Category Archives: Life at Bass Lake Lot 205

Life at Bass Lake Lot 205, Pictures of the Adventure, The Adventure

And so it begins…the slippery slope

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When we first moved here, I was struck by how many folks planned their days around their doctor appointments.   Our previous doctoring experiences were a check-up once a year, and an occasional Urgent Care visit when needed. Plus, being new to the area, we didn’t even have a doctor, let alone appointments! (Please know that we are both so very thankful for our limited need for doctoring! We do not take that blessing lightly!)

But last week, as Gary was getting out of his Oh-So-Comfy recliner to head to bed,  he experienced some sharp pain in his left arm and then some tightness in his chest.  Yep – Off to meet the good folks at the local Emergency Room. Honestly, by the time we got there, the pain was gone, and he was feeling just fine. But – better safe than sorry, we said, so we got him checked in. An EKG, bloodwork, and chest x-ray later – everything looked fine.  They sent us home (after waiting 3 hours for a second round of bloodwork just to be sure) with the promise of a call from a cardiologist for follow-up the next day.

And so it begins…
Cardiologist today (everything looked fine, but let’s run some tests to be sure…)
Primary Care tomorrow
Stress Test and Echocardiogram – in two weeks.
Follow-up on tests- two weeks after that.
And just so I don’t feel left out –
Dermatologist removed a small bump on my leg following a ‘let’s get acquainted’ visit
Yep – Squamous cell carcinoma
Returned so she could burn and scrape it out (nothing big – a regular band aid covers it!)
Follow-up in three months

The calendar is beginning to fill up…

It’s a slippery slope indeed! But thankfully, these are small things.  Done in the interest of not having Big Things happen. We have been very blessed with good health during our years of travel, and we are so very thankful for that! To God be the Glory!

Keeping warm here in Texas (and finding our way around the local health community), praying you are also! (staying warm, not the health care stuff!) =)
Steph

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Life at Bass Lake Lot 205, The Adventure

Baby, it’s cold out there!

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Don’t get me wrong. I know it’s cold almost everywhere – and in many instances, colder than here in East Texas. I may be new to Texas, but of this I am VERY sure – Texas is not OK!
We got less than an inch of snow. At least it was pretending to be snow. It’s actually a layer of ice, covered with about a half inch of snow, covered with another layer of ice. So, essentially, a snow and ice sandwich.  With a side of Bitter Cold.
Winter at bass lake
Very crusty, and very slippery! Of the many things I thought I’d experience in Texas,  legitimate Snow Days were not on the list. The weekend was pretty much canceled. Our community scheduled a worship service here Sunday morning since virtually every church had canceled its services. But then even that service was canceled due to icy conditions!  Senior Citizens + Ice – TROUBLE!
But you know what? My complaints are few. We only lost power for about five minutes in the last four days. Our house is toasty, we have no place to go, and I have just enjoyed three full days of guilt-free sewing. Today the Big Melt continues, and by the end of the week, the temperature might make it up to 50!
And the birds are very happy we got that birdfeeder hung before the storm!
Winter at bass lake

Stay safe and warm, friends!

Steph

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Family and Friends, Life at Bass Lake Lot 205, SOWER Projects, The Adventure

Sixteen for Dinner

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Yep – Sixteen. In our Little Lindale House!!

It started quite innocently.  Four SOWER couples were working at a nearby SOWER project, and since we had previously worked with three of them, we wanted to make sure we connected before they left the area.  Surely we could host those good folks for burgers, right? We checked with all parties involved, and set the day and time  – it was a go! But wait – what about the active SOWERs that live here in our community? Maybe they would like to come and meet these guys. OK, that’s only 2 more couples – we could still fit, couldn’t we? Oh – I forgot – there’s an Alumni SOWER parked in our SOWER RV lot. I bet they’d like to come too! And so it was – including the old SOWERs who live in the house, there were 16 of us for dinner! It was a pseudo-structured potluck – burgers, rolls, and fixin’s were covered. The rest was a delightful surprise! Thankfully, the weather was mild enough that about half the gang was outside at any given time,
Dinner party
Dinner party
so while the fellowship was very sweet, it didn’t have to also be “close fellowship”!
Until we all squeezed in for a traditional SOWER Group Picture, that is!
Dinner party

I loved the way the plan came together!! It’s an encouragement to me to get back on the entertaining bandwagon, but also to keep a close eye on the weather!! Yesterday it was in the high 50’s. Not too bad for January. Today it has rained all day, and the temps are plummeting as I type. Starting tomorrow morning, we’re being promised 90+ hours of below-freezing weather. Like in the teens below-freezing.

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Oh, and some sort of wintery mix – rain, sleet, freezing rain and maybe even snow. We’re stocked up on our bread, eggs, milk, and TP so I think we’re ready!  (Oh, and maple syrup for that French Toast!)

Needless to say, we got that dinner party in just under the wire! Pretty sure we won’t be budging from the house until next week sometime. (Unless the power goes out and we need to find a neighbor with a working generator!)

Texas isn’t the only location under a Winter Weather Watch – so stay warm and safe out there, friends!! Maybe you should stay home too!!

Steph

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Family and Friends, Life at Bass Lake Lot 205, Pictures of the Adventure, The Adventure

And just like that…

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it’s the last Saturday in November! Life seems to be going at warp speed these days, so I’d better do a bit of a rewind to see just how we got here! Starting with
Thanksgiving!
We joined about 70 other neighbors and their families for a grand Thanksgiving feast on Thursday.
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It was great! But what made it very special for us is that sitting around our table (and I have no photo proof of this!) were our kids and grands from Waco! So.Much.Food.  So.Much.Fun.  Much to my heart’s delight, the gang arrived before The Dinner
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and then stayed the night –
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so it was great fun as we all fit into our little nest (and a nearby guest room) and enjoyed some close fellowship!Untitled

(Gary missed our family photo because he was off working on a Sewer Sump Pump Emergency. But he was there most of the time, I promise!)

Then the week before we were in
Louisana!…
for two weeks, helping out with a building project at one of our favorite ministries – Dry Creek Baptist Camp. They had a couple of decks (16X30 (!!!) and 16×16) that needed to be built, so we joined the team!! And much to my amazement, in 8 days: the posts were installed for the roof cover (10 – 8x8x20 posts), the unit had its skirting installed, both decks were built (including railings and steps) and the area was cleaned up! Phew!
From a typical Monday
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to the following Wednesday afternoon –
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Success!
The back yard was likewise impressive –
In the beginning –
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At the completion –
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Since working with giant pieces of pressure-treated lumber (i.e. stinking heavy) isn’t really my forte, I was primarily working on the skirting. This was a first for me, but with a little help from YouTube (and Gary) I think I got the hang of it!
Skirting
Gary jumped in to help with some of the more technical parts (i.e. cutting to size)
Preparing the skirting
and I also had a great assist from one of the interns when the skirting had to go behind the in-process-of-being-built deck.
Skirting challenge
(Skirting Tip – do it BEFORE you put on a deck!)

With all of the heavy lifting the guys were doing, I confess it was a mostly light-duty time for me! (I also confess that I didn’t hate that!) During our last couple of days, I was able to help in the kitchen with prep work for their monthly Community Fish Fry (which was excellent as always!).
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Now those are my comfort-zone tools!
All in all, it was a lovely couple of weeks! Gary came home tired each day – but it was a good tired – and it was great to see a building project from the start to the finish. Since we had no house chores to take care of at the end of the day, we may or may not have binge-watched the final season of Blue Bloods during our downtime.  Plus, we were able to reconnect with old friends and make some new ones along the way!

Meanwhile – back at The Little Texas House –
Gary continues to find things to construct!
There’s the new gazebo on the deck –
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(This picture was taken upon our return from Louisiana. Hence the  plethora of leaves and acorns!)
He removed the existing walkway cover and built the framing for a roof extension on the driveway cover.

Thankfully, he let actual roofers finish the job.
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On a rainy day, he helped me inside, getting some pictures hung while I worked on some Christmas decorations.

It’s beginning to feel really cozy in here!
While he’s been building, I’ve been enjoying my new design wall in my sewing room (which he also built for me!)-

It’s very exciting to me to be able to lay things out like that, even though it will probably be January before I get to sewing those squares together!

Looking ahead, the days continue to be full (and fabulous, I’m sure).
We leave on Monday morning to complete our grandson’s Texas Adventure – four days in San Antonio!
The following week, I leave for seven days with my sister in Pennsylvania. (Who knows what Gary will build while I’m away??)
The week after that is – yes – Christmas and the day after Christmas we leave for a Conrad (post)Christmas Holiday in Destin. Florida.
When I look at my phone calendar (which I am trying very hard to keep current), I have 8 days with nothing scheduled between now and January 5th. I’m pretty sure your calendar has a similar glow to it! I’ll try to pop in here from time to time in December – but no promises my friends!

May these next days be filled with many reminders that Christ is the reason for this season, and that wise men still seek Him!
Steph

 

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Family and Friends, Life at Bass Lake Lot 205, The Adventure

Tuesday Newsday

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Seven Snippets for a bit of catch-up!

    1. Taran’s Adventure took an unexpected turn when a persistent (though not continuous) tummy ache (Taran) and then an unexplained foot pain (Gary) cut our time in Fredericksburg short.  We still managed to fit in some fun –
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      But it was a much quieter adventure than we expected it would be. Yet all is not lost. I was able to get a refund from the campground we stayed at (SKYE Texas Hill Country Resort – highly recommend!) since we left three days early, and have already booked a spot in downtown San Antonio for Taran’s Adventure – Part II!

    2. We have three birthdays in October – one in each of our kids’ families. This year I tapped into a bit of AI to help with their birthday photos –
      Reis turned 12 Alex turned 11 Deacon turned 6

      Sure do love these superheroes!

    3. Gary has been very busy this fall. And most of that busyness seems to have involved ladders!!
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      So many hard to reach chores!

    4. I have a new upgrade in my sewing room. My first ever (and much anticipated) design wall! It’s just a couple sheets of foam board covered with some old flannel sheets, but I’m so excited to have something vertical to lay out my quilts!Untitled
      I’m feeling kinda fancy these days!
    5. I’ve been spending a little time each morning updating our mailing address.  Since we have an actual address these days, I won’t be renewing our mail forwarding service when that comes due. Unfortunately, given current postal regulations, since we are already using a forwarding service, I can’t just fill out one of those handy dandy ‘change of address’ cards and be done with it. No. I need to change every address myself. The reality is we don’t get much mail, but even with most of our life on line, there are lots of places to make that change. I think I’ve done the major ones – credit cards, banking/investments, Medicare, and insurances. Pretty sure I’ll be doing this for a while yet!

(Reading over that last paragraph sounds a bit whiny. – Sorry ’bout that – just keeping it real! Life’s not all new decks and sewing studios!)

6. When we moved here we loved the fact that we had a tree in our yard.


And when we decided to add a deck, we knew we would have guaranteed shade. Yay! The good news is that it’s a Live Oak, and it stays green all year. The bad news is that it’s a Live Oak and it sheds copious amounts of acorns each fall. Combined with metal roofs on all of our covers, we often feel like we’re in a war zone. Those little brown bullets land with gusto (are the squirrels throwing them?), and when the wind blows it sounds like a machine gun. If you’re outside and a breeze picks up, you’d better head for cover!
Every morning (truly, Every.Morning.) our deck looks like this.
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Gary blows them off, and it starts all over again!  This too shall pass, right? Keep focusing on the shade…

7. We have officially listed our dear Lizzie for sale! She has been our constant companion (and home) for over 20 years, but to everything there is a season. And now is the season for her to find a new family! As I was emptying cupboards and cleaning her up, I was reminded of all the memories we made during our years together.  God has been so gracious to give us (and we had zero RV-ing experience) such a great coach, and we feel she still has many miles to go and more memories to make. So if you know of anyone who might be interested, please let us know! (You can check out more pictures HERE! She really did clean up nicely!)

Phew – that took way longer than I thought it would! But it feels good to be back on the blogging road, even if it is a little sporadic! Thanks for stopping by!

Steph

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