Calendar and Simply Walking

Just looked at the calendar and we have been here 3 weeks and two days! I have been sick for 2 of those weeks. I have an impossible time believing I have ever been that sick for that long. I believe that I went straight from a head cold to a nasty sinus infection.
Butch and I went for a walk yesterday. A short walk. He is playing golf this morning so I went for a walk on my own. Deon informed me of an app to map a walking distance. I have been looking for one ever since the one I did have started charging a fee for it. $2.99 a month seemed like way too much to merely know how far you had walked. The one Deon suggested is free and simple. In fact, that is the name of it, Simply Walking. Today is the first time I have used it and it is a keeper.
I walked 34 minutes and 23 seconds-1.53 miles at 2.67 mph-3,832 steps and burned 139 calories. It felt like a hundred miles! Before leaving Jefferson I was walking 2.25 miles per day. It usually took me 40-45 minutes and I arrived home refreshed and ready to start my day. I have a ways to go to recover.

Head and weather

First the head cold, one of the worst I have ever had and closely followed by weather cold for the past 3 days. Not a good start to our South Texas season. I have only been out of the house for brief periods and have not felt well enough to much care.
I am hoping I am on the mend but being optimistic hasn't been working to my utmost satisfaction. We have bounced from 99% humidity for several days running to somewhere in the 30's. They even pointed it out in the weather report that the humidity level was very low. My very tender sinus cavities are saying "What the HEY!" and giving me fits. Still. Today is better...so far. The neti pot, warm moist compresses and a heating pad have been my plan of action with adequate success.
So enough of that ugly news.
My plan for today is to get a walk in for the first time in a long time. I have supper planned. And that is probably as far ahead as I should plan for now.

Stay tuned for better news. Gotta happen, right?

The worm has turned

I awoke this morning feeling 95% normal and ready to return to life as I know it. That is the good news. The bad news is that we are under a freeze warning for tonight and the current temp is 45 degrees with little chance for it to get warmer today. I will be covering my plants tonight or bring them in,
I will have Chili in the crockpot for supper and will be enjoying the day more than I have for the past 10 to be sure. I need one added ingredient for my chili and I told Butch we needed to go to HEB. He does not think that sounds like a good idea. He will do it. He just needs to get used to the idea.

Time goes by...

And we are back home. It is cold enough here that our trip to the store was good. Not crowded. Everyone was bundled up tight. We are back home now and chili is on simmer.
My plan is to scope out some movies for later. A real wintertime day all around. We come here to get away from them but sometimes you cannot avoid it no matter what you do or where you are.

The movies in our area are:
https://www.cinemark.com/texas-southern-border/cinemark-hollywood-usa

But I am guessing we will find something on NetFlix.

Down and Out

Been down and out for over a week. I would get to feeling a bit better and then get smacked with a whiz-bang headache. I won't go into the grizzly details. It is enough to say it has been a roller coaster event. I have never been fond of roller coasters. Each of the last two days I can safely say has been decidedly better. I have been able to do laundry and get meals cooked. My time on the computer has been a fraction of the time it usually is as it seemed to make my ailments considerably worse. So needless to say not much to talk about.

Don Louks has passed. He is the man Butch gives much credit to add to his pool playing skills. Butch and Don enjoyed working on the game and playing as a team. Butch will very much miss him but will think of him every time he picks up a pool cue.

I have been tuning into Facebook on occasion and have gleaned a few photos in the process.

Jason, our youngest son and his lovely wife Laura.

My sister Myrla in the middle with two of her best friends  Craig and Tara Cunningham.

And my sister Theresa who underwent open heart surgery last August and is doing very well

I want one

When I am too old to get my hiney up on the seat of my favorite bike I will want one of these.

https://electrek.co/2018/11/07/screecher-electric-pedal-car/

Winter Texan increase

This is from the RVtravel Newsletter. Butch and I read this every day. This news is a surprise to us. The owners of our previous park (Magnolia RV Resort) should pay particular attention to this sentence, “I would say 99 percent of our Winter Texans are here because they heard about us from somebody else,” Collier said. “Word of mouth is the number one driver of new traffic to the Rio Grande Valley. "
We have always been supporters of the RGV and the park we were in. Cannot with good conscience do that anymore.
Barb

Winter Texans increase after years of decline
November 7, 2018 


The Rio Grande Valley’s Winter Texan population ticked upward last season after nearly a decade of declining numbers. That’s the good news from the latest Winter Texan Survey conducted by the University of Texas-Rio Grande Valley (UTRVG), according to The Monitor.

The bad news is that household spending appears to be significantly down from the previous season, though officials are not sure why.

According to the latest biennial report published in May, an estimated 106,000 Winter Texans came to the Valley during the 2017-18 winter season. That’s a 10.4% increase from the 2015-16 season, when roughly 96,000 retirees visited the Valley. It’s the first population increase seen in the report since 2009-10.

About 144,000 Winter Texans came to the Valley that year and had been steadily dropping for nine years.

“The cities were not marketing the Valley for 20 years because of budget cuts and everything else,” said Penny Simpson, the survey’s author.

“Our Winter Texan parks have the best resources when it comes to marketing outside the Valley,” said Kristi Collier, whose website, Welcome Home Winter Texans, serves as an online concierge for winter visitors. Collier believes local stakeholders also had a hand in driving the turnaround.

“I would say 99 percent of our Winter Texans are here because they heard about us from somebody else,” Collier said. “Word of mouth is the number one driver of new traffic to the Rio Grande Valley. Still, we are actively working on an ambassador program to educate our residents how to get involved in other (marketing) opportunities up north and spread the message of the Rio Grande Valley and how great it is to winter here.”

Rockin' and Rollin'

Butch and I went over to Magnolia Wednesday afternoon and for the most part, people are optimistic. I certainly hope their optimism pays off. I truly do.
I think I did too much on Wednesday because Thursday I felt like crap again. It did get better as the day progressed but still do not feel like my old self. That is why I have not been timely with adding anything to the blog.

The weather forecast last night was rather gloomy. We have a series of cold fronts coming through in the next week or so, like a train about every 3-4 days. So we are going from humid and 90's to fighting to get out of the 50's in the daytime and staying around that for nighttime temps as well.🙁

The temps have dropped over 10 degrees in the past hour since sitting here. From 76 degrees to 66 degrees. So here is how I see it. We have been holed up for over a week with not feeling well and temps in the 90's and freakishly high humidity to temps in the 50's, rain and the furnace running. I pray for some moderation in all things!!

Harris Hawk

Butch was grilling and called me out to see this big bird. So, of course, I did get a picture of it. It was probably 50-80 yards away. I do believe it is a Harris Hawk but I am relying on my friend Deon to verify for me.

Antenna's

Butch and I have had antenna only for at least  7 maybe 8 years now. In Jefferson, we have a roof antenna we bought for about $100 because our signals were at least 50 miles away in some cases. With the motorhome, we also have a roof antenna. I think they call it a Jack. I was looking through the tips page I have on this blog and ran across this post that is still pertinent today so I am reposting it. Even if you do not need it for practical purposes it is interesting nonetheless.

Going old school for TV
On more than one occasion we have been asked about how we get by without satellite or cable TV. I found this website that would be very helpful for anyone considering it.

Before determining what type of antenna you will need, find out how far away you are from the TV stations you want to watch.

I used this site " www.channelmaster.com/Antenna-Selection-a/134.htm" to get an idea of the stations close to me. I soon realized that most of the stations were 43 miles from my location. In total, I had around 29 channels at my disposal.

What I loved about this site is that it gave me feedback about the signal strength for each channel in relation to my location. Also, it recommended the location of the antenna for the best channel reception.

Up from the depths

Saturday the cold hit me full force and I felt like I might die. Sunday I knew I would live but still felt like a miserable lump. Butch and I binge watched Ozark. I don't know how many episodes we watched but it was more than six for sure. Binge watching Ozark was the most energy I could muster. And this morning is a little better than yesterday...so far. Let's just say I did not feel like sitting in front of my computer and if you know me at all you know that is not a good sign. But here I am back in front of my computer. Things are looking up.

Head Colds, WiFi and other stuff.

Butch has had a head cold for 3 or 4 days now and despite being extremely careful he has successfully transmitted it to me. I had been having a bit of trouble I considered allergies but this morning it has shown itself to be a full-blown head cold. I started with the Zicam swabs right away so I hope to make this the shortest cold in medical history.
Butch and I have been watching Netflix. The only Internet we have right now is the parks free WiFi. Yes, that is correct. The parks FREE WiFi! No, I did not hack into their system to do it. I hesitate to say exactly what I did but if you are the least bit techy you can probably figure it out. I do not think I have regular readers from this park yet. That is the only reason I mention it. The more people on this system the less likely it will work but so far, so good! Last night we watched 2 or 3 episodes of Ozark without even a hint of a glitch.
If you were/are a regular reader of the Magnolia Park Blog you will find that Deon Spangler is keeping that blog up to date. It is nearly impossible to keep a timely blog going when you are not in residence and since I have been keeping that blog up and this one for nearly 20 years I am more than willing for Deon to do it. You can still send me info about that park and I will post it or send it on to Deon.

When we were in Missouri at Amanda and Brad's new home I went to the basement and saw this box. No doubt in my mind who packed this box. Brad on more than one occasion has reminded me of my sister Myrla.  

Here is an example. In 1993 Myrla, my youngest sister was helping Mom pack her house for a move. When I was helping Mom unpack I found this.

Can you see the resemblance?

School pics of Elise, Leo, and Devon. 

And the latest selfie I tried. I am not very good at it. This old lady doesn't resemble me in my mind's eye.

In my mind's eye, I look more like this.

Browned Butter Banana Bread

I had a conversation the other day about my NuWave oven. I wrongly stated I didn't bake in it because when I bake and it is rare, I do use my NuWave oven. Yesterday I made banana bread. I would have made my Greek yogurt muffins but lacked the Greek yogurt so switched to the recipe below. It was a good one and will make it again.

Browned Butter Banana Bread
*****
Ingredients
1 h 20 m 6 servings 389 cals

 1/2 cup butter
3 very ripe bananas
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
1 egg
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional)
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg (optional)
Directions
Prep 15 m Cook 50 m Ready In 1 h 20 m
Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat; bring to a low simmer and cook, stirring frequently, until butter is browned, fragrant, and foamy, with brown bits in it, 5 to 10 minutes. Set aside to cool to room temperature, about 15 minutes. Measure 1/3 cup of browned butter; reserve remaining browned butter for another use.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a loaf pan.
Mash bananas in a large bowl; stir in brown sugar, white sugar, egg, vanilla extract, and 1/3 cup brown butter.
Whisk flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and nutmeg together in a bowl. Fold flour mixture into banana mixture just until all ingredients are moistened; pour into prepared pan.
Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean, about 45 minutes.
Note to self: I made this in the NuWave oven, added the ring, and baked at 350 degrees for 24 minutes.

This is supper...

Unstuffed Cabbage Roll Soup Recipe


Unstuffed cabbage roll soup has all the great flavors of traditional cabbage rolls, without all the fuss.  It's hearty, beefy, and full of veggies.

Prep Time 5 minutes Cook Time 35 minutes Total Time 40 minutes Servings 6 (2 cup) servings
Calories 242 kcal

Ingredients
1 lb. extra lean ground beef I used 96% lean
1 medium yellow onion chopped
3 garlic cloves minced
5 cups chopped green cabbage about half of a medium sized head
4 cups 32 oz. low-sodium beef broth
3 cups tomato sauce (24 oz.)
1 cup shredded carrots
1/2 cup uncooked white or brown long grain rice
2 dried bay leaves
3 tbsp. packed brown sugar
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. dried oregano leaves
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
1 1/2 tbsp. lemon juice
Instructions
In a large soup pot, add the beef and place over medium-high heat. Break it apart with a wooden spoon. Add the onion. Cook about 8 minutes until the beef is brown, stirring occasionally.
Add the garlic. Stir and cook 1 minute.
Add the cabbage, beef broth, tomato sauce, carrots, rice, bay leaves, brown sugar, salt, oregano, and pepper.
Bring to a boil. Then, reduce the heat to simmer and cover the pot. Cook until rice is tender (25 minutes for white rice and 45 minutes for brown rice).
Remove the pot from the heat. Stir in the lemon juice. Let the soup rest uncovered for 10 minutes to thicken up before serving. Remove the bay leaves before serving.

Will let you know if it's worth repeating. Instinct tells me it will be.

Mexico today

Biggest News of the day! We went to Mexico today and when we came home Butch took a nap...and woke up with a head cold!! Not good news for me. I went into warrior mode. Handwashing extraordinaire and doing my best not to touch my face.
We met up with Liz and Dave at Jessica's. Liz was getting dental work done and after spending some time at Jessica's we made the trip down to Hector's. Picked up some meds and learned a thing or two as we always do in our time talking to Hector. In talking about the peso and the state of both countries he suggested I read an article about what is going on in Mexico and how it has set Mexico's economy on its ear. Mexico's president has canceled a big project of building a mega-airport in Mexico City. You can read about it here.
https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2018-10-31/what-is-next-for-mexico-city-airport-after-mega-project-axed
 Here is a picture of Liz and Dave dancing at Jessica's

Other stuff:
I bought a head of cabbage and I do not believe I have ever cut into a head of cabbage as dense as this one. I wasn't sure I was going to be able to cut through it and the resulting coleslaw seemed to be tough. It was better today. I think I will fry the rest of it.

Aaargh!

Photo of the Day

Very foggy morning so when Butch and I made our trek around the park (1.1 miles) I spotted this pretty spectacular spider web.

We decided to go to The Huddle House for breakfast. After 45 minutes and watching folks who came in after us on our right and left get their food before us, we got up and walked out. Went to the El Dorado and had our traditional and delicious breakfast taco's. Huddle House will not see the likes of us ever again. We had not been particularly happy with them a couple of years ago. Sad to see nothing has changed.

Carrying my camera

So I am taking my camera with me most everywhere I go looking for opportunities. We were invited to a gathering and I have several pictures from that. Sorry, but the only names I remember are that of our hosts. They also are our neighbors. Dave and Liz were the first to invite and include us. That is something most people always remember and we will too.
We are getting settled but have not attended many functions yet. I probably should amend that, Butch has been playing golf and pool. We have started our walking routine but do not have a firm number on how far yet. We went straight from winter back to summer as the temps are in the high 80's.
This morning Butch and I went to Rio Valley Estates and visited with Mickey's sister Donna and her husband Bobby. We drove around the park and looked because quite a few of our Magnolia people have moved there but they must have been doing their Saturday morning shopping because we didn't see any familiar faces.
We then stopped at Magnolia and visited with former neighbors Mike and Carolyn and our old and dear friends Donn and Peggy Gordon. The people will be what we miss most.
A family of dogs has moved into the park, a mama dog with her teats hanging low and five or six puppies plus another single dog. They all seem friendly but that is hardly the point. I understand the dogs are being fed and befriended by a couple of different residents. The pool looked very clean and nice but Andy told me they cannot get the temperature thing figured out- the hot tub is cool and the swimming pool is hot.
We feel we have made the right decision and our only regrets are leaving our friends behind.
Here are some pictures of the past couple of days:

The above pictures were party pics the one below was happenstance on our walk. The fellow on the left asked me what I was doing with my pictures and I told him I had a blog. He said, Oh NO! I said, No worries. No one will see it or know your name! Well, Alright then!.

 The above neighbors had been working most of the day readying the yards for the sod they received this morning.

Really he is not as old or as grumpy as he appears.

Words to live by

Many of us are between 65 and death, i.e. old. My friend sent me this excellent list for aging . . . and I have to agree it's good advice to follow. The guy who sent this hi-lighted #19.

1. It’s time to use the money you saved up. Use it and enjoy it. Don’t just keep it for those who may have no notion of the sacrifices you made to get it. Remember there is nothing more dangerous than a son or daughter-in-law with big ideas for your hard-earned capital. Warning: This is also a bad time for investments, even if it seems wonderful or fool-proof. They only bring problems and worries. This is a time for you to enjoy some peace and quiet.

2. Stop worrying about the financial situation of your children and grandchildren, and don’t feel bad spending your money on yourself. You’ve taken care of them for many years, and you’ve taught them what you could. You gave them an education, food, shelter, and support. The responsibility is now theirs to earn their own money.

3. Keep a healthy life, without great physical effort. Do moderate exercise (like walking every day), eat well and get your sleep. It’s easy to become sick, and it gets harder to remain healthy. That is why you need to keep yourself in good shape and be aware of your medical and physical needs. Keep in touch with your doctor, do tests even when you’re feeling well. Stay informed.

4. Always buy the best, most beautiful items for your significant other. The key goal is to enjoy your money with your partner. One day one of you will miss the other, and the money will not provide any comfort then, enjoy it together

5. Don’t stress over the little things. Like paying a little extra on price quotes. You’ve already overcome so much in your life. You have good memories and bad ones, but the important thing is the present. Don’t let the past drag you down and don’t let the future frighten you. Feel good in the now. Small issues will soon be forgotten.

6. Regardless of age, always keep love alive. Love your partner, love life, love your family, love your neighbor and remember: “A man is not old as long as he has intelligence and affection.”

7. Be proud, both inside and out. Don’t stop going to your hair salon or barber, do your nails, go to the dermatologist and the dentist, keep your perfumes and creams well stocked. When you are well-maintained on the outside, it seeps in, making you feel proud and strong.

8. Don’t lose sight of fashion trends for your age, but keep your own sense of style. There’s nothing worse than an older person trying to wear the current fashion among youngsters. You’ve developed your own sense of what looks good on you – keep it and be proud of it. It’s part of who you are.

9. ALWAYS stay up-to-date. Read newspapers, watch the news. Go online and read what people are saying. Make sure you have an active email account and try to use some of those social networks. You’ll be surprised what old friends you’ll meet. Keeping in touch with what is going on and with the people you know is important at any age.

10. Respect the younger generation and their opinions. They may not have the same ideals as you, but they are the future and will take the world in their direction. Give advice, not criticism, and try to remind them that yesterday’s wisdom still applies today.

11. Never use the phrase: “In my time.” Your time is now. As long as you’re alive, you are part of this time. You may have been younger, but you are still you now, having fun and enjoying life.

12. Some people embrace their golden years, while others become bitter and surly. Life is too short to waste your days on the latter. Spend your time with positive, cheerful people, it’ll rub off on you and your days will seem that much better. Spending your time with bitter people will make you older and harder to be around.

13. Do not surrender to the temptation of living with your children or grandchildren (if you have a financial choice, that is). Sure, being surrounded by family sounds great, but we all need our privacy. They need theirs and you need yours. If you’ve lost your partner (our deepest condolences), then find a person to move in with you and help out. Even then, do so only if you feel you really need the help or do not want to live alone.

14. Don’t abandon your hobbies. If you don’t have any, make new ones. You can travel, hike, cook, read, dance. You can adopt a cat or a dog, grow a garden, play cards, checkers, chess, dominoes, golf. You can paint, volunteer or just collect certain items. Find something you like and spend some real time having fun with it.

15. Even if you don’t feel like it, try to accept invitations. Baptisms, graduations, birthdays, weddings, conferences. Try to go. Get out of the house, meet people you haven’t seen in a while, experience something new (or something old). But don’t get upset when you’re not invited. Some events are limited by resources, and not everyone can be hosted. The important thing is to leave the house from time to time. Go to museums, go walk through a field. Get out there.

16. Be a conversationalist. Talk less and listen more. Some people go on and on about the past, not caring if their listeners are really interested. That’s a great way of reducing their desire to speak with you. Listen first and answer questions, but don’t go off into long stories unless asked to. Speak in courteous tones and try not to complain or criticize too much unless you really need to. Try to accept situations as they are. Everyone is going through the same things, and people have a low tolerance for hearing complaints. Always find some good things to say as well.

17. Pain and discomfort go hand in hand with getting older. Try not to dwell on them but accept them as a part of the cycle of life we’re all going through. Try to minimize them in your mind. They are not who you are, they are something that life added to you. If they become your entire focus, you lose sight of the person you used to be.

18. If you’ve been offended by someone – forgive them. If you’ve offended someone - apologize. Don’t drag around resentment with you. It only serves to make you sad and bitter. It doesn’t matter who was right. Someone once said: “Holding a grudge is like taking poison and expecting the other person to die.” Don’t take that poison. Forgive, forget and move on with your life.

19. If you have a strong belief, savor it. But don’t waste your time trying to convince others. They will make their own choices no matter what you tell them, and it will only bring you frustration. Live your faith and set an example. Live true to your beliefs and let that memory sway them.

20. Laugh. Laugh A LOT. Laugh at everything. Remember, you are one of the lucky ones. You managed to have a life, a long one. Many never get to this age, never get to experience a full life. But you did. So what’s not to laugh about? Find the humor in your situation.

21. Take no notice of what others say about you and even less notice of what they might be thinking. They’ll do it anyway, and you should have pride in yourself and what you’ve achieved. Let them talk and don’t worry. They have no idea about your history, your memories and the life you’ve lived so far. There’s still much to be written, so get busy writing and don’t waste time thinking about what others might think. Now is the time to be at rest, at peace and as happy as you can be!

REMEMBER: “Life is too short to drink bad wine and warm beer.”

Is anybody out there?

Most of the time I am too busy to take notice. And when I am out and about amongst our friends I am told on occasion that you read the blog. But we are sitting here in South Texas in an unfamiliar park and I am not hearing from anyone and it does make me wonder if anyone is paying attention. I am a big girl and it really isn't too important because I blog for myself mainly. I am also aware that Facebook is more of what people are paying attention to these days. But the thought did flicker through my head that I might be writing to the air.
Park Features that are different:
They have the little man/woman in the little house at the entrance that keeps track of the comings and goings. Butch and I rushed home one evening because we didn't know what time they closed the gate and we didn't have a code like they have at Magnolia. We found out we didn't need to rush because the people in the little house are there from 5:00 AM to 11:00 PM daily. We have a sticker on our car that tells them we are okay. The code, the gate closing hours, and the comings and goings were always an issue at the other park.

We were surprised when they informed us of parking protocol. They do not want people parking on the street because of possible emergency incidents. However, you can park in vacant lots parking or even in the grass if that is all that is available and if you know your neighbor is not in the valley yet it is okay to park in their driveway. Common sense should prevail though. If you know your neighbor just went to Walmart it would not be neighborly to park in their driveway.😉
                              XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Definition of me:

Unfuckwithable – 

definition, and meaning(adj.) when you’re truly at peace and in touch with yourself, and nothing anyone says or does bothers you, and no negativity or drama can touch you.

We were invited to a gathering at 4:00 today, Just down the street from us. Dave and Liz. Looking forward to it. I hope they are okay with me being unfuckwithable.

Combine?

I received this email and two pictures and I do not know who they are from. The text on the email said, "U we're out to early yesterday had a wild ride. Ryan finished beans early tonite. Rear axle broke in the middle."

So when you send someone pictures and they say I didn't get them and you say but I sent them, they came to me!!