Something borrowed

 Our matching borrowed chairs and matching heating pads. For the record we own the heating pads!

Gathering aches and pains instead of rosebuds...

Still alive

  Yep, we are still alive and kicking. Ok, maybe not so much on the kicking. Turns out sitting in lawn chairs is not as much fun as you would think. Luckily our neighbors "loaned" us some chairs to sit in. Has reached the point we were fighting for the heating pad. Backs were really talking to us. Must be the lawn chairs, could not be age related .

 Still boxing and packing...

Hectic worries

   We knew it would be a busy time, but it starts to seem overwhelming. We have been back 11 days  and have disposed of most of the furniture. Some remaining pieces we take, some stay with house. Having said that the little stuff is the killer. A lot to sort thru and pack. Going to auction house today to see what all they will accept for auction, hopefully all we want to send.

  This week is lost already. Sad duty to bury a friend tomorrow, number 4 in three months. Then Thanksgiving Thursday and all that that entails. Part of the problem is packing when we leave as we go work for three weeks before heading for the valley. Coach is big, but limited in what you can carry yet still live in it. Then comes the logistical problem of returning here to retrieve car. Return again to rent truck to haul all of the storage stuff to the valley. Just like this past September we will burn up the highway. Absolutely no way to get it done at one time. We now are shooting for leaving here right after Christmas and wander south thru east Texas or western Louisiana.


Stay tuned as the craziness continues....



too damn busy to gather rosebuds...

Sometimes it's hard

  As previously stated we are downsizing. We are doing so very willingly and excited about having less stuff. Having said that you sometimes part with things you have owned a long time. We had donated small stuff that dated from "day one" before. While today's gift to a new home did not date from "day one", it was close and held more memories than anything we own. Mary made this decision, she was the only person that could make it. After 44 years we said goodbye . It is off to provide joy to a new family.

So long old friend, been a long fun ride!!




Gathering rosebuds...

Steve and Judy's travel blog: We always meant to stop and visit

Steve and Judy's travel blog: We always meant to stop and visit

This post by Steve really sums things up nicely. We met Barry briefly in February and discussed Joey's breast cancer. Both gone so quick. Since we have been back another friend has passed away, that makes three in three months. Moral of the story is stop and visit, not just plan to stop. And proud to say we stopped an visited with Steve and Judy.


Carpe diem

Starting over

  Moved out the living, dining and bedroom furniture today. Sort of like early days of marriage, just less sex.

Carpe  diem  
   

Progress

  Maybe too much progress. Since we arrived back in Alvord last Thursday we have sold all the furniture in the house. Most of it gets removed tomorrow, the remainder goes with house except for pieces we are keeping. Will be sitting in lawn chairs and eating dinner on tv trays. But the associated worry is lessened. We even found a good home for the piano. Still need to haul small items to the auction house and move keepers to the newly rented storage building. Things are falling into place nicely so maybe this move is meant to be.





carpe diem

Waco

   We arrived on Monday, went for groceries and returned just before the skies opened up. It rained hard for some time and off and on all night. Tuesday brought rain and gloom so seemed a god day for laundry. Avoided the election returns till 10pm then ended up watching them til 1am. Boy can they slice the voting public into different groups. Half the country is happy, the other half mad. Enough said.


  We drive all over the country and always try an visit museums. Some real gems in our backyard so to speak. We visited the Texas Rangers Hall of Fame probably 30 years ago. It was well worth our return visit. Right by the Brazos, Baylor University and the new stadium. If you have never been you should.

  Next we visited a relatively new National Monument, dedicated in 2015. The Waco Mammoth National Monument was interesting. They have found the fossilized remains of 23 Columbus Mammoths. The big guy was 14ft tall at the shoulders. More information can be found HERE

 If you have ever watched HGTV's show "Fixer Upper" you are familiar with Chip and Joanna Gaines. They have turned their success on that show into quite the enterprise. The umbrella name of Magnolia covers the multi faceted enterprise. We visited Magnolia Market which also has the Silos and the Silo bakery. Very busy on a rainy Wednesday afternoon. Website is HERE

  Next stop is Alvord so this blog will take a hiatus for awhile.





carpe diem

Awkward talk

  Ever hado One?  How about the birds and bees talk with your Kids? Full disclosure in that I am not sure I had that one. With sex ed in school probably let them do the heavy lifting on that awkward subject.


  Over a nice meal we had what Gary described as awkward. No we were not talking about sex. We were talking about end of life.

  While driving to Arkansas for a funeral I thought what if we were both killed. What would our sons Do? Presuming that the authorities could find them. At that given time they were aware we had a house in Alvord, but not specific location. They would have had no idea that our RV was in McAllen. They would not know about insurance, investments, liabilities etc. What about will, last Wishes? Complicated Huh?


 Well the answer is we need to make sure the boys have more information. Something happens to us, look here, contact these people/companies. None of us will live forever, we all like to keep our personal business private. There comes a time when it makes sense to make our adult children more aware of our personal business. We will be doing that


  A rainy, but short trip to Waco tomorrow. There for a couple days to visit museums and all things Magnolia market and "Fixer Upper" related. Then it is busy packing, selling, disposing of a household.




Carpe diem

Amazing

 The greater Houston area has the ability to look trashy, even in areas where homes go for $500,000. How is that possible? Houston's lack of zoning has always been a problem. You would think the smaller, surrounding towns/cities would learn and know better. Just drove over to Katy and can confirm the trashy disease has spread. If your job transfers you to Houston, seek a new career.



unsupervised as the boss looks at quilts...

her parting words: don't do anything stupid...

Houston

 We escaped from Houston way back in 1978. Because some family members live here we have returned from time to time. Other than that I would never set foot in this county. Came up on 59 thru Sugarland into traffic nightmare. Take me back to the RGV!

  In trying to be close to Gary and reasonable distance to downtown put us on the west side. Quality RV resorts has many properties and this is the third one we have stayed in. Nice but pricey.

This Westlake RV park off of Clay road in west Houston.


  It is nearly full this evening. Ever stop to think how much money is parked here? Sure, ther are some <$20,000 trailers but also a fair number of >$300,000 class A's.


 While Mary is attending the International Quilt show, I will be fishing, or maybe watch football or probably take a nap



Oh, as if traffic was not bad enough around this place, they are closing I-45 all weekend. Major north/south freeway to be closed in downtown area.Can you say nightmare?





carpe diem

Tres Goliad

  Lived in Texas all my life and for 63 years had never been to Goliad. As you might guess it has become a regular stop. It is about 355 miles from Edinburg to Houston, easily done in a day via car. Further than I like in Maggie plus we would have made it to Houston for rush hour car wars. Never a good thing so we stopped in Goliad, half way give or take 50 miles.

  Decided to dine out at the Hanging Tree restaurant I told you about last time. Good food, friendly service you would expect in the country. Mary had chicken and dumplings which she enjoyed and brought the extra home with her. I had a 50/50 burger. Ground rib eye and bacon mixed patty. Pretty tasty with home made chips and a cold beer.


  On to Houston tomorrow for quilt show and meet up with Gary.

local beer brewed in Goliad

Edinburg wrap up

 Where did the two months go? Tomorrow we leave Edinburg and begin the long drive north, via Houston. It could probably be said we did not do everything we planned, but no complaints. First couple of weeks disrupted by doctors visits back in Mansfield. Note to self, find new urologist. Then five days were used to pay our respects to Dan and his family. No complaint about that, not going to his funeral was never an option.


 Couple of updates are probably in order. No matter your insurance you should check out free good rx card, as seen on tv. To give an example, 180 tamsulin tablets from Walmart cost me $374. Downloaded coupon from internet, for free, to use at Walgreens to buy same amount of Tamsulin. Cost $68. NO INSURANCE used either time. Savings of $306. No, I do not know what type game is being played here. But seeing as that is a 90 day supply, simple math brings you to a cost difference of $1224 per year. You do as you want but I choose not to give away my money that way. If you are my friend I will give you the shirt off my back. Pharmacies and drug companies are not in my circle of friends.


 If we were to stay in Wise county our health insurance premiums for 2017 would be $28,800. Because we have the financial ability to move our annual premium will be $11,744.88. That is a cost savings of $17,055.12. I will not bore you with the fact that the Wise county plan was/is a useless HMO. (doctors listed as providers told us they would not accept that insurance) The Hildalgo plan is a silver EPO with good coverage. Enough of health related issues. Consider it a public service as I have provided real experiences and numbers. Not the BS emanating from Washington.

 We are leaving just as the party is cranking up. Canadians and others arriving daily, place is filling up. But we are not saddened to be leaving. The fact that when we return January 22nd we are coning home softens the blow of leaving. The good folks here now will still be here then. Just restart the party for us! New home, new town, new part of the state. A lot to be excited about for us.

  Back to being a travel blog for awhile. Will update you from Goliad, Houston (I know, who cares!!), Waco and the land of HGTV's Fixer Upper and a museum or two.




carpe diem

Well that was short lived!

  Scratch that full time in RV idea, scratch that whole homeless thing.

 One of the objectives to our travels was finding that next home. Do not want the winters that come with northern states, Nor the excessive heat of the Arizona desert. Not fond of tornado alley which covers most of midwest. Calling Florida the "Sunshine state" is a misnomer. Now eliminate states with state income tax or arcane gun laws and the list of possibilities gets short.

 Well the search is over for now. I say for now because this is our third "retirement home". At any rate we have purchased a home here in the RGV. It offers a low cost of living, temperate weather and amenities we seek. We are happy, so you be happy for us. Perhaps we will see you on our travels. We are not "along the way" to anywhere so chances are you will not be "passing thru".



have to go gather some more rosebuds...