Some Photos Didn’t Post

Apparently these photos did not post in my blog that contained Ted and Tom’s not excellent adventure to see President Trump when he came to the RGV to dedicate part of the wall.  They were unable to park so could not get close to the festivities.  This is Sally, my neighbor, in the second photo.

We have had lots of rain so we don’t know if that has stopped work on the wall near us or if they just stopped because frankly, no one knows what to do.  A whole campus complex was built and staffed on Conway, the exit we take off I-2 to come home.  Between the breach of contract payments and removal of abandonment of these types of sites, lots of money will be lost.  With an average of 580 individuals being caught PER DAY right now along the 100 mile stretch from Brownsville to Rio Grande City, I can only imagine what is coming.  When we went to the gun range yesterday, Border Patrol had 3 young men in handcuffs.  

My oil business friend said the oil companies are in a similar mode.  They don’t know what they can and cannot do.  She handled leasing and placing wells in the gulf but now they sit and wait at millions of dollars a day in non production.  She said the only thing they know for sure, $5 a gallon will be back.  

Only time will tell.  The only thing I personally know for sure is I am glad to be as old as I am!

A New Administration

I had plans for Monday that didn’t happen.  We had an emergency.  Tom and Ted could not find Turtle Wax Hard Shell Liquid.  They use it in a special recipe for a cleaner for the cars and motorhome.  There is none to be found anywhere!  So we went on a road trip and finally found 3 bottles at an auto parts store.  Amazon had some at about 5 times the old cost but they refused to spend that. Turned out they really didn’t have it either.  There was Turtle Wax Everything Else at Walmart but not the one they needed.  I can’t believe we spent a whole day hunting.

Tuesday I finally got my nails done and played mahjong in the afternoon.  Peg won every game!  Kathy and I were shut out.  I saw one joker all day.  

We had a meeting afterwards about preparing signs for the Food Truck next Monday.  We need to tell people to Social Distance 6 feet apart while ordering and there would be no music or tables cleaned and spaced as it was before.

Apparently some complained last time that the Village was sponsoring a group gathering so now they are on their own.  It is a community patio and people can choose to take their food home or sit on the patio.  I think we will come back to our coach house and eat there.   

Then we had “bring your own pizza to the patio” for dinner at Niles’ and Sue’s.  Ted stopped by for me when he and Niles returned with the pizza.

Wednesday I chose to be gone all day away from all electronics.  I picked up Patty, Eileen, and Mimi and headed to Texas Thrift and Thrift Town to shop.  It is a favorite thing for us to do.  We were disappointed at Texas Thrift when the fitting rooms had been shut down.  I did find a new Christmas scarf and a new curling iron.  I forgot to bring mine so now I have one I can just leave in here. 

We  moved to the next store and it was organized even better.  Slacks, capris, jeans, etc. all by rack, by size, by color.  I found a Tommy Hilfiger knit top and a few things for CeCe.  By summer she will need size 24 months and I bought three cute rompers and a bathing suit.  Then I found a turquoise crocheted swimsuit cover up for me.  We may get to go to Cancun at some point!  

We went to lunch and it took forever!  We spent two hours waiting to give our order, get our food, then pay our check.  But it gave us lots of times for chatting and laughing.  It was a miserably cold and rainy day so we decided the time was better spent than sitting inside reading a book like we have done so many days already this year.   

Ted decided to go to Golden Chicken and bring dinner home.  I was all for that.  Baked chicken and green beans for me and tenders and fries for Ted.  

Thursday was cool and dreary.  I had a carful for our bi-weekly breakfast picking up Cathy, Jo, Coco and Eileen.  There were over a dozen ladies and many new ones I met for the first time.  I intended to go to the post office but just never got around to it, they have a long lunch period and I can never remember when it starts.  Ted went to Edinburg to shoot sporting clays and I eventually went to play mahjong.  And I won the first three games with Gayle and Kathy each winning one.  

When I arrived home, Tom and Eileen were here and stayed for a visit.  I had got nothing out for dinner and neither had Ted.  There was a knock at the door and Steve, our next door neighbor, brought a big chunk of a freshly smoked meatloaf he made in his new pellet smoker.  A lifesaver!  With a loaf of bread and bottle of ketchup, dinner was served!

Friday we needed to be at the gun range at 10 to do a scoring dry run for Saturday’s Rimfire competition.  There are 25 targets per shooter and unlike last time, this is the lowest of the score.  Hit a line between 100 and 50, you get 50.  So 4 shooters shot and we scored them.  We did okay!  I have to be there Saturday at 1:00 for the real competition.  Ted is not shooting this time.  He is a shotgun shooter and doesn’t have one of these huge rifles with scopes and doesn’t like borrowing one.  They are highly sensitive in their settings.

We had to go right to the self car wash to get two inches of mud off our tires and undercarriage.  What a mess.  Thankfully it has stopped raining and maybe it will be less messy tomorrow.  Then we went to Bunz for protein donuts.  These were described to me by a WW friend.  The “naked” donuts are full of protein from using almond flour, low carbs and sugar.  We bought blueberry, strawberry and two chocolate.  Oh my!  Are they good!  Like wonderful wedding cake!  You can up the points with glaze, icing, sprinkles, etc. but naked at one point works for me!  

I had taken the last of the Christmas ham bean soup out of the freezer for dinner.  So I made corn bread, made Ted a sandwich with the last piece of meatloaf, served up two bowls of soup and once again, dinner was served.

Work on the border walls has stopped. We don’t know if it is the weather or the new administration.  Our oil company friends say they are in limbo about what they are and are not allowed to do.  I guess we’ll all find out together at some point.   

Sad Week for Our Country

 It has been a sad, sad week for our country.  I wish we could wipe out the whole sordid mess and start over with all new people.  I am glad I am as old as I am.  The future of the USA looks so rocky and heading in a direction that doesn’t suit me.  I admit I cling to my gun and my Bible.  Enough on that.

It has been cold here so the little we can do isn’t being done except for mahjong.  Somehow the residents we play with received permission for us to play in the clubhouse, no more than 5 to a room.  Only four players can play so we just use two rooms!  We can play with 3 or 4, but not 5.  It is working out.

We visited in Eileen’s motorhome one afternoon when it was warm enough to walk down.  I fixed smoked sausage and sauerkraut one night for dinner and lasagna another.  Other than people stopping to chat while taking walks, not much else goes on.  

Many are getting their first vaccine shots.  We are in no hurry.  I will wait patiently to see if any side effects crop up.  I remember too well the thalidomide babies and see the commercials on lawsuits for so many prescription meds.  Ted could have so easily been prescribed Zantac for his Barrett’s but thank God he was not.  We also still think we had the virus early last February and just happened to take Z PAC, zinc and Vitamin D for two weeks.  After Ted’s two weeks, I started and had it for two weeks.  Our thoughts were reinforced when donated blood November a year ago has shown antibodies.  One of the states where this was found was Michigan where we spent Thanksgiving that year.  So who knows?  All of life is a crap shoot.  

Our weather is finally returning to normal.  They are washing and waxing our MH and Ted’s Expedition.  It needs it whereas my Jeep Summit has hardly been out of the drive since I haven’t gone hardly anywhere without Ted.  

Our vehicles are all nice and clean and shiny.  Tom had his done on Friday while we all went to Mexico.  With the caravans heading this way, we wanted to be sure to not face the border shutting down before we had all the meds we need for this year.  Ted needed some more eyedrops and the analgesic cream he puts on his back and hands.  We haven’t spent anytime drinking or dancing so if things go well, we will try to get a few fun trips in.

Saturday we went to church as usual, visited a food truck venue but ended up at Ranch Burgers for dinner.  We finished off the evening playing Mexican Train and I lost!  

Ted went to Mission Skeet Club Sunday and I played mahjong where I won two games.  Ted had the grill going when I got home so he put the steaks from Aguilar Meats on while I baked potatoes, Texas Toast and sliced cucumbers.  Tom and Eileen brought pork chops and salad down and we all ate out in the coach house.  The steaks were very good.  We have been pleased with the meat market buys.  

I had ordered a runner to put in front of the couch to pull the LR together. My biggest hang up with finding a motorhome was the blending of areas. I wanted a LR, kitchen, BR plus bath and a half.  So many have table and chairs in the LR and an L couch where you have to sit next to each other vs. facing each other enough to look at people while visiting.  I think it looks good.

We have the captain chairs turned around so we have comfortable seating for 6.  The two kitchen chairs can be set at the other end to seat 2 more. Our big TV is behind the couch and stores down behind it on a televator.  We both can sit in our Barco Loungers and watch it.  But if I want to lay on the couch and watch I can turn on the TV above the captain chairs.  Some evenings we both watch the same thing on different TVs!  

I hope everyone is staying warm and well.  If you are anxious to get the vaccine, I hope you are successful.  People over 65 are getting it down here with a fair amount of ease.  I have read of others at home who have gotten the first one also!  Good luck!  

Things Are Opening Up A Bit

Tuesday I was a little busy having received an email from one of our credit card banks saying a purchase was made without our card present for some Ninja Juicer or some such thing and to accept or reject.  It was midnight!  This card is used for recurring charges - EZ Tag, internet, water bill, etc.  I don’t carry this card, it has never been used for anything else and never on the computer.  I couldn’t even tell the bank people the number.  They said they had to cancel that card and send me a new one but they could only send it home.  I needed to get these accounts set back up so I told them just to cancel the card and not renew it.  So Tuesday I was on line and on the phone getting all that straightened out!  

I had to take Sandy’s meds to the post office and on my way home stopped by Dollar General for butter, bread and cards.  By then it was time to play mahjong.  I won a game and the 5-6 of us are having fun all by ourselves in the clubhouse. Ted grilled steaks, I made baked potatoes and used the Instant Pot to cook asparagus.  It was all great after a rather aggravating start to the day.

I stayed in all day Wednesday.  There was no particular reason, there was just no reason to go out.  I am reading books, something I enjoy but don’t do too much at home.  The Border Patrol helicopter landed in the field across from our gate but we don’t know who they were after.  It is such a common occurrence.

Thursday was Ladies Breakfast so I picked up Mimi and Marilyn and met another group at Danny’s for breakfast.  It was a good group and I got to see a few people I had not seen yet.  

I laundered the bedclothes and remade the bed and eventually left for mahjong.  When I came home I took this photo of our sunset.  They are just spectacular down here and we take them for granted. 

Friday was a regular day but we did go to Mission West for their fish fry that we would normally attend inside.  It was a bit of a wait in line but the good part was the fish and fries were crispy and hot, right out of the fryers.  We took our dinners home and ate in our kitchen.

Our outing Saturday was to a meat market we had heard a lot about.  It was fantastic and we hope what we bought is as good as everyone says and how it looked.  The rest of the day always revolves around being ready to leave for church before 4 pm.  Crowds are still distanced and staying about the same in number.  We tried Cracker Barrel to eat afterwards but it was a 40 minute wait.  Since we intended to go to a 7 pm show we didn’t have that much time.  Every restaurant was crowded so we ended up back home eating leftovers.  Then we attended the show at the park next door.  They really had seats far apart. Mostly sets of two, a few fours for those attending with friends, but certainly socially distanced.  It was just an ok show, certainly not something I would see again but entertainment is in short supply this year.  Afterwards we took advantage of a BOGOF shake coupon at Stars (like Sonic) to make up for our leftover dinner!

Sunday Ted did not go shooting because it was rainy and cold.  I cleaned and then went to play mahjong.  When I arrived home, Tom and Eileen had arrived and we ordered pizza for dinner. We ate inside our rig because it was so cold out that even our tower heater could not get the coach house up past 60.

On Monday we all went to a couple different stores looking for some refrigerator storage things for Eileen.  We struck out but of course found a few things to buy along the way.  We agreed to go back to Mission West for their hamburger night and this time it was warm enough to eat at the table in the coach house.  When we finished we played several games of Horse Race.  

Tomorrow will bring what tomorrow brings! I will leave one statement I think speaks volumes.  

Days Are Running Together

 Here it is, the last day of this awful year.  Someone pointed out that phonetically the new year is "2020 won!"  (2021).  A really awful thought.  But on to a brand new bright year where we will make the best of it again but let’s hope the vaccine helps get a handle on the situation.

The highlight of my week is usually playing mahjong in my small group of 5.  I have been doing really well for not playing since last March and with a new card besides.  Each year a new card is made and you have to learn the new hands.  Some can memorize it.  I have to keep looking at the hand I am playing to be sure I get it right!  

We were invited to Sue’s again for a "bring your own pizza" dinner on their patio.  With no large gatherings and most entertainment cancelled, these small outside groups spring up a lot.  We have been mostly eating at home but tonight we have invited Jay & Stella and neighbors Steve & Patty for a light supper and then a crack at my new horse race game.  It will be fun but I bet we are in bed long before midnight.  

Well ... Our company enjoyed our light dinner and then proceeded to win all the money in our horse race game.  It was about 12:30 am before they left!  It has been several years since we stayed up for midnight.  

New Year’s Day we went to the only Mass, at noon.  If we did anything exciting, neither of us remembers what it was!

We went over to Mexico on Saturday.  It was business as usual.  We got many of the meds we will need and wanted to get them before the border closes down again.  It is hard to know what can happen quickly.  Other than wearing masks, everything was in full swing.  We walked the street one block over to avoid the crowded sidewalks.  No one was walking there.  

We did go to church on Saturday when we returned.  Four Masses in 10 days was a little much but when the holidays fall near weekends it just turns out that way.  We had no trouble parking but church was fuller than it had been but still social distanced.  

Ted went shooting and I played mahjong on Sunday.  I didn’t win any games!  We used our Christmas gift of pure maple syrup and Stonewall pancake mix to have breakfast for dinner.  We added goetta that we bought in Cincinnati last summer.  It sure was tasty!  In the evening we had scorer training for a shooting competition that would take place Monday.  

We left for the gun range about 9 am.  I was assigned to the swinging targets that had 2 inch buttons decreasing  in size in a series of 8.  It looked like a tiny swing set with 8 hanging rods with metal buttons on the end.  When struck, the target would spin over the top rail and spin.  It wasn’t too hard because most shooters were able to get them all. One or two missed were the worst scores.  They are so small that you can’t take your eyes off them because you have to call hit or miss.  If they miss they have to stay on that rod until they get it before proceeding.  Sometimes they lose their spot and you have to be able to tell them what they need to shoot.  Ted was shooting in the competition using Nile’s gun.  Ted is a shotgun shooter and has not had much experience with these rifles with high powered scopes but he came in third!  

Our day continued with an AC repair man telling us our front AC was shot.  It runs fine but has lost Freon.  They are closed systems and cannot be refilled.  So ... we are fortunate he located the only one Dometic had available and it was in Texas and has a black shroud.  He bought it on the spot and will install it on Friday morning.  We had the same thing happen in our Mobile Suites.  

And then ... we went to the large patio outside the clubhouse for the taco truck.  It was an attempt to allow people to social distance outside at tables of six.  There was a huge pent up demand because people lined up for over two hours time to get food and drinks and join a table.  We met a new couple who have a Newmar Dutch Star and a lady from Michigan who lived and worked right in the area we did.  There were 9 of us at the end, with a few standing, and we closed down the patio.  Dee and I went into the clubhouse to turn out the lights and lock the doors.  And we called it a night!  

Christmas 2020 Was Different

We had no special plans for Christmas Eve except to decipher about church.  Ted stopped by and saw Fr. Roy who told him there was a communion service at midnight and a noon Mass Christmas Day.  Neither one suited us.  Then we received notice from our home church that one of the priests who lives in the rectory tested positive and now all are quarantined!  There were 10 Masses scheduled and they found priests to cover them all.  So we decided to live stream their afternoon Mass like we did at home last spring.  But it wouldn’t work!  I quickly Googled Catholic Mass 12/24/2020 and found one in Cincinnati, our hometown, so we switched to it.  But we never did identify the church.  It was sparsely attended but a nice service.  

Ted asked where I wanted to go eat and I chose to get a pizza from our favorite Pizzeria down here.  I didn’t want to get dressed up.  They send me emails all the time with specials so we ordered our pizza but ended up with it, garlic knots and an 8 inch brownie because of their specials.  It was all excellent!

Our neighbors from next door came over and ended up spending the evening.  I wish we had had more room to ask them to Christmas dinner but I am equipped for only six in the coach house and we also are trying to limit contact numbers.  But we certainly enjoyed the evening.

We were able to social distance outside for appetizers using our new chairs from Kristin and Kara.

I spent a good bit of the morning preparing for dinner.  I set the table as nicely as I could with what we have in the MH but I did bring a Christmas tablecloth and napkins.  And we used real plates and silverware but I didn’t have 6 matching glasses so we went with red solo cups.  

We had ham, sweet potatoes, broccoli, Waldorf salad, rolls and pecan pie.  While I was getting dressed, Peg stopped by with fudge.  I am going to have to walk back to Houston!  Everyone was a member of the clean plate club so I guess they liked it.  Kathy and Bob across the street will not socialize yet so I sent two plates over for them.  They were very appreciative and pronounced the meal excellent.  After the four of them left, Patty and Steve brought over some homemade monkey bread (!) and I may have to walk beyond Houston!

Kelly Face Timed us so CeCe can see Lolly and Pop who I imagine she thinks are tiny people who live in the black box!  She waved to us though.  Kara sent photos of their Christmas.  Larry and Kristin are in the Keys but no photos came yesterday!  

So Christmas 2020 is a wrap.  I am sure it was equally different for most people.  We made the best of it and I hope everyone else was able to celebrate in spite of the absence of loved ones, smaller church services but still plenty of calories!  

Now on to New Years!  

Settling In

We got things all where it belonged and Ted started cleaning up the coach house.  Dust was covering everything!  He went to get the garbage can from the fenced area behind the coach house and two bushes  had grown into trees!  He couldn’t even begin to enter the area.  The fellows that do the landscaping were two doors down so he went and asked one if he could cut it all down and haul it away.  He did and Ted gave him $20.  He didn’t want to take it but Ted insisted.  We had no tools and no way to dispose of it so we were happy.  

I putzed around inside and got our shrimp ready for our evening at the gun range.  We went down to the range and visited with folks while enjoying burgers and hot dogs until it got dark.  We all oohed and aahed over Saturn and Jupiter being closer than they have been in 800 years!  Some terrific photos have showed up on the internet, much better than anything we had seen because of the clouds passing by.  After a time, everyone started leaving and then came back.  The Border Patrol had apprehended 6 illegals and had the road block and needed about 15 minutes more to process them before we could get through.  Ted helped Niles load up the generator so by the time we left the road was open.  Such is life here on the border.    I can’t even fathom what it will be like if Biden actually opens the border to every Tom, Dick, Harry and family.  Just come on in.  No means of support, most cannot speak English, but they are welcome.  Whatever!

Tuesday Ted went to Mission Skeet Club to shoot and I played mahjong for the first time since last March.  It is the 2020 card that I ordered last March to have but it was my first time playing with it.  Out of four games, I won two!  Who knew?  

We ate dinner in the coach house because Ted has been messing with lighting and wanted to see what it looked like after dark.  It is getting there!

Wednesday it reached 90 degrees and we think our front AC isn’t’t functioning properly.  The AC runs, cycles, but the air feels warm and it never gets to 72 to shut off!  The back one works fine but it doesn’t have the sun beating in on a huge windshield.  We will probably deal with it after the holidays unless we can get Matt here sooner.  

Tonight we went to Niles and Sue’s house where they were having a fish grill.  I made smoked sausage and 4 color peppers because Ted isn’t a big fish eater.  Turns out he ate both and all was left in my casserole dish was a few peppers.  It was a great dinner finished off with peach cobbler and Blue Bell.

Tomorrow is Christmas Eve and we haven’t decided if or where we will attend church.  Christmas is always so busy so social distancing is going to be difficult.  I won’t go into a crowded church disregarding the distancing and masks. But there is no way to know so stay tuned to see how this turns out!

We Have Arrived!

 Let’s hear it for the old lady!  I drove 400 miles through Houston, skirted Corpus Christi and traversed I-2  west to Mission.  I just followed Ted.  We stopped twice for fuel.  He wanted to be full when we parked and I put in $8 worth at the first stop, just in case one tankful wouldn’t do it.  We had no difficulties, at least not any that held us up.  

When we arrived, Kay and Norm saw us and came running out, soon to be joined by Steve and Patty next door.  For some reason they all thought we weren’t coming for a couple of weeks.  Norm helped me spot Ted while he backed in and then I moved both cars from other’s drives to ours.  My Summit is parked in front of the motorhome and the Expedition is backed up in front of the coach house. 

Niles stopped by to welcome us and invite us to a Star of Bethlehem gathering at the gun range Monday  night.  We will share appetizers and visit, then turn off the lights to see Saturn and Jupiter closer than they have been since the 1200s.  People are calling it the Christmas Star and their pastor will give a reflection on it.  Since we are not sure if we will be able to find a church socially distanced on Christmas Eve, this may be our best shot at a homily.  

Wednesday we are invited for grilled tilapia at Sue and Niles’and I have them and Karen and Jim for Christmas dinner.  It is going to be a busy week.  

I will be playing mahjong on Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday.  So that fills up the week.  

Just wanted you all to know we made it safely and to wish you all a very Merry Christmas however you have chosen to spend it!  

We Have A Departure Date

We wanted to leave 12/20 or 12/27, both Sundays.   We have three ways to go.  Head west and drop down to I-10 way west of Houston but it adds about an hour to the trip.  Or we can take the new circle freeway but paying tolls for all three vehicles gets a bit pricey.  On Sunday morning, Houston traffic is light and we can zoom right through town and head down 59 in about an hour’s time.  So we try to travel on Sunday.  

We told Terry and Carol if they chose to cancel their Chicago plans we would stay to be here for Christmas.  When Ted talked to Terry he said to not do that, just go when we wanted.  There was a spot open at the campground on 12/19 so we could get the car attached to the MH and be all set up, sleep there and hit the road by 8 am.  I hope they choose to visit with their daughter and her family.  They already have the tickets.  

We met Jay, Stella, Tommy and Susan for a late lunch on Monday.  I had my package ready for the post office so we dropped that off right before meeting them.  We had a good time catching up and just visiting.  

We came home for awhile before heading to church for the holyday that honors Mary as the mother of Jesus.  I was trying to get one more tag for a teenager gift because I ordered a basketball and a football so I need a second tag to help the packers identify where it goes.  They were not out so I will try again next  Saturday.  

Tuesday five of us played cards and Helene won.  She wins a lot!  It was a fun afternoon and I always enjoy playing.  Lots of fun for $1!  We have lunch in the middle of the game.  I stopped for two presents on the way home.

More eating on Wednesday.  It was a very scaled back neighborhood birthday group Christmas luncheon.  Our usual group of at least a dozen dwindled down to four!  Some were sick, some do not come out yet, two have husbands that cannot be left alone and one is quarantined before minor surgery.  But we had a nice lunch, lots of talking on a more intimate level than with 12 present and a very small gift exchange.  One lady is a card designer and her gift was a box of her cards!  I was very pleased with that gift.  The others appeared to enjoy theirs too.  I had put a small bag of Lindt’s peppermint chocolate balls at each place and decided to pay the bill since there were just four of us.  The others were pleased and the waitress made out with a $45 tip from what we all put in.  

I was glad to have Thursday to stay home after such a whirlwind week.  I was supposed to accompany the CWJF Sustainers to the Houstonian Hotel on Friday for a Christmas lunch but I woke up with my stomach in turmoil.  I had to cancel and was very disappointed.  I spent most of the day on the couch with no more incidents but it just wasn’t worth stressing out on an hour’s bus ride into and out of Houston.  It rained most of  Friday so we just hunkered down and Ted got a pizza for dinner.

College football has filled our Saturdays since we don’t watch the NFL on Sunday but late in the afternoon we gathered our gift card for a senior, football and basketball for our church giving tree and headed to church.  I had made taco soup in the crockpot so it was ready when we came home and we stayed in for the evening.  

Sunday we were invited to the only Christmas festivity that was taking place with friends.  A private room was reserved at the same restaurant I was at on Wednesday.  There were 10 couples in a room that can hold twice that.  We played cards with men and women mixed up and spouses at different tables. In the middle of the six sets we all stopped for dinner, presented Irene with a birthday cake and then continued on.  Dan at our table had only two points as we went into the 6th game.  I got a Shanghai, caught everyone with their entire hand unplayed, and WON!  

Irene had a gift bag for everyone and I got a bonus Santa candy jar for having a Shanghai.  She is the hostess with the mostess.

Other than getting things ready to leave, our only other outing was a dinner invitation to the country club on Wednesday evening with Terry and Carol.  We exchanged our gifts, had a terrific dinner, and I saw a friend there I hadn’t seen in quite awhile.  

Friday was some back and forth to the MH to put away what we could.  Ted still wanted to open it all up so we moved it to the campground Saturday in pouring rain.  At least we learned the window unit replacement doesn’t leak.  We are taking both cars.  He is towing the Summit and I am driving what is now his Expedition.  We have both loaded down and thank God for the coach house.  We can put my Instant Pot, tabletop oven, Ted’s ammo, two chaise gravity free chairs and a Dish portable satellite receiver that will be in the garage sale down there, all on the shelves in the coach house.  We have a patio set in the middle of the room that we will use for our Christmas dinner with Sue, Niles, Karen and Jim that we have invited.  I even packed a Christmas tablecloth and napkins!

After we had taken out most of what we needed, we went back home to shower and get ready for church.  From there we checked back home one more time, gave Nancy her instructions and headed back to the MH.  We will leave in the morning and we are promised dry weather.  I am holding them to that!

Oh no! Christmas is Bearing Down!

We had an easy trip home.  Buying the early boarding snagged us Row 4 aisle and window.  The middle seat was not guaranteed to be empty but no one tried to claim it.  The flight was just like going over, uneventful.  

I had Wednesday to get unpacked and do laundry.  Thursday I signed up to work at The Hand Me Up Shop.   I didn’t have to be there until 11:00 so I had my morning free.  I stopped afterwards to pick up a few things from Walgreen’s and then made my way home.

We decided to use our season tickets at Owen Theater on Friday evening.  Imagine our surprise when Holiday Inn was not playing but instead a Chorale performance.  What a wonderful show they put on.  We were socially distanced in a less than half full theater and everyone wore masks.  I guess they did what they could to carry on.  It’s been a tough year for them.

The singers were all wonderful.  They sang Grinch to O Holy Night with lots of jesting going on in between.  It was just what I needed to spark a Christmas spirit.  I am still not sure it will flame but it is a start!  

Our camping club, Texas Boomers, was having a Christmas rally up in Conroe so we made a point of going up for a visit on Saturday.  Unfortunately there were only 8 people we knew.  It has been 5 years since we attended a rally and people do move on and get replaced by new ones.  But their motto is “Once a Boomer, always a Boomer.”  We are still Haulin’ HitchHikers and DOGs (DRV Owners Group).  You make friends that stay friends for life.  Sandy, who I visited with in New Braunfels and has lost her husband, was there in her new Jayco motorhome.  The DRV was just too much for her to handle.  She has a great unit, very suitable for her and easy to manage.  

We visited with Pat and Don from Killeen TX.  They have been members since it started.  There were three other couples there but one was masked up, staying away from everyone and only dropped a quilt off to Sandy.  They couldn’t wait to get away!  The other four visited with us and we talked about the Karavan  to the Keys rally next year.  It is about 16 rigs all making their way together down to the Keys and then everyone heads out to wherever.  Many musicians are in the group so “concerts” happen most evenings.  It is a pretty hard drinking group and that isn’t us so we will proceed with caution.  We told them we will think about it.  

We went to Mass and came home after stopping for a late lunch.  Everyone had invited us to dinner at the rally hall but they were eating at 5:00 and we thanked them but said we were attending church at that time.

We met our friends Tommy and Susan and Jay and Stella way back in 2005 at a Boomer rally  and they are some of our best friends now.  In fact, we are having lunch with them on Monday. 

We were both home all day on Sunday.  I did some deep cleaning and then dragged out the few gifts I had to wrap.  There was more check writing than wrapping but eventually I got it all done and am ready to hit the post office.  Ted fixed dinner and we settled in for the Dolly Parton special.

Last Weekend in Florida

Saturday was a lazy day.  We went to church at 5 pm and saw Fr. John.  He is the priest who at the wedding rehearsal asked me who I was.  When I told him mother of the bride, he responded, have you done this before?  When I answered yes, he pointed to the front pew and told me to “park it.”  He always remembers us.

We went to Culver’s for dinner so we could have ice cream afterwards.  Only Ted and Kristin did though, Larry and I did not.

We took a break from all the togetherness and headed out on our own Sunday to check out nearby campgrounds.  A city park was beautiful with a nice campground but it was 40 minutes away over all toll roads.  So we moved on to the ones closest to Kristin and where we used to live.   They were crammed in like sardines and many were just living there, not traveling.  A touch of Tobacco Road!  So we ventured up I-4 to Daytona Beach.  There are two campgrounds and either one would be acceptable as far as roominess and utilities.  We will stay at one in June when we leave Sanibel Island.

Larry wanted to eat at the New York family pizzeria so that’s where we went for dinner.  It was really good!  A few Thanksgiving stragglers were walking down the street when we came home.

Kristin wanted to do the ice sculpture display on Sunday at Gaylord Hotel but when we checked they weren’t having it.  Apparently the sculptors are all foreign and could not travel here.  I thought maybe it was the coats they provide because of the cold.  A bit unsanitary in the middle of a pandemic.  So we looked into Give a Child the World.  This is a village where folks stay with Make A Wish.  The entire place is lit up.  To be socially distant, your ticket was only good for two hours and they were all sold out.  

So Ted sat by the pool while Kristin and I shopped for a family room rug.  She found one but had to go back with Larry’s car the next day after we left.   It was a good week in the sunshine.

Thanksgiving and Disney

 

Ted’s turkey!  Great job.  The red thing in the cavity is a shallot.  Looks a bit obscene!  

Larry’s sister and a cousin joined the four of us. They are both single and really enjoyed the meal. My sweet potatoes were pronounced the best they ever ate.  Clean up wasn’t too bad and we finished off the newest season of “The Crown.”

We decided against driving to Fort Myers.  Four hours each way in two days was more than we felt up to.  So we decided to go to Disney Springs which is a newer, expanded area of what initially was Downtown Disney.  It is loaded with shops and restaurants, bowling alley, movie theater, and pretty landscaping surrounding a lake.  They were having a scavenger hunt to entice you to walk from one end to the other.  And it was crowded.  Masks were required, even outside.  This ballon must have been tethered because it never moved.  

Kristin and I did the scavenger hunt while Ted and Larry waited in strategic spots for us.  We were rewarded with a big pin that said we had done The Tree Stroll in 2020.  In 25 years it will probably be a collector’s item!  We ate at Guy Fieri’s Chicken Guy and it was the only money we spent.  

We went back for the car and moved it to the Ticket and Transportation Center.  Because Kristin and Larry have annual passes, there was no parking charge.  We took the monorail to the Grand Floridian to see the lobby.  We stop here every time we are at Disney, and living there five years makes it a lot, but have never noticed Mickey and Donald in the tiles.  The skylight is just beautiful, there are three.

From there we took the monorail to Magic Kingdom and transferred to a boat to visit Wilderness Lodge.  We have never been to this hotel.  It is a rustic theme and had beautiful cabins along the water route.  Lights were on and we could see inside the cabins.  

We were going to have a reindeer cookie but you couldn’t buy one except through the App.  We decided never mind and headed back to the boat.  This brought us to the Magic Kingdom and we took the monorail back to the Ticket and Transportation Crnter and walked to the car.  Whew!  15,000 steps according to Fitbit!  

We weren’t up too late after we got home and everyone slept in until almost 9 am.  

Thanksgiving Week in Florida

We had a great trip over to Orlando!  By flying on Monday we missed those heading out for the entire week and had flown over the weekend.  I made a reservation for parking at Hobby and we were directed to an undercover spot in the first row.  The bus pulled up, the driver took our bags from the car and transported us directly to the terminal.  We were immediately greeted by a Southwest employee who took our pre-printed boarding passes and generated bag tags then put our bags on the conveyor belt and away they went!  

Security was about 10 minutes and since we know the ropes, we had no issues.  I-pad, phone, Kindle in one bin.  Purse and shoes in the other.  Ted goes first because I always get patted down with my hips.  That way he is there when all our stuff comes out.  We had lunch at Wendy’s then sought out a space away from others awaiting to board.  I was able to purchase early boarding and we knew all middle seats would be empty.  We were in the second group of 10 to board and we snagged aisle and window, row 6.  Only a bag of Chex Mix and glass of water was offered.  

In under two hours we were landing amongst the palm trees at an airport so familiar to us after living in Orlando five years during a time of heavy travel during our life.  I used to complain on the train that they would welcome visitors but what about me?  I lived there.  Welcome me home!  Now they do!  A pleasant surprise.  

We hung back at baggage claim until our bags were there for the grabbing.  Larry had come inside and Kristin was circling so we walked right out the door, hopped in the car and headed to their house.  I just wanted to share what we had done to minimize our exposure.  I will say that wearing a mask for several hours can cause a slight headache.  

Tuesday we drove to St. Augustine to meet Tom and Eileen, our neighbors when we lived in Florida.   They moved to Palm Coast which is just south of our meeting place, The Columbia Restaurant.  After a very Cuban/Spanish dinner we walked a bit and then boarded the tram for a tour of the city lights.  You could not buy seats, it was necessary to buy rows.  So I bought two and we sat 3 and 3.  There was plexiglass between each row too.  Normally I would remove my mask outside but there were way more people there than any of us could have imagined.  Good thing we made a reservation for 3:30 dinner because the wait time was 45 minutes.  Unheard of on a Tuesday!  So my mask stayed on!  Not the best photos from a moving tram.  The second is the Cathedral and the fifth one Lightner .museum.

We made a pumpkin and pecan pie on Wednesday morning as well as fresh cranberry salad.  Eventually we went to the Orlando Museum of Art to see the trees, wreaths and gingerbread houses set among art displays.  There was a boutique, silent auction and raffle as part of a fundraiser.  We were delighted to see two paintings - one of the Children’s (La Infante) hospital in Paris and a bridge over a canal in Bruege, Belgium, both of which we have seen in our travels.  A Chihuly greeted us at the entrance!  

A dinner at Nonna’s Italian restaurant, followed by another few episodes of the Crown and it was off to bed for me.

Not Much Going On!

I am behind.  So what else is new?

Ted’s endoscopy went fine.  They took a few biopsies which is not unusual.  The doctor said none of it looked suspicious but he will call when the results are back.  I dropped him off and went back for him a few hours later.  He was coughing and coughing when I picked him up so I gave him a tablespoon of HEB Tussin that has no alcohol and it stopped immediately and he never coughed again.  He slept most of the afternoon and by dinner time was ready to eat.

Irene and I went shopping later in the week and I returned a backpack to Coach.  I did buy two blouses and matching jewelry at Chico’s plus a few things at Bath and Body Works.  We then headed home to have a late lunch at Whiskey Cake, a newer restaurant in the area, that I had not visited yet.  It was really good.  We ordered the Whiskey Cake for dessert and cut it into four small pieces.  We each had one and I took the other two home to Ted.  He enjoyed that and the third pulled pork slider I brought home too.  

We both got haircuts on Thursday, had my car washed and went to the grocery.  Kept us out all day.  Friday I got the suitcases out and packed my clothes leaving room for Ted to put his in.  Overflow will go in a carryon size but we get two free suitcases so we’ll check both.  Waiting at baggage claim will be tricky.  We will stay clear and wait until the others have cleared so we can grab and go with no contact with anyone standing around.  

We have a busy week in Florida planned.  A trip to St. Augustine to see the city lights is scheduled for Tuesday.  We will eat at the Columbia Spanish restaurant then tour the city lights by tram.  You had to buy rows, not seats.  I bought two rows that will be separated by plexiglass panels.  We are meeting our good friends Tom and Eileen from Florida who will join the four of us.  So we will sit 3 to a row.  

Wednesday my sister and her husband are coming from the west coast of Florida to spend the day.  Kristin and I will set the table and prep food for Thursday so we are ready to go out when they arrive.  We will attend the Museum of Art where decorated trees, wreaths and gingerbread houses are on display followed by dinner at a favorite Italian restaurant.  

Only Larry’s sister is joining us for Thanksgiving dinner.  She lives by herself down the street from them and said she was not skipping Thanksgiving and seeing us.

We will head to the west coast to Fort Myers to visit some Ohio relatives visiting at my brother’s condo.  I think we will spend the day at the beach, stay over night at Hampton Inn and return to Orlando on Saturday.  Then we have two kick back and relax days before heading home to Texas!

I should have some fun photos from our trip next time I write.  I have our Christmas card all done with one spot left for a photo of us during this upcoming trip.  Hope we get a good one!

The Election

Ted’s annual endoscopy was to be Thursday and late Wednesday they called to cancel it.  We rescheduled it but I was advised I could only drop him off and will be called to pick him up.   So we took the motorhome back down for an additional sealing around the whole window unit.  We got it put away easily and came home with not much to do since we had kept the day open.  

Friday Ted went shooting and I just wiled away the day watching Poldark on Amazon Prime.  We both have a hard time understanding their accents at times and it doesn’t have closed caption but we certainly are enjoying the series.  We watched all of The Marvelous Mrs. Maizel and Bosch.  Unfortunately, with covid, the next series of shows had to stop production so who knows when they will be finished and aired.  Amazon Prime was a birthday gift to me.  I have made use of the Free Shipping a lot already!  

Saturday Mass was said by our priest from Nigeria (I think) and impossible for us to understand.  I heard something about 50s, 60s, 2000, automobile and expressway.  After that I caught nothing, I cannot even tell you the subject matter!  I wish they would tell us in advance who was saying Mass because I would choose another time.  I don’t mean to be unkind but I see little to learn when I have absolutely no idea of what is being said.  Ted was in the same boat, he said he didn’t know what he was talking about either! And he talked about 10-15 minutes longer than usual.  That made us late getting to the restaurant.

I told Terry and Carol that was an hour plus out of my life I will never get back.  They had turned it off the TV where they were watching at home.  We had a nice dinner, talked about the chaos all these ballots have caused.  There is so much swirling about that I have not turned my TV on regular programming since Monday before the election.  You win some, you lose some but I have to admit all the inconsistencies give me pause as to can we ever trust our elections again.  We have had a peaceful transfer of power for over two centuries and I hate to think we have lost that.

Ted went shooting Sunday and I puttered around the house.  CeCe finally got to have her birthday celebration with both Grandma Duda and Great Grandma Duda who was treated for cancer all last year.  She celebrated her 91st birthday this week too.  Everyone had been careful but I guess Mrs. Duda felt comfortable being together outside. 

Nancy stopped by Monday to give me the run down on her upcoming minor surgery. Now a Covid test is something else to add to everything you have to do before surgery.  She will miss our first neighborhood birthday lunch since March!  There are six going and just as many, not.  Two more would be attending except for previous commitments.  That will be Wednesday, Veteran's Day!  We visited Flander’s Field in Belgium back in 2012 and it made a tremendous impression on me.  

I played cards again on Tuesday, a different game, and won again!  I am three for three!  After such a long stretch of losing, it feels good to reinforce that the cards you get play as big a part as your skill level.  I need to brace for the downturn I know will happen.  

Wednesday six neighbors met for lunch at Citizens Grille.  It was a long stretch for all of us to have not gotten together!  Two have husbands with cancer, one bladder, the other kidney.  An absent one had removed her husband from memory care when the nursing home/covid situation got so bad.  He is still at home, deteriorating and has been a terrible burden for her, yet she continues on by hiring day and night nurses to help.  Once covid is under control, he will be returning to a different hospital.  The rest of us are doing okay and agreed to meet in December for a Christmas lunch.  

Our Israeli neighbors returned after being stuck in Israel since February, then went to their son’s in California, and returned last week.  They invited us over Thursday evening.  We always have so much to talk about that time passes very quickly.  Their house sitter is moving from the area and they asked us to check on their house when convenient.  We have done this intermittently so of course we said yes.  

Friday Ted went to the Chronicle for work and I went to the nail salon.  On my way I stopped at a restaurant and booked their private room for our neighborhood Christmas lunch.  Next week Ted’s endoscopy, my returning a bag to the Coach store and we both getting haircuts will fill our week along with packing.  

Still no answer on the election.  I think they said the Gore incident lasted 37 days.  We lived in Florida at the time and all I remember are the “hanging chads.”  

One More Week Until Elections

We have stayed close to home this week.  I had a fair amount of laundry and a bit of dust to collect.  Thank God for freezers because we ate leftover taco soup, pulled pork and pork chops from ours making dinners easy this week.   Our window came in so on Wednesday we took the motorhome to Milstead for the repair.  We picked it up and put it back in storage on Thursday.  I was able to rescue our gift cards I had left in there too.

In the meantime, we met with the Deck Company owner.  He agreed that one board should never have been used and will replace it.  He said he will personally go over everything and fix anything we or he finds.  He is also going to resod the mud patch they left.  His daughter was with him and said the two fellows were not employed by him any longer.  I had not said anything to him about them but since they were gone, I did.  They had a lousy work ethic working harder when the owner stopped by and dilly dallying when he wasn’t.  Foul mouthed and messy, using our yard as a garbage can and not respecting our things.  I am glad they are gone because the owner is a nice man.  

I went to the doctor on Tuesday and all is good with my 6 month check up.  He also checked my snake bite and said it is healing well with no sign of infection.  

The rest of the week was ho hum.  The deck is finished, our landscaper has to rework our paver bricks up to the new step and the new sod is laid, as in laid down on the mud.  There was no effort in making sure it covered everything or tapped in. Here’s hoping there is enough warmth and water to get it to root!  For a postage stamp of a lot we seem to spend an inordinate amount of money on it.  

Friday night we finally decided to attend the Owens Theater production of the Sunshine Boys.  We had dinner at Joe’s Italian beforehand.  For a neighborhood restaurant, they have excellent food.  We were going to the theater on an off day, other than our reserved date, so we were assigned different seats. We were given the first two seats in the second row, stage left.  No one was in rows 1 or 3 or the rest of our row.  When I turned around there were only two people in the second last row.  I counted less than 50 people in the whole theater.  We felt safe in our masks!  

We went to church Saturday at 5:00, then to Mia’s for dinner.  We like their ribs.  I balanced my meal by eating green beans and fruit!  Then we went to Terry and Carol’s.  We turned out to be their only trick or treaters!  We played cards, I was behind, then got a Shanghai on the last hand caught everyone with their entire hand and WON! Shall wonders never cease.  

Sunday was quiet.  Ted washed the Expedition and I did a few things around the house and ordered a few things on line.  I finally have a "going out" busy week coming up.  I am playing cards again Tuesday, working at the Thrift Store for changeover to Christmas on Wednesday and Ted has his endoscopy on Thursday.  It will be nice to see people I have not seen in months.

I keep hearing a deficiency in Vitamin D has been found in so many covid patients.  No wonder nursing home people are vulnerable.  I take Vitamin D everyday so I hope it does help.  All this mask wearing  doesn’t seem to have a huge effect on the numbers.  But I wear it to keep everyone happy.  There have been places where the numbers went up when masks were mandated.  The big upturn is when the mandate went into effect. Unfortunately you can’t believe anything you hear or read and only half of what you see.  

On a better note, We are on track for less overall deaths than the three previous years.

I have no answers and just do what I think is okay without jeopardizing others unduly.  But I am not staying in 24/7 like I did the first 3 months.  

Tuesday I played cards and came in second.  It was a new place and I really Iiked it.  Private room and good food!  

We took the motorhome back.  Ted heard wind when we took it home and wanted them to check it out.  We came home and I did laundry.  I was due to work at the Christmas changeover at the Thrift Shop and Ted had to work a shoot about the same time.  So off we went in separate directions.  We were fed so Ted stopped at Whataburger for his dinner.