Tuesday and Wednesday

The weather is back to a normal type you would expect this time of the year for Florida, HOT. After my quiet time each morning and a lite breakfast I would head out on the 10 speed for the Rec. for pickle ball. I've been getting 2 good hours of workout with lots of players, today I went back to working out with the heavy weights after pickle ball. Tuesday I went back at 1 PM for badminton for an hour.

Today I laid around after the Rec. and caught up on some reading. Nancy picked me up around 4 PM to help with the fellowship meal at church. Tonight we had spaghetti, garlic bread, salad, cookies and ice cream. We served about 40 folks.

We went to our house church tonight and had 13 people. We decided how we can help with the Motion film fest Friday night in Tampa. There will be several of us who are going to attend from Pinellas.

Thursday night we are having Nancy's folks for dinner. Well not much going on, LATER.

Monday

Well the day started out the usual way with my quiet time and a lite breakfast before I headed out to the Rec. for pickle ball. I got in 2 good hours of play then stopped by the library on the way home. After lunch I dug around the large oak tree in the back yard to check for roots growing under the house foundation. Last year I had some major root extension but cut them out so this year only a few spider like roots. I cut them out with a shovel.

Nancy and I are without Amy and Ava this week so it was quiet around the house. We had left over Kansas beef burgers for lunch. Wow what a difference in taste of home grown meat. I read for a couple hours before I picked a couple of white egg plants that Nancy fried up for dinner along with a couple of yellow squash. We then had a fresh salad and made that our dinner. Well not much else going on so LATER.

Saturday

Well we said our thank you's and good bye's to those great folks we met at Calvary Chapel because of the AngelFood program. Nancy and I first served at Cornerstone our mountain church home and felt the need to serve when we came back to Florida for the winter. Now it seems our son's church Element is going to start the program in Tampa so of course we will serve there instead of Calvary. It just amazes me how GOD builds relationships through programs that help serve, of course remember CHRIST came to serve not be served. What a role model we have now we just need to JUST DO IT(where have I seen that logo).

Nancy and I was setback with our favorite store(just kidding, Publix is) Wal-Mart when they sent us an e-mail on Friday that they had cancelled our order(which was on the way) for Ava's kitchen which we were to give her on Saturday at her party. Short story long is we left Angelfood and went to Toy's R Us and purchased this beautiful wooden kitchen that came in a box weighing nearly a 100 lbs and was 8 inches high by 5 feet long. Well it took me 3 1/2 hours to put that creature together but it was well made and should last her until she gets married,ha ha. Actually we liked it much better than the one we had ordered. Ava and Annsley cooked several meals for all of us in the short time they got to play with in before the sand man arrived last evening.

Tyler smoked an amazing brisket which I must admit I had never eaten (or just don't remember). You could cut this with a fork and it just melted in your mouth. Luckily we ran out out before I totally ruined my arteries. The dinner was the best as Cindy(Tyler mom) made this super mac and cheese as well as homemade vanilla ice cream(there goes the arteries for sure). Nancy made a great bake beans casserole and cold slaw and Amy baked a mocha chocolate birthday cake for Ava. What a superb meal and a birthday party for Ava. She unwrapped presents forever. She was so subdued I wondered if she was alright. Cindy and Robb(Tyler's dad) gave Ava a blow up bounce house. The girls were in its having a super time so much so Annsley continued to bounce while we ate. The girls were just worn out but had so much fun and really love to get together.

Well this week promises to be an exciting one for Ava as Robb and Cindy are taking them to Disney world for 3 days. Ava can't wait to see Mickey, Minnie, Pluto and Donald Duck, she just lights up when you mention Disney World. Nancy and I are busy again this week starting this morning where we will do our last nursery at SFBC as we do the 4th Sunday; then we will be hopefully working at Cornerstone Church in the mountains as its getting to be that time when we head for higher ground and cooler temp's. On Friday its off to Tampa to help Element with the Motion Filmfest plus all the weekly activities we are involved with. Sure will miss Ava and Amy this week coming by for lunch but this is a preview of what we will expect this summer.

Well I've rambled long enough. This evening G/G and Pap invited us to their house for dinner. Here are a few pics. LATER.

Friday on Saturday Morning

This will be quick, as usual after a few minutes with the Creator(quiet time) and a lite breakfast I did 2 hours of hard play with my pickle ball buddies(7) then came home to work at neighbor Jon's camphor tree. What a beast that was and the sun was hot and direct. We got her down and sawed up, loaded on a trailer and truck and called it a day about 4PM. Must work on the trunk to get it down for a stump grinder.

After a lite dinner of homemade biscuits with cream of tuna and green peas we entertained our house church for a dessert social. We had about 15 people there and each family brought a dessert. I broke down and sampled 4 desserts. Now I must eat a piece of my granddaughters birthday cake today so I might as well forget about giving up on sweets. Yea that's right AVA is 2 years old today.

Well must go as we have Angelfood distribution day at Calvary Chapel. This will be our last as next year Element with start the program so we will go there instead of Calvary. Thanks for allowing us to serve your community with you. We learned so much with such a huge program over 750 orders monthly. Better go as its time to leave and will post pics later of the Birthday Party. LATER

Thursday Evening and Friday Morning

Wow what a busy day and the evening was even better with a superb gourmet meal at a reasonable price prepared by none other than our son, Bobby. We hooked up with friends Dan and Carol and headed to Tampa for an evening of fun and delicious dining. We were there nearly 3 hours and the restaurant was totally ours. I think there were 22 people(customers) with a support personel of 4 with Bobby as the chef. Wow what a delicious meal for a total of 35 bucks per person including tax and tip and a ton of freshly prepared food. Actually several of us donned aprons and became a part of the preparation process which was actually fun, educational and really is what made this a great dining experience. It seems this was Bobby's second gig at CHEFSONTHELOOSE.NET and has been asked to do a monthly gig as a guest chef. Go to Facebook and I've explained each dish we helped to prepare and ate last night. Can't wait until we do it again.

This morning was the usual with my quiet time, lite breakfast and a good 2 hour workout on the pickle ball court. Wow I'm beat and I haven't started to help neighbor Jon to finish with the big Camphor tree in his yard that we started on yesterday. Tonight we are having a dessert social with our house church at our house around 7 PM. That's about it for now except the temp's are back up and supposed to get 85 today with much more humidity. Tomorrow we have Angelfood Day at Calvary Church at 9 AM then its off to the beach. Tomorrow evening we are having Ava 2 birthday celebration with a big dinner and lots of family. Yea Tyler's folks will be here all the way from Kansas. LATER

Thursday

Well after my quiet time and oatmeal breakfast I rode off to the Rec. but not before I picked a bag of fresh kale for a senior lady(70+) who regularly walks at the Rec. each morning. You would have thought I bought her a bag of gold. Thats one of the the many blessing of having a garden and the plentifulness of sharing. I got in 2 good hours of pickle ball and I can feel my strength returning each day, PTL. When I got home around 10:15 I noticed my neighbor was in the process of taking down a huge Camphor tree in his front yard that was destroying his driveway.

I worked with Jon for a couple hours with his Stilh chainsaw(I find that relaxation for me) sawing down and up this tree. Tomorrow we will finish up and do the clean up. Tonight we are heading to Chefs on the Loose in Tampa as Bobby(son) is hosting a cooking show. I think there will be around 35 seats or people who have made reservation for dinner. The theme is Backyard Bistro. It's just like the Food Network with a celebrity chef(Bobby) cooking with audience participation. Sounds like fun and this will be his second dinner. So we are excited for him as well as proud of his love for preparing gourmet dishes. I will include pics on tomorrow's blog. LATER

Monday and Tuesday

Well I must say the weather here is beautiful once again as we have opened up the windows to let in the fresh, cool, dry air.Its been years since we have had the windows open this late in April. I must say its refreshing except for the night birds which start about 5 in the morning they in turn wake up the turkey gobbler next door. Well you can imagine the racket that causes, so I may have to close the bedroom windows tonight. Any how all is starting to get back to some what "normal" around here with regards to our health. Nancy is having some adjustments to her new blood pressure pills but at least the pressure has been reduced to around the normal levels. YEA!!! My cough is gone except for an occasional hack. I'm back to playing pickle ball every day for 2 hours so I'm trying to get in shape for the mountains.

After my daily quiet time and lite breakfast's I ride the bike to the Rec. for my daily workout. It's taking a little extra to get back in shape from my 2 weeks of laying around with that cough. I still manage to read at least one book a day and some times two. I prefer non-fiction true crime or memoirs but a novel by Andrew Gross called THE DARK SIDE was recommended to me by my library buddy and its a good read and one with a different plot. I'm about 1/2 way through as I started it yesterday.

Speaking of yesterday(Tuesday) Nancy and I drove over to Riverview(Annsley house) and watched her from about 4 until Bob got home around 6 PM. Jill's folks normally watch her but Brian, Jill's dad had a serious eye operation for a detached retina Tuesday so he will be flat on his tummy for a week. Kept the Kuyatt Family in your prayers. We had a great time with Annsley. She now refers to us and grandma and grandpa. She is such a smart one with lots of word recognition also she like to stand on her rocking horse seat seat and balance like she's on a tight rope lifting her hands out and and exclaiming "tata". She even to tried to stand on the horse's head. Nothing about heights frightens her. Bobby fixed us a super dinner of grilled salmon with stir fry and rice. YUMM. We got back to Seminole around 9:15.

Well little Ava will be 2 this Saturday so Tyler's folks are on their way from Kansas and will be here for a week or so. We are having a big family dinner as Tyler is smoking a large beef brisket and of course lots of good eatin' and a party. They are taking Ava to Disney World for 3 days next week. Well will close for now. I just planted 3 kinds of tomato seeds, kale, dill, green and jalapeno peppers as I will take them to the mountains when we leave in May. LATER

Saturday and Sunday

Well the weather is still amazing here with pleasant temperature and low humidity that lets us have the windows open. If only it would stay this way but if it did then we would be less inclined to go to the mountains. Oh well speaking of the mountains it looks as if we will head that way as of now on the 24 th of May. We will have Amy's birthday dinner on Friday and leave Sunday morning.

Saturday was a fun day with all the guys going to watch the puppy's run at Derby Lane. Nancy had a fun time watching Annsley and Ava play together in the kiddie pool and digging in the back yard. Nancy and I just chilled Saturday night watching the Ray's finally win a game but they wound up losing 3 of 4 games to the White Sox. Those guys better shape up or they will go back to being the worst club in baseball again. Maybe last year was a fluke!!!

We had a great worship time at Element and the attendance is climbing every week with lots of kids of all ages. Bobby is doing a great job and we are so proud of him. He is also doing a chef gig this Thursday in Tampa and we are planning on attending the dinner where he is the featured chef. It's called Backyard Bistro with Chefs on the Loose.

Well Tyler's folks are coming next week from Kansas for Ava 's second birthday. Amy is planning a big party next Saturday and Tyler is going to smoke a beef brisket. Should be a great time of celebration as well as good eatin'.

We had Dan, Carol, Stacy and Jerry for dinner tonight. I did marinated rosemary chicken breasts on the grill with oven spuds and home grown beets. Carol made a salad and Stacy made a pecan pie. We played a couple card games and all was gone by 8 PM. What good eatin' and lots of laughs. I think we are planning something for Kentucky Derby Day.

Well I will sign off for now, LATER

Friday on Saturday

After my usual quiet time and lite breakfast I rode to the Rec. for PB play and got in 2 hours. Finally getting my strength back after that bought of "whatever it was" that laid me up for 2 weeks; however I tweaked my right knee some how Friday before I ever got to the Rec. so last night is was a little sore. I will baby it this week end with a little R & R and some Motrin, yuck I hate taking pills. Hopefully will be back on the courts Monday.

Not much else going on as its been a quiet day without little Ava coming by on Friday. Bobby is bringing Annsley over today so the girls will get to play together. The men are taking Pap Pap(Nancy's dad) to the dog track for a couple hours this afternoon as he likes to go there occasionally. Its been nearly 4 years since we last went. I'm not much of a gambler but its fun to watch the dogs run against each other and its free to get in.

Nancy fixed a couple of home grown white eggplant for supper and were they ever good. She fries them, I know that's not healthy but when you sprinkle fresh oregano, basil and jalapeno pepper on them its very tasty. At last that's the way I like them.

Well the Rays came from behind last night and finally stopped their 2 game losing streak by beating the White Sox's. Will close for now.

Thursday

Wow I can not believe how nice the weather has been the past 2 days. We actually have reopened the windows as the humidity has taken leave from this area for the past 48 hours. It was actually cool this morning as I rode my bike to the Rec. After my usual quiet time and a lite breakfast of fruit I got in 2 hours of good fast pickle ball play with about 10 players. Finally got the wet t-shirt once again. Yea!!!

I got home to find Ava Mae visiting as her mom had a doctors appointment so we had fun with her in the yard and her fascination of buggies. She just loves playing with insects. After lunch we just played until it was time for Ava's nap at 2 PM. Nancy an I just laid around reading until it was time to meet with our group of pickle ball players for dinner at Nancy Brinner's house in Maderia Beach. There were about 15-16 in attendance and the food was plentiful with burgers, dogs, dips, salads and desserts. Thanks Nancy for opening up your house to all of us.

Well the Rays have loss the past 2 games with the Yankee's and are losing 2-1 with White Sox as I write. Come on guys you need to tighten up. Well will close for now.LATER

Tuesday and Wednesday

Well the morning was overcast and a hard rain had fallen in the early morning hours. I did my usual quiet time and a lite breakfast then headed off on the bike to the Rec. for some pickle ball. I played hard for about an hour and a half but could feel that I wasn't totally back to strength. I headed back home between the rain showers. Did it ever rain hard and with thunder and lightning all around.

I then headed out with Nancy for Sam's to do her weekly church shopping. It rained hard off an on the whole time but we managed to stay relatively dry. We got back home a little after noon then Ava and Amy came for lunch. Afterwards Ava and I played in the house and I read a little while she watched some Elmo's World. They left about 2 PM and Nancy and I just hung out with me reading and she on the Internet.

Nancy fixed a pot of Tortilla soup for supper and was it ever good. Amy and Ava came and she liked it as well. It was a good day for soup.

The temp's dropped down a little after the all day rain and this morning I opened the windows when I got home from the Rec. I had to wear a long sleeve shirt as I rode to the Rec. about 7:45. I played hard for about and hour and could once again feel I needed to back off on play. There were about 16 players this morning so I eased out early.

We did know one of the four teenagers killed Friday night in Seminole. The family use to attend SFBC but we haven't seen them in a couple of years. He was 15 as well as most of the kids were of that age. Once again 5 teenagers in 1 car trying to make it home before curfew, with 4 of them dying in a high speed crash.

Well I watched the Tampa Bay Ray's whup the Yankee's 15-5 on Monday and then they lost 7-2 on Tuesday to the Yank's. Looks like they have a decent ball club hope they can repeat like last year. Well will close for now. LATER

Sunday on Monday

Well the day started out with bright sunshine and humidity starting to rear its ugly head so that means the A/C with be on until next November. Oh well the price you pay for living in Florida. After our quiet time and lite breakfast we headed off to Element Church for a great worship service with son Bobby and about 175 others. We had about 18 that made the trip from our county to worship at Element.

We got back around 12:30 and started getting ready for the big family dinner that was happening at our place around 6 PM. I picked a mess of fresh beans(probably the last of the pole beans) including 1/2 runners and pole beans and snapped them while Nancy got yellow squash ready for her famous casserole. G/G was making the baked ham, pickled beets and eggs and GAB was making a spud casserole with Amy making a carrot cake. We had 14 for dinner and neighbors Jon, Mel and Phoenix came by later for dessert and coffee.

After dinner the girls went out in the back yard and hunted for Easter eggs as well as played in the dirt pile which my backyard has become. Everyone stayed until nearly 9 PM. The girls shared a bath together so they were asleep by the time they reached home. Its always great to watch the girls(Ava and Annsley) interact with each other and how much they change with each visit. I was ready for bed shortly after 10 PM as it had been a big day and Monday was going to be my first day back on the pickle ball court in over 2 weeks. My cough has just about completely faded but Nancy has developed a small tickle causing her to cough a little. LATER

Saturday

Well what a beautiful day except the humidity is back. After our quiet time and Big breakfast(pancakes, eggs and ham) we took off for the beach. I did a couple miles walking in the waters edge and ran into a couple friends. A former trooper and his 2 kids so I got the scoop on all that's happening with personnel at my old district. It's been 5 years this month since I hung up the gun and badge. Yow where does the time go. Rick said lots of retired troopers are coming back on patrol starting out again as rookies. Oh well I loved what I did, but for me 30 years was enough. Boy did I get a sun burn. Maybe its a result of me taking or being on antibiotics. I'm red as a lobster.

We kept Ava last evening as the Amy and Tyler when out for dinner and then birthday shopping for Ava. She will be 2 the 25th. So cute she is and so smart. Nancy fixed her pasta dish with tons of fresh basil, oregano, garlic over penna pasta with tomatoes and a little red wine. Wow is that better than the Olive Garden recipe. Ava loves it as well.

Well we are heading out to Tampa for Element's first Easter Service. Bob , Jill and Annsley along with Nancy's folks and her sister Betsy family along with Ava's folks will all be here for dinner this evening. Looks like a house full to eat a ham dinner with all the fixin's. Hope all of you have a great Easter and share in the great news of the empty tomb. Love to all, LATER.

Friday on Saturday Morning

Well Friday morning started out with bright sunshine and with temp's in the 60's. It got a little warmer and muggy as the day progressed. After our quiet time and lite breakfast I piddled around in the garden, Nancy went to get Ava and Amy(Ty took the truck for service) and they stayed until the afternoon. Daisy came after lunch for a visit and I rode to the library on the bike for some books I had ordered. I spent the afternoon reading a historical novel about the Mormons and their plural marriages called the 19th WIFE. The book is very interesting with flashbacks to the early 1800's and the history of LDS(Latter Day Saints) with Smith and Young.

After a lite dinner Nancy and I headed over to Element Church in Tampa for a benefit concert for one of the couples who are adopting a baby about to be born in August. There were 3 bands performing with around 150-200 in attention. It definitely left you awake with loud music and the place rocked out. We stopped by Wal-Mart on the way home to look for a kitchen for Ava's birthday. We were there at after 10 PM and the place was packed. No wonder they are a success in the business world.

I seem to be not coughing as much, thankfully. I have one more day of antibiotics but I really don't think they mattered much as I think this infection was viral not bacterial. Anyhow I just want to be cough free.

Well I think we are heading to the beach this morning with neighbors Dan and Carol. Tonight we are watching Ava while Amy and Tyler have the evening out. LATER

Thursday on Friday

Well its another beautiful day in sunny Florida with just a touch of humidity in the air. By the week-end its supposed to be in the 80's once again with the warm muggy air returning. My cough has slowed down to where its bearable but after a little research I've come to the conclusion its a viral lung condition and antibiotics didn't seem to help. I will rest this day and the week-end then try to once again work out starting on Monday. Nancy is coping with her new(4th) blood pressure medicine and so far it seems to be working with minimal side effects.

We are heading this evening to the Element warehouse for a benefit concert for a young couple who are adopting an infant then to stop off at Wal-Mart and find a toy kitchen for Ava as she will be 2 on the 25th of this month. Where does the time go?? Nancy and I are starting to think about heading back to the mountains around the end of May. We are planning on 2 trips back to Florida this summer as we have a wedding to attend on the 31st of July and then for Annsley's 2nd birthday on the 11th of October. This is our last year for cooking at SFBC so we will be able to head back after her birthday for the leaf festival the end of October and to experience a little cold weather into November if we desire.

Well not much else happening at this time except I'm ready to be done with this coughing completely and to return to wet shirts at the gym in pickle ball. Thanks to all who have called and sent e-mails. Wishing all a Happy Easter and hopefully all will take a few minutes to reflect on what Jesus did for each of us on the cross today, Good Friday. LATER

Wednesday on Thursday

This morning (Thur.) is not nearly as nippy as yesterday. Wed. the highs were only in the 60's unbelievable for Florida this time of the year. The sun is shining brightly and its just another clear day. The humidity is supposed to return as well as high temps for the week end. I certainly wish I could get rid of this cough. I've been doing a little research and I think I have bronchitis the viral type as the antibiotics don't seem to affect it. I suppose I will head back to CVS and find a good cough suppressant with an expectorant as I don't have a lot phlegm. Oh well I sure will be glad to be rid of this nagging sometimes constant cough.

Dinner at church was a success as Nancy made her famous potato casserole with ham and garlic green beans. Just after getting home neighbors Jim, Laurie and Kayla came by with a dish of homemade chili that was out of this world good. I had eaten at 5 PM so wasn't hungry until I decided to taste this dish. Well I finished it while Nancy was in the shower. Sooo Gooood. Thanks neighbors. We watched American Idol and kept flipping back to the Ray's vs the Red Sox game. The Ray's won 7-2. Go Rays!!!

Well I haven't coughed much this morning so maybe its running it course as last night I hacked and coughed until about 2 AM. Hope all of you are well and I don't wish this cough on anyone. LATER

Tuesday on Wednesday Morning

Brrrr its down right nippy here for this time of the year in Florida. I have been sleeping in until 7:30 or so trying to build my strength once again to fight this infection or whatever I acquired a couple weeks ago. I started my second round of antibiotics and thankfully the coughing has stopped except for an occasional hack. I just find it so hard to accept I couldn't fight this off with good food, exercise and Vit. C. Oh well!!! The morning started out with the usual quiet time and lite breakfast. I helped Nancy shop at Sam's for the Wednesday Night fellowship meal then Amy came over with Ava and we all had lunch together.

After lunch I read and took it easy(laid around) until it was time to water the garden. The few Hot days last week has just about caused the veggies to mature out especially the lettuce, beets and collards. I'm still getting green beans as they came back from the cold that burned them severely in January. We had beans last night with some broccoli tips over white rice for dinner. This is an excellent meal as Nancy mixes the veggies with a sauce much like an oyster sauce with some some soy sauce to taste. That is a meal in itself and so gooood.

Today I'm still not working out at the Rec. I received a couple phone calls yesterday as well as e-mails about the status of my health from my group of Pickle ball players. Believe me I miss that play more than you can imagine but I also realize I must not let myself get worn out again until I fully recover. I never knew I could cough so much and still breathe. Well I will get out of here for now. LATER

Monday on Tuesday

The day started out we me coughing once again. I had taken the last dose of medicine on Saturday morning so I felt as if I was not fully on the road to recovery. My strength seemed to be waning once again with headaches and of course this constant cough so much so my back ached each time I coughed as if I had pulled a muscle. By early afternoon I knew I needed more medicine. I called the doctor and sure enough he refilled my earlier prescription. I wasn't able to pick it up until later in the evening so I took my first dose around 9 PM last night.

We got back from G/G's around 8:30 after eating a roast lamb dinner. Eric is heading back to 10 inches of snow on the ground in Michigan today so we had an enjoyable evening and dinner with all of Nancy's family there. I started watching the final basketball game and coughed the whole time while Nancy snoozed away. My head hurt so much from coughing I did not expect much sleep but that pill must have kicked because suddenly after I turned the lights off I fell asleep and didn't cough much at all during the night.

This morning the cough has returned some what but not nearly as bad. The temp's dropped here overnight with a cloudy windy morning. It looks like winter outside. Well will close for now as I sure am looking forward to getting back to a cough free day with some expectation of exercising once again. LATER

Saturday on Sunday

Wow the air temperature outside this morning(Sat.) was very comfortable and even a bit cool, actually the humidity was gone so that made it feel cool. The bright sunshine made for the start of a beautiful day. I'm still suffering from this cough deep in my chest but feel a little stronger than the day before. After my quiet time and breakfast I picked a nice mess of green beans, cut lettuce and hand watered the garden.

Nancy and I were getting 3 racks of ribs ready for smoking. She was coating the ribs with a new rub and I was greasing up the smoker and soaking the hickory wood chips. We got them in the smoker about 11:30 then just laid back until the company came for dinner around 5:30. I kind of just took it easy reading and cat napping. We were were disappointed with the new rub and the outcome of the ribs. They just didn't have the good sweet taste we were use to and besides they were a little to HOT even for me. Now I like the HEAT but these were just too HOT. Our guests liked them so when they left for home most went with them. We kept some of G/G's potato salad which really set the Greek salad perfect for today's lunch after church at Element.

We had a super time of worship with Bobby at Element this morning, once again he had a great message and music. We really don't mind the 45 minute drive which is just a little longer than what we drive on Sunday in the mountain's to Cornerstone Church.

After dinner last night we watched the NCAA playoffs. Of course Eric(Nancy's brother) lives in the Detroit suburbs so he was happy Michigan State did so well and of course I pulled for the Tar Heels and they whupped up on Villanova. Monday nights game should be a good one and even rowdy with opposing camps at the dinner table. Go 'Heels!!!

Well I took my last antibiotic on Saturday morning but I don't think I'm anywhere near over this infection in my chest. Maybe I can talk the doctor into refilling this drug or prescribing a different one. Anyhow It looks like I will have to be off pickle ball for a while longer. That stinks!!! Will talk at you LATER

Friday

Well I was awakened this morning to the sound of rain pounding down on the roof. Wow was that a good sound as every thing here is extremely dry. There are now more stringent water restrictions than ever so much so you can not even wash your car at home.

It was nearly 9 AM before I made my way out of bed to face another day of coughing, head congestion and just feeling lousy. After my quiet time and a light breakfast I starting to get a little more life and actually began to feel like maybe the antibiotics were starting to work. As I write this my coughing has been reduced and the energy level is rising.

We fixed a big lunch for Nancy's folks, Eric, Bobby, Annsley, Amy, Tyler, and Ava. I fried talapia and grilled Mahi Mahi for fish tacos for lunch as well as black beans and rice. Tomorrow we are having everybody back again for dinner except for Bob and his family. I'm going to smoke some ribs for Pap's 85th birthday and G/G is making a Greek Salad.

Well I won't bore you with the little stuff but I'm encouraged with only one more day of medicine left that I maybe starting to whip this infection. LATER

Thursday

The day started out with me still hacking and not anywhere back to normal. After my quiet time and a light breakfast I crawled right back in bed for awhile. I absolutely do not like being sick. I hope these antibodies start to work by tomorrow or I will have coughed my lungs out. Not much to report on except I feel lousy and washed out. So I will keep this short. LATER

Wednesday on Thursday

Well I'm not much for being "under the weather" and especially taking prescription medicine and this is a good example. I actually now feel as if I have the flue with runny nose, headaches, coughing and red eyes. I keep reading about this antibody and it says I should begin to feel better in about 5 days of course that's when I take the last dose. I understand (it) stays in your system for about 10 days once you start it. I should never of let this ailment get as severe as I did. Oh well for some one who is relatively healthy or who doctor's himself I guess I should be thrilled. I often reflex back on those pioneers on the wagon train out in the middle of nowhere; what did they do and Nancy reminded me they usually die. So much for that thought and of course she reminded me I'm not 16 again(boy is that hard to fathom) so it will take longer because I procrastinated on taking care of this issue when I first realized I couldn't heal it with Vit C and sweating it out from working out. Enough of this issue and beating my self up.

Well I will sign off for now and I wanna' go out an play, LATER.

Tuesday on Wednesday

Well I'm still a "kicking"as us ole' country folks relate about the status regarding our health. I did do a first yesterday in over 20 years of living. I actually went to see a doctor about my chest congestion. I didn't have the normal symptoms for the flue I just could not shake this feeling in my chest of tightness and a cough that would not produce any phlegm(lugies). I felt good with no aches or pains I would tire easy after 2 hours of play, plus I still had my appetite. Nancy put her foot down and forbid me to play PB until this cough got better. To make a short story long I was prescribed with Azithromycin which believe it or not made me worse. Now I'm sneezing, runny nose, coughing with red eyes. WOW go figure!!! I jut heard from a friend in the medical field which indicated the medicine is working by breaking down this infection and that's why all of this crud is leaving my body. Hooray!!!!

After leaving the doctor's office I kind of laid around and read until it was time to leave for Tampa Airport to pick up Eric, Nancy's brother who flew in from Detroit for a week. We got back to G/G's and Paps house around 6 PM and she had a roast turkey dinner with all the fixin's. Smashed spuds and gravy, green beans out of my garden, frozen cranberry casserole(AMY made) and 2 kinds of stuffing's and a huge fresh salad from my garden. The GAB brought by 2 platters of shrimp cocktails so we had a feast. We set around and talked until it was time to watch American Idol then we headed for home. The whole time I was there I was progressively going down hill with sever coughing and sneezing.

The night found me up several times and I was beginning to wonder what was going on with my body. Throughout the night I was having a hard time with the nose actually running down my face and now coughing up crud. Each time I got up I would take a Vit C and a glass of water which actually made me feel better. This morning I'm about ready to take my second round of medicine so I'm wondering what will happen today. Hopefully I can knock this crud out and get back on the court. To all my pickle ball friends I shall return but probably not till next Monday. Nancy is made demands I must obey, in other words if I want to eat I had better listen.

I got a call last night just after we got home around 10 PM and our good friend and neighbor in the mountains, Ray Todd is to have a second hernia operation this morning in Elkin, N.C. Keep him in your prayers as he has some real health issues with his heart among other maladies. Well will close for now. LATER