Biding Our Time

The old woman and I are just biding our time before the next trip. Seems that is what we do these days.

Fitting in with the geezers at RCW

Donna seems to be settling in at Rio Concho West better than I. She is becoming more and more involved with activities out here. We both attended our monthly home owner's committee meeting last week to see if anything is going on out here we should be aware of. There wasn't.

Saturday a week ago, Donna joined in with the weekly bingo match. She played hard but didn't win a single game.

Our landscaping man is leaving RCW this week, so the community gave him a going away party on Friday. We joined in and ate our share of goodies. We will miss James, and we wish him well in his new job.

On Friday, we boarded a packed bus for a run to the Manor for lunch. The old geezers like their fried catfish, and that is why so many made the trek. Donna and I were the last ones to board, and we were relegated to the rough back seat. With every bump, we'd fly up a few feet. Good times!

Trying to stay healthy

Those who have read my blog before know that Donna and I do try take of ourselves, at least to some degree.

We went to our local pharmacy to get shingles shots this past week, but there was no medicine available. They have put our request on order and should be receiving a shipment soon. We'll get that taken care of as soon as it arrives. Donna doesn't like shots, but she needs this one. And people don't like giving Donna shots; she bites and kicks really hard, and those ear-piercing shrieks are painful on everyone in close proximity.

We joined Community Health Club this past week as well. Of course, Donna and I are avid walkers, but we just don't feel that is enough. Now that I'm not taking care of a yard, I don't feel that I'm getting enough exercise with parts of my body other than my legs. So, we'll start going to the health club a few times each week. I'll concentrate on upper-body exercises, a little weight lifting, and swimming laps in the pool. I may even get on the stationary bikes and treadmills. Donna has other things in mind to do while there.

For those of you Medicare age, you should look into the Silver Sneakers program if you are interested in joining a gym. Depending on your location, you may be eligible for free gym memberships. Free is good in this case.

We made our first visit to the gym this past Thursday. We arrived just before 8:00 AM, and we stayed about an hour. It was a good time to visit, as there weren't that many people there. And that is what we were looking for. We know some folks will hit the gym really early, around 5:00 AM or so, to get in a workout before going to work. Most folks will wait until after work at the end of the day. I think we will probably find the time from 7:00 to 9:00 to be our favorite time. And we were surprised at the number of folks our age working out. That's great!

We quickly learned some things about ourselves. Even though we walk hundreds of miles each year, we are terribly out of shape. Since I no longer do my own yard, I get very little upper-body workout. So, I worked out on a few machines trying to give my arms and back some exercise. It was pitiful. People were pointing and laughing at me; I think I saw Donna among the jeering crowd, leading the assault. We also learned that we don't know how to use high-tech gym equipment. We came home sore and tired after that first day, but we felt pretty good about ourselves. We need this sort of workout regimen.

We turned right around and returned to the gym the very next day (Friday) and we both enjoyed a more challenging workout. It's simply a matter of finding the routine that works for you. I added a few more stations to my upper-body workout and worked a bit longer in this area. I would occasionally take a break from this routine and hop on a bicycle or other machine to give my legs a workout. I was pretty worn after this workout, and I experienced some good soreness later that day. And even though I walk a lot, I found that the workout I did today really challenged my legs, especially the stair stepper and bicycle.

Finishing the week

On weekends, the gym opens a bit later, so we will probably not visit it often on Saturday or Sunday. So yesterday (Saturday), we decided instead to use the exercise room at our clubhouse. First, we attended the weekly bingo session. Neither Donna nor I, nor anyone else at our table for that matter, had a bingo, but we had a good time. After bingo, Donna went into our little workout room. We don't have nearly as much equipment as our gym, but we climbed on a few of the machines for a decent workout. It was a good way to finish the week. We'll take today (Sunday) off, then hit the real gym early tomorrow.

A Casino Loop

Donna and I just returned from a short loop of a couple of Louisiana casinos. It's always good to get back home.

We started early last Saturday. After driving for 7 hours or so, we arrived in Livingston, Texas, where we stopped for a brief visit with Donna's brother-in-law. He has a nice place on the east side of Lake Livingston. After our visit, we drove on into Livingston and spent the night at the Holiday Inn. We walked next door to El Burrito and enjoyed nachos, queso dip, and more than one cold beer. It was a good way to end a long day of driving.

The next morning, we rose early to continue our trip east. A few miles east of Livingston, we made a brief detour into the Alabama-Coushatta reservation. Several years ago, the tribe opened a small casino on the reservation, but the casino was soon closed for legal reasons. I had noticed while doing research for our trip that the tribe now has a new casino, Naskila Gaming, so I thought we would just stop for a brief walk through.

It's a nice little casino. The largest part of the casino is smoke-free. Inside, a separate glass enclosed room makes up the smoking area. Drink stations are scattered about the small casino. I saw no video poker machines, which is the only game I play. We do not normally play at casinos that are unregulated, so I have no plans to play here, but I was curious about the place.

I'm not sure of the current legal status of the casino. And to be honest, since I don't intend to play there, I'm really not that interested. But there have been challenges by both state and federal officials to the legality of the casino.

Anyway, we returned to US 190 and continued our trek east. Our target now was Coushatta Casino Resort, located along US 165 between Kinder and Oberlin, LA. Donna's mother, aunts, and uncles used to play here from time to time. They seemed to enjoy it, so we wanted to visit the place. Of course, it had been several years since Donna's family had been here.

Personally, I didn't care for the place. I never felt comfortable there for some reason. And the service was severely lacking. It did not approach the level of service we receive at our favorite casinos. For example, upon arriving, we headed straight to the player's club to join. There was only 1 person working the desk when we arrived, and a line was forming. Eventually, another attendant arrived, but it took her well over 10 minutes before she was ready to "greet" her first customer. A suit arrived to watch things, and I was hopeful service would improve. Instead, he promptly asked the original working attendant to help him with something while customers were forced to wait. It took 35 minutes for us to join their club.

Things went downhill from there.

The rooms were okay, but the overall feel of the place -- at least to me -- was one of lack of pride. In eateries, tables were dirty and service slow; on the bright side, prices were high. I will admit that we did enjoy the play for the most part. Yeah, we lost, but not much, and both of us enjoyed some good runs on the machines we played. For those interested, we played quarter 9/5 Jacks or Better.

The casino does have a rather large non-smoking area, and that is always nice. However, you have to walk through a smoky casino to get to it. I like the setup at the Naskila Gaming near Livingston, where the smoking area is set off.

So, we were glad when our 2 nights were over. We left early Tuesday morning and headed north to Bossier City and the Horseshoe. The difference in the two casinos is night and day. Service at the 'Shoe is great. Yeah, prices are high at the eateries, but not any higher than at Coushatta. And the service and quality was much, much better.

We were only at the 'Shoe for 2 nights, so we just stayed there and did all of our eating. We left early Thursday and made the long trek home.

Rain continues to be plentiful, it seems, in the areas we visited. All of the rivers we crossed once we were past I-35 were full and flowing. Lakes seemed at capacity, and water was often standing in ditches and open fields. It has been a wet fall and winter in that part of the country.

Taking Care of Business

A new year always brings new challenges. I usually spend quite a bit of time as the new year begins taking care of business. I'm rather anal, and I'll be the first to admit it, and that causes me a bit more work than most people, but the system seems to work for me.

I keep a lot of data. I have a rather complex budget, so as the new year rolls around, I get the budget ready for the new year. My main goal is to ensure that I do not spend more than I bring in; in other words, I have a balanced budget. Wouldn't it be great if our federal government worked that way. But, alas, it does not, so our country owes a ton of money, and a large chunk of that is owed to countries that are not necessarily friendly to us.

But I digress . . . .

So, as the old year comes to a close and the new one begins, I work on the budget for the new year. But I also keep a spreadsheet for tax deductions. So as the year comes to a close, I tally all of the numbers for that year and get them ready for my tax accountant.

And of course, there are taxes to deal with. I always prepare a folder for all my tax forms, and mark items off the list as they arrive. I'm always happy to get tax season behind me.

Concho Valley Dawn

Good weather continues in the Concho Valley

Since the cold spell moved out last week, we've been blessed with some pretty good weather out here. I've truly enjoyed getting outside for my daily walks, most of which I have taken in short-sleeve shirts. I do enjoy getting a daily dose of sun. And I really enjoy seeing my neighbors bustling around the neighborhood. Some of the men out here have shops set up in their garages, and they do wood work and other crafts. Some of these guys have really been busy. Others have been taking down their Christmas lights. Others have just been sitting out enjoying the sun and mild temps.

Spring isn't that far off.

Sunrise in Geezerville

We're back on diets

Well, Donna and I -- mostly me -- got out of control during the holidays and put on a few pounds. So, we're back on our diets. Actually, we don't really diet, we just watch calories on a regular basis. Sure, we slip from time to time -- such as during holidays and when we travel -- but for the most part, we have some pretty healthy eating habits.

I'm glad to see the pounds sliding off once again. I guess I had just a bit too much holiday cheer this year. But I'm a cheery sort of guy, so . . .

I never tire of the colorful mornings here.

A pretty busy week

We've been pretty busy this week . . . at least, busy for us.

Since we've lived at Rio Concho West, we've been getting our hair cut at the clubhouse. Several months ago, though, the lady running the shop moved and was replaced by another lady. We used the new lady several times, but just weren't quite happy with the results. So, we've started going back out into the community and getting our hair cut, and I've not found a place yet that I really like. As I've said before on this blog, a good barber shop is hard to find these days. I miss the old style barber shops. I like the smells of an old-fashioned shop, and I like getting trimmed around my ears and nape of the neck with a straight razor. Not many places do this anymore. Recently, a place called Great Clips opened just across the highway from the entrance to RCW, and since they were offering a $5.99 introductory special, I thought I'd give them a try. Not bad. I think I'll give them another chance, especially if that introductory price holds a little longer. But I'll keep looking for an old-timey shop.

I took the car in for its routine service. I do like the service department at our local Toyota dealership. It's easy to schedule service, they get you right in when you arrive, and the work is done quickly. I've found this to be the case at all the Toyota dealerships I've used over the years, but Mitchell Toyota in Angelo is definitely my favorite.

Some days are more wintry than colorful. You have to take the bad with the good.

Donna and I jumped on the geezer bus for a ride to the Manor downtown where we had lunch with some of the other inmates. As I've said before, the food over there isn't that good, but it is plentiful and cheap. Best of all, we just enjoy the visiting we do on the ride over and back as well as in the dining room.

Bilbrey Tours came to town one day and shared information on all of their upcoming trips for 2019. I don't know yet if we will take any, but there certainly are some out there we are interested in.

Thursday evening, we went over to the clubhouse for dinner. This is another case where we don't really go someplace for the food, but rather to visit with friends and neighbors.

Let the rain fall

We ended the week with a nice day of rain. We didn't get that much, just a bit more than half an inch, but we've been getting rain on a pretty regular basis and that has helped keep the ground moist and the lakes at their current levels. The farmers will appreciate this ground moisture when it comes time to plant in the spring, and the winter wheat in the ground now will certainly benefit from the rain.

Starting Off 2019

We end 2018 with rain . . .

We ended 2018 on a pretty good note. On the next to the last day of 2018, we received about a third of an inch of rain. We had a good year for rain. Up until October or so, it had been pretty bad, and I was getting worried about our lakes. But then the skies opened and we got quite a bit of rain. We ended the year with about a foot of rain more than our annual average, and our lakes look better than they have since we moved back to the area in 2011.

. . . and start 2019 with cold and rain

New Year's Day was gloomy and cold, a real wintry type day. There was no sun to brighten the day. The day started at 40 degrees and it went down from there, reaching the freezing mark by afternoon. Precipitation moved in the second day of the year, and the temp stayed at freezing or below the entire day. Still, I didn't see much ice outside. The local news would beg to differ, though, as a large number of accidents occurred around the city throughout the day. Things were certainly worse east and north of Angelo, moving all the way to the east coast.

The first 2 or 3 days of the new year were very wintry looking. A very light layer of ice is on the ground in this picture. We did not see the sun for 3 days.

Jan. 3 dawned with some ice on the roof tops and on the ground, but the cloud cover was breaking. We soon had sun and all the ice melted quickly. The temp rose to about 50 that day.

But temps got back to the 60s by Friday, and the forecast for the coming week reports good weather. I'm ready for spring!

By Friday (Jan. 4), temps were consistently in the high 60s or low 70s during the day, and Donna and I were able to get out and do a bit of walking.

And speaking of walking . . .

2018 was a pretty good year of walking for me

Up through the summer, I was really doing lots of walking. Part of that was due to the fact that we were not traveling much. I really get off my walking routine when we travel. And for much of the year, I was doing walks of from 4 to 6 miles, sometimes a bit longer but seldom -- if ever -- shorter.

But we started traveling again in late summer or early fall, and my numbers began to skid.

In 2017, I walked 737 miles on 190 days. That's an average of 3.87 miles per walk. Not bad at all.

In 2018, I walked 918 miles on 193 days. So, I walked about the same number of days, but I walked for longer distances. That is an average of 4.75 miles per walk.

I don't know if I can keep up that pace in 2019, but I'll certainly try. I do not like walking in cold weather, so I walk less in winter. And my legs are beginning to bother me a bit more, so I'm slowing down. As a result, I may try to walk more often, but for shorter distances.

We'll see.

Donna and I are thinking about joining a local gym. If we do, I'll probably walk less outside, swim more, and work on my upper body strength much, much more.

I can't stress the health benefits of exercise, though. I enjoy walking, so I would walk regardless of any health benefits. But exercise certainly helps my cholesterol numbers as well as other things. Anything I can do to stay off medication is worth doing. I prefer to control these things naturally.

So, 2019 is off to a good start. I wonder what the year holds for us.