Getting ready to get ready.

Evelyn exercised while I began packing the coach. I had to rearrange many items in the basement. I also had to try to put the TV trays showing the NC scenes in so that they will not be scratched. I finally wrapped them in some window insulation that I think will work. I loaded the liquor and the vanilla underneath and put the card table and chairs into the Saturn with another box of things we are taking to her. We then had to prepare to go to the hospital where we spent a quiet afternoon volunteering. One of our friends from Immanuel had admitted herself last night. She is nearly 85 and has been a heavy smoker. She is taking treatments but may never come out. She knows the Lord and trusts Him. He will not abandon her and will take her home. Evelyn wanted to go get a new fan for the bedroom because the one there has stopped working. The lights still work but not the fan. We chose one at Home Depot and then went to share a fish dinner at the Elks, the last one of the season. She likes that fish very much and so do I. We came home and continued packing especially our clothes. We also had to distribute our medicine and get it packed for travel. I wrote this while finishing The Passion of the Christ. I was on the verge of tears again. It happens when I absorb what Christ suffered for me in my affective being. Lord have mercy on me and all of us.

Disasters that work out.

I woke with the idea of starting our work on the motor home early because of the prediction of 90 degrees later. Evelyn wanted to exercise and go at 9. As I walked I remembered that we were having our carpet cleaned at 10. She brought the guy over early and showed him what we wanted. He charged $25 for doing half the house. I thought “phooey” and just had him do all of it. He only charged $30 for that. We left for the coach and found that the water was off. I couldn’t get under the coach where it was parked to change the oil so I filled the coach batteries. They were nearly dry. The water finally came on, and we washed the roof and sides. We ran the slides in but one of the awnings would not retract with the slides. Evelyn figured out the problem while I was borrowing a ladder. I had to twist the cylinder. It was quite windy by this time, and she lost the handle a couple of times. By working together and relying on the Lord’s help we got things back to working order. I then drove the coach to one of the small concrete pads to change the oil so I could put the jacks down to lift the coach. I changed the filter without incident but had to put the used oil receptor on a bracket underneath. It fell off early on and made a mess on the pad. I finally finished the procedure and replaced the oil with fresh oil. I had bought a 5 quart container and had to pour it from the large container into single quart container in order to get it into the oil receptor. We finally got home for lunch at 2:30. We ate little and then slept. We had worked harder than we had for some time in the heat. We wakened and went back to eat fish with the Merryfields, friends from the worship at Trail’s End. Sharon plays the accordion for our services. They served blue gills they had brought from Wisconsin, baked potatoes, slaw and jello for dessert. Then they showed us pictures of their trip to Copper Canyon in Mexico. It was a great trip featuring very luxurious accommodations, but they did have to endure long rides on a bus. We brought the coach home and parked in front of the house where we will begin the packathon tomorrow.

The renters arrive

I wakened at 5 and could not return to sleep. I kept thinking about our former close friends who had left for the north just this morning. I can’t adjust to the fact that they just dropped us without explanation, even though I tried to find out why. I wrote them a letter but will likely not send it. If they don’t want contact with me, I should leave them alone. I went back to sleep until 7 and then walked around. I am listening to Steve Brown’s teaching on Galatians. He uses it to teach about Grace. As I walked, a woman gave me a nice piece of grapefruit pie she had made. I took it home and served it to the Stehliks in the afternoon. We cleaned up and I ran some errands before church at noon. We met the Stehliks at worship and then went to lunch with them. We came here to show them around the house and tell them some of the things we want them to do while they stay here. I was surprised that they will be staying until nearly August. When they left I went to get the shield for the car. It was ready and I learned how to install it and came home with it on the front. I drove only 40 but it seemed to shimmy quite a lot. He had welded the mounting iron onto the car, designed the shield, welded it and only charged $231. I thought that was reasonable. We went to the Winston’s to pick some grapefruit for Emily. They were very small and sparse. Joe came out and talked a while. Bonny is in Austin but will return tomorrow. I doubt that we will be able to see them before we leave. I also had an e-mail from Joneses saying they were coming to the Valley next week. We will likely not see them until we see them in NC. We stayed in tonight and began to watch The Passion of the Christ. We will finish it later.

A load of hamburger

The usual. I then took the car to the welder for the finish work on the protective shield. I came home and called to make an appointment for insect control and to learn how much we actually owe for our insurance coverage. We then went to the no name hamburger joint with the Newcomers and Salmons, the same people we had dinner with this past Saturday. We went to the famed place which had people standing all over the place. We placed our order and had to wait half an hour to be served. I tried to order the same thing as last time but miscalculated on the bill, causing me to order twice as much as we wanted. We split a double meat cheeseburger and a regular order of French fries, enough for four people. I won’t make that mistake again! The hamburgers are so large they have to be folded in order to get them onto the bun. Ours was monstrous and difficult to bite into because it was too thick. We returned home and Evelyn finished ironing. We worked around getting the place ready for the renters we will entertain tomorrow. I called the welder and learned he was still not finished. Evelyn went on the park bike ride with the bike club, but I had to stay here and await the call to come and get the car. He finally called around 6:30 and asked that I be there within 30 minutes. I went to several people and could not get a ride. Everyone was either gone or had company. I finally went to Tom Newcomers, and he reluctantly took me. He was hungry and had not eaten. The shield was still not done but he didn’t need the car to finish. He wants to curve the shield toward the car and cut the edges to look better. I hoped we could get it when we went to church (it is on the way) but it will not be finished until the evening. The Lord knows what he is doing. We spent the evening working toward the great packing event.

Changes in plans

We exercised and got ready to go to McAllen to see about the “bra” for the Saturn. Before we left I made an appointment to have the motor home lubricated and the transmission cleaned. I will take it in Monday of next week because we want to leave Tuesday. We will have to pack all weekend to get ready to go after the mammogram on Tuesday. We learned in McAllen that the bra won’t work. We were also disappointed that the passenger seat can’t be adjusted. Evelyn thinks she is falling out of it when she rides. We went to Hancock Fabric and bought some “wool” to use for the recovering of the yard sheep we gave her dad and got back when he died. We use it near our Nativity scene at Christmas. We went to Mervyns where our friends from Winnipeg find ridiculous bargains. We didn’t find what they find but did get two pairs of shorts and a shirt for me and a skirt and top for Evelyn. We then went to Red Lobster for lunch so Evelyn could have lobster for the first time in years. I had the usual shrimp salad and gumbo and the wonderful cheese biscuits they serve. We returned home and took a nap. We didn’t eat much during the evening because we were still quite full from lunch. We did have popcorn and Evelyn sewed the wool together to fit that sheep. The woman is a genius with the Singer. We tried to get someone to come for cards but no one was available. The people who will live here when we leave have arrived and will come over Wednesday after church at noon to walk through the house so they know how to function and what to do when they leave. We will be very busy until we leave. I had hoped to play golf once more before we left but don’t see how we can manage it.

Giving thanks

Art and Janell Fox, the helpers who set up our worship area.






We were blessed again this morning in worship and Holy Communion. I continue to praise God that the people in our congregation are willing to accept that the bread and wine are the true Body and Blood of our Lord. As far as I know, only one of our former worship couples were unable to accept that. I have always wondered why that should be such a stumbling block. If the elements aren’t blessed by the real presence of our Lord, it seems that the service merely features a snack. Perhaps the wine feature inhibits some worshippers. That is why we offer white grape juice. Some people don’t believe in drinking for any purpose. But most of ours are from a more traditional background or have never had any experience with Communion. We had 30 attend, a surprising number since many people have left. Due to that fact, this was our final service of the season. Afterward we took the couple pictured above to brunch at Victoria Palms. We wanted to show them our appreciation for their setting up the worship area each week. We have treated all the accompanists and workers now. We came home and took a walk being too overstuffed to lie down. I watched some of the Purdue women play basketball. We called some people from Trail’s End to ask them to come here and show us pictures of their trip into Mexico’s Copper Canyon but they must have been out for the evening. The renter of the motor home called and said they were leaving tomorrow by noon. That was quite a surprise. We will be able to go wash the outside this week and begin packing next. Since the lot has been paid for the rest of the month, we can leave it there until at least Saturday. I watched two episodes of 24 followed by the weekly Desperate Housewives and Grey’s Anatomy. Evelyn called her brother many times and finally got him. She talked quite a while. He had hernia surgery that was more invasive than he expected. He is quite weak and can’t do much, especially in the snow. The great news is that Mom is doing fine physically but has lost nearly all memory and recognition of anyone but him. She is still wondering why she has to stay in the nursing home. But she still has the spirit of the Lord. We thank God that she is still with us and has such good care from John and Swiss Village.

Selling junk

Up early to the park garage sale. This is where everyone has a chance to part with all the junk they don’t want or have no use for. We were blessed to sell several unwanted items: two chaise lounges, two decorator bulbs with a candle base, six glasses we had brought from IN years ago but had no use for, and other small items. I gave some motor home items to one of the custodians in the park but have no idea why he wanted them. Evelyn had moved the furniture from the porch so the other male custodian could wash down the unit, especially the ceiling of the screen porch. It is so humid here that things mildew quickly and the units need to be washed down every year or two. He charged $70 and did a very thorough job. We can’t do it ourselves without a pressure washer and no place to store one should we want one. We had spinach salad for lunch and then left for the flea market. Evelyn wanted to buy some chamois dish cloths for the girls. We also got a T-shirt for Emily’s husband that matched the color of the ones we bought for the boys in Mexico. We came home and napped while watching some of the NCAA basketball. We then went to the neighbors for dinner. They made hamburgers, pasta salad and baked beans. We were surprised that another couple we know was there. We visited until 9 and then came home to work on the service one last time. We will take the couple who sets up our worship area each week. We need to find a place for brunch.

Dancing in the park

Geezers having fun at the dance.



Janice called early and wanted to change our April 1 dinner date from Whataburger to their house for enchiladas. We happily accommodated them. We had the normal morning routine and then I talked with the welder who has found the correct size plexiglass but I have spoken to Saturn and they have a “bra” for the car cheaper. The welder said that was the way to go but I want to go see what it is like. We will have to modify it a bit to fit around the mounting iron. We prepared to go to the hospital for our volunteer stint but went to the place where I will get the lube job on the motor home. I want to see if he can change the transmission fluid too. I have tried to catch him twice and been unsuccessful. I finally got his phone number but failed to call him all afternoon from the hospital despite having plenty of down time to do it. When we finished volunteering we came home and ate. We then took several items to the hall to try to sell in the big park wide garage sale tomorrow. After that we went to a dance at Llano Grande, met some new people from MN and waited for Paul and Donna Zopfi to return from their dinner at Appleby’s. They came and we had a good visit. The surprise was that the couple we met lived in the town where Paul was born so they had much to reminisce about together. The band was country/western and was ok but played most of the songs at a tempo too slow. We had a good time anyway.

Great dinner with friends

We awakened to a great blessing: RAIN! It had rained nearly ¼ inch during the night. It was only a light sprinkle so I decided to walk. It was also cold and windy so I didn’t go far. I went to have coffee and then left because we had doctor’s appointments at 9:30. I left in a downpour but had said I would walk in a rainstorm if the Lord in His mercy would send such a thing. I was drenched when I came home. I cleaned up and drove back to get Evelyn. We went to the doctor to have our bloodwork read. Mine was very good. Evelyn had to have some further tests and we were there for more than an 1 ½ hours. We ran a few errors and returned here for lunch. Afterward I needed to nap and did so for more than an hour. I had to call the pest control guy and request the unit be treated on the afternoon of April 5. That is about as soon as we will be able to leave. We can tell the renters so they won’t have to suffer the smell of the pesticide. I am also working feverishly to find a suitable piece of plexiglass to make the deflect the stones from other vehicles that could chip the Saturn. The large mudflap on the back of the motor home should stop those from us, but other vehicles passing on our left often fling things onto our car. Of course this happens even when driving the car as well. Earlier we talked to another couple who might be interested in renting our unit for the next season. We will have to wait to see whether they can reserve a spot and like the interior since they have not seen it as yet. We went to Harlingen to get the bougainvillea that we had bought for outside the unit there. Evelyn wants to make sure it gets watered. We then met Don and Janice waters for dinner. We really enjoy being with them and hope they will come to visit this summer. We had a coupon for $25 discount but had to spend $50 to activate it. We struggled but made it to $52. I had a buffalo burger that I thought was good. Everyone else had chicken fried steak. Don and I like to drink beer together. We were home by 9:45 very happy.

The end of the singing

We did our exercises, and then I went off on several errands around town. One of my main missions was to take the computer to SWG to see if Rey could make the old computer work. He wasn’t there but I left it. I also got to talk with Joe who doesn’t think Bonny will be able to go to Big Bend with us. We probably won’t go either since we may have to stay here for Evelyn’s mammogram on April 4. That means no extra days to dwandle on the way west. I also looked for some way to hold the towels on to the seats of the Saturn. While having my battery tester soldered (homemade by Emily’s husband), my friend suggested some clamps that we have at home. I tried them and seemed to have some success. It is early yet. We went to the volunteer appreciation luncheon given by Knapp hospital. We saw one of our former friends there and Evelyn talked briefly to her. When asked where she had been, she said she had been right here. This implies that they have not had communication from us. This despite my sending three e-mails and a written note, receiving a slight question that did not address the topic presented. I guess they are really gone and the fact has had me fighting depression for a while. The strength of the Lord has and will uphold me. The luncheon featured delicious chicken and many introductions of those donating hours. The highest category was 12,000 hours. That is equivalent to spending 5 years in service. Bless their hearts. We left and came home for rest, but Lois and Lionell came to visit. I entertained them for nearly an hour. We had a light dinner and went to church and choir practice. The message was one of the best I have heard from this pastor. The disappointment was after the service when we met to discuss choir rehearsal. It was determined that there would be too few people here to plan to sing on Easter or Palm Sunday. I thought we would sing April 2 because there would still be enough here then but the idea was scrubbed. There just aren’t enough people willing to sing God’s praises at Immanuel. Cest le vive. We did get the good news that the pastor's wife's parents were on the way. They will be staying in our house until July. They should arrive Saturday.

Mexican fiesta

We arose and raced to Mexico for “tourist appreciation day”. The town of Nuevo Progreso (Las Flores) blocks the street, pins every kind of memento on the visitors, serves free tamales and margaritas and has much entertainment. We went to pick up a vase we ordered for my sister-in-law. We also wanted to make another liquor run, which we did. We also got some Lubriderm for Emily. As a shock to me, Evelyn asked to eat something at the panaderia. We shared 3 Mexican pastry and returned to the spray painter. Unfortunately the vase wasn’t ready as promised. More unfortunately we ran across some free tamales and beer. I had never known them to give away beer. They part with liquor quite freely. The margaritas are pretty stout. Finally he finished and we left for home. We came home and Evelyn fixed herself some lunch. I was still full of tamales. They were delicious. We stayed home until 4 when we separated and went to see some Christian videos. Mine was an account of the trip our friends took to Israel last year. It was a series of their still pictures put together by their son, narrated by them. It makes one want to go, if it weren’t for the Hamas rulers of Palestine. We had some delicious poblano peppers for dinner. She baked them in a lemon sauce and eggs. The meal is a bear to prepare because the peppers have to be pealed. She works hard for us. I went to return some hydraulic fluid and get another heavy duty six pack for carrying the booze we have. I wanted to buy something else but had forgotten to take any money. The temperature has come down more than 25 degrees since we were in Mexico earlier. Tomorrow is to be the premier day of the week. We have another big day planned before a lighter one but not until Friday.

disappointment

I didn’t exercise but Evelyn did. We both went to the park meeting but didn’t sit together. I left early and asked Don to follow me to the welder where I left the Saturn. He was supposed to finish the protective shield today. I came home and received a call saying the motor home repair was complete. He came for his pay of $95, my part of the $220 bill. I spent the morning working on the next sermon but stopped when Don and Donna came to take us to La Gloria’s restaurant for lunch. We split calabaza con pollo (squash with chicken) and enjoyed it. We came home around 1 and took a nap. I then got the mail and talked with some guys at the coffee table. It was 98 degrees and uncomfortable to walk in. I called the welder when I returned home and was told he had not found the proper piece of Plexiglas that he was satisfied with. I was disappointed that he wasn’t finished but happy that he was trying to do a good job. We want the shield to protect the Saturn from pebbles thrown up by the motor home. We need the car to go to Mexico tomorrow so I had to ask Tom to take me to get it. I returned and we enjoyed a salad for dinner. We spent the evening at home. We tried to organize some of the things to take to CA, NC, and keep in the motor home. Evelyn thinks we do these things too early and stopped. I stopped too.

riding the bull

The Lord blessed us with another wonderful worship service today. I told the congregation about the communion ware and the $100 part that the park board would play. The park contributed $100 and one of the members contributed the remaining $72 for us. She didn’t even hesitate a bit. The message concerned the touch of Jesus hand on those He encountered and on us. We had our Bible study and then we came home to await our friends from IN. They came at 11:30 and we went to a local Chinese restaurant for lunch. They said they couldn’t accompany us to the bull riding because they had to have their trailer washed and waxed. I thought that was a lame excuse but feel blessed that they even took the time to visit us at all. I think I am becoming paranoid after losing our good friends of 5 years. The Lord’s will be done. We still had 4 tickets so we called the people we had worked with at the stock show, and they were happy to go. The rodeo was also somewhat lame in that only 8 guys ever rode the full 8 seconds. In addition, they had to run through the riders twice to get those. We saw something absolutely insane. It was called bull poker and featured a table in the middle of the bull ring with 5 men seated around it. A mad bull was turned loose and the one who remained in his chair was to win $100. The bull immediately charged the table knocking 4 of them over. The fifth could have won, but he also ran from the bull. The split the money 5 ways. What idiots would do that? I didn’t get their names. Some little boys and one little girl rode sheep in the mutton buster event, and two of the rodeo clowns performed a comic routine involving a live camel. They pantomimed the recording “Ahab, the Arab” by Ray Stevens. It was funny. We came home and rested. Preaching takes some wind from my sails. Evelyn decided to make microwave caramel corn in a paper bag. It was a large amount so we invited the Reddels to come to play dominoes. Don won every game. We have a very busy day tomorrow with Dr. Appointments, lunch, auto welding and motor home repair.

A shopping trip

Slept in: it was Saturday. I decided to go to McAllen today for specials. Staples had some disks for back-up. We went on to Saturn to have the car washed but were third in line so we left with the promise that when we returned we would be put first in line. We left and went to D-tronics where the XM radio was installed in our Saturn. I found that could buy a kit that could be taken into various places to be played in the house or the motor home. In fact, had I known, that type could have been installed into our car. As it is, ours is hard wired. The transportable one would cost another $170. We may have to get it in NC because of the mountains. We could even use it on the trip through the barren west Texas desert. We left there and went to the Christian bookstore to buy communion ware. I hope the people who run those stores confess their sin and accept God’s grace. I think they are robbers. Two trays and a cover cost $150+. We went to the restaurant next door to use a coupon for 2 for 1 appetizers. They were puffed tostados covered with cheese, chicken or beef. We did not like them very well. We walked around the corner for a 2 for 1 dish of ice cream. We liked that. We returned to Saturn for the wash and came east to the Sa Juan HEB for some groceries. We came home and I took some sandals and a picture to Tom for repair. We had looked for a new rubber gasket for the one in the blender that had disintegrated. I tried a rubber seal from a Mason jar, but it was too large in circumference. We glued the sandals with silicone glue and cut a gasket from a piece of soft plastic Tom had. It seemed to work. I had to practice the sermon for tomorrow after the going away party. We had hamburgers and the tomatoes, lettuce and onions were in plastic baggies so we did not have to stand in line dressing the sandwiches as in the past. It was a nice party by the park management.

New friends

We did nothing unusual this morning, getting ready for our weekly volunteering at the hospital. I did finish the vacuuming I began last night and had some coffee in the hall. One of our park residents had gone on the Copper Canyon trip with the Merryfields last week and we talked about it. I also worked on publishing last night’s blog that wouldn’t go then. It published this morning. I am still lethargic and tried to nap before lunch but got solicitation phone calls and gave up the idea. We had a slow day at the hospital. We decided to go to the Elks for fish with one of the fellow workers, Paul and Donna. He is a man after my own heart: he loves beer. We enjoyed one before we left. We shared a fish dinner again, and we were satisfied. We thought our friends might go to the dance with us, but his legs were sore from standing with his chorale group last night followed by volunteering today. We went anyway and enjoyed ourselves. Not quite as many came as usually do, but the crowd was still nice. We didn’t stay until the end because we were tired too.

Fun at the fair

We were off for the day at 7. We had to get ready to go separate ways because Evelyn went to lunch with the Ladies Leisure while I rode with some friends to the Stock Show to man the information booth. I worked from noon until 4 when we were relieved. Evelyn arrived at around 3 because I insisted she come out to at least show up for her shift. It clouded over and became breezy as though it would rain. Unfortunately if never did. That is typical in the Valley. I have a lot of fun joking with the people who take the programs from me. I joke them into participating in the scavenger hunt. They are to visit various booths around the grounds and have their programs stamped. They can then be entered in as contest to win 2 tickets to any where Southwest Airlines flies. I tell many of them to indicate whether they prefer aisle or window seats, as if they really might win. We already have nearly 1,000 entries. Most of them catch on and laugh. We walked around a bit afterwards looking for the price of the rodeos and bull riding contest. The price is $8, but we have free tickets promised for the bull riding Sunday. Some friends from Fort Wayne are coming to visit and will likely attend the program with us. We came home and prepared for the women’s Bible study to be held here. The leader has a DVD concerning her trip to the Holy Land last year. I had to get the DVD started so they could watch it. I then went to the men’s study on Ecclesiastes. It was the final one of the season but we might meet next Tuesday to watch the DVD ourselves. I came home and the women left. We just had popcorn to eat since we had not eaten dinner. We had opted to wait and go with Don and Janice, but they had called saying they were sick and could not come. I watched some of the NCAA tournament while Evelyn tried on some the order from JC Penny she had ordered last week. Everything fit and was satisfactory.

Fun at the fair

We were off for the day at 7. We had to get ready to go separate ways because Evelyn went to lunch with the Ladies Leisure while I rode with some friends to the Stock Show to man the information booth. I worked from noon until 4 when we were relieved. Evelyn arrived at around 3 because I insisted she come out to at least show up for her shift. It clouded over and became breezy as though it would rain. Unfortunately if never did. That is typical in the Valley. I have a lot of fun joking with the people who take the programs from me. I joke them into participating in the scavenger hunt. They are to visit various booths around the grounds and have their programs stamped. They can then be entered in as contest to win 2 tickets to any where Southwest Airlines flies. I tell many of them to indicate whether they prefer aisle or window seats, as if they really might win. We already have nearly 1,000 entries. Most of them catch on and laugh. We walked around a bit afterwards looking for the price of the rodeos and bull riding contest. The price is $8, but we have free tickets promised for the bull riding Sunday. Some friends from Fort Wayne are coming to visit and will likely attend the program with us. We came home and prepared for the women’s Bible study to be held here. The leader has a DVD concerning her trip to the Holy Land last year. I had to get the DVD started so they could watch it. I then went to the men’s study on Ecclesiastes. It was the final one of the season but we might meet next Tuesday to watch the DVD ourselves. I came home and the women left. We just had popcorn to eat since we had not eaten dinner. We had opted to wait and go with Don and Janice, but they had called saying they were sick and could not come. I watched some of the NCAA tournament while Evelyn tried on some the order from JC Penny she had ordered last week. Everything fit and was satisfactory.

Fun at the fair

We were off for the day at 7. We had to get ready to go separate ways because Evelyn went to lunch with the Ladies Leisure while I rode with some friends to the Stock Show to man the information booth. I worked from noon until 4 when we were relieved. Evelyn arrived at around 3 because I insisted she come out to at least show up for her shift. It clouded over and became breezy as though it would rain. Unfortunately if never did. That is typical in the Valley. I have a lot of fun joking with the people who take the programs from me. I joke them into participating in the scavenger hunt. They are to visit various booths around the grounds and have their programs stamped. They can then be entered in as contest to win 2 tickets to any where Southwest Airlines flies. I tell many of them to indicate whether they prefer aisle or window seats, as if they really might win. We already have nearly 1,000 entries. Most of them catch on and laugh. We walked around a bit afterwards looking for the price of the rodeos and bull riding contest. The price is $8, but we have free tickets promised for the bull riding Sunday. Some friends from Fort Wayne are coming to visit and will likely attend the program with us. We came home and prepared for the women’s Bible study to be held here. The leader has a DVD concerning her trip to the Holy Land last year. I had to get the DVD started so they could watch it. I then went to the men’s study on Ecclesiastes. It was the final one of the season but we might meet next Tuesday to watch the DVD ourselves. I came home and the women left. We just had popcorn to eat since we had not eaten dinner. We had opted to wait and go with Don and Janice, but they had called saying they were sick and could not come. I watched some of the NCAA tournament while Evelyn tried on some the order from JC Penny she had ordered last week. Everything fit and was satisfactory.

Fun at the fair

We were off for the day at 7. We had to get ready to go separate ways because Evelyn went to lunch with the Ladies Leisure while I rode with some friends to the Stock Show to man the information booth. I worked from noon until 4 when we were relieved. Evelyn arrived at around 3 because I insisted she come out to at least show up for her shift. It clouded over and became breezy as though it would rain. Unfortunately if never did. That is typical in the Valley. I have a lot of fun joking with the people who take the programs from me. I joke them into participating in the scavenger hunt. They are to visit various booths around the grounds and have their programs stamped. They can then be entered in as contest to win 2 tickets to any where Southwest Airlines flies. I tell many of them to indicate whether they prefer aisle or window seats, as if they really might win. We already have nearly 1,000 entries. Most of them catch on and laugh. We walked around a bit afterwards looking for the price of the rodeos and bull riding contest. The price is $8, but we have free tickets promised for the bull riding Sunday. Some friends from Fort Wayne are coming to visit and will likely attend the program with us. We came home and prepared for the women’s Bible study to be held here. The leader has a DVD concerning her trip to the Holy Land last year. I had to get the DVD started so they could watch it. I then went to the men’s study on Ecclesiastes. It was the final one of the season but we might meet next Tuesday to watch the DVD ourselves. I came home and the women left. We just had popcorn to eat since we had not eaten dinner. We had opted to wait and go with Don and Janice, but they had called saying they were sick and could not come. I watched some of the NCAA tournament while Evelyn tried on some the order from JC Penny she had ordered last week. Everything fit and was satisfactory.

Fun at the fair

We were off for the day at 7. We had to get ready to go separate ways because Evelyn went to lunch with the Ladies Leisure while I rode with some friends to the Stock Show to man the information booth. I worked from noon until 4 when we were relieved. Evelyn arrived at around 3 because I insisted she come out to at least show up for her shift. It clouded over and became breezy as though it would rain. Unfortunately if never did. That is typical in the Valley. I have a lot of fun joking with the people who take the programs from me. I joke them into participating in the scavenger hunt. They are to visit various booths around the grounds and have their programs stamped. They can then be entered in as contest to win 2 tickets to any where Southwest Airlines flies. I tell many of them to indicate whether they prefer aisle or window seats, as if they really might win. We already have nearly 1,000 entries. Most of them catch on and laugh. We walked around a bit afterwards looking for the price of the rodeos and bull riding contest. The price is $8, but we have free tickets promised for the bull riding Sunday. Some friends from Fort Wayne are coming to visit and will likely attend the program with us. We came home and prepared for the women’s Bible study to be held here. The leader has a DVD concerning her trip to the Holy Land last year. I had to get the DVD started so they could watch it. I then went to the men’s study on Ecclesiastes. It was the final one of the season but we might meet next Tuesday to watch the DVD ourselves. I came home and the women left. We just had popcorn to eat since we had not eaten dinner. We had opted to wait and go with Don and Janice, but they had called saying they were sick and could not come. I watched some of the NCAA tournament while Evelyn tried on some the order from JC Penny she had ordered last week. Everything fit and was satisfactory.

Fun at the fair

We were off for the day at 7. We had to get ready to go separate ways because Evelyn went to lunch with the Ladies Leisure while I rode with some friends to the Stock Show to man the information booth. I worked from noon until 4 when we were relieved. Evelyn arrived at around 3 because I insisted she come out to at least show up for her shift. It clouded over and became breezy as though it would rain. Unfortunately if never did. That is typical in the Valley. I have a lot of fun joking with the people who take the programs from me. I joke them into participating in the scavenger hunt. They are to visit various booths around the grounds and have their programs stamped. They can then be entered in as contest to win 2 tickets to any where Southwest Airlines flies. I tell many of them to indicate whether they prefer aisle or window seats, as if they really might win. We already have nearly 1,000 entries. Most of them catch on and laugh. We walked around a bit afterwards looking for the price of the rodeos and bull riding contest. The price is $8, but we have free tickets promised for the bull riding Sunday. Some friends from Fort Wayne are coming to visit and will likely attend the program with us. We came home and prepared for the women’s Bible study to be held here. The leader has a DVD concerning her trip to the Holy Land last year. I had to get the DVD started so they could watch it. I then went to the men’s study on Ecclesiastes. It was the final one of the season but we might meet next Tuesday to watch the DVD ourselves. I came home and the women left. We just had popcorn to eat since we had not eaten dinner. We had opted to wait and go with Don and Janice, but they had called saying they were sick and could not come. I watched some of the NCAA tournament while Evelyn tried on some the order from JC Penny she had ordered last week. Everything fit and was satisfactory.

bike rides alone

We exercised and I showered waiting for Evelyn to get home. I returned a call to Lucy Combs, the woman who was the key to getting our worship services started several years ago. She is wanting to get re-involved on a limited basis. They have been attending worship in Alamo. The church group has not been included as a park activity for several years, but we need to buy our own communion ware. One of the people who worships with us is on the new park board and will try to get us $100 for the trays. We prepared to attend worship and the noon Lenten service and took a neighbor couple with us. Afterward we went to Taco Bell where they had lunch. We had eaten at home prior to leaving. We brought them home, making plans to rejoin them to play cards at 7 tonight. We then came home and Evelyn tried to nap. We had talked of riding to Trail’s End to check on the money and give the hymn selection to Sharon. While Evelyn was in bed, I went to the wood shop to repair the tray rack that holds the TV trays we plan to take to NC. While I was there, she couldn’t sleep and, seeing my bicycle gone, rode to Trail’s End to find me. When I came home later she had just returned and had begun to plant some Mexican Impatiens that a friend had given us. I rode to the park by myself and could find no one except Sharon who had just returned last night. They had been on a trip to Copper Canyon in Mexico. They had a marvelous trip but returned to a leaking toilet stool. They have to deal with the floor. I returned home and worked on the computer a bit and played some free cell. I have played more than 1,000 games. I have beaten most of them but certainly not all. We had soup for dinner and went to the neighbor’s to play hand and foot. The women really whupped us. We came home and I called about the money. The man told me that the park would contribute $100. I would like to go to McAllen to get it next week. I also called the RV repair man who expects the part tomorrow. I would like to get that off my mind. I have many things to finish on it before we leave. Bonny called telling us we had access to four free tickets to the bull riding competition at the stock show next Sunday. We may take our friends from Indiana if they come to visit. We completed a survey about the status of our church; I don’t think either of us were very positive about its future. We are just not blessed by the worship services when we attend. I hope mine are more of a blessing at the RV park. If not, I hope someone will tell me.

Adoption again

The usual morning routine. I looked around at the flea market a bit and came home. Evelyn had the final Bible study while I went to return a part and get some construction paper. I went to Wal-Mart so I could get some satisfaction on the watch we had bought around Thanksgiving. The manager gave me a $25 gift card since he could not find the watch in the Elgin catalogue. The construction paper was for matting of the picture of Christ’s open arms that broke on the way here in November. I came home and gave Evelyn the car so she could go to lunch with her Thursday evening Bible study women. When she returned, we talked with the man who runs Mabel’s Children Refuge, an organization that supports poor children in Mexico so they can attend school. We adopted a student for next year. It costs $240 per year to support a high school or college student. We were both tired after he left, so we took a nap. I don’t quite understand why I am tired so much. The sinus situation must drain my energy. I went to the hall for my lunch to support the park. We sell breakfasts and lunches on Craft sale/flea market days. After lunch, we called Bonny to see if she and Joe were going to the poultry judging at the stock show. Their granddaughter has chickens in the event. We drove because we have a parking pass since we volunteer. The granddaughter placed third in the competition and will make some good money when the birds are auctioned off Thursday. Many local organizations pay big money for the animals to support the kids.
We walked around the grounds a bit, stopping at the Lutheran Laymen’s League booth and a demonstration of an iron called the “Eurosteam under pressure” iron that was specially half priced at the show: only $200! We opted to not buy one. We went to the DQ for an ice cream after and got home late.

Robbers in the park

This is our welcoming shed at the RGV livestock show. We hand out our stock show schedules.



Just a few of the prize cattle the kids have raised.








We arose to exercise this morning and meet at the park meeting. There was not much business except that there seems to be an organized group preparing to loot many people in the park. A white van has been seen driving around. We learned later in the day that many of the Rvs in the “bull pen” where the inactive Rvs are parked have had the doors “jimmied” and the perpetrators are expected to come back soon to finish the collection. Several residents have been robbed already. We have been blessed so far. Perhaps because we are in a location where permanent houses are in back. It would be difficult to get between the fences in back. We left the meeting at 10 and had to come home so Evelyn could shower. I had wanted to run three errands on the way but couldn’t because we were supposed to be there at 11. We worked at the same location as last year but this time passed out a schedule to people entering. On the back was a sheet of pictures and directions for a scavenger hunt. The people were to have 5 of 8 pictures stamped, fill out a registration, and return it to be entered in a drawing to win 2 tickets on Southwest Airline. Many people were interested. We worked with a man from Ontario who wants to raise money for Mable’s free clinic. The board will be glad to meet him. A “cold” front came through, dropping the temperature from 86 to 72 and lowering the humidity. We worked until 2:30 and then walked around the stock show grounds looking at some of the exhibits and cattle judging. We came home and Evelyn took a nap while I washed the car. We had delicious leftover chicken and a salad. We enjoyed a cool evening at home.

good entertainment

We were off to Trail’s End where we enjoyed a special worship. We had 54 in attendance. The Trailblazers sang two numbers for us, and we were blessed. The message was also powerful (not because I delivered it). It really spoke to me about how Jesus recognizes our talents, calls us to use them, and sets us to work in His Kingdom. We also had a neat Bible study afterward in which we discussed the Epistle lesson from Romans 5:1-11. Especially what it means to die for a good man rather than a righteous one and what it means to “take up our cross”. Bearing the burden of a serious disease or accident is not taking up our cross. We must actively do something that is a denial of our own wishes for the Glory of God’s Kingdom. We must lose our lives not just for “good people” but for the sake of Jesus. We looked for someone to invite to share our good chicken dish but could not. We returned home and ate it ourselves. Evelyn is such an excellent cook. We rarely have to tolerate any meals: we really enjoy them. The chicken was rolled in a mixture we bought from Swiss Village (the retirement home in which most of our parents have stayed) three years ago. She topped it with fresh Parmesan cheese and baked it. It was delicious and complemented with Swiss chard and instant potatoes, older than dirt. We distributed our weekly medicine and took a nap. I am not completely finished with this allergy/cold and am still quite tired. We walked to find Jack and Kay Head to see if they want to meet with us to adopt one of the Mexican children to help with their school supplies. We have an appointment with the child recruiter next Tuesday at 1:00 here. While at the hall, I signed up to serve ice cream. We went to the hall for me to work at 6 and then stayed for the entertainment, three performers, a five string, a guitar and bass. They were really good and reminded us of NC. They were from Arkansas but played good bluegrass. I forgot the camera again or I would have posted a photo. Perhaps they will come back next year and I will remember the camera. We just sat around the rest of the evening. I worked on the sermon because our time will be limited this week with our volunteering and bike ride.

foolishness and food in the heat

I was up and off to play golf in the Can/Am tournament. We had to have it moved to a course in Palmdale. It was a much better course than the original one. We all had carts and were paired up anonymously. I was with a Christian brother from Michigan. I played atrociously, but he did give me some tips that might help me a bit in the future. I was hoping that there would be a prize for the highest score; I had it in the bag. While I was gone, Evelyn scrubbed the screened porch and washed some rugs. She had a busy morning, and we were both very hot (94 degrees). I was also very tired and lay down for an hour’s nap before going to the wind up party. We were a bit late and missed the group picture. The golf committee had cooked hamburgers and hot dogs for our dinner. They also served excellent potato salad. I think we will join the club again next year. We were both still tired and returned home to rest until time for a bike ride. Evelyn talked at some length with Emily, and I reviewed the items we still need to buy in Mexico for her and her mother-in-law. We watched a movie, The General’s Daughter and then went to bed. I had also worked on polishing the sermon for tomorrow. We went to bed a bit earlier than usual.

Dinner guests

Real picture of our guests, Ron and Mary Lou Salmon



My attempt to get us all in the picture. I scored 31/2 stars.





I tried to resume some activity today by walking a bit. I ended up at the coffee table for another bit. I tried to invite the folks from NC for boudin and brisket sandwiches this evening but they were gone. I did leave a note. We hustled off to Mexico to get a haircut and a pedicure. We also got some medicine for one of our neighbors as well as some Kahlua and other coffee licquer. Evelyn wanted some T-shirts for the Beeli boys and we got those. We also stopped to order a painted vase for Stan and Linda as a house gift. We were in quite a hurry to get home so Evelyn could go to volunteer at the hospital. She had already cancelled me out so I could rest. I took her to the hospital and went to the motor home but the renters weren’t there. I went to Wal-Mart to try to exchange the watch that doesn’t work but I didn’t have a receipt nor the UPC code. He couldn’t find the item in the computer record. I went to HEB and got one of their six pack carriers to transport the Kahula, etc. to the West. I came home and took a nap. The NC people called and said they couldn’t come. I took one link of boudin to them and returned home. I went to get Evelyn and passed one of our neighbors walking her dog. I asked if they would come for brisket sandwiches and she accepted. Evelyn came home and relaxed for an hour while I removed the meat from the buns. That was a difficult activity. I cleaned the table so we could eat outside and then they came. We enjoyed a beer, chips and the brisket. That is all we had but also some good conversation. The blessing of the Lord in this was that they agreed to allow me to ride with them to the golf outing tomorrow. We will leave tomorrow morning at 7:45. They have traveled many of the same places we have and may come to NC during the summer. We had tentatively planned to go to the dance but they did not leave until 8:30 and we thought it too late to go dancing so we didn’t.

Loafing

I felt much better this morning but still hung around the house in the morning. I had several solicitation telephone calls so I got up and took a shower. I came down to work on the sermon for Sunday. Evelyn came home from exercise and did some cooking for the week. She thinks she will not be cooking for a while. We had lunch and then I went to get the mail and try to line up a ride for Saturday’s golf which has been moved to a golf course in Mission. The local golf pro, a friend of mine, tried to allow a group of 88 to go off before our small 70 group so we moved. The only excuse I could imagine is that we had to cancel our event two Saturdays. The weather was too bad both times. I also cut the grass because it was far too long. I found my gas container on the front drive full of gas so I used some of it. I then laid on the couch and watched Purdue fight but lose to Michigan State. I was glad to hear the announcers acknowledge how hampered they have been by injuries all season. What they couldn’t say was that three of the injuries were to their leading players. When they come back next year so should Purdue. We ate some of our carry out from the Mexican dinner Tuesday and then left for the training at Saturn of McAllen. It turned out that not much went on except eating of brisket sandwiches, introductions of staff and giving away of door prizes. Around half of those saying they would attend showed up so much was left over. We did not eat anything but did bring home six brisket sandwiches. They begged us to take the large amount of excess food home so we did. We stopped in Alamo for gas at 2.179 per gallon and bought some incidentals at the HEB. It was another disappointment to learn that our new Saturn is getting only 18 MPG. We still don’t have 2500 miles on it so we still have hope but hope may not last long. Home to bed.

I don't feel so good

I was miserable all night. Evelyn had to go to the guest room for fear of contracting the cold I have. She is always beaten up worse than I am by them and I am suffering greatly. I spent the morning in bed but moved to the couch so I could watch TV in the afternoon. I went to sleep most of the time as I watched my fever go up and up. As I write I am registered at 100.8, sweating profusely. I think I am feeling a bit better but am still very hot. Darrell called from Indiana but I was too slow to get to the phone. I called him back within 40 seconds but he didn’t pick up the phone. Evelyn went to the Lenten service and choir practice but I was too sick to go. She came home and avoided me. I watched Caddyshack, a movie from the 70s that I had never seen before. I called the man who is working on the hydraulic hose on the motor home, and he said he had looked at the hose and will call the extended warranty company tomorrow morning. When he can order the hose, it will take around three days to get it. Hopefully he will have it fixed by next week. I tried to call the Harlingen renters but couldn’t get them. I also called Don and Janice and proposed that they meet us next Thursday after our shift at the Stock Show. They said the thought they could.

A cold in my head

Just when I sent an e-mail to a friend in IN that we were both well, I developed a cold. At least it might be. It could be a sinus infection since I really don’t cough or sneeze much but am stuffed up enough that I was up and down all night. I finally stayed up from 4 to 5 but slept in until almost 9. I got up and loaded some recycle material into the car and looked for the Mabel’s Free Clinic people to donate some money. I couldn’t find anyone but did see a man who put me in touch with the place to “adopt” a student in the local Mexican school. We may do that at $120 per year. A woman from Immanuel has become interested in the free clinic and brought us a check to donate. In addition she brought many school supplies for us to take to another border town when we ride across the river (on a ferry) next week. Evelyn had gone to Bible study and came home to fix leftover no-nothing soup. I then went to bed and slept some more. I got up and watched some of the world baseball classic from the backyard. I sat in the sun which seemed to help loosen my sinus a bit. Mean while Evelyn was calling the JC Penny catalogue to order some things. She has been looking for a bedspread. We have been disappointed to find that few places sell them. Everything is a comforter. Unfortunately, Penny doesn’t either. I get too hot to sleep with a comforter, and they don’t have a skirt that reaches the floor, which Evelyn wants. I finally took a shower because we are taking a couple for dinner to a Mexican restaurant. I like to take the loyal attendees at our worship, especially those who are kind enough to accompany us. This woman leads us on the piano. I will have only the couple who sets up the chairs left to go. We had hoped to take them both at once but one has visitors this week. The problem is that we have to eat with them and could have had just one meal if they could have both gone. We wouldn’t save money but would save calories. We went to La Casa del Taco where we enjoyed a botana and quesadilla. The botana was so big that we brought home enough for two more meals for two. We took them home after I stopped for some chlorosceptic for my throat. They invited us in, but I didn’t want to subject them to any more germs.

A great catch!

On the way, we saw the end of a sugar cane burn.

We went "shoeing" at the SAS outlet store and made this great catch!








We both wakened at 5:30 and couldn’t get be back to sleep. We just enjoyed ourselves but I finally got up around 6:30, waiting for the alarm at 7 while working on the computer. Evelyn worked out while I worked on trying to unclog the bathroom sink. I used one of the new drain blasters which shoots air down to blow the clog out, if there is one. We won’t really know how successful the project was until tomorrow morning. We went to the town meeting where it was announced that Evelyn was retiring as Ladies Leisure chair. She was given a nice, well deserved ovation for her work. We left there and went to Brownsville to get some shoes at the SAS factory outlet. We took the military highway instead of the expressway and enjoyed the ride. She bought two pairs of shoes and one pair of sandals. I even bought a pair of sandals, probably the most expensive pair of shoes I have ever bought for myself. We went to Subway for a bowl of delicious soup. (We had a coupon.) We looked around the area for a Mervyns that has many sales but couldn’t find one. We came back through Harlingen and stopped at their travel center. It was extremely attractive and we found some information on Big Bend park that we had looked for. We stopped at Wal-Mart to get Evelyn’s prescriptions but could not get an estimate as she can’t order more medicine until April 18. We came home and rested until dinner when we enjoyed leftover chicken salad. We took the evening to relax more because I was really tired. I did check into a man in our park to clean the carpet in the motor home because the renters want to clean it for some reason.

The Harlingen, TX Travel Center Courtyard

A Great Lord; Great Friends

Off to a wonderful worship service. I asked if our park residents would approach the park board to donate $100 for communion ware. The people at Ranchero might not want to lend us theirs anymore. Some of the people from Trail’s End said they would ask. After the service, a woman came up and said she would buy the trays if the park wouldn’t. That was certainly a gift from God. I can’t honestly say who the woman was but she will remember. I will contact her if the park refuses. We tried to take one of the accompanists for lunch, but she and her husband wanted to go to the brunch to support the park. We came home and called some friends about going for Chinese for lunch. We went with them and returned home. The man is working on a stained glass piece in the shape of a rooster for North Carolina. He thought he might not have it finished by the time we leave but might deliver it. That would be a great honor for us. We will see what happens. We came home and took naps and decided to take a walk. We stopped and made a plan to have lunch with Newcomers on the 21st. We also called and made tentative plans for lunch Tuesday with the accompanist but I want to change it to the evening because I have a coupon that is only good in the evening. While walking we encountered a couple who live close to us in NC and talked with them about an hour. They gave me a list of golf courses in the area that were reasonable in cost. We now have enough names to occupy me for three years. They plan to go fishing tomorrow and catch grouper. They will have a fish fry if successful and will invite us. We came home and got ready for Joe and Bonny to come for popcorn, beer and banana splits. We had a very good time with them. We played protestant poker and a game that they brought called “close the box”. It was a simple game but fun. We also talked about their going to Big Bend park with us in April. They talked as if they might do that if their calendars permitted it. That would be fun for both of us. We went to bed late, but really feeling the presence of the Lord. We always do when we talk about Jesus with Christian friends. We don’t do that enough. Often the topic of Jesus just doesn’t come up in our evenings of fun, but He should. We just get caught up in having worldly fun when spiritual fun is even better.

Walking for food

Bike club members, most in the glow-in-the-dark shirts, waiting for the buffet to begin.



These are walkers from our church preparing to walk for food.




We arose and drove to Mercedes to join Immanuel in the walk for Basketsful, the food bank in that city. There were only 37 walkers representing 11 churches but raised more than $4,000 for the cause. The walk was about 4 miles around the town. I took off faster than some so I could get exercise. I also left the route for a while and accidentally walked past the local high school. I had never known its location despite being here for nearly 10 years. We had two refreshment stops then a closing ceremony. We came home, and I worked on the sermon for tomorrow while Evelyn relaxed and made lunch. We had chicken salad and talked about selling the motor home. I think we will start trying in the summer when we return to NC. We need it until then. We missed the 50th anniversary party at the hall but were not sorry. Perhaps we will be when people like us miss ours! There were no good basketball games on TV in the afternoon. As I worked Bonny called asking whether we wanted some tomatoes from her garden. I rushed right over and got more than a dozen of various sizes. I returned and we went to the bike club farewell party, even though most of us will be here for at least two more rides. The party was a potluck which always features wonderful food and a chance to overeat. We had several door prizes, some donated by various places around town. Every family won three prizes even though there were close to a hundred in attendance. We won two pillows, a $5 certificate to the Blue Onion, and a free large burger at Dairy Queen. We really enjoyed the company of the people we sat with. We talked with one of them at length about their visit to Big Bend National Park last year. We plan to stop there on our way to California.

Christian experiences

We didn’t exercise because we had to ride to the oncologist for a checkup. We beat him to the office and had a good chuckle with him. He gave Evelyn a good report in his examination and saw us prior to her having a blood draw. He will call with the results as he will with the mammogram that will be filmed just before we leave for the summer. We came home and prepared to go to the hospital for the afternoon. We had to drive because we are both too tired to ride our bikes after the shift. We had a typical day: spurts of running followed by spurts of nothing. I had one heavy, weak woman to wheel from her car to admitting and then to her room. She was so weak, we had to get some interns from the ER to get her from the car to the wheelchair. She was with her daughter who was quite interested in what it was like to volunteer. We did get plenty of exercise. We came home and ate some leftover etouffee and boudin. Oh yes, we also enjoyed some of the hazelnut/poppy seed bread she had mixed up earlier in the day. It was great as usual. After dinner Evelyn insisted on cleaning the kitchen, the same activity that had prevented her taking a nap after lunch. I made her lie down before I would take her to the dance, featuring Lyle Beaver. She went to sleep and after an hour I wakened her or she would be up all night. We went to the dance and had a good time as does everyone when Lyle plays. He always closes the dance with a prayer, leading “God Bless America”, and a song “Jesus my Lord is Wonderful”. We got home around 10:15 and I finished this and listened to the weather report forecasting the 90s for most of next week. We met a couple at the dance wearing DeColores shirts and we talked with them for a while. They had attended Tres Dias in Vermont. They had both been rectors as had we. It is always a joy to meet fellow Cursillistas

Concert in the park

Barbara Fairchild and her husband Roy singing for us.


Up and away for the normal routine. We came home and got ready to go to the soup lunch. We decided to ride our bikes since it is only as far as the hospital. We were one of the first ones there because Evelyn had to get back before 12:30. There must have been 8-10 different soups to try as well as salad and cake. We didn’t have cake. We paid for 4 bowls and we got to keep them so we have a set. Evelyn chose ones that were close to each other in color and size. The soups were donated by various restaurants around the city and most were mediocre. There were two that were delicious. The important thing was that the money went to support the local food bank. We met the young couple we had dinner with at the museum fund raiser. They want to open a restaurant called The Wild Olive. They had an onion soup that I liked but Evelyn thought was lacking salt. It had bread and cheese on the top. We rode back, and I stopped at a rehab center to visit a winter Texan that used to be on my call list when I worked for Immanuel. Both he and his wife said they had always appreciated my calls. Many of the winter Texans have said the same. I still think Immanuel made a mistake, but the Lord knows what he is doing. I came home and spent the afternoon alone while Evelyn and her group toured the local television station. She got home around 4 and we both took naps. We had a spinach salad for dinner and went to the Barbara Fairchild concert. They were great performers and seemed to have a good time, although some things didn’t go as planned. They had back up Cds and sang with them. Sometimes they didn’t play just right and sometimes she changed the order of things, but it went off well anyway. Neither of us were familiar with or enjoyed the music very much but are glad we went. I finally got to ask her if she was related to Raymond Fairchild, an accomplished decorated banjo player from Maggie Valley, but she is from Arkansas. They have been living in this park for nearly a month and probably will leave soon. That would be the nuts: perform and live in Branson all summer and perform, live and earn money for coming to the Valley for the winter.

Pictures of fun and games

Pictures from Tuesday.



This is as close as Evelyn got to a new crown. The dentist is in Mexico.





These are our friends from Winnipeg having boudin as an appetizer prior to our Omaha steaks

"...if I only had a brain!"--Scarecrow: Wizard of Oz

I walked about half my distance because I went to pay my green fees for golf this morning. I did shower before golfing because we wanted to go to Ash Wednesday service at noon. I tried to get someone to ride with me but ended up riding with a couple from Ontario. My game was worse than it has ever been. I nearly doubled up on a par three course. I certainly waste a lot or time and money playing this game. I don't think I am very smart to continue. After all, I was smart enough to give up deep sea fishing when I deduced I could get violently sick much cheaper if I wanted to. We had a beer after, and I came home for lunch. We went to the service that was very uninspiring. I am sure that some people make the same comment about my services. After we went to Elsa to get Evelyn’s new glasses. We arrived at their lunch hour so we wandered around HEB looking for bargains. We got the glasses and returned to the Weslaco Wal-Mart to inquire about their prices on her medication. We will have to wait until they have time. We came home to rest until 6 when we went to a Bible study. Mine was on Ecclesiastes 6&7. We also spent some time deciding where to contribute our tithe from the installment from Evelyn’s parent’s estate. We will give 1/8 of the amount to 8 different charities. We had low calorie soup for dinner and are trying to avoid eating so much. We also had to deposit the checks from the renters. We need to have the money to pay for our homeowner’s and our car insurance. I like to keep the money in Weslaco so I can pay it on line from wherever we are. Purdue lost to IU again. Perhaps they will be better next year when 3/5 of their now injured starters can play. I have the accompanist and the order of service planned for next Sunday. Tomorrow we go to a charity soup lunch.

Well, shut my mouth

Up and off. I listen to Steve Brown (Key Life) teaching tapes as I walk. Since he sends out radio programs after they are finished, he is talking about Christmas on the one I have heard recently. It is rather strange but certainly edifying. We left for the motor home about ½ hour later than I thought we would and learned the mileage for the repair guy. We went on to Mexico for the appointment with the dentist. He discussed the things that needed to be done and what could be done. We decided to proceed with the crown recommended by the teaching nurse at the dental hygiene clinic back in November. Since the procedure would take nearly two hours, I left and walked around looking for good prices on Kahlua and vanilla. I found both, taking about an hour, and went back to check on Evelyn. What a shock to see her standing on the corner. She had left the dentist shortly after being numbed (which had happened before I left) because she was scared! This is one of the woman most tolerant pain I know. As it turned out, she was afraid because she thought the operation was not clean. The young man was very charming and had worked on my partial plate but did not change gloves often enough among other things. I was shocked and disappointed because she will have to do it some where else. We will have to pay through the nose in the U. S., I guess. We went to a familiar fish restaurant for lunch and she had fish soup, featuring octopus in it. She couldn’t chew anything well. I am surprised she ate lunch there. I know she doesn’t like to even go to Mexico, so I don’t think I will take her again. I went back and bought the case of Negra Modelo beer I had ordered, strapped it to our tow cart, and we walked out. We came home and worked on preparing things for our expected dinner guests. I prepared the Omaha steaks we had and served them with baked potatoes and asparagus. We had boudin as an appetizer with some merlot. The guest’s name was Heinz and Alice Bauknecht. Can you guess their heritage? They are from Winnipeg, Manitoba and used to own and run a hotel and restaurant there. We always have a good time with them, and they may be our only consistent friends we have while we are here. We have had many people for dinner who have never even asked to do anything with us. Reciprocating for the dinner is not something we expect, but we have exchanged dinners with these Canadians more than anyone else but one other couple. We played Hand and Foot with them until 9:30 when they left and we cleaned the place up. I rode up to the outback and signed up to play golf tomorrow morning. I will try to find someone to go with me.