Wind, Weather and Wildlife

Well, I am still feeling a little blue after the 49ers lost the Super Bowl. I can't believe they lost. I think if we could have made something happen in the third quarter we could have stayed on top. At least it was a fun game to watch, and it wasn't a blowout. "Keeping it real" I would have loved to see the 49ers blow away the Chiefs. Sunday night matched my feelings as strong winds, rain, thunder, and hail happened. It was crazy. Hubby got some videos from our door cameras. "and yet He did not leave Himself without a witness, in that He did good and gave you rains from heaven and fruitful seasons, satisfying your hearts with food and gladness." Acts 14:17 (NASB).

Hail and lightening.

More of the craziness.

Bonus video!

Hubby has also been keeping up with the game camera and more skunks pigs at the alfalfa feeder.

Still think they are gross, just saying.

Last Sunday, before the Super Bowl, I started my veggie prep with my new food saver. It was a very busy day as you blanched and shocked the veggies and then flash freeze before you can seal them. Then on Monday, I made bread. "Keeping it real" vacuum sealing bread isn't what it's cracked up to be. Hope when the bread thaws and it comes out of the bag it will puff back up. 

Made salsa also.

Froze steaks.

Hamburger.

Here are the veggies.

Bread before vacuum sealing.

Bread after, so sad.

After coming home from town on Tuesday, we saw a duck in the pond. Just one, that was strange to me. I got a picture of it and so did hubby. One his phone he was able to identify what type of duck it was.

My duck picture.

Hubby's duck picture.

A little info about the Ring-necked Duck. My dad calls it a diving duck.

When we first got here in December, we bought some bird seed and put it out in the bird feeder. At first you could put it in the barrel, but it broke, so we just put it in the tube at the bottom. It is becoming more popular with the birds, and it is fun to watch them fly in and eat. Hubby caught a Cardinal Thursday night.

What a pretty boy.

Since I am freezing food for us, I wanted to get an organizer for the deep freeze. The containers came in on Friday and I was able to play with my frozen bags of food. I like to have things organized. "Keeping it real" right now, I have a lot of things out of place. We have breakfast and lunch in the RV and then dinner in the house, so instead of taking things back and forth, I am leaving more and more things in the house for the different meals. Tomorrow, I will start packing all that up and just eat all meals in the RV. We leave West Texas to go to Magnolia on February 24th. Sorry, I didn't want to take a picture of my mess. I will leave that to your imagination. 

What a beautiful sight.

We were able to drive around on the Polaris and God gave us another beautiful sky.

Just love it out here!

Saturday, we did go to San Angelo. It was fun, we had a good time and also ran some errands. Must do that while you can because it is an hour and a half to get to San Angelo just like it is to get to Midland. We didn't sightsee because it was just too cold. We did figure out that we like San Angelo more than we like Midland. They even have a Sam's Club so I can stock up on meat and veggies and freeze them. "The color of springtime is flowers; the color of winter is in our imagination." Terri Guillemets.

I asked a former co-worker, Rick Emerson, places to eat in San Angelo 

(he and his family used to live here), so I chose this place

because of the cute name. It didn't disappoint.

Well, since football is over, and that game hurt my heart, we will just do things around the property today. If it isn't too cold like yesterday.

Now a little history on Odessa, Texas. It was founded in 1881 as a water stop and cattle-shipping point on the Texas and Pacific Railway. The first post office opened in 1885. Odessa became the county seat of Ector County in 1891 when the county was first organized. It was incorporated as a city in 1927, after oil was discovered in Ector County on the Connell Ranch southwest of Odessa.

Welcome to Odessa, TX

Oil drilling.

A 1960's look.

Ector Theater downtown Odessa.

Odessa is said to have been named after Odesa, Ukraine, (historically spelled Odessa) because of the local shortgrass prairies resemblance to Ukraine's steppe landscape.

Odessa, Texas shortgrass.

Ukraine's steppe landscape.

With the opening of the Penn Field in 1929, and the Cowden Field in 1930, oil became a major draw for new residents. In 1925, the population was just 750; by 1929, it had risen to 5,000. For the rest of the 20th century, the city's population and economy grew rapidly during each of a succession of oil booms (roughly in the 1930s–1950s, 1970s, and 2010s), often with accompanying contractions during the succeeding busts (particularly in the 1960s and 1980s). Oil is a tricky business. 

The Permian Baskin is one of the oldest and most well known hydrocarbon-producing areas. 

The first oil well drilled was July 1920, over 30 billion barrels of crude have been 

recovered and experts predict there are at least 20 billion barrels remaining.

Fun facts: The city is famous for being featured in the book Friday Night Lights: A  Town, a Team and a Dream, and the movie adaption, Friday Night Lights.

The movie.

Also in 1948, Odessa was also the home of First Lady Barbara Bush, and the onetime home of former Presidents George H. W. Bush and George W. Bush. Former President George H. W. Bush has been quoted as saying "At Odessa we became Texans and proud of it.

President George H. W. Bush

Hope this week is full of fun, family and friends! May God go before you and yours!

If there is something special you would like me to take a picture of, please let me know!
 
Drop a comment for me and let me know your thoughts on the blog.
 
God, the RV & me...