A day on the telephone

We took our constitutional and then attended our park meeting. A representative from Payne Motors spoke and brought several prizes to give away (we didn’t win any). The astounding thing was that today was his 93rd birthday! He claimed to have retired but keeps coming year after year. Evelyn talked with the activities coordinator and submitted her resignation as queen of Ladies Leisure. We also learned that there will be another activities coordinator next year too. Nearly everything will change. I had already resigned as parking director. I paid for our tickets to the Barbara Fairchild concert. She is a gospel singer who gets $25 for performance in Branson. She is charging only $5 for concerts in the Valley. We left there and went first to the welder to see what he had designed as a stone deflector for the Saturn. He proposed that we use plexiglass because it is somewhat light enough to lift. He will get some from Borderland Hardware later in the week. We left there and went to Elsa to get Evelyn’s new glasses. Unfortunately they are closed Mondays. We came back and delivered the communion trays to Ranchero Village. The woman in charge is retiring too but suggested we collect a special offering to buy our own trays. I might try that approach but hate to get the materials if I decide to retire from that job. On the way out of the park, I saw a van that advertised on site RV repair. We talked and he said he could deal with the extended warranty company so I promised to come home and call them to see if they would cover all expenses including a service call. I did that and found that they would if the coach was immobile. I called him later and gave him all of the information he needed for the company. We came home and had a light lunch of no nothing soup and cheese bread. We stayed home in the afternoon. I made more calls and tried to contact the health insurance company but couldn’t get anyone to answer. I got an elaborate message center that rejected me 7 times. I finally e-mailed them but have no idea when I will learn anything. I also set up an new account with our Chase cards so I can pay them on line. All this took most of the afternoon, counting “hold” time. We had dinner of our final portion of King Ranch casserole left from our caroling party from before Christmas. It was delicious and I hated to see that it was all gone. We took bike rides and then spent some time copying pictures to send to Mom. We don’t do much in the evenings unless there is church or a dance or we have guests as we will tomorrow.

A most blessed meal

What a wonderful worship service we had this morning! We were blessed to share the Lord’s Body and Blood. It is a blessing to worship with so many people who understand the depth of the love of Christ when He gives us His very Body and Blood to sustain us. We all really were filled with the Spirit. I mentioned that this should be one of the happiest times in the week and it was fine to act happy. They seemed quite excited about knowing that happiness is a part of Holy Communion. In the Bible study the people expressed their appreciation of the worship services I plan and lead. I know it is the Lord who they are thanking, but it feels good anyway. I just thank Him for giving me such loyal, loving people to serve. We came home and had the carryout portion of our two for one fajita dinner we had last night. Evelyn is trying to keep our food intake down, but we had far more than we should have; Afterward we took a walk around the park and then took a nap. We did some organizing of our folders and discarded much of the papers we had accumulated here. We only made a dent. We went for a bike ride to relax. The weather is just delightful. It is sunny and cool; a jacket is comfortable especially while riding. But it is wonderful in the sun while standing still. I had volunteered to serve ice cream for the park. Each Sunday evening, the park residents are able to pay $.50 for all the ice cream they want. We have men volunteer to serve, and I was one this evening. We get free ice cream that I brought home to Evelyn. I preferred to have beer and popcorn. We watched some movies on TV during the rest of the evening. Evelyn called a friend in Fort Wayne as did I. Running hard tomorrow.

Dancing the day away

We didn’t exercise this morning. I worked on the service for tomorrow most of the morning. Evelyn went to the grocery to get the final ingredients for the “no-nothing soup”. It is made entirely of vegetables and has no points on the Weight Watcher’s scale. She put the soup together and made lunch. We wanted to leave here by 12:30 and made our goal. We went to the Saturn dealership and had the car washed. We went to Hancock Fabrics to find some western fabric that she could sew onto a jean jacket she has worn for some time. We didn’t find anything so we went to Penny’s to get a catalogue. We went on out to Riverside, as dance hall on the Rio Grande River. Saturday’s features German Joe’s polka band, and we have some friends who go every Saturday. We had a good time there too. Joe is quite an old Polish guy who sings German to some of the songs. His favorite stunt is to play a polka at increasing speeds. He laughs at the dancers and keeps playing the fast versions once, twice, up to six times, all the while laughing while sitting behind his accordion. He finally runs most of the people off the floor, still laughing. We did enjoy the weather and the view across the river. We did not want to eat there because some of the food is poor and we still had our two for one coupon book, so we went on to a restaurant on the way home called the Habanera Cafe. They had a band from Iowa, and we met some friends from our Trail’s End worship service. We had chicken fajitas and shared it. We took the other one home for tomorrow. We stopped at the grocery to check out the Pepsi prices but found no bargain. We came on home, and I went back to work on the sermon before retiring.

Much fun

We had a regular morning. I had to go to a local store that makes hydraulic hoses to look for the proper sized splicer for the hose. They only had a brass fitting that would be a possible temporary piece to use. I then went back to the John Deere dealer to see if they could order a ¼ inch piece. They couldn’t. I wanted to return the kit I had but could not find the receipt. I left and took the car to the welder and left it. He promised to finish it today. Our friend, Tom Crouch, came to get me and lent us his van for the afternoon. They have three cars at this time so they weren't inconvenienced. I came home for lunch and then we left for the hospital to volunteer. As ususal, the people who needed help came in spurts. We either give out cards to visit patients or wheel patients around that are being admitted or released. The hospital has really been remodeled, especially in the outpatient area. While we were inside, we received some much needed rain but not enough to make much of an impact on the rain gague. After 5 we picked up the car and brought it home. We had the van for so we both had a way home. We rested and left for the stock show volunteer barbecue dinner. We were shocked again to see how many larger structures had been built at the stock show grounds. We can remember when there were few roofs over structures and they were 60+ years old. They had a beautiful banquet room for the banquet. We sat with friends from Immanuel even though we don't see many of them anymore since we don't rush off to church after our service. We enjoyed being with them. It was a great brisket barbecue (chopped brisket, potato salad, beans, rice, jalapeno peppers, bread and cake with all the free beer one could drink. Afterward we went to the Johnny Rodriguez concert. We didn’t stay long because we were tired and could not understand many of the words to the songs anyway. They were singing English but the sound system didn't separated the words well for us. We came home and went to bed.

Much tribulation

I wakened at 6 and gave up. I came down and selected some hymns for the week after next. This way I can give them to the accompanist to practice. When Evelyn got up at 7, we did our usual morning shifts. I had some coffee with the table and then came home to shower and dress for the bike ride to the ball game. I returned to tell Tom that HWH said the hose interior was ¼ and our coupling is 3/8. I will have to look further or have John Deere order one--if they can. I saw the bikers leave but thought Evelyn might be waiting at home for me. My watch was 10 minutes slow. I started riding but couldn’t catch them until they were past the park. They did come back and Evelyn and I came home. A cold front passed through and it was much colder coming back than when we went. It also began to sprinkle a bit. We ate lunch and then I finished my AARP paperwork. I rode off to the class and finished around 4:30. The welder had called earlier and asked about the tow bar. When I called him, he said he would not be finished today. I went to his shop and found that he has misplaced the iron that fits on the front. I came home so Evelyn could go to Mary-Martha Circle. She first went to Bible study while the men came here. We studied Ecclesiastes 4 and 5, but I was so sleepy that I hardly heard anything. They left and I wrote this and watched CSI but didn’t stay very alert during that either. I thought Tom and I would work on the hydraulic hose tomorrow morning but now I have to look for a coupling and then go to the welder to search for the piece of iron. He did say that he would make the tow bar fit somehow.

A great testimony to Christ's power.

The testimonial speaker, Jack Parker. He is not the beauty in the foreground.





Up to walk and exercise. We took the cake we had left from Sunday’s potluck to the coffee table and had a difficult time giving it away. Many of the people there at that time were diabetic so I gave most of it to the Hispanic park workers, two of which are borderline obese. We wanted to get the cake out of our reach. We came home and readied ourselves for the Christian Women’s Club luncheon. The husbands were invited to attend this month. The lunch was a huge buffet featuring beef stew and chicken breasts with a nice salad and dessert. We didn’t stick to the diet very well but at least did not eat the aforementioned cake. There were two speakers. One was the local weatherman who surprised many with information about the high and low temperatures in the Valley, state and nation. Strangely, the temperature highs for the year are in March and April, not during the dead of summer. The other speaker (featured above) was a wealthy golf course owner from San Antonio who quoted a Christian newspaper headline: On the way to Hell, Jack Porter got saved. He gave a powerful testimony about how Jesus changed his life. He had been an accomplished gambler (crook as he proclaimed) who won (stole) tons of money. He came to Christ at John Hagee’s Cornerstone Church. While I disagree with the decision theology (we can only be saved if we decide to be), I really appreciated his testimony. Christ can and does work miracles in our lives. He was really saved at his baptism as a young boy but did not take advantage of the privilege of Christ’s forgiveness. We drove to Sunshine park to see how the plants looked and to ask if anyone had looked at it during the open house this past Saturday. We still don’t know. The renters were gone. We did find the mysterious lot 954 and the class C motor home (see yesterday’s entry). We came home and Evelyn napped. I went to McCoy’s to see what was up with the estimates. They claimed that the line was always busy when they called. Regardless, they did give me the materials and cost estimate. It was under $500. I called Ray Stehlik and left him a message because he was gone. I hope he will continue with the plan to build the pergola for the rent to stay here this summer. I also bought a quart of hydraulic oil for Friday’s venture. I could only find one quart but many 2 and 5 gallon containers. I came back and took the Saturn to the welder for tomorrow’s installation of the mounting iron for the Stowmaster tow bar. He might sell me some more hydraulic fluid if I need it. I came home and we took a bike ride around the park before our light supper. I then did some work on paperwork for my class tomorrow, and we stayed home. Stehlik called back and agreed to tackle the construction project. I am really glad he did. We don’t need the thing but shouldn’t keep hashing it over.

A glimmer of hope

I got up, walked, showered, went to the bank and then went to see Earl about the hydraulic hose. He found a metal splice piece that we can put into the hose and clamp it if it happens to be the correct size. I stopped at Tom Crouch’s and he agreed to accompany and supervise me on Friday as I try to install it. It would be a great blessing if it works. I then returned home while Evelyn had gone from exercise to Bible study. We had lunch and then I went to the outback for my driving class. I had 13 signed up, 4 were no shows and 1 unregistered lady came making the class 10 strong. Two people from the January class who had come in late had promised to come and make up the time. They didn’t come. That makes me upset but powerless. I just won’t ever give a certificate under those conditions again. We had some delicious dirty rice and salad for dinner and then went to choir practice. It was disappointing that only 5 came. We came home and cleaned some spots on the carpet. During the day the weirdest thing happened. A woman from Illinois called to see if our class C motor home on lot 954 in Sunshine park was ready. I didn't know what she was talking about. She had our name and both telephone numbers. She said her husband had talked with both Evelyn and me. Of course we don't own a class C motor home and don't know where lot 954 is. I hope she contacts the park office and gets things straightened out because they planned to leave next Tuesday.

President's Day closures

We were up and off to the park meeting. Neither of us had anything to say. There was the usual refusal by the park ownership to deal with any security issues. I don’t think there is much of a concern but have never had anything stolen. We had several medalists in the various valley wide competitions last week. Jim delivered our scissors and I still owe him $.50. We came home and discovered that the faucet I bought last Saturday won’t work because we need a gooseneck type in the kitchen. We had lunch and then I showered ready to run some errands to the recycle center, bank, Ranchero and the hardware store. I need to pick up the communion ware and return things I bought last Saturday. Off to the bank to deposit the check from Llano Grande only to remember that it is President’s Day. Irritated with myself, we went to the hardware to return the items. I also bought a couple of cans of spray paint and then took off for the recycle center which was open. What a joke that place is! The Democrats down here must know some people who want a job in which they have to do absolutely nothing. The deposit bins were all full, this after a weekend. We went from there to the doctor to submit our blood work results. Evelyn will not have to have another blood draw after all. We decided to look for a salad bowl with matching small serving bowls. Dollar General nor Big Lots had what we wanted. We went to Wal-Mart which didn’t either but did have something tolerable. We came home and called the Pearson’s, the woman who accompanies us on the piano at Trail’s End and directs the Trailblazers who sang for us yesterday, for chile rellenos this evening. We like to host those people who help us with the church services each year. Unfortunately they never returned the call. They were probably out with friends. We enjoyed the chile rellenos by ourselves and retired to the TV room. We watched Emiril make some New Orleans dishes (crawfish quiche, bread pudding, etc.) and watched some of the Olympics. Around 8 we took a walk around the park. We had considered playing bingo at the hall but decided to stay in.

Champagne dinner

The happy recipients of free $100 dinner tickets.



A champagne toast with friends.



The call I expected came at 7:30. I had showered and could not return to bed clean even though the golf had been cancelled. There was a mist and the temperature was only in the low 40s. I decided to go to the recycle center and loaded the car. I drove there at nearly nine but found the gate locked and others waiting. I went on to Ranchero to borrow communion ware for next week but could not get a response from the woman who was to take over the responsibility. I drove on to the hardware to buy back the items I had returned yesterday. I saved 20% on them but spent much more on things I probably don’t need: a new kitchen faucet, salad tongs, Brita filters, a lawn sprinkler, etc. I returned to the former locations with the same results but left a card at Ranchero. I returned home and unpacked things. I also went to a man in the park who sharpens scissors because ours don’t cut to suit Evelyn. He sharpened them but said they were not aligned correctly. I brought them to Evelyn who had spent the morning sewing the binding around the blanket for Noah. She liked them better, but I took the Fiscars back to be sharpened this afternoon. We had a late lunch because we will have a late champagne dinner tonight. I prepared the order of worship for next week, tweaked tomorrow’s sermon and then we took a nap. I have not received a call from McCoy’s about the estimate yet and would like to call Ray Stehlik while the weekend minutes are still in effect. I guess I will have to wait until Monday. Earlier, I had called Rexhall and talked with the technician who didn’t have much good to say except that it is possible to splice a part into the hydraulic line. Now to find out how to accomplish that. We went to the dinner with some beer and wine because the invitations said BYOB. Unfortunately it also said beer and wine excluded. (The hotel sells those.) We had poured a glass each when the gendarme came and insisted we take our bottle back to the car. We enjoyed the dinner and especially the two young couples who sat with us. They were locals, one a dentist and the other a restaurateur. The wives were stay at home moms. We will look for their opening. There was also an influx of political candidates--all democrats. There is a primary coming up March 7. We don’t vote democrat so we won’t be supporting any of them. They were all personable, and I hate to see any of them get elected because they are likely to be arrested within the year. The politics down here are extremely corrupt. We were able to dance some, but Evelyn ran out of gas just as the samba or salsa dances began. I really like them but wouldn’t if my back hurt. We left at 10 and came home to rest up for tomorrow.

Here is the cold front

We tried to get back to our exercise routine. Evelyn went to the room and I went to the outback to get the list of players signed up for tomorrow. I found that the neighbor across the street would let me ride with him. I had some time until Evelyn came back so I cut the grass. It took all of 20 minutes. I took a shower to get ready to go. Evelyn got ready too and we left at around 11to go to the hardware store and Home Depot. I returned some things first and thought I would get an estimate of cost and materials for the pergola, but they don’t give estimates unless they have the measurements. I have to wait until McCoy’s gives me their estimates. I don’t think I will give Home Depot the business since McCoy’s has done all the work. We left and went to a classy pizza place for lunch and then went off to the hospital. During our shift, I got my old HP laptop and brought it home after we finished. We had a salad topped with salmon for dinner and stayed home from the dance. We both needed time to relax. Evelyn always did get tired easily but I am beginning to also. I guess I am finally feeling my age. We had some of the effects of the cold front that brought such bitter cold to the north. Winnipeg had -34 with a -50 wind chill.

busy, busy, busy

I got up at 6:30 to get my parking crew started. They all showed up as did the first wave of breakfast eaters. The Mexican dental clinic will get much of its support from this event. Unfortunately only ¾ of the last year’s breakfasts were served. The cost is $3.00 but many people make generous donations. I know of one donation of $500 from a business. There were many other checks in the donation basket. Another blessing is that people come from some distant parks to support the cause. I had one shift of five parkers begin at 7:30 and a second at 9:00. All of the first shift showed up but only three of the second. There is one man who always volunteers to help but never comes. I am glad this is my final year of organizing the parking. As it turned out the people came so regularly and evenly dispersed that we really never had the rapid influx that we expected. Regardless I worked the second shift myself. We quit at 10 even though the breakfast was scheduled to go to 10:30. I came home and helped Evelyn take her salad to the meeting place for the Ladies Leisure. We had to drive it over because of the amount of items and the amount of wind. It was pleasantly hot but the wind made it tolerable. I returned home and had my lunch after which I tried to learn the name of some people who might give me a ride to the golf course on Saturday so Evelyn can have the car. I won’t be able to find out until tomorrow morning when the list is posted. I also went to the neighbor’s to pay him for the lawn work he had paid for during the summer. I then took a friend to the motor home to locate the leak in the hydraulic line. He found it right away so now I can get started on the repair. I came home and called Rexhall industries but had to leave a message to call me. He called back when I was not there. I will have to try again tomorrow. I helped Evelyn prepare for her Bible study here tonight. I left and went to McCoy’s and Home Depot. I want to get some estimates of the cost for the pergola Evelyn wants for the backyard. McCoy’s will call back tomorrow but I have to return to Home Depot tomorrow. I had to kill some time until the women left our house. I bought two misty slushes at the Dairy Queen to bring home for us but they were not very good. We had not eaten any dinner so we just ate the left over fruit Evelyn had served at the study. We watched some Dancing with the Stars and CSI. I have another busy morning tomorrow and we volunteer tomorrow afternoon. Oh yes. Bonny had called earlier today and asked us to go to a fund raising dinner Saturday night. It is a champagne dinner at $100 per plate. We thought we would have to buy the tickets so I called to say we wouldn’t go. To my surprise, she said the engineering firm was paying. We will go at 6:30 and be home by 10.

44!

I wakened at 4:00 AM thinking of many things I had to do, none of which could not have waited until morning. But I knew I had better get up and do them if I ever wanted to get back to sleep. I had to send three e-mails and inventory the box of supplies that I received from AARP for next week’s class. Everything was fine and sleep returned at 5. The problem was that I drowsed through the alarm and much of the radio broadcast that follows. At about 7:55 I remembered I had signed up to play golf this morning and was supposed to pay at 7:30. I rushed around and found I could go to the course and join the final group to tee off. I did rush to find out that I was put into the first group and had to rush to the tee. I started quite well, getting a bogey on hole one and a par on hole two. (This is a par three course.) I played fairly well and finished with a 44. I think I scored a 43 or 41 previously this year so I was happy. I lost one ball in the water but found another in different water so I came out even. I have been given many balls this past year so I was not as excited as I would have been in years past. I stopped at Ruth Muller’s, Ardella Dickerson’s and Iverson’s on the way home. Ruth does not have to move, Ardella does but was not home for me to offer our help (I left a note) and Lionell is having some sort of surgery for the aneurism in his leg tomorrow. He is going to Renaissance so they will pick him up and return him as they did us when we had our big “C” procedure. I came home in time for the lovely lunch of salad and meatloaf prepared by my lovely sweetheart. She was then off to the grocery to get some supplies for the salad lunch tomorrow afternoon and the Bible study tomorrow evening. I stayed here and played on the computer and showered since I had not had time to do that this morning. We were talking earlier today and were somewhat marveled that we will likely not have any real winter this year. February is generally the beginning of spring here and it is now mid-February. We had a couple of “cold” snaps (the “” are for northern readers) earlier but nothing like last year. I still don’t know how we earned a $200 electric bill last month. I did take time to read the new sports publication from Purdue. I just don’t smell a revival of the football program in the recruits, nor the coaching replacements. Something is wrong that Purdue can’t become a national power. Winter can’t be the only reason since OSU, MI, and PSU seem to manage. I learned this morning that our class reunion will likely not be until June 18. We will not hang around IN until then for that. We will file our taxes and then go to NC. We can always return to IN during the summer. I went to the office to get the safety colored jackets to give to the parking volunteers for tomorrow morning. There will be no sleeping in tomorrow. There will be many hundreds of people coming and going for the benefit breakfast. I called Bonny and Joe to see if they wanted to join us for pizza at Pizza Hut. Evelyn has a craving for pizza every once in a while and will only reluctantly accept something other than Pizza Hut. She does really like our son-in-law Tom’s pizza and stromboli too but he is not here. So it was off to the Hut. We enjoyed a large Super Supreme and an order of cinnamon bread sticks. We also enjoyed a long visit, most of which was centered around explaining the Amish lifestyle. We always enjoy being with them. To bed to rise earlier than usual.

Lover's Day

We got up very late and I had forgotten that this was craft sale/flea market day. I should have taken some items up for sale. I went up and walked around looking at items until Evelyn finished exercising. I even bought a CD by Flatt and Scrugs. We don’t have many people come to our craft sales anymore because we always seem to have the same vendors. We both came home, she showered and went off to Bible study. Actually it was so windy that I had to take her in the car. She would have blown away. I came home and worked on paying some bills on line until she finished and I picked her up. We went off to Victoria Palms so I could return some money that I owe a man there but he wasn’t there and the privacy act would not allow them to give me his address so I could drop it off. Will have to go back another time. We went on to “A Taste of India”, a restaurant in McAllen. We enjoyed our meal as a Valentine’s Day lunch. We went from there to the Saturn dealership to get the remote entries re-programmed. It was also a surprise to see that the check engine light came on when we left home. We left the car there while they worked on the problems. They took us to the La Plaza Mall to shop for an hour. Evelyn looked for a top to go with a skirt she wants to wear for Easter. After an hour she was pooped. We were taken back to the dealership and got the washed car. We had one more stop: to look for some brown binding for the blanket she wants to give Noah. She didn’t find any but did find fleece for making a blanket for Stephen. We came home to learn that choir practice had been cancelled. Evelyn was so exhausted that she shouted with joy. She took a nap and made a light dinner of meat loaf. We spent the evening watching some programs on TV. It is good to have a day to just knock around. I will have to hit the sermon harder tomorrow because it will be hectic Thursday morning when we try to control the traffic at the benefit breakfast.

Exhausted

Two pictures of geezers leaving an important park meeting where doughnuts and prizes are given out. This is a public display of civic responsibility at its zenith!




Finally I walked both parks this morning. I had not done this for a while and my legs reminded me of this about ¾ of the way into the trek. Evelyn exercises and doesn’t have the same ramifications. We attended the park meeting and nothing much happened. I did get a picture of the people leaving. The hall is nearly always crowded if not full. We came home and waited until 11 for lunch. This was early but we may eat dinner early. We needed to mail a package of cancer materials to one of our former reunion group members recently diagnosed with breast cancer. We wanted to ride our bikes to the postal area so we waited until after lunch. After cleaning the kitchen, Evelyn then wanted to lie down for a while. We rode to the library to return a book and then to a place to mail some materials to Indiana. We were close so we rode on to the hardware store to get a piece for the bathroom sink. We also bought a can of air that is supposed to blow hair, etc. out of the drain pipe. We rode back to the park and went to the hall and listened to some of the jam session. We heard a funny song about a couple who bought a 32 foot RV and had many problems gauging the height of their vehicle at service stations, etc. It was funny. We left and came home to prepare for the heart healthy dinner. We picked up Ray and Genny and drove to Alamo to eat with Howard, Jo, and a new couple: Wayne and Connie. I say couple but they are only a couple in the winter. They are really a shack-up pair. Many winter Texans who are older live together. It is really disturbing when people who should know better are shacking up. It is hardly a witness to the younger generation who think that co-habitation is the correct way of life. We ate delicious salmon, shrimp, spinach salad, pasta salad, and peanut butter chocolate cheesecake cups. Almost everything was good despite being low fat heart healthy. We played dominoes until after 9 and then drove home. We expended a lot of energy today and will likely sleep well tonight. We will spend most of tomorrow afternoon in McAllen.

A day to relax

Worship was great once we began. We arrived a bit late but nothing was set up. A few people came early and we all pitched in. Cliff and Joan had bad colds but they did have the key to the hymnal room. We were prepared just in time. We had 35 or more in attendance, but I neglected to make the count myself. I thought there were more. Regardless, the people who normally stay for the Bible study were gone for the day. I really miss having the study. We were finished early and came home where Evelyn worked on the heart healthy meal for tomorrow night. She also prepared our meat loaf dinner. We cleaned up the kitchen mess and then Evelyn took a nap while I scoped the offerings on TV for the rest of the day. I went to bed shortly after she did and immediately Lois and Lionell Iverson showed up at the door. It was around two and I told Evelyn to stay in bed while I chatted with them. They finally left and I returned for my nap. We wakened and decided to go for a bike ride since the wind had died down considerably. We rode quite a distance around the south side of Weslaco and the neighboring park. When we stopped, I had to adjust Evelyn’s seat because she kept sliding forward. I also learned that there was a freeze warning for Hidalgo County for tonight so we covered the plants and the hibiscus with tarp, plastic bags and cardboard. Things should be covered so thatthe same thing doesn’t happen to them as it did last Christmas during the 109 year snow in the Valley. We had popcorn and bean dip for dinner and watched two episodes of 24 before Desperate Housewives. Evelyn tried calling both girls but got two answer machines. I also found the requests for a place to rent next year from three different parties. Our current motor home renters have said they will not be returning to the Valley next year so we could use some different renters. I called all of the posted numbers but two of them were not accepting calls and the other never answered. One of them is currently in Donna, and we may be able to contact them tomorrow on the way to a healthy heart. We watched the usual Sunday programs and went to bed a bit later than usual.

Eating, etc.

My new bicycle helmet.



Delicious barbecue pork sandwiches.




Just a few of the 150 at the party.





I got up this morning and prepared for the Can-Am golf tournament. I was loading my clubs into my car when a golfer walked by and told me the tournament had been cancelled! This by Canadians! Haven’t they been cold and windy before. Instead we went for a late breakfast at the Frontier. We had a coupon for 59% off a cheese enchilada dinner. Evelyn had chicken strips. We drove around Pine to Palm park looking for their expansion. We only found where they might expand but found no evidence that anything had begun. We also found a new restaurant Bonny had told us about and returned home. We didn’t want to eat anything before 3 because the golf banquet was still on. The tournament will be next Saturday. Evelyn had brought two videos from the library: a documentary on Santa Fe, NM and a movie, Leaving Las Vegas, a movie I said she wouldn’t like because it is quite sad. She watched most of it but not the most challenging parts. I had seen the movie so I rode to the pharmacy to get my prescription and the estimates of Evelyn's cost. They still didn't have any. I won't buy anything there again. I am surprised they didn't cower at my appearance. (see above) We then went to the hall for the drinking and dining on barbecue party was being held. We sat with the people from Georgia again and heard the same stories. I didn’t remember them, but Evelyn did. There was a large crowd and the barbecued pork was delicious. We came home for a frolic and a walk around the park. I had to practice the worship service and the sermon so we stayed in as is our custom on Saturday night. Evelyn had started some hazelnut/poppy seed bread before we left at 3. It was not done until almost 6 so we were back from our walk before we removed it from the machine. Here are pictures from the party.

work and sacred music

Here I am cleaning a wheelchair, one of the more rigorous jobs on our assignment at the information desk



This is our normal Friday afternoon information desk crew



I am still looking for someone to diagnose the hydraulic problem on our motor home jack. I had (and still have) a friend in the park who will look at it but he was committed to shuffle this morning. As a result, I did not do my walking. I talked with some of the coffee bunch and recruited another parker for next Thursday. I came home and met Evelyn for our shower. We ate lunch early and then went to the hospital early for our service to the Lord at Knapp Medical Center. We both got very tired and left a bit early. We had told the other two guys we had to do that so they knew before.
We came home and rested until our dinner guests arrived. When they did, we had a beer and pina colada mix and took off for the Elks that serves fish on Friday nights. Evelyn and I shared a dinner and had plenty to eat. We treated the Merryfields because Sharon accompanies us at worship on her accordion. We thought we might be late for the concert in Mercedes at 7 but we got there in plenty of time. The concert was beautiful although mostly classical sacred music. Joe and Bonny’s son Chris and his wife Rebecca did a masterful job. Their 5 year old son even played a song to begin the concert. There was an offering to help support the mission church across the street. There was a reception afterward and we ate some more for our dessert. A very cute Hispanic kindergarten girl ate beside us. She loved the chocolate covered strawberries. It was a joy to talk to her, a very well behaved young lady. We brought our guests back and they went home. The astounding thing of the day was that we exited the church reception in a light rain. It has not rained her for many weeks. We thank God for each drop He sends us.

The better to see you with

More exercise only mine was a half mile ride to the doctor’s office. I asked the nurse to call PacifiCare to register both mine and Evelyn’s prescriptions. I had to just burst into the nurse area because there were 15 people aside from me. I have never seen more than 5 at 8:00 A.M. I came home and went to the coffee table for a few minutes. Most of the people I like to talk to were gone. But our flea market expert did give me two bicycle helmets he had bought for us at a local flea market. He got two for $6 and I was happy to pay him for them. I put mine on and rode to the local pharmacy to get the results of the price search made by the pharmacist that he was supposed to have done. He hadn’t. I left him with my HDZ vial, assuming he will call the doctor to get a new prescription. I returned without Evelyn’s cost analysis because she had not left her insurance card number. We took it there and drove on to Elsa to keep her appointment with the eye care provider. She ordered new lenses and frames. I reminded her to get transition lenses and then we came home for lunch. We watched a couple of movies while we were waiting for the Gideon dinner. I also practiced Sunday’s message. I think it will be a good one. I just hope that the message will speaks to the hearts of the hearers. It began at 6:30,and we sat with Joe and Bonny. They were there because their son Chris and his wife Rebecca were the featured singers. The banquet was inspirational as usual. There were several pastors there to hear many testimonies of how a Gideon placed testament had changed people’s lives. We returned home and I watched most of Without a Trace and went to bed after the news.

Working on the unit for sale

Up and to the Outback to pay for the morning golf. I was under the impression that we would tee off around 8 but instead the first group went off at 9. I had an hour and a half to wait. I went to the coffee table instead of walking since I would be walking 9 holes later. Evelyn went to exercise as usual. I returned home after arranging to ride with another golfer and waited for him to pick me up. I got on line and thought I had logged off when I left. I was wrong. This prevented Evelyn from calling about our prescriptions. She was angry when I came back. I have told her many times how to deal with the problem, but she can’t remember how. I played poorly after a fairly good start (19 after 4 holes) but managed to achieve my normal terrible round with little trouble. We finished the crawfish for lunch and took a nap before going to Harlingen to paint. We took the paint Evelyn had bought at Wal-Mart yesterday and a scraper and wire brush. We worked on the ramp up to the door by tearing up the carpet runner and scraping the paint off the ramp. We painted the ramp, the shed door and the trim around the car port and shed. We also went back to the sales office and re-listed our unit with them at $9,900. They will charge $1,000 to sell it for us but that would be well worth it if it can be sold. The current renters are afraid of a background check the park requires for buying. I think they have something in their past to hide, although they seem very cooperative now. We went across the road to what used to be Country Boy when we stayed there in 1996. Our friends the Pierce’s who are full timers live there every season. They are there again but were not at home, so we left our card and came home for a cold meat sandwich and salad. We received a call from PacifiCare explaining their involvement in the vision care. We will call again tomorrow to see if there is another location closer than Elsa where we have an appointment tomorrow. We stayed in for the evening. We must call tomorrow to pay the other half of our landscaping bill. The place looks much more appealing and the renters agreed to water the grass and plants. They will also welcome any people who might want to look at the house during the craft sale either this Saturday or next.

Exercise again. It was quite chilly (in the low 50s) so I wore my wind suit for only the third time this winter. I showered but left to look for paint for the ramp in Harlingen as soon as she got home. We went to a huge flea market east of Mercedes. We were not able to explore the entire location because Evelyn was along. We did not find any paint that pleased her. There was not any color acceptable. We went to the John Deere dealer (the owner goes to Immanuel) to see if there was anyone who would “moonlight” and work on our jacks. He said he discouraged that practice but was interested in learning more about the problem. I said I would look for the manual. We came home so Evelyn could go to the Bible study. I started the sermon for February 19 and planned the hymns to give to the accompanist. When she returned, we ate some more etouffee. She is afraid to save it until Friday. Afterward I went to the coach and looked under the front jacks, the reservoir, and the entire front end and could find no loose tube. I brought the manual and the piece of tube home to show Earl. I was tired and took a nap (after Evelyn did). What wakened me was another call from India. The jobs on the telephone have been outsourced, and I can’t understand 61% of what they say. I am normally polite but hung up this time. Evelyn had gone to the grocery so I went to sign up for golf and lunch Saturday. I also looked for a friend of ours who is an engineer graduate from Purdue to see if he could read the schematic that would locate the line that runs from the hydraulic reservoir to the jack. Evelyn made another wonderful dinner before we went to choir practice. We had invited the Hamel’s for dinner, but he had called saying they might not even make it to choir. We did make it to choir and had a blessed time there. We made arrangements with Dan and Sharon Merrifield for dinner and the concert at Immanuel Friday night. Sharon plays the accordion as an accompanist for us in worship at Trail’s End. We returned home after choir and watched The Closer on TV.

Landscaping to sell

Up and off to wake the body. We met at the park meeting and then came home to shower. We had decided to go to Harlingen today to talk to the renters about buying the unit. When we arrived we had to look around the park to find them. We finally found Rita who said she thought they were not. She did, however, tell us that an open house would be held Saturday, and she would be happy to prepare the house for us if we wanted to be involved. We went immediately to the office where we talked with the on site real estate agent and entered the “house walk.” Evelyn decided we should do some improving of the curb appeal of the unit. We went off to Appleby’s for lunch and had their special that offers an appetizer, an entree and a dessert for $13.99. We also had a card that entitled us to a free meal because we had purchased 10 before. As usual we shared the meal and left very satisfied. We went to Hobby Lobby and Wal-Mart looking for some brown blanket binding for the blanket Noah wants to replace the second one he has outgrown. We had to settle for red. We then went to a local nursery and took a young man back to look at the unit and suggest some plants for us. He will plant them and landscape the place tomorrow or Wednesday. It will cost more than $300 and we need to paint the ramp to the Texas room. We came home and went to the channel 5 TV to arrange a tour for the Ladies Leisure. Evelyn set it up for March 2 in the afternoon. We came home and planted the double hibiscus to replace the one we let freeze during the 109 year snow. We had bought it at the same time we arranged the landscaping. We had some chili for dinner that we had made in North Carolina. We also started some tortilla soup using chicken we had also bought in North Carolina. Things get hidden behind other things in freezers. We spent the night at home but did walk to the outback to sign up for Saturday’s golf lunch. I signed up to play golf with the park on Wednesday morning. If I make it, it will be the second time this season.

Super slow Sunday

Evelyn was feeling bad this morning so she stayed home. She has a cold. I went to preach and had a great service. Some of the members of the men’s chorus they have there worship with us most Sundays so they sang. We had 42 in attendance even though the bi-weekly brunch where some of our regulars work. The Bible class members decided that I should go home so I was here early. Evelyn was asleep so I just messed around on the computer, looking at next week’s message. I also made some broccoli soup and picked some lettuce from the garden for a salad. I wakened Evelyn and had our lunch. We cleaned up the kitchen and then I took a nap. I often don’t like to do that because I want to sleep at night, but today I was tired. When I awakened we took a walk around the park. It was just as windy today as yesterday but the wind was from the south instead of the north. We invited some people to watch some of the super bowl but they didn’t come. We had met them at the dance Friday; they are from the coast of North Carolina. We just packed in for the night. The bad news is that the new wireless network in our park may have ruined my wireless connection that I have used since we have been here. I will have to try again tomorrow. Otherwise I am back on dial-up for a couple of months. I may check to see whether we can use the park wireless for two months when we will leave. I also called my brother to see about whether he wanted any alcohol or vanilla. They were having a party but didn’t want anything. We watched the game, the highlight of which was the “geezer bowl” starring Mick Jagger and the Rolling Stones. They must be very close to my age and I wish I was half as limber, thin and energetic. I would have not been surprised to see them taken off in wheelchairs. Maybe I could be as thin if I gyrated around as much as they do. I might be more of a candidate for assistance than them.

Louisiana memories.

Guests from the park we had for boudin and crawfish etouffee.



We didn't do any exercise this morning. Evelyn was not feeling well so she just worked on preparing for the lunch. I went to retrieve the e-mail and check the obituraries from Fort Wayne. There on the e-mail was a note from Geneva saying Mom actually walked to lunch yesterday! Thanks be to God! She is by no means cured and still has the danger of dying from congestive heart failure, but what a blessing to be granted the privilege of having her with us for a while longer. Perhaps we can unpack our suitcases now. Evelyn and I worked together for awhile after she stayed in bed to rest. We had eaten some oatmeal to keep us from being famished because we had to wait until at least 1 to eat. We cooked and pealed the boudin, setting it out on a plate sith some melba toast rounds. We cooked the brown rice and added the crawfish to the etouffee mixture. She also baked some cornbread. The guests arrived right on time and we enjoyed the meal and the visit. We were entertained by one of our Cajun CDs.
While Evelyn rested before lunch, I returned a call to Martha McClung Gross, one of the neighbors I grew up to in Portland. Her older sister, Kathleen, had died last week and Martha had tried to contact me. We talked for half an hour and reminscised some of our childhood. The guests left around 3 and we cleaned up and relaxed. I began to practice for tomorrow. I took a break and went to the library to return Johnny Tremain. I came home and we went for a bike ride. We rode quite a while and hoped to find the Durkins at home to see what the status of the Thursday dinner is, but they were gone. Perhaps they will call us tomorrow. I made popcorn for our dinner. We thought of going to the horse races in the hall, but E was not feeling well enough. Evelyn called her brother and learned that he will have hernia surgery in the near future. He seemed upbeat about the event. We watched a little TV and I practiced for tomorrow.

Motor home jack troubles again

We did our morning routine and then had a piece of toast before heading to Mexico for some vanilla, rum and a haircut. I also wanted to take two of our NC TV trays back to the artist for a touch up. There was a gouge in each of them. The artist was not there but the young man who should have done them in the first place was there and volunteered to touch them up for us. He did such a good job that Evelyn thinks they are better than they were. We enjoyed the trip because we were early enough that we had beaten the crowd. We were back in the good ole USA by a bit after noon and had lunch around 1. We did not eat heavily either meal today. We had a message on the telephone that one of the jacks on the motor home had malfunctioned. I decided to wait until it was cooler before I went there. I was, in fact, quite tired as I tried to finish the sermon for Sunday. I had to take a nap while Evelyn (who had napped earlier) went to the grocery to get groceries for Saturday’s etouffee dinner. When she returned, we unloaded the car and I finished the order of service for the February 12 service. I have to keep ahead so I can get the hymns to the accompanist to practice. I then called the motor home renters to see if the coach was level. It was not so I went there because the refrigerator could be damaged again. We thought that the hose to the right front jack had ruptured and the fluid ran out. This is a real problem, not for the present but for the time when we need to bring in the slides to travel. I must look for someone who will come to the site to replace the hose. I pray that that can be done on site and that someone will do it. I came back after leveling the coach and ate a light supper. We both went to a Bible study. Mine was on Ecclesiastes. After an hour of study, I came home and chopped the ingredients for the etouffee. I am the souse chef for our projects. I use a large knife and our Black and Decker electric chopper. It cuts very fine and cuts down on the irritant to the eye when chopping onions. We went to bed. We have to have blood drawn at the hospital, paid for by the hospital because we volunteer there. I am trying to get a copy of Microsoft Office Professional. I think Evelyn can still buy the disk quite cheaply being an emeritus professor. I just have to learn whether she can buy it here at UTPA or have someone in Indiana buy one and send it.

prescription search

It was up and off to the hall for parking. This time only 4 names were signed up and only three of them came. I had to put on a vest, grab an orange flag and direct parking. The group of shufflers come in, wait for pairings and direction as to where they will play. Our job is to then direct them out of our park. We usually have a policeman at the exit point, but none of them came either. We did get them all out without an accident, although two of us had to block traffic in the main street. I then came home and showered. I went to work in tweaking the sermon. After a heavy lunch we rode to the local pharmacy to learn how much our prescriptions will cost as compared to that we would pay in Mexico. They copied the prescriptions and said they would check the price after our insurance coverage and call us with the prices. I also learned that the Crestor samples Evelyn was given in NC would work for me as a Lipitor substitute. She is trying other cholesterol control medicines and I will take them. I also called to cancel the appointment for tomorrow with the surgeon. I talked to a retired surgeon living here in our park who diagnosed the spot on my arm as keretosis. It is merely a harmless nuisance. We came home and napped a while. We had thought we would go to Harlingen to talk to our renters, but plans had changed. We stopped at Don and Donna Reddel’s for some conversation and fellowship. They work a lot with the Mabel’s Kids program, providing dental and eye care for the kids around the Rio Bravo area. We had a light dinner and then rode over to the Bernie and Red show. It was not quite as funny as I had expected. For one thing, two of the more important jokes were ones I had heard before. Many people loved it though. We saw an elderly lady friend of ours and we were really blessed to see her. We came home and I wrote. I received my copy of Gold and Black from Purdue. I read about the players who stayed for the next season, those who had left early for the NFL draft, and the coaches, some of whom will be different. I personally think the football team is headed back into the tank for some reason. Tiller has lost his magic wand. I don’t think we will miss the games next year.