Happy New Year 2014!

I want to wish all my readers and cyber friends a very Happy New Year!  May all your dreams, wishes and desires come true this coming 2014.

Jello Shots

Our canned goods inventory is running low.  I was making a list of what we have but most importantly what we need when I ran into a bottle of Tequila.

My mother eats a lot of jello and luckily we still have quite a few packages.  Back in January of this year I found some great buys on our monthly trip to Mexico http://terlinguadreams.blogspot.com/2013/01/my-mexican-bargains.html  of which my biggest bargain was a huge bottle of Tequila.

Tequila shots made by my friend at the 2012
Terlingua Chili Cook-off

I am not much of a liquor drinker...I prefer beer but I went and bought it anyway for my annual trip to the Chili Cook-off.  If you have been reading me for the past two months, you know how that turned out!  With my back pain I was lucky I was even able to attend.

Tonight as I prepared some more jello, I remembered the bottle of Don Roberto.  Went online and found a simple recipe on YouTube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6jvd9SwRhFA  Will let you know how they turn out.

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.

Headache / No Electricity

In my younger days I used to suffer from headaches rather frequently.  One of the positive aspects of my retirement was that they seemed to decrease both in frequency and intensity. Yesterday and earlier today, it came back with a vengeance.

Was in the mist of writing this when the lights went out at 12:48 a.m. on Sunday morning.  I have no idea why, so I am without Internet service and down to 46% of my battery.  At least I have my Wakawaka night light as well as my Harbor Freight Solar Shed light that I use in the hallway to light the way to the bathroom...something that will come in handy tonight.

Funny, instead of Mexico being without electricity...it is us in the United States of America, in particular in southern Val Verde county where this happens quite often.  It is pitch black outside except for the lights in Ciudad Acuña shining brightly...go figure!

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Cyber Journal Note:   Lights came back on at 2:05 a.m. Sunday morning.

More procrastinating

Considered going to the laundromat but it did not take much to make me see the error of my ways and decided to put it off for a while longer.  Same with going to HEB...I am sure it was swarmed by crowds of people that where famished after having to see the only grocery store in town closed for a day and a half.

So what did I do today?  Spent it watching YouTube videos which is never a good thing.  It makes me think I too can do the things that only qualified people with skills that I do not have or will ever have can do.

It has been drizzling for a couple of hours for which I am very grateful as I have been putting off watering the weeds in preparation for the onslaught of city folks on New Year's coming to pop fireworks out here in the county where it is legal to do so.

This year they started early...on Christmas Eve...have I mentioned how much I hate fireworks?  Not only did we have them here in Val Verde County, but being so close to the border I could hear them going off in Mexico as well.  I can only imagine how bad they will be on New Year's.  It is on dates like this that I wish I was already living in Terlingua, in the calm and quiet of the Chihuahuan desert.

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.

No crowds for this gal...

This flu has got me from feeling like I am going to die to feeling like I am finally getting over it. Was running low on groceries and decided to go to HEB, the only grocery store we have in town besides Walmart.

I should of known better...people are like myself...put off things to the last minute.  HEB will close early tomorrow and be closed on Christmas Day as well.  You would have thought the store was closing down forever!  There was not a parking space to be had.  It quickly brought back memories of Thursday night Pre-Black Friday sale at Walmart.

I am sorry but patience is NOT one of my virtues and there was no way I was going to face another unruly crowd and stand in long lines...once in a lifetime is good enough for me.  Drove off, we have plenty of cans at the house and I could certainly stand to lose a couple of pounds. Ok Billy Bob...I can see you smirking right now....perhaps a tad more than a couple of pounds? jajajajaja :D

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.

Skype / Obamacare

I am so tired of seeing this message, I could barf!!!!!

                                  Skype Click to Call has crashed

Ever since hotmail replaced their IM with Skype I see it daily.  Anyone know how to get rid of this short of quitting hotmail, the only e-mail I like?  Ok, end of rant.

As you all know my life changed drastically since mother got sick back in July.  It has been doctors, hospitals, CT's, MRI's, operations and trips to San Angelo, Texas.  A lovely town by the way but one I would rather not see for a while or perhaps under different circumstances.

Why do I mention all this?  Because now I am in charge of everything which includes cooking....and you all know I am barely able to boil water and that is no lie...last night I forgot about the water and I could of caused a fire!  But then again that could have been my CRS (if you don't know what that is look at the banner on the right) coming in to play mixed with Nyquil.

Anyhow the point I am trying to make is that these days I barely have time for anything let along watching the evening news.  Last night I watched my first complete newscast since July...and what do I find?  Today is the last day to sign up for Obamacare or I am going to be fined!

I know I am a procrastinator but I really did not put this off on purpose.  All I heard these past months were of delays and complications in the sign-up process and even an extension but no firm deadlines. Guess I better get with it :-(

Hoping everyone's day goes better than mine.


UPDATE

Good news deadline has been extended until Dec 24th  http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2013/12/23/countdown-to-obamacare-deadlines/

Finally ventured outside

We were out of milk, eggs, bread and countless other items.  I could no longer put it off so I bundled myself up and headed to WalMart.  I think I arrived during a lull and was in and out of there in no time flat.

Found a new product or at least it is new to me, as I had never seen it before...NyQuil Severe Cold and Flu.  It was even on sale for $6.97.  Whenever I have gotten the flu...I have come to rely on NyQuil...hope the same still holds true and I can finally kick this bug.

Even though I have some, heaven knows in what tote or box my face masks are located.  I use them when I operate the weed eater but now I need them to keep from passing my flu to my mother or other individuals when I go out.

Home Depot had some but they were mainly for painting and heavy duty stuff like sanding.  Did not feel like I wanted to pay $20.00 for them.  How I wish we had a Harbor Freight Store where I could pick them up for a dollar for a pack of four.  Sometimes, I sure do miss the big city :-(

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.

Computers / Butterbean Carpenter

When will I learn to leave well enough alone?  My Acer mini laptop has been giving me a lot of problems so here I go to YouTube and learn that all can easily be fixed by just doing a "system restore".

I was so happy when it said the restore had been performed successfully and then it went into reboot. Too easy I thought...sure enough it has a circle going around and around saying it is "logging off" and it wont get past that screen.

I unplugged it several times and turned it on again and it continues to give me the same message.  Hope my current computer doesn't go out on me because I have no other back-up and I do not plan on buying one with Windows 8 installed.  Guess it will be the end of my blogging days.

Today I was sadden to learn about the death of a fellow blogger Butterbean Carpenter due to a car accident that took place on December 11th http://ourrvadventures.wordpress.com/2013/12/15/jans-favorite-christmas-song/

He seemed to have a very good sense of humor and his comments reflected it.  This is my favorite...

Howdy Ms B, 

A 'real' cowboy only takes care of 'cows' and I, for one, don't think you fit in that category!!! The 'so-called' young weathered cowboys, nowadays, ain't agonna think or care for nobody but theyselves!!
You'd have to pull yourself off of your death-bed and get'em a drink of water....

We surly do hope you have a HAPPY DAY!!!! 


You will be missed Butterbean.  Rest in Peace.

A bit under the weather

Been a little under the weather lately. Saturday, I thought I was going to die but I am feeling better today.

Thought about driving to Wal-Mart or HEB to pick up some Nyquil but the sheer thought of having to navigate through a sea of people made me change my mind.  I know better than not to have some around.

I am also rather pissed off because once again my wonderful cousin has made "a last minute decision". You would think a 40 something year-old-man would not have to result to these tactics but I was wrong.  In case you are wondering if it is the same idiot that made "a last minute decision" to fly to Acapulco with two hurricanes on the horizon...yep, that's him!

How inconsiderate can you be to not inform your aunt and cousin until this past Friday that he is arriving next weekend to spend Christmas with us.  Who the heck invited him?  My mother's health has been fragile to say the least and I have my hands full without having to deal with him as well.

Just the thought of his senseless actions makes my blood boil...but it is my mother's favorite nephew and this is after all her house and not mine!

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.

Visiting a sick friend

One of mother's long time friends has not been in good health lately.  Got a call from her son letting us know she was back in the hospital.  Today we made an unscheduled trip to Ciudad Acuña to go visit her.

Lucky for us the sun finally came out unlike yesterday which was a cold and cloudy day. Not too much traffic either way on the International bridge at this particular time.

When we got to Mexican Customs, no traffic whatsoever.  The automated light turned green and we were waved through.

Hospital General Acuña...

Stopped at the Gutierrez in town and bought a couple of items namely bananas, papaya and sweet bread.

Last time we were here this Exchange house was abuzz with activity and in the afternoon they even took down the price that they were selling dollars for...no price today either which again means heavy speculation.

A look at rates down Exchange Rate Alley today...

This exchange house in the middle is also a furniture store.
The owner always rounds my purchases to the next dollar so I
am a loyal customer...provided the exchange rate is right :D

This poor man has both legs amputated.  He got around in a makeshift
cart but he has some new wheels now.

Glad I was not in the line going to Mexico this afternoon.

By contrast the line coming back to the U.S. was short.

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.

Slept like a baby

Last night I slept like a baby, if you have been reading my blog for a while you know I suffer from insomnia.  Well, maybe I need to re-phrase that..I slept like a baby this morning and up to 1:30 p.m. you know the typical time a person who suffers from insomnia actually gets sleepy after not getting some shut eye for two days :-(

Had it been my choice, I would have kept right on sleeping but I have other obligations.  It was pretty cold today and I would not have ventured out of my own accord...but I had to run an errand for my mother. That errand was close to the only mall we have in town, so I stopped and did some shopping.

Picked up three great deals at Ross and came back home.  You didn't really think I was going to go shopping all over the mall did you?

Today, gasoline prices were uniformly $3.05 for regular gas.  If you have a Stripes card then you can get the best price in town...$3.02 per gallon for regular gasoline.

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.

A day of running errands

Woke up early and brought in the rest of the plants that I did not get to yesterday.  It kept on getting colder by the minute and had to go inside and bundle up.

Needed to run several errands in town the most important being gassing up dad's car.  I was afraid I was not going to make it to the new Stripes so stopped at the first gas station I came to.  A couple of weeks ago I spotted people airing up their tires for free.  I asked the clerk about it and she told me while it is free...I needed to get the hose from the back and hook it up...too much trouble!

When was the last time I came to the post office?  Our P.O. Box was overflowing!

After the fiasco that was Wal-Mart's Thursday pre-Black Friday sale...I went online and found a better deal on SD cards.  Today I went to pick them using their site to store delivery.  I was probably about the fourth person in line...so much better than that day!  Think I have learned my lesson...no more pre-Black Friday or any kind of after Thanksgiving sales.

Had to go to Home Depot to purchase more light bulbs.  For some reason I think I must have gotten a bad batch of the new Energy Saver mini twisters that claim to last 9.1 years.  I did not even get a year out of them.

The going gasoline price in Del Rio, Texas today.  I am having some problems uploading photos this evening but will try to get it resolved hopefully tonight.

On my way back home the price had gone
down .02 vents

 

Reason why Exxon and HEB went down in their prices

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.

Would you believe a second trip to Mexico?

Yesterday we got a late start on our trip to Mexico, so we were not able to run all the errands that we had anticipated.  I certainly dislike this new time change as it gets dark early and I can not see well at night. I therefore always try to get back before dark as the lines to cross the border are unpredictable.

I think I have mentioned on at least the two prior posts of our monthly shopping trips to Mexico...how disappointed I have been with the limited selection of fruits and vegetables at Aurrera (owned by Wal-Mart).  Yesterday's trip was no exception.  The few things they had in the produce department were of poor quality and exceptionally high prices.  Something one would not expect with Wal-Mart's buying power.

One grocery chain in Mexico started an event loosely translated as "Tuesday of fruits and vegetables" and upon seeing their success, other groceries stores followed suit.  We did not even bother with Aurrera today and went right to Gutierrez.

While I can not say I found great bargains to brag about at least the fruits and vegetables I found were of good quality and reasonable prices.

Today I bought.....

1. serranos
2. tomatoes
3. white onions
4. nopalitos (cactus)
5. carrots
6. habas
7. yogurt
8. Sidral Mundet (a soft drink Mom likes)
9. the generic store brand of Nutri Leche (Mexican milk that lasts up to 4 months without refrigeration)
10. jello
11. bananas (the bargain of the day at $3.90 pesos a kilo)
12. tortillas made of cactus flour
13. pork rinds
14. chayote

I probably left a couple of things out as I am working from memory...and we all know how bad mine is :-(

I also longingly looked at some Betty Boop purses and wallets but decided I really did not need them...this is me shedding a tear... :-(

Encounter a little longer wait time to cross back to the U.S. but got a cute young agent with a great sense of humor.  After declaring what I brought back, he jokingly asked...are you bringing back any medication, marihuana, liquor or cocaine?   jajajajajajaja...I thought it was hillarious, finally an agent that is not bitter!  Mother was not so impressed, lol!

I had my purse in the back seat so was not able to snap any pictures of the exchange rates down Exchange Alley...but they did go up.  The rate to buy dollars went to $13.25...five cents more than yesterday.

Been a while since I have been to a Bar/Disco but a bucket of 8 beers for $100.00 pesos does not seem like a bad deal.  100.00 pesos divided by 12.90 exchange rate = $7.75 US dollars.

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.

December 2013 trip to Ciudad Acuña, Coahuila, Mexico.

I have stated many times on this blog...the best days to go to Mexico are Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.  Monday's in my opinion are the best.  There were no surprise ICE stings at the International bridge, no traffic...no nothing.

Not that I keep tabs or for that matter care...but I could not believe the City of Del Rio had already put up the annual Christmas decorations on the U.S. side of the International bridge.

You will note if you are ever in this Del Rio/Ciudad Acuña border...that the U.S. side extends for a longer ways than does the Mexican side.  It is clearer during the Christmas season as the U.S. ends where the decorations do.

The Domino's Pizza place went under after so many years!  Now they have Azteca Micro Negocio in its place.  It is owned by TV Azteca the second largest television network in Mexico who unlike the number one station promotes small businesses.  It owns banks by the same name Banco Azteca where one can open an account for very small amounts to help encourage savings. They are not just located in Mexico but have a presence in other Latin American countries as well.  Their goals are to promote free enterprise and help small businesses in particular those owned by women, the lower income class and Mexico's forgotten indigenous population.

While a block away from Exchange Alley (term I coined) this was the going rate earlier today at this particular Exchange house.  Later on that afternoon they took down the sign with the rate to buy dollars.  Must have been heavy speculation as the price shot up.

The sun was shining on my face when  I spotted a place that sells piñatas and for a moment I thought Santa was a piñata as well.

Sorry for the poor quality of the picture, as my windshield was dirty.
I also wanted to photograph the guy peddling the street vendor cart.

When I got in front of the establishment it became clear that Santa was not a piñata but an inflatable doll :-(

The bicycle vendor did not seem to appreciate that I was photographing him for my blog, lol !

All of Mexico's gasoline stations are owned by Pemex (owned by the Mexican Government).  This is the first time I see one with the actual price in Mexico, the U.S. price for comparison (most Mexicans with proper documentation fill up when they cross over to Del Rio) and the exchange rate that they will take your dollar for.

On this Boulevard they put up holiday wreaths and each one has the name of the local business who sponsored it.

The tree going up in front of City Hall was being decorated on this day.

Across the street from it...a Circus was setting up.  This mall known as Plaza Bella is where Aurrera (owned by Wal-Mart) is located and where we shopped today.

Later on that afternoon as we cruised down Exchange Alley...we noticed how much the price of selling dollars had spiked.  What does this mean?  It means that Mexican citizens have to pay a lot more to buy US dollars.

On our way back to Del Rio, Texas....

Hardly no traffic crossing back to the U.S.A.

Got a real nice agent, asked me what I had to declare...told me to pop the trunk and I was on my way. Need to emphasize that if you are planning a trip to Mexico, now is the time to do it.  Pretty soon the Mexican holiday shoppers will swarm the American side of the border...no matter what the dollar exchange rate is!

You can expect to be in line from one to two hours on both sides.  You might ask...why the Mexican side?  Mexican authorities try to crack down on people that bring more than they should without declaring it, to avoid paying taxes.  Others will go visit their families during the holidays.

Someone asked me why I did not go to Mexico during November 2013.  Actually I did, but I did not blog about it because it was a quick trip to the beauty shop as my mother and uncle were going to an event.  I had also recently returned from Terlingua and I was beat!

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.

I hate G-mail :-(

I hate G-mail and I hate Google!!! 

I am so tired of trying to access my e-mail but not being able to because I am logged in using another e-mail address.  That address was the one I used when I first set up my Blogger I.D. and I have had it for years.

It keeps badgering me to change it to a G-mail account...but I don't want to darn it!  So if you have sent me an e-mail please be patient with me and I will answer you as soon as I can.  Or you can leave me a comment on the blog and I will answer you here...don't be shy, I don't bite :)

Drove into town late this afternoon and boy what a difference, no big crowds and plenty of parking spaces.  As much as I hate to buy gasoline cards, decided to stop by Stripes now that it was calm and recharge their store card.  Need to fuel up dad's old car sometime this week before the prices start to spiral once more.

The new Stripes has the cheapest gasoline price in town

$3.04 with their store card

$3.07 without their card

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.

Thursday night at Wal-Mart

Folks, I think it is official...I have lost my mind!

What have you done now Belinda?  I was silly enough to think that since this was the first time that Wal-Mart starts its pre-Black Friday sale on Thursday afternoon...people would have rather stayed home, watch football and enjoyed being with their family and not venture out till Friday!

How did I come to this conclusion?  Have no idea...I tell you I'm NUTS!!!

I knew I had to get there at least by 4:00 p.m. to even have a chance to grab some of the 6:00 p.m. specials, but I had things to do and did not arrived till 6:15 p.m.  There was not a single parking space to be had.  People were parked at adjacent lots, in closed restaurants or at the bank which was the only place I found a parking spot.

Knowing fully well that there would be no shopping carts...I scored one from a lucky person that got there early enough to get the things they wanted and was on her way home.  Getting a shopping cart can be good if you find something heavy or it can be a hindrance as it is hard to navigate around the sea of people.

You might be wondering what special was so important to put myself in this predicament?  SD cards...yep, since my Photobucket account is full and my computer wont let me create another one I can not erase my pictures and I am running low on space.  Their PNY 8GB SD card was going to be on sale for $4.88 and a Sony 16GB for $7.88 as part of their 8:00 p.m. specials.

None of the employees seemed to know anything...they all gave you different answers.  The last one that actually worked in that department, told me I had to get in line and wait until 8:00 p.m.  Lol, me wait in line?  That was not going to happen!

Another reason I ventured out was for some camping gear for my future Terlingua trips.  As I mentioned on my series of Chili Cook-off reports my air mattress has seen its last day and they had an Intex Queen Airbed with raised pillow rest and pump for $25.00 as well as a 29" steel fire pit for $22.00.  With all the wind in Terlingua...you need one to keep the ambers under control and not start a fire.

Was I lucky enough to find any of these items?  NOPE...not a one!  The only thing I bought was a Stanley bottle thermos that keeps things hot or cold for 24 plus hours and could also come in handy in the desert.

I gave up my cart to a very grateful lady who could not even see in front of her with all the boxes of toys she was carrying.  Then I got in line to pay for my ONE item in the fast check out lane which as you can imagine...was not fast at all.

I started to feel sorry for the two guys in front of me who were obviously from out-of-town.  What were they buying?  A two or two and a half dozen carton of eggs, about 4 gallons of milk, chips and hot sauce. Yet they were trapped in this sea of people buying up everything but groceries.

Started up a conversation with them...one was about 35 years old said he was from I believe Angleton. He had come to spend Thanksgiving at his father-in-law's who lived out towards the lake. The other guy was about 25 years old ...said his grandmother was going to make homemade egg nog and she needed these ingredients.  Even with the crowds he said it was worth it, because she made a great tasting egg nog.  I have no doubt about that.

By and large the most popular item this day and in the carts of their new owners was the 50" Emerson TV that was selling for $288.00 some people had more than one.  I explained to the guys that a lot of people from Mexico come and buy them and then re-sell them in their country. Electronic items go for about three or four times more in Mexico.  Re-sellers can probably expect to make more at these low prices.

As I was walking back to the bank, the guys were pulling out and they waved good-bye.  Nice fellows...wished them a pleasant stay in Del Rio.

Gasoline prices this Thursday night in Del Rio...

$3.07 at Wal-Mart
I apologize for the poor quality

At HEB

Readers e-mails

Apart from being cold, wet and dreary there really is nothing to blog about because I haven't done anything that would merit a blog post.

To the rescue come readers e-mails...that I try to answer in a prompt manner.  However, there are some e-mails that ask about the same topic or that are unique...so I thought I would answer in a post just in case there were other readers out there wondering the same thing.

You sound like you had a nightmarish trip this year to Terlingua do you think you will go again?

I did not mean to make it sound like it was a nightmare.  I already knew about the heavy presence of law enforcement officers that descend on the area and I chose to go out in it. I was just a little upset at being the target of their scrutiny but no big deal they were only doing their job.

The rain on Sunday...well that was a fluke...if you look at all the pictures I posted previous to that...the skies are a beautiful blue :)

If I am alive and well...I will definitively go next year...my 19th year.

Anything you would do different?

Definitively...for one I would not take that worthless tent I took.  Cheap mesh tents have no place in the desert...they get full of dirt, in strong wind they tear easily and in rain...well they are a piece of crap!

2)  I would not have taken as much clothes as I did

3)  I would have car camped

Any chance of getting you to post or e-mail me some pictures of naked girls?

jajajajajaja...sorry, that was so funny, I had to laugh :D

I have not gone to the "boob contest" in years!  I would have no reason to photograph "naked girls". However, it just so happened that as I was taking pictures of passer-byes this girl appeared on my shot. Then the guys invited her and her entourage for tequila shots.

Only because you and several others have asked I am sending you a picture of last year's contest winner as well...but be forewarned...it ain't pretty!

WARNING....If you are sensitive to offensive words and/or nudity...exit the blog at this point.

Ladies, just goes to show...you do not have to be a Sul Ross State University co-ed or have an hour glass figure to have a good time in Terlingua.

 

I liked this t-shirt...

WARNING....LOOK AT YOUR OWN RISK!!!!

The winner of last year's "boob contest" and many previous ones as well...is Betty...a lady in her 80's

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams and/or Nightmares. :)