Tomorrow we head into Garland to see the dermatologist. This is a twice a year event ever since I had the melanoma cut out of my left ear. He pretty much always freezes something off or scrapes it off but no more cancer since June of 2008! Let's just keep it that way.  Tongue out

Of course there is an upside. We will get to spend some time with the grandchildren while we are there.

The new golf cart is now ready for bad weather!We have had mostly above average temperatures since we got home, and just lately we have really become spoiled. Weather has been beautiful and we have had some rain and things are really looking quite nice in the area. But today they say we get a change. We got up this morning to temperatures in the middle 60's but as the day passes the temperature has begun to fall and clouds are rolling in.

The news says that there has even been snow as close as Amarillo, so we may see our first blast of winter! But we are ready. Our new toy came with weather curtains and so today I put them on, just to be ready. The only thing lacking is a heater!

Rocket away! Notice the rocket passing the white cloud.On Saturday I got to tag along with my son & youngest grandson Andrew gets personal instruction on using a bow.for their first big Cub Scouting event, the annual Rocket Academy! It was a very exciting day and a long one for a 6 year old, but what an adventure. It was great to be able to share in the day with both of them. We tried our hands at things from steer roping to archery and also three different types of rocketry. There were air launched rockets using a tire pump, chemical ones that use baking soda & vinegar, and we even each built an Estes Rocket from a kit that used a solid fuel rocket engine. With dad's and grandpa's assistance and under supervision of the range officials, Andrew got to launch all three of ours, one at a time. It was a great day and one that we will all remember!

This weekend is the annual Rose Festival in Tyler. The area produces about 75% of all rose plants for Tyler's rose garden is looking good!nurseries and about half of the cut roses sold in the US market as well as many that are shipped to other parts of the world. The big coranation of the Rose Queen was last night but, being a formal event, they had to do that without the benefit of our presence! Today was a parade and assorted other events. We used to come here by RV for a big Square Dance each year during the festival, but sadly, Tyler no longer has a square dance club.

This weekend has beautiful weather with high temperatures in the mid 80's and lows in the upper 40's. Sunny weahter is also promised through the end of the event, Sunday evening. We did take the time to walk through the big city rose garden which is open all year. We skipped the parade this year, just hanging around home and avoiding the crowds.

 

 

Muffie seems to have found her favorite spot! I suppose that this may take the place of the seat on her golf cart?

Muffie stakes a new claim!

Christmas sale already?We were shopping at both Lowe's and at Wal-Mart and made a quick stop in a Traget store as well. We were looking for some garden tools and every one of those stores has half or more of what was the garden department now set up to sell Christmas decorations! Do they not look at the calander? It isn't even Halloween yet!  I think that I would stop shopping in stores who go with this so very early, if it were not for the fact that it seems all of the chain stores have done this! At the risk of being "old fashioned" I must say that to do this so early really irritates me.

Yesterday we took delivery on something that Muffie has wanted for a long time. Once we moved into Muffie stands guard over her latest status symbol!Bass Lake, she would see many of these things going past and some even had dogs riding in them. Every time that a neighbor would stop with theirs she was fist there and if possible, climbed into the seat for a ride! We even had one neighbor who would stop by and taker her for a ride from time to time! Well, as the picture shows, she now has one of her own!

We are hoping that she shares well as we had been thinking of this for a while and now with Pam facing more surgery on her ankle, we decided that this was something we would want for her recovery period. And we can also make the excuse, or justification that it will save gas and wear on our CR-V since we don't have to drive to take the trash out or get the mail! I do still plan to ride the bike for some things but we shall see.

As great as it was to return to our community and home, there were a few things about a homecoming that we had forgotten about. It was really great having our neighbors come over to welcome us back and since weather is moderating, many more of the folks are now returning with three more of our nearest neighbors having returned since we did last Monday.

Our home is looking good once more!But there is work involved in having a home again, particularly if you happen to want any landscaping. As great as our neighbors are about taking care of things while we were gone, it still needs a lot of care after five months. There was the usual trimming and unloading the motorhome, but that is only the start. Even though the summer was very hot and dry, our neighbors did manage to keep all three roses and both trees that we had planted alive. And even the lawn that I worked so hard on is in reasonably good shape. But I do believe that the weeds and grass-burs must thrive on record hot, dry weather! While things are beginning to look as though we care once more, this part has been much more work than I anticipated, and it does remind me of the advantages that a full-timer has.

The house was really not that dirty with having been empty, with a few dead bugs and a little dust, but over all it stayed pretty much as we had left everything. We are still quite happy to be home again!*++

 

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