Best Laid plans

Every now and then you make a plan and then it falls on its face! We delayed getting to the valley to avoid the heat. The jokes on us. A polar vortex is headed for the Rio Grande Valley and will in fact beat us down there. It is beginning to shape up to be a repeat of last year and starting even earlier. Who knew!
Next week we will have highs in the fifties here in the San Antonio area with highs in the low sixties in the Rio Grande Valley.  We would never in our wildest dreams think we would have two of those types of winters in a row. Of course we still hope this is just an oddball situation, a fluke ,or simply an extreme snafu.

Thursdays Dam Walk

After the 6 inches of rain gathered in the area, Canyon Lake has risen some.

The Dam outlet

 Can you spot the buzzards drying their wings?

 Can you spot the tree root that was cut off?

Very little soil is needed to grow plant life.

Close up of a dung beetle

Beautiful dam day. Yeah, I know...I just could not resist being a damn fool.

Best I can do

The rain has abated and in looking at the radar map we should be done with it for awhile. It is still a bit damp around the edges. The windshield is still holding droplets so it has a ways to go. I have hopes for getting a walk in today. I did get out of my pj's yesterday but only because I was cold.
 I have made a few more bracelets. I get a bit pushed from different fans of them to get them in a shop in Jefferson so if I have some stockpiled I may get that done next Spring. I am back up to speed on them and if I stick with it I can get one done in two days of free time. The current one I am working on is red and black as that happens to be Jefferson's school colors. I could call these the Fall of 14 Collection because all of these have been completed since October 1st. There was another one but it was a special order and I forgot to get a picture of it because I wanted to get it to her before we left and I did. It was similar to the one second from the top.

Rainy Day in Texas

Hmmm a rainy day in Texas...not the first we have ever experienced and perhaps not the last. They need rain in this area (San Antonio) so for the most part no one is unhappy about it. Except us. We on the other hand have "enjoyed" an abundance of rain. In the last year it seems wherever we have been it rained. Last winter in the Rio Grande Valley it was cold and it rained. All summer in Iowa it was on the cool side and it rained. They are saying it will clear up and be nice by the weekend. I hope that is true.
So now instead of it being a choice to stay indoors, read, watch movies, nap and eat it is pretty much a necessity. In years past Mr. Antsypants would have been fit to be tied but he has become a bit more restrained in his senior years. Me too for that matter. In years past the weather would affect my mood quite a bit but I have learned to let go of irritants that one can do nothing about. I have even become good at it.
It is enjoyable to have a different view from my window; different trees(live oak and ashe juniper), different squirrels(smaller), different people, different plants etc.
I think I may have witnessed a drug transaction. Too soon to say positively but it would not be the first I have seen. Spotted one once in a Whataburger in the RGV, more than one in Iowa from an unemployed neighbor that moved suddenly in the night and now one in our present location from an unemployed neighbor who does not seem to be actively seeking employment. That is always a red flag. As Dr. Phil says, " If you do not have a job, your job should become finding a job." Not seeking a job usually means you are not concerned about your next meal and most likely you have a source of income you choose not to discuss. Usually if you ask one of these well fed members of society what they do for a living they will give a well thought out but very wishy washy answer. Now that I have been alerted to a possible drug RV I will pay a bit more attention to the visitors at that location. Purely for my own entertainment. They are safe from my prying eyes.

No TV day

No TV day
We have declared a 'no TV ' day at our house. We have had a long haul of political ads and today is the culmination of them. At least we can hope. Do they really believe that the last person making their way to the polls to vote is going to be influenced at the last possible minute by a tv ad. Of course they do! They think we are all stupid judging by the ads they subject us to for months ahead of the election.
If you base your choice on the ads and emails you receive then they are right and
the millions they spend on them are worth every penny.

We went to check out our favorite grocery store. H.E.B. Not only is it our favorite store here in Texas it is our favorite store anywhere. Their prices are low, their choices are many, their store brand is often better than the name brand, their employees are helpful and friendly and their aisles are crowded. That last one is the only sour grape.

We are enjoying our down time. We had a busy summer and we know it will be busy when we reach the park so this is our mid term break so to speak. We are reading, watching movies, making bracelets. walking and pretty much doing whatever strikes our fancy. Life is good!

Sunday in the Park

Update on the dental issues. It is much better. Everything is nearly back to normal. 90% okay I would say. I had made an appointment with a semi-local dentist but will cancel it first thing in the morning and keep up with the oral hygiene plan currently being used. As an added note; when I received my dental implants 15 to 20 years ago I was told that the proper dental hygiene practice was imperative or I could lose my implant and even my lower jaw. Nothing like hearing that to keep a person on the straight and narrow. Dental care has been at the top of my list twice a day for all those years and will continue to be for the remainder of my life. Oh yes, when I heard from my dentist in Iowa he told me I was doing exactly what I should be doing. That was reassuring and as it has turned out, also correct.
Last nights park gathering was fun. I met some very nice people that I could become friends with if given the right time and enough time. There were some others too. Ones that are more interesting to watch than to listen to. (wink)
It was worth the time and effort to attend.
Today Butch and I went on a bit of an excursion. We both have missed getting enough exercise so we went to the Canyon lake dam and walked on the dam road. It is .8 mile from gate to gate so a total of 1.6 miles in all. Close enough to my usual Colleen walk to satisfy my need for exercise. The problem with the walking location is that it is about 8-10 miles from here. We do plan to make an exerted effort to get it done regardless.

Canyon Lake

The dam road-closes at sunset

The gate sentry's atop the poles.

After our walk we went to Starzville, a little town nearby and ate at the Startz restaurant. It is a landmark restaurant and also very much worth the time. Butch had the Country Breakfast-eggs, biscuits and sausage gravy. I had a Western Omelet. It came with a biscuit. The biscuits were  higher and flaky to a severe degree. If you stacked two ordinary biscuits on top of each other that is how tall one biscuit was.Wonderful biscuits! The entire meal was wonderful and we will go back again.

Pumpkin Pie Fudge

I saw this recipe and it sounded good to me. Of course it did. Will I make it? Never in a hundred years. So why I spent the time to save it is beyond me. I assume there are others who do this same thing and do not know why. Surely I am not that unique. Enjoy
Barb

Pumpkin Pie Fudge

Ingredients

• 2.5 cups granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 1 cup half-and-half
• 1/2 cup canned pumpkin
• 3/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice
• dash of ground cloves
• 1 (12-ounce) package butterscotch chips
• 1 (7-ounce) jar marshmallow creme
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)

Instructions

1. Line an 8-inch or 9-inch square pan with foil.
2. Butter the foil generously and set aside.
3. Bring sugars, butter, half-and-half, pumpkin, and spices to a boil over medium to medium-low heat in a heavy-bottomed 5 quart pot, stirring frequently.
4. Continue cooking, stirring constantly, to the soft ball stage using a candy thermometer.
5. Remove from heat and stir in butterscotch chips until fully melted. This takes several minutes.
6. Add the marshmallow creme and stir until blended.
7. Add the vanilla and nuts and stir until combined.
8. Pour into prepared dish and cool.
9. Cut into squares and store in an airtight container.