How ‘Bout Them Astros

On to the playoffs!  So many records, both team and individuals, were attained this year.  Crossing my fingers they keep up their momentum!

Photos

Another Week in the Books

We went to church Saturday and then to our favorite Mexican restaurant with Terry and Carol.  I knew I had to get weighed in one day this week so I had pollo primavera surrounded by fresh fruit.  I don’t have a clue what I did Sunday or Monday other than normal things around the house.

Tuesday afternoon I worked at the Thrift Shop and then we went to see Downton Abbey and to Grub to eat.  I had my nails done Wednesday, got weighed Thursday morning and played cards in the afternoon and came in second.  I won $14!  When I got weighed, it was my one year anniversary of reaching Lifetime Goal.  I have been within 3-5 pounds below goal all year.  It still feels good!

Ted’s 75th Birthday was Friday.  He shot in a registered shoot in Huntsville as his choice of how he wanted to spend his day.  He came in second in Main in his class and first in 20 gauge in his class.  I made a peach cobbler for him and we had that after dinner.  The kids sent him a Weathertec seat cover for the driver’s seat in the truck.  The leather is cracking but it has seen many miles and the seat shows it.  They also sent LED flares and triangles to keep in the trailer.  Our 3 hour wait on I-40 in June to have a tire change prompted these gifts.  

Our mail delivery has been compromised with the collapse of the roof of the Houston USPS distributing center during Imelda.  It has been a week and we finally got some mail today.  I am keeping an eye out for my estimated income tax check to clear.  I have no idea how long it sat in the box before getting picked up.  It was late to begin with!  

After Mass on Saturday we went to Perry’s Steakhouse to surprise Ted with a group of friends in a party room to celebrate his birthday.  He was presented with gifts, balloons and a cake to go with his 7 finger pork chop dinner,  his favorite Perry’s entree.  



A Week in Florida

Sunday morning Ted took me to the airport and dropped me off.  Because I had an Economy ticket I was not allowed a carry on.  The $30 each way for the bag needs to be included in your price so it may or may not be as economical as it sounds initially.  But I must say, after the free bags on Delta allowing us to traverse the Atlanta airport unencumbered and only having my purse this time, was nice!

Kristin picked me up and we made a stop at the grocery for ingredients for a few dinners.  She made tomato bisque soup from scratch that was really good accompanied by grilled cheese and the next day I put a pot roast in the crockpot with vegetables for dinner the next day.  It all turned out great and we ate on it for a few days.  In the evenings we binge watched Call the Midwife on Netflix.

Our biggest project was her husband’s photo room.  He was away for the week so we took the bull by the horns and whipped it into shape.  We mailed boxes and envelopes galore of photos to his family members, sorted everything and put like things in containers so it will be easy to locate whatever he is looking for and his good cameras and lenses now have a secure place to sit.  He will be surprised when he gets back!

We had a nice visit and when it was time to go home, Imelda caused havoc all over Houston and especially the airport!  My Friday morning flight was canceled and the best I could do was a Standby ticket on a 2 pm flight.  Upon arrival I was #5 on the list.  The lady said I wouldn't make it, nor the 3:30 one.  I sat down and brought up the email they sent advising me of what to do to rebook.  It said my standby was confirmed.  I showed it to the lady who said that was the flight not my seat.  It said 38B so I clicked Get Boarding Pass and up it popped.  I showed that to her and she became indignant!  She wanted to know who sent me that.  I told her United!  She asked if I paid $75 and I said no.  She said her job was not to question and she printed out a boarding pass reluctantly though I could have used the one on my phone.  I wasn’t sure she would believe my friend and I prayed I would get on!

We arrived home with just enough time to empty my suitcase and put on lipstick when John and Vivienne arrived.  The four of us had dinner at Joe’s and then went to the theater to see Mama Mia!  It was terrific.  We saw it at the Hobby Theater in Houston and the movie on the big outside screen of a cruise ship but I really enjoyed this one best!

We will go to church tonight and maybe out to eat.  Tomorrow Ted is working a sanctioned shoot and I will catch up on things around here.  I did three loads of laundry today so I am that far ahead!

Stupid Astros!

Well I shouldn’t have bragged on those boys because the next night it was 21 to 7 the other way!  I swear it was like watching T-ball.  Our runs were lots of homers.  The A’s were getting them one single at a time coupled with lousy fielding.  Like T-ball!  I finally made Ted turn it off.  

Tuesday I played cards again, a glutton for punishment, and lost!  We only play in these groups for $1 so it is solely just for socializing.  And we have lunch!  One gal was celebrating her birthday and bought an order of beignets for each table.  Such a nice touch!

I came home and made deviled eggs for Wednesday’s funeral lunch.  It was a small group, about 30, so there were only four workers.  I knew two of the other ladies so we had a nice visit while working.  Despite the smaller group, all my deviled eggs were gone.  One lady in particular REALLY liked them and came to the table three times just for more eggs.  

I brought home a tablecloth to launder and stopped at Kroger’s to buy salsa, chips, pretzels and mayo they need for another funeral on Friday.  In fact there are two funerals but only one has requested a reception.   I’ll drop off the things but don’t plan to work since our Saturday is busy all day and evening.  I leave Sunday morning for Florida and I need Friday to pack and get the house ready for my absence.  

Our neighborhood birthday lunch was on Thursday.  It was my first time since June to attend.  There were 9 of us and we ate at House of Pies.  Hard as it was, I did not eat any coconut cream pie; just my grilled chicken sandwich and fruit!  Three have husbands that need constant care, one has just recovered from a broken pubic bone, one needs a hip replacement but won’t get it done because she is terrified of surgery, four of us our still kicking pretty well unencumbered.  It reminds me to count my blessings in prayer each morning and night.  

Go Astros!

We had a productive weekend getting little jobs done around the house.  But we have watched the Astros most everyday.  Their bats have been hot lately and they are in great shape to get in the playoffs.  Another World Series win will give lots of folks free mattresses from Gallery Furniture compliments of Mattress Mac, Houston's greatest philanthropist.

We caulked the shower floor where the tiles meet the pebble floor and cleaned and sealed the granite counters.  It has been a year and this is what we were told to do.  I cleaned our front door and once again had black rags when I was finished.  The mold here is a real problem.  It is a dark wood door so it doesn’t show up a lot but looks so much better all clean and shiny.  We have had it refinished once in 16 years so this teak cleaner really helps to protect the finish.

We went to Mass and to the Mexican restaurant on Saturday as usual.  Sunday Ted went shooting and I went through my Stamping Up supplies to give to our friend Sandy.  She does crafts and the whole bin is just taking up space in my hall closet.  Then I sat down with boxes of greetings cards and made sure they all had envelopes, separated them by occasion and threw away the rest.  Like I said, just little things got done that needed to be.

Monday I played cards at Michele’s and saw her new house for the first time.  Impressive!  I could live in their master closet.  I don’t understand such a large home for two people but to each their own.  She has remarried and they wanted their house as opposed to his or hers.  They made a beautiful choice and I wish them happiness.  I lost at cards, again!

I hurried home and Jody was parked in front of my house waiting for me to go to Newcomers Happy Hour.  Between traveling and my Forum work I have not been out in this group much.  Since I am home for awhile I decided I should make the effort to see people.  I had a great time, saw some old friends and met some new ones.  And I always enjoy time with Jody.  She ordered a Chardonnay and I ordered a Moscato.  We were served opposite and I said this isn’t the best Moscato I ever had and she said hers was real sweet.  Lightbulb went off!  We switched glasses and all was ok!

When I got home Ted was switching between Astros and Texans but we settled on baseball and saw the 15-0 rout of the Oakland A’s.  The playoff magic numbers is 8!



 

Paying the Piper

We spent the night in Corsicana and made our way home a little before noon.  We had emptied the refrigerator and left the doors open so it would dry out.  The rest of our things we put in the back seat of the truck.  That way we only had to put it back in storage, open the refrigerator door and head home.  This works for short trips when we don’t take a lot of food or clothes.  It saves us from paying for a night before and after the trip too.

Ted went back out to the grocery while I put the few things we had brought back away.  By the time he had returned I had a migraine started probably because I had not eaten anything.  By mid afternoon I had a migraine like I haven’t had in a long time.  It sent me to the bathroom several times and left Ted with a my trash can to deal with.  By early evening it had finally let up and he fixed me some tea and toast.

It is Friday and I have been fine after getting a good night’s sleep.  Ted never makes jokes about his wife “having a headache” because he has seen how debilitating they are.  He dreads them as much as I do though they are very infrequent now.

Ted was scheduled to shoot Friday but was hesitant to go if I needed him to stay home.  I assured him I was fine so he went.  There was lots to do around the house.  I cleaned, I did some paperwork and phone calls, emptied the dishwasher and did two loads of laundry.  Another stop at HEB and Home Depot and he came home and made dinner.  We had fallen asleep during the 13 inning Astros game Thursday so neither of us knew who won (Astros).  We spent Friday watching them again.  We will have a quiet weekend before next week starts off another season of being home and staying busy.

Photos First

We spent the night in the trailer and were up and ready for them to take it inside at 7 am.  We had coffee up in the office then went to a bakery for a roll and more coffee waiting for the Route 66 museum to open.  It was an impressive complex and we enjoyed revisiting the many stops we have made on the "mother road."  We have certainly not driven the entire 2200+ miles but have snaked across it in several states.
We  enjoyed our time there and then came back to Rolling Retreats.  About 3:30 they said it was ready but we could stay the night if we wanted.  It would take us until 6:30 to get back to Wichita Falls and would put us in Fort Worth morning traffic so we opted to wait.
We went to an Italian restaurant for dinner and then came back for one more night here on Old Route 66.
These photos are things that caught our eye in the museum.  A welded horseshoe Christmas tree and globe for my mounted park police niece Sherry, Farmall tractors for our friend John,Ted at the entrance, Ted in a 1959 Chevy at the drive in watching "Creature From the Black Lagoon," and a map shaped like Oklahoma using logos from many famous spots along Route 66.
I am not sure what order these photos are in because they show up wherever and whenever they want!

Trip to Elk City, Oklahoma

We were only home three days when we left for Elk City, Oklahoma.  We were fulfilling the prophesy "Camping, where you spend a fortune to live like you’re homeless." 

When we were in Nashville we bought four new tires, then in Indiana we had some repairs and maintenance issues taken care of as planned only to learn we had a floor problem with our bedroom slide.  Water intrusion they said.  We did not have time to have it fixed then so we came home and made an appointment with Rolling Retreats, one of the best repair places in the nation.  The only day available was Tuesday after Labor Day.  We drove to Wichita Falls, TX Sunday night and then on to Elk City on Monday.

We parked in our designated spot and then talked to both Slade and Alicia who own this business.  They guaranteed us we would be completely fixed up and changes made that the RV will be maintenance free and worth more than it is today because of this work.

We did stop at a rest area and took this photo of a buffalo!