Old Age Slowdown

 It quit raining earlier this week and I went on my merry way and forgot to fill you in. Sorry! It was a nice rain. A little over 2 inches spread out over 5 days and now we are back to sunshine and moderate temperatures. Yes, it is kinda like heaven here.

We bought a new washer and it was delivered today. The washer I had was cutting up bedding. So after buying new sheets, I was afraid to wash them. It was also deep and tough for me to get the clothes on the bottom. Thus the new washer. So now I have a frontload and that is what I am used to. After thinking back, I can safely say I had a frontload for twenty years or more.

Some of the women who play pool have decided to take the game a bit more seriously and play BCA rules. BCA rules are the national standard for pool players. If you are ever in a tournament outside the park you would be expected to play by BCA rules, not that I ever will! I am learning them because I want to play the national standard and have a firm grasp of what is expected. So far, so good!

I have made a bracelet or two, however I have had a hard time having enough free time to be bored. 

Our dermatology appointment was yesterday. We both had some spots attended to and some taken for biopsy. It was the usual routine. Results will be in a couple of weeks.

In a few minutes both of us will be headed to the pool hall. I will be playing with the aforementioned women.

RAIN!!!!

 Do you know how long it has been that we have enjoyed a 4-day rain? A very long time. The weather people told us it was coming, saying the finished total could be as much as 5 inches. It started in earnest yesterday. The pitter-patter of raindrops on our awnings reminds you to grab your raincoat if going out. It is very much needed. Not sure if it will be enough to drop the water restrictions. Oh, did I forget to tell you about the water restrictions for Hidalgo County Texas? Washing houses and driveways is prohibited. There are 3 pages of rules about water due to drought conditions. We are on day two of rain and rain is predicted for the next three days! We need it.

Coming to a Conclusion!

 I have come to the conclusion I get triple the exercise in South Texas as I do in Iowa. Now I am well aware that it doesn't need to be that way but it comes in a way in Texas that you do not realize it until you crash!

Yesterday we went to Mexico, needing a few items such as Gingivitis mouthwash, Volfenac and a zpac. No, neither of us are sick.  We try to keep one on hand. When we go to Hectors it becomes a two-mile walk. Before going, Renie and I had done our walk. And if you work in playing some pool you can see how you could rack up miles.

The main question we get from telling anyone we went to Mexico is "How is it in Mexico, specifically Nuevo Progreso Mexico?" It is fine! They have spruced things up so it looks much cleaner and they have pushed venders down the street a way so it isn't nearly as crowded getting started down the street as it used to be. Butch got his teeth cleaned ($40). As a general rule, everything costs more than it used to and that is because of the Peso/Dollar relationship. For instance, we had lunch at Jessica's and it was $5 in the past and $7 now. That shouldn't be much of a surprise to anyone. It was still delicious!

We came home and took a nap!

Turkey for Two

Every November I post the Turkey for Two recipe because sometimes you may find it handy for different or unforeseen reasons. The past few years I have been unable to find my preferred Butterball turkey roast with white AND darkmeat in the RGV. Yesterday I checked it out in HEB off of Veterans and was very surprised to find it! I bought two.

Read the label carefully and you will see the very important to me (White and Dark meat) Enjoy!!

Turkey for Two
Did you have a meal with friends and family on the holiday and miss all the turkey and dressing leftovers at your house? Or there are just the two of you and you do not want to cook a big ol' turkey for two people. I discovered an easy way to have it all. 

Grease the sides of your crockpot or use one of those nifty slow cooker liners ( I swear by the liners). Place a small package of dry stuffing mix in the bottom. Sprinkle with a 1/2 cup of water or chicken broth. Slice onion and dice a celery stalk and layer on top of stuffing. Place a thawed Butterball 3 pound turkey roast (found in your grocer's freezer) on top of celery and onion. Cook on low all day or high for 4-5 hours and you have the best of both worlds. A scrumptious turkey dinner for two with some for leftovers if you are moderate eaters.

Yikes!

I washed bedding yesterday and to my surprise I could have just thrown them away and been better off!

See pics.

 We had some of this last season too but not nearly this bad. It is a Whirlpool upright washer and after consulting Mr. Google we find that it is not uncommon.

They suggest not to put sheets or other bulky items in a circle around the agitator and I admit that is what I did. I purchased new sheets before we came south. How much would you trust washing them in this machine?  I had one pair of Butch's shorts with a slit in them last season but mostly, the clothes seem to come through okay. Disconcerting to say the least! Looks like a new washer is on the agenda.😒 It will not be a Whirlpool!

Cabbage Roll Casserole

It's what's for supper. Maybe not tonight, but soon!

Cabbage Roll Casserole

Brown the beef and drain the grease.

Add the cabbage, sauce, onion, rice, and salt. Pour broth over the top.

Bake for one hour, stir, and continue baking until the cabbage is tender.

Ingredients

2 pounds ground beef

3 ½ pounds chopped cabbage

1 (29 ounce) can tomato sauce

1 cup chopped onion

1 cup uncooked white rice

1 teaspoon salt

2 (14 ounce) cans beef broth

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) and

gather all ingredients.

Chopped cabbage, tomato sauce, onion, rice,

salt and cooked ground beef

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat.

Cook and stir ground beef in the hot skillet until browned and crumbly,

5 to 7 minutes. Drain and discard grease.

Combine cabbage, tomato sauce, onion, rice,

and salt in a large mixing bowl.

Stir in cooked ground beef. Pour mixture into a 9x13-inch baking dish,

then pour beef broth over top.

Cover and bake in the preheated oven for 1 hour.

Stir, re-cover, and bake until cabbage is tender and rice is done,

20 to 30 minutes more.

Up to Date

 We have been here a week and two days and getting more settled in. Today the bug guy comes to protect us from invasions. When you live in a warm weather area it is a constant. Many of our peers also get it professionally done soon after arrival and again before we leave.

We consistently go to happy hour at four. It is informative, funny, interesting and more. Our neighbors, Bill and Sandi host it perfectly.

Our first time playing mixed doubles pool took place yesterday. I was happy with my play even though we didn't score well. You are not partnered with the person you signed up with, so Butch and I are never partners. Today is ladies' play at 1:00 but the cold front has reached far South Texas (55 degrees) so I may pass on it today. I say that now...

Our RV bed is made! We have slept on it the past two nights and it feels like home! We have successfully duplicated the one in Jefferson.

Getting settled into our Winter home is always a bit of an adjustment, especially when you know before arrival that a project awaits, such as the RV style bed. So with that done we can look to other things we enjoy like Pool, Swedish Weaving, Beading, and Diamond art. I brought it all with me. The choice is mine!

Just Walkin'

 A little late for my walk today and it is a bit steamy out there. It isn't too bad if you can find the shade and there is a light breeze so I increased the length by a couple of streets. 

Todays pic...

Yesterday, We went shopping again, the BIG HEB, Costco. Restocking isn't easy to do in one visit. I had purchased a cabbage on our first visit and last night I made a batch of coleslaw with it. It is always a shocker at the difference in the produce. It was so crisp and cut up so easily!

We have most of the materials needed to make our RV-style bed. The last item ordered, a piano hinge, will arrive tomorrow. We are both anxious to dive into this project. I will take pictures in process if I do not have to "hold a board".

My project for today is to get my crafting supplies divided with some staying here and some returning to Iowa. I have enough of everything so it should be easy. That was said with tongue in cheek.

So we are happily carrying on with our South Texas life!

Morning Walk

 It has been a few weeks now since I have been for a walk. My poor old decrepit body was telling me it was way past time. At 7:15 this morning I started out alone to get some exercise. Those who I passed asked me where Renie was. She is due to arrive next week. Not sure she will be ready to jump into it right away but I have decided I need to make it a priority.  

I took some photos along the way.

We have our place spiffed up on the outside.

This is someone's 'down south' means of transportation. I am sure they turn heads wherever they go!

Southern Sunrise

And now for a commercial. So you are planning a trip to South Texas and you have an RV. And you decide to stay in Trophy Gardens because the Brookers speak so highly of it. The lot behind us is usually available throughout the season so when you call to make a reservation the number is 657.

 This is the rear view of our South Texas home in Trophy Gardens RV Park

South Texas Home

 We arrived yesterday in our South Texas home. We took a new route, avoiding San Antonio, and I it will be our new way to go.

As many of you know we take HWY 281 south as soon as we come to it in the Weatherford/Stephenville Texas area and we stop to see our friends at Canyon Lake after leaving there we go south to Hwy 46 east to the 337 loop around Seguin picking up HWY123 to Karnes City (HWY 182) to Kenedy (HWY 72) getting to HWY 281 at Three Rivers, HWY 281 to the Rio Grande Valley, Texas. I know that sounds a bit gobbled but if you are looking at Google Maps while reading it I think it would make sense. I am writing it down as much for me as for you! It will be the way we go in the future. It probably would not have my full approval for the motorhome, but in the car, it is more than fine.

Today we put down our awnings, washed the car, made a trip to Costco, ate lunch at Raising Cane went home and enjoyed a nice nap!

Safe and Sound

 We are at Canyon Lake Texas and have been since Wednesday, 10/17. We always have a good time with Lisa and Terry; this is no exception. Texas, especially the middle belt has been undergoing a brutal drought. Yesterday we toured the area and I took some photos of the drought-stricken lake.

This is a boat ramp. Most of these photos would be underwater normally.

These are not "beaches"!

At the bottom of these photos is the boat ramp, accentuating where the water used to be.

As you can see, the recovery will be years in the making.

All is well...

 Butch had been in the vicinity (outdoors) of Leo so we felt the need to be cautious as far as Covid is concerned. However, it has been long enough now for Butch to test and he has tested Negative! So we are happy! Butch always has allergies in the fall particularly so we had a reason to be cautious. Much relief! We are becoming more aware since it seems Greene County Iowa is known to be loaded with cases of covid.

So I asked our Internet provider to disconnect us today. Who knew they would be so 'frickin' prompt! 8:00AM on the nose we were disconnected. So now I am connecting with my phone and will not be online as much. 

We have most of our stuff done. It has gone smoothly. We knew we might be dealing with rain so we packed as much as we could in the car before it started. Spreading the whole thing out has its benefits but also its drawbacks.

So I am back in the beading business! The rings are done in short order and it is all coming back to me. The starting of any of the beading projects has always been a bit tricky but 'back in the day' it seemed easy once I had learned it. It has been the one obstacle to getting back into it. I ran across a quick-start apparatus that I could purchase and I did. It indeed sped up the process. Kinda pricey. My ego took a hit on this one and I keep going back to how I originally learned to see if I can regain my agility. So far I keep falling back on the quick-start. I have always been one to keep pecking away as I am sure Butch will attest to! I haven't given up yet. So without my full-capacity Internet I will be working on my agility...or packing up and checking it twice.

Oh No!!

 We had to cancel our gathering to see us off for the winter because of a positive Covid test. Leo had what they considered allergies or a cold but decided to test to be safe. The result said positively not a cold or allergies. So then it was a scramble to get everyone notified and I unfortunately marked one of our friends as notified when she was not! It has bothered me ever since! I am so sorry Pat R. 

That was the bad news. The good news is we will not have to live with the oversight of a friend getting Covid because of a gathering of friends. Another good news is that we are finding out there are friends who plan to come to South Texas this winter to see us! We find that exciting!

In case this is something you would consider we stay in Trophy Gardens RV Resort in Alamo Texas. There are RV spots available, small apartments, or if you are lucky and do it early there are mobile homes or Park Models for rent.

https://www.rvresorts.com/trophy-gardens.html

800 St Hwy 495Alamo, TX 78516956-787-7717

Departure 10/16

 If all goes as planned we will be doing the final bits of getting ready a week from today. Leo and Keri are hosting a farewell celebration for us today. They have done this in past non-Covid years so it will be much fun doing it again.

It is also Jason and Laura's wedding anniversary. That was a special day for all of us too. We were still living in our RV then (15 years ago) and we were parked in Omaha,  near their wedding location. We were heading South the next morning and we did, through several inches of snow! "Attitude is the difference between an ordeal and an adventure." So very true! We have had so many adventures in our retirement years.

Speaking of retirement...I have come to the conclusion that retiring successfully hinges on how many adventures you have enjoyed so far and how many more you plan to have. Do you have a waiting list of things you want to do? Do you have hobbies or activities you have been waiting to devote more time to? Are you adventurous enough to break new ground and do things you have never done before? We have had so much fun these past 20 years!!

Till next time...

Keeping up with the past

 Our friends the Spanglers, who we became acquainted with when in Magnolia Park, keep the blog from that park going and I am grateful for that. Both of us mirror what is happening in our lives. As I read her latest entry (https://magnolianews.blogspot.com/2023/10/this-and-that.html) I was struck by the prep part of heading South. I thought you might want to take a peak. We too have our Magnolia friends pop into our conversations frequently.

Where we are headed

The other picture I put in this post did not hold up. At the very bottom where it says "Pharr" is very close to where we winter.

And this is how we get there.  This was the route in our RV days so it may be a little different now.

10 days til take off

As we age and the memory fades it does become more of a challenge,thus my "desk" is covered with notes. And yet I can almost guarantee something will get forgotten. Hopefully it will not be important. We do get better at this over time. One of the truths of living is "Most things can be duplicated or worked around!" My mother's kitchen drawers were filled with duplications. I have more sympathy now. Yesterday we did get all the outside things ready for winter. Butch thought he had over done it a bit. He hasn't said anything this morning so it must have healed some overnight. Feels good to have the things of summer put away. Till tomorrow!...

Loose Ends

 We do not usually get in a toot about most things, tending to take life as it comes on any given day. However, several things at once are clambering for attention and we are a mere eleven days from take off. 

No problem! I have 4 things off my list this morning so hopefully most of my work is done for the day. 

We had made appointments in Texas with Thurman Eye associates in November, but circumstances meant that my eye issues were all taken care of. Canceled mine but kept Butch's.

We have put off dermatology appointments in Iowa so making appointments in Texas was on the to-do list. Done!

Butch needed a prescription refilled before we leave. Done

The other day an ad in the Elks Magazine caught Butch's eye and he decided we needed to look into getting our cremations prepaid. So we made an appointment and found out all the details yesterday and decided to go through with it. Signing papers and such is happening on Saturday.

We made a decision the other day to have our breezeway doors replaced with something a bit more weather worthy so our friend Russ will be doing that job ASAP. Butch was tired of trying to get the styrofoam in place so it would stay. It was definitely a stop-gap measure.

We generally do not have this many irons in the fire at one time but we go where life leads us!

I do know that all the things we need to do to get ready to leave will not take long to do. The test of it is when to do what so it all comes together at the right time. Yes, it will happen. The main issue really is to keep the mental wheels from turning in the middle of the night. Decision making can be very tiresome in all aspects of the word.

I think I need a nap! 

Forgetful?

 I have been a bit forgetful lately. 

We are in the midst of planning our annual trip to sunny South Texas. Yes, I know it is hot down there. These days it is extreme wherever you are so we had better learn to adjust. Most of what we are doing is thinking. Thinking about what to take and perhaps more importantly what not to take. 

Yesterday we had our fall physical and we are both healthy enough to go. We also stopped into the pharmacy and received our vaccines. Jason and Laura recently had a severe case of Covid even after being fully vaccinated and we don't want that happening to us if preventable. It is two weeks to take off and the time will fly. It always does.

The routine changed tremendously after selling the moho and we are not fully adjusted. It takes a few trips to get in the groove. So we make lists and check them many times, always have and always will.

Butch is getting in his last rounds of golf. He had to wait for Jason to get well enough to join him. That is where they are as I type.

I decided to spice up this entry a bit. Below are pictures of Butch and I in our teens.

Mini class reunion with photo

 The class of '61 has done a fine job of sticking together. Class reunions were so much fun seeing the changes in all those "kids" we knew when we were a kid. The entire tone changes as we age and now they are a mix of happy/sad. It is great to see everyone and visit about times of old and new but then there are those who are not here, either because they can not be, most often from health reasons and then the ones who have gone on to their forever home.

Yes, it is inevitable. Time marches on with heavy boots.