Recycling Center / Plaza del Sol Mall

I have been carrying my recycling items for far too long in the trunk of my car. Decided today was the day to take a trip to the City of Del Rio Recycling Center and unload them. 

I wanted to go check out some stores at Plaza del Sol Mall mainly Burlington Coat Factory. The last time I was inside one was twenty years ago in Houston. This new store is located in the former Beall's department store but it somehow seems bigger than the former store was. I looked around but did not find anything I could not live without.

I am glad Burlington set up shop at the mall because even before the pandemic stores have been closing right and left. Today I saw a lot of vacant spaces. I walked over to Ross also located inside the mall and found a couple of Baggallini purses. I do not know what has happened to this brand but the quality of their purses has been on a steady decline.

Then I walked to the opposite side of the mall to Marshall's but again found nothing I could not live without.

I started watching "La Casa de Los Famosos" which is the Mexican version of Big Brother VIP.  This is a very addictive show which is streamed live 24/7 on the Internet. With my insomnia issues, I have been watching it on my old cellphone and/or my tablet but after a while, my hand hurts from holding it or the electronic gets warm.

Ollie's is having a sale this week on Pillow Pads for your small electronics for only $5.99 but you could not remove the cover to wash it. I opted for a Cozy Tablet Buddy by Total Vision that has a detachable and washable cover, space for a wireless keyboard, and five small pockets for storage of accessories for only $9.99.

I was surprised that Ollie's already had window air conditioners on sale. Perhaps I should not be because it has been hot lately though today I did not watch either the afternoon or the evening news so do not know the actual temperature we reached but I did have to turn on the car A/C.

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.

Aunty Acid

New businesses open in 2023 in Del Rio, Texas

Even though Texas and the nation, in general, are not having their best economic moment...Del Rio has attracted new businesses and the accompanying jobs that this area so desperately needs. 

I had gone to my bank that is across the street from the back of the mall (we only have one mall) when I noticed that the former Beall's store was going to become a Burlington Coat Factory.

At the time I took this picture, they were also building an Arby's and a deli whose name was not familiar to me.  I have not been out this way since so I need to drive by and get an updated photo.

They also remodeled our local Wendy's which if you went inside was rather dingy and the floors were always dirt and sticky,

We attracted a new hotel to town with the added bonus that it is two hotels sharing the same building.

It is a La Quinta and a Hawthorne hotel.

The store that really had me excited was the opening of a second Dollar Tree. This one is closer to us thus putting it at a disadvantage since it is located on the road that leads to the Del Rio International Bridge. What I mean by that is that it is always packed and it does not have sufficient parking space. People are even parking in the red zone usually designated as a "no park fire zone".

I have only gone in on one occasion and unless it is as empty as the day I took this picture I think I will just keep patronizing the original store on the north side of town. It is larger and has plenty of parking spaces. Another advantage of the other one is that Ollie's and Harbor Freight are in the same strip center.

Both yesterday and today it has been overcast and cold. This morning we had a short-lived shower..but never fear...next week we will be in the 80s and might reach the 90s...per the weather forecasters.

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.

Aunty Acid

Funny Memes (according to me)

Hot, cold, and warm again...

In my last post exactly a week ago I was saying that the weather had been on a roller coaster ride as we reached 95 degrees (Feb 15th). The next day Thursday, February 16th we had a 24-hour swing in temperature of 27 degrees.

The following days were cold and windy. So much so that several branches from the pecan tree that succumbed to the drought and the big Texas Freeze of 2021 came down.

This made the cats happy...

I had no choice but to move the branches out of the way since it was blocking the driveway. Even though I did not have plans to go anywhere you never know when an emergency can arise. My only regret was that not a single pesky mesquite branch fell...😢

Friday, Saturday, and Sunday were cold but on the positive side, it allowed me to sleep like a baby. I even closed the vent in my bedroom to keep it as cold as possible. Friday I slept for 9 hours...when you suffer from chronic insomnia...that is definitively a gift!

Yesterday, while some parts of the nation experienced freezing temperatures...Del Rio registered 92 degrees and that was not even a record-setter, that happened in 1996 when we reached 100 degrees. The weather lady noted that it was 2 degrees in Fargo, North Dakota making the difference between them and us 90 degrees!

Believe it or not, just like a week ago we once again registered 95 degrees per the 4:00 p.m. news.

The five o'clock news showed we tied with Laredo for today's high. 

I suppose while the rest of the nation is under winter storm warnings we have unofficially begun Spring?

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.

Aunty Acid

Del Rio set a new record high for this day

These past two weeks have been a roller coaster ride weather-wise. From freezing temperatures, fog, strong wind gusts, and gray days, to unusually warm days this early in the year. Today Wednesday, February 15th we set a new record high...we reached 95 degrees...and we were not even the hot spot...that honor went to Cotulla, Texas which recorded a temperature of 96 degrees! Not only was it the hot spot in Texas it was the hottest temperature recorded today in the United States.

The Texas Panhandle had snow while in the Dallas metro area, they had strong storms. The only thing we have not received is RAIN and we desperately need it. Later this evening or in the early morning hours a cold front will make its presence felt.

Per the weather channel, this front and accompanying bad weather is heading east...bundle up!

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.

Aunty Acid

Winter Blast 2023

Today is the third day of our Winter Blast 2023. While it can not compare to our February 2021 Texas Freeze it is cold and drizzly. We get our television coverage from San Antonio, Texas a city 144 miles east of Del Rio. Therefore, most of our coverage is of that city even though the icy and colder weather has been more prevalent in the northern part of the state.

These were our temperatures last night on the evening news. Many of you that live in northern states or in Canada are probably rolling your eyes thinking this would be a warm front in your area. 😊

Even HEB in the Texas Hill Country closed two hours early yesterday.

There have been a lot of accidents since the winter blast began on Monday.

A Boerne, Texas police squad car was hit sending the officer to the emergency room...he is fine.

This trailer carrying cars...

No snow just a lot of ice that brought down trees which in turn brought down power lines leaving many in the dark without electricity. We were fortunate to have not lost power. I hope all my readers are doing fine and are safe.

Good night. May you all have Terlingua Dreams and please bundle up.

Aunty Acid