Hot/Cold -- CHANGES

In the Rio Grande Valley of Texas - La Feria - 56 degrees at 11:00 am. 

Had been 41º earlier.  These radish plants, and some of the lettuce looked a little hard.

We went through 2 days of really

windy wind.  25-30 mph with

gusts to 45 mph out of the south.

Temperatures was in the low 80's,

finally dropping to the 70's and we

turned off the air-conditioner and had

windows open over one night.  Then,,,,,,, it

turned from the north as we were in church

Sunday and the temp dropped.  We put some of the tomatoes in out of the wind here.

This is
at our front door at
11:57 am on Saturday,
December 26th.

Note the 72% humidity
as well as the 82º temp.
This was with the really high, constant,
wind from the south.

This photo was just taken

at 10:30 am a few minutes ago,

on the front porch again.

A little difference in humidity

and temperature!

Before this change in the temperature, I finally

got the area between the front door and the entrance

to the Texas room finished with shelves, ceiling covered,

and painted.  Still have some trim to possibly

put on it.

The Three Wise Men

at Church in the Rec Hall.

(Or the 3 Amigos----3 Blind Mice---

3 Stooges----  or, you name them)

More pictures of eating. Seventeen of us
from Kenwood went to Bamboo Garden Chinese Restaurant in Weslaco, TX (a few miles to the west along Business 83).

Here is Earl Taylor, from Mankato, Minnesota and Harold and Imogene Williams from Marian, Indiana.

Don Foote (with napkin) from Topeka, KS,- his wife Lynda is hidden behind him; Butch
Giesking from Tytonka, Iowa; and, Jim Boozer from Kell, Illinois

My left ear; Sharon Taylor and Earl
Taylor from Mankato, Minnesota.

Harold and LaRhoda Neher from

Hiawatha, Kansas; Sharleen and Lynn Stivers

from Callaway, Nebraska; Butch Geisking from Tytonka, Iowa; and Jim and Livin Boozer from Kell, Illinois. 

Although I thought I had their picture, I didn't get one of Reverend Ernest and Evelyn Baker who rode with us and sat across the table from us.

Temperature had dropped and 20-25 mph winds were blowing so after this big meal it was easy to take a nap when we got back home.  Temperature was in the 50's when we went to bed and furnace was turned back on.

Not a lot planned this week.

Later, Lynn

Christmas Day 2015

83 degrees at La Feria, Texas               Click on any photo to enlarge.

 Last night was the Christmas Eve program.  I got snared into being Santa for the short skit on Kneeling Santa.


This is dressed and waiting in another room.

 Program consisted

of several readings and

songs as a group and

duets.  Phyllis was in

a duet while I was kneeling

at the crib--she wasn't able

to get picture of that.

Santa thinking (as his thoughts and conversation with God was read by the emcee)

Santa at the end

of the skit - remained

in this position while

a duet was sung.

Program ended
with lighted candles.

Photo at right was taken

off Facebook from a Clarinda, IA

friend who took it of the Candle

Light Service at our home church

in Clarinda, Iowa last night.

Phyllis provided
the center-piece
for the cookie table
at our Kenwood Christmas
Eve program.

 Today, for the first

time in several years,

Phyllis was not in

charge of cooking and

serving the Christmas

noon meal for the Park.

Following are various photos taken today while waiting to eat and during the meal.

Sharleen and Lynn Stivers,

from Callaway, Nebraska,

were at our table.

Had this photo taken of us and have
put it as our Profile Photo on Facebook.

 Had a huge selection of pot-luck dishes provided by the park residents, in addition to the turkey, ham and dressing provided by Kenwood RV Park.   Plenty of food and conversation was had by the approximately 120 people in the hall.  Nap was in order this afternoon, especially with the high humidity and temperature in the mid to upper 80's with very sunny sky.

Took this photo at 10:34 am on Christmas Day 2015 -- 83% humidity at 79 degrees.  Temp went up and humidity went down to 67% right now at 5:27 pm. with temperature at 82º.

We had a very
full moon last night
after the Christmas Eve
program.

Merry Christmas to all -  Later, Lynn

Christmas Eve - 2015

La Feria, TX - 80º at 10 am and 86% humidity.  A sauna out there!  (3:30pm - now it is 90º and humidity of 58%)
Yesterday though the temperature was in the high 80's the humidity dropped to 32% in the afternoon.  This high humidity makes it a little uncomfortable this morning.

I got 15.24 miles on the Trike yesterday, but will wait a bit for riding today, maybe after dark this evening - after the Christmas Eve Program at the Rec Hall.

Some of the people at the 8:00 am morning stretching exercise.

Some of the people at the 8:00 am morning stretching exercise.

Started to clean

out the leaves from

the roof of the carport;

decided to order a long

vacuum hose so can handle

it a little easier -- especially at the

lower end where it is tough to 

get out of the area of the gutter.

Wednesday night we played
Pegs & Jokers at the Raabs.

Butch Giesking, Phyllis, Bob
& Bobbi Raab

Bob and Bobbi Raab

Harold and Larhoda
Neher

 Butch Giesking

Phyllis just gave me

her camera to download

photos she took yesterday

at the Rec Hall - and I

discovered these two

she had taken November 11th!

in the back yard.

 Yesterday Phyllis attended a "Cookie Exchange" at the Rec Hall.  Here are the photos she took.

Click on any photo to enlarge.

We both participate in the Christmas Eve Program this evening at the Rec Hall and get to attend the Christmas noon meal at the Rec Hall tomorrow -- without working it, just relaxing with some neighbors.

Later, Lynn

Goodby Charlie

I first met Charlie Long in late 1971.  He was working at Clarinda Elevator in Clarinda, IA and we had bought some feeder pigs and were getting feed from Clarinda Elevator.

On January 1st of 1972 I went to work for Clarinda Elevator, as an outside salesman and assistant to the Manager.  Charlie was driving the auger feed delivery truck.  He came in off a delivery run one morning and said  "I know where you live--I just ran over your mailbox"  I thought he was joking, but was not sure until I got home after work that night.  He and I were both at the elevator until I left in October of 1974 to go to Coin, IA to manage the newly acquired Coin Grain Corp. that was bought from the Whitmore Family.

I don't recall exactly when Charlie came to me and asked if he could come to work for me, and leave Thaine at Clarinda Elevator, but probably in 1975 or so.  We grew in number of employees, I think as high as 9 one time.  Charlie Long, his brother Rodney Long, Bob Miller, Mark Beery, Duane Graft, Rusty Orme, Larry Guthrie, Phyllis, and myself.  We often hired extra people at harvest time.

We sold off our extra feed store in Clarinda and the fertilizer portion of our business in 1989 and cut back on employees.  As business slowed before we finally sold out in 1994 we gradually reduced employees; Charlie was with us until we closed the doors in September of 1994.  Charlie went to work for Pella Window factory for some time and when health problems arose he s pent years salvaging iron and spending a lot of time with his family.

We kept in touch over the years, though with our going to south Texas for the winters and traveling with the RV most summers we didn't often see each other.

Following some health problems, Charlie passed away last Sunday at the Clarinda Regional Hospital located across the street from our Clarinda home.  Charlie was a good man; he spent lot of time with his kids and grand kids.

Good-by Charlie

Employee Duane Graft died several years ago.  Though we owned the elevator outright by the late 1980's, there were five owners when we started the elevator in Coin:  Kenny Ripley, Bob Olenious, Thaine Cabbage, J. C. Mecom, and myself.  All those other owners have passed on; I am the lone servivor of the owners and the old employees are passing on.  Feeling old.

Later, Lynn