Country over Party...

If you have been reading me even for a short while, you know that I absolutely "LOVE" Terlingua, in particular, attending the CASI Chili Cook-off Annual Event.  It is no coincidence I named my blog "Terlingua Dreams"  back in 2011.

The Chili Cook-off just ticks off so many boxes for me.  I do not expect anyone to understand it unless you yourself have personally been privy to this event. The first time I attended was with an ex-boyfriend and that is documented somewhere on this blog.  That part is inconsequential but it laid the groundwork for so many future trips to that location.

My uncle is here to stay with my Mom during my absence. I have taken care of every vital detail that might come up while I am away. So why is it that I am not all in with my decision to attend this much looked forward to event?

I am not known for interjecting politics in my blog but sometimes one has to in order to explain their thought process. If you are not comfortable with that please exit now and hopefully come back another day.

The annual CASI Chili Cook-off is the greatest party in the Texas desert.  I have been attending it for more than two decades.  It is in my book the best "stress buster" on the planet.

I am currently looking at all my camping gear laid out in the living room.  I WANT to go to Terlingua!  I can be there this afternoon if I so choose.  So why do I have so many doubts?  I will tell you why...

Many times on this blog I have told you that I was a "party girl" or should I say a "party woman"?  Terlingua seemed to reinforce that belief and I have had some of the best times of my life out in the West Texas desert.

However, there comes a time when you have to look deep into your soul and contemplate what is best for your State and your Country. While I love my annual party in the Texas desert...I love my country more!

I do not want to wake up next  Wednesday, November 7th to find out that "my candidate" lost by a few hundred votes. I do not want to have any doubt or remorse of what more I could have done to help propel him to the finish line.

I have attended political rallies, made monetary contributions and early voted for my preferred candidate but somehow deep inside of me I do not think it is enough.  I have therefore decided to volunteer in whatever capacity I might be of use to help his campaign in this final stretch.

It is with that thought in mind that I have decided to not attend the best annual Texas event in my humble opinion and instead put my country first.

Sometimes you have to choose your Country over a big party in the Texas desert!

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.

Mosquitoes / Dog tie-out cable / Early Voting

With the cooler temperatures, the flies seem to have taken a hike but the mosquitoes have not gotten the memo and are still hanging around.  In particular those inside the house.  My mother is cold nature so the heater has been on since early this month.  I do not think we have ever turned on the heater so early in the season.

Need to wash some sheets and towels but the local laundromats are jammed packed.  I guess people are still behind on their laundry with the past rains.  Mother's clothesline is old and down to one line. If I were to hang anything heavy I am sure it would break.

While rounding up my camping gear ran into a new heavy-duty dog tie-out cable that I had bought when I cared for the stray dogs.  It was the perfect size and I was able to use it to hang a bedspread to dry.

Looks exactly like this one but I bought
mine at Tractor & Supply.

I finally made it to our local County Courthouse to cast my early vote.  I was pleased to see so many people participating in these mid-term elections. Please, fellow Texans and Americans make your voice be heard and go to the polls.

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.


Spurs Corner

It was another great game this evening. Unlike the last game, we played against the Lakers, this time we trailed most of the way but made a great comeback.

When did San Antonio have so many Laker fans?  I could not believe all the yellow jerseys and cheering going on...traitors!

The last of the rains

It rained a lot last night and continued until noon today. I had to take mother to her doctor's appointment this afternoon so welcomed the cease in the rains that have been a constant since September.

I would say today the temperatures were somewhere between the mid 50's to the low 60's in my book quite comfortable. Had to smile when I saw people at the doctor's office as well as at HEB with heavy jackets, coats, hats, and scarfs :D

It was easy to see who were Del Rioans and those who were winter Texans. One older gentleman, in particular, caught my eye as he was wearing shorts, a t-shirt, and flip-flops.

Today I learned something new perhaps the information might come in handy for another person with senior parents. Mother was due for her annual flu shot and her doctor told me that they had run out of flu shots for 65 plus.  I had no idea there were two types of flu shots...those for under 65...another for those over 65 years of age.

Since this is also my Cyber Journal I need to document she was given a Prevnar 13 shot today (pneumonia vaccine).

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.

A sliver of sun

After more than a week of cloudy, wet and gloomy weather we finally saw a sliver of sun if only for a while. I really needed to charge my Wakawaka and D-Light as I use them as nightlights and emergency lights for the frequent power outages that occur in this part of Val Verde County.

Wakawaka solar light

I just love my D-Light  it can also charge
a cell phone or tablet.

We had a 24 hour period to dry out and I took the opportunity to clean all the debris outside that was blocking the front gate.  I have been looking for my tent stakes and finally recalled that I put them in the trunk of dad's old car.

As soon as I opened the trunk the smell was awful and it was soaking wet.  I usually place beer cartons in the trunk of all my vehicles and that helped a lot.  However, I needed something else to aid in the cleanup. That is when I realized that my horse pine pellets would be perfect for this job.

Horse pine pellets soak all the moisture and remove the musty smell. With more rain on the way,  it will definitively come in handy.

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.


Spurs Corner

While we have only played two games...one we won, one we lost...I have a good feeling about our team and the new players.

Looking forward to the game tomorrow with the Lakers.

First cold front of the season

It is Monday, October 15th at 1:33 a.m.  I have my blog set to Pacific time in order to give me an additional two hours to write my post as I don't usually go online until close to midnight.

We have been warned by the San Antonio weather forecasters (we get our news coverage from that city which is located 144 miles east of Del Rio) to expect heavy rains this evening and I was focusing on that and completely forgot about the wind factor.

At 12:50 a.m. the winds began and I am hoping the cat carrier which I left outside will not be slammed into my mother's bedroom window.  I just do not want to go outside at this hour,,,not because of the wind...but because of the cats.

Paquito is a like a spoiled kid who does what he wants when he wants.  If he sees me carrying laundry or anything he knows he can pretty much beat me and rushes inside the kitchen before I can close the door.

I wish they would go seek shelter in the garage but they hang around the kitchen porch.

Now the thunder and rain has begun so I will log off before the electricity goes out.

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.

Que será, será...

This morning I woke up to the sounds of a loud tractor. Hooray, Pollito finally made an appearance! I did not go outside until he was about to break for lunch.  He said the southern part of the property was still very wet and his tractor kept on slipping.

This is when he gave me the bad news that he was going to have to charge me an additional amount as there were more trees than he could see when he first gave me the original estimate. He had filled more truckloads full of debris which in turn increased the fees he had to pay at the landfill.

To be fair he did give me a good price. Last year I had gotten an estimate solely based on the southern part as that is where most of the older mesquite trees are located. That figure was more than I am paying to clear the three lots.

I had to go into town to run some errands and when I got back neither Pollito nor his assistant were here. I have no idea when he will be back to complete the job...I am no longer worried about it...Que será, será!

One of the errands I had to run was a trip to a clinic for a free flu shot...I like FREE!  I happened upon this information when I was trying to access the Del Rio newspaper's website for another matter but was not able to do so without having to incur a payment for said information.

Went online to the excellent Mexican newspaper website "El Zocalo" who does not charge a dime and came upon this nugget.  As you recall last year I also happened on a flyer at the post office and I was able to score a free flu shot.

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.

2018 CASI Chili Cook-off News

Good news for those attending the CASI Chili Cook-off this year who happen to be tent campers or not and do not want the hassle of having to lug your own water or tent shower or for that matter having to drive into town for one. For the first time in its 52 year history, the new vendor in charge of port-o-potties and trash disposal will be providing shower shelters. The 4-day Event Shower pass will cost $40.00.
https://www.casichili.net/texas-disposal.html

Lots of crazy entertainment that will bring a smile to your face :D

This is great news!  I remember in the 90's having to stand in line for hours waiting my turn at the only showers open to the public in Lajitas, Texas in what was a trailer park and store. This was also the location where Clay Henry (the unofficial goat mayor of Lajitas) was housed. These showers had four stalls but only three worked.  We have come a long way since then, thank goodness for the invention of tent showers in the early 2000's.

My wonderful tent shower

Here is the 2018 General Schedule
https://www.casichili.net/uploads/3/7/7/2/37727781/main_schedule_separated_revised.pdf

The 2018 Music Lineup
https://www.casichili.net/2018-ticc-band-page.html

Another piece of good news is that the price of entry remains the same at $40.00 spectator's gate entry fee for the entire week.

Here is the link to other topics you might be interested in including a countdown ticker clock to the event
https://www.casichili.net/terlingua-273604.html

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Chili Cook-off Dreams.

Sorry I missed you Barney

What a difference a day makes. In contrast to yesterday, today we experienced a beautiful sunny day with highs in the 80's that definitively made you turn on your car's A/C. The house A/C has never stopped running.

Needed to run a couple of errands but before I did that wanted to go pay Barney of OFM fame a visit
https://ofmadventures.blogspot.com/2018/10/a-long-tow.html

The only people at the campground when I was there were a couple of guys tent camping,  It sure brought back memories of Terlingua :-(

For some unknown reason, I figured Barney was going to be spending a couple more days in Del Rio. I was surprised my cell phone picked up a Wifi signal and yes, I double checked and Barney had stated he was staying at campground #1.

I am so sorry I missed you this time around Barney.  Maybe next time.

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.

City of Del Rio sets a new rain record for this day

The evening news ( Monday - Oct 8th) warned of heavy rains, thunder, lighting, and hail for the area during the nighttime hours.  I was going to bring the car from the garage/carport to the front of the house so I would not have to walk in the rain and mud in the morning until I heard that four letter word...HAIL...and decided to leave it in the garage.

I went to bed early (for me) I think it was around 1:30 a.m.  I awakened to the sound of heavy rain and thunder turned to look at the clock and it was 3:01 a.m. Then the lighting show began and it seemed like they were striking very close by.

You could hear heavy sheets of rain hitting my bedroom window.  Got up to check on the usual places that leak mostly in the kitchen and glad I did.  The bucket was almost full and I found two new leaks :-(

Went back to sleep only to be awakened at 4:15 a.m. by a "robocall" from the City of Del Rio alerting the citizenry that we were experiencing a severe thunderstorm...no s*#t...it took them more than an hour to let us know that?

We were supposed to leave for San Antonio in the morning so went back to sleep. The darn phone rang again at 5:23 a.m. another "robocall" to let us know the thunderstorm was over.  As soon as I hung up the lighting and rain started up again.  Maybe it was over in the City of Del Rio but not in the County?  Had enough unplugged the phone from the jack!

My alarm went off at 7:30 a.m. and when I looked out the window the front yard looked like a lake. Are you kidding me?  Turned on the TV and saw that Uvalde was heavily hit after having already received five plus inches the day before, there were many street and road closures in the area.

Basically, all the rain that fell in Del Rio was heading east toward San Antonio, Texas.  Made an executive decision and called to cancel both our appointment and hotel reservation.

Del Rio set a new record for this day of three plus inches of rain.  The sun came out this afternoon which helped a little in drying our mud filled yard.

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.

Cobwebs, flies and mosquitoes

It is so humid and there are so many cobwebs everywhere including inside the house.  I have no idea where they came from.  I knock them down every day in particular by the cats' food and in a few hours, they have resurfaced once more.

Yesterday I removed so many from the garage including my car and Terlita (my broken down camping van) and today have newer ones in its place.  I have not removed the ones inside the house as I am hoping that they capture our other infestation...mosquitoes and flies.  They are all over town!

If you are headed to Terlingua later on this month you will probably find the same infestation at the Chili Cook-off.  On the plus side at least it won't be wasps...those suckers hurt when they sting you.

Yesterday it rained heavily for about 10 minutes and then sporadically for the rest of the day.  Have not heard a peep from Pollito (the yard guy) and do not expect to as today is a holiday.

Good night. May you all have Terlingua Dreams.

Venting my First World problems

I got up early (for me) so I could run the errands I have not been able to get to this week waiting on the yard man to finish clearing the lots. Went to little HEB, the post office, Walmart, Stripes and was back home before noon.

The first thing I noticed this morning was how much my arms and back hurt.  Thursday I decided to trim or re-trim the trees his assistant did not get to or did not do an adequate job with.  His assistant is a guy in his 70's who is in charge of mowing, trimming and weed eating. 

Unbeknownst to him, I refer to dad's friend as Pollito (young male chick)...because per his words, not mine, he likes Pollitas (young chicks) by young he likes them in their 40's top 50's...he is 69 years old.

Pollito

Earlier this week Pollito told me he had to go to another job but his assistant would remain. Saw him working hard so went to take him some cold bottled water during his break only to find that he had already downed two beers and was about to pop open a third. I am not a prude and I certainly enjoy a cold beer but not when I am working. He left soon afterward.

I am glad I got my ladder out and trimmed as many trees as I could and added them to the pile of trash as Pollito came back on Thursday afternoon with his big truck to remove the debris from the two lots cleared.
 

He started clearing the final lot on the southern part of mother's property but did not make much headway.  Pollito did not show up Friday or today...hoping he shows up tomorrow?  This has really stressed me out and kept me from doing other things I need to get to.

Next week we have an out-of-town doctor's appointment and they called to re-schedule it for an earlier time.  There is no way I can make that appointment without having to go the day before and staying overnight at our favorite motel.

When did my life get so complicated?  Once again just venting my First World problems...

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.