Father time and Mother nature

Both of them are up to no good. What used to take me 10 minutes now takes 30 and that is one of the more upbeat things I can tell you about. I have been sorting through pictures I have saved for the past 17 years. I have them all on an external hard drive. I admit I had not sorted and labeled like I should have when I put them on the external drive but I did get them saved at least. It too has been a mixed blessing- always fun to look at old pictures but in so doing something else that you should be doing does not get done.
I do tell people who think their pictures are not flattering, if they wait 10 years they will have a very different opinion. My spare tire is much bigger now than it was 10 years ago!
So for want of something really cool to post I will give you some pictures from an earlier time.

Butch and his sister Marlene at one of the Kelley kids wedding.

I just noticed the photo bomb in the back but I will leave it in.

Butch doing one of his least favorite things to do. This was our mobile home in Cumberland Ia.

Iowa weather report- Carroll and Greene Counties.

Weather Report from Jefferson Iowa

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lXItYc1glPs&sns=fb

Marlene and Bernard's 66th anniversay

Saturday, Butch and I were invited to help Marlene and Bernard celebrate their 66th wedding anniversary. Bernard related it was a fairly warm January day in Iowa the day they married 66 years ago.
We played several hands of cribbage before going to dinner at Logan's steak house and then several more when we returned. I think the win/lose tally ended up about even. Marlene and I are partners against the guys when we play. We had a very good time and the meal was the best I have enjoyed for quite some time.

My oh my!!

I have been so busy just living life, doing laundry, fixing meals etc. etc. and in the process, I have been neglecting my 14-year-old blog. Even I have trouble believing that I have been so neglectful of my baby blog!
I have been enjoying my friends and two walks a day and whatever little pleasures I bump into through the process.
This morning was computer class and we side-tracked to a Netflix movie of "Babies". I enjoyed it as much the second time as the first.
When Butch gets home from the pool hall we have been tuning in to a series that we keep track of on Netflix. Tonights feature was a new "Hell on Wheels" episode. We have 4 more to go till we are caught up on that one. Fortunately there are many more good selections.
 Public television is a life blood for us in Iowa but in South Texas it is a dismal imitation. In fact in the past week they have not been broadcasting at all for 4 days so far out of the last 7.

Here are a couple of blasts from the past that I randomly picked.

Taken in Hillman Michigan 2010 

Taken in Glidden Iowa in 2012? I think.

Ransomware-More info

Not sure what ransomware is or why you need to know. Here is an article about it.
http://www.thundercloud.net/infoave/new/9-out-of-10-phishing-emails-distribute-ransomware/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+thundercloud%2FIapJ+%28Cloudeight+InfoAve+Computer+Tips+%29

yes, you DO need to know.😁

Myrla and Tara

My sister Myrla and her friend Tara at Christmas time. Myrla is the short one.

And a chuckle for you.

Interesting to some...

There is a lady in our park whose name is Joyce and I think she has a striking resemblance to our friend Donna who among other things, is also Mickey's sister.
Now to be fair I did not give Joyce any opportunity to Gussie-up as they say. From experience, I am guessing neither of them will see the resemblance.

Donna

Donna

Joyce

Joyce

Memories...

Mickey ran across this picture of Colleen and me from over a year ago and sent it to me. So glad she did. Brought back many memories of a fun time. The circumstance of the photo was this: Colleen had dropped her computer and we were trying to retrieve important stuff from this ailing computer. Sorry to say we were not successful but we sure had fun trying.

This was taken in the condo Mickey was living in at the time.

Happy New Year!

So we are into the new year already and the days are zipping by gaining speed with every minute. We have been hanging around doing the things we always do and taking much longer to get them done. I have made several bracelets in the past week, two ISU bracelets among them. I started working on Cyclone and Hawkeye bracelets a couple of years ago and then I lost interest for a while but have picked them up again this season.
These are all experimental but I am getting closer to my own approval rating all the time. Not there yet but the closest one is in the middle of the picture.

Haven't worked on the Hawkeye ones as yet. Black is kind of boring to be honest. I knew I needed to post something to keep your interest so this is it for today.

Things on my mind

I spent two hours straight making this bracelet. It has been a long time since I was so focused and immersed in a project. I did not bring the beads it took to make this bracelet so I have been working with Peggy's beads. Thus Peggy's bracelet!

Other things get put aside when I am having this kind of fun so gaps in the blog are now accounted for.

I have had two instances where people have not turned on their computer for a year. They either were not big computer users to begin with or have switched to their phones for all. The problem with doing that is that they do not function correctly until updates and maintenance have been completed. Turning it on for a few minutes for a specific reason can end up taking hours or not work at all. I remember when I worked on a friends computer she found in the back of a closet while moving. It took a week to get it updated and that was leaving it on all the time and shutting it down and restarting it frequently. If you have a computer that you do not use the old adage 'use it or lose it' comes to mind. You would benefit from selling it or donating it if years will pass before turning it on again. 

I recently read a good article about backing up your computer to an external or internal hard drive and being able to easily choose what is backed up and how often. Let me know if you would like to see the article and I will email it to you.

The propane guy stopped by to see if we needed any propane. It was still on half full but I had him top it off. He said business has been really slow due to the warm weather. He also wished me Happy New Year and said please do not drink and drive. You must leave that to the professionals! Gladly!!

Just finished our walk. Butch, Peggy and I have a reputation in the park as the walkers. You can set your watch by us. 10:00 and 4:00. Our route is 1.2 miles and we times it by two. It is not good for weight loss but is perfect to keep all systems working. Staying healthy in the warmth of deep south Texas!

Outside my window

Pidgeons:

Miss Elise

She has a flare. Elise with her friend Maddox.

And here she is with her new doll, Belle.

Santa Jason

Santa Jason looks cheerful! His lovely wife Laura said she didn't think this picture was suitable for social media because he was in his underwear but who would know! Looks like Santa is nearly ready for the beach!

Merry Christmas

As we get older, time runs faster, so we must do things sooner. Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas.

Moseyed to Mexico

Marlene and Bernard came over and we ganged up with Bill and Kay Stilson along with Peggy and made our way south. Bill and Kay always drive in because they go to the south part of Progreso to our favorite pharmacist, Hector. So the Kelley's and the Stilson's drove in while Butch, Peggy and I parked on the US side as we usually do and walked down to Hectors. I swear it is over a mile, maybe closer to two! It was well worth the trip. Prices were less than the last time I went down. Marlene said a bottle of eyedrops she buys in the US for $180 were $29. And the prescription I buy that are $150 with insurance are $63 this trip. They were $71 last time. Peso and inflation...
So we all went back to Elsa's for Panchos and Margarita's. We always look forward to that stop. Just as we were getting ready to leave Kay realizes she has forgotten their passports! So after a bunch of angst it all turned out okay. Their drivers licenses sufficed this time. They did a bit more checking but it all turned out well.
You all should come with us. We have a really good time.

Issues and Hunkered...again

We winter in an old park so things are old. And every so often an issue arises that can be directly related to old age and sewer problems is one of them. It is usually a short-lived issue and we get on with it. However this time it has risen to be a bigger problem, one that might include a backhoe and several feet of pipe replacement. They have found quite a large section where the pipe has collapsed.
Dottie, the manager, knocked on our door this morning and asked if we needed to dump our black tank and yes we do, so she has suggested we move the RV to another site and so we will. It should be short term but one never knows. This a reasonable request but naturally is more than we want to deal with on a cold and windy day. Butch thinks perhaps we could move the MoHo, dump our black tank and then return to our spot since we can go about 5 days between dumps. Surely it will be repaired in 5 days time, I say hopefully. So we are thinking we can do this tomorrow. Another complication will be that until we are back in our usual spot we will not have an internet connection. I can take the Chromebook up to the library but for me, that will be a last resort.

 And now on to the weather report... I know it is lots colder up north so my sniveling may fall on deaf ears but Damn! it is cold outside. The front came through at 3:50 am. How do I know that you might ask? It was 70 degrees outside when we went to bed at 10:00p m so we had the window open and the fan on and when the front came through at about 20-30 MPH it was noticeable. Over the next hour, it dropped to 43 degrees outside and 63 inside. So I asked Butch to turn off the AC and put it on heat. I could do it but I am too short and cannot see the controls without getting a stool. Easier to ask Butch. So this cold spell, the second of the season, is supposed to ease up by Wednesday and I certainly hope so!! Hunkered down once again so we are watching The Crown on Netflix learning a great deal about English history. Next summer at Trivia night we hope to be a force to be reckoned with. Except they will ask us a question about the Simpsons that none of us know one thing about.

A Visit with Marlene and Bernard

Marlene and Bernard are in South Texas. It always feels like family is closer with them in Harlingen, a 20 mile ride from Donna. Bernard was telling us that when his sister Jeanette was in Germany with her husband, he made a cribbage board out of a piece of wood and Bernard decided it would be the best choice to use in Texas this winter. Marlene and I liked it.

 And this is a tree their son Dwight planted when he spent some time in South Texas a couple of years ago. It sure has grown! I swear you can stick a dead stick in the ground and it will thrive.

Parade 2016

Peggy and I led the Christmas parade. It has become a tradition for us to lead the parade. She dresses as Santa and rings a cowbell while I wear moose antlers while pretending I am a reindeer. I kept my head gear on while we enjoyed our Subway sandwiches in Allen Hall. Over time I noticed my jaw was hurting-both sides. I kept massaging my jaw as it continued to hurt. Peggy said hers did as well and we thought perhaps it was from smiling while we walked the 1.2 mile parade route. My jaws continued to hurt and it was concerning me as jaw pain is one symptom of a heart attack. So after the event, I removed my head gear and had INSTANT RELIEF!! I cannot believe I sat there the entire time and did not take off my head gear sooner. One of the dumber things I did today!!😖

OMG Dancers

My friend Colleen sent me a smile!

Watch this: https://youtu.be/LOzpfMGC-mQ

It will fill you with joy and love and laughing and crying and wanting to dance again, dance your life away.

Busy and productive week

The house is clean. Meal planning is done through Thursday. Been getting the two walks in easily (tip: the secret is to set a time and stay accountable.)

Tomorrow night's supper:

Ingredients

2 1/2 to 3 pounds beef round steak

2 green peppers, sliced thin

2 onions, sliced thin

3 cups beef stock

2 teaspoons garlic salt

2 teaspoons black pepper

1 envelope dry Italian dressing mix

1 to 2 large loaves French bread, sliced into sandwich lengths or 6 to 8 hoagie buns

Provolone cheese slices

Directions :

Spray crockpot with non-stick cooking spray or use a slow cooker liner. Cut meat into thin strips, place in slow cooker. Add green pepper, onion, stock, garlic salt, pepper and dressing mix. Cover and cook on low 7-8 hours, or high for 3-4 hours.

Spoon meat mixture onto toasted buns, top with cheese. You can then put the sandwiches on a baking sheet and bake an additional few minutes to melt the cheese and toast the sandwich. You can also serve with sliced sauteed mushrooms on top

Butch is golfing on Tuesdays. Been shooting in the 30's and he is happy with that...for now.

Great Photo

My cousin Howard Ed Zimmerle took this photo of his brother-in-law Jerry Moss. The photo grabbed my attention. Any time that is true you know it is a good photo. Right away you wonder what he might be thinking...

For my family members who do not remember Jerry, he is Phyllis Zimmerle Moss' husband. Aunt Ruby's and uncle Phil's son-in-law. Uncle Phil was my mother's brother. Cleared it right up, Right?

smartrvproducts.com

On our way south we stopped in Carthage MO for a week and while there, parked at Coachlight RV Park where we visited with Alan, a friend we met at Coachlight way back in 2002. We always talk all stuff RV with Alan every time we meet up and this time was no exception. So we talked refrigerators. RV refrigerators are notoriously inefficient. They are fine for camping trips and other ventures but they are far from the same as a residential fridge. But over the years we have learned to get by. It is a given that things do not stay as cold and thus do not last as long. Ice cream may not be liquid but is close to it and you can dish it up straight from the freezer with an ordinary spoon. Milk must be used promptly as it will sour quicker. Over time you do get used to it. We purchased a small battery operated fan that takes two big ol' D batteries and lasts about a month. It was a moderately useful step. It circulated the air and increased the efficiency a tiny bit. We are on our second fridge in the RV because our first stopped working. We had made up our mind that if it happened again we were going to replace it with a residential one and that is still the plan.
But now we get to the good part. Alan told us about a fan he installed in his RV fridge that totally changed things. He said he turned the fridge down from 5 to 3 and everything kept colder longer. He didn't have to defrost it nearly as often and on and on about how good it was. We were impressed and decided if  all was true it would be worth doing. So we ordered one and we installed it last Wednesday. It is a bit of a deal to install and takes time, patience and a bit of study. But if a person is handy at all and Butch certainly is, it is a piece of cake. We had been running ours on 5 and we are down to 3 and may need to go lower if possible. Our temp is staying steady at 32 degrees but not freezing. Last night we had to use an ice cream scoop instead of a spoon to dish out ice cream. Whoo Hoo we are impressed!
smartrvproducts.com  is where we ordered it. They are based in Oklahoma. Very helpful if you call.

Before installation

After installation

Ours is a Norcold. Any questions, just ask.

Still hunkered

This morning at 6:00 am it was 43 degrees. It is a wet cold so quite penetrating. Besides, we have been here long enough to get acclimated to warm temps. Not sure I will ever get acclimated to humid
Today was computer class. Only two students ventured out but they were very motivated so it was a fun morning. I often say I learn as much as the students and that remains true. What happens is they will ask a question that requires a bit of research on my part and then I am off on a learning excursion and that is what I enjoy.
Tonight Butch will head to the pool hall as usual and I will find something to do. Last night we watched a feature on Netflix.


Babies is a documentary about babies. It is not about how babies are made. It's not about how babies learn or develop. It's just film of babies doing what babies do. There is no narration or point or anything. It's just about some babies from around the world. Babies are adorable and by extension this documentary is adorable. If you like watching babies being babies give this one a look. Oh, and if you have a girlfriend with baby fever do everything in your power to keep her from watching this movie.

It was very interesting and surprising in places.

Netflix is our savior and never more so than when we are in south Texas. We are on old-fashioned antenna. Yes, the pokey thing on the roof. We get the main 3 stations, several Mexican stations, and public television. In Iowa our main station, that we watch the most is public television or IPT and it is a full-bodied experience offering 3 different viewing options. The main one that has national offerings, then Create and it is like the name suggests offering creative things, and then World, offering stories and features from all over the World. In south Texas it is much different. There are two. One is called Cozi and is made up of old TV show reruns and movies. And the other is somewhat of the main one in Iowa except they also cover local city and county council meetings.  No create. No World. 
So we turn to Netflix. Yes, I must rely on a good, fast Internet service but I rather insist on that anyway. So it works for us.

Taste of Winter!

We are hunkered down in our warmest of clothing, with all our shades closed tight, electric blanket on the bed. The TV keeps beeping and the warning tape runs across the bottom of the screen telling people to take care of their pets and to wear warm clothing because hypothermia sets in very quickly. Keep in mind the AC was running yesterday. They are saying temps could dip into the 30's. Add rain and strong winds and it is very unpleasant. Sunday is supposed to be back in the 80's.
 

Cool and rainy Sunday

We are having a cool (59 degrees) and rainy Sunday. A better day is promised tomorrow.

Butch finished up our decorating...

Friday and Saturday

This week was mostly taken up with garage sale. No matter what is taking place the time flies!! Friday we were preparing for the monthly garage sale. I was one of those participating. Butch and I gather our unwanted and unneeded items throughout the year. I have a large tub in one of the bins of the motorhome and when I run across an item that qualifies I put it in the tub in the bin. Then each December we participate in the monthly garage sale taking place in the park and pare down our belongings. This is the most trouble-free way to ever have a garage sale. All of the items are together in one place and it takes little or no time to get them displayed and priced.
On Friday after we were all set up and ready for the sale, so Butch and I went to a movie. Fascinating Beasts and where to find them. It was worth seeing and I would like to because it had so many interesting tidbits.
Today was the sale and we did well. It is always good to get this sale behind us.

I have jumped headlong into beading again. And Keri will be glad to know I am working diligently on ISU bracelets and they are coming along nicely. So now back to beading!!

Roadtrip

Butch and I went to McAllen this morning with stops at Chase Bank and Costco.
We needed some cash, gas at Costco ($1.79) and a few food items.
I have been doing some steady beading the past couple of days and have finished off a couple and started a new one. It is once again enjoyable.
We later found out there was a record high temperature in McAllen today of 99 degrees. We are ready for a cool down!

Sunday breakfast

We do not go every Sunday but now and again we go to the El Dorado for  a sausage and egg breakfast taco. They are the very best here. And then we like to do our grocery shopping on Sunday morning. We are small town folk who like roomy grocery aisles and Sunday morning is the best time to find them.

Rhubarb???

We take our rhubarb for granted in the north. Rhubarb is a cold weather crop and cannot be grown in deep south Texas. Many have tried and all have failed. The conditions here are just not favorable for our redheaded friend. So imagine my surprise when I went to my favorite grocery store, H.E.B. and spotted rhubarb in the produce department. It surprised me so much that I had to take a picture!
And you might think I was mistaken about what it is but I am not.

And here is a close up of the price tag and in fine print, you can see that it states it to be RHUBARB!

Black Friday?

For Rv'ers, black Friday or even Thursday can mean it is time to empty the black tank.
Our life isn't really much different when we are south as it is when we are north. Perhaps a bit busier at times but for the most part, we are creatures of habit.
I have been beading lately. It helps to keep my hands busy. I go on a picture taking jaunt now and then.
This is my view from my computer corner.

Happy Thanksgiving

"Practicing gratitude is a very powerful tool to shift your attention on the things you don't have to the things you do have and this alone will make you feel better." Noelia Aanulds, Happiness: Learn How To Be Happy And Boost Your Life

Keri's walk

Keri went for a walk on the bike trail and sent me this picture of the pampas grass. Always changing, always beautiful!

Went to Mexico

We went to Mexico yesterday. Prices are up and we were told it was due to inflation. They expect it will get worse.
Also, the begging was much, much worse as is the hawking. (Definition of HAWKING: This term means to sell goods on the street and to attract the attention of people by calling out.)
It was hot and we walked all over that town looking at prices mainly. Susan and Amanda will be happy to learn that we purchased vanilla for them. 

We ate lunch at Elsa's. We had Pancho's with white cheese. Not as good as I remembered them to be. Butch did not share my opinion so perhaps it was just me and the head cold I am suffering that made it seems so.

I was very tired when we came home and took a nap. Went to bed early too. We had a rip-snorter of a storm last night with wind, heavy rain, thunder, and lightening.  I was slightly aware of it.

I conducted a computer class yesterday. It was a trial and a battle of minds with one person who shall remain anonymous. She lost in more ways than she will ever know. Am I worried about her somehow seeing this post. Not even a little bit.

Till next time...

Miss Elise 2016

Myrla on my mind

Myrla called tonight. I have been thinking of her so it was nice to hear from her. Myrla is my half-sister, although I have never thought of her as anything less than full, sister or otherwise. She has a big personality despite her 4 ft 10 inch height.
Myrla recently lost her partner of 33 years. She says Scott comes to her now and then. Most often when "The Price is Right" is on. That's my girl!
Here are a couple of pictures of her. Oh and yes, she is young enough to be my daughter.

Myrla with Hewy and Peaches

Here she is with Peaches and Tippy.

Back to beading

I haven't done much beading for the past two years. I have been saying for far too long that I was going to take it up again. Well, by golly, I did! Yesterday and here is proof!

The current project is the orange and copper one. I have a good start.

Missouri Great Grands

Leo and Elise