'19/#39 Black Friday Boycot

Black Friday as noted on Facebook is the day people trample each other to get more stuff the day after they gave thanks for all that they already have. We do not participate in the spending insanity but take the day to reflect on our life as it has been and what it will be in the future.

If you have been following us you know we are living our dream. As far as we are concerned it is a wonderful life regardless of how we got here. I believe in the butterfly effect theory that says the flap of a single butterfly's wings can start a chain reaction that can totally affect events in the distant future anywhere on earth. Therefore I have no regrets. Every choice I have made, every action I have taken, and every person I have met has led me to this point in my life. If anything along the way had happened differently I might not be who I am, where I am, or with whom I am today. So to everyone who has crossed my path in any way at all I thank you for all that I have to be grateful for.

That being said I am happy to say that I got to talk to just about everyone that I wanted to and know that they all are doing well. I also want to say thank you to everyone who sent Thanksgiving wishes and a belated Happy Thanksgiving to anyone we missed. Now that Thanksgiving is over I have resigned myself to the fact that Christmas is on the way and we all will be inundated with commercials and music and holiday greetings for the next month.

To everyone out there, take the time to remember what is important in your life. Hopefully it is not just stuff like Christmas or Chanukah presents but the time spent with friends and family throughout the holidays and into the New Year. I will sign off now as the park starts to decorate for Christmas in our home in Pharr because.....

Home is where we park it,
Frank and Mary

'19/#38 Thankful? Oh Yeah! But...

It is that time of year when we eat too much food, watch too much TV, and give thanks for all we have. Our Thanksgivings have been scaled down to just the two of us over the past few years. We have the traditional eats on the table in moderation, watch the Macy's parade, and get in touch with the people we are thankful to have in our lives. We also give thanks for our health and the ability to live the lifestyle that we have chosen. A quiet day for the two of us to reflect on all we have has become our Thanksgiving.

Soon we will be in Christmas and Hanukkah mode. The decorations will be pulled out and cards will be written and sent spreading wishes to all this holiday season. The week after Thanksgiving we will decorate the house and start preparing for Christmas and Hanukkah. We have the DVR all set to record our favorite Holiday movies, shows, and cartoons to binge watch all Christmas week before we welcome the New Year.

 It all goes by so fast, why would anyone want to rush it even more? Apparently some one's calender is on fast forward because in addition to all the early Christmas merchandise that has been in the stores Christmas carols are starting up with a vengeance. Am I the only one who thinks it is too early for Christmas carols? I always thought that the Christmas season started after Thanksgiving when Santa arrived on his sleigh to close the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade! The big tree at Rockefeller Center is lit on December 4th and the tree on the grounds of the White House in Washington D.C. is lit on December 5th so why are we listening to Christmas carols a week before Thanksgiving? Why have the Black Friday sales been going on for two weeks?

 The all mighty dollar is ruining everything that is good about spending the holidays with family and friends and I for one am sick of it. I will NOT shop on Black Friday, I will NOT play Christmas music before December 1st, I will NOT decorate for Christmas before Thanksgiving, and I will NOT judge the quality of the holidays by the gifts I did or did not give or receive! I will stay in touch with friends and family, I will try to get in touch with people I haven't heard from or seen in a while, and I will reflect on all that I have in my life that is not measured by a number on a cash register or a bank account.

So this is Happy Thanksgiving and a wish that you have much to be thankful for from our home in Pharr Texas because.....

Home is where we park it,
Frank and Mary

'19/#37 Kicking Off The Season In Personal Style

'Tis the season as they say and we are kicking it off like we do every year...with birthdays! Mary just celebrated hers on November 16th and mine will follow four days later. I think she planned it that way so if I forgot her birthday mine would be one I would NOT want to remember(HAHA). Presents are not something we concern ourselves with. We are at that stage in our lives that we get what we want when we want and just enjoy the fact that we have reached another milestone. We will go out for a nice dinner during the week to celebrate both birthdays and get on with life. Oh, and Mary did get her birthday cake. I learned that lesson a long time ago!

Once the birthdays are done we have the rest of the holiday season to look forward to. I enjoy the holidays as much as anyone but lets keep each holiday in it's place. Does anyone else find the holidays creeping up earlier and earlier every year? It was always Halloween in October, Thanksgiving in November, and Christmas in December. Now we are seeing advertisements and merchandise up to two months before each holiday. Pretty soon Black Friday will start right after the 4th of July!!!

My Halloween candy is almost gone and we are planning Thanksgiving dinner. There is a community pot luck dinner in the hall but dinner is served at noon, too early for us. We don't even get out of bed much before 10am and usually stay in our PJs most if not all day. We record the NY Thanksgiving Day Parade and watch it at our leisure as we prepare dinner. Then we eat, watch movies, call friends and family, and reflect on all that we are thankful for.

We especially make a point at looking at Black Friday sales and laugh at all the insanity that we will not participate in on the kick off for "Materialistic Christmas". Again we plan for a relaxing day of food, friends, family, and most of all each other. We hope that your holidays are everything you hope they will be and find you well through and into the New Year.

I will sign off now while I internet shop for all the things I will not buy from our home here in the Rio Grande Valley because.....

Home is where we park it,
Frank and Mary

'19/#36 Down Time

We have been back in the Rio Grande Valley now for two weeks and it has been a whirlwind of activity. Also the weather has been a little crazy but not as much as the rest of the country has seen. Today is a do nothing day just because we can!

In the past two weeks Mary has touched base with her local doctors to get them up to speed from the last six months in California. I on the other hand will not see a doctor until agony sets in or Mary is tired of my complaining. Some prescriptions have been refilled and our health is on track so we can get on with enjoying life.

The RV had a water issue on our way down to south Texas. Somewhere along the way we got the on board fresh water supply contaminated. It wasn't a serious or unhealthy situation but it did need to be taken care of. Several days of sanitizing the fresh water tank and water lines plus replacing all the filters solved all the issues. This is just part of RVing.

There were a few other things that we were able to hold off until we got back to the Valley to take care of. A new printer was needed and a new TV was going to be in the near future. We found great deals on a couple of early "Black Friday" sales and we will be setting all this up in the next few days.

By the way.....when did Black Friday sales start in week two of November? I haven't finished my Halloween candy corn yet! It is bad enough that Christmas decorations have been in the stores since the first of the Novenber. It is nice to get Christmas shopping done early but c'mon!! If I hear any Christmas music before Thanksgiving someone is going to get hurt!!!!

On the other hand the weather here has been feeling a bit like Christmas. Overnight lows near freezing and daytime highs not getting out of the 50 degree range make me wonder how far south do Snowbirds and Winter Texans need to go for some warm weather.

I think all this early Christmas hype is pissing off Lady Karma and she has enlisted Mother Natures help in making us suffer for it! Remember people Halloween is in October and Thanksgiving is in November and Christmas is in December! Life goes by fast enough. Why are we trying to rush through it like shit through a goose. When did we stop taking the time to smell the roses?

Well I am going to sign off and hurry up and do NOTHING today but reflect on how good life is here in our home in Pharr because.....

Home is where we park it,
Frank and Mary

'19/#35 Home Is Where We Park It

Our sign off on the blog is "home is where we park it" but now it is really home for the next 5-6 months. This is our third year here in Pharr Texas so it does feel like home. So much so that as we got closer and closer Mary was getting excited and repeating "we're almost home". Yes we know the area and the stores and the restaurants and the roads and the "short cuts"but it is more than that. We have become part of this community of Winter Texans with many becoming close friends. It does feel like home.

The trip down from California was a lot of fun with a couple of dropped jellos just to keep us on our toes. We saw some amazing things, met some awesome people, and were able to touch base with some great friends. All in all a successful journey but we are now in sit-still mode for the season. We have started our winter jobs and are getting to see all the friendly faces we have missed and were missed by since last winter. We are home.

The park we are in has done some upgrades on the property and in the personnel. Everything is looking great and welcoming to all the returning Winter Texans. It promises to be another wonderful season. We did lose some of our older long time residents and they will be missed. The stories of them will live on as long as our memories hold up. But life goes on and the activities that set this park apart from others is starting to get back into full swing. We are looking forward to getting back into our favorite activities and definitely trying some new ones.

Well I will sign off from our home in Pharr Texas because ....

Home is where we park it,
Frank and Mary