Bitter Cold!

At least for those of us who don't spend any time where winter rears it's ugly head!  After all, we can't get much further south in this country.  Maybe the extreme south of Florida is warmer.The Rio Grande Valley is supposed to be warmer this time of year

Once Jim got up I got busy making the bed, doing laundry and making a big pot of Mexican Rice Soup.  It sure smelled good while it was cooking!  I figured it was perfect for this winter day, cook once, eat all day.  Still have quite a bit left so it may make an appearance later today.

Yesterday was a beautiful, sunny day but the temperature never even reached 50 degrees.  Jim and I walked the trash down after lunch and managed to walk a mile before heading back indoors.  We both have heavy jackets and we wore hats.  I also had gloves.  My cheeks bout froze off my face because the wind was wicked!

Watched the Texans win over the Raiders...good...We are Texans so if the Saints aren't playing.....

I managed to squeeze in another walk before dinner but it wasn't much warmer at 48 degrees.  Jim passed and let me brave the 'harsh' winter conditions on my own.  :-)

Also watched the Lions lose to the Seahawks though we didn't stay up to see the end of the game.  I'm from Detroit, Michigan so last night I was a Lion fan.

Once again Jim ignored the alarm and slept in.  He crawled out of bed around 0930....he do like his beauty sleep!

So far this morning it is warmer...relatively speaking.  At 10 am it's already 43!  But no sunshine so it makes it colder to me.  

All is right in our world.....but some sunshine would be nice

Saying Goodbyes

Spring is in the air!

All the rain we've had is paying off.  Everything has greened up and all the trees and plantings here in Bentsen Palms RV Resort are looking very plush.

Before long the days will be getting hotter and it will all die back but for now it's really pretty here in the Rio Grande Valley.  In a couple weeks it will be but a memory

We've begun to see some of our friends leave and soon we'll all go our separate directions.  Off to new adventures for some of us.  Some are heading home.

It's a good thing we have the internet because no matter where we are we can still read each others blogs, say hello on Facebook or forward silly emails to show we're thinking of them.

May luck be our companion
May friends stand by our side
May history remind us all
Of Ireland's faith and pride.
May God bless us with happiness
May love and faith abide.
~Irish Blessing 

flowers, I think it's spring!

This first picture is of the cactus that took a beating last summer in Colorado Springs in two hail storms!

it's not the prettiest cactus but it is blooming!

Anne and I went for a walk last night after dinner and we found some pretty flowers. This is a good time to be in the Rio Grande Valley

It was a busy day today. Before Breakfast I put a corned beef brisket along with some potatoes, carrots and onions in the crock pot. Jim and Scotty drove out to pick up our screen door. It had been dropped off to get some 'plastic' windows cut for it. While they were gone Anne and I went shopping. Only picked up a few things, the trip was mostly to get out of the house.
Found these flowers in front of the Dollar Store...Spring is popping out all over.

Jim was home when we got back he was putting the panel on the screen door. But alas one piece was left behind. So he had to make a return trip to pick it up. I put the cabbage in the crock pot to cook.

It only has the bottom panel and the small one in the center installed. He needs some clips so we can install the top one and remove it when we want to. It will come in handy when we turn on the air conditioner!

Anne and I got our hair cut today for the last time here. When we got home Jim had set the table and all I had to do was dish up our dinner. We ate on the patio and despite the gnats it was pleasant. I must say that we all ate well! It was sooooo good! We even had some Killian's Red to wash it down with. For dessert we had apple turnovers and we ate all four of them. Can you say stuffed? LOL

Whether or not you're Irish I hope you enjoyed your day. We did

May the Irish hills caress you. May her lakes and rivers bless you. May the luck of the Irish enfold you. May the blessings of Saint Patrick behold you.~Irish Blessing

Nuevo Progresso, Mexico

I was up shortly after 0700 this morning. Again, we slept with windows open, fan running and Boo barking at things that go bump in the night. Actually, once he settles down he sleeps through the night too. But it's right when we go to bed that he has to protect us. And I suppose we could handle that but he has to jump out of bed which means one of us has to get up to put him back in bed! It's an interesting way to go to sleep. :)

It was foggy and humid again...I kind of like it, reminds me of New Orleans. Once the sun burns off the fog it begins to heat up. That part isn't so nice....I don't like high temperatures. I woke Jim at 0800 but he didn't get up immediately. I had breakfast, did the dishes then went and got dressed. He still didn't get up. Why is it he manages to sleep in when I need to strip the bed and wash the sheets?

No matter I had a couple things to do outside, water my plants and pot a plumeria. Oh, I planted some marjoram seeds too. I wanted to plant some tomato seeds but I've misplaced them.....I'm sure they'll show up.

When Jim got up I stripped the bed and started doing the laundry. He had some breakfast and enjoyed his coffee while reading blogs. In between loads I managed to get my fingernails polished.

We had a slow easy morning. We were going to Mexico again to visit the dentist again. Anne had a noon appointment as did Jim so we left around 1100. It takes about 45 minutes to get there. I took some magazines to read and Scotty brought a book.

We didn't linger in Mexico and we didn't stop for lunch. Anne was doing ok but she still had some numbness. We just came home. I turned on my soaps and had a grilled cheese sandwich. Jim also had a sandwich but had his lunch outside. He's not a big fan of my soaps :)

For dinner tonight Anne baked some macaroni and cheese, we both had ham that she heated in the microwave oven and I steamed some green beans. I also baked some scones for our dessert. We had dinner inside at the Scotts. Good food with good friends, what could be better?

We came home around 1930 and I showered, then Jim showered and I did the dishes. Right now we're watching Numbers and we watched How it's Made.

I'm sure the temperature was in the upper 80's this afternoon. We had some wispy clouds and a nice breeze, another beautiful day in the RGV

Busy Saturday...and catching up

Saturday Jim slept in but once he was up I started doing laundry. The bin was full and I also had to strip the bed. I figured I'd be at it all day and I was.

After breakfast and dishes Anne came by and suggested we head to our garden plot to get started on them. So we packed our bikes with hand tools and seed and pedaled over to the garden area. Everyone who wants can have 10 feet of space and it's irrigated so we shouldn't have to worry to much about watering the plot. It was already tilled and we had marked off the spots we wanted. So we got some work done. I planted two kind of cucumbers, green peppers and two types of flowers. All from seed and I still have some space for more. Tomatoes for sure and I bought some plants for that and a jalapeno plant. I already have mesclun, chives, basil and cilantro coming up in a planter here on the patio.

Back home back to laundry and a bite of lunch. Then Amy and I went with Anne to find some plants. We all bought tomato plants and they need to be put in the ground soon. We also bought more seeds. As the time here goes by I should have more to write about the garden. Wish us luck!

Back home I finally got the bed stripped and started on the sheets. As the afternoon wore on we all convinced Jim he should wash Anne's car. So they spent some time getting the car sparkling clean inside and out. Not sure who's idea it was but we all agreed to go out to dinner.

It was just the four of us. Oh and Dave and Karen!

Anne and Scotty

Karen and Dave. They won't be in the Rio Grande valley until the end of the year.

We had a lovely dinner at Macaroni Grill. Jim and Anne had a seafood pasta dish, I had chicken cannelloni (yummy!) and Scotty had chicken Parmesan (I think). After dinner we stopped at Best Buy to look at computers.

Back home I jumped in the shower and Jim started making the bed. Once I was finished he jumped in the shower and I finished making the bed. We make a good team!

Sunday was a lazy day. I won't bore you with the details. But the high was around 80 and it was a good day to be lazy.

Today was a good day too. For the past two nights we've slept under the comforter with the lows dipping into the 50's. I've even had to run the furnace the past two mornings.

I watched my soaps today after Jim and I ran a few errands. He played some golf on the Wii. Leftovers for dinner, we must clean out the fridge!

Now I'm watching Dancing with the Stars. It's 73 degrees outside and I don't think it will cool off much tonight.

Very Windy!

We both slept late this morning....Boo woke us barking. Once I was up someone banged on the door! Oh, just Scotty but I saw the reason why, Pony Express was out front filling our propane tank and we needed to pay the man. That out of the way I was back inside in a flash and making coffee!

We both enjoyed our coffee but since it was late we didn't linger over it or breakfast. The temperature was rising and the wind started blowing and like it does here in the Rio Grande Valley the wind kept blowing and grit covered every surface in the rig.

I did a load of laundry and washed the kitchen floor. Because of the wind, kayaking was a no go. Jim emptied the black tank.

Pat, Anne and I went to Sam's Club this afternoon. Pat could shop there so Anne and I were just checking it out. After checking prices I decided to join. I think I can restrain myself from buying to much, after all we don't have a lot of storage space!

We had dinner at Pat and Vern's place. It was delicious! sausage with a tomato sauce and a side of onions and peppers on buns. Pat also served a cole slaw. For dessert she brought out ice cream, chocolate sauce and whipped cream. She also had some pound cake and apple cinnamon cake. We dined very well out side on the patio, they have a screened area like ours so the wind didn't bother us at all.

After cleared the table we learned how to play 'chicken feet'. It's a domino game and we only played two games. We came home and stood outside watching all the swallows fly over. It's amazing to see all those birds so low in the sky.

Jim, Anne and I walked/ran Boo around the block. I think we all enjoyed this interlude!

We've showered and we're ready for bed. And the wind is still blowing...

Cooler today

It was chilly last night and I slept well. Even slept in a bit as the sun was up when I got out of bed. I made my coffee and then got busy with my sour dough starter. Had to feed it! That done I turned on my computer and answered some emails.

Jim's phone went off before 0800 so he was up early too. The Ford dealership was calling about the truck. I forget what needs to be repaired....but as I type this they still have our truck!

Since it was cooler today I decided to bake. I made some shortbread cookies and sourdough bread. The bread was an all day affair because it's new starter. Once I had the starter finished I went ahead and made some bread.

Anne and I went out and hit a few stores. Dollar Tree for some Halloween items. Then Wal*Mart for a few groceries. Then Sally Beauty Supply where I got some decals for my fingernails. Halloween theme!

Once home I only had a short time to relax when Anne came over and we headed out for a walk so we could deliver invitations for a Halloween Party Friday. My bread was rising and I couldn't be gone long. Of course there are about a dozen rigs here and they're all spread out. While out Pat and Vern invited us for happy hour.

When we were at Wal*Mart we picked up some Philly steak meat for out dinner. When I returned from our walk I started slicing the green peppers, onions and mushrooms. I started cooking the veggies and meat. Then I formed two loaves of bread and set them to rise.

We had dinner on our patio and I must say it was tasty! I didn't realize I was so hungry til I sat down to eat. Once dinner was over I remained at home while the others headed to happy hour. I had to clean up the kitchen and bake the bread. I walked over and joined the group about 40 minutes later. We sat around and talked until past 1930.

We got home in time to see Dancing with the Stars. Now I'm watching a National Geographic show about feet that have washed ashore in British Columbia. Quite interesting! Jim is playing games on his computer.

I'm told a lot of folks are expected on the 1st of November, the Winter Texans are heading for the Rio Grande Valley!

Butterflies and Flowers

I was up around 0700 again, and I woke Jim at 0800 but he didn't get up immediately...sometimes he likes to snooze. We both did our normal morning routine of blogs, emails and coffee with breakfast. Just not at the same times!

I did up the dishes and watered my plants. Then I went for a little bike ride to mail something. Back home I realized I forgot something else I needed to mail so this time I walked, Jim had my trike turned on its side and was working on it. It was nice out so I walked to the mail box and just continued on and walked a couple miles.

Yesterday Anne and I walked around Bentsen Palms Resort and took pictures. Before long the flowers will fade and the butterflies will migrate south. I hope you enjoy my attempt at capturing shots of moving butterflies on a breezy afternoon.

How many can you count in this picture?

Or this one? they were thick on these flowers.

It's difficult to get up close enough without them flying off

Bet I took a dozen shots of this fella and I think he knew it! Kept folding his wings!

these little yellow butterflies were a challenge also. When they land they close up.

Olive tree with flowers and fruit

These flowers are much prettier in real life.

Anne probably has some better photos on her blog, http://scottfree09.blogspot.com/. I just checked and she does!

I had a big salad for lunch and watched my soaps. I was reading my book when Anne popped over to show me the embroidery she did on Zena's coat. Zena is a family dog that lives in New York. It's cold where she lives! She wanted to mail it and I had a package to mail to Sonsearae so we headed to the post office.

Then we stopped a newly opened Walmart to get planting items. But their garden center isn't. Christmas items instead.....but we managed to find other things to buy. Since we didn't have a cart we couldn't buy much!

Back home we got our happy hour/dinner ready. Jim and I had chicken sandwiches, Anne made potato salad and she and Scotty had ham and cheese. We also had some spinach dip with bagel chips and some olives. It was breezy but nice enough to sit outside. Boo joined us for dinner and then the begging started. We need to break him of that!

After dinner Anne served us some strawberry shortcake complete with whipped cream. It was very tasty! We ladies cleared the mess and then took Boo for a walk. I think we wore him out, he's sleeping soundly right now.

We've been watching NCIS on the USA channel. Jim is playing games on his computer.

Today has been cloudy and windy perhaps we'll get rain later.