Post Christmas Blues

Another Christmas has come and gone. After all the hype and buildup before the holiday, it's always something of a let down afterwards. Usually, Donna and I look forward to the days after Christmas and New Years, for the children head back to the classroom and it's time for us to travel again.

But there's no travel for us this year.

Besides, we have things to take care of here.

Our GE washer stopped the other day. After numerous calls to the manufacturer and their service reps, we grew frustrated and decided to just go with a local repair place. Besides, our local businesses need our support. The technician arrived promptly on the scheduled day. It didn't take him long to determine the problem. Basically, the area underneath the drum had simply deteriorated and was literally crumbling. He could replace it, he said, but with the cost of the parts and the labor, it would probably be just as cost effective to purchase a new washer. We were very happy with the service tech. He represents Angelo's Best Appliance Repair, and I would use him again should the need arise.

After the technician left, Donna and I went out to get a new washer. We had sort of expected we would need to do this, so we had already done some research. We definitely knew we did not want another GE washer, as we felt we did not get our money's worth from that machine. After talking to our daughter and the tech (Courtney tends to be telling us what to do more and more these days, and that is probably a good thing), we decided on a Whirlpool or LG. We stopped at Lowe's first, but found nothing there to our liking. Next we went to Home Depot. We found 2 machines there. Our favorite was on back order and could not be delivered before the end of January. Well, that wouldn't work; we need that washer ASAP. Our second choice there could be delivered on January 5 -- and that is a good time -- but the model really wasn't what Miss Donna wanted.

So, on to Best Buy. There we found exactly what Donna wanted, and it could be delivered on January 2. So, now we are waiting for it to be delivered and installed. We found that pricing for identical machines at all 3 vendors was very similar, about a dollar apart more or less. So, as regards price, it really didn't matter which vendor we made the purchase from. I can't wait for the new washer to arrive so I can put on some clean clothes.

The weather has been pretty nice lately. Now, when I say nice, I mean warm. Unfortunately, the wind almost always blows out here, and that can make a nice day sort of not so nice. But we have had at least one day of calm breezes. A winter storm is in the area as I write this. It moved in early Wednesday morning dropping temperatures and bringing some much needed moisture. We have a good chance at some wintry precipitation as well. But as I write this on Thursday morning, we've only had rain. There is some ice forming in the trees and other elevated places, but with the temp hovering just above freezing, roads are still in good shape. I'm thankful for the moisture we've received, and hope we get more. Just wish we didn't have to put up with wintry conditions while doing so, but that's just part of it. Nice to be retired and not have to worry about getting out in this stuff.

With the construction going on at the entrance to our subdivision, I had not been walking in that area. But due to the long weekend just past, there was no work going on and I meandered on down there again. Just off the road I discovered the skunk in the picture below. I don't know how long he had been dead, but there really wasn't much left of him.

Dead skunk near construction site. Notice the ground; it is so dry out here right now.

Courtney and family gave us a couple of new puzzles (called mystery puzzles) at Christmas. They look interesting, so we hurriedly completed the traditional puzzle we were working on so we could get busy on the new ones. A mystery puzzle is a bit different from a traditional puzzle. First, you have to read the story that accompanies the puzzle. Then you can begin assembling the puzzle. The problem is that you are not provided with a picture of the puzzle, so you have little idea what it will look like; instead, you must use clues from the story to put the pieces together. The one we are currently working on is Alfred Hitchcock, A Mystery Jigsaw Puzzle. It is 1,000 pieces, and involves a murder/missing person case that you must solve. We are still working on it, but Donna seems to enjoy it more than traditional puzzles.

This is one puzzle we recently completed, "The Rocket Diner"

"Fun Lovin' Silly Folks" is another puzzle we recently completed.

The staff at the clubhouse are working on our behalf to get some COVID vaccine out here. We've submitted the forms, and folks from Shannon Hospital will be out here January 4 to administer the first dose. We should get the second dose about 3 weeks later. So, by the end of January, Donna and I -- as well as many of our Rio Concho West neighbors -- should be in good shape. I'm grateful for RCW for looking out for us.

We had a nice sunrise a few days ago. Here are some pictures for you to enjoy.

The first picture I snapped. I like the clouds.

As the sun got a bit higher, it really lit the sky.

I apologize for the quality of this photo; my camera is just not very good for this type of shot, and Santa refuses to bring me a better camera. These are ducks roughly in V formation heading to either Lake Nasworthy or Twin Buttes Lake late in the day. I saw about a dozen flocks in a matter of half an hour as I sat out in 70 degree weather before the wintry norther blew in.

Here's another flock, a bit closer and considerably smaller than the previous one.

And to close, I'll leave you with this shot of the moon rising shortly before sundown. 

Merry Christmas, 2020

Christmas is such a special time of year, even during a pandemic. I know that Christmas this year is a challenge for many people, but a little sacrifice and doing without makes us stronger and more appreciative.

Courtney and her family are not visiting this year. So yesterday afternoon, we spent some video time with them and had our Christmas. The "littles," as Courtney and Mike call their two youngest sons, opened their presents, and we were able to watch from afar. Xander is halfway through his senior year, but we still remember the Christmases we spent with him as a little guy.

There are better Christmases ahead -- we know that. We are happy to wait until we can spend them together safely.

We hope that you and yours have had a wonderful Christmas, whether together or alone. 

Turkeys and Bikers

Things are rather boring in our neck of the woods. 

We continue to monitor the ongoing COVID numbers, and we patiently await our turn to receive the vaccine. I don't quite know how this process will work, so I watch the website for the local hospital hoping to find some useful information there. So far, they can only report that when they learn anything, it will be posted.

The weather has been a bit colder than usual, and the wind has been awful. If you walk in weather like this, you spend most of your time chasing your hat down the street rather than having an enjoyable walk. 

A group of local bikers, led by Santa himself, passed through our little subdivision recently. They made 2 passes along our streets. I did not count how many were in the procession, but there were quite a few, probably between 30 and 40.

The jolly old elf spreading cheer from his motorcycle.

Biker parade coming down the street.

And the turkeys continue to roam the yards, causing mayhem wherever they go. They have become regular features in our backyard just off our patio. A year or two ago, we seldom saw them in our yard; now they come through several times a week and linger. They are entertaining.

Some of the turkeys grazing around our little oak tree.

Some of them spotted me and stopped to give me a "lookin' at."

We'll have a video chat with Courtney and her gang on Christmas Eve. Donna is making potato salad, baked beans, and ham for the meal. I'm really looking forward to that.

My hair is getting a bit shaggy, so it's time for another haircut. However, after my last experience, I'm a bit concerned about Donna cutting my hair. She hasn't been in a good mood lately, so I could come away from this experience bald. I need all of you out there to pray for me -- and my hair!

Our latest puzzle is "Summertime." After the last puzzle, this one was a pleasure to complete. It had lots of varied colors, making it rather easy. And once complete, it rewarded us with a relaxing picture. I'd like to be drifting around that little lake in that canoe.

"Summertime"

You folks stay safe out there!

More Christmas, 2020

It's been a festive Christmas week for us.

As I mentioned in my previous post, we spent one evening viewing Christmas lights around town. A day or two earlier, I spent one afternoon and walked 2.78 miles delivering Christmas cards to our neighbors in our little community. Each year, we expand our list and it takes a little longer to deliver the cards.

On Friday, the Rio Concho West (RCW) version of Santa Claus visited all residents. In true West Texas fashion, Santa gathered his merry elves on a trailer and drove through the streets of our neighborhood, passing out a little holiday cheer. We've been pretty careful about social distancing here, so we have not been able to socialize as we usually do. It was good to see the RCW staff.

RCW elves making deliveries while Santa enjoys a ride on a trailer.

Santa and his entourage

Notice Santa's recliner on the trailer

On Saturday night, Donna and I visited San Angelo State Park just a couple of miles down the road from us for "Holly Days in the Park." The park started this event a few years ago, I believe. Park staff decorate and bring out special guests, like Santa and Smokey Bear. Overnight guests in the park are encouraged to decorate their RVs so visitors can drive through. 

Decorated campsite at San Angelo State Park

We were surprised at how many people ventured to the park for this event. The event began at 6:00 PM, and we arrived about 6:05. There was probably a line of 10 to 15 cars ahead of us, and several were behind us. The number grew as the night wore on. Most of the campsites were occupied, and almost all of them were decorated in some fashion. I was unable to get any good pictures with my cheap little camera. The lone picture above is somewhat representative of the night, though. 

I've been a bit remiss taking pictures of autumn color in the neighborhood. Now, you have to understand that this is West Texas, and there are very few native trees in the area other than those clustered along the rivers and the fast multiplying mesquite that seems to pop up everywhere.  But there is a bit of color here and there. I know that one tree that is always pretty about half a mile up our street has already lost its color, so I missed that opportunity. Below are a handful of pictures with a little color.

This is probably my favorite picture from a yard near the entrance to our subdivision. It has a variety of hues: light green, burnt orange, rust, etc.

I rather like this shot of the contrasting colors of these two well-shaped trees. Had I taken this picture a week earlier, the tree on the right would probably have had some bright red color.

Here are two more trees with some color contrast.

Finally, the puzzle we have just completed was a difficult one. Since pieces were uniform in size and shape, it was very challenging to put the blue sky together. As a final insult, a piece was missing (lower right in grassy area).

"Old Farm Indiana"

I wish all of you a safe and merry holiday season. May there be vaccine soon in a clinic or pharmacy near you.

Christmas Lights 2020

Donna and I drove around last night and looked at Christmas lights. The old girl made some homemade hot chocolate, then we jumped in the car and made our annual tour.

We've made it a tradition since living here to always start with the Tour of Lights. The tour begins at the intersection of West 1st Street and Veterans Memorial Drive on the North Concho River and moves east along the river to the Bosque (intersection of Veterans Memorial Drive and South Irving Street). The street parallels the north bank of the river, and most of the lights are across the river on the south bank. I enjoy how the lights reflect in the normally still waters of the river, giving you a mirror image. The main theme of the lights is the 12 Days of Christmas. 

I no longer take pictures of the lights as mine never come out like I want. I have taken pictures in the past, though, and you can find some of these at "Christmas Lights in San Angelo, 2014". But for better pictures, consult the official web site referenced in the second paragraph above and view the Gallery. 

We made some other rounds as well. There is a family on the south side of town that always has an impressive array of lights, so we drove by their house. We drove through the university, but very few lights were on display there. We also drove through the Santa Rita area, and found some nice lights there along Paseo de Vaca Street. 

We had a traffic jam on the back side of our house yesterday. A group of turkeys decided to cross the street, effectively holding up traffic along this busy, busy street. Yeah, those birds are pushing their luck.

Rio Concho traffic jam

Cold Front Lingering

A cold front moved into the area a day or two after Thanksgiving and decided to stay for a while. The nights have hovered around the freezing mark, dipping a couple of times to the mid-20s or so. The days have been decent, I suppose, although there has been a chilly day or two, especially when the wind howls through at 20 mph or greater. But for the most part, we've enjoyed sunny days with highs in the 50s. 

It is now (Sunday afternoon) up into the mid 60s, and predictions indicate we will reach highs in the 60s and even the 70s for the next week or so. I see no hope of rain, though. Gosh, we are pretty dry; we could use a nice, slow soaking rain.

Early December is when Donna and I have all of our annual medical appointments. We debated about whether to keep these this year or postpone due to COVID, but at our age we decided we needed to touch base with our medical professionals. All went well. Few people were in the offices we visited, so spacing was generous and CDC guidelines were practiced by all. The doctors think we will live another year and bid us on our way. I did get a pneumonia shot, so I can mark that off my list. Our PCP discussed the upcoming COVID vaccine shots with us; we will be looking to get our shots when they become available to folks in our category. Our doctor told us that since we contribute nothing to society, we were expendable and would be last in line. That's nothing new; I've been told that before.

Local hospitals are scrambling to find room for COVID patients. Recently, our large hospital system -- Shannon -- purchased its local competitor, Community General. Now we basically have only 1 hospital system, Shannon. Community General is now known as Shannon South Campus. We've enjoyed our relationship with Shannon over the years and hope that this lack of competition will not alter the way things are done. Most of the clinics we visit are located at the downtown campus, but we are happy that there is an urgent care clinic very near us. We go there for lab work and whenever we are sick.

A few months ago, I mentioned that Shannon was putting up a new building at the entrance to our subdivision. I even snapped a few early construction photos and posted them. As I recall, it will be a long-term therapy facility. Shannon currently has such a facility on the east side of town, what they call their St. John's campus. But the growth corridor for San Angelo is on the west side, where we live. So this facility will be located conveniently for future growth. I expect the facility will be completed by summer.

New long-term therapy center under construction at the entrance to our subdivision.

The neighborhood turkeys are up to no good, as usual. I guess they think that since Thanksgiving is in the rear-view mirror, they are safe. Just after lunch, I looked out and caught several of them on our patio. And, as you might expect, they left some surprises for us there. Well, I had planned to have ham for Christmas, but I just might have turkey after all.

I took this shot of our visitors through the slats of our blinds looking out back. They are a brazen bunch.

Here's a close up of a will turkey for those of you who have never seen one. They don't resemble those that President Trump recently pardoned, do they.

Sometimes, for no reason at all, they decide to throw a conniption and chase each other around.

I wish you all well. Don't let your guard down this close to vaccine being distributed. We'll see you on the other side.

Post-Thanksgiving, 2020

Well, another Thanksgiving has come and gone. 

We had a nice video Thanksgiving with Courtney and the 4 men in her life: son-in-law Michael, and grandsons Xander, Camden, and Jensen. We visited for just over an hour from the comfort of our separate tables, and it was a good time. 

Since then, we've been eating left overs, and we think we will finish today. 

Sunrise a few mornings ago.

As usual, Donna's feast was great. Even though she tried to scale things down since there would be only the 2 of us, we still had a generous amount of food: turkey, dressing, cranberry sauce, broccoli rice casserole, corn casserole, lime jello, pumpkin pie, and chess pie (my favorite). Usually I have to share my chess pie with Courtney, but this year I get the whole thing to myself. I think we'll do a video-Thanksgiving next year!

After lunch, I waddled outside to hang Christmas lights while Donna put up the Christmas tree. She has scaled down this year and only put on the lights, no ornaments. After all, we'll probably do a video Christmas as the virus will still be raging then; in fact, I expect it to be worse. By sundown, we were officially in the Christmas season. Holiday tunes are now playing around the clock, cloves are boiling on the stove sending their scent throughout the house, and we are merry.

We completed "The Birch Point Cove" the day before Thanksgiving.

Through Thanksgiving Day, we were able to continue sitting out in the afternoon and early evening. We had gotten into a routine of going out about 6:30 or so every evening, and we were almost always rewarded with deer sightings. Sometimes they moved through our yard, and sometimes they moved through our neighbors' yards. We were seldom disappointed, though. The other night, I was standing up when a doe came through the yard, not too far from our patio. I stood still and watched. She looked my way and seemed to sense something there out of the ordinary. I did not move. She craned her neck one way and then another, really looking in my direction. Finally, she slowly moved away. We've had several experiences like that since living here. I guess their eyesight is not that good.

An elderly neighbor lady across the street fell in her house the other day. The lady who walks her dog for her was there at the time and decided to call an ambulance just to be safe. This is quite common out here. We see ambulances in the neighborhood quite frequently. After all, everyone in this development is at least 64 years old, and some are into their 90s. Well, the old girl was alright, just a bit shaken and sore. Donna has been calling to check on her, and I took her garbage out to the curb for her Friday morning.

I worked all of the beds in the front yard last week. It's always good to get my hands in the dirt. I miss having a garden and a yard to maintain. I'm like my father in that respect. Both of us not only enjoyed getting dirt on our hands, but we found yard and garden work to be good therapy. The dirt in our beds here is horrible, though, so one of the things I work on is composting. Donna saves her plant wastes from the kitchen, and I save coffee grounds. About once a week or so, I work these into the soil. I figure by the time I'm 100 or so, we may have some topsoil healthy enough to grow something other than weeds. Still, it's rewarding and enjoyable.

A cold front moved through Saturday morning, and we even got a bit of moisture from it. It's still cold this morning, and it looks like this cooler weather will stay with us for a while. The lows at night hover around freezing, while the highs will probably not get above 60. Guess we won't be sitting out anymore. I guess my morning walks are over for a while as well; time to shift to afternoon walks.

Can you believe that December is almost here? Most of us will be glad to get past 2020, but that doesn't mean all the problems stop. At least we do see some light at the end of the tunnel. I hope these vaccines are effective; I'd like to get back to something resembling normal. I wonder if we ever will truly return to normal, though.

Last night, Donna and I were watching an old Wheel of Fortune show. We were both surprised at how close the contestants used to be to one another. There is a sort of conditioning we have gone through with COVID that may never allow us to see things the same. How long before we don't mind being close to other people? How long before we stop looking at others to ensure they are wearing a mask? 

I thought you might enjoy a picture of some turkey butts to end this entry. 

Thanksgiving 2020

Just a short note to wish everyone a happy Thanksgiving.

Yes, 2020 has been a rough year, but rough times tend to make me thankful for the things I do have, especially the little things we often overlook. I hope you feel the same. When things get bad, I know that they can even get worse.

I wish each and every one of you a safe and peaceful Thanksgiving. May the next time this holiday roll around be under more pleasant circumstances.

Happy Wife Equals Happy Hair

I've just learned a new rule in the game of marriage: never let your wife cut your hair when she's mad at you. And for me, that would be just about all of the time.

As Donna cranked up the electric clippers Saturday, I felt them touch the back of my neck and start working up. Then I heard a devilish laugh come from Donna. 

When she finished cutting my hair, she held up the mirror and showed me what she had done. Here is a picture of her artistry.

New hair style, a la Miss Donna.

On top of that, she then grounded me for 2 weeks, saying I was too ugly and homely to go outside where anyone could see me. So, for the next 2 weeks, I'm stuck inside. Hopefully, my hair will grow back by then.

Maybe I should risk COVID to get a decent haircut.

On other fronts, the weather continues to be great. If we could just get some rain occasionally, it would be perfect. You can't have everything, though.

Here is our latest puzzle.

"Liberty Village Celebration"

Now it's time to prep for Thanksgiving. Donna and I will be alone this year. Courtney and her clan will do a video Thanksgiving with us on Thursday. They are also practicing safe living. We will probably do the same for Christmas. It's a very, very small price to pay to keep loved ones safe so that we can celebrate together in the years to come.

Be smart and stay safe.

Nothing New Here

I'll try to make this a shorter post, as nothing has really changed since my last post.

The weather continues to be beautiful -- chilly nights but VERY comfortable days. I couldn't ask for better weather.

Our COVID numbers are really depressing me. In the past week, we've reported more than 100 new COVID cases every day expect for 1. We've also had 2 days over 200. These numbers are very high for the size community we are. In all honesty, these numbers might be a bit misleading, for many reported cases do not actually live in San Angelo or even Tom Green County. Some folks just come in from smaller communities because our medical facilities are much better; we are blessed with a very good hospital system here. So, these numbers really reflect the larger area known as the Concho Valley, which takes in quite a few surrounding counties and communities. For example, we lived in "nearby" Ozona for 8 years during the 1990s. During that time, we came to San Angelo for all major shopping and medical needs. It was a mere 80 mile trip, one-way.

Other than that, things continue to be the same here. 

I'll leave you with a few pictures of fall color in our neighborhood which I snapped on a recent walk. Please consider that all photos were taken in the early morning light, so they may not appear as brilliant as they are in real life.

I don't know what kind of tree this is, but it's pretty.

Close-up of leaves from above tree.

Pretty yellow tree in a neighbor's back yard.

The bur oak in our front yard is really not pretty, but it does have a bit of color. Note the two other trees to its right; they have a bit more color, I think.

Into November

Wow, here we are approaching Thanksgiving. Despite living in the pandemic and doing very little, the time still seems to move by rather quickly, especially when you have some age on you. As of yesterday, it is only 3 weeks until Thanksgiving, and when Thanksgiving arrives, Christmas is not that far behind.

Sunset

I don't know about you, but I'm happy to get all the elections behind us. I know, I know -- we still have some legal suits and other issues to settle, but I'm just happy that I don't have to listen to political ad after political ad. There are so many attack ads out there today, and candidates don't hesitate to make negative false claims about their opponents and positive false claims about themselves. It's a dirty business. But I guess such ads are effective or they wouldn't be used. Worst of all, what does it say about voters who are gullible enough to believe unsubstantiated claims? That's the scariest part of it, I suppose.

The weather has been absolutely delightful. At night, we dip into the 40s usually, and during the days, we get up into the upper 70s and, on occasion, the lower 80s. I've been walking early in the morning this week because when the temperature is 50, it is a perfect time for a brisk 3.5 mile walk. When things cool off again, I'll get back on late afternoon walks.

"Red sky at night, sailor's delight." That old adage has proven true lately.

Over the weekend, we had a beautiful full moon for Halloween. How appropriate! During my early morning walks, it is still hanging high in the sky, though growing smaller each day.

We've now had 2 straight days of 100+ COVID cases. That just isn't good at all. Numbers everywhere are escalating. With the holiday season approaching, I see trouble ahead. I hope you take all the necessary precautions to keep yourselves safe.

Donna and I sat in on an online seminar earlier in the week. Our Medicare advantage carrier is changing soon, so we wanted to learn what to expect. One thing I appreciate seeing in our plan is all the preventive and holistic approaches: gym memberships, online assistance, etc. There actually are too many features for me to list. The better care we take of ourselves, the less we need to depend on medical care to fix us. 

Our latest puzzle -- "Pixels & Pizza" -- was fun. I look for puzzles with clear colors and clearly defined lines. 

"Pixels & Pizza"

As always, stay safe and be smart.

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween to everyone!

There once was a time when Halloween was a holiday focusing on children. The little ones would dress up in their ghoulish costumes and roam the streets begging for candy. A few errant miscreants would take part in some unwanted pranks here and there, but for the most part, there wasn't much to this holiday.

That's certainly not the case today. Adults have hijacked this holiday and made it all about themselves. And perhaps that is part of the problem we have today -- adults no longer behave like adults.

But I don't want to go down that road at this time . . . . .

No reason for this picture other than I like to post pictures of turkeys. This guy and his friends were high-stepping down the street in front of our house yesterday afternoon. 

We currently seem to have two groups of turkeys in our neighborhood. One is a large flock numbering about 11. The other is a group of 4, which Donna and I call "The Gang of Four". The three above are part of the Gang of Four; the leader was farther down the street. I thought a picture of turkeys was appropriate for my previous discussion of adults.

That was a nice little cold spell we had. As expected, it began moving through the area early Monday and was moving out by Wednesday afternoon. I like a guest who doesn't overstay its welcome. But from early Monday to mid-afternoon Wednesday, we did have some cold, dreary, wintry weather. 

We did get a bit of moisture. The streets and sidewalks more or less stayed wet for about 48 hours or so. I'm not sure how much moisture we received, but it may have been just over half an inch. We could certainly have used more.

Snow on the roof of a neighbor's house. You can see a little wintry mix on the ground, as well, but it was really not cold enough to stick there.

We woke to snow on the rooftops Tuesday morning, There was a little snow/ice mixture in the grass as well, but not enough to cover the lawns. It really didn't get cold enough to allow things to freeze on the ground. 

Snow on another rooftop, and a little wintry mix that was able to stick in our yard.

We're back to normal now. I was able to walk late in the afternoon on both Wednesday and Thursday. It was still a bit chilly both days, but the sun was out. The worst part was the wind. It was blowing nearly 20 mph both days. By Friday, I was walking in short sleeves again. Yep, yesterday was beautiful.

It's nice to have such variety in your weather. I'm not a big fan of cold weather, but I do enjoy cool weather. And when we do have cold weather, I like for it to move on through in a couple of days. And that is exactly what this cold front did. Now we are looking at highs in the upper 60s and lower 70s for the next week or so, though the nights are chilly.

The community newsletters for November 1 were ready for distribution, so Donna and I made our route early Friday afternoon. After that, we just continued walking around the neighborhood.

Rain gauge with snow in it.

My heart surely does go out to the people in southern Louisiana. Those poor folks have now been hit with 5 big storms this year, all while dealing with COVID. And folks out in California are still battling wildfires. They and others across the country -- mainly in the west -- have really suffered this year. And some folks whine and cry about being asked to wear a mask. There's that adult thing again I mentioned earlier. But I said I wasn't going to get started on that . . . .

And speaking of COVID, our numbers continue to go up. I believe the positivity rate in our county at this time is now 15.9%. A vaccine can't come fast enough.

I'll leave you with our latest puzzle. Normally, we work on puzzles with 1,000 pieces, but some neighbors shared the 500-piece puzzle below with us. After that really hard puzzle I posted in the previous entry that contained such irregular pieces, it was nice to put a normal puzzle together.

"Days to Remember"

Remember to set your clocks back . . .

Cold Front Moving Through

The cold front began moving through sometime before I crawled out of my warm bed this morning. Yesterday, we were in the upper 80s; this morning when I awoke, we were at 42. It will probably get a little colder today. As I write this at 8:02 AM Monday morning, it is 21 degrees in Amarillo.

The roads are damp, but it isn't really raining -- yet. It's more like a thick mist out there. This cold and wet weather will continue until sometime Wednesday. After that, we climb back into the 60s and lower 70s for highs while the lows will be in the 40s. 

I guess summer time is finally over.

Sunday was a busy day for us. Donna took down her hummingbird feeders and cleaned them thoroughly for storage. We haven't seen any hummers for a while. I pulled up the poles and stored them. Donna cleaned up her plants on the front patio. I'm sure there will be more to do out there after the first freeze. She also harvested the last of her basil. I moved outdoor plants into the empty side of our garage where they will spend the winter. 

Donna prepped the stew meat yesterday, and she's in the kitchen now getting that going. I'm looking forward to a bowl of her soup. It is one of my favorite meals. It is true comfort food when the weather is nasty and cold.

We watched a couple of interesting movies last week. The Promise was released in 2016 and The Ottomon Lieutenant was released a short time later. Both films have much in common: they are set during World War I, they involve the Ottoman Empire, and both involve a love triangle.

What I enjoyed most about the movies was their handling of the Armenian Genocide. While The Ottoman Lieutenant dealt with it minimally, The Promise dealt extensively with it. The movie industry is not known for adhering to facts or reality, but at least movies such as these do arouse an interest in learning more about one of the darker chapters of human history. If you've not seen either of these movies, you can find them on Netflix or Amazon Prime.

Our latest puzzle is called "Charleston". This one gave the old woman and me considerable trouble. The pieces were so irregular that it was difficult to find pieces we needed. One piece might be large and shaped like the legendary gerrymander, while a piece that fit into it might be a fourth its size and a very different shape. 

But we persisted and finally got the rascal all put together. Really, I rather enjoyed the challenge. 

"Charleston"

PSS

It is now 8:23 AM. The temperature has dropped to 39 degrees and the rain is coming down in earnest now. Time to bundle up. Guess I can turn the A/C off now.

Stay safe and warm out there.

Cold Front Moving Towards Us

We may get our first truly wintry cold blast early next week. Right now, our local weather folks are calling for a high of 52 degrees on Monday and a high on Tuesday of only 32. Those temps follow a high of 88 on Sunday. Monday and Tuesday also bring an 80% chance of rain, and that looks great. Is snow possible?

Now, things can change between now (Wednesday) and then, but I'm hoping for the rain. I don't care for really cold temps, but Donna is planning to put on a pot of homemade beef soup for the cold front, and I'm really looking forward to that. Beef soup is one of my favorite meals. What a snug, cozy image that brings to mind for me.

Donna and I have a new job. We are the newest deliverers of the community newsletter, which comes out on the 1st and 15th of each month. It's really pretty simple, The activity director at the clubhouse gives us a call when the newsletters are ready, we pick them up, then walk the route of about 30 residences putting the newsletters on the clips beside the front door of each residence.

Looks like we are continuing to get sucked into community life around here more and more all the time. We may have to move.

I was nearing the end of my walk this morning just after the sun had fully risen. I began to hear turkeys but I couldn't locate them. Then, when I reached a break in the trees, I spotted them. Those rascals were roosting on a house down the street from us. I bet some of you did not know turkeys would roost on house tops. We do see them quite often around here roosting on high lines and on house tops, so this isn't that unusual. They do make themselves at home. Guess they don't realize just how close to Thanksgiving the calendar currently is.

Turkeys on the roof of a neighbor's house.

 

Close-up of turkeys on a roof.

Some good restaurant news for San Angelo. I've mentioned before that Napoli's has been our favorite local restaurant for the past couple of years. Of course, with the pandemic, we've not been there. Earlier in the year sometime -- or was it late last year? -- Zentner's Daughter had closed. That was a nice restaurant with nice facilities. At the time, there were rumors that Napoli's was moving into the old Zentner's place. Sure enough, they have now moved in and are serving up some good food. We are really looking forward to a nice meal there once we feel it is safe.

Our COVID numbers are still on the increase -- at least, the average daily case rate is. So, we continue to be careful. We use curbside most of the time for groceries, though we do go into Walmart and Sam's Wholesale during senior times. We drive through for fast food from time to time. And we do whatever else requires our attention, such as voting and doctor visits. We have all of our annual visits coming up in early December, so I do hope things have calmed down some by then. 

Today, I leave you with a quote. We are big PBS/Create TV viewers in this household. We especially like the cooking and travel shows. One travel show we watch regularly is Travelscope featuring Joseph Rosendo. At the end of each episode, he closes the show with a quote from Mark Twain (Innocents Abroad/Roughing It):

"Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness."

Although Rosendo only uses the part quoted above, the entire quote reads:

"Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime."

I think he's on to something. I know Donna and I are ready to get out and travel some more.

A Change in the Weather

It's been pretty quiet in our parts the past few days.

After hitting the triple digit mark twice a few days ago (isn't October just too late for that where we live?), things have cooled off a bit. The daily highs are now in the 70s or 80s, with nightly lows usually in the 50s or so. That's pretty good weather. Yesterday, the wind really blew, making it feel cooler than what it actually was.

We're keeping close to home, though we still walk regularly. Once or twice, we've even shifted to walking late in the afternoon, though we still prefer walking in the early morning. As it gets cooler, we will change when we walk, and we will probably venture out to the state park more as well as a few other places around town. Variety is nice, you know.

We visited our PCP office on Monday for our annual flu shots. In the past, we've just gotten our shots at our local pharmacy at Market Street, but with things as they are today, we thought it might be better to go to our PCP. This way, we could be sure of getting the exact type of flu shot that our systems require at this time in our lives. And, if something were to happen to us, this information would be in the hospital network. In the past when we've visited our PCP in December, they've always asked if we've had our flu shots. Now they won't need to ask any more. And if we should find ourselves in a situation where we can't respond, all they have to do is look at our in-network information. Donna behaved herself pretty well. She only bit the nurse twice this time. They refused to give her a lollipop, though.

Early voting started on Tuesday. With COVID like it is, we really would have liked to just mail in our ballots. But with the political climate as it is, we just weren't sure that was a smart idea; we do want our votes to be counted. So, after monitoring the situation for a couple of days, we piled in the car and ventured to our local voting place. It took about 1 hour -- give or take a few minutes -- to complete the process. We started on the sidewalk in front of the Edd B Keyes Building in downtown San Angelo. It took about 10 to 15 minutes to get inside. Once inside, the line went directly down one hall, took a 90 degree turn to the left and down another hall, then did a U-turn back to the voting room. Lines and indicators marked off 6 feet intervals.

Once inside the voting room, I noticed that voters were required to use a stylus to access a screen when checking in. Fortunately, disposable gloves were available just inside the door, so Donna and I grabbed one each and slipped them on our right hands. Once our turn arrived, we provided our voter card and ID and completed the check-in process by making appropriate selections on the screen and then signing. Since we chose electronic ballots, we were directed to the voting machines, given our access codes, and then began completing the ballot. A few minutes later, we were back out in the fresh air.

For the most part, social distancing was maintained, though some folks did crowd together from time to time. Masks were required; in fact, I saw a sign indicating zero tolerance. However, we saw one man with no mask. Perhaps he had a medical condition. Whatever his situation, he was visiting with the couple ahead of him and he was doing 90% of the talking, and rather loudly at that. You know, if you aren't going to wear a mask, you should at least keep your mouth closed. Another couple was in the line a little behind us. When we got in the line outside, they were not wearing masks, but once we got inside, they put them on. 

All in all, though, it wasn't a bad experience other than standing in line for that long. Since Donna behaved herself for the most part, on our way home we drove through Schlotzsky's for sandwiches. Donna loves the vegetarian sandwich there while I enjoy the ham and cheese. I've loved those sandwiches since the first one I ate while in college so many years ago. I think Donna enjoys them more than I do.

Near the end of the summer, our new COVID cases had dropped nicely, even dipping into the single digits a time or two. A week or so after Labor Day, though, they began rising slowly. Now we seem to be topping out at over 30 a day, and the number of those admitted to the hospital has more than doubled in the past week.

Well, we obviously do not have any discipline. Partying and socializing and ignoring the guidelines is more important than making the sacrifices needed to protect our loved ones, friends, and country. So, at this point, it looks like the only thing that can save us is an effective and approved vaccine.

As always, be safe, be smart, and be considerate of others.

Biding our Time

We've done nothing unique the past few days. Hopefully, today (Sunday) is the last day of really high heat for the year. Yesterday pushed the high 90s, and today is expected to do the same. On our walk this morning, neither Donna nor I needed a jacket. We should drop about 10 degrees or so throughout the next few days. Personally, I'd like to see some cooler temps. We'll see.

Donna did some mighty tasty cooking this week. She made a few Middle Eastern/Mediterranean dishes: stuffed grape leaves (meatless), hummus, dhal, and one or two other things. When we lived in the Middle East during the 1980s, Donna was quick to learn how to cook various cuisines. As a result, from time to time we enjoy things like chicken curry, kofta, baba ghanoush, tandoori chicken, and various other exotic dishes. I do enjoy those meals.

Usually when we have such food, we just mix various cultures. We may have something from a Lebanese menu, something from a Greek menu, and then something else from an Indian menu. Donna may even throw in something she has just made up on a whim. But it is always very tasty. I'm a lucky chubby fellow.

Donna's stuffed grape leaves.

Some very yummy hummus.

We are scheduled to get our flu shots tomorrow. I'll feel a bit more comfortable once we get this hurdle behind us. I do hope we get an effective and approved vaccine for COVID in the very near future. Positive cases of COVID in our area have risen slightly in the past week or 10 days, but not what I would call significantly at this time. Now tomorrow, we may blow the roof off the numbers, but right now our daily totals are in the 25 to 35 range. Personally, I think that is too high and would be lower if people would do as the experts advise, but at least this number is well below the highs we saw in the summer.

Our latest puzzle -- "Cafe" -- was also the easiest we've put together. Clear lines and colors as well as well defined detail made it easy.

For some reason, the turkeys are coming back through in the evening. One of the turkeys had been limping noticeably on its left leg, but is no longer doing so. Glad things are looking up for it. Last night I spotted one of those little ringtail cats down the emergency exit road just south of our house. Those little rascals are stalking me, I believe, just waiting to catch me off guard. 

The "Gang of 4" moving through our back yard.

As always, be smart and keep safe.