Years ago...and then today!

 In 2010 we work camped at Hillman Michigan for the Thunder Bay RV and Golf Resort. I happened to be sitting in a beading class and Jeannie Sparks came in to see what was going on. She was actually killing time until they were pulling out. So we only visited for perhaps 15 minutes. Jeannie and Eldy were full-time Rvers as we were and we had a short but interesting conversation. As strange as it might seem Jeannie and I have stayed in touch through different social media, Facebook, blogs, hers and mine, and an occasional email. You can find Jeannie's blog here: https://whereseldo.blogspot.com/ She takes wonderful photos! So her blog is worth a look.

The four of us met up at the El Dorado for supper a couple of nights ago. It was the first time we had eaten there since probably 2019 and we were not disappointed in either the company or the food!

And today when we needed to go down and pay Hector they came along with us. I took a few photos.

Can you see how close the semi is to the car in front of it? Made us nervous just looking at it!

This would be a good idea for our Canadian Friends!

Our friends Eldy and Jeannie join us at the gate. Yes, that ramp is indeed as steep as it looks.

Caught my eye...

 

Eldy and Jeannie

And Jeannie took one of us.

It was a fun day!!

Chores

 We started off with good intentions.

1. Pick up meds waiting for us at CVS.

2. Get gas at Costco

3. Withdraw money at the bank to pay Hector

4. Wash the car at the Blue Wave

5. Stop at an Alamo Medical clinic to establish a GP in South Texas.

1.,2.,3., all happened as expected. When we planned to stop at the Blue Wave the line was so long we decided there had to be a better day. And when we stopped at the medical clinic the door was locked! Then I noticed the clock said 11:58 AM so I assumed they shut down for lunch. @%$^%! All I wanted to do was pick up the paperwork so I could fill it out at home and then return it. So It is still on the todo list.

So we decided to stop at Mcdonald's for lunch. I enjoyed a very tasty fish sandwich and Butch had his usual. After all, the doctor told him to go home and gain 10 pounds. 1/4 pounder with fries in case you are not familiar with Butch's usual.

Tomorrow we return to Mexico...

Smarts

Some of you may recall me talking about the "Smarts" in the Jefferson Iowa graduating class of  '61. This example is a real head smacker! Mary (Nipps) Hanson Harrison and Jim Hanson were both members of the class of '61. And they are the parents of David Hanson mentioned in the article below. 

The whole concept of the article makes my eyes gloss over and my brain go fuzzy. Although I am impressed to be sure.

From Mary-The David Hanson in this article is my youngest son. And he also has plants growing on the Space Station. Now that's a true farm boy from Iowa ( although he was born in Baltimore!). So proud of him.

https://news.unm.edu/news/could-plants-control-robots-on-mars?fbclid=IwAR0mQGnoMZYplI_AbYv5tPGVKcjep-2TSeI3ZEIsCVFoEObiIdh6vCBFgjY

Mexico Trip

We went to Nuevo Progreso for the first time this season. I went last March while Butch was in the hospital with his leg and this season we were waiting to both be fully vaccinated before we went down. So yesterday was the day.

We first stopped at the place where we get dental work done or questions answered. Butch got his teeth cleaned. $25 

Then we went on down to Hectors. I had sent an email to him with my preorder so expected it to be ready but what I did not count on was a problem with telephones and the Internet. The entire town was without Internet and phone. That pretty much brought most business to a screeching halt. We did not bring enough cash with us because in the past I have used a credit card with no problem. So after deciding we would have to come back on a different day. Hector decided we could be trusted, much as we trust him, and let us take over $300 of meds with us on the promise to come back and pay him before we head north. There are many reasons we go all the way down to the south end of town to do business with Hector and the above is one of them. Numerous other reasons are sound pharmaceutical advice on many levels. He told me a few years ago that Xarelto was due to have a generic form in 2019 and is quite a costly med so I followed up on it. He said they do have one but he doesn't trust the source. He said there is really no guarantee of what is in it. And it does not have sanctions from reliable sources, like the Mexican government. If a med is sanctioned by the government of  Mexico the people of Mexico trust it. Much like the FDA in the US. Another reason we know, like, and trust Hector. We were going to pick up some pricey eyedrops for a family member. In the US they cost well over $100 per tiny little bottle. Lumigan- and in Mexico, it has been $28 a bottle. But Hector told us the generic form in Mexico now put out by the Mexican government is now $13 a bottle and he fully trusts it. He did not have to tell us that. We value his input. Another reason is all year long I can email him with drug-related questions. He will get back to me. Mexicans might operate on a different urgency or non-urgency of time but things do get done and he will get back to me.

On the way back to our Texas home, we stopped at Trails End where many of our Magnolia Park friends landed after leaving the remnants of Magnolia. Magnolia is far from the place we knew back in the day. It was so good to see so many familiar faces.  All but one of them have been fully vaccinated and she kept her distance.

Today’s thought

 “Living is not merely going to the office, or passing examinations, or having children, or the everlasting struggle for bread and butter; that is only part of it. Living also implies seeing the trees, the sunlight on the river, a bird on the wing, the moon through the clouds; it is to be aware of smiles and tears, of turmoils and anxieties; it is to know love, to be gentle, compassionate, and to perceive the extraordinary depth and width of existence.” —Jiddu Krishnamurti

FYI It's a keeper + other stuff

 The recipe tried yesterday is a keeper. It has the seal of Butch's approval and judging from his pickiness scale that is high praise. So refer to the Meat Patty Pie recipe to get your own opinion.

Here are pictures gleaned from Facebook of our Missouri kids. Great Grands Elise and Leo with their mom and our granddaughter, Amanda.

Those youngsters are growing up in the wink of an eye!

This is a common occurrence at our house!!

Update on Butch. He is nearly back to normal. He has been teasing me about taking off on his bike. He better be teasing me.