Morelia's and Pinochle with Steve and Elaine

Friday, January 15, it is cloudy and rainy all day. It's very unusual for Central Texas to have a slow rain for so long. Usually fronts blow through with a vengeance, dump way too many inches of rain at once, and pass on by. This area really needs the rain after the drought in 2009.

I spend the morning filing the postcards Evelyn gave me. I think I should have stretched first as it is hard sitting on the floor first thing in the morning; not as hard as getting up from the floor however! Coffee helps the situation. Bob gets up and we have a light breakfast. He works on the puzzle and I pack up postcards, antiques and collectibles that we have accumulated all year (We allow ourselves one shoe box a year and we didn't quite make that much this year until Evelyn gave me all of those postcards.) We're fixin' to go to our storage unit next week as they say here in Texas.

Then I catch up on three days worth of journal pages. I check my email while I'm on the computer (thankfully the laptop got its act together again.) Our new RV friend Tom, we met him and Nan-Marie in Ohio last summer, has a link on his travel blog to a funny story about "Honey Wagons". Well, this may seem funny to fellow RVers. The rest of you might just be grossed out but here it is: DB Does RV: The Honey Wagon

After that I need a break from my on-line work so Bob and I have lunch. At last I get my stretch in. I really need it now after working on the laptop at our new desk that slides out of the entertainment center. I'm not quite used to the height of the work surface yet and I keep switching pillows in the chair. Bob finishes the jigsaw puzzle while I continue on journal pages and pictures. But first I call Elaine to set a time for us to pick them up tonight for dinner at Morelia's around 6:00.

I take a short break from my journal updates and then I get back on the computer to balance bank statements and credit cards. The rest of the afternoon I destroy 2009 records and pack what I have to save for storage. Paperwork can overwhelm you in an RV if you don't stay on top of it because there is no place to store it. In our brick and stick I just shoved it in another closet or drawer and dealt with it every seven years when the IRS retention period expired. If I did that in our RV I would have to get rid of clothes and food. It's 3:25 p.m. and 51 degrees with 85% humidity. The high gets to 54 after a low of 51. Gloomy would describe this day.

We get cleaned up and head to Steve and Elaine's in our old Cedar Hills neighborhood in Elgin as a steady rain falls. They hop in Big Bertha--quite a hop for Elaine--and we arrive at Morelia's with the rest of Bastrop County's population. The parking lot is packed and when we get inside there is a table of 25 or 30 people in the center. But we find a clear table right away.

I have Tilapia, artichokes, spinach and mushrooms. Bob has Pollo Delicioso that he says is muy picante. Elaine has a shrimp pasta that looks heavenly. And Steve has grilled pork chops and quail that I am going to have to try. Soon we are back out in the chilly rain with 'go boxes.' We head back to their place for Baileys and coffee that hit the spot on a damp, rainy evening. I have three voice messages so I check them. Glenda called and I return her call. We make pizza plans for tomorrow's football game. I also have two automated confirmation messages from the eye doctor for our appointments on Tuesday of next week. I try to press "1" to confirm but it just keeps repeating "press 1 to confirm." Seems like I recall this from a prior year but I can't remember what the outcome was. Oh well...

We deal out double pinochle after drawing for partners and ending up with the ones that brung us. Steve and Elaine slaughter us all evening (or as my family would say "They Mom'd us!) We break for Coconut Creme Pie, my favorite. Around 10:30 Bob and I hit the road. What a fun evening. It is still raining. The RV is chilly when we get home but the bedroom is soon warmed by our little heater. It's 11:25 p.m. and 43 degrees.