Gotta Nudge

 I received a nudge from a reader that it has been a while since I posted. Believe it or not, I do appreciate a nudge now and then. Sometimes I get the feeling I am blogging to myself. Not that that is bad either. I do use this blog as a journal and I can go back over the past 20 years and get a memory jog or sometimes just a pleasant reminiscence. 

The weather has been rainy, drizzly, cool, and very unlike "Sunny South Texas"  and much like Iowa in December. We, and sometimes just I, turn to Netflix at these stay at home times. I am watching, The Crown and both of us finished The Queens Gambit. Both of them very good. There is so much to choose from between NetFlix, Amazon Prime, and PBS Passport that it is like a smorgasbord.

My pool game is improving but I do need to get there and practice more...doesn't seem to happen.  

Still have to cook at least one square meal a day. We are on our own for the other two. That one square can be my biggest challenge. Last night was ham, coleslaw, and a mixed salad. Butch added Potato salad. Tonight is, at this writing, still my biggest challenge, May send Butch to Church's for Chicken and do another salad.

I just remembered I have been making scrubby yarn dishcloths. A friend gave me one when we were still in Magnolia park and I am still using it. That has been 3 years now! I knew it wasn't going to last much longer so I purchased the yarn, (Red Heart Scrubby Yarn) and started making them. I like them because you can bleach them and they do not lose their color. The one I am still using gets bleached at least every two days. I have more than a dozen now so if you want one let me know. I like to keep my hands busy and out of the goodie jar.

It is nearing my breakfast time so till next time...So Long and it is good to know you!

One of the later chapters

For some reason, I loved this AuntyAcid. It made me smile!

Writers Block?

 Sometimes I can be the wordiest person ever and other times not so much. I never know who is going to show up. I just have to start typing and find out. 

It is 7:00AM on a Monday morning. A bit on the cool side at 56 degrees and there is a heavy fog warning. I hiked up the furnace a bit and looking at the forecast for the week I shouldn't have to do that again. Daytime temps near 80 and nighttime temps of 65. Ideal!

We haven't been doing much as we are still in Covid mode. We thought about going to the El Dorado for a breakfast taco yesterday but the parking lot was too full by our measure so we settled for McDonald's drive-through instead. After a quick trip to the grocery store, we were back in the park. 

They quickly ran out of vaccines in the valley as in the rest of the nation. Sources say there should be more this coming week and the suggestion is to keep in touch with the places you would normally go for a vaccine and eventually you will get one. For us, that will be CVS Pharmacy and I am getting update notices from them in email. So I hope it is soon. There have been a few in the park who have received the first dose. 

We played Mixed doubles pool yesterday afternoon and once again Butch and his partner won with 6 wins. My partner and I were on the completely opposite end of the spectrum with only one win. My game was completely off and my partner was new and a bit on the nervous side I am guessing because I could see that he had the skill to do well. Oh well...

Next time...

Bird Pics

When we were packing up to head south I fully intended to bring the green ball bird feeder but of course, it slipped my mind and it didn't get loaded. So I purchased another one, red this time after we got settled into Trophy Gardens along with a small supply of black sunflower seeds and then I borrowed a shepherd's hook. It was a short shepherd's hook and apparently, the birds did not approve. Daisy the squirrel thought it was the best thing since a pecan orchard. So we had decided to let the squirrel have her way until the seeds were gone. 

But then we found a tall shepherd's hook for one whole dollar and we could not pass that up!

The birds are loving the new arrangement and so do I. My whole reason for wanting the current configuration is so I could get photos like the two here of a Golden-fronted Woodpecker.  

 

Birds Galore!

 Our $1.00 find on garage sale day has changed everything. We now have plenty of birds and one squirrel. Yes, Daisy has made the adjustment and has climbed to the top. The ground feeders appreciate her help. Sparrows will get on the ball but only the more adventurous and will shake things loose for the "chickens". All in all, I see a lot of cooperation amongst all the birds. The skirmishes are few and far between and consist mainly of chirping and wing fluttering. I am enjoying the show!\

Golden-fronted Woodpecker

Red-winged Blackbird and Sparrow

Our Patio Sale Bargain

Peak!

Best News!

 

The best news I have read today! The Raccoon River Valley Trail Bridge that was annihilated by an ice jam on March 15th of 2019 will be repaired by July 31st, 2021! It has been a long time coming.

Mixed Double Results

Nothing to brag about this week. My partner and I were asked how it was going and I said, "We have a good attitude."  You can't win them all of course and as long as I know I did as well as I could, I am okay with it. Pretty much a life rule on that one.

 

This and That

 Yesterday we walked around and looked at what people were trying to sell on their patios. It was cold so the buyers and vendors were on the light side. Butch found a bag full of new golf grips for $5 and I found a tall shepherd's hook for $1! We are going to see if the squirrel wants to graduate to a higher level. We finally got some rain last night so maybe we can get it to stick in the ground. It is the second time that I can remember since being here the first part of November that it actually rained. We have some standing water this morning and my rain bucket is full. 

Last night we started watching The Queens Gambit on Netflix. It is about an orphan girl who is a chess genius. I know virtually nothing about chess but that is not a requirement for enjoying this series. Our son Jason usually gives us recommendations of movies and a couple of others he has thought we would enjoy are The Professor and the Madman and Loving. He was spot on with both of them.

Later today we will be playing Mixed Doubles Pool again. Looking forward to it...

Eating Out?

Yes, even with Keto dieting I did enjoy eating out on occasion. It is perhaps the one thing I miss the most.

Our activity directors have negotiated with Reyna's to come into the park with their food cart and sell to park residents. It has become very popular. Last night they were here from 4 to 6 and Butch stood in line, masked and 6 ft. apart, and purchased us each a brisket sandwich. It was delicious! So in a special way, we ate out last night!

You can find out what Reyna's is all about at this website:

https://www.reynasbbq.com/menu-main/

The time before last night they sold out so they promised they would bring more food this time and I wouldn't be surprised to hear they sold out again. Butch said the line was very long.

Seasons in South Texas

 The leaves are finally fully dropped.

And in about a month new buds will on the trees and one warm day they will be on full display for the Spring and Summer.

I was noticing the way the sunlight was highlighting the edges of the palm fronds and took a couple of tries at capturing it but it really did not work well.

Habits for a new year in a democracy

 Habits for a new year in a democracy

January 6, 2021

~a column by Colleen O’Brien

In a college course on American history, I was given the opportunity to memorize and recite before the class the Preamble to the Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, or the Gettysburg Address. I chose the shortest, in typically freshman behavior, but I’ve been reading them since, reminders during times of greed or war or civil unrest that we’ve endured a lot, that there probably will be, always, a lot to endure, that enduring is what humans know how to do, and that we can indeed keep the principles within these three documents working.

I came to love these three famous writings – never so much as during these last four years – understanding at some late date that in each rereading I was polishing my commitment to democracy, that form of government that best honors a sense of decency toward everybody so we can all live in dignity.

The Preamble to the Constitution of the United States of America

We the people of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, ensure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

[the second line of] The Declaration of Independence

“…We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness….

Or the Gettysburg Address, written and read by President Abraham Lincoln in the middle of the Civil War of the 19th century, on Nov. 19, 1863, that relates to this civil war of words of the 21st century, and which reads in part:

Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent,  a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal….

Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure… It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced.

It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us—that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion— that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain— that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom… and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.

Stirring language — simple, compassionate, hopeful . . . and possible. I read them again and again, I memorize them, I whisper them to myself as I walk in the park and say them aloud when I sweep the floor. The words and thoughts sink into me, make me better, more thoughtful, more aware that it’s not up to somebody else, it’s up to me, in this new year.

Deplorable

 Most of you are very aware of where I stand on the despicable man who has occupied the Whitehouse for the past 4 years. He deserves everything that comes his way for the rest of his life. He owns it. Many of you are going to fall on the wrong side of history and I have known that in my gut for 4 miserable years as I watched him manipulate so many. When in your presence I will not speak of it. That is my gift to you as a friend.

Golf Anyone?

 These 4 fellows were getting ready to tee off. Trophy Gardens and Winter Ranch share a golf course and if you are a resident of either resort golf is free. This is a very nice amenity and one that helped us decide to make Trophy Gardens our wintertime home.

The sky in this photo looks ominous but nary a drop of rain comes out of it. We would all welcome it if it did because it has been far too dry here this fall and winter. And for those of you who golf on a regular basis and have to fight crowds, that does not happen here. There is always a time and a place to enjoy a game. 

New arrivals are asked to self-isolate for 5 days but you can do that on the golf course!

Dinosaur Egg? I think so

 Sally K. a friend of mine here in the park, purchased a bag of seashells at a garage sale and the object below was in the bag of shells. I have done some investigating in Google Images and as near as I can tell it is a dinosaur egg. I have never seen anything like it before. It is slightly larger than a tennis ball and fits nicely in the palm of your hand.

 The back side of the rock.

Time Marches On

 Regardless of the mobility and other restrictions, the time does seem to fly. When I was young, an older lady told me that time goes much faster the older you get and I have lived long enough to know she was spot on! This same smart lady also told me that if you are going to do something new and adventurous you most likely will not do it if you are over 65. Mary Nebola is no longer with us but I always enjoyed her company. Mary was a "Winter Texan" and drove to the RGV by herself each fall. She said she tried to travel with others but could never find someone who was on the same schedule as she was. And once you do the trip alone the next time is not so intimidating. My friend Colleen told me that after the passing of her husband she was a bit afraid of going alone but then decided to take it one town at a time, and once you reached the town you would venture on to the next one and soon you had arrived at your destination.

But I digress...We arrived here early in November and now we are in a whole different year! 

Our weather has been moderate this season. It is very, very dry. I have had trouble gathering enough rainwater to water the two plants I brought with me from Iowa. They occasionally have to get a drink from the Alamo Texas water plant. They say it tastes funny.

Our life here pretty much revolves around the pool hall, the grocery store, and playing cribbage, dirty board, or FastTrack with our in-park friends. Yes, I would very much like to see our friends outside the park but there is no covid within the park and we feel safe as long as we stay vigilant. We have registered for the vaccine and hope to get an email soon that they are ready to inject us. We hope to have both doses of the vaccine before returning to Iowa in April.  

There is one of the women who I play pool with who has received the first dose of vaccine. She has asthma and was recently hospitalized with an attack of it. The hospital called her and told her she was eligible to get the vaccine if she came right away and so she did. Both she and her husband got their first one. I asked her if she reacted at all to it and she said her arm was quite sore but no worse than a flu shot and she had a bit of a fever the next day but it didn't last long. Her husband had no reaction at all.

So it is time to get on with my day. Till next time...

On Sunday

We played pool. My partner and I were pretty evenly matched on skill but we played well and had fun. Butch and his partner had 6 wins out of 7 games.

Here is the excerpt from the official word on it. :

Wow, these weeks are sure going fast. Another fun time in our pool hall today.   We had 16 players (eight teams). Each team played seven games. Winning six of their games played were Butch Brooker and Bev McEnaney. Three of the teams won four of their games and they are Sally Keleher & Dave Page, Janet Yeley & Keny Patrick, and Donna Hanke & Jim Weeks. The sign-up sheet is up for the coming  Sunday the 10th of January. The start time is at 1:00 p.m. Come join in on the fun...

The two women who have been his partners for the past two weeks are apparently impressed with his pool playing skill. Today those two women were playing at the table beside me and I kept hearing "Butch says to do this and Butch says to do that". It amused me. He is lined up to give lessons tomorrow. I must admit he is good at it. I think I have had something to do with that, wink, wink! 

Weekend ER

We glided right over this but also on Saturday Butch woke up with a pain in his chest and remembering the blood clot he had after his prostate surgery he thought it was worth a trip to ER. They have these freestanding ER's down here that are connected to the same system he was in for his leg surgery...I think. At any rate, after an ultrasound, it was determined to be a gallbladder issue. Perhaps too much Margarita. Anyway, it turned out to be not serious. But I did forget to mention it because shortly after we returned home is when Mando called wanting to deliver the refrigerator. 

RV fridge replacement 2021

We were surprised with a call yesterday from Mando telling us our RV fridge had arrived from Dallas and they would be here to install it in about an hour. It was two to three days early! Mando's business involves his family and we were very impressed with their efficiency.  They arrived at about 3:00 pm and by 5:00 they were finished with the transfer. It was an amazing thing to watch! Great care was taken at each step and each person knew their role. It is so satisfying to see people work like that! Especially when it is your stuff they are working on.

We had a "guy" we called on when we were in the other park but he no longer comes to the valley so we had been searching for someone we could count on and feel comfortable with and it looks like we have found him. Mando was recommended by our friend Alex. Isn't it amazing when the right things happen and it all falls into place?

So today we will be getting our food back into close proximity making meal prep much easier. A big "THANK YOU" goes to all the folks who helped us out on this endeavor.

Another part of this was the reinstallation of the additional fan we use in the RV Fridge. Here is one that is similar on Amazon. In our opinion, it is well worth the money. It makes our RV refrigerator as good as any residential one we have ever had. Ice cream stays frozen and it increases the life of produce extremely well.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B072BPYXS8/?coliid=I2DQ14W5MMDTBZ&colid=15C7D0YB1VKPH&psc=1&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it

The original company we purchased ours from is no longer in business. So I looked it up in the blog and we had ordered our fan in 2016. Fortunately, you can buy one like it from Amazon and I will also tell you it is much less money now than then.

Here is what I posted in 2016 about the fan and it all remains true.

Original post about the RV Fridge Fan in 2016:

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 about 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 does 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!

Register for Vaccine in Hidalgo County Texas

If you live in Hidalgo County Texas and are 65 or older you can preregister for the Covid-19 Vaccine.

 https://hipaa.jotform.com/203493774599170?fbclid=IwAR3CQwYmZqrA7UTsxuIwWCxJ670gVC5VYFPhvG_gM_uzfgA9wq6INWlX7HI

Butch and I are registered.

symbiotic relationship

 After the call of the Grackle