25 th Feb:
Guess what ? We watch the Scottie's for most of the day. We did however call a timeout and when to the show, " A Dog's Purpose " with our friends. This movie was shot in Virden, Brandon and Minnidosa and demonstrates how a dog effects the life of a family in a most enjoyable way. It does display a little bit of a love story and doesn't take any intensive thinking to follow the plot.
After the show we convinced our friends to go to Mr. Gattis for supper since they had never been there. It is a Buffet style Pizza " Joint " that also serves Bake potato, Pasta, Salad Bar and several desserts.
Unfortunately , this happens to be Saturday night and every Hispanic family within 100 miles also chose Mr. Gattis as their choice of Venue for tonight. I believe that all young Hispanic couples have made a pact with the " Lord " to produce at least 5 "screaming" kids and to bring them to Mr. Gattis just to piss-off us Gringos.
Because this is a Buffet, lots of the food is wasted but I notice that 3 young guys in their early 20's each took two plates of pizza and pasta and they each left 1 plate that was never touch. I ask the young girl Busing the tables, how much food was wasted and she said , not counting the adults, she said the rest of the customers probably waste 1/2 of what they take which is dam sin. And price for Kids is 4. 99 and for Seniors.... 5.99. Cheers
26 Feb:
This morning we had breakfast with our friends Larry and Holly as this is the last Sunday for them as they leave next Sunday for home as they sold their home in Texas. They have been coming to Weslaco, TX for 23 years so it will be sad for them but due to their age they decided to sell now as they had a "willing " buyer.
The rest of the day was committed to watching both the Bronze medal and the Gold Medal curling game of the Scottie's. Any of the 4 finalist would be a good representative for Canada at the World's but I feel the Holman team is the best. However, we are in enemy territory in this Park as the majority are from Manitoba. Cheers
27 Feb:
This was a totally wasted day in our life. I did nothing all day and Carroll helped me.
After supper Carroll's friend talked her in to going to Bingo, which she detest but had nothing better to do. I also figure that Bingo is right there with watching the rinse cycle in the washing machine.
I , on the other hand, went to play cards " euchre " where at least you have to think a little. Although, there was a few times when some folks had a Senior moment but it helps to kill 2 hours and the Oilers where on a day off. Cheers
Stop trying to make everyone Happy ; You are not on Tequila.
Tuesday, 28 February 2017
Saturday, 25 February 2017
Happenings 21 to 24 Feb... dated 25 Feb 17
21 Feb:
Actually, nothing got done today because we saturated ourselves with watching the Scottie's. We were away on Sun and Mon on the Casino Trip so we had to get caught up on the Ladies curling. Oh yes, there were at least two hockey games in the evening. Boy, I'm sure glad we brought a second TV. cheers
22 Feb:
Again the Scottie's took up most of the day but we took a " Timeout" in the afternoon and invited 3 friends over for a Happy Hour. Sam and Mary are from Winnipeg and own a home in this Park. Sam had a most interesting career as a Policeman in Winnipeg for 34 Years. He entered the Police Force as a 17 year old Cadet but he was mentored for three years before he could carry a weapon. I don't know if the training for the police is done this way anymore but it sounded like a great idea. Our other friend Dan , who lost his wife 3 years ago, was also a Policeman in Winnipeg. I guess the Cops stick together.
The temperature on our deck was about 95 F (33 C ) but there was a slight breeze but we made sure that we drank sufficient liquids so we did not suffer from dehydration. cheer
Praying will get you in touch with the Lord; Having an affair with someone's wife will get you there faster.
23 Feb: A new restaurant open across the street from our Park this year. Actually the old one burnt down last year and the cause of the fire has never been determined. My guess is a gallon of gas and a match was the probable cause.
Our friends , Larry and Holly had never eaten there and since they were busy pre-packing as they sold their home and have to be out by the 6 of March we invited them to meet us their for lunch. All Hamburg's are 1/2 a lb and the French Fries are real potatoes , not McCains, and you get to dress up your own burger from a salad bar. I never thought a Hamburger joint would be such an attraction. The wait time is usually 15 to 20 minutes so I drum up a conversation with the guy next to me and he was from London , ON. Naturally, we had enough in common to keep the conversation going until he got called for his table.
Tonight we went to another Music night with a quartet called the December 63. The music was Frankie Vallie and the Jersey Boys. They were good enough that Carroll purchased their CD for ten bucks. Cheers
24 Feb:
Today was a really really hot day as it reached 95F ( 33 C ) on our deck and our deck is covered. I found a tarp in the shed so I hung it up on the west side to protect us against the Sun as we had invited 5 people over for Happy Hour. The tarp did deflect some of the heat however. We had a slight breeze so that also helped to make it bearable. Again we made sure that everyone drank lots of healthy liquid sure as wine,beer and iced tea for Carroll.
One of the ladies is our friend ( Terry ) from Medicine Hat and she had her sister and partner ( Margret Ann and Tom ) visiting from Nova Scotia . Tom is an interesting person as he owns several Subway Franchise in NS and in the USA and he also said he had at least one Taco Franchise.
The other couple are from Dauphin, MT ( Bya and Roy ) and we have known them for several years as we met then here in TX about 6 years ago. The are moving to a condo in Brandon later is year.
As a snack , Carroll whipped up a feast of Tacos and " Subway Tom " said that Carroll's Taco mix tasted better than they severe at his Taco store and that he needed her recipe. She said I bought the Knorr mix from Wal-Mart.
The forecast for tomorrow is for a cold ( cool ) front to move in and the temp should be from 72 to 75 F. Thank you Mr. Weatherman. Cheers
If you have a Gun you can rob a Bank; If you have a Bank you can rob everyone.
Actually, nothing got done today because we saturated ourselves with watching the Scottie's. We were away on Sun and Mon on the Casino Trip so we had to get caught up on the Ladies curling. Oh yes, there were at least two hockey games in the evening. Boy, I'm sure glad we brought a second TV. cheers
22 Feb:
Again the Scottie's took up most of the day but we took a " Timeout" in the afternoon and invited 3 friends over for a Happy Hour. Sam and Mary are from Winnipeg and own a home in this Park. Sam had a most interesting career as a Policeman in Winnipeg for 34 Years. He entered the Police Force as a 17 year old Cadet but he was mentored for three years before he could carry a weapon. I don't know if the training for the police is done this way anymore but it sounded like a great idea. Our other friend Dan , who lost his wife 3 years ago, was also a Policeman in Winnipeg. I guess the Cops stick together.
The temperature on our deck was about 95 F (33 C ) but there was a slight breeze but we made sure that we drank sufficient liquids so we did not suffer from dehydration. cheer
Praying will get you in touch with the Lord; Having an affair with someone's wife will get you there faster.
23 Feb: A new restaurant open across the street from our Park this year. Actually the old one burnt down last year and the cause of the fire has never been determined. My guess is a gallon of gas and a match was the probable cause.
Our friends , Larry and Holly had never eaten there and since they were busy pre-packing as they sold their home and have to be out by the 6 of March we invited them to meet us their for lunch. All Hamburg's are 1/2 a lb and the French Fries are real potatoes , not McCains, and you get to dress up your own burger from a salad bar. I never thought a Hamburger joint would be such an attraction. The wait time is usually 15 to 20 minutes so I drum up a conversation with the guy next to me and he was from London , ON. Naturally, we had enough in common to keep the conversation going until he got called for his table.
Tonight we went to another Music night with a quartet called the December 63. The music was Frankie Vallie and the Jersey Boys. They were good enough that Carroll purchased their CD for ten bucks. Cheers
24 Feb:
Today was a really really hot day as it reached 95F ( 33 C ) on our deck and our deck is covered. I found a tarp in the shed so I hung it up on the west side to protect us against the Sun as we had invited 5 people over for Happy Hour. The tarp did deflect some of the heat however. We had a slight breeze so that also helped to make it bearable. Again we made sure that everyone drank lots of healthy liquid sure as wine,beer and iced tea for Carroll.
One of the ladies is our friend ( Terry ) from Medicine Hat and she had her sister and partner ( Margret Ann and Tom ) visiting from Nova Scotia . Tom is an interesting person as he owns several Subway Franchise in NS and in the USA and he also said he had at least one Taco Franchise.
The other couple are from Dauphin, MT ( Bya and Roy ) and we have known them for several years as we met then here in TX about 6 years ago. The are moving to a condo in Brandon later is year.
As a snack , Carroll whipped up a feast of Tacos and " Subway Tom " said that Carroll's Taco mix tasted better than they severe at his Taco store and that he needed her recipe. She said I bought the Knorr mix from Wal-Mart.
The forecast for tomorrow is for a cold ( cool ) front to move in and the temp should be from 72 to 75 F. Thank you Mr. Weatherman. Cheers
If you have a Gun you can rob a Bank; If you have a Bank you can rob everyone.
Thursday, 23 February 2017
The Casino at Egale Pass .. 19 and 20 Feb 17
Our friends Larry and Holly ask us if we were interested in going to a Casino and before he finished the question Carroll said yes. I said where is and what's the story because I never heard of a Casino in our area. As a point of interest, I have been told that the Great state of Texas has one Casino and we are going to visit it. However, to get there we will be taking a 6 hour Bus trip ( one way ) for a cost of 80.00 PP which includes our room in a 4.5 star hotel which is part of the Casino.
Then to entice new folks like us , they give you 45.00 to feed the Slots or as one guy says he calls them " Sluts " because you feed them money, you get screwed and you go home broke.
Back to the Bus trip: This is a 2 day, overnight trip and we departed at 7:30 AM. The bus ride takes us thru several small cities/ town until we reach Laredo ( I'm sure you have heard of Laredo) where we stopped at a truck stop for lunch. This was the biggest truck stop I have ever seen and believe me I have seen many truck stop in the past 18 years that we have been on the road. And there was a second truck stop across the freeway which was the same size. We stopped in Laredo in 1998 for fuel and I thought of it as a small border town probably with a Pop. of 20 or 30 thousand but man, what a surprise when we see it as it now has a bypass to get around the city. The Pop in 2013 was 230,000 so I would guess that it is well over 300, 000 today.
Once on the road the Guide ( a lady ) ask if we would like to watch a movie or play Bingo. The vote was for Bingo so she charged 5.00 for a card. About 40 people ( not us ) bought cards and I guessed that 40 people played which was 200.00 . The prizes that I seen where about 10.00 or less ( coffee Mugs ) and there was 10 games so I would guess that the guide pocket the other 100.00.
We arrived at the " Kickapoo " Casino which is on the Kickapoo Indian land ( that is a surprise ) at 2 PM but our rooms were not available until 4 PM so guess what we did for 2 hours using our own money. Incidentally I did not gamble one penny. I took a good book, my iPad and my iphone.
Then we had to get a Players Card which they loaded with 45.00 and that was appreciated. I will say that it was a great Hotel/ Casino with 3 restaurants with reasonable prices which is great because the town is 15 miles away and I don't think I would want to visit it. Eagle Pass is also an International Border crossing.
Carroll played with her money on Sunday and when she finished at 10 PM she had 55.00 which was basically House Money. On Monday she played with my Players Card and was up 50.00 and again this House Money which was OK with me since we did lose any money.
20 Feb: We left the Casino at noon and stopped at the same Truck Stop in Laredo, mostly to stretch our legs. The guide put on a comedy movie on the way home. The trip was OK but I can assure you that we made two bus trips to a Casino .... first and last. cheers
Then to entice new folks like us , they give you 45.00 to feed the Slots or as one guy says he calls them " Sluts " because you feed them money, you get screwed and you go home broke.
Back to the Bus trip: This is a 2 day, overnight trip and we departed at 7:30 AM. The bus ride takes us thru several small cities/ town until we reach Laredo ( I'm sure you have heard of Laredo) where we stopped at a truck stop for lunch. This was the biggest truck stop I have ever seen and believe me I have seen many truck stop in the past 18 years that we have been on the road. And there was a second truck stop across the freeway which was the same size. We stopped in Laredo in 1998 for fuel and I thought of it as a small border town probably with a Pop. of 20 or 30 thousand but man, what a surprise when we see it as it now has a bypass to get around the city. The Pop in 2013 was 230,000 so I would guess that it is well over 300, 000 today.
Once on the road the Guide ( a lady ) ask if we would like to watch a movie or play Bingo. The vote was for Bingo so she charged 5.00 for a card. About 40 people ( not us ) bought cards and I guessed that 40 people played which was 200.00 . The prizes that I seen where about 10.00 or less ( coffee Mugs ) and there was 10 games so I would guess that the guide pocket the other 100.00.
We arrived at the " Kickapoo " Casino which is on the Kickapoo Indian land ( that is a surprise ) at 2 PM but our rooms were not available until 4 PM so guess what we did for 2 hours using our own money. Incidentally I did not gamble one penny. I took a good book, my iPad and my iphone.
Then we had to get a Players Card which they loaded with 45.00 and that was appreciated. I will say that it was a great Hotel/ Casino with 3 restaurants with reasonable prices which is great because the town is 15 miles away and I don't think I would want to visit it. Eagle Pass is also an International Border crossing.
Carroll played with her money on Sunday and when she finished at 10 PM she had 55.00 which was basically House Money. On Monday she played with my Players Card and was up 50.00 and again this House Money which was OK with me since we did lose any money.
20 Feb: We left the Casino at noon and stopped at the same Truck Stop in Laredo, mostly to stretch our legs. The guide put on a comedy movie on the way home. The trip was OK but I can assure you that we made two bus trips to a Casino .... first and last. cheers
Wednesday, 22 February 2017
The Scotties start today ; 18 Feb 17
I got up around 6:30 and it was foggy (18 C ) as it has been a few mornings in Feb. But today it was really thick with sight distance of 500 feet. However, once the Sun rises it burns off quite fast and it was clear by 10 AM.
The Scottie's started today so were welded to the TV and will be for the week. Since we have "His and Hers TVs " I will be bouncing between the curling and the hockey games in the evening on my TV.
However, we took a break in the evening as went to see the show " Hidden Figures " with Larry and Holly and then a stop at the Olive Gardens for supper. If you have not seen this show you must put it on your "To Do List ". It is about 3 Black Ladies that worked for NASA and if the story is factual it is doubtful that John Glen would have safely been launched and return to earth. A real enjoyable movie. cheers
The Scottie's started today so were welded to the TV and will be for the week. Since we have "His and Hers TVs " I will be bouncing between the curling and the hockey games in the evening on my TV.
However, we took a break in the evening as went to see the show " Hidden Figures " with Larry and Holly and then a stop at the Olive Gardens for supper. If you have not seen this show you must put it on your "To Do List ". It is about 3 Black Ladies that worked for NASA and if the story is factual it is doubtful that John Glen would have safely been launched and return to earth. A real enjoyable movie. cheers
Mexico Run 17 Feb 17
17 Feb: Mexico Run
While visiting with Larry and Holly earlier this week , the ladies decided it was time for a Run to MX as they needed their nails done. After checking our schedules, Friday was the only day that we both had available. The plan was for the ladies to get their nails done and for Larry and I do get a hair cut and a shoe shine which we did. This will Larry and Holly's trip to MX as they sold there mobile home that they purchased 18 years ago. The new owners will take ownership on 5 March so L and H are going home to Brandon.
I always go to the Salon with Carroll so I have some idea when she will be done because I am not sitting in a Salon , watching the ladies file nails. So Carroll spoke to the "Boss " lady and she said that Carroll was "next". Mexican's have a different definition of words then we do and the word next just means after someone else so I challenged her on if next means next and she said I will do Carroll's nails right after I finish cutting this ladies hair. Great, I be back in an hour, but I did notice that several other Winter Texan ladies in the Salon giving me a "Indifferent" look as if I did something wrong.
I then went for a hair cut while Larry chased down his Shoeshine guy. I always ask the price of a hair cut so they can't change their mine and of course I ask for a trim which usually ends up somewhere between a "scalp job " and too short but I reminded the barber if it is too short I will not be back. Then I found Larry and I had his "guy " shine my shoe also.
We knew the ladies would be at least an hour so we visited a bar for a quiet place for a beer. However, they were warning up a band for a dance so we walked out. We then checked out 2 more bars before we settled on the Red Snapper. Beer was 1.00 if you drank Sol so we took up the challenge but after the 1 st swig I recalled why I never drink Sol.
We finally recued the girls and stayed at the Red Snapper for lunch. Then the girls did some unnecessary shopping before we headed home. cheers
While visiting with Larry and Holly earlier this week , the ladies decided it was time for a Run to MX as they needed their nails done. After checking our schedules, Friday was the only day that we both had available. The plan was for the ladies to get their nails done and for Larry and I do get a hair cut and a shoe shine which we did. This will Larry and Holly's trip to MX as they sold there mobile home that they purchased 18 years ago. The new owners will take ownership on 5 March so L and H are going home to Brandon.
I always go to the Salon with Carroll so I have some idea when she will be done because I am not sitting in a Salon , watching the ladies file nails. So Carroll spoke to the "Boss " lady and she said that Carroll was "next". Mexican's have a different definition of words then we do and the word next just means after someone else so I challenged her on if next means next and she said I will do Carroll's nails right after I finish cutting this ladies hair. Great, I be back in an hour, but I did notice that several other Winter Texan ladies in the Salon giving me a "Indifferent" look as if I did something wrong.
I then went for a hair cut while Larry chased down his Shoeshine guy. I always ask the price of a hair cut so they can't change their mine and of course I ask for a trim which usually ends up somewhere between a "scalp job " and too short but I reminded the barber if it is too short I will not be back. Then I found Larry and I had his "guy " shine my shoe also.
We knew the ladies would be at least an hour so we visited a bar for a quiet place for a beer. However, they were warning up a band for a dance so we walked out. We then checked out 2 more bars before we settled on the Red Snapper. Beer was 1.00 if you drank Sol so we took up the challenge but after the 1 st swig I recalled why I never drink Sol.
We finally recued the girls and stayed at the Red Snapper for lunch. Then the girls did some unnecessary shopping before we headed home. cheers
Tuesday, 21 February 2017
Happenings 14, 15 and 16 Feb. dated 21 Feb 17
14 Feb: Happy Valentine Day: Today is overcast as a cold front moved in and our temp only reached 23 C. Since we did not have much on our plate we called our friends , Larry and Holly to go to the show "Lion". It is about a small boy, age about 7 to 10, in Indian who got on a train because he was lost and ended up, in Calcutta, which was 1600 KM from home. It is a great story and a must see. As pointed out in the movie, there are 80,000 lost children in Indian every year and if the live, a vast majority end up in the sex trade or as a slave.
We normally take in the afternoon movies and after the movie we normally go for supper. We chose Olive Garden but once we were there the wait time was 1 hour so we defaulted to Applebees. cheers
15 Feb: Happy Hour. About two weeks ago, we decided to track down a friend ( Bob Crow ) who we had met at Winter Ranch in 1999. He wasn't home but we left him our "calling card " and he dropped in for a visit a few days later. We mentioned that we had found 5 couples from Winter Ranch who we both knew and use to visit at Happy Hour back in 1999. So he said if we rounded them up he would host a Happy Hour so we could all meet and swap lies for old time sake.
So today was the day for the Party and we had a great time reminiscing about our past travels. One couple are north of 80 years old so they we glad to be invited and to see our faces again.
However, our day never end without some kind of Crisis. I thought I remembered taking our iPhone to the Happy Hour but as we were about to leave the party, the iPhone was nowhere to be seen. We search the area to see if I had dropped it somewhere around the patio or the car. I did receive small lecture from Carroll while we looked for the iPhone.
To put her mind at ease I just remembered that I left it at home. Although I knew it was not true it did somewhat dampen the lecture until we got home. Once we got home we search the house but still no phone. We called the iPhone number but there was no ring so we had to return to the place where the party was held. Now the lecture was restarted all the was back as I now remember that I did take it with me. By now it is dark so I went to the two areas where I got out of the car and searched with a flashlight in the dark but no luck. Then I returned to Bob's place and ask if he has seen it during the after party cleanup. Since he had not seen the iPhone we went to search the area and Carroll stayed in the car. We did not located the phone but Bob says let me call the number with my phone and if it is laying on the ground we should hear the ring. Shortly after Bob dialed our number Carroll could be heard holler; I found it; it was in the car.
Apparently I took the phone off my belt before I got out of the car at the party and it fell into the rear seat area and then rolled under the front seat. Yep!! it was all my fault. cheers
16 Feb: Temp at 7 AM was 11 C but by noon it was 25 C.
We did have much on our plate for today so Carroll called a couple who are from Medicine Hat and invited them over for a drink. We swapped stories for 2 hours and learned they had lived in Yorkton, SK until they retired and moved to Med Hat in 2016. That pretty much killed the day. cheers
The stock market is frustrating; I swear if I bought shares in a cemetery people would stop dying
We normally take in the afternoon movies and after the movie we normally go for supper. We chose Olive Garden but once we were there the wait time was 1 hour so we defaulted to Applebees. cheers
15 Feb: Happy Hour. About two weeks ago, we decided to track down a friend ( Bob Crow ) who we had met at Winter Ranch in 1999. He wasn't home but we left him our "calling card " and he dropped in for a visit a few days later. We mentioned that we had found 5 couples from Winter Ranch who we both knew and use to visit at Happy Hour back in 1999. So he said if we rounded them up he would host a Happy Hour so we could all meet and swap lies for old time sake.
So today was the day for the Party and we had a great time reminiscing about our past travels. One couple are north of 80 years old so they we glad to be invited and to see our faces again.
However, our day never end without some kind of Crisis. I thought I remembered taking our iPhone to the Happy Hour but as we were about to leave the party, the iPhone was nowhere to be seen. We search the area to see if I had dropped it somewhere around the patio or the car. I did receive small lecture from Carroll while we looked for the iPhone.
To put her mind at ease I just remembered that I left it at home. Although I knew it was not true it did somewhat dampen the lecture until we got home. Once we got home we search the house but still no phone. We called the iPhone number but there was no ring so we had to return to the place where the party was held. Now the lecture was restarted all the was back as I now remember that I did take it with me. By now it is dark so I went to the two areas where I got out of the car and searched with a flashlight in the dark but no luck. Then I returned to Bob's place and ask if he has seen it during the after party cleanup. Since he had not seen the iPhone we went to search the area and Carroll stayed in the car. We did not located the phone but Bob says let me call the number with my phone and if it is laying on the ground we should hear the ring. Shortly after Bob dialed our number Carroll could be heard holler; I found it; it was in the car.
Apparently I took the phone off my belt before I got out of the car at the party and it fell into the rear seat area and then rolled under the front seat. Yep!! it was all my fault. cheers
16 Feb: Temp at 7 AM was 11 C but by noon it was 25 C.
We did have much on our plate for today so Carroll called a couple who are from Medicine Hat and invited them over for a drink. We swapped stories for 2 hours and learned they had lived in Yorkton, SK until they retired and moved to Med Hat in 2016. That pretty much killed the day. cheers
The stock market is frustrating; I swear if I bought shares in a cemetery people would stop dying
Saturday, 18 February 2017
Microwave Story for 12 and 13 Feb; dated 18 Feb 17
12 Feb Sunday
First we had breakfast with our friends ( Larry and Holly ) and then we are returning the Microwave we purchased yesterday as it has a height of 12 inches and no amount of swearing could get it to fit in the shelve.
After going thru the " Customer Service " ( boy that is a well worn term ) and getting a refund, which incidentally will cost me money because the funds would go from Cdn to USD and after the return the money would go from USD to Cdn , we went back to the Microwave counter and found the exact Microwave we wanted on the "Display" shelf, which read 11.8 " in Height. Now I had to track down one of those "ready to serve you " associates that seem to hide as soon as you need them.
I don't believe these people actually want to work at Wal-Mart, they just want to get out of the house and let someone else look after their kids.
We actually found a lady that was walking around with that computerized Gun that usually tells them nothing. She pointed the Gun at the one on the display shelf and married it up with one in a box. We challenged her on the fact that we could not find the dimensions her Gun said it was the same "SKU" so we took it home. After we got it home and before I opened it Carroll found the dimensions and the height was 12 " so it is going back but not until tomorrow. We have more import things to down, although I can't think what they are.
13 Feb 17
We now have two problems today . First the microwave has to go back to Wal-Mart and we have not received a Power bill for Jan as it was suppose to arrive by mail around the 1st of Feb and I don't want a call from the "collections agency" so I have to solve this problem.
Since Carroll has an " Agua -size " class at 10:30 I decided to visit the of the Magic Valley Power company which is a few miles away. The first person you meet at this office is a clerk , who directs you to the payment counter as if I can't read the sign that says payment. I explained my dilemma to the payment clerk. She pulls up the bill up on the computer and says I could pay it by check or Visa but not by cash. However, she suggested I get the original copy which would be in their archives. I agreed but I then had to go to another clerk in another office. Luckily I was the only customer in the building so there was no waiting. This clerk listen to my story , took down my particulars and said she would go "upstairs " to retrieve the original bill. She returned with my statement and said I owed 80.00 but she only took cash or check not Visa. I'm sure there is a good reason for this but I just can't imagine what it would be. I paid by cash as I just wanted the problem solved.
The problem was that we gave them our street address and all mail has to have the park address and the park then puts the mail in our mail slot. So I ask her to correct the address; she can't do that as it must be done by calling their head office in San Antonio, which I did when I got home.
Does this sound like a "make work project". Trump said he was going to put America back to work. I don't think there are any openings.
Back to the Microwave. We returned the Microwave to Wal-Mart and then search for the right one ourselves, allowing the "associate"
to meander around store with her trusty Gun oblivious to the real world, Once we found the right Microwave, which I could not reach it as it was 2 feet above my head so rather bother any lady " associates " I found a young guy who retrieve it for us.
The Microwave is now installed and working. Problem solved as the owner said to buy one and send him the bill. Cheers
First we had breakfast with our friends ( Larry and Holly ) and then we are returning the Microwave we purchased yesterday as it has a height of 12 inches and no amount of swearing could get it to fit in the shelve.
After going thru the " Customer Service " ( boy that is a well worn term ) and getting a refund, which incidentally will cost me money because the funds would go from Cdn to USD and after the return the money would go from USD to Cdn , we went back to the Microwave counter and found the exact Microwave we wanted on the "Display" shelf, which read 11.8 " in Height. Now I had to track down one of those "ready to serve you " associates that seem to hide as soon as you need them.
I don't believe these people actually want to work at Wal-Mart, they just want to get out of the house and let someone else look after their kids.
We actually found a lady that was walking around with that computerized Gun that usually tells them nothing. She pointed the Gun at the one on the display shelf and married it up with one in a box. We challenged her on the fact that we could not find the dimensions her Gun said it was the same "SKU" so we took it home. After we got it home and before I opened it Carroll found the dimensions and the height was 12 " so it is going back but not until tomorrow. We have more import things to down, although I can't think what they are.
13 Feb 17
We now have two problems today . First the microwave has to go back to Wal-Mart and we have not received a Power bill for Jan as it was suppose to arrive by mail around the 1st of Feb and I don't want a call from the "collections agency" so I have to solve this problem.
Since Carroll has an " Agua -size " class at 10:30 I decided to visit the of the Magic Valley Power company which is a few miles away. The first person you meet at this office is a clerk , who directs you to the payment counter as if I can't read the sign that says payment. I explained my dilemma to the payment clerk. She pulls up the bill up on the computer and says I could pay it by check or Visa but not by cash. However, she suggested I get the original copy which would be in their archives. I agreed but I then had to go to another clerk in another office. Luckily I was the only customer in the building so there was no waiting. This clerk listen to my story , took down my particulars and said she would go "upstairs " to retrieve the original bill. She returned with my statement and said I owed 80.00 but she only took cash or check not Visa. I'm sure there is a good reason for this but I just can't imagine what it would be. I paid by cash as I just wanted the problem solved.
The problem was that we gave them our street address and all mail has to have the park address and the park then puts the mail in our mail slot. So I ask her to correct the address; she can't do that as it must be done by calling their head office in San Antonio, which I did when I got home.
Does this sound like a "make work project". Trump said he was going to put America back to work. I don't think there are any openings.
Back to the Microwave. We returned the Microwave to Wal-Mart and then search for the right one ourselves, allowing the "associate"
to meander around store with her trusty Gun oblivious to the real world, Once we found the right Microwave, which I could not reach it as it was 2 feet above my head so rather bother any lady " associates " I found a young guy who retrieve it for us.
The Microwave is now installed and working. Problem solved as the owner said to buy one and send him the bill. Cheers
Happenings ... 11 dated 18 Feb 17
First I must tell that the Microwave " shit itself " so now we need to contact the owner to see if he will pay for a replacement ASP. I sent him an email last evening so I hope to get a reply today. I'm not sure if he checks his email daily but I will call tomorrow if I don't get a reply.
Today is Patio Sale Day; nobody has a garage so you can't call it a garage sale. You can only have a Patio sale whenever the management designates a day because you can't have every "Tom , Dick and Harry" ambling thru the Park and the park usually designates 2 days a year so everyone can exchange their JUNK. The management also host a Craft Sale in the Rec Hall once a month in Jan, Feb and March which is open to the public. This qualifies as new Junk.
We went shopping for a Microwave , assuming the owner would pay and it seemed that Wal-Mart had the best selection. We were surprised that Target had a poor selection and Best Buy were too expensive. Our problem is that the space for the Microwave was restricted height to a "sliver " less than 12 inches. I did not want to cut a 1/4 inch of the opening but it was hard to find a Microwave less than 12 inches. So we bought a Microwave with a 12 " height and once we got it home there was no way it would fit so it will be returned tomorrow.
On the way home Carroll just "had" to stop at the "Mexican" grocery store that had a large meat counter. She wanted a few chicken breast, which were on sale , as we had invited a friend over for supper tomorrow and she is a " finicky" eater.
I'm fairly sure we were the only Caucasians in the store and believe me it is Mexican style. First the front door was hard to open and then it would not close properly and nobody seemed to care. As you enter the store you immediately think you are in the heart of MX. The language of choice is Hispanic but they switch back and forth easily and they speak English to us as it is obvious we are not Hispanic. A majority of the food on the shelves are in both languages and some are only in Hispanic.
However, this area is mainly Hispanic and I can't recall being served by a Caucasian in any store, including Wal-Mart since we have been here.
Now, back to the meat counter. Carroll ordered 3 chicken breast assuming she would get 3 reasonable size breast. Unbeknown to Carroll there is a different definition between Carroll and the server as to want constitute a chicken breast. To the server, a breast means both breast and these particular chicken must have been on steroids. So Carroll changed her order to 2 breast so now our menu with include lots of chicken. cheers
At my age a life sentence doesn't seem all that bad.
Today is Patio Sale Day; nobody has a garage so you can't call it a garage sale. You can only have a Patio sale whenever the management designates a day because you can't have every "Tom , Dick and Harry" ambling thru the Park and the park usually designates 2 days a year so everyone can exchange their JUNK. The management also host a Craft Sale in the Rec Hall once a month in Jan, Feb and March which is open to the public. This qualifies as new Junk.
We went shopping for a Microwave , assuming the owner would pay and it seemed that Wal-Mart had the best selection. We were surprised that Target had a poor selection and Best Buy were too expensive. Our problem is that the space for the Microwave was restricted height to a "sliver " less than 12 inches. I did not want to cut a 1/4 inch of the opening but it was hard to find a Microwave less than 12 inches. So we bought a Microwave with a 12 " height and once we got it home there was no way it would fit so it will be returned tomorrow.
On the way home Carroll just "had" to stop at the "Mexican" grocery store that had a large meat counter. She wanted a few chicken breast, which were on sale , as we had invited a friend over for supper tomorrow and she is a " finicky" eater.
I'm fairly sure we were the only Caucasians in the store and believe me it is Mexican style. First the front door was hard to open and then it would not close properly and nobody seemed to care. As you enter the store you immediately think you are in the heart of MX. The language of choice is Hispanic but they switch back and forth easily and they speak English to us as it is obvious we are not Hispanic. A majority of the food on the shelves are in both languages and some are only in Hispanic.
However, this area is mainly Hispanic and I can't recall being served by a Caucasian in any store, including Wal-Mart since we have been here.
Now, back to the meat counter. Carroll ordered 3 chicken breast assuming she would get 3 reasonable size breast. Unbeknown to Carroll there is a different definition between Carroll and the server as to want constitute a chicken breast. To the server, a breast means both breast and these particular chicken must have been on steroids. So Carroll changed her order to 2 breast so now our menu with include lots of chicken. cheers
At my age a life sentence doesn't seem all that bad.
Saturday, 11 February 2017
Happenigs 7 to 10 Feb .... 11 Feb 17
7 Feb: Didn't do a dam thing and Carroll helped me, or in other words we took a day off.
8 Feb: We have a clothes line and Carroll likes to hang out the clothes but I was told , by a passing owner, that occupants ( apparently that means us ) are not allowed to hang out clothes because it somehow it makes us appear to be low class. I'm thinking that the Whole Dam World is talking about getting off fossil fuels and using the "Solar Dryer" is forbidden. What the hell is wrong with this picture.
The two occupants behind us have a small clothes line and I have two lines so they use ours if necessary. The one lady says she is a farm girl and has used a clothes line all her life so until she is ordered to stop she will continue to use it. Right On.
We have a pulley line and just as Carroll was hanging out clothes it snapped. So now, do I replace it or leave it. I went to the local Hardware store and purchased 50 ft of line for 7.00 and for that price I will replace it, but I not today as we have company coming this after noon.
Our friends , Ken and Linda, came to our place for a visit and to swap travel stories as we have not met for a few years. They are in another park but we have known they for many years. We actually met in Fiji when we took a side trip to Fiji while in New Zealand. While in Fiji we compared notes on our travels we found out they we both spent our winters in TX in same area, hence the friendship. They are from ( near ) Fort Francis , Ontario but have purchased a home in TX and of course spend the winter here.
9 Feb: Oh, I decided to install the clothes line today just so I could say I accomplished something. Sure makes life worth living, doesn't it!!!
We have tickets for a professional music group tonight ( as opposed to the local guitar player ) called the Rhinestone Country. They played C and W music for two hours and they where worth the 14.00 ticket price. Cheers
Brady confirmed his shirt was not stolen; it was just deflated.
10 Feb: Today was overcast , dreary and misty so we decided to go to a show that was highly recommended called "Manchester By the Sea ". It was all right as the setting was around the Boston area in the beginning of winter so the Cinematography was great but the story line wasn't that great.
The show started at 4 PM so we decided to have Chinese food after the show. It was a Buffett so you pay "first". I said two Seniors ( as if the clerk couldn't tell ) and she said that will be 21.00: I said for both of us and she said yes unless your a Veteran and then I can give you a discount. I said I'm a Veteran and she said , that will be 19.00. Wow, I save another 2.00 . Cheers
8 Feb: We have a clothes line and Carroll likes to hang out the clothes but I was told , by a passing owner, that occupants ( apparently that means us ) are not allowed to hang out clothes because it somehow it makes us appear to be low class. I'm thinking that the Whole Dam World is talking about getting off fossil fuels and using the "Solar Dryer" is forbidden. What the hell is wrong with this picture.
The two occupants behind us have a small clothes line and I have two lines so they use ours if necessary. The one lady says she is a farm girl and has used a clothes line all her life so until she is ordered to stop she will continue to use it. Right On.
We have a pulley line and just as Carroll was hanging out clothes it snapped. So now, do I replace it or leave it. I went to the local Hardware store and purchased 50 ft of line for 7.00 and for that price I will replace it, but I not today as we have company coming this after noon.
Our friends , Ken and Linda, came to our place for a visit and to swap travel stories as we have not met for a few years. They are in another park but we have known they for many years. We actually met in Fiji when we took a side trip to Fiji while in New Zealand. While in Fiji we compared notes on our travels we found out they we both spent our winters in TX in same area, hence the friendship. They are from ( near ) Fort Francis , Ontario but have purchased a home in TX and of course spend the winter here.
9 Feb: Oh, I decided to install the clothes line today just so I could say I accomplished something. Sure makes life worth living, doesn't it!!!
We have tickets for a professional music group tonight ( as opposed to the local guitar player ) called the Rhinestone Country. They played C and W music for two hours and they where worth the 14.00 ticket price. Cheers
Brady confirmed his shirt was not stolen; it was just deflated.
10 Feb: Today was overcast , dreary and misty so we decided to go to a show that was highly recommended called "Manchester By the Sea ". It was all right as the setting was around the Boston area in the beginning of winter so the Cinematography was great but the story line wasn't that great.
The show started at 4 PM so we decided to have Chinese food after the show. It was a Buffett so you pay "first". I said two Seniors ( as if the clerk couldn't tell ) and she said that will be 21.00: I said for both of us and she said yes unless your a Veteran and then I can give you a discount. I said I'm a Veteran and she said , that will be 19.00. Wow, I save another 2.00 . Cheers
Friday, 10 February 2017
Mouse in the House....6 Feb 17
When I got up Saturday morning I noticed, what I thought was a dead bug on the bathroom counter ( I did not have my glasses on ) so I threw it in the toilet and thought no more about it. Then I went into the office to turn on my computer and since I had my glasses on I could see that the bugs where in fact mouse droppings. Major problem since we are sharing our house with a mouse.
I then slip down to the "Dollar Store" which is 1/2 a mile away and purchase 4 mouse traps so this guy better get ready for a "full court press ". I set three traps, one in the bathroom and 2 in my office, using peanut butter as bait. When I got up Sunday, the bait on all 3 traps was gone but no trap were set off. This calls for plan B so I used old cheese for bait and I tied it on with a thread. Sometime in the afternoon we heard a trap in my office being set off but no mouse.
On Monday morning Carroll was making the bed when I her a "discerning" holler/scream ; Tom get in here, there is mouse. By this time she has met me at the bedroom door saying it is over there , dead I think. I can only think that the trap hit him on the head and he dragged himself from the office to the bedroom. We have not seen a Mouse sighting since so I assume it was a "Lone Wolf".
Every Monday night a group from the Park provides a 5.00 meal like Hamburg's, Soup, Chili and /or Stew and these are well attended with about 200 people. This Monday they prepared a turkey dinner at a cost of 6.00 so know Senior with a sane mind is going to pass this dinner up. However it is a first come; first served and they made dinner for 250 people and as you can guess, 300 people showed up so 50 people where turned away and they were not happy.
The Park is raising money to replace the Shuffle Courts and to construction a Pickle Ball court which will cost 250,000.00. In order to raise the money they are running the every popular sport of " Chase The Ace ". They run the Chase the Ace about 3 times a week so I think it will take a few years to raise the 250K they need for their project.
Cheers
Monday, 6 February 2017
Happenings from 1 Feb to 5 Feb.... 6 Feb 17
Much of what we do on a daily basis is repetitive so I don't want to bore you anymore than I may have done already. Therefore I will just give the Date and any high lights;
1 Feb Wed... Every "weekday " morning Carroll goes to Agua-Sizes so that is the last that I will mention that unless someone "drowns " in 4 feet of water. In the afternoon we were paid a visit by Bob Crow from Coruna , ON ( near Sarnia ). We dropped in on Bob a week ago and left a card since he was not home. We first met Bob and Nancy in 1999, however, Nancy died 3 years ago. Bob is hosting a Happy Hour for us "Originals " couples who met in 1999 at Winter Ranch.
2 Feb Thursday... We were invited to Happy Hour and Supper from our friend , Terry who also lives in Medicine Hat.
3 Feb Friday... The day started out Foggy and there was a mist most of the Day. In the afternoon we did get a shower and then during the night it rain most of the early morning.
In the afternoon, we went to the show with our friends, the Nahacheskis.
The show " The Founder " was showing , which for those who have not seen it; it is about Ray Kroc and how he started MacDonald's. We really enjoyed it and strongly recommend it.
The show got out at 6;30 so of course it was supper time and we went to Applebee's because Holly had coupons that got us a 6 oz steak dinner for 10.00. Hey, we are Seniors and coupons are like Gold to us. As a Bonus, the manager gave us the coupons back and told us we could use them anytime between now and the end of April.
4 Feb Saturday... It rained during the early morning but cleared up in the afternoon. We had planned to go to the Kite Festival at South Padre Island, an hour east of here but we already had tickets to a supper at the Park starting a 4:30 so we decided to re-schedule SPI to Sunday.
The supper is called "The Swan River Supper" as you may have guessed it is put on by people from Swan River, MB and is an annual affair. Apparently , people from Swan River started this Park as an Owners Park and is run as a CO-OP where the owners are Share Holders. The Rec hall has a capacity of 350 and they sold every ticket. After the dinner they have held some Horse Races but the Maple Leaf were on TV so I went home to watch them beat Boston.
5 Feb Sunday... We went to the Kite Festival in South Padre Island with the Nahacheskis. Unfortunately The Kite Festival was on Saturday only but there were about 50 people flying Kites or better still most people were "trying " to fly Kites.
One guy was sort of the "Lone Wolf Kite Flyer " so I went over an drummed up a conversation . As it turns out he is a so called Professional and he is also the President of the Kite Flyers in 5 states. I doubt that is a paid position but I did not ask. He pointed out that a World Champion Kite Flyer was teaching about 25 people how to fly a Kite or better still how to do Acrobatics and how to land a 100.00 kite without destroying it. There were many hard landing. Incidentally he charges 50.00 a person
This guy insisted that Carroll fly his Kite and he showed her how easy it was to control it . His kite cost 40.00 and was practically unbreakable. However, he has not seen our G/Kids in action.
We took a lunch with us so we brought out the chair and enjoyed the Kite show which we munch on lunch and a beer. One guy was doing acrobatic with 2 kites at once, with one kite in each hand. He had about 200 feet of tail on the kites which gives him better control. It was amazing how he could control the kites.
They also did some Team flying with 5 guys and it is much like an air show like the Snowbirds. Who knew that Kites were this interesting.
We went for supper at the Pirates Cove and returned home to watch the super Bowl . I was cheering for Atlanta. However, since the Oilers beat Montreal and Koe beat Jacob's in the skins game , I'm 2 of of 3. Cheers.
1 Feb Wed... Every "weekday " morning Carroll goes to Agua-Sizes so that is the last that I will mention that unless someone "drowns " in 4 feet of water. In the afternoon we were paid a visit by Bob Crow from Coruna , ON ( near Sarnia ). We dropped in on Bob a week ago and left a card since he was not home. We first met Bob and Nancy in 1999, however, Nancy died 3 years ago. Bob is hosting a Happy Hour for us "Originals " couples who met in 1999 at Winter Ranch.
2 Feb Thursday... We were invited to Happy Hour and Supper from our friend , Terry who also lives in Medicine Hat.
3 Feb Friday... The day started out Foggy and there was a mist most of the Day. In the afternoon we did get a shower and then during the night it rain most of the early morning.
In the afternoon, we went to the show with our friends, the Nahacheskis.
The show " The Founder " was showing , which for those who have not seen it; it is about Ray Kroc and how he started MacDonald's. We really enjoyed it and strongly recommend it.
The show got out at 6;30 so of course it was supper time and we went to Applebee's because Holly had coupons that got us a 6 oz steak dinner for 10.00. Hey, we are Seniors and coupons are like Gold to us. As a Bonus, the manager gave us the coupons back and told us we could use them anytime between now and the end of April.
4 Feb Saturday... It rained during the early morning but cleared up in the afternoon. We had planned to go to the Kite Festival at South Padre Island, an hour east of here but we already had tickets to a supper at the Park starting a 4:30 so we decided to re-schedule SPI to Sunday.
The supper is called "The Swan River Supper" as you may have guessed it is put on by people from Swan River, MB and is an annual affair. Apparently , people from Swan River started this Park as an Owners Park and is run as a CO-OP where the owners are Share Holders. The Rec hall has a capacity of 350 and they sold every ticket. After the dinner they have held some Horse Races but the Maple Leaf were on TV so I went home to watch them beat Boston.
5 Feb Sunday... We went to the Kite Festival in South Padre Island with the Nahacheskis. Unfortunately The Kite Festival was on Saturday only but there were about 50 people flying Kites or better still most people were "trying " to fly Kites.
One guy was sort of the "Lone Wolf Kite Flyer " so I went over an drummed up a conversation . As it turns out he is a so called Professional and he is also the President of the Kite Flyers in 5 states. I doubt that is a paid position but I did not ask. He pointed out that a World Champion Kite Flyer was teaching about 25 people how to fly a Kite or better still how to do Acrobatics and how to land a 100.00 kite without destroying it. There were many hard landing. Incidentally he charges 50.00 a person
This guy insisted that Carroll fly his Kite and he showed her how easy it was to control it . His kite cost 40.00 and was practically unbreakable. However, he has not seen our G/Kids in action.
We took a lunch with us so we brought out the chair and enjoyed the Kite show which we munch on lunch and a beer. One guy was doing acrobatic with 2 kites at once, with one kite in each hand. He had about 200 feet of tail on the kites which gives him better control. It was amazing how he could control the kites.
They also did some Team flying with 5 guys and it is much like an air show like the Snowbirds. Who knew that Kites were this interesting.
We went for supper at the Pirates Cove and returned home to watch the super Bowl . I was cheering for Atlanta. However, since the Oilers beat Montreal and Koe beat Jacob's in the skins game , I'm 2 of of 3. Cheers.
Wednesday, 1 February 2017
Where did Jan Go...31 Jan 17
Jan must be the fastest 31 days I seen in awhile. It seems that we just got to TX and now 1/3 of our stay here has gone. Oh well, life's a bowl of cherries ; we hope the cherries don't sour.
Today we decided to see if could find friends ( Bob and Phyllis ) who we parked beside in 1999 when we first came to TX. The are from Runaway Bay, TX which is area outside of Dallas and Bob was in the Natural Gas pipeline business. Many years ago they sold their home in Runaway Bay and moved to Mission , TX which about 30 minutes from our Park. We had their phone number and address but we decided to drop in and surprise them. We had visited them several years ago when they lived in their 5 th wheel. They sold their 5th wheel 6 years ago and purchased a double wide mobile home so it has been at 6 years since we have seen them.
Bob is also a musician and has played in a Band most of his life and we have heard his Band play whenever we are in this part of TX. Bob is 82 years old and has just found out that he has the start of Parkinson's which is very unfortunately, however he can still play in the Jam sessions.
In 1999 our "group " at Winter Ranch had many Happy Hours and I recall that when we hosted one and there was 30 people in attendance at our space. Needless to say were were spread out all over and even encroached on the neighbors who were not home. The neighbors were invited but had another Happy Hour to visit. When they came home he got out his Bar-B-Q and "jokingly "ask how we would like our steaks??
So now , 18 years later there are 5 couples in this area and Carroll and I have rounded them up and we are going to have a Happy Hour next week for old time sake. cheers
Today we decided to see if could find friends ( Bob and Phyllis ) who we parked beside in 1999 when we first came to TX. The are from Runaway Bay, TX which is area outside of Dallas and Bob was in the Natural Gas pipeline business. Many years ago they sold their home in Runaway Bay and moved to Mission , TX which about 30 minutes from our Park. We had their phone number and address but we decided to drop in and surprise them. We had visited them several years ago when they lived in their 5 th wheel. They sold their 5th wheel 6 years ago and purchased a double wide mobile home so it has been at 6 years since we have seen them.
Bob is also a musician and has played in a Band most of his life and we have heard his Band play whenever we are in this part of TX. Bob is 82 years old and has just found out that he has the start of Parkinson's which is very unfortunately, however he can still play in the Jam sessions.
In 1999 our "group " at Winter Ranch had many Happy Hours and I recall that when we hosted one and there was 30 people in attendance at our space. Needless to say were were spread out all over and even encroached on the neighbors who were not home. The neighbors were invited but had another Happy Hour to visit. When they came home he got out his Bar-B-Q and "jokingly "ask how we would like our steaks??
So now , 18 years later there are 5 couples in this area and Carroll and I have rounded them up and we are going to have a Happy Hour next week for old time sake. cheers
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