Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Tuesday

Well it sure was a warm day with high humidity a typical Florida day. Looks like the a/c will stay on for quite awhile, oh well!!! After Chester woke us up at 5'ish in the morning I laid in until the alarm went off at 6 then got ready to start the day with my cup of green tea, my quiet time and finally a bowl of oatmeal before riding out to the rec on my bike for some 2 plus hours of pickle ball. The play was great and we had a good crowd of very good players. Seems we are gearing up for the Good Life Games being held at our gym the end of March where players from throughout the area and state will participate.

After the workout I stopped off at the library for a couple reads before heading home to hand water the garden. My bush bean plants are loaded with blooms and little baby beans, yikes there must be 50+ per plant. The cherry tomato plants are setting fruit as well and the new lettuces are really taking off so we will soon quit buying that. There is nothing like growing your own organic veggies plus its fun. It really doesn't take a lot of room as you can grow beans, cukes, peas and tomatoes on a trellis, fence or stakes; anyhow it really got warm today up into the middle 80's so this will require watering at least twice a day and maybe more.

Amy and the kiddos came for lunch and we had a nice salad then Sam wanted me to read to him. He will soon be 2 and is such a sweet boy and he and Ava are really best buds. They are so cute together and really play well together. Nancy had to take her mom(GG) to a doctors appointment so everyone left early which allowed me to nap and read the afternoon away. I'm getting to use to these afternoon naps which never occur in the mountains but then again I'm not running around in a gym for 2 hours either; just walking up and down hills.

We spoke will "mountain mom" Helen today and she had been out on her tractor(at 84) mowing and pushing Spring fever. It was in the high 60's there today with bright sunshine. I also called my friend Walt and he was doing well also. Everyone says what a mild winter they had with ground only being frozen for a short time which may lead to lots of garden pests this summer. All were anxiously waiting our return and we made promises to do a little more getting together socially this year. We usually do at least a couple suppers together but I don't think we did any last year because we were back and forth to Virginia and Florida.

Well we fried up some fish and along with black beans and Jasmine rice we had a dewisheous supper. This fish comes from Thailand and is called Swaii, its the best tasting fried white fish I've ever eaten except for catfish; I like it better than fried grouper. That's about the only thing except for venison we actually fry in a skillet. Well after supper I set the sprinkler on the front yard and let it run a couple hours. We started watching the Idol but I was less than enthusiastic about the male singers than were the judges. I didn't hear but a couple songs or voices I really thought were decent so I headed in to read and watch the Lightning hockey team win against the Canadians in a close match 3-2. So much for the Idol for me.

Just a reminder about our Nutrilite Products special which ends on the 29th at midnight. These vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients are pharmaceutical grade and this special is when you buy one, you get another one Free. My son-in-law starting taking them and he hasn't had a cold or any chest congestion this year which usually sends him to the doctor a couple times during the season. He really believes they are the difference. These products are made in the USA and set the standard for health supplements, especially the Double X dietary supplement. They are loaded with 12 vitamins, 10 minerals and 20 plant phytonutrients, guaranteed to not pass through the body and wind up in the bottom of the toilet in a whole pill form. That's a plus right there as many of these off brands clog the waste plants with whole undigested pills. Anyhow if your interested I will make you a special pricing customer which means once I set you up as a customer you can order and receive the wholesale price I get, plus I will tell you monthly what the specials are via e-mail. These specials are from our TEAM LEADERS ONLY and not from Amway; that's why you need to let me make you a customer(there is no charge or obligation) but you will receive these awesome offers as they given to me. By the way I make no money on these special customers offers I just want you to receive the best products available. Also to be a special customer all I need is name, address, phone number and e-mail address.LATER

Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Monday

Well summer is back in full force with temp's in the 80's and high humidity and its still in the month of February, yikes. The morning started with big mouth next door at 5:07 crowing but I managed to tune him out until the alarm sounded at 6 so the new day began. After my quiet time and a bowl of oatmeal I pedalled out to the rec for 2 plus hours of pickle ball. There was a large crowd once again and the play was continuous and fast with some long rallies and lots of wet shirts. Afterwards I stopped by the library for a couple reads before heading home.

Amy brought Sam by while she ran some errands so he and I stayed out in the back yard where he played with Chester and looked for buggies. He is such a cute boy and just loves to play in the dirt. We stayed outside until it got really humid and hot even in the shade of the big oak. I then read to him until it was lunch time when Amy and Ava showed up. Sam loves his big sister and she plays with him as well. They are best buds at times and so cute together until he tells her she is in "time out", then she shows her feelings. He is a stinker at times!

After lunch Nancy drew a dinosaur on paper and hopes to be able to transfer it to the top of a cake she baking for his birthday. Sam wants a dinosaur cake for his birthday which is Saturday. He will be 2 and its Nancy's birthday as well; she will be 55, yikes where did the time go? All of a sudden the kids are fascinated by dino's, seems the little boy across the street is into them and has tons of the stuffed toys and now our kids are into them as well; fads at the this age! Oh well it should be interesting to see how this cake turns out; pictures to follow.

After they left I read and napped until it was time to vacuum the house and get ready for supper. Nancy went to pick up GG and I cut Swiss chard to sauteed. The nematodes have moved in on the chard and this maybe the last big mess as I pulled up 3 plants to see why they were dying and found the roots looks like knots. The microscopic worms suck the life out of the plants and cause the leaves and stems to shrivel up and eventually die. The only natural preventive is marigolds and I have them around my tomato plants but you have to treat the soil with a liquid killer that is no longer on the market to really kill them. Anyhow we had a nice long stretch of good eatin from the row of chard and I'm going to replace it with kale as its going wild this year. The best kale I've ever grown and its so succulent and green, eventually the heat will get everything especially if it stays this hot as it is now. Nancy also made a nice turnip casserole with bread crumbs on top; much like scalloped potato's, very tasty to go along with meatloaf and chard. I had picked some fresh broccoli which are very small heads that sprout up on the stalks where the main head has been harvested to add to the supper.

Betsy came by and polished off the turnip casserole as well as had a plate of the meatloaf and then gave GG a ride home. We just chilled watching FOX News until it was race time then I headed into the bedroom to read and watch the Daytona 500 Race. I must have dozed off and on but did awaken to where a race car struck the back of a truck carrying jet fuel which caught on fire, wow what a unique occurrence never before seen at a major sporting event. I shut the lights out after 10 PM and will read about it this morning in the paper(on the Internet). LATER

Monday, February 27, 2012

Sunday

Well it was down right chilly this morning with temp's in the low 50's and a strong breeze coming from the north made it feel even cooler yet and with the high humidity, yikes it was cold. After Chester woke us up at 5'ish we managed to stay in the sack until around 7 then it was get ready for worship at Element Church in Tampa. We headed out after a lite breakfast and our quiet time with neighbors Dan and Carol. Bobby had another awesome message on what it means to take ownership within the church and how we become so caught up in our own lives that we forget or ignore the circumstances of others we know; much like the story of the Good Samaritan who found the man who had been beaten and robbed and while he was the outcast in society he was the only one who stopped to assist the man. Nancy's first cousins from Pennsylvania,Tom and Kathy were there and it was good to see them again after a year or so. We made plans to get together for a Sunday afternoon get together and visit with their new grand daughter in March.

We stopped off on the way back to Pinellas and had a quick lunch at Chili's in Pinellas Park. Nancy and I then made a quick stop at the house before heading to the nursing home where we pushed patients in wheelchairs to the 2PM service. That is such a rewarding time to give back to these shutins as many are in the last stages of their lives and we had a good many volunteers from SFBC(our old church) as well for a change. We sang 4 hymns and had a short message given by one of the lay pastors, Kurt. It was good to see some of the old members from church there as well and catch up on all that's going on in their lives as well. I got orders for some collards greens from one couple who are from Kentucky that we really enjoyed their friendship but hadn't seen in a couple years.They are the folks who taught us how to play chickenfoot dominos.

After the nursing home Nancy took her mom shopping and I read the afternoon waiting for the rain delay to be over for the Daytonia 500 that was scheduled to be run. Well that never happened for the 1st in its history so it will be run on Monday. I snacked on some mixed nuts for supper as we had a rather filling lunch of salsa and chips, tacos and quesadilla's. Yikes was that ever dewisheous. Well not much else is going on except it looks as if winter hasn't quite left the mountains as the temps were pretty low there over the week-end. We are sure getting antsy about heading up during the month of May which is just around the corner, LATER

Sunday, February 26, 2012

Blogger deleted about 2/3's of my post.

Actually we were busy with the oil change, a long nature walk after lunch and then over to help The Ross's hang pictures in their new house. We made a large bowl of cole slaw from my last cabbage head to take with us the The Botbyl's for a supper of sliders and oven taters. We then paled a couple games where Nancy and I both won and then we headed home and read until lights out. I hate to rewrite a post, LATER

Saturday

Well it was a chilly morning to start with temp's down into the 50;s yikes what a change from the past few mornings where it was in the 70's, anyhow the sun was shinning and there was blue skies with a northern breeze most of the day. After sleeeping in until nearly 7 after Chester had us awake at 5'ish we had a lite breakfast before heading out to Twill Auto to help with the oil change for single moms. This is an outreach of our house church. Dan Botbyl is the owner of Twill

Saturday, February 25, 2012

Friday

Well it was in the low 70's this AM as Chester woke us all up around 5. I managed to sleep in until the alarm went off at 6 shutting that big mouth bird off in my consciousness. After my quiet time and a bowl of oatmeal with fruit I pedalled out to the rec for a couple hours of pickle ball. It seems the intermediate players will be joining us on Fridays now that basketball has taken over their Saturday morning time slot for the gym, so there was a rather large crowd with 3 courts in full swing and 4-6 waiting most times. The play was still fairly good with most of the players actually playing better and I noticed lots of new faces. I had a wet shirt by 10 o'clock and was ready to relax after 3 hard playing morning. It's strange how quickly you can get out of shape; starting with sore muscles and a slight loss of stamina in just a week of not playing hard. I guess that comes with age as well.

I stopped off at the library on the way home and picked up a couple reads for the week-end. Nancy was at her Bible study for Fridays so I did a load of laundry and hung that out after watering the gardens. The new Cilantro and Sweet basil plants I separated into 3 pots each are showing signs of new growth as that was a success. I'm hoping they will make it so I can transplant them in the mountains in May. There is nothing like the fresh taste of both herbs especially Basil on a salad and Cilantro on Mexican food, Yikes that is good. I sat back and read until Nancy came from her study. We finished the taco meat and Jasmine rice for lunch and with a little jalapeno peppers on it, dewisheous.

We stayed in most of the afternoon as the humidity was back with vengeance and read until it was time to get ready to head over to GG's for supper. I pulled a huge bag of fresh kale as well as a huge bag of collard greens for our dear friends Ralph and Sara Ann. He is not doing well due to congestive heart failure plus his age and several previous heart attacks. If you think of it keep both of them in your thoughts and prayers; she at this time is his primary care giver and you can see the toll its taking on her health as well. We didn't visit except to say hi and give them the greens as Ralph really loves greens. Both of them are from Galax, Va. and we have grown fond of their company over the years especially when we met them at our cabin in a strange sort of way. They had come to the foot of the hill from our cabin looking for an old pastor friend that use to own a cabin there. We only knew Ralph and Sara Ann by face from our old church in Seminole. I was in a ditch cleaning it out at the foot of our drive when I saw this car from Florida and then I recognized the Payne's. Well our friendship has blossomed over the years and we regularly visited with them when they came to Galax for the summers as well as they would visit us at the cabin. Super nice folks and its sad to see him in this condition.

Well we visited and ate with GG until nearly 9 PM before calling it a day. She had a nice pork loin with sauerkraut(one of our favorite meals), kielbasa, and hot dogs as well as smashed taters and Nancy made a huge salad, good eatin' once again and after the clean up we headed out. GG has really done quite well and is daily going through Will's clothes and things they have accumulated over their 60 years together. She is actually starting to regain some of the weight she lost during his final days.

Well it was a full day and Saturday seems to be another one as well as our house church will do FREE oil changes and safety checks at Twill Auto for single moms and wives whose husbands are in the military and overseas. We also give each mom a $10 gas card. We are starting to get some repeat moms as we do this every 3 months. Its fun to give to those who are least expecting despite the idea that some of the moms are very skeptical that anything is free. We have made a believer(no pun intended) out of several as we share the love of Christ in an unorthodox way. I think we have 11 appointments scheduled during this 9-12 program. LATER

Friday, February 24, 2012

Thursday

Well it was another busy day and while the temps have stayed nice due to the early morning fog and overcast skies the humidity is back in force, so it's a/c time once again, oh well!! Sure am looking forward to when we can enjoy the fresh crisp mountain air each morning. The morning was much the same with Chester next door waking the hood up with his loud crowing around 5'ish but I managed to tune him out until 6 when I rolled out for the day. After my quiet time and a bowl of oatmeal with fruit I jumped on the bike for my ride to the rec. Wow was it ever foggy as I could barely see 1/4 mile ahead. It was almost eiry and surreal and so quiet except for Chester's big mouth.

We had a good showing of players for 2 plus hours of pickle ball play and once again I had a soaked shirt from play. We are starting to gear up for the Goodlife Games the end of March which will feature pickle ball at our facility. Many will come from around the state to play especially those who participant in the national tournament in Arizona. Those guys and gals are hard to beat as they strictly play together whereas because we are a public gathering and we must play with different pardners daily. It's still fun and great experience playing with these great players. Hopefully we can beat them this year as we have some good players as well and we are teaming up a little different from years past.

Well after my workout I stopped off at the library for a new read then headed home. It wasn't as foggy but there was still enough dampness in the air to help hold the dust down so I started mowing the yards. I gathered up 5 huge trash cans of oak leaves and mulched them down to 1 1/2 cans, then spread them on the garden. This will provide worm food throughout the summer as well as add compost back for my vegetables. I finally finished around 12:30 and headed in for a bite of lunch. Nancy took her mother shopping and stayed to have lunch with her at her house while I mowed. I was still covered in dirt and dust from the mower so I nearly had to take a bath outside using the hose. It won't be long until the fuzzies arrive and the yellow pollen from the oaks as the new leaves begin to form and fill out. These fuzzies also make good compost as well but they become a real nuisance as well; as they cling to your hair and always manage to invade the house especially when working in the yards.

Well it was clean up the left overs day both for lunch and supper for us so it was nothing to write about unless you like fried spuds from leftover oven taters'and BBQ chicken. That cleaned out the fridge which makes it possible to add more as we are the family supper center, although tonight (Friday) we have been invited to eat over at GG's for roast pork and sauerkraut, one of my fav's. Amy and the family will be there along with Betsy and Braden. After our clean up we settled in to watch Fox News and then the Idol for an hour before I retreated to the reading room. It wasn't long before the bed was calling my name around 10 PM. LATER

Thursday, February 23, 2012

Wednesday

Well did it ever feel good to be back on the pickle ball court and I had a great 2 plus hours of work out with some great points. I was a little stiff and sore the rest of the evening since it had been a week since we last play, but it was worth it. The morning started with big beak Chester doing his 5'ish wake up the hood crowing but I was already awake in anticipation of hitting the courts at 7:30. After my quiet time and a couple poached eggs on a bed of grits I headed out on the bike. It was once more a beautiful Spring like morning with enough coolness in the air to wear a flannel shirt while riding the bike.It eventually warmed up to the middle 70's but with lots of high clouds mixed in with some sunshine.

After the rec I stopped by the library and picked up an unbelievable read titled A TALE OF TWO LIVES, its the fugitive story of Susan Lefevre. Yeow does this story about her life and what she went through while on the lam for a trumped up drug arrest as a teenager, her escape and how she was treated in the Michigan prison system after being rearrested 30 years later. It is a must read. I read most of the afternoon as this book was that revealing and informative and a real eye opener about judicial system in Michigan; never thought I would read about this occurring in America.

I watered the garden and then Amy and the kids came for lunch. Afterwards I sat outside and read while the kids played then they headed over to a neighbors house to play with a little boy in her class at school and then they all came back to our yard and played until it was time for supper. Needless to say there were no naps today for anyone as Amy's electrical service was being changed out at their new house so she couldn't go home.

After supper it was threatening rain and storm clouds were on the radar so they headed home before the storm and we got ready for house church at 7. We never got the storm or the rain but did get the humidity back so on went the a/c. We had 9 for house church and we discussed the humanness of Jesus in the Eldridge book, BEAUTIFUL OUTLAW very interesting. After our meeting we tuned into the last half of Survivor and American Idol then it was time to get ready for nite, nite. LATER

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Tuesday

Well not much going on here in the way of excitement.The temp's have dropped down into the 50's again at night which is nice and back up to the 70's for a high with no humidity, so once again the windows are open during the day with no A/C. The new seedlings in the garden love these cool nights and bright sunshine days as well as do most everything else. I still have to water both morning and evening as the rain hasn't been very active. Chester woke us at 5'ish as usual but we managed to tune him out until 6:30 as Nancy had to take her mom for a Dr's. appointment at 9. So after our quiet time and a bowl of cereal she headed out to her mom's.

I'm still not back on the pickle ball court until Wednesday morning so I've been sleeping in as well. I went with Nancy to pick up her mom from the Dr's and then we headed to Sam's Club and took GG with us as she to needed a few things. After dropping her off we headed home for lunch with Amy and the kiddos. They stayed until nearly 2 PM then headed for their house as they were coming back for supper around 5:30. We did taco rollup's and where they ever yummy. After eating the kids wanted to play with the little boy across the street who is in Ava's class at school so they headed over there then came back for baths around 7:30. After they left it was watch a little T.V. and I finished the Larsson book. Yikes was that ever a good read and it was the final book in the trilogy. Now I want to read the first book some time since I've had it ordered for a couple months. There is lots of excitement and action in the story line and he definitely was a superb writer; too bad he passed at such an early age. LATER

Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Monday

Well it was another morning without pickle ball so after Chester woke us up around 5 we slept in until nearly 7:30 and what a difference in the temperature when we ventured out, yikes it had dropped 25 degrees from the previous morning. We had the a/c on Sunday and now it was close to taking the chill off on Monday morning. After our quiet times and a lite breakfast I headed out wearing a flannel shirt to water the gardens.The cool nights and warm days are really ideal for the garden as once again the beans are blooming like crazy, lots of little green 'maters and the new lettuces are really taking off. We should be able to pinch some leaves off by the end of the week and add to the salad bowl.

Amy and Nancy took off around 10'ish to do some grocery shopping and Sam stayed with me, that boy lots for me to read to him and he is really a smart little feller and doesn't forget a thing. When the girls got back we ate a bowl of homemade chicken noodle soup and Sam loves his soup as well. He likes for me to help feed him soup and likes to try out whatever I'm eating. Ava came after school and we played until it was time for their afternoon naps, although I don't think Ava takes them any more. After they left we got ready for a couple mile hike through the hood and by now it was a nice warm sunny afternoon. The north breeze was strong and it was very dry but clear with bright sunshine. A perfect day for being outside. We came back and I worked in the garden a little once again hand watering the new seedlings and transplants.

Amy was having us to her house for supper so we read until it was time to head over and pick up GG and bring her with us as well. We had a beautiful salad with chicken casserole that was made from rotisserie chicken, green beans and a dry stuffing on top, yikes is that ever dewisheous. We stayed around until the kids got their baths and the clean up from supper and headed out after Wheel of Fortune; Amy and Tyler like that show but we never watch it. It was a fun evening at their new house and the eatin' was great and it was once again good for GG to get out of the house.

We saw lots of snow pictures from our mountain friends and family and wow they got a right nice amount. The pictures were beautiful but I understand much of it left already as the temps warmed back up to above the freezing mark. That's the way I like it as well; here today to enjoy its beauty and let the freeze kill lots of insect pests and germs then gone tomorrow. I always hated when the snow and ice would freeze at nights and melt during the day especially when your around a barnyard working with milk cows. Those were the days my friends, what an experience!!!Oh well I do miss that part of growing up on the farm and only wish my grand kids could learn and share about that part of my early life; needless to say I learned so much.

We got a surprise phone call from about to be married niece Kelly Lynn Dillon who along with her mom Dee, were heading to Galax, Va. to visit a "mountain furniture" store located there. That town is where we do most of our shopping when we are in the mountains and we just love the ambiance. Kelly is getting married at my and Dee's old home church near Mountain Falls where we grew up, in July and son Bobby is doing the officiating. We are excited for her and Jordan. It should not only we a festive occasion but a great time of family reunion as well.

Well we got home from Amy and I read until it was lights out and I'm nearly half way through Steig Larsson's book THE GIRL WHO KICKED THE HORNETS NEST, very interesting, a real page turner if I must say so. LATER

Monday, February 20, 2012

Sunday











Well once again it was a busy day that started out with Chester next door crowing at 5'ish in the morning but we rolled over and managed to stay in the sack until around 6:30. Today was head to Tampa for worship so we did our routine quiet times and lite breakfast before heading out for the 45 minute drive to Element Church.

There was a good crowd with lots of new faces and tons of kids; this is a young group of folks with very few grand parents in attendance but lots of new babies being born this month, yikes don't drink the water if you come for a visit. We had another great message on one of the key foundations of Element and that was simplicity. We shared that message with the LORDS SUPPER at the end of the message and simply what it means to share at the table the breaking of the bread(that represents the body of Christ) and the drinking of the cup(the wine that represents the shedding of the blood for our forgiveness). It was an awesome time of worship and remembrance.

After the service we headed home to eat some leftovers before getting ready for the family that was coming around 5:30 for supper. We bought a couple whole chickens at Sam's last week so I cut them up and got them ready for the grille and Nancy made oven taters loaded with fresh parsley and Rosemary from the garden and of course I made a huge salad from the garden which used up the last of the lettuces, but I have more on the way in a week or so as they are finally starting to take off. GG brought some fresh broccoli and cauliflower and I added from my garden some small broccoli heads to it as well, plus there was fresh French bread. Yikes what a feast once again. Grandma Nancy made fresh chocolate chip cookies afterwards for all. Bobby and his kids, Amy and her kids, GG and Betsy plus Nancy and I and we once again had a house full. Jill and Tyler were busy with other planned events so they they missed the all the excitement and good eatin'. Everyone stayed until after the kids baths then they headed out around 8:30 or so. It was a fun time and the kids played great together as Sam and Gabe are starting to interact a little more each time they are together; of course Ava and Annsley are in their own little make believe world with dolls, etc.

After the clean up it was time to relax and and read before the bed began calling my name. I was lights out around 10:30, LATER Here are a couple pics from the occasion.

Sunday, February 19, 2012

Saturday

Well the humidity has arrived again with warm temps and the a/c will be back on again and it looks like it may be that way for awhile as the forecast shows warm and muggy for the next several days. I see where our mountain friends are expecting 3-6 inches of snow, yikes. Anyway after a Chester wake up around 5'ish we rolled over and stayed in until after 7. After our quiet times and a couple poached eggs with grits and a grapefruit we got ready to head over to the Largo Mall for shopping. It was nearly noon by the time we got home after making three stops. I finished up the deer leftovers then headed out to work in the yard and garden. There was enough cloud cover to make it comfortable outside for working.

I picked the last of the lettuce crop from last year for a salad for supper then pulled weeds and replanted some radishes the squirrels had dug out even though I had chicken wire covering them. If these critters were from N.C. I would be have some chicken fried squirrel and gravy, Yumm!! but as it be we just capture them in cages and then release them across a 4 lane highway. I don't see as many at one time as weeks ago but they are still here and just as destructive. I bought a couple pots of Cilantro and Sweet Basil as the cold got mine and then re-potted them and wouldn't you know they were grown and shipped from the Shenandoah Valley(Virginia) cheaper than what I pay for plants from Home Depot that are grown in Plant City, Fl. I got 3 re-pots from each pot I bought as there were lots of individual seedling, hopefully I can keep them in pots and bring to the cabin in May.

Wow are we getting excited about the thought of heading to the cabin especially since our "mountain mom" Helen took some pictures of the cabin and flower beds and sent them to us last week. It sure looked lonely there and without any flowers very bare but the place looked good and it tugged on my heart strings. It will be about 2 plus months before we can start packing to head up to higher ground. We are hoping to spend more time there this summer than in the past couple years as last year we were there only about 10 weeks total. We also have a big wedding to attend this July so that will be exciting as well as we are looking forward to family and friends visiting.

Dan and Carol came for supper and I grilled Salmon, Nancy made Pioneer Woman's pasta dish with pesto and Carol brought spaghetti squash; that's a vegetable we never eat but I like and its not mushy like most squash and of course a salad to top off the menu. After the clean up we played 6 rounds of Sequence and we(guys) won the first round but never saw another win the next 5 games; it was total disaster for us. We then play 9 rounds of Golf(card game) and I sneaked out a win by one point.

Well tomorrow is worship day in Tampa at Element Church with son Bobby and then we will have another family supper minus Jill as she has a meeting and I think Tyler will be gone as well as he heads off to a church retreat with SFBC to Louisiana for a couple days; so the grand kids along with GG will all be together. I'm barbecuing some chickens on the grill and it should once again another fun and good eatin' filled evening. LATER

Saturday, February 18, 2012

Friday

Well we slept in again until after 7 even though Chester was having his crowing time at 5'ish. Seems once he wakes everyone up he backs off the crowing or else we have just been able to tune him out. After our quiet times Nancy got really to pick up GG and meet Amy for some shopping. I headed out to the rec for a workout on the elliptical and while there I checked on the gym floor and it looked finished to me. They say the earliest we can play on it is Wednesday, shucks!!! After the workout I stopped of at the library for a couple reads before heading home in a light sprinkle of rain.

It rained ever so lightly at times but stuck around most all day so I read and talked on the phone with my dad in Virginia. The weather there was like a Spring day he said with cool temps but bright sunshine. He remarked this winter has been a warm one except for a few days of bitter cold which doesn't last long. Everyone is well there and he still heads down to Winchester daily to pick up his mail and check on his house in town then heads back to Star Tannery with his woman friend, Adeline. They look after one another and give each other some company after both of them lost their spouses years ago. Seems they were old friends many years ago before the death of their loved ones.

Well we ate leftovers for supper as it was quiet around here with just Nancy and I after all the family suppers this week. We finished up the pasta fouzel and salad. After the clean up we settled in to watch the news on FOX then I headed in to watch Gold Rush. Sometimes these miner guys act like spoiled brats but I think that's what sells the show. Its interesting to watch how each gang go about extracting the gold from the earth and how the elements affect their activities. I would love to do that as I find it challenging to battle break downs and the long hours with the possibility of striking a mother lode, Oh well!!! I just finished a book on the mining era in Montana and all that went with it during the later part of the 1800's.

Well not much else is going on except we are entertaining Dan and Carol tomorrow, for supper and games afterwards. LATER

Friday, February 17, 2012

Thursday

Well it was a busy day despite not whacking the green pickle ball during the morning hours. Nancy and I did a couple mile walk through the hood around 10 AM so I did get a little workout. After the morning wake up from Chester we slept in until around 7 before starting the day with a few quiet moments. It was a spring like morning with temps in the low 60's and eventually reached close to 80 by the afternoon with a really nice east wind which kept the humidity some what at bay, by the late afternoon some high clouds rolled in and it looked like rain but we never got any.

We headed over to GG's for lunch as I wanted to mow up her leaves and bag them for my garden, that sure made it a lot easier than raking them as I had done in past years plus I reduced the number of bags by about half. Nancy was taking her mom for a hearing appointment later in the day so she drove GG's car to get some time on it while I headed home to finish mulching the leaves and then I washed the truck. Wow that kept me busy right up to nearly 4 PM. They finally got home so I sliced the deer tenderloin into steaks and cut up a head of fresh garden cabbage for supper.

Nancy chicken fried the deer and along with boiled cabbage and Jasmine rice and salad we had us a country supper. I even made a nice milk gravy from the deer drippings for our rice. That was some fine eatin' and once again we thank the Dalton Gang in Sparta for their fine shootin' and processing that superb venison. After supper the kids played and entertained GG before heading out for home. They gave GG a ride home which saved us from going out again. Nancy and I sat together watching 2 hours of the Idol which is always good and afterwards it was shower time then lights out, LATER

Thursday, February 16, 2012

Wednesday

Well if you noticed this post is later than usual on the next day its because the gym at the rec is closed for a week so there won't be any pickle ball starting today(Thursday); so that means a change in my morning routine as I have found posting the morning after is much easier than posting the night of mainly because I get to tired while tying to create or write late in the evening. Now I know that you, who are avid readers or whatever really wanted to hear that explanation but remember I write this so my grand kids will know who their grandparents where in real time and when you change a routine especially for a week it leaves open the area of speculation.

The morning was much the usual but the temps were warm at a 63 degrees when big mouth Chester next door started his morning wake up. I wonder how many years roosters live? After rolling out at 6 I did my quiet time then a couple poached eggs(way to get back at Chester as I ate any possibility another rooster could be hatched) in a bowl of warm grits. I'm going to start on this spare tire again as I will miss 2 plus hours of pickle ball workout and eat only natural unprocessed foods and eggs are are great food for helping to reduce body fat along with a pink grapefruit. My neighbor has a small grapefruit tree that must have 5 bushels or more of the fruit and they just let them rot on the ground when they fall off.

After pickle ball I stopped off for a new read before heading home to water the garden and transplant some new marigold, cucumber and radish seedlings. I have to start everything from seed now and when they get big enough I cover them with a piece of chicken wire that helps keep those pesky squirrels from digging in the rows and uprooting the seeds and plants. So far its worked and along with my neighbor and I. we have moved a couple dozen squirrels to the library which is on about 50 acres of woods. I now have several green tomato's set on the new grape tomato plants which should appease Ava and Sam as they are crazy about tomatoes.

Amy and the kiddos came for lunch so I made a large salad from the garden. I cut a huge head of cabbage that must have weighed 8-10 pounds. I have one more left to cut as I experimented when I put these sets out in Oct. I used Osmocote in the hole when I set them in the ground; but I had a double seedling in one of the packs and I transplanted it without any Osmocote so it grew but just not as fast or large. We are eating that head of cabbage on Thursday but I cut slivers from it to add to the salad, Yumm. I also cut a huge pile of Swiss chard for supper along with marinated chicken breasts and a baked potato load with scallions from the garden, hot green peppers and sour cream. Sam was eating those green onions like they were candy so we had to stop him before he got a tummy ache.

After the clean up we were expecting to have house church here but a couple of the leaders were ill so we postponed, so Amy and the kiddos stayed on and played until after their baths. Ava and Sam really rough house and play so great together. He is putting together sentences now and is so much fun to hear him talk plus he is starting to want to do everything himself without assistance. Ava is a fantastic big sister and although they wrestle and he cry's occasionally she is very gentle with him whereas he is a boy and occasionally causes her to cry due to his roughness.

After they left we watched on separate TV's Survivor and American Idol. The tall dark haired older gal on Survivor is married to a former Buc's defensive tackle. Monica Culpepper is the tall dark haired gal who is in very good shape for an older gal in her 40's with I believe 3 teenagers. This should be an exciting season with men vs women and already the men have made adversaries of the gals. Well not much else is going on except I will catchup on some honey do projects since I have an extra couple hours a day, LATER

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Tuesday

Well what a difference a day makes especially when the outside temps are near 60 which is nearly 30 degrees warmer than yesterday. The morning started off much the usual with Chester crowing his head off(sometimes I almost wish he would literally at 5 in the morning) but he is Sam's buddy. They played together for over an hour today at the fence with Sam talking up a storm at him and Chester never moved from where Sam was digging in the dirt next to the fence. Anyhow after my quiet time and a bowl of cereal I rode out to the rec minus a heavy sweater and gloves. It was much like a Spring morning with the warm up.

I did a couple hours of pickle ball and we had 3 courts going for most of the morning with some good play and a large crowd. Afterwards I stopped off at the library for a couple reads before heading home to water the garden. Nancy headed for the rec but learned the workout room was closed for cleaning so we headed to Sam's Club instead for gas and some goodies. We got back just before noon as Amy and Sam were coming for lunch.

After lunch I transplanted some lettuce seedling and worked outside for an hour or so then sat and read in the shade of the oak. It was just a gorgeous afternoon as Sam and I enjoyed the outside. Ava was off with a school friend to lunch and then to play as Amy was having her friend at her house later in the afternoon. That gave each mother a break for a couple hours. We were having Amy and the kiddos for burritos for supper as well.

Well not much else is going on around here except Nancy did the rec after Amy left for Sam's nap and then the veggie stand for some tomato's before heading home. I'm getting a few but not enough to write about, it's funny that both Sam and Ava can eat their weight in them and Tyler can't eat a raw one whereas Amy also loves them as well. I just noticed today the grape tomato plants have some little green ones set and hopefully they will ripen soon. I'm still getting a few beans from the old plants but I did notice the new bean plants were touched by the cold Sunday and Monday as the leaves have a little scorching effect but I think they will make it. Everything else is still producing but the sugar peas are looking rather beat up because they were outside the oak tree cover so the frost must have touched them but they aren't dead yet so maybe they will come back.

After supper and the kids bath they got ready to head home and we watched a little Fox News. I headed in to watch the Lightning Hockey team play lousy against a team they should have beaten so I read until it was time to cut the lights out, LATER

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Monday

Well it was downright cold for Florida as the temp's for our area were right at the freezing mark and when I rode out to the rec at 7:15 frost was everywhere except on my garden. The big oak once more saved the plants as frost was everywhere the big oak wasn't anyhow it was a cool day all day except for late afternoon when the wind died down and the direct sun rays finally brought the temps up to the 50 mark. Tuesday its supposed to get back into the low 70's.

The morning found us awake at 5'ish and big beak Chester was doing his thing but the bed was so snugly and warm I stayed in until 6 before the usual quiet time and bowl of oatmeal before riding out to the rec for a couple hours of pickle ball. We had a good crowd and the new Canadian couple Marcell and Louise were there and they are very nice players. I think she maybe better than him but they use paddles that aren't sanctioned by the USPBA as the ball just flys off the paddle at a tremendous speed, yikes and the paddles have a completely different sound from the synthetic material used to construct them. After 2 plus hours I headed by the library to pick up a new book.

Nancy had an appointment with an ear, nose and throat doctor regarding her sore lip. change of voice and also burning mouth syndrome. The doctor checked her throat and found it to be fine with maybe some minor acid reflux and the lip didn't appear to be cancerous so he prescribed some medicine for the digestion and a salve for the lip and the burning mouth is probably related to all the stress associated to her father's bad health and eventually his passing. The salve helped right away and she has to take this pill for the reflux once a day for a couple weeks so that should clear up the voice change as the throat heals. Thankfully that is all it is.

We came home to have lunch with Amy and the kids as Tyler is in cold Virginia for his job for this week. The airlines loss his luggage initially and his coat was inside so when he arrived at Dulles he had no luggage thus no coat; luckily it was on the next flight. After lunch it had warmed up enough for Sam and I to spend an hour or so outside in the back yard in the sun. It wasn't too cold if you stayed out of the shade so I read awhile as he and Chester played. That rooster lets Sam grab him and hold on through the fence to his tail feathers and Sam just thinks that's the greatest thing, oh well.

After they left for their naps and mine Nancy took off to take GG to several appointments and they all came back to our house for supper. We had a huge ham bone with lots of meat on it so that made a great pot of pasta fouzuel soup and along with a fresh garden salad and crusty bread we had a feast once again and did that soup ever hit the spot on this cool evening. The temps once again were dropping fast as the sun went down and every one left around 7:30 for the night after the kids baths.

I read a little and by 10 PM the sand man was calling my name, LATER

Monday, February 13, 2012

Sunday

Brrr was it ever a drastic change in the weather. We went from a/c to heat over night and it got down into the low 30's here on the Suncoast and the wind made it feel even colder, Yikes. I think my garden survived Sat. night as I watered it heavily on Sunday afternoon but Sunday night was supposed to be as cold as well, anyhow after Chester woke us up around 5'ish we rolled over under and extra quilt until nearly 7:30 before venturing out to start the day. We had a long tiring day on Sat. and did that warm bed ever feel good.

After our quiet times we had a bowl of oatmeal and I also had a sweet pink grapefruit before getting ready to head to Tampa for worship at Element Church with son Bobby. He had awesome message on taking ownership within the Church and the music had us all in tears especially when Danielle closed the service with the song, Hosanna. She has an awesome voice for that song and of course we know her intimately as she has been a neighborhood friend of the family since she was a childhood friend of Amy's. Beautiful music to our ears and heart.

After the service we loved up on Annsley and Gabe before heading home. We stopped at Subway for lunch with Dan and Carol as we drove this week then after lunch we got ready to head to the local nursing home where we assisted in pushing those who wanted to attend the church service in wheelchairs to and back from the service. There were about 15 or so and are in such poor shape health wise that it just breaks your heart as many have no family or loved ones. After leaving the nursing home I picked some fresh lettuce for our neighbors as well as made a huge salad for us and then took a large bag over to Dan and Carols for them. I stopped off at neighbors who has a pink grapefruit tree that is loaded with fruit but they don't use it so I picked about a dozen or more before heading back to hand water the garden. The temp had finally got above 50 so in the sun and out of the wind it was tolerable as I hand watered.

Well I finished the last of the Zuppa soup for supper and it was dewisheous especially on such a chilly evening. I'm trying to talk Nancy into making a pot of bean soup or pasta fasoule from the spiral cut ham bone we had last week that we froze. Nothing like some hot soup with some corn bread muffins on a cold winter's evening, anyhow after the clean up we watched Dateline on TV together and then I headed off to read. That was so sad to read and watch about Whitney Houston and the demise of such a beautiful talented person. What a voice she had and how she strayed from the straight and narrow and let supposedly people who loved her introduce her to drugs and alcohol which eventually lead to addiction, such a waste of a great GOD given talent, Oh well. LATER

Sunday, February 12, 2012

Saturday

Well it was a busy day with moving Amy and Tyler into their new rental house about 2 miles further from us than before. Our morning started with a 5'ish wake up crow from Chester but we rolled over and managed to tune him out until 7 AM. Amy was bringing Ava and Sam over around at 8 so she and Tyler could go and pick up a large U-Haul truck. Several men from the church were coming as well to help with the heavy stuff at 9. Nancy fixed some French toast for the kiddos and myself then I headed out to pick up Dan and we headed over to the Ross's.

Neil, Jason, Dan, Tyler and myself loaded all the big heavy stuff and we were on our way with the first load in about an hour and we did a second load and were basically through loading and unloading by around noon. Tyler treated the 5 of us to lunch at Joto's pizza which was just down the road and then we returned the truck and made a last minute sweep of the old house and left the keys on the counter. We then headed over to the new place to begin the really hard work of putting beds back together, setting the house up and putting away things. We kept busy until nearly 6 o'clock before calling it a day and heading over to GG's for supper. She had prepared a dewisheous baked spaghetti casserole, fresh salad and crusty bread. We all ate including Betsy and Braden and we stayed and cleaned up until it was nearly 8 before heading out. Amy and Nancy had bathed the kids before we left the house so that was done and boy were we all tired.

It didn't take long for me to fall asleep after that nice hot shower as I last looked at the clock it wasn't yet 10. The weather was great for doing physical work outside with no humidity and the highs in the low 60's all day; and then we saw where it was calling for a hard freeze just north of the bay area at night. The temps were dropping as we headed home and it already was down into the 50's and this morning (Sunday) it was 35 in Seminole. There was no frost as the winds were steady but it was cold with overcast skies.

Today is worship together day at the gathering at Element Church in Tampa and then afterwards its off to the local nursing home to bring a little joy to those shut-in's. LATER

Saturday, February 11, 2012

Friday

Wow was I ever stiff and sore after the marathon pickle ball tournament on Thursday so I laid out on Friday morning's workout; instead I stayed in bed until nearly 7:30 after the 5'ish wake up by Chester. My left Achilles was really tender and sore and finally after an hour of stretching and walking around it finally loosened up enough I could maneuver without limping. After my quiet time and a grapefruit with a banana I headed to check on the gardens and hang a load of laundry before riding up to the library on the bike for some books I had ordered. It was just a gorgeous morning with cool dry temps in the 60's and bright sunshine.

Nancy took off for her Friday morning Bible study and I worked in the garden transplanting some Bib lettuce seedling that I hope are big enough to withstand those pesky squirrels and their digging. I found a nice red ripe tomato I had missed some how and then I staked them some what. I'm experimenting whether tomato's do better to just grow loose on the ground or be tied and staked up. My friend Joe in the mountains lets his just grow freely on the ground and he has awesome tomato's and abundant ones whereas my sister Dee in Va. stakes her and she too grows great tomato's; anyhow I found out something I didn't know is where the limb lying on the ground here in Florida will actually produce roots and actually grow like another plant itself from the limb, I had never seen that before. I have had tomato plants broken off and then stuck the broken half in the ground and it will grow roots and eventually produce fruit. I use to grow great tomato's here but I think the limited direct sunshine due to the oak trees spreading out over the back yard has hurt their production. I use to feed the family and friends but now I can barely grow enough to meet our needs.

Amy brought Sam by for lunch and afterwards she and Nancy took off to the new house to do some work while Sam and I played together in the back yard. I sat and read while he gathered up buggies, flower petals and played with Chester next door through the fence. We had a grand time and I even had to change one of his poop diapers; boy is he a wiggle worm for the girls but he laid peacefully for me, thankfully. After he left I ran the vacuum as we were supposed to come back here to play cards after a supper out with Dan and Carol at Olive Garden. We had a nice supper except for Nancy which was a little to red peppery for her, so she brought most of hers home after getting a redo on her entree. We wound up at Dan and Carol to play Phase 10 and I won for a change on the last hand; that was a first for me in many moons or years, probably the latter. We headed home and I caught the last of Gold Rush on the tube before hitting the sack. Tomorrow is moving day completely for Amy and Tyler into their new rental house as several of our house church guys will help with the heavy lifting.

Nancy will keep Ava and Sam here at our place and then afterwards GG is fixing supper for all of us at her place. She is doing quite well and is getting on with her life much better than we initially expected. Her only down fall is her inability to drive so she is dependent on us or Betsy to drive her around; except her singing buddies pick her up for those occasions. We have her for supper or lunch almost every other day and of course Nancy takes her shopping and to her doctors appointments a couple times a week. LATER

Friday, February 10, 2012

Thursday

Well a different kind of day altogether after the Chester wake up around 5'ish. I usually roll out at 6 but since it was tournament day at the rec I layed in until nearly 7 then did my quiet time before eating a good breakfast of granola, straw berries, blue berries and a banana. I pedalled out around 8 AM as the play started at 9 and didn't get back to the house until nearly 5 PM. Needless to say I had to pedal home after several grueling matches and I was whipped.

I didn't have my first match until nearly 11 AM as my men's pardner Mike and I had a bye the first round and when we did finally play it was against a couple men we had never played against before from Clearwater. We managed to beat them in straight sets but would eventually have to play them again as we were the only team to beat them in this double elimination tournament. After a couple other matches we won convincingly but for the finals we had to play this team again and while we took the first set they came back and won the second which meant a third set. Mike my pardner has some Achilles issues and we were determined to win this third set because if we didn;t it would mean we would have to play them again for a third time. We prevailed and came away with a victory and the gold medal.

The mixed doubles competition started after the men's finals so I was back out on the court with Mitsuko who is a very strong player and can strike the ball nearly as forceful as a man. We won easily our first 2 matches allowing only 1 point to our opponents in 4 sets then we came up against some home grown competition. We won that match as well then had to play Keith and Cheryl also a home grown team. We ended up playing them 3 different matches in a row with them beating us once and then we had to beat them twice in a row to capture the gold medal. Yikes were we ever exhausted but victory was sweet and the scores were only 2 points apart in nearly every set. It was a day of some exciting matches from all who participated and we made some new friends both on and off the court.

Well when I got home Nancy had already harvested the collard greens which is usually my job and had them cooked along with a spiral cut ham and Amy was bringing a dewisheous potato casserole made with sour cream as well as a couple Pepperidge Farms cakes. I passed on the cakes but loaded up on all else as I had missed lunch except for a couple bananas, energy bars and of course my Perfect Water. That water is oxygenated and helps to revive you during grueling activity. After the supper cleanup we gave the kids a bath and I made my order for Amway as I get free shipping thanks to our team leaders the first 10 days of the month. Amy took GG home on her way home that was a big help as Tyler was teaching ESL(English second language) at church. We watched American Idol and wow my body especially my left Achilles really stiffen up so I think I will pass on pickle ball play Friday morning.

Just a business update as I want to remind those of you who use any vitamins, supplements, weight loss products, Omega 3's, energy bars, etc., that ALL Nutrilite Products are BOGO(buy one get one Free) for the month of February. This is an unbelievable offer and great saving and it doesn't come from Amway corporate but from our generous team leaders and in addition to that you will receive Free shipping on your BOGO orders as well. The BOGO's come at the end of the month and if and when you order that transaction will not show up on your order as its separate and paid for by our team leaders. If you want to save even more let me make you a special pricing customer which means I will offer you the same price its offered to me as a distributor or IBO, that's usually another 25 to 35% off the retail. I just need you to let me know if your interested and you can buy direct off the Internet with your own customer ID number through our store at Amway.com/JNTriplett...LATER Remember if you do make a purchase from our store for the BOGO's; that does NOT show up on your order but you will receive that Free order at the end of the month, a couple of you have had that happen to you and even called corporate and of course they have no idea about the BOGO's but our team leaders make that purchase out of their pockets and then have it shipped directly to you but that only occurs at the end of the month.

Thursday, February 9, 2012

Wednesday

Well it cooled down again after another front passed through giving us once again beautiful Spring like weather.Thankfully the humidity passed on and temps in the lower 70's remained. The morning was much the usual with Chester waking us around 5'ish but I managed to tune him out until 6. After the usual quiet time , cup of green tea, and a bowl of cereal with fruit I pedalled out to the rec around 7:15 for some 2 plus hours of pickle ball. Yikes did we ever have some good play for the morning and right up until the time to head out at 10AM.

I stopped off at the library to return a couple books as well as pick up a couple I had on order. Nancy was getting ready to head to the rec for her workout and then to K-Mart for some goodies for the those gals who have been caught up in the human trafficking epidemic; seems once their rescued they have only the clothes on their backs so our house church is getting them shirts, pants, toiletries, back packs, etc. to meet some their immediate necessities. I headed out in the back yard to do some yard and garden work.

I mowed front and back, cleaned gutters, mulched oak leaves for my garden and fertilized the front yard. That kept me busy until lunch time when Amy came with the kiddos. After lunch Sam and I played in the back yard where he and Chester kept up their friendship. That rooster lets Sam grab his feathers and hold on all the while Sam is giggling. Its so darn funny I have to chuckle at the two of them; of course I yell at Sam to let him go but Chester comes right back to the fence and stands there waiting for Sam to grab him again. Nancy has a fit but, Oh well!!!!

Nancy made a pot of Zuppa soup with fresh garden kale from my patch for supper, yikes, was that ever dewisheous after the kiddos left for their naps. I vacuumed the house as it was house church night and we had 10 adults and 2 kids. We are getting ready to do our free oil change for single moms toward the end of this month and are planning on helping Amy and Tyler move this Saturday into their new rental house. We had a good discussion on the forcefulness of Jesus in situations that required direct intervention such as when he made a whip to drive the moneychangers out from the temple. There are lots of examples in the Bible where he uses fierce interventions. Eldridge does a good job in bringing forth great examples of where Jesus is showing his human side in cases where there are injustices.

We caught the last half of American Idol after our study and then got ready for nite nite. Tomorrow I'm playing a pickle ball tournament at our rec where several folks from out of the area will be competing in both men's, women's and mixed doubles; should be fun and the competition should be great. We have some great competitors in our group and I'm interested to see how we will do. LATER

Wednesday, February 8, 2012

Tuesday

Well it was still cloudy and overcast but with high humidity so we still have the house closed up with the a/c on although it has cooled down into the 60's for the night. Chester was alive and crowing around 5 so once again I had thought of KFC with a nice rich gravy. Anyhow after my quiet time a cup of hot green tea I had my bowl of cereal with fruit before pedalling out to the rec for some 2 1/2 hours of pickle ball. We had a large crowd of players and a new couple from Canada came as well towards the end of our play period. He is a very good player and should bring some new play to our group.

I headed home on the bike to work in the garden and do a little hand watering. Seems the chicken wire has helped to deter the squirrels from digging my new seedlings out although Nancy watched them climbing on top of the wire trying to dig through. I caught another one in my cage and took it away to the library area where it would have to cross a 4 lane to get back to my place. There are tons of them in the hood but I'm beginning to think maybe they are territorial as I've seen a real reduction on the big oak out front.

Nancy picked up GG and brought her for lunch. I made a fresh guacamole to go along with what ever we were having. It turned out good and we all dipped tortilla chips in it as well. Aldi's had avocados for a quarter and they were perfectly ripe, Yumm!!! After lunch I watched the kiddos while Nancy took GG and Amy with a load of kitchen stuff from her old house to the new one and put the articles away. We watched a Winter's Tale again and the kids loved it; its really a good family flick.

We took GG home and helped her with a few chores, she seems to be acclimating herself to being alone and on Wednesday she starts back with her singing group. One of the lady's in the group will pick her up and bring her home as she to is a widow; all of the groups members are up there in age but they give several concerts a year in the local area, mostly to nursing homes and churches. This will help GG to have an outside interest once again as she has been singing with this group forever.

Well we just read until it was time for supper but Betsy came by and visited and she has the hardest time staying awake when setting down in a chair so I had her try a bottle of the Perfect Water that is Pomegranate/Blueberry flavored well immediately she came to life and both Nancy and I were startled by her physical reaction to drinking this water. We think she has the disease(narcolepsy) that allows you to fall asleep in a second wherever you are. We think because this water is oxygenated and has lots of B vit's this maybe is what she need, we were so surprised we sent some more home with her to try, anyhow it would be a breakthrough if we could find something to help her with this problem. Amway distributes this water and of course I drink a bottle everyday while working out and I can tell and immediate pick me up while using it. Any of you long distance runners or marathon folks aught to try this. After she left we heated up leftovers for supper in the microwave.

Not much else going on except helping Amy and Tyler with their move, house church on Wednesday night and then a ham supper with GG and the Ross Family on Thursday night here at our place. I'm playing in a pickle ball tournament on Thursday both men's and mixed doubles; hopefully we have have some good challenging play. LATER

Tuesday, February 7, 2012

Monday

Well the day started out much the usual with Chester sounding off around 5'ish then my quiet time and a bowl of cereal before heading out to the rec for a couple hours of pickle ball. We had a large crowd today and some great games with extended rallies. My shirt was soaked as was many others as I don't think the a/c was turned on as well. Anyhow after a great workout I stopped off and returned a couple books at the library before pedalling home on my bike. I did a little garden work while waiting for Nancy to return from a doctor's appointment, seems she has a place on her lip that will just not heal so she wanted to make sure its not cancerous and this doctor is sending her to a specialist next week for further evaluation.

Amy and kiddos came for lunch and afterwards the kids and I headed outside to play with buggies and wormies. That handful of worm's kept them busy for an hour or more; of course by then they had dried worm "stuff" glued to their fingers and hands. After they took off for their afternoon naps I sat under the big oak in the back yard and read while Nancy took off to the rec for her workout. When she came back we stopped off at the bank then headed for Aldi's for a few goodies.

Well the humidity has arrived once again so the a/c is back on with the house closed up, but we did get a very nice rain which was completely unexpected and it cooled things down a little as well. I picked broccoli, sugar peas and green peppers to add with the fresh mushrooms, onions and garlic and made a nice stir fry for supper with added shrimps, yikes was that ever dewisheous over a bed of Jasmine rice. I have enough left over for lunch tomorrow.

After the cleanup Tyler brought the kiddos by while we hauled a load of furniture, toys, etc to their new house about 2 miles away. That kept us busy for an hour while Nancy watched the kiddos as Amy had a meeting at church. LATER

Monday, February 6, 2012

Sunday

Well the morning stated out the usual with Chester waking the hood at 5 AM. We managed to shut him off and sleep in until 7 before starting the day. After our quiet times and a lite breakfast we got ready to head to Tampa for worship with the gathering at Element Church. There was a good crowd with lots of new faces and a couple new babies about to born any second, yikes!! I have never seen so many about to give birth gals; don't drink the water at Element. Bobby's message today was about how Element Church was brought into existence, the role of house churches, and our part in the body of the church. The music was awesome and inspiring as well. After the service we headed home with Dan and Carol as we carpooled today.

I had a lite lunch of a roast beef sandwich and then worked in the garden trying to rescue my lettuce seedlings the squirrels dug up while we were at church. Tyler had some chicken wire around his garden and now that they are moving he had no use for the wire so I went over to his place to retrieve the wire. I cut a piece big enough to go over the new seedling which may help keep the critters from being able to dig in an around the seedlings. Hopefully this will deter that action and at least give the new seedlings a chance to get established.

Nancy and I read the afternoon away until it was time for her to pickup GG and bring her over for supper. I cut a skillet full of Swiss chard as well as rosemary and parsley for oven 'taters and then I grilled bone in pork chops. GG had never eaten Swiss chard and she was impressed with its taste; of course that is one of our favorite veggies and it makes a great side dish to any meat or fish entree.The supper was dewisheous(Annsley's). Speaking of Annsley and Gabriel we got to see and love up them for a few minutes this morning at church. They are growing so fast.

Well we settled in to watch the Super Bowl just after eating, we had no horses in the race so to speak so it was just another football game for us but at least it was an exciting one, right down to the last play of the game. We were kind of pulling for the Giants as they are in our league and Eli Manning is a good family guy. The game was one of the best in quite awhile. I still don't think the Giants were the best team in football for the year but they won when they had too and now are World Champions. Just goes to prove the old saying "on any given day any given team can win", except for the Bucs our team. Speaking of the Bucs we have a new coach for next season; a proven college coach from Rutgers University. Sure hope he brings some discipline and excitement to this team.

Well not much else is going on except we are still having fantastic weather with the windows and doors still open for now. It's down into the 60's at night and reaches the 80's for the daytime. I suspect we will be cranking up the a/c again soon, LATER

Sunday, February 5, 2012

Saturday

Well we slept in despite big beak Chester next door crowing around 5 o'clock in the morning, sometimes I can vision him in a golden brown setting with mashed spuds covered in a thick gravy with green beans and sliced tomato's on the side; but he is Sam's buddy and they do play together. Oh well!!! We were planning on meeting up at the Ross house around 10 to ferry some of their household goods to their new rental house and then do some painting in the master bedroom.

After our quiet times and a couple poached eggs for me on a bed of grits I headed out to chase the squirrels out of my newly transplanted lettuce seedling as the buggers dug up most of them. I think today I go and get some chicken wire and cover them and maybe that will stop them from digging. My neighbor and I have trapped at least a dozen or more and they just keep multiplying out of control. We move them across the big highway but it seems every tree in the hood has tons of the pesky critters, Oh well!!!

We painted the bedroom from a light green to a light brown or tan color and we are hoping one coat will suffice as it's supposed to have a primer built into the paint. Their new neighborhood is very friendly as they are on a cul de sac and already as we pulled up the guy across the street came over to visit and introduce himself. We learned the street is on reclaimed water for the yard and will work for his garden, maybe not as good as a well but should be cheaper than city water. This house is much bigger with an updated kitchen and baths, the rooms are huge. There are a few tweaks to be made but it has a fenced yard for the kids and an area for a garden for Tyler.

We headed home around 1 PM for a lite lunch of salad. I did some watering and garden work before settling in to read the rest of the afternoon. We were watching the kids during the evening as Amy and Tyler were going out celebrate their 7 years together at the Salt Rock Grill. Nancy fixed steak fajitas from the left over roast as well as some pasta for the kids. Wow did they both ever chow down. After supper and the clean up we took a nice leisurely walk around the hood until dark. Sam was so fascinated with the near full moon. We came back and gave them baths then watched the movie, Winters Tale. It was shot here in Clearwater about the dolphin that lost its tale from a crab trap and a prosthesis was made for it to survive, hey this was a great family movie. I highly recommend it.

Sam fell asleep just as the credits rolled on the screen and just as Amy and Tyler got back from their date. We all had a good time and they said their meal was fab. Tomorrow is gathering day in Tampa at Element Church. Hope to see you there and if not find a place near you for worship with other folks. LATER

Saturday, February 4, 2012

Friday

Well it was much the usual morning with Chester blowing his beak around 5 in the morning and after my quiet time I had the bowl of oatmeal with fruit before riding out on the bike for 2 plus hours of pickle ball. After the rec I stopped off and picked up a couple new reads and I found this new awesome author Larry Watson. He is really a down to earth author and writes about the most mundane occurrences with suspense and intrigue. After the library I headed home to work in the garden. I transplanted into the ground some new lettuce seedlings as my mature lettuce is just about all eaten and gone.

Amy and the kids along with GG came for lunch so Sam and I spent the afternoon in the back yard while the girls all took off to Amy's new rental house. I dug a few worms and that kept Sam busy playing with them and Chester through the fence. He loves to be outside with me and we have a grand time together except he is like Ava when it comes to flower heads as he loves to pull them off the plants. After the kids left I settled down and read for a couple hours before pulling 2 bags of collards greens for our good friends from Galax, Va, Ralph and Sara Ann. He is not doing well as he to has congestive heart failure; but they both love collards and mine are doing exceptionally well. I used a little Osmocote in the hole when I planted my seedlings last Fall and it really seems to make a difference as it's a time release fertilizer.

We went out to eat for supper with Dan and Carol and we wound up at a place called Toucan's in St. Pete. Reminded me of a Jimmy Buffet style place. The place was hopping with all kinds of folks and there was even a side room where you could for 2 dollars try to catch a Maine lobster with this little forked catcher( much like the type that kids are always trying to get toys with) that drops into the tank and then picks them up and drops them into a chute; all within 45 seconds. We saw a family catch 2 of them and the restaurant cooks them for you and we saw lots of misses as well. That was interesting. We had wings, fish and chips and fried shrimps. It was rather tasty and even though everything was fried we had no problems. I would go back again. I saw some old friends that were at Pap's funeral there as well and they told us about a special beer they always get so Dan and I had to have a glass and wow was it ever potent and the name was special as well, Golden Monkey at 9.5 per cent as it comes from a local micro brewery. Any how after eating we headed home to play domino's at their house and we met their new exchange person from Sweden, Maria.

Maria is working with the coalition that is world wide investigating the young girls that are captured and used as slaves. She will be staying with Dan and Carol for 6 months. Last year they had another lady who was here from Eastern Europe for a month or so who also was with this coalition. Very interesting and this problem is especially bad in the third world countries where many of the girls are brought here to the USA and exploited.

Well we headed home after Dan won in the last round, LATER

Friday, February 3, 2012

Pictures from Bobby's birthday supper
















Thursday

Well once again we had a huge family supper with all the gang here and what a fun time we had as we celebrated Bobby's 31st birthday. I'll get to more of that later but the morning started out with temp's in the 60's and a nice breeze from the east so the humidity stayed away. After Chester woke me up around 5'ish I managed to lay in bed until 6 before getting up and starting the usual routine. After my quiet time and a bowl of oatmeal with fruit I headed out on the bike for the rec and a couple hours of pickle ball. We had a good crew today with some great play and I had a wet shirt by 10 AM. After the rec I headed home to work in the garden.

I spent the rest of the morning watering, weeding, feeding and harvesting lettuces and kale from the garden as I was making a huge salad for supper and lunch. Amy and the kiddos went to the park for lunch so I helped to get ready for the crowd that was coming for supper. I picked some fresh rosemary and chopped it up with some fresh garlic and let that marinate in some olive oil along with some dried thyme and Dijon mustard; now I know that sounds like a weird combination but this makes an excellent rub or coating for any beef roast. We let the 11 pound sirloin roast set out for an hour or so to get to room temperature before applying the rub(with my hands). It's a little messy but you want this to penetrate and cover the whole surface of the roast. I put the roast in the oven uncovered at 450 for about 15-20 minutes then reduced the heat to about 350 for a couple hours or until your meat thermometer reads about 125 to 130 this is for a medium rare(good and pink all the way through). The meat will cook after taking it from the oven so take it out earlier if you want it good and red.

The dripping from the rub made wonderful gravy after separating the fat and Bobby made that as he adds all kinds of non conventional ingredients; but it was very tasty. Nancy made 5 pounds of smashed spuds, 2 pounds of Brussels sprouts and a couple pounds of fresh carrots as well as a bowl of salad with crusty bread. The roast was dewisheous as well as was everything else and the pumpkin cheesecake was the best ever. That will now become my favorite dessert. Nancy had never made one but this flavor is unsurpassed and the texture was so good. It was all eaten as we usually have some left over even with this big crowd but not tonight as even the little ones loved it.

We had a grand time with the house full up to around 9 PM when after kids baths and PJ's on they began leaving with full tummy's. Bob and Jill have a long ride home so they left early around 8:30 and the rest drifted out after American Idol. Eric leaves for Detroit at 6 in the morning so Tyler volunteered to drop him off at the airport in Tampa and then go to work early as his office is near there. Betsy and Braden dropped Amy and the kiddos off around 9 as they were having neighbor Dan service their car tomorrow. Wow what a good time we had, eating too much as usual and Bobby was thrilled with his money gifts. The kids played wonderfully together as well as bathed together. A fun time was had by all.

Just a little business update as our team leaders for the month of February have made ALL Nutrilite Products( vitamins, supplements, drinks, shakes, weight loss and weight gain, energy bars, etc.) All are BOGO(buy one get one Free) and there is no limit on how much or how little you can purchase to get the Bogo's, but if you want Free shipping your order must be at least $120. Stock up on this special as it's been 6 months since we have last had this special on Nutrilite products. If you want personalized pricing I can save you even more $$$. Send me an e-mail or message me. This Bogo special lasts for the month of February and only comes from our team leaders. Check us out at Amway.com/JNTriplett, LATER

Thursday, February 2, 2012

Wednesday

I immediately thought an animal must have captured Chester this morning as it was nearly 6:30 before I heard him finally crow; needless to say I was ambivalent at first. After an alarm clock wake up I did the usual with my quiet time then a bowl of cereal before pedalling out to the rec on my bike for a couple hours of pickle ball. There was a small crowd of about 5 guys to start the morning but by 10 AM both courts where full and a few were waiting. After the rec I headed home to water the garden. I counted another 5 squirrels in the back yard after we have trapped about 9-10 in the last couple weeks and moved them out of the area. I only wish they had a natural regulator as I can't remember of such an infestation of them in past years, Oh well!!

Amy and the kiddos went to Tampa to have lunch with Tyler so I helped get ready for house church by vacuuming after running a couple errands. Seems one our new phones have already had a battery go dead and those little rechargeable ones are expensive. I think because we hang it up after every call we wore the memory out according to the sales gal at Radio Shack. I came back from the errands and we finished the salad from last nights supper, yeow is that ever good eatin' and we know its all organic. I will make another one for Thursday's birthday supper for Bobby.

Nancy was making a pumpkin cheese cake per Bobby's request for his dessert and she tried Paula Dean's recipe but something when wrong when she used ginger snaps cookies to make the crust, needless to say it leaked into the oven and oh well what a mess. I fed it to my worms in the garden, we had to clean the oven and then she started over using her regular crust which by the way turned out beautiful; so much for exploring. I was afraid the fire dept. would show up with all the smoke coming from the oven; it was that bad.

I read the rest of the afternoon until it was time to eat left over cabbage rolls and smashed spuds, yikes anything with red sauce seems to be as good left over as when fixed originally. After eating I headed out to set the sprinkler in the front yard while we waited for our house church to arrive. We had 11 adults and 3 kids all total with 10 adults at our house. We finally broke up around 8 which gave us time to watch a little of the Idol before getting ready for bed. LATER

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

Tuesday

Well once again it was just another spring like morning with a cool breeze from the north which changed to the east and by afternoon we were pushing 80 again. Wow it must the nicest weather ever, however we could use a little rain as I'm watering every day, at least the humidity is low so we can keep the windows open. We had a huge crowd for supper again so the evenings have been filled to capacity.

The morning was much the usual with Chester being a little late as it was after 6 when I first heard him. He and Sam had me in stitches yesterday as Sam played with him through the fence after lunch. Chester would come up to the fence just waiting for Sam to grab his feathers and then Sam would hold on to his tail feathers and Chester would squawk and flop his wings and Sam would laugh and turn him lose and then Chester would come right back for it to happen all over again. That rooster loves Sam and comes right to the fence over and over again, Oh well!!! After my quiet time and a bowl of granola with strawberries I headed out on my bike to the rec for some 2 plus hours of pickle ball. We had a good crowd with 2 courts going most of the morning and lots of wet shirts.

I stopped off and returned some books to the library then headed home as we then headed out to Sam's Club to pick up some goodies. We are having another family supper on Thursday to celebrate son, Bobby's birthday as he will be 31, yikes how did he get that old so fast, anyhow we found a nice sirloin roast which we will fix as that also will be Eric's last night here before flying back to Detroit early Friday morning. After Sam's we stopped at Aldi's for some vino and a few other goodies as well before heading home.

Amy and the kiddo's came for lunch and we had purchased one of those you bake pizza's at Aldi and it was superb, much better than we had anticipated but just great for lunch as the cost was about 6 bucks. We added fresh mushrooms on top and it was so big it fed all of us and I even had to eat the extra piece so I was stuffed, good deal!! After lunch I headed out to the gardens and Sam played with Chester. After they left for their naps I read most of the afternoon until it was time to make a huge salad again from the garden. The lettuces, and kale are just splendid this year, so I once again filled up the big salad bowl as we were having chicken pot pies, rice, beets and green beans from the garden as well. GG, Eric, Betsy, Amy, Tyler and the kids were also coming and we or they finished up the cake, goop and strawberries left over from last night as well.

Amy and Tyler are moving into a different rental house tomorrow and they took off after the cleanup to see the house. Seems they will be renting from an old family friend and their now retired postman so Eric went with them as they were old buddies at one time to see the house. Wow was it ever a fun filled, an another eating evening; thankfully Wednesday evening will be just us and leftovers as this spare tire is really inflating despite my everyday workout. GG seems to be back to her old self and now that we have a new phone system installed in her house we will be able to keep in constant touch. LATER