January Comes to an End - 24-31

Monday January 24 48 degrees in the AM – didn’t get much warmer -- then some rain along the way. I guess I can handle the damp and the chill for a few days when I know 60-70 degree weather is just a couple of days away.

Haven't been reading a lot -- my right eye is giving me 'heart ache' again! But GOOD heartache! It is really trying to "work." I think the film is thinning; it messes with my reading. The right eye sees enough now it is trying to focus and screws up the good eye. I'm not complaining! I have some books on line I am reading -- like reading from a Kindle. I’m still not sure if I want an eReader or not. By the time I read all of my on line newspapers in the AM, I'm just about read out.

Marinated tuna steaks in Italian salad dressing. Would have been nice to toss them on the grill, but I’m a ‘fair weather’ griller. The counter top broiler worked just fine!

Tuesday, Ladies coffee - shopping – nail appointment at noon. Quick stroll on the beach with Li’lBit – how that dog manages to find every dead carcass on the beach to roll in, I’ll never know! Met with Deryl and Elke at Hu Dat’s for supper. They left Wednesday for a trip to Louisiana to the auction. I call Deryl the FEMA Trailer King….truly a King of the Road! He does a really good job renovating them. Hu Dat’s is a Vietnamese restaurant down by the pier. The deep fried oysters were to die for! They came with fried rice and some wonderfully delicious fish sauce. Hu Dat’s is definitely going to be a regular stopping place for lunch!

Picked up a tract phone at WalMart -- said it uses the T-Mobil network. Bought the initial plan to see if it works. If not, will go try another one! I’m really tired of not getting any of my calls or messages until I get into town! My phone seldom picks up a call here in the park.

Night temps have been in the mid-30s. My poinsettias are long wilted and suffering from 'frost bite' so I'm not even going to try to save them. Will clean out the pots and wait for WalMart to get their spring flowers.

Wednesday was lunch with the 'town group' at Jama's - a cheese cake place -- sandwiches, light lunch stuff -- and high-dollar yummy cheese cake! Lunch was good - had a Reuben and ice tea -- enjoyed the visit with everyone. It took all the will power I had to leave the place without a piece of cheesecake.

Managed to get enough of my truck emptied out so Donna and Kathy could ride with me. Amazing just how much stuff I can get into that truck – after all, it is my basement and attic and shed!

AND, in the process, I found another Fareway grocery sack with canned pumpkin! Last summer there was a 'shortage' on pumpkin due to some kind of pumpkin virus that made them all squishy and not suitable for processing. The manufacturers weren't sure they would have another supply to process in time for Thanksgiving. One day at the grocery in Iowa, I saw one box of 24 cans on the shelf. I bought several. Then on one of my trips to meet with Ingrid, Sherri & Judy for lunch, I stopped in a grocery somewhere along the way to get a few things and there were 10 cans of pumpkin so I bought 5 more. Well, in the meantime, the virus was gone, more pumpkin was being processed so there was no need for my "hording'! Now I have plenty of pumpkin!

Can't believe I was up at 5:30 Thursday morning! 46 degrees out - GOOD! Weather man had predicted mid-30s.
Why do I save cardboard boxes? I need to haul them to the trash --gotta stop saving every box I get! It’s not like I have enough stuff to store or anyplace to store it. And I sure don’t mail a lot of stuff anywhere.

With temps in the low 70s and sunny, naturally I had to make some picnic table time for Li'lBit! Love being outside with her. She is so much company. While setting at the picnic table, the screen door came flying open – and there was Holly hanging on the screen! I’m surprised she didn’t fall off, drop to the ground and run off. Will have to figure out how to fix that!

Decided to make Johnnie Williams' cherry pie dessert/salad -- cherry pie filling, chunky pineapple, Eagle brand milk, cool whip and pecans to the Friendship Supper. Can't get much easier than that!

Always eat way too much at pot luck -- tonite must have been a challenge on who could make the best rice, chicken, broccoli casserole! There were several on the table and each a little different. Someone made a really good ham and bean casserole with huge chunks of ham. Of course lots of different pasta dishes. Lots of salads and desserts. Oh, I love Friendship Supper night!

On Friday, Li'l Bit and I didn't crawl out of bed until after 8AM - 46 degrees - going into the upper 60's maybe even 70s today. General ‘housekeeping duties’ on the schedule - clean the kitty litter, propane tank out for refill, stood in the street and talked with the neighbors, did up some dishes -- tossed a soggy green pepper and tomato into the garbage - took the garbage out, took a fillet of Mahi Mahi out of the freezer to bake for supper. That was lots of work for a retired person…think it probably requires some rest!

Weatherman predicted some rain and cooler weather for the weekend and then into next week. Hope it doesn't rain the entire time Sid & Rain are here - last winter was an icky cold winter - even some snow -- they weren't impressed with winter in Rockport!

Exciting afternoon on Saturday. Rocky & Carole made it in - finally! They were part of the "neighborhood" for the last couple of years and I’ve missed seeing them parked down the street. Glad they made it safe and sound.

Kathy left on Friday and Donna left on Sunday. Will miss them. It was nice they could be here about a month. Never know who you will meet on an email list and then it is a pleasure to put a face with the name.

My name showed up on the "bad" list - not using a "sewer donut." It's a round spongy rubber thing that goes in the sewer pipe to give a tighter fit to the connection. I didn't use the 'donut' since my orange connector had a tighter gasket -- but I'm all fixed up now with my orange “thingy’ into the donut ‘thingy’ that’s in the sewer pipe.

Saturday was baked potato/soup supper. One of the most popular events, I think. The activity building was full of soups, dessert and people! I fixed Shrimp Posole (shrimp and veg soup in chicken broth). Brought home just about enough for lunch on Sunday.

By 1PM Sunday, I had finished a run to the store, laundry - 65 degrees - sunny - not too windy -- rained some during the night but cleared off by noon. Li’lBit and I pulled a ‘vegetate at the picnic table’ afternoon. Life is Good! Rain and Sid should be in late today or Monday. Looking forward to seeing them.

Swept the leaves and acorns from my pad and cleaned up some of my plants that are showing wear and tear after our colder nights and the hail storm. Don't have much left but some chives, the shamrock plant that really took a beating during the freeze and the hail, my aloe vera desperately needs to be thinned and transplanted. Finally tossed out all the poinsettias -- just not in the mood to mess with trying to keep them looking decent -- they are so windblown they are now at home in the trash bag!

Li'lBit's been up and down the street meeting the new canine neighbors. She so loves all the other dogs -- except Rick & Diane's hunting dogs -- she doesn't think much of them!

Monday Jan 31 Made a pot of Chicken Salsa Soup in the crock pot. Chicken, rice, salsa, pork & beans -- actually it is quite good.
61 degrees and foggy this AM. It turned out to be a beautiful day. The cold front lingered in north TX -- wish it would stay there! Supposed to be down in the 20s at nite by the middle of the week. AND, the weatherman used that 4-letter SNOW word for Thursday - but I don't think I'll need a snowblower! But I’m ready. Propane tanks full, space heater available and I have the blankets for the windows handy! These slides are really drafty – wish I could figure a way to insulate them. It would be so nice if this 70 degree weather would stick around ‘til I leave in April!

Rain and Sid got in about mid-day. We went to Moon Dogs for seafood Po’boy sandwiches. Deryl and Elke made it back from their auction in Louisiana, so we all went to Jalisco’s for some good food, friend, fun! And how was your diet today??