Getting Ready to Roll

 The furnace has been repaired and is working. I was talking to Susan V H about the RV furnace and after a while, she said Butch is a smart man and he will figure it out and indeed he did. I helped...with holding stuff, and writing stuff down etc. My training as a medical assistant comes into play now and then. It was a happy moment when he turned it on and it kept on running.

The route is established, reservations have been made where appropriate and we will be leaving Wednesday morning and should arrive in Trophy Gardens on Saturday, mid-afternoon. Being self-contained in the Motorhome is as safe as we can make it. We mask and glove when filling with fuel and that is the only outside contact we will have. The park is asking new arrivals to self-isolate for 10 days and that too is on our agenda. 

So Monday will be moving into MoHo day. It is a day of commitment as it is nigh on to impossible to live in two places at once. It is a big day and a busy one. Think of all the things you use and need every day and would need to move from one house to another and that might give you an idea. And be sure to add in all the things you would need for 5 months. There are some things we have duplicated. We have both said on occasion that it was much easier when we lived in the moho full time.

Tuesday will be "What did we forget day" and having water meter removed and Internet stuff returned to Jefferson Telecom for the winter. It is usually not that busy a day. We have purposely chosen a time of warm weather but this time of year it can turn on a dime. This past week the MoHo has experienced the coldest temps ever. Prior to this the coldest it ever saw was 18 degrees and that was only for a few hours and we were living in it at the time. We have learned one thing; our tiny little home in Jefferson Iowa is quite comfy in cold weather.

On another subject, we can now enter the pool hall without walking through muddy ground. I haven't actually done it yet but plan to very soon to take pictures inside and out, one last time before walking away from the project for the winter.

Freshly Poured Cement

 These pics were taken yesterday(Friday 10/30/20) after they left from pouring the cement. I wanted to write my name on it but Butch said "NO".😏

Not a break on water bill

 All the city would take off of the water bill was the sewer fee. That is a high percentage but really only amounts to about half of the actual water. So we still do not know what the actual number is but have been told in the neighborhood of $2500. Now the plumber will be responsible for a portion of that and that is not ironed out yet either. We hope to get all this nailed down before we take off for Texas.

And now we did get our approach to the Pool Hall/Garage cemented today. In fact, they just left a few minutes ago. At least we have one entrance now where we do not have to deal with mud. Cement at the rear entrance and sidewalk to the back of the house will be done next Spring.

So now when we get the furnace issue figured out and resolved we can be at a start over spot. I never have liked it much when you have several unresolved irons in the fire. Oh my, what a year it has been!

It seems our park managers and activity directors have been in touch with local officials on guidelines and requirements concerning Covid-19 for the RV parks. For some reason, the individual counties are laying down the expectations and it seems to be working. I don't know if this is a state mandate or county only but at least when they have a spike in cases it will be easier to figure out what the particular county did or did not do as a means to control it. One of the things they are asking for is self-quarantining for 10 days after arrival in the park. That was on our todo list already.

I think their adherence to simple rules like masks and distancing has a lot to do with their dependence on Winter Texans for their livelihood. They have always treated us well and this is just one more example and why Texas is our choice for a Winter residence. Not all of Texas is so nice but I can certainly account for the Rio Grande Valley. It feels good to be appreciated.

Rhymes

 I hesitate to call it poetry but I have off and on written "rhymes" for years. After going outdoors this morning enduring a temperature of 26 degrees I felt compelled to write a ditty...without the song.

When I stepped out to take the picture below I discovered the light was blue and dark and I lightened it some so you could see clearly that we are ready for the cement to be poured tomorrow.

Here is the rhyme.

Winter's Blue Light

 by Barbara Brooker

Bare-naked trees and the blue light of Winter,

Settle into old bones with the pain of a splinter,

Take me away, where warm breezes flow,

We don't need reminding, it is time to go.

And here is the picture.

OH NO!

 Butch says, "Look at that ugly spot on the back corner of the Motorhome!". I said, "What? Is something broken?" He said, " I sure hope not but look!".

Here is what we saw...

It is the icicle!! We have not had an icicle hanging from anything for years and years!!

Password Answers

 I simply feel compelled to give you important computing advice and this is one I feel strongly about. I have used Lastpass for several years now and have not had a problem. Wouldn't you love having only one password to remember? Lastpass or one like it can make that possible. With Lastpass, you create a master password and only you know it. If you forget it, even Lastpass cannot help you. And the standby of sending you an option to just change it will not work. They stress when you set it up that only YOU know it and even they cannot access your account. Hey, with the covid thing you have plenty of time on your hands, right?

Barb B.

https://www.thundercloud.net/infoave/new/your-security-begins-with-strong-passwords/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+thundercloud%2FIapJ+%28Cloudeight+InfoAve+Computer+Tips+%29

Best Ham and Beans EVER

 I simply had to share this one. I sure hope Juniors in South Texas have good ham hocks. This is my friend Liz's favorite meal.

Best EVER Ham and Beans 10/25/2020

1 Ham Hock

2 or 3 cans of navy beans (drained and rinsed)

1 onion (chopped)

3 to 4 cups broth of your choice (I used beef broth)

Directions: Add the ham hock and 1 cup water or broth to slow cooker on low for 6 hours or more.

Remove meat from ham hock and cut into bite-sized pieces. Return meat to slow cooker.

Add remaining ingredients and cook for 1 or more hours.

Only 4 ingredients and it is the best ham and bean recipe I have ever had.

I winged it which I frequently do but the outcome was so perfect I will definitely

use this same method again and again.

I also stumbled upon the best cornbread mix I have ever used. Picture below. (Fareway)

Doesn't Take Much

 It doesn't take much dark, dreary, bone-chilling days for us to want to be out of here. Who expects that in October? October is supposed to be a pleasant month with a hint of frost in the air and the fall leaves showing off their colors. More and more often in the last decade or so, October looks more and more like November/December, and these past few days have crossed over the line to January. These are deep winter temps! Highs in the low 30's and lows in the teens. We have a forecast coming up with a low of 11, yes, ELEVEN degrees. Well mark my words, October, we will not give you a chance to pull this stunt on us again! If we can help it...

The forecast is looking good for a week from now. We will have a day with a high of 55 at the end of next week or at least they are holding out that carrot, so when we see that it is going to be real we will load up as fast as we can and head south.

Last night I went about making the address change to our winter one of  Trophy Gardens, 800 State Hwy 495 Lot 189, Alamo TX 78516. 

It seems that is always the first step, followed by choosing the departure date, the route, making reservations where needed, and so forth.

And now for something completely different. I noticed that Fareway had ham hocks on sale this past week. Ham hocks are clearly the best choice for ham and beans so I bought a couple. Now I have been on Keto for a year and a half and it has worked for me very well. But diving off the deep end now and then is in my nature when it comes to food anyway so last night we had Ham and Beans for supper accompanied by cornbread. It was delicious. The ham was alright for me and I may have tolerated the beans if I held it down on the amount but the cornbread was my undoing. It tasted like cake to me. Very sweet. Butch will be getting the leftovers. I have suffered enough for one meal. Every now and then I have to test the limits. And that's all the testing I need for a while. 

Oh, and on the same subject of food; on our last trip to Costco I bought a couple of Cauliflower Crust vegetable pizzas. They were a test. Butch is far less tolerant than me for any food out of the ordinary. I told him they were a test. Sometimes I don't tell him. I added some cooked sausage to it and some extra cheese and they were absolutely delicious! Butch approved!

What the ???

 So they called yesterday (Friday the 23rd) to tell us the moho was ready for pick up. It was forecast to be a low of 20 degrees last night so we viewed the message with mixed feelings but decided to go get it so we were in control of what happens to it. After all who knows it better than we do having lived in it full time for 10 years and half time for 6 years. It looks great with its new topside. But...

The furnace wasn't working. We thought it started to work but we were wrong because it was not working this morning. Semi panic set in. Decisions had to be made. Butch worked on it for several hours before deciding we had no other choice than to winterize it. So the process began. Now those of you who do this annually have acquired a routine for it. We winterized our first RV once and vowed we would never do it again and haven't until now.

We toyed with the idea of just taking off for southern climes but the prospect of loading it up for our trek south was no more appealing in 20-degree weather than winterizing. So we winterized. The weather is supposed to improve next Friday with a high of 50 degrees. Now sounding absolutely balmy! So that will be our target date for getting moved into with all the things we need for the winter in Texas.

So bad news is we need to get the furnace working and/or repaired asap. The good news is every nook and cranny will be getting a thorough cleaning. In the winterization process, every cabinet and drawer must be scoured for items that might freeze and break. I have been looking at long-forgotten items in the far recesses of the motorhome. It is a perfect time to reassess each and every item to see if it is worthy of the space it takes to haul it around. Now doesn't that sound like fun?

I mistakenly posted this entry to the Trophy Gardens blog when I meant it for here. If you are looking at something to fill your time you can see that blog, the trophy gardens one, at this address. https://trophygardens.blogspot.com/

Done...to a point

 These four pictures were taken within minutes of the last nail driven on the trim yesterday. Butch and Russ both had big grins on their faces. And now we would love to be putting items in place before getting ready to load up for Texas but the weather is persisting in being contrary with the drizzles and we do not want to add mud to our new and shiny space. There will be a better day for all that. At least we hope so. The weather forecast for the coming week is downright disheartening. Next Monday, the 26th, they are forecasting a high of 39 and a low of 13!! Oh boy, do we ever want to be on our way! The forecast alone complicates the move from house to Motorhome, not to mention the motorhome is not yet in our backyard. We haven't gotten the word yet to come and pick it up. It may be a blessing. At least while it is in the possession of the fixers it is in a heated building and most likely will be until we pick it up. It has never been winterized in its entire life and we do not want it to be, however that could be a delicate dance!

Yesterday

 I went out to the pool hall about 2:00 PM or thereabouts and then when I came back to the house I did not check my phone. Later I found I had 3 messages in the short time I was out there and one of them was from Alex (Motorhome guy) telling us our roof is repaired and as soon as they can get the bits that need to be painted done we will be able to pick it up. It is still not definitive enough to cement any plans but a whole lot closer than it was.

There is a reason

 There is a reason we usually leave by mid-October and the current weather in Iowa reinforces that reason. We well remember but as it stands at the moment we haven't a choice. Our Motorhome is still hospitalized. Actually, I think it is in rehab. GoodLife RV Service Center of Webster City has been very good so far. We have great faith that they are doing right by us; it is merely that we are becoming a bit antsy. It would have been much worse if we didn't have our other project occupying our mind. The Pool Hall is wrapping up rapidly. Butch and Russ are working on the final trim as I write. Butch will have to take time out to visit with the Jefferson Water Board for the second time at noon. We hope to get that issue resolved so we can put that unfortunate episode (major leak) behind us.

It won't be an official Pool Hall until there are pool tables so it isn't quite there yet but it is a whole lot closer than it was in June. Getting Ready to...

$%#* Liberals

Warning:

Depending on how you lean, this is another one you may want to pass on. Just sayin'

 

A DAY IN THE LIFE OF SUE REPUBLICAN:

Sue gets up at 6 a.m. and fills her coffeepot with water to prepare her morning coffee. The water is clean and good because some tree-hugging liberal fought for minimum water-quality standards.

With her first swallow of coffee, she takes her daily medication. Her medications are safe to take because some stupid commie liberal fought to ensure their safety and that they work as advertised.

All but $10 of her medications are paid for by her employer's medical plan because some liberal union workers fought their employers for paid medical insurance - now Sue gets it too.

She prepares her morning breakfast, bacon, and eggs. Sue's bacon is safe to eat because some girly-man liberal fought for laws to regulate the meatpacking industry.

In the morning shower, Sue reaches for her shampoo. Her bottle is properly labeled with each ingredient and its amount in the total contents because some crybaby liberal fought for her right to know what she was putting on her body and how much it contained.

Sue dresses, walks outside, and takes a deep breath. The air she breathes is clean because some environmentalist wacko liberal fought for laws to stop industries from polluting our air.

She walks to the subway station for her government-subsidized ride to work. It saves her considerable money in parking and transportation fees because some fancy-pants liberal fought for affordable public transportation, which gives everyone the opportunity to be a contributor.

Sue begins her workday. She has a good job with excellent pay, medical benefits, retirement, paid holidays, and vacation because some lazy liberal union members fought and died for these working standards. Sue's employer pays these standards because Sue's employer doesn't want his employees to call the union.

If Sue is hurt on the job or becomes unemployed, she'll get a worker compensation or unemployment check because some stupid liberal didn't think she should lose her home because of her temporary misfortune.

It’s noontime and Sue needs to make a bank deposit so she can pay some bills. Sue's deposit is federally insured by the FSLIC because some godless liberal wanted to protect Sue's money from unscrupulous bankers who ruined the banking system before the Great Depression.

Sue has to pay her Fannie Mae-underwritten mortgage and her below-market federal student loan because some elitist liberal decided that Sue and the government would be better off if she was educated and earned more money over her lifetime.

Sue is home from work. She plans to visit her father this evening at his farm home in the country. She gets in her car for the drive. Her car is among the safest in the world because some America-hating liberal fought for car safety standards. She arrives at her childhood home. Her generation was the third to live in the house financed by Farmers' Home Administration because bankers didn't want to make rural loans. The house didn't have electricity until some big-government liberal stuck his nose where it didn't belong and demanded rural electrification.

She is happy to see her father, who is now retired. Her father lives on Social Security and a union pension because some wine-drinking, cheese-eating liberal made sure he could take care of himself so Sue wouldn't have to.

Sue gets back in her car for the ride home and turns on a radio talk show. The radio host keeps saying that liberals are bad and conservatives are good. He doesn't mention that Republicans have fought against every protection and benefit Sue enjoys throughout her day. Sue agrees: "We don't need those big-government liberals ruining our lives! After all, I'm self-made and believe everyone should take care of themselves, just like I have.”

A Sad Story-Snow!

 

Update on Interior construction 10/18/2020

 All that is left on the interior construction is the trim around the windows and doors. Of course, there are many other things to do but none of them are about the construction of the building. It feels like it has been a long time; actually, construction began in July and we can say it has ended in late October. Not too shabby unless you count the three years we talked about it. 😊

This is Russ working on the bathroom...

And this is Butch sawing away...and this is the most common view of both of them.

Looking into the northeast corner and where the pool table will be when the time comes.

and this is the southeast corner.

And these are two guys who enjoy working with each other on a project. They grew up in the same neighborhood and have been friends since childhood. Butch Brooker and Russ Cosens. I had to ask them to stand still for this photo.

I think we are both ready to be headed to Texas and I am sure once we get the word that the repairs on the motorhome are completed we will be on the road. We made a flying and very direct journey last Spring on the trip north because of the pandemic and we are thinking we should do the same this fall heading south, followed by self-isolation for at least 10 days after arrival just to be on the safe side. We hear good reports from the Rio Grande Valley that mask-wearing is strictly adhered to with all stores having workers masked. That will be very different from Iowa. The Rio Grande Valley depends on our dollars to keep the economy moving and I am sure that is a big factor in their compliance. It will still be a very different season with many choosing not to go south at all and our Canadian friends not being able to come south. Their health insurance is expensive in an ordinary year and I understand it is astronomical now so even if the border would suddenly open it would still have a negative impact.

Till next time!

Update 10/15/2020

 Still to do-Cement on approach plus backyard sidewalk, paint siding (white), dirt work in the backyard and that is on the outside. Next Spring will be exciting and busy. The fruits of our labor will become apparent.

BRRR!

 36 degrees as I write! Too Cold! The garage door is supposed to be installed this afternoon and then we can turn on the heat in the pool hall. That should help. I dashed out and took a few pictures. I will place them at the bottom of this post. But first...

Many of you know about the class of '61 and a few classes on either side who have moved back to Jefferson after many years away. There are quite a few of us and we ordinarily have gatherings throughout the year. But this year is an exception. I read a Facebook entry a while back that said 2020 should qualify as a swearword and I must agree. So when you say "What the 2020!" everyone knows you have let loose with a very naughty expletive. But I digress. We women of Jefferson, or a few of the women of Jefferson, met at Russell Park wearing masks and socially distancing. We always have a good time at these functions and this was no exception.

In reference to the paragraph above we have another member of the class of '61 returning to Jefferson to live and be in the company of people she met in kindergarten. Jan Durlam Mitchell will be moving here from Arizona in a couple of weeks. And since we are still waiting for our MoHo we may get to at least say hello when she arrives. She will be about 3 blocks from us. We hope to see more of her next summer. She likes to play pool. 

My friend Mickey has been doing a craft this summer that I am sure many of you might have an interest in undertaking. Mickey's daughter Dena introduced her to it. Mickey found an old welcome mat in her shed that had a pattern of leaves. She painted the leaves in an array of fall colors, sprayed it with polyurethane, and now has a very unique welcome mat that catches everyone's eye. A few years ago I bought a welcome mat at Costco and it has been on our front steps ever since. It looks much different now that Mickey did her magic for me.

And here are the photos I dashed out to take this morning. Russ had another job that took him away for a few days so I had to fill in as Butch's assistant. It was fine. We work well together after 61years of practice. However, I am very glad Russ is back. It goes faster and with greater precision when Russ is working.

RRVT BRIDGE IN GREENE COUNTY IOWA DELAYED TO 2021

 Every now and then someone will ask me if the bridge is fixed on the bike trail and very sadly it is not. But there is hope at the end of the tunnel.

Here is an article addressing the issue.

https://www.raccoonvalleyradio.com/2020/10/13/rrvt-bridge-in-greene-county-delayed-to-2021/

Last Pics taken

Butch working on bathroom ceiling

The new and shiny floor!

 

The floor is down!

Yesterday we put down the floor covering in the Pool Hall. We now have to wait for it to cure before we can resume the work on the interior. 

I simply must thank Jason many times over because without his help who knows how it would have gone. Yeah, JASON!

There has been interest in what we used and here is a picture.

We used two of these kits. They assured me everything I needed was included. I was somewhat familiar because several years ago the pool hall floor in Magnolia park had a similar treatment. As always magnolia resident volunteers did the work. 

More pictures later when we are free to tread on it.