Friday

Well the humidity is back and its starting to feel like Florida. After my quiet time and a boring bowl of oatmeal with a little cinnamon and honey I pedalled out to rec around 7:20 for pickle ball. There was a light rain shower with lots of clouds in the area. We had a total of 10 players today, but the first 45 minutes there was some really good play that resulted in lots of wet shirts. After PB I headed into the weight room for some crunches and heavy weights as Nancy did her workout on the (t)dreadmill. I stopped off at the library for a couple reads for over the week-end before heading home to water the gardens.

After a fresh salad for lunch Amy and Nancy took the grand babies and headed out to do some Mother's Day shopping at the mall. I just chilled with book and caught up on a little nap. I spoke with Paw Paw(my dad) and he informed me that Apple Blossom Festival was this week-end in Winchester so there will be 2 parades a night Fireman's tonight and a day parade tomorrow with all kinds of celebrities.

Well after the gang got back from the mall Nancy made chocolate chip cookies with of course Ava's help before they headed out for home. I cut some fresh kale and got it ready to saute with olive oil and garlic while Nancy put white rice on to cook. We had a slab of smoked ribs leftover from Wednesday night's supper so we just heated them in the microwave and were they ever great left over. Well not much else is going except we spoke with our "mountain mom" Helen and she filled us in on all that's happening up there weather wise; was it ever cold there on Wednesday but reached a high of 78 today. Enclosed are couple recent photos of Samuel and Ava taken this afternoon. Tomorrow we are planning on heading out to the beach and may take the Ross Family with us as well. Until LATER.

Thursday

Once again it was another N.C. morning here in the deep south, actually central Florida where by this time of the year it's usually hot and humid, but this morning it was in the low 60's with bright sunshine, a soft breeze and no humidity. Yikes, you have got to love this weather. This morning at the cabin there was heavy frost with temp at 27 degree's our mountain mom Helen informed us. Hopefully all the fruit trees survived this frost as well as the berry bushes.

After my quiet time and a bowl of Cheerios with a banana(for a change) I pedalled out to the rec for pickle ball. We had 14 players and once again the early arrivers got in some good play before the general players showed up. We actually were able to play until nearly 10:30. Afterwards I stopped by the weight room and did 150 crunches and some heavy weights before heading home to water and feed the gardens. I gave away more lettuce today as its starting to lose its shape and needs to be eaten. Nancy made our first Caesar's salad tonight out it and wow it was great, the only thing missing was the croutons. Nancy fixed fried flounder, yellow rice as well as 1/2 runner beans. My was that ever good eatin' and I tried something different with the rice by adding fresh Thyme after it was cooked. Ava loved the herbs and had 2 helping of the rice and even Nancy had to admit it really added something to the dish. I would use herbs of some kind in every meal but Nancy isn't as sold on them as I. We do use a lot of garlic but I love fresh oregano, rosemary, thyme, basil, dill and parsley; all of which I grow as well as leeks, onions(scallions), jalapeno and green peppers. Yikes are they ever good flavoring for some really everyday dishes. Try adding a little jalapeno pepper on top of your next baked potato, wow does that ever wake up your taste buds.

After supper Ava and I went outside so she could ride her trike but before that as I was watering just before supper I noticed a fresh complete black snake skin in the 1/2 runner beans and I knew Ava would be thrilled to learn about it, well I was right as she carried it around before she finally broke it into several pieces asking all kinds of questions. She always wants to touch whatever it is I show her. After our show and tell we did sidewalk chalk before Amy took the kids home for their baths as it was going on 8 PM.

Just and update on these Ray's they were beating the K.C. Royals 9-1 in the 5th inning, Go Ray's. I also learned today my old elementary school(Gore) principal passed away at the age of 95. He, Mr Frank Whitacre gave me a few paddlings of which I deserved.LATER

Wednesday

Well the morning was the usual with a few quiet moments before eating a bowl of boring oatmeal and heading to the rec for some pickle ball. The cool crispness in the air made us yearn for our N.C. mornings. We had about a dozen or so players with some great play so there were lots of wet shirts. After the workout I stopped by the weight room for some lifts and a bunch of crunches before pedalling home to water the gardens and to start the smoker. We were supplying the ribs and chicken for our house church tonight so I needed to get them in the smoker. I loaded it up with some hickory wood I cut last fall at the cabin and Nancy had oiled and spiced up the ribs before she headed off to the rec for her (t)dreadmill,so all I had to do was plug it in. I usually give them about 4-5 hours to smoke before adding some barbecue sauce and then letting them smoke another 1 1/2 hours. Man did they ever turn out good and the last hour or so I grilled a dozen or so chicken legs as well. Yummy!!!

The kids had gone to Tampa to have lunch with Tyler so Nancy and I had the afternoon to ourselves before she headed off to have her hair cut and permed. I pulled some beets for her folks as well as cut some lettuce. The lettuce is starting to head up as the heat is fast causing it to mature, I'm surprised its lasted this long but the past few cool nights has prolonged it. Amy made a super Caesar Salad with a couple bunches of it. We seldom eat that type of salad but hers was excellent last night so I think we will try to eat some of this lettuce up in that type of salad before it gets to old.

I read most of the afternoon until it was time to clean the smoker after the ribs were cooked and get ready to head out a couple doors up for our house church. We 13 adults and 5 kids as several of the group was out of town. The ribs and chicken platters were cleaned and licked as well as the Caesar salad bowl. We had broccoli mashed potato's, that was different as she baked them in a muffin pan, Cole slaw, carrots and of course 3-4 kinds of dessert. I passed on the desserts once again as most were store bought, besides I'm still holding at 6 pounds loss.

We got home to watch the voting on American Idol and to see the Ray's sweep the A's with a 10-3 win at Tropicana Field. LATER

Tuesday

Well it was another beautiful morning and with the north breeze the humidity checked out for awhile. It's been many a year since we have had the windows open on the 27 th of April. After my quiet time and a boring bowl of oatmeal I pedalled out to the rec for some pickle ball. We had 11 players and lots of wet shirts after 2 1/2 hours of play. I headed for home afterwards because the weight room was closed for maintenance so will have to do double on the crunches tomorrow, Yikes!!

Amy and the kids came around 11 as she had a eye appointment so Nancy and I watched the kids, so Ava and myself headed out so she could ride her trike before lunch. After a sandwich for lunch we headed to the backyard so she could catch buggies while I held Samuel. He loves being outside. After the kids left around 2:30 Nancy took off to the rec and then to Publix while I took a little nap then vegetated under the big oak reading. We decided since tomorrow will be another smoked ribs dinner at house church we would go meatless tonight, so I pulled 1/2 dozen beets and cut the last of the broccoli. Those fresh veggie's along with a sweet potato, beet greens and a salad made for a wholesome and healthy supper. I'm smoking ribs and chicken legs for the dinner tomorrow, should be a good one. I also pulled some beets and lettuce for our neighbors as well as for Amy who is making a Caesar Salad for tomorrow night's supper. The lettuce is really coming in and this will probably be the last week for it here in Florida as the heat is starting to take its toll. The beans love this weather as well as do the cukes, peppers and 'maters.

Well I will get out of here as American Idol is on and the Ray's come on later as they are on the left coast(Calif.) played the Oakland A's. LATER

Monday

Well during the middle of the night we had one of the worst electrical storms I have ever witnessed. I want to say it remined me of the "shock and awe" bomb bardment during the Gulf War. Unbelievable!!! Any how we were lucky nothing was damaged and by morning the skies had cleared and there were just a few puddles in the roadway. After a few minutes of my quiet time and a bowl of oatmeal I rode out to the rec for some pickle ball. We had a huge crowd today with 3 newbies and probably at least 20 different players through out the 2 1/2 hours of play. Afterwards I did my crunches and lots of repetitions with lower weights. I stopped by the library on my way home.

Amy and the grand babies came for lunch so I finished up some left overs from last nights supper while the girls had a salad and Ava had soup. They stayed around and Nancy held Samuel while Amy and Ava took off for Publix. I headed out to the garden to transplant some pepper seedling's I had started from seeds and to pick green beans. I'm pickings about a gallon everyday and Nancy fixed a mess with chicken and rice. Yumm was that ever good eatin." Well not much else going on at least some of the humidity has taken off to the South until later in the week with temps going into the 50's at night and high in the 80's during the day. Well talk at ya LATER.

Sunday

Well here it is Monday and I must confess I was too full from Ava's birthday dinner last night to write. We had a house full at Amy and Tyler to celebrate Ava's third birthday, but first the day started out with our usual quiet times before getting ready to head out to Tampa for worship at Element Church. There was a guest band that performed the morning praise and worship music called Ascent The Hill. Bobby knew them from his earlier years in the music industry as they perform all over the country. They were excellent.
After the worship service Nancy had a an E-Kids meeting so it was after 1 PM before we finally got back home. We grabbed a quick bite then headed out to Freedom Square Nursing Home to push wheelchairs to the local afternoon church service at 2 PM.

We got back in time to watch the Ray's beat up on the Jay's 6-0 before heading over to the Ross house where Tyler once again helped me set up this new laptop for downloading pictures to Face book and my blog. We love this new look and once I learn all these changes it should make sharing photos so much easier as well as writing my blog. After getting me squared away we put together a large play house and checked on the smoking ribs as well as pushing Ava around the yard in her car and on the swing. She was loving being the center of attention as the birthday girl.

The family started showing up around around 5:30 and by 6:30 we took the ribs off and starting cutting them apart. They had been in the smoker around 6 hours and looked like they were perfectly cooked to perfection. There were potato and green bean casserole's as well as baked beans and a fresh garden salad with crusty bread. We had an ice cream cake for dessert before Ava began to open her presents. She received lots of clothes, doll babies that fit into her 4 story doll house as well as a large plastic playhouse. Wow was there ever a ton of gifts as she receives lots of gifts from her family in Kansas as well.

Ava and Annsley were so cute together and this week they got see and play with each other twice. Well I will close for now. LATER

Later Saturday Evening

Well I think maybe I'm mastering this program for adding pics to my blog. LATER

Saturday Evening

Hey I'm trying out this new program called Picasa so I can write my blog and add a few grand baby pics. Bear with me. Later

Saturday

Well the morning started about 7:30 after the late night last evening but actually I was awake at 6:30 my usual time. After my quiet time and a cup of hot green tea I tried using this new laptop. There are still a few kinks to work with downloading pictures onto my blog and Face book and later after lunch I headed over to get some instructions.

Nancy yelled that breakfast was really as she fried a couple eggs and the left over red potatoes from supper last night, man was that ever a great way to start the day. Around 10 we headed out to the beach and wow was it ever windy with 3-4 foot rollers and tons of white caps in the Gulf. We hooked up with neighbors and good friends Dan and Carol and chatted with them for an hour before they had enough and headed out. We took a couple mile walk on the beach and spied our friend Jersey Jim at his condo and gave him a wave. Lo and behold by the time we got home he had e-mailed a couple pics he had of us on the beach. That must be some fine camera.

After a lunch of left over Mexican food we headed over to Amy and Tyler's where he once again tried to help me with learning how to post pics on my e-mail. This new operating system is completely foreign to me so hold tight and hopefully with his help I can get some recent grand baby pics out. After leaving the Ross's we made a stop for fish and chicken breasts at Albertson's in Largo Mall before heading back to get ready for supper. Tyler took Ava to the Ray's baseball game so Amy and Samuel came for dinner. I grilled some salmon and Nancy made garlic butter angel hair pasta and we had a salad to top off the meal. Good eatin.' Well tomorrow is Ava's 3rd birthday as well as its worship day at Element. We will have a big family dinner of smoked ribs, baked bean casserole as well as some type of potato casserole and green bean casserole and a salad with an ice cream cake for dessert. There goes the diet of no desserts but ice cream cake on my first grand daughters 3rd birthday. Later

Friday

Well once again I'm late with this post but we had big doing last evening that lasted until nearly midnight, but first let me bore you with what's happened earlier in the day. I did the usual early morning routine with a cup of green tea while spending a few moments of quiet time in thanksgiving and prayer for those who are hurting. Speaking of hurting we have at least 2 close family members, great Aunt Darrel(GG's) sister in Pa. who is having heart problems as well as Nancy's dad, W.B. who is having chest pains and heart ailments. Please keep them in your prayers. I headed out to the rec after a bowl of oatmeal on the 18-speed for some pickle ball with 10 others players for 2 1/2 hours of play before stopping by the weight room for a bunch of crunches.

Amy and the grand babies came for lunch around 11:30 and once Nancy got home from her final Bible study of this Spring we chowed down on a fresh garden salad, Yumm! After the kids left around 2 for their naps Nancy and I headed to Sam's Club. We picked up 2 huge packs of ribs as Tyler wants to smoke them for Ava's birthday party on Sunday and I want to do some for our Wednesday night house church get together meal. After running a couple other places we settled in for the evening to await Tyler and Amy and the kids for dinner. Tyler spent the evening transferring my files from my old HP laptop to the new Dell I just got delivered this week. Wow is it ever nice but will take some getting use with the new Windows 7 and no Outlook Express, anyhow he worked on that most nearly until they headed out around 11 PM. Bobby, Jill, Laura(Jill's sister) and hubby Josh dropped Annsley off to play with Ava while they went to the Ray's game and they didn't get back until nearly midnight. The girls had such a good time together and are really cute with one another. We took lots of pics but I'm having just a little trouble in figuring out how to transfer them to this blog as well as to Facebook.

Well Nancy and I are heading out to the beach this AM then to Amy's to deliver the smoker, wood and ribs for Tyler for Sunday's family feast. I hate to think how many extra crunches I'll have to do next week to catch up. LATER

Thursday

Well it was once again another beautiful morning and of course I did my usual few quiet moments with a cup of hot green tea then the usual boring bowl of oatmeal with a few blueberries and a banana before riding out to the rec for some 2 1/2 hours of pickle ball, whew!!! We had 10 players and some really good games the first 1/2 hour or so before the general gang arrived, afterwards I did my crunches but laid off the heavy weight as I felt a twinge in my elbows from the extra lifts from yesterday.

Nancy and I had a nice salad for lunch as we ate alone. Amy took the kids and visited GG and Pap. I spent the rest of the afternoon reading and catching up on some little honey do's.

Amy and the grand kids came for supper and Nancy fixed taco and burritos, something Tyler isn't crazy about but Amy and rest of us love so on nights when he teaches at ESL we eat those goodies. After supper I watered the gardens and the front yard dirt hill. I'm seeing lots of color but boy is that one slow growing grass. Well not much else going on, except for Ray's Baseball and Survivor.LATER

Wednesday

This will be quick and I will dispense of the ordinary, mundane and boring aspects of my morning except for the few moments I thank the LORD of everyday. The usual pickle ball for couple hours except for missing a couple players it was the same and of course the weight room was the same except for increasing the number of reps. Amy didn't come by for lunch with the grand babies as she went to Tampa to be will Tyler. Nancy took her folks and went to the heart doctor for her dad and I just read and worked in the garden.

We had over 20 people for our house church tonight and several were missing. Great time of fellowship, listening to requests that we all can give thanks for and pray about as well praise music. Got home late and I watched the Ray's whupp the White Sox 12-0, boy was it cold there. I will catch up tonight on all the little stuff that my grand kids may want to read about 25 years from now, LATER.

Tuesday

Its starting to feel a little like summer time with a little more humidity and warm temps; however it hasn't started to become really hot as of yet. This weekend the forecast is for nearly 90 degrees inland but around here we are still getting a little sea breeze. Well the morning was most usual with a few moments of quiet time, and a boring bowl of oatmeal with a banana and some strawberries. I pedalled out about 7:20 to the rec for some pickle ball and managed to get in once again 2 1/2 hours of play with 12 others players before heading out to the weight room for my crunches and dead lifts. There were a few wet shirts but not nearly the caliber of play as there were many general players who were in the mix of play but since we are not a private club we have to incorporate their play in with the more aggressive players.



Amy and the grand babies came for lunch and Samuel is growing so fast and Ava just gets cuter every day. She now has such an imagination especially with her dolls as she constantly has a conversation with them and she is so perceptive of her surrounding. Today she comes out in the back yard where I'm reading under the big oak tree after lunch as she sees where I built a build up for my 1/2 runners beans in the garden to climb on and she wants to know what that is as well as why did I build it. Now what almost 3 year old would have noticed something like that, oh well.

Well Nancy fried up an eggplant and a yellow squash as well as baked a spud in the oven for supper. Yumm I love meatless suppers once in awhile. Well not much else going on around here except I gave away some beautiful beets and lettuce to a couple neighbors today. I did hand water the gardens and dirt hill this evening after supper. LATER

Monday

Well here it is again the start of a new week and the routine hasn't changed much for the morning. I started the day off with my usual cup of hot green tea, my quiet time and a bowl of boring oatmeal with some fresh strawberries for breakfast before riding out to the rec for some pickle ball on my bike. We had a large crowd of about 14 players today and our early play was hampered with a couple general players; eventually most of us worked up enough sweat to get a wet shirt, but it sure makes a difference in the veracity of play. After PB I headed to the weight room for my crunches and some overhead lifts before heading to the library and picking up a couple new reads.

We had so much rain yesterday I didn't have to water until this afternoon. I managed to transplant some seedlings into the garden as they are out growing their pots. These seedlings I'm planning on taking to the mountains for the planting of our gardens next month. Well at least that is the plan but we had a phone call today telling Nancy her Aunt Darrell(her mom's sister) isn't doing well after the doctors tried an angioplasty procedure and then her folks came by after her father Pap Pap went to the doctor today for chest pains. Right now everything is up in the air as to if and when we head to the mountains. Her dad just turned 86 years of age, so his age is not in his favor as well as he had open heart surgery about 20 years ago.

Anyhow it was a beautiful day with a north breeze blowing and low humidity. Amy and the grand kids came for lunch and stayed until after 2. Samuel just loves being held and of course we oblige him. I had him outside sitting under the big oak tree and the Nancy held him while Amy headed out to run a couple errands. Ava is so cute and she is constantly mothering him as well.

I managed to pick a gallon bucket of 1/2 runner beans and picked enough lettuce to give GG a big bag when they stopped by after their doctors appointment. I grilled a couple chicken breasts and Nancy sauteed yellow squash, green peppers, mushrooms, onions, garlic and leeks in olive oil with a little soy sauce, then spooned that over white rice. Yumm good eatin'!! Well the Ray's won again today in Boston so after that sweep they head to Chicago to play the White Sox's for a 3 game series. Well will sign off for now, LATER

Sunday

The rain woke me up around 5 AM and it has only stopped for a couple of hours all during the day plus its really cooled off as well. We got ready this morning to head out to Element Church in Tampa after our quiet times and a lite breakfast. It was a rainy drive on the interstate with several vehicles crashed along the way; mostly into the guard rails and spin outs onto the shoulder We had a few vehicles pass us at 80+ MPH, weaving in and out of traffic, tailgating, where's a trooper when we need one, anyhow we made it over and back safely despite the heavy rains. Element was a little different this morning as the service was conducted much like our weekly house church get together's. Lots of praise and worship music, food(brunch) and prayer requests. I missed the last half of the service as it was "bloody Sunday" and I was in the bloodmobile along with 29 other folks who made blood donations as well.

After Element we stopped off at Wal-Mart in Pinellas Park for a few items before heading home. We got back around 2 PM so I watched the Ray's sweep the Red Sox in a 3 game series with a 7-1 win. The Ray's look like a championship team so far this season. Well the rain has finally ceased for now but the skies are still overcast and it looks like more rain, at least its pleasant and warm. We had to turn the a/c on as it was so sticky with all the rain and moisture. Well not much else is going on, except I made a large salad for supper.LATER

Saturday

What a great morning with cool temp's(60's) a nice breeze, a few high clouds and bright sunshine. We headed out to Redington Beach around 10:30 and the place was jumping with sun bathers, fishermen and swimmers. Yikes was it ever nice. After lathering up with some tanning lotion with a sun screen I took off for a stroll up the beach while Nancy sat in her chair. We later took a couple mile stroll together before I decided to take the "Nestea Plunge"into the beautiful water. There were just a few waves but the water was clear and really not to cold once you made a couple strokes. Wow it has been awhile since I swam and although I workout to some extent everyday I was beat last night from those few minutes of swimming. I can't wait to give it a longer swim next Saturday.

We headed home around 1 PM and had a lite lunch, peanut butter sandwiches with a banana on top, Yumm, try it!!! I worked in the garden transplanting some new seedlings and digging up other plants to take to Tyler's garden later in the evening. We watched Ava and Samuel last evening as they had a date night with dinner and a movie out. I picked up a pizza and made a salad so we just chilled with the grand babies. Ava and I spent some time swinging in their back yard as it was a beautiful evening. Samuel actually took a bottle for a change as he is rather spoiled when it comes to the method of delivery for his milk, he like the real thing; but he did real good in taking about 2 oz. that Amy had pumped for him. He is such a chunker and really starting to become aware of his surrounding plus he just loves his bath time. Afterwards he lays in his crib talking(making noises) and moving his arms and legs like he is making snow angels. We read books, rocked and watched a couple kid shows until it was bedtime.

I managed to catch the last of the suspended Ray's vs Red Sox game and we once again won in 13 innings and was leading 4-0 when I turned out the lights at 10:30. Go Ray's!!! I awakened to steady soft rain this morning so I backed the truck out of the garage and now I'm getting a wash job as I write. I almost washed it when we got back from the beach but I had a feeling it was going to rain and it did. My neighbor spent the entire afternoon shining his new truck up and of course it rained on it, oh well.

We are heading for Element this AM, today is our bring brunch Sunday to share and then to give back to the community a life giving product; our blood. This is bloody Sunday and our house church(which by the way started this tradition at Element) is wearing red shirts. Just a different way to show your love for your fellowman. Enclosed are a few pics from the beach Nancy took. If you look close that's me out there in the 70 degree water, last year I was swimming in January; so much for global warming. Oh by the way I just finished a non-fiction true crime book titled MAD NOTIONS. The setting is around Gatlinburg, Seiver County, Tennessee and its an unbelievable read. LATER.

Friday

Was it ever another gorgeous morning and the day turned out to be fill with lots of activities, good eatins' and lots of laughter. After my usual routine of a cup of hot green tea, quiet time and a boring bowl of oatmeal I pedalled out to the rec for 2 1/2 hours of pickle ball which translates to exercise and a wet t-shirt. Afterwards I once again subjected by abs to 100 plus crunches and I'm just waiting to get that 6 pack, of course that will probably only happen if I go to the 7-11 and buy one, and once again hoisted 1500 pounds over my head in 50 pounds increments. I'm still holding at a 4 pound weight loss and can finally just begin to see the edge of my big toe when I stand erect. I'm shooting for the whole foot to come into view but after going off the dessert wagon last night, I'm not sure that will happen. I now know what an alky must go through with having just one drink, anyhow more on that scenario later in this post.

After the rec and library I pedalled home to water the dirt hill which by the way has green grass springing forth; now if only those bloody squirrels would quit burying their nuts(acorns) and digging new holes. I wish I could train them to dig up my garden, it sure would save me a lot of spading, oh well I'm starting to remember how good they tasted growing up on a farm in Mt.Falls, Va and one morning carrying 20 plus of those bushy tails from the woods as my dad shot them. My, they were sure good eatin', nothing like fried squirrel or squirrel pot pie.

We are having company for supper; Brian and Susan Kuyatt(Jill's folks) and the Botbyl's(Dan and Carol) so Nancy had me doing all kinds of honey-do stuff plus harvesting greens for the splendid fresh home grown garden salad, picking more 1/2 runner beans which by the way were awesome as Nancy cooks them in a ham base. No wonder people in the mountain won't let another green bean plant in their garden but these. YUMM!!! I harvested lots of fresh parsley and rosemary as Nancy chops these herbs and sprinkles them on top of the sliced lengthwise spuds(jackets on) that have been rolled in olive oil then baked in the oven 'till slightly brown. Too good and of course to top off this feast I grilled marinated chicken breast's smothered in fresh rosemary. Oh my there goes the 4 pounds. Of course we waited awhile then Nancy dug out this ice cream pie she made from Oreo cookies as the base with vanilla ice cream in the middle and then whipped cream, chocolate sauce and roasted pecans on top. This kept all of us awake and playing Sequence 'til nearly midnight. The Kuyatt's then had to drive back to Riverview nearly and hour away. We rolled into bed and I tried to plant my garden in the mountains in my sleep to no avail. So much for relapses, I hate them, all that to just be social. Never again, not for awhile anyhow(I think there is one piece of that pie left in the freezer).

Well Amy had her 6 week checkup as we watched the kids and she is down to a 122 pounds. Makes me sick and she eats like horse. Samuel is just a little butter ball and Ava just gets cuter everyday. We are babysitting tonight as Amy and Tyler go out to dinner and to a movie. Oh the joys of grand parenting, we just love it. That sure makes it tough to leave here in May but with a new laptop with a web cam and Skype we will get to see them in person daily,so that will make it a little easier.

Well better get off here as Nancy has fried egg sandwiches with sliced tomatoes, sliced dill pickle, onion, lettuce with just a dollop of mayo on toast for breakfast. I just love Saturday mornings breakfast's with the idea of going to the beach afterward. Today will be a swim day for me as I'm about 3 months late in getting into the water. We turned the a/c on last night because of 3 menopausal gals and their hot flashes but open the house back up this AM and its beautiful outside with a cool east breeze. Should make for a great outside day.

I almost forgot to mention we had to call the wambulance for the menopausal gals as we men hammered them in a 6-4 win in Sequence not mention we shut them out completely in at least one game. We are getting warmed up for the up and coming season. This was kind of like spring training in baseball when the real season starts after Memorial Day at the Dalton Ranch in Sparta, N.C. Enclosed are a couple pics of Ava and Samuel.

Thursday

Well today has been a memorable day to say the least. I was just informed by my son Bobby the Triplett name will live on with his son to be born in September, Gabriel. We are totally excited for Bobby and Jill and now Annsley and Ava will be big sisters to little brothers and Gabriel will have a buddy in Samuel to grow up together. We are beside our selves with joy. Thank you LORD.

Well I wouldn't believe this weather for the middle of April with some low temp's around into the high 50's at night and low 80's for the daytime and we still haven't turned our /c on full time yet. I love these temp's. After my quiet time and boring bowl of oatmeal I pedalled out to the rec for my usual pickle ball workout. We had about 11 players today and once again got in some good play when we first arrived around 7:30 and by 10 AM several had wet shirts. I headed to the weight room for my 100 plus crunches and 30 lifts of 50 pounds each. I'm taking it slow with more repetitions and less weight. After the workout I headed home to mow the yard and do a little garden work while Nancy headed out to shop for Ava's 3rd birthday on the 25th of this month after doing her 30 minutes on the (t)dreadmill.

After she got back from Target and Publix we just chilled with me reading and her getting ready for company tomorrow for supper. I picked another bunch of green beans(1/2 runners) to go with the grilled chicken breasts for tomorrow as well, should be yummy. I took a few pics of the garden and flowers and will enclose them. Amy came for supper tonight so Nancy fried up a couple egg plants to go along with a chef's salad. Mighty fine eatin' and good fer' ya as well. After supper I did a little hand watering on the dirt hill(front yard) as well as the back gardens. I must say with keeping the dirt hill moist the grass seeds I planted a couple weeks ago are really starting to show some color. Well better go, LATER

Wednesday

It was another beautiful morning but with a strong breeze all day long. The sun was shining brightly with blue skies and temp's in the low 80's,Yikes was it ever a glorious day. The morning was one of routine with a few quiet moments, a bowl of boring oatmeal then a ride out to the rec on my bike for pickle ball. We had a total of about 12 players but the first 1/2 hour was one of great play; fast and furious. There was lots of wet shirts and afterwards I headed off to the weight room for my 100 crunches and 30 lifts of 50 pounds.

The house was very quiet around lunch time as Amy took the kids and met with Tyler for lunch in Tampa. I, naturally spent a couple hours working in the yard and garden, pulling weeds, watering and harvesting for the huge salad we took to house church this evening. We had a good gathering tonight with chicken on skewers as well as green peppers, tomato's, mushrooms and onions, along with orzo pasta, oven fries and corn casserole. Some one brought a coconut cake for dessert. Yumm was the dinner and I once again refrained from the sweets.

I spent the afternoon watching Ray's Baseball as they swept the Orioles in 3 games with a real blowout today 9-1. We face Boston this weekend and that should be a real test for the Ray's. We not much else is going on, LATER

Tuesday

Well it was another great morning with temps in the 60's, clear blue skies and a nice breeze. The humidity has started to creep back in but so far its tolerable as we still have the windows open. I believe it reached the low 80's today but was still quite comfortable. After my usual quiet time and boring bowl of oatmeal with a banana I pedaled out to the rec for some pickle ball at 7:30. We had 11 players today but the first hour was filled with fierce competition with some great play. After 2 1/2 hours I headed home as the weight room was closed for maintenance so I gave the abs, shoulders and arms a day off from the weights, but I worked them out when I got home as I redid the fence and later after supper repainted it again.

I spent an hour watering the gardens and the front yard as well as pulling weeds, man I wish the grass grew as fast as the unwanted weeds. Amy came around 11:30 with Ava and Samuel so we had a fresh garden salad for lunch. I headed outside to finish some chores and Ava came out to look for buggies before she talked Nancy into making chocolate chip cookies. The girls made and they ate, but I remained true to my promise of staying away from desserts; although I haven't seen much of a weight loss lately but I haven't gained any weight either so that's a plus.

Well I grilled some pork chops with the bone-in, smothered in fresh rosemary and Nancy used up some instant spuds we needed to use before heading north and with some gravy and a bowl of chopped spinach made for a yummy supper. After eating we headed out to work in the gardens and yard as the temperature was quite pleasant for working outside with the strong breeze. Well the Ray's won last night 5-1 in Baltimore,but are down 1-0 as I write. Its in the 40's there, yikes that's a bit nippy. Go Ray's. LATER.

Monday

Well it was another N.C. morning here in Florida with crisp cool fresh air with tons of birds singing as I pedaled out to the rec after my quiet time and a leftover buckwheat cake for breakfast. We 10 pickle ball players and what a super workout the first 45 minutes with 4 of us having awesome rallies before the general players arrived. We had a newbie today and even though she is a tennis player it took some time for her to learn the game. After PB I headed into the weight room and did my 100 crunches and then a couple regiments on the heavy weights. I headed home and got some garden work in before Amy and the kids arrived for lunch. Nancy was at the rec on the (t)dreadmill when I left for home trying to get those legs in condition for hiking to the top of the mountain in a few weeks.

After a lunch of ham and cheese on pita bread, Ava and myself headed outside. I caught a wasp and took the stinger out and she played with that bug for an hour, she is just like her mother always playing with"feel funnies." I had Samuel out in the yard with us under the oak tree and there was such a nice breeze that after they left around 2 PM I stayed out and read for another couple hours. He is getting so big, did I mention he is almost 12 pounds at just a little over a month old.

We did a couple rib eye steaks, medium rare on the grill for supper with penne pasta drenched in garlic butter with lots of fresh basil and oregano and a garden salad with Greek dressing. Yumm!! Well after supper I headed out to replace the small fence around the garbage cans as that side of the house is in the evening shade so it made for good working conditions. Seems I had the fence to close to the ground and termites got into the wood and made a mess.

Well Amy just called and they have a huge possum that got into their garbage cans and they wanted to know what I would do with it, of course I said I would bury it in the garden after I knocked it in the head with a shovel. I not sure they liked my answer so I'm not sure what they did with it; of course I mentioned to just turn the garbage over and let it run away so it can come back another day and get in their garbage cans or possibly bite the kids as they play in the yard.

Well the Rays are playing the Orioles tonight in Baltimore and its tied 1-1 in the 5th. LATER

Sunday

Well the morning started out with overcast skies but eventually cleared off; but the temps stayed down around the low 80's for most of the day. After our quiet times and a lite breakfast we got ready to head out for worship at Element Church in Tampa where our son, Bobby is not only the pastor but the worship leader as well. Their praise band is just awesome and his message today on the first church in the book of Acts was right-on; do we really know Jesus by living our life as such or are we just saying we know Jesus and no one could tell the difference by our lifestyle and the way we treat others. We had a great time visiting with Annsley and of course her parents and grand parents on that side of the bay. Jill is really starting to show with Annsley's baby sibling, we should know soon what to expect.

After worship we stopped by the Subway and ate a quick lunch as we wanted to head by Sam's on the way home and pick up a new camera. After checking with lots of retailers none could beat their price on a Canon Sure Shot with 10x optical zone and 10 mega pixels. Our old camera and laptop which both still work are 7 years old and are slow so we are updating both camera and a new laptop. We are going with a new Dell with tons of hard drive, built in web cam, Windows 7, wireless and all kinds of bells and whistles. Both hopefully will help us to keep better in touch with the grand babies this summer.

Well I watched the Ray's have it handed to them again by the Yankee's this afternoon, wasn't as bad as yesterday but a loss is a loss. After a supper of leftover grilled chicken and salad I headed out to water the front yard and both gardens and pull a few weeds. The evening was just beautiful but I can feel the humidity starting to creep slowly back in so it won't be long before the a/c will be on full once again. Thankfully we will be heading to the cool mountains in about 7 weeks. Well that's about all for today, LATER

Saturday

Was it ever a beautiful morning with just a slight chill in the air, but with tons of bright sunshine. After our quiet times Nancy decided it was time for a mountain breakfast with buckwheat cakes, fried ham and a couple of cackleberries(eggs). We were out of bananas so we had plain cakes but were they ever good with a little honey on top as well as the eggs. After breakfast I headed out to work in the garden as Nancy got ready for the beach. We headed out about 10:45 to Redington Beach.

The water at the beach was the best we've seen this year so far. There was an offshore breeze which caused there to be just a few small rollers(waves). There was tons of people in the water although at first it seemed cold but as the morning wore on I was ready to take a dive myself. We did a couple miles walking in the surf and by the time we left around 1PM we had plenty of sunshine. After getting home we had a quick lite lunch of leftover salad and peanut butter crackers. I headed to Tyler's the take some bean poles as he planted pole beans instead of bush beans, then headed to CVS to pick up Nancy's thyroid prescription and finally stopped by the library to pickup 6 books I had on hold. While I was gone Nancy hung a couple loads of laundry, vacuumed and put a couple chicken breasts into marinated for tonight's fajitas for supper.

I watched a little of the Yankee vs Ray baseball game and it was a total win for the Yank's this day after getting whupped last night. Sure hope tomorrow's game is better than today's. I harvested a bunch of lettuce, kale, beet greens and herbs for our salad for supper plus I pulled a couple leeks to be sauteed with the green and red peppers. They were actually very mild when compared to an onion, but a little tougher. Some how they got started in my garlic bed in N.C. last fall and I dug them up thinking they were garlic and brought them back to Fl. They are slow growing with maybe getting as big around as a 25 to 50 cent piece, but very mild. I have another 1/2 dozen growing and I must figure out a recipe to use them. Bobby indicated he uses them in many of his gourmet dishes.

The rosemary grilled chicken was superb with black beans and rice for supper. Wow that has to be one of my favorite meals. Well after supper I headed out to water the dirt hill in the front yard as well as all the gardens then pulled a few weeds. There is an overcast this evening which made it quite pleasant for working outside. We cut the a/c off and once again opened the windows. Well tomorrow is the gathering at Element and we are excited about worshipping as well as visiting with Bobby, Jill and Annsley. LATER

Friday

Well it certainly was what we call a "North Carolina" morning after the early morning rain that left the air sparkling fresh and clean. The humidity was fast leaving with the gentle breeze and Nancy mentioned she was chilled. Women!! Anyhow after my quiet time and the boring bowl of oatmeal with a 'nana and a little cinnamon I pedalled out to the rec for some "are you ready for some pickle ball." What a dumb name to name a super sports activity. I know I've mentioned it before but PB is played like miniature tennis; only one uses paddles instead of a racket and a wiffle ball instead of a rubber tennis ball. It can be played inside or outside and if you play outside you use half of a regular tennis court. There are a few different rules but its a great activity for the whole family but its especially popular with seniors or baby boomers of which I'm one.

After 2 1/2 hours hours of PB I stopped by the weight room for a 100 crunches, sounds like that's something you eat, but that the reason I'm doing crunches its because I ate the whole thing many times over and now I have this fat gut, anyhow I only have 50 days to whip this waistline into shape before I have to carry this extra 10 pounds up the mountain on our daily hikes in the mountains. Wow am I ever getting antsy about heading up there and of course with all the beautiful Spring like weather there my "green thumb" is acting up. I have plowed my garden with the shovel at night in my dreams and mowed, weeded and planted. No wonder I'm tired when I awake in the mornings.

Amy and the grand babies came for lunch and after they left Nancy got in her work out at the rec on the (t)dreadmill and I finished up a true crime non-fiction case that occurred in New York in '02. We are heading over to GG and Pap's for supper to celebrate his birthday again with what he wanted to eat. We have a tradition that birthday people get to choose what they want for supper with the whole gang there or as many that can make it. Hey I just realized I'm missing out as we are in the mountains for my birthday. GG did a roast chicken with smashed 'taters and gravy, dried stuffing, green beans and Nancy made a garden salad from our patch and GG made her great chocolate cake with white icing which is to die for. I must admit I was strong again and walked or maybe waddled away from the table with out eating any of that "I know was delicious cake". Wow have I got will power today but if you look at my physique you would quickly recognize I haven't always had it.

We got interested in the Yankee's versus the Ray's baseball game after supper and what a game it turned out to be as we put it on the World Champions 9-3. Great Win!!! Go Ray's!! Well better get out of here as we are heading to the beach today for a vacation like day. LATER.

Thursday

Well it was a nice breezy morning with a little more humidity creeping back in with the warmer temp's. After my quiet time and a lite breakfast I pedaled out to the rec for some pickle ball. We had about 10 players today and not as many wet shirts but still a good workout. I headed off to the weight room for my 100 plus crunches and a workout with the heavy weights,afterwards. I need to work these arm, chest and shoulder muscles as I get ready to lots of physical work the end of May with tilling all the gardens by hand.

After the rec I stopped by the library and picked up a couple reads before heading home to once again hand water the dirt hill in the front yard and of course my gardens. I removed several lettuce stalks that I had picked clean and boy did they ever have some great roots as well as did the mustard greens. The heat is starting to take its toll on my sugar peas as tomorrow will be my last pickings from them. They were surely delicious while they lasted.

After lunch I watched Ava as the girls went shopping and we played out in the back yard under the big oak. There are some fuzzes still falling and a few green worms that come with the new foliage. Ava calls them "slimy", I think she gets that from Seasame Street. She has her bug catcher out and loves to fill it with all kinds of buggies. We had Amy and the kids for supper tonight as Tyler had ESL at church so Nancy fixed salmon cakes, yellow rice and sauteed yellow squash and onions.

Well after supper I watered once again and can really start to see the new grass showing colors. Well tomorrow we are eating at GG and Pap's house for dinner as we are celebrating his birthday dinner once again. Should be good eatin' with roast chicken, 'taters and gravy and of course Nancy's fresh salad. LATER

Wednesday

What another gorgeous morning with just a slight chill in the air as I rode out to the rec around 7:20 for some pickle ball after my quiet time and a lite breakfast of oatmeal and banana. We had about 12 players for the day with some fast and hard fought games initially before the general players showed. There were lots of wet shirts. Jersey Jim our PB co-ordinator took a picture of the medal winners from last weeks Good Life Games. I believe there was a total of 5 medal winners from Seminole with the oldest group winners of Harry and Irma taking first place in the over 70 group. Congratualtions to all who participated and our group of players were well represented. Seems the The Villages(Ocala) won most of gold medal as we later learned they play with the same team members on a regular basis and have competed on a national level. I felt fortunate with team member Mitsuko to have at least won the bronze medal.

After PB I stopped off in the weight room and did my 100 crunches before pedaling home to water the dirt pile of a front yard and the gardens. Speaking of the dirt pile some of the newly sowed grass seeds are coming through so we should have green in a week or so if I continue to water daily. The garden is still producing leafy greens however the mustard greens are finishd this year as the heat returns. My 2 large tomato plants are loaded with blooms but as of yet no nubbins(little 'maters) as well is the bean plants have lots of little beanies starting but none big enough to eat. I've started a couple artichoke seeds and I'm curious to see if they grow in the mountains this summer as I have 2 seedlings up about and inch high.

After a supper of marinated grilled rosemary crusted chicken breasts, frozen peas and boiled sweet 'taters we headed out to house church. We had 15 adults and 5 kids and a newbie(Kiesha) as well. We are growing in numbers as we were missing 5 regular attenders. After house church we headed home around 9 to watch American Idol and then watched our Tampa BAy Rays win their second game in a row over the Orioles by the identical scores of 4-3. Go Rays!!!

Well better get off here as I'm babysitting Ava while Amy and Nancy head to the mall. LATER

Tuesday

Once again the weather for this day was awesome. We still have our windows open which is absolutely unheard of in April. The nights are down into the 60's and highs are in the low 80's. with just a slight breeze coming off the gulf. The morning started out the usual with a cup of hot green tea while I did my quiet time then a bowl of oatmeal with some strawberries and a banana before I headed out to the rec on my bike for some pickle ball. We had some fast and furious play with a small crowd which makes for continuous action and believe me there were lots of sweat soaked shirts. After 2 1/2 hours I ventured into the weight room and got a 100 crunches in before heading home. I then watered the dirt hill in the front yard before tackling the gardens while waiting for Amy and the grand kids to come for lunch.

After lunch I sat out in the back yard holding little Samuel while Amy headed off for a dental appointment. He just loves to be held and he makes the cutest sounds and faces as he sleeps. Amy had pumped him a bottle so Nancy fed him when he woke up; but he still likes the real thing and doesn't really eat all that well from the bottle. Ava played outside catching "slimy" worms and buggies for nearly an hour while I held Samuel. After the kids left I caught up on some computer work before settling down with an Ann Rule book called MORTAL DANGER for a couple hours.

Nancy fixed taco's for supper and where they ever tasty especially with the leftover salsa. After cleaning up after supper we both headed out to the yard and gardens. I transplanted some pak choy and did some weeding before I headed to the front yard and raked up all the brown fuzzes from the new leaf development. We both watered as well as clipped some of the shrubs that were growing out of control. It was just a perfect evening for some yard work.

Well today is the home opener for the Ray's Baseball Team and last time I looked they were losing 1-0 to the Orioles. How about that NCAA basketball final, yikes was that ever a good game and I must say I was glad Duke won only because they are N.C.team; but Butler did a fine job and easily could have been the winners. Check out the pics with Ava holding one of her little green "slimy" worms. Well I will get out of here for now, LATER.

Monday

Well it was another cool morning which eventually turned much warmer by the afternoon and even hot for awhile; however we are still relatively dry with a nice north east breeze. So far the humidity has taken leave of the area. After my quiet time and a banana for breakfast I pedaled out to the rec for some pickle ball. I got in 2 1/2 good hours of play and there were 14 players total for the day. After PB I headed into the weight room and did my 100 plus crunches.

After getting home from the rec I spent an hour watering my weeds and new grass in the front yard and then watered the gardens until Amy came for lunch with Ava and Samuel. We had left over salad and some salsa and chips, YUMMM!!! After the kids left Nancy and I ran some errands and came back around 4:30 to begin the start of some supper. I did fresh collards in olive oil and garlic and put a couple pork chops on the the grill smothered in fresh rosemary and then we microwaved some of the left over potato casserole from last nights dinner. I broke down and helped Nancy to finish the last 2 pieces of cheese cake and strawberries, oh well I've been steadfast the last 6 weeks or so about no desserts but this is one of my many weaknesses. After the clean up I headed out to water the weeds in the front yard as well as the garden.

Well not much else except for the final in college basketball happens tonight, Go Duke. LATER

Sunday (Easter)

Well I know its Monday morning and I'm just getting around to ramble but yesterday was such a busy day and my belly was to full last night and besides it was nearly 10 PM before the last one left; but what a great day we had.

The morning started out with our usual quiet time and getting ready for worship in Tampa at Element Church. There was a huge crowd with lots of new faces and the praise music was awesome as well as the message. There was 45 kids in attendance and the workers did a great job with the kids with an Easter egg hunt, a bag of goodies plus a balloon. We were surprised once again to see the visiting Cumpson family from Pa. in attendance again this week as well. They made the long trip up from Sarasota as they indicated they were quite taken by Bobby's idea of church and this awesome style of worship. They came to our house around 5 PM and stayed until after 9 as they had a long drive back to Sarasota. We had a fun time and the food was very good with lots of choices. We started with shrimp cocktail, 2 kinds of salsa and chips, baked ham, potato casserole, mac and cheese, asparagus, baby carrots, a huge bowl of fresh garden salad with Greek dressing and rolls. Nancy made a cheesecake smothered in strawberries and Bobby made banana's Foster over frozen vanilla yogurt for dessert. I did taste the one Bob made, really good but very sweet.

Well I must sign off for now as Ava wants to go look for slimy worms out in the back yard, LATER