It rained all night / It is freezing / They closed the bars down

Except for some 3-minute showers we have not had any measurable precipitation in months. Of course, this being 2020 it rained all night, morning, and afternoon. We had strong wind gusts last evening. It is still drizzling and very cold outside. We only reached a high of 39 degrees today.

There was snow in nearby cities but thankfully we did not get any. The San Antonio TV stations sent their reporters to Kerrville an hour away from the Alamo City and where many people drove to photograph, video, and play in the snow. They interviewed a lady from the Philippines who had never seen snow in her life.

Alpine and the Big Bend area had more than a foot of snow in some locations. John Wells of The Field Lab fame put out a video of his winter wonderland http://thefieldlab.blogspot.com/2020/12/a-little-snow.html

We had over 100 new Covid cases yesterday thus triggering a State mandate that closed the local bars down on Wednesday.  At least that will cut down on places for people to congregate this evening.

So much for the ban on fireworks in Val Verde County. While not on our street (for now) they have been firing them off right and left since this afternoon.

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.

Aunty Acid Saying of the Day

Surge of Covid-19 cases / Ban on Fireworks / Snow Flurries?

This morning I decided to bite the bullet and began to rake and bag the leaves both in the front as well as the back yard...a task I could no longer put off. I filled three 55 gallon contractor bags since they hold up better as I also had a lot of twigs and small branches that poke holes on cheaper bags. I could have filled more but even though I was wearing my back brace my back began to hurt.

Per El Zócalo (Ciudad Acuña's newspaper) we have had a surge of Covid-19 cases. On Wednesday, December 23rd - 83 cases were reported in one day. This Saturday, December 26th - 150 new cases were reported bringing the total active cases for Del Rio and Val Verde County to 711.  That is a lot of cases for a small town.http://www.zocalo.com.mx/new_site/articulo/ascienden-a-711-casos-activos-de-coronavirus

This is all blamed on Thanksgiving get-togethers. In my street, everyone had family and friends over for Thanksgiving as well as Christmas...so more cases are likely. Is it any wonder I do not even want to go pick up the mail at the Post Office?

We have not had rain in a long time and the county is experiencing a severe drought, therefore, it comes as good news that finally, Val Verde County has banned fireworks for New Years'. Though I am not holding my breath as I know the rowdy/drunk will pop them anyway. http://www.zocalo.com.mx/new_site/articulo/mantienen-prohibido-uso-de-pirotecnia-en-festejos

KSAT-12 in San Antonio is forecasting snow flurries and a cold front on Thursday night. Should I believe them?

We had a sunny but windy day with a high of 78 degrees.  If you get a chance go outside and gaze at the beautiful full moon this evening.

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.

Aunty Acid Saying of the Day

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You picked a fine time to leave us Lucille

I do not have friends in Del Rio all my friends are back in Houston my adoptive hometown which I called home for 25 years. I met a lot of people during my time there some I still keep in contact with from when I worked in the Oil & Gas industry.

Others I met outside of work or through friends we had in common. One such person was Lucille whom I met through my best friend Ms. D.  She had met her through a classmate of her eldest daughter whose family also hailed from El Paso, Texas.

Lucille or Lucy, la vieja loca amongst many of the names she was known by was older than us but we have no idea by how much because she was one age when we met her but she kept getting younger with each passing birthday. :-)

Miss Lucy was in a class all by herself, she was totally crazy. You would have thought my best friend and I were the older individuals and Lucille was the younger one. The lady was a riot and we had some of the best times together. I still remember her shoving me through her bedroom window because she forgot her house keys and did not want her husband to know what time we came home...jajajaja!

We went to so many concerts and dances especially if it was her favorite singer Fito Olivares. She even named her car Fito. That lady could out dance and out drink anyone no matter what venue or party we happened to be at.

My best friend called me early Saturday morning December 26th to let me know that she had passed on December 25th. They had found cancer in one of her kidneys in recent years but it had been removed and she was cancer-free. We have no details of what led to her passing but it can not be easy on her family and loved ones even more so that it happened on Christmas Day.

Bon voyage dear friend now you can party with Selena and Jessy Serrata.

A sunny day in the 80's but change is on the way...

With my nighttime comedy shows on Christmas hiatus, I have been watching Hallmark, ION, and Lifetime movies in their place and usually doze off before the movie ends which being an insomniac works out well for me. 

This morning woke up to Paquito whining demanding to be fed at 6:00 a.m.  As I opened the door to let him in I could barely see outside as the fog was so thick.  However, by nine o'clock the sun was shining brightly. Today we reached a high of 81 degrees.

Being Wednesday it is trash day and I usually do not take mine out until after 10:30 a.m. when everyone is already at work and I do not have to deal with people driving by.  As usual, I had to go pick-up trash the darn litterbugs throw along the outer fence line. There was absolutely no one around but a sedan coming way down the street. Such is my luck that it was a car I did not recognize but soon saw was driven by Pollito. Here I thought I had finally gotten rid of him and again he stops to talk to me when I am busy and he is not even wearing a face mask. I forced myself to be civil and greeted him but kept on walking as I tended to the task at hand.

Here I thought I had until next week to finish raking the leaves before New Year's but last night the worthless rowdy drunk reminded me otherwise as he and his kids were popping fireworks. Fortunately, it did not last long but definitively a glimpse of what's to come.

This evening we are expecting a cold front that will be ushered in after midnight with strong wind gusts that will bring the temperature down to the freezing mark.

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.

Aunty Acid Saying of the Day

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Sunny but windy days / Long lines to cross to México / Karma

While the days have been sunny and in the low 70's we have had strong wind gusts making it feel colder. I attempted to rake and bag some leaves but I was only out there for about three minutes before I gave up. The smell of smoke is strong and has been for the past two weeks but I do not know if it is due to more wildfires. The Mexican newspaper El Zócalo has not mentioned it in their online edition like they did two weeks ago when they reported the fire at Moody Ranch.

The Mexican Government in public service announcements pleaded with Mexican as well as American citizens to not go to Mexico for the Christmas and New Year's holidays but it seems that it has fallen on deaf ears. The lines to cross into Mexico at Eagle Pass, Texas have been up to 8 hours long. 

The lines to cross at Del Rio were 4 hours long. If you are familiar with Del Rio they extended to McCoy's. https://www.zocalo.com.mx/new_site/articulo/hasta-cuatro-horas-de-fila-para-poder-cruzar-a-acuna

Even though the news stories are in Spanish your browser has the option to translate them to English. Just listen to the pleas from Mexican officials and don't go to Mexico!

It seems that Karma has come and bit me in the ass after hoping that the neighbors would put up their home for sale. The worthless drunk took his family home after Thanksgiving but went back a week later and not only did he bring his wife and three kids but his in-laws as well!  I just do not know how his parents permit him to walk all over them.

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.

Aunty Acid Saying of the Day

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Winter has not officially arrived and I am sick of it already!

It has been cold in the mornings for quite a few days but warms up a little in the afternoon. Winter has not officially arrived and I am sick of it already. This gal was not meant to live in cold climates.

The other day I was watching Telemundo and when the weather guy mentioned that the Western Region of their audience including San Antonio (where they broadcast from) was going to experience a severe freeze overnight on Thursday this young news anchor who can not be older than 27 years and from Bogota, Colombia said: "It is time to bring out the San Marcos"...I almost died laughing 😂😂😂

You are probably saying "Sorry Belinda, but I don't get it"...and you would be correct, you would have to be Hispanic or have been around Hispanic friends to understand its meaning even some Hispanics have probably never heard about it. This is mostly a Mexican thing that is why I was so surprised that a young man from Colombia would have heard about it.

These are very warm Mexican blankets that were very popular but due to Korean knockoffs were put out of business and ceased production back in 2004. They are now sold on Amazon and called Koreanas but will never compare to the original San Marcos blankets from Mexico.

When my dad was in the nursing home my mother asked my uncle to purchase one because she was concerned that the air conditioner was too cold for him. In this blog, I usually refer to it as "my daddy's blanket" and it always makes its way with me to the Terlingua Chili Cook-off...except for the first year I took my car and could not fit it or my sleeping bag and almost froze to death that first night. It gives me comfort and peace of mind to know that my dad was never cold with his San Marcos.

I do not think I have drunk so much hot chocolate in all my life as I have these past two weeks. I will blame Hallmark movies for that. Have you ever noticed how they all have a cup of hot chocolate complete with whipped cream but they barely drink it?

Per El Zócalo newspaper (from Ciudad Acuña) Del Rio had 65 new Covid-19 cases and is awaiting the result of 88 more. http://www.zocalo.com.mx/new_site/articulo/reportan-65-nuevos-casos-de-covid-19

We have also had several wildfires due to the strong winds the area has been experiencing including one in the infamous Moody Ranch. Though the fires at that ranch usually start out as controlled burns but end up otherwise.

For those not familiar with Moody Ranch this is where the TV miniseries Lonesome Dove was filmed.

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.

Aunty Acid Saying of the Day

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Doctor's Appointment / Cold Weather

I went to bed early (for me) on Wednesday night as I had a doctor's appointment on Thursday and was a little apprehensive about it. I was wide awake by 4:00 a.m. but did not get out of bed until 6:00 a.m. even though my appointment was not until the afternoon.

To add to my anxiety my financial planner was going to send me a package via messenger and I was worried that it would be delivered when I was at the doctor and with the strong winds would blow it away as they were important documents. I also had my doubts that they would be delivered on Thursday since his personal assistant called me late Wednesday to obtain my street address.

I opened the gate early in the morning and was on the lookout for the UPS truck.  If they knocked they did not knock loud but I heard the neighbors' dogs barking like crazy. The lady and the driver were about to leave when I ran out but they had already left it next to the door. I am surprised I got it in less than 24 hours coming from Houston.

The doctor's office had called the day before to ask me to show up 15 minutes before my appointment but I decided to arrive 30 minutes before as I know better. Went through the same Covid protocol as when I went to the hospital as both are owned by the same corporation.

If you look at this picture you would think there was no one there. They were but in front by the registration side of the building that was very backed up. It took them over 35 minutes to call me to be processed and I do not even have insurance I pay cash.

His nurse asked me if I had arrived late...told her about the registration delay and she just rolled her eyes and shook her head.  My doctor once again urged me to get the Shingles Vaccine but I have to do some more research as I have heard both good and bad things about it.

He scheduled labs for me and told me I could come on Friday (today) or next week.  I wanted to get it out of the way and go this morning but it was 36 degrees and I don't do cold weather...will just have to wait until next week.

I just heard on the six o'clock news that snow would be making an appearance in Terlingua this weekend and possibly in the northwest part of Val Verde County. It is a good thing I am not planning to go anywhere.

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.

Aunty Acid Saying of the Day

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High hopes neighbors put their house up for sale

It felt cold this morning though it was only in the low 40's...for people that are not accustomed to cold temperatures, it was rather chilly. It was windy all day and we had some rather strong wind gusts.

I think I have mentioned before that Mr. and Mrs. Joe (step-father to worthless rowdy-drunk) are in the process of remodeling their home. I also mentioned that Mr. Joe wanted to buy my lot (next to the north-facing cinder block fence) about three years ago because he was going to start a chicken farm with some Ciudad Acuña investors. I told him my lot was not for sale!

This new Blogger will not let me indicate on the picture itself that the lot I am talking about is the one with all the worthless mesquite trees as you can see below (the ones in the background).

I have high hopes that this remodeling has something to do with putting their house up for sale in the foreseeable future...nothing would make me happier!

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.

Aunty Acid Saying of the Day

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Cold morning / HEB drive-thru Pharmacy / Mail for my late father

It got down to 33 degrees this morning. The only bad thing about having an electric central and heating unit is that it does not warm as well as a gas one and costs more to operate. Last month we had the lowest electric bill this year I even thought there might be a mistake but then I realized that the air conditioning was not used except for a day or two and only for a few hours.

Received an e-mail last week that my medications were ready to be picked up but there was no way I was going to go to HEB during Thanksgiving week even if only to use their drive-thru pharmacy. Got another e-mail yesterday alerting me that if I did not pick them up by this afternoon they would be returned to stock.

As usual, got a late start so by the time I arrived the drive-thru line was long and this gal does not do lines. So I went inside where there were two people ahead of me and was in and out in six minutes.

Drove to the post office and even though it was past four o'clock and they close at 4:30 p.m. they had a long line waiting to mail their packages, unlike last week when there was hardly anyone there. I was surprised we had so much mail including some for my late father who passed away more than two decades ago.  

Who sells Medicare information to third parties? Why would they bother sending their brochures to deceased individuals?

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.

Aunty Acid Saying of the Day

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Old Man Winter has come to town

It was cold this morning but not as cold as it will be overnight with temperatures predicted to be down to  32 degrees.  For this part of Texas that is considered COLD!

This morning I turned on the heater for the first time this season. We will be experiencing winter temperatures until at least next Thursday, December 10th when temperatures will go back to the low 70's.

This weekend I gave myself some time off from Cable News and the Internet. Instead watched some HGTV shows that I needed to erase to make more room on my DVR as well as some Hallmark movies.

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.

Aunty Acid Saying of the Day

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Val Verde County Property Taxes / High of 87 degrees / Rowdy-drunk neighbor is back

Went early this morning to the Val Verde County Courthouse to pay our property taxes. There was no line or anyone taking your temperature at the entrance like there was back in July when I was last there to buy my license plate tags. One less item crossed off my To-Do List.

The Courthouse is caddy-corner to HEB #1 better known as Little HEB. I was surprised that there weren't that many vehicles there but I do not currently need anything so headed off to the Post Office to pick up our mail.

No lines there either I suppose people will not be mailing their Christmas presents until December. Decided to head home but as I passed the car wash I pulled in to finish washing my car that I only got half washed after the incident with Paquito.

The rowdy/drunk neighbor left Friday morning I thought to go spend time with his family who lives out of town. Monday he came back with his wife and three kids. The dogs on this street like peace and quiet they started barking like crazy because his eldest kid was going up and down the street first in his bike then in his skates. Right now he has the music full blast in his truck as he bar-b-qs in his step-father's grill.  Oh, joy...this is going to be a long week!!!

We had a warm day as temperatures reached 87 degrees today. We expect cooler temperatures this weekend.

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.

Aunty Acid Saying of the Day

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May have bitten off more than I can chew / Terlita got a bath today

As I mentioned in my last post HEB gives you a turkey up to 12 lbs for "free" if you purchase an HEB Spiral-Sliced Bone-in-half or Whole Ham, or an HEB Boneless Spiral Sliced Ham.  I happened to buy a Fully Cooked Spiral Sliced Hickory Smoked Ham, that in the packaging clearly states that it glazes in 5 minutes and that it is an "Easy 3-Step Process".

Since I did not find the instructions anywhere on the packaging I suppose they are inside and I do not want to open it yet. Spent hours on YouTube looking at videos and found that even if it states that it is fully cooked you still have to put it in the oven for an hour and a half, then take it out and baste it with the glaze mixture every ten minutes for another hour. They also suggest I throw out the glaze pockets it comes with and make my own glaze...are they kidding?  I can't even boil water without burning it!!!  I think I may have bitten off more than I can chew 😢

This morning I could not stand to look at my dusty car anymore so I washed it. Well kind of, I did not finish because Paquito, as usual, ate too much and vomited around the tires and the trunk of the car (on the ground, not the car).  He made me so mad because after eating his portion in the kitchen along with Nico...he came outside and bullied Katie's cats and ate their food as well...grrrrrr!!!

I was not going to step on his vomit so I looked towards the garage/carport and saw my dusty Terlita (my old camping van) and to my surprise, I decided to tackle that much-neglected task. I bucket washed it because it would take connecting two hoses to reach all the way over there.

The van was FILTHY from the heavy winds and dust storms. I had bought a sponge mop at the Dollar Tree about two years ago to wash the top of it but I have no idea where that mop currently is so I did not do the top just the rest of it. It took me over two hours but Terlita looks good now...too bad I can not take her out for a ride as she is patiently waiting for a new transmission and to have her tires aired up beside of course current tags and insurance.

It was a beautiful fall day the sun came out after twelve and the temperature shot up to 84 degrees.

Good night,  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.

Aunty Acid Saying of the Day

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Grocery Run / Nice Temperatures / Last Edition

I could no longer put off going to the store and stocking up for my future shelter-in-place. The COVID-19 cases keep on increasing and the future does not look promising. Therefore, yesterday Wednesday, November 18th I took off to HEB early in the morning. I was glad I did because by the time I was checking out so many more people descended on the store.

I had already seen on the news (ours comes from San Antonio) that once again there was a run on toilet paper, paper towels, and cleaning supplies. I do believe I have more than enough on hand but purchased an additional package of toilet paper just in case.

I have not had good luck finding a good crop of serrano peppers either here or at Walmart. That was the case again today. I only purchased a handful of serranos. 

The tomatoes weren't even ripe and did not look very pretty.

One of the things I miss about Houston is their lower grocery prices in particular with regards to potatoes (that I am not supposed to eat but shhh). You could buy a 5 lb bag for .99 cents at most Dollar or regular grocery stores. Today they had a 15-pound bag on special for only $2.47.

Their garlic did not look so good and was very small. I usually purchase mine at Little HEB as theirs are purple and bigger but I was not about to make a special trip just for that. I was therefore glad I ran into garlic braids as I had never seen them in the US, just in Mexico where these were from. Though a bit pricey at $9.98 (mine came with 17 garlic bulbs) I decided to purchase them anyway as I eat a lot of garlic (lowers your cholesterol levels).

I almost purchased some onions in a mesh but I do not use those as often and they would probably go to waste.

I bought my usual salads and spinach as well as avocados. Ok, JudithK and Penelope close your eyes and skip the next picture...

They say you should not go shopping on an empty stomach and they are right!  I had no intention of buying a turkey but I found a small 8 lb. one but in order to get it for "free" you had to purchase an HEB spiral-sliced bone-in Half or Whole Ham, or HEB Boneless spiral sliced ham. I have no plans to cook it for Thanksgiving I just wanted to have one in the freezer in case things go south and we run out of food.

My HEB Lightly Salted Fritos, as well as all their other chips, have gone up in price but I love them in my chili or like we call them in this part of Texas...my Frito pie :)

The last time I was at Walmart I was going to stock up on White Claw until I noticed they had gone up $2.00 so I passed. Happy to inform that was not the case here. For good measure added a 15-pack of Natural Light even though with all the medication I am taking I am not drinking at this time...but it's good to have on hand and my doctor did say I could have one per day but if I was watching my Spurs I could have TWO per game...too bad the NBA season is over and at most I watched one or two games and did not accompany any of them with an adult beverage. :-(

I could not forget my boys (cats) so I got two boxes for my two little ones.

I was tired by the time I got the groceries in the car so I did not take advantage of the lower gasoline prices...maybe next week?

I would be remiss if I did not mention that the last edition of The Del Rio News-Herald was printed Wednesday, November 18, 2020.  

http://delrionewsherald.com/news/article_668277fc-2914-11eb-8943-bb7834dac405.html

We have been having gray and cooler mornings but by noon the sun starts shining and we have been experiencing nice temperatures in the high 70's and lower 80's but are in dire need of rain.

Last night I was uploading my pictures so I could make my post when once again the darn electricity went out...grrrrrr!  It was odd though it went out at exactly 9:00 p.m. and came back on at exactly 10:00 p.m.  I saw the neighbors outside using their phone's flashlight but I stayed inside stewing!

I can not wish you Terlingua Dreams as it is a little past noon...have a great day instead!

Aunty Acid Saying of the Day

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Early morning appointment / missing property tax statements

I tossed and turned all night much like I do when I have an early appointment and I'm afraid I might oversleep. Decided to start my day at 5:00 a.m. even though it was still dark outside. When they called to remind me of my appointment they told me to show up ten minutes before my appointment but when I inquired about registering times...she had forgotten that small detail and told me to arrive 30 minutes early. What a misinformed person, from years of experience I know it can take more than an hour. Pre-COVID I would have pre-registered but I was not going to do that and put myself in danger two days in a row.

Glad I showed up an hour and a half early because you have to have your temperature taken before you are allowed into the hospital (which is a good thing) answer some questions and then they match you to a list of appointments for the day after which they place a blue wrist band then you are allowed to proceed to the registration office. I understand the color changes daily and it serves to notify hospital employees that you have been screened.

There were so many people there! Glad I did not listen to that silly girl. It took almost an hour before I finished that part of the process and headed to Radiology. There were more people there but I did not have to wait long as my name was called out after only 10 minutes.

After I left the hospital I proceeded to the Recycling Center to drop off my metal cans and plastic water bottle containers.

I was so busy with the elections and donating to my favorite candidates during October that I completely forgot about paying our property taxes as you get a small discount if you pay them before January 31, 2021.

Then it hit me that I never saw them...they are hard to miss as they are hot pink. Placed a call to the appropriate county office and was told they were mailed out in mid-October, she agreed to re-send them.

Today I swung by the post office and while they had not arrived yet...I got two property tax statements that did not belong to us...not even the P.O. Box number matched. I wonder if ours are in somebody else's box as well? If it wasn't for the fact that we have had our box for YEARS...I would get a new one at the Post Office located in the north part of town.

By now it was past lunchtime so I picked up some smoked turkey legs. They were quite good. This afternoon I fell asleep during the five o'clock news, I really needed that nap!

Today we had a high of 87 degrees.

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.

Aunty Acid Saying of the Day