The Golf Cart / Rat Rod

We'd talked about getting a golf cart for the RV park here.

We discussed it for a couple of years actually, with John strongly in favor

(DUH ----It's got a motor!)

and me not so much. The little exercise I get consists of walking the dog and carrying dirty clothes to the 

laundry about 100 yards away.

Well.......

After the knee replacement I couldn't carry the clothes and could barely negotiate the little hill.

We finally agreed a golf cart would be a practical thing to own.

We went down to the local golf cart dealer to check out the selection of pre-owned vehicles.

We didn't need much of a cart; just something for the laundry and driving to the dock.

Something strictly plain Jane.

Utilitarian.

No frills at all.

The dealer showed us what must be the bottom of the golf cart barrel.

He assured us that the cart ran great; he'd replaced the blah de blah

and tuned the do de do.

The price was not what I expected. Hundreds more than I thought it would be.

After all, we were used to the prices in south Texas where golf carts are everywhere.

There are more golf carts in Llano Grande than bicycles and you can get a nice one for a very good price.

You can see what we had to deal with.

It looked like this for a week.

Never leave well enough alone.....

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We got our hands on some rattle cans and the next thing we knew...

I was on the 'net looking for decals.

We may have more money in decals than paint.

Above-- a chrome skull and cross bones valve stem cap 

with red jeweled eyes ....oooooooh!

Below-- Pretty self explanatory..

If they didn't want a beer opener they shouldn't put cup holders there.

This is our first gas powered golf cart and we are really liking it.

After all, you can really tweek a gasser!

La Borde House

Following 83 Highway northwest from Mercedes you'll reach Rio Grande City, 

home of the La Borde House Hotel.

The La Borde House was built in 1899 by Francoise La Borde, and used as a home for the family and a way-station for travelers. One block south on the Rio Grande was a landing for river boats that carried goods and passengers.

The house boasted a tunnel that traveled to the river, and rumors are varied as to the purpose.

 The house became a hotel, then a boarding house and a hotel again. 

It fell in to disrepair but was resurrected in the early 1980s and is now on the National Register of Historic Homes.

At the end of the porch you can see half of a double door.

Keep that in mind as we'll return.

The rooms have been furnished in period furniture and wallpaper.

The floor lamp seems a bit tacky though.

The rooms have footed tubs and pedestal sinks, and the commodes are in a their own little room.

A beautiful marble topped dresser.

Most of the rooms have fireplaces.

This is the room that Lady Bird Johnson reportedly stayed in during a visit.

The lovingly restored furniture is in all the rooms and here a fainting couch waits

in the hall.

This shows the second story in back, above the courtyard.

We plan to spend a night at the hotel this winter, and the double doors open to the room I want to sleep in.

Called The Red Room it was the former lodging of a woman who "entertained" gentlemen callers.

It's also ............haunted.

Yes, the entire hotel is supposed to be a hot bed of paranormal activity.

Visitors report cold areas of rooms and unexplained noises - visions of bodies floating by and children laughing or calling their mothers.

The Red Room is reputed to be the busiest spot due to the suicide of the woman who plied her trade there.

Who knows?

Maybe something will go bump in the dark.

Coen and Macy

We're back at Pomme de Terre Lake.

Coen comes to visit us with his mom and dad.

And while he's here he also visits Macy, the cutie who has a trailer 3 lots up.

Macy has her own jeep, a fact that can only add to her appeal.

Getting nearer.

Is that a good lookin' couple or what?

Sago Palm's Surprise

Our neighbors Mike and Marcia have a beautiful sago palm.

At about 4 1/2 feet tall it's a fabulous speciman.

Sagos are a pricey plant at this size, probably valued at $800 to $1000

You can see the new growth surrounding the trunk at ground level,

but the plant has a surprise for you.

If you stand on Marcia's porch and look down

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And if you lean in a little closer

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And finally pull the fronds back

That cone is about 18 inches tall!

I did some research and yes - that's a male plant!

And a proud one too!

Killdeer Chicks

We have new neighbors down the street.

A pair of  killdeer and their four new chicks have taken residence.

They are so much fun to watch. The babies hatch running and looking for food.

They are a couple of weeks old in these photos, and can they ever scramble.

The mother and father are always close and watching. If you get too near they will suddenly develop a broken wing and thrash around on the ground, leading you away from the nest.

Another Knee Entry

I can't believe I forgot something so important in the last post.

This is a C P M device, or Continuous Passive Motion machine.

It is used to flex and extend the knee after surgery.

I was introduced to the C P M in my room the day of surgery.

I'd heard stories about this implement in the past; about patients waking up to incredible pain strapped to this remnant of the Spanish Inquisition.

I was already awake when they bound me to it.

Here you can see my foot velcroed to the foot brace. There's also a strap that holds the thigh to the top end of the machine. There's a hand control that allows the patient to adjust the angle of flex in the knee with a maximum bend of 120 degrees. It will also straighten the knee to an angle of negative 12 degrees. I had a better flex than most patients, but couldn't straighten my leg at first.

After 3 days in the hospital I went home to my very own C P M.

My P T tells me people tend to be evenly divided about the device. 

Some patients consider it torture and adamantly refuse to use it.

Others seem to endure it better.

Put me firmly in the LOVE IT!! column.

I fall asleep on the machine.

My daughter says nobody sleeps like that.

Her friends who are P Ts are stunned.

I should only use it twice a day, but would live on it if possible.

They are taking the C P M back next week.

I'm thinking of having a picture of it tattooed on my thigh.

About 22 years ago, I went to a Doctor Rice in Kansas City, Kansas for diagnosis of a knee problem.

I'd injured my left knee in my early teens and as predicted then the knee was giving up.

The orthopedic surgeon told me then my only solution was a new knee; that I should baby the knee as much as possible and when the pain became intolerable he'd replace it.

I later went to Dr. Roger Hood in Overland Park, Kansas and got the same diagnosis; the joint was worn out and had to be replaced.

I really didn't have that much pain with my knee. I stood for long hours cutting hair and the swelling was a problem, but not painful. I went to the gym 5 mornings a week with few issues.

As long as I was walking on level surfaces I had few problems. I decided to wait for the surgery. Every day the surgeon learned another trick and the prostheses improved. 

Last fall sometime in September something changed. As I was walking the dog down a slope I felt a new sensation; kind of a wobble side to side. Using the same action as I had in the past I ignored it. It soon progressed to a situation I had to address.

I decided to have the surgery here in the Rio Grande Valley. A lot of us geezers reside here in the Valley and we attract physicians who specialize in orthopedics. Hospitals also specialize, one a 20 minute drive from our home. The streets in our park are nice and flat with cautious drivers, and we have a lovely pool and hot tub. There is also a fitness center here that I could use before and after surgery.

I called Dr. Bassett in October. I saw him in February for the first time. I had surgery on April 11th.

Taken Monday April 28th.

It was 103 degrees when I took my walk.

You can easily see the left knee is still swollen.

I'm walking down the street in my jammies because............

I can.

This is Karen, my Physical Therapist. She's been in the business 37 years.

Sure, she looks like Mary Poppins here but when she says she's going to straighten my knee red lightening bolts shoot out her eyes. I see her three days a week and she's really done a marvelous job. Earl the cat adores her and has taught her how to turn the kitchen faucet on.

This is Belinda (pronounced Bell EEN da, not Bee linda).

She is my home care nurse who comes twice a week to take vitals and check my blood levels. 

I'm on Coumadin to prevent blood clots and it needs monitoring.

I have to say it's been a better experience than I was braced for. Three weeks out from surgery I'm seeing improvement almost every day. It's been harder on my poor husband. He's responsible for everything from cooking to pet care and he's holding up great. 

I see the surgeon's assistant on Monday. He'll evaluate my progress and I'll plan my next knee surgery for this fall.

Hey, I've already got the walker!

Flowers

The bougainvilleas on the west side of our property are in bloom. They have become one of my favorite flowers here in the Valley. There are three different shades of rose/fushia/pink here. The queen palms in the back ground are the north boundary and the fence in the mid-distance surrounds the tennis courts just behind us.

A close up of the bougainvilleas

This is a climbing rose named pinata, given to me by my friend Theresa.

I hope it will grow over the metal archway between the driveway and the back patio area. I had an enormous yellow mandevilla vine that died in the cold weather we had this winter. The rose has yellow buds, opening to an orange flower that turns to a deep coral red. When the plant has all three colors going at one time it's very striking. Theresa insists it will survive here with limited sun light and a clay bed that seems mighty muddy to me. I hope she's right.

This is my one remaining hibiscus.

 The other two died when I dug them up in order to save them.

It is an ugly story and one I choose not to share.

The area around my front porch has an asparagus fern I moved from the back of the lot, the Crown of Thorns once planted in a bed in front and a variety of aloe vera in the tall plant in back. The aloe had a tall stem growing from the middle of the plant with a cluster of orange blooms at the top, but did I get a photo? Nooooooo.

Another asparagus fern recently relocated from the back next to a yucca that also made the move.

Vikki left the geranium when she headed to places north.

The succulent to the right with the flat paddle shaped leaves is a type of kalanchoe.

The baby Crown of Thorns has since moved in to the cat planter because the Mexican heather shown there in this photo became too moody for its own good,

This used to be filled with rock and was home to the Crown of Thorns. 

I simply cannot tell you the amount of work it took to get the rocks out of the two beds in the front of the house. Of course I did it last fall when temperatures were in the high 90s, and I was too stubborn to admit I'd made a mistake in starting the job. I could have paid a couple of workers to do it in a day but instead worked on the job for 2 weeks. 

But the croton  looks great there, right?!!!!

This simple little white flower doesn't look impressive but,

covering a citrus tree it has a huge impact in fragrance.

The smell is indescribable.

It is so heady,

euphoric,

intoxicating.....

It is sublime!

The perfume only lasts a few weeks but ohhhhhhhh..

If the honeysuckle and lilac knew they would hang their heads in shame.