Departure

 Tomorrow morning we will be headed for Canyon Lake( north of San Antonio) and we will be there until Monday the 18th.

The last couple of days have been a whirlwind of getting ready but we are hours away now and we can breathe a sigh of relief very soon. Butch is playing his last games of the season with his pool buds.

Monday was one of the most fun days for me I have had in quite some time. Jerry, neighbor to the south is a photographer/ birder and he and his wife Roseann invited us to join them for a day on South Padre. Our idea on these invitations is always to go along with whatever our hosts have planned and we are never disappointed! Jerry showed us many, many wonderful birding locations and I took over 200 photos!  I have never taken that many pictures of different birds in my life. I will have to count later how many different birds I saw. I have been able to look at them but have not been able to do much with them yet but I am itching to do so.

I will leave you with a few samples before getting back to work on getting the park model ready to leave.

Blue Heron

Green Heron

 

Baltimore Oriole

Before it starts

 Next week is a busy one for us, with Tuesday and Wednesday being the busiest. We have never been in this position before and new territory can be interesting. We do have neighborly help on the unknown parts. It will be a relief to get back to what we have done every other season which is getting the MoHo ready to roll. We can almost do that in our sleep. Butch was just angsting over which tools to leave here and which ones to take. Next season should take care of all this indecision stuff.

This is the weekend for the Masters and it is the one weekend of the entire year whereby I can not make ANY plans for him. I did just have the thought that I could phone some friends who I need to be in touch with and haven't been of late. This weekend would be great for that.

The night before last we visited with our neighbors to the north.  Night, I say? It was 4 PM. Happy hour in any RV park ever! It was a nice get-acquainted situation. Our North neighbors are Bill and Sandi from Minnesota.

On Monday we are going to South Padre with our neighbors to the South, Jerry, and Roseann from Illinois. Jerry and I share an interest in photography and birding while Roseann and Butch share an interest in Bridge. Getting such good neighbors was a happy accident.

The trivia friends we have made gifted Renie, Butch, and me with a gift certificate for a meal and of course, Alex was included.😊 So last night we went to Cheddars and enjoyed a wonderful meal and topped it off with a stop at Dairy Queen. Renie and I walked almost every morning we could all season.  I will miss my walking partner until we get back to Jefferson where Keri and I can pick up where we left off. Finding someone to walk with on a regular basis is not all that easy. It is a great way to become friends in a different way. We try to solve all the world's problems, share ideas and make some funfilled plans.

It won't be long now till we are back in Jefferson. On April 21 if all goes as planned. We look forward pretty much equally to each location. See ya' soon!

Perfect Hard Cooked Eggs

 For many years, I would say at least 10, this is the method I have used to hard cook eggs. It is so simple and foolproof that it is nearly unbelievable.

I ran across the source of where I first discovered the method. So click on it and read through the directions and you will then know one of my favorite kitchen tips. If you already own an Instant Pot you are halfway there and if you don't own one make it a priority for your next garage sale list of things to buy. So many people give up on their Instant pots after a use or two.

https://kalynskitchen.com/how-to-make-perfect-hard-boiled-eggs/

Goodnews/Badnews

 The good news is that the head cold was short-lived. 4 Days and it was mostly gone. The bad news is the temperature and humidity is on the rise. They are predicting triple-digit temperatures tomorrow. Only one day, but one is enough.

...forgot that I had not finished this...oh well...this too shall pass. We did have one day of extreme heat. 107 and it was a shock to the system. Both Butch and I remember the days of our youth when we would traditionally have a week or two in the summer where it would be at or near triple digits and this was before AC! We have not had this occur in many years. This one-day wonder that we experienced on 4/6/2022 was quite the surprise and everyone hunkered down in their tiny homes.  And then in the evening of the very same day, we watched the thermometer drop from 105 to 82 in a matter of an hour and by the early morning of the next day, it was a pleasant 61. Mother Nature had a TIA, I suspect. The weather for the past decade or so has been a roller coaster ride.

On to other stuff...trying to live in 2 places is not easy and I will be ready to close this chapter and head on up the road to Canyon Lake next Thursday. We will be staying with friends Terry and Lisa Linder and that is always a good time. We will be heading north from their place on Monday(19th). This will depend on the weather of course but that is the plan for right now.

Today I am doing laundry in the Park Model and I miss my front load washers! I have front-loads in Jefferson and in the MoHo and I am a convinced converter from the top loads. Clothes are cleaner and dryer when they come out of the front loader by a considerable amount. I most likely will put up with what I have for the foreseeable future.

And that, my dear friends, is enough bellyaching for one day! See ya'all soon!

Cracker Barrel Meatloaf

 The generous person that he is, and part of a twenty-year tradition, Butch brought home to me from the pool hall, a head cold. And no, it is not Covid. I thought I was going to dodge it because 3 to 4 days after Butch suffered from it is when it paid me a visit. So no luck there. I think in all the years we have shared colds, there were only one, maybe two times when he got one but I didn't. This too shall pass...

In the making of supper I made a discovery concerning the pans and dishes already here and the ones still in the moho and there will be some serious exchanging going on and the time is getting shorter to get that done.

Here is the new-to-me recipe I tried it today. It is worth passing along.

Cracker Barrel Meatloaf

INGREDIENTS

2 pounds lean ground beef

1 small finely diced onion

1/2 cup finely diced bell pepper (optional)

1 1/2 sleeves of crushed Ritz crackers (48 crackers total)

4 oz. shredded sharp cheddar or Colby cheese

3 eggs

1/2 cup milk

1 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. black pepper

For the topping:

1/2 to 3/4 cup ketchup

2 tbsp. brown sugar

1 tsp. mustard

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

In a small bowl, combine the ketchup, brown sugar, and mustard. Place it aside. This will be used later as the topping.

In a large bowl, combine the eggs, crushed Ritz crackers, cheese, milk, onion, bell pepper, salt, and black pepper. Mix well.

Add in the ground beef. Mix well just to combine. Do not overmix.

Form into a loaf and place inside a baking pan or baking sheet lined with foil or parchment paper.

Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 minutes.

Remove from the oven and spread the topping over the meatloaf.

Bake for an additional 30 to 40 minutes or until the center is 160 degrees Fahrenheit.

Let it cool for 15 minutes before serving.

Enjoy!

Starting

 We are starting to feel at home in our new place. That probably will not be complete until next fall and even then we have so many plans that we intend to wait until then to implement. One of the big things is finding each of us a comfortable recliner and getting shed of the oversized one and the big bulky loveseat sofa we have now. That is number one on our list. Another one is getting the TV situation solved to our satisfaction. And a new one installed in the bedroom. When there is a difference in what we each want to watch we use the bedroom TV as an alternative.

Today, I walked with Renie, did a load of laundry, and hung it outside to dry. It is so very dry here it is like having a quick-dry dryer. Add a little wind and it works like a charm.

Last night was our last Trivia night and Renie and I were gifted with a generous monetary gift so we could go out to eat with our other halves. It was a surprise. The entire group is fun to work with and we will take it up again next fall.

Our days are full and fun and I don't see that ending anytime soon. We will just go north and pick up where we left off.

Sunday Pool on 3/27/2022

 

Winter Doctor Marathon...

 ...has come to an end...we hope! A while back Butch looked into having a wisdom tooth pulled in Mexico. He went to the usual place he goes for dental work and his regular guy wasn't there because he had broken a leg. His replacement was a recent grad from dental school and said she was up to taking out his wisdom tooth. Butch did not believe her because his 3 other wisdom tooth removals have been a challenge for big burly dentists with lots of muscle. So months go by and our friend Alex comes across an Orthodontist father and son team in Mexico and has some work scheduled. In council with these two, he decides he would be in good hands to proceed with the work he wished to have done. And so the process started. Alex continued to feel confident with his choice so Butch called to make an appointment for March 24th at 4:00 PM. He was told the fee would be $50 in cash and more if things got complicated. So yesterday he had the tooth removed. It took two hours and lots of muscle as Butch had predicted it would. All precautions were followed and Butch said as he was 10 minutes into it he felt confident he was in the right place. The final bill was $70 because an x-ray was needed. He is on antibiotics for 7 days, Ibuprofen for pain, and filled a script for a med in case the bleeding wouldn't stop. It did stop after one dose. I think Butch has found a dental facility that meets all of his needs.

And then today I had my follow-up appointment for the gastric procedure I had in February. All is well on that front so now I feel appointment-free!!

Photos...

 

Bedroom

Living room- We plan to replace the oversized recliner and sofa with two recliners of small size next fall upon our return.

Butch coming out of utility room

Butch going into the utility room

Indoor and outdoor temps are about the same.

Kitchen

Productive Day

 We made it to the tax assessor's office in Weslaco to get our new place registered. It is not an easy place to find! It went smoothly once we got there and cost a total of $28. Then we headed toward Costco in Pharr to get fueled up and pick up a few items. Another stop at our favorite HEB then home to resume the settling-in process.

Today I am going up to the hall for the meeting which I do not usually do but this is a special one. Our managers are retiring and it is an appreciation gathering. And Brunch. They have been very special managers and the prospect of new ones can be a bit scary. I have never feared change and don't this time either...it's just that Lynn and JD have been above and beyond good managers.

And then tonight is Trivia! Maybe one more after this one. I have been using recycled questions all season but tonight's questions will be all me. I spent 2 hours yesterday afternoon putting the twenty questions together. Renie wanted to do a painting class so Butch will be my assistant tonight.

So till next time!

'Nother Quick Note

 We are getting stuff done. Butch took apart an ugly unusable "closet" in the utility room and used the lumber for a workbench.

I have a before Pic but can't seem to lay my hands on it right now. My current push is getting Tuesday's Trivia questions ready. Here it is Sunday and I am not ready for Tuesday! Not a usual thing. So I will let this post be enough and get on with Trivia before we play mixed doubles Pool at 1:00 PM.

Quick Note

 We have been dealing with several issues at the same time so I am way late in keeping up with blog entries. We are in the process of getting moved from the moho to the park model and in a month we will be reversing the process so each decision is taking more thought. Usually, one would just move the whole shebang and sort it all out after you are completely moved in but in this case, some stay in Texas and some go to Iowa and some make the trip each time. Too much decision-making is very tiresome and I can only do a limited number each day. 

And then there are the health issues. It is finally slowing down but there have been more trips for doctor appointments in the past 3 months than in the last 3 years! And this year it has been for me instead of Butch. A UTI, dermatology biopsies, and the gastric procedure have kinda knocked the pegs out from under me. It is still a work in progress but improving.

Here are some recent photos:

This was on a recent patio sale. I thought it was very cute and was sure someone would buy it for a 

grandkid but it didn't happen.

On the way to a doctor's appointment, we encountered a palm tree getting a ride at 7:00AM. Still dark out.

Update

 Hard to write and work at the same time. We are in our new digs, partially. The hold-up is the Internet. They (Coba) will be coming to see if we can still have what we have been using or switch to another. They will be here tomorrow (Tuesday). Once that is decided we will be moving the motorhome to the lot behind the new place making the transfer of things far easier.

Of course, there are things we want to change, mostly small things and most of them will wait till we come back in the fall.

None of you will be surprised but the very first thing Butch did was get on a ladder. Joyce had found an area that had some water damage on the attached room. She had it repaired and informed us of it right away and it has been fixed. Then the question comes up as to why it happened and that is why Butch was on a ladder. We invited Paul and Sally Kelleher to come to look at our new place and Paul, Butch's pool partner, got roped into being his assistant in the ladder endeavor. Butch and Paul ended up clearing the eaves and downspouts of a large amount of dirt and debris. We have hopes this will take care of the problem. We will be keeping an eye on it though. I couldn't watch. I went inside and figured Paul would tell me if he fell off the ladder. He didn't...this time.

Right now, I am in the motorhome...with the internet and Butch is in the park model doing who knows what...till next time!

Who knew?

 Hannibal and I share the same philosophy!

In 218 BCE, during the Second Punic War, the great Carthaginian general Hannibal led his army from modern-day Spain all the way to Italy and toward Rome, in one of the most famous military achievements in history. As the troops neared the daunting peaks of the Alps, Hannibal’s generals warned him they would not be able to cross the mountain range with the horses and elephants they brought with them. Refusing to be deterred, Hannibal responded with the quote above: “Aut inveniam viam aut faciam.” He and his troops forged their own path across the mountains, and continued their march through Italy.

Stress!

 First off Butch is fine and so far he hasn't fallen or come down with something alarming. But this is going to be a rundown of my past month in not-so-sunny South Texas. 

I found out that my lifelong friend Mickey has cancer. I hate that, of course, but she has always been tough as nails and I know without a doubt that she will give recovery her best effort. I have talked to her...need to call her again and I am very anxious to visit her when we get back to Iowa.

And then I heard from my sister Myrla's best friend that she had fallen, broke her shoulder/arm, and was in the hospital and not doing well. When I tried to call her, many times she was not able to talk to me for a multitude of reasons. She is in a different hospital and doing much better with plans to go home either today or tomorrow. In talking to her best friend that may not happen because those who know say she is still not able to take care of herself. She has seizures, COPD, and too many other issues to go into. I do hope she can go home and get her life in order at least to the point where she can have some fun now and again.

And then...When I had the bile duct procedure they gave me two capsules of high-powered antibiotics and I forgot that when I get those I sometimes, in fact often, get a UTI / yeast infection, and, YUP, I did. I am being properly medicated now so hope to have some relief so I am working on destressing and getting back to some semblance of normal.

So all in all it has been a stressful time, some good stress and some not so good. Chill! I say Chill!

What a day!

 I tried to transfer money to the seller last week and met with resistance from the credit union. So we lined up a 3-way conference with the seller, the realtor, and us and had a little talk with the credit union person, Danielle to be specific. After telling us it wasn't possible and asking her to explain an alternative method then and her being unable to come up with a solution we convinced her to call the seller's bank, as it happened to also be a credit union, and fight it out with them. So she did and called us all perky as she learned something new and WAS able to get it done. So our Park Model is now paid for and we will be moving in next Saturday. We were feeling sorry for Joyce as she is getting a bit rattled because of all the details she is dealing with, packing, donating, sale of property etc. Joyce is a super gal and we couldn't have bought from anyone nicer. She has been more than fair throughout the whole experience.

Then we came home and decided to get our fees with the park paid up to date and as we were getting ready a cold front came through with rain and strong winds. The temperature dropped from 71 to 58 in a matter of minutes.

I plan to play pool this afternoon and then I have a board meeting following pool to wrap up details of the banquet taking place Wednesday night. 

Once this week is over it should settle down and we can do more of the fun stuff! I am ready!!!

In the many, 20+ years we have been coming the first week in March has always been a doozie wrapping up details and people getting ready to reverse the process. We have always felt that people were heading back way too soon. They break sweat down here and think it is time to head North. Some learn from this and stay longer the next season while others never do.

A Change in the Weather

 Yeah! For a week we are scheduled to have highs in the 80s and lows in the 60s. Now that is more like it! We do have another cold front coming in next week with highs in the 60s but this time of year it doesn't last long. We will be moving into our new digs next Saturday so a cold spell will not affect us nearly as much. We close on the place next Thursday.

We have a very busy week coming up. Monday is Butch's ear, nose, and throat therapy. Most likely his last since he doesn't want to go anyway. And I do a money transfer for our new place. Tuesday is a very busy day except Trivia has been canceled because of a conflict. It is the day we get our stitches out from our dermatology adventure. And then at 4 is a going away party for Joyce, the lady we bought the Park Model from. She was very active in the pool hall on many levels. Thursday is the closing on the place as I stated earlier. And these are the extra's outside the usual scheduled stuff like more pool events etc.

Things are starting to wind down as they always do this time of year and by the end of March it will be very quiet around here. It always amazes us how many leave for up North the second week in March. Heck, In Iowa it can be a blizzard in May! We will be there in mid-April as usual I am guessing.

 I took this photo this morning and as you can see the leaves are about to fully pop open.

Old time photos!

 

Some VERY Interesting Photos

 

 

 

 

 1 The 'Tier Avto', the 1930's version of a GPS. Developed by Touring Club Italiano, this device was more like a “map guidance tool and came with a set of paper maps It was tethered to the car’s speedometer that kept the scrolling of the map in proportion to the speed of the car.

 

 

 

 2 A 'Tasmanian tiger' in captivity circa 1930. Also known as the thylacine, this carnivorous marsupial was native to the Australian mainland and went extinct in 1936.

 

 

 3 Airline reservations before computers, 1945

 

 

 

4 The 1950s '3-in-1 Kitchen Combination.' It came with a stove, a sink, and a fridge - all in one!

 

 

 

5 American photographer James Ricalton posing with two extra tall men, fondly remembered as the 'Giants of Kashmir,' in 1903. 

The photograph was taken in Delhi during 'The Durbar,' a celebration of the British monarch Edward VII’s (the great-grandfather of the current British monarch, Queen Elizabeth II) succession as the Emperor of India.

 

 

 

 6 Television shopping in 1974

 

 

 

 

7 A gas station on Brovarsky Prospect in Kyiv, Ukraine, 1979

 

 

 

 

 8 A woman standing in the doorway of an RV Camper at an exhibition in London, 1927. It was also called the "Road Yacht."

 

 

 

 9 Draft beer being served during a Lufthansa flight in the 1960s

 

 

 

 10. The Esso Hibernia tanker under construction, Wallsend, UK, 1970

 

 

 

 11. Niagara Falls without water, 1969

Here is a link to an article that tells the story of how they pulled it off.

 https://mashable.com/feature/niagara-falls-runs-dry

 

 

 

 12. An Empire State builder hanging on a crane above New York City, 1930

 

 

 

 

 13. An elementary piano class in progress in 1947 (photo by Yale Joel)

 

 

 

 14. Military bomber planes fly past Mount Vesuvius in Italy as lava and ash spurts from the top of the volcano. 

The devastating eruption ravaged the village of San Sebastiano and San Giorg in March 1944 and killed 57 people. Meanwhile, the Allied forces were battling for supremacy in the skies.

 

 

 

 15. The original Moulin Rouge, Paris, 1914

 

 

 

 16. A Phillips fridge from 1956 with a built-in radio!

 

 

 

 17. A horse being rescued from a canal that it fell in - Amsterdam, 1929

 

 

 

 18. Control Room of the German UB-11 Submarine (First World War)

 

 

 

19. Swedish Warship 'Vasa' being recovered from the seafloor in Stockholm, Sweden, on the 24th of April, 1961. It stayed underwater for 333 years and was still astonishingly well-preserved.

 

 

 

 20. A young woman of the Ouled Nail tribe, Algeria, circa 1905 (photo by Lehnert & Landrock)

 

 

 

 21. Philadelphia Electric Co. street light maintenance vehicle, 1910

 

 

 

 22. A tree house of the Koiari people, east of Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, 1886

 

 

 

 23. A woman using a vacuum cleaner in 1906

 

 

 

 24. The 1958 'Sir Vival.' Designed by Walter C. Jerome of Worcester, this unique two-section vehicle was made to protect its driver and three passengers from death or injury on the highway. 

The designer believed that, in case of a collision, the engine compartment would take most of the brunt and leave the passengers safe. Its standout features included a two-piece engine and cab, along with a driver turret. Unfortunately, only one Sir Vival was ever made, and it remains in the care of Bellingham Auto Sales in Bellingham, Massachusetts, even today!

 

 

 25. A Native American chief at the Canadian Rockies, 1938

 

 

 

Random Photos from February 2022

His teachers would never have believed it! He reads all the time!

These next few were taken in the early morning...

This one is showing how the trees are budding out. It was taken on 2/22/22.

 

Napping

 Butch took my picture while I was napping. Yes, we are still in South Texas. 42 degrees

A Visionary?

 

Frustrations

 Many days the weather in Iowa is about the same as here-60's daytime and 40's nighttime. We have had several weeks of this off and on interspersed with an 80 degree once in a blue moon. This is very frustrating and then...we add to that the park being shut down to all indoor activities. Why, you might ask? Because these grown-up(?), rules-are-for-you-not-me people cannot seem to do as they are told concerning Covid protocol. We have had several cases in the park and the rules are simple. Self-isolate for 10 days. Stay home if you are sick. Do not assume it is a simple cold and/or the Texas Crud because most likely it is NOT, as those who have tested and found out they were positive can attest to.

But the thinking is I can go to church, play bingo, etc, and as long as I wear a mask it will be okay. So the spread goes on and gets even bigger. The result is management has decided a wake-up call is warranted.

All indoor activities are suspended until Saturday, tomorrow, and have been since last Monday. So no outdoor activity because of weather and no indoor activity because of inconsiderate people with the "Texas Crud"

Frustration...

Trip to Nuevo Progreso

 Butch and I went to Nuevo Progreso today for a visit with our favorite pharmacist, Hector. We picked up some meds for one of our sons and a friend. We have come through the border many, many times. It is not unusual for questions to be asked as to the reason you went to Mexico, what you were bringing back etc. We are used to that and have learned to have our answers ready. Real answers of course, not made-up ones. And this time was no exception. The line of people coming back was long and the wait was taking a while but time moved on and we were inside the building. We were waved into a newly formed line and they took a quick glance at our passports and we moved on! It was the quickest and easiest entry into the USA we have ever had. At least in the last decade.

We ate at Jessica's and had Chicken Fajitas for lunch. A full and delicious meal for $4.95. I do not see a reason to try anything different!

We will have a couple more trips down before heading north in the spring.

Okay, Here's the thing...

 Butch and I went to the Dermatology clinic a couple of weeks ago and we had a few biopsies. Yesterday was our return visit. We expected to zip in, zip out, and get on with our day. However, I had one biopsy on my neck, right side, that had some squamous cells and Butch had a mole that they wanted to remove. They said they could work it in this same day if we chose to do so. Getting mighty tired of doctor appointments we worked it in. Butch's mole removal was rather straightforward. Mine was one of those where they take some tissue and have it tested to make sure they have it all before sewing you up and calling it quits. The bad news is this all takes time but the good news is they only had to do it once. So another visit will be needed to make sure it all healed as it should but then maybe we can get a breather from sitting in waiting rooms.

Note to self: It is COLD in those waiting rooms so dress appropriately next visit!!!

A-OK

 Yesterday and the procedure with the bile duct went smoothly. I would say the most challenging part of the day was getting to the hospital during morning rush hour. The system at the DHR Health system at Edinburg TX seems to run smoothly. Butch was able to be with me the entire time with the exception of the surgery itself. He was able to stay in the room that I would be returning to. I had warned him the area was COLD so he dressed appropriately. And the nurses brought both of us warmed blankets. That was nice!!

I had multiple stones removed from the bile duct. Often times this surgery can be done without an incision but apparently, I needed to have a cut made. This was internal as I do not have any on the outside. Of course, I was drowsy most of the day yesterday and a bit off-center this morning. I am sure it will get better as the day goes on. So now I must get on with the day...helping with the planning of the pool hall banquet. I knew there was a reason I didn't want the job!

Time slips away

Procedure...

Butch and I celebrated Valentine's day pretty much in the same way as the last 63 plus years. Mildly sentimental and in the company of each other and that suits us both. I was obliged to get a Covid test so that is what we did in the morning. For those of you who have the image of them stuffing a Q-tip in your nose clear up to your brain, you will be glad to know they do not do it that way anymore. It was not at all unpleasant and they did not call me so it must be a negative for Covid. So most of the week has been in limbo waiting. Waiting for test results, waiting for word on the time and place, and waiting for it to be time to get the procedure done and over with. Well, today is the day and 8:30 am is the time. Being the early riser that I am, I am sitting here at my computer, remembering that I haven't posted anything in a couple of days. 

The medical people keep assuring me that it is not a big deal. I will tell you later today if I agree with them.