Laundromat Time

Got up early and finally made the dreaded trip to the laundromat.  Sheets and towels today.  It was wonderful because I was the only one there.  I guess the early bird really does get to eat the worm!

Late trip into town because it was a very hot day.  Even at 7:21 p.m. it was 95 degrees!

The  reflected gas price at Stripes is only if you use
their credit card...otherwise it costs .12 more.

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.

A Thump in the Night

As many of my readers know...I suffer from insomnia and have for almost two decades now.  I stay up late not because I want to but because I can not go to sleep.  This does not mean that I sleep late in the mornings either.  If I go to bed at 6:00 a.m. and my mother decides to get up at 6:30 a.m. well that is the time I get up...after all I can't sleep!

Last night around 3:00 a.m. I heard a big thump on the kitchen door..thought how odd...then I heard it again! I have my computer set up in the dining room which is right next to the kitchen.  Went to my bedroom to grab my gun and returned to the kitchen where I yelled some...uhmmm...let's say choice words...and threaten to shoot.

Turned on the outside lights and shined my flashlight out the kitchen window but could not see a thing.  With my gun in tow I went outside but all I heard was a cat meowing...and meowing loudly.  There is a small opening under the kitchen door and perhaps the cat tried to fit under there...and that is where the thump noise came from?

First thing this morning I was out playing Sherlock Holmes but did not find anything out of place or unusual...however I kept on hearing a cat meowing, like a baby cat but never could find it.  This evening I was on the south part of the property feeding Walter when I heard the meowing again.  Maybe a cat is about to have her kitties?

It was a hot day, even at 7:16 p.m. the temperature was 90 degrees.

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.

I had front row seats to Fiesta Flambeau's Parade

One of Fiesta San Antonio premiere night time parades celebrated its 65th anniversary tonight...Fiesta Flambeau...and I had front row seats!  No, I did not actually attend the parade...I watched it on TV from the comfort of dad's old recliner :)

This year KLRN of San Antonio ( PBS station) carried quite a few events live.  I have never attended this parade in person...hope to one day be able to do so.  They had bands from all over the State of Texas as well as from Alabama, Arkansas and Georgia.

The Budweiser Clydesdale's made an appearance...beautiful horses!  KLRN also carried it live on line and people were tweeting from all over the nation and the world.  In France some Texans were throwing a party and watching the feed on big screen TV as they drank Mexican beer...my type of party!

They heard from someone as far away as South Africa...a former San Antonian also watching it.  One guy asked the announcer to please read his marriage proposal to his girlfriend on the air...the lady announcer obliged.

After two hours it started to rain and for the safety of the announcers and staff they went off the air.  A little disappointing but understandable.

Earlier today Cliff and his lovely wife came by to finish cutting down the large mesquite tree that has been a pain to tackle.  One down and many more to go!  They were nice enough to share some of their pulled pork with mother and myself.  I remember first hearing about it on Trouble in Texas blog...we are anxious to try it for the first time.

Around ten o'clock we got a much needed rain shower.  On the news it showed some heavy flooding in Houston, will have to call my neighbor tomorrow.

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.

For the love of Betty

My back is feeling much better so decided to take advantage of that and drive to town to pick up Mom's medication.  I like to go early to avoid the long afternoon lines at the pharmacy.  Lucky for me there was only one person in front of me.  When I was signing for the medicine the lady clerk said, "So you like her too!"

I had no idea what she was talking about and I guess the blank look on my face said as much.  She said "you like Betty Boop! "  Then I knew what she meant because I was wearing my Betty Boop t-shirt and had my Betty Boop purse with me :)

She was wearing a white zipped smock and she unzipped it so I could see her Betty Boop shirt!  Lol...I guess there are lots of us that are crazy about this cute doll!  I had never seen the design she was wearing before...so I asked her where she had purchased it and she said online.  Need to go check it out before they start charging tax for online purchases...I am not too happy about that :-(

What I am happy about is that gas prices have been going down.

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.

Trying not to whine...

I am trying not to be a whiner...but I am still in pain!  It kind of reminded me of just before I went to the 2012 Chili Cook-Off last year and had to pack and re-pack my car several times in order to get all the important things that one needs to spend 10 to 12 days in the desert.  http://terlinguadreams.blogspot.com/2012/10/down-to-wire.html

Inevitably,  I wound up hurting my back and having to wear my back brace :-(

Hope I can take Terlita this year (my camping van) and skip setting up my tent and having to pound 16 stakes into solid rock!

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.

Rob

I once again hurt my back by carrying more weight than I knew I should.  It is not fun to be in pain :-(

Lord and behold...I have even been going to bed early these past couple of nights...for me "early" means before midnight!

Wanted to welcome Rob to the blog roll.  Rob just started his blog called Observations From On The Road   Here is a link to his site http://observations-on-the-road.blogspot.com/

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.

Reminiscing of Fiesta's Past

For those readers who are not from Texas...every spring in San Antonio a two week event is held called Fiesta San Antonio that had its beginnings in 1891.  They have parades, activities, concerts, food...you name it.  This is a family event, so there are activities suited to all age groups.

Our local TV programming comes from San Antonio, Texas the largest city close to Del Rio (where I live) and is located some 144 miles east of us.  Many events are carried on TV and as I was watching some I could not help buy reminisce of prior Fiesta's.

I had always wanted to attend this event but my parents did not share my sentiments.  Fast forward a couple of years when I was living on my own in Houston, Texas.  Five of my co-workers and I decided we were going!

One of the girls was the secretary to the Vice-President and she was used to making reservations and had close ties in the travel industry...remember there was no Internet in the 80's.  Her name was Patty and she was almost in tears because despite her best effort she was unable to book us a hotel room.

We were standing around her cubicle when the VP came out of his office and upon seeing us wanted to know why we looked like we had just lost our best friend. Upon hearing about our plight he told us to cheer up that he was going to call in some favors and sure enough...he landed us two rooms in a very nice hotel along the Riverwalk.

We had such a wonderful time, my only regret is that I did not take my camera and have no pictures to remember by. This trip had many first...my first brunch as well as my first Mimosa :D

I know I have some readers from Europe and Russia or so that is what Google Stats say...to put it in context...Fiesta San Antonio is the Texas equivalent of the Mardi Gras.

Throughout the years I have attended many more Fiesta's but the first one will always be special!  In my plans have been to go check out Fiesta Oyster Bake held at St. Mary's University but since it would take place on Friday it was hard to take off work.  Now they have it both Friday and Saturday...hope to be able to make it one day.

Enjoy your Sunday :-)

A Windy Thursday

It was a very windy day...per Weatherbug, we had gusts up to 41 m.p.h.  Thankfully we also had mild temperatures.  High of 78 and low of 62.

Had errands to run, so I fired up dad's old car and headed to town.  I have mentioned many times before that I only go to Walmart on Thursday.  In my personal experience it is the perfect day because people have not been paid yet and are waiting for Friday and the weekend to hit the store.

Shoeless Joe,  if you are reading this and think that 4:00 a.m. is good any day of the week to visit said store...you are probably right...but that was when I lived in Houston and could still see well at night.  I now limit my visits to daylight hours :)

My rain catchment system for Dummies yield 4.5 gallons of murky water.

Gasoline prices have been holding steady this week.  Of course,  if you buy a store cash card at HEB, Stripes or Walmart they will knock .12 cents off the price per gallon...I don't play those games...I like one price whether I choose cash, credit, or any other form of payment!

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.

Rain Catchment for Dummies

We finally got a couple of sprinkles late this afternoon... .03 inches to be exact...or basically nothing.  Decided I would catch me some of this liquid gold for my yet to plant petunias and miscellaneous flowers.

Problem is I do not have rain catchment like my friends in Terlingua.  So I improvised a Rain Catchment System for Dummies :D

How long has it been since I went to Home Depot to buy my petunias and begonias...a week or two?  Darn, need to plant them...they are getting big!

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.

Boquillas Crossing Port of Entry

I was out and about yesterday when the headline of this excellent  Ciudad Acuna, Coahuila newspaper El Zocalo caught my eye.  It announced the re-opening of Boquillas Crossing Port of Entry, this quaint crossing station that was closed down after the events of 9/11.

Boquillas del Carmen is located in the Mexican state of Coahuila and borders Texas at the Rio Grande or Rio Bravo as it is known in Mexico...at Big Bend National Park.

Before you decide you are going back to check it out after more than a decade of being closed...may I remind you...you now need a Passcard or a Passport in order to come back to the United States.

Also note their hours of operation Wednesday to Sunday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Most of my Terlingua friends (from the Chili Cook-off) have been there and I had already made plans to go when they closed it down.  I will definitively try to get in a trip this year.

Here is a song by Robert Earl Keen "Gringo Honeymoon" about his trip there.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=doKaXwZ2gnM

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.

A Day of Errand Running

As is typical of me...I have been putting off several errands...decided to tackle them today.  First stop was the Municipal Building downtown to pay the water bill.  Darn, the line was long, it was hot and dad's old car does not have a working A/C.  Instead of waiting in the drive-in line decided to go inside.  To my surprise there was only one person in front of me and I was out the door.

Off I went to the Post Office dreading to find it packed to capacity since after all it was April 15th and all the  late Income Tax filers were going to be mailing off their returns right?  How wrong I was...there were hardly any people there!  Everyone must of filed early or sent theirs electronically.

Since this is also my Cyber Journal needed to make a notation.  Went to the bank to have my Passcode re-set so I can once again have access to my account...have no idea what could of happened :-(

A stop at Ross was next on the list.  I will be darned what is it about Ross and purses?  Almost had no inventory.  Was not in the market for a purse but for a wallet...but they were almost sold out of those as well. 

The price of gasoline has gone down.  Here are some prices around town.  You can click on the picture to make it larger.  I thought I had zoomed in when I took the first picture...apparently not!

It wasn't until I got back home that mother told me about the explosions that took place today in Boston.  Another tragic day in American history.  My heart goes out to all the victims and their families.

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.

A/C came back on

After what had been wonderful mild days...the heat has once again made its presence felt.  It got to 95 degrees and the following days promise to be just as hot.  So the A/C came back on.

Decided I needed a treat for all the work I have done lately but did not want to drive into town (we live in the county).  Went to an old favorite down the road...El Taco Riendo for some menudo.

Don't judge a book by its cover or its old sign...they have very good food here.

Since it is not very far from the house and I had not driven dad's old car in a couple of days went for a ride around the neighborhood.  There is a house that is being built that intrigued me because it has no foundation and is being built on a platform.

Wonder if something like this would work in Terlingua, but in a much smaller scale for myself?  Guess I have a couple more years to consider all the options.

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.

Good-bye Pesky Mesquites :-)

Remember I mentioned back in March that I had met Cliff a blog reader and  fellow Del Rioan?  Here it is if you missed it http://terlinguadreams.blogspot.com/2013/03/met-blog-reader.html  If you have been reading me for a while you know how much I have whined and carried on about having to rake those pesky mesquite pods.  Not to mention having to chop and dig up the multiple baby mesquite that invade the yard year after year!

Cliff loves to cook-out and incorporates mesquite wood in his bar-b-q's.  We happen to have a lot of mesquite trees that we would like to see disappear.  Talk about a great bartering opportunity!

Lucky for me Cliff was agreeable and he has a lot of friends willing to help him chop down those pesky trees  in exchange for some wood.  Today was the first of what I hope are more visits.

Cliff and Carl

He brought his friend Carl who today is celebrating a birthday day.  Happy birthday Carl!

Have a great day...I know I am :-)

Finally took down my tent!

If you have been reading me for a while...you are probably aware that I am a procrastinator...so it is no small wonder that after four long months I finally took down my tent!

It took me a whole month when I got back from Terlingua just to take it out of the trunk of my car! Originally only set it up to clean it out...but when my cousin came down for Christmas...I left it up so I could stash  the millions of boxes I brought down from Houston after my home was burglarized.  My bedroom doubles as a guest room when we have company.

You might ask yourself...why didn't you take it down earlier?   That would be because besides being a procrastinator, I am also lazy and have a bad back to boot :-(

This wonderful little tent is 8 feet by 9 feet and can accommodate someone 6 foot tall.  While I am not six feet tall...I need to have clearance for my yet to meet tall weathered cowboy. :D  This tent allows me to stash a lot of boxes, two tables, chairs and my gigantic ice chest which of course is also full of camping stuff.

Remember last year I could not get up after
kneeling down to scrub the floor?  Was prepared this time around

The limiting factor was where to put all the stuff I have stored here?  Once again my bedroom became the dumping ground for my boxes as well as the trunk of my car and mother's mini-van...much to her chagrin!

A clean floor :)

I started at 11:00 a.m. and took my time because I did not want to hurt my back with all the lifting.  Took several breaks including eating dinner and though I took it down...I am still in the process of cleaning the bottom of the tent.  I came in at 8:30 p.m. and I am exhausted after nine and a half hours!

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.

A very hot 104 degree day

Have been pondering on whether or not to pass up on the red mulch special of 5 bags for $10.00.  Decided it was a good deal...so off I went to purchase it.

They had lowered the price of some of their higher price petunias to .99 cents for a six pack.  Purchased some as well but it was so hot when I got back...I limited myself to just unloading them.  I did not get around to taking their picture...maybe tomorrow.

IBC said it was 93...this was around 2:00 p.m.

Del Rio Bank and Trust said it was 95...this car got in the way!

I turned on the Weather Channel around 4:30 p.m. and to my surprise it was 104 degrees!  I was so thankful for the air conditioner.  As is becoming customary I fell asleep during the news and took me a two hour nap :-)

Good night.  May you have Terlingua Dreams.

A warm breezy day in the 90's

It was a very warm and breezy day in the 90's.  Had to drive into town to mail off some items and took Dad's car.  A lot of people waved at me and I had to wave back because I knew they were mother's friends who recognized the car.

Late in the afternoon the wind picked up considerably and since I had the time decided to pick up all the trash that has blown into our yard these past couple of weeks (mother has three lots).  I found this long reach tool in my closet while in Houston and thought I would put it to work and that is exactly what I did.

If you are following Walter's World, he had a wonderful day as well.  Here is the link if you care to check it out http://mylittlewalter.blogspot.com/

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.

Early trip to town

Early morning trip to town to HEB and the post office.  Decided to go ahead and fill up my car before the prices start rising.  Even bought our local newspaper!

Mother and I were going to re-pot the plants we bought on Friday but it was rather warm and we decided to postpone it for another day.

Want to welcome a new follower to the blog...she is Sherry...thank you for taking the time to read my blog and feel free to comment to your hearts desire :-)

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.

EZ EYES

When you suffer from insomnia you either tend to watch a lot of late night television or go online till you are sleepy. I happen to do both.  One such night about a year ago or so...remember I also suffer from C.R.S... if you don't know what C.R.S is look at the little banner underneath "About Me".

Anyway they were peddling Ez Eyes and I thought what a great idea that was as I am also blind and clumsy.    I believe they may have been selling it for $19.99 and they always throw one in for free if you pay for additional postage and handling which tends to add ten more bucks to the deal....decided to pass on their generous offer.

During Christmas I happened upon it for $9.99 and almost bought it...but decided it was still a little high.  While in Houston this last trip found it at the not too shabby price of $5.99 and bought it on the spot!  Would have bought two but I did not know if I would like it or not and then I would be stuck with it.

Let me tell you that I LOVE it!  I originally only planned to use it with my Netbook which I do not use much due to its small keyboard and screen.  Using it with a wire plastic plate holder to bring it to eye level, it works great.  I am also using it with my regular laptop and it gives me the sensation that I am on a Desktop without the hassles of a Desktop.

Its bright yellow large print keyboard makes it easy to type and find keys and if you happen to spill your drink...no big deal, it is spill resistant!  All you do is connect it to one of your USB Ports and there is no software or setup required.

I am not being paid to write this.  It is just a review by a regular Joe or Jayne as in my case.

This is where I say Good night, may you have Terlingua Dreams but considering it is only 5:30 p.m. will just wish you a good afternoon instead. :D

Petunias

If you have been reading me for a while you know I love bargains.  I was going through my e-mails when one titled Black Friday is Back caught my eye.  So off we went to check out the specials.

The plants, hanging baskets and trees were absolutely beautiful.  They also had great specials on Red Mulch and Miracle Gro Garden Soil.   Too bad I am not in Houston because I could sure use the red mulch there but I am not about to haul it that far when there is a perfectly good store close to my house...but by the time I make it back...it wont be at this bargain price :-(

I bought these petunias for .50 cents each for a total cash outlay of $1.00

The purple plant on the right looks a little beaten up but they
 only had two left and my mother liked it.  

Saw this beauty and loved the color and texture so decided to invest the $3.98 to purchase it.

Almost bought an Habanero chili plant but remembered how I killed my one tomato plant last year...besides those cost $2.00 each and I like to limit my losses to $1.00...jajajajaja :D

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.

Chilly Day

By Texas standards it was a rather chilly day.  Low of 51 and high of 62.  Besides taking out the trash and being ignored by Walter...I didn't do much.

I take that back I did spend time online reading some blogs I had not had the opportunity to get caught up on.  One of them being the first blog I ever read in my life...The Oasis of My Soul  http://theoasisofmysoul.com/2013/04/the-dreaded-phone-call-texas/

If you do not know...Ara's mother suffered a massive stroke, is paralyzed, unconscious and on life support.  Having a mother around his mother's age, it pains me to hear this.  For that matter just knowing this could happen to anyone regardless of age is disconcerting.  I wish them both the best.

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.

Form 4868 has been mailed

The number one thing on my list for today was to fill out and mail off Form 4868 with its accompanying payment...and that is exactly what I did.  Now I have six more months to procrastinate before I file the actual return :-)

We had overcast skies all day with a low of 62 and a high of 73.  The thunderstorms that were promised finally materialized and we received .33" of liquid gold this evening.

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.

The Best Little Tent

We got a little rain yesterday, none to make a dent in the drought relief scale but it is better than nothing.  The wind blew those round pollen balls all over the top of my Kodiak Canvas tent...No, I  have not taken it down!

God, I love my tent.  It is the best shelter for me in Terlingua and the best little shed while in Del Rio.  It has more than paid for itself tenfold.   If you are in the market for a good tent...look no further.  Now after that commercial minute...I hosed it down good and it looks just as it did when I first got it.

Those pesky Mesquite trees are all in bloom...if you have been reading this blog for a while...you will know that that does not make me happy :-(

Had a lot of things I needed to do today but after I got my fingers stuck in fly ribbon http://mylittlewalter.blogspot.com/ got sidetracked and did little if nothing.  Oh well, like Scarlett O'Hara used to say "tomorrow is another day".  :-)

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.