Cooler is relative

La Feria, TX  65º overcast
    I got several comments back (all on Facebook -- for some reason no one comments right here on the blog) about my "A Bit Cooler in the RG Valley".  For several weeks, ever since we got here in late October, the highs had been 87 to 90 degrees every day.  Since last Sunday the highs have been only 67 to 75 degrees.  Up north this still sounds kind of hot, but I was just feeling cooler (even wore long pants a couple days!) because of the difference.

 Anyway, I have been slowly working on the bathroom renovation.  Have the shower in place, yet to build the new wall to support the right side and make a storage area there.  Have the plumbing to put behind the wall for the faucets and the spray head above.  After finishing plumbing the sink, so can use it, and putting in the cut off part left of the old counter top to fill in from the sink to the wall and put up the new 3-mirrored medicine cabinet above the sink, so it can be used, I will finish up the shower.

Sink is in place; after two trips to Lowe's yesterday, I finally have the drain in place, but having trouble with the supply lines.  The 20 year old flexible water lines don't want to compress well to a fitting to change to the newer style.  One is hooked up, and a really small drip this morning.  The other wanted to leak severely, so am trying some other tricks.  Maybe some "magic tape" wrapped on the compression fitting before putting it into the old plastic will help fill the gap a little.

 Wednesday night, for the first time, I accompanied Phyllis to the Club House for Bingo.  It was the last night that Don Ferguson was going to be calling as he left on Friday morning for Custer County, NE.  His wife, with Alzheimer's, is in a nursing home in Broken Bow and he will be spending the winter at his rural Ansley farm.  First time in something like 20 years that he hasn't been in the Valley all winter.  He was saddened about the leaving, but happy to see the people for the couple weeks he was here this fall (with his brother Lawrence) to clean out some stuff from their home which will be rented out for much of

 the winter.  We will be thinking of him and Doris much.  His daughter Karen and husband Jack (standing in background at right) also drove to Broken Bow, and will be having Thanksgiving with many family members before they return to their permanent home here at Kenwood.

The other photos are people playing Bingo.  They charge for the cards and then all the money is returned as winnings during the evening.

 They also have a 50/50 drawing.  Of course, I didn't get to return home with any of these various ways of getting money.

Dave Engle and his wife Jan sitting beside me in picture at right..
Behind him you can see the back of Lawrence Ferguson and Karen Norden sitting beside him.  Jake and Helen Ferguson are across from her.

 This photo is at our table, with Don up on stage calling the numbers.











Our neighbors Bob & Bobbi Raab are at table behind us.

 On Thursday evening about 7 of us showed up at the hall to see if we could have our first Bean Bag Base Ball game of the season.  Takes two teams of 7 to play, so we visited for a bit and then rode the trikes around the park for a while.

Friday we went to locally owned small Nursery and bought 5 small Bougainvilleas.  The closest large one on the right side of the photo at left is an older one of our neighbors.  The smaller 5 in the distance are directly behind our place and within a few years should be as large as that one. 

We hope this will make a privacy wall of sorts between us and the new neighbors that will be to the north when they get the buildings finished.  A few people are moving in already.









I am listening to Public Radio from KIOS in Omaha over the net so I can get my Click & Clack Car Talk fix and the other regular Saturday morning shows I usually listen to when in Iowa.

Hope to get the bathroom finished by Monday and then will tear into the front door project.  Will have to carve out 4" from the head room, put in a new header, and then widen the opening by 4" to get the new door and screen door in.

Hope all are doing well and thanks for checking in on us.

Lynn