Latestarter's ramblings/musings/gripes and grumbles.

[AClark]

Late, we do that at my parents house (well, actually, my "parents" are my grandparents) with the whole Christmas morning thing. I leave the things we get the kids at home and they get to open them either Christmas eve or the day after. We do Santa at my parents place - I just told my kids that I let Santa know where we'd be and he knows where their ranch is. Only my 5 year old still kind of believes now though. I messed up last year using the same wrapping paper for Santa as I did for everything else and she confronted me about it recently, lol.
I ended up telling her "Santa had too much over-head this year, so we left paper out for him to wrap their things with" - she's skeptical.
We don't even have our Christmas tree up, our pack out day is next week and I didn't see any point in getting it out, all decorated, just for it to be taken down and packed up 4 days before Christmas.

As for the weather, I guess I'm going to have to rub it in a little bit. It's currently 60F out at 05:30 AM. The high is supposed to be about 75. It's -8F at my SIL's right now, and as much as she likes to rub it in when it's over 105 here, I get my payback in the winter for sure. Worst we have is a wind advisory this afternoon. I hate the wind here, it's ridiculous.

 

[Baymule]

I hope you and your family have a fantastic Christmas together. What better way to celebrate a new home in a new place than celebrating with family! I know @Devonviolet and DH and me and DH came over and ate your delicious steak (you can have us over to celebrate any time you want to LOL) but nothing is the same as family. Better get yourself out there and cut up some more of that tree.

 

[Bruce]

Late, we do that at my parents house (well, actually, my "parents" are my grandparents) with the whole Christmas morning thing. I leave the things we get the kids at home and they get to open them either Christmas eve or the day after. We do Santa at my parents place - I just told my kids that I let Santa know where we'd be and he knows where their ranch is. Only my 5 year old still kind of believes now though. I messed up last year using the same wrapping paper for Santa as I did for everything else and she confronted me about it recently, lol.
I ended up telling her "Santa had too much over-head this year, so we left paper out for him to wrap their things with" - she's skeptical.
We don't even have our Christmas tree up, our pack out day is next week and I didn't see any point in getting it out, all decorated, just for it to be taken down and packed up 4 days before Christmas.

As for the weather, I guess I'm going to have to rub it in a little bit. It's currently 60F out at 05:30 AM. The high is supposed to be about 75. It's -8F at my SIL's right now, and as much as she likes to rub it in when it's over 105 here, I get my payback in the winter for sure. Worst we have is a wind advisory this afternoon. I hate the wind here, it's ridiculous.

Not as ridiculous as the same wind when it is -12F!!!
Hope you all are dealing OK with the stress of moving. Gotta be even harder with younger children.

.....

Hey, tell ya what, if I play the lottery and win a jack pot, I'll buy each of you a vacation for two (you and your SO) to a nice tropic location for a week's stay. Now that's if it happens in the winter months of course. Now, am I generous or what? Sometimes I crack myself up...

Aw damn, I thought you were going to bring us to your place for some great eats!

 

[Latestarter]

...I messed up last year using the same wrapping paper for Santa as I did for everything else and she confronted me about it recently, lol. I ended up telling her "Santa had too much over-head this year, so we left paper out for him to wrap their things with" ... I hate the wind here, it's ridiculous.

The days before reality were totally precious WRT Santa and the Easter bunny and all that good stuff. Was kind of a shame when they outgrew it. My middle daughter found some sales receipts and tied them to the gifts and that was that She hated me for that for a long time. But then she always was the melodramatic drama queen type... Still is from what I understand. Never did question her as to why she was where the receipts were located in the first place It's not like I just left them on the table...

If you hate the wind there, I doubt you'll find it much better where you're going... Oklahoma, where the wind comes sweeping (ripping) down the plains?

(you can have us over to celebrate any time you want to LOL)

Thanks Bay I think next get-together we have over here I'll do a pork shoulder on the rotiss. Almost better than pulled pork Slow cooked over 4-5 hours at low-medium temp... Like butta I tell ya!

Aw damn, I thought you were going to bring us to your place for some great eats!

Hey! Pack a bag Bruce and come on down! I got a spare room you and the missus can use. You can do the tourista thing around TX and meet some of the other TX contingent I'll promise at least one good meal while you're here Sorry, but I haven't won a jack pot yet to be able to fund your trip for ya...

 

[greybeard]

I've worked all over the US and traveled the world in my misspent youth. Coldest/most miserable place I ever worked was around Elk City Oklahoma in Jan-Feb-Mar. Windy, wet, muddy, and cold. Nothing between there and the Canadian border but a few barbed wire fences.

 

[AClark]

El Paso is windy all spring and part of the fall - we have a wind advisory today and I can still see out my back door so it's not up to the 50 mph winds they're claiming we'll have...yet. Where I grew up is a wind tunnel too, from March to May it's nothing but sandstorms. They actually made the news last spring for a huge accident on I10 due to a farmer plowing his fields and the wind kicking up all the dust off that. He hadn't planted it, and they got a company to come in with some stuff to spray it down and pretty sure they charged him out the rear end for it. They had to re-route the freeway traffic over an hour out of the way due to it.

The wind isn't the annoying part. It's the blowing sand that gets me. Walking out the door is like being sandblasted, it literally burns any uncovered skin. So, while I don't need a jacket because it's warm out, I do to protect my arms from the sand, lol.

Bruce, thanks for the kind words. We are dealing. I'm so tired lately I feel pretty useless, but we've gotten a lot done, and still more to go. Six more weeks and I get my energy back though!

 

[Bruce]

I can sure see the sandblasting issue with big wind. We don't have that problem. How do you keep paint on houses and vehicles?

 

[HomeOnTheRange]

I can sure see the sandblasting issue with big wind. We don't have that problem. How do you keep paint on houses and vehicles?

@Bruce most of the houses are fake mud (Stucco) or brick, not a whole lot of painted surface. If the vehicles are stationary they are OK, it is when you are traveling along and a nice 55 to 60mph gust comes along and pick ups a bunch of small rocks and you slam into them at 75mph. Paint gets pitted and windshield gets cracked/busted up. Windshield replacement is a BIG business here.

@Latestarter Hope you and your family have a great time together!! It sounds like it will be a grand ol' time. Is your son planning on moving close to you?

 

[Latestarter]

There's rumor that they'll be moving to southern TX this coming summer. She's hell bent and determined that she wants to be down in the Houston area. I've tried to talk some sense into her but once she has something locked in it's a difficult go. I've not warned her against Houston to get them closer to me... It's just too hot/humid/crowded/expensive/polluted/crime ridden/etc. and I know that she's only locked in down there as that's where the highest paying teacher jobs are in TX. Well, I have to say money isn't everything and quality of life is pretty important as well. I've tried to explain that she can get a position southeast or east of the Dallas area with quite similar pay, much less heat and humidity, less expensive, less crowded, but still have access to the big city. She's a "city girl" while my son is a "country boy". He'd much rather be in a place like mine with some acreage and a 1/2 hour drive to civilization.

They'll end up where ever works best for them and their plans. Houston is 4 hours away so still much closer than 24+ hours drive where they are now.

 

[Bruce]

Can't get her to run the numbers and see that where the pay is highest so is the cost of living, especially property? Doesn't matter if you buy a house, rent a house, rent an apartment, you are paying the cost of that property.