This bit of news really brightened my day. I am so happy my favorite bike trail will be resurrected soon. Not soon enough but...SOON!
https://www.raccoonvalleyradio.com/2020/01/21/raccoon-river-valley-trail-bridge-in-greene-county-receives-fema-assistance/
Wednesday, January 22
Saturday, January 18
Head cold
Came down with a head cold last Wednesday. As head colds go it wasn't a bad one, just pesty and a nuisance. I was sure I had inadvertently passed it on and indeed I have as Butch is now in the throws. We are going to have to scratch our names off for the mixed doubles tournament on Sunday. I haven't been able to practice anyway so perhaps it is best.
I know I am slack in keeping current with this blog and others too. Perhaps twenty years is my limit. There have been times in the past where I felt I was burned out and used up but I seem to get past it in time. It may be too early to declare me finished yet...or not!
We are both pretty happy with our lives now.
We are happy doing pretty much nothing. Last night we watched the movie "7 Days in Utopia" It was about golf and Utopia, Texas. It was a good movie, I suppose. A bit too "Feel Goody" for me but okay for a change of pace.
We have also been watching The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel" on Netflix. It takes place in the fifties and sixties and the attention to detail during the time frame is phenomenal! The cars, the music, the furniture, the whole feeling and look of the time. It is worth watching for that alone. Midge Maisel's comedy is fun too. It is very quick-paced and at times difficult to keep up with.
When nothing else works, talk about the weather. It has been fantastic this year. Yes, the Rio Grande Valley needs rain, desperately needs rain! The temperatures have most often been 70's and 80's in the daytime and 50's and 60's at night. I cannot ask for better! When they say 40% chance of rain you know it isn't likely to happen.
We are into the busiest part of the season. The park is not crammed full but it is nicely filled up and will be until mid-March when it will reverse itself.
Time to eat and I am hungry so bye for now.
I know I am slack in keeping current with this blog and others too. Perhaps twenty years is my limit. There have been times in the past where I felt I was burned out and used up but I seem to get past it in time. It may be too early to declare me finished yet...or not!
We are both pretty happy with our lives now.
We are happy doing pretty much nothing. Last night we watched the movie "7 Days in Utopia" It was about golf and Utopia, Texas. It was a good movie, I suppose. A bit too "Feel Goody" for me but okay for a change of pace.
We have also been watching The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel" on Netflix. It takes place in the fifties and sixties and the attention to detail during the time frame is phenomenal! The cars, the music, the furniture, the whole feeling and look of the time. It is worth watching for that alone. Midge Maisel's comedy is fun too. It is very quick-paced and at times difficult to keep up with.
When nothing else works, talk about the weather. It has been fantastic this year. Yes, the Rio Grande Valley needs rain, desperately needs rain! The temperatures have most often been 70's and 80's in the daytime and 50's and 60's at night. I cannot ask for better! When they say 40% chance of rain you know it isn't likely to happen.
We are into the busiest part of the season. The park is not crammed full but it is nicely filled up and will be until mid-March when it will reverse itself.
Time to eat and I am hungry so bye for now.
Wednesday, January 15
Eating in Italy
I enjoy reading first hand and personal views of a friend in another country. I hope you do too.
Barb B
Barb B
Dining in Italy…
~a column by Colleen O’Brien
We drive half an hour of so to a town called Castiglione, on the Thyrrenean Sea, to eat out. The area is like Sarasota in Florida, San Diego Harbor in California, probably like bays and beaches in South Africa, the Cote d’Azur, Vladivostock in Russia? Fancy restaurants and chi chi clothing shops stand next to T-shirt shops and souvenir stores, pizzerias and ice cream parlors.
Stretched across the wide piazza between the shops are sparkling blue neon Italian words that mean gratitude (gratitudine), friendship (amicizia), happiness (felicita’), laughter (risata), joy (gioia). I think it is a lovely idea to display across a shopping center.
As we sit in a restaurant built and styled like a cruise ship, the Castiglione marina is quiet. It’s wintertime, and no boaters are sailing out to watch the sun sink into the sea. Older men fish from the quay in the dying light; like them we watch the little lamp glowing on their bobbers.
We order drinks. The waiter brings chips and olives, he points at the bar. It is lined with food – a phenom in Italy in the late afternoon. It is actually a buffet—small sandwiches, slices of various pizzas, dishes of fried potatoes, bowls of potato chips, plates of cheeses. It seems, however, that if we want the sweets from the glass case, we have to pay for the mango, chocolate, pistachio cheesecakes, the peach and lemon fruit tarts, the tiramisu.
The most expensive glass of wine or beer I’ve ordered anywhere is $3 in euros—about $5 US. There is no tipping, so I ask if that is because bartenders and waiters make a living wage. No one knows.
The most expensive glass of wine or beer I’ve ordered anywhere is $3 in euros—about $5 US. There is no tipping, so I ask if that is because bartenders and waiters make a living wage. No one knows.
Italians eat late—after 7 pm. The 5 o’clock “tea time” of drinks and bar food carries them over until the restaurant opens for real food. Even at home with my hosts, there is a snack of some sort around 5, with tea or caffe or wine. Dinner comes late.
The biggest noodle I’ve seen served so far is the pappardelle. It is at least an inch wide, about twice the width of the egg noodle I use for a stroganoff, and it is 18 inches long! It tastes homemade, as most pasta I’ve eaten in Italy does; maybe the restaurants all make their own noodles.
My host finishes his meal and wipes his plate with bread. The waiter grins at him and says, “Scarpetta.” It means that the diner is grateful. When a dish returns to the kitchen scraped clean, the chef is pleased—this is the high compliment—a scarpetta.
~~~~
It is now the next day, and it’s lunchtime here. We eat banana frittata. No flour, no sugar; just very ripe bananas and whipped eggs sautéed. Delicioso.
~~~~
Italians use lots of words for food: nutrimento (nourishment), mangiare (something to do with one’s mandible/chewing/jawbone!), vitto (life itself), pane (bread [of life]), alimento (a part of the canal between the lips and the stomach!).
~~~~
It is now the next day, and it’s lunchtime here. We eat banana frittata. No flour, no sugar; just very ripe bananas and whipped eggs sautéed. Delicioso.
~~~~
Italians use lots of words for food: nutrimento (nourishment), mangiare (something to do with one’s mandible/chewing/jawbone!), vitto (life itself), pane (bread [of life]), alimento (a part of the canal between the lips and the stomach!).
Marlene and Bernard Kelley Celebrate 69th Anniversary
I snipped this from Facebook. We miss them being in Texas in the winter. We would play cribbage, bridge and eat!
Monday, January 13
Runza Casserole(NOT KETO)
This recipe pops up every now and then because it has been a family favorite for many, many years. Easy too. It is not keto however so it has been on the back burner. I guess I could make it substituting cheese for the crescent rolls. Hmmm may have to do that! It is also easy to adjust this to half for smaller families.
Runza Casserole
Runza Casserole
2 lb Hamburger
2 Onion, Finely Chopped
4 C.Cabbage, Shredded
Salt & Pepper, To Taste
2 Refrigerated Crescent Rolls
1 lb Mozzarella Cheese, Shredded
[Note: One of my standby recipes. One that Butch is always happy to
see on the table. ]
Brown hamburger and onion, drain. Put cabbage on top of meat and let
steam for a few minutes. Add salt and pepper. Using one tube, spread
the crescent roll pieces over bottom of a 9 x 13-inch pan. Spread
hamburger/cabbage mixture on top. Add a layer of cheese. Using the second
tube of crescents, place on top of the cheese. Bake in 350 F. degree
oven for 35 to 40 minutes, covering with foil the last 10 minutes to
soften the crust
Documentaries
I enjoy watching documentaries, depending on the subject of course, and I discovered this website for documentaries and have several now added to a watch list that I would like to watch sometime. They are free. Many times the choices on TV are dismal enough to want to venture into new territory. This could be a place to start.
https://www.documentarystorm.com/
https://www.documentarystorm.com/
Friday, January 10
Todays challenges
The wind is very strong today out of the South. We have the moho facing west so our south side is a big area to bear the brunt of the wind gusts, some nearing the 60 mph mark. It is also the side our slideouts are on and Butch was concerned about the covers making it through the battering so we brought in the biggest slide out. That makes our living space quite small. It is supposed to be lighter tomorrow and end by evening and we will be very ready for that.
I went to a meeting today to see what can be done to create a bird blind and a couple of feeding areas. It looks like it will be happening and quite soon. That should be giving us some good bird pictures.
Since my kitchen is in a squeeze we went out for supper. Every 3 years or so we go to Luby's, a cafeteria type where you go through the line and choose your items. Any more it is to see if it has changed since the last time. Nope, hasn't changed. The food has been out too long. Too expensive- our meal for the two of us was over $25. It did taste good. Silverware was crusty looking so I washed mine myself before using it. I really think it is the solution they use in their dishwasher but it leaves a very unappetizing coating on the silverware. You gather your own food and take it to a table of your choice, paying for it before you are seated and still they have a person to bring you butter or any other condiments you might want and a tip to them is expected. It has been at least 3 years since we have been there and it will most likely be 3 more before we give them another try. It was okay. Is okay good enough? Good question.
I went to a meeting today to see what can be done to create a bird blind and a couple of feeding areas. It looks like it will be happening and quite soon. That should be giving us some good bird pictures.
Since my kitchen is in a squeeze we went out for supper. Every 3 years or so we go to Luby's, a cafeteria type where you go through the line and choose your items. Any more it is to see if it has changed since the last time. Nope, hasn't changed. The food has been out too long. Too expensive- our meal for the two of us was over $25. It did taste good. Silverware was crusty looking so I washed mine myself before using it. I really think it is the solution they use in their dishwasher but it leaves a very unappetizing coating on the silverware. You gather your own food and take it to a table of your choice, paying for it before you are seated and still they have a person to bring you butter or any other condiments you might want and a tip to them is expected. It has been at least 3 years since we have been there and it will most likely be 3 more before we give them another try. It was okay. Is okay good enough? Good question.
A column from Colleen
Living in the Italian countryside
Editor’s note – When O’Brien started writing columns for GreeneCountyNewsOnline when it launched in 2013, she declined to offer a photo to use at the top of her columns. She has finally sent along a photo of herself in Italy, where she is enjoying a few weeks of respite from issues that worry conscientious liberals.
~a column by Colleen O’Brien
I have named it The Great Rocky Road. It is the means by which we get to the casita on the hill overlooking the meadow where my hosts live. Calling the pathway a “road” is hyperbole; it is a trail about 10 feet wide the length of about five or six blocks of winding, twisting inclines, declines, up-and-down little hills covered with pebbles, rocks and small boulders. The ruts from running water are like ravines looking to swallow small cars.
There are two gates to open, one manually, and then the final luge-like run to the parking area in front of the casita—a gravitational pull a little like the feeling you get on a roller coaster.
Just walking the road, which I do every morning for exercise, is difficult because of the rocks and small boulders. If I want to look at the view, I have to stop; if I don’t keep on eye on where my feet are landing, I’ll be a goner, bouncing down The Great Rocky-like one more loose boulder.
A “colleen” on a trail near the Casale Rosa in the Maremma district of TuscanyThe sheep came through one day last week and knocked over a big colleen, which I put back together this morning. The stack of rocks sits behind an abandoned stone house with a rusted bathtub exposed where the wall has fallen down the hill. People lived there for 200 years, I hear, but I don’t know when they quit living there. Could have been an earthquake. Maybe it was WWII. Perhaps it was just the end of the family. It is, however, a kind of heaven for a rock stacker, which I am. I’ve been here a week, so the road is now dotted with my cairns, known by my grandchildren as colleens. The largest one is seven rocks high. The one by the last gate stays at about four high, even though each morning I add one or two more. It doesn’t want to be that high.
Sometimes, I leave the road and take a less-used trail up the hill into the woods. I find more falling-down buildings once housing pigs (I’m told). I walk beside miles of rock walls holding back the mountain from the olive groves. And I plan a patio in an area along a stacked-rock embankment that has flat slabs of rock in front; it might once have been the floor of a pig house. A gnarly live oak droops alongside. It would be such a perfect place to put a table, a chair, a bottle of wine and a book. I could sit there on hot, sunny days in the summer and gaze out over the valley below.
I would see beyond my hosts’ house to the neighbor’s 1,000 new olive trees planted in a field below them. I would watch the tiny cars on the autostrada—the commercial road from Rome to Grosetto, Siena and on to Florence. More olive trees cover the mountainside on the far slope of the valley as if in formation for a drill. They trade off with fields of grapes. Far-off tiny crumbling buildings, old stone houses, elegant, slim cypress trees marching up lanes to where no one lives anymore….
All the photos and all the art one sees of rural Tuscany are this—soft mountains, rolling meadows, olive trees and wine vines, double lines of cypress defining roads, outlining hills, drawing the eye up. Planted art.
There’s a bit of all of that here, in the Maremma, the coastal southwest area of Tuscany. My hosts have contributed, their thrill of a driveway lined to the north with brand new baby cypress, just beginning to show visitors the way along the Great Rocky Road.
The seldom-photographed columnist Colleen O’Brien points down the valley to the autostrada and beyond.
In case you missed it
The winners on Wednesday, January 8th in-park pool tournament (with about 30 entries) are 1st Butch Brooker & Don Wulf, 2nd Ron Beeksma & Pierre Jubinville, 3rd Jerry Johnson & Alex Stinson.
Wednesday, January 8
Elise Cooks
Elise cooks supper. She is 9 now and very capable in all she does.Our neighbor Candy took this photo of us when we were hosting trivia in the main hall at Trophy Gardens.
Tuesday, January 7
LOW-CARB SOUTHWEST EGG CASSEROLE
A recipe? Really? Yes really. I know many people are trying to eat a low carb diet, especially this time of year. I have been a fan of Kalyns Kitchen for many years. She has many good recipes for a variety of healthy choices. https://kalynskitchen.com/southwestern-egg-casserole/#more-21662
Barb B.
LOW-CARB SOUTHWEST EGG CASSEROLE
yield 8 SERVINGS prep time 10 MINUTES cook time 30 MINUTES total time 40 MINUTES
This delicious Low-Carb Southwest Egg Casserole uses ingredients you probably have on hand.
INGREDIENTS
1 14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes, very well-drained
14 eggs
1 4 oz. can diced green chiles
salt and fresh-ground black pepper to taste
2 tsp. Spike Seasoning
1 cup grated Monterey Jack cheese
1 cup grated Mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions
INSTRUCTIONS
Dump the tomatoes into a colander placed in the sink and let them drain well.
Slice the green onions (and I do recommend using the full amount because they add a lot of flavors.)
Put the drained tomatoes, sliced green onions, and diced green chiles into the casserole dish and stir to combine. (Save a few green onions for garnish if you like.)
Beat the eggs until they're well-combined and add salt and pepper, and Spike Seasoning.
Sprinkle 3/4 cup Monterey Jack cheese and 3/4 cup Mozzarella cheese over the veggies.
Then pour over the egg mixture, and stir with a fork to combine.
Sprinkle the other 1/4 cup of each kind of cheese over the top.
Bake in a preheated 375F/190C oven about 30 minutes, or until eggs are completely set and the casserole is lightly browned on top.
Serve hot, with sour cream and salsa if desired.
NOTES
Diced green chiles are Anaheim chiles, not spicy Jalapenos. If you don’t have Spike Seasoning, use any all-purpose seasoning blend that’s good with eggs.
Egg casseroles can be kept in the fridge for at least a week and reheated in the microwave or in a hot toaster oven.
Recipe created by Kalyn. (Low-Carb Southwest Egg Casserole was first posted in 2006 and last updated January 2020.)
Barb B.
LOW-CARB SOUTHWEST EGG CASSEROLE
yield 8 SERVINGS prep time 10 MINUTES cook time 30 MINUTES total time 40 MINUTES
This delicious Low-Carb Southwest Egg Casserole uses ingredients you probably have on hand.
INGREDIENTS
1 14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes, very well-drained
14 eggs
1 4 oz. can diced green chiles
salt and fresh-ground black pepper to taste
2 tsp. Spike Seasoning
1 cup grated Monterey Jack cheese
1 cup grated Mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions
INSTRUCTIONS
Dump the tomatoes into a colander placed in the sink and let them drain well.
Slice the green onions (and I do recommend using the full amount because they add a lot of flavors.)
Put the drained tomatoes, sliced green onions, and diced green chiles into the casserole dish and stir to combine. (Save a few green onions for garnish if you like.)
Beat the eggs until they're well-combined and add salt and pepper, and Spike Seasoning.
Sprinkle 3/4 cup Monterey Jack cheese and 3/4 cup Mozzarella cheese over the veggies.
Then pour over the egg mixture, and stir with a fork to combine.
Sprinkle the other 1/4 cup of each kind of cheese over the top.
Bake in a preheated 375F/190C oven about 30 minutes, or until eggs are completely set and the casserole is lightly browned on top.
Serve hot, with sour cream and salsa if desired.
NOTES
Diced green chiles are Anaheim chiles, not spicy Jalapenos. If you don’t have Spike Seasoning, use any all-purpose seasoning blend that’s good with eggs.
Egg casseroles can be kept in the fridge for at least a week and reheated in the microwave or in a hot toaster oven.
Recipe created by Kalyn. (Low-Carb Southwest Egg Casserole was first posted in 2006 and last updated January 2020.)
Saturday, January 4
Updating a bit
Butch is playing lots of pool. No surprise there! I have been playing some too.
Been layed up with a UTI the past week thus not much of anything happening including this blog. The good news of this is that I now have a primary care doctor in the Rio Grande Valley. Dr. Elizabeth Pollack. She is young and pretty but that is beside the point. I like her and she comes to me medically in the way I like. Options and possibilities followed by a sensible plan of action. We came to her by way of a referral from our new neighbors Candy and Rick Dewey.
Today we plan to go to Magnolia for their monthly garage sale. No, it isn't the same park that we knew and loved but the ones remaining are doing the best they can and I must say doing a pretty good job of it. Our new friends Dave and Liz went with us last season and really enjoyed the lunch served on the garage sale day and would like to go again. So that is the plan.
Butch has to get out of bed first!
Check out the Trophy Gardens blog to see what is up with us somewhat. There are so many activities in this park I do not ever plan to do it all. I am making additions to their already established blog as well as our own and I still throw one at Magnolia's blog too now and then.
www.trophygardens.blogspot.com
www.magnolianews.blogspot.com
It has been a blessing to have Deon and Jim in Trophy with us. We share many of the same interests, pool, birding, photography, Magnolia and exercise. They have blended in seamlessly and no one would ever know they are new to this park. Trophy has over 30 new people here this year so that might be part of it!
Been layed up with a UTI the past week thus not much of anything happening including this blog. The good news of this is that I now have a primary care doctor in the Rio Grande Valley. Dr. Elizabeth Pollack. She is young and pretty but that is beside the point. I like her and she comes to me medically in the way I like. Options and possibilities followed by a sensible plan of action. We came to her by way of a referral from our new neighbors Candy and Rick Dewey.
Today we plan to go to Magnolia for their monthly garage sale. No, it isn't the same park that we knew and loved but the ones remaining are doing the best they can and I must say doing a pretty good job of it. Our new friends Dave and Liz went with us last season and really enjoyed the lunch served on the garage sale day and would like to go again. So that is the plan.
Butch has to get out of bed first!
Check out the Trophy Gardens blog to see what is up with us somewhat. There are so many activities in this park I do not ever plan to do it all. I am making additions to their already established blog as well as our own and I still throw one at Magnolia's blog too now and then.
www.trophygardens.blogspot.com
www.magnolianews.blogspot.com
It has been a blessing to have Deon and Jim in Trophy with us. We share many of the same interests, pool, birding, photography, Magnolia and exercise. They have blended in seamlessly and no one would ever know they are new to this park. Trophy has over 30 new people here this year so that might be part of it!
Our friend Dugan
Our friend Dugan has passed away after a year-long battle with lung cancer. His son Kevin had come to Iowa and taken Dugan and Sharon back to Florida with him making it easier for Kevin to take care of both of them.
Dugan and Sharon grew up in Jefferson too. Being slightly older than us, we traveled in different circles. We did know who they were and had connections of one kind or another. We became better connected after returning to Jefferson and making it home for at least half the year. And then came trivia.
Dugan was the core of our trivia group, in fact, we were Team Dugan. The man was a walking encyclopedia and read history books for fun. His sense of humor was priceless as well. He was a fun guy to be in the company of on any occasion. We will miss him no end.
Dugan and Sharon grew up in Jefferson too. Being slightly older than us, we traveled in different circles. We did know who they were and had connections of one kind or another. We became better connected after returning to Jefferson and making it home for at least half the year. And then came trivia.
Dugan was the core of our trivia group, in fact, we were Team Dugan. The man was a walking encyclopedia and read history books for fun. His sense of humor was priceless as well. He was a fun guy to be in the company of on any occasion. We will miss him no end.
Friday, January 3
Quote of the day
" Kittens are wide-eyed soft and sweet. With needles in their jaws and feet. "
-Pam Brown
If you have ever petted a kitten you know the truth of this quote. And I would add "Even innocence has sharp pain."
-Pam Brown
If you have ever petted a kitten you know the truth of this quote. And I would add "Even innocence has sharp pain."
Wednesday, January 1
Tuesday, December 31
Monday, December 30
Grumbling
I do not grumble a lot. Really I do not. One exception is a poor Internet connection. I pay for a good one and I expect it to deliver. Trophy Gardens has provided park-wide Internet for the past 4 1/2 years. For some people that is a big plus. After full-timing for ten years and have a fair amount of experience dealing with different connections in different locations I can tell you that 90% of park-wide internet systems are not at all adequate. Most people have succumbed and found their own system to work for them. The system here in Trophy has been in existence because the company that provides it promised something they cannot truthfully deliver, particularly in January and February and the mangers are very tired of handling resident complaints. The 5-year contract will be up in June of 2020. We have all been warned.
I knew I would need to find a solution for us. Google Fi is okay for the internet but it is pricier than I like and just okay for speed. As a phone, it is great and dirt cheap so it will stay our phone choice. A phone bill of $25 a month is fine. and we will leave all that alone.
I have always liked Spectrum in South Texas but this park will not allow any new lines to be buried other than what they already have and new poles with connections are not allowed either.
Trophy Gardens has embraced a system called www.cobainternet.com so knowing we would want something with enough oomph to stream movies and not frustrate the H out of me we decided to try Coba. There is a sizeable hookup fee ($150) because you are buying equipment and installation. It is a one time fee. There are no contracts and you can stop and start any time you please. You keep the equipment that you paid for and take it with you and bring it back each season. There are three levels of service and we chose the middle one. We are not gamers and they require lots of oomph. We require medium oomph. If all you do is Facebook and check your email the lowest oomph would be good enough for you. We decided it was better to try it this year instead of next when fewer options would be available.
When the guys installed it they needed an electrical outlet. It depends on line-of-sight for a signal and after trying to mount it on the ladder at the back of the motorhome and deciding it did not work we have it on a tripod beside the front of the motorhome with a cable to electricity. We had it plugged into an outdoor electric box in one of the basement bins near the rear of the motorhome. After a week of frustration with dropped service and intermittent signal, we decided to bring it inside through one of the slide-outs and that changed everything! It has been dependable and speedy ever since. The installers had told us it would not make a difference but it very much did.
I knew I would need to find a solution for us. Google Fi is okay for the internet but it is pricier than I like and just okay for speed. As a phone, it is great and dirt cheap so it will stay our phone choice. A phone bill of $25 a month is fine. and we will leave all that alone.
I have always liked Spectrum in South Texas but this park will not allow any new lines to be buried other than what they already have and new poles with connections are not allowed either.
Trophy Gardens has embraced a system called www.cobainternet.com so knowing we would want something with enough oomph to stream movies and not frustrate the H out of me we decided to try Coba. There is a sizeable hookup fee ($150) because you are buying equipment and installation. It is a one time fee. There are no contracts and you can stop and start any time you please. You keep the equipment that you paid for and take it with you and bring it back each season. There are three levels of service and we chose the middle one. We are not gamers and they require lots of oomph. We require medium oomph. If all you do is Facebook and check your email the lowest oomph would be good enough for you. We decided it was better to try it this year instead of next when fewer options would be available.
When the guys installed it they needed an electrical outlet. It depends on line-of-sight for a signal and after trying to mount it on the ladder at the back of the motorhome and deciding it did not work we have it on a tripod beside the front of the motorhome with a cable to electricity. We had it plugged into an outdoor electric box in one of the basement bins near the rear of the motorhome. After a week of frustration with dropped service and intermittent signal, we decided to bring it inside through one of the slide-outs and that changed everything! It has been dependable and speedy ever since. The installers had told us it would not make a difference but it very much did.
Sunday, December 29
Not much
Not much that is new and different is going on right now. This afternoon Butch and I are playing in a mixed doubles pool tournament. I think I enjoy it more than he does. We are not partners because when you sign up you do not play with whoever you sign up with. It is a good way to get acquainted and interact with new people that you might never have the opportunity to do so otherwise.
Butch has signed up for several pool events in the Senior Olympics of the Rio Grande Valley. He skipped the last couple of years but feels he is ready to take it on again this year.
The park sponsors various trips and I plan to sign up for a Mystery Trip on January 21st. That is one of the days Butch will be in a 10-ball tournament with Senior Olympics. He will be happy he doesn't have to go with me because the bus leaves the park at 6:15 AM and we all know how much he would like that!
The weather has been picture-perfect so far this season, perhaps making up for the past few years that were awful. Highs have been mostly in the 70's with some '80s during the day and '60s and '70s at night. I do hate to even mention it because it can change in a heartbeat.
I received word yesterday that our friend Kay Stilson had a stroke. Bill is usually the one giving us pause for thought but this time it is Kay. I am hoping it was a light one and that she will be back to her old self very soon. I am giving her some healing time before I call her and get the whole story. This is the first season that Bill and Kay have not been down here within a short distance for all the years we have been coming to Texas. It used to be we could open the door and holler at each other. Last season we had to drive a few miles to see them but we did so fairly often.
I have been rather slack with picture taking. I do not have as much opportunity either.
I think I forgot to post the ones below.
Christmas Day at Dave and Liz's:
Butch and Bruce and some guy who hangs around on Dave's patio vitually ALL the time!
L to R Karen, Gary, Cindy, Fred, Alex and Dave.
Back to us and left-Sally and Paul. Then Mikie, Keny and Renie
Bob is trying to get our attention to begin the prayer before the Christmas feast.
Butch has signed up for several pool events in the Senior Olympics of the Rio Grande Valley. He skipped the last couple of years but feels he is ready to take it on again this year.
The park sponsors various trips and I plan to sign up for a Mystery Trip on January 21st. That is one of the days Butch will be in a 10-ball tournament with Senior Olympics. He will be happy he doesn't have to go with me because the bus leaves the park at 6:15 AM and we all know how much he would like that!
The weather has been picture-perfect so far this season, perhaps making up for the past few years that were awful. Highs have been mostly in the 70's with some '80s during the day and '60s and '70s at night. I do hate to even mention it because it can change in a heartbeat.
I received word yesterday that our friend Kay Stilson had a stroke. Bill is usually the one giving us pause for thought but this time it is Kay. I am hoping it was a light one and that she will be back to her old self very soon. I am giving her some healing time before I call her and get the whole story. This is the first season that Bill and Kay have not been down here within a short distance for all the years we have been coming to Texas. It used to be we could open the door and holler at each other. Last season we had to drive a few miles to see them but we did so fairly often.
I have been rather slack with picture taking. I do not have as much opportunity either.
I think I forgot to post the ones below.
Christmas Day at Dave and Liz's:
Bob is trying to get our attention to begin the prayer before the Christmas feast.
Wednesday, December 25
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