Latest photos

Moonshot

When the moho was out front. My windows need a cleaning!

Downy woodpecker

Blackbird. They have such beautiful iridescent color but it is difficult to capture.

This is a Nuthatch.

Not sure if this is a nuthatch or a junco. They both use this feeder. The junco's seem to prefer the ground feeder most of the time.

Getting one break

We are finally getting a break in the weather. The 10-day forecast does not contain any numbers below freezing with the lowest one being 35 degrees. So we will still have to keep it monitored but we can breathe a bit easier.

The uncooperative neighbor/owner on the south is still being that way but Butch with his big rig maneuvering skills managed to get into the north end of the alley despite the lesser obstacles on that end.

The white homemade trailer at the south entrance to the alley was placed this way on purpose. It happens every October and April as he knows we will be needing/wanting access. And in answer to perhaps a question you might have, he does have room to move it forward, lots of room in fact.
The problem started when the city abandoned the alley. They do this so they will not have upkeep on it. The property owners have their half. So essentially the alley gets divided in half. We purchased the lot on the right of his trailer just to keep him from blocking it completely. So this is a game he has decided to play.

 
The north third of the alley is still owned by the city. Hey! I know this sounds stupid and believe me it really is! As you can see in the photo below there are 'humps' on each side of the alley. Butch does not like to come in that way because of those humps and the scratchy evergreen on the right in the photo. He can do it as he did yesterday but it takes forethought and skilled maneuvering to do it without damage to the motorhome.

Without the white trailer parked as it is it would be easy, peasy. This pic does not show those humps very well.

Hump on the left

Hump on the right.

So the bottom line is we are caught up in someone else's idea of "fun". Big Whoop!

The Storm is over

And tonight is TRIVIA NIGHT! I am excited!

Our Moho is parked in our driveway on Cedar street, Out front in other words and it is blocking the sidewalk. We are hoping the police will come and tell us we cannot park it there. Because our neighbor who chooses to carry on a long-term petty battle is blocking the alley. It is a tedious and tiresome story and one we endure both Spring and Fall. We have contacted a lawyer.
 Actually parking the moho in front works for us in a way because it makes it easier to unload and we can keep a better eye on all the functions. We have not winterized it and therefore run the furnace. We are about to get a break in the weather and will find a way to get it in its proper place soon I hope. Until then I will continue to remember an item I need from the moho and retrieve it. It is a piecemeal operation.

Butch put the feeders out and within 10 minutes the birds and one squirrel were attacking it. Here are some bird pictures:
Missouri Birds taken from Gary and Susan's deck window.

Robin

Bluebird

Iowa Birds

House Finches

Cardinal Couple

Downy woodpecker

 Song sparrow and a Junco

Junco

Downy Woodpecker

Butch has something to do.

Butch pulling carpet staples at Leo and Keri's place.

We are waiting with everyone else for Iowa weather to change. Should happen this weekend we are told by the man on TV who stands in front of a map.

Canyon Lake TX at the Linders

Sunset

Butch pulled into this spot on his first try.

Lisa has been diagnosed with Parkinson's and she is getting boxing therapy to increase mobility. There were perhaps 15-20 people in the room all undergoing boxing therapy because of having been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. Lisa says it is working for her and she can tell if she misses a session.

'Oliver the Musical'

You might think from the pictures it was a one child play and for me it almost was. There were some other very good performers and a couple who needed lots more work. And here are some pictures to commemorate all of them.

Tuesday Morn

We have arrived at our cozy little home and I can look out and see snow. Next winter season in Texas we plan to stay until May! We did avoid any slick roads and the wind was an issue for two of our travel days.  We are glad to be here as always and it is going to take some time to get settled. We are debating on winterizing the Moho. If we do, it would be the first time. The plan, for now, is to not do it and run the furnace as needed. If we get into May and still need heat that could change. Perish the thought!!
We surveyed the town to view the damage from the wind last Friday night. All we had for damage is a yard full of twigs and branches. There are at least two homes that are now unlivable due to the damage and one of them is a place I considered when we were in the market for a place a few years ago.
Right now the amount of work to get settled seems like a mountain. And sitting here visiting with all of you is not getting my work done. later... lol.

Sunday morning

Butch and I had planned to be headed north today but the temp this morning was 31 and there was snow on the ground so we do not regret staying put. Tomorrow looks better. Our alley in Jefferson is still blocked so we will stay in Yale at the Marvin and Judy Smiths RV park. The one that Butch played a part in making a reality several years ago. We have full hook up there if the weather will allow it. It will give us time to do what we can to get the alley clear or at least clearer in Jefferson. They have had a great deal of rain before the snow came in so it will also give the alley time to dry up a bit.
The big storm that hit Jefferson on Friday night did a bunch of damage to several places near our house but we came through unscathed.

Elise was a bit more rested for her Saturday afternoon performance so she showed a bit more pizazz. I have many great pictures and will need time and a good connection to get them posted. Probably will not happen until we are implanted in Jefferson.
 In South Texas next season and the weather up north even remotely resembles this season we will stay much longer where the weather is warm and the breezes are tropical.
We will also be in a different park. Long story short, many, many changes would have to take place over the summer for us to return to the same park we have been in for the past 18 winters. Looking forward to a relatively dramaless season this fall. If by some far off chance Magnolia does get their act together we may return to it in the fall of 2019.

Lordy, lordy

And then we...
1. We had a great time at Canyon Lake.
2. Stopped at Thackerville and gave the largest casino in the world a $5 donation for each of us. The RV park was full of Snowbirds who did not want to go further north. We had to back into a site instead of a pull-thru and that means unhooking the car. Gotta do what ya gotta do.
3. Stayed in Coachlight RV park in Carthage MO. We had a problem with our steps not coming up and they were willing to look at it on Friday morning so we stayed. They found the problem and fixed half of it but did not have the module for the other part. So we went on anyway. They are cranky. Sometimes they will retract and sometimes not.
4. Last night was the first performance of Oliver the musical and Elise did not disappoint. The little girl who played the artful dodger was excellent. I will be going to Elise's afternoon performance today.
We are parked in Peculiar Park Place. And Butch just called them to book an additional night since the weather in Iowa is not suitable for travel.

*First Day Headed North

We left the valley at about 7:30 am because Butch wanted to get to Canyon Lake before the Masters started. We made it. The trip was relatively uneventful. We hit the predicted cold front around the Kingsville lateral. I saw a sign for Kingsville about the time it hit. We, of course, were on 281 and not 77. The wind was pretty wicked most of the way.
The Linders have an RV spot in their yard similar to what we have in Iowa. It is a bit tight to get into but Butch made it on his first try and I was impressed! We watched the Masters and then played cribbage until the numbers started jumbling in my head. I was very tired. We had some brisket that Lisa had purchased at the Bare Bull in Startz and we all agreed it was the best brisket any of us have ever eaten. If you are ever in the vicinity it is very much worth the effort.
Next travel day will be Tuesday or Wednesday. Hope to get some pictures soon.

*Preparations for departure

Yesterday we did some things necessary before take off. We tried to return our modem to Spectrum in McAllen. Butch was going to wait in the car. I told him it could be a half hour or so. I opened the door and I could not believe it! There were 50 or more people waiting to be helped. The place may even have been over allowable capacity. I was not about to wait for that many people to get waited on so I went back to the car. I knew there was another drop off place in Harlingen so I called them to see if it was any better over there. She said it wasn't too bad at the moment but she couldn't promise anything so while on the phone I canceled the service. That alone took a while but we finished up and I asked about the modem return. She told me that if I took it north with me and in a place where there was not Spectrum service I could drop it off at any UPS store. So that is what we will be doing.

Then we went to Costco. I have become quite fond of Topo Chico, a Mexican mineral water. I mix it with green tea or ginger root water. Tasty drink with low/no calories. Topo Chico is available at Costco here but I doubt very much if it is "up north". I will be checking for sure. So I loaded up with 2 cases. Not enough in my mind but a compromise with the other half of the household. We picked up a few other items and grazed on the samples.

Then we went to Raising Cane for lunch. It is a chicken place and we find it delicious and reasonable. Then home to resume our preparations for departure.

Today we will be moving to a spot where we can hook up the car and then be ready to head out the gate tomorrow morning. Butch wants to arrive in Canyon Lake in time to watch the Masters Golf tournament. I'm okay with that and a nap may be part of my plan.

Working on the park's WIFI and it isn't too bad right now.

Heads Up

Butch and I will be heading north this weekend. First stop will be Canyon Lake TX with friends Terry and Lisa Linder. I have Internet on my phone of course but connections could be sketchy at times until we are settled back in Jefferson. We are returning our Modem today. It means we can be in touch with talk and text mainly. Postings on the blog could be hit and miss. Sometimes I will prepare them ahead and post when I can so they may end up being out of order as well. I do not like using the phone as my computer. Too tiny. Might seem odd coming from someone who does not mind living in small spaces. My home can be small but I want my virtual world to be large.

7:00 AM and Butch is up fixing his breakfast. What the hey!! Till next time...