Another Facebook Hoax

I should have put this on last night but didn't think about it. If you have gotten a message from a Facebook friend to not accept any friend requests from Andrea Wilson, please - just ignore it! It wants you to think you've been hacked but in fact it is a hoax that has been around for years. Maybe in the future if you get such a message just go to Snopes and check it out. All I did to make sure that it is still the same old hoax that I've already gotten twice before in the last few months I typed in Snopes Andrea Wilson and up it popped. You don't have to be too fussy about what you put in because most likely it's going to pop up. Go to Snopes and check it out just to make sure if you have any doubts. Everyone who passes this on means well, there is no doubt about it but before you do what it tells you to do, please do check it out. Sometimes it is a slightly different message but when it tells you to hold your finger down on some key and send it to all your Facebook friends it is most probably just another hoax. Don't get taken in!

Beautiful fall weather here in Central Wisconsin with a low of 47 degrees this morning. It's almost getting cool enough to turn the furnace on briefly to take the chill off in the early morning.

I hope everyone has a safe and fun-filled Labor Day weekend and no one is in the path of the upcoming hurricane.

Latest News (Edited)

I have received some pictures showing how the new mobiles look now that they are parked, finished, and skirted and I do think they look nice. However, so much for the story that all reservations would be honored. We had reserved 409 and paid our $200 down but there is now a new mobile sitting on half of it. I imagine the one that is currently still sitting waiting to be parked most likely will be parked on the other half of the spot. Of course, when we reserved it the lots were running north and south. Now everything in the center of the park is running east and west. There are also a couple of other photos under the ones of all the new mobiles.

I do greatly appreciate the people who are taking time out of their day to take pictures and send them to me so that I can share them with you. Right now it is still extremely hot down in south Texas but I'm thinking it should cool off a little soon as in a couple of days it will be September. I had already posted this but I just read Donna's Ramblings which is the Rio Valley Blog and she states that another couple from Magnolia Park have bought a unit over at Rio Valley. Now I wonder, who else might be leaving Magnolia? That remains to be seen!

This is taken on Peach looking south. You can see how nice the mobiles look now that

 they are all skirted.

This is taken from Peach and Center looking east along Center Street. As of yet, it appears that Dave and Sue Greening's RV is still on their spot.

This is taken from the corner of Magnolia and Center looking at our spot. This mobile was just put in place and as you can see has not been skirted yet. It is on the south side of the lot facing Texas Street. So this one is actually on half of our spot and half of where Eichors were last season and before that, where Erv and Holly Hagen always parked.

This is looking south on Magnolia showing four new units on the east side and the one on our spot on the west side

This is taken from the corner of Center and Aspen showing our spot and you can see the unit on George's spot as well as the one next to it.

Marty Harper sent me these photos. She and Don are down in the park and this is the junk that is piled behind their mobile on the corner of Aspen and Center and behind what used to be Black's unit on the corner of Lime and Center. It is NOT Harper's junk!

Update

I have just a couple of new pictures to show you and these were taken last week. The top one shows two units on the corners of Center and Magnolia and Texas and Magnolia. The one facing Center that shows two doors is where George and Phyllis lived.  The picture below that shows one on the opposite corner of Center and Magnolia where we have been parking for the last several years. The wheels are still on that one so I'm not quite if that is staying or if it is going to be moved. 

Below that is an updated map. The yellow shows the lots that are still empty and I do believe that Lot #28 is also empty. The pink shows where some of these latest mobiles have been placed. You will note that there is now one where Abe and Roxy Wolfe have been parked for several years. The park did call them and told them that their trailer would be moved and it is now parked on #2 over on Cherry. That is where Don and Marty Harper usually had their motor home parked. The RV section between Center and Pecos has no markings on it because the people who supplied this map don't know what is going to happen there. Time will tell. You will note there are several spots on Peach that are yellow and some of those normally have RVs parked on them. Some of the others have been used in past years for parking vehicles and putting other "stuff" on them that was overflow from their own paid spot. I suspect that is going to change from now on and people will have to park on their own lots.

I don't think the new owners can be faulted for bringing in mobiles. They are in business to make money and as I've said more than once, they are not making money on the RVs. To rent a spot to a RV for just three to five months makes no sense when they could put a mobile on the spot and collect much more rent monthly and most likely for at least a year at a time.  I also want to mention that on the post from last week I mistakenly said that was Dave & Mary Bruun's house that you could see behind the one on the corner of Rose and Center but in fact it is Craig Hodge's. You can just see the posts that hold up Bruun's carport but you can't see their mobile.

I appreciate any and all information that park residents are giving me. I have received a copy of the new Community Rules and to be honest I can't remember if I have already mentioned that on the blog or not. I really couldn't see much difference between the new rules and the old ones except that pet owners will be charged $10 per month per animal with a maximum of two pets per household. There are several prohibited dog breeds all of which made sense to me. To my knowledge in recent years there have been none of those breeds living in Magnolia Village. I do recall that several years ago there were one or two dogs that I was afraid of but the owners kept them in their RV and when out they were firmly under control, thank goodness!

For those of you who remember Karl Kapke, he has been in the hospital but I believe he is home now. I'm betting he would enjoy hearing from his Magnolia friends. He and Carol lived over on Cottonwood where Tom and Joyce Rietveld now live. 

As always, if you have info you'd like to share just let me know.

More New Mobiles

I received word today from a couple of different people that they are in the process of bringing in more of the new mobiles plus there is at least one little bumper-pull trailer that is also new to the park. Bea had told me when I did manage to talk to her a couple of weeks ago that they hoped to fill up the little empty spots with RVs which would have to be skirted and I believe they are looking for a lease to be signed.

Here are some of the photos that I received and as I understand it there are a bunch more coming in. It would appear that they are going to fill up the RV spots between Center and Pecos with the new mobiles. Bea had told me that if someone had a RV spot reserved that reservation would be honored. Thus far at least they have not parked anything on our spot. I think that perhaps the ones that are between Center and Texas to the east side of Magnolia are probably in their permanent spots, more or less as some are facing Center and some are facing Texas. It would appear they will have two parallel rows of RVs with each row facing the street. The ones that are now parked between Center and Texas to the west of Magnolia Street I don't think are parked permanently from the way they are facing but who knows.

These are parked on either side of Texas but I would think that the two closest to Mike Reddick's van would be turned around as the door is facing the middle rather than the street, The one across from these with the white trim around the windows I think would be parked somewhere a bit west of where Dale & Caroline Eichor were last season. Now, it is entirely possible that all of these will be shifted somewhat but I do think it is pretty obvious that if you are an RVer planning to come to Magnolia Park next season and you did not make a reservation you better check with Bea to see just what the plans are for any site that you may have had in mind. That is of course, if somehow you can get her to answer the phone.

These are parked with one facing Center and you can just see the corner of Al Gehman's house and at the end of the street Dave & Mary Bruun's house is just visible. The other one is facing Texas

This shows the two you can see in the above photo from a different perspective and you can just see the back of Dave & Sue Greening's RV and the front of Abe and Roxy Wolfe's trailer.

This is the back of Abe & Roxy's trailer with the new one parked up tight to their living room window.

Services for Myron

Services for Myron will be held at the First Reformed Church in Prairie City on Tuesday, August 20th, at 10:30AM. A light meal will be served after. Committal following at Waveland Cemetery. Visitation with the family will precede the services at the same location on Monday, August 19th from 6:00-8:00PM. Please stop by and share in the casual celebration. 

Memorials can be made to the family.

Myron VanHouweling Obit

Myron Lee VanHouweling, age 76, passed away on August 15, 2019 at the Comfort Home in Pella, IA, after sharing memories with his wife and family throughout the evening. Myron and his wife, Susan, resided in rural Prairie City, Iowa, in a home on the same road where Myron spent his entire life. They've wintered in Donna, TX, for the last 11 years.

Myron's parents were Carl and Marie (Brand) VanHouweling who proceeded him in meeting the Lord. He graduated from Prairie City High School in 1961 and attended Iowa State University. He farmed and managed the family's dairy operation and later became a union carpenter. He loved to work with wood and to use his skills to build and create.

Myron was a member of the First Reformed Church in Prairie City. He served his community with roles on the Jasper County Fair Board over the years including President, Superintendent and Grand Marshall. Before retiring from dairy operations, Myron was the longest standing herdsman at the Iowa State Fair where he showed Brown Swiss cows for 50+ years. He passed that tradition on to his family and shared the experience with many friends. Myron and Susan also showed numerous other animals over the years. In addition to showing, Myron's dogs always held a special bond and knew their master's heart.

Myron also enjoyed remodeling, adding to and caring for his homestead, camping, boating, playing cards and anything that involved sharing the fun with family and friends. He planted and grew numerous relationships in many circles over the years. He will be remembered for his personable nature. It did not take him long to turn a stranger into a friend. He was a mentor to many young people who will miss his wisdom and guidance.

Myron is survived by his wife, Susan VanHouweling; Myron raised 5 children and has 2 step-children including Merri (Jeff) DeReus, Mindy (Tim) McCarthy, Mark (Cheryl) VanHouweling, Kyle (Wanda) VanHouweling, Aaron VanHouweling, Brian (Lisa) McAdams and Ryan McAdams. Grandchildren, Vance (Brittney) VanHouweling, Sam DeReus, Margot (Brice) Udelhoven, Andrew McCarthy, Courtney VanHouweling, Joseph DeReus, Koby VanHouweling, Kate McCarthy and Hannah McCarthy; great-grandchildren, Mylee, Skylar, Blaine and Maelynn and 3 sisters, Dorothy (Bob) Cage, Carolyn (Tom) Bollman, and Linda (Jerry) VandeKieft.

Services for Myron will be held at the First Reformed Church in Prairie City on Tuesday, August 20th, at 10:30AM. A light meal will be served after. Committal following at Waveland Cemetery. Visitation with the family will precede the services at the same location on Monday, August 19th from 6:00-8:00PM. Please stop by and share in the casual celebration. 

Memorials can be made to the family.

RV Restrooms - Now History

I received these photos today. They show the RV restrooms in the process of being demolished. As I understand it all that's left right now is the outside walls and I imagine they will be gone tomorrow. I did call Bea but as usual, she did not answer although I know she was at least in the vicinity of the office because I was also given a photo showing her car parked there. I left a message in the hopes that she would call me back but she did not. I wondered if perhaps they might be going to build us RVers nice brand-new restrooms where one doesn't have to share the shower with cockroaches or various assorted other bugs.

I suspect what it really means is that where the restrooms were is going to be turned over into new mobile lots and what I'm hearing is they will run the same way that George's did with two side by side between the streets. I don't know if that's just on the east side of Magnolia or if it is also going to happen on the west side of Magnolia. When I talked to Bea a bit more than a week ago she told me that our spot that we have reserved will still be ours. What she didn't tell me was that the RV section won't have restrooms/showers so I'm seriously hoping they are going to build new ones. I have a feeling I will be disappointed however.

I am becoming increasingly concerned over the RVs that were left there "in storage" which the owners are paying $35/month for (I think that is correct). Does the park intend to move them, will they work around them or what exactly is going to happen?? These are questions that I'm sure Bea could have answered. She does read the blog so perhaps we'll get some answers from her sooner or later.

I also understand there is a "park fairy" and I'm not sure if this is just one person or more than one person who has taken it upon themselves to clean up the enormous brush pile which has been by the dumpster. Slowly but surely it is disappearing. I know that right now it is terribly hot and humid down in Donna so I do hope that whoever this person is, or perhaps these people are, that they take care not to get to overheated in this endeavor. This is something the park maintenance people should have been doing but I do know that they are not and that it is a park resident or perhaps more than one resident who is doing the cleanup.

I do keep in touch with several of the Magnolia Park Association members who are full time residents of the park and they do a great job of telling me what is going on so that I can share it with you.

As always, if you have something you'd like to share or like me to put on the blog, please just let me know. It is amazing how time does fly by and here it is mid-August with the days getting shorter. I'm sure many Winter Texans' thoughts are thinking about the upcoming season and perhaps wondering what they will find when they get back down to the Rio Grande Valley.

Myron Pics

Myron Van Houweling passed away

I have received word that Myron passed away last night and will pass along information as it becomes available to me.
-Barb Brooker

Sharon Hvam

Sharon Hvam October 17, 1940 - August 8, 2019

Sharon Hvam, age 78, of Fedora SD, passed away on Thursday, August 8, 2019 at Ava's House in Sioux Falls with family by her side.

Private family graveside services will be held.

I'm sorry to say that this is the only information I could find for Sharon who was a long-time resident of Magnolia Park (Village). She had some health issues this past season and one of her sons Mike spent most of the winter with her. Sharon enjoyed playing cards and always came to our Tuesday morning coffee/announcement meetings. This past season she served on the nominating committee. She will be missed by her Magnolia friends.

Two Items of NOT good news (edited)

I  posted this about one minute ago and just had a phone call from Chris Pearce that Sharon Hvam passed away about 15 minutes ago. I am going to leave the original post so that you know what happened. If I can get a complete obituary I will post it as soon as it's available.

I have received word today that Sharon Hvam suffered a massive stroke I believe on Monday of this week. The word that I got is that she most likely will be going into Hospice. If you would like to send cards her home address is in the directory and I'm sure someone will see that she gets them.

The other bit of not good news is that Larry and Janice Cooke were involved in an accident in Driscoll Texas with their pickup and 5th wheel. For some reason, Larry lost consciousness and they veered into the side of a mobile home. The good news is that neither Larry or Janice nor the folks in the mobile home were seriously injured. The bad news is their 5th wheel burned and their truck is also totaled. That had to have been very frightening for all who were involved. Their sons came down from Missouri to help them get home and below is a picture of their truck. Larry will be seeing his doctor on the 15th to see if they can figure out what happened.

I have to admit I am a terrible card sender. It seems I always have good intentions but somehow don't follow through. I have a feeling that all the people who I have mentioned during the summer would appreciate a greeting just to let them know you are thinking of them.

I also have been told that at least one Winter Texan home had a sewage leak under it, I think from a broken pipe. Waneta Yoder was kind enough to let them know about it and I know the owners are grateful to her.

As always, if you have news to share whether good or bad, please let me know and if I have permission I will put it on the blog.

Another Update

I called Magnolia again this afternoon and Bea did answer the phone and in fact we talked a long time. I found out a few things that I am going to share with you.

I asked Bea if it is true that more units are coming in and she said that's true. I asked her how many and she told me 20. I asked her where they are going to be parked and she told me that they have a survey crew working on finding the spots where they will fit. They are all going to be the same size, in other words, big, same as the ones that have been brought in up to now. She alluded to the RV spots and told me that those of us who have a deposit on a certain spot don't have to worry as that spot will be ours. We were concerned because as most of you know, we have a big 5th wheel and we do like our spot on the corner of Center and Magnolia. It sounded to me that if there wasn't a deposit on a RV spot that it is certainly possible that some of the new mobiles will be going on those lots. After all, from a business point of view, the owners would have a much better income having those spots rented year around as opposed to just a few months to RVers.

Bea told me that her office has been remodeled and she has gotten a new desk with a credenza and that it does look very nice. It most likely functions better than the old arrangement too.

I asked her if she was going to be living in the park and she told me that she and her husband are living in the park now. They are over on lot 339 which is on Willow and is where David Helton's unit was located, next to Pat and Barb Kent. I believe Bea opens and shuts the gate each day with it being opened when she comes to work and closed when she is done for the day. Right now the gate is not opened at all on the weekends and I don't know if that will be in effect when the Winter Texans get back or not. The one thing I thought of after we hung up was the garage sale once a month on Saturday morning but I didn't think of it when we were talking. Perhaps something can be worked out for those one/month sales. And the other thing I didn't think about was what about the mail delivery on Saturday if the gate is locked.

When we left in the spring we thought that the lot numbering would go back to the old map but that has changed and the lot numbers are going to stay the same as they have been the last few years on the map in the directory. That mostly pertains to the middle section of RV spots between Center and Pecos.

I asked her about the sewer system which as most of us know is somewhat fragile and with all of the new residents Jim and I were wondering how well it is working. Apparently thus far for the most part it is working. What will happen when the rest of us gets there remains to be seen. We all have to use some common sense when putting things down the drains that's for sure just as we would when we are back home.

I asked her about the RV rents and as far as that goes, the other rents too and she told me that as far as she knew they would stay the same which is good news for all of us, at least for the time being.

The new residents are allowed to purchase two clickers and if they have more than two vehicles they will have to figure something out. The back gate code was changed because some of the contractors who were working in the park and were given the code, gave it to some of the residents. This has no effect on the clicker code whatsoever so our clickers will still work just as they did last spring.

Bea gave the glass topped table which was by the pool to another park and I for one think that was a good idea. That was purchased a few years ago by one of the managers who was in the park for a very short time about the same time that all of those street lights were put in when Christopher and Bob were at the helm. Bea thought it could be very dangerous to have a big table with a glass top by the swimming pool where there is always water and slippery spots around. Plus, people were using it as a picnic table and had food there which isn't a good idea around a pool either. The Association did not own that and she was perfectly within her rights to give it to a different park.

We talked a long time and I think I've told you everything that we discussed. As always, if you have news to share or questions please feel free to contact me. I try to keep you all informed and most of the time if I hear something that can be confirmed, I will post it on this blog. The one exception to that comment is when it concerns someone's health and if they don't want that posted on the blog I don't, period.

This and That

I have been in touch with some of our Magnolia residents and unfortunately Connie Dziuk is still fighting an infection in her leg. It seems as though she thinks it is gone and then it pops back. The last I knew she was once again on antibiotics. Let's hope it clears up completely and stays away this time.

The last I heard from Cindy Peterson she was doing very well with her shoulder and I'm hoping that is still the case.

Caroline Eichor had the misfortune to trip and fall on the sidewalk close to home and she hit her right cheek and fractured both wrists. This happened July 2 and on July 9 she had surgery at Iowa Ortho in Des Moines with a hand specialist.

She has now been fitted with velcro removable casts and says she is doing fine. Dale has been a great caretaker and those of us who know the two of them are not surprised by that.

Speaking of mishaps, we had our own little mishap here yesterday. We are trying to get a new landing done for our south facing French doors. This is eight feet off the ground so we were putting the new metal railing on it yesterday and had two electric drills out there along with a bunch of other tools. It started to rain and Jim gathered up the two drills and started to run to the garage out of the rain and got his feet entangled in the electric cords which were trailing along behind. He managed to land on his face and scraped the skin off one of his arms. His glasses took a hit as did his forehead and bridge of his nose. We visited urgent care, and they cleaned him up, wrapped up his arm which is the worst of the injuries and gave him a tetanus shot. He's having cataract surgery in two weeks so not sure if we'll get the glasses replaced or not although I think Walmart does have a year warranty replacement if they get broken so might as well take them up on that as it will be a while before he'd be ready for new glasses after both cataracts are gone.

Now, on to what I do and don't know about the park. I do know that the dumpster is being emptied on a regular basis, Monday, Wednesday and Friday so that is the good news. I also know that there are now two new signs by the pool and they read that the pool hours are from 7:00 AM to 10:00 PM and the other one says the pool is for park residents only.

I have heard conflicting stories about the kids in the park. Some folks say there's a lot of screaming and yelling especially around the swimming pool and others says it's quiet and they don't hear the kids so take your pick - maybe it's a bit of both depending on the time of the day.

I also know that it would appear to be impossible to get Bea to answer the phone - EVER! I had decided I would start calling last Friday and I think I called three times Friday and then twice again today. That's a total of five times and it goes to voice mail each time. I had been told from several folks that she is in the office but doesn't come out and doesn't answer the phone and I guess I believe that. There were Winter Texans visiting the valley who drove through the park more than once and never did connect with Bea. It sounds to me as though they will be staying somewhere else this upcoming season but don't know that for sure yet.

I may as well mention that I have also heard that the park has purchased more units that will be brought in and I have heard figures ranging from 11 - 16. Keep in mind that you do need to take this with a huge grain of salt because it could very well just be a rumor. I normally don't put on rumors until I've confirmed them but I am sufficiently "steamed" that I can't get anyone live to answer the phone that I am just going to throw it out there for you. If I do find out that it is nothing more than a rumor I certainly will put that on. Our thoughts are that if they are in fact going to be bringing in more units, where are they going to put them and of course we are wondering if that's true would they be going where RVs are normally parked in the middle. Lots of questions - very few answers. Stay tuned and let's see what happens.