Merry Christmas

As we get older, time runs faster, so we must do things sooner. Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas.

Moseyed to Mexico

Marlene and Bernard came over and we ganged up with Bill and Kay Stilson along with Peggy and made our way south. Bill and Kay always drive in because they go to the south part of Progreso to our favorite pharmacist, Hector. So the Kelley's and the Stilson's drove in while Butch, Peggy and I parked on the US side as we usually do and walked down to Hectors. I swear it is over a mile, maybe closer to two! It was well worth the trip. Prices were less than the last time I went down. Marlene said a bottle of eyedrops she buys in the US for $180 were $29. And the prescription I buy that are $150 with insurance are $63 this trip. They were $71 last time. Peso and inflation...
So we all went back to Elsa's for Panchos and Margarita's. We always look forward to that stop. Just as we were getting ready to leave Kay realizes she has forgotten their passports! So after a bunch of angst it all turned out okay. Their drivers licenses sufficed this time. They did a bit more checking but it all turned out well.
You all should come with us. We have a really good time.

Issues and Hunkered...again

We winter in an old park so things are old. And every so often an issue arises that can be directly related to old age and sewer problems is one of them. It is usually a short-lived issue and we get on with it. However this time it has risen to be a bigger problem, one that might include a backhoe and several feet of pipe replacement. They have found quite a large section where the pipe has collapsed.
Dottie, the manager, knocked on our door this morning and asked if we needed to dump our black tank and yes we do, so she has suggested we move the RV to another site and so we will. It should be short term but one never knows. This a reasonable request but naturally is more than we want to deal with on a cold and windy day. Butch thinks perhaps we could move the MoHo, dump our black tank and then return to our spot since we can go about 5 days between dumps. Surely it will be repaired in 5 days time, I say hopefully. So we are thinking we can do this tomorrow. Another complication will be that until we are back in our usual spot we will not have an internet connection. I can take the Chromebook up to the library but for me, that will be a last resort.

 And now on to the weather report... I know it is lots colder up north so my sniveling may fall on deaf ears but Damn! it is cold outside. The front came through at 3:50 am. How do I know that you might ask? It was 70 degrees outside when we went to bed at 10:00p m so we had the window open and the fan on and when the front came through at about 20-30 MPH it was noticeable. Over the next hour, it dropped to 43 degrees outside and 63 inside. So I asked Butch to turn off the AC and put it on heat. I could do it but I am too short and cannot see the controls without getting a stool. Easier to ask Butch. So this cold spell, the second of the season, is supposed to ease up by Wednesday and I certainly hope so!! Hunkered down once again so we are watching The Crown on Netflix learning a great deal about English history. Next summer at Trivia night we hope to be a force to be reckoned with. Except they will ask us a question about the Simpsons that none of us know one thing about.

A Visit with Marlene and Bernard

Marlene and Bernard are in South Texas. It always feels like family is closer with them in Harlingen, a 20 mile ride from Donna. Bernard was telling us that when his sister Jeanette was in Germany with her husband, he made a cribbage board out of a piece of wood and Bernard decided it would be the best choice to use in Texas this winter. Marlene and I liked it.

 And this is a tree their son Dwight planted when he spent some time in South Texas a couple of years ago. It sure has grown! I swear you can stick a dead stick in the ground and it will thrive.

Parade 2016

Peggy and I led the Christmas parade. It has become a tradition for us to lead the parade. She dresses as Santa and rings a cowbell while I wear moose antlers while pretending I am a reindeer. I kept my head gear on while we enjoyed our Subway sandwiches in Allen Hall. Over time I noticed my jaw was hurting-both sides. I kept massaging my jaw as it continued to hurt. Peggy said hers did as well and we thought perhaps it was from smiling while we walked the 1.2 mile parade route. My jaws continued to hurt and it was concerning me as jaw pain is one symptom of a heart attack. So after the event, I removed my head gear and had INSTANT RELIEF!! I cannot believe I sat there the entire time and did not take off my head gear sooner. One of the dumber things I did today!!😖

OMG Dancers

My friend Colleen sent me a smile!

Watch this: https://youtu.be/LOzpfMGC-mQ

It will fill you with joy and love and laughing and crying and wanting to dance again, dance your life away.

Busy and productive week

The house is clean. Meal planning is done through Thursday. Been getting the two walks in easily (tip: the secret is to set a time and stay accountable.)

Tomorrow night's supper:

Ingredients

2 1/2 to 3 pounds beef round steak

2 green peppers, sliced thin

2 onions, sliced thin

3 cups beef stock

2 teaspoons garlic salt

2 teaspoons black pepper

1 envelope dry Italian dressing mix

1 to 2 large loaves French bread, sliced into sandwich lengths or 6 to 8 hoagie buns

Provolone cheese slices

Directions :

Spray crockpot with non-stick cooking spray or use a slow cooker liner. Cut meat into thin strips, place in slow cooker. Add green pepper, onion, stock, garlic salt, pepper and dressing mix. Cover and cook on low 7-8 hours, or high for 3-4 hours.

Spoon meat mixture onto toasted buns, top with cheese. You can then put the sandwiches on a baking sheet and bake an additional few minutes to melt the cheese and toast the sandwich. You can also serve with sliced sauteed mushrooms on top

Butch is golfing on Tuesdays. Been shooting in the 30's and he is happy with that...for now.

Great Photo

My cousin Howard Ed Zimmerle took this photo of his brother-in-law Jerry Moss. The photo grabbed my attention. Any time that is true you know it is a good photo. Right away you wonder what he might be thinking...

For my family members who do not remember Jerry, he is Phyllis Zimmerle Moss' husband. Aunt Ruby's and uncle Phil's son-in-law. Uncle Phil was my mother's brother. Cleared it right up, Right?

smartrvproducts.com

On our way south we stopped in Carthage MO for a week and while there, parked at Coachlight RV Park where we visited with Alan, a friend we met at Coachlight way back in 2002. We always talk all stuff RV with Alan every time we meet up and this time was no exception. So we talked refrigerators. RV refrigerators are notoriously inefficient. They are fine for camping trips and other ventures but they are far from the same as a residential fridge. But over the years we have learned to get by. It is a given that things do not stay as cold and thus do not last as long. Ice cream may not be liquid but is close to it and you can dish it up straight from the freezer with an ordinary spoon. Milk must be used promptly as it will sour quicker. Over time you do get used to it. We purchased a small battery operated fan that takes two big ol' D batteries and lasts about a month. It was a moderately useful step. It circulated the air and increased the efficiency a tiny bit. We are on our second fridge in the RV because our first stopped working. We had made up our mind that if it happened again we were going to replace it with a residential one and that is still the plan.
But now we get to the good part. Alan told us about a fan he installed in his RV fridge that totally changed things. He said he turned the fridge down from 5 to 3 and everything kept colder longer. He didn't have to defrost it nearly as often and on and on about how good it was. We were impressed and decided if  all was true it would be worth doing. So we ordered one and we installed it last Wednesday. It is a bit of a deal to install and takes time, patience and a bit of study. But if a person is handy at all and Butch certainly is, it is a piece of cake. We had been running ours on 5 and we are down to 3 and may need to go lower if possible. Our temp is staying steady at 32 degrees but not freezing. Last night we had to use an ice cream scoop instead of a spoon to dish out ice cream. Whoo Hoo we are impressed!
smartrvproducts.com  is where we ordered it. They are based in Oklahoma. Very helpful if you call.

Before installation

After installation

Ours is a Norcold. Any questions, just ask.

Still hunkered

This morning at 6:00 am it was 43 degrees. It is a wet cold so quite penetrating. Besides, we have been here long enough to get acclimated to warm temps. Not sure I will ever get acclimated to humid
Today was computer class. Only two students ventured out but they were very motivated so it was a fun morning. I often say I learn as much as the students and that remains true. What happens is they will ask a question that requires a bit of research on my part and then I am off on a learning excursion and that is what I enjoy.
Tonight Butch will head to the pool hall as usual and I will find something to do. Last night we watched a feature on Netflix.


Babies is a documentary about babies. It is not about how babies are made. It's not about how babies learn or develop. It's just film of babies doing what babies do. There is no narration or point or anything. It's just about some babies from around the world. Babies are adorable and by extension this documentary is adorable. If you like watching babies being babies give this one a look. Oh, and if you have a girlfriend with baby fever do everything in your power to keep her from watching this movie.

It was very interesting and surprising in places.

Netflix is our savior and never more so than when we are in south Texas. We are on old-fashioned antenna. Yes, the pokey thing on the roof. We get the main 3 stations, several Mexican stations, and public television. In Iowa our main station, that we watch the most is public television or IPT and it is a full-bodied experience offering 3 different viewing options. The main one that has national offerings, then Create and it is like the name suggests offering creative things, and then World, offering stories and features from all over the World. In south Texas it is much different. There are two. One is called Cozi and is made up of old TV show reruns and movies. And the other is somewhat of the main one in Iowa except they also cover local city and county council meetings.  No create. No World. 
So we turn to Netflix. Yes, I must rely on a good, fast Internet service but I rather insist on that anyway. So it works for us.

Taste of Winter!

We are hunkered down in our warmest of clothing, with all our shades closed tight, electric blanket on the bed. The TV keeps beeping and the warning tape runs across the bottom of the screen telling people to take care of their pets and to wear warm clothing because hypothermia sets in very quickly. Keep in mind the AC was running yesterday. They are saying temps could dip into the 30's. Add rain and strong winds and it is very unpleasant. Sunday is supposed to be back in the 80's.
 

Cool and rainy Sunday

We are having a cool (59 degrees) and rainy Sunday. A better day is promised tomorrow.

Butch finished up our decorating...

Friday and Saturday

This week was mostly taken up with garage sale. No matter what is taking place the time flies!! Friday we were preparing for the monthly garage sale. I was one of those participating. Butch and I gather our unwanted and unneeded items throughout the year. I have a large tub in one of the bins of the motorhome and when I run across an item that qualifies I put it in the tub in the bin. Then each December we participate in the monthly garage sale taking place in the park and pare down our belongings. This is the most trouble-free way to ever have a garage sale. All of the items are together in one place and it takes little or no time to get them displayed and priced.
On Friday after we were all set up and ready for the sale, so Butch and I went to a movie. Fascinating Beasts and where to find them. It was worth seeing and I would like to because it had so many interesting tidbits.
Today was the sale and we did well. It is always good to get this sale behind us.

I have jumped headlong into beading again. And Keri will be glad to know I am working diligently on ISU bracelets and they are coming along nicely. So now back to beading!!

Roadtrip

Butch and I went to McAllen this morning with stops at Chase Bank and Costco.
We needed some cash, gas at Costco ($1.79) and a few food items.
I have been doing some steady beading the past couple of days and have finished off a couple and started a new one. It is once again enjoyable.
We later found out there was a record high temperature in McAllen today of 99 degrees. We are ready for a cool down!

Sunday breakfast

We do not go every Sunday but now and again we go to the El Dorado for  a sausage and egg breakfast taco. They are the very best here. And then we like to do our grocery shopping on Sunday morning. We are small town folk who like roomy grocery aisles and Sunday morning is the best time to find them.

Rhubarb???

We take our rhubarb for granted in the north. Rhubarb is a cold weather crop and cannot be grown in deep south Texas. Many have tried and all have failed. The conditions here are just not favorable for our redheaded friend. So imagine my surprise when I went to my favorite grocery store, H.E.B. and spotted rhubarb in the produce department. It surprised me so much that I had to take a picture!
And you might think I was mistaken about what it is but I am not.

And here is a close up of the price tag and in fine print, you can see that it states it to be RHUBARB!

Black Friday?

For Rv'ers, black Friday or even Thursday can mean it is time to empty the black tank.
Our life isn't really much different when we are south as it is when we are north. Perhaps a bit busier at times but for the most part, we are creatures of habit.
I have been beading lately. It helps to keep my hands busy. I go on a picture taking jaunt now and then.
This is my view from my computer corner.

Happy Thanksgiving

"Practicing gratitude is a very powerful tool to shift your attention on the things you don't have to the things you do have and this alone will make you feel better." Noelia Aanulds, Happiness: Learn How To Be Happy And Boost Your Life

Keri's walk

Keri went for a walk on the bike trail and sent me this picture of the pampas grass. Always changing, always beautiful!