January 2014 trip to Mexico

For once I was not down to my last pill before I made a mad dash to Ciudad Acuña, Coahuila, Mexico. Two of mother's appointments were re-scheduled by her doctors so decided to make use of that time slot. In a way I was glad for the cancellations as I did not want to take my mother out in this weather. It has been pretty darn cold especially this past Tuesday.

Of course I would choose to go to Mexico on the coldest day thus far this year!  For those new to my blog I like to go to Ciudad Acuña on Monday or Tuesday as the crowds at the grocery stores as well as the lines to cross are not as bad as on other days of the week.

I shopped at three stores today Aurrera, Merco and Gutierrez.  Tuesday also happens to be "Martes de Frutas y Verduras"  which translates to "Tuesday of Fruits and Vegetables".  On this day they offer those items at a reduced price.  While you would not know it by looking at me...yes, I eat a lot of vegetables....jajajaja :D

Mother likes B Hermanos a store that sells quality leather shoes.  The two other stores of this chain are located in the downtown tourist area and are not handicap friendly and parking is a problem.  This one in the suburbs must of opened recently as I did not see it last time we were in Ciudad Acuña. It has handicap as well as free parking unlike the ones at the other two locations which have parking meters.

The Mexican Peso has been weak against the US dollar since December.  Last week it reached an all time high of $13.51 at the banks but much higher at the Exchange houses along the border per the Mexican news media.  Even at today's rate it is still high.

The lines to cross back to the US were longer than I had anticipated for this cold day but even at that it was only a 15 minute wait.  Got a nice looking polite young officer who quickly sent me on my way.

It is always nice to see this sign when you cross back home.

The vehicles you see in the background are in line
 for inspection as commercial  transportation.

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.

A gorgeous 86 degree day in Del Rio

Even though the weather forecast called for a high of 80,  for some reason I was skeptical. Surprise... it reached 86 degrees in January...if you are in the northern states...please don't hate me :-)

Took advantage of it and got a lot of outside chores done.  Of course this perfect weather will not last long as Tuesday another strong front will hit us.

Was asked how my jello shots turned out.  Sorry to say...awful!  I don't know what I did but the jello did not set right.  While it reeked to Tequila and had a nasty taste, I did not feel any effects. Wondering if the boiling water cancels out the liquor?  I think I will let my friend prepare them and I will stick to my beer.

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.

An unusually noisy and busy weekend

Living on the southern tip of Val Verde County, Texas and within a stone's throw of the Mexican border, it is not unusual to hear music coming from Ciudad Acuña, fireworks on the weekends, Border Patrol helicopters circling the area at all hours of the night and day and last but not least the loud whistle of the passing trains.

For some reason for the past two days the noise coming from the train tracks has been louder than usual or at least that is the way I have perceived it...in particular the train whistle.

My neighbors worthless step-son...Ricky Martin and his concubine Rebeca de Alba (made up names)... drove back into town on Friday.  It did not take long after unloading his truck for the music to start and the beer to flow.  Fortunately he must of passed out and all was quiet by midnight.

Mother lives by a main road and thankfully the Val Verde Sheriff's Department has been cracking down on speeders and in the process finding many drunk drivers.  Both last night and tonight as I sat in the kitchen I was privy to all the people they pulled over.  Those red and blue lights were a constant, tonight more so than last night.

I thought Ricky Martin had passed out tonight as well, but no dice.  I kept on hearing a car door open and close and sure enough he was in his truck drinking while his concubine yelled at him and slammed the door to his truck when he refused to go inside.

Then more red and blue lights this time by Walter's corral which faces the busy street.  I saw Ricky Martin get off his truck and look towards that direction as he guzzled some beer and then stumbled up the stairs to his mother's house.  How did Mom and I end up with such worthless neighbors...me in Houston and she in Del Rio?

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.

Finally arrived

After eight days I finally received the letter I was waiting for.  The envelope looked like it had been through the wringer and then been stomped on.  It was postmarked January 15th so evidently the Credit Union send it out the same day I requested it. I am glad it got here because I was beginning to think it was lost.

Made a beeline for the bank before the temperatures dropped and the winds picked up.  As this is also my Cyber Journal I had forgotten to mention that the new Hyundai dealership opened for business the first week of January 2014.

Gasoline prices in Del Rio today......

Good night, bundle up as tonight should be quite cold.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.

Who do I blame?

Last Wednesday I contacted my Credit Union in Amarillo, Texas so they could send me a check. I have never had a problem with them either when I lived in Houston nor now that I live in Del Rio, though they are located two to three mail days away.

I have had to drive into town every day this week and that does not make me happy.  Called them yesterday and they told me to give it another day!

There is also the very real possibility that my check arrived but that the postal service placed it in the wrong P.O. Box.  Just today I returned a letter that was in my box and it did not even have a P.O. Box number...it had a street address!  So who do I blame?

I really do not want to have to pay for a wire transfer but time is becoming a factor as my Harris County property taxes are due on January 31st and I do not plan on being delinquent.

On another note we have had simply beautiful spring like days in the 70's though that will change tomorrow. They are even mentioning that four letter word.....SNOW.....sure hope not :-(

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.

Yard work can be dangerous to your health :-(

I can not complain about the weather this weekend, it was sunny and in the mid 70's.  Got a lot of outside chores done.  However, I think I did something to my upper right arm where it connects to the shoulder.  I was unable to dig up a cactus bush and started beating on it...yard work can be dangerous to your health!

My mother has been nagging me gently persuading me to water the trees and weeds and I think I will oblige but that will be tomorrow.  Saw the neighbors watering their yard and quickly closed the blinds before she was able to see them!  :D

Cliff, if you still read this dribble just wanted to let you know that the mesquite trees have lost their foliage and are calling out for you and your friends to come chop them down.  I would send you an e-mail but I forgot to save my contacts when I closed my account.

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.

A little blue

Yesterday I checked out the online edition of the local paper.  I do not know why it affects me so much to see people that I went to school with now listed in the obituaries. I do not know if it makes me feel as though I could be next or why it causes me so much anguish.

As a child and even as a teenager my parents never took me to funerals.  I was 23 or 24 years old when I attended my first funeral and it wasn't by choice.  The president of our company died and our boss forced us to attend.

At the time I had never even attended my own relatives funerals, one because they lived far away and secondly because I was either in school or working when they passed on.  I remember when my maternal grandmother died I was in high school and we were having exams so only my mother made the trip.  The only relative to date whose funeral I have attended has been my father's.

I know we all have to go one day and I do not think I am afraid to die.  What I am more afraid of is...what would become of the ones I leave behind?

I really did not know my classmate that well and I think I spent more time talking to him on our 20th year reunion than I did in all the years we were in school together yet it still affected me.

The online edition only list a brief obituary, so I had no idea in what funeral home he was located.  Went to the wrong one and found out we now have a new mortuary in Del Rio.  I really ought to consider buying the local newspaper more often...typos and all.

I apologize for the downer post but as this is also my Cyber Journal I had to mention his passing.

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.

I have had it with G-mail...

I am so sick and tired of Google not letting me access my G-mail account unless I log out of my MsBelinda nick and log-in using Terlinguadreams...so the heck with them!

I have set-up a new e-mail account for my bloggers to get in touch with me.  That account is terlinguadreams@outlook.com

Please note that I have long since discontinued use of MsBelinda@hotmail.com as I was getting another person's e-mail with a nick similar to mine.  So if someone sends you an e-mail from that account...it is not me!

To re-cap...I have discontinued use of the following acccounts:

MsBelinda@hotmail.com

Terlinguadreams@gmail.com


Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.

What a lovely weekend

Both Saturday as well as today we hit a high of 77 degrees.  Brought out all the plants, watered them and let them bask in the sunshine.  Raked leaves to keep mother happy but did not get around to watering the trees...only my mother would think of doing that in January!  Guess I will get to that chore tomorrow.

Did some hand washables...in case you are wondering...No, I have not made it to the laundromat yet :-(

Made some white rice and it turned out so bad I thought of feeding it to Waldo (the resident cat) but quickly reconsidered as that would be animal abuse.  Well, so much for my cooking abilities. I guess my tall (taller than me) weathered cowboy is going to have to add another trait to his resume...be a good cook. :D

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.

Visit to the Eye Doctor

The eye doctor's office canceled mother's appointment for last Tuesday and re-scheduled it for today...so I drove her there this afternoon.  Last week I picked up the usual forms they require you to fill out and did so at home where I am more relaxed and not in a hurry or under pressure to do so..

My mother likes this Clinic even though they never have the same eye doctor for very long.  It is really hard to get out of their parking lot as it is located close to the hospital and a school. The lady doctor was running late and I was bored so I asked her staff how much it would cost for a person without insurance to have her eyes examined...she said $135.00.

Will have to see how much they charge in Ciudad Acuña.  My eyeglasses are 8 years old and I know I need a new prescription.  I also need contacts but I do not feel like driving to Piedras Negras (across the border from Eagle Pass, Texas) to go see the opthalmologist who specializes in hard to fit patients like myself.

Afterwards, I made a quick stop at HEB and picked up a few items.  I left the camera in my car, it is almost 2:00 a.m. so do not feel like going outside...will post gas prices tomorrow.

Gas prices today Friday, January 10, 2014 in Del Rio, Texas.

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.

Welcome to Cerulean Skies

I want to give a big welcome to Cerulean Skies a new blog follower, though she says she has been following me and other blogs anonymously for a while.

Her blog is called "This Must Be The Place" and here is a link to it http://neonbluesky.blogspot.com/

Was very surprised to find that we have several things in common but I will let you read her blog so you can find out on your own.

Welcome aboard.

Laundromat / P.O. Box

It was very windy today.  Needed to go to the laundromat but decided if I have waited this long might as well put it off for another day...or two, or three!  It is a good thing we have tons of towels, sheets and blankets. I am so glad I brought them to Del Rio or I am sure they too would have been history after they broke into my house in Houston a couple of years back.

Friday when I drove into town, I passed by the laundromat and they had a full house.  Too many people are finding out about this jewel of a place and even people from Ciudad Acuña are making their way there.  I just hope they do not go up on the prices.  They have excellent hours 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m.  Would love to go at night but my night vision leaves a lot to be desired.

I need to tackle my ever growing mail stack.  That reminds me...I also have to pay the P.O. Box fee which for a small box is now $72.00 a year.  However, it is well worth the price for the piece of mind it buys that our correspondence is safe from the inclement of the weather but most importantly from prying neighbors. We have had the same P.O. Box for 40 years and since the majority of the mail is for me, it is only fair that I pay for it.

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.

Darn...I hate crowds!

I feel so bad I actually tried to get an appointment with my Del Rio doctor...unfortunately he can not see me until mid February!   Many of my long time readers may ask...why don't you just go to Mexico to see a doctor like you have in the past?

Well, that is easily answered...remember I hate crowds?  For those new to my blog or that are not familiar with Mexican holidays...this is the weekend the majority of Mexicans that went to spend their Christmas vacations in Mexico are making their way back to the USA.

In case you forgot...I have no patience and I hate crowds (except for the Chili Cook-off) or standing in line, whether on foot or within the confines of my vehicle.  In Mexico, January 6th officially marks the end of the Christmas holidays when the Three Wise Men bring gifts to the children (kind of like Santa does in the USA).

The lines to cross into the USA are very LONG....as the Three Wise Men are busy making their much discounted toy purchases at the Del Rio Walmart to take back to the children in Ciudad Acuña, Coahuila, Mexico.

We have long lines going into Mexico and long lines going back to the USA...that means...I am staying home!

The year begins with the following gasoline prices in Del Rio, Texas as of Friday, January 3rd, 2014....click on the picture to enlarge it.

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.