Updating

We are nearing the end of February and that alone seems preposterous but here we are, like it or not. We have started looking at a northward trip with an inkling of interest. When the weather seems summerlike here it gets the brain cells moving even knowing it is colder than the dickens up there and no place for us and our delicate condition. What is our "delicate condition" you ask? Extreme aversion to cold weather is the answer. After spending so many winters in the south the cold seems more than twice as bad when we have to deal with it.

Today we are having one of those cold snaps that remind us to stay put. The high of 61 has already been here at 7:20 am and they are promising a low of 39 tonight. Fortunately, these cold snaps are shortlived and by the weekend we will be enjoying summerlike weather once again.

Butch and Deon played in a mixed doubles pool tournament in the Golden Olympics held each season. They got past the first team but lost to the next two. I thought they played well having a chance in each game. I enjoyed watching it.
My game is improving but still has a ways to go to be much of a challenge to anyone. I am continuing to work on it and still enjoy it.

Till next time!!

Sleep Gaps?

For years I have had gaps in my sleep. I would wake up about 2:00 or so and lay awake for sometimes as long as two hours. I learned to live with it. It irritated me when it happened but if I took a twenty-minute nap during the next day it didn't disrupt my day too much. Little did I know there was a solution. I was having trouble with cramps, especially at night. In searching for solutions I came across an article that gave a list of possible deficiencies that could be the root of the problem and Magnesium was one of them so I bought some, not knowing there are different forms of Magnesium.  Since taking Magnesium glycinate for about a month now I have not had even one night of sleep gap or cramps.
Here is some info: let's just say you do not want "Disaster Pants".

Which form of magnesium is best for sleep?

Magnesium glycinate for sleep

Magnesium glycinate is one of the most absorbable forms of magnesium capsules you can take. It's a good choice if you want to raise your levels quickly, and it's especially a good choice if you get disaster pants with other forms.

 https://www.healthline.com/health/magnesium-glycinate Here is a more complete article of good info about Magnesium for sleep.

Fine Art Revisited

Roy Burgess posted this on Facebook so I snipped it to share because I love it! 

Waiting for Mona

From the Royal Queensland Gallery

Doings

Butch is still playing pool quite a bit and I do too as often as I can work it in. Butch played the last two days in the park championship. 23 guys signed up to play and each of them had to play against everyone one time. That is a bunch of games! Butch says 6 losses was third and he had 7 so he came in fourth or tied for fourth. There are a large number of very skilled pool players in this park so his finish was respectable. We both play in mixed doubles on Sundays. It is fun and a way to interact with people you might not in ordinary times. I also play with the ladies on Monday and Tuesday afternoons when nothing conflicts in my schedule.

Last Monday I missed ladies pool because of a dermatology appointment. We both had a clean report on our biopsies. Good to go for another 6 months. We usually follow up trips out of the park with a trip to Costco or a stop in Magnolia depending on the day and the needs. We have not eaten out very much. It is very difficult to eat healthy in a restaurant. We know people who eat out nearly every meal. 
Trivia is still happening with pretty much the same people from week to week. They have a good time and so do I. Butch does too now that he has played enough pool to keep him satisfied.

It won't be long before we make a trip to Mexico. Yes, we still go down. No, we are not afraid. The whole situation is much different than portrayed on media.

I haven't mentioned Keto or diet for quite a while but I am still eating that way. I am happy with what the scales might say. I really do not know but my clothes fit the same so I assume the numbers are okay.

Listen to the Mockingbirds!

Spring?

When we arrived in late October the leaves were already off the trees. That is not usually the case. The grass was sparse too so I assumed it was due to lack of rain. We have still had a lack of rain. I can only think of a few times it has rained all winter and only one was a gullywasher. Mid-February is when the leaves return and I am happy to report they are here! It is the South Texas version of the arrival of Spring.
This is also the time of year when activities and events are a bit frantic and you can attend some sort of happening every day if you choose to do so. I passed on that several years ago. Old age perhaps? I remember pulling out the gate in years past and feeling as though I were on vacation! Free at last! I made a promise to myself when we changed parks that I was not going to overschedule myself and I have pretty much stuck to it. One of the perks of being a SENIOR is being able to do and say what you choose. It is a happy time of life. One small warning to the younger generations- you do have to safeguard your health if you plan to enjoy your senior years and it is never too late or too early to start.

RV Cooking

RV Cooking

I have been a fan of Allrecipes for many years. 

The recipes, coming from actual cooks, have been tried and tested. 

This particular link is focusing on RV or "small space" cooking. 

Since many of us fit in that category I thought you might enjoy this website.

https://www.allrecipes.com/article/the-galley-kitchen-rv/

Knee Deep

We are knee-deep in the busiest part of the season with the days flying by at lightning speed. It will soon start heading the other way where things will start winding down and the RVs will be leaving the park. The managers told us last Tuesday that there are 644 people in the park currently. No wonder I do not know them all! That is twice the number of the town of Cumberland IA where I was mayor for a term or two. Also twice the number of our former park at its peak.

So far the season has been quite pleasant in almost every way. The weather has been moderate most of the time with 2 day cold snaps on occasion. We have a warm week coming up with temps in the 80's.
Butch and I have always seemed to thrive on change so when it is time to head north we will embrace it just as we do when it is time to head south in the fall.

Here are some pictures that were taken lately.  Listen to the Mockingbird.

Bougainvilla down by the office

Taken on a cloudy day. Notice my bike parked under the slideout. We use it as our temporary garage.

Butt Wipes

The truth about Butt Wipes and RV holding tanks

February 13, 2020

By Emily Woodbury
It was a Tuesday and I got a knock on my door from my trusty (and well-loved) Amazon delivery man. I didn’t think I had ordered anything but, then again, sometimes I forget. I opened the box and saw an army-green box inside. What the…? A 42-pack of Bob’s Butt Wipes. Wow! Just what I’ve always wanted! As much as I can appreciate the importance of butt wipes, I was sure I had not ordered these (I didn’t have that much wine…).

Later that day, my phone rang. “Hi! Did you get the butt wipes?!” It was my dad, your favorite RV editor, Chuck Woodbury. “Ah, yes, I did. Care to explain?” Ultimately, am I surprised my father sent me a container of butt wipes with a funny logo? No. I often open my front door to find strange things he’s sent to me (like a 5-foot tall alien blow-up toy from Roswell, or T-shirts that say things like, “I fed Prairie Dogs in South Dakota”). He explained, “They’re selling these butt wipes at Camping World. The box says they’re flushable, but I don’t think they’ll dissolve as toilet paper does. Will you put a few in a jar on your counter in some water, shake it up a couple of times a day, and see if it dissolves?” “Sure, Dad,” I said.

It’s been ten days since I put the butt wipes in a jar of water on my kitchen counter (even the dog gives me weird looks when I go to shake it up). But guess what? They haven’t dissolved, not even a tiny bit. The butt wipe is just as much of a butt wipe as it was when I first put it in there. (I apologize for the poor-quality photo. It was hard to see the wipe against any light surfaces, so my gray couch had to do the trick. At least you get the point.)

Let’s do a little research here, shall we? Camping World’s website, where you can buy 42 of these wipes for $7.31, writes, “Flushable wipes are biodegradable and disperse in under 3 minutes, so your sewer and septic systems will remain clog-free.” Well, we know from my science experiment above that this is not true. One disappointed Amazon reviewer writes, “This product is advertised as biodegradable and RV/septic tank safe. They are not! They do not break down and biodegrade as stated. These lodged in my RV and clogged the black tank drain. They are effective for their intended use but(t) they should not be used with a septic system or a RV.”

Now, this kind of thing isn’t new to the “advertising-lied-to-me” world. Back in April, many news stories came out saying that flushable wipes (from baby wipes to makeup removing wipes) aren’t actually flushable, and plumbers are getting tired of fishing out huge clogs. Here’s one of those stories. See the photo below from the Twitter account of the Sanitation Districts of LA County. They write, “The wipe is still whole after a year!” Yikes, we don’t even want to think about how bad these are for the environment, much less our septic tanks.

Moral of the story? Don’t flush anything down your poor RV toilet other than toilet paper, and preferably white, single-ply toilet paper at that. The system is just as sensitive as your stomach is after a night of spicy Mexican food, and nobody deserves the task of unclogging that meal from your RV’s toilet … nobody.

Use butt wipes, sure, if you must, but put them in the garbage and walk them out to the dumpster later that night. You’ll get a few extra steps in for your day, and you’ll keep your partner, your toilet, and your plumber happy.

Oh, also, I should share something funny. A few days after I received these in the mail, I got an email from our wonderful RVTravel.com accountant. She wrote, “Emily … Sorry but I have to ask … please see attached Amazon order … butt wipes??? Please share with me what business expense category this is for.” Because they were shipped to me, it looked like I had purchased them. I told her I’d send her this article, once I had written it, to explain the business butt-wipe expense. So here we are.

##RVT935

I Opened a Book

79 degrees here today

We are rebounding from a cold spell whereby the temperature in the daytime was 55 degrees. That was on Wednesday. Those kinds of temperatures while in the motorhome are not pleasant, combined with wind and dampness it makes for a very unpleasant atmosphere. You may not think so but you must remember we are acclimated to warm weather.  55 degrees with clouds and dampness in Iowa about mid-July will give you the same kind of unpleasantness. No, you perhaps are not in danger of freezing to death but still it is less than pleasant. It is all 70's and 80's in the foreseeable future so back to normal, Yeah!
Butch is playing in the Friday Pool League this afternoon so we will assume he is having fun. I have just returned from a bike ride around the golf course and the park. Fun going North, not so fun going South. It was a workout though.
When I sat down to the computer I tried to remember what I should be doing and then decided to just chat with you all for a bit. But now I have remembered that next week's trivia questions are not completed so better get to that...soon. Last Tuesday one of the women who play cards but not trivia was telling me how much she enjoyed the questions while playing cards but wished she could see the answers..."Is there any way you could put the questions and answers on the blog? You aren't going to use them again, are you?" The answer is: "Yes, I could put them on the blog." "Do I want to? "No." I always like to have a sound reason when I say "No" to anything. That was one of my rules when raising the boys- Is there a good reason to say "No"?  I found it to be a reliable yardstick. So this time I am hedging. I may break down and post them but so far I am mulling it over.

On to trivia questions!

Inflammation?

Foods to avoid if you are suffering from inflammation. I wish I had known these years earlier!!

https://www.thehealthy.com/nutrition/foods-cause-inflammation/?_cmp=TheHealthy&_ebid=TheHealthy262020&_mid=327198&ehid=DFCB285FB10C1684E2551C941D1B0CD3D95CA5D3

Ann, Our Granddaughter

Mama of 3 beautiful Great-Grands-Nina Grace, Scarlett and Skylar

Old Pics of Jason

One of the reasons I hang in there with Facebook even though so much of what gets posted is pure rubbish is the occasional surprise. Like today when I am slowly making my way through the rubbish, which I hide by the way when I spot a picture of our youngest son Jason. At that point in his life, he had graduated from college and was living on his own in Boone. Jason went on a trip to California with a friend named Theron. I remember him going on the trip but little else about it. I remember him telling us about Theron's Grandpa Cyrus McQuillen in California. Butch and I both remember Cyrus as the father of a classmate of Butch's and a workmate of my father. Of course, we know now that The McQuillen family in California was making the acquaintance of our youngest son, Jason. Little did we know that many years later we would become much better acquainted with Dugan, Sharon, and Kevin McQuillen and value their friendship so very much.
What a special treat to see these pictures of Jason on his California trip. Jason is the one with the mustache. My guess on the year would be 1983 or 1984

craft project at Home Depot.

They are doing a craft project at Home Depot.

Little Leo and Gary

Miss Elise...with a hammer!

Advice to Kids

I wish my younger self had embraced all of this advice. A father wrote this for his children. His children are very lucky to have him for a father. Enjoy.
Barb Brooker

Advice to my Kids

I have six lovely children — one of them now an adult, and a couple more almost there — and I give a lot of thought to what I think they should know as they grow up and go out into the world.

What could I best teach them to equip them for life?

This is what I’d like them to know:

You are good enough. Most people are afraid to do things because they are afraid they’re not good enough, afraid they’ll fail. But you are good enough — learn that and you won’t be afraid of new things, won’t be afraid to fail, won’t need the approval of others. You’ll be pre-approved — by yourself.

All you need to be happy is within you. Many people seek happiness in food, drugs, alcohol, shopping, partying, sex … because they’re seeking external happiness. They don’t realize the tools for happiness aren’t outside them. They’re right inside you: mindfulness, gratitude, compassion, thoughtfulness, the ability to create and do something meaningful, even in a small way.

You can start your own business. As a young man, I thought I needed to go to college and then be employed, and that owning a business is for rich people. That was all wrong. It’s possible for almost anyone to start their own business, and while you’ll probably do badly at first, you’ll learn quickly. It’s a much better education than college.

Everything useful I’ve learned I didn’t learn from college … I learned from doing.

That said, I’ve had some amazing teachers. They’re not always in school, though: they’re everywhere. A friend I met at work. My peers online. My mom, dad, siblings, grandparents, uncles, and aunts. My wife. My kids. Failure. Teachers are everywhere if you’re willing to learn.

Spend less than you earn. Thirty percent less if you can manage. Most people get a job and immediately spend their income on a car loan, high rent or a large mortgage, buying possessions and eating out using credit cards. None of that is necessary. Don’t spend it if you don’t have it. Learn to go without, and be happy with less.

Put away some of your income to grow with the power of compound earnings. Your future self will thank you.

Learn to love healthy food. It’s all a matter of adjusting your tastebuds, slowly and gradually. Learn to cook for yourself. Try some healthy, delicious recipes.

Learn compassion. We start life with a very selfish outlook — we want what we want. But compassion is about realizing we are no more important than everyone else, and we aren’t at the center of the universe. Someone annoys you? Get outside of your little shell, and try to see how their day is going. How can you help them be less angry, less in pain?

Never stop learning. If you just learn something a little a day, it will add up over time immensely.

Have fun being active. Sure, there’s lots of fun to be had online, and in eating sweets and fried food, and in watching TV and movies and playing video games. But going outside and playing with friends, tossing a ball around, swimming, climbing something, challenging each other … that’s even more fun. And it leads to a healthy life, a healthy heart, a more focused and energetic mind.

Get good at discomfort. Avoiding discomfort is very common, but a big mistake. Learning to be OK with some discomfort will change your life.

The things that stress you out don’t matter. Take a larger perspective: will this matter in five years? Most likely the answer is no. If the answer is yes, attend to it.

Savor life. Not just the usual pleasures, but everything and everyone. The stranger you meet on the bus. The sunshine that hits your face as you walk. The quiet of the morning. Time with a loved one. Time alone. Your breath as you meditate.

Meditate.

Don’t be afraid to make mistakes. They are some of the best teachers. Instead, learn to be OK with mistakes, and learn to learn from them, and learn to shrug them off so they don’t affect your profound confidence in who you are.

You need no one else to make you happy or validate you. You don’t need a boss to tell you that you’re great at what you do. You don’t need a boyfriend/girlfriend to tell you that you’re lovable. You don’t need your friends’ approval. Having loved ones and friends in your life is amazing, but know who you are first.

Learn to be good at change. Change is the one constant in life. You will suffer by trying to hold onto things. Learn to let go (meditation helps with this skill), and learn to have a flexible mind. Don’t get stuck in what you’re comfortable with, don’t shut out what’s new and uncomfortable.

Open your heart. Life is amazing if you don’t shut it out. Other people are amazing. Open your heart, be willing to take the wounds that come with an open heart, and you will experience the best of life.

Let love be your rule. Success, selfishness, righteousness … these are not good rules to live by. Love family, friends, coworkers, strangers, your brothers and sisters in humanity. Love even those who think they’re your enemy. Love the animals we treat as food and objects. Most of all, love yourself.

And always know, no matter what: I love you with every particle of my being.

What we do- POOL

Both of us are playing a good deal of pool and I am enjoying it very much. I am sure it will always be a challenge for me because I do not go at it as scientifically as Butch does. That and he has years of practice starting in his youth. Fun, none the less.

I also enjoy Trivia but I miss not being a participant. The people playing trivia are coming back regularly so I know they too enjoy it.

We are going to Padre tomorrow with hopes of seeing the Kite festival at least a little bit. It will be in full force this weekend but our weekend is full of other stuff.

So keep looking and if you are wondering check-in on www.trophygardens.blogspot.com

Nearly forgot! Pool- My partner, Greg and I last Sunday were tied for first place with two other couples. I haven't seen any posting of the results so far.😢

Dermatologist

Our Up-North Derm guy, Dr Poag, suggested we see a dermatologist after we arrived in the Rio Grande Valley. So we did and the appointment was Monday. We each had a biopsy and I must say it did not hurt at all! I have had mosquito bites that hurt worse. Now the freezing process was different. That hurts like holy heck! And we both had several spots done. We have a follow up in 3 weeks to get biopsy results but I do not expect any bad news for either of us.

RRVT News!

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/

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.

Eating in Italy

I enjoy reading first hand and personal views of a friend in another country. I hope you do too.
Barb B

Dining in Italy…

January 15, 2020Greene County News Online

~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.

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!).