Written Thursday, January 29, 2004
Full day yesterday. We rode 10 miles with the bike group. I tried something new for breakfast-machado and egg taco. Machado is like dried beef but not the dried beef we are familiar with; it is more like dried, shredded roast beef. Very tasty and I would not hesitate to order it again.
Nearly forgot to mention Tuesday. We went to Padre with Shipley’s and the other Brookers and spent the day beachcombing. Looked for sea glass, which is broken bits of glass that has been eroded by wind, sand and water. The edges are smooth and it has a frosted look. Bert found some but the rest of us were left looking. ;-) It was fun to look for it though. We enjoyed a pleasant day at the beach and I slept like a sack of sand that night.
See photos posted on Webshots.
After biking yesterday we went to Mexico. We wandered, shopped and made the annual purchases of medicine, vanilla and alcohol. Two little girls pointed to my camera so I snapped a photo of them. Some utility workers were setting a pole so of course we needed to record them for posterity and the guys up north. Wayne noticed the pole was off plumb after it was set but I am fairly certain plumb was not a priority.



Written 1/27/04(Tues.)
We were feeling sorry for all of you up north as we took our evening walk in short sleeved shirts and shorts. We are always aware of weather in other parts of the country. Those cold fronts do eventually make it down here and then we have daytime temps in the 60’s and nighttime temps in the 40’s.

I played golf with Butch last Sunday. It had been awhile since I last played and I played very well! It was the ShortShot Course and I tied Butch with a 66 on 18 holes. I beat him by 3 strokes on the front 9 and then we reversed that scenario on the back 9. It is always fun when it seems easy but unfortunately it is impossible for me to ‘make’ that happen.

Monday was the golf day for the guys. I haven’t heard scores but last night he said his plans were to go biking with me Wednesday so his frustration level must be high.

My friend Connie and her family have been in Florida this past week. I checked the weather there and it should have been a good week for them. She says the weather is always rainy when they take a vacation and if she had come to South Texas instead of Florida she would have been right!

Written Sunday, January 25, 2004
This past week has been cool and rainy so we have been doing indoor activities. We have still managed to get 3 miles of walking in every day and I was able to go on the Wednesday bike ride.
We had a dog incident on the bike ride that impressed me. Tuffy is our leader. He chooses the route and takes care of obstacles or problems as they present themselves. On the ride 3 German shepards and one mixed breed dog came charging out of a gate. Tuffy stopped and got off his bike confronted the dogs all the while misting the air with ammonia. Those dogs put on the brakes and backed right off. He also sprayed the ground as we approached places he knew that dogs resided. I liked the route that Tuffy chose because it was more rural. We did get sprinkled on a bit when we were closer to home but it was warm enough to not be a problem.
On Thursday we took Bert and Wayne to Ropa Usada (used clothing). It is fun to watch faces when they see it for the first time. On the way home we stopped at a Jukebox museum. Some were so old that the song selections were handwritten and some were even older than that! Jukeboxes have been around for a very long time.
On Friday we enjoyed the meal and music presented by the McAllen high school music department. They have some very talented kids. There was an English teacher seated at our table and we had some interesting conversation with her. She was a Michigan native married to a Minnesota man but now living in McAllen. She said that one Sunday she and her husband were trimming some lemon and orange trees in their yard. She was picking up branches when she felt like her little finger was on fire. She said the pain was excruciating. She went inside and washed her hands but it didn’t help. Her hand and arm were getting numb all the while hurting like crazy. Frightened and hurting she asked her husband to take her to the emergency room. She was lucky enough to get a doctor who knew what it was right away. She had made contact with a fuzzy worm called an Asp. It is furry and looks like a fuzzy caterpillar or wooly worm we have up north but this one has a tapered tail. It is a little like a porcupine in that when contacted it injects spiny things into your skin with histimine. There is nothing that can be done about the pain and it takes 4 or 5 days to go away. If this happens to you, you should take tape and place it over the site and pull to remove the spiny things. So if we see a fuzzy caterpillar down here I will take care not to touch it.
Yesterday Bill and Jo hosted a gathering. Marlene and Bernard came over from Harlingen. Bert and Wayne were there too along with us. We had a good time and a good meal. Maggie entertained us all royally by chasing her ball around the back of the pickup. She does this in an absolute frenzy.

Written Sunday, January 25, 2004
This past week has been cool and rainy so we have been doing indoor activities. We have still managed to get 3 miles of walking in every day and I was able to go on the Wednesday bike ride.
We had a dog incident on the bike ride that impressed me. Tuffy is our leader. He chooses the route and takes care of obstacles or problems as they present themselves. On the ride 3 German shepherds and one mixed breed dog came charging out of a gate. Tuffy stopped and got off his bike confronted the dogs all the while misting the air with ammonia. Those dogs put on the brakes and backed right off. He also sprayed the ground as we approached places he knew that dogs resided. I liked the route that Tuffy chose because it was more rural. We did get sprinkled on a bit when we were closer to home but it was warm enough to not be a problem.
On Thursday we took Bert and Wayne to Ropa Usada (used clothing). It is fun to watch faces when they see it for the first time. On the way home we stopped at a Jukebox museum. Some were so old that the song selections were handwritten and some were even older than that! Jukeboxes have been around for a very long time.
On Friday we enjoyed the meal and music presented by the McAllen high school music department. They have some very talented kids. There was an English teacher seated at our table and we had some interesting conversation with her. She was a Michigan native married to a Minnesota man but now living in McAllen. She said that one Sunday she and her husband were trimming some lemon and orange trees in their yard. She was picking up branches when she felt like her little finger was on fire. She said the pain was excruciating. She went inside and washed her hands but it didn't help. Her hand and arm were getting numb all the while hurting like crazy. Frightened and hurting she asked her husband to take her to the emergency room. She was lucky enough to get a doctor who knew what it was right away. She had made contact with a fuzzy worm called an Asp Caterpillars">Asp. It is furry and looks like a fuzzy caterpillar or wooly worm we have up north but this one has a tapered tail. It is a little like a porcupine in that when contacted it injects spiny things into your skin with histimine. There is nothing that can be done about the pain and it takes 4 or 5 days to go away. If this happens to you, you should take tape and place it over the site and pull to remove the spiny things. So if we see a fuzzy caterpillar down here I will take care not to touch it.
Yesterday Bill and Jo hosted a gathering. Marlene and Bernard came over from Harlingen. Bert and Wayne were there too along with us. We had a good time and a good meal. Maggie entertained us all royally by chasing her ball around the back of the pickup. She does this in an absolute frenzy.

Written Tuesday, January 20, 2004
We are creatures of habit. It seems that once settled we fall into the same routine, doing the same things over and over. That doesn’t mean there is nothing new to write about but it does mean it might take a bit of thought rambling to come up with something unique.

Recently I have been on tech support with 7 computers. Most of that took place in one day. One of the local ISP’s (Internet Service Providers) changed their access number and that was three of the computers. One lost their folder list- that was an easy one. One had Blaster worm and we got rid of that. One had printer problems and I wasn’t much help there. One is an older computer with Windows 95 that is corrupted. I might try loading Win 98 instead but I am not sure I have a Win 98 CD. That would be new territory for me. I have seen it done but never done it myself.
Some of the things I have used the Internet for lately using good ol’ Google is looking up immigration laws and the number allowed in every year (700,000); Migraine headache triggers and new developments in varicose vein treatments. A wealth of information resides in this little black box!
Friday we have tickets for a Dinner Musical Theater put on by one of the McAllen High School Music Department. Full report later.
The kite days on Padre are coming up soon too.

Written Wednesday, January 14, 2004 too.
After the tests we went south with Bill & Jo and since we can’t go very far south without crossing the border that is what we did. It hasn’t changed much from years passed. We do get border-crossing reports on the news and the length of time it is taking. For Progresso it has been no delay. We enjoyed a nacho plate at Garcia’s over the Canada Store (pronounced ka-nah-duh). It is the first time I have eaten in Mexico that I enjoyed the food. I didn’t partake of the peppers though.
It was finally warm enough to go on a bike ride. We biked 8 miles and I could have gone much farther but it was probably smart to hold it down for the first time out. I did put on a few extra miles within the park. There are new pictures at My Webshots.

Written Monday, January 12th.
The day zips by really fast, especially when Butch is playing golf and not standing over me saying, ”What are we doing now?” ;-)
The day started off bright, sunny and calm. I downloaded a new book from www.audible.com to listen to while I went on a walk. Stopped at Bill & Jo’s and we booked a tour of King Ranch for February 3rd.
I paid a bill using www.mycheckfree.com. It happened to be my Sam’s Club bill but that is how I pay most of them. I also got caught up on email, did the puzzle from www.jigzone.com. I posted one email from Gary about turning blue. I emailed him and advised him to use either salt or vinegar to set the dye in his shirt. I registered about 5 books at www.bookcrossing.com. I put one in the phone booth and one in the laundry room. Book crossings is a catch and release program for books and an excellent way to keep books in circulation and the weight down in the motor home.;-)
In this particular blog you have been told about several websites that I use all the time. You should be able to click on any of the highlighted sites and be taken to that particular website. Enjoy!

Our son Gary enters racquetball tournaments and was in one in Lincoln Nebraska recently. Following is an email I received from him about the experience.

" I am not real happy with the tournament people from Lincoln this morning. I wore their blue tournament shirt to bed last night and to the Health Club this morning. I caught sight of myself in the mirror on the way to the shower and saw some blue around my arm pit and wondered if I had gotten an injury that I didn't really feel during the heat of a racquetball battle and had some bruising. When I looked closer I realized it was this new shirt bleeding on me. So when I showered I tried to scrub real well and did notice some blue coming off. However, when I got done and checked my cleaning job my blueness looked brighter than before to me! It really looks stupid like I've been trying out for the blue man group or something. Lucky that my work shirt covers it well."

Wednesday, January 07, 2004
I thought it was cold yesterday but it is 39 today!
They promise it will be in the 70’s by the weekend. We certainly hope so.

We have now been to Ropa Usada. Not sure, but I think that means used clothes. I hope to get pictures posted soon. Many of my bargain hunting friends came to mind as I was rummaging around in this mountain of clothes that cost me a grand total of $1.95. It will cost me more to wash them than it did to buy them. We climbed up on this 8-10 foot tall mountain of clothes, settled in and started looking over the items we happened upon. There are all kinds of treasures to be found. Kitti had the find of the day with a patchwork quilt in perfect condition. Her bill was $3.47. Some of the parks have Ropa Usada fashion shows which I think is an excellent idea. We went to one of these places and there are dozens of them south of McAllen not Mission. I understand that these clothes will get shipped overseas from here. We could tell by labels and things that much of the pile we were working over came from Long Island NY. We have been coming to the Rio Grande Valley for years and didn’t know about this. I do know that my sister Myrla would go nuts over it and probably invest in an entire new wardrobe!

Tuesday, January 06, 2004
This should make all of you feel really good. We are having a cold spell and it is only 47 degrees! Had to dig out the heavy coats this morning.
We have heard of a place south of Mission that we plan to visit. It is called Europa or Aropa, not sure which. In this place they have bales of clothes. Yes, bales! They open them and you can salvage all you want for a penny a pound. I guess some of the quality stuff is as much as 3 or 4 cents a pound. Now this sounds so weird to me.
I plan to take pictures.
Kitti Toomire told me she gathered up a bunch of tee shirts for rags but after looking them over decided they were too good for rags and gave them to her kids. Her bill was 40 cents. This place I have to see!
Yesterday we went to Brownsville. Had to get to Sam’s Club and load up on meat. Saw 4 border patrol cars on the trip and a guy standing in a cabbage field talking on a cell phone. If you look around you can see the darndest things.

Sunday, January 04, 2004
We went to South Padre with John and Pat. We took a different route, one along the shipping lane but the view was about the same.
They are building so much and so fast on the island it is hard to recognize the place from year to year. We had a great time. I always enjoy being on Padre. You can see the pictures from the day at my picture place. I have moved my album from the last spot to the first. Might make it a bit easier to find. Click here

We went to a dance in the park for a couple of hours on New Years eve and then we
came home an listened and watched the fireworks till long past midnight. It was all around us. Fireworks are a big deal down here on New Years. It felt somewhat like being in a war zone!

The park is filling up with Midwesterners. We heard about a fellow who calls this place Wrinkle Ranch. That tickled my funny bone.
I have been on some tech support stuff. I am trying to configure Bill’s Arkansas webmail through Outlook Express and having a fair amount of trouble with it. As yet the issue is not resolved.

We picked up cat food at H.E.B (grocery store). I had been buying IAM’s because only the best is good for our Angel. Butch was also nearly out of treats for her. I noticed that if we bought Purina Cat Chow we could get her favorite treats free so we decided to take a chance and see if she would eat it. Cats are not usually fond of change but she seemed to have an unusual interest in the bag when we brought it home. When I opened the bag she nearly climbed in it! I think she is living with champagne people and she is a beer cat so to speak. Hey, if she prefers the cheap stuff she can have the cheap stuff.;-)

Tuesday, December 30, 2003
I subscribe to www.powerquotes.net. They send a quote and a question pertaining to it every week day in my email. Recently the quote and question was about downtime.

"Downtime is where we become ourselves, looking into the
middle distance, kicking at the curb, lying on the grass
or sitting on the stoop and staring at the tedious blue of
the summer sky. I don't believe you can write poetry, or
compose music, or become an actor without downtime, and
plenty of it, a hiatus that passes for boredom but is
really the quiet moving of the wheels inside that fuel
creativity."

-- Anna Quindlen, Pulitzer Prize winning writer


Questions to Ponder

Do I get enough downtime?

How can I get more?
How will it benefit me?

I have long known the value of downtime for creative processes to kick in. Early morning, after awakening and before arising is one of the times when ideas, projects, and solutions etc, and the other end of the day is another one. A third time is while walking or biking if I am doing it alone. I also believe we are all talented, creative people but we need to not only listen to our internal dialogue we need the downtime to let our creativity blossom. I also feel if we are deprived of that time that our spirit declines perhaps only minutely but declines all the same.

While on our walk last night I took some pictures of unusual and beautiful sky conditions. It was good walking weather. We needed a jacket but pleasantly comfortable.

Written Sunday, December 28, 2003
We have had several summer-like days. Highs in the 80’s, lows in the 60’s sleeping with the windows open.
The pool and spa have been repaired and filled but not being fond of icy plunges I am waiting for Mother Nature to warm it up. There is a heater but it cost money to turn it on so I have doubts that will happen.
Bill, Jo and Maggie arrived Friday afternoon from Arkansas via Houston.
Yesterday Marlene and Bernard came over from Harlingen so we all walked down to the flea market. While there we ran into Rod Christensen from Atlantic, Iowa who we know through our long-time association with the Nishna Hills Golf Club. That was a surprise. After picking up a few items we returned to the park and then decided to eat at Fat Daddys. I took a picture of the guys you can find it at http://community.webshots.com/user/barbie1943We enjoyed catching up on family happenings.
I finished a book yesterday, one of those you live in for awhile and hate to leave. Many years ago I read “The Clan of the Cave Bear” by Jean M. Auel and became a fan. It is a series of books set in prehistoric times. The latest one in the series took her years to finish, “The Shelter of Stone”. Ms. Auel says there will be one more. I certainly hope it doesn’t take her another 4 or 5 years.
So now I have the fun of starting a new one but for me that is like trying on new clothes; it takes me some time to know if it is a comfortable fit.

Written Christmas morning, 2003
Yesterday we went for our morning walk then played 18 holes of golf at the ShortShot Course-walking. I shot a 70, 8 strokes better than last time. :-) Then we walked over to the flea market and checked out every booth. I didn’t have my pedometer on but I should have! I had to get up in the night and take Tylenol Arthritis Formula because my legs were aching so badly.
When I got up I heard the fireworks and/or gunfire. It has become a tradition to shoot guns and fireworks at midnight on holidays. I am not sure if it is all holidays but it is a custom they can stop. A few years ago Tony, the cook, had a bullet come through his roof. So when I heard all the noise I wasn’t comfortable. Next we have New Years to get through without getting shot! I do not really feel I am in that much danger and I am probably in danger of being called an old fogy but I do feel that it is inconsiderate of your neighbors to be noisy late at night.
We went to a gathering in the park last night. Clam Chowder and finger food, a good time with new friends.
The influx will begin tomorrow and continue through January. The spaces around us will begin to fill up with Iowans, Missourians and other Midwesterners and more than a few Canadians. A news item gave me pause for thought. Canadians can be in the U S.
6 months but Mexicans cannot. The unfairness of this law was being pointed out on the local news. I was unaware of the discrepancy. I understand the reasons behind it but the fact remains it is not evenhanded treatment of our neighbors.
Written Wednesday A. M.
We had carolers last night. A tractor pulling a hayrack came through the park streets with 20-30 singers on board. They were all wearing jackets but you could not see their breaths. ;-)

Tuesday, December 23, 2003
Every Tuesday morning they have coffee in the hall at 9:30 A M. It is where you learn what is going on in the park, a little town meeting, so to speak. I thought we were going this week but Butch wants to square dance to Jerry Story (an Iowa boy and a very good caller) so as yet I cannot say what the plans are for today. Yesterday I spent the day cleaning and attempting to plug up holes in the screen room so Angel could not escape. It became a game with her and she is darn good at it! The problem area is around the steps.
I have tried to create a barrier with 12 packs of pop and cardboard. I need more pop! :-/

Written Sunday, December 21,2003
The awning bows are installed and the difference is amazing. We are due to have substantial winds tomorrow, Butch’s golf day Hee, hee, so we will have a test.

Many people from our home state ask what our plans are for Christmas. I think they feel sorry for us being so far away from all that we are used to doing around the holiday. We signed up for the Christmas dinner in the RV Park. Tony Spagnuolo (age 86) is preparing roast beef and ham. The rest of us sign up to bring side dishes. They also had a sign up sheet for entertainment and there are several names on that list too. The rest of our day will be spent remembering Christmas past and all of our friends and family. :-)

Written on Saturday, December 20, 2003
I woke up this morning empty-headed and trust me that does not happen often. When I started to fill up again I did think of some things I could tell you about but if it seems a little duller than normal blame it on my empty-headedness. :-)

On Thursday night a Christmas parade was held in the park. If we would check the bulletin board now and then we would have known about it. We found out about it when we started on our evening walk. We noticed an unusual amount of people out and about many with lawn chairs but we thought all the commotion was about a mobile home being moved. We were asked if we were in the parade but we thought they were joking and then we sighted a float! The parade was about ten items or floats long and folks had decorated bicycles, motorcycles, and golf carts. Much thought had been put into their decorations. Maybe next year we will be more attentive and get in on the fun of it.

There are a huge flock of parrots that fly over several times a day. There is no way you can miss them; they are the noisiest birds I have ever heard. They have no problem flying and squawking at the same time. They move so quick with their stubby little wings that it is impossible to get a picture of them and so far they have not roosted close enough.

Written on Thursday, December 18, 2003
We are aware of the winter weather that has been happening in Iowa. Everyone should be able to get into the Christmas spirit with relative ease. Frank, my hairdresser, told me the locals also have trouble getting into the Christmas spirit unless it gets cool. He said the ideal Christmas weather is cool and misty so even here they have their version of “White Christmas�.
Butch played golf yesterday with Toomire while I purchased groceries and prepared food. When Butch returned we went to the flea market to purchase awning bows. We need them for our battle with the wind. The purpose of the bows is to provide stability for the awning. They are also called awnbrellas and that is an accurate description because they keep the rain from puddling. The flea market was sold out so we hope to get them in the next day or two. It is calm today.
Butch was in need of a haircut so he decided a flea market haircut was good enough. $5.00. The barber’s family was waiting for him to finish his business for the day. The barber’s wife was listening to her daughter, Gisetta 10?, rattle on about her day. Her brother, about 8 was listening and occasionally being amused. After a time, Gisetta began reading her book to her mother. She was speaking in Spanish but the book was in English. I knew because I could see it. I found this intriguing. By the way, I knew Gisetta’s name because there was a picture of her on her father’s mirror with her name neatly printed under it.

Tuesday, December 16, 2003
Rattling for bucks. I heard that phrase on TV this morning and listened closer to find out what they were talking about. This fella was saying that he had rattled for bucks since he was a kid. It seems that if you rattle two antlers together, bucks in the area will come to see what the fuss is about. He said the curious buck will not join the fight. He comes in hopes of taking on the winner while he is all worn out or running off with a doe while the fight is in progress. I had never heard of rattling for bucks so I learned something new today.

Monday, December 15, 2003
Went to Harlingen yesterday to see Marlene and Bernard Kelley. Beautiful day! 79 degrees-calm. We had lunch at the Golden Corral. Busy, busy place but the food was delicious. We came back to the Kelley’s place visited and played a few games of partners cribbage.
Butch played golf this morning and I stayed home with a head cold and the wind. I worried all morning about the screen room and was once again reminded that worry wouldn’t keep it in place.
I called for an appointment to get my haircut. I had asked Lucy who cut her hair and she said she liked Frank at Alicia’s House of Style so that is who I called. I will not need another haircut for quite some time. ;-)

Sunday, December 14, 2003
We finally made it to a square dance on Friday morning. We danced at Casa de Valle RV Park in Alamo with Wiley Hutchison calling the dance. Don and Jan Brahms have a place there but they are still in Iowa enjoying winter. ;-)
There were two fellows working on a roof to the southwest of us. While they worked, they conversed in Spanish but every now and then they threw in a sentence in English. They were singing while they worked. I didn’t recognize the song. I snapped a picture of one of them and it is on Webshots.
Yesterday was a stay home day to get caught up on bills, mail, phone calls etc. We have 2000 weekend minutes on our cell phone so it makes sense to do our calling then.

Butch is always wanting to go, go, go, leaving little time to deal with the details of ordinary living. We are working on getting a compromise.