South Padre Day Part one

The Birding Center was our first stop and it is well worth the $4 per senior it takes for admission. 

 These two photos are indeed photos of framed prints on the wall at the Birding Center

 This was a lucky shot. She took off as I was taking the shot

 This is Charlene with 4 babies on her back.

 Crabs look like beings from another world.

 Roseate Spoonbills

 Butch is pointing a duck out to Sharon...

 This duck

 And then the duck dives...

Busy week!

Peggy's Rose. It used to be Jo's Rose but now it is Peggy's.

Below is a South Texas sunset- Taken while waiting for a table at Cheddars in McAllen.

 And below we have a Ropa usada adventure with our friends from Canyon Lake TX. The Ropa ladies of Magnolia park were our guides. They know the ropes...and ties...and quilts...and dress up clothes!

 In looking at the picture's you could play "Where's Waldo?"

 Below is the scramble after they have released a new batch. The blankets you see are where people gather their treasures and you do not remove items from someone else's blanket.

 From left at the top of the pile is Lisa, Roxy, Larry and Mike.

Patti Millers Documentary

 Patti Miller was a classmate of mine, a member of the famous JHS class of '61. Another classmate, Jayne Owen Tomes sent me the info. I am sure you can see the program in Iowa but not sure about other states at least not yet. The info about show times etc. can be found on this site:

http://iptv.org/series.cfm/24351/iowans_return_to_freedom/ep:0

Program Description: In the summer of 1964, hundreds of predominantly white college students answered the call from Civil Rights leaders to volunteer for Freedom Summer. They joined with voter registration efforts, taught in freedom schools and worked in community centers in towns throughout racially segregated Mississippi. Return to Freedom Summer gives first-hand accounts of the experiences of 5 Iowa natives who, though personally unfamiliar with racial issues, felt compelled to volunteer that summer. Viewers will hear their stories as they share their motivations, fears, triumphs and life-altering events that took place during that historic summer 50 years ago.

In Old Mexico

Friends from Canyon Lake Texas came to Magnolia Park to stay for a week. Yesterday we went to Nuevo Progreso. We shopped, purchased medications at fractional cost and enjoyed a great lunch at Garcia's From L to R, Larry McGough, Roxy McGough, Lisa Linder, Terry Linder, Peggy Gordon, Sharon Bryce and Mike Bryce.

Came in 3rd

Butch came in 3rd in the Senior Olympics with his partner Don Louks. There will be more pics later today and more medals too...maybe.

Project Day!

This morning we unleashed our new mattress, delivered the old one to a new home, defrosted the refrigerator and put new seat covers on the car. All of those are timely things to do in all definitions of timely.
 I nearly forgot Laura's birthday! I did catch it just in time. 
And now Butch is playing golf and Peggy and I are going up to the garage sale and pester Kay and Bill.
I am feeling SOoooo much better being done with those antibiotics I've been taking since the first visit to the dentist the last day of November.
More later...

Dusty Bunny is on Amazon!!

My sister Theresa Arts has a children's book on Amazon.  I am so proud of her!
Check it out:
http://www.amazon.com/Dusty-Bunny-His-Magic-Mirror/dp/1680287699/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1423186977&sr=8-1&keywords=dusty+bunny

Julie's Story

Julie Jorgenson is the daughter-in-law of Dick and Joann Jorgenson. And Dick is a cousin of Butch on his fathers side of the family.  We have been following Julie's story from the beginning. She was featured on the news in Omaha. And here is the link to it. She is a miracle.
http://www.ketv.com/news/woman-leaves-nebraska-hospital-after-nearly-dying-from-flu/31098034

Interesting story

I met Jeannie Sparks in Michigan. She and Eldo had been staying at Thunderbay Golf and RV Resort where we were work camping and on their last day there she popped into our beading class for a few minutes. I literally talked to her for less than a half hour. But we hit it off and shared information. We both have blogs. I have followed their adventures ever since. They are currently in Florida and being a teacher of long standing she does some substitute teaching. I very much enjoyed this entry. Fuego- do you know what it means?
 Find out here:
http://whereseldo.blogspot.com/2015/01/never-underestimate-power-of-persuasive.html

The Cold Story

Butch has a cold. Upper respiratory issues are ongoing for him pretty much all the time we are in South Texas. He can get by with lightweight allergy meds when we are in Iowa but we do not need to be in Texas too long before he has to switch to the hardcore allergy stuff with the capital D. You know, like Allegra-D. It is supposed to be D for decongestant, but I think it is D for demanding exorbitant amounts of dinero's for 10 24-hour capsules. Despite taking the big D's Butch came home with a cold. I always take extra precautions when this happens and sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. This time I thought I was in for it. I awoke with one nostril plugged a couple of days ago so I  used my trusty Netipot and made it through the day okay. Next day I was more plugged upon awakening, felt slightly not okay so used Neti again and improved. I could tell it was coming on since I had that dusty feeling you get in your nose and the tickle in the throat. This was Tuesday and I was supposed to take a picture of the Magnolia Olympians so I felt I had to go. Butch went and stayed long enough to get his picture taken. While waiting for the people to line up I told Noreen that I was getting a cold and did not plan to stick around long. Noreen mentioned that she had caught hers early and held it off with Zicam. Now I have long been a fan of Zicam but had forgotten about it. So I came home and dug into our cold med supplies and sure enough I had some so started it right then and there. The trick to it working is to take it AS DIRECTED at the first sign of a cold. By the second dose I could detect an improvement. Today is much improved and I think I will be fine with minimum discomfort. It isn't all fun and games as the Zicam leaves an unpleasant metallic taste in my mouth, but it is still better than suffering a cold.

The trick is to have them on hand at the first sign of a cold, follow the directions on the package and do not quit them too early. Oh and then remember to use them! I plan to thank Noreen for reminding me about Zicam .

Netipot and Zicam the one-two punch for colds.

Trail pics

Snipped from Facebook... I doubt that I will see the trail in its winter coat. It is beautiful though.

Boone Iowa Snow

Our Boone Iowa kids sent us some snow pictures. I have been away from it long enough to appreciate the beauty. The truth be known I never minded one good snow, where it came down heavily, and the wind blew and it was not fit out for man nor beast. I loved it as long as I could stay put in my cozy warm home and go from window to window  and watch the weather unfold.

And I am liking the memory of it as we are enjoying a sunny 80 degree day with a light southerly breeze reminiscent of a midsummer day in the upper Midwest.

It's all about that bass...

Love these guys and the way they sing this song!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BuyGVhQFLbs

Pool Player Partners

Trash Recovery and more...

We have a son who recovers items that have been discarded and refurbishes them. His latest rescue item is a ice fishing tent. A coworker had become disgusted in trying to get it setup in  too much wind and alcohol and tossed the whole business in the trash. Jason comes to the rescue for the tent- not the coworker.

Gary, another son is trying to gather up some skiers for an excursion to Colorado. Butch would love to go but his back has one too many tumbles down the mountains. Gary is going the first week in March so if this has peaked your interest let me know and I will get details.

I am still doing my best to get two walks in a day and though the weather is often borderline it has been good enough to bundle up and hit the pavement. The sun is brightly shining today almost to the point of hurting my eyes. And they are promising a more favorable forecast for the next week at least. We are going to savor it.

Butch is up to his neck in pool and golf with the emphasis on pool. We'll see him later...

App of the Week

I am currently listening to Prairie Home Companion and loving it! All from this article below. Chrome users-you can get it at the Chrome Web Store.

Barb

App of the Week
Check out our App of the Week, as recommended by GeeksOnTour:

Listen to your home radio station while on the road
There are several apps that let you listen to live radio over the Web. The one we (Geeks On Tour) use is TuneIn Radio. We are from Florida but we are currently traveling in Arizona. If I want to listen, live, to a Florida radio station, I can do that with TuneIn Radio. It is a free app on both Android and Apple devices. In addition to live radio stations, you will also find archives of radio shows. So, if you like NPR's "Prairie Home Companion," you can listen to it 24/7! Just search for Prairie Home Companion.

Read Chris Guld's article here.

10 minutes before computer class...

I have not forgotten my blog readers it may just seem that way!  I will catch you all up this afternoon...after my nap. I have been on antibiotics since December 10th and will not be finished until February 10th and I am blaming them for sapping my energy. Or maybe it is the weather because we are only briefly blessed with the good stuff and then the cold and gloom descends once again. So stay tuned!

Giant Cauliflower

It is cauliflower season. And Peggy and I were gifted with a giant one. This is easily  the size of 4 of the usual ones found in the produce section of our local grocery. Price? $2

Computer World article about Chromebook

We have had a Chromebook for over a year now and I have not fallen out of love. It is simple, easy and trouble free. No malware. No viruses. No updates. No operating glitches. No frustrating mystery tours to find fixes.  I really like things that work as advertised and that is so rare these days. And NO, I am not a Google employee.

http://www.computerworld.com/article/2871664/chromebooks-spank-windows.html

First Mexico Trip this season

We finally made our way south of the border. Usually we would have made multiple trips by this time. We are 7 miles from the border and in that 7 miles we spotted 4 or 5 state troopers. This is unusual.  We figured something was up. Then when we walked over the bridge and were making our way to a pharmacy we were a bit overwhelmed by the number of Federales present. It was not busy so many business people were on the street too and seemed to have an above normal interest in the Federales. So we asked, "What is going on?" Answer was "Nothing". "This is normal" It plainly wasn't normal.
We decided that there would be some people who would turn around right then and there to get back to the good old USA. We didn't. We went to the pharmacy and picked up a few items, like naproxen and zyrtec. Then we did our usual casual shopping and ended up at Garcias for Panchos. It had been a long time and I thoroughly relished every bite.
And then we made our way back to the bridge. Not a Federale in sight! All was back to normal...whatever that is!

A Ramble

Well folks, it has been tough. You see when you are housebound by weather or nearly so there is not much to add to the blog. I am pretty much a watcher of public television. We both are really. And being on antenna we do not have a bunch of options. We have added Netflix and it is a lifesaver, especially on days such as those we have had since Christmas. A few days ago we watched Get Low. What a great movie! We highly recommend it.
____________________________________________

Get Low

2009    4.6 stars

Average of 657,964 ratings:3.7 stars

Robert Duvall stars as irascible backwoods loner Felix Bush, who plans his funeral while he's still around to attend -- and enjoy -- the proceedings.

_____________________________________

Being the introvert that I basically am I am not bothered much by having a lot of alone time but the dank, dark days we have been having does take its toll. I want to see the sun and even perhaps take part in some outdoor activities. Maybe even leave the park and do something fun! 

We have tickets for a Port of Brownsville tour but we want to have some nice weather for it.

Another recommendation I can make is a Fanny Flagg book we are listening to on Overdrive. Funny, genuinely funny.

www.Overdrive.com

      (click on)
is a way to be connected to a library online. I use my library card from the library in Jefferson Iowa but if you have a library card from any library you can use overdrive. We happen to be listening to an audio version of the book but it does not have to be audio. It works much the same as if you walked into the library and checked out a book. Our new friends Bob and Cathy Jones, who we met in Canyon Lake TX, introduced us to Overdrive and we are so glad they did. It is another tool for our entertainment capabilities.

So I am closing this ramble for now but if the weather continues in the awful manner it has been I may have to resort to more rambling.

Loaded Caulflower

LOADED CAULIFLOWER

I have reposted this several times but it is my most requested recipe right now. If you have not tried it, it is a MUST! It's low carb too!!!!!

Ingredients:

1 large head of Cauliflower cut into bite size pieces (approx 6 cups)

6-8 strips of bacon cooked and crumbled (Cooked in oven at 400° for 20 mins)

6 Tbs chopped Chives

1/2 cup Mayonnaise

1/2 cup Sour Cream

2 cups Colby Jack Cheese ( may use cheddar)

8 oz container sliced mushrooms

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425°

In a large pot boil water and cook Cauliflower for 8 - 10 minutes, drain and let cool.

In a large bowl combine sour cream, mayo, 1/2 of crumbled bacon, 3 tbs chives, 1 cups of cheese,mushrooms and cauliflower and mix well... place in baking dish and cover with remaining 1 cup of cheese and rest of bacon crumbles. Bake for 15-20 minutes until cheese is melted. top with remaining 3 Tbs chives and serve.

Son Jason called

First of all he told us they planned to have spaghetti squash, one of his mothers favorites, for supper. That is until they cut it open and discovered they were having melon instead. I assume it had to be a honeydew melon in order to look even close to a spaghetti squash. I am betting they will be paying closer attention on their next purchase of spaghetti squash.

And then he told us he had a new job as an English teacher. This was a surprise because Jason had an issue with a type of dyslexia in his elementary school days. The rest of the story is he has a friend of Mexican origins at work who has a 6 year old daughter who is starting to read. And Sebastion's first language is Spanish so he is unable to help his daughter as much as he would like so he asked Jason if she could call him of an evening if she ran into a word she didn't know while she was reading. Jason said she could of course and she did. She called and spelled out d-e-f·i·n-i-t-e·l-y. Jason gave her the pronunciation and the meaning and then asked her what she was reading as it seemed like a difficult word for a 6 year old. She was reading Sponge Bob Square Pants. I am guessing she will be a very good student. And Jason will enjoy helping her.

Bejeebers!

This year is shaping up to be much like last year. And that is a bite in the butt. Today was Costco run day and none of us were in the mood for additional shopping. Cold weather is bad in my book no matter where you might be but not being acclimated to it gives it a double whammy. Like a 40 degree day in July-everybody freezes! And as it happens this is the best day of the next three. Predicted high of 38 degrees come Saturday with 16 MPH north winds.
Enough of the dirty talk.
 There was a buzz of activity prior to this cold spell coming in. As we walked around the park people were getting all their outdoor chores finished up. It reminded me of the runs on the grocery store before a storm. Do people still do that?
Spring will be here much sooner than there and that is what I am hanging my hat on these days.
Till next time...

A Friends Birthday and her Gifts

Kay is one who bakes all the time. She bakes cakes for the jams. She bakes cookies for the cribbage players and she has a perpetually filled cookie jar near her front door. So for her birthday Peggy gave her 4 lbs of butter and some vanilla hand lotion. I gave her a set of stainless steel measuring cups. We could not think of a more appropriate gift for her! She was happy!

Family get together

Anna, Bernard, Marlene and Dwight Kelley drove over from Harlingen and we went with them to the Don-Wes Flea Market followed by a meal at the El Dorado in Weslaco. We had a good visit. We will plan a trip in their direction soon.

My friend Colleen's column

Perhaps those who may be new to this blog do not know that Colleen and I are friends and we walk two miles every summer morning that we possibly can. We meet at the bike trail depot in Jefferson Iowa at 7:00 AM and walk to the one-mile marker and then return to the depot. On these walks we talk about nearly every subject under the sun and the time flies!
Here is her latest column....I had been thinking along these very lines for the past few days.

Time. And time again.
December 31, 2014
~a column by Colleen O’Brien

It took me a long time to get to the millennium, and now it’s 2015?

My dad told me when I was a grade schooler that time would speed up as I got older. “I can remember everything that happened to me before you and your sisters were born,” he said. “And then it speeded up and it’s a blur.”

I wasn’t sure if this was an insult or just an observation, and I had a millisecond of recognition that perhaps my existence wasn’t as exciting to Dad as it was to me, but it didn’t make much sense at the time. It took forever for Christmas to come and once the new year turned, it lasted forever. Apparently there was something very different about being an adult.

But, in my current role as a woman of a certain age, about a week after January 1, 2015, it will be Christmas and I’ll be looking at 2016.

I do know that when I keep a journal, I at least can look back to see what came and went so quickly, but most of the time now I forget for days at a time to write in it because, really, not much happens worth writing about and all my thoughts and surmises are hackneyed or I wrote them down 20 years ago.

Reading the old diaries is much more fun than trying to keep up with the current one. I was terribly whiney when the kids were little: I moaned and groaned about trying to be a better mom, quit yelling, play more Candyland (boy, did I hate that game). One of my entries read: “Putting dry Cheerios in their beds works! They don’t get me up! Of course I can’t tell anyone. I am a horrible mother.”

This makes me smile now; then, I was horrified at myself, even as I continued in my devious ways.

When I started writing for a living, I was always making notes on things to write about or jotting down characteristics of people I might use in a story. Once in a while I return to journals for ideas for columns, so I guess it wasn’t all futility, although some of those jottings make absolutely no sense to me now.

All through the years I’ve copied lines I’ve loved from whatever books I’m reading. If I wanted to look up these hallowed words, I’d never find them, but they are pretty good reading randomly. Some writers are just so good with a sentence I turn green with envy and write it down. I don’t know why I do this because I don’t use the quotes, repeat them in conversations, write to the author to tell her how brilliant she is. Maybe I think the copying of a good line will rub off on me as I pen it.

Two years ago, on New Year’s Day, I decided not to start another diary but to write what I titled “Pome-a-Day.” I got up to #247 when I began skipping days. Soon I was skipping weeks. Then my computer crashed (literally; onto the floor) and I lost them all. Now I’m back to writing a poem when it’s time for a poetry meeting.

I do read a poem a day, however, in “Writers Almanac” online. This is a Garrison Keillor idea, and he publishes well-known and obscure poets each morning . . . a very fine idea and never a waste of time, something we’re always warned against. In fact, I am a pro at wasting time. I think I’ve been gazing out the window for years.

The speed of my days these days is hardly news to anyone old. It is certainly dismaying, however, for I feel like I’m missing something . . . not paying attention to life perhaps, or, the Big Scare – losing my marbles to the great length of time I’ve survived. My friends and I talk about it periodically, laughing the gallows laugh as we recall occasions in which we lost our word and sat there mouths agape and puzzlement in our eyes. Sometimes we call one another to ask, “What is that tall flower that grows in alleys and you can make dolls out of?”

The old saying “Time flies when you’re having fun” is indeed true; but it also flies when you’re simply old and not really having any fun at all. Dr. Seuss, as usual, summed it up nicely: “December is here before it’s June. My goodness, how the time has flewn. How did it get so late so soon?”

Happy New Year!

Hunkered

We are having a cold spell. Cold spell here means 40's. Trouble is, it is temps in the 40's day and night. We are on our third day of it. Actually that isn't too bad if the wind isn't blowing. It blew the first day but the last two have been quiet. It is dark, cloudy, wet and 45 degrees. We have more ahead of us.
So really what does this mean? The woman who announces the news says she has watched 3 movies in the last two days. Everyone hunkers down and endures until the sun comes out again. I will let you all know when that happens.

Happy New Year Everyone!

Slow-Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup

I posted this recipe on the magnolia blog but not all of you are tuned into both so thought I would add it here too. Enjoy! 8 hours? really? I do not believe 8 hours are critical for this recipe. Slow-Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup

Prep Time: 30 Minutes Cook Time: 8 Hours Ready In: 8 Hours 30 Minutes Servings: 8

"A quick, no-fuss version of chicken tortilla soup! All you do is put everything into the slow cooker, and turn it on. Then garnish with baked corn tortilla strips!"

INGREDIENTS:

1 pound shredded, cooked chicken 1 (15 ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes, mashed 1 (10 ounce) can enchilada sauce 1 medium onion, chopped 1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chile peppers 2 cloves garlic, minced 2 cups water 1 (14.5 ounce) can chicken broth

1 teaspoon cumin 1 teaspoon chili powder 1 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon black pepper 1 bay leaf 1 (10 ounce) package frozen corn 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro 7 corn tortillas vegetable oil

DIRECTIONS:

1.	Place chicken, tomatoes, enchilada sauce, onion, green chiles, and garlic into a slow cooker. Pour in water and chicken broth, and season with cumin, chili powder, salt, pepper, and bay leaf. Stir in corn and cilantro. Cover, and cook on Low setting for 6 to 8 hours or on High setting for 3 to 4 hours.
2.	Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
3.	Lightly brush both sides of tortillas with oil. Cut tortillas into strips, then spread on a baking sheet.
4.	Bake in preheated oven until crisp, about 10 to 15 minutes. To serve, sprinkle tortilla strips over soup.

A day on South Padre

New friends Cathy and Bob Jones are staying at Edinburg TX for a couple of months. We both have Snow Mountain Ranch connections in our pasts and became better acquainted at Canyon Lake in October. We had decided to do a day at South Padre sometime this season but the weather last year did not hold one of those days so we were on the lookout for one and yesterday promised to fill the bill. It really did too with the only missing element being sunshine. It was warm with a breeze less than 15mph out of the south. Good pictures require good light but we did the best we could and here they are...

My favorite meal at Dirty Al's. And below we stopped to see if Paul and Karen Pope from Jefferson were in the the KOA park and indeed they were having arrived the day before.

 Then we went for a beach walk. I wore my muddy Iowa construction Crocs so I could leave a bit of black Iowa dirt in the Gulf of Mexico.

These are the current crop of jellyfish washing up on the beach.

There were some good players in this group. 

Barb and Butch

Cathy and Bob

Sandpiper

Merry Christmas everyone!

In the BC years-before computers-I wrote and sent a Christmas letter each December. But then in 2000 I discovered blogging and decided to do nearly the same thing throughout the year. So I no longer do a yearly summary because I feel that those closest to us keep track and those with a casual interest can check in as they choose or have time.
However I do want you all to know that we do indeed wish you a very MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Found on Facebook

These are two of Marlene and Bernard Kelley's great grandkids-Peyton and Nolan. Nolan is two years younger than his sister Peyton but nearly the same height. Their mother Marie says about this photo-"Brother is a pro at buttons so he said he'd help"

And then we have our great grand little Leo who is 20 months. He gave hugs to all the nativity figures at church.

I thought both of these pictures were cuter than cute. These little ones do know the true spirit of Christmas. Help others and give hugs.

Keri's Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

Keri will be glad to know I finally baked the pie she gave us before we left Jefferson and it was mighty tasty. Shared it with some lucky people. I was proud of myself that I got it done without incident and it looks not the worse for wear. Thanks Keri!!

Two Rule Diet

 There are two big decisions that can put you on the right path and help you largely steer clear of antibiotics, excess sugar, unwanted chemicals, animal cruelty, and more.

Here then, is your two-step guide for an unassailably powerful personal food policy.

1. Stop eating junk and hyperprocessed food. This eliminates probably 80 percent of the stuff that is being sold as “food.”

2. Eat more plants than you did yesterday, or last year.

If you add “Cook your own food” to this list, it’s even more powerful, but these two steps alone allow you to reduce the amount of antibiotics you’re consuming; pretty much eliminate GMOs from your diet, lighten your carbon footprint; reduce your chances of becoming ill as a result of your diet; save money; cut way back on sugar, other junk and unnecessary and potentially harmful nonfood additives; and so on.

All without relying on corporate benevolence or the government getting things right. The power lies with you.

Procedure Day

Yesterday we traveled to Harlingen to a dentist for a cleaning procedure on my dental implants and application of antibiotic sleeves. It went well. Yes, it was painful and the throbbing hasn't quit yet but I can tell we are on the right track for a return to oral health. I will soon be able to eat raw carrots and celery and that is a good Christmas present for me.
After the procedure, we stopped by Marlene and Bernard's place. Their son Dwight was also there. Marlene and Bernard haven't been there long and it was good to see them again. We usually see them several times throughout the season. It is handy that they are only about 20-25 minutes drive from us. Next time we go I will be taking her some lemon juice with visions of lemon meringue pie dancing in my head. wink,wink.

Survival- Starting a Fire with Steel Wool & 9V Battery!

This tip is for all my camping friends who make a campfire as well as being a good survival tip. What an easy way to start one!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xbwNJhJwnSs

Winners!

So far we are winners this season as the weather has been near perfect. Daytime highs in the 70's and nighttime lows in the 60's. Perfection!

I spotted these two cats on this attractive seating and thought they made a pretty picture. And below we have some peppers at our local H.E.B. and I thought they made a pretty picture too.

And gas at 2.29 is also attractive.

 Neither of these two will like this picture. I took it while they were busy putting new grips on Jan Raders golf clubs in their mini golf shop. A mailman in Jefferson Iowa taught Butch about using an air compressor for the job and he has done them that way ever since.