And then we...

We went to South Padre Island and the beach was littered with these jellyfish. Non-poisonous we were told. Locals call them garbage heads. The sun has shone enough this winter for Butch's legs to take on a "Turkey Leg Tan".

Peggy, Mary and I went to Ropa Usada (used clothing) and went on a WinterTexan treasure hunt. I purchased 4 pounds of baby clothes for new great granddaughter at 38 cents a pound.

Everyone has to go to Gonzales Burgers at least once. Here Donn Gordon is ready to tackle the double meat burger he ordered. Another treasure of the RGV.  Most do not order the double meat and now you can see why!

The Iwo Jima Memorial in Harlingen TX at the Marine Academy near the airport.

Nina Grace

Great Grand of ours. Her Granddaddy Rich sent me this  photo of Nina Grace. She is now 15 + months old.
Cute as a button.

South Padre trip

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Explanation

I was experimenting a bit to see the best way to post pictures of the Ropa style show- thus the 5 pictures below. I have been busy and will continue to be so but will get as many pictures posted as possible as soon as possible. Right now there is a complete Smilebox album on the Magnolia News website.
Today we are headed to South Padre with the Gordons. I will be adding those pictures to the mix as well. When it rains it pours.
The weather is finally summer-like. High today of 89. We will be leaving the AC on for Angel for the first time since last November. As I sit here I am hearing the whir of  a lawnmower and the smell of newly mown grass. Aaaah summer!

Erv Hagens Ropa Pictures

Dorothy Wendt


















Kay Voss


















Mary Bruun


















Erma Cleaveland and Mary

Egg-citing!

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Ice Storm Recovery Video

Thanks Keri Brooker for sending this. Butch will enjoy every minute of it. I thought others might as well.

http://www.midlandpower.com/aspx/Announcements.aspx?AnnouncementID=2241

Time Marches on

Clever huh...since it is March. I was elected president of the park association this week. It is a social association rather than a homeowners association which makes the job a bit more palatable.  I will give it my best.
The weather has taken a turn for the better. We are finally getting some temps in the 70's and 80's. Long overdue!
Friends Donn and Peggy Gordon will be arriving on my birthday Saturday to stay for a couple of weeks. We always enjoy each others company so it will be a fun two weeks. Peggy and I met when I worked at the medical clinic in Panora IA. Her husband Donn was a merchant seaman and was gone for 6 month periods and Butch was in sales and gone through the week so Peggy and I did things together outside of the time at the clinic and developed our friendship as individuals and as couples. They moved to Nevada and we had a long gap in seeing them but when we retired and took to the road we re-established our friendship and it was as if we picked up where we left off. I will be telling you all what we do for fun this next two weeks.

Here is a picture of us from the old days in Panora.

Suggested

It has been suggested to me that it is not apparent what part of Butch's anatomy is injured. For the record it is his right shoulder. 

Golf Ball Hit

Butch was hit by a golf ball Saturday. Fortunately it hit the ground before hitting him. You can see the glancing blow lines. He says it hurts and I am sure it does.

Roses

We have been grumbling about the weather down here but these roses are thriving. Cannot be too bad, can it?

Roses in Bloom

My Oh My

I keep trying to think of something positive to add to this dear blog...it is tough. This is the worst weather we have ever had in the valley. It changes how we do everything! It is a very serious reminder of what life would be like had we stayed up north. We can get out and walk but we are usually one of the few who are out there. Standing on a street corner for a 15 minute conversation does not happen all that often when the temps are in the 50's. Wanna go to South Padre? Not really...and freeze our butts off! Gonna grill tonight? Not hardly when it is soup and chili weather. The coats and jackets cannot be put away and wearing shorts is only happening on rare days. We are not wading through 4 and 5 foot snowdrifts and that is what we all console ourselves with as we quickly head for the warmth of Allen Hall.
If this were the first year for coming south I do not see how the poor souls would be at all impressed. I hope this is not a trend for future winters!!

Northern Woes

From friend Mickey in Clive Iowa (near Des Moines):
Here's my mailbox in it's own little igloo. There's no way I can throw it that high so have to carry it to a lower spot. Only have to shovel what the plow builds up at the end of my drive. In picture 2, can you see the ice above the gutter that is acting as a dam? It will keep water from running off the house when the snow melts and allow it to creep under the shingles and into the house. Problems yet to come. Should I sell now?

Not much new going on here.

 Butch and Bill have been busy with projects for people here in the park. Both plumbing and electrical. Rain is predicted for today and the radar map shows it coming. The in-park pool tournament is tonight and both Butch and I participate.
Angels flea situation is under control. We haven't seen a sign of any for the past two weeks now. Of course she wants outside but we are afraid to let her go. Those damn fleas are waiting for her to step outside so they can jump on her.
It is about the time we start thinking about where we will go from here and we have been doing a bit of that. Haven't come to any conclusions however. It does not seem the time to head north too early. All that snow has to go somewhere, sometime. Best case scenario would be a slow warm up so that the runoff is also slow but that means it would be a late Spring with cold and cool temps well into June. It sounds like quite a balancing act. Predictions do not mean a thing. It usually is getting hot enough here by April 1st that we are ready to venture north but we have had a cold winter here too so the temps in April may be quite pleasant right where we are. What will be , will be. Let's wait and see.
We have company coming in March. Friends Donn & Peggy Gordon from Nevada. That will change our routine a bunch and we are looking forward to it.
Till next time...

Shirley Franey's Birthday

Shirley's son Mike flew into McAllen to surprise his mom and help her celebrate her birthday. Way to go Mike!!

Greene County Iowa gathering

A light crowd gathered at Lin's Chinese restaurant in Weslaco TX for the annual Greene County get together. Those who were there enjoyed the food and the company. See ya'all next year!

Brian & Mary Carlson

Dale Weaver

Shirley Franey

Dave and Cherie Roquet

                                                        Carolyn & Eugene Houk

                                                           Hazel Monthei

                                           Hosts- Jane & Bill Ecklund

                                                 Bill & Jo Brooker

Get This: Warming Planet Can Mean More Snow- From NPR

Get This: Warming Planet Can Mean More Snow

February 15, 2010 Shared

View and comment on NPR.org

With snow blanketing much of the country, the topic of global warming has become the butt of jokes. Climate skeptics built an igloo in Washington, D.C., during the recent storm and dedicated it to former Vice President Al Gore, who's become the public face of climate change. There was also a YouTube video called "12 inches of global warming" that showed snow plows driving through a blizzard. For scientists who study the climate, it's all a bit much. They're trying to dig out. Most don't see a contradiction between a warming world and lots of snow. That includes Kevin Trenberth, a prominent climate scientist at the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Colorado. "The fact that the oceans are warmer now than they were, say, 30 years ago means there's about on average 4 percent more water vapor lurking around over the oceans than there was, say, in the 1970s," he says. Warmer water means more water vapor rises up into the air, and what goes up must come down. "So one of the consequences of a warming ocean near a coastline like the East Coast and Washington, D.C., for instance, is that you can get dumped on with more snow partly as a consequence of global warming," he says. And Trenberth notes that you don't need very cold temperatures to get big snow. In fact, when the mercury drops too low, it may be too cold to snow. There's something else fiddling with the weather this year — a strong El Nino. That's the weather pattern that, every few years, raises itself up out of the western Pacific Ocean and blows east to the Americas. It brings heavy rains and storms to California and the south and southeast. It also pushes high-altitude jet streams farther south, which bring colder air with them. Trenberth also says El Nino can "lock in" weather patterns like a meteorological highway, so that storms keep coming down the same track. True, those storms have been record breakers. But meteorologist Jeff Masters, with the Web siteWeather Underground, says it's average temperatures — not snowfall — that really measure climate change. "Because if it's cold enough to snow, you will get snow," Masters says. "We still have winter even if temperatures have warmed on average, oh, about 1 degree Fahrenheit over the past 100 years." Masters say that 1 degree average warming is not enough to eliminate winter. Or storms. A storm is part of what scientists classify as weather. Weather is largely influenced by local conditions and changes week to week. It's fickle — fraught with wild ups and downs. Climate is the long-term trend of atmospheric conditions across large regions, even the whole planet. Changes in climate are slow and measured in decades, not weeks. Masters and most climate scientists say a warming climate would be expected to affect the weather, sometimes drastically, but exactly where and when is hard to predict. "In that kind of a climate, you will have more frequent extreme events, heat waves and so on, but again, none of those individual events is proof itself that climate is changing," Masters says. Climate scientists say they can't prove any single weather event is due to climate change. Thus, they say, Hurricane Katrina or the heat wave in Vancouver that's dogging the Winter Olympics isn't proof that climate change is happening. Nor can southern and eastern snowstorms prove that it's not.

How Butch did

Butch played golf in the Valley Senior Olympics yesterday and the weather was crappy but not as bad as it could have been. It was cold...in the 50's...and damp. But the wind was moderate and it didn't rain. They shot a 74-one stroke more than last year but the playing conditions were very different. We do not know how the rest of the field played but Butch did know of a couple of 70's so they know for sure they were not in the top 3. It would be really something if they were as there are many good golfers over 55 in the valley every winter.

Golf anyone?

Butch is playing in the valley senior Olympics with Bob Milheim and today is the day. He has been worrying about this for weeks now. Today dawns cold and rainy. I did check the weather radar and the rain should be moving out soon but still it will not be good golfing conditions. I personally think they would be better off if it were postponed but I have seen some pretty crappy weather on this day through the years and never have they postponed. (Jason says Dad is in the special Olympics and indeed they are special!)
My computer is up and running nicely. I have Windows 7 on this one and so far I like it. There are a few things it has taken me a bit to figure out but it wasn't difficult. I had to figure out what libraries were and it is contacts instead of address book. It seems they decided to rename everything. To me that is suddenly like calling a bathtub a table but I am sure I will get used to it. My main problem has been the aforementioned address book. I had a database of all the Magnolia Park residents and for some reason I am unable to open it. So I have decided this problem will not happen to me again and it is taking me a loooong time to get them in a safe place and in a format that will not be vulnerable. I am up to the esses. (as in the letter S).

Jason & Laura Brooker- Boone Iowa

From the record snowfall of winter 09/10

And it just keeps snowing!!! 7 more inches on top of what had accumulated all winter.

From My Friend Peggy G.

Peggy Gordon, my friend from Carson City NV says this recipe is soooo good.  And it certainly sounds very good. Shall we all try it together?

Chicken Enchiladas

4 cups cooked chopped or cubed chicken

8 oz. cream cheese

1 medium onion (chopped)

1 T butter

2 cups whipping cream

8 oz. pkg 4-cheese Mexican blend

A small can green chilies

8 flour tortillas

 

Melt butter. Sauté onion in melted butter for 5 minutes.  Add green chilies, cook for one more minute.  Add chicken and cream cheese until melted/blended.  Spoon 2-3 spoons into middle of tortillas.  Roll up and place seam-side down in lightly greased 9x13 pan.  Spread Mexican-blend cheese on top.  Drizzle whipping cream on top of cheese.  Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.  Let sit for 5-10 minutes before serving.

Pleasant Rainy Day

The Brookers Four went to the movie Avatar in McAllen yesterday. We had to go to McAllen to see it if we wanted 3-D viewing. Jason had assured us that we did and he was right. It would have been a good movie on its own but the 3-D made it special. We followed up the movie with a meal at Fuddrucker's. It was excellent. Butch and I shared a crispy chicken salad and were reminded of our friends Don and Marilyn Scott with whom we had first experienced Fuddruckers and sharing one of their humongous salads. We topped off our meal with ice cream at the Dairy Queen in Alamo. We know  so many good places to eat in the valley and there are still many more left to try.
We are having our own experience of an icky winter. We do not have the cold, snow and ice to contend with but we are being denied the warm balmy temperatures and the usually  clear and sunny skies. Many people didn't bring enough cold weather clothes with them and so frequent laundry loads and wearing the same three outfits is an unexpected part of their life in sunny south Texas this winter. Oh well...this too shall pass.

Snowed under

Sister Myrla's friends car is somewhere under this snowdrift.

Netflix

Butch and I watched the movie Julia & Julie. I enjoyed it very much and thought it was well done. Meryl Streep did a superb job as Julia Child. As a blogger it had perhaps more meaning to me.

Yippee!!

The Magnolia Directory is finished and I am quite happy with the finished product. We are using a different printer this year so the quality will be greatly improved. We should be able to sell them by next Tuesday.
Butch is playing as much golf as possible and helping new park manager Dottie. We are happy with her as manager. We can talk to her without her putting up a wall as we walk in the door. I think she will do a good job. I hope we can keep her.
I like a lot more leisure than I am getting right now. That is no different than in years past. There is no perfect balance on that score. I am much better at dealing with the pressure of too much now than I was in my youth. It all works out.
We are still fighting fleas on Angel. We think we have it conquered and then we discover another one. Once she is clear of them the only solution will be to not let her out. She hasn't been outside for more than 3 weeks now and she is not happy about that. These Texas fleas are a force to be reckoned with!!

Iowa Weather

These are pictures from my sister Myrla in Rockwell City Iowa. This is her neighbors house across the street and this was taken several storms ago.

Really cool picture of the ice melting off the roof.

The weather up there is frightful!! One after another the storms keep blasting through. Even though we are not living through it, in hearing about it, seeing photos and listening to news reports it has to be the worst winter in my memory.

Iowa's Ice Storm

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Really I must get to the directory!!!

No Matter

No matter how badly last year treated you, just walk tall with your head high. This is a brand new year!

I did not plan to post but I could not let this one pass by. Now I will get started on the directory...after I go for my walk....heavy sigh!!

Directory

Working on the park directory...see ya'all later

Tidbits

Mark Brooker, Bill and Jo's youngest flew down from Houston for the weekend to visit his mom on her birthday.
Friends Julie and Dave Krauth of Massena Iowa stopped by for a visit yesterday afternoon. They are in the Trails End RV Park.
The park is close to full so it is difficult to get our two walks in without many stops for visits. It is all part of being here. wink,wink

We had to de-fur Angel and give her a bath to rid her of fleas. She misses her fur coat and is doing far more snuggling.

I am working on the park directory so if the posts are sparse that is the reason.

Haircut

Angel is having a flea problem. We knew the fleas were bad here because she had a problem last year and after we got her cleared up we vowed that we would stay ahead of it this year by making sure she was treated well ahead of her arrival. And we did! But what we have discovered is that Frontline Plus no longer works on her. And after doing a google search on the subject she is not alone. So now we are using a different treatment. Revolution. The jury is still out. We treated her a few days ago and the fleas seem weak and disoriented but they are not dead. SO...yesterday we gave her a haircut and a bath. That seems to have helped tremendously but it is not an ordeal I want to put her through again! So now she doesn't have her heavy coat on and the weather is far from toasty. We are running our heat a little higher to help her compensate

Mexico

We went to Mexico yesterday with Bill and Jo and new neighbors Dale and Joyce Gunderson. It was crowded. Either the people there did not know about the drug war battle the first part of December or like us decided to take our chances.
I would say it was a bit less busy than a year ago at this time but not by much. We purchased some vanilla. The big bottle of Valencadora is $3.70 this year. Up another dime. I also picked up some Naproxen (Aleve) 500 mg. sixty tablets for $5.50.

Pics from Bro Leo

These are snow pictures of Leo and Keri's place. We see the pavement when we are there!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Interesting Post

I subscribe to a Yahoo RV group and I found this post to be very interesting. A person can live dirt cheap if they are of a mind to. We do not care to live this spartan but for those who do this sounds pretty good. I thought some of you might find this an interesting read if nothing else.
Barb

From a man named Fred:
"I happened onto my present unadvertised (not on the Net) semi-boondocking itty-bitty RV park (40 units on 40 acres: lots of room for each RV site) in the middle of nowhere (about 60-70 miles from Quartzsite, no neighbors outside the park for several miles) via a friend while shopping around for a winter parking area. Advantages of where I'm at right now: a permanent site (can develop it anyway we want: I have two sheds, an outdoor model RR layout, ham radio antennas, minor landscaping with transplanted cactus) which I can
leave in place year round (I travel during the summer, much less so in winter since everyplace else north of the SW has that white stuff) as long as I pay my rent ($400/yr). Nearest RV neighbor over 200' away. QUIET. Co-op type community with clubhouse, park showerhouse and laundry; security is not a problem although many of us are quite security conscious. Disadvantages (depending upon one's perception): we provide out own electricity via solar, wind, or generators; water available for only two hours per day; black water pumpout twice per week by sign-up; marginal cellphone reception; season is 1 Oct to 1 May and most of clear out by mid-April due to the high temps; and a really unpleasant park manager (I'm being kind here). My 3+-yr old kitten can run free to chase lizards, rattlesnakes, woodrats and other rodents.

The only other similar RV park in AZ of which I am aware is in Ajo which is too far away from the nearest VA facility. I'd boondock on nearby BLM land but security and permanence would then become major issues. Until I find a better situation, I'm not about to move into what would amount to a full boondocking area for six months (I don't think there is such a thing as a "prefect" RV situation). Again, to each his/her own; cost is less of a factor for me than a place to settle for winter months where I can be left alone."

His next post:

If you know about Snowbird West RV Park, then you know it's the best kept open secret in the southwest RV world. This is my sixth season here and I have no intent to move elsewhere for future winters nor anyplace else which has even a chance of seeing that white stuff from the sky.

SBW is definitely underutilized because the owner would rather use it as a tax write-off than as a profitable endeavor (she declined to shell out the $100/year for a website domain). Besides the 40 or so permanent sites, we have some 50 additional transient sites for overnighters, weekly, or monthly RVer folk who might want to check it out or just stay for a little while. The park has never been in an "overcrowded" condition with wall-to-wall RVs 10' apart nor have we ever had to take a number in a line to take a shower.

When I first came here in Oct 2004, I stayed in the transient section for a couple weeks because I didn't believe this place was too good to be true and didn't have some sort of hidden major problem, agenda, nor hang-up. I quickly learned that SBW was an ideal location and became a permanent resident. We've got folk who have been here for over 20 years. We permanents tamed the nasty park manager (in his 80s) and all is now quite pleasant with each resident making his/own determination about how active s/he wants to be in the park's community and social life. There's Bingo every Wed and Sat evenings in the clubhouse and card and dominoes most every day, none of which in which I participate, Thanksgiving, Xmas, and New Year's dinners (a FEAST for us single males tired of our own cooking; the ladies here love to cook and bake!), occasional pancake breakfasts, and coming up on 14 Feb is a "Sweetheart Breakfast". I'm a loner, don't participate all that much in social activities but if I want to get out, I have that option.

Also as stated earlier, I have the room for my site set up for my model RR, ham radio antennas, and two storage sheds plus a sun/rain tarp with frame to keep me comfortable and busy during winter months. I don't have to move anything except my RV travel trailer when I leave in mid-April when the temps hit the 100s.

There are disadvantages, as mentioned before: our post office (Salome, AZ 85348) is 25 miles away one way (we take turns picking up the park mail); choice of receiving mail via the park PO Box or renting one on your own (I have my own, check it once or twice per week); the nearest Walmart/Safeway is 50 miles one way; my VA in Prescott is 105 miles one way. Salome has propane, gas, a small mini-mart, and RV repairs albeit for higher prices.

Exit 69 (Ave 75E) off Arizona I-10, 1.5 miles north (can't go south on the Exit) on right side of the dirt road. Five bucks per night for transients, $400 for the 1 Oct to 1 May season.

Fred
Snowbird West RV Park

I was naughty

I got a talkin' to by good friend Peggy G. Told me I hadn't posted since Tuesday and I was shocked to find she was correct. I have had a most busy week part of which I can put on this blog but not the other.
On Monday our new neighbors told us they weren't staying in the tiny little trailer they had rented for the winter. They said it was too small and there were other issues I will not go into here but we hated to see them go as they were a nice addition to the park. They are younger retirees and I am sure they will be a good fit once they are happier with their accommodations. We had gotten to know them a little as we had went out to eat with them on Sunday. So when they decided to leave I told them to hang in there for a bit and I would see if we could find them a place. So long story short I made a few calls and they landed in a 2 bedroom,2 bath mobile home that is very nice for not much more than they had been paying. They ended up much happier and very grateful for the part I played. Their former landlord is not happy.

So then on Wednesday we went to Mexico. The first time since the drug cartel shooting in early December. Our new friends, Dale and Joyce along with Bill and Jo Brooker went with us and we did the usual touristy stuff. It looked normal to me down there. The crowds are perhaps a little lighter but not much. Enjoyed the Panchos at Garcia's as much as ever.
And then the cold weather set in but it seems we are always super busy. We have had a bit of park stuff to take care of. We do have to earn our keep!
Today we did the omelets in a bag for Saturday morning breakfast in Allen Hall. Leslie C. and I put together 50 omelets! It wore me out so after a nap I started cleaning house and finished most of it in between people rap, rap, rapping at my door.
Oh and I did do a bit of preliminary work on getting the directory put together. It has seemed like a most busy week but I am sure there are busier ones ahead.
Thanks for the nudge, Peg!

Nina Grace-13 months

Weather News

Whether the weather is cold,
Whether the weather is hot,
Whatever the weather,
We'll weather the weather,
Whether we like it or not!
I first shared that little ditty with my friends at Senior Haven and lo and behold I still remember it.
We are in for some wicked arctic temps the end of this week. Don't laugh!! We are getting into the 20's and that is a big deal down here. But we will weather the weather!!

Yikes

Quite a lot has happened since the last post. Nothing earth shattering. We have been to the El Dorado...our favorite place to eat. The park is nearly full as most everyone who is coming arrived this week. There will be a few more arrivals trickle in but from now on out it will be a trickle.
This morning the other Brooker's and Toomire's and us went to Denny's for breakfast. And then it was garage sale day so we checked that out.
We are still experiencing cool temps. We usually have temperatures in the 70's and 80's for daytime highs but this year it is hard put to get even close to that. I still have hopes it will get better soon.
The guys are golfing this afternoon.
Till next time...