? Sometimes. But just as the fellow was telling me, the amount of time we would spend with them does not measure out against the effort it would take to do so. I can say, Thank God for technology because with the Internet and cell phones etc. they never seem very far away. But every now and again...


 Pecan Bill in Mexico

Bill and Kay went to Mexico yesterday to get medicine and Bill wanted a hair cut and to see about getting his dentures relined. Bill went into the dental office where he had obtained his dentures years ago and asked what it would cost to have them relined. He wasn't able to talk to his dentist directly but an office person told him $125. He went on down the line to another dentist and asked again. They said $75. So he is mulling this info over in his mind. After all that is quite a difference. Then he decided to get his hair cut. He bargained the barber down to a $4 haircut by the way and after he was done Bill asked him if he knew of a dentist. He said, "Of course, come right this way!" and led him to the rear of the shop where there was a complete dental office. This was some surprise to Bill as he had no idea it was there. It seemed clean so he sat and discussed getting his dentures relined. "No problem, $25 and 20 minutes!" That was so cheap that it scared him! We all are wondering what kind of job he would have obtained for $25 but Bill is not about to let his dentures be the test for us to get our curiosity satisfied. We think they may be using Play Doh or some such substance. If anyone would like to know more about the place I am sure Bill will tell you and if you have the nerve to follow through we will all be very curious about how you feel after the deed is done.

Gary Graduates

Our son Gary and his wife Susan. Gary underwent a midlife career change. We are very proud of him for making the difficult look easy. There is a reason we call him the energizer bunny. He wears the rest of us out trying to live two lifetimes in one.

A week till Christmas?

Wow, the weeks just fly by. I understand a big ol' snowstorm went through up north. We would have missed hearing about it completely if someone hadn't sent us a picture of it. The mid section of the nation desperately needs moisture. It takes a foot of snow to make an inch of rain so I am thinking they didn't get enough snow to make much of a dent on the drought. On the other hand let us be grateful for what we did get.
We did not get any rain down here and it has been a very long time since they have had more than a sprinkle. The drought has many affects that many people have not a clue about. We have had many sewer problems in the park. Now really that is not all that unusual to have sewer problems. But it seems part of our issues is from lack of rain. Our shuffleboard courts have rain drains on them and when it rains it flushes out the sewer pipes connected to it. So when it didn't rain for a long period of time the "stuff" that was laying in wait inside the pipes dried up as hard as a brick and became an unmovable object catching all the new stuff headed down the pipe. They have been cleared now but the sewer guys are suggesting we put enzyme in the pipes and make sure they get flushed out on occasion. There are skeptics among us...as always but doing something is better than nothing. If you do what you have always done, you will get what you have always had.
I usually avoid controversial subjects but I am toying with the idea of voicing my opinion on guns. As I write this I am still only toying with it. But Gun's don't kill people, People kill people...and drunk drivers kill with cars and how is that different irk me...it is very different.  But later when I have had a chance to write with forethought and care. And I do want to keep my gun toting friends as friends so I would hope they would show the same sort of tolerance for my views as I have allowed them. I am still mulling it over.

Butch's Christmas Tree

Butch asked me to post a picture of his Christmas tree. And as you look at his tiny little tree I am going to ask you to say a prayer for our nephew Dan Kelley who is struggling with pain from advanced cancer. And say a prayer for all his family as well. Thank You...

Elise school Christmas program

Teachers make a difference

We have two teachers and a school administrative secretary in our family and I know they all make a difference in many young lives. http://www.makeadifferencemovie.com/

Big Day on the news

I will not say much about the shooting in Connecticut other than it is unbelievably horrific. For a few days we all will be getting an overload of information. Don't let it consume you.

Seasonal happenings...

This afternoon is the big annual Christmas Parade and surprisingly our citizens of the park seem to get into and really enjoy it. We used to let  a volunteer in a golf cart lead the parade but one year they went so fast that the parade was over in 10 minutes and no one even saw it. Since then I have led the parade on foot. After all I walk the same route twice a day anyway but this time I have a parade behind me.

Another seasonal happening is computer issues. There always seems to be a few as people come down and get settled in finding out their computer is not quite acting the same as it did "up north". Once all the people get here that slows down. I had 3 calls the day before yesterday and one yesterday. Most were easy fixes.

People are meandering in but the park is not full by any means. There are also rentals available and that is a rarity. So if the weather in your neck of the woods isn't quite mild enough for you send me an email and we might be able to get you fixed up with a place to stay.

Butch is busy with golf, shuffleboard, cribbage and pool. Oh, and Bridge. He is too busy with pool these days as he offered to help out by filling in for a fellow who had surgery and was going to be delayed in getting here. But now it looks like he may not get here at all so Butch has more pool duties than he cares to have. He has more than one reason to hope Karl has a speedy recovery and can indeed get here. He has a conflict on Thursday afternoon with cribbage. He may have to give it up at least through the league season which has started. Oh, the woes of the overbooked!

Southern Belles

Pictures snipped from Facebook. These are pictures of our granddaughter Ann Cortes and her girls, Nina Grace and Scarlett Ann.

Nina Grace

Nina and Scarlett

Nina
I am guessing dad Anthony is the picture taker of his girls.

Swedish weave project-Finished!!

Finished after 3 years! I set the beading aside long enough to get this finished because it is for the new house. I have another unfinished one I might dig out from under the bed and finish since we have some cool weather coming. I do not know what I will be doing with it yet. It is black and white and therefore not a good fit anywhere in my decor.
But here is my finished project:

Ethan looking really cute!

Produce

Grown in the Rio Grande Valley- Purchased from the produce cart today. This was one HUGE cauliflower.

Computer Class

Windows 8 is proving to be a challenge. The more I read about it the more I think it is a mistake. In my opinion they made the same mistake as the phone company's who have made their "phones" little tiny computers that do not work well as phones. So now Microsoft has made a great big "smartphone" that doesn't work well as a computer. It takes two to three times as many clicks/motions to get things done. In other words everything takes longer to do. Is that smart computing? Not in my book. We can hope they put out a major fix for it or come out with Windows 9 that resembles Windows 7. It looks to me like Apple is going to win this war. This too shall pass. I do have a friend who has Windows 8 and she says she likes it. She will have to show me why when she gets here. We had a few other simple fixes for various people. Like the easy ones. One thing I can say about all this is that it is a mental challenge and keeps me on top my game. My advice for Windows 7 users at this point is take very good care of your computer or start saving your nickels for an iPad or Mac.

One of those days...

It was one of those days when a great share of it was spent on association business. Days like these help me cement my resolve to let it all fall into others hands next season. It wasn't so much that it was stressful although some of it was, but it was more that it was there to deal with at all. The stress was a difficult person who doesn't listen or understand my position no matter how much I explain. Next year they can be someone else's problem. And that makes me happy. It was Thursday so today Butch shuffled in the AM and cribbaged in the afternoon. It isn't so much warm as humid. We have a real cold front headed our way soon and it is real because high temps will be in the low 60's. You can feel our pain? Right? I thought so...

Windows 8

I helped a friend set up a new computer and its operating system is Windows 8. There are some neat things about it and then some not so neat things. I spent much of the 2 hours we spent on it looking for things. So my final assessment is that it will be all right once you "find" all the stuff they have stashed away on it- things that used to be obvious.  It has a bigger learning curve, much bigger curve than from say XP to win 7. For instance- lately, like in the last year, I have been using Microsoft Security Essentials for antivirus protection. It is one of the few things Microsoft has done right. It is free, works very efficiently, updates automatically and never tries to encourage you to buy a bigger and better version. So on Mary's computer we planned to take off Norton and put MSE on it. So I go to Microsoft's website to find MSE for Windows 8 and there isn't one! I googled it and discovered that there is one but they have renamed it Windows Defender. It looks the same, acts the same and is the same wonderful little Antivirus program they just renamed it AND they used a name that means something entirely different on a Windows 7 machine. In addition by googling it I find that most manufacturers disable it in order to put a "free" trial of Norton or McAfee on  it. So then the we had to remove Norton-Done- and then enable Windows Defender-Done. Easy you say? We had to find it first! We were like two blind people trying to find our way. We did get a fair amount done but it was very much a learning experience for BOTH of us.
It was a fun evening and I am not being facetious in saying that. For me learning is always fun. Can be a bit frustrating at times but fun. Patience is my middle name- not really. But it could be.

Weight loss

Okay so I know you are dieing to know. My total weight loss thus far is 14.5 pounds. I really expected it to be more than that but it is what it is. My body tends to hang on with an iron grip to all the extra I have supplied it with over the years. But I am hanging in there and not giving up. If anything it cements my resolve to succeed. I feel better, more flexible and everything seems easier, like walking etc. Also my clothes fit better and I have dropped a size in blue jeans. Heck, I avoided wearing blue jeans altogether! And if one stops to think about a  15 pound bag of potatoes you have a visual of how much less I am carrying around today than I was 8 weeks ago.
Butch on the other hand is very near his goal. He is looking very slim and trim. I think his total loss thus far is 18 pounds. He has a different mindset than I do. He is looking forward to the day when he can have his special "treats". I am not doing that. I know those special "treats" are my undoing and if I ever have them again it will have to be a very special and rare event and I am okay with it. Yeah, the unfairness of it grates on me now and then but it is proof of my maturity that it hasn't knocked me for a loop. The truth be known I really haven't missed those so-called treats very much at all.
And then there is my friend Pat in Jefferson waiting to see how I fared with my plan over the winter. I am almost halfway to my goal, Pat! Whoohoo!!

One more thing...

I forgot to tell you another interesting little side story to the movie adventure.When Butch and I chose our seats we went into the row by two seats leaving two empty seats next to the aisle. And there were two empty seats on the other side of us as well. Shortly a Hispanic couple came and chose the two aisle seats and shortly after that a French Canadian couple came on the other side of us. I thought it was a bit strange that the six of us were all watching a movie about "Lincoln". It was something that caught me a bit by surprise. Surprising but nice.

December business meeting today. Glad that is out of the way. 2 down 3 to go.

Today was hot and humid. I hear that much of the country is having record setting high temps. Well we are too except down here it doesn't seem like it. They did say a cold front was coming through in a few days but we wouldn't probably notice the difference but drier air was behind it.

To the Movies

Butch and I ventured out of the park together. We went to the movies in McAllen. I wanted to see "Lincoln". Now we could have waited till it was showing locally as we have a theater about a mile from the park but we have not done anything out of the ordinary since we got here so we drove the 15.4 miles to the theater in McAllen to see "Lincoln" and it was worth the effort. The movie brought the man to life and made him very real. We can easily see the main actors being up for academy awards. I would see it again even though I am not much on watching movies twice.
There is a movie coming up that I may want to see. "The Impossible". Why am I hesitant? Because the preview made me cry. I am afraid I might sit for two hours and cry. It is about a couple vacationing with their children when the BIG tsunami hit and they get separated. I am not sure it has even been released yet but the preview was certainly powerful. It is a true story.

Oh My Behind

The last few days have been spent getting ready for and attending the one garage sale I participate in each year. Each month the park has a garage sale where association members can rent a table at a nominal fee and display items for sale. December is usually the month I choose to participate so I can get it out of the way. It does shoot the better part of three days however.
Last summer at one of Dagit's auctions we ended up with a big box of kitchen utensils. We paid $2 for it. I brought it down here and set it out  putting a price of 25 cents each on it.  It was the hit of the day. They would stop and start rummaging through the box. Pretty soon they would start laying aside items they wanted. I am sure I made over ten dollars on that box.
And then to top it off I came down with a urinary tract infection last night. I had some meds on hand to help me make it through the night so after the garage sale was wrapped up today we headed for Mexico to get more. While there I picked up some meds for another guy. On the way out The MAN at the gate asked me about them and I told him the truth (Thank GOD). He told me I could only bring back meds for my own use. After a brief lecture he let me go with the medication but said to not do it again. I won't. Butch said I looked sufficiently sheepish. I told Butch it had been a long time but I did remember how to look sheepish.

The view from my window a few mornings ago

We are all one people in one world.

This brings it all together and shows how it can be.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/Pwe-pA6TaZk?rel=0

Yup, it is Thursday

I was really ticked off last evening. Channel 4 (CBS) was off the air. If you had cable you could see it but anyone with antenna or sattelite was out of luck. So I had to wait till this morning to see the latest episode of Survivor on the computer which I have done. I wasn't happy with the outcome of the show. The wrong person obtained immunity.  I guess there is no pleasing me.
I have another problem I have not had in all the years we have had this motorhome. My fridge is not big enough. We are eating at home these days and the fridge is filled to the max with what I need to prepare meals with some variety namely meat and vegetables. We made our way to the flea\farmers market yesterday after our trip to H.E.B. I bought a stalk of celery ($1) one head of lettuce ($1) 3 peppers of different colors ($2) and two jicama at 75 cents a pound or in this case $1. Forgot to get a cauliflower so may go back today to get one. If a person eats in a healthy manner it is not expensive to buy groceries.

I called for a haircut and Yolanda could get me right in. Last year it was not that easy because she was busy. It seems that people are staying up north longer this year. I wonder if the mild winter last year has changed some plans. Perhaps a cold snap will herd them south. It is eerily quiet in our park and it seems there are other parks experiencing the same thing. It can be a gazillion reasons and it always sets off a discussion as to why that might be.
So I was up before daylight and now it is time for breakfast and a the first one mile walk of the day. Later...

No Matter What Time...

...of the day or night that an ambulance and a fire truck make their way into the park people will gather to see what happened and who it has happened to. In this case it was a neighbor of ours. Butch was still awake when the commotion started and eventually the noise woke me up as well. It turned out to be not serious but no one knew that at the time. It was the second time in a week a call had been made to the same place. Family intervention cannot be far behind. There comes a time for all of us when we need more help than we wish to admit.
So this is a picture from our door at 10:30 PM.

Old one of me

My sister Theresa asked me to send her some old pictures of her. In so doing I ran across this one of me with her and our sister Jayne.
Theresa is on the left, Jayne is seated and bossy old Barb is on the right with her mouth moving. It was way back when I had a neck.

Snipped from Facebook

I love this picture so much! Bernard and Marlene (Butch's sister) Kelley with their great grandkids! They are both laughing and I am reminded of herding cats!!

This little woman is our great granddaughter Elise and she went to see santa. I would love to hear her tell us all about it and believe me she would and could!

Saturday's list

I cleaned yesterday. The carpet gets so dirty in the main pathway of the motorhome and I can only stand it so long. So cleaning and laundry were on my todo list. Is it finished? Never...when one lives in a small space there is always something needing to be cleaned but it looks better and I feel better knowing it is as clean as I can get it.
When Butch and I decide to pare down our belongings we always choose our southern location to get it done because when there is a garage sale here it is a big deal and if you have your merchandise priced low enough it will fly out the door. There is a garage sale the first Saturday of each month but we always choose the December garage sale to get it out of the way and because there is always a good crowd for that one. So as I cleaned yesterday I kept an eye out for things I could do without and things too good to throw away. I have a few more cupboards to go through with that goal in mind.

I finished reading The Children's Blizzard by David Laskin. It was about the blizzard that hit the mid section of the country on January 12th, 1888. The weather was very mild in the beginning of that January day so the school children wore lighter than normal clothing to go to school. The blizzard hit suddenly and unexpectedly that so many people were caught unprepared and unaware and especially the children trying to make their way home from school. It is a heartbreakingly true story.

Last night we had a feast for supper. I didn't particularly plan a feast but it turned out that way. We had grilled carrot burgers, cauliflower salad and acorn squash. It is not so much what we had as it was the preparation. And those of you who know Mr. Pickypants, otherwise known as Butch would have been amazed at how much and how enthusiastiacily he ate.

Carrot burgers:
1 lb. Hamburger
1 carrot,grated
Mix and season as usual. Form into patties and grill as usual.

Cauliflower salad:
I make my usual potato salad recipe but I use cauliflower instead of potatoes. I cut the cauliflower in small pieces and microwave it on high for about 5 minutes. Do not add water. Cool and add the remaining ingredients from your potato salad recipe.

Acorn squash:
I pierce it and cook it for about 3 minutes in the microwave and then cut it in half and take out the seeds. Cook it for an additional 3 minutes face down and then remove the squash from the outer skin. Place it in a microwavable bowl and I sprinkle it very lightly with Splenda brown sugar and a couple of slices of crisp cooked bacon that have been crumbled. If it seems dry I spray it with 'I can't believe it's not butter' spray or olive oil  but yesterdays squash seemed plenty moist. I then cook it for a couple of minutes to get it hot and make sure that it is cooked through.

If you are familiar with the South Beach diet it is somewhere between Phase 1 and Phase two...and quite delicious.

Bill & Jo Brooker branch

This and that

Oh yes, I received the new printer head and it is installed and it is working like a brand new printer. I have mailed the old one back to them as instructed. So for now it is good to go.

First computer class this morning. 3 attendees and we resolved more than a few issues for them.

Butch was watching the Nebraska/ Iowa game but became overly disgusted and quit.

No black Friday for us. We looked at a whole bucketful of ads and saw nothing worth the hassle. I did however order a few things online.

For anyone that knows us you might be surprised that we have eaten out twice since we arrived on October 30th. That is very unusual for us. Eating at home is very useful if you want to control your food intake.

All of my Word with Friends players are busy this weekend. Come back, please!

Happy Thanksgiving Ya'all

Here we are at Thanksgiving Day. So hard to believe we are here already and 2012 is winding down. Received word yesterday that our son Gary will be graduating on December 14th. Gary made the decision to change careers a while back. I really think he is in the niche he belongs. He is a Math and Science teacher and now he is fully certified and authorized to teach in the state of Missouri. Gary and Susan have made plenty of sacrifices to get to this point. We are very happy for them.

We are as thankful and happy as we can possibly be on this Thanksgiving Day and we hope you are as well.
So maintain an attitude of gratitude as the saying goes.

Creating Wrinkles and being thankful

Not weighing in till December 1st but I enjoyed a "Finally!!" moment today when someone asked me how I lost so much weight. They noticed! Someone who knows told me people will not generally notice that you have lost weight until you lose 20- 25 pounds. I hope they are right. I will let you know a week from Saturday. It was nice to get the unsolicited verification that I have indeed lost a significant amount of weight.

Butch has lost 14 pounds and it is noticeable on him. But then he could lose 3 and people would comment on how much he had lost. It is one of life's inequalities.

I am very Thankful in the true spirit of the holiday. It is part of my daily practices to be happy, thankful and grateful for all I have so in that respect Thanksgiving is just another day. But the truth of it is that it is another truly spectacular day...but they all are!

Geek Alert

I use Mozilla Firefox and Google Chrome for my browsers. I gave up Internet Explorer years ago. I like both Firefox and Chrome and cannot say I have a favorite between the two. But today I had a window suddenly appear (red flag) on my computer telling me I needed to update Google Chrome. There were three choices to download but I suddenly said to myself, "What the heck is happening here?" I decided if I did need to update I could do it later so I clicked out of all the windows and the browser. Later I brought Google Chrome back up and did a search in Google asking "How do I find out how to update Google Chrome?" My search results told me I did not need to update Google Chrome because it auto updates. You will always have the latest version with Google Chrome. Bottom line? I dodged a bullet and I really cannot say I dodged it purposely. I stumbled into the right decision.
So why am I sharing this? In case it happens to you, hopefully  the right choice will come to you consciously.
My computer could have been hopelessly handed to some underhanded individual quicker than a wink. Be careful out there.

Thanksgiving Week

The forecast for Thursday is 85 degrees. Now we have enjoyed warm temperatures in Iowa on Thanksgiving. I remember one in particular when we all went for a walk after dinner wearing light jackets. I also remember one where we made it home from our travels on icy roads. But 85 degrees is warm enough for a dip in the pool. We just might do that too if it isn't too crowded.
We have been coming here long enough now that I am sure it would feel strange if we were in Iowa where it isn't so warm.
I am becoming as tired of the black Friday commercials as I was of the political ads. It is ridiculous and such a travesty of both the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays. When I was a child we received one Santa gift and one gift from each of the family members. If that was all a child received these days they would feel impoverished. How many of the gifts you received as a child do you hold a clear memory. I remember a watch and I still have it. But mostly they all melted together with me remembering the anticipation more than the event. The memories are the best and most lasting gifts of those years.
And now we are here making different memories...

Printer frustration

A year ago I bought a Lexmark printer. I have not been happy with it. I had troubles right off the bat and called them within a month of purchase. They sent me a new one and it seemed to work okay. Let's say I could fiddle with it and get it to work. It seemed that whenever I tried to use it it was a new issue. I didn't have much need to use it while in Jefferson and working on the house but just before we left I wanted to print out our google map instructions and ran into Lexmark hell one more time. The message on the printer was that I needed a new printer head. A NEW PRINTER HEAD!!! I had not used it enough to need a new printer head. The instruction manual instructed me on how to clean it and gave me things to try to get it to work. I followed the instructions but gave up and figured I would tackle the problem when I got here.
Today was the day. I tried a few things but got the same message so I called Lexmark. I told them my tale of woe and said if the darn thing was beyond fixing I was going to sell the expensive ink cartridges on EBay and throw the damn thing out. He said, "I can help you today.What is the message you receive?" I said "The printer head needs replaced." He said, " No problem. The engineers say the printer head on your model is no good and we will send you a new one." So just that quick my problem is solved. Yes, yes, I know it may not be solved but his answer did a whole lot to cool my jets. They are even sending me replacement ink cartridges. The story may not be over so stay tuned but for right now we are all good.

They were in my camera

Big Old Cactus

 Pigeons on a wire

What the day brought...

I managed to get THREE walks in today. Always a bonus. Butch shuffled (shuffleboard) this morning and played cribbage this afternoon. We had Iowa chops for supper. Peggy and I went to H.E.B. Seemed a bit strange to be there without Butch.
I have been without sugar for nearly 6 weeks now. I made some sugar free jello this morning. Tasted like I was cheating!
Some products I have tried lately and really like are:
Blue Diamond Bold wasabi/soy almonds. They have just the right amount of heat. Very tasty.
Emerald Cocoa Roast Almonds. Also very tasty
Dannon light and fit Greek yogurt. Cherry and /or Strawberry

Life is in the details

Yawn...

Not much happening here... When we arrived this fall we were surprised and pleased that a neighbor  sometimes known as Big Ed was gone. Permanently we were told. Well, he is back. Some of you may remember us mentioning Big Ed and if you do you will know our feelings about his return despite the entertainment he has provided in the past. A good story he is...a good neighbor he is not.
So that was our big surprise of yesterday.
So far...yawn...there are no big surprises for today.
We did go over to the flea market and looked the place over. Made a few purchases. Some celery, jicama and some Rada knives for the house in Jefferson.
I am close to the end of the afghan. 
It is day two or maybe three of cool, cloudy weather.
Hey, I am fishing here folks for something noteworthy.
As Ethan would say, "Not today, Maybe tomorrow."  

Cold front

A cold front has made its way alllll the way to South Texas. It doesn't mean much here of course but we switch to long pants and maybe a jacket for part of the day. The high is supposed to be 70 and it is supposed to stay around there for a few days before warming up again. We are okay with it because we can now turn off the expensive air conditioning. It is easier to add more clothing than to remove it to a comfortable level.
Really isn't much happening these days here...just ordinary living such as we would do in any other part of the country. It is nice having our friends here where we check in with them several times a day and find out they do not know anymore than we do!
There are not any people who want to attend computer class just yet so my Fridays remain free.
All this will change of course as more people get here and the year moves along.

So I am just checking in as I do have people who get out of sorts if I go too long between posts.
Till next time...

Ethan's 4th Birthday

He is 4 now!

Look at those eyes!!

Hotwheel Heaven

Ready for a cold Iowa winter

Elise Videos from Papa Gary

Here are 4 from this weekend.

God's Army: http://youtu.be/uJ8kAW0VBXQ
Zacchaeus: http://youtu.be/e_QMHZzSsyc
Elise plays doctor again: http://youtu.be/6TZYoYQAk78
Won't hurt: http://youtu.be/Wnv9RQrDNPQ

Greene County Iowa Bus Tours

I have placed one of A.J. and Megan's wonderful videos on the blog before but this is a bigger and better one. An expanded version of the first one.
We are proud of our hometown. They have come a long way...but then it was pretty great place to start with.
See the video here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vLhC27QmVBk&feature=em-unknown

Friends Arrive

Well, our friends the Gordon's and the Stilsons have safely made their way to Sunny South Texas and Magnolia Park. The fun has begun! Donn and Peggy Gordon treated us to supper at the El Dorado.

Bill Stilson otherwise known as Pecan Bill stops in Oklahoma to pick up as many pecans as his vehicle will allow. There are rules though as one year Kay rode from Oklahoma to south Texas with a hundred pounds of pecans between her knees. She said never again so now they all must fit in the trunk.

Here is this years pecan crop. Now Bill will have to get to crackin'!

Brady

These are pics of a happy baby who is the first grandchild of Leo and Keri Brooker

Quiet day in South Texas

I am still working on getting unfinished projects finished. I have a Swedish weaving project that is getting all my crafting attention for the time being. Butch is wandering around wondering what to do with himself. He hasn't played golf since Tuesday but the winds have not been conducive to good golf anyway. He does wander into the pool hall and play a game or two off and on throughout the day.
Our friends the Stilson's did not get to the valley today. I called Kay and she said it would be too late if they came all the way down so they should be getting here tomorrow. The Gordon's will be getting here tomorrow as well. So Butch should have plenty to do tomorrow.
We have a cold front coming through on Monday. We will have a high of 75 degrees that day and then the wind will be from the north. It is a good thing....we can shut down the AC.

This fine morning...

We have our walk done and we both noted how beautiful the weather was with moderate temperatures, a warm southerly breeze and glorious sunshine. Our friends the Stilson's are due to arrive today and we are looking forward to seeing them again. Our friends the Gordon's are due to arrive tomorrow and their house is ready for them...or as ready as we can get it. We would like to sit for a long catching up visit but we must leave them alone for awhile to get settled. And we will....maybe....
The vegetable cart is due to arrive today and I need to load up. We like to give the produce people our business so I have waited for them and being on South Beach we are feeling a bit deprived of veggies. Yeah, I never thought I would say that about Butch but he is wanting some jicama and has gobbled up every bit I have thus far purchased. I like the big fat carrots they have here too. I also hope they have some squash, both acorn and spaghetti. I tried a new squash this summer, a gift from friend Colleen, called batwing. It was very, very good. Looks much like an acorn but is sweeter. However after having a sugar-free body for 6 weeks now everything tastes sweet!
We thought we had friends coming to South Padre but now we don't so we will plan a trip there soon.
Butch is bored...never a good thing.wink, wink.

Cleaning house

We did windows today. It improved our outlook immensely.  I took this picture yesterday. There is a scrap metal place on the corner and the es was hidden from view. Cute huh?

Pretty well settled...

We purchased a new TV antenna from Mark Hvam. Mark has a business in the flea market selling RV related goods and services. Mark has been in the business for a long time and he knows his stuff. We now get 30 plus channels most of which are not worthy of watching.

The Catholic church owns the public television station here and at least 75% of their programming is church related. You can tune in most any time and watch nuns either praying or preaching. I sorely miss Iowa Public Television. Public television was my go-to station...not in South Texas.

I have made three bracelets since we left Iowa and have plans for more. Gotta keep this old girls hands busy and out of the foodstuffs. So far so good.

We went to Mexico yesterday to get some medicine for a friend but we found out it is one no longer available there. They told us the company would not send it and they had no idea when or if they ever would. So it was a wasted trip...well mostly. Butch did buy a bottle of tequila and I bought a bottle of clear vanilla. I use the vanilla for cleaning. No nachos, panchos or margaritas. Being here, where so much of the focus is on food will be a challenge for us.
After we returned from Mexico we went to our Farmers/Flea market just 2 or 3 blocks from us and  I picked up some jicama and cucumbers. Our snacks of choice these days. So really not much going on here...but I am okay with that.
.

Neat things Near Jefferson Iowa

Another great video by our Jefferson neighbors AJ and Megan. The Vineyard is located between Jefferson and Scranton Iowa
http://youtu.be/PPjeMRSR7DQ

The quiet life

I chose today to catch up on laundry. We did go over to Thompson's Grove and pick up some grapefruit this morning, enjoyed our South Beach lunch of ham and cheese and then Butch went to The Palms with Jim Rader to play golf.
I enjoyed a short nap and then returned to laundry. Yesterday I did get my haircut and Yolanda did a great job of repairing  the "Haircut by Butch" I was able to get all summer. Her fee is $12 again this season and after the $25 cuts I hear about up north seemed like a real bargain.
The weatherman has little to nothing to do here. The weather report takes about 30 seconds and that is a stretch. Highs in the upper 80's and lows in the upper 60's. We are running the AC as there is moisture even though they have not had a measureable rain in a while and not nearly enough to call an end to the drought.
So we are enjoying the quiet life for as long as it lasts.

Settling in

Yes, still settling in... I have an appointment for a haircut with Yolanda this morning. Butch cut my hair all summer and he did a great job but every now and then we need a professional to cut it. We have returned to our routine of a morning and evening walk.
Weighed in for the first time yesterday. Our start day was October 9th after seeing my picture on Facebook. I have lost 10.5 pounds since last Spring. And Butch has lost 10 as well. Had to share... I must say I am benefiting in many ways other than looking better. As a matter of fact I am not so sure the looking better is noticeable to anyone but me...and that's okay. 

I am hoping to get windows cleaned today. The one I look out of most frequently is extremely speckled. I have also started in on bracelets again in a casual way. So the beat goes on but in a different place is all.

One of the side dishes I prepare is fried cauliflower. I prepared this when we were in Llano and took a picture of the raw state and then the fried state with onions.

I slice it up as I would potatoes...and then fry it in olive oil with onions.

The result is very similar in taste and texture to fried potatoes and as Lisa pointed out it doesn't stick to the skillet!  Try it and let me know what you think.

Left Llano TX at 7:55AM

Arrived at the park at about 3:30 PM after filling up at Flying J in Edinburgh. On the way down we saw a Trout Truck- you know, big old tankers with water and trout in them. We wondered if they threw in a little Dramamine to help them with any motion sickness. It must be quite a ride for them.
It is warm here of course but cooler than it had been I understand. And the park is quiet as not many have arrived just yet.
We had our first meal at the El Dorado. Butch had liver and onions with a side salad and I had a Fajita chicken taco salad. And it was scrumptious! Ladies, they have the most gorgeous young guys for waiters.
After our meal we went to my favorite H.E.B. for groceries. Loaded up on South Beach legal food choices.
It always takes a while to get settled in wherever we are. It actually works better to get settled in while it is still fairly quiet in the park. A good many of the people who are here have stopped by to say hello.
Well tiredness is settling in so will call it a day. But you now know we are here and safe and waiting for our friends who have not arrived yet. You know who you are!

Leaving Llano in the morning

Norcold is sending the part and after driving to Burnet and talking with the head of the parts dept he has okayed sending the part to us by mail when it arrives. They wanted the old part in case Norcold asks for it so we came home, packaged it up and put it in the mail to the dealership. So tomorrow morning we will be headed for the valley.  It is over 6 hours from here so it will be another full day on the road.
I am getting anxious to get there and weigh in. My clothes tell me I have lost weight so I am ready to step on a scale and find out how much. My BS this morning was 93. I have had regular morning readings below the 100 mark. I am taking zero prescription medications. I would very much like to keep it that way. I have taken  a pill because of water retention for 15 plus years but have not taken it now for over two weeks with no problems with water retention. We both feel we are on the right track with South Beach, and we merely need to stay on track. It doesn't seem like a problem to do so at this point. If I focus on how much better I feel it should help.

Still in Llano TX...

We called the RV dealership first thing this morning (8:00AM) and the guy we needed to talk to was not in yet. He called us at 9:00 AM or thereabouts and told me what pictures we needed to send to Norcold to prove this refrigerator was in a 2004 Newmar and not a 2007 Monaco. So the pictures have been taken and sent to the dealership. This was a different fellow than the one we dealt with the other day and he says we MUST bring our RV in for them to install it. So it looks like we will be here for awhile. There is an RV park next door to the RV dealership so we are entertaining the idea of going over there to do our waiting. Of course we will scope it all out before we do that. Cost, available sites, etc. And remember folks, we do not have a TV! We have been listening to audio books and that has worked well. We are currently listening to "Mad River" by John Sandford
Bonnie and Clyde, they thought. And what's-his-name, the sidekick. Three teenagers with dead-end lives, and chips on their shoulders, and guns. The first person they killed was a highway patrolman. The second was a woman during a robbery. Then, hell, why not keep on going? As their crime spree cuts a swath through rural Minnesota, some of it captured on the killers' cell phones and sent to a local television station, Bureau of Criminal Apprehension investigator Virgil Flowers joins the growing army of cops trying to run them down. But even he doesn't realize what's about to happen next.

It is a good one and Butch is liking it much better than the last one we listened to which was a James Patterson book "NYPD Red". I have to agree. I thought James Patterson let us down on this book. It seemed like a 'lets crank this one out and get paid book'.

Yesterday we went for a walk down by the river and Butch walked 9 holes or so of golf after that. Since the Verizon connection seems to be working fairly well I will post yesterdays pictures.

The park is located a few feet from the Llano Police station.

Lisa thought this rock looked like a tooth

Down by the dam

The guy is Butch

Butch by the dam

Minnows on the dam

Buzzards on the other side of the river

A man and his son at the park

The rocks on the shore are submerged

I think this is mistletoe. It is a parasite that grows in trees down here.