Fruit Salad

Monday was domestic goddess day for me! I spent a lot of time in the kitchen making a fruit salad consisting of strawberries, blueberries, oranges, and kiwis Very pretty and yummy! I also made a Greek salad consisting of tomatoes, cucumbers, red onions and green pepper. Also very tasty. Then I put some white beans on to soak so I could make bean soup.

While I was doing this Scotty and Anne came over and installed the surround they made for our TV. I no longer have to look at the construction behind the TV! It looks ever so much better.

Jim helped with this and when they were done it was time for lunch. Greek salad for me but Jim went outside and did chores. I chopped onions and celery for the soup and added my seasonings. With the ham this soup was beginning to smell mighty good!

I watched my soaps and did some laundry. Happy hour found us next door with Anne and Scotty. Me thinks we stayed to long as the sun was going down when we left. But they are a fun couple and we enjoy chatting with them. Once home we had some bean soup for dinner. YUM!

Some TV time and games on the puter rounded out our day.

Yesterday I needed to pick up items for our New Year's Eve party. So after doing dishes and making the bed I went to HEB. Jim stayed home and worked on projects outside. He also got the bottom board attached to the bottom of the TV surround. The picture isn't very good but it's the finished look. I brought home some shrimp cocktail for our lunch, I also had some Greek salad.

Again I watched my soaps and caught up on reading blogs. Did some dusting and tidying up. Around 1600 I decided to sit outside with a book. I had my coffee and Jim had a beer. We walked Boo for a bit. When we came back Jim decided my company wasn't enough and we headed next door to Scotty and Anne's. Anne was carving on a little dog. She's doing a good job!

We had a drink with this lovely couple and Anne brought out cheese and crackers. We left around 1800 and headed home for dinner. Leftover ham, beans and rice and a bowl of veggies (carrots, celery, radishes and bell peppers). We ate our fill! Jim helped with dishes.

Our days have been overcast for the most part and the temperature goes up to 70 or thereabouts. It's been very nice. Last night the low was in the upper 60's. We slept with the fans running and it was OK most of the night. Doesn't seem to matter what we do I always get hot and sweaty and need to throw off the covers.

Today is Ed Drays birthday! Being it's the last day of the year I'm sure he'll be celebrating! Happy Birthday Ed! May you have many more

Sunday

The day started out pretty gloomy yesterday. I thought it was going to be cold but it ended up being a fairly nice day. I did some laundry in the morning. Boo was driving me nuts so we took him for a walk just before lunch time.

We ended up walking down to Carol and Fred's. I wanted to borrow some nail polish and ended up getting a manicure from Carol! Quite nice being pampered...while she was doing my nails Fred and Jim were plotting a shopping trip. So we made plans to shop and have lunch out.

First stop was Best Buy, Fred has a problem with his laptop and wanted to get it repaired. Of course he couldn't recreate the problem in the store! I found a new mouse pad for Jim and Carole and Fred found some stuff they couldn't live without.

Then we headed to Mimi's for a delicious lunch. We all had drinks and three of us got quiches while Fred had salmon. Three of us had dessert, they have petite servings of their popular desserts. I had chocolate moose, Jim had bread pudding and Fred had raspberry moose. Since we were right across the street from Cavendars we walked over so Carol could shop for boots. She found some! Jim also found a shirt that was on sale and ended up paying 16 bucks for a really nice long sleeve western style shirt.

We then headed to walmart and picked up needed items. By now it's almost 1700 and time for us to get home and feed Boo. But first we stopped at Chili's for a margarita. Boy was that tasty! didn't know they made such a good margarita!

Finally got home after dark and Boo was glad to see us. I fed him then jumped in the shower and slipped into my pj's. All the shopping wore us out and we just relaxed the rest of the evening. We were in bed shortly after 2200.

No Power!

Friday when we got up we still didn't have electricity. It went out during the night and it got a wee bit warm under the duvet so we threw it off. The day was warming up and around lunchtime it was back on. Perhaps it was a present! they do charge us for our electricity....

I did laundry, ironed and watched my soaps. Jim did chores outdoors and spent some time at the wood shop. It was nice doing chores and not getting bone tired!

We even went to happy hour at Carol and Fred's. Carol is still battling her cold but was well enough to sit out and enjoy the sun.

For dinner we grilled salmon and I cooked summer squash with onions, bacon and a handful of grape tomatoes. The only fresh veggies left in the house. We enjoyed this meal, first one I've cooked in awhile!

Our morning yesterday was dedicated to chores. I finally got my birds feeders filled and Jim put them up. Jim finally washed the truck! Be still my heart!!!! And I took pictures.....

After lunch we went shopping.....perhaps not the best idea but we needed another set of sheets and we knew we liked the ones we got last month at Macy's. They were still having a sale and I got king size sheets for 71 bucks using our Macy card. Normally we don't shop there because 150 dollars for sheets is just to much money, but on sale I can live with it. We also got Jim some t shirts at Penny's, 6 shirts for 60 bucks once all the discounts were taken off.

After we left the mall we drove up 10th street just to see what all is there. Went quite a ways north and found all sorts of shopping areas and restaurants. Which made us hungry! So we went to Palenque Grill. I had the ribs and Jim had shrimp tacos. Do not get the ribs! it's enough food to feed three people. 6 huge ribs that were delicious. I brought 4 home for another dinner. We also had a margarita chamoy. that was real tasty! it has a spicy kick to it and a pretty red color. It was a lovely meal.

Then it was off to HEB so I could get my fruits and veggies. Jim dropped me off and he went to home depot while I shopped. I was working with a list so I just got what I needed and left. Once home we put everything away and relaxed. I fed Boo his dinner and after watching Jeopardy I showered.

We had rain! I could hear thunder and we had a wee shower. Made everything smell good! We watched a bit of tv and went to bed just after 2200. I was bushed.

Christmas Day

Spanish Moss

Can you see the Jay?

Javalina

Green Jay

What a wonderful day we had. We both slept in a bit and when Jim got up we had breakfast of hot biscuits. Then we opened our presents from Sonsearae. She sent us goodies that we like, Starbuck coffee for Jim, Tazo tea for me, some shortbread cookies for the both of us. YUM! She also sent Boo some treats and Fleur De Lis coasters. I also got Jim a spa treatment because he deserves it. He's a good man and I love him.

We had antipasto for lunch and sat outside under the awning. The weather was perfect! The temperature was about 80 with a light breeze.

After lunch we went for a ride over in the state park. According to Jim we did about 10 miles. These pictures are from the park. Anne and Scotty joined us and we had a good time riding and walking the trails. It was afternoon and not many birds were out and about but we did see Kiskadees, green jays, chacalachas and javalinas.

Once home we both enjoyed a cold beer! First we've had in a long while and it was tasty. Jim had a ham sandwich and I had soup for dinner. TV and puter games ended our day.

I realize this isn't a tradtional holiday day. But we were together and that's all that matters to us. We hope your day was spent with loved ones doing whatever it is that makes you happy.

Christmas Eve Day

Our new sign!

Sunset Christmas Eve

What a beautiful day to go shopping! :)

We needed to make a run to the Don-Wes flea market to pick up our window screen. We'd ordered it before we got sick and we didn't want them to wonder about our picking it up. Not a lot going on at the flea market, some booths were closed. But we wandered the stalls, picked up our screen and watched as our new sign was being made. It has a yellow rose and a Boo bone!

By this time I was hungry so we headed east to Mercedes and the outlet mall. Had a nice lunch at Chili's and then joined the other shoppers at this outdoor mall. It was beautiful wandering around in the fresh air. I found a new pair of walking shoes at New Balance and we looked at truffles at the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory but didn't buy any!

We have friends in Mercedes and I want them to know I thought of you and visiting. But we're both still coughing and didn't want to pass anything on to ya'll. We'll get together soon!

After we left the mall I needed to make a stop at HEB for milk and eggs. I'm baking gifts and needed to restock. Jim dropped me off and headed to Home Depot. That grocery store was packed! I'm so glad I only needed a few items, I was in and out quickly. I gave Jim a call and soon we were on our way home.

Once home I changed into shorts as it had warmed up. We just chilled and enjoyed the rest of the day. This picture is of the sunset.....a beautiful ending to a gorgeous day in the Valley.

We watched Hamish Macbeth from Netflix and had popcorn. Life is good

I hope your Christmas day is filled with family, food, fun and friends.

Merry Christmas everyone!

Busy Day

The day started out foggy and cool but it warmed up quite nicely. On Monday we got the missing pieces for the new air bed so yesterday was the day to set it up. I stripped the bed and started washing the sheets. We pulled everything off the bed and Jim started the installation. It really didn't take long but because of all the parts it was crowded in our little home on wheels. Jim managed to work up a sweat!

I baked a ham and blueberry bread. Smelled real good for awhile. We had a light dinner, neither of us has much of an appetite.

The temperature got into the mid 60's and it was nice to open the house if only for a short while. Jim sat outside until it got to cool.

Watched some tv and played games on the computers. Then it was time for bed. Time to try our new mattress! We had to run the ac because it was humid

Barnes and Nobles

Another cold day yesterday. So rather than stay home we headed to the book store! Great way to spend an afternoon, reading magazines and having coffee. Didn't buy any books though I could have! I love books. But I have plenty to read and Jim would pitch a fit if I bought more.

We also stopped at Texas Tractor Supply, I'm looking for a peanut butter feeder. But they didn't have one. Maybe Jim can make me one. I remember the Kiskadees loved the feeder our neighbors had last year. We've been to sick to put out food for the birds. But the hanger is up!

Once home we didn't do much, light supper and tv watching. We had two boxes of mail and had fun opening them. One was from Sonsearae and contained gifts for all of us. The other box was our Escapees mail which contained a gift of pecans. There's only two days left until Christmas, if you haven't gotten us a gift don't forget we can use gift cards!

I think we're mostly over this cold but we sure tire easy and we still cough a lot.

Winter Solstice

Yeah! Our days are getting longer! Yesterday was a gloomy, cold day and we stayed indoors and watched the temperature drop all day. I made an apple pie and some clam chowder. We watched some tv, Hamish Macbeth from Netflix and the movie Mama Mia on loan from Anne. What a delightful movie, great viewing on a cold gloomy day.

We're doing better but we still have this cold. I for one am tired of it. The cough I have is awful, but the medicine helps me get through the night. I've slept well the last couple nights. No naps during the day.

Gorgeous weather

Yesterday was simply gorgeous! Blue skies, Slight breeze and a high in the mid 80's. I felt very good most of the day and rode my bike and walked Boo.

Jim didn't get out of bed until almost noon, I think we're both ready for better health! Jim also got to ride his bike too, it feels good to be moving.

Late afternoon we headed out to find something to eat and stopped at Wendy's for a burger. Boy was that tasty! The place was crowded with families. We also stopped at HEB to pick up some groceries, but I still managed to forget something.

This outing about wore us out! But we resisted the urge to lay down! We managed to shower and watch tv for awhile and headed to bed around 2100. But apparently Boo didn't want us to sleep. He barked and carried on for what seemed like hours. We took turns chasing him back to bed. I have no idea what set him off but I can guarantee no one will ever be able to sneak up on us in the dark!

I awoke to fog and cold, well cold for me. It's 66 outside at 0900 and I think that's the expected high for today. The forecast isn't all that great, but at least we don't have snow! I leave you with this:


Diary of a Snow Shoveler
December 8: 6:00 PM. It started to snow. The first snow of the season And the wife and I took our cocktails and sat for hours by the window Watching the huge soft flakes drift down from heaven. It looked like a Grandma Moses Print. So romantic we felt like newlyweds again. I love snow!
December 9: We woke to a beautiful blanket of crystal white snow Covering every inch of the landscape. What a fantastic sight! Can There be a more lovely place in the Whole World? Moving here was the best idea I've ever had. Shoveled for the first time in years and felt like a boy again. I did both our driveway and the sidewalks. This afternoon the Snowplow came along and covered up the sidewalks and closed in the Driveway , so I got to shovel again. What a perfect life!
December 12: The sun has melted all our lovely snow. Such a Disappointment. My neighbor tells me not to worry, we'll definitely Have a white Christmas. No snow on Christmas would be awful! Bob says we'll have so much snow by the end of winter, that I'll Never want to see snow again. I don't think that's po ssible. Bob is such a nice man I'm glad he's our neighbor.
December 14: Snow lovely snow! 8" last night. The temperature dropped To -20. The cold makes everything sparkle so. The wind took my breath Away, but I warmed up by shoveling the driveway And sidewalks. This is the Life! The snowplow came back this afternoon and buried everything Again. I didn't realize I would have to do quite this much shoveling, but I'll certainly get back in shape this way. I wish l wouldn't huff and puff so.
December 15: 20 inches forecast. Sold my van and bought a 4x4 Blazer. Bought snow tires for the wife's car and 2 extra shovels. Stocked the Freezer. The wife wants a wood stove in case the electricity goes out. I think that's silly. We aren't in Alaska, after all.
December 16: Ice storm this morning. Fell on my rear end on the ice in The driveway putting down salt. Hurt like you cant believe. The wife Laughed for an hour, which I think was very cruel.
December 17: Still way below freezing. Roads are too icy to go Anywhere. Electricity was off for 5 hours. I had to pile the blankets on to stay Warm. Nothing to do but stare at the wife and try not to irritate her. Guess I should've bought a wood stove, but won't admit it to her. God, I hate it when she's right. I can't believe I'm freezing to death in my Own living room.
December 20: Electricity's back on, but had another 14" of the stuff Last night. More shoveling. Took all day. That dumb snowplow came by Twice. Tried to find a neighbor kid to shovel, but they said they're Too busy playing hockey. I think they're lying.
December 21: Called the only hardware store around to see about buying a snow blower and they're out. Might have another shipment in March. I Think they're lying. Bob says I have to shovel or the city will have it done And bill me. I think he's lying.
December 22: Bob was right about a white Christmas because 13 more Inches of the white crud fell today, and it's so cold it probably won't melt till August. Took me 45 minutes to get all dressed up to go out to shovel and then I had to use the bathroom. By the time I got undressed, went, and dressed again, I was too tired to shovel. Tried to hire Bob who has a plow on his truck for the rest of the winter; but he says he's too busy. I'm sure he is lying.
December 23: Only 2" of snow today. And it warmed up to 0. The wife Wanted me to decorate the front of the house this morning. What is she Nuts?!! Why didn't she tell me to do that a month ago? She says she Did but I think she's lying.
December 24: 6". Snow packed so hard by snowplow, I broke the shovel. Thought I was having a heart attack. If I ever catch the son of a gun Who drives that snowplow, I'll drag him through the snow by his ears. I know he hides around the corner and waits for me to finish shoveling And then he comes down the street at a 100 miles an hour and throws snow All over where I've just been! Tonight the wife wanted me to sing Christmas carols with her and open our presents, but I was busy watching for that snowplow.
December 25: Merry Christmas. 20 more inches of the miserable slop Tonight. Snowed in. The idea of shoveling makes my blood boil. God I Hate the snow! Then the snowplow driver came by asking for a donation and I hit him over the head with my shovel. The wife says I have a bad attitude. I think she's an idiot. If I have to watch "It's a Wonderful Life" one more time, I'm going to scream!
December 26: Still snowed in. Why did I ever move here? It was all HER idea. She's really getting on my nerves.
December 27: Temperature dropped to -30 and the pipes froze.
December 28: Warmed up to above -20. Still snowed in. THAT WOMAN is driving me crazy!!!!!
December 29: 10 more inches. Bob says I have to shovel the roof or it could cave in. That's the silliest thing I ever heard. How dumb does he think I am?
December 30: Roof caved in. The snow plow driver is suing me for a million dollars. The wife went home to her mother. Nine more inches of snow predicted.
December 31: Set fire to what's left of the house. No more shoveling.
January 8: I feel so good. I just love those little white pills they keep giving me. Why am I tied to the bed?

I think I may live....

Yesterday was awful...I felt like a zombie all day. Ate very little, nothing was tasty. Anne made a pizza run and that was the worst pizza we've ever had. I managed to eat half a slice and Jim ate two or three slices. But it was just tasteless.

We've decided to skip the Christmas dinner. I'm hopeful we'll be better if not cured by then, but I don't want to spread this or be exposed to anyone's germs.

We finally have some sunshine today! Blue skies and temperatures in the 80's

China!

According to the map someone in China is reading this blog...Not sure I know anyone in China. I think I know the person in Turkey. Also have three folks from Canada reading. Not sure who they are either. But I thank all of you for checking our blog. Drop me a note and let me know who you are and what you think of the blog!

Yesterday was a day of long naps. That's all we did. We took turns and poor Boo has cabin fever. I felt sorry for him and took him for a walk, boy did he run! He sniffed everything and tried to pee on everything. We stopped and visited with Anne and Scotty, Jim joined us and it was nice to get out.

We both are coughing, a lot. I'd like to say we're doing better but that would be a lie. Because of the naps I slept badly last night. Tossed and turned. My skin is still very sensitive, like I've gotten a sunburn. Don't know if it has anything to do with this cold or just laying around so much.

It would be nice to see the sun again. Our temperature was better yesterday, but without the sun it was dreary. Apparently friends staying in Mercedes had some sun! They even went to the beach....

nothing new here

We're still sick and all we do is sleep and try to find something tasty to eat. My symptoms include being achy and my skin is very sensitive. We both have a nasty cough but Jim's is worse. Poor Boo is the loser in all this. I finally took him for a short walk this afternoon.

Jim took the bed apart yesterday so we could install the new bed....only to discover not all the pieces were here. No air chambers or tubing. Oh well, I did wash the linens so we slept on clean sheets last night. The new mattress topper is on our old mattress and Boo can't jump on the bed. He has some steps but he hasn't gotten the hang of them yet. The rest of the 'new' bed in mostly in the garage, but the latex cushion is in the living room. Very festive! But we're to sick to care.

The weather is yucky which matches our mood. It did warm up into the 70's today but no sunshine. It was foggy and damp most of the day.

Dreary day being sick....

After a quick run to the store for meds and milk I stayed indoors yesterday. Jim stayed inside also except when we had deliveries. The picture is one of our new chairs. In real life it is a bit more greener and I love them! As you can see they don't block the windows as much as the taller recliners. The pillows are removable but without them I can't sit back. They don't rock, or move and have no arms!

I'm feeling better, this cold seems to have settled into my throat. Coughing is not fun! But I don't do it very often. Jim on the other hand is not doing well. He doesn't do sick very well. He suffers a lot.

Our weather yesterday was miserable and today hasn't started out well although the temperature is supposed to be higher.

Our new mattress arrived yesterday afternoon to late to set it up last night. So the components have taken over the living room. It's custom made air bed, I sure hope it's comfy!

Sick, Again!

What is it about the Rio Grand Valley? Last January I got sick after being here only 2 weeks. Now I'm sick again after being here only two weeks. Granted this time it's just a cold and should go away soon.

It's Jim's fault you know. He caught the cold and gave to me, he loves sharing! Yesterday we just stayed home and napped. I did manage to finish my Christmas cards and mail them. That's about all I had energy for.

Our temperatures hit the mid 70's yesterday then started dropping and the low last night was in the upper 30's. Would you believe our high expected for today is 52??? NO wonder we have colds! No sunshine yesterday or today.

we're expecting our mattress and new chairs today. Sure hop it doesn't rain. Anyone need two lazy boy recliner/rockers?

Sunday at home

Scotty and Anne on our bike ride

Yesterday turned out to be a beautiful day, except for the wind. The temperature probably got up to 90 or close to it. It would have been nice to sit outside during the afternoon but we couldn't put the awning out because of the wind.

Jim did some pruning of the rose bush and dusted the rig outside. He's not feeling 100% so those chores wore him out. We just stayed home until the ice cream social at 1400.....Jim likes his ice cream!

Scotty and Jim took our coffee table over to Scotty's rig. They're going to live with it for a couple days to see if it will work for them. They have a motor home and it looks a bit tight, time will tell. Most rv'ers have tight quarters!

Anne, Scotty's wife, is making us a cloth surround for the television and she popped over to make sure it would fit and invited us to go for a bike ride in the state park. Jim declined but I said I'd go!

Scotty, Anne and I went for a nice ride as the temperatures started falling. The sun was beginning to set when we headed home. It didn't take me long to fix some leftovers for dinner. Jim was sleeping but after all the noise I made he got up and spent the evening with me

We were both in bed by 2200, I fear I may be coming down with whatever Jim has. I've a scratchy throat.....I knew we were eating out and socializing to much!

Flea Market Day!

We had a leisurely morning just having breakfast,coffee and doing a few chores. We were picking Carol and Fred up around 1030 to head to the Don Wes flea market. This is a huge permanent market and fulltimers can get items that can't be found elsewhere, except maybe online.

The temperature was good but boy was the wind blustery! Jim found the screen place and ordered a screen that will snap onto the back window of our rig. It would seem no matter where we park that window has full sun and it sure makes the ac run if we're using it!

As we wandered the aisles everyone found something to buy except me! Carol got some jewelry and the guys bought some decals for the trucks. Jim got a red, white and blue state of Texas with star and a chrome long horn. I know Fred got a winter Texan decal. We don't need one as we are Texans! :)

We didn't stay long because as usual Jim headed out so late. We needed lunch! Carol is a born shopper so it took us awhile to leave the flea market. As we were heading towards McAllen I suggested Olive Garden and all agreed that would be good. But Fred spotted Joe's Crab Shack and said he'd never eaten there! We never pass up seafood so that's where we went for lunch. We all cleaned up our plates and had a drink apiece.

Once home it was time for happy hour but we skipped it. I made myself some coffee and just relaxed. We've been running and doing and I think it has caught up with Jim. He has a cough and I fear he has caught a cold.

We watched some TV, got caught up on Dr Who. Jim was in bed by 2130 and I followed at 2200

Thursday

Linda and Jim
Jim Jerry and Karen

Harvey and Gail

Gail Carol Fred Jim Jerry Karen

I spent most of the day pampering me. I got my hair cut but I also had a facial first. It was ever so nice to have someone slather my face with creams and apply hot towels. I also had a hand massage and foot massage. While my face was covered with a mask I also had my head and shoulder massaged. Pure bliss!

After my haircut I went to Petco and HEB. Then home for a well deserved cup of coffee! I don't know what Jim did while I was gone.

Friday was busy, we had the rig washed and waxed $140 Jim said it was worth every penny! Have to admit it looks a lot better than when we arrived here. Pony Express came by and filled our propane tank for $22, last spring it was $25. It's nice to see prices go down instead of up.

Once the guys finished the work on our rig we headed out to the post office and PetSmart. Jim also stopped in at Lacks, a furniture store. We told the salesman what we we're looking for and we found some chairs for me! No arms, very comfortable and green. They'll be delivered Tuesday along with our new mattress. We also made a stop at Mitchael's to pick up some foam. The new mattress will make the bed taller, Boo won't be able to jump into bed so we'll make a ramp or steps for him.

Once home we were invited to two happy hours and dinner out. Yes, we did them all. I think I'm getting to old for all this socializing! LOL First we had a beer with Anne and Scotty, they live next door. We came home and I changed and we went down to Carol and Fred's site for another beer. Harvey and Gail, Jerry and Karen were there. Once the chill of the evening set in all eight of us headed to Pepe's (not the one on the river!) for Mexican food and a fun evening. We were home by 2030

Wednesday

The started out cold so we spent the morning inside staying warm. It was sunny but a cold front came through that made us wish we were farther south!

After lunch we headed out, post office, a wine/ liquor/ deli....Feldmans I think, and the mall. Our goal was just to get out of the house and walk around. I did buy a beer mug! And a Christmas Present!

It was to cold to sit out for happy hour so we skipped it, we forgot about the Wednesday Margarita hour at the club house. oh well guess we didn't need it!

I've gained four pounds since we arrived, all the eating and drinking is taking it's toll! :)

Beautiful day!

Tuesday was a gorgeous day! Temperature got up to at least 85. The sun was shining and I was making chicken stock! Well I needed to do something with the carcass of the roasted chicken...

After breakfast I was off to the office asap because I wanted to get my package from Sonsearae, it had my birthday present and I wanted to see what she sent. We rode our bikes and soon we were back home. The box contained magazines and catalogs too. But tucked between these was a small package and my beautiful daughter sent me a hand crafted necklace and earring set. Green mother of pearl and silver. I put it on and it's lovely!

For lunch we had the pasta from BJ's, I just kicked it up a notch! Sauteed some onions and mushrooms in a bit of butter, added the last of the chicken and some broth, tossed the pasta in and sprinkled it with some Tony Chachere seasoning. YUM!

Did normal chores around the house waiting for Carol to return from shopping so the four of us could head out to Rancho El Charco for my birthday celebration. I guess it was around 1400 when Fred let us know that Carol was headed home. So Jim and I got ready. It was to hot to wear our cowboy duds so we just put on shorts and sandals. We were driving so we drove down to their place and waited for Carol. She finally made it back and changed into a lovely outfit and we were off to have some fun. But first she handed me a box with a card. They gave me a necklace and earring set with a funny card as a birthday gift. We were all looking forward to repeating the fun we had last spring at our going away party. We drove all the way out there only to find they are closed on Tuesdays! :( Bummer :(

now where should we go? We all had suggestions but we finally ended up at Carino's in Pharr. Had a lovely dinner of lobster ravioli, Carol had artichoke pasta and the guys got a skillet pasta dish with shrimp and sausage. Jim and I shared some sangria and Fred and Carol had margaritas. We all had dessert but mine was a mini tira misu, easy to eat! Bread pudding with ice cream is what Fred and Jim decided to try and Carol had turtle cheescake.

We had a wonderful time with our friends, good food and drink, what a great way to celebrate my birthday! But we forgot to take pictures!

We drove home in the setting sun and it was beautiful to see the colors.

The wind started blowing aroun 2000 and around 2100 we decided to put the awnings up! It was really blowing and continued all night long. It was still 71 degrees outside when we went to bed so we had the AC running. Overnight it got cold, really cold for us! So the furnace was on in the morning!

Crazy Texas Weather!

Behind Again!

Once again I'm behind in posting. I guess we're having to much fun!!

Saturday wasn't to busy, Jim wanted to make a run to Walmart and we left at lunchtime so we had a delicious lunch at Crackerbarell. He had the chicken and dumplings while I tried the chicken and rice. we both enjoyed our meals.

Because the service roads in Texas only run one way you have to go around in circles sometimes to get to where you want to go. We had passed Walmart so we had to turn around and drive back on the other side of the highway to return to it. Fortunately Walmart is on the corner so by exiting on the crossroad we could head back towards home. We needed to make another stop at Camping World.

Camping World is very small compared to others we've been in. It doesn't take long to see what they have. Jim found what he needed and we were on our way again.

Once home I put away our purchases, changed into shorts and enjoyed the afternoon. Can't remember exactly what we did. I know we watched an XMen movie that evening!

Sunday we went to Mass. Marilyn and Ed had called and said they and some friends we're attending Mass and afterwords having lunch at BJ's Brewhouse. They asked us if we'd like to join them for lunch, of course we said yes! It would be good to see them. We met them in Colorado Springs last summer. Marilyn had told us about the Mariachi Mass and I wanted to go.

What an uplifting sermon. There isn't a choir only the Mariachi Band. The Basilica of Our Lady of San Juan is quite big and I can't begin to tell you how many people were there for the bilingual service.

We met Marilyn, Ed and their friends outside. Hugs and introductions and Marilyn took pictures. You can see them if you click on the Happy Wanderers link on the left.

After mass we headed to BJ's where we met up with Ned and Sue. There were ten of us to be seated. Heinz and Irene, Kit and Jerry made up the rest of the party. And that's what we did, Party! It was fun getting to know everyone and from what I could see, everyone had a good time.

Once home we changed into shorts and Jim worked on the patio putting out our mat and anchoring it. I took a nap. The park was sponsoring a Burger Bash and we had to be there by 1700. We walked down and Carol joined us, Fred was in Houston.

Met more people but can't remember their names. At our table was Carol, Scottie and Ann, Harvey and his wife and another couple. We'll be having Christmas dinner with some of them...

Yesterday was my birthday....61, funny I don't feel 61! :) we had made plans to go to Rancho el Charco to celebrate but Fred was out of town so we'll go today.

So yesterday was just another day. I did a load of laundry, took a walk. Watched my soaps. It was quite windy and we had to put up the awning. Sometime early afternoon we closed up the house and turned on the AC. It got up to 85! Could have sat outside but no shade :(

Fred and Carol came down for happy hour around 1600 and we sat outside for a couple hours getting happy. Once the sun went down we called it a day. Sonsearae called to wish me a happy birthday and we talked for a bit but I'm afraid I was distracted a wee bit.

Did anyone watch Boston Legal? what a finale! I just started watching this show this year and I'm going to miss it.

It was 71 degrees when we went to bed last night and the humidity was up so we ran the ac. Slept quite well, thank you very much.

Cold day in Mission, Texas

My goodness who sent the cold weather? It was really chilly yesterday with the high around 55. We had the furnace on and it kept us warm.

Basically we stayed indoors all day. For lunch I made a pot of chicken soup using some of the roasted chicken. I also made an antipasto plate, salami, prosciutto, olives, mozzarella cheese, sun dried tomatoes. Since I had to cut up veggies for the soup I also laid out some celery, carrot and bell pepper strips.

After lunch Jim made a trip to the Tractor Supply store and I stayed home and watched my soaps. Real exciting stuff! LOL

For dinner we had breakfast. Eggs, bacon (fake), fried potatoes and fresh tomatoes. Also some toast. Jim did the dishes afterward.

Wasn't much on TV so we watched Hamish Macbeth and now we can mail it back to Netflix. We did watch Numbers.

I'm not sure how cold it got overnight but we slept just fine. The furnace was set to come on, but I don't recall hearing it. I've been getting up around 0715 every morning and it's nice to sleep in! I wonder how long it will last.....

Jim has requested you click on the ads. We can make some money if you do! :)

Sleeping is a good thing

Wednesday night we slept with all the windows open. Both fans were on, so it was hard to hear the soft night noises. There was a nice breeze blowing through the house and we were content under our comforter. But apparently Boo wasn't. He could hear everything! and he jumped out of bed and barked at it. At one point we put his leash on him so he couldn't jump down. But he still grrred and barked. I think Jim finally got up around 0200 and closed the house and turned on the ac. It did get colder and windier. But it sure was nice to finally get some sleep. I guess a cold front came through as the daytime temperature didn't get that high, upper 60's.

Jim did more 'nesting' yesterday. The screen is on the awning and anchored. Hopefully for the duration of our stay. It can get windy here and I don't like the idea of leaving the awning out when we're not around. We went to HEB, Walmart and the post office yesterday. Walmart had fuel for 2.56 and we still had almost 130 on our Walmart card. Nice to get fuel and not break the bank! I'm sure there was an easier way to find the post office but find it we did, right where it was supposed to be!

Last stop was HEB, I prefer to shop there and I didn't get much. We did buy a pot for my parsley, the wind blew so much that it knocked the plant off the table and the pot broke.

Last night we had leftover roasted chicken, potatoes, gravy, leftover sweet potatoes and beets for dinner. Good food for a chilly day. Our expected low was the mid 40's last night so we slept well with the windows closed. Boo didn't bark at anything!!!

we've an overcast sky, the temperature right now is 50 and I don't think I'll be out and about with an expected high of 55!

Oh, What a night!

yesterday was a busy day. We worked all day!!!! Jim finished setting up outside and I stripped the bed and did laundry. Did a little dusting but I called it quits around 1400....I decided I wasn't having fun anymore. :)

The weather was perfect and in the morning I went for a walk, just over a mile. Need to get back into a daily routine for walking. we had windy conditions and it was just pleasant.

We went to the produce sale at the clubhouse at 1600. Every Tuesday he comes and sells fresh produce. I got a bag of oranges, 4 grapefruit, an avocado and a pineapple (cleaned!) all for 8 bucks. Had freshly squeezed OJ for breakfast today! I walked down with Jim and we stopped at Fred and Carol's, Jim stayed and Carol joined me. She picked up a few apples and pears and a pineapple. It's a good thing she came with me as we both carried my purchases back to her place....those oranges were heavy.

We headed home just before the sun set. You can feel the temperature drop. I fixed some dinner using leftover chicken, stewed tomatoes and orzo. Tasted pretty good all served in a bowl.

Tuesday night TV is NCIS and the shows that follow. We slept with the windows open but the blinds were down in the bedroom. We had one fan running but Boo still heard things that went bump in the night and we were awakened many times. I also got hot, I expect we'll always have problems with temperature control.

Down in the Valley

We left San Antonio around 0930 yesterday taking I-410 east to I-37 south. This part of the trip was swift. Once we got onto Highway 281 south it got a bit boring. Or perhaps we were just eager to get to Mission. We made one stop for lunch. All the way down we passed or were passed by other RV'ers! Winter Texans and Snow Birds were heading south for the winter.

We arrived around 1500 and only two rigs were in front of us checking in. We didn't have to wait long to get to our site. Jim drove and I walked so I could say hello to Carol and Fred, our neighbors from last winter. They arrived yesterday. I didn't stay long because I knew Jim would need help backing in. Not sure I was much help as it took several tries!

We hadn't finished setting up when Carol and Fred came down for happy hour. We sat outside with our drinks until the sun went below the horizon. It gets chilly when the sun goes down! We decided to continue our conversation and fun over dinner. We went to a local place, Juancho's but they're not open on Mondays. So we headed back east on Highway 83 to BJ's Brewhouse. Everyone had pizza except me I had fish and chips. We also started with some nachos. The food was good as were our drinks. But more importantly, we had fun with our friends.

By the time we got home it was time for showers, a bit of relaxing and then bed.

Gee it's good to be back in the Rio Grande Valley!

Black Friday....

Do you shop on Black Friday? I don't, I can't think of any reason to join the hordes just to save money. It's nice that I'm in the position to choose. That being said we did go out! Jim needed to have his glasses adjusted. And as long as we were in the neighborhood I went to Whole Foods one more time. They don't have one in the RGV. Jim let me wander the store all by myself.....I was in heaven :)

On the way home we decided to stop and have lunch. Pappadeaux was the place! We've seen it from 410 many times and wondered if it had Cajun or New Orleans food.....it does! I think we've found another favorite restaurant in San Antonio. I had a mixed seafood grill and Jim had mixed fried seafood. It was a bit pricey for lunch but it was sooooooo good!

After lunch we stopped at a Best Buy, Jim was looking for a game. Didn't buy anything. As we were leaving we saw a Container store....never been in one so we checked it out. They sure have a lot of storage solutions for RVers!

Saturday I did laundry and Jim worked outside. We did go out to CVS and Jim picked up some new batteries for the truck.

Today we went to the base for some last minute groceries. Picked up some lunch meat for sandwiches. Also got fuel for our trip to the valley tomorrow. $2.69

We didn't do anything touristy during our two week stay in San Antonio. One problem was gloomy or cold weather. I bet we didn't have but 4-5 days with sunshine and those days we stayed home and enjoyed them. But we'll be back! We like it here.

Being Thankful

Jim and I have many things to be thankful for. Our lifestyle, our health and the ability to enjoy life.

Yesterday we had dinner with about 50 other people, two of them were young enlisted Air Force men. I'm afraid we embarrassed them by our attention. But everyone wanted to let them know we cared. We had the usual foods of turkey, ham, potatoes, gravy, cranberry sauces, various jello salads, sweet potato dishes, rolls and pies. We enjoyed our dinner companions and had a good time!

We came home and vegetated....watched Bond movies, had coffee. The day was dreary. It started with fog and stayed cloudy all day. We even had some spitting rain. We took Boo for a walk around 1630.

For dinner we had popcorn.....Jim also had a bowl of ice cream.

Happy Thanksgiving!

I hope y'all are enjoying the day with friends and family.

Yesterday I was busy in the kitchen making wheat rolls for our dinner today. We pretty much stayed home and enjoyed each others company.

We've been watching rigs pull into the Campground for the past 48 hours and they're still coming in! I guess they've heard about the dinner being laid out for all the campers. We'll be heading there in just a few minutes.

Detroit is losing the football game so I hope our dinner is a good one.....

one month til Christmas!

Are you ready? :) Before long it will be Christmas, don't wait until the last minute to shop.....But don't go on Black Friday.

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving and already I'm tired of the Christmas ads. It seems the retailers start earlier and earlier every year. I know, the economy is hurting so the sales will help.

Yesterday we did a little shopping ourselves. First we found a post office so I could mail Sonsearae a package. Then we headed to Bass Pro Shop, we both like that store as well as Cabelas. We never buy anything but it's fun to wander around and see the exhibits.

Then we headed to the North Star Mall so we could have lunch at Luciano's. We discovered this restaurant at the Riverwalk in San Antonio. Italian Food that's very good. The seating at the mall restaurant is out in the mall around a fountain. We had wine, antipasto, soup and salad. The always bring out bruschetta for a starter.

After lunch we walked the mall, not really shopping but looking and watching everyone. We have been looking for new bedding and decided to go into Macy's to see what they have. Well, we found a light wight down duvet, hopefully this will be a year round cover. We also got a cover for the duvet and new sheets. Great sale going on! With our hands full we headed out, but by the time we got back to Luciano's we needed fortification!

Espresso for both of us and Jim had creme brule, I had raspberry panna cotta. YUM!

From the mall we headed over to another mall, the Quarry. Jim's glasses were ready. We had thought to see a movie but it was getting late so we headed home.

Once home we just vegged out. No dinner, just peanut butter and crackers. I watched the finale of dancing with the stars and enjoyed most of it. I did wash the duvet cover so we could use the new duvet. We both slept well and I think Boo likes it too!

Hope y'all have lots of food, fun, family and friends in your day tomorrow!

Popeye's Fried Chicken

Have you ever wanted something, that once you thought of it, that's all you could think of? Well that happened to me. We were on base and I saw an an for Popeye's and we looked for it in the food court but didn't see it. Sunday I thought of it again and looked it up online. 19 places around San Antonio!

That's where we had lunch Sunday. Spicy chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy for me. Jim had chicken and red beans and rice. We both had a soda and biscuit. We ate every bite!!!! We can't remember the last time we had some and I know there wasn't one in the Valley when we left.

We stopped by the base to pick up some beer and we were headed home. Jim missed the exit so we went on to the mall. Walking after stuffing ourselves with lunch seemed like a good idea. Boy are the stores having sales. We looked at bedding at Dillards, it was marked 40% off. But we didn't see anything we wanted. Our comforter is to heavy for warm weather and it's bulky to store. I think we could use a duvet and an extra blanket for those cold nights. So we're shopping around trying to find something we both like.

Once home Jim found some movies to watch and that's what we did the rest of the afternoon and evening. Can't remember the name but both of them were back to back movies and all they did was advertise the third one coming to a theater soon...

The weather finally turned warmer and mid morning on Monday the clouds went away. I think it was in the mid 70's. That was nice, Jim was back in shorts and not complaining about the cold.

Monday I stripped the bed and washed the sheets. Did two other loads of laundry too. I watched my soaps, first time in days I've gotten to see all on the same day.

There aren't a lot of people here at Admiralty RV park. I have to check later to see how many are coming to Thanksgiving dinner. I'm making rolls and need a head count so I can make enough! I'm also taking some roasted sweet potatoes. No matter how many folks show up I'm sure it will be a good dinner shared with others.

Cold Weather

On Friday our weather turned cold! Barely reached 60 during the day. Jim managed to get the bugs off the front of the rig in the afternoon but that's all he did for the day. I probably did laundry and watched my soaps. Can't really remember! It was a good day to stay indoors and read.

Saturday we got up early, well Jim did, I was up at my normal time! We signed up for breakfast at the clubhouse and we enjoyed sausage, eggs, hash browns, biscuit and juice. I've an online friend who's here and she's doing the cooking. Diana Enns is her name, some of my readers may know her from yahoo.

After breakfast we came home and tidied up the living room and made the bed. Then it was off to find a post office because I have a package to mail to Sonsearae and I need stamps. Well after two attempts we gave it up! The maps aren't exactly to scale and I guess the locations are an approximation. Since we couldn't find them Jim started heading towards a mall. At least I think so as we sure weren't heading towards home. But he got a call that his sunglasses were in so we headed to the Quarry since we were halfway there. He got his sunglasses and I turned in my glass so new lens could be fitted. Then I went shopping!

After I finished getting my undies we went to lunch at the Canyon Cafe. I had tortilla soup and Jim had shrimp tacos. very good! Santa was there and everyone was having a good time with the jingle bells and antlers they were handing out. Children were having their picture taken with Santa and there were a couple of folks making balloon animals.

By the time we finished lunch my glasses were ready so back we went and I had them fitted. We then went over to the Smith and Hawken store, what a lovely garden store! I'm glad we no longer have a sticks and brick home because this store would be one of my favorites for outdoor furnishings.

The weather was still nasty with clouds and some drizzle as we drove home. We made a stop at the Pet Barn to pick up some dry food for Boo and then it was time to stop at the HEB that Marilyn and Ed like so well.

HEB was crowded with shoppers so I'm glad I only needed a few items and could get in the express lane. Jim didn't even come in with me because it was crazy in the parking lot too.

Didn't do much for dinner, I had some sushi and Jim had cheese and crackers. Not much on TV so we watched Dr Who and Graham Norton (Robin Williams was his guest).

It's still overcast and gloomy and cold....not sure if we'll venture out today.

UGH!

Yesterday was a day of work....Jim cleaned out the basement (compartment under the bedroom). Took everything out and cleaned all the nooks and crannies and then put everything back neatly. I did laundry and ironed and did some tossing. Since I bought some new clothes I needed to get rid of something.

We had a nice dinner of grilled steak and zucchini, tomato and cucumber salad, risotto and rustic bread and olive oil. Jim helped with the dishes and the kitchen was tidy in no time.

Today we worked some in the morning. Jim wanted to get the bugs off the front of the rig. While doing that he discovered the roof was 'muddy'. The dust storm the other day must have made the dirty roof messier! I worked in the kitchen. I made up a pancake mix and started another recipe, cherry/walnut bites. But I needed some orange juice to finish it.

Mail caught up with us and I love getting my magazines from our daughter Sonsearae. Jim groans because of the weight but I read them as fast as I want to. :)

After lunch we went to the base to pick up some groceries. We got home in time for coffee and Jim got a call from Ed! That sure was a surprise and Jim enjoyed talking with him. We'll be seeing Ed and Marilyn soon in the Valley.

Dinner was just hot dogs...but they were good...

The weather has been super. Right now it's 56 degrees outside the time is 2140 and the wind is blowing. But during the day we wear shorts and sandles and it may get as warm as 80. This morning when I got up there was condensation on the windows, we haven't seen that in a long while! Humidity!!!! My skin is loving it.

New Glasses

Our first order of business was to get me a new lens for my glasses. Since we had planned on being here only a week this was the first thing we did yesterday. So we headed over to northeast San Antonio to the Quarry. I bought my glasses here last December and I found out that they'll replace the other lens at no cost! They said that way the lenses would match in color. Cool....Jim decided to have his eyes examined and he's getting new glasses and the lens replaced in his sunglasses. We told them we were only here a week and they said they'd try to get them all done. But we've gone ahead and extended another week. We'll just skit the beach. :(

I also wanted to get another pair of jeans at Chico's and I did find a pair. I must remember NOT to take Jim with me, he's a great enabler! I bought more than a pair of jeans!!!! After all the trying on of clothes I was hungry so we headed to Piatti's.

We had a wonderful lunch. Jim had a pannini and I had a Cesar salad. We started with bruschetta and we both had a glass of wine. While we were waiting for our meal the waiter came over and asked if we'd mind being filmed. Apparently a news crew wanted to follow him around while he worked. Needless to say we had excellent service but alas, no freebies. LOL

It was 1600 by the time we got home so I can honestly say our first 24 hours in San Antonio has been expensive! I guess we'll stay home today.

The weather is gorgeous. I think it got up to about 80 yesterday. It was in the 50's overnight. The sunset last night was a pretty apricot color.

San Antonio

We arrived in San Antonio yesterday around 1600. We're at the Admiralty RV park, a favorite of ours. Any snowbirds or Valley Friends know about this place! It's a nice stop on the way south. Big city and all that goes with it.

Our stay in Ft Stockton was uneventful. When we arrived there it was during a dust storm and after driving two days in a row we both wanted to rest.

Jim did venture out to wash the truck and I went with him to pick up some groceries. Our first night in Ft Stockton we ate at the Roadrunner Cafe on the grounds of Ft Stockton Campground. The food was very good with the ribs fork tender! Mashed potatoes, white gravy, green beans, a biscuit and a slice of blueberry/pecan bread. Very filling and very tasty! We both had a glass of wine.

While here in San Antonio we plan on getting me new eyeglasses lens. My left eye has gotten worse and I've a new prescription. Near the place where I got my glasses is a Whole Food store so I'll be making a visit. They don't have one in the Valley....