It's hard to believe that we've been here in Texas a little over a week. We are just about completely settled in and are starting to get into a regular routine. The weather was a little cooler today as the clouds hung around and there was very little sunshine peeking through.

This morning John worked out in the yard digging up mesquite tree shoots and raking up more dead grass. He now has several piles of debris that need to be bagged up and placed out by the curb for pickup. My plan for today was to start decorating the Christmas tree, but after testing the strings of lights, I found they did not work. After about an hour of working on them and trying to replace bulbs and fuses, it was concluded that we would go to Wal Mart and purchase some new ones.

With the tree decorating on hold, I baked some brownies to take to this afternoon's Condo Party. This was the first one for us since we've been back. There was a good crowd as many of the Winter Texans are now at the fort. We had a good time visiting, catching up, and eating some delicious snacks. We were also sorry to learn that a few of our regulars will not be wintering with us this year.

As the holidays approach there are many special events coming up. The first is a Christmas parade tomorrow night. It looks like we'll be kept pretty busy over the next few weekends.