Monday, April 30, 2012

Sunday

The morning started early with Chester once again crowing his head at 5'ish in the morning, however we managed to tune him out until nearly 8 AM, wow was that ever nice to sleep in for a change. This was house church Sunday so we were meeting in our respective meeting places so we avoided the long drive to Tampa and just walked 3 houses up to our neighbors, Dan and Carol. It was also brunch Sunday so Nancy made breakfast burritos, Dan made French toast and others brought fruit and pastries. We had a good time of eating together and enjoying one another's company. There were a few no shows for whatever reason but we had a group of 8; we do this on the 5th Sunday's.

After eating we headed home to relax and read for most of the afternoon for me but Nancy headed over to pick her mother up and then to Clearwater to pick her sister up and drive to the cemetery. The girls then stopped for shopping before heading back to Seminole and to have supper with her mom. I got interested in the NHL playoff game until supper time. We fixed fried Swaii fish along with black beans and Jasmine rice and a cucumber and onion salad, dewisheous(Annsley). Nancy took her mom home just before dark and I was still reading and listening to sports. The Rays beat the Rangers in the third game of their 3 games series 5-2, so that's another feather in their cap as the Rangers are or were the best team in all of baseball going into this series with the Rays.

Well April is just about in the books and we have just 21 days to go before we head out for the mountains and it couldn't come any sooner as the weather here has turned muggy and hot. Last week was a fluke with the cool temps and dry conditions but typical Florida weather is here now with avengeance. Not much else is going on but I have lots of chores to do here before heading north. We have 2 more Sundays here before leaving for the summer, LATER

Sunday, April 29, 2012

Saturday

Well the morning started early with that rooster next door crowing his fool head off as the neighbors must have forgot to cage him because he was right under our bedroom window. Some days I would like to see his picture on a milk bottle, oh well!! The girls managed to sleep through his early noise but did awake around 7. Nancy made the girls strawberry pancakes they wanted so after breakfast we did our quiet times and social networking. We spent the rest of the morning getting ready to head out around 10:30 to the park for Ava's birthday party. Florida temps were back as well as the humidity.

When we got to the park the shelter Amy had paid to be reserved next to the playground had another party in attendance with a different name on the reserve board. I spoke with them and of course they had a reservation receipt as well and were gracious enough to offer us a couple tables at the end of the pavillon but we noticed across the way there were several tables under the trees that were in the shade so we opted to take those instead and it turned out fine as we were still next to the playground for the kids to play. Several of those who we thought were coming from her class failed to show so we had an abundance of pizza leftover as well as vegetable and fruit trays.

The pinata was a hit, literally as it was stuffed with candy and gum. Ava was in her glory with all her friends and she received some really nice gifts. Even though we didn't get the shelter it was no big deal as we had several tables and plenty of room and the rest rooms and playground equipment was right there. We finally broke up around 2 PM and it was starting to be a cooker in the sun. The kids were all red faced and full of energy from all the sugar that was available  and many of the parents took left over pizzas with them. It was a fun day especially for Ava as she and Annsley who have become very good buddies got to have a sleep over the night before.

We headed home to cool off and read the afternoon away until it was time to walk up to our neighbors for supper. I took some fresh herbs and peppers to go with our tacos and yellow rice which was yummy. We played a game of Phase 10 after eating and the clean and I won for a change. I sure hoped the Rays would have won but we watched the Texas Rangers beating them pretty good, oh well they are still in first place in their division, LATER

Saturday, April 28, 2012

Friday

Well we had another busy day after the usual early morning wake up by big mouth Chester around 5'ish. I did my quiet time and had a bowl of fruit before pedaling out to the rec on my bike for about an hour and half of pickle ball. We had a slow start with several players missing but had enough for a workout. I left early due to going with Nancy for her echo cardiogram at 10. We got back from that around 11'ish after stopping at Sweet Bay for a couple items for Ava's party on Saturday.

Amy and Sam came for lunch so Sam and I shared a bowl of Zuppa soup and a salad. Nancy and Amy had egg sandwiches and afterwords Sam and I headed outside to the back yard where he played with bugs and a fishin' worm until it was time for us to get ready to head over to Bob's. We were taking Ava with us to play with Annsley as we watched Gabe and Annsley for the afternoon and evening. We took a rotisserie chicken and some tater tots and a salad along for supper. We left here around 2:30 as Bob had a wedding to do at 5 and he wanted to be at the place by 4:30 over in Dover, Fl. Jill went with him and afterwards they had a date night for dinner.

The kids had a great time playing and after supper we gave them baths and eventually Gabe wore out chasing the girls and we put him to bed around 8:15. He went right down for a change and was sound asleep in no time. We had the girls in their PJ's so if and when they fell asleep on the way home we would carry them to bed. Well they were motor mouths having a fun time all the way home. Nancy read them a couple stories until they finally got sleepy around 10:30. I was tuned into the Rays beating the Texans 8-4 and then called it a day as well.

Saturday is  Ava's big birthday party at the park with lots of her school mates, hopefully it will be nice like its been all week. Annsley and Ava have become such pals and are so cute together, LATER

Friday, April 27, 2012

Thursday

Well it was still another beautiful morning with temps into the high 50's but not near as windy. The day was just gorgeous with bright sunshine and just enough of a breeze to keep it comfortable. The humidity is starting to creep back into the picture but we still have our windows and doors open during the day which has been unheard of for Florida  this time of the year. The morning started with the rooster next door blasting us with his crow around 5' ish. After my usual cup of hot green tea and a few moments to give thanks and reflect I had a lite breakfast of blueberries and a grapefruit before pedaling out to the rec for some 2 plus hours of pickle ball. We had a nice crowd with good players and lots of wet shirts. On the way home I stopped off at the library and picked up a couple new books.

We headed out to Sam's Club to gas up which was the lowest I'm seen it in awhile $3.60 a gallon, hopefully it will continue to drop as we get ready to head north. We picked up goodies for Ava's birthday party at the park on Saturday and a few other things for GG as well and made a quick stop at Publix and Aldi's as well before heading back to have lunch. Its leftover Zuppa soup for me and Nancy finished the tuna noodle. After lunch Amy and the kiddos came by as their lunch at the park fell through due to a couple of mothers and kids having last minute changes. They stayed and visited until nearly 2 before heading out for Sam's nap. I tuned into the Rays as they were playing an afternoon game with the Angels and we were behind by a couple runs during the latter part of the game and in the bottom of the 9th we won on a homer by a new player who just joined the team. Great win and a sweep of the Angels, Go Rays!!!

We laid around and read until it was time to start supper which was another leftover of venison, greens beans and rice in a gravy, yikes was that ever good the second time. After the clean up we took a stroll through the hood then came back to water the front yard. I stayed out until nearly 8 PM before heading in to read and watch a little of the Idol and NHL playoffs. It was around 10 when we called it a day, LATER

Thursday, April 26, 2012

Wednesday

Well what a special day this turned out to be as it was our oldest grand daughter, Ava's 5 th birthday. We started the morning out with cool temps and of course Chester crowing at 5'ish in the morning. After my quiet moments and a bowl of blueberries and a grapefruit I headed out on the bike for the rec. Brrr is was chilly as I rode out and it was so reminded me of a summer morning in the mountains. By the time I headed home a little after 10 it has warmed considerably and stayed in the middle 70's most of the day.

We had a good turnout for pickle ball , although we were missing a couple of our regulars but the play was fast and furious most of the morning and by 10 I had a good sweat going. I stopped off in the weight room to weight myself and wow I'm within a pound and a half of my goal. So I have another 3 weeks to achieve that before I give up my morning workouts on the pickle ball courts. Hopefully I can get in a little playing time this summer with some of my mountain friends, anyhow I'm thrilled of the weight loss, especially the spare tire.

I headed home after a quick stop at the library for new read which turned out to be very fascinating. Its titled COCKTAIL HOUR UNDER THE TREE OF FORGETFULNESS by Alexandra Fuller. Its a wonderful read with lots of history about southern Africa and her folks life there. A must read and she has several other non-fiction type books that speak of her childhood and growing up British with Irish roots. Amy and the kiddos didn't come for lunch so we had a salad early then Nancy drove her mom to several appointments. I sat in the back yard and read as it was just a fab day and was actually a little chilly in the shade.

 I piddled around with my garden pulling some weeds, feeding my seedling and transplanted a few marigolds of which I have close to a hundred. I've grown these from seeds from older plants and I want to cover my garden where I intend to plant tomato's next fall. Marigolds are a natural deterrent for nematodes which attack the roots of plants in Florida because the ground never freezes here. Marigolds help control these nasty little microscopic worms, anyhow I have some lovely plants and of course Ava and Sam love to pull the heads and shred them.

Nancy was making her dewisheous chocolate cake with white icing for Ava's birthday supper tonight at their house, she decorated it with a beautiful flower. I made the mistake of having a piece after supper and paid for it all night as I never slept due to the caffeine, oh well it did taste marvelous and that's the first sweets I've eaten in quite awhile(spare tire loss). Tyler grilled a couple flank steaks which Amy had in a wonderful flavored marinate for hours and along with baked mac and cheese, carrots and a salad we had a yummy supper. Ava was so cute as we celebrated her big day with lots of presents. Sam was there helping her open them as well and he sang constantly the happy birthday song. We stayed until just before 8 then headed home to watch the Rays win again over the Angels. I flipped back and forth and caught some of Survivor as those gals are ganging up on the men and voting them off, yikes!!! LATER 

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Tuesday

Well the morning started out much the usual with Chester crowing in the distance but it seemed louder as we had the bathroom window open so even though he was in his cage away from the  house he seemed louder. It was really cool this morning with temps down into the 50's , yikes thats unheard of the time of the year. The weatherman says thats going to change come this week-end, oh well its sure been nice these past couple days. It kind of reminds us of the summer days in the mountains at the cabin.

After my quiet time and a bowl of grapefruit with blueberries at headed out on the bike for some 2 plus hours of pickle ball. We had several good players the first hour or so and the play was great and of course lots of wet shirts. Afterwards I stopped off at the library for a new read before pedalling home. It was just gorgeous outside so I settled in to work in the garden while Nancy made a birthday cake for Ava. She will be 5 years old on Wednesday; where did that 5 years go?? Anyhow she along with Amy and Sam came for lunch and we ate Zuppa soup, dewisheous(Annsley) it was , seems like its better the second day leftover.

Sam and I headed outside to play as the girls all took off to go shopping for her birthday party on Saturday at the county park. This will be her first big party with lots of her school mates and friends from church, she is really excited. Sam played with a couple worms I dug for him and then just played in the dirt. He is going to be a farmer as he loves the dirt, bugs and worms. He finally said to me "wormy broke". So we found other bugs to play with. I sat in the sun as the breeze was rather cool in the shade of the big oak and read. The city inspector came by and signed off on the roof job so we can take the permit off of the front porch. I'm glad that job is done and hopefully I will get as much longevity as the last roof gave me.

I picked a mess of green beans and along with vension(thanks to Andy) I cut into small pieces we had that cooked in a gravy over Jasmine rice, yikes it that a dewicheous meal with a little soy sauce on top and red pepper flakes for me. After the cleanup I headed to water the new seedlings. It was starting to cool off rapidly so we skipped the walk and settled in to watch the Rays beat the Angels 5-0. Wow 4 homers and great pitching. LATER

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Monday

Well the day started with Chester crowing around 5'ish but now that he is caged and moved out from under our window I'm not noticing his loud noise as much in the wee hours of the morning stillness. After my quiet time and a bowl of fruit I pedalled out to the rec for a couple plus hours of pickle ball. We had a large crowd with 3 nets up and several waiting at times to play. Afterwards I headed by the library for a new read then headed home to work in the garden.

The roofers were there and promised to finish up today and wow was it an awesome day to be outside working. It was in the low 70's with a strong breeze and no humidity. It really was like a mountain summer day as we opened the windows and doors and aired the house out, actually Amy closed most of them as she was wearing a sweater and said she was cold. Sam and I worked and played outside after a salad for lunch. I dug him a couple worms and he had a great time until he said "their broke gandad". He wanted to see what the roofers were doing on the house so I climbed the ladder with him and he was fascinated with all that was going on, he sure has my knack for being interested in everything. Amy dropped GG off after lunch as she ate with us after Nancy took her to get a passport picture at the post office. She is planning on going to Italy this Fall with grand daughter Arianne and is getting ready for the big adventure ahead of time.

Nancy made a huge pot of Zuppa soup as my kale is doing fabulous and that ingredient is what makes that soup so dewisheous(Annsley). This kale will not stop producing as well as has been my collards. I gave 2 of the roofers each a bag of collards and they were tickled. The garden welcomed the 3 plus inches of rain but with this sandy soil it really leaches out the nutrients so I fed my new seedlings and loosened up the compacted soil around them. The new cherry tomato seeds I planted are up so I should have plenty of tomato plants to transplant into my mountain garden. I also have lots of flower seeds up as well and as soon as they put on another leaf I will separate them and move them up to a larger container. My green peppers are still producing and a few are turning red and look as if they came out of a magazine, just beautiful and only a slight touch of hotness. I eat one everyday on my salad for lunch and I wager to think they would be fantastic when stuffed with cream cheese and wrapped with bacon and baked in the oven as Armadillo eggs, yikes I hope they do this well in the mountain garden. Our neighbor at the cabin, Jodi makes the best Armadillo eggs or jalapeno poppers ever and high lite our get together with other friends on game nights. We are looking forward to seeing her and her family and our many late night raucous card games.

Well not much else is going on as we took a long walk through the hood after supper and the clean up. There was no Rays ball game so I read and watched a little of Fox News and Stanley Cup hockey before calling it a day, only 26 more days, YEAH!!! LATER

Monday, April 23, 2012

Sunday

Well the morning started out wet and soggy with over 3 inches of rain during the night, luckily we got no drips in the house even though the roof is only about half shingled. The roofers are supposed to finish the job on Monday and hopefully I will not have any more leaks and can put to rest any roof problems for awhile. The yard and gardens welcomed the rain as its been a dry winter here in central Florida. The morning wake up was the usual 5'ish with Chester now in a gage so he is not right under our bedroom windows which has definitely reduced the loudness. We hear him in the distance which is kind of reassuring or comfort, weird I know but when you grow up on a farm those background noises are reality, oh well!!!

After our quiet times and a breakfast of poached eggs for me we got ready to head out to Element Church in Tampa for worship. We had a nice crowd with once again several new families and one family we knew the father when he was just a youth at SFBC. We hadn't seen Jonathan White in years and now he has 3 children and he brought them to church as well as his wife. Bobby had an awesome message once again on hope and how doing one good thing in some one's life can bring large rewards. Well done son and his message is on a podcast at Iamelement.com. Check him out!!! After the service the annual field day was held at a local park near the church but since we had our duty at the local nursing home we didn't participate, besides we were carpooling with Dan.

We had a frozen pizza for lunch of course doctored up with fresh mushrooms, green pepper, basil, onion and oregano all from my garden, wow does that ever make even a store bought pie taste good. After lunch we settled in to watch an inning of the Rays game before heading out to the nursing home where we pushed a couple dozen wheelchairs patients and had a service with several old hymns. After the service Nancy invited her mom for supper so I cut the last head of Bibb lettuce and cleaned it along with some fresh kale and a head of cabbage and made a large fresh garden salad for supper as well as Nancy made a tuna noodle casserole. Nancy picked up her mom and we finished watching the Rays beat the Twins and then ate supper. Wow those 2 dishes complimented each other completely especially with the Greek dressing for the salad. We visited with her for a couple hours then Nancy took her home after a quick stop at Aldi's as we are having Zuppa soup tomorrow for supper. I have tons of fresh kale and that makes that soup so we will have her again as well as Nancy has to drive her to another appointment for her passport picture on Monday.

The weather is supposed to turn much cooler and windy as well with lows into the 50's here which is unheard of for this time of the year. Nancy and I are doing little things as we get ready in less than a month to head north for what we hope will be close to 6 months. We have been away from our mountain cabin since the first of October and that will be nearly 8 months since we have been there. I have lots of projects or jobs to complete this summer and we are looking forward to renewing old friendships as well. I get excited just thinking and dreaming about that beautiful part of the world and all the many friends we have there, oh well 27 days to go but who is counting!!! LATER

Sunday, April 22, 2012

Saturday

Well just another busy day as the morning started with Chester crowing around 5'ish in the morning but we managed to tune him out until nearly 7:30, Yeah!!! We had been up late the night before and the extra hour or so felt great. After our quiet times we made our own breakfast as I like poached eggs and Nancy likes them fried. We shared a couple packs of instant grits and I heated up a leftover piece of pork tenderloin, yikes was that ever a tasty breakfast and I washed mine down with a glass of grapefruit juice I squeezed from a neighbor tree. I was ready to head out and do some yard and garden work.

I trimmed the bushes, dug up the inpatients that were just about finished due to the heat, edged and raked. I turned over some areas in the garden and I have such a multitude of fishin' worms its unreal. They are the best for a really fertile garden. I hope I can mulch the garden enough so that over the dry summer they will hang around as usually most of them seem to go some where when it gets hot and dry. Anyhow the new seedlings are doing good and should be about the right size to transplant into my summer garden at the cabin. I'm getting that itch to plow my gardens as well as plow for a couple of my neighbors up there also. I sowed some kale seeds along with some Zinnias seeds I brought back last fall from my plants that were going to seed. Zinnias are one of my favorite flowers and ready keep their color's all summer and into the cold weather.

I headed over to GG's(Nancy's mom) to saw down a couple bushes and trim out the dead branches in her navel orange tree and visited with her as well. She is doing great and was making some potato salad so she gave me enough for our salad's for lunch when I got home. Amy, Tyler and the kiddos came by to visit with her as well and shared a pizza with her for lunch. After lunch I edged the garden is and cut a nice cabbage head so Nancy good make a Cole slaw for our supper with the Botbyl's(Dan and Carol). I cut some kale and got it ready to make kale chips which are great. Cut the kale into 2-3 inch pieces and cover lightly with olive oil the place on a cookie sheet and bake at 300 for about 15-20 minutes. Then lightly salt or sprinkle whatever seasoning you like on the kale before baking. The kale comes out crunchy and discinerates in your mouth, YUMMM, its a great appetizer and good for you as well.

I grilled a huge salmon fillet covered with fresh dill from the garden along with lemon pepper seasoning, Nancy sauteed fresh yellow squash, onion, red pepper and garlic in olive oil and Carol made Jasmine rice along with the fresh chilled Cole slaw we had us a feast. After the clean up we played a 12 rounds of chicken foot domino's and Carole was the winner for a change on the last round. We had a fun time playing and listening to the Rays win their game as well. It was close to 10 PM before we got ready for the showers. Tomorrow(today) is worship day at Element Church with son, Bobby. After the service its field day where several of the house churches meet for picnic at the park and compete in family type games such as tug of war, passing water balloons and 2 legged sack races. We are committed at the nursing home as its our Sunday to assist with the service there, so we miss all the fun and activities.

We had a torrential downpour with over 3 inches of rain last night(no leaks) as a cold front moved through Florida, dropping the humidity as well as the rain and temps. Its supposed to be in the 50's here on Monday morning, yikes I love it although I hear there is a chance for the white stuff in the mountains, LATER

Saturday, April 21, 2012

Friday

Well it was another typical summer like Florida day with rain clouds, bright sunshine and high humidity. It can go from overcast with threatening storm clouds to brilliant sunshine within minutes and that was the case much of the day. The morning started with Chester crowing around 5 then the roofer came about 6 to start the tar kettle. I'm sure glad they got the flat rood covered and tared before this weather system comes in the weekend which is supposed to bring in heavy rain and storms. They took off after lunch and left the front shingle area with just the under membrane exposed for the week-end. I sure hope they know what they are doing as I don't want to have rain water dripping into the house again. I'm disappointed in their work and attitude and will not use them again, oh well!!

After my quiet time I rode out to the rec for a couple hours of pickle ball. We had a nice crowd of good players but a few of the beginners did come for the last hour or so which changes the play. There were a few wet shirts and by 10 AM I was ready to call it a week of play. I stopped off at the library for a couple reads for the week end. I got interested in the the sinking of the Titanic which occurred this month of April 100 years ago. Wow what a story behind the story of the ship that was unsinkable. There are a couple great reads about that tragedy and the one titled; TITANIC;THE LAST NIGHT OF A SMALL TOWN by Welshman is the best I've ever read. Walter Lord has a good book as well but Welshman is superb.

Amy and Sam came for lunch and after they left to pick up Ava from her picnic with her schoolmates Nancy and I headed over to pick up GG and take her to Sams with us. We filled up and gad has dropped from $3.95 to $3.67 in over a week. It would be nice if it continued to drop in price as we make plans to head north in less than a month. We came back and read until it was time to get ready for Ava and Sam who were coming for supper and then we were watching them until after Amy and Tyler got back from the Rays game. It was a good game and one we should have won as we were ahead 4-2 in the 8th and then some bad pitching caused us to lose 5-4. Sam and Ava were so cute and stayed up until nearly 9:30. It was nearly 11 before the kids got home so we headed out, luckily I had already had my shower so I hit the sack and was out by the time Nancy got into bed. Tomorrow was supposed to be a beach day but that depends on the weather, LATER

Friday, April 20, 2012

Thursday

Well the morning started with some panic as it rained early around 5'ish with a heavy down pour. The roofer was unable to get the roof completed so he placed a large tarp over the roof and during the afternoon deluge it leaked and we had water pouring into the kitchen through a overhead light fixture. Reminded us of our roof leaf at the cabin a couple years back when the ice and snow was so heavy and had built up so much on the tin roof that it broke off a vent stack allowing rain water to pour in through the bathroom light fixtures. We managed to patch the tarp and sweep the water off the roof where it had pooled and hopefully today they can get the flat roof finished. Needless to say Nancy was not a happy camper as we had to postpone the family supper which we will try again on Friday night.

Chester did his crowing early but was overshadowed by the rain we had which was the first in weeks and maybe even a month. After the panic subsided I did my quiet time and got ready to head out to the rec for a couple hours of pickle ball. What a great stress reliever that was and is. I got home and the roofers were back on the shingles part of the house because of the possibility of rain through out the day the flat roof will have to wait until Friday. All of this was held up because of a new building inspector for the city who is making a name for himself, albeit not a very good one in my opinion, Oh well!!

Sam came for lunch and spent the afternoon as Ava was invited to a pool party after school. Sam and I played cars and trucks and watched a movie. We had a grand time together and we are watching both of them Friday night as Amy and Tyler take in a Rays game. Speaking of the Rays they finally showed some good ball playing and where beating the Jays 6-3 when I cut the lights off around 10:30. Not much else is going on except there are storms in the forcast for the week-end with heavy rain expected so I sure hope the roof is finished by then, LATER

Thursday, April 19, 2012

Wednesday

Well it was a most usual morning with the 5'ish wake up crow from the rooster next door and then my quiet time and a bowl of fruit before heading out on the bike for 2 plus hours of pickle ball at the rec. We had a nice turn out of good players so the action was great and of course lots of wet shirts for the morning. Afterwards I stopped off at the weight room and checked the scales and I'm holding the spare tire close to where I want it but would still like to have a couple pounds less, anyhow I've seen some progress and I'm just so full of energy from the way we have been eating our foods in combinations.

After the rec I stopped off for a new read on the Titanic and wow what a book as it takes several of those who survived the sinking and did the background on their lives and what actually occurred on that fateful night a hundred years ago. I did some watering and visited with the roofers and as they tore the flat roof off and discovered there as well some rotted wood. Thankfully I'm having a total roof redone so that should ease the worry while we are gone this summer. Hopefully they can finish the job in the next day or so as heavy rain is fore casted this weekend. We did get a shower during the night but a large tarp covered the roof as they were waiting for an inspector to okay. The city of Seminole has gone nuts with a new building inspector causing undue problems for my roofer and thus a delay in the finished roof, Oh well!!!

We finished up some left overs for supper and I sauteed some fresh kale and its not as good as Swiss chard sauteed as its chewy. I'm going to make kale chips Saturday night for our supper with friends and they are dewisheous as well as cole slaw from a head of cabbage now growing in the garden. After supper we headed up to Dan and Carol's as we were going to have a fire with our house church group but it was to hot and humid so we opted for an inside discussion and then headed home a little after 8. I got to watch most of Survivor while Nancy watched Idol and then I tuned into Rays baseball and they finally played good ball winning 12-2, about time. Well not much else is going on as we make dates for suppers, get togethers and doctors appointments. The end of May will be here before we know it and are we ever getting excited and sad at the same time, LATER

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Tuesday

Well another busy day that started with the 5'ish wake up crow from Chester next door. After my usual cup of green tea, my few quiet moments to reflect, give thanks and lift up those who are on my mind for healing; I got ready for the roofing crew who were to be here at 8 to re-roof the house. I moved my truck out of the garage and over to a neighbor's driveway as they back their big lift truck right up next to the house. It was almost 8:30 before I got to the rec for an hour and a half of pickle ball play. We had a small crowd which meant very little break time in between games, so it turned out to be a good workout even though it was an hour shorter.

I headed home to work in the garden transplanting my 6 tomato seedlings into the ground as well as the vine seedlings, all of which I will take to the cabin next month and plant. I also sowed some cherry tomato seeds to take with me as well. Amy, GG and the kiddos came for lunch and afterwards I took Sam and Ava out to see all the commotion with the roofers and the big truck. They both got to sit in the cab of the truck and blow the air horn which tickled them both. Ben the roofer is an old friend and fellow church member who we have know for 25 years or longer and does good work and is reputable in the roofing contractor business. I mentioned I found a weak spot in the gabled roof while blowing off the debris from the oak tree; well I'm sure glad I decide to re-roof as there were 4 other places where the wood had rotted away after the last re-roof nearly 20 years ago. Seems the debris from the tree laying on the roof causes rain water to be diverted up and under the shingles thus starting the wood to rot and give way and with the rainy season about to start in Florida I'm sure water would eventually leak into the interior of the house. Oh well!!!

I fiddled around doing little odd jobs as Nancy took off to the doctors office again. Seems they are going to do a heart echo cardiogram next week to rest her mind about all these sensations she is experiencing in her chest. The doctor thinks its related to anxiety, stress and menopause as every year about the time we consider leaving Florida for the mountains she begins to have some irregularities. Hopefully this test will put her mind at ease and me also.

Well we ate lite for supper with macaroni and Brussel sprouts after a large salad and fresh ground pork sandwiches for lunch. After supper we took a long walk through the hood and came back to watch the Rays lose once again; its going to be a long season and already I'm losing some interest as their play is terrible, LATER

Tuesday, April 17, 2012

Monday

Well not much out of the ordinary except the Rays finally won a game over the Red Sox with a 1-0 score, yikes that is a change. The morning started out the usual with the rooster next door crowing at 5'ish in the bloody morning(that's British). I did my usual quiet time and bowl of fruit before pedaling out to the rec for a couple hours of pickle ball then 4 games of ping pong with some gals who needed a fourth. We(Leslie and I) smoked them 4 in a row. There was a good crowd for pickle ball and we had lots of wet shirts by 10 AM. After pickle ball and ping pong I stopped by the library for a read before heading home to work in the garden.

Amy and the kiddos came for lunch and afterwards the kids and I colored and watched a movie together while the girls went shopping. After they left for their naps I read until it was time for supper which found us eating some smoked brisket we had frozen from awhile back, yeow was that ever dewisheous along with cauliflower and Lima beans. I ate a large fresh salad for lunch so I skipped it for supper. After the cleanup we headed up to Dan and Carol's to hear about the long week-end in Orlando. We walked through the hood together then came back and sat out in the back yard as it was that nice outside until nearly dark.

I tuned into the O'Reilly factor then watched some Stanley Cup hockey before turning in. Our roofer called and will be here early Tuesday morning to start the re-roof of the house so I will have to delay my pickle ball workout until I get them familiar with the electrical outlets, as Nancy is taking her mom for a doctors appointment. Well not much else is going on, LATER

Monday, April 16, 2012

Sunday

Well the morning was much the usual with an early wake up crow from Chester next door around 5'ish but we rolled over and tuned him out until 7 AM. After our quiet times we each made our own breakfast. Oatmeal for Nancy and for me poached eggs and grits. I was scheduled to give blood at church this AM so I ate hearty and speaking of giving blood that was a record for me, just under 7 minutes from the time the needle went in until she pulled it out. All my vitals were good and especially my iron count as it was 500 points above the minimum needed to give. All the leafy green vegetables we eat made that number so good, anyhow there were several giving this day.

Bobby had an awesome message on what happened after Easter, the Resurrection of Jesus and the gift of the Holy Spirit to the followers. There was a nice crowd with once again several new faces. We got to love up on our grand babies as well. After the service we headed back to Seminole. Our friends Dan and Carole were spending the week-end at a resort near Orlando and had invited us over for the afternoon by the pool but because Nancy has been up and down with her health we declined. We had a nice fresh garden salad with tuna fish on top for lunch. I tuned into the Rays game and once again we go beat by only 2 runs so that was an improvement somewhat. I have a feeling this going to be a long season if we continue to play as we have the past 3 games.

We did a little calling in the afternoon and spoke with Mechelle our mountain buddy. It's garden planting time with the trees starting to bud with new leaves and the grass is green and lush. She seems to be somewhat better as she now is keeping her food down and her dad is doing better as well. We caught up on all that's been going on with them and gave her the date we are planning on being back on the mountain. Next we spoke with youngest sister Dee and daughter Kelly about the wedding plans in July which will have Bobby our son marrying her and Jordan at our old home church in Virginia. That should be a fun and exciting time for all. It doesn't look as if Amy and her family will be able to attend as Tyler's best friend and cousin is getting married in Texas so he will be in the wedding there at about the same time, oh well!!

We did a lite supper of bean burritos then settled in to read, play around on Face Book and I watched NHL Stanley Cup hockey until it was time for bed, LATER

Sunday, April 15, 2012

Saturday

Well it was another beautiful day weather wise with temps in the low 80's but windy and dry so it made for good yard and garden work. After my 5'ish wake up by Chester we rolled over and stayed in until after 7. I poached a couple eggs and mixed them in with a bowl of instant grits and called that breakfast after my quiet time and a cup of green tea. Nancy had a bad night for some reason as she felt those terrible feelings that come from menopause and anxiety. I guess its back to the doctor on Monday even though her lab results were excellent, actually the best they have ever been. I think she needs the hormone estrogen to make her feel like her old self. Its strange as one day she feels great and the next she is down with all kinds of weird aches and pains, Oh well!!!

I headed out to mow, edge and weed whack the yard. The grass is finally starting to spread in the front yard and the back is doing better as well. I cut the last of the lettuce for this year as the heat is taking over. I cleaned and bagged enough for a couple days of salad. I turned over part of the garden with a shovel and I have fishin' worms galore which is a great sign. I just hope they don't leave when we head north as the garden area will only get water when it rains. I have begun to mulch with leaves and yard clippings hoping that will hold the moisture. Speaking of going north it will be 5 weeks from Sunday(today) that we will be on the road and heading to higher country; wow are we are excited about seeing our mountain get a way.

After a lite lunch of quesadillas I tuned into the Rays game and at one time were winning 4-0 but lost 13-5 to the Red Sox; where is our bull pen pitching??? I'm afraid its not looking good for the home town team. Nancy had to attend a concert her mother(GG) sings with so she, Betsy and Amy attended. I spent the evening watching the game and reading after a supper of fried ham, asparagus and salad. Well not much else is going on around here except its worship day at Element Church in Tampa with son Bobby doing the speaking and its also blood drive Sunday as well, so I will be donating my usual pint as well.LATER

Saturday, April 14, 2012

Friday

Well Chester was right on cue this morning at 5 as he crowed right near our bedroom window. I did manage to roll over and shut him out until 6 before starting the day. After my quiet time and a cup of green tea I had a bowl of grapefruit with blue and straw berries before pedalling out to the rec for some 2 plus hours of pickle ball. We had a great crowd today with mostly advanced players and wow was there ever some long rallies with supper shots. Everyone had wet shirts today. After the rec I stopped at the library before heading home.

The seeds I planted in pots are showing more green each day and if all goes well should be big enough to set out in the garden in a week or so and then when we get ready to head north I will dig them up and wrap them in wet newspaper and set out in my garden there. All of my 6 tomato seeds are up as well as a vine that grows to 15 ft in height. I want to transplant that around my arbor in the back yard that I have to rebuild once I get the garden planted. So much to do but I thrive on being busy once I get there.

Nancy was at her Friday Bible study so I piddled around in the garden pulling weeds and hand watering until it was lunch time. Amy and Sam came for lunch as Ava stays after school on Friday to have lunch with her class mates and then plays until 1 PM. Sam and I headed outside after lunch and we blew bubbles or I blew bubbles and he chased them down popping them. I was surprised he lasted as long as he did with that activity, but he chased them until I got tired for him. What a bundle of energy he is and just so dang cute as well. He and Chester played for just a few minutes as he was more interested in the bubbles so I didn't get much reading done. Amy brought Ava by and they stayed for another hour and left just as the Rays game started . Well we were ahead until our starting pitcher fell apart and we lost 12-2, yikes it was ugly and reminded us of what it was like a couple years back when we were the doormat of the league, oh well!!

We both read until it was suppertime which was fresh Brussels sprouts and left over black beans and rice. After the clean up we headed out for a long walk through the hood as the evening was perfect with a nice dry breeze and high 70's temp wise. Yikes was it ever gorgeous. After the walk I watered the front yard then we settled in to watch the O'Reilly Factor. I read for awhile before we got ready to call it a day. Tomorrow looks as if we drive to Riverview to babysit Annsley and Gabe around 9:30 in the morning so it will be another busy day, LATER

Friday, April 13, 2012

Thursday

Well this week has just flown by and here we are coming up on another week end and just about 5 week ends to go before we head for the mountains, boy are we getting excited and sad at the same time, oh well!!! The morning started out about the same with Chester's wake up crow around 5 in the morning. I did my quiet time then had a bowl of grapefruit, blueberries and some fresh strawberries before pedaling out to the rec for some 2 plus hours of pickle ball. We had a small crowd to start with which made for no breaks for the first hour or so and by 10 AM I had a nice wet shirt. Afterwards I stopped off and weighed myself in the weight room and I'm down another pound or so. The spare tire is shrinking, yeah!!!!

I pedalled home to work in the garden and hand water my seedlings, so far several have showed some green and the Celebrity tomato plant seeds have all sprouted and are about and inch or so in height. Hopefully we will have a banner crop this summer as they are the best tomato yet but they are a hybrid so you must buy the seeds each year. I cut more Bib and Romaine lettuce and cleaned it and made a large salad for lunch and then we took a bag over to GG's when we went over for chicken casserole for supper.

Nancy got some fantastic results from her blood results taken on Monday after a fast; her cholesterol was the lowest ever as well as her triglycerides and all her results showed normal and her risk rate dropped a whole percentage point. Seems this self imposed food combining and apple cider vinegar have made quite a difference plus she has dropped several pounds as well. We are just ecstatic about her results and now we know all of these hearts fluttering, etc and occurrences are all results of her anxiety and menopausal conditions. I don't envy anyone, both men and women who have to face this period(or lack there of) in their life. I say take the hormone pill. That's just my opinion.

Nancy took off to Target to return an Easter dress and too do a little shopping. I tuned into the Rays afternoon game and was disappointed they lost after leading at one time and I managed to finish a good read by Gregg Olson. We headed out around for 4:30 to visit and eat supper with GG. Amy brought the kiddos as Tyler has ESL at church as we had a sumptuous meal. The kiddos entertained us as well. We headed out in time to watch the Idol and I think all this voting is just a personality contest cause the little girl who received the least about of votes is one of the better vocalist, what do I know. Afterwards I watched a little alligator hunting in the bayou's before calling it a day, what a great show for dreaming!!! LATER

Thursday, April 12, 2012

Wednesday

Well it was another nice morning in the 60's as I rode out to the rec after my 5'ish wake up by Chester, quiet time and a bowl of fruit for breakfast. This change in diet has sure made a difference in my weight and my level of energy has increased as well. I read where bananas are a food we should not eat if your trying to lose belly fat and since I've stayed away from them for a couple weeks I seem to be losing that spare tire slowly but surely. I know we need the potassium which bananas are rich in but I take a super multi-vitamin and mineral supplement from Nutrilite which complements that loss in diet. Anyhow after the past several days of morning temps in the 60's there seems to be a sudden shift in the weather pattern so its back to more humidity and higher temps, oh well. We spoke with our mountain mom and it was cold there with strong winds which made it feel even colder and of course it was snowing in Michigan during the Rays game on Tuesday.

Speaking of the Rays they were losing going into the top of the 9th inning and pulled out a victory over the Tigers today, yikes what a great game from a never give up group of guys. We had a good crowd of pickle ball players today as well and had some good play and there were lots of wet shirts after 2 plus hours of play. I stopped off at the library for a new read on the way home. Nancy was ready to head to Sam's Club so we headed out after changing clothes. We gassed up as well and the price has come down from $3.93 to $ 3.81, that's a little help but still way to much. I'm afraid by the time we leave for the mountains it will be over 4 bucks as they have predicted, oh well!!!!

We made a stop at GG's to take a new picture so she can get a passport picture as she and grand daughter Arianne are going to Italy this summer, yikes that will be exciting as she has never been out of the country. We made a stop at Aldi's as well before heading home to fix a frozen pizza for lunch. We doctored a pepperoni pizza up with fresh mushrooms, peppers, basil and oregano, wow does that ever add to a pie and of course I loaded mine up with crushed red peppers after coming out of the oven.

I caught up on shredding some paper work and old files while Nancy took off to the rec for her treadmill workout. We got word that house church was cancelled just as we finished our chapter reading in Beautiful Outlaw by John Eldridge, so we decided to have a simple supper of black beans and Jasmine rice, yeow is that ever a great dish and we finished the leftover Cole slaw I made from a head of cabbage from the garden to go along with it, dewisheous!!! After the clean up we took off on a stroll through the hood. We came back and once again I set the sprinkler out front on the yard as the grass is really taking off.

Well Nancy tuned into the Idol and I watched Survivor then I read until it was lights out, LATER

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Tuesday

Once again we had beautiful weather for the date with low humidity, cooler morning temps and a nice breeze. We actually had the windows open most of the day as it was really cool as I rode out to the rec around 7:15. The morning started with Chester crowing at 5'ish. I managed to tune him out until 6 then started my day with a cup of hot green tea then my quiet time and a grapefruit with some blueberries before heading out on my bike. We had a good crowd of pickle ball players with some really nice play. I learned our buddy Stu was eliminated in the singles tournament play last Friday and never made it to the medal round; I thought he had a good chance to win the tournament.

After 2 plus hours of play I stopped off at the library for a new read THE GOOD EARTH by Pearl Buck. I've always wanted to read that classic. I pedalled home to water the gardens and my new seedlings that have sprouted with a hand sprayer. Amy and the kiddos were coming for lunch so we got ready for them. After a lunch of fresh garden salad the kiddos and I headed out into the back yard where they looked for bugs, worms and lizards. Sam and Chester had a meeting at the fence for a few moments while I sat and read. He loves the dirt and was once again had dirty hands and knees and had to be washed off before heading home. After they left around 2 PM for their naps Nancy took her mom(GG) shopping so I read until it was time to start supper.

I cut a head of cabbage from the garden and made a cole slaw and thawed out some Swaii fish filets. This is the best tasting fried fish ever and its very inexpensive at about 3 bucks a pound, dewisheous as Annsley would say. Along with a can of peas that made our supper, once again trying not to eat starch with protein and I'm down a pound from last week. I have a ways to go to reach my goal but watching what I eat together has sure made a difference.

Well I tuned in to the Rays playing in Detroit and it was snowing there. Yikes not only did they lose their first game in the later innings but was shocked by the cold weather when they are accustomed to high heat; of course they play in an a/c closed stadium, oh well they led most of the game and played decent ball, Go Rays!!! After supper and the clean up we headed out for a long walk through the hood and I came back to hand water the front yard once again until dark. After a little of O'Reilly I tuned in to the Deadlist Catch before calling it day, LATER

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Monday

Well it was another busy day starting with Chester the rooster waking me around 5'ish with his loud crowing. There are morning when I think maybe I would love to see him on the cover of a KFC bucket; but he and Sam share a unique relationship, Oh well!! After the cup of hot green tea and my quiet time I had a grapefruit before pedalling out to the rec for some 2 plus hours of pickle ball. We had a good crowd of players with some really nice rallies and lots of wet shirts. Afterwards I stopped off I the library for a new read before heading home to work in the garden.

Several of the new seeds I planted last week are poking through and these I will once they get a couple leaves, transplant and take to the mountains with us in May for the summer garden. I found someone who has a fireplace and loaded up the truck after lunch and hauled it to his place. This person had been old friend and fellow church member for years but we seemed to have drifted away into separate spheres of our lives. It was great to be a blessing to him with the wood and a blessing for me to get it out of my yard. We sat and chatted for quite a spell afterwards about what had occurred in our lives and families after he and his wife moved from our old church. Thanks Bob and Jo for renewing our friendships.

Amy picked up GG who got back from visiting grand daughter Arianne in Miami and brought her for lunch and afterwards the kiddos and I loaded the wheelbarrow with the wood I was taking over to Bob's. They enjoyed the wheelbarrow rides after each load was dumped in the back of the truck. Ben McWilliams came by with the contract on re-roofing the house so we now have that settled and he has the go ahead to start that project whenever. I read a little after getting back from unloading the firewood until it was time for supper. I picked a mess of 1/2 runner green beans and along with a sweet potato so we went meatless for supper. Those beans are undoubtedly the best tasting bean ever grown but are a little difficult to grow in this sandy soil, but they do grow here but never produce like they do in the mountains.

Well after supper and the clean up I headed out to hand water the gardens and then set the sprinkler on the front yard. We then took off on a couple mile stroll through the hood. It was such a splendid day with no humidity and temps in the low 80's and a nice eastern breeze. Wow this weather is hard to beat and if only it would stay this way. As I was watering the plants I found 3 Easter eggs we had hidden and the kiddos missed we had placed in the orchid pots. I had one white orchid that bloomed on Easter morning and its just absolutely gorgeous. Its a double and the blooms are huge. I cut it and placed in a vase with an aspirin and I never knew that orchids have a fragrance but this one does and its just so delicious. Well that's about it as I'm getting into the baseball mode. The Rays are away for 10 games so I will catch them on the tube, LATER

Monday, April 9, 2012

Pitures from Sunday











Sunday (Easter)

Today started out much the usual with a wake up crow from the rooster next door at 5'ish in the morning but some how I tuned him out until nearly 7 before getting up. After my quiet time and a spot of hot green tea we got ready to head to Tampa for worship at Element Church. I drove this Sunday so Dan and Carol rode with us. We had an awesome service and a huge crowd and got to visit with cousins Tom and Cathy Cumpson as well as cousins Tammy, Rich, Megan and Brooke Triplett-Kesky. Tammy and her family joined us later in the evening for supper. It was good to see some old friends faces again. Bobby did a great message on the empty tomb and the music was very inspiring as well.

We headed home shortly after the service to get ready for 16 people for supper. I managed to get in a little Rays baseball in between getting ready for the crowd to arrive around 4 PM. The Rays swept the Yanks in 3 straight games at Tropicana Field in St.Pete, wow are they ever playing some great baseball and with the acquisition of a couple new players they should be good this year, GO RAYS!!!

Megan and Brooke and I hid Easter eggs for the little ones and we had a fun time helping them to find them later in the evening just before setting down to eat. We managed a couple group photos as well. The food was awesome with spinach dip and pickled eggs and beets to start the snacking. We didn't serve the main course until about 6:30 as we waited for Bobby and family to arrive after leaving a big meal at Jill's folks in Riverview. Betsy brought her famous potato casserole and Amy brought green beans. The ham turned out very nice with a superb glaze and the salad was great as well with crusty bread. We had a taste of mellow red wine Tammy brought while snacking. Nancy made chocolate cupcakes for the kiddos and a huge pumpkin cheesecake which was awesome, even I indulged and had a piece with whipped cream on top.

After eating we sat around talking and/or wrestling with the little ones on the floor as they were wired after the chocolate cupcakes. We had such a fun time eating, laughing and playing with the little ones. Rich was an animal on the floor and the kids were on him having such a fun time, so much so it was nearly 10 PM when the last family left, WOW what a get together. After the last group left it was like a ghost town around here but I managed to finally get to sleep near midnight. Nancy was so wired she was on the computer until then. Well I hope all of you had a fun time with family and took a moment to reflect on the empty tomb and its significance for your life now and after you leave this life, LATER

Sunday, April 8, 2012

Saturday

Well it was a busy day from the wake up crow from Chester at 5'ish to finally turning the lights out around 11. After my quiet time and a cup of hot green tea I helped Nancy get ready for the Ross Family who were coming around 8:30 for breakfast. Tyler was going to help me as I trimmed the big oaks from the roof top of the house. Neighbor Jon has a extended chain saw trimmer that reaches about 15 feet or so and did that ever make the job easy. After a breakfast of buckwheat pancakes, bacon and eggs (I settled for a grapefruit and 3 pancakes) we started cutting. The back yard was filled with branches in no time and then began the job of working up the limbs into stove length size and clipping the branches into bundle lengths so eventually I can place by the curb for the garbage folks. We had the biggest part done a little after lunch.

I raked and watered the gardens and yard until it was time to head out to Dan and Carols for supper at 6. We had pork chops and fried rice and I brought a pot of cooked kale. Another dewisheous supper. Afterwards we had a game of Phase 10 and Dan won on the last round, again!! We got into the Rays vs Yankees and followed through until the final out after getting home. The Rays have won their first 2 games so far against the Yanks and we look good hitting the ball, so far.

Tomorrow will be another big day of family get togethers with great food as we celebrate Easter. First we will head to Tampa and worship with son, Bobby at Element Church then head back home to get ready for the crowd somewhere around 6 as Bob and family will do a large meal with Jill's family. We are expecting 16 folks for the meal and there will be an Easter Egg hunt for the little ones. Should be a fun time especially since the weather was gorgeous yesterday all day. We actually opened the windows as it was 63 this morning and supposed to be the same tomorrow. Unbelievable for this time of the year. I also noticed I have a white orchid that is trying to open and if I remember I will take a picture before the little ones pull off the bud.

Well that's about the jest of my day but Nancy and Amy were in the kitchen all morning making spinach dip, cup cakes, pumpkin cheese cake, pickled eggs and beets and Greek dressing for the huge salad they made and I forget what all else they prepared for the supper on Easter along with a huge smoked ham. I think a few others are bringing cheese potato's, green beans and bread.

Well take a moment, reflect on these special days for believers, give thanks and remember the empty tomb, LATER

Saturday, April 7, 2012

Friday

Well the morning started much the usual with the rooster next door crowing at 5 in the morning then my morning few moments to reflect and give thanks before a lite breakfast of fruit. I headed out to the rec afterwards on the bike for some 2 plus hours of workout on the pickle ball court. There was a decent turnout and of course on Fridays now we have a few of the intermediate players in the line up. A couple of them have moved up to be able to play with the more advanced players. We had a some good play for the most part but more importantly there were a few wet shirts. Afterwards I headed home to do a little garden and yard work before Amy and the kiddos came for lunch.

After lunch my roofer came by and gave me an estimate on refooing both the shingled and flat roofs of the house and he will start on that next week. He is an old friend and fellow church member who has managed despite all the goverment regulations to stay in business. He stayed and visited and we shared stories about old friends who have moved on out of our lives and the area. After he left Amy and the kiddos left for their naps. I managed to get in a 10 minute power nap as well before helping to wash up some dishes for Nancy as she made a pumpkin cheese cake for dessert on Sunday's Easter dinner that is happening here. We will have a house full as well with some out of town family visiting the area. Should be a fun time with lots of overeating; there goes the spare tire.

We rode with Dan and Carol and headed out for Tampa around 4 PM as we wanted to beat the traffic back up on the interstate for the 6 PM service at Element Church. Well as we approached the big bridge it was backed for miles with 4 lanes in both directions so we made a detour downtown Tampa through the heart of the city and made it to the church in plenty of time. There was a nice crowd for the communion service and we were finished by a little after 7 then headed back to Pinellas County. Amy and Tyler came as well with the kiddos so we met up afterwards at Cracker Barrel for a late supper. The food was dewisheous and even though we ate late the kiddos were great. We had a fun time together.

Tomorrow morning Tyler is coming by to help me trim some more limbs from the big oaks that hang over the house. Some of them are high up and rather large so he will help me keep them off the house as I saw them down. The whole gang is coming for buckwheat cakes to the start the morning off as well, LATER

Friday, April 6, 2012

Thursday

Well the morning started out much the usual with the Chester's wake up crow at 5'Ish in the morning and then my quiet moments before a lite breakfast of fruit before pedalling out to the rec on my bike for a good 2 plus hours of pickle ball. My shirt was dripping sweat from the workout and for some reason the gym seems a little warmer than normal; anyhow it was a great to sweat like that. Afterwards I dropped a couple books off at the library before heading home to work in the garden.

The weeds are growing great and that's a good sign the soil is getting enough moisture, even though I water everyday this hot Florida sun and the lack of rain dries this sandy soil out very quickly. I transplanted some marigolds and then thinned out some hot pepper plants and re-transplanted them as well. The garden is still producing but the heat is just about to take over. Hopefully I'll have a ton of seedlings to transplant into the cabin garden when we make it to the mountains the end of May.

We ate an early lunch around 11:30 as we were both hungry from our workouts so we popped a frozen pizza in the oven and covered it with fresh oregano, green pepper and mushrooms and then ate a fresh garden salad while waiting for it to bake, yikes was that ever dewisheous(Annsley's). After lunch I read for awhile and caught up on some paper work. Nancy was getting ready to head out for her doctor's appointment and then I managed a 10 minute power nap.My roofer friend called and he is coming by with an estimate on replacing both the gabled and flat roofs. We want to have them replaced before leaving for the mountains in May.

We picked up GG(Nancy's mom) around 6 PM and headed for the airport. She was to fly out at 8:25 to Ft. Lauderdale to spent Easter with Arrianne. Well are we glad we left a little early as the Howard Frankland Bridge was stop and go for the whole length. We made it with plenty of time to spare. We parked in short term parking then took the elevators down to the check-in and got her baggage squared away as well as her boarding pass. She wanted to look in the book store for a book to read on the plane so we left her there. We stopped at Sam's Club to fill up at $3.92 a gallon, yikes that was nearly $60 for a half a tank as the price jumped 16 cents a gallon in just a couple days since I last filled up, OH well!!!

We got home around 8 and heated up a can of bean soup for supper then watched Idol as we slurped the soup. I think the vote was right-on this time as the frizzy haired kid in my opinion could not sing anything but falsetto. Boring, he was to me. We then got interested in a 20/20 story before bed time, LATER

Thursday, April 5, 2012

Wednesday

Well it was one of those days that started with a 5'ish wake up from Chester the rooster from next door. Wow does he ever have a loud crow anyhow I managed to tune him out until 6. After my quiet time and a lite breakfast of fruit I pedalled out to the rec for a couple plus hours of pickle ball. We had a large crowd for most of the morning with some good play and lots of wet shirts. Afterwards I dropped off at the library before heading home to await my roofer friend. Well it's obvious I need a new roof as we found a weak spot under the shingles, but the flat roof area in the back of the house seems to be holding up well. I learned the new city inspector doesn't like flat roofs and has made it difficult to re roof them with all kinds of guidelines even though they are existing roofs, Oh well, we will see what happens. I think I will cut more tree limbs that hang over the house but are high up before the new roof goes on as I don't want to damage the new shingles.

After Ben left we had a bite of lunch then got ready for Nancy's doctors appointment as she is having all kinds of menopausal problems. This seems to come up every year about this time as we draw near to leaving for the cabin. I'm afraid anxiety is causing her some physical complications so the doctor put her on another blood pressure related medication in addition to the one she is already on and if this doesn't ease the problem the next step is a heart doctor, yikes!! I feel for all you gals who have to go through with this hormonal change. I say just take the pill that eases all this as for many years that was the norm; but not any longer. Seems the medical field wasn't making enough money from the hormone pill so now they have complicated the area with what if's? I know 2 gals who took the pill for years and are still alive an kicking, while well into their 80's.

Tonight is house church and it seems Dan has finally passed his kidney stone and is well on the way to recovery. We celebrated his and Carol's 37 years together of wedded bliss with a large cake. We had a lively discussion on the cunning nature of Jesus and how he handled several situations presented to him by the religious leaders. It was very interesting as we seldom look at this characteristic of him. After the discussion we watched the last few minutes of Survivor and Idol, then got ready for lights out and for a large storm that was heading our way in off the Gulf. Luckily we only go rain in our area but there was some projected winds in the 60 mph range.

Tomorrow is another busy day as we begin to make preparations for the weekend. We take GG to the airport during rush hour on Thursday for her flight to Miami and then drive to Tampa during rush hour on Friday for a Good Friday evening service at Element. We are having a house full on Sunday evening for an Easter supper so there will be lots going on this weekend as we celebrate the "empty tomb". We are having some out of town family as well for Easter supper and a visit.I will have to be diligent about not overeating during this festive occasion, LATER.

Wednesday, April 4, 2012

Tueday

Well it was another busy after the 5 'ish wake up crow from Chester next door. I did my quiet time and then had a lite breakfast of berries and grapefruit before pedalling out to the rec for a couple hours of pickle ball. I left about a 1/2 hour early as we had some errands to run and to take my truck in to an auto upholstery shop to have a tear mended on the drivers side seat. We have no idea how it got torn but the man who fixed did a beautiful job and was reasonable in price. He is an native American Indian from the Virginia and is now very involved in several churches in the Kenneth City area. We talked for quite awhile and we found out our backgrounds are similar as to where we were raised in the mountains of northern Virginia. Neither of us was raised having indoor plumbing and mostly on subsistence type farming; gardens, raising farm animals for meat and country back roads. He(Reggie) wanted to talk longer and invited me back to visit. He is involved in sponsoring Gospel Blue Grass Music for several churches as well.

We had GG's car so we ran errands for her as she makes plans to go to Miami over Easter. We will take her to Tampa Thursday evening for a plane ride south. We headed to Peltz Shoes so she could buy a new pair of shoes then a quick stop at Wal-Mart for a couple items then to the bank before dropping her off at home. We headed home and had a lite lunch of one of our favorites; sardines, onions, mustard, dill pickle on a cracker. We both love them and seldom get to eat them as Amy and kids aren't fond of that meal. We ate 3 cans of them(between two of us) and my were they ever dewisheous and are really good for you with their Omega 3 concentration. We did a few chores around here before heading back to pick up the truck and drop GG's car off at her house.

Today was deer steak night which we sauteed in olive oil and had fresh cauliflower and a salad for supper, yikes this change in food combination seems to be helping with Nancy's GERD along with her small dose of apple cider vinegar before each meal.It sounds gross and caustic but its working; now if only we could find some solution to all the menopause ailments. She is back to the doctor today for all this heart fluttering, pain, etc, that I think is a result of the lack of estrogen or female hormone; I think she should take the one called primerin(or how ever you spell it) which will bring her back to some level of normalcy,OH WELL!! Pray for her(and Me).

After supper and the clean up I headed out to hand water while she got ready to walk the hood. It was just such a nice evening and once again lots of dog walkers were out strolling the hood as well. WE had a grand stroll throught the hood. I watered outside until nearly dark then settled in to watch the O'Reilly Factor where the spin stops here. Afterwards I headed into the bedroom to read before calling it a day around 10:30, Later.

Tuesday, April 3, 2012

Monday

Well the doldrums of summer are upon us here in the deep south or central Florida. The heat and humidity are back, not unbearable yet but its getting there to where to seek shade of some kind in the afternoon and of course the a/c is running. After Chester woke us up at 5'ish I managed to lay in until just before 6 when I started a new week. Wow can you believe its already April and the days are quickly slipping away and before you know it I will be packing hopefully for a nice long stay to our cabin in the mountains of North Carolina. Its been a long time since we've last been there and I know there is much to do and once again make that a great place to do life for a few months.

After my quiet time and a lite breakfast of blueberries and grapefruit I pedalled out to the rec for some 2 plus hours of pickle ball. There was a large crowd on hand and the play was great with lots of wet shirts. I headed home afterwards and worked in the garden. I sowed all kinds of new flower seeds; cone flowers, blanket flowers, echinnac, snapdragons, green onions seeds, celebrity tomato and a vine that is supposed to climb 15 in height(for my arbor that I have to rebuild). I also transplanted 2 seedlings from my Rosemary plant. If you want to propagate a Rosemary plant from an already established plant just take the lower stems and cover them with dirt leaving the tips out of the soil and in just about a month or so you will have roots growing from the area of the stem that is covered in dirt. Once you have some good roots just cut the stem near the base of the original plant and you have a new Rosemary plant. I have 2 that I can take to the mountains for my garden there as I use a lot of that herb. Seems the last couple years my plant there dies during the winter although its a perennial. The peppers I transplanted are doing well as well as are the beets. I will dig these up the night before we head north, wrap them in wet newspaper and then transplant them into my Carolina garden as will I do all these new seeds I've just sowed.

Amy and the kiddos came for lunch and Sam is like a top that someone has wound real tight. He is such a bundle of energy and just so dang cute as well, Ava is such a sweetie and she is very good with Sam as he needs a little calming down at time. We had lunch then played until it was time for them to head out. I read and took a 10 minute power nap then made some appointments before settling in to do some paper work, pay some bills, etc. We were going without protein for supper so I picked some parsley, green onion and green pepper to go with our red spuds and salad. After the clean up we headed out for a stroll through the hood with Dan and Carol. Dan is feeling much better as he thinks the stone has passed out of his kidney, yeah for that. We did a good couple miles before coming back to set the sprinkler for the front yard, grass at last, another yeah. LATER

Monday, April 2, 2012

Sunday

The day started out the usual with a 5'ish wake up crow from Chester next door, but we tuned him out until 6:30 before starting the day with our usual quiet time then a lite breakfast before getting ready to head to Element Church in Tampa for worship at the gathering. Bobby spoke about the story you never hear about in church regarding the significance of Palm Sunday, what an awesome message. The warehouse was packed but I was a little disappointed in our house church representation as its seemed they all played hooky except for Nancy and I and of course Dan was still ill with a kidney infection so he and Carol stayed home. It was great to see so many new faces and a few old ones as well. I delivered the rocking chair and hassock for the nursery which seemed to light up a few faces as well for those new moms and infants.

After the service we loved up on the grand babies then stopped off in Pinellas Park at the super Wal-Mart for some grand baby things for Easter and I bought my oil there as its about 20 bucks cheaper than an automotive store, plus we needed a few other things as well. That place is a mad house and you would think they are giving stuff away there as well. After getting home we ate some leftovers and salad for lunch which was around 1 PM. I headed out to water the gardens while Nancy was on Face Book then we read until it was time to head over to the Bone Fish Grille for supper. Amy, Tyler, Ava, Sam, GG, Betsy, Braden, Nancy and myself had a dewisheous meal. Everyone had seafood except GG who wanted a steak and the meal was very good and prepared to perfection. They are a little pricey and lots of things are ala cart but very good. The bill with gratuity added was 168 bucks. After dining we took GG home then came back to read and watch the Frozen Earth and the CMA awards show. I cut the lights out around 10, LATER

Sunday, April 1, 2012

Saturday






Well it was a different kind of day as we slept in despite Chester's big mouth at 5 in the morning crowing his head off. We just tuned him out until nearly 7:30 then we did our quiet times and fooled around on the computer before starting breakfast. We were supposed to hook up with Dan and Carol and head to the Tampa Bay Downs but Dan is still suffering from a kidney stone so they an another couple backed out but we decided we would go anyhow. I took a couple leftover deer sausage links and chopped them up with a green spicy pepper, onion and sauteed them then mixed in a couple eggs for an omelet, yikes was that ever tasty with a little hot sauce on top.

We headed out around 11:30 to Oldsmar and the day was just perfect. The high heat had stayed away but we could feel some humidity and eventually we had a nice thunder shower which really cooled things off. The race track was packed and Nancy got several shots of some magnificent animals. We picked winners in several races but could never match them up another horse so we didn't come away as winners. I think next time we will just pick single horses to win as Nancy finally did in the last race we stayed for which was the 6th race. We headed out around 3:30 and there was still 5 races to go. I had never seen in person a race on turf and they did a couple there.

We got back and realized it had finally rained here as well which the yard and garden appreciated. We had skipped lunch after such a large breakfast of course she had some popcorn at the track. I cut several heads of Bibb lettuce, leaf lettuce along with some Kale, basil and a green pepper and made a huge salad for supper. We had bought a boxed Macaroni Grill pasta supper at Sam's some time ago and decided to finally use it. Wow was that ever good and along with the salad and a little red wine for me we dined. After the clean up I got into the NCAA basketball final 4 and chilled the rest of the night.

Well tomorrow is the gathering at Element in Tampa. Looking forward to seeing and worshiping with a great group of young folks and to see all the new babies, LATER Here are a few race track horse pics.