Back home in Clarinda, Iowa

 58º with 30 mph gusty winds from the southwest here in Clarinda, IA at 2 pm Wednesday.  We had a thunderstorm during the night, but only had 1.02" of rain without any wind damage or hail that had been predicted.

We drove about 1,700 miles between La Feria, TX and Clarinda, IA by going eastward to Cape Girardeau to visit brother Don & his wife Vicki in a care facility.  

We parked our travel trailer about 2 miles from the Chateau Girardeau facility they live, at an RV Campground, traded vehicles with the Diamond's so we could easier get Don & Vicki into their car for outings.  They have gotten more feeble, both now using wheel chairs, and moving ever so slowly.   

After Vicki did some shopping at Walmart in Jackson, with Phyllis's help and with it raining, we decided to pick up lunch at a drive thru at Culver's and went back to Vicki's apartment to eat.

Mary Jo to the left, Mike center & Phyllis left

Saturday evening we drove out to the Cape Girardeau Country Club for supper with Mike & Mary Jo Diamond.  The facility is easy for the wheel chairs to get into and we had a quiet corner to visit.  Don, as has been often happening, did get choked while eating and had a lengthy spell getting over it.  He has at least a short spell of that at nearly every meal.  Vicki hollers at him that he is "supposed to take two small bites of food, followed by a drink of water" which he never remembers.

Vicki & Mary Jo

Don & Vicki

 

We took them to the 11 am service at St. Croix Methodist Church Sunday morning and took them back

to eat at their respective dining rooms.  Vicki is on main floor and Don is on ground floor some distance down a hall.  We visited with Vicki later in the afternoon before going out for a bite while they ate.  On returning, we went down to Don's and brought him up to 1st floor to Vicki's apartment and just started to set up to play dominoes in her lunch area when there was a storm warning causing all people to go to a center hallway.  We were there about an hour before it was dismissed.  There were several tornados that struck south of Cape Girardeau.

Played one game of dominoes.  Don seemed more alert and kept up with the game well.  Vicki, on the other hand was a little foggy and needed prompting often.

Don was non-committal as we pushed him to the elevator and then back to his room.  He has to have help getting up from bed, putting on his shoes, and when he is in the bathroom.  He isn't able to take his slip-on shoes off and when I left him he folded into bed with his shirt, pants and socks on.  I spoke with the lady on duty and she said she would take care of him.  When we went to pick them up at 10:30 on Sunday morning we found Don sitting in his wheel chair at the end of the hall near his dining area waiting to eat at 11 am, having no idea it was Sunday and we were taking them to church.

Tuesday morning

Monday we pulled the trailer from Cape Girardeau nearly 500 miles to LaRhoda Neher's place on the farm near Hiawatha, Kansas and parked it overnight.  We visited with her, went out to eat, and then she had breakfast Tuesday morning.  This has been the routine for many of our visits over the last 10 years, but this time without Harold.

Monday evening

Monday evening

Many tears from Vicki when we left, telling her we hoped to be back the weekend near the 4th of July and possibly brother Darrell and hi son Jonathon would be there then also.  We may slip down in a month or so for a short visit if it works for us.

Spent much of Tuesday unloading the pickup and trailer.  Still have part of the pickup to unload today.  We brought 50 lbs. of 1015 Onions and 25 lbs. of sweet Texas carrots home.  Takes a while to get situated every time we move.  Set up a new WIFI with T-Mobile and have it running.

Later, Lynn

In Cape Girardeau, Missouri

 68º with heavy overcast here in Cape Girardeau, MO at 9:00 am.  Forecast for intermittent rain today and bad storms tomorrow, including high winds and hail.

Some of our neighbors sent several pictures of Kenwood Park and area the day we left and the following day.  National Weather Service reported 20.3" of rain in those two days. and lot of low flooding.

Looking through front gate towards
Burger King across Main Street

At the front gate
We are set up at Cape Camping in Cape Girardeau, not too far from facility where brother Don & wife Vicki are located.  Visited briefly with Vicki last evening -- she was feeling bad and waiting for nurse

to check her out--some dizziness.  We went down stairs and some distance to the east to where Don is now located in the more skilled nursing care.  He was wheel-chairing down to the room where those on that floor eat.  Visited briefly with him and told him we would be back today.

9:19 am - just started raining here.

Later, Lynn

 We are set up at Cape Camping for 3 nights. After driving some 1,200 miles the last 3 days I am beat.

Don't have any energy to write blog. 

Have received pictures and letters from our Kenwood neighbors of the 20.3 inches of rain they received Wednesday and Thursday and the area is flooded.   Will try to post them in the morning. 

G'Night 

On our way north

 72 degrees with heavy overcast at our Passport America RV in rural Dayton,  Texas, northeast of Houston.   Drove the 375 miles in overcast, sprinkles, and some very heavy downpour of rain. 

Houston was not pleasant traffic-wise, but we survived without any accidents.  Millions, seemingly, of cars, trucks, and several who thought it was a race track and loved to rev their engines and constantly change lanes.  Even when we were in stop-and-go traffic. 

Have 479 miles ahead of us tomorrow and will spend the night near Kensett, AR.  Looks like rain may chase us north.

Want to hear something dumb?

I filled out a USPS form online to stop delivery of our mail in La Feria and start forwarding to Clarinda as of March 21.  We received an item yesterday, thinking that's odd.  Today on the road we get an email of a delivery today.   Phyllis called the post office explaining about the online order.  Lady said they didn't have it, it takes 3 weeks to get to them!  Phyllis asked if she could put the order in---no, no that has to be done online.   She said she would have the mailman retrieve anything delivered and she said she would hold it until they got the online order. 

Unbelievable!!!!!

Later, Lynn 

Hot last day in the Rio Grande Valley

 77 degrees at 9 pm Tuesday.  Was 91 degrees in the afternoon.   Long day, packing pickup and trailer, went to McAllen to our last, for the season Barbershop Chorus practice, parked golf cart and wrapped it.  Put Damp Rid in Hot Tub after draining it, covered back door and window on Texas Room, below.

And put down the west-facing window awning there.

Took all the Solar night lights down and packed away to be used with trailer and at Clarinda when home.  Individually wrapped 50 lbs. of 1015 Onions, washed and refrigerated 25 lbs. of carrots that will be put on ice in Styrofoam coolers.  Onions were put in small mesh bags and scattered around back of pickup to fill niches.  

Found I had a nearly full 20-lb. propane tank on the BBQ grill that we haven't used since the freeze about 4 years ago.  (Did some cooking on it when we were without electricity for about 4 days).  So, I moved it to the live position on the hitch and took the 30-lb. one off and fixed it to the rear bumper.  I put a web belt around it after taking this photo, and the bottom is wired to the bumper itself.

1

Last Thursday we had almost 30 folks, singers and spouses or friends, at a picnic on driveway of 88-year old Izzy's who is not singing this year but wanted a get together like we had for the two years prior.

Had a good pot-luck meal with roasted brisket that Izzy prepared.  Then we sang for nearly an hour, quartets, and everybody together.  Was an enjoyable afternoon.

Some pictures from our Barbershop practice.  Did some fun Tags and also worked on a few pieces that weren't quite ready this year as well as some new pieces for next year.

Stopped at Victoria Palms to pick up check from our performance over a month ago there.  Also, stopped at Jersey Mike's in Weslaco to use a 2-for-1 coupon we had gotten last night when ate at one in Harlingen with Dick & Diane Messer.  Will eat the second sandwich for breakfast in morning.

These two photos were at Jersey Mike's in Harlingen Tuesday.

This little fella was on the north Texas Room door one day recently.

Sat with the congregation Sunday at Methodist Church in Harlingen as the choir did not perform.

Visited our soon-to-be neighbor in the hospital where he is in therapy for broken hip.  84-year old moved from Dallas, but broke his hip falling out of the U-Haul moving truck.  He won't be able to move in next door for several more weeks.

Well we pull out in the morning - Wednesday.  Will hook on to camper trailer in the morning after we load the Styrofoam boxes with the carrots on ice.  Hope to pull out at least by 10 am.  The neighbors - the VanOenons - will be pulling out also with their 5th-wheel to head north, eventually home to Canada after visiting some family in north Texas.

Will try to check in with some posts on the way to Cape Girardeau.

Lynn

Heavy overcast skies and 89 degrees in the Rio Grande Valley

 74º at 8:15 pm here in La Feria, TX, Tuesday -- been very windy and dry.  I'M BACK!  Now is 89º here in La Feria at 4:00 pm Wednesday.  Went off to edit accumulated photos and took me 3 hours into the night.  This morning we took Maria & Sal with us to Brownsville, TX, about 32 miles south of here, and went to the SAS shoe store, then out to eat in a very Mexican Restaurant.  Sal & Maria had to order for us as menu was in Spanish.  Very good meal, whatever we had.

Last week we drove over to Ranchero Village RV where Leonard & Nonie Lund, originally from near Sioux City, IA but now live down here premaritally.  Our friends from near Salina, KS were staying in that park in their 5th-wheel for a couple weeks while Bill is getting some major dental work done in Mexico.  We ate supper with them and then played a few games of Pegs & Jokers.

The sisters who bought and just moved into Pat & Lois Sumner's trailer had an open house Sunday.

Monday evening we had a very enjoyable meal of Corned Beef & Cabbage for St. Patrick's Day.

They had quite a few contests of various nature with three contestants each.  Phyllis was picked in the one to paint a Leprechaun. 

Phyllis came in second, but the guy at the 1st place table had a bunch of friends who whooped and hollered when calling for best of.

Last week the had Appreciation Day for the residents.  Lots of games played indoors - it was 98º that afternoon - and in the Musical Chairs Phyllis came in second with the lady's set and I came in 2nd in the men's set.

She didn't take my picture.

After about 3 or 4 years, the stump to the tall tree that I had planted and it froze and was cut down, finally deteriorated to the point I could nock it loose.

Finally cut all the tops off all the plants in the back yard except the one we had covered with a tarp when it froze back in February.

Have mapped out our route and gotten reservations in Texas, Arkansas and finally in Cape Girardeau on the way home.  Plan to leave a week from today - the 25th of March, getting to Cape on the 28th.

Later, Lynn