Snow Mountain Ranch Web Cam

They now have a web cam at Snow mountain Ranch. Hope it works for you.
http://ymcarockiesmuseum.org/images/ftpimages/smr.jpg

Bernie's Fruitcake Recipe

Recipe: Bernie's Fruitcake 12/16/2007
Category: Holiday
Author: Bernie Craig

2 C Flour
1 1/2 C Sugar
1 tsp Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Salt
4 eggs
3 T butter-room temp.
4 Jars Whole Maraschino Cherries (Drain 3 jars)
2 C Pecan halves or pieces
2 C Walnut halves or pieces
1 LB. Raisins

Sift together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Stir in eggs, one at a time. Add
remaining ingredients one at a time in the order listed, mix gently.
Pour in ungreased tube pan. Bake at 300 degrees for 1 hour and 45 minutes.
Increase heat to 325 degrees and bake an additional 15 minutes. Let cool in pan
then remove. Wrap in foil or plastic and store in refrigerator. Allow 1 to 2 days for
flavors to mingle before serving.

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

Art online

Art online: Iowa institutions go high-tech to display, discuss works in new ways
Art on YouTube;

Try to imagine life before television, before we looked at images and expected them to move. Imagine what it was like to spend hours looking deep into one image, instead of 24 images per second. . . .

The voice on YouTube's online video continues:

Today our brains are instructed by the code of cinema. And because that code requires us to watch passively in a sort of trance, we've gotten into this habit of relying more on the images and maybe a little bit less on ourselves. This is why when we go to museums, we end up disappointed, alienated - because something is missing. We know how to watch, but it's like we've forgotten how to see.
Advertisement

To help us out, staffers at the University of Iowa Museum of Art challenged students last year to create short videos about various works in the collection. In the YouTube series quoted above, Eula Biss and John Bresland riff on an ivory figurine from the Congo, a blurry red Mark Rothko, a pudgy statue swiped from a Big Boy burger joint, and more. With a few simple tricks from "the code of cinema," the videos bring the artwork to life more than a standard printed explanation ever could.

Meeting Up

Yesterday, was computer class day. There were several of us who met in the library and we had a lively discussion about several computing issues. I always hope they go home with at least one new piece of info. The truth of the matter is I probably learn as much as they do. It keeps me on my toes and challenges me to learn new things...like Windows Vista (Grrr)and sometimes my memory is challenged as well when someone asks me something I know very well but I just have to bring it to the fore. Anyway, I had a good time and hope they did too.
After that I went to Llano Grande RV Park in Mercedes TX to meet up with Cathy Gleason who shares my love of Swedish Weaving. I met Cathy online through a Yahoo group of Swedish weavers. We ask questions,get ideas and inspired by the works of others. Cathy and I had a great time talking over our projects and also our lifestyle as Cathy and her husband John have been doing the same thing we have only longer. They have been full timing for 8 years and we are going on 4. I am amazed the difference the Internet has made in our lives. It numbers in the hundreds the people I never would have met otherwise. While I was visiting Cathy, Butch and his foursome were playing golf and when they finished Butch and I went to Harlingen to help his sister Marlene and her husband Bernard with some electrical issues. And then they treated us at Chili's. We had a full but fun day.

Old Fella

A couple in the park asked me if I could do some adjusting with this old picture they had been given. That is right up my alley so I had some fun doing that. Great picture too. Don't ya think?
His name is Mr. Aubrey
Other things we did yesterday.
1. Paid the electric bill
2 Went to McAllen to upgrade our Verizon phone. Shopped at Wal-Mart and Sam's Club and we will not be doing that again until after Christmas. It was a mess! Why do people shop with their entire families? There are clusters of 10-12 people in every aisle clogging up the works. And despite their commercial saying otherwise Wal-mart had about 10 checkouts out of 24 in operation.
3. Went to Gonzales Burgers for lunch. We cut our cheeseburgers in half and had half for lunch and the other half for supper. They cost $3.50 each. Taste great and a bargain to boot.
I am sure we did other things too like talk our walks an Butch played pool..always does at 6:00pm. It was a busy day.

Elf Yourself

I had more darn fun with this program. Using different pictures etc. The close up picture of Butch makes me giggle every time I see it. Click on the link below to see what I am talking about.

http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=1228938054

Chair

Okay, I have a new chair. It is very comfortable...probably the most comfortable one I tried. Lots of lumbar support. It was very cheap...bought it at the flea market from Bubba's Furniture. It is new and the color (taupe) is okay. But it is too big!!! I think it might be my 'in the meantime' chair.
I will still be looking for a smaller one that also fits all the criteria but I will not be in a hurry to do so. If I stumble across the right deal I will have a chair for sale. One thing about it we didn't pay so much that it will hurt. It sure looks very different in here without the sofa but I am getting used to it.

Angel's Pillow

Angel does like a pillow for her furry little head
and Butch is happy to oblige.

Golf Day

Played golf today and shot a 40 (9 holes) and I do not consider that too bad considering I play only on Tuesdays and only in Texas. Butch shot 35. It was okay for him but not cause for celebration.

Our sofa left the motorhome yesterday. I was concerned about how difficult it would be to get it out of here but it turned out to be not difficult at all. It seems the tougher part will be finding a chair that suits me. We shopped yesterday and I found a couple I could have lived with but let's just say I didn't fall in love. So we are still looking.

Sold!!

We have been toying with the idea of selling the sofa sleeper in the RV and replacing it with a computer desk and comfy recliner. So before the park garage sale held yesterday I took some pictures of it and placed them on a display board. $1200 new-$300. We figured if it didn't sell we would try again next month. To be honest we didn't figure it would sell at any price and it probably would not have anywhere but here.
Anyway some folks came in and wanted to see it. A friend at their park had seen the ad and called them about it. So I sent them to see it and Butch handled the sales work. They said they would have to go take some measurements etc. But an hour or so later they called and said they wanted it!!
So at this point it is not in their possession yet but we are considering it sold. What a surprise!!

Myrla's Big Adventure

My sister Myrla called yesterday after her heart procedure. Myrla had a heart attack a few years ago and still has heart 'issues', of course. They were taking a look at her heart scoping for blockages. Her tests came out pretty good, she tells me.

Myrla has an older neighbor who has a heart defibrillator and a mean dog. Myrla is good with dogs and when her neighbor has medical emergencies, and that happens frequently, Myrla is called upon by the EMT's to corral the dog. Myrla says that after a couple of encounters with her, the dog has become much better.

Tuesday Myrla's neighbor(Let's call her Mabel) comes over to her house to call in for her defibrillator. Mabel only has a cell phone and you need a land line for the defibrillator. The medical personnel told Mabel that her defibrillator had activated 4 times in the past 24 hours and they do not know if the defibrillator is defective or if her heart needed a jump start that many times. The woman is a walking time bomb and she knows it. She said she was not going to have her grandchildren stay with her because she wasn't sure she would make it through the night and didn't want them to be the ones to find her.

Wednesday, Myrla goes to the hospital for her heart procedure. She had a bad reaction to the sedative the last time she had this done so the doctor touched base with her on this point and assured her she would not have a problem this time. She said everything went well but she was really drugged up and it took a long time for it to wear off. The nurses lowered the lights in the room and left a small lamp on. She was in and out and resting nicely when a pink lady came in and said,"You have company!" Myrla fought to get her eyes open and 8 inches from her face saying,"I'm here!" was Mabel. Myrla said that running through her mind was "#@%&, I must not have made it...but why did they send Mabel...where is Mom(deceased)...or Jayne(deceased).... Mabel has a nice halo around her head,created by the glow of the lamp. Myrla said it took her awhile to comprehend that she was still alive and that Mabel really was there. She knew this when she became awake enough to see Mabel's daughter and granddaughter beside her.

Now maybe it is peculiar to my relationship with Myrla and the way our family is and always has been but she and I found this whole situation hilarious. We laughed till the tears were rolling down my cheeks. I wanted to share the story with you. You may find this scenario a bit off kilter but it is the way we are...and I still think it is funny!

Rummage Sale

I have been knee deep in stuff. We humans are accumulators and there is no doubt about that. When your living space is small that becomes a problem so I am going through 'things' and making the decision to keep or sell. This is a time consuming project and making all those decisions is tiring. On the plus side, after next weekend we will have more wiggle room in our humble abode.

Gratitude

Even for families who don't normally say grace or ask a blessing
over their family meals, the Thanksgiving holiday meal seems
to be one of those times that a prayer of thanks is given out of
gratitude for the gifts and blessings received throughout the year.

If you'd like to offer a prayer this Thanksgiving but don't usually
do that at your family meals, perhaps this short prayer of thanks
by Emerson could be read at your table. Maybe it'll even begin
a new tradition for your family and guests.

THANKSGIVING

For each new morning with its light,
For rest and shelter of the night,
For health and food,
For love and friends,
For everything Thy goodness sends.

--Ralph Waldo Emerson

No News is Good News

I am not a news freak. If anything I am an anti-news freak. It is my belief that too much focus on the news creates and/or intensifies a negative attitude. When medical people treat depression the first thing they do is suggest the patient stop reading newspapers or watching news on TV. But for you news freaks who do not agree with my way of thinking here is a website tailor made for you.
A click on the website below will let you know what strange & dangerous things are happening in the world at any given time. The site updates every 6 minutes, 24 hours per day, 7 days a week. You can move the map around, zero in on any one area & actually up-load the story of what is going on. You may be surprised at what is happening right here in the U.S., perhaps even in your own state or city.

Global Incident Map: There is a lot happening in our world every minute:

http://www.globalincidentmap.com/home.php

QMags

Okay folks, this one has me a bit excited. I used to be a magazine freak. I bought several every month and clipped out articles of interest etc. Well, when we went full time I gave them up for many obvious reasons. But recently I discovered you can get your subscriptions online! Now I suppose this has been around a long time and I didn't know about it but it is new to me!! We have always enjoyed Motorhome magazine but it was one we gave up for the cause so to speak but this morning I ordered it and read it from cover to cover. It comes in Adobe Acrobat Reader .pdf file and it took a tiny bit of study on my part to easily read it. So if you would rather get your magazines online click on QMags and see if they carry the magazines you like. Save a tree!!

A Saturday in November

Butch built a 'clothesline' for me. No, we are not that clever on our own. We saw one that friends Vern & Dorothy Wendt had and copied it.


They would have had even more blooms if I hadn't dropped it on its head a few days ago. Still looking mighty fine though. These are "rescue" flowers from Snow Mountain Ranch last September.

Audio Books

I have been a fan of audio books for many years and if I were impaired in any way I would most certainly take advantage of this program. Please pass this along to people who may benefit from it or know someone who would benefit. You may help enrich someones life.
Barb

TODAY'S TIP:
Audio Books for the Visually Impaired

A friend who is completely sightless, has used this perk from our
government for many, many years, and I only today heard from him that it
is available for anyone who has a disability. I thought it was only for
those who had been blinded because of being in a war, but it is for all
of us who qualify because of physical reasons.

The Library of Congress will provide (free) audio books upon request. My
friend has been able to get them even if they were not already on tape,
by simply making his request and the LOC will have it made for him.

Home Page of the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically
Handicapped http://www.loc.gov/nls/
 

Latest mumblings

We are walking twice a day, a little over a mile each time. I am feeling the benefits of doing so. It is also an easy way to be nosy about what is happening in the park.
Don and Judith Raglin who were workampers 2 years ago are back this year. They have both had some health issues taken care of but are doing fine now.

There are several older mobiles leaving the park for one in Mission. It is a new park over there and they are recruiting units from other parks. Ours has some empty spaces now and some pretty nice loacations if you have a hankering to bring in a new one.
Shuffleboard starts tomorrow at nine. It will be the first time on the newly surfaced courts.

The forecast is for a cold front to come through. The high tomorrow is projected to be 74 degrees. Sounds good for a change. We will be able to turn the AC off tonight.

The Fix It Club

The Fix It Club
Accidents happen. Things break. It's just part of life. But, you don't
have to give up on your broken household items or waste money by calling
the repair man. The Fix It Club will tell you everything you need to
know about fixing items around the house. It offers 145 Fix-it guides
and a whole bunch of categories that will guide you through everything
from fixing your electric heater to sewing on a missing button. Each of
the fix-it guides goes through how each item works or operates,
identifies the common things that can go wrong, tells you what tools you
will need to fix your problem, and then goes step-by-step to teach you
how to fix it yourself. It's a great way to save money.

The Fix It Club
http://www.fixitclub.com 

THINGS YOU DON'T HEAR ANY MORE

THINGS YOU DON'T HEAR ANY MORE

Be sure and refill the ice trays, we are going to have company after while. Watch for the postman, I want to get this letter in the mail today. Quit slamming that screen door! Be sure to pull the windows down when you leave, it looks like it might rain --and bring in the clothes on the line, too. Don't forget to wind the clock before you go to bed. Wash your feet before you go to bed, they are nasty from playing bare footed outside all day. Why can't you remember to roll up your pants legs? Getting them caught in the bicycle chain so many times is tearing them up. You have torn the knees out of that pair of pants so many times there is nothing left to put a patch on. Don't you go outside with your good school clothes on! Hang up your Sunday School clothes, you know you need to pass them down to your brother in good condition. Go comb your hair. It looks like the rats have nested in it all night. Be sure and pour the cream off the top of the milk when you open the new bottle. I need it for baking and Pa's coffee. Take that empty popbottle to the store with you so you won't have to pay a deposit on another one. Put a dish towel over the cake so the flies won't get on it. Quit jumping on the floor! I have a cake in the oven and you are going to make it fall if you don't quit! Let me know when the Fuller Brush man comes by, I need to get a few things from him. You boys stay close by, the car may not start and I will need you to help push it off. There is a dollar in my purse, go by the service station and get five gallons of gas when you start to town. Open the back door and see if we can get a breeze through here, it is getting hot. You can walk to the store; it won't hurt you to get some exercise. Maybe you will learn to be more careful with your bicycle. Don't sit to close to the TV it will hurt your eyes. If you pull that stunt again, I am going to wear you out! Don't lose that button, I will sew it back on after while. Wash under your neck before you come to the table, you have beads of dirt and sweat all under there. Get out from under that sewing machine, pumping it messes up the thread! Do you want to go get me a switch? Be sure and fill the lamps this morning so we don't have to do that tonight in the dark. Here, take this old magazine to the outhouse when you go, we are almost out of paper out there. Go out to the well and draw a bucket of water for me, I've got to do the dishes. Don't turn the radio on now, I want the battery to be up when the Grand Ole Opry comes on. No! I don't have five cents for you to go to the show, do you think money grows on trees? Eat those vegetables; they will make you big and strong like your daddy. That dog is NOT coming in this house! I don't care how cold it is out there, dogs just don't come in the house. Sit still! I am trying to get your hair cut straight and you keep moving and it is getting botched up. Hush your mouth! I don't want to hear words like that. I will wash your mouth out with soap again! It is time for your system to be cleaned out, I'm going to give you a dose of Castor Oil in the morning. If you get a spanking in school and I find out about it, you will get another one when you get home. Quit crossing your eyes! They will get stuck that way! Soak your foot in this pan of Epsom Salts so that cut won't get infected. When you take your driving test don't forget your hand signals each turn. Left arm straight out the window for a left turn, and left arm bent up to the sky at the elbow for a right turn and straight down to the side of the door when you are going to stop. It is 'Yes, sir!' and 'No, sir' to me and your elders young man, and don't you forget it! While we are at Aunt Mary's and Uncle John's you kids eat when the adults get through and I don't want to hear, 'I don't like this stuff'. You better keep your mouth shut and eat everything on your plate. Well, that ought to keep us remembering some of the finer things of the past, some good and some not so good, and young man if I hear you repeat one word of this I will beat the daylights out of you, do you understand that?! Yep, too bad we can't have some of them back without going to jail. I'm gonna add some more ...............Stop that crying..........I said stop it..........or I'll give you a reason to cry. 'When we get to Grandma's, don't you DARE ask for something to eat!' 'Child, did you forget that I have eyes in the back of my head!!! That's how I knew! '10 p.m. is late enough, nothing stays out later except rats and cockroaches' 'Don't talk with your mouth full' 'Sit up straight' 'Go outside and play ' 'Don't interrupt when grownups are talking ' 'Pull up your stockings ' 'Put on your golashes..it's snowing' 'Close the door! Were you RAISED In a barn!? 'Don't talk back! ' Ahhhh, those were the days !!!!!! LOL