Saturday, November 2

Time, plenty of time.

It was such a nice feeling coming down this season with nothing on my mind but fun. No meetings to set up, no long range planning for Thanksgiving and Christmas, no snafus in my soup of life. I have loved it. The occasions were really very few when there was difficulty but I say that in hindsight. At any rate this new feeling of being carefree is one I hope to hang on to.
We checked on neighbors Donn and Peggy's place and all is well. They have continued to put out bowls of charcoal throughout their house and I must say it works. It smells fresh as a daisy in there and you would never know it has been shut up for 7 months. We were looking for ant, flea and tick powder but didn't find any. When we were in Llano Tx we were sitting with our chairs in the grass and later discovered all kinds of bites around our ankles. I suspected chiggers although I am not sure. I do know they itched like the devil. Actually they still do. And we have had the same problem here in years past. So we had some of the ant, flea and tick powder but not enough to do Donn and Peggy's lawn and ours thus we were on the search.
Donn and Peggy's orange tree is abundant this year. She will be busy juicing oranges shortly after arrival.

Our friends Bill and Kay are on their way and will be stopping in Oklahoma to pick up 300 pounds or so of pecans. They have a gigantic geranium in their front yard and another small bush, I am guessing Hibiscus. They both look very healthy. They must have had some timely rains this summer.

A young fellow, Raul came to check on our Internet speed to make sure we are getting the extreme super duper one. He was very personable and I enjoyed his company. I found out he was raised in a small town  near Houston and moved to the valley when he was in middle school. His father is Puerto Rican and his mother is Mexican and he grew up speaking English. And then when he came to the valley he did not know Spanish and his relatives here admonished his parents because they did not teach him Spanish. So he learned it when he was in middle school from his relatives. He is now fluent in both. His Mexican relatives tease him by calling him the "White Boy". This conversation came about because his supervisor called and asked him to take another "Winter Texan" job. He said so many of the tech's in the valley are not fluent in English so being bilingual gets him more calls. Raul left and told us he was done but then later he came back. He said he was talking to his supervisor about our modem and questioning why we could get  Extreme on that small of a modem. Well it seems we couldn't so the return trip was to swap out the modem for a bigger one. I was impressed that he was on top of a potential problem. Sharp young fellow who takes his job seriously.

This Schwinn bike that did belong to Bill Brooker looks pretty darn good and rides like a dream. If we ever stop coming down it will go back to Iowa with us.

We have a neighborhood squirrel that lives in a palm tree. Now there is something perhaps not thought of as a possibility. I was lucky enough to get some pictures of him yesterday. He is a super quick guy and you almost see him as a blur when he runs past.



Friday, November 1

Settling in day

We washed all the butterflies off the front of the motor home. There is a butterfly migration taking place and many of them have lost their life. We tried to miss them...really, we did.
I spent the better part of the morning getting Internet connection- We upgraded to Extreme Internet for the same price as turbo last year. That was a happy surprise. It always pays to call and negotiate. I like to stream video (Netflix) so I  need more than basic. Oh that high speed is oh so sweet!
After we were blessed with our Extreme Internet I had to get our smart TV(online chat with Vizio) compatible with the Internet so I  could bring Netflix into the mix. All done!
Butch found 40 digital TV stations in the area.
It is HOT and HUMID. Think Iowa in July and a warm 90 degree corn-growing day and you have yesterday and today. In spite of that, Butch and I got our 2 one mile walks in today. That feels good and steps in the right direction.
And then I went to see Yolanda and get my hair cut. It was needed and now I am feeling light headed. Smileycons!
Butch had a short session in the pool hall but I do believe he was in there all by his lonesome.
There is only one thing missing from our happy winter home and that is our best friends and they know who they are. And they will be here soon.
We are ready!

Thursday, October 31

We have landed

We made the journey from Llano TX to Magnolia Park- 350 + miles. I had forgotten how hwy 16 is kind of narrow, a bit twisty and hilly south of Llano. Now north of Llano is much better. It is beautiful however. Butch said, "How about getting me a Bit-O-Honey?" I said," Not as long as we are on these roads." So he had to wait till we got to I -10 before he got his treat. The trip was fine. Always a bit of  a challenge getting through San Antonio. Any city really. But it went smooth and we were soon on the other side. Still a long drive on down to the Rio Grande Valley. But thanks to our audio book the miles flew by.
So now we are sitting in our winter home where we will be perched  till Spring.

Some tips


 
You have probably been ignoring this feature. 

You've probably been ignoring this feature.
 
Most aluminum foil boxes have press-in tabs that secure the roll in place, so you dont have worry about it flying out every time you rip off a sheet.

Youve been dispensing Tic Tacs the hard way.

 
You've been dispensing Tic Tacs the hard way.
You know how when you violently shake a container of Tic Tacs into your palm it seems as though you always end up with zero or seven? Avoid that altogether by letting a mint gently glide into the tiny lid crevice
 
You havent been using ketchup cups to their full potential.
You haven't been using ketchup cups to their full potential. 
Instead of grabbing multiple cups of ketchup, simply pull apart at the edges for twice the space.
 
Chinese takeout containers are actually made to fold out into plates.
Chinese takeout containers are actually made to fold out into plates.
 
The containers actually are meant to unfold into a makeshift plate, which you can easily reassemble into a box for storing leftovers

Youve probably been placing toilet seat covers in the wrong direction.

You've probably been placing toilet seat covers in the wrong direction.
 
The flap is meant to be placed toward the front. This prevents the agony of sitting down on a toilet seat, only to realize you’ve dragged the cover down into the bowl.

Soda tabs double as straw holders.

      Yay for me; this one I've always done!) s
Soda tabs double as straw holders.
 
Turn the tab around so that it acts as holder that can stop the straw from raising out of the can as the soda fizzes.
 

You probably dont realize it, but your pots come with built-in spoon rests! 

I had to get right up and look at this! All I saw was a way to hang up the pot!  :-(
You probably don't realize it, but your pots come with built-in spoon rests.
 

Soft-drink lids can double as coasters.

Soft-drink lids can double as coasters.
 

Wednesday, October 30

May be a rain delay

We do not know just yet. The plan was to head out of Llano tomorrow and head for the border as they say. We would stop just short of the border as you might guess but nevertheless we were planning to head for Magnolia Park tomorrow morning and we still may do that...but rain is predicted and in some places lots of it and that leads to flash floods etc. So we will assess the situation in the morning.
Our com-padres have left so we are once again just the two of us. We had a great time with them as we always do. We met these folks at Snow Mountain Ranch and have remained connected.
Terry and Lisa Linder-Canyon Lake TX
Larry and Roxy McGough-Canyon Lake TX
Mike and Sharon Bryce- Pecan Plantation-Granbury TX
Great friends=Good times.
While in discussion I asked Lisa if she ever went to IKEA. She said yes, on occasion. So we may have a plan B on obtaining our headboard for the summer house. Time will tell.

I mentioned a little gastro-intestinal distress earlier in the week. Well it has taken longer than I like to shake this off. Yesterday was the first day that I felt 90% like myself. About 3 days ago I started taking Pro-biotics and I do believe it helped the situation. Today I am up to 95% like myself.

Here are some pics taken yesterday.
Coopers BBQ-Llano TX
 Five smokers!! They only had one going though. And it was every bit as good as it looks and I am not even a big BBQ fan.

Larry and Roxy spending their certificate.
 Palo Pinto County Sheriffs Posse...and I would have loved to get a picture of the grizzled old cowboy driving this rig.
 The grocery store sells deer blinds
 And in the evening this is what we do. Lisa, Roxy and Terry
                                        Butch and Larry

Tuesday, October 29

Better-than-Mom's Chicken, Broccoli, and Quinoa Casserole with Creamy Curry Sauce


Better-than-Mom's Chicken, Broccoli, and Quinoa Casserole with Creamy Curry Sauce
(Makes 4 generous servings, recipe adapted from Quinoa 365: The Everyday Superfood.)

1/2 cup quinoa (rinsed unless the package says it does not need rinsing)
1 cup water for cooking quinoa (or a little more, see recipe)
3 cups broccoli flowerets, cut into same-sized pieces
1/2 tsp. salt (for cooking broccoli) 
2 cups diced cooked chicken (I used leftover rotisserie chicken)
1 1/4 cup low-fat sour cream
1/3 cup mayo or light mayo
2 T fresh-squeezed lemon juice
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
1 tsp. curry powder (I used Penzey's Sweet Curry Powder)
salt and fresh ground pepper to taste to season the sauce (I used Vege-Sal.) 
1/3 cup coarsely grated Parmesan cheese.

Preheat oven to 350F/180C.  Rinse quinoa until no more foam appears.  Combine quinoa with 1 cup water and bring to a boil.  (Use the smallest pan you have that has a tight-fitting lid.  I used a pan that was too big and I had to add a couple T more water to get the quinoa done.)  Simmer until the water is absorbed, then cover the pan with the lid and let it sit for 5-6 minutes, fluffing with a fork when the quinoa is done. 

While quinoa cooks, start a medium sized pan of water boiling while you cut broccoli to make 3 cups same-sized flowerets.  Add about 1/2 tsp. salt to the water, add broccoli, and cook 2-3 minutes, or until the broccoli turns bright green.  Drain broccoli into a colander placed in the sink.  Dice enough cooked chicken to make 2 cups diced, cooked chicken.

Whisk together the low-fat sour cream, mayo, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, curry powder, Vege-Sal (or salt) and black pepper to make the sauce. 

Spray a 9" x 9" glass or crockery casserole with with non-stick spray or oil.  Layer quinoa, broccoli, then chicken, spreading out each ingredient so it covers the surface or is distributed evenly.  Use a rubber scraper to spread the sauce mixture over the top of the chicken.  (I used the side of the rubber scraper to poke slits so the sauce could run down into the other ingredients a bit.)  Sprinkle the Parmesan cheese over the top.

Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until the casserole is bubbling and the top is starting to brown.  Serve hot.

This would be great to take to work for lunch and re-heat in a microwave.  The chicken, broccoli, and quinoa would make a balanced one-dish meal.
- See more at: http://www.kalynskitchen.com/2011/03/recipe-for-better-than-moms-chicken.html#sthash.OT5ukVty.dpuf

Blue Bonnet Cafe

Yesterday we took a road trip stopping at the Blue Bonnet Cafe in Marble Falls TX. Great food since 1929 and they were not kidding.The place was packed but they are used to that being the case so it all went very smooth. We also stopped at thrift shops and good will places along the way. I didn't buy a thing but it was fun.

Blue Bonnet Cafe

This family was shopping in Good Will having some Halloween fun with the wigs. The Mom could not stop laughing. And for those that wonder- they didn't buy the wigs.


Great Grand Halloween

A cheerleader and a lion

Monday, October 28

Baby Leo rides on


Busy in Llano TX

Today we are going on tour and I will be taking my camera so the next couple of blog entries might be a  bit more interesting.
I have been struggling with some intestinal distress the past couple of days. I am the only one suffering so it must not be contagious. Do not know what caused it or specifically how to cure it but I am working on it. Started taking pro-biotics today. Will see if that does the trick. It isn't ER severe , just unpleasant...so far.

Butch has played golf the past two days and has been happier with his game. First day out he had an 82. For you non-golfers that is not bad for 18 holes on an unfamiliar course. A bit higher yesterday- 87. Still not bad.