Valentines Day and beyond;

14 Feb: This was a typical lazy day but the weather was beautiful for a change. We had no real plans so we whiled away the day but going to a small town called Las Ferius to do a little grocery shopping since it was only 3 or 4 KM away. Other that going to the local Legion on Friday night for the " Fish Fry " and /or going to the only donut/coffee shop ( we call it the TexMex Tim's ) in the area there is not much there . They do have HEB store which is the Texas version of Wal-Mart and in fact is Wal-Marts only real competition ion this area. would you believe there is no Costco in this area even thought the area serves about 250,000 people, probably more in the winter. Of course we managed to squeeze in a Happy Hour with the neighbours , as you know B. S. and booze alway make for a good mix. And of course you never let the truth get in the way of a good story at Happy Hours, since nobody can confirm your story.

15 Feb; Tuesday is ball game day and our team contiues to "Suck". The wind was blowing at 30 to 40 KM per hr so it was quite a field day trying to catch a fly ball. My nieghbour ask me how many Ball players were on our team and I said 3. He said how can you play with 3 players and i said we can't because the other 9 players are Imposters and that is the reason we get our ass kicked every game.
In the afternoon we dropped over to a friend's house ( mobile home ) as he just purchased it last week so we had to inspect it. They are from Coruna , ON and for those who don't know, that is near Sarnia. they bought it from a couple from Sask , which made the Money transaction much less complicated as the money just went from one Cdn acct to another.

16 FEB : On Wed we took Jean and John to South Padre island which is on the coast of the Gulf of Mexico. S. Padre is a tourist town only and it is a haven for the " March Break " crowd. In fact you do not want to be anywhere near there during March Break . Several years ago we did visit the area to see what was so exciting about March Break. I'm just glad to say that I know our boys would never act like those kids. ha ha . I spoke to Cop once and she said as long as the kids don't break the law they leave them alone. B

9 Feb to 15 Feb-- What Crazy Weather

9 FEB: This was one of those routine days where we made the trip to McAllen for Carroll's Chiropactor appt which actually chews up the morning and then a stop at Wal-Mart on the return trip for a few groceries and a bottle of wine. I would have forgotten the wine except Carroll needed some Ice Tea and they are in the same isle so it is her fault that i drink wine.
I should mention that the temp was a little cool but not cold but it was very windy which means it is going to get warmer, we hope.

10 FEB: So much for summer weather as the temp was 0 C at 6 AM, however it did quickly climb to 9 C by 10 AM and finally reached 17 C by the afternoon. This weather is crazy. By 10 AM we were bored so we picked up some friends and went to the Texas version of Tim Horton's in a small town about 5 miles away. Donut shop are as scarce as hen's teeth in this area but shop is about the size of most Tim's complete with a Drive - Thru. It serves all the bakery type items such as donuts, muffins, sauage rolls etc including soup and a few pre-made sandwiches. However, there were no line ups althought apparently it is busy in the morning. This place will suffice for those of who are having a Tim's withdrawal.
In the evening we invited some neighbours from Dalphin MB over for a coffee and a chat. It is always interesting to see what others did for a living, what their interest are , why or how they ended up here and also we get to hear about their kids and mostly their Grand kids.

11 FEB: As per every Friday we did the trip to Carroll's Chiropractors appt. Incidental her pinch nerve in her neck is improving and she will not require anymore treatments.

However, a Mobile Medical Clinic travels throughtout the Rio Grande valley to provide reasonably priced medical checks to do Screenings to forewarn of a potentional Stroke. For the price of $110.00 they do screening on four areas: The Ateries in your legs, the main Artery leading from the heart for an Aneruysm. This test includes a check on Gall Stones, Cysts or Tumours on the Kidneys and Liver that could be Cancer. The third test is an Ultra sound on the Carotid Artery ( each side of the neck ) for plaque. The fourth test is for AFIB ( abnormal heart rhythm ). These test are done by Technicans not doctors so we have to wait 3 or 4 weeks for a written report from the Radiologist. However, if they detect what appears to be an urgent problem they will advise you to see a doctor immediately. Carroll's test were OK from what they could determine. However, I have a slight restriction in the left Cartiod Artery but not of an urgent nature. I will have it checked again by my doctor when I get home.
I'm sure if i ask my doctor for these test he would not recommend them unless i had some Symptons to indicate a problem. Furthermore if I did get an appt it would take 3 to 6 months in AB. All the test were done in about 1 hour. We feel the 110.00 was well spent.
Well this friday so we were off the the local Legion with our Shilo Group for anothe Fish Fry supper. Then we returned to one couples place for a Liquier drink as if we needed one more.

12 FEB: The temp at 6AM was 5 C but by 10 AM it was in the 70's F and actually reached 80 F by noon. Today was a schedule Cookout Day where you bring your meat to BBQ and the Kitcken provides the Potatoe, bun and desert. This party starts our with a Happy Hour at 4 PM ( all parties start wit a Happy Hour ) and by 5 PM the BBQs are ready as they only use Bicguets at these parks. We sat with a group of 10 , mostly Cdns; 1 couple where Americans from Alaska
and they agreed they are close to Canada than the US.

13 FEB: Carroll's sister Jean and husband from Wheatly , ON arrived for a 2 week holiday. We will be touring around with them occasionally but they have been here 3 or 4 times so they know the area well. They have already made 2 trips to MX.

4 Feb to 8 Feb Weather

4 Feb: Who ever thought that cold weather would be the topic of the winter in southern USA. But it "Is What it Is" so we will just put up with it. As mentioned , Thurs night the icy covered Palm leaves bounced off our roof all night. On Friday the temp was still at 0 C and the Freeway was too icy to travel on so Carroll's 9;30 Chriopractor appt was delayed ubtil 3 PM. The Sun came out and brought the temp up to a balmy 7 C which was suffuicent to melt all the ice.
Since we were already downtown in McAllen ( prononced Mac Allen) we, mostly Carroll, needed to pay a visit to Sam's Club to pick up a few items. Just in case you are interested a few items are available at Sam's for $104.00. I'm glad we were not "out of anything" or the bill would be twice as much.
The price of Gas is as high as 3.09 and diesel is 3.29. However, i have a deal with Sam's. I pay Sam's a fee of 40.00 per year and (he) sells me gas a little cheaper; like 2.85 per gal. Mr. Wal-Mart, of course, also sells gas for the same price.

5 Feb: The day started out very cold again as the temp was 0C at 7 AM but as the day progressed the Sun help to bring the temp up the mid 60's F. However this was another sports day as the Jr. ladies curling was on in the early afternoon and then 3 hockey Games, starting in the afternoon so that is how we wasted Saturday.

6 Feb: Super Bowl Sunday: The Americans are like the RoughRider Fans as they fly the pennant and cheers vehmently for their team. We did have a Super Bowl party , complete with a Big Screen TV set up in our commmunity centre but it was too noisy for me. We joined our neighbour who had a TV setup outside his Motorhome. The temp reached 85 F in the Sun but slightly less if you where in the shade. He is a Packer fan but he did not seem to mind that I was pulling for the Steelers mainly because they have a Cdn kicker. Todd ( our son for those who do not know him ) was at the supper Bowl so I called his Cell at 1/2 time to see how he was enjoying the festivities but he was not in the answering mood as I never did hear from him until he got home on Monday.

7 Feb: On Monday Carroll had another chiropractor appt at 9:30 so that got rid of the Morning. In the afternoon we dropped in on a neighbours , Bea and Roy Jewsbury from Dalphin , MB , for Happy Hour. Bea's brother and wife where there and they are farmers from Carberry, which is near Shilo, MB. And of course both Carroll and I both worked with people from Carberry , while we were in shilo so this couple brought us up to speed on old friends. While in Shilo I coached 3 Kids from Carberry in hockey ( 1980 ) and this couple know these kids quite well. I'm always curious to know , how the kids I coached , made out in life and since they know these kids and their families personnel it was nice to get an update on them.
One of the boys was a "brain " in school so I thought he would do good in life and as it turns out he is now a Millionaire in business. I guessed that the other two would probably have a trade. I over estimated them as one is a Truck driver and the other is the maintenance man at the local golf course.

8 Feb: Well; the weather was good enough to play ball with temp around 18 C , however the wind was around 30 MPH which is what happens in TX when we get sunny weather. We won the ball game which is a major accomplishment because out team definitely lacks talent. However I hit 2 home run which is a shock to me and anyone who has played ballwith or against me. I never hit the ball very far, mostly singles. But the fences are 300 feet and I hit in the Gap between the fielders so the ball rolled to the fence so it wasn't hard to score. After the game the opposition checked the bat that I used and it does not have an ASA stamp so they want the bat removed for any further game. I guess the commisioner will have to rule on it. I found it amusing that they would check the bat I used as there must be 20 or more guys who can crank the ball near the 300 foot fence yet nobody checks their bat. I guess it is all in the name of " Fun ".
After the game today we were advised that Thursdays game is being cancelled because the predicted temp will be 42 F or about 7 C. Go figure.

1 , 2 & 3 Feb .....Freezing in TX

Tuesday: I had a ball game on Tuesday morning and the main topic on was that we were going to recieve some real bad weather for the next 3 days. The ball game was terrible as we got slaugther by a real good team but after the game the coach announced that Thursday's game would be cancelled due to pending bad weather. I thought " give me break ", the weather was great for playing ball, how could it change so fast. Anyhow, the prediction was, that it would be cold on Tuesday evening couple with winds up to 60 MPH. Wed would be around 32 F ( 0 C ) and Thursday would have sleet, rain and possibly snow.
Boy, do they have Accu weather in this area. By Tues evening the temp dropped to about 10 C, then during the night it was even lower to 0 C . I still did not believe it would be that cold so I never bother to turn the furnance on during the night as we like it cool. At 4 AM, I awoke and it was cold. The temp in the house was 12 C so I quickly turned furnance just to thaw out.
So, Wed morning it was 0 C all day with high winds.

Wedesday: We traveled to South Padre Island on Wed to take in the Snowbirds Extravagansa which is a free Music/Comedy Show to attract us so they could show us Cdn Snowbirds what they can do for us such as health insurance , travel plans and sell memberships. Two of the acts were Ronnie Profit and Ostranack ( an accordian player) whose days have pass then both by. They were terrible. The other 4 acts were great. The show was over at 4 PM so we decided to have supper at a Seafood restaurant called Daddy's which we had visited before. Carrol and I, each had a Seafood plater of Fish and Shrimp and I had a beer , all for the price of 23.50. You sure get a lot of food at an excellent price in the USA.

Thursday: We awoke Thurs to find the same 0 C temp complete with the continous high winds. By noon , there was an announcement at our Community Hall that the Freeway in Harligen, 15 miles east was closed due to sleet and Freezing rain i the area and it was heading our way. This seems odd to us but these people do not have these condition often so they do not know how to drive accordingly and they do not have equipt to handle sleet , freezing rain or snow on the roads. By 3 PM the freezing rain arrived and has continued on into the evening along with the winds. We have , as do most occupants , a 30 foot Palm tree outside our home. The freezing rain is making the leaves/branches brittle and the wind is causing the leaves ( these are not a maple leaf ) to break off and the leaves are continuously bouncing off our roofs. I suspect we will spent a restless night , as the leaves will keep breaking off all night and keeping us awake. This weather is suppose to last until Sat so tomorrow will like be the same as today. Cheers until next time. T and C

Fri;Sat and Sun..28,29,30

Not much activity this weekend, but we did just enough to keep busy. It seems that we have to buy something every other day. The good news is that Wal-mart, Home Depot and all other stores are only 5 mins away. We normally buy our fruit and veggies at the market which is a 10 min drive.
On Friday evening, we went to the local Legion Fish Fry with the "Shilo" Gang. We had not seen the whole Gang for 2 years so we had some catching up to do. As I menti.oned before , the Legions in TX only serve beer, water and pop (soda to the Americans ) so you can and must BYOB. The Legion provides complimentary plastic glasses and ice. I must not forget that Dance Music is also provided, for tips, by a D.J. The fish supper is only 7.00 and the place is packed by 5:30 . Trust the Seniors to find a place for good food at a reasonable price and beer is only 1.50. The legion holds about 200 people, which is a Fireman's special , since the sign says " Max capacity 145 ". However the exit doors are always locked in the OPEN posn which is a good idea since Smoking is allowed. Also, I found it odd that you can wear a hat in the Legion. I ask why this was allowed and the answer was : Have you ever tried to take a Stetson off a cowboy.... Point Taken.
Saturday: This was one of those lazy days where you B.S. with the nieghbours and do the nec houshold chores. I managed to empty a couple of beer cans while reading a book, which incidentally is the first book I have read since last winter. I did not realize I was that busy. Believe me it is not hard to find a neighbour or two who will glad sit down and share a beer.

Sunday: Oh yeh!! the day of rest, except Carroll thought it would be a good idea if we washed the windows and the vention blind. I don't like doing windows at home, never doing ones on a rental unit. However , I had to agree they needed a cleaning. I fought with the kitchen blind and managed to remove it and then I cleaned the window.
Carroll grab the blind , hit with a cleaner she found under the sink and Zap.. off come the paint and blind was ruined . That put a quick stop to cleaning the blinds until we got a less aggresive cleaner. But since we ruined the blind we had to replace it so off to Home Depot we go.
Then curling started at 1 PM so we had to watch that. ... Well that was enough work for one day and beside the temp had reached 85 F so that indicated that it is a Pool day. The pool temp was 90 F so we swam ( with Noodles ) around talking to people , exchanging stories . I have not met an American yet that will accept that their country is Broke. Even today the USA Today , said that 157 Banks foreclosed (went Broke) last year and another 11 in Jan 2011. Talk about having your head in the sand.

Tonight we attended another Music show at our park. It was a couple ( Gordie and Debbie ) from Branson who travel the winter Texan circut during the winter when Branson is closed. In Branson they charge 25.00 for a 2 hour show but here it cost 5.00 for a 1 1/2 hour show so that was not a bad deal. Well Jan comes to close tomorrow so we only have 2 more months left before we head north. Cheers. T and C

Wed & Thurs..26 &27

Wed started out as an uneventful trip to Carroll's chiropractor but that soon changed once I hit the Freeway ( Expressway ) . We were bee...bobbing along at 65 MPH in the centre lane when I notice a grey van slowly gaining in the right lane, which is uncommon for a TexMex driver as they usually used the left lane since they assume they are qualifing for the Inndy 500. I did pay a glance at this Van due to its' spped, but I never gave it much thought until we reach an exit lane . At the very last second he must have remembered that he had to exit to the right but he was a little late and nearly missed the exit. He cut thru the "painted " blvd which are a collector for years worth of gravel, glass and any other hwy debris. As he exited i did I glanced over just in time to see the dust and debris flying as I thought he might lose control . The dust and debris arrived at our Van about 2 second later and ending up in our Van thru the right rear side window causing an explosion. Carroll screamed and i was in shock and did not know whether to " Shit , go Blind or Wind my watch ". I managed to keep control of the Van and got off at the next exit to survey the damage , misus a rear side window. I had the glass as eveidence but no suspect as he was long gone and I'm sure he did not know what had happened. After Carroll's appt we went to a Glass shop and estimate was 261.00 installed and he gave me a Friday appt. He also cover the window with an adhesive plastic called " Accident shield" at no cost, which i was greatful .

Well , that little incident managed to while away the morning. But we had another supper to attend that night. These dam parties never seem to quit. Tonight was German Night with Happy Hour beginning at 4.00 PM; supper at 5:00 PM and dancing from 6:30 to 9;00 PM.

I thinkSeniors have to be in bed by 9:30 PM so the can get up at 6:30 AM and stand out side our house talking in loud voice, just to annoy people. The menu was pretty good with ample food. It consisted of Brats ( 2nd helpings were encouraged ) potatoes and SaeurKrut , accompanied with a jello salad and a huge piece of Black forest cake. There was a 5 piece band for the dancers.

Thursday : This is Ball Game day and today i had a double header , due to previous "Rainout " game so that took care of the morning. The afternoon was spend doing "nothing". Carroll wanted to help me but I refused her assistance as she might " bugger " it up.
In the evening we took in another Musical show. This time by John Rex Reeves who is a nephew of Jimmy Reeves as you C&W fan will remember as a famous musician from the 50's and 60's. I think Jimmy Reeves had 70 # 1 Hits before he died in a plane crash. John Rex Reeves is a Branson entertainer but does the winter Texan circut in the winter when Branson is closed, as do many of the Branson entertainers. cheers. T and C