Women in the pool hall

 Here are some photos I took Monday in the pool hall. Yes, we were all minding our P's and Q's.

Pictured are Sally and Darlene

Bev oversees our time in the pool hall.

Mikie lines up on a shot

Word from Missouri

 Susan texted me this morning that Gary slept well and felt a bit better today. That news warmed our hearts and lifted our spirits. So we can spread some Christmas Cheer!

We know he is not yet 100% but it does seem he has turned a corner. And in case you wonder that we might be giving Susan the short end, she has done better throughout this ordeal. In general, women do seem to tolerate this better than men in many instances. Susan too is still in recovery mode, and not yet ready to celebrate a complete victory.

Some recent Pics

 The Missouri Great Grands made gingerbread houses. This one was Elises. She has grand style! (snipped from Facebook)

Also snipped from "The Internet"  It is a 2020 XmasTree

Taken near the golf course- a deflated Christmas

Our Humble abode...

Our new pet!

How goes it

 I asked how our Missouri kids were doing in their battle with Covid and it seems it is about the same as yesterday and yesterday was not fun at all, so still feeling rough. I did ask Renie's husband Alex, how Renie was doing and he said she is starting to feel much better. She is on day 14. Gary and Susan still have a ways to go.

Butch and I played pool this afternoon. Only 16 people can be in the pool hall at one time, with everyone wearing a mask and keeping distanced. Not as easy as it sounds, really. So there were 8 couples playing. The guys draw names to get a partner. It is not a serious business but it is a good time. I felt good about how I played and that is all I can ask for really.

We are in our own bubble within the park. We know the people in our bubble and their habits. When a new arrival comes they are supposed to keep their distance and stay at home for a minimum of 5 days. We have been here long enough to know who is new and if they are behaving themselves. Word spreads quickly if they are not.

I did see some good news today, and I will copy and paste it here so you can be happy for us old folk.

Further, in the article, it said we old folk should have our vaccine by the end of February 2021.

Older People, Some Essential Workers To Get Vaccines Next, CDC Panel Says A federal advisory committee voted to put adults 75 and over and frontline essential workers next in line for COVID-19 vaccines.

INSPIRATION: SIX LITTLE STORIES

 

“Life is not a matter of holding good cards, but sometimes playing a poor hand well.” (from a Chinese Fortune Cookie)

Once all villagers decided to pray for rain. On the day of ‎prayer, all the people gathered, but only one boy came with an umbrella.

That’s FAITH.

When you throw babies in the air, they laugh because they know you will catch them. That’s TRUST.

Every night we go to bed without any assurance of being alive the next morning, but still, we set the alarm to wake up.

That’s HOPE.

We plan big things for tomorrow in spite of zero knowledge of the future.

That’s CONFIDENCE

We see the world suffering, but still, we get married and have children.

That’s LOVE.

On an old man’s shirt was written a sentence “I am not 80 years old; I am sweet 16 with 64 years of experience.”

That’s ATTITUDE.

Gary Update

 Gary and Susan both have Covid. Susan is not well but not having as difficult a time as Gary. He has always had a great deal of stamina throughout his life and we are hanging our hat on that and hoping it is enough. He is on Day 9. From what others have told me Days 9/10 are the turning points. He is uppermost in both our minds so...till next time.

Later this morning: He is feeling well enough to eat a little and both of them are monitoring their blood oxygen levels and temperatures. So it is a make it through the day kind of thing and that is happening so we have to take our positives where we can find them. Susan has lost her sense of taste and smell. That seems to be something that happens. Laura's son Michael lost his taste and smell for 3 months. We don't realize what a joy they are until they are gone. Think about it! How much fun would eating be if everything tasted like cardboard!

The Best Gift

  This Christmas remember the Spirit of Christmas and keep it dear. And make the very first gift you give the greatest one: Give the gift of love.

“Love is patient, love is kind. It is not jealous, love is not pompous, it is not inflated, it is not rude, it does not seek its own interests, it is not quick-tempered, it does not brood over injury, it does not rejoice over wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things…. So faith, hope, love remain, these three; but the greatest of these is love.” 1 Corinthians Chapter 13

May you and those you love have a very MERRY CHRISTMAS filled with love and joy – and the true spirit of Christmas.

Have a safe and happy holiday season!

Barb and Butch Brooker

update 1

 I talked to Susan yesterday about Gary. Susan also has Covid but seems to be not as sick as Gary and from what I have read it does seem that women fare better than men with this virus. The two of them are pretty much constantly on our minds. I haven't checked in with them yet today but you can be sure that I will.

Last night Butch and I put a puzzle together. We haven't done that for years. It used to be a regular winter activity. It was a 300 piece puzzle of the US and it took us 2 hours. It was fun!

We are currently having a cold spell with highs in the 60's and lows in the '30s. The beauty of being here is that it will not last long.

We haven't been to many places. In fact, the grocery store and/or Costco are our only destinations so far. We are happy about the vaccine news and plan to get one as soon as they are available to us. We hope we are lucky enough to have both before heading home next Spring. 

Gary B is positive

 Our son Gary sent me a text yesterday telling me he has tested positive for Covid. He said they took two other tests at the same time. His symptoms currently are fatigue and achiness. I have asked him to keep me updated and I hope he remains healthy enough to do that. Missouri has been an open state since summer. Many people there do not "believe" in it so this has been a bigger concern for those of us who know it isn't a matter of belief. Gary is a teacher so his job has put him in a high-risk category. We know he has done all he could in the way of precautions. He is just that kind of guy. And yet here he is...

And our friend Renie was called back to Michigan to take her mother, who has Covid, home from the hospital. The hospital sent her mother home, a woman who had Covid in her late 80's who was on oxygen 24 hours of every day and there was no one there to care for her. So Renie had to go, and now Renie has Covid and her mother has passed so she is trying to take care of all that goes with that as well. Renie is struggling but still able to function. There are so many things wrong with this scenario.

Cribbage Board

 There was a park-only patio sale this past Saturday and we made the rounds. We didn't buy much because you just don't when you live in a motorhome, that is if you want some room anyway. We had a cribbage board on our list of wants because of our new pool hall in Jefferson. We have one of course but thought we could use a second one. We had planned to pick one up at the DonWes Flea Market. I spotted one for $2! and we snapped it right up. The people we bought it from said they didn't know how to play it so were selling it. We have offered to teach them so we may have to sell it back to them.

Oh yes, we wore our masks. Not everyone did.😕

Containers Contained

 I have always been a collector of containers. It hurts me to pass up a perfectly good box. Now I must say they do have to be special in some aspect. I do not rescue dilapidated boxes or ones that would take way too much elbow grease but a good sturdy shoebox is very hard for me to turn my back on. Here is one I dolled up a few years ago and it holds most of our excess electronic connectors like phone charger cords. I have all those kinds of things in one box so I know where to look when I need one.

And here is one I put together last night with a box my shoes came in. Its purpose is yet to be decided.

It is a new crafty hobby of mine that I enjoy. I always need a creative outlet and this is the latest. So I have stocked up on Duct Tape of all colors. As hobbies go this isn't too expensive.

Yesterday I played pool with the women. Too much conversation and not enough focus. Oh well...

Trivia

A study by the National Bureau of Economic Research says that if your spouse also happens to be your best friend, you’ll get about twice as much life satisfaction as those whose spouses aren’t. So if you’re not best friends with your spouse or partner, perhaps it’s time to plan a date and go do something fun!

Trivia

 This 'splains alot!

Trivia

You know how they’ve been saying not to go to a gym during the pandemic? Well, this might have something to do with it… FitRated.com collected samples from 27 pieces of gym equipment from three different gyms and found there were more than one million germs per square inch on every piece of equipment – hooooooly cow! The equipment with the most germs was the treadmill, followed by the exercise bike, followed by free weights. Free weights, they found, had 362 times more bacteria on them than a toilet seat.

T'was a Good Idea

 

T'was a Good Idea

 Moving back to our hometown of Jefferson Iowa was a good idea and we didn't even know to what extent at the time. As anyone who knows me can tell you, my Internet connection is important to me and surprisingly more so as time goes on. It is my one indulgence and I do not see that changing as long as I can rub two brain cells together.

And here is an article that surprised and pleased me on this subject.

http://beeherald.com/news/believe-hype-0

Finally

 Finally, I was able to encourage Butch to get up so we could take part in the senior hours at Costco and it was worth it! He had to get up at 7:30 AM and grumble he did. He didn't have to get up at 7:30 but he did. I reminded him that he did that all summer to help Russ and he didn't grumble even once!

We were at Costco at 9:00 AM. Purchased gas for $1.69. The crowd was remarkably thin compared to other visits and we noticed that people who were not first responders, under 60, or obviously not seniors were turned away. It was one of our better Costco shopping experiences since March.

From there we went o HEB. It has been my experience they have the freshest and longest-lasting produce in the RGV, most likely because of location and turnover. It is Friday and was a bit more crowded, but I have seen it far worse.

From there we stopped at Dollar General so I could stock up on chocolate. While there a polite young man held the door open for me and then he was also ahead of me in the check-out line. He had a case of beer and the very young and inexperienced clerk asked him for his ID. He said I will have to go to my truck to get it. Since he had been so polite, I patiently waited and finally, the clerk asked me to come ahead. When I went out there was no sign of the guy or his truck. He tried and failed. Visually he could have passed for older. 

So we came home and resumed our usual routines. Going out of the park is a big deal and it had been two weeks or so. I do wait until the cupboard and fridge are bare much as I have since March. I am a much more experienced shopper in knowing how to avoid the pitfalls than I was last March.

Later...

The Virus Hates Christmas

 From this site: https://www.thundercloud.net/infoave/new/the-virus-that-stole-christmas/utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+thundercloud%2FIapJ+%28Cloudeight+InfoAve+Computer+Tips+%29

The Virus Hates Christmas

This virus hates Christmas, nobody can doubt.
It’s all over the place, both inside and out.
While the Christmas lights shine, and the snowflakes still fall
Not much else this Christmas seems like Christmas at all.

Some people are doubters the say it’s a cold
Others are scared and believe what they’re told
But one thing is certain, lots of people are sick
Hopefully one of them is not old St. Nick.

But Santa’s still working, they say he’s immune
And we hope he can brighten the quarantine gloom.
Instead of cookies, it might just be wiser
To leave Santa a bottle of good hand sanitizer.

The virus will try to steal the joy from the season,
But we can’t let that happen and for a good reason.
I’m sure if we all still truly believe
The blessings of Christmas we’ll all still receive.

Merry Christmas!

Clear, Sunshiny Skies!...continued

 This morning when I got up at a bit after 6:00AM the sun was rising and I could see the promise of a beautiful day. Yup, that is what we have. High of 72 degrees when it gets there.

I plan to join the ladies in the pool hall at 1:00. Only 10 people can be in the pool hall at one time but so far that has not been a problem.

continued... I forgot that I didn't get this posted. I did go play pool with the women and I had a good day. I was accused once of playing defense and indeed I was so I said, "And Butch would be so proud." Today is another women's day from 1 to 3 and I plan to go.

I told them about Jan M. in Jefferson who was told by her doctor that playing pool was good for her to keep her active. So Jan moved to Jefferson from Arizona and moved her pool table with her. She has it in the living room. Seniors! You can never know what they might do! The answer is anything they want to.😃

As a whole, the general pace of things is slower than in years past, and to be quite frank it suits me.

I looked out the window a bit ago and after giving up on the birds we suddenly have some action.

A semi good picture of a gold-headed woodpecker.

A not very good pic of a mockingbird.

The squirrel and the grackle seem to have a working relationship.

Documentary Storm

 I subscribe to Documentary Storm (no cost) and here is one of the options for today. I was reminded by the subject matter of a group of single women in Jefferson who have their own "Daisy Chain". They look after each other by sending an email to the group by a certain time each morning and if someone does not respond or forgets they get checked up on to make sure everything is okay. I think it is an excellent idea all around. This documentary isn't long but quite informative and encouraging. Enjoy

https://www.documentarystorm.com/daisy-chain/?utm_source=mailpoet&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Weekly+Newsletter

Hunkered

Yesterday we were hunkered down due to cold temps (50's) and rain off and on all day long. This morning the sun is shining. To be truthful it is peeking through the clouds and they say it will shine today. 🤞 

So Butch and I went on a Netflix movie marathon. I googled the "Top 10 best movies on Netflix" read the synopsis of them and wrote down the ones that appealed to one or both of us. One of my pet peeves is cruising for a movie and taking an hour to decide and most often not landing on anything! Our choices were okay but I am going to encourage you to make your own list because our choices were not all that memorable. Just okay.

And then I threw together a soup. Often I make what I call 'one of my concoctions' and this could have been labeled as such. When you have a few things always on hand, such as leftover meat, in this case, rotisserie chicken, broth, veggies such as carrots, onions, and celery, and some cheese it is super easy to throw together a concoction. In this particular incident, I also added some roughly chopped cabbage and diced leftover baked potatoes. It was a hit!

If you think nothing is going on down here you may want to check out the Trophy Gardens blog today. You can find it here: https://trophygardens.blogspot.com/2020/12/bits-pieces-saturday-12-6-2020.html

We are not doing much participating but if you have a desire to it is happening.

Pics from December 2019

In case you missed it these pics are from December 2019. Masks are now required in every building within Trophy Gardens and we are abiding by all rules set by the leaders of Hidalgo County and Alamo Texas.

What a difference a year makes! If we would have known what laid ahead we would never have believed it and we are still dealing with much of it!

Dave and Sally partnered up for pool. Lonnie in the background.

Renie and Rainy also in the pool hall.

Texas Goldheaded woodpecker

South Texas Sunset in December 2019

 

Squirrel Story

We planned to feed the birds on a small scale with black sunflower seeds. Well, the plan has met with bird resistance. The feeder has not had even one bird show any interest. But a squirrel has found heaven in a shell so to speak. So usually Butch would be in a tizzy tackling a squirrel problem and we have decided to let our lone squirrel have his way until the feeder is empty and then give up on feeding anything!

Cold Snap

 Yes, we are in a cold snap. Don't laugh, you people of the northern climes, it does happen and it isn't pleasant as that is what we like to get away from when we travel over a thousand miles south. It is okay because it has to be and we know it will be relatively short-lived. We can still do our indoor activities such as pool and cards. Cold for us is anything in the 50 degrees and below range and that is where we are this fine morning at 7:15 am.

Many things are different from years past due to the pandemic. We still have park meetings on Tuesday mornings but now they are online and often outdoors if warm enough. We can play pool in the pool hall but there is a limit of 10 people, masks are required and there is a sanitation routine of cleaning and sanitizing equipment before leaving. They are playing shuffleboard outdoors with the same precautions as the pool hall. Linedancing is also being done outside on a lesser-used street. Card playing is taking place privately and those doing so know the habits and dangers of their cardplaying friends. We seniors are a relatively cautious bunch. It also helps that the local people here must also abide by the rules of mask-wearing and social distancing and yes, they are called on it. Entry is denied to anyone without a mask in all public places. In restaurants, masks are required unless you are actively eating. All this and even so the numbers here are spiking too but to a far lesser degree than other places. We hope things can return to normal next season but by then we should be totally used to the way things have been since March of 2020. It doesn't take all that long to form a new habit.

I am very happy with my Internet service. It seems almost as speedy as our Iowa service and we are enjoying so many options with our Amazon Fire that it is sometimes difficult to land on a choice for our evening's entertainment. Coba Systems is the name of the company and they are very accommodating. They have 3 levels of service based on your usage habits and expectations. $49.95, $79.95, and $99.95. I chose the middle one hoping our streaming would not bog it down and so far, so good! We expected the Internet availability to be the one stumbling block to being here. The park still offers Internet but you must be in or near the main hall to get it. As I have pointed out many times before, park-wide Internet rarely works adequately or consistently and is very costly for the park and a source of frequent complaints.

That's it for this morning...maybe more later.

Sometimes

Sometimes I forget about you. You being, the friends and family who still look in on what we are doing from time to time. Today is a busy day. I have invited Liz and Dave for a bean soup supper. Liz bought the turkey/ham offer that HEB does each holiday season, offering a ham if you buy a turkey. I would do that too if I had freezer space, but I don't. So the ham was a bone-in ham which is the very best option for making bean soup. So the soup, she is a simmering.

Also, Monday and Tuesday afternoons are women's pool days. I went yesterday, had a good time and won 4 games out of 6. Felt good about that and would like to go again today but not sure I can work it in. Liz would like to give me a haircut sometime today and I need to go to the grocery store. Are you starting to see the picture?

Life is good.

We have been enjoying streaming on Netflix, Amazon, and IPBS passport. Jason told us about a strange but fascinating documentary on Netflix. My Octopus Teacher. It was very good and thought-provoking. We enjoyed it very much. We watched Hillbilly Elegy and our friend Liz, who was raised in that part of the country found it to be unfortunately accurate. And we have been watching My Next Guest Is with David Letterman. He interviews a wide variety of people and it is always done well. On Iowa PBS Passport we have been watching The Durrells of Corfu. I had watched it before but Butch had not so we are watching it together. I am enjoying it as much the second time around. Good Internet is worth it to me many times over! The next 5 months will be whizzing by!

Stymied?

 Yes, we are stymied a bit. We got used to the restrictive lifestyle from March through October due to the infamous covid-19 and the remnants of it still remain. We think we should drop in on "fill in the blank" and then remember that may not be a good idea so we settle back in for the usual routine we have established. Butch is feeling the bite of it a bit more than I am. Our usual Sunday routine was to go to the El Dorado for breakfast tacos and then to the grocery store to stock up for the week. Part of the reason for that in the past was because Butch was very busy with pool or golfing events and did not want to give those things up through the week. We also would often follow up with a visit to a friend in another park. That doesn't work for a few reasons; such as not as many people here as in the past and if they are we do not know their health status, past, and present, quarantine requirements, or general thoughts on being careful or diligent. So we very much feel as though we are in the same holding pattern we have been in since March. It is better in many ways, of course, Butch is back to his new normal so we can go on walks, play pool and take road trips. We do play cards now and then with friends who share our bubble. It seems to be working for us so far.

Time marches on or at least we hope it does. We do hope things will be very different from this pandemic year in the year to come. One thing is for certain, 2020 will remain a year that will stick in our minds forever.

The times, they never are a’changin’

 As most of you know my friend Colleen is a writer and I am a fan of her work. And here is another piece of her work that touched my heart.

The times, they never are a’changin’

November 25, 2020

a column by Colleen O’Brien

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way….”

Is this a tale of now? It sounds so familiar.

But no, these are the opening words of the 1859 novel, A Tale of Two Cities, by Charles Dickens. Writers have been using this paragraph ever since, as the introduction to their columns and essays, their poems and short stories. The most often quoted lines are – “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.”

The book is the tale of the French Revolution (1789-1799) and covers hardship, hunger, protests in the streets because of bad government, warfare to right that government, a man released from prison after 18 years….

Hard times. Now, in 2020; then, 121 years ago. And hard times across much of the globe every year in between.

It’s the way of the world. Some – many – people hungry, sick, imprisoned, persecuted, warring, separated from family, alone.

Similar tales live in every culture, over millennia, all of them sharing with us how awful we are.

And then there are the tales that refute our inhumanity, stories that give us hope about ourselves. We tell them to survive, to hang in there, to avoid cynicism, to be grateful and give thanks for what we have.

So, I am grateful that I’m alive, that I’m still riding my bike, that my family is well, and so far, my friends. I have a place to live, food and a story to tell that is one of those heartwarming ones to pass around the Thanksgiving table each year.

This year I write it for publication because there will be no one at my table to share it with. This is not a whine, just a fact; many of us will dine alone, maybe on Zoom? Perhaps Facetime or regular phone call? Or reading a book as we gnaw on the turkey leg. It’s not the end of the world, and it’s not sad unless I make it so.

This family tale that was the lore of my husband’s family for decades came out of the hard times of the Great Depression — hard times, indeed.

My husband’s grandfather, Jim Sayre, who lived in Churdan with his wife Lil and, by then, their four or five children, was a house painter. Winter was a dead time for that sort of work, and Grampa Sayre picked up odd jobs to buy what was needed to supplement the home-canned vegetables and root cellar produce that Gramma Sayre put by during the summer and fall.

On one of those Thanksgiving mornings of the bad years of the 1930s, Gramma told Grampa that for Thanksgiving dinner she’d be fixing cooked carrots, mashed potatoes, pickled beets, and homemade biscuits and white gravy. There was no meat, but she’d be making an apple pie.

When Grampa would tell the story, he’d shake his head, “I just had to go outside. I felt lousy.” He said he was wondering how he could be such a poor provider, knowing he couldn’t do much about it.

He roamed the yard, straightening a couple of fence posts, raking leaves into a pile for a bonfire later, wishing he had a dime to his name.

When up drove his wealthy neighbor in his new automobile. “Jim!” he shouted from the car. “I got a deal for you!”

Grampa Sayre walked over to the driver’s window where the friend had his hand out, palm up. “I got three shells here, Jim. You’re the best shot in the county, and I need a turkey for dinner this afternoon. If you can, get me one. Any shells left over, they’re yours.” He dumped the three shells into Jim Sayre’s palm and drove off.

Grampa closed his other hand over the rifle shells for a moment, then slipped them in the pocket of his overalls. He headed for the cellar door, leaped down the steps, and grabbed his shotgun off the sidewall. He wiped it down with his handkerchief, opened it, checked it, placed a shell in a chamber, and sprang up the steps, trotted across the yard and into the field.

Within the hour, Grampa Sayre was at the back door of his rich neighbor, bird in hand. “Here ya go, a fat one,” he said. “Enjoy your dinner.”

He headed off, the neighbor yelling after him, “What about you?”

Grampa bent over by the yard gate and picked up something, turned around, and grinned at his friend, a bird in each hand.

Full and Satisfied

 There were 7 of us for Thanksgiving dinner and all of those present had been in the park for the full 14 days. One of the invitees found out a mother-in-law had tested positive for Covid-19 and they had seen her just before they came down so they immediately got tested but had not received their test results yet. As it turned out they found out later in the day the results were negative. But anyway...the food and company were great and we had a wonderful and very complete Thanksgiving meal.

Sally, Liz, and Madonna and none of them were as grumpy as they look in this photo.

 

The Spread!

Paul, Butch and Dave

Yippie, Skippie!

 I have high-speed Internet at an affordable price. I tried using my hotspot on the phone and it worked okay but being the high volume users we are I quickly hit the place where they slow down the speed and then I have to pay more to get it back to normal. So we once again have Coba Systems available to us so we went with them again. Our hook up was yesterday. The speed is close to what we enjoy in Jefferson and it is less money here, about $20 less. I never choose the cheapest one because the quality of my Internet is important to me. So I chose the middle one. We like to stream movies on Netflix and Amazon and it is even more important here because the TV  is less here. And by less I mean only one PBS and we have already seen most of what they have. PBS in Iowa is way above the rest. They have the main PBS and then the kid channel followed by world and then create. We watch all of those at times except the kid one. The pandemic also adds to the importance of having good high-speed Internet. So I am happy! All is right with my world.

My house is clean

My laundry is done

My fridge is full

My health is good and so is Butch's

We have high-speed internet

The weather is warm

I could go on and on and I am eternally grateful!!

Happy to be here

 On a normal year our park can hold 700 people. This is not a normal year so I will be surprised if we even come close. Right now we are at about 230 I am guessing. We have no current cases of Covid-19 within the park and if you know how rumor mills work we would know if there were! 

So now we have been here over two weeks and that in itself is difficult to believe. The weather is wonderful; warm enough to wear summer clothing and cool enough to open the windows instead of turning on the air.

Thanksgiving week is upon us and we have much to be thankful for. I am a firm believer in gratitude and it has been my experience that the more I am grateful for the more great things come my way and even though it has been a year of trials it still remains true that I am and will continue to be very grateful.

On the street where we live...

Different State, different squirrel, different feeder, same problem!

Butch has been playing golf and pool. Last night we played cribbage with our friends Liz and Dave. I am playing pool on occasion and plan to play more as the season moves along.

Routine

 We have established somewhat of a routine. Our routines are always flexible but right now this is how it goes; I get up early-about 6:00 and get on the computer. Butch usually gets up somewhere between 7:30 and 8:30. After his breakfast, he will get on his computer. About 10:00 we will go for a walk, taking the garbage with us to get that chore done and sometimes checking our mail on our way back home. Our walk will be at least one mile in length, sometimes more, rarely less. I understand we seniors, in general, have lower levels of vitamin D than we should have made worse by the pandemic. That isn't a problem for us. Southern Sunshine! 

As many of you know we watch Jeopardy! at 3:00 and it is on at the same time here as in Iowa. At 4:00 we have been going to the pool hall to play a couple of games. We wear our masks while in there. There is a sign-in/out sheet and can be no more than 10 players staying 6 ft apart. So far we have been in there alone.

That pretty much does it for now. After we have all been safely around each other for a sufficient amount of time we can add some cribbage and other games.

The virus percentage levels have dropped to less than 6 % here. Keeping vigilant.

Iowa Neighbors

Butch and I are friendly with our neighbor across the street in Jefferson, Bill, and his sister, Brenda. We are waving neighbors if you can get an idea of what we mean. We see each other and wave and we help each other out when we can. Bill keeps an eye on our house for us and when I empty the fridge of excess items before we leave in the fall Bill and Brenda will take it off my hands.

Brenda wrote us a letter and sent it to Texas and in it, she asked a few questions so I thought I would answer her questions in the blog, print out this section and send it by snail mail to her. Brenda asked how long it takes us to get here. It takes us 4 days when we go direct and are in a toot as we like to say. We take it easy and only go from 300 to 400 miles per day. The pandemic has made it necessary to be in a toot so last Spring and this Fall that has been how long it took. We like to take longer than that to cover the 1400 miles to Alamo Texas by stopping in Harrisonville Mo for a few days staying at our Grandaughter Amanda's place and visiting with our Missouri family, Amanda and Brad, their children, Elise and Leo, and our son Gary and his wife Susan. Then many times we have stopped in the Canyon Lake, Texas area to stay with friends Terry and Lisa Linder, sometimes for as long as a week. Both of these places have RV hookups for our motorhome making our stays quite comfortable for us as we feel just as at home in our RV as we do in our tiny house in Jefferson. Many times in the past we have taken 2 to 3 weeks to get down to our winter spot.

Does it ever get cool down here? Yes, it sure does. Last year was quite cool and it started in November which is very rare. I was looking at the blog I keep and last year, 2019 the 13th of November it was 39! That is extremely rare. Right now normal temps are in the 80's daytime and the '60s at night. We had a cool morning today with a low of 52. It felt good as it was in the 90's last week. Our wintertime temperatures here are much like our Springtime and Summer temps in Iowa.

Do we ever get to see animals down here and if so what do we see? The Rio Grande Valley where we stay has many animals we can see. The last park we were in had parrots that were wild and flew over twice a day. When the trees were in bloom they would stop for a snack. I have quite a few parrot pictures from our time in that park. There are wildlife areas where we can see ocelots, javelinas, alligators, and many, many kinds of birds such as green jays, chachalacas, and of course the noisy pesty grackles. Ocelots are a rare member of the cat family, Javelinas are wild pigs and Chachalacas are like a pheasant and make a noise like their name. Grackles look similar to a blackbird but are more slender and very noisy. We also have squirrels. The Rio Grande Valley is known worldwide for the many birds we have and people come here from all over the world to see them. Maybe not this year but they will again when we can say the Covid-19 is not as big a threat.

And here are a few photos I have taken in the past couple of days.

Butch visits Thelma

This is a cane field being burned off. First, they post on all four corners, signs in English and Spanish of their intent to set it on fire. Before they set it ablaze on all four corners, they make a few trips around the field with a loudspeaker proclaiming in English and Spanish their plan to set it afire. There have been incidents of people losing their lives in the past.

The livin' is Easy

 We are pleasantly ensconced in our wintertime location. There are not many people here yet although two of our neighbors arrived yesterday. We are not acquainted with them yet but hope to be when we can visit with them. 

Neighbors from our other spot arrived on Saturday and we visited with Alex and Reenie briefly last evening. Our friend Liz gave us both much-needed haircuts yesterday. Her partner, Dave was to arrive by plane from New Hampshire last night and we assume he has. All of us must keep our distance for 10 or more days so as people trickle in the days of extra carefulness stretches out. We are on day 9 and not much will change on day 10. Masks and distancing are still enforced. No more than 10 people can be gathered and then they must distance and mask too. The park can be fined $1000 if they allow people to do as they please and the local police drive through the park now and then.

We will be joining friends for Thanksgiving. There will be 9 of us and we will be outdoors on a deck seated at two different tables and everyone invited will have been in the park for at least 10 days and symptom-free

Some new arrivals are perturbed at the rules but what works, works and they acquiesce rather quickly. Perhaps only in public but we will take that.

Till next time...

From the RV Newsletter

 Trivia

Ever driven down the part of Route 66 that plays “America the Beautiful?” On a section of the old highway between Albuquerque and Tijeras, the New Mexico DOT installed grooves on the road. If you drive over them at exactly 45 mph, your car will vibrate to the tune of “America the Beautiful.” Check it out in this video here.

What we did

 Thursday we went for a walk. May not sound like much but last Spring Butch could not do that so it is a milestone of sorts. It is one mile from the front fence to the back fence if memory serves me correctly and we walked it from end to end. As I think about it it may be a half-mile but regardless it is a far piece as the old folks say. And we both did it without any impairment. 

We are still keeping our distance and wearing a mask. Butch had an appointment with his surgeon. I made the appointment for him and they said we could get in the same day! That was a big surprise. So this too was a completely different experience. Last Spring hardly anyone wore masks even at the doctor's office. It was a sore point and with our masks on, we would frequently get "the look" and the eye roll. What a turn around. Everyone is wearing a mask and I mean EVERYONE. So yes, it can be done and it is working. It was all good news at the doctor's office. His x-rays show lots of new bone growth and he has returned to 99% of his former ability and if you consider his age he probably exceeds what he is expected to be able to do by a longshot. Russ may not realize it but I think he played a big part in Butch's summertime 'therapy'. It is a blessing!

After the doctor's visit, we went on a fact-finding mission. You know, looking for products in a new area. We had trouble finding Butch's favorite salad dressing at HEB but we found it at Walmart. And I wanted to find ham hocks so we looked at Juniors, the local store for all things to please the majority population if you get my drift. And they had pork hocks. Not quite the same but close.  They might work. The meat department at Junior's deserves a look. If you take your old-time butcher shop and increase the size more than triple that is Juniors. Our friends Dale Cooklin and Bill Stilson, both gone now, used to make weekly trips to Juniors for all the bargains on meat and bring large amounts back to their wives who reprimanded them every time to no avail. Memories...

Here are photos of our new location. We are liking it even though we miss our old neighbors.

Covid Comparison

 We are in Hidalgo County Texas with an area of 1,583 Square miles. Our current covid rate is 7.8% Population in 2019 868,707

We came from Greene County Iowa with a square mile area of 571 and a Covid rate of 23.3 %

Population in 2018 8,981

Looks like your chances of getting Covid in Greene County Iowa are pretty good!

We can see clearly and daily what the difference is as masks and social distancing are required here.

Finally recovering from trip

 This year is different as if that is news! The only thing familiar was the route down. In a normal year, we would have taken two or three weeks to get here, stopping to see family and friends along the way and we certainly hope we can return to that by next fall. We missed the leisurely meander of seasons past. 

There is that and then the rush to get packed up before we left. We forgot a lot of things! We hope to return to living in our MoHo for at least a week before take-off.

So we are somewhat self-isolating by staying home more and masking up and six feet apart when we don't stay home or people come to visit and we stay outdoors. Actually, that is the usual behavior. Visiting with people as they come by on foot or in their golf cart is the norm and inviting them inside is unusual.

Butch has been going to the pool hall. He and his partner Paul, both mask up and are the only ones there so far. They have a limit of ten people in the pool hall at one time and that hasn't happened yet.

Butch decided to wash the motorhome yesterday and that endeavor always starts at the top. So yes, he was on the roof. I think you can tell that he is very much back to full activities including riding his bicycle. He wants to finish the wash job today as he has the north side and rear yet to do. The roof is done, Thank God!

The weather is summer-like, with daytime highs in the high 80's and lows in the high 60's. We are okay with that for now. 

Betsie and Trophy Gardens

 Betsie has been doing a newsletter for the park for a good many years. She inherited the job and works very hard. It takes a good deal of effort to put it all together, I know. Especially when it is to the extent that Betsie does it, adding in Birthdays and Anniversaries and taking snippets of news from those who send them to her of past and present members of the park, and ads for things to buy and sell, etc.

I do not plan to add all of Betsies posts to my blog but thought you might find this one of interest.

Bits & Pieces Tuesday 11-10-2020

We will have Hoss Collar again this week on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday evenings at 6:30.  Bring a dollar and wear a face mask and use safe distancing. The shuffle stick and benches will be sanitized and hand sanitizer will be provided as well. Hope to see you all there!  If you have questions, call Bob and Janet Yeley at 317-440-4663. 

Church has started on Sunday mornings at 9:00 am in the hall. Wear a mask and sit where the chairs are set up. There will be sheet music to use to sing. They ask you to sign in when you come and there is a donation basket when you leave. Please leave single file.

From the park meeting today: Lynn reported that there are 207 people, on 119 lots and 43 pets. The numbers are growing.  The protocol has to be followed. It is the Governor, state reps, Judges, and Mayors that set the protocol. Don't come to Lynn or Stephanie with your complaint. They are following what is set.!!   The socks were shown off.  JD has on Peanut Butter (Jif) one sock and Jelly on the other sock.  Jason has toast on one sock and eggs on the other one. A balanced breakfast in socks!! Looked like a beautiful day in Alamo at the meeting.....

Maybe you have a friend that wants to try a park model in Texas!!  Park Model for Rent. Better Than New! Available November thru April. Call Betsy at 309-344-1583 or Merv at 956-246-2876 (First posted on Friday 9-25-2020)

Stay safe and Stay Healthy!!

Betsie Brown

P.S. from Barb: Hoss Collar is a modified shuffleboard game that is easier than the official one. It is very popular in Trophy and Butch and I had never heard of it before coming here.

Older we get, Longer it takes

 This year it continues to be different. We usually arrive and those that have come before us have been doing all the fun stuff and are ready for us to join them. Therefore we had to get our settling in done in bits and pieces. That is still somewhat true but now it is us, getting slower and perhaps lazier. 

This is for Kay Stilson: I was tired last night so Butch went to Churches to get chicken for supper. It was delicious and once again I thought of you. I have hamburger thawing for supper tonight.

As I age it seems to take me far longer to do anything!

Photos taken on the southbound trip: 

Taken at Downstream Casino.

The morning before we started packing.

Settling In

 We are getting settled in and it feels good. Have seen our closest friends briefly, from a distance and masked. We went to the HEB in Alamo for a few choice items I have missed, mainly Topo Chico. I have it cooling now and will add some fresh lime juice and say, Aaaah!.

Butch was afraid of a repeat of the sewer debacle but it flushed without an issue and we breathed a sigh of relief.

We cannot check in till Monday because the office is closed. Not enough people here yet to warrant staying open on the weekends. A bit of a surprise! Our manager Lynn said several of the apartments are available for rent in January (5) and February (3). Call the Business office if interested. 956-787-7717.

Friends and family take note!!

More later. Butch needs an extra hand.

January and February Rentals

 The manager of Trophy Gardens said several of the apartments are available for rent in January (5) and February (3). Call the Business office if interested. 956-787-7717

I will find out the rates and post it. This has not happened before in our experience.-Barb B.