Coffee and Ribs

 

 

It was cold this morning when I woke up. I had turned the heat off last night because it was too hot for Sherri to sleep. This morning, however, it was time to turn it back on. We were up at 6:30 and getting ready for the day. I had made the coffee the night before and Sherri was making the ribs for our lunch today. The coffee was good and the ribs smelled so good as we were leaving out the door to go to the casino.

I had won some money yesterday and I was going to use it to play with today. Sherri had won money also and she was ready to win some more. Believe it or not…it is not the winning that keeps us going back…but the excitement of playing the games. You have to love the game itself and forget about the winning if you want to have fun. When the winning is what it is all about then you have a gambling problem.

I love to play the games that have colorful graphics. I like the sound and the different stages of the games that you can get to by having certain graphics come up on the screen. Most of all I like the machine that will allow you to play for a long time before it sucks all your money down. If it all goes too fast then the fun is take away. I have to have the right combination for it to excite me and keep me playing .

OK so much for that…we had an enjoyable time and we both came out even or there about. We have money for tomorrow and we will go back.  Also tomorrow is free senior breakfast. Now who can pass that up. We will be up early to catch the shuttle so we can be some of the first in line.

We came home and set up the satellite dish. It was not long after I got it set up that it started snowing and I mean it snowed until we went to bed. The temps are not freezing so it should be melted….

Somewhere in Time

Left One Casino For Another

 

Got up early so we could try the slots one more time and then it was on to the Winstar

Well it is Monday Morning here in Oklahoma. Yes we decided to go north and experience our first White Christmas. WOW…was it neat…never before had Sherri or I had a White Christmas! We are staying at the Winstar Casino this week and there is still snow on the ground here. They are calling for more snow on Tuesday so we will still have a lot of the white stuff on the ground.

Sherri and I were up early so we could gamble one last time at the Choctaw Casino in Durant. We did not stay long and lucky we did not because we would have lost all our winnings for sure. Things were not going good so we headed out for the Winstar about 10:30 and arrived there at 12:00. This is a new RV Park…I say new… it opened in August but we did not know about it until Sherri discovered it.

We got checked in and then set up at our site. These sites are designed for two RV’s in one pull through. I really don’t understand the layout but that is the best I can tell. They have two electric boxes and two sewers and water connections. It is a real nice park located just south of the casino. The shuttle runs every 1/2 hour to a pickup point next to the office. They have laundry and showers here too.

The shuttle pick up was just across from us.

You can see the casino across the field from the RV Park. Notice the electric box and sewer at the back of the site.

The office is just across the street from our site.

That is the showers and the laundry room in behind our site. Notice the extra table for the other RV site.

After we got set up Sherri made us some lunch and then we got ready and caught the shuttle over to the casino to try our luck. Mine had stayed in Durant but Sherri’s was still with her and she did OK.

We left and came back home about 6:00 and settled in for the cold winter night. The temps here were going down into the low 20’s so I had to disconnect the water again and make sure our fresh water tank had enough water for showers. By the time I got all that done outside I was about frozen! At least the wind is not blowing here as it was on Christmas.

That completes another day on the road and now we are ready to have some fun at the slots! Maybe I will make enough tomorrow to retire on…

Somewhere in Time

Safe and Sound at the Casino on Sherri’s Birthday

 

Yes it is cold out there!

We woke up this fine Christmas morning to snow on the ground….Yes a White Christmas!!! This is a first for Sherri and I. Never before had we either one had a white Christmas and it was so exciting.

The snow came down all night and the wind blew 40 mph. Needless to say it got cold and still is.

I got up early and made coffee and got Sherri’s Birthday card out and put it where she would find it when she got up. I got her one of those singing cards. Her gift is the trip and the new ring she will be getting as soon as the jeweler gets it ready. We usually just do things like this for each other.

So we are just getting ready to head over to the casino and have some fun. We have a coupon to eat a free buffet lunch so we are going to use it today. There is a lot of fun and excitement waiting for us so we will get ready and head out in the snow.

And so we did and we had a good buffet lunch half price and Sherri and I both won some money! One of the machines Sherri was playing would not pay her so we had to bring in the Calvary. They paid her off in cash…the machine could not be fixed.

Yes it took 3 of them to try and fix Sherri’s machine…not fixed but she got her money anyway.

Yes not bad for the first day at the casino. We left about 3:15…took the shuttle back to the RV park. The streets are cleared of ice and snow now so we are thinking about going to Wally World and getting some movies. Don’t know if they are open today but we will call to find out.

OK so Wally World is closed today…can you imagine that.

Well so I guess we will not have any movies to watch tonight. No matter we will find something to do.

Bridget called while I was writing this and Sherri and her had a long conversation.

Sherri and Bridget are getting serious about something.

That is about it for now. I guess tomorrow will be an exploring day. We plan to go down to Lake Texoma and take a look at some of the COE parks. We might even move over there if we like them. They are so much cheaper than where we are.

OK that is a story for tomorrow…Have a Merry Christmas and stay warm…see ya…

Somewhere in Time

Back to the Kids and More Presents

 

 

Merry Christmas to all our family and friends.

Up again this morning making coffee and having to get ready to deliver more packages to the kids. We did have a minute to set down and drink some coffee and plan out what and how we were going to do today. We had originally planned on have the kids out to our place to eat breakfast and open presents but then the weather man broke some bad news to us about an impending storm brewing to our north west. It was to arrive today about 12:00 so we had to change our plans to get us out of town before the bad weather started.

Sherri finished her coffee and started fixing some of her egg casserole. I helped her cut up a pineapple and then she made some biscuits and muffins. We had a real good breakfast put together in no time.

Sherri got her shower and I started getting the RV ready for travel. We finished off by bringing the slides in. Now when we returned all we would have to do is back up and hitch up. With the snow coming…every minute would count on getting out of there on time.

We arrived at the kids house about 8:30 and served them breakfast. We sat around the table and visited for some time until the kids reminded us that we had presents for them and they sure needed to open them. We retired to the living room and let them open their gifts and we all had a real good time.

Everyone was happy with their gifts so we felt that we had done a good job picking them out. I am sure they will want us to return next year.

Sarah gave her Maw a Birthday present

We left them with hugs and kisses and then returned to the park. I got the outside ready to hitch up and Sherri supervised me as I did it. We already noticed a temp change in the time we had left until now that we were back at the RV. The air seemed damper and the clouds started to look like snow clouds. We pulled out about 11:30 and set the GPS for Durant. The arrival time would be about 1:56 and I felt like that would keep us ahead of the approaching storm.

The trip went without any problems until we hit the front head on about 10 minutes out of Durant. The snow started coming down fast and it looked like me might not make it but we pulled it out and pulled into the KOA just in time before they started shutting down all the roads in the area.

We got parked and then got ready to wait out the blizzard that was raging outside…

Somewhere in Time  

Christmas With the Kids Before Christmas

 

Kris was excited about the presents that we brought with us…He is getting where he knows more about what this time of the year brings….TOYS!

We got up Wednesday early so we could get coffee and get ready to go into Dallas to get the truck serviced and then head over to my daughters house to deliver the    gifts. We got us a rent car for the day from dealership because they were doing some call back work on the windshield wipers. I was having them do the oil change and some other filters and rotate the tires.

We got the car and then we had to drop by another store to pick up one more gift for one of the granddaughters. We went to Macy’s and wondered around in there for some time and then decided on a gift card. I think that is the best way to go on children that have certain taste in clothes. Let them pick out what they like and put it on their gift card and be done with it.

 

We spent the day there and about 3:00 the service center called me to let me know that our truck was ready. We said our good-byes to the kids and went back and got the truck. We then headed into Terrell to check on some jewelry that we had dropped off to be cleaned. From there we went back to Quinlan to return our movies that we had rented and then home.

It was a great day and we enjoyed seeing the kids open their presents. We love being with them and hate to leave them when we have to…Which is another story all together. Well better get myself to bed. It has been a long day and I have to get up again tomorrow morning…we have to go to the other grandkids house and deliver packages there.

When we get through playing Santa we are headed to Durant Oklahoma to visit a casino on Sherri’s Birthday….

Somewhere in Time 

Count Down Has Begun Christmas is Near

 

Morning came and we really did not want it to…but it came anyway. I will have to say that we are so tired from shopping and washing clothes. Yes that is all we have been doing for the last few days and we have about had it with all of this. Coffee was made and we slammed that down so we could get going. Not much conversation but we did read a few emails and journals.

Then it was time to get ready to go to Lindale Texas to meet some of our friends for a Christmas dinner. We were all going to meet at Posada's Mexican Food Restaurant and have a good visit and wish everyone a Merry Christmas.

 

 

 

 

We had a great time and then it was time to say our good-byes and everyone headed off. Sherri and I headed over to Wally World to pick up some supplies for our party with the kids in Carrollton Texas. We are going there tomorrow to give the kids their gifts. The next day we will be back in Wills Point to spend Christmas Eve morning with our other grandchildren and daughter Jennifer.

WOW what a schedule we have trying to get all the kids in before we head off to celebrate Sherri’s Birthday. Sherri’s Birthday is the same day we celebrate our Lords. She has always felt like she really never has a Birthday due to all the other things going on that time of the year. This year we are headed to Durant Oklahoma to celebrate her Birthday and there wont be any Christmas to get in our way.

Well I am going now…time to shop for the last time. We have one more gift to get and then it is over for this year. Stay tuned for film…

Somewhere in Time

Christmas Shopping…Gotta Love it

 

Being that I am so far behind on posting an entry to my journal…I will have to catch you up in short order.

We have been up at our usual time each day…fixed and drank our coffee as always. The only difference to our schedule is Christmas shopping. I wont lie to you and say that I enjoy it …And that is what we have been doing these last few days I have not been typing in my journal. I do know there are easier and less painful ways to get this done

I know you all Christmas shop and I know you can fill in between the lines and know what we have been going through. List that we have to reorganize over and over. You know you bought one child this present and it cost more than the others so the other has  to have an equal amount to round it out. The number of presents they all receive has to balance out on the same sheet so this list gets rather complicated over time.

Personally I think there is a much better way to solve the headache of list and the time spent at the stores and braving the traffic and the pushing and shoving that goes on. Why not make a list of children that will be receiving you blessing this year and buy them all gift cards from their favorite store. All the problems would be solved with one trip to each store of their choice and you are done. These are a few of the problems you would solve and the money you would save.

1. Setting up a total amount each child is to receive from you…by taking the budget and dividing it by the number of children.

2. Get a list of the stores they like to shop in.

3. Go to those stores or a store that sells all the gift cards and purchase them there.

4. Drop each card in a  gift bag along with a token gift and your done.

Wow am I a wizard or what… Look at the time you have saved and the miles on the old vehicle…parking…traffic…people shoving. My you have narrowed you Christmas shopping down to a one day event that leaves you feeling good about yourself.

Everyone gets what they want and if one gets more it is due to the fact that they are a better shopper than the other! You are left feeling good and they have to deal with not having as much as the other child.

This my friends is a Win Win idea that can be used next Christmas. And by the way if you are far far away from the recipient…the cost of mailing a gift card is very small compared to a large bulky gift.

I give you all this as a present from me to you this year. Next year when you all have the extra time on you hands that this will give you…you can thank me.

OK I must go and find boxes to put all the bulky presents in and find the tape and paper and….well you know. It is what we do this time of year…

Somewhere in Time  

What is it With Medicine

 

We slept good again last night…or should I say I did. Sherri said I snored last night and kept here up. Funny, she was snoring in the recliner while I was watching TV…that didn’t seem to bother her? OH Well I have to try and not snore anymore.

Which brings me to the  topic of medicine…Not for snoring but for all other types of health problems. When did they start giving all the side effects of medicine on TV? I know it was some time back but I have just now started taking notice of the commercials that tell you what a great drug XYZ is and then they start telling you the side effects in a times two rhythm which if you don’t listen closely you will miss altogether.

After listening to the side effects you wonder if you would not be  better off with the ailment rather than the cure and the problems it brings on.

Here are some side effects of Viagra:

• headache
• facial flushing
• upset stomach

Less commonly, bluish vision….Now what is BLUSIH VISION…sounds bad to me! blurred vision…Kind of hard to have sex if you can’t see what is going on…. or sensitivity to light may briefly occur…Why would you want to have lights on…maybe if your doing porn??? Gee sounds fishy to me.

Now it sounds like to me that a pint of alcohol will do the same thing and then you wont have to worry about having sex at all.

Here are the side effects of Nexium:

Side effects may include:
Abdominal pain, diarrhea, headache

OK so as I see it I am going to give up indigestion for Abdominal pain…diarrhea…and a headache? Well that sounds like a fair trade off.

What is it with all this? I am afraid to take anything anymore after reading the side effects and weighing out the difference between what I have and what I might have.

Some of the other listed side effects of medicines include:

Sores that wont heal…goes over good in the grocery store line

rashes…no one wants to be around you

bloody stool…now everyone wants this to happen

Loss of bladder control…No more headache but I pee my pants all the time

Loss of hearing and balance…Once again this is better than itching and hair loss.

I could go on and on but I would lose some readers just through nausea alone. I think you get my point here. We should try to get more natural cures on the pharmacy shelf so we can lead a natural life without all the side effects.

Well better get out there and get some things done this morning before my Viagra kicks in and I find myself with blurred vision…

Somewhere in Time 

I’m Losing my Mind!…It’s a Good Thing

Today is move day. We were up at 5:00 and started our coffee in the old pot. We were moving like jungle cats around the house getting things ready for the trip West. It will be a one hour and fifteen minute trip but no matter everything has to be secured the same as if it were a four hour trip.

That gets me to thinking about some of the trips I went on when I was overseas…NOT those kind of trips…but then I might have had one or two of them…No we had to pack for different types of missions and we had to take certain things and they had to be secured in a certain way…Where am I going with this…I have no clue…NO I am not tripping now. I was just making a meaningless comparison …Never mind.

I have several things to do this morning so we can pull out. Sherri is getting ready for work so when we arrive at the park all she has to do is jump in the truck and take off. I will be left with getting the RV ready for the stay there. I hope she wont have to work long so we can check out our new driveway….Yes we should have a new driveway at the lot. Not sure yet if it is in…my man never did call me to let me know if he gotter done.

Let me ask you guys…do your wives leave you with instruction on what to do when they leave to go shopping or to work. You know as they are going out the door is there instructions emitting from their mouths as they disappear down the driveway. Do you hear the Doppler effect in their voice as the distance from their vocal cords to your ears increases an you’re standing there shaking your head like you have Parkinson’s.

I guess the most important part of this question is Do You Remember What They Said? Hell no and when they get back you are going to get it!…and worst of all you know it. So you just set there all day trying to piece together what they were saying. Best thing to do is just tell them when they get back that you had a mini stroke and that your mind is foggy. Tell them that the doctor said that you might have several of these over the years and that you will not be able to remember some things. This will cover you for those times that you forget to do what you were told.

My loss of memory has helped me tremendously with my health. I have been needing to work out more often and me forgetting things has made me work out harder. I forget what I am going outside for so I come back in and then forget why I came in and go back out. This could go on for some time in the morning so I traverse the stairs at least 10 times a day. Then I hit the ladder doing the waxing and that is good exercise. When you get to the top of the ladder doing the waxing and that is good exercise. When you get to the top of the ladder and you have forgotten your rag it is back down to get it and then you leave the wax on the ground and you have to go back and get it. Sherri forgets her purse and keys…glasses and other things when we leave for the store so I have to make at least 4 trips back in for her stuff…Well maybe 5 because I forget what she told me to get that she forgot so I go back to the truck for instructions and then back to get that …that I forgot. OK in the store we forget our list that we spent 5 days preparing so we walk for two hours in there trying to remember what was on the list that we left at the house….Did I already say that ?? Then when we get all our stuff we head out to the parking lot and by this time we forgot where we parked the truck so that is another mile and a half searching for it…did we forget the truck??? I think we drove ….

We get plenty of exercise…seems the older I get the better shape I am in…got to love getting old….

Somewhere in Time

Tuesday and Still in Tyler

 

Did I tell you we got us a new bed. Well not the whole bed but a topper. We got the memory foam topper that lays on top of your mattress and conforms to your body when you lay down on it. Sherri and I woke up this morning after sleeping on the new mattress topper and we felt like a million bucks…however that feels? I would have a back ache when I got up after sleeping on the old mattress but this morning I feel good and my back does not hurt. Does this sound like a commercial? Well it works for us and we saved $$$ not buying a sleep number or one of those other high $$$ mattresses.

I know you could probably care less about how I slept but I just had to put you in the mood that I am in after a good nights sleep. It is cold this morning and I have the coffee on and Sherri is coming down the stairs to join me. I poured her a cup and we sat down to enjoy this time together. This is the time of the morning that we decided how the rest of the day will pan out. This is the last day of work here for Sherri and we will be heading to Lake Tawakoni so we have to plan out our time for moving. Sherri was planning on a short day so she would be back in time to check out and then we could head off to our next destination.

As things turned out today Sherri called me and said that her team wanted to eat together today so we have decided to stay one more day. She said that she would be getting off soon and that she would come by and pick me up. It was about 11:15 when she got here and we went to the office to extend our stay and then back to the store to eat. The store catered a dinner in so they fed everyone there and it was good.

When we had finished eating and all the visiting was done we left there for another store so Sherri could shop. Kohl’s is one of her favorite stores and she spends a lot of time wondering up and down the aisles there…touching and looking at everything….I mean EVERYTHING. OK so I did look for some shorts there but could not find any this late in the year.

After Kohl’s we went back to the house to plan on what to eat. OK you have to remember that several hours had passed since our last meal. The cupboard was bare and the decision was made to head back out and find some fast food…or slow food it really did not matter to me. When I get hungry I could care less on what is on the menu. I will eat the tires off my truck when it comes down to it…just have to have food.

We decided to eat at Mercado's Mexican Restaurant on the loop around Tyler. They have the best Mexican food in Tyler…if your ever there. Sherri ordered a burrito and I the Enchilada's. The hot sauce there is out of site and hot. I ate way too many chips and when the dinner got there I just picked at it and got a to-go box. Sherri also got one so now we have lunch for tomorrow.

It is so nice being senior citizens! We get the lunch special all day long  7 days a week. They did not short us on the food either so we have plenty. Not all bad being old.

OK so now we are back at the house and the heat is on and we are getting comfy. The temps are suppose to drop down in the mid 30’s. We have not had to use the furnace all week even with the low temps. This rig is so well insulated that all we need is the two little electric heaters. The inside temps remain about 68 degrees even when the outside temps go down to the low 2o’s.

Well I guess that about does it for this day. We will be getting up in the morning about 5:00 am to head out to the lake. Sherri has to be at work at 9:00 am so we have a tight schedule to follow. Time to kick back here and relax…

Somewhere in Time

Monday In Tyler

 

Good morning readers! I have coffee on and I am ready for the day here in Tyler Texas. Sherri is getting ready for work and I am up and setting at the computer…playing…as Sherri calls it. I love all my journals as much as she loves her Soap Operas she watches so intensely. I don’t feel bad about what I do and I will continue to read and post as long as the good Lord allows.

Have you ever wonder why you are wound up the way you are. You know each individual has his or her own quirks and not everyone is wrapped up in the same package. We all go through life dealing with the same situations in different manners and most all have the same outcome. The way we all get to that outcome differs in such a wide fashion one would wonder how we all get to the same end. It has to do with different approaches people take to solve the problems.

The first approach is the cautious one. Move slowly test the water and make sure that what ever you do you don’t hurt anyone along the way. No one gets hurt except the one trying not to hurt anyone and in doing so has bad karma at the end of the solution. This is the person that ends up babbling in a padded room down the road.

The next approach is the one where you go into the problem not trying to fix it but trying to hide it from yourself and everyone around you. If I ignore it…it might go away approach. This too will end up with a larger problem and a padded cell down the road for your reward for proceeding with your eyes closed.

Another approach to problems is the flailing of arms approach. Gnashing of teeth and screaming loudly so people think that you are about to go postal. This approach does not solve the problem but keeps you from having to deal with it straight on…more than likely someone will fix it for you so they don’t have to deal with you.

The last approach is the one the level headed person takes. You know the person that analyzes the problem by looking at it from all angles and puts the best solution forward that fixes the problem. Don’t you just hate those people…they take all the fun out of crying and beating your head on the floor. They live to be really old and they try to attribute their longevity to food they ate or the climate they lived in…when all the while it is the attitude they had toward life and it’s many problems.

I am writing all this to you to let you know that you can live a long time doing what you like if you just relax and take one moment at the time and not let things get next to you.

Comparing peoples attitudes when losing control of their car on an icy road…The up tight person would say:

OH S_ _ T when it happens to them.

In Louisiana one would say:

Hey hold my beer and watch this S_ _ t.

You see the difference?

OK don’t say I didn’t give you some good advise along the way…

Somewhere in Time

Sunday Morning And Life is Good

 

Yes today is Sunday and Sherri and I both woke up in the recliners….Why! You ask…Our new mattress is conforming to its surroundings. We bought a memory foam mattress and once it is released from its vacuum sealed bag it has to return to it original size. I did not know they could get that mattress sucked down to the size it was in that bag. Well we had to wait 24 hours for it to complete it’s metamorphosis while laying on our other mattress.

I told Sherri last night when we released it from it’s vacuum bag that if something should happen and it went through the metamorphosis faster than we expected that I would be trapped in the bedroom and that she should call 911 as soon as she could before I suffocated. As things would have it once released from captivity the mattress acted as it should. Now we had to wait for the 24 hours to pass before we could sleep in the bed…therefore we slept in the recliners where you found us this morning.

Sherri got up and made coffee and I slipped into the bedroom to check on the progress of the mattress. All seemed to be progressing well and I felt like that we would be able to sleep on it tonight. 

Sherri and I spent some time this morning discussing our plans for Christmas. How many out there find it hard to share Christmas with all the in-laws? I am just not into sharing my kids with other parents. Now don’t get me wrong I don’t dislike our children’s in-laws…some of them I have never even met. But I just like to spend time with my kids and their children when we are celebrating birthdays and Christmas and not feel like I have to share my time with others.

So what this boils down to folks is this….We let our kids spend time with their in-laws during the Holidays and we take them before or after so we can spend quality time with just them. Everyone is a winner if you do this and you don’t feel slighted…nor do they. The kids don’t have to worry about us all getting along and they are more at ease.

This is why Sherri and I have planned on spending time with the kids before Christmas and after Christmas. We might even get together in January and celebrate my birthday and Sherri’s then…You know Sherri’s B-day is Christmas day….OH yea that is a bummer for her so by celebrating in January…my B-day month and our youngest son’s she can feel like it is more of a Birthday to her.

We had just finalized our plan when the phone rang and it was Jim Walter…Dee’s husband. Jim was needing some information about his propane tanks and Sherri and I got to howdy with them both for a while. They are so lucky to have a family like the Dreamers to pull information from. When Sherri and I started there was no Internet and no Forums to read about how to do all this. We just had to muddle through it all and trial and error until we got it right…or broke it!

OK we have to do a load of laundry this morning before we head out to Tyler so I guess I best get shaking here. We will have about an hour and fifteen minute drive to the RV Park and then get set up and eat some lunch! GEEE I am getting hungry. I would love to stay here and chat with you longer but it is time for me to move along and make tracks…

Somewhere in Time

Christmas Shopping

 

Sherri and I woke up this morning early. We are going Christmas shopping today in Mesquite Texas. I put the coffee on that our son and his wife had purchased in Hawaii. They bought us some Hawaiian coffee and a pineapple while they were there on their honeymoon. The coffee smelled so good while it was perking away in the pot. Soon we were sipping on it and was it good. The pot that we made was the vanilla…we also received a chocolate mocha.

We drank our coffee and then took our showers and got ready to get on the road. We are shopping for all the grand kids today. Let me see we have 9 last count and that times the budgeted amount we have agreed to spend on each one will keep us in the poor house for some time to come.

We started out at Macy’s and then went to Penny’s and ended up where else…Wally World! We got most all of it done and only have a few items to finish up with. Sherri likes to stretch out the shopping thing as long as she can. She loves to shop and can spend hours in one store just roaming around. I, on the other hand abhor shopping and would rather take a sharp stick in the eye than walk around looking at stuff I will probably not buy.

I did, however do exactly that… I had a  bit of an ear ache all day but toughed it out for my bride. She was really mad at me all day because I am not fun to be with. I would like to know how many of the guys out there are happy shoppers for girl clothes and the like. I am not talking about going to the hardware stores and looking around…I mean the lady departments. OK if your out there that is fine more power to you…but as for me I will never like it.

Well I better go now we are back at home and I have to get on chat for a minute and then help Sherri put this stuff away. Tomorrow we finish up shopping and go to the barn to do some wash. I got two loads of gravel today for the drive way so I need to go and check it out. See you later….

Somewhere in Time

A Day in the Motel

 

Sherri and I were both up about 5:30 am this morning. Sherri had to be at work at 8:00 am in Clifton Texas and I had to get on the computer and play…this is what Sherri says I do everyday. Well I do have fun reading about all my friends and seeing what they are all up to. Next month I will be working so I might as well have some fun now while I can.

Can I give everyone out there a word of advise. Don’t let the government plan anything for you. I have been informed by our government that I owe them some of my Social Security money. Oh yes I made too much money last year and now I have to give it back to them. Now this really makes me mad for two reasons.

Reason #1:

Here I have worked for 50 years and I am eligible for Social Security. Some folks out there never worked in the USA or any where else for that mater and they get all the Social Security…Medicaid Medicare and all the other benefits provided by this great nation…that I by the way paid for…no questions asked. They don’t claim any incomes…have no insurance…no job with no intention of getting one any time in the near future…does the government question them on how much money they make…does the government question them on anything. Have they served in the armed forces have they done anything to better this country in any form or fashion? Other than suck our system dry…the answer to that question is NO.

Reason#2

Before I retired I contacted the Social Security Office to sign up for my little pittance of money. I filled out the paperwork and gave it to them to file and get me started on the benefits. I received a phone call from them a month later and was informed by the lady that if I started my benefits on the date I had told them and worked to the date of my retirement that I would owe money at the end of the year. I told the person that I was talking to that I did not want to owe money so what should I do. She said that I needed to postpone my benefits until a later date and then start them and then I would not owe any money. Well, said I… please do that for me and I will be happy….guess what…not done and now I owe money. Now we have them getting ready to take over the Medical end of our lives….OH Please I do believe the end of the world will be in 2012.

OK so much for that. I will have to bite the bullet as they say and give it back to them. This gives me more reason to go back to work in January. I will have to pay them back. Of course I look at it this way the money I pay back to them will go to some “Undocumented Person” so they can send it to Mexico to finance their family down there. What is the country coming to. And these bleeding hearts set back and tell you how down  trodden the poor people are…I say “What about me” When do we get a break…I mean after all I worked 50 years putting into this system and now I can’t get any more out than I am getting while they give it away to all these others?

Well I made it over to the Braum’s  and got me a sandwich. When I got back I noticed that the maid was still in my room so I just headed down to the front desk and sat down in the snack bar to watch TV. The man at the front desk wanted to know if he could help me “No I just came down here while they clean my room” “Well sir what room are you in”…What is this now I am being question by the front desk to see if I belong here. GEEE I am an American and this guy is from some other part of the world…with a look like he would fly a plane into a building written all over his face!… and I have to explain to him who I am. I think the next time I come downstairs I will have my Boarder Patrol Patch on my jacket…then we will see who ask the questions….Do I sound bitter here?

Have you noticed now they are investigating the handbook for checking out passengers on airlines. They don’t want to appear to profile people? What is the deal here. What is wrong with these folks. If we had been doing this back in the second world war we would have had Japanese just walking through our terminal buildings…Germans hoping plans just flying over when ever they saw fit. I would like a lot of profiling when I fly…sorry Mr. Mid Eastern Man of the Islamic Faith but you will be profiled every time you hop a jet here and if you don’t like it don’t come here.

I just had to let off a little steam…You see being shorted my Social Security check and watching CNN every day in the motel room has made me a little jittery…

Somewhere in Time

Hello From Hillsboro Texas

Sherri got up this morning about 5:00 am and was getting ready when I finally pulled myself out of bed. We are at our son's house in Prosper Texas. We stayed there because Sherri was working in Farmersville just down 380 east. She had a cup of coffee and then our good-byes were said and she headed on out the door.

I just finished my cup of coffee and then went in and took my shower. I got dressed and then sat down at the kitchen table and got on line to see what was going on with all my friends in cyber space. I began by reading my emails and being that I am on Jason's DSL I could down load some of the videos that people have sent me. I want everyone to know that I have a limited amount of bits that I can us on my air card so it might be months before I can download all these emails with streaming video on them.

That being done I went to read some journals and catch up on all the news around the nation. I did not get them all read due to the fact that Sherri got home early. She told me that the work plan had been changed and that she would be headed to Clifton Texas to work Wednesday and Thursday. OK so now we are headed to Hillsboro where the nearest Motel is located. She will have to drive to Clifton from there which is a drive of about 38 miles.

I will...as usual stay in the motel room and do my thing. Here again I will have some time to download emails with videos on them.... so if any of you out there want me to see the latest video now is the time to shoot it to me.

We had to stop on the way to and drop Sherri's computer off at Fry's to get it fixed. The screen wont come up and the lights on the key board just blink on and off. Don't know what that means but we can't fix it. We got a loaner and then started out on our journey. The trip was uneventful and only took about 1 hour and 30 minutes. Sherri checked in and we all caught up with the other members of her team and went out to eat at the local Mexican Restaurant. Good food was consumed and laughs were had by all. We returned to the room and watched TV for a while. We were both tired and decided to call it a night.

Oh by the way Becky is setting up in a chair and eating solid foods. We have come a long way in this heart surgery deal! It is like a tonsillectomy now.
She is doing better. Becky wanted me to tell all the Dreamers out there that she appreciates all your kind words and the prayers that went out...

Somewhere in Time

Been a While Since I Posted

 

Sherri and I arrived here at Lake Tawakoni on Friday. We met Leslie and Mike as soon as we entered the park. It was so good to see our friends. Mike helped us get backed in and then said he would give us some time to get set up and then we would all get together. We put the finishing touches on the set up and then we headed over to their house where Leslie and Mike had dinner ready for us.

We had a great dinner and then spent the rest of the night catching up on everything that has happened since we have been apart.

I must tell you a little bit about the trip to Tawakoni in the snow….yes I said snow. We left the hotel in Opelousas at 7:00 am on Friday morning and traveled to Marksville where we had left our house. We stopped at the casino buffet and ate breakfast then hooked up and pulled out of there about 10:00 am. We drove 2 hours to Shreveport and stopped at the Flying J for diesel and it started snowing…and I mean snowing hard. If the ground had been cold enough it would have stuck and we would be in a mess. As luck would have it we made it through the snow and down the highway about 4 or 5 miles the snow stopped. Houston received 2 or 3 inches of snow from this storm…and that was a first in Houston since the early 1900’s.

Saturday

It was real quite in the park when I got up. I fixed the coffee and turned the TV on to see what the weather would be like. It was 23 degrees outside and about 68 inside. All I had on was the electric heaters and they had done real well keeping the house warm. I went and turned on the furnace to knock the chill out. Soon it was really too hot and I had to turn it off. I wanted to run the one bottle of gas down as far as I could. The reason for that is they charge you $23.00 to fill a bottle and it does not matter if it is half full or empty. If I am paying like that I want to get my monies worth.

About 10:00 I called Mike to see if he was ready to go to town. He was still piddling around but assured me that he would be ready to go post haste. After loading the empty bottle in the truck Mike and I headed off to town to get our errands done. We went directly to the propane station and had the bottle filled. Then back in to Wills Point to get the mail from the post office. Stopped at the 24 Hour Market and picked up some beer and ice and then headed to the barn to turn on the heater.

Saturday Wills Point was having their Christmas Parade in town. We invited Mike and Leslie to join us for the great event…HE HE…If you have ever been to a small town parade you know why I chuckle here. Also the State Park was having a hay ride that very night. We planned to do both…what an adventure.

The parade started at 6:00 pm and the hayride was every hour starting at 7:00 pm. We watched the parade which lasted about 30 minutes. Our granddaughter Sarah was in the parade…riding on the fire truck as a junior fire fighter. We picked her up after the parade had ended so she could ride on the hay ride with all of us.

We made the second running of the hayride and had a real good time seeing all the Christmas lights in the park.

After the hayride we all went to the park office for hot cocoa and chocolate chip cookies….WOW was that good on a cold winters night.

The staff here at Tawakoni State Park are so fiendly. We had a great time visiting with them. We will have to do this again next year.

We did not make the first run on the hayride but did manage to get there for the second trip around the park. It was cold to say the least but the sky was clear and the stars were out in full force. We had a lot of fun on the ride and when we finished the trip we stopped by the park office for some hot cocoa and cookies. The staff at the park were so friendly and we all had a real nice visit with them.

It was  getting late so we headed back to our home for the night.

Sunday  

We all woke up around 6:00 am…I say all except Sarah who is not an early riser. Sherri and I made some plans to do the wash and clean the house up somewhat. It was really foggy and drizzly outside but the temps had stayed in the 50’s. I got a few things done outside and Sherri cleaned up some stuff on the inside. Sherri gathered up all the clothes to go to the wash and got them ready to take to the barn. She called Leslie and told her to gather up whatever she had and go with us.

We all got our stuff together and loaded in our truck and Leslie and Mike decided to take their truck so we just met at the barn. Mike and I took Sarah home and then returned to the barn for a game of Ten Penny…guys against the girls. We split two games and had a lot of laughs. How many people did you know in your other life that would set in a barn doing their wash and play cards. Yes this is a different kind of life style that only a few would understand.

Mike and Leslie came over to eat and visit with us after our Ten Penny Game at the barn. We sure will miss these two…

“What a nice going away smile from a great friend” said Sherri.

We finished the wash up about 5:00 pm and headed back to the park. We were all starving so we fixed our left over food from the night before and had a real nice meal. We visited until almost Midnight. We really did not want to say good-bye but we knew that time was coming. Mike always says this is one of the things about living like this that he does not like….having to say good-bye to friends and move on. We just said so long for a while and left it at that. Hugs all around and they were gone.

Monday

Our SIL Becky was to have open heart surgery this morning. We were up early and tried to get ready to leave at 7:00 am but that did not happen. We ran a little behind and did not get out until 8:00. As things would have it the hospital was behind and Becky did not go in until 11:00 am. This gave Sherri plenty of time to visit with Becky before they sent her off to LALA land. I did not go in but stayed out in the waiting room with Rodney. They started the surgery about 11:30 and it was all over by 2:30. Man they must have put her in the express lane. We had thought it might be as long as 5 hours.

We waited for the final report from ICU. They said all signs looked good and she would not be awake until late that night. We decided to head on out. Sherri is working tomorrow in Farmersville so we will be staying in Prosper at our son’s house. He and Susan were just married a few weeks ago and we wanted to take them out to dinner.

We arrived there at the same time that Jason and Susan were pulling into their driveway. Susan was coming from her job as a teacher and Jason works in the corporate offices for Frito Lay. We all  three park the cars and went inside. We decided to go to a local Mexican Food Restaurant not too far from the house. We had a real good dinner and spent some time talking about the kids honeymoon…in Hawaii.

We returned to their house and let Jason have his belated birthday present…only 4 months late. Well….We have been on the road a long time. We then spent the rest of the evening watching TV. I did fall asleep in the recliner and missed the rest of the football game and all of the movie Sherri and Susan watched.

We had a great week so far and we are so thankful for Becky’s surgery being a success. Thanks to all of you that prayed for her. I am sorry that I have let my entries  get behind and have made this one sooooo long. I will try to do better…

Somewhere in Time

Thursdays Here Already

 

Alarm is going off so it must be 5:00 am. GEEE that is just too early to be getting up…but then Sherri has to get ready for work. I got up and slipped on my clothes so I could make the journey down to the coffee maker in the lobby. There were several people down there when I arrived. I got in line and waited my turn…I could smell the coffee as each individual poured their cup and I was hoping they would speed it up so I could get mine.

I pumped our two cups…this machine pumps to disperse the coffee…and then headed back to the room. Sherri open the door for me an then snatched her cup from my had…are we addicted? We drank our coffee while Sherri told me what all she had to do today. There was some inferences made that I would be doing nothing…I ignored them…I know she has to work but I will be too and then she will not have that to get on to me about. Only working three days a week wont be bad for me…after working 7 days a week 10 and 12 hours a day…no I will survive this I am sure.

Opelousas Historical Museum and the Jean Lafitte museum

Cajun Music Hall of Fame here in Opelousas

 

My sister in law Becky Turner will be having open heart surgery on Monday of next week. We will be there for her and Rodney during the operation. Sherri and I request your prayers for Becky. She has a bad valve that will have to be replaced. The procedure takes several hours and can be risky. I don’t know for sure if I will post a journal entry on Monday but will bring everyone up to date on the outcome of the surgery on Tuesday for sure.

These are some of the plantation homes here in Opelousas. There is so much history here that is overlooked just running down the Interstate at 70 mph. We could spend another week here and still not see it all.

Meantime we will be moving from Marksville Louisiana to Lake Tawakoni Texas. We will be staying at the State Park until Sunday morning when we plan to leave for Lake Lavon. This will put us closer to the hospital in Dallas. From there we will be traveling south to Lake Whitney. We are really going to be on the move this next week. I will try to keep you up to date on our whereabouts…

Somewhere in Time. 

Back in a Hotel for a Spell

Well not bad accommodations for a po boy. Notice the pillows and they range from soft to firm…How-a-bout-that.

This is a little different morning than usual. We did not wake up in the RV but in a hotel in Opelousas Louisiana. I did not go down to the kitchen to make coffee… I walked down the hall to the coffee machine located in the lobby of the Holiday Inn. I pumped out two cups of coffee…put flavored cream in one and straight cream in the other. Put in the usual amount of sweetener and then headed back to our room.

Sherri was getting ready for work and I was getting ready for a day of reading journals and catching up on my emails. So many of my friends send me streaming video that I cannot download on my Verizon Air Card…due to the bits they eat up…so today I get to download a ton of stuff I have been saving for so long. Any of you out there that send me this stuff…understand it might be a month before I get a free WIFI to download it with. I may never reply back but you can believe I do look at all my emails and enjoy them.

OK so Sherri headed out about dark thirty and I walked her down to the truck. I made sure she left safely and then I returned to the room. She was suppose to call me when she got there but she didn’t so I called her. The phone went straight to voice mail which told me that her phone was in need of a charge. OH WELL…I am sure she made it OK…I do worry about her…but she does not think so.

I spent the day as planned reading and commenting on so many journals. At lunch I walked across the parking lot to a Mexican Food Restaurant and had Cheese Enchiladas. Not bad but nothing to write home about. I returned to the room….by the way it has rained here all day. I walked in the rain over there and back and was quite chilled when I returned. I turned the heat on in the room to warm up. Back to reading and writing and soon I looked up it was almost 3:30. Sherri was suppose to get off at that time so I put the computer up and turned on the TV to see what was happening in the world. Sherri knocked on the door about a 4:15 and we got ready to go and eat dinner.

This is the restaurant in the Holiday Inn…a little pricey for me so I head across the parking lot to the Mexican Food restaurant….in the rain…no less.

The decision was made to head over to Evangeline Downs Casino and Buffet. Sherri was tired and wanted to have a set down meal. We had the buffet dinner and then went out on the casino floor to try our luck at slots. I did not do too well but Sherri came out $10.00 ahead. She is so lucky and I am such a loser….no comment from any of you.

That just about did it for this day. We went by Wally World on the way to the hotel and picked up some snacks for the room. Sherri found some plastic bowls, like yours Leslie and she just had to have them.

For more humdrum excitement…stay tuned to this network and follow the adventures of Speedy’s Hotel Adventure…

Somewhere in Time

Move Down South

Headed south to Opelousas Louisiana

Sherri and I made the decision that I would go to Opelousas with her. There is nothing for me to do here in Marksville so I will just go down there with her and stay in the Holiday Inn and catch up on my emails and journal reading.

After we finished our coffee Sherri started packing. I had some outside things to see to and she put some of the stuff away inside so we would not have to do that when we returned. When we got all that done it was 11:30 and time to think about lunch. We ate some of our leftovers…finished putting away the dishes and packed the truck up.

We sat down to watch the weather before we headed out and got caught up with a show on the weather channel listing the Hottest…Coldest…Wettest…and Driest towns in the country. Before we knew it we had sat there for two hours! Well it was time to go so we left about 2:30 on an hour and fifteen minute drive.

When we pulled out of the RV Park Sherri said, “Let’s take a different route to Opelousas.” She mapped out a route that took us through some small towns that might turn out to be interesting. We both love to see old towns and see the old houses and stores that are there.

 This is just one of the many towns we traveled through on our way to Opelousas.

This is the only view I could get of this old house. All others were obscured by the trees and shrubs.

This is an old store long ago abandoned. How many folks stood out on that old porch and sipped a cold soda in the summer heat?

This old house is still occupied. Notice the large oak out front. This entire roadway was lined with these giant oaks. Just think how many passing travelers these trees have seen.

Once a home? Then a barn? Now abandoned and forgotten. No more mail comes here.

This house has not been to long abandoned. Soon it will fall into despair much the same as the other houses we saw.

This old house had a bathroom added…but it has since fallen in. Notice on the right side the addition with bathroom fixtures still visible.

As it turned out we were not disappointed. We got to see many historical sites and the giant oaks along the road we traveled were beautiful. I did not get many pictures of the trees but we did take pictures of the old houses and stores along the way. We talked of how they must have been grand places at one time in history. If you ever have the chance to travel the back roads where you are you wont be disappointed. 

I am getting better at my night photography…This is a great place to eat Cajun food just south of Opelousas.

We are now in Opelousas and plan on whipping up some adventures here. Stay tuned and we will take you along with us  as we  travel…

Somewhere in Time