Day 119 - Monday, March 9 - Build-A-Bed Recognition

 Before she left Missouri Kathy signed us up for a subscription to Angel TV. Yesterday I finally gave up on trying to get the app to work on the Samsung TV in our coach. The TV is a smart TV but apparently it is old enough that something prevents the Angel app from working. Also, I've fiddled with Air Play, Chromecast, etc. and I can't get any of it to work properly. Other than the problem with the Angel app the TV works fine, I'm to cheap to buy a new, smarter, one. I decided to try some type of Roku, Firestick, etc. device. Last night I found a Roku 4k  device that I think should work. Home Depot's site said their Harlingen store had 11 of them in stock, at a discounted price of $25. 

We had a late lunch at Long John Silvers, on our way to Home Depot. We both really like their greasy fish and Kathy likes their greasy chicken and greasy shrimp. As I entered Home Depot I wondered where they would have a Roku device. I went to the appliances area, at the back of the store, and asked. I was told that they were in a cage near the self-checkout area. Back to the front of the store. The young ladies up there said no, the Roku devices weren't in the cage, they were back in Aisle 42, near the appliance area. One of them told me that the device was actually $40, not $25. I showed her the screenshot I took last night, showing them at Home Depot for $25. She said it would ring up for $40. Over to the Customer Service area. I showed the guy the screenshot on my phone and told me to tell the cashier who checked me out that he approved the $25 price. Back to the back of the store. I found the place where it looked like there had been the paper tear offs that you take to the front to buy an item, but no paper tear offs. I went over and explained the situation to a group of 4 Home Depot people in the appliance area. One of them went to the front of the store to check the cages and another went to the aisle where I told him I had seen the display. Three of the four people were young, 20's, the fourth was a guy in his late 40's. All of them were extremely pleasant. We regrouped when the two guys got back. The consensus was that there were none of the Roku devices in the store. The older guy asked me to wait a few minutes and he would go into the receiving area to make sure they weren't still back there, they weren't.  Visiting with the sales people was pleasant. They offered to check with other area Home Depot's to try and find one but I told them no thanks. I ordered one from Walmart as I was leaving the store, $40. It is supposed to arrive at our coach tomorrow.

In the afternoon there was a presentation ceremony at the clubhouse. The money, and quilts, bedding, etc. collected for the United Way Build-A-Bed program was to be given to United Way representatives. This is a totally different program than the Christmas for the Children program. 

The bottom line was that around $3,500, mostly in the form of a check, was given to the local United Way lady. The people in the photo were those most responsible for organizing the fund raising events. Kathy did most of the cooking and organizing for the meal events. Paul, the guy in the orange shirts, bakes bread and sells it. He raised $500 selling his homemade bread.

This is an eye opener to how sheltered and blessed some of us are. In the movie The Blind Side, there is a scene when where Michael Oher is shown his bedroom, in the Tuohy home. He comments, "I've never had one before." Leigh Anne Tuohy responds, "A bedroom?" and he says, "No, a bed.". Most of us can't comprehend actual poverty in the US. The United Way lady told us that they gave away 40 beds last year, the first year of the program. This year the goal is 200 beds. The rule is one bed per family but she recently was told of a family of 7, with 4 of them sleeping on the floor of a shed. They got 4 beds.

We are in Cameron County, which includes the Brownsville area. Hidalgo County is the next county west of us. It includes the McAllen metro area. Below are some statistics that I found interesting.

Cameron County, TX - 1,276 sq mi, population 432,000, 472 people/sq mi

Brownsville

White alone, not Hispanic or Latino 9%

Hispanic or Latino 89%

Black 1%

Median household income $62,600

Persons in poverty 24%

Households with a broadband Internet subscription 84%

 

Hidalgo County, TX – 1,583 sq mi, population 915,000, 554 people/sq mi

McAllen, Edinburg, Mission, Phar

White alone, not Hispanic or Latino 6%

Hispanic or Latino 92%

Black 1%

Median household income $54,300

Persons in poverty 24%

Households with a broadband Internet subscription 88%

 

Cole County, MO – 402 sq mi, population 78,000, 197 people/sq mi

Jefferson City

White alone, not Hispanic or Latino 80%

Hispanic or Latino 4%

Black 12%

Median household income $74,900

Persons in poverty 10%

Households with a broadband Internet subscription 94%

 

Moniteau County, MO – 419 sq mi, population 15.000, 37 people/sq mi

California

White alone, not Hispanic or Latino 89%

Hispanic or Latino 6%

Black 3%

Median household income $65,700

Persons in poverty 11%

Households with a broadband Internet subscription 81%

God is good. I pray that He blesses you and yours. He has blessed me.

PS. If you are interested you can find my take on the "oil crisis" at:   https://bertspoliticalviews.blogspot.com/2026/03/world-oil-prices.html 

Days 116, 117 & 118 - Friday, Saturday & Sunday, March 6, 7 & 8 - Nothing Exciting

 Nothing exciting over the weekend.

After getting things ready for the Christmas for the Children Nacho supper Saturday evening Kathy had aa rough night because of leg cramps. Sunday morning I felt a little off and neither of us went to church services.

By Sunday evening we were as close to "normal" as we are likely to get. 

God is good. I pray that He blesses you and yours. He has blessed me.

PS. Resurrection bodies https://bertdsmusings.blogspot.com/2026/03/resurrection-bodies.html 

Days 114 & 115 - Wednesday & Thursday, March 4 & 5 - Cookout at Jim & Debs

High temperatures are in the mid/high 80's. Days are mostly sunny. The only negative is the wind, lots of 15 mph winds with gusts of 20-25 mph. No rain but humidity is fairly high. Right now, at 9:30PM, the temperature is 75 degrees with 86% humidity. Forecast for tomorrow at 1:00PM is 89 degrees, 50% humidity, with 22 mph winds. Winds are forecast to me above 20 mph from 8AM to 5PM tomorrow.

Wednesday evening we had a good time at a cookout over at Jim and Deb's place. Before we started eating there was another row of folks in chairs behind these. Jim and Deb provided an assortment of meat brats, hamburgers, smoked chicken & ribs. Others of us provided lots of sides.

Some of the "overflow" crowd sat under the carport across the street.

Nothing exciting today, Thursday. I finally washed the car, it really needed it.

A side thought. In the over 3 months since Kathy arrived here with the Flex we have only put about 1,100 miles on it. 160 miles of that was 2 trips to US281 Truck & Trailer and another 60 miles was a trip to McAllen to pick up my repaired hearing aids. That's less than half the miles we put on when we are in Centertown.

God is good. I pray that He blesses you and yours. He has blessed me. 

PS. If you want to read my thoughts about a person who thinks she needs the feds to solver all her life problems check out https://bertspoliticalviews.blogspot.com/2026/03/can-we-do-anything-for-ourselves.html 

Days 112 & 113 - March 2 & 3 - Coach Clean

Yesterday, Monday - Kathy went to the Monday morning Activity Meeting. I spent the morning working on Spanish. I doubt that I will ever get to the point were I can carry on a conversation with a native Spanish speaker, but it won't be for lack of my putting in the time studying. Perhaps the novelty will wear off when I get back to Missouri, I hope not.

We went to Cici's Pizza for lunch and then Walmart for groceries. In the afternoon I went to Spanish class. Barb, the lady who teaches the class, she it the one standing, had told us about Tres Leches (three milk) cake. "It is a light sponge cake soaked in a sweet mixture of three milks (evaporated, condensed, and whole milk or heavy cream) and topped with whipped cream, making it incredibly moist and rich. Originating in Latin America, it's a popular dessert for celebrations, known for its airy texture despite being saturated with liquid." It was good.

Barb and her husband live in Gaston, South Carolina when they aren't in Texas. Mary, the other lady, and her husband live in Marshalltown, Iowa when not in Texas. Both couples have park model units down here.

This morning Kathy went to Ladies Bible Study and then went to lunch with one of the ladies. I stayed home and waited for guys from Jesse's Rio Grande Valley Wash & Wax to show up. Two guys came, on of whom was Jesse. They arrived promptly at 9AM and left at 11:45AM. I'm fairly sure that Jesse washed and waxed our coach when we were here in December 2023. They just do a spray wax but it sure looks good.

I don't think the roof has been washed while we have owned the coach. When Pete and I removed the slide topper fabric I peeked over the edge and looked at the roof. It is a white "painted" fiberglass roof. The roof had a lot of mold on it. The guys did some real scrubbing to get it clean. Jesse showed me before and after photos of the roof, what a difference.

After they left I spent a couple of more hours on Spanish. When Kathy got home she went over to check out  the Jam Session at 1PM. I ate a late lunch and then went over. After the Jam Session I got in 45 minutes on the campground treadmill.

Weather - Both days the highs were in the high 80's. It is hot if you are in the sun and out  of the breeze. If you are in the shade and in the breeze it is quite comfortable. I was outside doing some things around 5:30, the temperature was probably in the low 80's. It actually felt cool when I was in the shade and in the breeze. Maybe our blood is getting thin. It shocks us that 80's can feel cool. Still no rain in the forecast.

God is good. I pray that He blesses you and yours. He has blessed me. 

Day 111 - Sunday, March 1 - Big News at Cowboy Church

 As usual Kathy went to church at the campground and then we went to the Cowboy Church. I thought attendance would be going down, with Winter Texans heading back home. This morning the 250 chairs weren't enough, again, the ushers had to set up folding chairs. One of the first things Pastor Chris mentioned was that we might have noticed some minor changes on the front side of the building where we meet. This week a concrete slab is scheduled to be placed, for the floor of an addition to the building. I'm looking forward to going to church next Sunday, both for the worship service and to see how big the addition will be.

Chris continued his message on Hindrances to Receiving God's Blessings.

Stop being negative. God has a plan and it will happen.

Pride. Ask for His help, don't try to go it alone.

Forget past failures. Each day is a new day. Look forward to new successes, not backward to past failures.

Guilt. Guilt only reminds us of who we were, not who we are becoming.

Fear. Don't be so afraid that we won't follow God's direction for us.

Unforgiveness - If we can't forgive others we reduce God's access to us.

He quoted several scripture passages as he discussed each of these points.

We stopped at a Church's Chicken for lunch. It was okay. Not much happened in the PM. We did some interior coach cleaning but spent most of the afternoon reading fiction novels.

God is good. I pray that He blesses you and yours. He has blessed me.

Days 108, 109 & 110 - Thursday, Friday & Saturday - Horse Training

 Nothing memorable happened on Thursday. I did get in 45 minutes on the treadmill and 40 minutes on the resistance machines at Planet Fitness. 

Friday morning was a $10 all you can eat breakfast buffet at the clubhouse. One of the few food events that Kathy didn't help with. The food was good, and there was a lot of it.

Friday evening Pat, our neighbor from the Rolla area, and I went up to watch an event at the Cowboy Church arena. Kathy didn't want to go. Pat had never been to a Cowboy Church. He had a good time. He and Judy will be starting a slow trip a little over a week from now. They have reserved a site here for next year.

Pastor Chris on Twist. I wish I could show you the short video I took of Twist earlier in the evening, when she was by herself in the corral. She was not calm! They are training her to be a cutting horse. Cutting horses are unbelievable. If you have never seen one check out the link below the photo. The girl in the photos attends the Cowboy Church. Chris picked her out of the crowd, gave her a microphone and had here call out numbers when he and Tracy started sorting cattle.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=beo3AU-i8cg&list=PL7iK_QQVEqAk2pCz3GT0rVWU11rtWf3sg&index=6 

Chris and his wife Tracy.

Tracy is in with 10 steers. Chris is "guarding" the open gate between the two round pens. The girl would start things by calling out a number. Tracy would cut that steer out and drive it through the gate. As she approached the gate Chris went into the herd to cut out the steer with the next higher number. The continued this until all the steers were in the other pen.

The woman taking photos through the fence is one of Chris and Tracy's 3 daughters. She is getting married this year. They have 2 sons. One still at the Ranch and one who is married, with a child, and lives in North Dakota.

Sorting is one of the activities/contests during Buckle events that happen at the church arena several times a year. There are multiple age groups that compete in the events. Some of the youngest kids just sit on the horse and someone leads it through the contests. Competition gets pretty intense with the older teens and adults.

This morning I went back up to the church for some medical scans. A guy with Texas Mobile Imaging comes to the church once every winter. They offer people a great deal. They scan you for blockages in your Carotid Arteries, an aortic aneurysm, gall and kidney stones, your liver and do an Ankle Brachial test ( An ankle-brachial index (ABI) is a painless test that measures blood pressure in your ankles and arms. It shows if you have peripheral artery disease (PAD).) Total cost $135. Last year I found out that I have a kidney stone, that didn't show up 2 years ago. My Urologist reviewed the scan and said that since it  was not causing me any problems we would leave it alone. 

Around noon Pete, one of the permanent campground residents, and one of the few other guys here would can safely get up on a ladder, and I removed the torn fabric from one of our coach slide toppers. The slide is about 13' long and extends out about 30". Even though the temperature was only 86 it was HOT working in the sun. It took us about two hours. I have new fabric but to put it in place would take at least one more guy, up on the roof of the coach, to help slide the fabric in the receivers. The coach is weather tight without the slide topper, it just keeps debris off the top of the slide roof. If I don't get the fabric installed before we leave I will have to make sure the slide roof is reasonably clear of debris before we slide it in when we leave.

Later in the afternoon a semi-professional couple came in and played classic country music. Kathy and the ladies sold  pulled pork sandwiches, another Christmas for the Children fundraiser.

The March Activity schedules are out. Things are slowing down. Note the End of Season Activity meeting on March 23.

God is good. I pray that He blesses you and yours. He has blessed me.

Days 105, 106 & 107 - Monday, Tuesday & Wednesday, February 23, 24 & 25 - Nothing Exciting

 Monday - Spanish class in afternoon. I'm spending 15-20 minutes a day on "homework". I don't think I well ever get to the point of being able to understand a native Spanish speaker, they talk faster than my brain works. I hope to get to the point of being able to read and write, and maybe even speak, at a very basic level. If I say, "Mi Espanol es malo. No entiendo. Por favor hable depsacio." "My Spanish is bad. I don't understand. Please speak slower." I might be able to understand some things. My "homework" is an app called Duolingo. I'm currently at Duolingo Level 8. To get to a CEFR (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages) Level A2 (Pre-Intermediate, Understands frequently used expressions related to areas like family, shopping and local geography.) I need to make it to Duolingo Level 30, its a long way from where I'm at. To be considered fluent you  have to get above level 130.

Tuesday - Kathy's Ladies Bible Study in the morning. I went to Planet Fitness, I haven't been for a while. I  did 50 minutes on the treadmill and 60 minutes on the resistance machines.

Wednesday - Coed Bible Study in the morning. We had a great discussion time talking about Heaven. I am a blessed person. One of the reasons is that I enjoyed my job. I'm convinced we will have "jobs" in Heaven. God has tasks for us, in Heaven, that will bless our socks off. I don't know what my job will be, but I know that I will enjoy it even more than I did being a Structural Engineer.

No Spanish class this afternoon. This evening is the baked potato bar at the clubhouse, another fund raiser for Christmas for the Children. Kathy has pork roasts cooking in the clubhouse oven. I'm not sure what those are for.

Highs have been in the high 70's to mid 80's, lows in the mid 60's. Days are sunny. The only negative is the WIND. Right now the average/constant speed is 15 mph, with gusts to 25 mph. Out walking around it feels higher than that, the gusts rock the coach. The winds have been about this level for the past couple of days. It is DRY here.