2013 February 28

               I just came in from outside where I was marveling at the bright sunshine and good weather on this the last day of February 2013.  Except for the years that I was in the Army, I’ve spent every previous winter in Iowa.  I just checked “Weatherbug” to see what is happening back home.  It is 28 with a windchill of 19 and flurries.  Here I am in a T-shirt and shorts and have the door standing open.  For those that grew up in warmer climes, this is no big deal.  And for those of you who “follow the sun”, you’ve undoubtedly adjusted your thinking about winter.  I’m still too new at this for it to seem “right”.  I’m hoping that we will be able to continue this life style long enough to stop being “Winter Texans” to becoming “Summer Iowans”                                       

Nothin' Much and then Nappin'

2013 February 12

135/80bp, 67 pulse, 123bs

The Whole World Has Gone Grey

        A little rain shower passed through before 7 this morning.  I guess that was the “40% chance of showers and thunderstorms in the morning.”  It has turned into mostly sunny this afternoon.

        After doing the usual things this morning, I sat down and started a new blog, “Tom and Ella’s Photography”.  You can visit it directly by going to www.tomandellasphotography.blogspot.com or you can click on the tab on this blog’s homepage that reads “photography”.  This is just a way to share some of our photos with more folks.  I plan to create a blog to showcase some of my artwork and doodles also.  And if you haven’t already found it the tab on the front page marked “Recipes” will take you to our website for our own concoctions.

        After yesterday’s four hours of drive time coupled with the ‘sit and wait’ time at the VA … (I’m not ranting today … you can read both of yesterday’s posts for that) … today we’re just sittin’ with our feet up and readin’, watchin’ TV and spending quality time with the laptop.

        As a way of paying homage to our day of rest, lunch was a simple tomato soup and sandwich.  I spent minutes slaving over a hot microwave to prepare it.  And now I’m thinkin’ of crawlin’ into the recliner and napping the afternoon away.

        I’ll get this posted and if anything exciting happens before bed time (not to be confused with nap time) I’ll add an update.

2013 February 07 Thursday

2013 February 07 Thursday

No visible sun and sunrise today ... and a little mist in the air.
I hope it turns to rain, we need it.

          I had posted several days ago that one our friends here at Shady Oaks had told the Men's Morning Coffee Group that his wife had just been diagnosed with cancer.  Yesterday he took her to a hospital appointment in Temple Texas.  They drained several quarts of fluid from her abdominal cavity in preparation for doing a biopsy.  She is feeling much better now that the pressure has been relieved.

          I had also posted that we had received notification that one of our friends back in Iowa had passed away.  When we received our Weekly Update from our church back home, two more long time members of the church had also died.  If heard it said that, "These things come in threes."  I'm hoping that it STOPS with three.

          Ella fixed skinless, boneless chicken thighs in a broccoli cheese sauce and rice for lunch.  We had some of the sauce left over and will probably have it on baked potatoes later this week.



          This morning I finished my project of making insulated sun-blocking window covers for the Hitch Hiker.  I even have a few scraps left over of both insulation and Velcro tape.  

          I'm considering making sun-blocking wheel covers for the HH.  I'm told that sun damage is one of the leading causes of tire failure in RVs.  I had been researching tire covers because they come in both black and white.  People with white wheel covers claim that the white reflects the heat while blocking the UV rays of the sun.  Whereas the folks with black wheel covers claim that the black blocks ALL UV rays and that the extra heat caused by the added absorption of the black covers will not damage the tires.  I'm thinking that the Refletix insulation would reflect both the UV and the heat.  Looks like a project for another day.

82 degrees today and sunny.  So different than it started.  We actually had the air conditioner on for a while today

          Pancakes for supper and maybe popcorn later. Okay, this is starting to sound lame even to me.  There’ll be more to report tomorrow as I have a doctor’s appointment in the early afternoon and there will be a potluck at Shady Oaks in the evening.  So … Later!