A Quiet Day

It is a quiet Sunday in the park. There have been a few people in the pool but for the most part I think people are out of the park enjoying other things. Generally it is quieter on weekends because the bulk of the activities take place on weekdays. Next Saturday will be lively because it is the monthly garage sale day. I clean out my "house" each fall in preparation for the December garage sale. Some people sell items every month but I find one time to be sufficient.(grin)
Usually I am busy with computer class on Friday morning but this next Friday will find me busy getting ready for the garage sale instead.
But about computer class... I learn as much or more as the students do each Friday. It refreshes my memory on things and often times sends me on a search for answers. Come to the little hall on Friday the 12th and see if you can stump me. It could happen!!

Thanksgiving History

Thanksgiving History – The Thanksgiving Proclamation
New York, 3 October 1789

By the President of the United States of America: a Proclamation.

Whereas it is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits, and humbly to implore his protection and favor--and whereas both Houses of Congress have by their joint Committee requested me `to recommend to the People of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many signal favors of Almighty God especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness.'

Now therefore I do recommend and assign Thursday the 26th day of November next to be devoted by the People of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being, who is the beneficent Author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be -- That we may then all unite in rendering unto him our sincere and humble thanks -- for his kind care and protection of the People of this Country previous to their becoming a Nation--for the signal and manifold mercies, and the favorable interpositions of his Providence which we experienced in the tranquility, union, and plenty, which we have since enjoyed--for the peaceable and rational manner, in which we have been enabled to establish constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national One now lately instituted -- for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed; and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge; and in general for all the great and various favors which he hath been pleased to confer upon us.

And also that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech him to pardon our national and other transgressions--to enable us all, whether in public or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually -- to render our national government a blessing to all the people, by constantly being a Government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed--to protect and guide all Sovereigns and Nations (especially such as have shewn [sic] kindness onto us) and to bless them with good government, peace, and concord -- To promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the encrease [sic] of science among them and us -- and generally to grant unto all Mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as he alone knows to be best.

Given under my hand at the City of New-York the third day of October in the year of our Lord 1789.

George Washington

Thanksgiving Day @ Magnolia Park

Kay Stilson made pilgrim hat cookies for everyone.

People were milling about before the meal was served.
Chet and Irma make their way to Allen Hall for a wonderful Thanksgiving meal.

Belonging to the park association costs a whole $2.00 per person for the season. The benefits are too great to mention but one of them is Thanksgiving dinner. Turkey,dressing,cranberry sauce,ham,potatoes and gravy are provided. The cooking is done by Don Soole and Don Howard. Both of them have many years experience in the kitchen and we are so lucky to have the benefit of their expertise. The women of the park bring side dishes and desserts.
"The Dons" volunteer their time and talents. They are not the only ones who volunteer. Many helpers show up to assist with the many duties it takes to pull off a delicious and totally authentic Thanksgiving meal.
Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. Taking time to be grateful for all we have is often times overlooked and this day is supposed to be just that. A day of gratitude. So be especially grateful this Thanksgiving and thanks to all of you who check in on this site.

Parrots '08

The parrots are still here and they fly over a couple times a day but it seems the only time they land is when it is dark, cloudy or both. Yesterday was an exception. Click on the picture for a close up view.

New Woodcarving Group

Concentration!

The new woodcarving group is meeting Monday mornings in Allen Hall. They are quietly carving while the Warblers practice. It works!

Shufflers

The shuffle board people are needing more players. With shuffleboard it is either feast or famine. Once everyone has arrived the courts are so busy you have to hurry for a spot but right now they are searching for players. As you can see they did find some.

Warmed up

Beautiful day today. Warm and wonderful. We went over to the Don-Wes Flea Market today. Oodles of bargains there and I did pick up a couple of tomato slicer knives for gifts. Butch picked up a new brown belt for a cool $5.
More and more people are arriving. It seems every time we go for a walk someone else has pulled in and unloaded.
Tomorrow starts the warblers first practice. And there are a group of woodcarvers meeting on Monday AM as well. The fun has begun!

Overcast and 51

We are having a cloudy dark and dank day in 'sunny' south Texas. Hey it happens now and then. We are grateful that it is indeed rare. There are no streetwalkers. Very few golf carts. No one is in the pool. It is the perfect day for holing up and watching a movie...or baking cookies...or cruising the Internet.
The sun will come out tomorrow, tomorrow....tra,la,la,la!

Women's Pool

Char Wolfrom shoots.

Carol K. shoots.
It was women's day in the pool hall. Magnolia park hosted a competition. Char Wolfrom and Carol Kapke represented Magnolia park. Carol made Pilgrim hat cookies for refreshments.

Vegetative

Stark contrast in vegetation from south to north. This palm is blooming.

Tony cleans the pool

Every weekday morning Tony works on pool maintenance. It is a bit cool in the mornings (50's) but warms up nicely. The pool gets a lot of use.

Ladies 8 Ball Pool Season Begins

Today was the first day for the Ladies to start the new season for their pool league...I am sure it was nice to see friends again and to compete in billiards again...Char Wolfrom and Carol Kapke were representing Magnolia Park....They have a total of 8 parks playing so there were lots of folks in the hall today....After the ladies played they had coffee and cookies while they wrote down the scores, and whether you won or lost you got the same amount of refreshments...HA HA I know that everyone had a good time and that's what it's all about...

Char lineing up for a shot

Ladies using the Pool Hall

Typical Sunday

These two pictures are fairly typical of a Sunday afternoon in Magnolia Park. Chico is pulling Chet on his tricycle. It isn't a fast ride being pulled by a cat but Chico was getting the job done. He has grown considerably since last year when he was a stray rescued by Chet and Irma. His life took a very different turn from what could have been.
Also in the pictures: Butch and Pecan Bill having a discussion. Fran walking Rambo and Anita returning from the Fruit Stand with a very heavy watermelon.

Goog-411

At computer class on Friday, Butch came in from the office and I asked him what he was doing. He said getting a phone number for the golf course. I said why didn't you use goog-411? He didn't know he could or hadn't remembered it so we had a short demo and goog-411 dialed the number for him.
I can see how this could be quite useful to some of you Magnolia people as you travel south so I wanted to get this info to you ASAP.

Here's a number worth putting in your cell phone, or your home phone
speed dial: 1-800-466-4411. This is an awesome service from Google,
and it's free -- great when you are on the road.

Don't waste your money on information calls and don't waste your time
manually dialing the number. I am driving along in my car and I need
to call the golf course and I don't know the number. I hit the speed
dial for information that I have programmed.

The voice at the other end says, "City & State." I say, "Garland,
Texas." He says, "Business, Name or Type of Service." I say,
Firewheel Golf Course." He says, "Connecting" and Firewheel answers
the phone. How great is that? This is nationwide and it is absolutely
free!

Click on the link below and watch the short clip for a quick demonstration.

Goog-411

Silver Fox

Bill Sager had a surprise in his live trap. A silver fox. No animals were harmed in this encounter. He was released in a different location and informed he could not stay in a 55+ park. wink, wink

Tuesday is a busy day

Tuesday is a busy day. First we have social hour, coffee and donuts in Allen hall where we find out what all is happening in the park and beyond and then some head to the golf course while others go to Peter Piper Pizza.


Butch and Eddie teeing off on hole number nine.


The first group of Magnolia golfers head off on hole number one. Paul, Ken,Lucy and Mary.

Tuesday Morning Coffee

Karl, Carol, Lloyd and Vi serve donuts every Tuesday morning. New resident Norma is getting her tasty treat.

Magnolia Activities

In case you have forgotten what goes on here... Some of these are not happening yet but will as soon as the person in charge arrives.

SCHEDULE of ACTIVITIES 2008/2009
Sunday-
8:45 AM Church (Non-Denominational)
1:00 PM Hand & Foot
4:00 PM Bean Bags & Darts
5:30 PM Ice Cream Social (Bring bowls and spoon-50 cents a scoop)
6:00 PM Entertainment $3.00 per person
Monday-
8:30 AM Exercise
9:00 AM Shuffleboard Scramble
9:30 AM Business Meeting-(1st Monday of the month)members only
9:30 AM Warblers (singing group)
1:00 PM Hobby & Craft
7:00 PM Pitch/Euchre (card Games)
Tuesday-
9:30 AM Happy Hour-Coffee and donuts-INFO MEETING (35cents) Bring your cup
11:00 AM Peter Piper Pizza, Weslaco
11:00 AM Golf at Village Executive Course
1:00 PM Jam Session –Entertainers and listeners welcome
7:00 PM 500 card game
Wednesday-
8:00 AM Bikers(Bicycles)
8:30 AM Exercise
7:00 PM Whist
7:00 PM Bingo* 50 cents a card
Thursday-
8:00 AM Paint Class
9:00 AM Shuffleboard Scramble
1:30 PM Cribbage
5:00 PM Potluck (Bring own table service and large covered dish, coffee furnished)
Friday-
8:30 AM Exercise
9:00 AM Computer Class (Little Hall)
9:00 AM Horseshoes
11:00 AM Bible Study
2:00 PM Bridge
1:00 PM Ladies Pool
7:00 PM Pinochle-Euchre
Saturday** -
8:30 AM Breakfast-Bring own table service
Biscuits & Gravy $2.00-Pancakes $2.00
Sausage Patties 50 cents each- Coffee furnished
9:30 AM Shuffleboard Scramble
7:00 PM Bingo* 50 cents a card
Plus many Special events- Watch the bulletin board in Allen Hall and listen for
announcements on Tuesday mornings at Happy Hour.
Magnolia Senior Citizens Association Membership fee is $2.00 per person. Association
membership is required to participate in activities run by the association and fees go towards
paying for coffee and other kitchen supplies.
Pool Players are asked for a $ 5.00 donation each and the fee goes towards pool supplies and
upkeep of tables.
*Bingo is for park members and overnight guests only,Badge required
coffee/cookies served at intermission.
**Garage/Craft Sale –1st Saturday of every month, BBQ Lunch available for purchase (No Breakfast served on Garage Sale Saturdays)

Pumpkin Dessert

Now if I only had an angel food cake pan...
Recipe: Pumpkin Dessert 11/9/2008
Category: Dessert
Author: Jean Cornish( a friend from Panora Iowa)

1 Betty Crocker one step angel food cake mix
1 T. all-purpose flour
1 cup water
3/4 cup canned pumpkin
1 1/2 t. pumpkin pie spice


Beat 30 seconds on low speed and 1 minute on medium speed
Bake at 350 degrees in an angel food cake pan, for 37-47 minutes.
Immediately turn upside down until cold on a glass bottle.

An easy fall dessert with a dollop of Cool Whip.

Saturday morning breakfast

The Saturday morning breakfasts are going to be done differently. No more lines and they will serve from 8:00 to 9:30. Whenever you come in and are ready to be served will be alright. Some differences in menu and prices but not big differences. I think the changes they made are good ones. Change is good for us and keeps us young!
Our first breakfast in the new way was this morning and it was well received.

My view

This is my view north as I look out my window while sitting at the computer. And you can also see that sometimes I do puzzles on the computer. Go to www.jigzone.com for puzzle fun. We set the number of pieces to 48 piece classic but you may like something different.

Nuevo Progreso- Mexico

We made a trip to Mexico yesterday to pick up some meds. There is a strong Mexican military presence at the border but the guns are aimed into Mexico, not out of it. It can be a bit disconcerting but I didn't feel threatened in any way. We also had Pancho's at Garcias. Delicious!!

Sweat Bee

This bee was resting on our window as I sat at the computer so I took a close up shot of him/her. I thought the result was interesting.

The History of 'APRONS'

I don't think our kids know what an apron is.

The principal use of Grandma's apron was to protect the dress underneath,because she only had a few,it was easier to wash aprons than dresses and they used less material, but along with that, it served as a potholder for
removing hot pans from the oven.



It was wonderful for drying childrens tears, and on occasion was even used for cleaning out dirty ears.

From the chicken coop, the apron was used for carrying eggs, fussy chicks, and sometimes half-hatched eggs to be finished in the warming oven.

When company came, those aprons were ideal hiding places for shy kids.

And when the weather was cold, grandma wrapped it around her arms.

Those big old aprons wiped many a perspiring brow, bent over the hot wood stove.

Chips and kindling wood were brought into the kitchen in that apron.

From the garden, it carried all sorts of vegetables. After the peas had been shelled, it carried out the hulls.

In the fall, the apron was used to bring in apples that had fallen from the trees.

When unexpected company drove up the road, it was surprising how much furniture that old apron could dust in a matter of seconds.

When dinner was ready, Grandma walked out onto the porch, waved her apron, and the men knew it was time to come in from the fields to dinner.

It will be a long time before someone invents something that will replace that ' old-time apron' that served so many purposes

Send this to those who would know (and love) the story about Grandma's aprons.


REMEMBER:

Grandma used to set her hot baked apple pies on the window sill to cool.

Her granddaughters set theirs on the window sill to thaw.

They would go crazy now trying to figure out how many germs were on that apron.

I don't think I ever caught anything from an apron.

Itchin'

I know there are some of you just itchin' to see some photos taken in the park. So what we have here is a tree blown by hurricane Dolly and now looks like a Dr. Seuss invention. And then we have what appears to be cat tails but I think not. I do not know what they are. And then we have Lucy at the November garage sale modeling a hat. She was trying to convince someone it was a good buy. Hey, it worked once!
Things I have noticed upon arrival.
1. Things look neat and clean.
2. We have new managers in the office. Don and Carol and I will try to get a picture soon. Courteous and helpful.
3. We have new workkampers. I have met a very friendly Marge so far.
4. I believe we have more walkers and bikers maintaining their health.
5. Traffic is light in November...always a pleasure.
6. H.E.B. has a new manager and I was super impressed with the store both in offerings and prices.
7. Weather is moderate. Daytimes in the 80's nights in the 60's and the 10 day forecast is more of the same.
8. The Executive golf course opens on Monday.
9. Gas prices down the street were $1.83 yesterday.
Keep checking. I will find more things to tell you for sure!

Internet in the Valley

http://tinyurl.com/6yauvf
If you plan to come to the Rio Grande Valley for the winter one of the best bargains for an Internet connection is Time Warner Roadrunner. At the site above, place your zipcode and address in the appropriate places and the offers will appear. You can follow through with the order from there or you can call 1-800-971-8837 if you are more comfortable ordering by phone. Internet connections are offered for $29.95 a month for 6 months. Most of us are not in the valley for more than 6 months so this is indeed a bargain for us. Also there is not a contract with this so it can be discontinued at any time. Installation is free as well.