Holy Saturday

Saturday was an intense packing day.  We have many suitcases that we are using instead of as man plastic tubs.  We will need them to use on our visit to Utah and on a cruise if we take one later in the summer.  We moved them to the living room in case John and Sue need to come to sleep for a couple of days.  Their AC stopped working after their company departed—praise God.  They can use our spare bedroom if it is too warm in their mobile home.  I also pumped up the tires on the trailer, car and golf car.  Our neighbor has a portable air compressor.  I still have to borrow the grease gun from the park workers to grease the trailer axels.  We went to a dance featuring Diego Saurina at Llano Grande in the evening.  It was crowded partly because two of the residents had been married that day.  We didn’t stay until 10 but had a good time although we were alone.

Worship during Holy Week

Wednesday began with exercise and a short trip to the HEB for some sodas on special.  We take some back to NC because some kinds are available only in Texas.  I loaded them into the trailer to get the heavier items toward the front where they should be. We then entertained 2 sister that have invited us to 2 parties during the past 2 seasons.  We wanted to reciprocate  The afternoon found us at Siesta Village to dance to Diego.  We met some people from our park and were invited to go with them for hamburgers.  This astounded me because it is a rare day when anyone invites us to do anything.  We had a good time dancing.

Thursday we are blessed to go to the Maundy Thursday worship service that featured Holy Communion, commemorating the Passover offered by our Lord in the Upper Room.  It is always a moving experience on this date.  We did visit the Upper Room while in Jerusalem last year but never went to the Garden of Gethsemane. 

We have finished our kitchen band performances, so I was able to cut the grass for the last time this season.  It warmed up as I finished the 3 yards that I mow.  After a breakfast I made of eggs mixed with chopped apples, I did the mowing and has a worker in the park look at a fascia board on our shed.  I will have to attach with screws before we leave.  After lunch we dressed and drove to the hospital for the last time this season.  We went to our normal stations for the 4 1/2 hours of our normal shift.  We had hoped to have Paul and Donna come for leftover etouffee, but Paul wasn’t feeling well.  He has been undergoing physical therapy since his shoulder surgery.  We came home and then went to the Good Friday service.  Both tonight and last night were 2 of the better services the pastor has led.  Direct TV has an offer of free HBO and Cinemax for the next 3 days so we are recording as many movies as we think we will like. 

Passover

Tuesday was a cold day for this region and time of year.  We had to wear jackets.  I took the recyclables to the center after stopping for a breakfast taco.  Evelyn went to a Lenten breakfast with Bonny.  I returned home and vacuumed the floor before using our chopper to chop onions, bell pepper and celery for out crawfish etouffee for tomorrow’s lunch.  Evelyn has invited 2 ladies that have invited us to 2 parties.  We like to reciprocate because so many people have not done that with us.  We like to acknowledge attempts to reach out to us.  Evelyn returned home and we had lunch.  She then did ironing while I took my sports coat to the dry cleaner.  We haven’t had it cleaned for several years and it has a strange white line across the shoulders.  We then went to the Mustang Lounge to dance to Ruthie for the first time this year.  When we return, I want to take some pictures to post.  We went to have a light supper before going to a Seder meal presented by a man from Jews for Jesus. Today is Passover.  It was very enlightening to see how the Passover feast was forerunner of our Holy Communion.  We returned home to finish watching the 4th session of The Bible.  It will be cold all week.

The beginning of Holy Week

Sunday was our final service at Trail’s End for the season.  We will combine with Llano Grande.  But today we had 34 worshipping with us.  I was very blessed with the message and the response when I told them I would return to preach next year.  We came home and called Joe and Bonny and invited them to go to McAllen with us for lunch.  I had a coupon but found that the restaurant didn’t open on Sundays.  We tried another restaurant with the same result.  Finally we went to one without a coupon.  It was a place featuring fish and was thoroughly Hispanic.  Most of the staff spoke poor English.  The food was good, but my tilapia was served Vera Cruz style: the head and tail were still on.  It was so difficult to eat that I had to eat it with my fingers.  We were home shortly after 3 and just spent the rest of the evening at home.

Monday we went to exercise before going to the grocery for slaw to use this evening when John and Sue come for hamburgers.  After we returned from exercise, I washed the car.  I had been putting it off for 2 weeks because we were always scheduled to go places that were very dusty.  Those events are over for the season.  After lunch, we took naps waiting for 3 when the dinner guests arrived.  Because we had time, we played a full game of dominoes while I barbecued the hamburgers.  That took a much shorter time than the dominoes.  They went home right after supper because they expected some young female relatives to arrive from Wisconsin.  They had driven 24 straight hours to get here.  We took a walk in the park looking for someone to go dancing with tomorrow afternoon.  We couldn’t find anyone.  It was very chilly due to the windy conditions.  We started watching the episode of the Bible that I had recorded last night but didn’t finish it tonight.  I have more down time available because I have the message completed and don’t have to plan the service.  Llano Grande will have that all done. 

Onionfest

Friday was normal in most ways.  We had our final kitchen band performance of they year at Valley Grande Manor.  It is a rehab center run by the 7th Day Adventist Church.  The residents there were especially rowdy this morning.  The staff had distributed shakers and noisemakers.  This seemed to excite them.  We went to get some items at 2 pharmacies before going to the hospital cafeteria for lunch.  We shared a salad and then went to work.  Today was Lionel’s last day for the season.  He will leave for Winnipeg the Monday after Easter.  Paul came for physical therapy on his shoulder and made plans with us to go to Chili’s for supper.  We were able to go home so Evelyn could rest a short while before meeting them for dinner.  I had received 2 gift coupons for $10 to spend for dinner.  We were home in time to watch an Indiana Jones type movie called the Librarian.

We were up and at the Onionfest Saturday morning by 9.  We usually work for the hospital booth each year.  The temperature prediction for today is 101 but working in the morning helped keep us cool.  We just stayed under our sheltered pavilion when the sun came out to heat things up.  We were in charge of registering people for a drawing sponsored by the hospital.  The prize was a 24” TV/DVD player combination.  The real purpose was to get people to look at displays showing how much salt and sugar in common products.  Low fat yogurt has more sugar than glazed doughnuts!  We finished just before 1 and mused around the grounds taking pictures.

 

Local high school Mariachi bands came to entertain at a large pavilion.

 

This is a crowd listening to the band.  Many had brought lawn chairs because seating was limited.  Despite the shelter, it is heating up in there.

Naturally the focus of the Onionfest is onions.  This is a stage where different restaurants and a culinary school presented original recipes for onions.  Some of the creations are pretty good and are distributed in samples to the audience.

This young lady was kind enough to pose for this picture displaying the main food feature of the day—the blooming onion.

The blooming onions and other cholesterol inducing foods are sold at many booths around the area.  Notice the small number of people in attendance at around 1 PM.  Remember:  it is probably nearly 100 degrees by now. 

We left here, went home for a nap and went with John and Sue to the Horseman honkey-tonk.  Sue had read of a party thrown by the new managers offering dancing, prizes and a free meal.  She thought it was to be at the normal time for them of 3 PM.  Unfortunately it didn’t begin until 8.  We had one beer and returned to our house to play hand and foot until supper time.  We went to Border Barbecue where we had coupons. We came home and I worked on tomorrow’s service and message.

A day of fun

We were up early this morning, so John and Sue picked us up and off we went to Mexico.  Today was winter Texan Appreciation Day in Nuevo Progreso.  The merchants block off the streets, put up stages on which there are performers, and give away tamales, margaritas, beans, beer and sodas.  They also give away small replicas of sombreros, hats and other useless things.  Winter Texans will take anything free.  Some of the products are also marked down a bit.  We has intended to have breakfast, but John and Sue wanted to just eat the freebees.  We separated from them and went to get pedicures before leaving to look for some items as gifts.  We found some.  We also went to the dentist to have my partial bridge ground down again.  I also had her look into my mouth because I had spit out a piece of tooth after brushing my teeth.  She found the remaining tooth.  I just wanted to know what it looked up, but I don’t feel any pain nor feel rough places on the tooth.  I also bought a couple of bottles of booze to take north.  We came home for lunch.  I had eaten some tamales in Mexico, but Evelyn not does not like tamales but is afraid to eat anything down there.  She does sometimes but not on the street—only in restaurants.  She does that with clenched teeth.  We took a nap after lunch and then prepared for our evening.  I went to the hall to help serve the Farewell dinner.  Evelyn dressed for her Bible study in Mercedes.  She did come to eat the dinner with us, but we weren’t able to eat together.  I had a good time working with the others.  The activity director had the event well organized, and everyone—around 300--had been served in half an hour.  When I finished helping with the clean up chores and returned home, Evelyn was gone.  She returned home right at 10.  She always does a great job in both hosting and leading the meeting.  We are already dreading our work at the Onionfest on Saturday.

74th RGV Stock show

Morgan Waters showing her Brahma heifer.  The judge thought the cow was too big!

A sample of the high quality Brahma stock that were raised by the young members of the FFA groups from throughout the Valley.  Some come from 80+ miles away.

Volunteer luncheon

Our volunteer director speaks to us at the volunteer appreciation luncheon.  I learned that I had volunteered over 100 hours this season.  Wow!

Minimal service

Saturday began earlier than I wanted but not early enough.  John and Sue had brought a car cover for our park garage sale earlier than I got there.  I looked around but found nothing that looked appealing.  I returned around 10, but they had come and picked it up.  I called and ordered a new American Express credit card.  It was approved.  I wandered to the park next door to see what their dance event offered.  It appeared to be pretty good but the price of admission included only the outdoor dance.  We decided not to go.  After lunch we went to the Stock Show and viewed the projects that the 4-H kids had made.  When we returned, Evelyn went to the hall to help with the cabbage and potatoes for tomorrow’s corned beef and cabbage St. Patrick’s Day dinner.  We returned to watch basketball and practice my message for tomorrow.

There were 30 attending our worship Sunday.  This was a minor surprise because so few had left to return north.  We were blessed with our final Communion of the season.  We returned home to rest and change clothes.  By 11:30 were back to finish cooking preparations for the dinner.  We helped by serving the meal, and I was blessed to be asked to ask the blessing.  There were 110 attending and were very satisfied with the meal.  I had a good time serving, and we were able to take much of the leftovers home for meals tomorrow.  John and Sue came and played with dominoes with us and eat popcorn and drink beer.  We had fun and played a little bit of Phase 10.  She didn’t like the game.  They left in time for her to watch her favorite Sunday show. 

Monday we went to our 2nd park meeting of the season because the Kitchen Band was scheduled to play.  A man gave an inspirational speech about liberty that he had written for a previous Memorial Day.  We were all moved by it.  We came home around 10:30, just in time for

 

John’s arrival. He wanted to explain what he had done with our 2012 tax return.  He did and then dropped the bomb.  He had done an amended return for our 2010 and 2011 taxes and then completed our 2012 form.  All along he had been volunteering to do all of these things.  I don’t ever remember asking him to do any of them.  He wanted $100 for each of the years.  I was upset but paid him anyway.  The charge wasn’t excessive but was still a shock to me.  I could have had them figured by AARP for nothing had I suspected this charge.  He had hinted first that the payment would be a cartridge for his printer.  It was just a shock.  We had lunch and then went to Llano Grande to get the hymns arranged for Easter.  We had a pleasant visit with the man in charge.  We returned home for a nap.  After supper I went to visit with the Drews and arrange to have lunch with them at the Blue Onion tomorrow.  Evelyn watched most of the new season of Dancing with the Stars.

Convoluted mess

Friday found us on the run.  Evelyn had not slept until 3:30 but had to waken at 7:30 to meet Janice and Don at the Livestock show.  We dressed in our hospital garb and went off.  We thought we would see their grandchildren show their Brahma heifers at 9 or so.  Instead it was nearly 11:30 when they finished.  They have 4 grand children and 1 placed 2nd while the others placed 3rd, 5th and last—because the cow  was too big.  I don’t understand this because the purpose of raising cattle is to produce the most amount of meat.  We were able to visit with Don and Janice for a couple of hours before leaving.  We were just a few minutes late to the volunteer appreciation banquet.  We found 2 seats in front and enjoyed the chicken cordon bleu.  There was a program after the meal, but I sent Evelyn home for a nap. We had not reached another awards level anyway, so nothing was missed.  I did get recognition for volunteering 100 hours during the season.  Two of our crew were ill, so the work at the information desk was put upon the 4 left.  I had considered going home but thank God I didn’t.  We ran our legs off most of the remaining 2 hours. I was tired as Lise drove me home.  Evelyn and I drove our golf car to the kitchen band party.  We arrived just after everyone had filled their plates.  It was a pot luck so the side dishes were also the entrée.  They were, as usual, delicious.  We sat with 6 others to visit after most had left.  We returned to watch Les Miserables.

2 days of dancing

Wednesday was really busy.  We slept later because Evelyn had not slept much during the night.  We dressed and I rode my bicycle to Merle Lenz’s, the director of the Mexican Refuge fund.  He had sent a paper we needed to complete, and I needed exercise.  It was only mildly windy making the trip easy.  Evelyn rode to Dr. McDougal’s office to pester them into calling her prescription to the mail order pharmacy.  They had promised to do it last week.  She watched them do it this time.  When I returned, I cut the grass on the 3 lawns I am responsible for.  I have to use the electric mower and had better success than last time.  I did tell a friend that if he read that a man was killed cutting the grass with an electric mower that it wouldn’t be from electrocution but strangulation.  We took showers and went to the afternoon Lenten service.  We always try to meet John and Sue afterward to go dancing.  Today we returned to our park to dance to a singing DJ.   There were only  12 in attendance including us.  We went to our house to play dominoes and eat pizza.  We had a good time and were alone by 8:30.  We like finishing the day early.

Thursday we rode to Ranchero Village where John and Sue live.  I wanted to check an address and return some things they had left last.  We caught them just as they were going to town.  We visited and tried to make plans for the next few days.  We accomplished our goal and rode our bikes back home.  After lunch we went to the hall because we had volunteered to work at the happy hour featuring Diego.  We make popcorn and sell sodas to the dancers.  We don’t get to dance much but feel good about helping.  This is strange to me because we have few friends in this park.  The young man who performs is married and expecting a little girl later this month.  The park likes them so much that many brought gifts for a layette.  We also had a new feature.  I had seen small spike like dowels attached to a 4 inch piece of plywood to serve as a place to put pull tabs we collect for the Ronald McDonald house.  The cans are collected by the wood shop and sold to support some of the cost that they incur.  We came home and watched Purdue play one of the worst games I have ever seen them play.  Then we had a good time watching The Life of Pi one of the Academy Award winning films.  John and Sue buy the pirated versions in Mexico.  I won’t buy them because they are illegal and hesitate to even watch them.  I did watch with Evelyn.

The 74th RGV stock show

Monday was the first afternoon that we volunteered to work at the Rio Grande Valley Stock Show.  It was the most pleasant day we can ever remember for that job.  It was not windy, cold and rainy as it has been in the past nor hot, humid and still as on other occasions.  We were paired up with a couple from Thompson, MB who has been worshipping with us for 3 weeks but missed yesterday.  She is the most unhappy, grumpy woman I have met in a long time.  She is in a wheel chair or a walker, but her husband is very patient.  We enjoyed the afternoon with them despite her attitude.  Somehow I am able to entertain her without ruffling her feathers.  We just came home after working and relaxed.

Tuesday we were back at the show, this time with the son of yesterday’s couple and his wife.  They are younger and a bit more fun.  We tried to visit George and Sally Erchinger, old friends of ours and deliver them lunch.  Unfortunately their son was visiting, and we didn’t get to visit much with them.  John had come around 10 to get some facts straight for our deductions on this year’s taxes.  He has volunteered to do them for us, but I think he is going to charge.  He has done our amended returns for 2010 and 2011 before beginning this year’s.  The day was a copy of yesterday in the weather department.  We took a walk around the show grounds and saw more things than we ever had.  There were white tigers, an aviary for kids to enter with parakeets, and an alligator show.  We had thought we would go to a dinner for Relay for Life cancer survivors, but I had misread the announcement as to the date, so we just stayed home for the evening.  We learned that our neighbor has sold his mother’s unit.  She died earlier this month.  The new owners will not move in until next fall, so I will still have to mow the grass there at least 1 more time.  Rats!

Gathering gifts for friends in the north

We led the worship again and had 32 in attendance.  We made a deal to lead our worship service for Easter Sunday to Llano Grande.  Their scheduled speaker called and cancelled.  Our congregation is very understanding and agreed to move.  After that we went to the brunch provided for those who volunteered yesterday at the golf course.  The offerings were poorly done, and we decided to not attend next year.  We came home, changed clothes and went to Mexico.  I have received so many requests for products that we took our suitcase on wheels and went to get 8 bottles of vanilla for them as well as other items.  We were back home and had cake and ice cream for lunch.  I can only eat dessert items on Sunday.  I did overdo it, however, and almost made myself ill.  I took our heavy items to put into our trailer at Joe and Bonny’s and invited them to come to finish the domino game we played on Friday.  They came at 6 and we ate popcorn and tamales that Bonny had brought.  We finished the domino game and introduced them to Phase 10.  They were gone by 9 because he is still working each day.  I recorded the second episode of The Bible but will not watch it until sometime this week.  We are scheduled to work Monday and Tuesday afternoons at the Livestock Show.

Three big party days or “What do you do all day in the winter?”

Thursday afternoon was another big party day.  But in the morning our friend John came to work on our income tax return.  He has volunteered to do our adjusted return for 2010, 2011 and now our original return for 2012.  He worked most of the morning while I worked on the upcoming Sunday service.  Evelyn had gone with Sue to Edinburg for a doctor’s appointment.  Sue’s, not Evelyn’s.  We then separated until 3 when we went to our hall for an unusual happy hour.  We have begun having dances in the afternoon instead of the evening.  Today a widow and widower paid for the party because they were celebrating their engagement.  The entertainer, Diego and his soon to deliver wife, have become very popular in the Valley.  Another huge crowd—like yesterday’s—gathered to wish them well.  John and Sue joined us after he finished playing in a jam session.  We could barely find seats for them and us together.  One crazy couple had planned a couple of skits to entertain.  The best was a mountain man (with gun) and another man dressed as a bride with a stuffed doll who tried to get the widower to marry the woman.  It was a riot.  There was a light supper provided by the engaged couple at 5, but we had planned to go to a local sports bar for supper.  I had a coupon I needed to use.  We had a good meal and were home by 6:30 for a quiet evening.

Friday morning, we had no kitchen band performance scheduled but still went to the hospital in the afternoon.  One of the men who works with us each Friday was absent because he had had shoulder surgery on Monday.  We had a good time anyway but were not very busy.  After work I went to get our catfish and shrimp combo dinner from the local Elk’s lodge to bring home for our supper.  The lodge serves this each Friday during the winter Texan season, and we like it well enough to eat it several times.  At 7 Joe and Bonny came to play dominoes until 10.  They have been hooked on the game and had played it with their families while on the skiing trip to New Mexico this past week.  We had snacks and a lot of fun.  We had to quit before the end of the game because I had to arise early Saturday morning to work at the WT appreciation day at a local golf course. 

We were up at 6:30 Saturday, and Evelyn took me to the golf course.  One of the men from our worship service had scheduled me to help with golf cars from 8 until 10.  There was really not much to do, so I practiced my putting between jobs.  I just cleaned scrap paper out of the carts when the players returned them.  Anyone who signed up was allowed a game of 9 holes and a cart.  I was scheduled to play with 3 other people at 10:16.  I had a regular proficiency first 6 holes and then fell apart.  I was disappointed because I was driving like a pro for the first 6.  The golf course also puts up a big tent and offers free beer and hot dogs for lunch.  They also hire a performer who plays dance music for rowdy winter Texans.  Evelyn joined me around 1 but wasn’t interested in dancing or eating.  We came home and enjoyed some Stromboli she had made.  We were both pretty tired (she had not slept well last night) so we took a nap.  Afterward I worked on practicing the service for tomorrow. 

huge party

Wednesday we went to Silver Sneakers.  We were surprised as to how short it was today.  We went to the grocery before coming home for a light lunch and a shower.  We ate light because we had been invited to a party in the park.  We took boudin as an appetizer and arrived at 4, the scheduled time for the party to begin.  There must have been 100 people there and we had arrived on time.  Winter Texans are famous for this ongoing social blunder.  There was a ton of Hors d’ oerves, followed by jambalaya and tamales.  We didn’t eat any dessert although they looked delicious.  We have given up desserts for Lent.  We try to think about our Savior’s suffering when we deprive ourselves.  We came home and watched Purdue put up a great fight with Michigan but losing by 1 point. 

Learning about shrimp

Tuesday was our usual Bible study day, but we went to a shrimp boil instead.  We took Dale and Carol Hicks with us to the Port of Brownsville to visit the Zimco Shrimp Company.  There must have been 60 people from our park in attendance the owner gave a long talk about shrimping and shrimp. 

He was a young man whose family had been in the business for 80 years.  We all listened for over an hour.  He told more than I could absorb.  His main goal was to encourage us to always ask for and buy wild caught Gulf shrimp in groceries and restaurants like Red Lobster which serves farm raised shrimp from other countries.

Evelyn was thrilled and eagerly anticipated the shrimp that was boiled for our enjoyment.  The talk began at 10:30 and ended—sort of—at around noon.  That is when we were taken out to the shrimp boat for an on the spot lecture.  The wind had picked up considerably, making it miserably cold.  We were blessed to have brought jackets.  The man outside gave a very detailed description of life while shrimping in the Gulf.   

The box this man holds a box that would be frozen 3/4 full of beheaded shrimp.  By the way, shrimp is frozen on the boat while still shrimping in the Gulf.  Most of the shrimp boat is a big freezer.  He did a good job of going through the process of catching, heading, and freezing the shrimp. 

We returned to the hall for some free shrimp.  The owner boiled it and then cooled it in ice.  He told us how long to boil it and cool it.

Then we enjoyed some of his product.

We went to their store and bought 24 ounces of shrimp for $6.50 per pound.  This was a good price for the size of the shrimp.  We stopped for lunch at Rudy’s barbecue on the way home. 

Golfing again

Saturday Frank Richards came to ask me to distribute Bibles to the Airport Elementary School by myself because his sister-in-law has died in Iowa.  He wants to go to the funeral and will be gone next Friday.  I went to ask Don Reddel if he would help and he agreed.  Then Frank wanted to play golf at a nearby par 3 course.  We had done some intense cleaning of the porch, so I went.  I soon wished I hadn’t.  I don’t know when I played worse.  The course itself had virtually no grass due to the extreme draught.  The ball will roll forever but still has to be directed.  It was a delightful day for anything outdoors but still dry.  I came home and continued working on tomorrow’s service. 

The message was a gift from God as was the Holy Supper we were blessed with.  The worship committee had decided to go to the brunch at the main hall instead of waiting to go to Victoria Palms next Sunday.  I was glad.  We enjoyed some of the best pancakes we have ever had and gratefully paid for the committee’s meals.  I thank God for those men and women that make my job much easier.  We went to Big Lots to shop because everything was 20% off.  We bought some staples and came home for lunch.  I should remind you that I can eat sweets and desserts on Sunday.  I ate chocolate covered M&Ms for breakfast before the brunch.  I ate more when we returned home.  Evelyn hadn’t slept well and went to bed after lunch.  I almost joined her but got hooked on the Purdue game at Wisconsin.  After being down in double digits, Purdue fought back and won the game by 12.  I ended up not having a nap.  We went to John and Sue’s for some steaks that had been given to them.  It was a very good dinner, followed by entertainment in their hall by the Ponches family.  It was only a fair show but was well planned and rehearsed.  We came home early because we were both tired.

Monday we went to Mexico with John and Sue.  We had breakfast there but won’t again.  Evelyn doesn’t like much other than cereal or pancakes, etc. so we will eat a different meal if we eat again.  She wanted to buy a dress for the girls to share, and I wanted to have something done about my bridge.  I bite and rip my gum when the bridge is in while I eat.  She ground the “hook” but I later found out that it didn’t do much good.  I also bought some liquor for Shirley Casterline.  We will return before leaving for the summer to get pedicures.  We came home and I skipped lunch to go play golf with some men from Trail’s End.  I played my average until hole 9 again.  Today the group used golf cars instead of walking.  It was another beautiful day but very windy.  I think the wind averaged 35 mph.  I returned home by 3:30 but didn’t eat a meal until 6.  We then took a long walk and watched the first episode of “The Bible” and were somewhat disappointed with what was left out, e. g. all of the story of Joseph.  Evelyn spent over an hour talking with Jo Wooten from Clyde.  Some people have no sense or consideration.

plans for the summer

The biggest thing about Wednesday was our talk with Andrew about when he would be returning home to Utah.  He thought early May, so I made flight reservations for May 2 to return May 16. 

Thursday we went to a dance featuring the Renaissance Rockers, a group of doctors from McAllen who have a rock band.  We were with John and Sue and had a lot of fun.   We had tried to get our neighbors to come for gumbo without success.  We will try one more time before accepting that they don’t want to be close with us.  I must go back to  talk about the dance.  We have a great time when we go to dances.  It is fun to see many people who are around our age acting like teenagers or like they did in their early 20s.  We thank God for the measure of health He allows us to have.

Friday was kitchen band in the morning and hospital in the afternoon.  I always work at the information desk, but Evelyn worked with the staff nurse doing some filing.  I had an interesting experience.  I took a woman to her van after her release.  She had her leg bandaged after surgery and couldn’t put any weight on it.  She had an elderly man driving her home but couldn’t sit in a seat because she could never get out after reaching home.  One of the male nurses helped take the seats out of the back of the van, make a flat place and put the woman in so she could lie down for her ride to Mercedes.  It took nearly half an hour to get her loaded.  After work we met Paul and Donna at Chili’s for dinner before returning home.