Saturday, March 31, 2012

Friday

Well it was a busy day starting with a 5'ish wake up by Chester next then my quiet time and a lite breakfast before pedalling out to the rec on my bike for some 2 plus hours of pickle ball. Wow did I ever have a workout and the play was fast and furious. Afterwards I stopped off at the library for a couple new reads before heading home to get ready to head over to Riverview and meet Bobby and the family, cousin Tom and Cathy and their daughter Amanda and husband Matt and the Cumpson's first grand baby Finleigh.

We stopped at GG's and picked her up then headed out as we were meeting at noon for lunch at the Acropolis, Yikes is that ever a nice restaurant and the food was unbelievably dewisheous and plentiful; GG brought 1/2 of her's home in a to go bag. We had a fun time and spent 2 hours visiting and eating. Gabe was a cranky after eating as it was his nap time so Bob took him and Annsley home a little early but we had a great time and the kids were so cute together. We met Amanda's husband Matt for the first time and he is really a nice guy and I talked him up on pickle ball as he plays tennis. Tom was very attentive to Finleigh which tickled us as he wasn't took keen on being a grand father at one time and we assured him once he has one his attitude on grand babies will change. It did.

We had a great visit and a fun time then we headed back to Seminole and dropped GG off. She had a corned beef in the crock pot so she invited us for supper around 6. Betsy came by and ate also then the girls sat at the table and visited while I caught up on the FOX NEWS. We headed out after the cleanup and got back just before dark, LATER

Friday, March 30, 2012

Thursday

Well where did this week go?? The morning started much the usual with a 5'ish wake up crow from Chester next door. I think I found out why he crows so early and its because of the neighbor behind us. He gets up at 5 and turns his outside flood lights on so his dogs can see and that in turn confuses Chester into thinking the sun is rising. I notice when the neighbor isn't up that early Chester crows later; sure glad I figured that out because for a moment I thought we had a freak for a rooster living next door. Anyhow after the wake up I did my quiet time then had a bowl of grapefruit with some blueberries before heading out to the rec.

We had a good crowd of players with some really fun matches up until a few of the 10 o'clock crowd showed early then the level of play went quickly down hill. I left a 1/2 hour early as well as did a few others plus I was whupped(tired out). I headed home to head out to St.Pete to pick up a slider rocker for the nursery at Element which was purchased on Craigslist. We then stopped by an auto upholstery shop to get an estimate on repairing the driver side seat which has a small hole. We can't figure how that occurred but I don't want it to get any larger.

We stopped and visited our friend Ralph Payne who is in the rehab facility on Park Blvd. He is suffering from congestive heart failure and isn't doing well. Seems he was in the hospital for about 2 weeks before they sent him to this nice facility to rehab. Hopefully he will progress enough to be able to go home but its not looking like that will be anytime soon. Keep him and Sarah Ann in your thoughts and prayers.

After leaving them we came home and Nancy fixed a frozen pizza for lunch while I vacuumed and then spot cleaned the rocker. I also took the base off so we can close the topper on the truck as we will be taking it to Tampa on Sunday. After lunch I decided to blow the roof off of the fuzzies, leaves and small limbs that constantly gather there as I wanted to get the flat roof ready for its annual coat of white elastomeric paint. Well as I walked along the cabled portion of the roof I noticed a weak spot in the shingled area near a valley, yikes that means something is not right structurally si I called my roofer and he is coming out next week and give it a look. At the least is a new shingle job for sure and hopefully no termite damage, anyhow that will be a major project. I had that roof put on in 1993 so maybe it time for a new roof. Oh well!!!

My neighbor Wade gave us a package of link deer sausage the other evening as he knew we liked deer and he can't eat it anymore, so we fixed that on the grill after boiling it much like brauts. It was tasty and we ate that along with a salad and left over collards, notice no starches and now Nancy's tummy is doing so much better. After supper we took a long stroll through the hood and it seemed everyone was out walking their dogs so we struck up conversations with several. It was nearly 8 before we got back to the house. We watched Idol and then read a little before getting ready for lights out, LATER

Thursday, March 29, 2012

Wednesday

Well its hot and muggy once again but the breeze has made it bearable enough that under the big oak in the backyard its pleasant. The morning started out with the usual wake up around 5'ish with big mouth Chester crowing his head off. After my quiet moments and a bowl of fruit for breakfast I pedalled out to the rec for some 2 plus hours of pickle ball. Once again we had a nice crowd of rather good players so the action was fast and continuous. I was whupped by 10 AM so I headed home after a quick stop at the library. Nancy was on her way to the rec so we passed enroute.

I think we have a found a solution to her fluttering heart and it was the medicine she was taking for acid reflux or better know as GERD. The best and quickest solution is a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar in about 4 oz. of water before every meal and then don't mix proteins and starches when you eat; in other words no baked spuds with your steak and salad. I know it sounds healthy but if your having any digestion problems at all don't mix the two at the same meal. In just 2 days we have known a remarkable difference in her overall well being.

After getting back from the rec I watered the gardens and got ready for the lunch crowd; GG, Amy and the kiddos. After eating a fresh garden salad I headed in to try and program my new Garmin GPS 2250. I managed to get it registered on line but some how I'm having a difficult time in getting it to program the maps, any suggestions out there? Oh well I will need Tyler to look at it as there must be some simple solution but I'm a little challenged when it comes to understanding how to upgrade, program, down grade and how all that I.T. stuff works. Thankfully I have a son and son-in-law who are up to snuff on all this electronic age. I still have trouble using the right click on the mouse.

Little Sam is a mud puppy as he just loves playing in the dirt. I was the same when I was his age and just loved playing with bugs, worms, etc. He is in his own world when outside playing after lunch. Two days in a row Amy has had to give him a bath before putting him in the car to go home. He loves being outside. After Amy took GG home and headed to her place I got a mess of collards cooking and then read the rest of the afternoon until it was time to fix supper. Once again we forgone meat(protein) and settled on oven taters'(starch) rolled in olive oil, fresh chopped Rosemary and parsley along with fresh cooked collards in a ham base for seasoning, yikes was that ever dewisheous and Nancy had no side effects as she drank her mixture of ACV in a little water before eating.

Our good friend and house church leader, Dan is trying to pass a kidney stone on his own(its happened before) so we cancelled house church this week. Nancy and I took a nice long evening stroll through the the hood after supper and it was just a beautiful evening. We stopped off and visited an old friend in the hood before heading home. I had set the sprinkler on the front yard and moved it a couple more times during the evening. I moved into the other room to watch Survivor while Nancy was tuned into the Idol. Not much else going on but by 10 PM my eyelids were heavy, LATER

Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Tuesday

Well once again it was another busy day after the 5'ish wake up crow from next door. Chester and Sam played together through the fence as they raced one another along the fence. After my quiet time and a bowl of fruit for breakfast I pedalled out to the rec for some 2 plus hours of pickle ball, we had a huge crowd today with some excellent play. Afterwards I headed out to the library before heading home to do some garden work. I picked lettuce and then made a large salad for lunch as Amy was picking up GG and coming for lunch. Nancy was already watching the kiddos as Amy had an appointment. Sam and I played cars and read books until lunch time.

After lunch we all headed outside as the weather was gorgeous; Nancy had the windows open and the a/c off as the days have been very unsually dry and breezy. After the kids left Nancy took off for the rec and I read until it was time to pick green beans for supper. I had enough 1/2 runners for a nice pot and we finished the left over smoked rib roast as well. Nancy has been having some indigestion problems and the medicine the doctor prescribed is giving her heart fluttering, so we decided that from now on, no starches when we have meat. I've been studying the digestion process and learned proteins are digested in the stomach which is acidity and starches are digested in the small intestine which is alkaline and when you mix the two there is some GERD that occurs which can result in acid reflux and causes some damage to the esophagus or heartburn or such plain indigestion. Anyhow it seems when we are younger the body can handle the mixing of the two food groups but as you get older the result is what Nancy is experiencing. All of the medicines, even the OTC have an ingredient which have one of the side effects of the heart fluttering, racing or slow downs. This has caused some major re-evaluations for us to our way of eating.

After my research and the kids had all left and Amy drove GG home, we chilled until it was time to eat. Afterwards I headed out to mow the yards and edge the back gardens with my shovel. Nancy used the blower to clean the sidewalks while I finished up the back yards. Dan and Carole walked by as he is still trying to pass that kidney stone but with no results as of yet, so we walked around the big block with them; walking seemed to help a little with the pain. After they left I hand watered the front yard after fertilizing and by then it was after 8 PM. Time for the showers and by 10 PM its was lights out for me.LATER

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Monday

Well the morning was much the usual with a 5'ish wake up crow by Chester. He now has 1/2 dozen young supposely hen chicks in his yard with him so maybe he will stay quiet until a decent time of the morning. That's right more chickens and let's hope they are hens and not roosters. After the usual quiet moments and a lite breakfast of leftover wild blackberry cobbler with milk on it(I just couldn't bear to see this dessert go to waste as it sat in the fridge for 2 days) I pedalled out to the rec for some 2 plus hours of pickle ball. Once again we had a nice gang with all decent players most of the morning and the play was fast with long rallies. After the play I stopped over in the weight room and did 10 extra minutes on the elliptical, yikes does that ever cause you to sweat even more.(got to deflate this spare tire)

I stopped by the library and picked up a new read before heading home. It was such a gorgeous day with no humidity and a strong east breeze that after lunch with Amy and the kiddos I climbed up on the roof with my neighbors extended chain saw and began sawing limbs off that hung over the roof. This saw extends up to 17 feet and boy did it make a breeze out of trimming this tree. Many thanks to John for offering the use of his saw as he was sitting in my back yard with his son Phoenix who was playing with Ava and Sam when Nancy suggested I trim the tree. Isn't it funny how all that works! Well I spent the next 3 hours working up those limbs some of which were pretty large luckily I was in the shade most of the time but I got all the wood trimmed out and sawed up and then hauled 3 wheelbarrow loads over to my neighbors house who has an outdoor fire pit.

We ate black beans and Jasmine rice for supper and then after the clean up took a long walk through the hood. We stopped off at neighbors Dan and Carol to check on Dan as he is having to pass a kidney stone. Seems he developed some pain in his back yesterday at church and since he has had one before, recognized the symptoms. He spent most of the day in bed with pain and now is just trying to pass the darn thing, yikes it sounds painful!

Well after the walk it was finish watching the FOX NEWS and once more we are disturbed with some open mike comments our president made to the Russian president that concerns our(the USA) safety in the world. I'm seriously beginning to question (this unknown man who was elected as our leader) this man and his desire for America to succeed. Mr. Obama's father in his book MY FATHERS DREAMS was very much an anti-colonists and of course America is perceived much like the British were as destroying the countries for their riches and then leaving the people to suffer. I really think he feels that way about our land and its people and he's out to change the landscape, Heaven help us if he is elected again. That's my take on him and his administration.

Well there wasn't much on the tube so I read until it was night, night around 10 PM, LATER

Monday, March 26, 2012

Sunday(blogger cut me in half again)

I was talking about the Table which is where everyone brings so type of breakfast or brunch food and we all share at the Table. It is an exciting time for the church as we are reminded of the ownership in Element. There were even the golden"O"(ownership) awards handed out recognizing those who go above and beyond to make the gathering's successful. The praise and worship music was awesome as well. There were several first timers today and I think they were taken back by our generosity and friendliness as well as our thankfulness for the longevity of our new church. It was a fun and worshipful time for all.

We headed out for Seminole for a quick lunch then off to the local nursing home for a church service. Amy and Tyler brought Ava and Sam along and to see the smiles on the faces of these wheel chair bound folks was a blessing itself. Many opened up and shared about their long gone families as well. It's amazing to see the difference in attitudes when little ones are evident. I hope they are brought again as many were smiling and commenting. Sam loved helping to push the chairs back to their rooms.

We spoke with Mechalle Dalton and things are on hold with her tummy troubles for now, hopefully she will continue with keeping her food down and put a little meat back on her bones, her dad is improving somewhat but slowly. Great to hear the real cold weather seems to be in the past and all are looking forward to Spring. Nancy and I watched Kentucky and Kansas win their games and it looks like Kentucky may have the team to beat in the finals next week, Later

Sunday

Well it was another busy day that started out with getting ready for our drive to Tampa for worship at Element Church. Chester was alieve and crowing early in the morning but we tuned him out until nearly 7 AM. After our quiet times and a lite breakfast we picked up neighbors and friends Dan and Carol and headed out. Today was a special in the life of Element as we celebrated

Sunday, March 25, 2012

A few beach pics






Saturday

Well it was another busy day and a scrumptious supper to close out the day. Chester woke us up around 5 then we settled in until nearly 8. I'm finally getting use to his loud crowing and just tuned him out. After our quiet times and a lite breakfast of fruit for me we got ready to head to the beach. I picked a nice mess of collards for an old friend and we dropped them off on the way as well as a bag of lettuce for Amy. Tyler was taking the kids to the beach as well so we met them there.

The day was just gorgeous with an nice on shore breeze and lots of rollers and the water was in the 70's. It was a little to chilly at first in the water but then became just right and refreshing. Sam and Ava had a grand time and Sam was just a bundle of energy. Tyler and I had then both in the water and they had such a fun time as did we. We were there almost 2 hours before heading out a little after 12. Those kids just love the beach and it had been many moons since we were last there as well. I managed to get in a little swim as well and it felt good to use some of those muscles long overdue.

We got back and I had a lite lunch of celery sticks with peanut butter as I knew we were having a sumptuous supper. I had taken out a rib roast to thaw overnight that we purchased months ago when they were on sale and so we were having our friends Dan and Carol. I picked and chopped some fresh Rosemary, peeled and chopped some fresh garlic that I inserted into the roast in several places and coated the nearly 7 pound roast with olive oil and the chopped herb. I put that in my smoker with a piece of apple wood and smoked it for about 2 hours or until the inside temp of the roast reached 120 degrees. I then cut the smoker off(its electric). The meat continues to cook until the desired temp then you cut it. Carol was a late getting here so the inside temp reached 140 on its own but the meat was still pink and dewisheous. I prefer a 130 temp which is slightly red but it was still very tasty at the extra 10 degrees. You need a hand thermometer that you can easily insert and that's the best way to cook a beautiful rib roast. We have enough left over for another meal, yikes was that good eatin'. I also made a fresh garden salad salad and Dan made some oven tater's.

After a glass of red wine to start the salivating I carved the roast and we had a great supper then played around of double 12 domino's. Nancy whupped us on the last round, speaking of whupping all of the Florida school teams lost in the NCAA playoffs. Well it was a great evening with some good friends and our bellies were requiring some horizontal lab(sleeping)especially after a day at the beach where I never sat down. Tomorrow is corporate(gathering)worship day in Tampa as we head off for that event then we will go to the local nursing home to assist with a short service for the elderly and afflicted. Take a moment to give thanks or even a couple hours to remember your blessings in life at your local church or place of worship, LATER

Saturday, March 24, 2012

Friday

Well another busy day that ended with a very tasty turkey dinner at Amy and Tyler's but the morning started out much the usual with a 5'ish crowing from Chester and then my quiet time and a lite breakfast before pedalling out to the rec. We had a large crowd for pickle ball which now has the beginners and intermediate mingling with the more advanced on Fridays, so the level of rallies drops after the first hour or so; but that's good for them as they will only get better by playing up. I headed out after 2 hours to the weight room where I did 20 minutes on the elliptical so I finally got a wet shirt. I stopped off at the library before heading home.

I did a some hand watering and worked in the garden while waiting for Amy and Sam to arrive for lunch. After a nice lunch of fresh garden salad they headed out to pick up Ava from school and I read the afternoon away until it was time to get ready to head over to Amy's. I picked a nice bunch of green beans for supper and Nancy made a wild blackberry cobbler for dessert. We headed over to pick up GG on the way and made a quick stop at the bank for her before getting to Amy's. GG had made her famous dry stuffing and boy did that ever smell good along with the cobbler.

Amy had a small turkey along with smashed taters and gravy, wow was that ever cooked to perfection. She's becoming quite the cook as that was her first turkey. I gave her a hand full of herbs to stuff the turkey with and my was that tasty as well. Sam ate like I've never seen him eat. He has been picky eating lately but not last night as he had several helpings of turkey and gravy. After the dewisheous supper and dessert(I had to pass on the cobbler and ice cream as I'm still working on slimming down the spare tire) we played a game of Phase 10. GG clobbered us. She went out the first 5 rounds and when on to win big. That was the first games we had played since Pap passed and we had fun with some of his saying. It was a busy evening and way too much food. I watched a little of the NCAA playoffs before lights out. LATER

Friday, March 23, 2012

Thursday

We finally got a shower of rain last night just as we got into bed. I don't think it lasted long but it sure cleared the air out and gave the grass a drink as well. The morning started much the usual with Chester crowing his head off around 5'ish, then my quiet time before heading out to the Rec after a bowl of fruit for breakfast. We had a couple new players who are visiting from Pennsylvania and are good players. They both are in their late 60's or early 70's but have picked the game up very well. After 2 plus hours I stopped by the weight room for 20 minutes on the elliptical and really got the shirt wet before heading out for home. I did a quick stop at the library for a couple new reads on the way.

We took off for Sam's to gas up at $3.83 a gallon then picked up a few goodies we needed before stopping at GG's and bringing her home with us for lunch. After lunch Nancy took her to the library and then to do some shopping. I cut her a bag of lettuce and then Nancy dropped her off at home. I read while she was gone then dug potato's that had grown from potato peelings in the compost. Wow were they ever good and we had more than enough for supper to go along with fresh steamed kale and a grilled pork chops. Dewisheous on every aspect.

After the clean up we took off on a long walk through the hood and stopped to visit with a couple old friends who were out in their yard. Wade and Sue have lived in the hood before we lived here and she use to babysit Bobby and Amy from time to time and we have been close friends for years however they use to leave out in their trailer and travel so we haven't seen much of them or talked with them in ages. We had a nice chat and visit. Both are failing in health but still seem in control of their faculties. It was good to see them again but sad to see they are aging so.

Well we watched the vote on Idol and then I read after getting ready for some shut eye. Tomorrow is a family dinner at Amy and Tyler as she is roasting a small turkey. We are bringing the trimmings and GG, LATER

Thursday, March 22, 2012

Wednesday

Well summer is here with temps in the mid 80's, bright sunshine and blue skies. The high humidity is holding off for now so its still bearable to work outside in the garden. After the morning wake up around 5 by Chester, Sam's buddy I got ready to head out to the rec after my quiet time; but plans changed as Nancy wasn't feeling well so I had to pick up GG and drive her to a hair appointment and then be on stand by to pick her backup and drive her home. I washed both her car and our truck while she was at the hairdresser and I never did get a workout. Oh well, I caught up on some reading throughout the day and got in a little garden time.

Amy brought Sam by for us to watch as she went to watch and support Ava at school, ride her tricycle in a trike-a-thon to raise money for some worthy cause. Afterwards she came by and they all headed to Tampa to have lunch with Tyler. Sam and I worked and played outside until he started to get into the dirt, so we headed headed in the house to play cars and read books. He is such a sweetie. After a lite lunch of salad from the garden Nancy was feeling better so she drove her mom to the next appointment for her cat scan. It was after 4 by the time they got back to her house so I drove over and picked her up.

We were having house church tonight so I vacuumed and helped get ready for that and then we had a lite supper of baked potato and a fresh garden salad. My oh my was that ever good eatin' with a little jalapeno pepper on the spud and sour cream. We had 4 couples for house church and a lively discussion about how Jesus broke lots traditions or laws to minister(heal) to the lepers, those of less repute and rub the Pharisees wrong. The book BEAUTIFUL OUTLAW is an awesome study and one that will open your eyes about who this person really was while here on earth.

After the study we watched the last couple minutes of Survivor and learned the big instigator was moved out of the program due to medical reason; good riddance but I hope he recovers as I went through acute appendicitis myself back in the early 80's; its not pleasant experience. LATER

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Tuesday

Well it was very strange spending the night alone and I surely didn't sleep very well being that Nancy spent the night with her mom. GG(mom) was scheduled for an early morning colonoscopy so Nancy decided it would be best to stay there in case she had any problems. Thankfully everything went well and there was no evident of any problems. After Chester woke me up, actually I was already awake so I just stayed up.

After my quiet time and a hardy breakfast I headed out to the rec around 8AM. The mixed doubles part of the tournament was being played at 9 so I headed up to get a workout warming up several players and be there in case a pardner never showed which happens occasionally; but everyone had a pardner so I headed into the weight room and got a wet shirt in no time on the elliptical for about 20 minutes, yikes what a workout that was but not nearly as much fun as chasing that green pickle ball. I stayed around and watched a couple good matches and saw the gold medal winners from Seminole(Keith and Cheryl) last week in Clearwater, lose in the first round to an unknown couple, yikes was that ever a surprise. Our other team of Stu and Judy from Seminole also lost in the first round. I then headed out for home.

Nancy was back from taking her mom and was waiting on a phone call when to pick her up. It wasn't long until GG was ready for pickup so Nancy headed out and spent the rest of the day with her in case she had any problems. I watered the gardens and caught up on some reading and checked on our good friend Gerald in the mountains, who had been admitted to the hospital. Seems he had contracted a form of dysentery which really dehydrated him as well as caused severe pain. They finally found out the cause was some form of a virus and started him on an anti-biotic. He seemed according to him nearly a 100% better. We are glad to hear that good news. It seems this virus is very contagious and was being spread throughout the county in various forms of illness, yikes!! I remember flying to several third world countries during the Viet Nam war and that dysentery was very evident on the list of diseases we were inoculated against. Oh well!!!

I headed over to GG's for supper and we had bought a large frozen lasagna that feeds a bunch so Amy, Tyler and the kids along with Betsy ate. We had a nice salad and crusty bread to accompany as well. After the clean up we headed out and then got in a nice long walk through the hood before dark. I once again set the sprinkler on the front yard hoping the grass will eventually take over the dirt hill. Nancy was exhausted so she got ready for bed as it seems she didn't sleep well the night before, she was out by 10 PM. I watched a little of the special on the Arctic's and read until the sandman finally came calling, LATER

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Monday

Well the morning was much the same as usual with a 5'ish wake up crow from Chester who continued to crow until way past daylight. I was awake and ready to go before he ever started crowing as today was tournament day at the rec for the Good Life Games. I'm like a kid when it comes to something new or different from a routine and sleep very little the night before. After my quiet time and a hardy breakfast of grits, poached eggs and a grapefruit I pedalled out to the rec for the tournament. There was a good crowd of different players from throughout the state but mostly from around the surrounding areas.

My new pardner Keith and I played first the 2 best male players in the opening match and we were on fire. I think the opposing team won a total of 5 points as we won 11-2and 11-3 in the match and then we waited for an hour or two before playing again. We were unstoppable with those players as well and shut them out giving up 3 points, 11-3 and 11-0. That match gave us the gold medal in our age group and so we were through for the day; however there were 2 men from New York who were in the 50 age group who wanted to play us for fun. We went 3 sets and they won the first one 11-6 and we won the second set 11-5 and the third set we were ahead 10-5 and wound up losing 14-12. We had long rallies and some great points.I finally had a wet shirt when that match was over, it was fun and exciting to say the least.

Our girls(Nancy and Judy) from Seminole didn't do so well against a good team from near Orlando. The mixed doubles play is being played on Tuesday with my pardner, Keith teaming up with Cheryl who is an excellent player as well and they should win their division. My mixed doubles pardner Mitsuko in now back in college and has classes today so I'm without a mixed doubles pardner, however there is usually a team member who can't be there for some reason so I may go by in case one is needed for play. We didn't have as much competition from around the state as usual. I think because we only have 2 courts in play and now the interest and participation has grown so much it takes too long to hold a huge tournament, especially now they have moved the tournament to 2 days of competition, oh well. Its great to see so much interest in the sport and it really is addicting but oh so good for you. This game is great for seniors and all tournaments are broken down into age groups and you must be at least 50 to enter and then its usually in 5 year age increments depending on the mumber of participants and teams entered.

Well Amy and the kiddos were over for lunch so I got in reading a few books for Sam before they headed home for afternoon naps. Nancy was spending the night with her mother as GG was scheduled for a colonoscopy on Tuesday so she was to start her laxative drinking during the afternoon and evening. Nancy wanted to be there in case she may need some help during the night and then to drive her early Tuesday for the procedure. I spent the evening planting some beet seeds and transplanting Marigold seedling. The hot pepper seeds I planted last week are up and I picked several small broccoli heads to add to our supper of yellow rice and chicken. Nancy took off after the supper clean up.

I chased squirrels out of my newly transplanted seedling and watered the gardens and yard until dark then settled in to read until the lights went out around 10:30, sure was quiet around here without Nancy as I watched whatever I wanted on ESPN. LATER

Monday, March 19, 2012

Sunday

Well it was a cool morning to start the day; when I say cool I mean it wasn't hot and muggy and actually very pleasant. It was get ready to head to Tampa for worship at Element Church with son, Bobby. After my quiet time and a lite breakfast of fruit we got ready to carpool with neighbors Dan and Carol. Bobby had an awesome message on "forgiveness" using several analogies that Jesus used to demonstrate what real forgiveness was all about. The music was very inspiring as well with a great ending song sung by our sweet friend Esther; what a great time of worship. The blood drive was there but I opted out as I'm playing a pickle ball tournament Monday morning and thought better of donating this time around. The blood folks say to not do any real physical activity for 24-48 hours as you build your reserve back, anyhow we headed home.

We just watched tournament basketball throughout the afternoon until it was time to head out for a buffet supper being held at my old country club where I played tennis for years. Seem SFBC was having a building fund drive and they were recognizing daughter Amy as she was born into the church and has remained there raising Ava and Sam in the church as well. Very little has been done to upgrade the children's area since she and Bobby were children there so they used her as a poster child who was now raising her kids in an inadequate and outdated facility. We were invited as well and it was great to see some of the long time friends and members we were associated with for over 30 years. We have never moved our membership but have no desire to go back with the current pastor, who has been there nearly 13 years. There were probably a couple hundred folks there and the food was decent although this facility is outdated as well especially the a/c system which had everyone a little warm.

We headed home around 8 PM to watch USF Bulls lose in their round of play to Ohio but Florida won big and FSU was still playing when I cut the lights out around 11PM, LATER.

Sunday, March 18, 2012

Saturday

Well we had a busy day which started early with Chester crowing his head off at 5 AM, but we layed in until nearly 7 after shutting him out. After our quiet times and a lite breakfast I headed out to pick green beans, lettuce and kale to take with us to son, Bobby in Riverview. Jill and Bobby were busy with him doing a wedding and she with an Amway presentation so they needed help watching the kids for the afternoon. We took Ava with us to play with Annsley and those two had a grand time together and of course didn't want to leave one another after supper and their baths together.

Gabe and I played together and he just loves his grand dad. He took an hour and half nap so I managed to watch a little March Madness while he rested. Nancy was in the playroom with the girls and she loved cutting out drawings the girls had made and colored. All seemed to have a great time together and Bobby did burgers on the grill and tater tots and Nancy fixed green beans along with the fresh lettuce, tomato's, onions and pickles. Bobby had made a fresh humus from chick peas and it was superb along with pita chips, yikes those combinations could be addicting.

After supper the girls played until bath time then it was pj's on as we knew Ave would be asleep before we got home and she was by the time we got out of their neighborhood and it was only around 7 o'clock. We headed back to Seminole and got their just before dark. Amy, Tyler and Sam were out eating a late supper so they came by and picked Ava up and visited a while before heading home. I tuned into a couple different games and then decided it was time for the showers and then lights out. Tomorrow is another big busy day with worship at Element and a blood drive; then off to downtown Ybor for lunch at a Greek restaurant(Acropolis) then back to Seminole. We then have been invited by SFBC to attend a banquet at 5 PM that will feature Amy and her family as a kick-off for a major building program for the church. We had both Bobby and Amy at SFBC starting with the nursery and now Amy has her 2 children in the nursery and pre-school. She is the only active one who has ever been in the church as a child and now has her children there. She will be the focus that major upgrades need to be done especially in the children's area. We are excited to see and renew old friendships where we attended for some 30 years. We had a fun time and now I know why we had kids when we were younger, LATER

Saturday, March 17, 2012

Friday

Well is was a rather warm day but a breeze from the northeast kept it bearable while outside, actually the early morning ride out to the rec was chilly. After the 5'ish wake up crow by Chester I did my quiet time then had a bowl of grapefruit with some blueberries and strawberries only. I read where bananas contribute to belly fat so I'm going to lay off of them for awhile and see if that makes any difference. I pedalled out for some 2 plus hours of pickle ball. Friday is now the day where the less experienced players mingle with the advanced so it was a mixture of play but at least the first hour it was mainly good play. I got in 2 good hours of exercise either way. After the rec I headed home to water the gardens.

Amy and Sam came for lunch and afterwards Sam and I read books and played. Amy went to pickup Ava from school then stayed around for another hour or so before heading out for Sam's nap time, he still has a runny nose and cough but it seems to be getting better. I got interested in the March Madness basketball and stayed glued to the couch the rest of the afternoon except for heading out to move the sprinklers. I spoke with Paw Paw(dad) for awhile and he said "spring has sprung" in northern Virginia with temps up in the 70's. The mountains had temps close to that as well. This was always the time of the year when we planted our seed potato's in the ground. I remember one year when I was in high school it snowed so hard while planting them in the tater patch that you couldn't see the barn a 1/4 mile away. The mules we used for plowing the furrows wanted to head to the barn and get out of this snow storm but seemed lost; that turned out to be one of the best crop of spuds we ever raised. St.Patty's day was the key to tater planting in Mountain Falls(home town) and also was the birthday of my middle sister, Pat who just turned 56 today, Happy Birthday Patricia Annette Triplett(Pittsnogle now).

Well both Florida and Florida State won their respective games in the NCAA tournament and move on to another round of playoffs. There were a few upsets especially the Duke game. I have always liked Duke and they have been a perennial winner but not this year, oh well!!! We headed out with Dan and Carol for supper to Carrabas. That place was packed both inside and out but they are friends with a waitress who got us in with about a 10 minute wait, its nice to know folks on the inside of a restaurant on Friday night; of course that garnered her a nice tip. We had a superb Italian meal.

On a more somber note we learned our good friend and fellow Sequence player Gerald Luffman was admitted to the hospital with severe pain in his lower back last night in Sparta; the initial thinking was a kidney stone but the final results aren't in as I write this post. Keep him and Mechelle(daughter) as well in your thoughts and prayers. We have become almost family with these sweet folks. Well Saturday we are taling Ava with us as we head over to Riverview to spend the afternoon and evening with Annsley and Gabe. Both Bob and Jill are spread thin again with weddings and business meetings for the day so we will help out with watching the kids and have supper with them, Later.

Friday, March 16, 2012

Thursday

Well it was another nice day with temps in the 80's, lots of bright sunshine but the humidity is back, not quite with vengeance but its on the horizon. Those of you who have experienced it know what I'm writing about, anyhow Chester was his usual self at 5'ish in the morning with his wake up crow. After my quiet time and just a bowl of fruit with 1/2 a banana for breakfast, I pedalled out to the rec for some 2 plus hours of pickle ball. We had a nice group for most of the morning with some good play and by 10 AM I had a wet shirt. I stopped off at the library and picked up several books that I had ordered through the county wide integrated system. Wow I love this system and believe it or not the little library in Sparta has the same system for N.C.

After the workout and library stop I pedalled over to my barber shop and had my ears lowered while Nancy was at the rec for her treadmill workout. I came back and did the match up paint for the stucco job I finished last week and it turned out O.K. Nancy was pleased so that made the job's quality control final. I did some watering the gardens and looked for some beet seeds as it's a waning moon cycle and the time is right for planting veggies that produce underground, but I had used up all my seed so its a stop off at Home Depot(its closer than Lowes) for some this week end.

Nancy took her mom to her doctors appointment for her hearing aids and so far she really hears a lot better and they are nearly invisible while looking at her. They seem to be working out just fine for her and her doctor is from Martinsburg. W.Va. where my oldest sister(Josie/Sharon) lives. It seems the doctors family is well know in the town as they own an operate an appliance store, small world. It's nice to know people are reputable and come from good family backgrounds.

GG, Amy and the kiddos came for supper. Nancy fixed burritos; ground meat with taco seasoning, refried beans and tortillas and chopped up tomato's, lettuce, onions, green peppers, shredded cheeses and sour cream; of course I add hot peppers and habanero sauce to mine, yikes it that ever good eatin'. I set the sprinkler for the front yard again after supper as the dang squirrels sure keep it aerated by their constant digging for buried acorns. Amy took GG home on her way home so I tuned in to some basketball, hockey and read until it was lights out for me, LATER

Thursday, March 15, 2012

Wednesday

It was just a very spring like morning as I rode out to the rec after an early morning wake up crow from Chester next door. After my quiet time and a bowl of oatmeal and grapefruit I pedalled out for some 2 plus hours of pickle ball. We had a small crowd to start with but eventually had 2 courts going most of the morning and there were lots of wet shirts by the end of our play period at 10 AM. I headed home as Nancy wanted to go Sam's Club as Amy and the kids weren't coming for lunch,plus I needed to fill up. It was $3.69 a gallon and its supposed to go even higher, Yikes!!! My tank is 30 gallons. We made a couple stops at Aldi's and the veggie stand on the way home as well.

After a lite lunch I headed back onto the computer as I had made a mistake(juggled a couple numbers out of sequence) on my tax return so I attempted to correct that error. I have been using Turbo Tax the past 4-5 years and so far its worked out fine. We were having house church at our house tonight so it was help get ready by vacuuming, etc. Nancy was making chocolate chip cookies for the gang and once more I passed on the dewisheous cookies; it hard to not eat any but the spare tire is getting bigger and I must get it down by the time I start back at the cabin.

I made an order with Burpee Seeds so I will plant Celebrity tomato's this summer at the cabin. They have done the best of any tomato I have ever grown as one year I gave buckets away and we even canned a couple quarts. They are the best as well for eatin'. I ordered a bunch of new cone flower seeds and hopefully they will stay around for years to come but for some reason it seems they grow legs and leave our flower gardens when we leave for Florida in the fall. We even find spots in the gardens where they have just taken the dirt with them as they walk away, Oh well!!! I think this year I will install a web cam as I want to watch this phenomena and maybe show it on America Funniest Videos. We are getting excited about the idea of heading north in May as that time draws nearer, especially all the fun work associated with gardening and enjoying the ambiance of the mountains and the cabin. We surely miss our friends and church family up there as well and of course look forward to our family and friends visiting us there as well.

We had 9 adults and one child for house church as we did a discussion on the chapter "disruptive honesty" Jesus displayed during his time on earth. The book Beautiful Outlaw by Eldridge is a very thought provoking book and great for group discussion. After they left we tuned into what was left of Survivor for me and American Idol for Nancy. I can't believe Monica(she is the wife of Bucs football player)was blindsided and voted off. She was undoubtedly the best woman player on the show in my opinion. Anyhow I read and tried to watch a little NCAA basketball until it was lights out for me. Nancy was still up around midnight, LATER

Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Tuesday

Well today was another busy day as I started the morning with a wake up crow around 5'ish once again, I guess that's better than the 4:30 crow; I still want to see his picture on a milk bottle, oh well!!! After the quiet time and a bowl of oatmeal with fruit I pedalled out to the rec for some 2 plus hours of pickle ball. We had a good crowd and I learned the 4 players who went to Clearwater for a tournament won everything; men's doubles, women's doubles and mixed doubles. That sure is an indicator of the quality of play for the Seminole gang, congrats to; Keith, Stu, Mitsuko and Cheryl for taking all the top awards. I opted out due to an old nagging Achilles injury but would have looked forward to playing against new players.

After the workout I stopped off at the library for a couple new reads before pedalling home to work around the house. I painted a primer coat on the new stucco patch and it turned out good and tomorrow I will match the paint for the final coat. Nancy was off shopping with her mom and they came back just in time for lunch. We had some left over soup along with sandwiches. Amy and the kiddos were here as well as Sam had his 2 year checkup at the doctors. He is a fine specimen of all boy and the doctor came up with the same diagnosis as well. He an Ava both have a little summer cold or maybe some allergies due to all the yellow pollen dust in the air from the oaks trees, but they are active and just a couple sweethearts.

After they left for their naps I worked on my income taxes and completed that finally. There is nothing like finding out if you have to pay up or not at the end of the year as it seems the govt is in the business of income redistribution for those who worked all of their life to make sure those who are lazy or less inclined are given freebies. Yikes does this sound like big brother telling you what to do with your money, anyhow I completed that task and for once I over paid a little so as not to have to pay a penalty for underpaying enough during the year, wow is that not convoluted?? By the time I finished that task and e-filed; it was close to 5 and time to start on supper. I headed out to cut some fresh kale, picked lettuces and a pepper to go along with Salmon cakes, steamed kale and a baked potato. After the cleanup we headed out for our evening walk and it was really nice with a good breeze and no humidity. I set the sprinkler on the front yard again as the grass it really starting grow despite the 100 or so holes dug everyday by those pesky squirrels. We(my neighbor) have moved at 2 dozen out of our yards by traps across the 4-lane to the library but there is always replacements. Thankfully I have a shallow well which really helps with keeping my garden and yards irrigated.

Well I read and peaked at the tube until bedtime as Nat Geo had a special on Yellowstone and the wild life during the winter months. There was some incredible footage regarding their survival during fires, blizzards and when you became the next meal. LATER

Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Monday

Well the morning started out much the usual after a 5'ish wake up crow from Chester next door. I did my quiet time and had a bowl of oatmeal with lots of blueberries and a banana before heading out on my bike for the rec. Wow it was still dark as I rode out. We had 5 players to start with and a few more trickled in as the morning went along. Several of our players were playing in a tournament in Clearwater but I opted out as we have a home tournament next weekend plus my Achilles has been acting up since that last tournament which lasted all day.The starting and stopping between matches takes its toll on old previous injuries during tournament play, plus I have enough medals already(not to be conceited).

After the 2 plus hours of play I stopped off at the library then headed home to water the gardens. The lettuce is doing well and I spot picked the bush beans and are they ever good. We fixed them for supper in a sauce with deer tenderloin over Jasmine rice. Dewisheous(Annsley) and so easy to prepare as well. I will have to pick beans in a day or so as they are really starting to produce. We sliced up one of the few tomato's that matured and wow was it ever tasty for lunch with our salad. Yikes home grown tomato's are the best. I have lots of green ones but I'm fighting the nematodes again as they just suck the nutrients from the plants. I'm considering hydroponic growing them again but that is a real pain but it keeps the roots out of the ground.

Amy and the kiddos came for lunch and after they left for the day I worked on my taxes. Nancy took off to the Laundromat to wash some large comforters we brought back from the cabin that were too big for our machine. The day just flew by and it was almost 6 before we decided to fix supper and it was after 7 before we cleaned up and headed out for our evening stroll through the 'hood. It had cooled down enough to make it comfortable and so far the humidity the past couple days has been bearable. Not much else is going on except it felt great to be back on the pickle ball court after being off for the past 5 days. LATER

Monday, March 12, 2012

Sunday


Well once again it was a busy day from the start or should I say from Saturday night because I just could not get too sleep. I'm hoping it was because of the need to be sure and not oversleep due to the time change, but for some reason I was awake most of the night. I even tried some Valerian for a change but to no avail. Anyhow Sunday was a great worship day with our son Bobby at Element Church in Tampa. It was my turn to drive so Dan and Carol rode with us and afterwards Dan and I headed to the local nursing home where he preached a short service and I pushed wheelchairs.

I came home to help get ready for the family dinner; vacuuming the house, cutting kale, picking lettuce, cleaning and getting it ready for the salad bowl. I managed to watch part of Florida State beat North Carolina in a close game of basketball. Last night they beat Duke and tonight N.C.State. I think FSU should have a good seed in the NCAA tournament which starts this next week. I like watching college basketball playoffs but thats as far as I care to go for the sport.

Nancy made 2 huge pots of soup; Zuppa and Tortilla and they both were excellent along with a huge salad and crusty bread. GG made a carrot cake which looked a little weathered(couldn't get it out of the formed pan) but oh so tasty, that was probaly the best recipe ever. We had a full house until about 9 PM when they started leaving for home and by the time the floors were vacuumed again, table broken down and leaves put away, dishes washed and toys put away I was ready for some sleep time. Those young'uns plum wore me out but they are oh so cute and are really starting to play great together. Sam and Gabe played wonderful together and are interacting a little more each time whereas Annsley and Ava are joined at the hip. We celebrated Jill's birthday with the supper she wanted.

It was a fun, eat too much time once again and I'm glad I didn't have to drive all the way home from Tampa, especially after the lack of sleep from the night before and after eating such a scrumptious meal, LATER I guess this is the only photo she down loaded although I saw the camera going off all the time. But it is a good one.

Sunday, March 11, 2012

Saturday

Well it was another busy day with lots going on after the early morning crow off with Chester and his buddy in the garage. I hope to beat him up tomorrow as DST kicks in. After my quiet time and a couple poached eggs over a bowl of grits I started the morning. It was overcast as a front came through during the night but no rain. The temps had dropped back into the 60's overnight which made for good working conditions as I started on plastering or stuccoing the back wall. It was about 30 or so square feet that needed to be redone but it was low down to the ground so it was all back breaking work. Well after a couple hours I had the scratch coat on and it looked as if it was going to hold. I really gave it a coat of liquid bonding agent on Friday and gave it the rest of the day to dry, hopefully this will cause the stucco to adhere. I need to give it another finish coat and that project will just need painting in a couple weeks to match up with the rest of the house.

Nancy was busy making Tortilla soup to go along with Zuppa soup she is having on Sunday evening as we celebrate Jill's birthday. Everyone gets to choose what they want for their birthday supper and she chose Zuppa. That is great as I have beautiful Kale growing in the garden as well as a new batch of lettuces for a fresh garden salad. That and crusty bread should fill the bill along with a carrot cake and frozen custard. Yumm sounds like another great feed!!!

Nancy took off to drive her mother to the store and the library while I worked in the garden. We had lunch together then we drove GG home and headed for Home Depot again as I needed a new 3-way lamp switch that broke, also some weather seal for the back kitchen door and some a/c filters. She found a large straw hat which covers her face from the sun as she still is having some problems with her burning lips. Amy and the gang came by on their way home from POW WOW. Tyler had shown some interest in wood working so we loaded up my Delta table saw from the back shed and hauled it over to his house as he now has a great outside work/storage shed. Its big enough for a truck to enter. I haven't used it in a couple years and it was starting to rust up, its still works as its a commercial grade saw and maybe he will give it some use. I'm through making furniture in Florida.

I finally sat down about 5 PM and watched Florida State beat my second favorite team Duke in a close game, they will play N.C. on Sunday for the ACC championship. I grilled a couple chicken breast and we put that over a great fresh garden salad loaded with fresh basil, yikes was that ever dewisheous. After the clean up we headed out for good 45 minute walk and got back just at dark. It was a great evening and Nancy actually put a lite jacket on as the wind was coming from the north.

Well tomorrow is Sunday and remember to set your clocks up an hour earlier than usual and don't forget to worship where ever you are. Pray for our nation and the idiots that are running it as we have been sold a fake bill of goods, LATER

Saturday, March 10, 2012

Friday

Well it was another typical Florida day with temps in the 80's but a nice breeze kept it pleasant enough to work outside. I sure missed running around chasing that little green pickle ball but I did have a wet shirt most of the day and it wasn't from being in the gym. The morning started much the usual with Chester having his crowing duel with the other rooster that's kept in the garage. He will be right in vogue come Sunday morning as we jump ahead and lose and hour due to DST, anyhow after my quiet time and a lite breakfast of cereal with fruit I headed out to work in the yard and garden until Nancy got back from taking her mother to the doctor.

I loaded up a chain saw and leaf blower and headed over to GG's house to trim limbs that were hanging over her roof then blew the leaves out of the gutters and off the roof. Well that kept me busy for a couple hours and boy did I have a pile of limbs that had to be cut up in length's and tied into bundles for the garbage man on Tuesday. I finished up about lunch time so we headed back to the house to have lunch with GG, Amy and Sam. Sam and I played outside after lunch until it was time to take GG home and then make a Home Depot stop. I needed some stucco material as well as some elastomeric white paint to coat the flat roof in back. I do this every year and the flat roof seems to be holding up quite well, plus it helps to reflect the sunlight during the hot summer months. I also changed out the back door knob as it been real hard to lock for some reason.

We had fried fish(Swaii) for supper along with some fresh green beans and broccoli from the garden, yikes is that ever the best tasting fish and at $3 a pound its hard to beat as well. After the clean up we took off on a 45 minute or so walk through the hood until nearly dark. I set the sprinkler on the front yard and despite the squirrels digging a 100 holes a day the grass is starting to spread and green up.

Well tomorrow is another busy day with lots of little jobs to do and then Sunday is celebrate Jill's birthday with a big supper here for all the family, LATER

Friday, March 9, 2012

Thursday

Well it was a busy day with high temps but the humidity wasn't as high as it has been thanks to a stiff eastern breeze. I slept in until nearly 7 even though Chester was crowing at 5'ish. After my quiet moments I poached a couple eggs in the microwave and then had a sweet seedless pink grapefruit to get me started for the day. I headed outside to work in the yards and garden. I wanted to mow before all the dew was dried up by the sun which helped to keep the dust down from all the fuzzies and pollen that had fallen from the oak trees. I gathered up 4 huge garbage cans of leaves, fuzzies and grass from the yards then mulched them and spread it on my gardens.

My neighbor came over and told me about his garden he just put in about a week ago at the barn where he stables his horses and he has no earth worms there so I dug him a bunch from my garden. I transplanted some more lettuce seedlings then pulled a couple radishes and green peppers. I gave a huge bag of collards to some old friends on Wednesday and I need to pick beans on Friday. The tomato plants I had in the ground since October I pulled up even though they were still green but the nematodes were having a field at the roots as well as they destroyed my Swiss chard. The new cherry tomato plants are loaded with fruit but none seem to be ripening which is a sign even though I've planted marigolds around them, the bloody little buggers have invaded them as well. Oh well I'm almost inclined to not grow or attempt to grow tomatoes in Florida anymore; but the commercial growers do alright. I need to find out what they use to control them. We use to have a insecticide that you could treat the ground with but its been taken off the market by the EPA.

Nancy took off to have her hair colored and cut so I worked on a project at the back of the house where some of the stucco is letting loose from the back wall which had previously been painted. I don't believe the fellow who stuccoed my house used enough glue on the painted surfaces so its starting to let loose in just a couple placing. That is the next project on my honey-do list to complete before we head out to the mountains in May.

We had a nice long chat with our "mountain Mom" and the daffodils are starting to bloom and show off their beautiful colors. We are curious if the tulips bulbs we planted last fall are coming up and she is making a trip over to check them out for us and send pics. We had burritos for supper using lots of my herbs and peppers they were dewisheous. After the cleanup we took off on a long walk thru the hood until nearly dark. Afterwards we settled in to watch the Idol and were disappointed to see one of the Bay Areas singer's be sent home. I was never a fan of his voice to begin with but seemed to be a very nice nice that couldn't sing to good.

Well since there is no pickle ball until next Monday I'm having a few withdrawals with these extra 2 1/2 hours in the morning but I will survive as today I head over to GG's to trim her oak tree and clean off her roof and gutters; not exactly a cardio workout but it will keep me busy, LATER

Thursday, March 8, 2012

Wednesday

Well it was a busy day with lots going on as the morning started out with a 5'ish wake up by Chester next door crowing like crazy. His crowing will fit right in this week end as the time changes and we lose an hour, yeah! That means we are closer to getting out of Florida for the summer and back to our beloved mountains and friends there. After my quiet time and a bowl of oatmeal I rode out to the rec for 2 plus hours of pickle ball. We had a great group of players and it was busy with long rallies and fast exchanges. This is a fun game and its a great cardio workout when played with intensity and is easily adapted to a regular tennis court. After my workout I stopped at the library to return some books and I picked up Joe McGinness book THE ROGUE about Sarah Palin, yikes does that ever cause you to re-evaluate your opinion or thinking of her and her family. I have some different thoughts about that gal.

After the library I pedalled home to find Ava and Sam visiting as Amy had an appointment. Ava was still coughing and had a runny nose so she stayed out of school for a second day. They took off around 11:30 as they were going to Tampa to meet Tyler for lunch and Nancy had to take her mom for a mammogram and a chest x-ray around noon. I set the sprinklers and then read until Nancy got home. Well it seems the x-ray revealed a nodule in GG's lungs so she has to go to another doctor on Friday for blood work and then go for an MRI. We are certainly keeping this unexpected occurrence in our thoughts and prayers.

We had house church tonight at 6:30 with a pizza, bread sticks and cupcakes supper. I managed to refrain from the cupcakes. We had a large crowd with 11 adults and 3 kids. After they left we got in most of Idol and Survivor. I watched a little of the USF basketball team play Villanova at Madison Square Garden until after 11PM. They were winning big but didn't look to sharp to me when I decided to call it a night, LATER

Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Tuesday

Well it was a little chilly this morning with temps in the 50's but lots of blue skies and bright sunshine. There was a strong northern wind all day which kept it down into the middle 70's. The morning was much the usual with a Chester wake up around 6 for a change then my quiet time, bowl of oatmeal before riding out to the rec for some 2 plus hours of pickle ball. We had a crowd of good players with some great games. This will be a short week of play as Wednesday will be the last until next Monday, yuck!!! After the period ended I stopped by the library for a couple new reads.

Amy and the kiddos came for lunch and after eating the kiddos and I headed outside to play and I sat under the oak and read. They love to play with buggies and wormies so I dig them a couple fishin' worms and that keeps them busy for ever. They are so cute together and of course Sam has to grab and hold onto Chester a couple times causing Nancy to get all worked up, but Chester comes right back to the fence for Sam to do it again. I just laugh at the two of them which doesn't help with Nancy.

After the kiddos left for their naps we both read and chilled, doing a little house cleaning until it was time for supper. Not much else going on for the evening except moving the sprinkler around in the front yard as the grass is finally sending out new runners and greening up. Maybe we can get the dirt pile covered this year with some grass. The big oak is getting way too big and I'm planning on taking it down next winter, I think.

Not much else for the day except Fox News then a little Lightning Hockey and then bed time, LATER

Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Special for the Month of March from Amway

I just got word from our team leaders about the Specials for this next month and they are BOGO as well; a new item from Artistry anti-wrinkle firming serum #109709, Nutrilite whey protein bars-cookie/creme flavor #113224, Ribbon variety 5 pack #748040, XS energy drink variety pack# 748178 and the last item in the Legacy of Clean(LOC) intro bundle # 105519, this bundle has 11 cleaning items which are fantastic, EPA safe and what a saving as you get twice the product with the BOGO. Check them out and save some money as well as get great products, LATER

Monday

Well the morning was not my usual routine because of the night before when we had to get GG and bring her to our house during the middle of the night. Seems our a/c technician by mistake cut the pilot light to her gas furnace off when he checked it out last week and it got down into the high 40's for the evening and the furnace wouldn't kick on; so everyone(Nancy and Betsy) was afraid gas would leak into the house. Well to make a long story short, no gas leaked and he came by and fixed the problem on Monday morning. I got very little if any sleep so I was very lethargic most of the day and especially during pickle ball. I could not get going for some reason.

After the workout I stopped off at the library and headed home to water the garden. The winds over the weekend really dried out the ground and bent lots of my plants over. We had some really high winds in the area as many trees were blown over onto houses and cars and the change in the weather was unreal as well. We went from high humidity and in the 80's to no humidity, high winds and in the 40's in just a couple hours. Luckily we never experienced any of the horrific storms that plagued the middle part of the country with those deadly tornadoes, its unreal the power and devastation those twisters can exhibit as well as cause so much loss of life. Our thoughts and prayers go out to those folks in these areas. Not only did such a drastic change in weather occurred here in Florida but in the mountains as well as it went from Spring like weather to below freezing with snow in one day, yikes.

Well on a lighter note our good and dear friends the Dalton Gang bought some baby miniature goats (twins I assume)and named them after Nancy and I. They are so cute and we feel so honored(I guess)as its the first thing I can remembered being named for me. We can hardly wait to see them. We had friends in Virginia who had a very small goat and he was the cutest and smartest animal I have ever been around and they kept him in the house like a dog, this goat could climb any and everything, oh well! Our neighbors here take their rooster with them in the truck so whats with having a couple goats in the house; boy do we have some weird friends!!!

We headed over to pick up GG as we were going to Amy and Tyler's for supper. Amy made spaghetti and meatballs along with a fresh Caesar salad for Nancy's birthday supper. GG made the "best thing next to Robert Redford or sex" for dessert, what a name and she used a pudding that was fat free so it was made from a fake sugar and it tasted kind of bland, which caused for lots of comments or wrinkles, no pun intended. The evening was a fun filled one with lots of good eatin'(except for the dessert) which we were so stuffed before we ate it anyhow. Betsy and Braden joined us as well. They gave GG a ride home as we all left around 8:30. The temp's were falling fast and it was a "mountain evening". It didn't take long for the sandman to strike one I layed down to read, LATER

Monday, March 5, 2012

Sunday

Well we had a great service at Element with son Bobby and afterwards we headed to plant City for lunch at Fred's, yeow is that ever good eatin' and lots of it. We headed over to Curl and Curley blueberry winery and picked up a case of wine for Dan and Carol. We spent the rest of the afternoon watching the tube and reading. Not much going on except the late night fiasco with GG and her gas furnace. Seems it wouldn't come on because when she had the a/c and furnace serviced on Thursday the technician cut the pilot light off so everyone thought gas was coming into the house and it might blow up; well long story short at midnight Nancy had to drive to her moms and pick her up to spend the night after several phone calls from Betsy insinuating Mom was in danger. All is well that ends well as nothing happened and there was no gas leak. LATER

Sunday, March 4, 2012

Saturday

Well we were once again awakened by the rooster, Chester who loves to crow at 4 AM on the weekends but thankfully calmed down enough that we could sleep in until 7, yikes whats with that bird? Anyhow we lounged around doing our quiet times then our social networking(on the Internet) before frying up some leftover taters and eggs for breakfast. We knew we were going to have a late lunch at a surprise birthday party later in the day so we skipped lunch altogether and decided to have a mountain breakfast instead of the usual boring oatmeal, oh yea!

Summer has arrived to Florida in a big way; Hot and humid, the fuzzies are everywhere from the big oaks and its to darn hot to work outside for any length of time after 10 Am. Last week it was in the 40's at night and this week the 80's. What happened to the 70's? Anyhow I set the sprinkler on the back gardens and pulled some weeds before we had to go check on GG as she never answered her phone. Seems she had a singing rehearsal and never told anyone she would be gone the morning, so we had to head over along with the neighbors to check on her. Nancy was afraid something happened to her so now we know to have her call every morning which will at least save us the trip over when she doesn't answer the phone.

We came back and got ready to head to Riverview for a surprise 60th birthday party for Jill's dad, Brian. We really surprised him and there were 30 or so in attendance. Susan had a huge jar of yellow corn balls and you had to guess how many were in the jar and Nancy guessed the closest number at close to a thousand she also was the first to find Brian in a huge class picture so she won both of the door prizes. I can't take her anywhere as she is always stealing the show, Ha!! There was potato and macaroni salads, hoagies or subs, dips, nuts, chips and a cake. We had to be there at 3 PM and then we headed out about 6:30 and got back home around 7:30. Its over a 100 miles round trip but we were able to see and play with Annsley and Gabe as well. It was a fun time and just a few family partiers were still there when we left.

We came back to watch the tube and read until it was lights outs around 10:30. Tomorrow we are heading over to Plant City after church in Tampa to a neat home cooking Fred's buffet we accidently found a couple months ago to celebrate both Nancy and Carols birthday again before heading to a blueberry winery to pick up their quarterly case of wine. On Monday Amy is cooking her mother a birthday supper, so let the partying continue, yikes!! LATER

Saturday, March 3, 2012

Friday











Well It was a busy fun filled day with a great family supper at Amy and Tyler new house as we celebrated Sam's 2nd birthday; more on that later, but the morning started out the usual with a 5'ish wake up by Chester the rooster next door as he bellowed out his big mouth in the stillness of the morning, I wonder if KFC would take him? After the wake up and my quiet time I got ready to head out to the rec for a couple hours of pickle ball. The crowd was about average which was surprising for a Friday as we now have to incorporate the intermediate players in with the advanced on Fridays as the gym is closed to pickle ball on Sat. mornings. We had a few of the better intermediate players except for one player which really destroys great play. Anyhow we survived another week with 5 good days of play. Next week we are limited to just 3 days as the whole facility is closed due to the annual Pow Wow festival.

After pickle ball I stopped off at the library for a couple reads for the weekend. I found a new book by a great author Rick Bragg. He writes about the real life of the Appalachia Era, the textile industry in the South and real red neck type folks of which he grew up with. He has a new book titled THE MOST THEY EVER HAD and its all about the cotton era from the pickers to those to worked the textile plants and really how this industry shaped lives. Its a good down to earth read. Sam and Amy came for lunch and we had a salad and pizza then they headed off to pick up Ava as she likes to have lunch on Friday's with her school mates.

I set the sprinkler on the back gardens as its really dry here and hand watering doesn't allow the water to sink in like a sprinkler does, so I read while the garden was watered and Nancy took off shopping. It's warm but not down right HOT yet even though we have the a/c on it still pleasant outside in the shade. The humidity is still bearable as long as we have a breeze and that has been the case except when in the direct sunlight then its really hot. I received a large order from our generous team leaders at Amway and will be distributing all the free(BOGO) items to our local customers. Those of you not in this area should get yours in the next day or so.

We got ready to head over to Amy's for the birthday supper so we stopped on the way and picked up GG. Tyler had the jump house out and was putting together the trampoline for the kiddo's as well when we got there. Bob and his crew showed up just as we were getting out of the truck as well. The kids all headed into the back yard to play. He has a nice afternoon shade in the back yard for the kiddos this summer and its fenced as well, so they will have a great place to play. There are no sidewalks but the street is in a cul-de-sac so lots of the older kids play in the street which has very little traffic. It's a really nice neighborhood. Their living room is twice the size of ours as well and the bedroomsare quite large as well. This is really a nice rental and one if I were staying in Florida would consider purchasing. The landscape could use a little TLC but it not the worse looking lot on the street. They have a well so that should help with getting the outside in tip top shape. It should be fun for them.

The supper Amy and Tyler prepared was excellent. Amy did Pioneer Woman's twice baked potato's which were dewisheous as well as Tyler did a couple marinated flank steaks which were grilled to perfection, median rare. Amy had made a great fresh salad with crusty bread and cooked baby carrots, yikes was that ever great eatin'. After we watched Sam open his presents we sang Happy Birthday and ate the cake grand ma Nancy baked and decorated as a dinosaur especially for Sam along with some vanilla ice cream, yikes was that ever good. The kids played and finally around 8:30 or 9 it was bath time. Bob's crew had an hour drive back to Riverview and after all the hard playing both Gabe and Annsley would be asleep before they got on the interstate. It was a fun evening and a great time of family interaction and eatin'. I will enclose a few pic's from Sam's second birthday bash!! LATER

Friday, March 2, 2012

Thursday



The day started out much the usual with the rooster(Chester)next door on DST which actually starts towards the end of the month, yikes 4:45 is just to early to start crowing; I like 5'ish better. Anyhow he got the ball rolling so I laid around until 6and was up to start the day with a cup of green tea as I did my quiet moments to reflect and give thanks. Afterwards I did the usual bowl of oatmeal with blueberries and a banana and a grapefruit. I checked the scales after my workout and I've dropped a couple ounces from the spare tire so I'm delighted plus I've cut down on the size of my portions as well as the number of them. I must get in shape to tackle the mountain trails the end of May, Yea!!!

I headed out for some pickle ball on the bike for a good 2 plus hours of play with lots of wet shirts at the end of the session. The gym will be closed next week for 2 days for the local Seminole Pow Wow carnival that's takes place on the facility grounds so we will be once again without pickle ball, UGH!! I headed home on the bike to water the garden and my lettuce now is big enough to add to the salad bowl. Lettuce really likes cool nights and our nights are progressively getting warmer so I'm not sure if this batch will last as long as the last, anyhow I picked a nice mess of fresh kale and we steamed that to go along with parsley potato's and a salad for supper; meatless at least once a week but we had the leftover meatloaf for lunch so we had our share of protein for the day.

Amy and the kiddos went to the park for lunch so after watering the garden we headed out to Sam's Club for our weekly trip and took GG with us to get a few goodies. we picked up a couple flank steaks so Amy could marinate them for Friday nights birthday supper for Sam. He and Nancy have the same birth date(3rd) so we will be partying all weekend with suppers. Bob and his family will come over to Amy's on Friday as we celebrate a day early Sam's with a big supper and I'm not sure whats going on the other nights but we will attend a surprise party on Saturday night at the Kuyatts house in Riverview for Jill's dad who is turning 60. Once again that should be another party with lots of good eatin'. The weekend will be filled as we head over to Plant City after church on Sunday to eat at Fred's Buffet of home cooking to celebrate Carol and Nancy's birthday and to pick up Dan and Carol's case of blueberry wine at a local winery. Yikes there goes my spare tire.

After supper and the cleanup I set the sprinkler in the front yard as the grass is finally growing and sending out runners. The oak tree has shed its old leaves and the fuzzies are starting with the new growth leaves. We watched the news then settled in to watch 2 hours of Idol. The sandman was calling so it wasn't long until it was lights out for me. Oh I almost forgot to mention Nancy made Sam his birthday cake with a dinosaur on top and of course her famous chocolate cake with white icing. I will have to have a piece of that, spare tire or not. LATER

Thursday, March 1, 2012

Wednesday

The day started out with Chester crowing a little before 5 as I rolled over and checked the alarm; what's with the rooster?? Can you believe the month of February is in the books, yikes where is the time going?? Anyhow the morning was much the usual with my quiet time and a bowl of oatmeal with blueberries before pedalling out to the rec for some 2 plus hours of pickle ball. We were short some regulars today but overall had both courts going most of the morning and there were lots of wet shirts. After the rec I stopped off at the library to return some books and picked up a new read. I finished an interesting book on survival titled COLD BURIAL. Its a true story that takes place in the early 1900's in the area of Canada called the barrens. I would like to challenge myself as they did in that situation and area although their ordeal became a tragedy for all three. Its a good read.

After the library I watered the gardens and got ready for Amy and the kiddos for lunch. Nancy was off to the store after her workout and I caught up on some end of the month transactions. We got he house ready for our house church after the kiddos left for their naps and I read after that. I grilled a couple pork chops to go along with some fresh asparagus and mushrooms in a butter sauce over Penna pasta. It was very tasty but did not help me any to shed this spare tire which I have allowed to grow. I did cut my portion down but now we have leftover's, oh well!!!

We watched a little of the Idol and I watched Survivor after the house church meeting which had only 5 in attendance tonight. Where was everyone?? Anyhow the gals on Idol are excellent much better singers than the guys this year, we'll see. It wasn't much after 10 when the sand man came for a visit.

For those of you who took advantage of the BOGO's for Nutrilite your free ones should be delivered within the week. Enjoy!!! LATER