Progress?

 Yes, we are progressing toward our departure date of 10/21. The pool hall is tucked in for the winter. I miss it already! Tomorrow we can pick up our absentee ballot. Heaven forbid there be a snafu on that issue! Jerilynn and I will be livid. The temperature was 18 degrees Fahrenheit at 6:00AM this morning. I think it might have set a record. It makes it very unpleasant to get the car packed. We hope for it to be an easier process next fall, having this new routine behind us. One thing about it, we look forward to leaving much more anxiously than we would if the weather were balmy. On our arrival date in our Texas home, the weather is forecast to be a high of 81. And that sounds very good to me!

This morning's photo shoot.

Easily entertained

 In Sunny South Texas, we are fifty miles or so from the gulf but still, we know that the water used to be where we can stand on dry ground these days.

That is not all of my story. I used to golf until I wore myself out doing it but way back when I played the executive course in Weslaco I would now and then pick up a shell that had made its way to sunlight and put it in my pocket. Fast forward to today- I told Butch perhaps he might want to take my clubs to Texas and use them there and leave his here so we would not need to haul them back and forth. He liked the idea so started cleaning out my bag and ran across a couple of seashells I had saved. 

Here they are: 

Seashells far from the seashore...

When disturbing the soil in south Texas it is not uncommon to find shells.

Sunsets

 After supper at the Mexican restaurant, we went for a short ride out to the golf course (The Hill) because Butch wanted to see if the cornfield next to the course had been harvested yet. Every year he likes to go out and pick up a hundred or so golf balls that are easy to find.

It has not been combined yet but the sunset was spectacular. 

Plan for a Pumpkin

 I could not pass this one up! If we were going to be here longer I would try this.

Brooker Siblings

 Butch, Leo, Bill and Marlene

Cucumber Salsa 2

 Okay, I am on my second batch of Cucumber Salsa 2 and I am the only one eating it. Yes, it IS that good.

I did add dill weed and dried cilantro to it.

Cucumber Salsa 2

Dice 2-4 large cucumbers- I take the seeds out.

Dice 6-8 Roma tomatoes-Again, I take the seeds out

Dice half a red onion-whole, if you enjoy more onion flavor

Mix 3-4 TBSP Vinegar with one packet of dry Ranch dressing mix.

Mix together and let it sit in the fridge overnight.

Enjoy with Scoops

Brooker Men

 The Don Brooker branch- From L to R. Don, Steve, Bradley, Brian

This is a great picture of the 4 of them!

White Breasted Nuthatch

 Looks like a youngster to me...maybe?

Recipes from a long, long time ago

 Way back when we were first going to Texas in the motorhome (2002) I had several favorite recipes I wanted to take with me so I downsized my faves and brought them with us. In all the moving of the last year or so I had lost track of them but they popped up a few days ago and I was tickled pink.

And speaking of pink I made one of the recipes yesterday. Be forewarned, it is addictive!

 I used raspberry jello in this one. Thanks again Bev Gunderson!

These are the two small books I have hunted for too long. So glad to have them back!

And here is a recipe that Butch's mother (Marion Brooker) shared with me many years ago and I think it was last winter I was searching for it. It is a favorite of Butch's and that might surprise a few people.

Up Jumps the Devil?

 Every now and then we get a wake-up call. I was helping Butch with a TV issue and I kept hearing a tiny voice saying 'Factory Reset". I thought it was in connection with the TV but in fact, it was on my computer. I keep the sound way down on my computer so that is why it sounded tiny and far away.

When I got back to my computer it went dark...hmmm...so I did a hard shutdown. Brought it back up and it did the same thing and then said 'resuming' waited awhile and it all came back. So today I googled 'Factory Reset" and discovered this will happen when there is an interference...my word...on your computer. I did not appear to lose anything. So it was just an episode and it all seems to be working correctly now but still, it is a sign. Or at least I interpret it as a sign.

So I ordered a replacement. Will get it Friday. I will wait to tell you what I purchased and the details of it. I did a lot of research before I hit the button so it has been a busy morning.

Now I will get back to what I was doing when my computer so rudely interrupted me!

Here is a chuckle for you

 I was reading Facebook posts in a local Facebook sales group and ran across this posting for sale. I still chuckle when I read it. I need to find me some 'Slow Shoes' but I do not think these will fit. 

Slow Shoes!

Waiting for the sun...

 I am an early riser and have been all my life. If I didn't look so much like my mother I would have sworn I was adopted because I was the only early riser in my family. My Dad may have been but I didn't get to know him in my adulthood so I can't be certain.

I was up this morning a little before 6:00 AM. It was still dark. There is a tree that is in full fall regalia and I am waiting for the sun to shine on it so you can see what I mean.

The view from my computer:...waiting

Our backyard:

Waiting...

Tada!!

If we were not waiting to vote we would be on the road, I can assure you!

This week I...

 Took a few more photos than normal

Spectacular Fall Color


Made Susan VH's Ham Ball recipe and it was delicious. Next time I will make a double batch of the basting sauce.

 

Ham Balls (Susan VH)

1 # smoked ham

1 # lean pork

½ # hamburger

Grind meat and mix together. If you can find a store

 that sells ham loaf use that.

Add:

2 beaten eggs

1 cup tomato juice

1-2 cups cracker crumbs

Salt and pepper to taste

 

Make into 9 or 10 ham balls, place in a baking dish and

baste with the following:

¾ cup brown sugar 

1 tsp dry mustard

¼ cup vinegar

1 small can crushed pineapple

Bake 1 ½ hours at 350 degrees

(Fareway's Ham loaf is equal parts ground ham and ground pork)

And then I have spent far too much time thinking of what I need to pack for the trip to Texas! And what am I forgetting!!

The next to last Trivia session was on Thursday night as usual. Glen D. found the questions and asked them. I enjoy very much being on the other end of it now and then.

We took Mickey to Carroll for her weekday treatment on Friday. The sad part is that it is a necessary thing but the good part is we get to visit for a couple of hours and that we see how tough and determined my lifelong friend truly is. We love you, Mickey!

3 Handy Tips

 https://www.thundercloud.net/infoave/new/three-chrome-tricks-you-might-not-know/

Ever take a photo of a plant or animal that you could not identify and wish there was some way to find out? One of the above tips will tell you exactly how.

A couple of years ago I took a picture of a crop growing next to Trophy Gardens in Texas and I did not know its identity. Turns out it was arugula! I found this out today!

Connecting

 I have connections to at least 3 blogs. I am most loyal to the one I started in 2002. Yikes! 20 years ago! https://brooker3.blogspot.com/ I started it as a way to keep in touch with friends and family as we traveled. It also doubled as a journal. It worked well except in the beginning I couldn't add pictures. As the Blogger progressed so did I. I remember how tickled I was when adding photos was doable. I took full advantage of it. I sometimes like to look back at those beginnings.

But then... We were in Magnolia Park and I thought I should do one for the park because there were times I wanted to put only park stuff on the blog and times when personal stuff was not particularly appropriate.

Thus we have... https://magnolianews.blogspot.com/ And I kept it very much park-connected until our much-loved winter destination fell apart. So when the departure happened, Deon and I decided to keep the blog going. We still do to this day. The posts are fewer and far between but we retain the function of going back over all those years and seeing the posts of the good old days. And we add new ones as they come to us.

And then I found myself in a new park-Trophy Gardens- and was asked to start one for that park. I feared I was getting in over my head ...and I was...so I have kept it as simple as possible but it suffers for life as you might expect. Anyone can find it here: https://trophygardens.blogspot.com/ I would love to have help with it to keep it current. I do have a few rules in that regard. No rants, no negative angled posts, no personal stuff etc.

With a new policy from Blogger that they do not have a sign-up for the blogs to be delivered to people by email, the views have fallen off. I have been looking for a new solution. I have had a long-standing LOVE/HATE relationship with Facebook. Still do.  Amongst my peers, it does seem to be the one site most looked at so I will follow through with posting new blog entries on Facebook until another obstacle is placed in my way. 

I do have a personal issue with putting my personal blog, the original one, on Facebook so this will be a trial and if I get too much negative blowback I will not continue.

So here goes!

Color Change

 The leaves they are a changing!

You Decide

 

Preparation

 The preporation for departure is a bit daunting this year and the subject of a few nights of lost sleep. I knew it was going to be a challenge and it will be nice to have it behind us. My plan is to take lots of photos's on both ends in an attempt to keep track of what we have in each place. The days of living full-time in the motorhome made it so simple. This too shall pass.

Old Enough!

I have become hooked on this Japanese reality show.  You can see an overview by clicking on this link:

Old Enough!

So far as I can tell it is only on Netflix.

Huh?

 

Blue Jay

 Taken this morning...

The Hamiltons

 Johnny and Alice hosted a party comprised mostly Class of 61 grads and a few other friends and neighbors. Bob and Kay Maddux were here from Texas and Bob is known for his Texas BBQing talents. It was a wonderful time with old friends and the meal was superb. If you had told me in my teen years that the class of 61 would be such a tight-knit group I would not have believed it but the knit seems to be tighter the older we get!

Baby steps

 We are taking baby steps toward our departure. The change of address has been changed and we made our reservation for our first night out after we leave the Missouri kids. As it turns out our many trips down in the motorhome have proved to be good training for our first trip in many years by car. It looks as though we will only have one night's stay at a motel. 

We always look forward to going south and equally so when we head north in the spring.

Blog changes

 I have more and more people tell me they no longer see my blog. Unfortunately, I was notified a while back that people who had the latest blog entry emailed to them will no longer receive them. What surprises me is that some do still get it and some do not. One of the mysteries of the Internet. I think the reason could be if you have made a change on your computer. Just a guess on my part. So the only way to see it regularly now is to put it on your bookmarks bar or in your favorites and remember to check it. I do not like the new situation because it feels like a step backward instead of forward.  But deal with it we must!

www.brooker3.blogspot.com is how you find it and if I can find a better way I will let you know ASAP.

Cucumber Salsa Surprise

 Why is it a surprise you might ask? It is because it is so simple and yet quite delicious.

Cucumber Salsa 

Dice 2-4 large cucumbers- I take the seeds out.

Dice 6-8 Roma tomatoes-Again I take the seeds out

Dice half red onion-whole if you enjoy more onion flavor

Mix 3-4 TBSP Vinegar with one packet of dry Ranch dressing mix.

Mix together and let it sit in fridge overnight.

Enjoy with Scoops

Quote of the day

 

Old Meds and other things...

 Among other things yesterday, I went through all of our medications and discarded quite a few. By discarded, I mean I will take them to our pharmacy for proper disposal. It is incredible how they can pile up. Sometimes new ones will find their way into our house, not realizing we had some on hand. It is a good thing to have out of the way.

We have made some decisions on take-off time, with October right around the corner. We will be in our winter wonderland on October 26th or 27th.

The photo was taken in January of 2020.

Car Tips

 Stuff you might not know you had!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t8fT7YCYSIk

We feel we might need to watch this more than once.

10 Little Indians

 Part of our early morning conversation...Butch was tapping on a coffee can and I said I heard a little Indian boy. That led to trying to remember the 10 little Indians from our youth. Enjoy!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k0SkWCCWrF8

Ham Balls Revisited

 A friend of mine, Susan Van Howelling sent me her ham ball recipe and I think I favor it over mine. This one sounds easier and I am a big fan of pineapple so I think I might take this one on. The meat is all I would have to buy because I have the remainder of the items on hand most of the time. It strikes me as simpler too.

Thanks Susan!

 

Iowa Ham Balls

 Keri and I were talking about regional cooking; how some things are known in the area and only a few miles into another area no one has heard of it. An example is Ham Balls. Our Fareway grocery store makes a ham loaf/ball mixture and most modern cooks nowadays use that as a starter but there is an original recipe and older Iowans know how to make ham balls from scratch. So I went in search of it and found it. So if I wanted to make them in Texas I would approach the meat market in HEB and ask if I could buy the two ground types of meat I would need.

Here is the original recipe:

Iowa Ham Balls

TOTAL TIME: Prep: 15 min. Bake: 1 hour

YIELD: about 15 servings.

This is a special recipe most everyone in Iowa loves. If you have out of State visitors and wish to impress them with something all Iowa, this will do it.

Ingredients

3-1/2 pounds ground ham

1-1/2 pounds ground beef

3 large eggs, beaten

2 cups whole milk

3 cups graham cracker crumbs

2 cans (10-3/4 ounces each) tomato soup, undiluted

3/4 cup vinegar

2-1/2 cups packed brown sugar

1 teaspoon prepared mustard

Directions

1. In a large bowl, combine the first five ingredients. Using a 1/3 cup measure, shape the mixture into 2-in. balls. Place in two large shallow roasting pans. Combine all remaining ingredients; pour over balls. Bake at 325° for 1 hour, basting frequently with sauce.

Cold

 For over 20 years we have been going south in the winter. So any temps in the 40s seem quite cold to me. And that is where we are in Iowa these days. Last week (5 days ago) it was 97 degrees! What the hey! The natives are not acclimated to this and we most definitely are not.

Enough complaining! The sun is shining. We are both relatively healthy. What more is there to say. Don't worry, Be Happy!

Lincolnway Highway across the USA

 

If you read this article first the rest might make more sense.

https://www.greenecountyiowahistoricalsociety.org/event-articles/bob-joyce-ausberger-on-the-past-present-future-of-traveling-the-lincoln-highway-in-program-this-sunday/

Bob Ausberger, via Larry Jackson, asked if I would take some pictures of a project Bob has started and so Butch and I went to the site yesterday and shot some before photos. Lincoln Highway goes right through the heart of Jefferson and when you keep on following it out of town west, cross the Raccoon River, and start up 'Danger Hill' at the top, on your right, you can still see the site of the Hillcrest Motel. That is, what is left of it. Bob has some big ideas for refurbishing that particular spot on the map. As I walked around the place I too got excited about the prospects. It is a beautiful location.

Here are a few of the pictures I took.

Hillcrest Motel has 8 units.

This was the office

This is a two-story house behind the motel that could be refurbished. The location is ideal. If Butch and I were just starting out on our retirement adventure we would have been very tempted to take on this project.

 

When mother nature takes back a spot it can be pretty picture.

In the '40s there were mile markers to help locate accidents along this stretch of highway. It was called 'Danger Hill' for a reason. These markers were placed a tenth of a mile apart. Three of them remain and are visible on your right as you are headed back to town. This is the first one and is across the highway from the Hillcrest Motel. Once past the bridge two more can be seen.

No News is Good News

 That saying has never been more true. Well here is MY news.  https://www.upi.com/Odd_News/

You can thank me later...

Latest Photos

 Last week I took my camera with me a couple of times on my early morning walk. I am very grateful for the weather we have been having. No rain but very pleasant early morning temps.

Our Pool Hall

And this shot shows the relationship between the house and the Pool Hall. They are not connected.

This weeping willow tree has been in this location my whole life. I have always been an admirer. It is about a block south of our house and on the way to the bike trail.

This butterfly was very cooperative in letting me photograph him...or her.

Note the bee to the right of the butterfly...

Pampas grass and corn...again

On the bike trail

Grasshopper on the bike trail

There was a light coating of moisture on these leaves...

Thistle

 A hoarders house- I understand he owns several around town. He doesn't live here. The front entrance is completely overgrown. The lawn is kept mowed and that keeps the law at bay.

And that concludes my photo walk on the trail last week.

Good Grief!!

 I can not believe how long it has been since the blog slipped my mind! Yes, we have been busier than average but that should not be an excuse. 

We will soon be entering our last month of staying in our summer home, which has been a good part of the distraction. It will be our first trip south without the MoHo and that whole business takes up a fair amount of my thinking time. I have a 'future garage sale pile' and a 'going south pile' and they are both growing. However, there is still a bit more than a month of being in Iowa, and the interim gets tricky.

I have driven the new car a few times and it seems quite easy. I haven't even come close to what all of the gadgets and gizmos do and I doubt I ever will.

We are still playing pool an hour a day, 4 to 5 and I guess I am improving. Some days yes, and other days, NO. I have a neon sign in the window and when it is turned on it means that we are in the pool hall and ready for visitors. It seems our friends have the same busi-ness going on that we do. Thursday night Trivia is still going and one of the players, Glen, has given me a break so I could play. I enjoy that. There is a learning curve to making up the questions as Glen found out last week. It takes a while but I am willing to let him find his niche so I can play.

So long for now...Don't give up on me!!