Devon's Winter Concert

Snipped from Facebook

Trivia night

Christmas season is a busy one so we had a 2 team trivia night. And those 2 teams had a great time.
I look for it to pick up considerably after the holidays.
A funny/strange thing happened. Liz was telling us that she took a nap and had a dream that her team did not show up and that she and Dave were sitting at their trivia table by themselves. And that is precisely what happened! So she and Dave went to play pool instead.
We will not be having trivia next week because it is Christmas night but the people who attended want to have it on January 1st, Tuesday at the usual time of 6:30 PM. So we will.
So I must wrap this up, get a walk in, take a few pictures, come back home and make Bernie's Fruitcake. There are a couple of other chores I need to get in the schedule too.

Not home much, Can you tell?

So backing up to last Sunday! Butch and I stopped in to see Bill and Kay in Magnolia after our usual breakfast tacos. Butch needed to restock his pecan supply and we miss our visits with friends in the old park. Donn and Peggy stopped by while we were there and Donn restocked my papaya supply.

Backing up just bit more, we stopped in at the Don-Wes Flea Market before going to Magnolia so Butch could get some more LED strips to replace the fluorescents in the motorhome and I had a nice visit with Randy Hinkle, an "Expat" from Magnolia. Randy and his wife Jo are vendors at Don-Wes Flea Market selling T-shirts and other items. I asked Randy if he could put a silhouette of a bicycle on a T-shirt with SPOKES WOMAN lettering underneath. He said not easily but referred me to a booth that probably could. I think it is KIWI SIGNS or something like that so after buying a shirt from Randy for $6.50 and the process from KIWI for $10 I have a shirt that would have cost $30 online.  I will pick it up later today!

Moving on to Sunday afternoon- Butch and I participated in a pool event at Trophy Gardens. It was a mixer event similar to one they hold at Magnolia, or used to have in the past. My partner was as green as I was so we didn't do well score wise but we did have fun and met many new people.

Not remembering what we did Monday but Tuesday is becoming my busiest of days. Butch and a new friend Moe went to play golf at the Executive Course in the Magnolia time slot and I went to the info meeting they have each Tuesday. My primary purpose is to promote Trivia night. I tell the activity director to announce it.
It is usually all info but being close to Christmas a short program was performed and I took a few pictures. And here they are...

I know some names but not as many as perhaps I should.  The elf is the entertainment director.

                             
Cindy, the Elf and Ruth.

Theresa, Liz, and ?

Assorted Elves

A most photogenic Elf

And then the New Years Babies showed up.

HEB's Feast of Sharing

Butch and I met up with some other "expats" and went to the Feast of Sharing in Weslaco that HEB puts on each Christmas season. It is truly an amazing event. HEB feeds thousands of people in a very short time frame. Volunteers do the legwork and it is good practice for HEB as they feed people at disasters. The menu is the same each year; ham, mashed potatoes and gravy, green beans, dinner roll, apple pie, and a drink. It is mighty tasty and you can have seconds if you want them. Here are some Boy Scouts volunteering. We love our HEB! And HEB loves us!

Jason's Art

Jason and Laura did an art project together and I for one think they did a wonderful job.

Old Pictures

I was looking through really old pictures the other day and ran across this owl picture, taken in Cumberland Iowa in about 1995 or so. I wondered at the time why it stayed still and let me get this really good photo but in trying to identify it I discovered it is a Great Horned Owl of the juvenile variety. So the answer is it didn't know any better!

Beautiful morning, Beautiful Day

This morning I awoke to this beautiful sunrise!

Last nights trivia group was a little larger and the questions were a bit tougher. Despite the more difficult questions, we all had a really good time.  We had two winners, Team SmartyPants came in first and Team Boobie finished second.

Going through some pictures and I found a recipe that Keri shared with me and due to a glitch I had misplaced it. Feel free to give it a try. If it is Keri's recipe you can count on it being a winner.

A Big Deal in Jefferson Iowa!

Read all about in the link below.

http://greenecountynewsonline.com/2018/12/10/silicon-valley-execs-tell-of-their-plans-for-jefferson/#more-49887

Poor Fruitcake(:-(

I have a wonderful recipe for fruitcake and I would love to make it but the ingredients (maraschino cherries and nuts) would cost over $30 to make and then you would have to beg people to eat it!

Here is the recipe and if you decide to make it I would love a slice!

Recipe:   Bernie's Fruitcake     12/16/2007

Category: Holiday

Author:   Bernie Craig

2 C Flour

1 1/2 C Sugar

1 tsp Baking Powder

1/2 tsp Salt

4 eggs

3 T butter-room temp.

4 -8 oz. Jars Whole Maraschino Cherries (Drain 3 jars)

2 C Pecan halves or pieces

2 C Walnut halves or pieces

1 LB. Raisins

Sift together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Stir in eggs, one at a time. Add

remaining ingredients one at a time in the order listed, mix gently.

Pour in an ungreased tube pan. Bake at 300 degrees for 1 hour and 45 minutes.

Increase heat to 325 degrees and bake an additional 15 minutes. Let cool in pan

then remove. Wrap in foil or plastic and store in the refrigerator. Allow 1 to 2 days for

flavors to mingle before serving.

I never liked fruitcake until I tasted Bernies. :-)

Sunday in the Park

Butch promised to get up early so we could go to breakfast before the rush. And he did! Butch and I have sort of made a tradition of going out to eat on Sunday morning and then doing our grocery shopping. For years we preferred the El Dorado in Alamo TX and that is now where we live-in Alamo, so it was a natural to go to the El Dorado being our favorite and all. But in the nature of things, nothing stays the same and we have been disappointed in the food and the service the last several times we have been there. So a couple of weeks ago we went to the El Dorado in Weslaco across from Big Lots! and for breakfast it has been excellent.  Weird, isn't it?
So back to the beginning we ate at the El Dorado in Weslaco this morning. Shopped at our favorite HEB, also in Weslaco, stopped at our favorite WalMart in Donna before returning home to get our walk in. Butch has been telling me about the Jack Rabbits on the golf course so we circled the course on foot and we indeed did spot one.
And here he is!

I must admit it is fun to watch them run! They run really fast!!

Butch and Dave are now playing golf and I am posting this and going through some old pictures. Liz and Kristi asked me to go shopping with them but having just "shopped" I declined. Hopefully, they will ask again.

Five Important Things

Five Important Things You Can Do to Stay Safe Online During the Holidays

Some computer geeks will tell you to install browser add-ins like safe-site toolbars and to let someone else decide what is safe and what is not. Some will tell you to install a firewall because Windows firewall is no good. There is an endless supply of questionable advice out there, and we know it’s really difficult to figure out who to believe or what to believe.

In our usual, straightforward manner, we are going to tell you 5 things you can do to help you stay safe online this holiday season:

1. Always Use Strong Passwords on sites that deal with personal information, banking or financial transactions.

2. Never click links on websites without thinking. Always think before you click.

3. Always use caution when clicking links in an email. Never click links in email that comes from a bank, credit card company, or other financial institution that asks you to verify a password or your account. If you have a question about your bank account(s), credit cards, other financial institutions, always go directly to their website – or call. Always think before you click.

4. Never do online shopping or banking while using public Wi-Fi like you’ll find at airports, restaurants, hotels, etc. Wait until you’re home.

5. Use good security software, like Emsisoft, that protects you from all kinds of malware: PUPs, ransomware, scamware, Trojans, viruses, etc.

We want to help you stay safe online during the holidays… and always!

Yippie Skippie

Trivia night exceeded my expectations. I have had people stop me on the street to tell me how much they enjoyed it and stop by the moho to do the same. We had 3 teams with a total of 20 people. I am anxious to see how much we grow this next Tuesday night. There are many events throughout this park that each person throws in a nickel, dime, quarter or dollar, depending on what the group decides, as a prize for the winners. As per usual I told them the group decides on the prizes for trivia and it seems they have decided on a quarter per person. If we stay at 3 teams we will stay with just one winner. I am fairly certain we will be having more teams and more winners.

Latest Photos

Butch's hair is growing nicely and he wanted a progress photo. I told him to leave his reading glasses on as I have still not adjusted to the idea of him not wearing glasses. To me, he looks better with them.

The morning walk provided a few photo ops. Horseshoe games are right behind us and it seems to be popular.

 
A Vermilion Flycatcher- Of course, the light was not optimal

Outside the fence, on the far north side of the park is a cabbage field. Being an unpopulated part of the park it will probably become my best site for getting pictures.

If any of you are keeping track of my Netflix choices you may like to know we started watching 'The Kominsky Method' last night and it is funny and very age appropriate for us.

Tuesday's events

Butch was obligated to take me to see A Star is Born after I went with him and sat through the Fantastic Beasts on Monday so after we got our walk done we ate a quick lunch and went to the Cinemark Hollywood theatre in McAllen to see A Star is Born 2018 version. It is a wonderful movie and everything about it was superbly done. We both cried all the way through it. Therapeutic on more than one level. We had to rush home and catch the second show of Jeopardy, fix supper and get ready for the second try at getting trivia to take off.
It worked!
We had 3 teams and they all had fun. The format was new to them and they found that they liked it very much. I have every faith that it will continue to grow in the weeks to come. Word of mouth worked very well the first week.
Butch is off playing pool this morning out of the park and then he is signed up for an in-park competition this afternoon. He is trying to hold it down but not having much luck. He has always been the kind of guy to say yes to almost anything.
So this morning I have decided to get to some heavy cleaning but that isn't happening if I sit here much longer so till next time...

Last Saturday

Last Saturday, we along with Liz and Dave went to Magnolias Garage sales. Saw lots of our old friends and most seemed glad to see us. Some not so much. One suggested we should have stayed and "fight for our park". What she is apparently incapable of understanding is we did for several years to no avail and as it is now there is nothing left to "fight" for and a quick look around the park accentuates that fact.
There is an unwritten rule that when you leave the park you are not welcome to come back and a few people made that very clear so we have probably made our last trip to Magnolia. Anyone with any interest in seeing us are welcome to come our way and they will be warmly welcomed. It also means we will double down on our efforts to embrace the park we have chosen.
We stopped at the fruit market and Don-Wes Flea Market before coming back home. I had my heart set on a pineapple and it has lived up to my expectations. And I have greatly enjoyed the papaya Donn Gordon so generously gifted me. That guy grows a mean papaya!

Sunday- I am so frickin' sick of football I cannot accentuate it vigorously enough! I will be so happy when the season has ended. I do have enough ingenuity to fill my time productively.

Monday- Butch and I went to see the latest Fantastic Beasts movie. Butch liked it. I think I dozed off 2 or 3 times. We are going back tomorrow to see A Star is Born. I know I will like it better. It is the new version with Lady GaGa.

Till next time!

I'm so happy

Simply Walking and taking pics

Thanks, Deon for telling me about the Simply Walking app. Today I walked 1.53 miles and took a few pics. And here they are...
I ran into Liz doing what she does and in so doing I was introduced to Sharon and Gus.

 
When I went by the golf course Butch and Dave happened to be in range for some photos.

 And here is my Christmas Cactus. It has recovered nicely from the trip.

 Traveling is hard on plants.

Turkey for two (repost)

I have purchased my turkey roast for this year. And my stuffing mix. And here is a reposting of the famous Turkey for Two recipe.

Turkey for Two
Did you have a meal with friends and family on the holiday and miss all the turkey and dressing leftovers at your house? Or there are just the two of you and you do not want to cook a big ol' turkey for two people. I discovered an easy way to have it all. Grease the sides of your crockpot or use one of those nifty slow cooker liners ( I swear by the liners). Place a small package of dry stuffing mix in the bottom. Sprinkle with a 1/2 cup of water or chicken broth. Slice an onion and dice a celery stalk and layer on top of stuffing. Place a thawed Butterball 3 pound turkey roast (found in your grocer's freezer) on top of celery and onion. Cook on low all day or high for 4-5 hours and you have the best of both worlds. A scrumptious turkey dinner for two with some for leftovers if you are moderate eaters.

Produce wagon

Thursday is the day the produce wagon comes into the park and it parks right behind us. I bought some fat carrots and a white radish.

First Trivia night and other stuff

Tuesday night was the first trivia night and we had two people. That is a start albeit a tiny one. However, we did proceed and now I have two ambassadors to help me spread the word. They both had a good time and even though it was a small seed to start I do believe it will grow. Keep in mind, they are not familiar with me, the format or the fun it can be. When I did this at Magnolia last January it started off slow there too.
So finally I am back to walking and feeling good about it. Right now the weather is not a factor as it is mild. 70's mostly. So, therefore, I can choose a time to walk without discrimination. As the temperature rises that will change.
Last night we went to a birthday party for Dave. Here is the birthday boy pouring a drink for Fred.

The food was excellent but if I keep eating like this I will have to be rolled back to Iowa.

Caught my eye

I finally was able to get my walk in and I took full advantage. I did get a slow start. When I first started I could feel a toe rubbing and thought uh oh I am working on a blister so I came back home and on the way, I heard these guys playing and singing and they sounded very good and since I knew Bruce I stopped to take a few pics.
C. Randy Parks and Bruce Johnston- C.Randy has a website if you want to check it out. www.reverbnation.com/crandyparks and Randy's son also has a site and he is in Nashville

www.honkytonkdave.com and Randy told me all of his son's songs were written by him.

So then I continued on my return trip, doctored my toe and shed a jacket and took off once again.

Blue sky and yellow flowers always make a good photo.

These folks that live beside these grapefruit are not here yet. Sure hope they have a hunger for it.

There are several of these homes here where they started out as a simple trailer and had the roof put on later. It does wonders to dress a place up

I particularly like this quilt design.

 
Simple but classy Christmas decoration.

This one is more elaborate

  Another angle on our little patch.

Good to have a plan

Desiderata means “things that are desired,” and Ehrmann said he wrote it for himself, “because it counsels those virtues I felt most in need of.”

Though Desiderata was not considered a popular work during Ehrmann’s lifetime, it rose in popularity during the late ’60s and early ’70s. Today, it is making a strong comeback, as parents and grandparents are passing along this wisdom to their loved ones

Desiderata

Go placidly amid the noise and haste,

and remember what peace there may be in silence.

As far as possible without surrender

be on good terms with all persons.

Speak your truth quietly and clearly;

and listen to others,

even the dull and the ignorant;

they too have their story.

Avoid loud and aggressive persons,

they are vexations to the spirit.

If you compare yourself with others,

you may become vain and bitter;

for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.

Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.

Keep interested in your own career, however humble

it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.

Exercise caution in your business affairs;

for the world is full of trickery.

But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;

many persons strive for high ideals;

and everywhere life is full of heroism.

Be yourself.

Especially, do not feign affection.

Neither be cynical about love;

for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment

it is as perennial as the grass.

Take kindly the counsel of the years,

gracefully surrendering the things of youth.

Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.

But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.

Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.

Beyond a wholesome discipline,

be gentle with yourself.

You are a child of the universe,

no less than the trees and the stars;

you have a right to be here.

And whether or not it is clear to you,

no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Therefore be at peace with God,

whatever you conceive Him to be,

and whatever your labors and aspirations,

in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul.

With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams,

it is still a beautiful world.

Be cheerful.

Strive to be happy.