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.

A Week in San Antonio

We voted Friday, waiting in the rain.  The whole thing took about 30 minutes.  With that out of the way we returned home to find the workers stopping for the day on the deck.  It was raining too hard to make any progress.  We have since been told it is finished.  I have only paid for half so we will see it when we return.

Our drive out was uneventful and we went right to the National Shooting Center to meet up with the others who arrived the day before.  Ted got registered and all his paperwork done and eventually we all went home to eat after a stop at HEB.  Sunday we toured around this area stopping to feed the ducks on the Guadalupe River.  

Monday was the K Cup and when Ted checked he was 4th so not in the money in that one.  Tuesday was the Super  Sport.  It was windy as all get out and many of the targets super high.  Scores were low so nothing happening there either!

After shooting we went looking for the golden Clay bird for a contest.  We were scouring the skeet field based on the clues but found nothing.  I sat down at a table to wait for Ted and got up to follow him to the car when something bit my calf.  I looked and there were two streams of blood already two inches long and a droplet of white milky stuff.  I wiped it off with Ted’s handkerchief to expose two puncture wounds.  We both said the same thing "snake bite."

We went to First Aid where they cleaned it, drew a circle around it to watch for changes and put a bandage on it.  Then we went to the ER.  My BP was the only bad thing they found. It shot up to almost 190 and my leg was a little swollen.  They gave me Benedryl and watched me for several hours and once my BP came down, they discharged me.  The doctor indicated it was probably a non venomous snake, a dry bite or the white milky stuff was venom but did not get injected into my leg by a juvenile who has not yet learned to control his venom.    Praise God for looking after me!

Wednesday was a day off and we all kicked back to relax.  We hung around the house until it was time to leave for the 11th Street Cowboy Bar in Bandera, TX, Cowboy Capitol of the world.  We bought steaks and chicken to cook on their big grills and we all purchased a "plate" of salad, baked potato and roll to go with the grilled meat.  This is Dale and Rob cooking our meat.

The other grill being used. 

Afterwards there was two stepping the night away with many rounds of drinks before heading home.

My leg was pretty swollen from the drinking and the dancing so I bought Benedryl as the hospital advised and it helped a lot.  Thursday was another day of shooting and Ted and I left to have dinner and get me home to put my leg up.  

Friday my leg looked perfect.  The two puncture wounds are still red but there are no signs of infection and no pain.  We girls went shopping and I held my own.  We shopped at Chico, Cabi, Coach, Clark’s, etc. stopping at a Target for things we needed and then on to JCP.  By then my back hurt and I can shop there at home so I waited in the car and answered a few emails.  

Saturday we all gathered at the National Shooting Center to watch Kathy and Amanda shoot in the ladies group.  They both did well and Amanda is in good position in the Ladies Main that completes on Sunday.  Normally this would be “big party” day but no large gatherings are allowed so recognitions, prizes, and the silent auction were conducted to an empty clubhouse and patio.  Ted and I left the group to attend Mass across the street then we all left for one last dinner out in New Braunfels.

Everyone but me went to the Center for one last day of shooting on Sunday.  Ted came in second in his class and age group, Super Senior Vet but I call it the “really old guys.”  Amanda won 50 Bird Lady Open in B Class with a score of 45.

Meanwhile, a great friend, Sandy, who has moved to New Braunfels, picked me up and we went to see her new home on property that has been in her family for decades.  Her husband died in his sleep last July and she returned from Houston back to the Hill Country to be near family.  It has been a long, hard, arduous journey for her.  She so wanted visitors and I was only her second one. I was so happy we both took the time for the visit.

When Sandy dropped me off, Rob and Amanda had returned and were getting ready to leave so I bid them farewell.  I packed up our things and moved them to the drive, stripped the bed and emptied the trash from our cabin.  As soon as Ted returned, we took off.  We arrived home a little before 6:00 and got our first look at the deck.  It looks great but there is one board on top of the rail that will have to be replaced before I give him the rest of the money.  It is damaged on the edge and is not flat so sticks up against the next board.  Not acceptable!

I am aggravated with his workers and will tell him so once the board is fixed.  I had used plastic table cloths to cover their saws one night when they called and asked me to cover them as rain was predicted.  I found them wadded up in the mud.  A yard ornament was broken, chunks of wood are in the grass and the area where they worked now has no grass.  Add this to the need for me to tell them they can use the F word around their mothers and wives if they don’t mind but not me in my own home.  Very unprofessional.

Revving Up To Leave

 

This is where we were earlier in the week.  They have done the second half of the deck and are now working on the railing.  We have been here, in this house we built, for 17+ years and that screwed up our average of 3.8 years in a home.  If we didn’t buy new, we had any major things done before we moved in. 

So far we have a new roof, outside and inside painted, new A/C, umpteen replantings in the yard (I have no green thumb and am not home enough to even water a hanging basket), new master bath, dishwasher and garbage disposal, water heater and carpet.  I guess it just never ends when you stay put.  Such is life!

I played cards again Tuesday, different game, and guess what?  I didn’t win.  But the food was better so that was good AND I had my credit card to pay!

We have been hanging around the house because of the deck workers so not much has gone on.  We tried to vote but couldn’t find a place to park and there was a very long line so we decided to try again on Friday before we leave for San Antonio.  

My friend Gerre had more ankle surgery so I prepared dinner for them and Ted took it to them.  We had them here last month when she had her first surgery.  I hope she heals up better this time.  The other ankle needed some reworking done and now she has both feet in boots and can’t really walk!   

My other friend Judy stopped by to "bring me something."  I had no idea what or why.  It was a new mandolin like one she had bought for herself.  It is made so you can’t cut yourself, something that happens frequently to cooks.  It was for all my kindness!  What a beautiful sentiment and very humbling.  AND now I have one for the motorhome and one for home!  Made my day.

We will be at Sporting Clay Nationals for the next two weekends in San Antonio.  Over 2,000 shooters will be competing. Ted has been third in his class and age group the last three years.  I hope he can do as well or better this time.  We are staying in New Braunfels with my brother and SIL and two other couples from Ohio.  The main house has 3 or 4 bedrooms and there are two cabins on either side of the big house.  It sits on a bluff overlooking the Hill Country and is very nice.  It is a rental property of Dan’s banker for his trucking company.  He is  comped it each year.  Woohoo!  We have stayed there once but usually take the RV.  However, our window has not arrived yet so we don’t want to drive it with the single pane.  We don’t know how stable it is on its own.  

Don’t forget to vote!

"I am sure that every one of my colleagues -- Democrat, Republican, and Independent -- agrees with the  statement that in the voting booth, every one is equal." -- Barbara Boxer

Getting Busier

Tuesday I played cards but didn’t win.  Good thing I don’t play high stakes poker!  The meal I ordered had bacon so overdone you could have shingled your roof with it.  When I went to pay I did not have my credit card wallet!  I thought Irene was going to have to bail me out but I found $10 in my coin purse.  Whew!  Changing purses can be dangerous I guess.  But it was good to get out, see a few friends and have a change of scenery.

Wednesday I was able to pick up my glasses and I can see near and far.  I don’t usually wear my glasses to drive unless I have to read street signs.  If I know where I am going I’m good!  I do wear them at night because of the halo effect but I seldom drive at night anyway.  I still am reeling from the price difference from the glass counter at the doctor versus Sam’s.

Thursday we had shocks put on the Expedition.  We are getting lots of things taken care of before we take off again.  

We have been watching "Bosch" on Amazon having caught up on "Mrs. Maizel."  The funny thing is we are getting messages across the bottom, not Closed Caption, in different languages.  It is like a mini course in Babel!  What we can translate indicates it is an explanation of time or place.  First was Spanish, then Chinese and now German.  We are learning the days of the week in German!  Sonntag is Sunday but I knew that already.  

We both had nice birthdays.  Lots of cards, greetings, friends and cake.

Friday we had our deck builders, the lawn people, the landscaper himself and the AC/Furnace yearly inspection.  The furnace and AC are fine.  The front planting corner area is redone and trees are trimmed.  The deck is half removed.  They will work on it this week.