Tuesday...Fly away day

Paulie got on his flight to St. Louis today. It is very quiet around here without him. Hmmm......

Sorry about not posting for a while. Not much is going on. We are just waiting for the ok to move into the new place. We will most likely stay here until at least the end of March...it is grandpa's birthday on the 31st yanno. The weather has been hit and miss around here, of course 64 is a whole lot better than the 8 Zack reported in Edwardsville. Paulie actually put on long pants for his trip. Grandpa and I made it back from Harlingen after dropping off the Prince...and hey, we made it home all by ourselves. Gee, ya think we can make it without the boss for a few days? We may not cook, but heck that's no biggie as far as I am concerned. I need to go to McAllen tomorrow to pick up a prescription for my fibro muscle relaxers. They really seem to help me sleep. I guess I will have to get my butt into the doc's when we get back in town and get the yearly script...they are pretty pricey as are the cymbalta. BUT, they work so that's what I hafta do I guess.

I am trying to keep my big mouth shut about the furniture in the new house. It'll take me awhile to get rid of some of the really fugly stuff. Problem is, the two pollacks think its fine and dandy stuff...it was FREE!

I am not sure how long it will take Paul to drive from Springfield back to here. It is like 1400 miles so for him I think he'll try it in two days. I made him promise me to stop when he gets tired but yanno he does fib every now and then.

I am currently working on Zack's denial for his lap band system surgery. These yahoo rat bastards at Cigna are truly the bane of my existence. They lay out the rules for surgery and say he doesn't meet the criteria....cripes he's done EACH thing they have demanded....well, he didn't lose any weight, but if that was the case as in all the diets he's tried (along with me and Paulie) he wouldn't NEED the freakin' surgery right? Dufus'....all of them, dufus'. Or is that dufi when they travel in packs?

Grandpa went to the dance last night by himself and seemed to enjoy himself. I am glad he will have made some friends here. Uncle Ben will go to MO in April but most likely be back by late summer. He likes it here too.

Wellllll....I just heard from the Prince, he has landed at STL and Zack is there waiting for him. They will drive to Springfield and stay at the motel 6 or whatever since the water is turned off at the house. It won't take long for him to pack up grandpa's car, there isn't that much room. Knowing him, he won't spend another $ on the motel so he'll be back on the road Wed night.

If anything exciting happens I will sure post it right away...don't hold your breath tho...this is the land of slow moving Tejanos and the rest of the population is over 89 so there ain't much going on. Well, if you count the ambulences coming in and out of the park or the fisticuffs at the club meeting about how the addresses should be posted in the directory...we do have a few things to observe.

hugs

dee

Friday nite...

The Polish Prince and grandpa have gone to the Friday night entertainment. Harmonica players. Oh wow. I guess I can miss that exciting performance. I am alone with the furkids and we are watching HGTV...how to sell houses...should learn something useful.

Here are a couple of pictures from the last few days...

Me and Uncle Ben at Rio Western Days....have my EARS always been that HUGE? God, how embarrassing....

Grandpa playing poker without his teeth......he kept winning too..

Pies pies and more pies.....

Horse races....hmmmmm.........

Paul in his gambler's hat...actually its mine and it was too small...and he wonders why I call him affectionately of course....fathead.

Thursday morning....

just checking with blogger to make sure I am still here.

You will NOT believe this.....

the sun is out....

Yes, that elusive bit of light we take for granted has decided to bless all of the old geezers down in the Rio Grande Valley and shine for a while. Who knows what tomorrow brings? I can actually see the street, the waters have receded. PTL.

Well, we are going to "Western Days" at the clubhouse this morning....gee this should be at least interesting if not sidesplitting funny. Promise to bring the camera.

More later.


dee

This has been one of the suckiest weeks since we have been gone....

As you may already have noted, I haven't posted for awhile....NOT MY FAULT.

Those boogers at blogspot lost my blog...canya believe that? It took three days of begging emails to get me back up and running.

I can't remember what we did the last few days...it is rainy and cold and the weatherman is a dufuss. I can get "I think we're in for some change...." at home from Gus the guesser on channel 20....I don't need the hispanic twang to tell me they don't have a clue what the weather is gonna be.

Well, here's a run down of our last couple of days...

Sunday....I stole the car and went to McAllen....oh my what a beautiful mall...makes Springpatch look like Progresso....the Mexican side. Paul watched the game. I am a jinx so I stayed away until the last seven minutes.
Monday....rain....watched TV and took naps.
Tuesday...rain...watched TV and took naps. Paul did laundry. Leftovers for dinner. Ick.
Wed....rain...went to McAllen and walked the mall. Paul went to the Elks lodge and got an order of spaghetti to go....we all ate off one meal...cheap dinner, 5 bucks.

The wifi here in the park only works when it feels like it. I have this metal pie pan with an external access thingy plugged into it hanging in the front of the windshield. Some folks actually have slowed down to gander at it.

I think I am going to go to Walmart this evening. I finally picked up my knitting...a pair of socks on size ones; can't see the stitches so I think I'll get some of of those dollar magnifying glasses.
I also lost my needle gauge and guessing needle sizes just doesn't work.

OH well...at least I am back up and running.

Rain tomorrow and Friday...maybe some sun expected on Saturday...yeah right. I am ready to go to Tampa...

hugs

dee

Saturday....day 6 the record breaking deep freeze in the RGV...

The rain, fog and cold makes one think they are in London, not 5 miles from the Rio Grande. I have been suffering with my meniere's since Thursday morning, thus no new postings on the blogger.

Good news...after two months we finally have the dish tv up and running. Paulie finally had to call in the dish guys to set up the dish correctly. It cost him $30 which just killed him. All I can say is thank goodness. I have set down the law tho....NO O'REILLY at 7 pm. No way am I gonna sit here and listen to that sexual pervert slam people who disagree with his right wing nazi politics...sorry if I offend some readers here...I have my own opinions and respect the rights of others to have differing ones, but that is one creep I just can't abide. 'Nough said...no more politics.

Since I have been mostly sleeping off the dizzies, spins and doing the two step all through the rig I don't have much to report on here. No wonder I have bruises and aches all over my ass and hips. Not to mention the shins...they look like some brat of a kid kept kicking me. Or, maybe its The Polish Prince getting his licks in while I am asleep.

Grandpa and Paulie opened up a checking account for him here in Westlaco. This way if he needs to write a check, he has some cash in an account. We have to have the car inspected, licensed and registered in Texas before he can get his drivers license...then I guess he will be a real Texan, not just a winter Texan. I think he is getting excited about the move here. Paulie atually talked him in to going to the entertainment last night and he seemed to enjoy it. I enjoyed my time alone. I was able to watch HGTV for the first time in months! Paul was off doing his favorite thing, laundry...such nice thing that he likes to do laundry.

Don't forget to check out the pictures of the new house, our cruise and the Belize zoo.

http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/rocketmom1985

We may be making the trip to Mission this afternoon to see Big Joe and the Polka Band. No beer for me today...I think one glass would do me in the way I am feeling.

Will update more later....

dee

OK...here is the addy for my pictures.... look under Rio Valley House album
Also there are some photos from the cruise...think it is Kemel/cruise or something like that...blond moment yanno

http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/rocketmom1985

I hope this works....

dee

Wednesday January 17, 2007

A New House for Grandpa....

We met with the owners of the house here at Rio Valley Estates and finalized the deal. These gals know their biz...they had a contract and a list of stuff they were taking. And they went over each and every item they were leaving for us...we also went over tax info, homesteading, lot rent, etc, etc. They are leaving most of the furniture including the huge tv in the family room. I suppose that I should be grateful but honestly my taste is a bit different. Granted, I don't have to take my stuff and then shell out big bucks for new stuff....so, I guess I will just swallow my need to have things my way for awhile. The Polish Prince and I will only be here for the winter anyways, and all the kitchen stuff I will bring from Illinois. Plus I will have my artwork and photos and knicknacks and stuff so it will be ok for the time being.

Grandpa seems to be much more excited about this place than the other for some reason. I have a sneaking suspicion that he really likes one of the widowed ladies that sold him the place. She is just the right size for him....and she's Polish to boot. Golabki...polish cabbage rolls are dancing in his head I think...

Since I am having some problems with my wifi cutting out in the middle of doing stuff, I am going to post the web pages for pictures after I get them all uploaded (hopefully) tonight.

New photo on the blog. This is not a new picture...it was from last year, but it was the ONLY photo I have of me and Paulie without somebody else in it or one of us with a stupid look.

Not much else going on here...still cool, but it is going to warm up as the week progresses. Good. I need to get to the Mexican market for some more fresh pineapple, mangos and some juice oranges.

Hope you all are enjoying reading this as much as I enjoy writing it. I hafta be careful with my ...er, language since there are some folks who are unused to such things! And I have to be careful not to honk off anyone with my bitching...

Hugs

dee

Tuesday January 16, 2007

Reporting from the frozen tundra of the Rio Grande Valley….

OK so I exaggerate just a bit…but it is quite cold here. Of course, folks here are telling us Valley newbies this is just the most unusual thing they have ever seen/had here in the valley. I guess the Ziaja’s just had to show up for the aberrant weather. For those without a dictionary, that means unusual, abnormal or my favorite…deviant. Figures. Sunday evening we were sitting under our style setting palm trees enjoying the evening, and now we are sitting in the rig with the furnace on.

News on the purchase of grandpa’s new abode. He has rescinded his first offer on the Siesta Village unit and is in negotiations for the unit here at Rio Valley Estates. I think the ladies will be throwing in the golf cart so he is thrilled. Paul has been in contact with the other sellers (who swore up and down they wouldn’t cash the check until papers were signed, but the same day cashed the sucker…they must have skipped bible study to do so…that’s what they told us they were going to do the afternoon we left the check. Hmmmmm…) We attended the Spaghetti Feast this evening at the clubhouse. They did an excellent job as there were over 300 people in attendance and everyone had been served in less than 20 minutes. The pasta sauce wasn’t as good as the Elk’s sauce (which I have since been informed is a closely guarded secret here in Weslaco…) but it was edible. Paul said he saw huge cans of Ragu in the clubhouse kitchen yesterday so they must have used that as a base. I don’t have anything against canned sauce that is doctored up, but Ragu sucks. It was bland… I guess because anything too spicy wouldn’t appeal to all these geezers. But, we did have ice cream with a sugar wafer for dessert! Worth the wait…

Not much going on here in the park except the card and cribbage games. Not many of the walkers are out either. I gotta get out of the rig tomorrow or I am going to go nuts. There is an outlet mall near Harlingen that I am gonna make Paulie take me to.

I am still having problems with the wifi connections. I keep losing them I am going to make a home-made antenna like the one pictured here….

http://i1.tinypic.com/29krfoi.jpg

I already have the Belkin unit with the stand and the strainer should be easily found at Big Lots or Wally World. I am going to attach it to the TV antenna outside of the coach. It’s worth an experiment right?

Paulie made chili today for our dinner tomorrow. I had purchased a can of chili sauce when we visited the Tabasco plant on our trek through Louisiana. It has a bit of kick to it so I guess we all better take our tums before we eat. He also made some fresh salsa with the stuff we got from the Mexican market on Saturday. Oh, my…it was good. The jalapeño pepper was a bit much but it was still good. Next time we will ask for MILD jalapeños if such a thing exists. Our new fangled chopper works really well. At least the chef liked it…that’s all that counts I guess. Plus it has a juicer attachment and I am dying to get some fresh oranges to make juice….strained of that nasty pulp of course…no comments please, it’s MY juice.

Well, hopefully we will have some more exciting adventures to report tomorrow…but don’t hold your breath. The outlet mall is most likely not all that exciting.

Later,

dee

Monday January 5, 2007

Sorry about not posting for the last couple of days. The wifi provided by Rio Valley Estates seems to be having brain farts since Saturday morning.

Here’s a quick update of what’s going on here in the RGV.

It’s cold. Yep. The same cold that is making the entire nation shiver hasn’t let us off the hook, although it didn’t actually get cool until this am. Last night we were sitting outside after dinner and it was about 74. The wind was strong but it was quite pleasant out. The Polish Prince put up our two palm trees and we have had a steady stream of folks stopping by to admire them and ask where we got them. I told Paulie we were style setters, LOL!

We finally went to Luby’s Cafeteria for Sunday dinner. Not economical by any stretch, and that surprises me as there a many seniors who eat there. I had fish almandine which was divine. Paul had fried chicken (which is almost as bad as grandpa ordering a taco at DQ instead of one of the wonderful Mexican places surrounding us…) and grandpa had fried tilapia. It was all very good, and the portions were huge. Dinner for Monday!

We watched the Bears stumble their way past the Seahawks. Gosh, I hate watching sports…I get my heart broken over and over. Yesterday was not any different until the last two minutes. Hopefully they will play well against the Saints, but I am not getting my hopes up. Later in the day, Paul and I had found another double wide mfg home in this park, Rio Valley. Don’t know how we had missed it before, (or maybe they just put it up) but was on a corner on a street towards the back of the park. My first words upon entering were “oh crap…”! We have put down money on the other place but this place was truly a better fit for us. There are two bedrooms and two baths, a huge kitchen, utility room, a living room, family room and an insulated Texas room we could park the motorhome in. Damm, why didn’t we see this one first? We agonized over several units and finally decided on the unit in Siesta Village. Crap. Crap. Crap.


Saturday was a day for flea marketing…we went to three. The last one was the Mexican market…no non-Hispanic venders at all. It was mostly junk and Spanish language CD’s. Used clothing from 50 cents some of which looked like it was hooker wear, lol. We bought some grapefruits, cilantro, limes, jalapeño peppers and some roma tomatoes to make salsa. I am eating grapefruit like I am possessed. It is wonderful…nothing like a fresh grapefruit right off the tree!

Today, grandpa went to see the other place. He really likes it. Now, since we haven’t signed any contracts, we will cancel the other deal. It remains to be seen if we get the deposit back. Paul has decided to fly back to Springfield to get grandpa’s car, some kitchen stuff from the apartment and the rest of his clothes and perhaps his photos and TV. He will fly out of Harlingen on Tuesday the 30th. We have no idea how long it will take him to drive back to the RGV. This way, grandpa can move in and we can help him get settled. I believe the place just as the other, comes fully furnished except for a couple of antiques the owners want. They are leaving a 52 inch TV in the family room, the recliners and sofa and also the stuff in the living room. I think that stuff will be given away once Paulie and I get back but it is fine for grandpa right now. We will keep everyone updated. Zack can pick up Paulie at the airport in St. Louis and drive him back to the house. He can stay the night and head back to school early the next morning.

So that’s pretty much it. We didn’t do anything much today due to the cold and rain. It was a good day to make some plans, deal with the new mail that was just delivered and talk about what we need to do.

Later from the frigid valley….

dee

Friday January 12, 2007

RV Show and more Dish headaches

We decided to go to the RV show in Mercedes today and then afterward ride up to Harlingen to pick up our new Dish components at UPS. Even though Paul had specifically and repeatedly told the halfwit at Dish to make sure they sent the stuff to LOT 15!!!!! they did not do so. Customer service at its finest. We arrive at the RV show at around 11. So has the rest of the snowbirds in the RGV for cripes sakes. It was so crowded, you had to wait in LINE to get into some rigs. Then there are the stupid people who keep piling into the RV without regard to how many people are already in the damm thing! I can't tell you how many elboews I got in the ass, the back and boy it was very hot in the units. I was done after seeing about six. The vender area was jammed as well, and Paulie and I made an impulse purchase of a really kewl chopper/shredder/salsa making thingy....It will make the cook's life easier and that is important to those who eat his cooking!

It was only about 1:15 when we decided to get outta the crowds and head to Harlingen to find the UPS place. We had received the postcard indicating that "brown" couldn't deliver our packages without the lot number. Jeez. We find the place and can you believe the pickup counter is only open from 3 to 7? What a crock. How does "brown" stay in biz with such limited hours. Hmmmmm.

We decide to find a place to have a bite to eat. We head towards the airport thinking there would be a ton of places. Yeah, right. We tour MMA and the Iwo Jima memorial which was neat, but again I didn't bring my camera. We finally find a DQ and grandpa wants a taco. A taco from DQ wouldn't be my choice, but I have already determined the old man does this stuff to be goofy. If he wanted a taco, we would have gone to one of the bazillion Mexican places. Grrrr, I sometimes wonder about his grip on any level of sanity.

After we eat, we head back to UPS. There is a line of people waiting for these yahoos to open. Paul gets the two boxes which should have been deliver LAST WEDNESDAY and we head home. By now I have a headache so I decide to lay down for a while. Paulie works on setting up the dish again. He wakes me up for dinner which is leftover meatloaf, roasted peppers and some veggies he found in the fridge. He is NOT in a good mood. After setting up the dish, getting a signal at long last (we have been farting around with this stupid thing since we got out on the road THANKSGIVING for heaven's sake). So, he calls Dish to activate the system. He is told that the card is OLD and cannot be used...we need a new card. Can you believe this. Then the dufus tells Paul he didn't need the other parts. GRRRRR....dish network SUCKS. Now we have to wait another week to get the card can ya believe it? Paulie cannot talk about it he is so upset. I don't blame him. I think I am gonna write a letter to them and tell them that not one of the service reps we have talked to has given us any correct information. They must have an employee turnover problem...their reps are all idiots.

I am watching TV with Paul...grandpa passed out on the couch two hours ago. He and his dog are snoring so loudly...one of these days I am gonna tape them. They snore in tandem...first Pepi then grandpa.

Well, I think we are going to the Mercedes flea market tomorrow. Always like to look at the junk yanno?

later,

Dee

Wednesday January 10, 2007

Nuevo Progresso, Mexico

After breakfast, Paul took grandpa to get a haircut. They picked me up around noon and we decided to go to another flea market we had passed in Mercedes, the next town east of here. It was closed. Soooo, since we are so close to Mexico, we decide to go. We parked just outside the bridge for $1.50. Paulie put my scooter together and we set off across the international bridge over to Nuevo Progresso. The main street is chock full of vendors, cars, trucks and people. The sidewalks are very narrow and clogged with the vendors on each side. The variety of products is amazing...beaded purses, clothes, hats, belts, silver, blankets and chimeras and pottery. Amazing. Small children roam the crowd selling small packs of Mexican gum. Mothers with small babies sit on the sidewalks with paper cups extended for money. Each vendor tries to catch one's eye with their wares. Every other storefront is a dentist. Each dentist has a hawker outside the establishment with cards and flyers trying to get you to go in for a cleaning, a whitening or a crown. I bet there aren't this many dentists in Illinois....the whole state!

We find the Rose Garden, a tavern that grandpa wanted to take us to. It was basically an alley with tables and chairs. There were men selling peanuts at the entrance to the alley; several shoe shine guys lined one wall. They all wanted to polish my scooter. We are seated in the back. More small children, positively the cutest and most adorable kids I have ever seen wander in trying to sell gum. Paul and grandpa order Sol beer and I get a Margarita. What I am served is a glass of tequila that has been mixed into a slush with ice. Maybe they waved a lime over it...maybe not. A young man offered to polish my shoes and for a buck I say ok. He takes them and is gone for the longest time. Great...now I don't have any shoes. After a while he comes back with them and they really look good. We finish our drinks and head off to find a pharmacia and to buy some tequila. We decide to get something to eat and everyone recommended Arturo's. It is a very nice place with table cloths on the tables and waiters in fancy red jackets. Paul and I have the luncheon special which was a tamale, an enchilada, a taco, refried beans and rice. Grandpa orders the stuffed green pepper and a drink. Hmmmm, hope he can walk back across the bridge! After a nice meal, we are off again to find the tequila and pharmacy stuff. We find a store near the bridge heading out and I buy some penicillian and some macrobin in the event I get another bladder infection...I have one every couple of months yanno. Paul buys two bottles of tequila and one of vodka. After our purchases we head back through customs. It has been an interesting day in Mexico. Obviously the rest of Mexico isn't like this tourist trap.

We head back to the US and our rig. It is already 4:30 and happy hour has already been started. Even though the sun is out, the wind has picked up and it's a bit cool outside. We visit for a while before its time to go in. Since we have had a late lunch, we won't be doing dinner.

The RV show opens tomorrow in Mercedes at the fairgrounds so maybe we will head that way tomorrow.

Later...

dee

Tuesday January 9, 2007


Ok, ok, everybody wants DETAILS!

The home grandpa purchased is located in Siesta Village in Westlaco Texas. The park is for 55+ and is only manufactured homes, there are no RV's allowed. It is a beautifully kept park that has a pool and spa area, exercise room, billiards room, shuffleboard league and even a men's only club that serves drafts two for a buck while the menfolk play poker. There is a ballroom and they have breakfasts, potluck dinners and even soup and sandwich lunches. It is a very active community. It is in the southern part of Weslaco, approximately 3 or 4 miles from the boarder. There is a nice golf course that backs up to the park and the residents golf alot. Everyone seems to have a golf cart and each homeowner keeps their properties in pristine condition. Some of the landscaping is truly beautiful ...cactus and palm trees...many lots have stone/rock on the ground to eliminate having to mow what passes for grass hereabouts. We really like the front porch and think that we will have it screened in later this year. We will close on March 20th, so we will stay here until we have everything in order. Grandpa is going to go home and get his personal stuff and clothes. The only furniture he will take is the grandfather's clock , the rolltop desk and of course his TV. Paul and I will spend the spring months getting the house ready for sale and listed...I need to really downsize and declutter. I see lots of garage sales and "escape" sales in our future. No matter...we had been thinking about this for over a year now. The warm weather here in the RGV is appealing. However, if one plans to live in this area, they have to appreciate the Mexican culture. I say that seriously...all of the Hispanic people we have been in contact with have been friendly, and courteous. The economy here is heavily invested in "winter Texans" and they make a lot of effort to be cordial, helpful and accomodating. I had my hair cut today and the stylist was a beautiful young girl; she was just tickled that I had been referred to her from another customer I had met and admired her hair.

Well, that's all I can think of right now...I will post more later...

dee

Here are some pictures of the unit grandpa bought in Siesta Village, Weslaco Texas...

so now you all know....


......the rest of the story....!

Sunday January 7

Flea Market Frenzy....

After sleeping in this morning...OK, don't go there...I just needed the sleep yanno?

Grandpa had gone to a Spanish language church service which he really enjoyed and reported there wasn't a seat to be had.

We decided to go to the flea market at Victoria Palms and Paulie packed up my scooter. We split up once we got there and decided to meet in an hour near the music stage. Lots and lots of interesting junk. I didn't succumb to any temptation, altho I did splurge on a diet pepsi.

After meeting up at the alloted time, we decide to go to the other market across the street. Paul and grandpa went for the car and I headed across the street in the scooter. This flea market had new merchandise and in the center it was a farmers market with tons of fresh produce. I bought some orange and red peppers to make roasted peppers, some pretty wood roses which were scented, and then I splurged on a cowboy hat for myself. I also bought a set of T shirts for me and Paulie. I will have some pictures taken tomorrow of us modeling our shirts and me in my new hat. Promise.

Back at the rig we read the paper and watched football on TV. Paulie made hotdogs for dinner. ...one of those days where we don't want much but need to eat dinner.

While downloading pictures today I came across some photos I had taken when we went to South Padre Island with Barb and Arnie. Hope you enjoy them.

later

dee

Grandpa, me and a very slim and trim Barb...

A HUGE Texas steer visiting with the Polish Prince and me...I am far enough away not to get stuck with one of those monster horns, but the Prince is flirting with disaster...

HOWEVER...that frisky little nag behind Paulie decided his neck looked like something she wanted to sample...as you can tell from not only my body language, but my FACE...I am getting the hell outta dodge pronto...anything that has horns or huge teeth or feet cannot be trusted and I make tracks to get away....

Saturday January 7, 2007

Polka Joe’s Polka Party….Riverside Park, Mission Texas

OK, so I am actually writing this on Sunday, and as you read on you will understand.

The morning was overcast, but it was warm. We had planned to go to Mission to see a polka band this afternoon. They are playing from two til six. I am really not in the mood, but I decide to go anyway, I had not been to Mission which is just outside McAllen. We arrive about 1:30 and the place is already full. All of the tables near the bandstand are taken. There must be over a hundred geezers here, some dressed in lederhosen and feathered caps, some in dirndl dresses and lacy aprons. Quite a site I must say. We sit at a table in the outer area, and we invited another couple who had just arrived at the same time to join us. They were from Minnesota. I can’t recall the gentleman’s name, but I remember her name is Tutie…she is all of 5 foot nothing.

Grandpa and I order a draft beer and our new friends order two diet cokes. Imagine my surprise when little Miss Tutie pulled out a flask and poured two three finger shots into their diet cokes! The Riverside club only serves beer and wine, but you can bring your own bottle. Looking around the full rooms, I see quite a few flasks popping up at the various tables. Too funny. Sure hope nobody gets stopped on the way home!

The Polish Prince finally shows up and orders a coke. The beer is nice and cold so what the heck, I order a pitcher. For 8 bucks it will give us about 6 glasses and the drafts are 2 bucks each. Economical right?

The polka party begins and wow, the floor is jammed. Our new friends dance and when she comes back, Tutie grabs grandpa and off they go. They look perfect together. She is eighty I think she said, and this is a second marriage for both. The husband is recovering from a stroke so he is not able to dance too much. Grandpa gladly takes his place. He just loves to polka.

The pitcher empties fast. The Polish Prince has a glass, and grandpa has a second fill. Ooops. Must be me. I order a second pitcher. We decide to order something to eat. The Prince and I split a brat dinner with sauerkraut, some cheesy potatoes, golabki, and homemade bread. Grandpa had fried cod with French fries. It really was good. Our new friends left about 4:30 and at about 5, I had finished the second pitcher and we were about ready to go home. I cannot believe how well I can walk after drinking so much beer! Off to the parking lot we go and just before we get to our car, a car begins to back out a parking spot right in front of us. Putz…almost hit us! Well, I think I tried to take a step backwards and lost my balance (so what else is new…?) and stumbled. I fell on to my knees but The Prince and grandpa grabbed me and pulled me right back up. OK. So I fell…it wasn’t because I had to much to drink…I swear…it was the uneven pavement, and the goof who scared the crap outta me by backing up so fast! Honest!

Once we got back to the rig, we turned on the football game. I almost fell asleep in the chair. I really wanted to post to my blog but I don’t think I would have been able to type! So, like a good little girl, I decided to hit the sack. I didn’t have a headache, get sick or have a hangover. After all it took me THREE hours to drink that much beer and I was just feeling a bit tipsy…not drunk for heaven’s sake!

Hugs,

dee

Here is grandpa dancing with Tutie...

This is called the board of education....holes had been drilled in a board and then shot glasses are inserted then filled with brandy...ladies and men are invited up and must all drink the shots together...

Dee with Polka Joe in his beer stein hat...he was really sweaty and a bit stinky and I prolly would have not be smiling had I not already consumed a pitcher of beer....

Friday January 5, 2006

Touring mobiles for sale...

Paulie and I were up about 8...grandpa was still sleeping. The old grump finally got up, complaining that we were making so much noise. Baloney. We had the fresh fruit from the Mexico border fruit stand...pineapple and cantaloupe. It was very sweet. We will definitely head to that fruit stand again. It is a beautiful day, the sun is shining and it is supposed to get up to the low 80's. Yes! Winter in the RGV...I hope I can get some sun today.

Paul called the sales gal from Siesta village to see if she could show us a couple of the older homes for sale in the park. We set the time for 11. When we arrived, she showed us the three places she had chosen, based on our preference...bedrooms on either side of the unit. The three units she showed us were all very old units...nothing like the new manufactured homes which have residential fixtures like the doors. Older mobiles have rv type doors and closets, carpeting and laminated cabinets. Fugly. All of these homes were fugly. And stinky...they need to put in air fresheners if they are gonna leave these places empty. All of the units did come with the lot included, and all came furnished. Ick. It was all old tacky furniture. I have my own crap to get rid of...I am not doing it for someone else! We just really wanted to compare the units both value and price to what we saw yesterday. Hands down, there is no comparison, LOL! Paulie and I suggested that we take grandpa to the guy that has the new homes for sale, and he agreed. We arrived at lunch time and he was not there. Paul called the office number and left a message. We decided to grab a burger and wait until he was scheduled to come back to the office around one. We checked out the golf course just on the other side of the Village...and grandpa had golfed there years ago when he and grandma used to stay here in the RGV. We headed back to the sales office and hooked up with Ray...a retired Army master Sargent major, or some such thing, like I know what that heck rank means. He showed us four new models. They are all nice, they all have various things we like and things we dislike. After viewing these, we parted with the master Sarge and headed over to the place we saw yesterday which is for sale by owner. Just then we spot another double wide for sale...how did we miss this one? It looks really nice with vaulted ceilings in the living room. Paul calls the number and leaves a message. About five minutes later a lady calls and says she can show us the house...it is a friend's house. We meet up and wow, this place is a beautiful home...large living room with an open feel and a large open kitchen. Wow again...master suite with it's own sitting room. Wow. Two bedrooms at the other end that are large and the second bathroom has a skylight. Oh Wow. Upgraded carpet, molding all around, textured walls, real wood cabinets and kitchen counters that are edged with ceramic. It also has a wow price. Unfurnished it is about $10,000 more than the other one that is furnished. Hmmm. Dilemma after dilemma! I like this place, but am thinking it is way to big for grandpa to handle on his own. We thank the folks who showed us the place and drive around the corner. We see Clara sitting on the front porch of the other place and Mel is coming out the door. We wave and pull up, and they invite us in to see the house again. We all look again. Dollar for dollar, this is by far the best deal we have found. We all like the park, the layout of this unit and the fact that it has a nice front porch and room in the backyard. It has a great garage with an area that can be turned into a workshop. Not that at 90, grandpa is ever going to DO anything in the workshop. Plus both side neighbors live here year around. They could keep an eye on him on occasion. We visit with Clara and Mel for awhile...I know that they are anxious to get a deal struck but both these pollacks play the same game when it comes to buying something. Leave me out of it...I hate messin' with people.

Back at our rig, grandpa is complaining of stomach troubles. I swear, if I get to be 90, I promise not to obsess about my bowels...like someone I know. There just has to be more interesting subjects right? Ick, ick, ick.

I am falling asleep in my chair so I decide to go lay down. Paulie is already out the door to happy hour as it is now about 4:30. I never do fall asleep and finally get up about 5:15.

We were planning on getting some fish from the Elks for dinner tonight. Paulie calls from the Elks and says the line is out the door and around the bldg. Back up dinner...Popeyes chicken. We wait for Paulie and finally he shows up with Church's fried chicken in his hands. Both Popeyes were closed when he got there! Weird. After dinner we overhear the announcer on TV say that all ten Popeye's in the Valley have been shut down...Paulie says he's vindicated and he's NOT crazy! Was there any doubt? Hahaha.

Friday night TV sucks the big one. Grandpa is still not feeling well, and I think he had his face all fixed for fried fish...and he's being pissy. He is very antsy and keeps getting up and going to the bathroom...then takes Pepi out for a walk. We are leery of letting him out with the dog at night as he complains he can't see in the dark. Just what we need, him falling down again.

We are heading over to the Mission/McAllen area tomorrow. There is a polka band playing at one of the town centers and grandpa is looking to polka with someone....

Not much else to report here...

later

dee

Thursday January 4th, 2007

Sorry about missing yesterday. It was a cool and rainy day so Paulie and I went towards Mexico on International Bridge. There were several RV resorts and a mobile home village that look to be potential look-sees. The first one, Pine and Palms was a nice clean park but the mobiles were all single wides and quite aged. The streets were nicely paved and they had a nice clubhouse and pool/shuffle board area. The second place was just an rv park with maybe two park models located inside. It was far from full. The third place was the charmer. Siesta Village. It is a 55+ community, well maintained with newer doublewides. Just up our alley. There are two for sale signs...one is from the park for resale of used units, then there was a fella who sells new models. We met with him and looked at two new double wides. Both were nice, the second one was very nicely furnished but the front was odd looking. It didn't have one window on the front of the unit, just the front door. Apparently the main closets for the other two bedrooms are at that end of the unit. Duh....put a window in the closet!

We also took down the number for a for sale by owner unit. It looks really nice...Paul called when we got home. It has three bedrooms, two full baths and they will leave it furnished. The couple that is selling the unit cannot sell their home back in Kansas City Mo and can't afford two residences...I can identify with that!

We went for dinner at the Elks Lodge in Westlaco...they have a spaghetti dinner every Wednesday night. The rather rude woman taking money wouldn't let me and Paulie share a plate so I got it to go with extra sauce. Don't mess with me when it comes to being a PIA. We went back home and just watched reruns on TV. Jeesh, when are the reruns gonna be over for heaven's sake!

I slept in Thursday morning. Didn't sleep too well last night for some reason. Paul and grandpa were already up so I just took a shower and then had a protein. Paul called the couple that have the doublewide for sale. We will take grandpa to go look at it at noon.

We drive over to Siesta Village and view the home; it is really really lovely. The furniture will stay. They had purchased this unit less than four months ago and bought it with the designer furnishings. I really liked it and I could tell grandpa did too. For once even Paulie was impressed. There was only one thing I didn't like and this is really just my taste...it had dark green carpet which matched the decor. Ugh. But, it is in good condition so it can stay for awhile.

Mel, the owner was very nice and for the life of me I have forgotten his wife's name, but she too was very sweet. Mel had to go to a billiards tournament, so we left after talking with them for a while. We went around the park and showed grandpa the pool and shuffle board courts, and he was very impressed with the large woodworking shop available for use. The ballroom is large and well kept and they even checked out the "men's club" where poker is played and drafts beers are two for a dollar. Grandpa's eyes lite up with that news.

We stopped at the post office and then headed back to the rig. Grandpa had a sandwich and I my usual lunch of cottage cheese and crackers. We will dine on roasted hotdogs for dinner.

The sun is now shining and the air is warming up. Paul and grandpa join Uncle Ben outside to chew the fat and Snickers and I head to the bedroom for our usual afternoon nap.

Paul made hotdogs and corn on the cob for dinner. Afterwards, we drive over to Radio shack to see if there is something that can boost this wifi signal. I was unable to get on at all since yesterday morning. Grrrrr. Nothing boosts range. We then went to Walmart where we fought crowds to get some more soda. This Walmart is always busy. Makes Springfield look deserted!

Well, I am sitting in the clubhouse typing this. I get a strong signal here. Wonder what the bugaboo is now for not getting the signal at the rig?

Friday is supposed to be 82 and sunny. Mexico is calling me if I can convince the two old farts....

later

Dee

Tuesday January 2, 2007

Another beautiful sun filled day in the RGV. Rain clouds will be moving in this afternoon and will stay with us until at least Thursday. I predicted rain yesterday when all I could do was sleep!

We had a nice easy morning and had coffee with bagels for breakfest. I would like to go to the Big Lots store to check for some curtains. I want to get new shorter ones for the front of the motorhome, so I don't have to cut and sew the old ones from our bedroom. They are battenburg lace and they will be a stinker to shorten...besides I am a terrible seamstress...

After browsing through Big Lots and Dollar General and coming up empty Paulie picks me up and we head west to find the RV supplies place. We need to get more of the drawer supports for the panty. The plastic ones break in a heart beat. Hopefully we will find some that are metal. Doubt it, but we shall try!

We look around the RV store and climb up into a couple of new RV's (these people's prices are outrageous...!) After a quick lunch at Burger King, we decide to check out the International Bridge to Mexico. On the way, grandpa decides he wants to stop at the Dickies outlet and find some pants. After purusing the entire store, grandpa decides he is not gonna spend that much on a pair of pants that will outlive him by 20 years...he says Walmart is fine with him. OK. Back on the road we head towards Mexico. We pass a number of neat looking stores that have Mexican decor and several fruit stands. We see whole pineapples for a buck each and decide we will stop on the way back. We thought we'd see a store that sells Mexican car/rv insurance but come up empty. All of a sudden we are at the crossing so we pull a U and head back to the fruit stand. We purchase a cantalope, a small seedless watermelon, a couple of extremely sweet smelling pineapples, some cherry tomatoes and some lemons. What a deal! 7 bucks. Hopefully we didn't throw our money away and the stuff is edible!

Back at the rig, our FedEx package has arrived so Paul and grandpa go through all the stuff. I am fading fast so I decide to lay down in the bedroom. My head is killing me from the pressure of the incoming rain and it takes me a long time to doze off. Paulie wakes me up around 6 and we have leftovers for dinner. Not much on TV tonight so I guess I will spend some time surfing the net. Zack sent the other Dish receiver so we will try to set the thing up tomorrow. I want to go to Walmart tomorrow to check out the curtains. Since it will be raining that will be a good way to get out of the rig for a while. Now, let's see if I can persuade Paulie to let me go by myself. Hmmm.

Well, that's about it for today.

Hugs

dee

New Year's Day
Januaray 1, 2007

Paulie and I got up around 8 and showered. The sun is shining but it is a bit cool...temp will only get to the mid 70's today. Sounds good to me. After making my protein shake (hey it's the New Year, I need to start off on the right foot...now if I can only bring myself to swallow all those vites!) I think I feel the new front coming in that will be bringing in some rain...I am really feeling exhausted. After drinking my protein, I passed on coffee and headed back to bed. I actually slept the whole day away! Some start to the New Year! I finally crawled out about 3. What a waste of a beautiful day. I had some crackers and cottage cheese as my head was pounding due to not eating all day. Paulie is making a nice dinner for us to celebrate...steak, augratin potatoes, salad and roasted peppers and onions. Sounds wonderful. Grandpa is in the recliner dozing. We watch the skating special, me on the couch, Paulie in the front seat. Soon I am asleep again! What is going on here?

Well, dinner's ready, I will post more later...

from the exciting Rio Grande Valley....

dee