Down Mexico Way

 I gathered up my lengthy med list and we went to Hector's to get it filled. Not having been there since the political s--t-storm, we did not know what to expect. We had been told that the number of people was way down and we did not find that to be true. Maybe less MAGA hats but there were plenty of people. Both parking lots were full.

We started off with a pedicure. It had been a long time and it felt oh-so-good! It feels like you have two new feet.

We did not know what the walk was going to be like for Butch because he had not walked that distance (1 mile) since his heart episode. We took a moderated walk and it was fine. Butch did well. It was hot, and we did everything we could to stay in the shade. Easily done. We had a nice visit with Hector as we always do.

We had our list filled and once it was all put together it looked sizable and I started to worry as they get fussy about bringing too much back. After considerable thought and if they called me on "too much," I was going to say I was worried that I might not get to come back ever. That was only partially true, however, I know many Winter Texans who believe that to be very true!

At the border we went straight through. I was asked what I was bringing back and I said "Meds" as usual and he asked if any of them were controlled and I truthfully said 'No'. And then walked to the conveyer belt that normally scans everything. Same question, what are you bringing back, "Meds"and I said I was loaded up because I wasn't sure we could come back. He looked in the bag and not seeing anything amiss, asked me why I would think that and I answered because of the 'State of the Union'. He said, I understand that one! He also told me he was more than a little upset after losing a sizable portion of his 401K. I offered my sympathy.

Bottom line we came through without a hitch. 

We have company coming next week and we plan to show them the pleasure of a Progresso Pedicure. We enjoy sharing the pleasures of the Rio Grande Valley.

It was good to be home as always!

When it rains...

 The last month has been one incident after another, and I still hope for an end to the endless trips to doctor appointments and pharmacies. We still have a few ahead of us, and they are spread a ways apart. It puts more than a damper on other activities as well.  I think we are both on the mend and headed in the right direction.

It is a fact that the season for Trophy Gardens is winding down. Most activities taper off after the first of March and many of us are ready for a break.  We won't be leaving until Mid April. So we will be putting our feet up and going with the flow. 

We have company coming later this month and we will be showing them the ropes. Now if we can decide on what ropes to show them! It is impossible to get a feel for the Rio Grande Valley and Trophy Garden living in 4 days. We will do our best!

One of the things that gets so far behind is staying in contact through all devices; texting, emailing, Facebook etc. It can turn from a molehill to a mountain in a day or two. I feel as though I am now close to being caught up. Let me know if I have left something out. 🥰

Recovery

 We are both recovering. At least I hope so. Whenever I am required to take antibiotics, a yeast infection is soon to follow and somehow I forget that fact and then I suffer. To add to that, I am allergic to the med most commonly prescribed for that. If the med prescribed has the letters F-L-U in them, I cannot take them because a trip to ER will come next.

And now...Butch was pumped full of antibiotics in the hospital with his heart issues and then he came home and developed a yeast infection. It's official name is Thrush. Then we spent yesterday morning in the doctors office to get some scripts and the pharmacy to get relief.

So jump to this morning and we are both feeling better. Butch is grumbling about the upcoming "Spring Forward" so he must be better or at least back to normal. And I was able to get 8 hours sleep which hasn't happened for a very long time.

Backing up a bit: We have both managed to get some pool played. Butch came in second in the In-Park Singles, his first event after coming home from the hospital. That might not sound like much, but there were 24 or 26 men that competed, all of them top notch players.

And Renie and I play in the Mid-Valley Womens 8-Ball League. We were new to league play and we went into it with no expectations of having anything more than  fun. Our last play of the season was Wednesday, March 5th. We both played well and we attribute that to having no expectations. Bottom line we came in 4th for the season.  We look forward to next season. The league is friendly and fun to play with and next season a friend from the old Magnolia park will be playing on the Trails End team. See you on league days, Deon!

Gary and Susan sent me flowers for my birthday yesterday. They are beautiful!

 

Home Sweet Home

 We got home late Saturday afternoon. We are super glad to be here but physically and mentally worn out. And all the "home" things that need attention have been waiting. Writing here so friends and family can watch the process is late in getting written. Not to mention all the usual activities we participate in, most having had to be set aside. Maybe next week. The biggest blow of the weekend is finding out how much his meds are. One is less than $10, the other $429 a month after insurance. Thank god we are where we are because after checking with our friend Hector, the $429 one will be $100 a month. I know there are a few naysayers out there, however, we have been getting our Meds from south of the border for 20 plus years and never had a problem. After all, our pharmacist down there says our people get sick too and you are getting the same meds they get.

We are both very sleepy and can take a nap at the drop of a hat. We are hoping to have our happy life back soon. It may take a while.

Our pool abilities are a little left of center for both of us. We will take the time to recover soon. In the meantime, another nap sounds like fun!

US on 3/2/25

 Butch is home and we are both pleased about that. The only restrictions they have put on him are no heavy lifting, pushing, or pulling for a week. His breathing has returned to normal or at least it sounds good to me.

We are headed to the pharmacy later this morning and I expect one of them will be expensive. Hopefully it will be available in Mexico. 

Brilinta 90 mg

Details😒 Too many details lately. 

( I have been researching the meds prescribed for AFIB and of course Brilinta is the most expensive and only slightly more effective than eliquis.)

On the plus side he is home and feeling fine.

So many people have helped me during this trying time. I thank all of them profusely and often. I consider it TROPHY GOLD!

Butch 3/1/25

 He did well with the surgery. Now we a tackling the right meds for his kind of AFIB. So he will be in Mcallen Medical room 548 for a while yet. He appreciates company. I am headed that way soon.

Butch 2/27/25

 He has been rescheduled till 9:00 AM tomorrow. I am encouraged after being there for a while. He is in good spirits, joking with the nurses. All of his vitals are good. Tomorrow should be a good day.

Butch 2/26/25

Last Saturday morning about 5 AM I was awake and listening to Butch breathing. It didn’t sound good 

and I was concerned. His breathing was shallow, frequent, and gurgly. I woke him up and told him I thought we should go to ER. He had been struggling with what he determined to be “sinuses”. This has happened to him a couple of times a year. We were in ER, the one close to Alamo on the frontage road. They hooked him up to a monitor right away and the first question was “How long have you had AFIB?” Butch said I don’t have AFIB, my wife does. But the machine didn’t lie. He was having AFIB, a fluttering of the heart. He had many tests including X-rays and CT scan. They said he had a lot of fluid in the upper part of his lungs and yet was dehydrated. They explained a procedure to take fluid off the lungs first by giving him lasix and a urinal. It was successful after giving them a gallon or two. The next step in the procedure is to rehydrate by IV and all went well. By this time it is 10 or so. We wondered what was taking so long but it turned out they were looking for an empty bed for him in McAllen Heart. They ended up finding him one in McAllen Medical, the same one he has been to in other years.

First, we were shocked that he was going to be hospitalized, and then we were surprised he had pneumonia, and yesterday we found out his heart was only working at 28%. He is scheduled for a procedure to check his arteries tomorrow. They will move him to McAllen Heart and his ‘surgery’ is scheduled for 11:00 AM. They told him if they found one blockage he would get a stint but if they found 4 he would be having open heart surgery.

We were frequently asked what the symptoms there were and there were NONE. In hindsight, there were a few signs like frequent naps, loss of appetite, etc. Never any pain. He was concerned a bit last Wednesday at square dancing when he was having trouble keeping up. He walked home from the pool hall one day and said he was getting out of shape because it was a chore. When we walked together he was having trouble keeping up with me. 

We were very lucky to catch this when we did.

As for me, I have been a mess, fearing the worst. Lately, I have been getting a grip so things are looking better now that there is a plan. Always better when there is a plan.

I am having trouble keeping up with all the correspondence.

And then there were 3 incidents...

 Early Saturday morning I woke up and Butch's breathing alarmed me. It was shallow and gurgly and rapid. I woke him up and said I think you need to go to ER. Thinking it was nothing but a respiratory something we planned to go to breakfast when we got out of ER and then do some grocery shopping.

As soon as they hooked him up to "their machines" they asked him how long he had AFIB. He said my wife has AFIB, I don't, but the proof was on the machine.

After testing lots of things they said he had some fluid on his lungs and was dehydrated at the same time. They said this is not uncommon and to correct it they give them a med that drains the fluid and once drained they then rehydrate. He pee'd about two gallons in 30 minutes and it did indeed work as they said. And the AFIB was still active so transferred him to McAllen Medical. They kept him the rest of Saturday and all of today (Sunday). He possibly will be coming home tomorrow. I certainly hope so. A cardiologist touched base with him this afternoon and told him he would look over his charts and tell him where to go from here. Hopefully early tomorrow.

Paul K. and I went to see him this afternoon and he looked fit as a fiddle. His hacky cough is gone and I assume they were still monitoring him for AFIB but the gismo they have on him now goes straight to the nurse's desk. 

I hope he comes home tomorrow and assume he will be.

I hope this fills you in. We think all is fine and we can resume our life as we love it.

I will think that until I am told or find out otherwise!

Life Lesson

 I wrote this poem many years ago and happened upon it recently. Still pertinent today.

Life Lesson (subtitled “But it wasn’t my fault!”)

 written by Barbara Brooker on  5/21/01

I remember who I wrote this for and about.  I am not going to divulge that info. It is not (a) relative. No pun intended.

You can’t move past till you claim it,

The thing you are placed here to learn.

You are doomed to repeat and repeat it,

Until you own it or burn.

Next faced with one of life’s lessons,

Stand up and say, “This one's mine!”

My crossing the line has happened enough,

To hope that I’ve learned it this time.

There is no one to blame but myself.

No one could tell me you see.

For the lesson was mine and I claim it.

It is the only way to be free.

South Texas weather

 And square dancing. Last night we went to a square dance, not lessons but an actual dance with Carl and Gina and we did well. Not once did we break down a square. FYI: When you break down a square all of you are standing instead of dancing because you lost your place. It was a good time, but we started waning in energy as time passed. This was a Mainstream dance. We plan to take plus lessons next season. It is a wonderful exercise overall at every level.

And now for the weather. 36 degrees at 6:00 am...feels like 27. Now imagine you live in Iowa and it is July with temps in the 70's and 80's and one morning you wake up and it is 36 degrees! Acclamation to weather is real. We have weatherman promises that by next Sunday we will return to South Texas's normal temps in late February!

The Pendulam...

...has swung the other way. Three days ago I went to the ER with a UTI infection. Seniors particularly are easily taken down with UTI sometimes not even knowing they have a problem. I am known for self-diagnosis and treatment but this time, being already down in the dumps, I decided I should talk to the real thing. So yes I do have an infection and with all the other testing they do, I now know that my heart and head are both normal. I'm not sure they tested too well on the head but I want to go along with it and see if thinking normal will make it so!

Today was women's 8-ball pool team play and Renie and I played in Magic Valley Park against the Magic Valley team. We played well winning 4 out of 5 games. And we had a chance to win the last one as well. I always say as long as I play well and to the best of my ability, I am happy with the outcome. I certainly needed a pleasant outcome in something to boost my self-confidence and self-esteem. And today I got that! Both Renie and I did our best!

It is cold here. I am writing this at 1:20 PM and the outdoor temp is 43 degrees! As I understand it there is cold weather in our future with over a week of cold temperatures. At least I can say with some certainty that it will not last and we will get some warm sunny days in the near future. In the meantime, we can stay indoors, with the heat on and play cribbage.

I didn't know that feeling so good would happen so soon and feel so right in a short period of time. I am ever so grateful.

brooker3.blogspot.com

Recovery...

 And what happened. The autopsy revealed there was no virus, I connected to the wrong people thinking it was google I was talking to, and the initial problem was the computer itself. My 5 year-old Chromebook decided to go crazy. As I look back I had warnings. When I clicked on anything it would sometimes take three clicks to react and yes I checked out my mouse and it was not the problem. And one of my last efforts to fix it, a factory reset, created more problems because of updates etc. So I fired up my brand new computer that had been still in the box after arriving two weeks ago. All factors are working normally.

It was an episode I will never forget and long regret. My personal issues are another matter. I have been having small panic attacks. I recognize them when they happen but it is still disconcerting. I have shakey hands, gut spasms, slight dizziness whenever I need to make a quick decision no matter how small. I hope this will go away with time. I can focus enough to play pool and in the company of others, I can relax and enjoy the conversation.

Time will heal... 

Just Plain Ugly

 I woke up Wednesday morning unable to open my main email account on my tablet. My phone was okay but as many of you know I am a computer 'gal'. I find doing blogging or anything really, very hard to do. I am writing this now so it is obvious I have resolved the computer issue. By myself, I might add. But in doing so I was scammed. Yes, it can happen to anyone. I hang my head in shame. I should have known better. I was trying to take care of a computer issue and wound up in a security issue. We lost a chunk of money in the deal and I refuse to live through it any longer by going into detail. It is done. I was double-tasking and got sidewinded. The first one created the second one. So if you see me...No I do not want to talk about it.

Everything  is okay now. I have no idea how long it will take me to recover. I am not there just yet.

Salad Story

I was perusing through some files on my computer and the title got my attention. I sometimes have issues eating enough veggies. Butch is not a fan and I tire of the few he will eat. So despite knowing this makes a huge amount of salad I plunged ahead...and I love it! You can decide about this – perhaps pair up with a fellow veggie lover.

Detox Salad

Vegan, gluten-free, oil-free, soy-free.

Packing a powerhouse of nutrients, this light & energizing salad will have you bursting with energy. It makes a lot so you can enjoy it all week long for easy, energizing lunches. I wouldn’t recommend skipping the currants and raisins as it adds a much needed sweetness to balance out the vegetables and lemon juice. I loved it drizzled with a touch of maple syrup just before serving. Feel free to use any herbs and spices you wish. I also love it with a sprinkle of cinnamon on top.

Inspired by Whole Foods

Yield: 10 cups (lots for the whole week!!)

Ingredients:

• 2 heads broccoli (1 bunch), stems removed

• 1 head cauliflower, stems removed

• 2.5 cups shredded carrots

• 1/2 cup sunflower seeds

• 1 cup currants ( I used dried cranberries)

• 1/2 cup finely chopped fresh parsley

• 1/2 cup raisins

• 4-6 tbsp fresh lemon juice, to taste

• kosher salt, pepper to taste (1/4-1/2 tsp salt and lots of pepper)

• Pure maple syrup, to drizzle on before serving

 

1. In a food processor (or chop by hand) process the broccoli (no stems) until fine. Add into large bowl.

2. Now process the cauliflower (no stems) until fine and add into bowl. Do the same with the carrots.

3. Stir in the sunflower seeds, currants, raisins, and parsley. Add lemon juice and seasonings to taste.

4. Drizzle with maple syrup to taste when serving.

~~~

Nibbling

 I have been going through old files and photos, erasing duplicates, and attempting to make some order. I have had a computer since 1998(?) and one of my first endeavors was to get all my pictures from day one onto the computer. The fact that the technology would grow into a phenomenal wonder, I did not take into consideration. Who knew? It wasn't me! So I am wandering around my files and frequently getting distracted. It becomes overwhelming.

The rest of my life in South Texas with my man of 66 years is going fine. We are enjoying every minute of it. Yes, we are overbooked on nearly everything, however, the time to head north will be here in the blink of an eye.             

Butch is giving a billiards lesson to our great-grandson Leo in this photo, taken over a year ago.

 

The Zimmerle family gathering last summer. Pictured below are cousins, Bill, Larry, and Howard and Larry's daughter Beth, a spectacular vocalist.

Take Note

Going through old files...

 These caught my eye...

The square dance years. These were taken at the Iowa State Convention in Sioux City.

Women's 8 Ball

                               Barb Utech, Barb Brooker, Renie Stinson

We are spreading our wings and playing competitively at other resorts in the Rio Grande Valley, meeting new people and learning new things.

Hope that's over

We had about 10 hours of freezing temperatures and it did affect the foliage. These periods of below-freezing temperatures used to be very rare in South Texas but now we have some of it every winter. Now it is rare to see an orange or grapefruit grove. It is too expensive to take the chance. It seems that when an orange grove gets frozen out they convert it into a housing development.

We are back to moderate weather 50's night and 70's day. We hope the folks up north will hold off sending any more of the cold stuff our way. 

There are so many activities a person could fill up every minute of their days and nights if they wanted to.  I think you would have to be crazy to try. I am sticking to pool,trivia, and square dancing. I have offered a beading class with some success but think I will let that drop after next week. I personally am getting back into beading earrings, relearning some of the many ways it can be done. 

Blogging has taken a back seat as I am sure my regulars have noticed. Age takes its toll. Photography was always how I would get past a session of writer's block but these days that has not been as prolific as in the past. But now that the thought has entered ny head I will take a look at the last photos I have taken. Perhaps I have not taken the time to post them.

I had to dig a while to find one worthy of posting. This was taken on the bike trail in Jefferson several years ago. I think thistles are beautiful.

Butch in 6th grade

Do you see the ghost?

It is fun to go through pictures! Time consuming but fun!

A Surprise UPDATED

 I now play in a women's traveling pool team with Renie Stinson as my partner. Renie had a cruise take up her time this last week so Barb Utech filled in for her. This whole business is new to both of us but we dove right in there letting the chips fall where they may. I never feel bad about the outcome when I am playing the best I can and that was almost true for me. Barb U. on the other hand played well. We played 5 games and won 3 and the other two were close. We socialized with the other teams and I wrote down the scores. When I got home I took a second look and Barb and I took first place for the day! The scoring system is a little different and I won't go into it here. I was so surprised! Overall we are ranked somewhere in the middle and a good day sure felt fine.

Other stuff: The park is in the height of it with dozens of activity choices to make. Whoops! I just remembered that I told someone I would post a list of things to do in the RGV and then promptly forgot. I put this list together years ago when we were in Magnolia Park. Now to find it...pause here... Okay, I found it! I went to the blog I used to keep with for Magnolia park and there it was, now copied in this blog.

 

Things to do in the RGV

Rio Grande Valley To Do List

I am going to need some help with this list. Help me add to it, please. And you folks who are no longer coming down please send me a text or email to tell me what you most miss about the Rio Grande Valley. In no particular order...

1. South Padre Island
a. Beach walk
b. Dirty Al's
c. Pirate's Landing
d. Kite Festival
e. Port Isabel- The Shrimp boats is a comin'

2. Basilica at San Juan
https://www.olsjbasilica.org/
Even if you are not Catholic this is worth a stop.

3. Nuevo Progreso, Mexico
Everyone has a favorite place to eat/shop so go on down and develop your own favorites. Going with an oldie is beneficial as it can seem a bit overwhelming to a newbie.

4. Riverside- right on the Rio Grande River. Great Food and Music. A fun place to gather with friends. Located south of Mission TX

5. Ropa Usada- means used clothing in Spanish and there are several places south on 23rd street out of McAllen where bargain hunters load up with used items for pennies a pound. An experience not to be missed.

6. Los Ebanos hand-pulled Ferry. This is not a highly touted tourist attraction. You can ride the ferry across the Rio Grande by car, bicycle or on foot and then it is about a mile to the first little Mexican village. They do not cater to all the fanciful things you will find in Nuevo Progreso. They are friendly but it is Mexico at a more basic level. English is not spoken by many. It is a whole other country.  https://www.krgv.com/news/reopening-of-los-ebanos-ferry-pending-u-s-coast-guard-approval/

7. Golf at several different courses all of them a bargain compared to other parts of the country.

8. Park Activities- We cannot overlook our own backyard. 

9. https://www.fws.gov/refuge/santa-ana Your Golden Age Pass will get you into the park to spend several hours enjoying nature. Just a hop skip and jump from Trophy.

10. https://tpwd.texas.gov/state-parks/bentsen-rio-grande-valley

See Javelina and every bird known to the Rio Grande Valley.

11. https://thc.texas.gov/historic-sites/iwo-jima-museum-and-monumentThe original  in Harlingen TX

12. https://www.fws.gov/refuge/laguna_atascosa/ Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge

13. https://www.portofportmansfield.com/ Lots of people go to Port Mansfield to see the deer and other wildlife 

14. https://www.portofbrownsville.com/ https://islatours.com/the-port-of-brownsville-tour/

The tour should be on your todo list for sure!

I have updated many of the entries on this list. And will do more updating in the future.

Suggested by others:

15. Please put Sisters. It's a marvelous shop that has been there for over 35 years. Delightful and a bit upscale. Sisters Boutique

https://maps.app.goo.gl/KXfnSsf3XiaLohvB7

16. Quinta Mazatland Bird Center https://quintamazatlan.com/

Many people are unaware that birding is a big deal in South Texas

I hope you have made it this far because special attention should be paid to this one. People from all over the world stay in this B&B. If you go to the ElDorado to eat you may be surprised to find it is across the street west from there.

https://alamoinnbnb.com/  Birding is a big deal

We made it!

 So we made it through the most event-filled week we have had in our memory.

In between the Golden Age Olympics doings, we were busy with our usual stuff. Trivia went well and we had 5 tables of players. I had worked out the questions for two weeks ahead so I didn't have the stress of coming up with the questions. I have a treasure trove of questions having done this since January 8th, 2018 in Texas. Longer than that in Iowa.

Renie and I are playing in a women's league outside the park. We are currently in last place. I am considering this our initiation year. We will work our way up the ladder. We are both ready for the challenge.

I offered a beaded ring class and it was a hit and they want me to continue. We will see if this continues. I do have an out on this one. One of the women who showed up for it was already an accomplished beader. She came because she had not brought her beading supplies with her. She can be a backup for me.

Square Dancing has started and conflicts for me with pool. I may see if I can make both work at least for a while.

I swore when we moved to this park I would not get overloaded. Everything takes a commitment! Whoops!

Buzz Saw

Golden Age Olympics Singles on Tuesday:

So I entered the Golden Age Olympics 2025 Billards for the first time.  I should have known better but what you don't know, you don't know. In the singles division on Tuesday, I thought I could hang in there for a while at least. First off I got a bye meaning that I didn't have to play right away. So I waited...and waited...for over an hour. When they called me to play I was matched up to play with Audrey. I broke, she had a 7 ball run. I got one shot and missed. She easily made the 8 ball and game over. The second game went much like the first. Audrey, I find out later, has been playing since she was 10. There was no hesitation between shots. She knew exactly what she was going to do without a thought. It was like watching the pros on TV. Impressive as a spectator but not so much fun as a participant. I will admit it messed with my head. I was rattled and my second game with Barbara didn't go well either. Two losses mean you are out. Audrey went on to win the tournament. My Trophy playing partner, Renie, won 3rd place! 

Golden Age Olympics Doubles on Thursday:

Renie and I were partners and we hoped to have it go better for us and it did. The point is that we both played well and we played a few other teams before we were eliminated. We also had a large time gap so Renie asked about it and the guy asked her what bracket she was in. She said she didn't know so he asked her if she was in the 67 to 81 group or the younger one. Why yes we were! So it was categorized by age and being 81 also meant I was the oldest woman in the room! I felt much better about the whole thing with that bit of news. I don't know if Butch was the oldest guy in the room but he could have been.

Butch won third place in the men's division and has another big ol' medal to show off.

They told us there were photos online but I can't find them.

I might sign up next year. If I look upon it as a learning experience it will feel better. Maybe the luck of the draw will not match me up against the winner right out of the gate! And maybe I am ready to work on all the things Butch wanted me to learn before I was ready. Time will tell.

The first day

 We made it through our first super busy day and got quite a few items off the to-do list. In so doing we missed the woodcarver's open house. I have seen some of the work in other ways, which is truly spectacular.

My chores were not nearly as eye-popping, but it feels good to have the list eradicated. The first thing on the list was dropping off a big bunch of recyclable items. A woman came out of her office and thanked us for doing it and gave us a magnetized note to keep us on track. 

We then had 5 more stops but I will not bore you with them. We started at 8:00 and arrived home at 11:00-forgot about the woodcarvers-and carried on with the day.

Today will hold even more events than yesterday...till then!

Schedule

Friday, January 3rd:

Walked our 2-mile route with Renie this morning and will be playing pool with Renie this afternoon to polish up for the events we are signed up for in the upcoming week. Butch is playing in his usual Friday afternoon tournament.

Saturday, January 4th: Plus Square dance review lessons start at 9:00 to 11:00 in Alamo Palms. In the afternoon, Renie and I are going to Fast Eddies to play on their tables because we will be playing on them for the first time. We have signed up for the Senior Golden Olympics 2025 in the Women's Pool events, Singles, and Doubles. 

Sunday, January 5th: The Sunday Mixed Pool Event in Trophy takes place every Sunday except holidays. I host and we play in it.

Monday, January 6th: I will be practicing...It is ladies' day in the pool hall.

Tuesday, January 7th: Playing in the Olympics. Both of us will be playing at Fast Eddies. Butch will play men's singles and I will play women's singles. I have only a vague idea of how this will go for me. Butch has played in this event for several years. And Then...there is trivia tonight at 6:30 for me!

Wednesday, January 7th: Renie and I will play in the ladies' league. We only this year signed up for this. We will be playing at Siesta Village RV park this week. We are still trying to feel our way through, however we can tell that our practicing has helped.

Thursday, January 8th: Renie and I play doubles for women and Butch and Paul Kelleher play men's doubles in the Senior Olympics. That will take up most of the day and by this time in the week, we may not be good for much!

I haven't looked much further out than this because just writing about it makes me tired. I do know Butch will be playing somewhere on the 9th too. I hope to be resting!

We have an Artic Blast coming our way. It is supposed to get here Monday the 6th. Indoor events will continue. Outdoor ones may get canceled. The worst of it will be for 4 or 5 days with temps in the 40's and 50's. I hope it doesn't last any longer than that!

I have several friends and family with January birthdays. I am hoping to remember them but the chances are higher than normal that I will forget. So I hope you will forgive me if I slip up. I know there are a few that have already passed that I have missed. I will do some belateds but right now I need a nap!