Tuesday is Coffee time

 Dorral Guzman and Don Knorr Dispense donuts.

 Susan Van Howouling and Lil Droogsma- Lil could not keep her eyes open!

 Vice president Don Harper presides while Joe Urius tells us goodbye. Joe and Lucy are selling their place and staying in Newton Iowa for the winters. It is  health issues that make this decision necessary.

From Kay Voss

We enjoyed the picture of rhubarb....little on the pricey side!!!  that would be a really expensive dessert --- my recipe takes 8 cups for a large crisp!!  ha  No wonder people gobble up a rhubarb cream pie at pot luck!

We had lots of rain yesterday, so all the snow is gone, but more is coming I think.  I will say the fireplace feels really good!

I started to machine knit again after many years...Sat I really worked at it; push, pull the carriage back and forth.  NO sleep Sat night, and last night was spent in my recliner.....my shoulders, back and ribs screamed in pain.  I did go to my chiropractor today and got a good work over.  I guess "the old gray mare ain't what she used to be".....ha  

Hope you had a great Thanksgiving and HOPE to see you after Christmas.    Kay

Record high temp

There was a record high temp of 99 degrees today in McAllen Texas!
We thought it was plenty warm in Allen Hall for crafts but we had no idea it was that hot.
There was a certain degree of monkey business taking place at crafts today. Genevia was busy candling earwax. She cleaned out the ears of Dorral, Doris and Linda B.
Shirley and Noreen catching up on local news.

 Peggy, Kay and Carol in background. Dorral and Doris in foreground.

 Kay is consulting Noreen about some needle work.

 The candling of earwax in process.

Rhubarb???

We take our rhubarb for granted in the north. Rhubarb is a cold weather crop and cannot be grown in deep south Texas. Many have tried and all have failed. The conditions here are just not favorable for our redheaded friend. So imagine my surprise when I went to my favorite grocery store, H.E.B. and spotted rhubarb in the produce department. It surprised me so much that I had to take a picture!
And you might think I was mistaken about what it is but I am not.

And here is a close up of the price tag and in fine print, you can see that it states it to be RHUBARB!

Trickling in

The warm weather in the northern climes means that people are slow to make the decision to pack up and head south. So the arrivals at the park have been sparse. My hairdresser tells me this is true throughout the Rio Grande Valley. A cold snap in the upper midwest will bring them down in droves. It hasn't happened yet.

 Cactus fruit- The birds like it.

 The pool has been getting some use but the busy time and maximum usage hasn't yet begun.

Happy Thanksgiving

See you in Allen Hall for a Thanksgiving feast!

Sharon Kay Brewer's obit in 2015

Sharon Kay Brewer

December 20, 1947 - January 17, 2015
Obituary

Sharon Kay Brewer, 67 of Bloomfield died Saturday, January 17, 2015 in her son's residence. She was born December 20, 1947 in New Castle, Indiana to Alonzo Sherman Lowe and Elizabeth Davis Lowe. She had been a custodian for Brown County Schools.

Survivors include four sons, Sherman Fosnight and his fiancé Alicia Russell of Shelbyville, Shawn Fosnight and his wife Angela of Gnaw Bone, Doug Fosnight and his wife Linda of Houston, Texas and Wayne Brewer of Toledo, Ohio; six grandchildren, Jessica (Jacob) Moore, Heather "Toot" Fosnight, Shawn "Bub" Fosnight, Autumn Fosnight, Bradley (Jalene) Fosnight and Edward Fosnight; seven great-grandchildren, Terrance Moore, Nadia Moore, Robert Fosnight, Landon Clemons, Emily Fosnight, Kaylee Fosnight and Elissa Fosnight; two sisters, Bobbie and Audrey "Podge"; a brother, Danny; her beloved pet, Beauty; and several nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her first husband, Edward Fosnight; her second husband, Raymond Brewer; her parents; three sisters, Sarabell, Mickey and Jeanette who died in infancy; and five brothers, Stanley, Jerry, Jim, Raymond and Jackie Boy who died in infancy.

Memberships include, the Old Time Apostolic Church in Bloomfield and the Green County Right to Life. Her hobbies included spending time with her family, attending any function at her church, participating in the card ministry at church, playing board games, crocheting and quilting.

Funeral Services are scheduled for Wednesday, January 21, 2015 at 10:00 AM in Day & Deremiah-Frye Funeral Home, 4150 E Third St, Bloomington, with Brother Don Gardner and Brother Roy Vaught officiating. Burial will follow in Brick Church Cemetery, Hagerstown, Indiana. Visitation is scheduled for Tuesday, January 20, 2015 from 4:00 – 8:00 PM in the funeral home. If friends so desire, Memorial Contributions may be made to the American Lung Association of Indiana, Suite 1180-S, 115 W Washington St, Indianapolis, IN 46204.

Thanksgiving week and such

With tropical winds and more-than-warm sunshine it is hard to make the mental transition that this is Thanksgiving week. I was reminded when I visited the H.E.B. a few minutes ago. The aisles were crowded and the carts full of pumpkin pies and cranberry sauce. The turkey has already been purchased or at least it better be, because buying a frozen turkey on late Tuesday afternoon will make the preparation on early Thursday morning a challenge. Have you ever stuffed a frozen turkey? Me neither. My choice for taking a side dish to the hall has been made and the ingredients purchased and we are all good to go.

Does anyone know what this tree is? No, it is not a nutmeg tree. That has already been determined. Chis Pearce would like to know as it is taking up residence in her front yard.

This morning at coffee. It looks like they are paying attention.

  This is the Voss's grapefruit tree.

 Meal prep taking place before the jam . Ron, Chris, Larry and Marty.

 Marty is cutting up onion's while Larry looks on.

Sad/ Happy

We are very sad for our northern friends who are suffering with early winter snow. But we are very happy that we have warm air and sunshine in sunny south Texas.

At the Voss House

Winter weather has visited the northern tier:

Well here we go....winter has started.  I snapped this of the garden behind our house....from inside, of course. ha

I was up at 3 AM and it was raining....then about 7 AM the white stuff appeared.  I actually don't mind too much as I won't be out in it...Jim was not thrilled to drive to rehab!   I plan on keeping busy.  Making "rose" soap now and working on a rag quilt.  Also have 2 handknitting projects when sitting!  haha 

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Pictures in-park

Don Howard and Butch Brooker commiserating on a street corner.

Bouganvillea with Butterfly

Billy Hodges Obit

Billy was born on January 12, 1931 and passed away on Wednesday, October 5, 2016.

Billy was a resident of Brookport, Illinois at the time of his passing.

Bill was a veteran of the U. S. Navy and held his Master's License as a Captain on the River.

He was married to Kathryn.

Bill is to be cremated and a Celebration of Life will be held on November 5th 2016 at 11:00 A.M. at the Calvert City First Baptist Church at first and Ash Street in Calvert City KY. for family and friends.

RV tip

Last season I used a Nuwave oven and a Nuwave induction plate for all my cooking. I liked it so well that I continued when we returned to our stick built home. I was visiting with a fellow RVer and he does not like how long it takes to boil water on an RV stove and it is hard to get a full rolling boil. He asked about the induction plate. I timed it when I wanted to cook some pasta. I had a full rolling boil at 7 minutes.
I took a picture to send to him and thought maybe you would like to see it too.

Vera Salmon says...

About Nancy Baker:
"Jim and Nancy Baker lived in Kansas City until their retirement and then moved to Gravois Mills Missouri by the Lake of the Ozarks. Nancy was well known in Magnolia Park for her beautiful Quilts,and many craft items; like making teddy bears out of fur coats. It was an honor to become an owner of one of Nancy's bears. Jim and Nancy returned to magnolia to visit after selling to the Ferrells."

Nancy Baker obit

Nancy and Jim Baker were here in Magnolia in 2006. They sold their unit to Don and Kathy Ferrell.

Here is Nancy's obituary:
In loving memory of Nancy R. Baker, who passed away on November 9, 2016, with her husband of 64 years by her side. A Life Celebration for family and friends will be from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. Monday, Nov. 14. Please contact (913) 433-6397 or (816) 853-3757 for details. Nancy is survived by husband, James Baker; son, Steve and his wife Stephanie; two grandchildren, Rachelle and Brian; and good friends. In lieu of flowers, Nancy and her family request that donations be made to Kansas City Hospice Palliative Care or Wayside Waifs Animal Shelter in Nancy's name. Longview Funeral Home & Cemetery, (816) 761-6272, www.longviewfuneralhome.com
Published in Kansas City Star on Nov. 11, 2016

Brooker's in the park.

Butch and I arrived in the Village/Park yesterday about noon. We enjoyed a pleasant ride down from Rockport TX where we spent Wednesday night. They tell us that it has been ungodly hot here the past weeks however, we arrived on the heels of a cold front so it feels pretty "cool" to us. We did not have time to get acclimated to the heat. The coolness felt pleasantly warm to us.

The park looks in good shape. The first walk around the park is always interesting. Who is here and who isn't. Who has sold out or are trying to sell out. The trees have been trimmed some of them to the point of severe. Some questions were answered and other questions appeared.

So now that I am here I will try to keep you posted on the latest happenings in the park. I have been writing this blog and my own since 2002. That is 14 years. I will admit that there are times I feel repetitive. Anytime you have an interesting tidbit for the blog you can email it to me. I appreciate the help.

This morning as we stood in the street for a long visit we were reminiscing about Judy and John Warner. I did not remember them at first but as we were talking the memories came flooding back. John and Judy liked to work camp. Very friendly people. I remember being impressed with how John backed up a 5th wheel for over a block and curved it back into a site in one smooth try! That is not an easy thing to do! I told him how impressed I was with that and he just smiled. It did not seem so long since they were here but two of our people standing in the group did not remember them at all so perhaps it has been longer than I imagine. But it does say that once you are a part of the Magnolia family you remain a part of it for much longer than you think.

An invitation to become Winter Texans at Magnolia Village (Park)

It's getting to be that time of the year when we are all thinking about heading south even though the weather over most of the nation has been wonderfully warm. We know it can't last forever and probably most folks would rather be on the road without ice and snow. If you missed reading the blog over the last few months, we have new owners and Dottie is back as manager. We also have a new name, Magnolia Village. I'm sure no matter what we are called it will be good to be back in the Rio Grande Valley and once again become Winter Texans. If you have just stumbled across our blog and are heading south, do come and check us out. We have lots of activities happening and there is sure to be something you will enjoy.