Sunday Morning(Easter)

Well if you could pick the weather for a day it was yesterday on Saturday. Wow it was perfect with no humidity, warm breezes and lots of clear blue skies and of course that Florida sunshine. The morning started with the usual wake up around 6:30. We had a lot on our plate today as we were having our first of two Easter get together's with family. My first cousin Tammy and her family were coming along with Bobby and his kiddos and Amy and her family and GG.

We spent the morning cleaning house and afterwards I headed out in the yard to water the gardens and eventually sit in the sun reading for an hour or so. We hid plastic Easter eggs for the kids to find and got ready for their arrival some where around 4 o'clock. They had a grand time searching and looking for eggs and afterwards the kids all played in the back yard while I worked the grill. We had some magnificent marinated grilled chicken breasts to go along with baked taters with all the fixins', asparagus, corn, garden salad, crusty bread and ice cream pie with whipped cream and toasted pecans on top for dessert, yeow what a delicious feast.

It was a shame that Tammy and her family got stuck on I-275 for a 2 hour delay due to a crash so they didn't get here until 7 PM but we kept the food warm for them as we went ahead with our meal. Bobby had to leave around 7:30 with his kiddos as he has to be at church around real early for service; but Tammy and Amy's family stayed until after 9 and visited. We had a grand time and Tammy's girls, Megan and Brook have grown so this past year. This is the 3rd year they have made it here for Easter. They will celebrate another Easter dinner at Bobby's today with Jill's family in Riverview and we will have Nancy's sister and her son as well as well as Amy's family and GG for another dinner here at the house. It would have been too many folks for all of us to get together at one house so we split it up for a change. It worked out fine.

Well today is a special day in the life of those who are CHRIST followers as we celebrate life over death and that promise is for all of those who are believers. We will head over to Tampa to celebrate with son Bobby at Element Church then back here to have a ham dinner, with potato casserole, green beans, Brussel sprouts, garden salad and crusty bread with a lemon pie for dessert, wow does that ever sound good once again and there goes that spare tire, oh well!!! LATER...Here are a few pics from yesterday get together. 

Saturday Morning

Well Friday started out with temp's much warmer than the past few mornings. The roosters started crowing earlier than usual due to the warm air plus I hadn't slept very good due to the midnight picking up of GG and bringing her back to our house for the night. It seems that problem is fixed as the fans were removed today and now we just wait for the new carpet to be picked out and installed.After a lite breakfast I got ready to head to the rec for a couple hours of pickle ball.

My dentist, Dr. Beriyl was coming this morning to try his hand at the game as he once played tennis and racquetball; so I assured him he would pick the game up quickly and he did. He stayed the whole 2 plus hours and by the end of session he was playing quite well for a first timer. He still had some difficulty with getting in the "kitchen" on volley shots. There is a 7 foot section on the court back from the net which your not allowed to hit the ball while it's in the air and that's the "kitchen". (I know it sounds weird but so is the name pickle ball.) In tennis that's a plus for putting the ball away for a winner while at the net, but not so in PB as your never allowed to enter that 7 ft. space unless the ball bounces first. He had trouble with that all day, but his strokes and eye hand was excellent as well as his quickness. He said he will be back next Friday.

I worked outside most of the rest of the morning until until lunch time; mowing the dried up yard of leaves, sticks and weeds then working in the garden. Nancy was in the kitchen for several hours as we prepare for 2 days of family get together's and today we do house cleaning. My cousin Tammy and her husband Rich and 2 daughters Megan and Brook will be here this evening (Sat.) for supper down from N.C. along with Bob and his kids and Amy and Tyler and their kids plus GG will be here. We will have a house full with only Jill missing as she has a prior engagement. Will fill you in later with some pics.

We were having an early 4 o'clock supper with Dan and Carol as we would be traveling to Tampa together for the Good Friday service at Element. She fixed sloppy Joe's and we made a fresh Cole slaw from cabbage and peppers from the garden. The service started at 6:30 but with Friday evening traffic we headed out around 5 as Dan was helping in the service. Amy and Tyler brought Ava and Sam as well. We had a nice crowd with awesome music and many were reduced to tears as we took the LORD'S SUPPER.

We got back in time to watch a little of the basketball tournament and the upstart team from Florida Gulf Coast were leading to start the game by a good margin but it slipped away and they were knocked out by the Gators as well as did Kansas who was leading big let the game get away to Michigan. Sunday should be fun to watch. Well it was after midnight once again when I cut the lights out, LATER 

Friday Morning

Well once again we had an overnight visitor as GG decided with Betsy's help that she spend the night again with us; so Nancy at 11:30 PM drove over to pick her up. We wanted her to stay in the first place but she decided to stay at her house. Betsy is a real trip when it comes to pushing things off on Nancy and then doing the guilt trip; especially late at night, needless to say I'm not real pleased with her, oh well.

The morning started with a little warmer temps and by the afternoon we had the windows open for fresh air. After a couple hours of pickle ball we headed over to GG's to be there for the insurance adjustor's who was very informing. It seems GG will get some cash to help with the new carpet costs and for the other costs for the damage to the outside wall and the new kick board the water restoration people damaged inserting tubes to carry away the water. We then took her with us to Sam's and then to our house for lunch before Nancy and Amy dropped her off after lunch as they went to the mall. I had a friend of the kids dad who owns a carpet store come by an give her an estimate as well as I set up an appointment for the Empire flooring folks come by this Friday morning to give her an estimate as well. She should be back to some what normal by next week.

I grilled some brats for supper then pulled some fresh beets from the garden and along with some tater tots, cooked beet greens and sliced beets we had a delicious supper. We tuned into the news after the clean up then I headed for the bedroom to watch college basketball and was just turning out the lights when the phone rang at nearly 11 PM. It was for Nancy from Betsy, LATER

Thursday Afternoon

Well sorry about the delay in this rambling but my mother-in-law has been staying with us the past 2 nights as her house is being dried out after a water leak damaged most of the carpets. We met with the insurance adjuster this morning(Thursday) and it seems she will need to replace most of the carpet in the house as well as install a laminate in the dining and hallway areas. So Wednesday was a little unusual with having a house guest so that throws off my morning routine. After a 6:30 roll out I had a lite breakfast of fruit and oatmeal before pedalling out to the rec in cold and windy conditions. We had a good crowd with about 10 players or more.

After the workout I stopped by the library for a couple reads then headed home to watch Sam and Ava while the girls ran some errands. It was too windy and cold to go outside so we played in the house and after lunch it warmed a little maybe close to 60 so the kiddos headed out to aggravate the chickens. I will say they are the best babysitter going as the kiddos love to feed them weeds through the fence.

I sat and read a couple hours after lunch as Nancy did the rec workout then picked up her mother for the evening. I grilled pork chops and Nancy made fried taters and onions and also fresh asparagus for supper. After the cleanup we sat around and watched the news then Nancy and GG tuned in the Idol while I headed for the bedroom to watch Survivor. It turned out to be another cold evening and quite windy. It wasn't much after 10:30 when I decided to call it a night, LATER

Wednesday Morning(late)

Sorry for being so late with this post but we had an overnight sleepover with GG(Nancy's mom) who has her house being dried out after a water leak that damaged lots of her carpets. There are several large fans throughout her house and the noise was just too much for sleeping plus all of the carpet has to be removed. Seems a drainage pipe burst in the floor from the kitchen sink and water has been seeping in through the walls; luckily her walls are plastered or otherwise the drywall would have to be replaced as well.

Tuesday started out with cold temp's and strong winds, yikes this is nearly the end of March and we have the heat on in Florida. It was extra cold with the wind gusting into the 40 mph as I rode out for a couple hours of pickle ball play after my quiet time and a lite breakfast. My eyes were watering from the cold wind as I rode my bike. After a good workout I stopped by the library to pick up a new read before heading home. Usually by 10 AM it has warmed up but not today as it was a gusting north wind which kept it cold all day. I think it may have reached the 50's but felt even colder.

Amy brought the kiddos for lunch and afterwards we all went out in the back yard. It had warmed up a little but not a lot. Ava and Sam didn't seem to be bothered by the cold as they were entertained by the chickens. After they left for the day around 2 PM Nancy headed to the rec for her workout. I stayed in out of the wind and read but I did get up on the roof after lunch. The wind was blowing so hard that I let it clean my roof off of old leaves and fuzzies from the new leaves. I used a broom to loosen some of the ones that were stuck down so I let the wind clean my roof. I couldn't wait to get off of the roof as it was really cold up in the wind.

I picked 4  eggplant and tried a new recipe for these small Japanese fruit. I sprinkled sea salt on the halved fruit and let set for 30 minutes or so then I coated the fruit with olive oil and then mixed fresh garlic, rosemary and some fresh basil on top of the coated half, then grilled for about 15 minutes. Yeow is this ever a good vegetable side dish as we ate the skin and all. These small egg plants are very sweet and mild and the rosemary is jut the right herb to give it a good flavor. We had fresh green beans and grilled salmon steaks as well.

Well that was about it for the day as the temp's are supposed to warm up a little for Wednesday afternoon. It may even reach the high 60's, LATER  

Tuesday Morning

Well Monday turned out to be down right chilly especially with the strong north wind, yikes it went from a/c to heat over night; at least it was sunny. I headed out on my bike for the rec all bundled up and it was quite difficult to pedal against the wind after my quiet time and a lite breakfast. We had a large crowd of players for pickle ball and lots of wet shirts.

I headed home afterwards to water the gardens, pick beans and tomatoes. I sowed some hot pepper seeds last week and I noticed one seedling so far is poking through the ground. I also sowed some tomato seeds as well, but so far only the pepper has decided to sprout. I want to take these new seedlings with me to the cabin when we leave in June and plant in my summer garden there.

Amy and the kiddos came for lunch as Ava is out of school for the week due to the Easter Holiday. They played outside in the back yard teasing and feeding the chickens next door until it was time for them to head out. Nancy took off for the rec to get her workout on the treadmill. I just read most of the afternoon as it was so windy and chilly outside to do anything else. We spoke with our "mountain mom" Helen and she said the weather there was terrible. The schools were closed early as ice was everywhere along with some snow and sleet; plus it was in the 20's most of the day with strong winds as well. What happened to all the earth is warming crowd??

We headed over to pick up GG and take her to Amy and Tyler's for supper. Amy made stuffed peppers with orzo and wow were they ever delicious along with Caesar salad and biscuits. I finally refrained from the bread and homemade peanut butter cookies they baked for dessert. Yikes that was a fantastic meal and the flavors complimented one another; I did manage to eat 2 whole peppers they were that delicious.

After the cleanup we played 12 rounds of Golf(card game) and GG won; of course we helped her throughout the whole game so we got a laugh out of that. We had a good time and Ava and Sam entertained us with their play together as well. We stopped by GG's and tried to find out what was causing her carpets to be wet still after the Friday night rain; it didn't rain that hard and the water is leaking into her house from somewhere. At first we thought she had a roof leak and this morning I remembered she had a stopped up drain last week and she had a plumber use a snake to go down the vent from the roof and I believe he must have cracked the vent pipe and the water is now leaking into her bedroom and hall way. We will have to investigate further, Oh well, LATER

Monday Morning

Well Sunday turned out to be a rather nice day weather wise with it being mostly cloudy which kept the heat out and while a bit humid it was still bearable outside. We started the morning about the usual way with the roosters crowing in the early morning but with the a/c on we have the windows shut so its not quite as loud and with the overhead fan on in the bedroom I can almost block them out completely. I still rolled out around 6:30 as it was worship day at Element Church in Tampa.

I picked up Dan and Carol as it was my turn to drive and we headed out. Bobby had a good message on the meaning behind Palm Sunday and the music was awesome as well. We had a good crowd with lots of little ones and many new faces as well as lots of familiar faces who were away on spring break. After the service we headed out to Clearwater to pick up some furniture for Carol who had it stored at her office. We managed to get both islands in the back of the truck. It was after 1 PM before we left Clearwater for Seminole so we stopped at Applebee's for a delicious lunch before heading back to their house and unloading.

It sure looked like rain and we did get a few sprinkles at time throughout the afternoon but no real rain, so in between games at half time I headed out to water the gardens. I spent the afternoon and evening kicked back watching some great college basketball. Florida has 3 teams in the sweet 16 tournament next weekend and the team from the Ft.Meyers area is awesome to watch and is definitely the underdogs. The games were still going on when I cut the lights out at 11.

Well that's about it for Sunday as we just snacked on leftovers for supper. Nancy read her new Kingsbury book while I was glued to the ball games, LATER

Sunday Morning

Well it was another typical Florida morning with the humidity creeping back as well as the warm temps so the a/c was back on in the late evening. The day started with me getting the garage ready for my plumber buddy who was supposed to come by at 8 to replace a section of the water line that comes into the water softener from outside. It seems the other day while I was replacing some galvanized pipe on my well pump I noticed moisture seeping through one of the elbows on the copper piping so while I'm not very good at soldering I made arrangements for him to come by on his day off. I loaded him up with fresh collards, lettuces and peppers plus a couple gift cards as he refuses to take any money. He lives just a couple streets over from us and he had a year of firsts; he finally became a grandfather he told me and then he suffered a heart attack last year that required a stent, yikes and he still smokes. Oh well!!!

Nancy left to take GG shopping so I put he garage back together then had a ham and cheese sandwich for lunch while tuning into the college basketball playoffs. They were on all afternoon and still on when I cut the lights off at 11. Ava and Sam were coming at 3 as Tyler and Amy were attending our former pastor's daughter's wedding. It was 10 PM before they came back to pick the kids up and put them to bed. We played out in yard and of course the kids were over by the chickens the whole time until we decided to take them up to the rec playground. Well that lasted about 30 minutes as Ava had eaten too many fresh tomatoes when she came to the house thus she had a tummy ache and eventually a couple trips to the potty.

We fixed a pizza and a fresh salad for supper but Ava was limited to chicken noodle soup but Nancy made them fresh peanut butter cookies and around 8:30 I made them old fashion popcorn. After their baths they were zonked out on the couches. I managed to watch a little of the games on the computer while Nancy read books to the kiddo's. We were both whipped by the time Amy and Tyler picked them up a around 10. They had a great time at the wedding and the dinner.

Well today is worship day at Element Church in Tampa with son Bobby. It's my turn to drive so we will leave here around 9 AM and pickup Dan and Carol. Well that's about it except for one cute thing Sam said to Nancy while they were in the backyard yesterday. Ava and Sam had been picking off all my Hibiscus flowers and feeding them to the chickens so Nancy said that was enough as the chickens had quit eating them so Sam looks at Nancy and points his finger and says; "Grandma you go in the house" and Nancy asks him why and he says" cause I want to feed them more flowers". Well that just cracked Nancy up as to the way he said it, LATER    

Saturday Morning

Well Friday started out with chilly temps once again but after lunch it warmed up to nearly 80 degrees. It was much the usual to start out with after my quiet time and a lite breakfast before pedalling out to the rec for nearly 2 hours of pickle ball. I got back to the house a little before 10 so I could watch Sam while Amy and Nancy went to their Friday morning Bible study. Sam and I had a great time outside for an hour and half as I worked in the garden and he did his thing with the chickens. I had to stop and watch him at times as he made cakes and things for the chickens to eat with dirt, grass and weeds. Everything he put through the fence to them they picked at and that just encouraged him that much more. Finally he got hungry so I washed him off with the hose and we headed in until the girls got home for lunch.

After a lunch of salad I got ready to meet my financial advisor who is just 5 minutes up the road.  We had a good get together and after getting back to the house we decided to head over to GG's to do some yard work for her. I cut down and then up the last of the orange tree and gave the big wood to the neighbor who uses citrus wood when smoking any kind of fish; so all we had to cut up were the smaller limbs and bag them for the garbage. There also was an old Gardenia bush that was about dead so I cut that up as well, changed a light bulb for her on the porch then we headed out within the hour.

We made a stop at Aldi's on the way home for some goodies then headed home as it looked like rain. Sure enough no sooner than we took the dry towels off the clothesline it down poured; good timing. I got a phone call from an old trooper buddy who moved away from here in 1980 to Lake County, Fl. He said he ran across an old address with a phone number and wanted to see if the number was still to me. We talked for nearly an hour and he is now retired from law enforcement as well. We decided to keep in touch and also become friends on Face Book. It was good to hear from Tommy Leathers as we not only worked together but played some great tennis as well.

We were meeting Carol at Olive Garden for supper on her way home from work so Dan rode with us and we had a delicious supper and tried one of their specials 2 for 25. That gave us 2 appetizers or 2 desserts and 2 entrees. The entrees included soup or salad plus bread sticks. We were contend after the appetizers, soup and bread but I managed to eat all my fettuccine Alfredo and Nancy brought her entree and soup home. We came back and played a game of golf until the lightning and thunder started as well as another down pour of rain. They decided to head out under their umbrellas to walk the couple house up from us before they got rained in for the night.
It stopped raining shortly after they left.

Well I tuned into the college basketball play for the next couple hours and saw an unknown team from Ft.Meyers, Fl. knock off one of the top rated teams Georgetown, to advance to the next round of playoffs. They are definitely the Cinderella team so far and have all the commentator's lamenting about the loss of this high powered team from Washington. It was nearly 11 PM so I cut the lights out and will read about the scores today(Saturday), LATER

Friday Morning

Well Thursday was chilly to start with temps into the high 40's and it eventually reached the low 70's but the breeze kept it cool most all day. It was a sweater morning as I rode out to the rec at 7:30. The roosters were right on cue around 5:30 with their crowing. After a cup of hot green tea, my quiet time and a lite breakfast I headed out on my bike for a couple hours of pickle ball. What a good workout and we had another new player to show up who was very good. That makes 4 new players this week who play elsewhere and brought good and different play to our group. There were lots of wet shirts today.

I stopped off and picked up a couple new reads at the library before heading home to hand water the garden. Nancy was heading out to the rec for her workout on the treadmill as I arrived home. She reminded me I had a dental appointment at 11:30 so I read until it was time to head out. I got my 2 new crowns installed and do they ever look and feel good. I have confidence in this dentist even though he is rather pricey that he has my best interests at heart; plus his finished work is beautiful and he takes such pride in his work. He seems to become your friend as well and the staff is very nice also.

Amy and Sam came for lunch so we had soup and salad. Sam was such a talkative kid today with all of his imaginations and ad libs to his toys. Nancy read him several books after lunch and he commented on most everything she read. He is such a sweet boy with great manners as well. He is maturing so fast and it makes you wonder how did all this happen so fast. After they left I vacuumed the house while Nancy cleaned and dusted. We were having GG for supper so she headed out around 4:30 to pick her up. I grilled a couple marinated deer tenderloins to go along with fresh 1/2 runner green beans from the garden and oven taters. Yeow, was that ever some good eatin'; give me venison any day over beef.

After the clean up I settled into the college basketball tournaments with 4 different games going so I headed to the bedroom as Nancy was not interested in me flipping back and forth between games. I did managed a few moments of the Idol as they voted off the wrong singer in my opinion. I think the kid who studders is probably the least best singer of the gang at this time, although he is really a nice kid and sings without his impediment, Oh well!!! LATER

Thursday Morning

Well Wednesday started out much the usual with me not hearing the roosters at 5:30 or else they didn't crow. I learned from my neighbor who was out in the yard when I left the house at 7:30 there was a possum in the corner of their yard; so maybe the chickens were being quiet because it was around. We finally got some much needed rain just before dark and it was ushering in another cold front. It was cooler by about 10 degrees this AM but was still in the high 50's.

After my quiet time and a lite breakfast of fruit and oatmeal, I pedalled out to the rec for a couple hours of pickle ball. Once again we had a small crowd of 8 players for the first hour or so then it picked up as other trickled in. There was some great play and lots of wet shirts by 10 AM. Afterwards I headed to the library to pick up a read for Nancy then headed home. Amy brought Sam over and then she and Nancy took off to the mall when I got home. Sam and I stayed outside as it was really nice out. I hand watered the garden and he played over by the fence with the chickens. He can get dirty in about 10 seconds if there is any dirt around and now his corner of the yard is a mud pile. I had to wash him off with the hose before we headed in.

I picked a mess of lettuces(ice burg, red leaf, black seeded Simpson) kale, radishes and dill for a salad. Sam likes to stand on a chair and watch me rinse the lettuces, then use a salad spinner to take out the excess water. He  likes to eat a little of each one and proclaims that's healthy and gives you "power". After the salad making I decided to make some guacamole as my avocados were getting ripe. Once again he stood on the chair watching me and then he also ate or tasted all of the ingredients as well as pronouncing their names. I was surprised that he like onions and then he sucked on a lime. He surprises me everyday with his desire to try things and his attention span and vocabulary.

We were eating when the girls got back from the mall. Sam was proud that he helped make the salad and tasted all of the different healthy vegetables that give you "power"(his words). After lunch we played awhile and Nancy read him some books before they headed out to pick up Ava. I started a new book THE SURGEON with a new author, Tess Gerritsen. I think I may want to read her books as she is quite the storyteller. Nancy headed out to the rec for her workout and I headed out to hand water the garden despite the forecast for showers. It never clouded up and rained until much later in the day and sun had dried out my garden.

I picked another large mess of sugar peas; this year is best ever as I've given away lots and they are still blooming. Nancy made a stir fry with peas, onions, garlic and mushrooms and we tried some oreso(sic) for the first time instead of Jasmine rice and I grilled a couple fish fillets. We are not fans of oreso and my worms in the garden enjoyed what was left. I settled in after supper to the NCAA March madness. I watched the Duke's of James Madison beat a team from New York. My baby sister Dee and husband Mike both graduated JMU and were even married there in the 80's as they both were ROTC graduates. They played a good game and now advance to the second round, Go Dukes!!!! After that game I flipped between the Idol and another game and then watched my all time favorite reality show, Duck Dynasty. What a hoot that family is and you gotta love so old time family fun, LATER   

Wednesday Morning

Well Tuesday was another warm day with some high clouds but lots of sunshine. I found some color in the new row of beet seeds I sowed last week. I'm hoping these with get big enough so I can dig them up and transplant them in my summer garden at the cabin. Beets don't transplant at the early stage very well but once the tops get big enough to eat the greens they usually transplant very well.

The morning started out much the usual with the dueling roosters around 5:30 hopefully I won't have them right outside my bedroom much longer as the neighbors are supposedly moving a couple houses down. After my quiet time and a lite breakfast I pedalled out to the rec for a couple hours of pickle ball. We had a good crowd with 3 new players all whom play PB in their home state of Pa and they are good players and fun to play with and against. We had lots of wet shirts today.

I headed home to water the garden then make another run to Home Depot and finally to Ace hardware for a length of threaded galvanized pipe as I wanted to replace my well pipe that had rusted through which was causing me to lose my prime. That kept me busy to lunch time when Amy and Sam brought GG for lunch. We finished up the huge salad then the gals headed out to watch Sam play in the dirt and with the chickens through the fence. He once again needed a bath before being allowed in his mom's car. I'm told I was just like him at that early age as well.

Nancy took off with her mom shopping and then to Sam's Club for petrol; it's down to 3.51 a gallon here but we saw it last week for 3.45 up near Homosassa last week end. Maybe it will continue to come down as summer nears as we will be traveling first to Miami in May then to N.C. in June.

 I picked a couple egg plants and I wanted to try a new way of preparing them. These egg plant are skinny, dark purple and not real big around; but I read where if after slicing to 1/4 inch thickness, sprinkle salt on both sides and let them set for about 15-20 minutes on both sides, then scrape the salt off and rinse if necessary, pat them dry, then I grilled for 15 minute or so on both sides; they were delicious. I even left the skins on and they were sweet and not mushy either. We put them with our spaghetti and covered them with the sauce, yeow not bad. I even ate a couple right off the grill and they were good as well. I read anytime you fix egg plant the salt takes the bitterness out as well as the excess moisture. I have 3 egg plants and they are loaded with fruit but they seem to be a variety I've never grown before. They look like the Asian or Japanese variety; long, skinny and not very big around and each of my plants have at least 10 or more fruits.

After supper and the cleanup we headed outside as it was just 6 PM so I set the sprinkler in the front yard and moved a couple hills of lettuce that I had planted to close together as well as started another thyme plant from cutting the original one. I love thyme, basil and rosemary and I'm getting them ready to take with me in June, LATER

Tuesday Morning

Well Monday started with mild temps but looking like rain of which the area once more was passed over. I was awake the usual time around 5:30 with the roosters next door crowing. I did learn today that our neighbors are moving a couple houses down into their mothers house who passed away a year or so ago. Hopefully they will take the chickens as well. One of the hens managed to get into the yard for about 10 yesterday and she had dug up 3 lettuce plants as well as up rooted several onions. She was scratching and digging and eating worms like crazy. I picked her up and put her back over the fence then moved all the junk away from the fence that she climbed up on to get in my yard.

After the usual "spot of tea", a few quiet moments and a breakfast of fruit and oatmeal I headed out on the bike for a couple hours of pickle ball at the rec. It started out with just a handful then slowly filled up to where we had several waiting to get on the court. I managed to get a wet shirt before heading out the library on my way home for a new read. It sure looked like rain but I hand watered anyway and its a good thing as we maybe had a sprinkle. I cut a mess of lettuces, cleaned them and put together a huge bowl of greens so Nancy could top it off with other goodies from the garden like radishes, sugar peas, tomato's, green pepper, cabbage, and dill, yeow did that ever make a beautiful and yummy salad. Amy and Sam picked up GG and brought her for lunch as well.

After they left Nancy and Headed to Home Depot for some seats for both of the commodes as well as washers for the shower valves then headed to the post office for stamps. I got back to the house and realized we left the washers in buggy at Home Depot so I had to go back for more, Oh well!!! I changed out the toilet seats and one was damaged in the box so I have to go back today and return that one, oh well!!! I got the plumbling finished and turned the water back on to the house and no leaks, yeah!!!

I read for awhile and then we spoke with our "mountain mom" they are having ice storms there with cold temp's. Rain was frozen everywhere on the fences, trees as well as on the road so the conditions were supposed to get even worse, Yuck!!! I grilled a couple marinated deer tenderloins and were they ever delicious along with fresh asparagus and tater tots. We bought a 5 pound bag of them(tots) a month ago about the time we decided to not eat starches with protein so now we are afraid they will get freezer burn; but the taters tasted good for a change despite eating them with meat.

After the cleanup we settled into the Fox News channel then we got a phone call from out friends Eddie and Kimberly who were in Elkin, N.C. and on their way back up the mountains. They too remarked how bad the ice conditions were and hoped to make it back up the mountain before dark. Well I tuned into the Lightning hockey game and they finally pulled off a win over the Flyer's. Hockey on T.V. is awesome to watch and even better to see in person. Well that was about it for the day and the surprise news is the neighbors are moving as the bank is foreclosing on their house. They have let this house and its yards go and its rundown. It's almost embarrassing with all of their junk stacked and left to rot everywhere to be seen, plus we learned they have rats in the attic as well. It's such a shame as their back yard was once nice. Oh well, LATER

Monday Morning

Well Sunday turned out to be just a beautiful day with warm temps and clear blue skies until late in the evening when it clouded up and actually a few sprinkles fell. It stayed warm but not much rain as we are still in a drought condition. The morning started much the usual with the feathered guys next door crowing around 5:30 but we tuned them out until nearly 6:30 before rising and getting ready for worship at Element Church in Tampa.

After our quiet moments and a lite breakfast we got ready to ride with Dan and Carol to church. The service was a little different as several folks got up and spoke, one sang a song they had written and then we heard from those who were going to serve as elders and on the church council. There were lots of tears flowing as well as some laughter through out the service. It was an awesome time of sharing.

We headed back to Pinellas County after trying to find a restaurant in downtown Tampa that Carol had eaten at one time many moons ago but we were unsuccessful so we stopped in Pinellas Park to eat at BJ'S. Well our waiter was out there and messed up the order completely, plus the food was over priced as well but we persevered and decided that was one place to cross off our lists to eat after church. We usually go to Chili's which is right next door and have had good service and great food there many times but we wanted to try something new, Oh well!!!

We got back a little after 2 PM so Nancy took her mom to the mall to look for a dress to wear to Arianne's wedding in May. I finished up the book NEVER KNOWING by Chevy Stevens and while it was a page turner it still wasn't as good as her first book. She is a talented writer with a good story line. I did managed to sneak a few peaks at some of the NCAA basketball games. We finished up the leftover Friday nights supper along with a salad for supper and decided around 8 PM to have a bowl of popcorn as we watched the BIBLE on the history channel. The recreation is pretty good and close to what the scriptures portray. It wasn't long after the show finished that I headed for the bed. I did watch a little of Duck Dynasty before lights out, LATER

Sunday Morning

Well Saturday turned out to be a magnificent day with beautiful blue skies, lots of sunshine and warm temps after a cool start down in the 40's. We slept in until 7 despite the big beaks next door that started their crowing around 5:30. After our quiet moments I fixed a couple microwave eggs and a bowl of grits for my breakfast and Nancy did her thing with oatmeal. I know oatmeal is supposed to be good for you but after 5 days of it I needed some cackle berries in a bowl of grits with some hot sauce, delicious.

We were heading out to some new territory to visit with some mountain friends in the Homosassa area which was about 80 miles or so from Seminole. We headed up US 19 and let me say it was a parking lot from our place to Weekie Wachee and then on Northward it opened up with lots of sugar sand hills, scrub pines and oaks. It took us just about 2 hours but the drive was interesting as it was traffic light after traffic light. It had been 15 or more years since I last travelled US 19 and while we came back a different way down the Suncoast Parkway toll road to Tampa it still took us nearly 2 hours to get to the house. That way is faster but longer and once you get into Tampa the traffic was horrendous with traffic signals galore. Well enough about the trip which I was thankful was uneventful.

We met Fred and Brenda several years ago as they purchased a small cabin on top of our mountain that we try to hike at least once a day. Eventually they purchased an adjoining tract of land and they built a beautiful home with majestic views and we saw them quite often. Fred still travels some for his job to South America and Brenda keeps the home fires going with their beautiful pup, Rico. Now they have 2 small burros, one of which is due to foal in the next couple of weeks and 3 miniature cows, one of which is to drop her calf in the next few days.

They have a beautiful refurbished home of which they have orchestrated all the fixing up within about a year of living there, plus he had put up several nice out buildings to house their pets(animals), fenced in the whole property and made lots of capital improvements. Brenda served us a nice lunch out by the pool and we shared a little about ourselves as well as did they. We learned Fred and I are within a couple month's in age of each other and that Brenda is very close to Nancy in age as well. It was an enjoyable afternoon and its becoming clear to us we probably won't see them much in the mountains on our hikes, so that means if we want to see our mountain friends it will have to be in Florida; who would have thought!

We got back to the house after a quick stop at the store for some goodies then I headed out to water my garden before we headed over to GG's for supper. She was having corned beef and cabbage(from my garden) along with a salad(my garden as well) taters and carrots. Amy and her family were there as well as Nancy's sister and her son Braden. It was a sumptuous meal and by 8:30 I was really to head home and hit the shower. What a fun, busy day and the high lite was seeing Fred and Brenda and getting to know them a little better, LATER We forgot to bring the camera, oh well next time!!!

Saturday Morning

Well once again the morning started out with chilly temp's but clear skies and eventually it warmed up to nearly 70. The breeze kept it from getting really nice and warm but I was able in the afternoon to sit in the sun away from the wind and read for an hour or so. The day of course started with the feathered guys next door around 5:30 crowing. After the usual cup of green tea, a few moments to reflect and give thanks and a lite breakfast of oatmeal and a banana then I boarded the bike and pedalled out to the rec for a couple hours of pickle ball. My eyes watered the whole way there as it was that windy and chilly.

We had a good crowd and the play was constant with some really long rallies. I headed out a little before 10 as I was watching Sam while the girls(Nancy and Amy) headed out for their 10 am Bible study. Sam and I played inside as it was still nippy outside in the wind; but we had a good time. Paw Paw called and spoke with Sam and of course Sam told him about his chicken buddies which really tickles Paw Paw. It's cold up in Virginia but the snow has gone and all seem well with him and the family.

Sam was hungry and he said he wanted a bowl of soup so I heated him a bowl of the leftover vegetable soup and he really likes to eat the broth. Well the gals got back a little after 12 so we finished up the soup and wow did that ever hit the spot along with butter on our saltines. Sam ate about a dozen of them as well. After they left I vacuumed the house as we were having Dan and Carole for supper. Nancy did her cleaning and I headed out to water the gardens then I sat in the sun and read for an hour while she headed to the rec for her workout. She is feeling almost back to normal after the use of the anti-biotics.

We had asparagus, mushrooms, celery, garlic, onion and artichoke hearts sauteed in grape seed oil and white wine mixed over penne pasta with a grilled marinated chicken breast and of course a fresh garden salad, Yeow was that ever good eatin'. Afterwards we played 12 rounds of domino's and Carol smoked us big time; no one was even close by a couple hundred points. It was around 9 when we finished so it was shower time and then I read until lights out as Nancy flipped channels. Today Saturday we are heading up to Homosassa to see out mountain top friends Fred and Brenda who now have a place about 2 hours north of us here in Florida, LATER

Friday Morning

Well Thursday was another busy day that started with temps down in the high 40's and it didn't get much warmer than the low 60's for the day and it felt even cooler as the strong north wind kept us in long pants and a sweater when outside. I started the day much the usual way with a 5:30 wake up from the feathered boys next door trying to out crow the other and after my cup of hot green tea, my quiet moments and then a lite breakfast of oatmeal and a banana I pedalled out to the rec for some 2 plus hours of pickle ball.

We had a new player today from Pennsylvania and he is quite good. We had 2 courts going all morning with a few players waiting to get on as well. After PB I headed home to watch Sam while Nancy and Amy went shopping. It was too cold to play in the back yard so we played cars and trucks as well as restaurant; Sam now likes to cook. He is always cooking meals for the chickens, mud pies and cakes and usually Amy has to change his clothes before putting him in the car to head home. He has quite the imagination, plus he loves to snack. I fed him vanilla wafers, dried fruit snack and a banana all before we had a bowl of Nancy's homemade vegetable soup for lunch.

I headed out after lunch as my temporary crown had become lose and needed to be cemented again while waiting for my final crown to be inserted. That took all of about 10 minutes so I headed to the barber shop for an ear lowering. Luckily I had no waiting there as well so I was back home within the hour. I headed out to water the gardens as it finally warmed up a little into the 60's but the wind was still brisk, keeping the temps on the chilly side especially in the shaded back yard. I cut GG who was here for lunch a large head of cabbage as we are eating at her place on Saturday evening for corned beef and cabbage. I drove her to the dentist for a cleaning then Nancy picked her up and drove her home after some grocery shopping. I spent the rest of the afternoon reading THE PANTHER and its a fantastic read and a real page turner.

We had broccoli and cauliflower(from the garden) steamed along with a Caesar salad(from the garden as well) and its the last large head of Romaine lettuce. I have several small Romaine's coming on but this take a couple weeks to get to this nice of a head. Nancy pan seared some salmon steaks and wow what a meal and healthy as well. After the cleanup we got ready after watching the early news to head up to Dan and Carol's for what is our weekly house church meeting. It was just the 4 of us so we cut it short after about 45 minutes and made plans for them having supper with us on Friday evening. We made it back in plenty of time to watch the Idol and I headed for the shower and then to glance at the Lightning lose another hockey game while reading. By 10:30 I was ready to crash and it was lights out for me, LATER 

Thursday Morning

Well Wednesday was another busy day that started at 5:30 with the feathered fowls next door having their morning duel to see who could out crow the other. It had cooled down considerably but there was no frost so my garden survived. Actually I think the garden really loves these warm days and cool nights. After my quiet time and a lite breakfast of oatmeal with a banana I got ready to head out to the rec for a couple hours of pickle ball. It was a little nippy as I rode my bike but by 10 AM it had warmed up to the high 50's and maybe even into the 60's. There was lots of bright sunshine but the breeze kept it feeling cool. These temps are setting all kinds of records for Florida in March as usually by this time the a/c is going full time and we are somewhere around the upper 80's in the daytime and low 70's at night.

Nancy was watching Sam when I got home while Amy did some dress shopping for a couple weddings they are attending this summer; one in May in Miami and the other in July in Kansas. Sam was in the mood to have books read to him so we both read until it was time for lunch. Nancy was still under the weather but she had a prescription for and anti-biotic so I dropped that off at the drug store on my way to the VA for my doctor's appointment. It seems that's what she needed as she started that regiment and within hours we could tell a difference. She will take them for 4 more days but the yellow fluids have stopped already and she feels and sounds much better, yeah. I need to have a hearing test and I can only get that after my primary doctor at the VA prescribes it. Seems all those many hours flying in that jet aircraft is causing some back ground noise in my hearing plus Nancy say's I have the T.V. too loud when we are watching it together. This is a service connected liability so I want a hearing test to determine the amount of hearing loss and if I need aids later in life. 

Nancy had a big pot of vegetable soup cooking on the stove when I got back to the house and wow did that ever smell delicious. I headed out to work in the garden until it was suppertime and she took off to get her mom and have her for supper with us. I picked tomato's and a cabbage which must have weighed 7-8 pounds. It was huge and so fresh and she used about a 1/4 of it in the soup as well. We had corn muffins with homemade apple butter to go along with the soup, yeow was that ever some good eatin'.

After the cleanup Nancy drove GG home then I settled into the Fox News and then headed for the shower. I wanted to be able to watch a little of Survivor while the Idol was on so Nancy had the one T.V. and I the other. It was an interesting show on Survivor; one never before seen, I'm sure. The Idol have some really talented gals; can't say the same for the guys in my opinion. I decided to read on THE PANTHER the last hour which put me out around 11 pm, LATER

Wednesday Morning

Well it was a wet morning to start the day with a moderate to steady rain. We certainly needed this "duck weather"; but along with the rain a cool front approached as well. We had to close up the house again and don long pants and long sleeve shirts. The roosters weren't as active this morning I guess because of the rain, so I was able to get a few more winks until nearly 7 AM.

After my quiet time and a lite breakfast I drove to the rec as the rain was to hard to chance it with the bike. I wasn't scheduled to play in the mixed doubles for the pickle ball tournament but a couple teams cancelled from out of the area; probably due to the inclement weather, so there were only a few teams left to play. I picked up the rec worker Kristin who had only played a few times and a couple of the other regular players chose up teams and we managed to put 5 teams together on the floor and have some good play. Kristin and I won a couple matches against the pickup teams but lost to the regular scheduled teams, but the scores were fairly close and we had good matches with some great rallies.

After PB I stopped by the library and picked up a new read by DeMille titled THE PANTHER. Since the outside weather was yucky I spent the rest of the day and evening engrossed in this read and managed to get about 1/2 way through it. What a good read and a real page turner at that. While the book is a novel I think it's based on some historical evidence with Americans who turn against their country and head back to their families roots as a jihadist in the Middle East. I'm anxious to get to the conclusion of this story.

Well Nancy is still suffering from this sinus cold with a runny nose, sneezing and watery red eyes. I don't think she is contagious but if she isn't better in a day or so I guess she should see a doctor. This has been going on for the better part of a week and we are scheduled to head north to the Homosassa area on Saturday and visit with some friends who have a place there, as well as on top of our mountain at the cabin in N.C. We haven't seen them since last October and are so looking forward to seeing them. We use to see them nearly every day on our hikes to the top of the mountain during our stay there in the summer.

Well, we ate lite today with mushroom quesadillas for lunch and fried egg plant for supper; when we do egg plant we dip it in egg and cracker meal then fry it and garnish it with lots of fresh herbs and are usually to full to eat anything else. After the cleanup we settled into the FOX News channel then I headed to the bedroom and eventually the shower. I watched a little of the Lightning Hockey before turning the sound down and read until nearly 11, LATER

Tuesday Morning

Well the day started out with warm almost Spring like temps with plenty of sunshine and once again a breeze. I did my usual after the 5:30 wake up by the feathered guys next door. After my quiet moments I had a hardy breakfast of leftover stone ground grits with a couple poached eggs before heading out on my bike to the rec. Today was the Good Life Games at the rec for doubles play in both the men's and women's divisions for pickle ball. I partnered up with another senior Keith in the 60 to 70 age group and we had a successful run for the top spot. We never lost a set and won big in our division and then played the top players(just for fun) in the 50 to 60 age group and beat them in straight sets as well.

After the tournament play I headed home for lunch. Nancy had taken GG to the grocery store then brought her back here to our house for lunch; so along with Amy and Sam we ate some of the fresh garden salad I made yesterday as well as some left over meat loaf GG made. What a great tasty lunch and afterwards I headed out to hand water the gardens. The rest of the gang came out to sit in the sun and of course Sam had his audience of chicken. He is so funny talking to the hens and of course they are looking for any thing he puts through the fence for them to eat, like worms from my garden and the hibiscus blooms they love. Nancy took some pictures of him with his hens and rooster.

Well after Amy, GG and Sam left I settled in to reading and ordering books from the library until it was time to hand water the garden again. The breeze and warm temps have really dried it out and tonight we are fore casted to get some rain finally. I picked a dozen or so small 'maters and a pot full of sugar peas and 2 really nice Bell peppers. I also picked lettuce for GG and a couple green onions for Amy. The 1/2 runner beans are really producing and they are the best tasting green bean ever. My egg plants are starting to produce along with the spaghetti squash plant which has a small one set as well. This scheduled rain will help.

Nancy made a stir fry for supper using the sugar peas, green peppers, garlic and cabbage from my garden and with all the other veggies and shrimp which we put over a bed of wild rice, yikes that was some good eatin' and GG ate with us as well. After the clean up I tuned into the Fox News channel while Nancy took GG home. That was about it for the day as Nancy is still suffering with this sinus cold. I have managed to avoid her crud so far. Well it's raining as write this post plus the rec is closed due to the tournament for the mixed doubles team. My old women's partner decided she didn't want to play because of school so I will sit this one out unless someone at the last moment needs a partner. I will head up to the rec for a workout on the treadmill if all else fails as soon as this rain lets up, LATER  Notice Sam the mud puppy, he gets it honest as I was always in the dirt as a kid.

Monday Morning

Well Sunday turned out to be a beautiful day with regards to the weather and a warming trend. I opened some windows and doors and aired out the house especially with Nancy having some upper respiratory ailments; runny nose, sneezing and watery eyes. I'm trying to dodge those ailments and hopefully miss out on all that stuff. She even stayed home from church this AM as did Carol; so Dan and I headed out to Element on our own as it was my turn to drive. The crowd was down a little due to the time change but we did see a couple of new families and one especially with 4 little ones. Bob had a good message and the music once again was awesome and inspiring.  We got back to Seminole around 1 PM.

The outside temps really started to warm up so Nancy sat out in the back yard in the sunshine in hopes that would help dry out her sinuses while I hand watered the garden. I cut one of my 2 cauliflowers and wow was it ever sweet and delicious. I like it raw as well as cooked and so we steamed some along with some broccoli for our supper to accompany a baked spud and a garden salad, Yeow was that ever good, fresh and healthy. We are going to make a concerted effort to not mix proteins with starches and to lower our portions as a big wedding is fast approaching and we both must lose or rearrange about 5 pounds in order for her to get into her wedding dress and me get my shirt buttoned. Oh well!!!

After the supper cleanup we chilled talking to our "mountain mom" and it seems the weather there has also improved with temps reaching the low 60's the past couple days. It won't be long now until the grass as well as the Spring flowers will be poking through the ground with the beginnings of Spring. We tuned into the History Channel show on the BIBLE and found it to be entertaining as well as somewhat scripturally correct. Well that was about it for Sunday as we ate light all day and then just chilled after the big days on Friday and Saturday, LATER   

Sunday Morning

Well Saturday was another busy, busy day until early afternoon when all the grand kids headed for home. We had an enjoyable time as we entertained the 4 of them for their first ever sleepover. They did quite well despite 3 of them being wide awake until 10 PM or after. Nobody cried for their mom's and dad's so that was a success and they all got along great together except for a few minor "that's mine" or "I had that first" squabbles over toys; but that's common when you have 2, 3 year old boys playing with trucks and cars. For the most part they were in their own little worlds playing monster trucks and the girls having dinner parties with their dolls.

They slept in until 7:30 and then the fun began again as one boy needed a diaper change the other needed to be reminded constantly and put on the potty as he is in the final stages of training. Nancy fixed them eggs, sausage and toast as well as banana's and grapes. Amy and Tyler came around 9 ( for breakfast as well) and they brought a pot of stone ground grits and had  cooked them the old fashion way, wow were they ever good and along with eggs and sausage they held me until suppertime.

 After the cleanup we got the kids dressed and then headed out to watch the local POW WOW parade just a few minutes from the house. We took beach chairs and sat right along the roadway(which had been blocked off) with the kids. It was about an hour long parade of fire trucks, police cars, local high school bands, several church floats, local elected officials, monsters trucks, sports cars and some Army trucks as well as clowns. Most of those entries were giving out candy to the kids as well as stuffed toys. So each of our kiddo's came away with a toy as well as a bag of candy; yeow just what they needed to be energized. Maybe we should have eaten the candy!!

We got back to the house and of course they were all thirsty and hungry so Nancy made them sandwiches and then Bobby came to pickup Annsley and Gabe. Amy and Tyler were taking Ava and Sam to the carnival associated with Pow Wow so they got ready to leave as well. It was like a ghost town around here after all had left, so I vacuumed and Nancy cleaned up the kitchen. We put away toys, blankets and made up the beds and then we layed down and rested for an hour or so. She is still fighting the runny nose and sneezing. I almost finished the book STILL MISSING by Chevy Stevens and this author has you right on the edge of your seat. It's a good read and Carol mentioned she had also read the book.

Carol and Dan had invited us to their place for supper and we didn't have to bring a thing but ourselves. We had a sumptuous meal of barbecue ribs, salad and crusty bread and then strawberry custard pie for dessert, Yeow was that ever delicious. We stayed afterwards and played Phase 10, with Dan leading until the last hand when I snuck in with a win at the wire. It was going on 9 when we finished which actually was going on 10 with the time change being tonight so we headed home for the showers and then chilled until it was lights out.

Well Nancy seemed to do well through the night and is still in the sack as I write this post. We aren't sure if she will make it or not for church this morning, so it's a wait and see if the nose is still draining, LATER  

Pictures from the big sleep over

Saturday Morning

Well it was the big sleep over last night with ALL the grand kids sacked out on our living room floor. They are still sleeping as I write; but it was nearly 10:30 before the last one finally fell asleep. The day started out on Friday withe temp's still on the chilly side but did manage to break the 70's by late afternoon. The breeze still kept it on the chilly side in the shaded areas.

After an early start with the usual 5:30 crowing contest next door I did hang around in the sack until 6:30. There was no pickle ball today so I had my usual spot of tea and then lingered on the computer catching up on some back scripture reading before having a lite breakfast. Nancy and I are reading the entire Bible this year taking a chapter a day from both the New and Old Testament. So far I'm in Samuel and Timothy.

Nancy's Mr.Coffee failed to work last night as it just plum wore out so she was off to purchase a new one and Amy dropped Sam off for me to watch while she was at her Bible study. Nancy was still having too much cold symptoms to be around the older ladies so she skipped going to the study with Amy. She picked up some Zrytec at the grocery store and it seems to be helping with her runny nose, etc. Amy came by and had lunch with us as we ate on the tortilla soup then she took Sam and headed home. The Ross Family was coming for supper later on.

Well I cut lots of Romaine for a nice Caesar salad then cut lots of Swiss chard for a skillet full of sauteed greens, Yeow both of the dishes from the garden were very tasty as well as the chicken fried deer steak. I made a milk mushroom gravy from the dripping and we put that over Jasmine rice. Yeow that was some good eatin' and even the kids enjoyed it until we let it slip that the steak was deer, so automatically Ava didn't like it any longer, Oh well!!! After getting the kids bathed while Tyler and I did the supper cleanup we got a movie on for the kids then we managed to get in a game of OH -ell!!

Well it was thought we would let Sam go home with Amy and Tyler but he fell asleep first so we just covered him up. We had made a huge pallet on the floor with quilts and blankets so all 4 of the kids slept crashed there. It was their first big sleep over together. Well the peace and quiet has just abated as the sleep over has just become the big party once again. I'm cutting this short as of right now due to the boys chasing the girls and squeal's are everywhere, LATER

Friday Morning

Well it was cold and breezy all day on Thursday despite the sun shinning brightly, now when I say cold for here in Florida it's nothing like the cold and freezing temp's in the mountains. But it stayed in the 50's most of the day after a 42 to start the morning. Once again those feathered critters started their dang crowing around 5'ish so I was awake for the day so I rolled out and started my morning routine all except for the riding out to the rec for pickle ball. Instead of pickle ball I headed to the VA center at Bay Pines to meet up with a counselor to hopefully rectify my situation with showing I was at one time or another in Vietnam some 47 years ago with the USAF.

I found the building after a cold windy walk only to learn the office didn't open until 10 AM as the counselors or case workers who helped Florida veterans was out in the hospital or nursing pavillons assisting Vets from 8-10. So I took a walk over to where my original orrientation took place back in January to inquire about a phone number(I was one number short) to update my medical status on line. Well that took about 45 minutes as it was clear across the complex and the strong wind had my nose and eyes watering, yikes the temps were cold coming off the water that surrounds the hospital.

I finally got in to see a case worker around 9:15 as one finished his rounds early so we spent the next couple hours going over my service record and buddy letters which really helped to get the investigation going. One of my buddy's had a set of orders dated back to the late 60's which had my name, rank and serial number. That clearly helped to establish I was an air crew member and part of my job description was the carrying of cargo, soldiers, med-evac and cadavers in and out of Vietnam during the period I was on active duty. We were not only exposed to this chemical agent called Agent Orange but we actually transported it on the aircraft. Several of my flying buddy's have developed some serious life threatning ailments and even a few have passed away as a result of the cancers that are associated with this agent. I wanted the VA to be aware that I was exposed to it but thus far seem to have no major ailments, thankfully.

Well I got back just before lunch and Amy, GG and Sam came to eat with us. We finished up the garden salad along with some chicken salad GG brought to add to it then the gals took off to do some shopping. I watched Sam and we were able to set out in the sunshine in the backyard where he played with the chickens through the fence. The wind was still strong but we were sheltered somewhat plus the direct sunshine kept it bearable as long as you had a jacket on. I caught up on some watering and reading while they were gone. Seems Sam was a mud puppy according to his mother, so Amy put him in the bathtub when she got home. I thought just a wash up of the hands would suffice but she felt he was too dirty to put in the car, oh well. That boy loves playing in the dirt much like his grand father did so he gets it naturally. After they left for home Nancy took GG to Publix and then home so I headed off to the library on my bike as they had a book for me.

I finished up a book I had on the shelves for years titled OMERTA and it was a good easy read about the mafia. This new book is titled STLL MISSING and the first few pages sounds as if it will be a page turner. I'm looking forward to getting into it later today. Well that was about it for Thursday except Nancy made a pot of Tortilla Soup which hit the spot for a cold windy evening. I made a nice Caesar salad from the garden and wow do I just love that salad for a change. Tonight(Friday) we are having a big crowd for chicken fried deer steak for supper. One of my favorite meals along with another fresh garden salad, LATER

Thursday Morning

Wednesday turned out to be a cold and windy day. At least it was dry except for the early morning rain shower before daylight. The roosters had me awake at the usual 5:30 hour so I layed there until 6:30 as the heat came on several times during the night. What happened to the windows being open the day before and me running around in a t-shirt and shorts? After my cup of hot green tea and a few quiet moments I had a lite breakfast then pedalled out to the rec for a couple hours of pickle ball and what will be the last play for this week as the whole facility will be closed due to Pow Wow(festival).

We had a small number of players as several were visiting another club of pickle ballers up in Clearwater but we still had 2 courts going most of the morning. I stopped off at the library before heading home. It had warmed up a little from my early morning ride but the wind was still very strong and kept the temps down all day. We may have reached the high 50's but it sure felt colder than that. We spoke with our "mountain mom" Helen and she was freezing there with a wind chill down in the single digits. At least they never got the huge snow fall that was being predicted for the mountains. My home town of Winchester, Va. got a nice snow with several inches.

I managed to get the well pump primed again so I could water my gardens. I changed out some worn out parts on the outside spigot and now for some reason the pump will not hold its prime. It primes back up after attaching another hose but its getting to be annoying as it loses it prime overnight. I will have to ask someone who is familiar with these shallow well pumps what I'm doing wrong, oh well!!

Amy and Sam came for lunch and we spent these early afternoon in the house as it was too chilly to venture outside after lunch. After they left we made a run to Aldi's for some goodies before coming back to read until supper time. I made a guacamole to go along with our deer burritos, Yeow was that ever delicious with fresh cilantro, garlic, tomato's, onions and of course some hot peppers all fresh from the garden. Venison is so great for you and nary a bit of fat as we add some olive oil to its preparations so it won't stick in the skillet.

Well after the cleanup we settled into FOX News then I headed for the showers as Nancy flipped to the IDOL. I like to watch Mr. Bill O'Reilly and caught some of the contestants during commercials. Today(Thursday) I'm heading down to the VA to get some help with straightening out my DD Form 214(discharge from the USAF). I have received 5 letters from different guys I flew with stating they can verify and attest to me flying into Vietnam during the years 1966-1970. Several of these buddy's have some severe disabilities from the exposure we had to Agent Orange which was used to defoliate the jungles of Vietnam. We carried that chemical on our aircraft into many different bases through out our 4 year tenures plus just being on the ground while loading and unloading cargo and soldiers in country. Hopefully I can get this noted on my discharge(DD214) in case I should develop some of these same health disabilities.

Well that's about it for Wednesday and the plan for today. I learned that we are keeping Annsley and Gabe overnight on Friday and that we are having the Ross family for supper that evening as well. The kids will have fun playing together and that should be a busy evening, LATER

Wednesday Morning

Well Tuesday turned out to be just beautiful with temps getting into the middle 70's, no humidity with bright sunshine skies after a cold start. There was frost everywhere out by the open fields near the library and rec center and on just a couple roof tops in the hood. After my usual wake up around 5:30 by Sam's buddies next door I felt the heat come on then had my cup of green tea, spent a few quiet moments and then had a lite breakfast before pedalling out to the rec for some 2 plus hours of pickle ball.

The play was good today with 8 guys going at it for over an hour and a half before a couple decided to leave early which left two guys coming in about every 10 minutes. The winners always stay on the court but switch partners so the two same guys don't dominate. We had the same group for two sets to seven of play using the PB scoring, which means you only score when serving. It was a good day of exercise and workout and wet shirts despite the gym being rather chilly inside.

When I left the rec at 10 the sun had warmed the air and made it very pleasant to be outside; what a change from the rather chilly start at 7:30. I spent the next hour or so watering the garden and cutting and cleaning lettuces for a salad for lunch. Amy, GG and Sam were coming to eat. Nancy got back from her 2 hour dental appointment where she had 3 teeth restored that set me back over a $1k, yeow this dentist is good but you pay for it. Nancy was still somewhat numb so she had a wrap while the rest of us had salad and I cleaned up the last of the collards and Cole slaw with a little of the smoked pork in the collards. These were just a tasty as they were on Saturday at Amy and Tyler's.

Everyone headed outdoors after lunch to set in sun as the house was around 70 degrees, GG said she was cold so out they went and I had to close the windows as I was airing it out after being closed up from the cold of the past couple days. They stayed outside watching Sam play with the chickens next door and he and Nancy were digging earthworms from my garden and he was feeding them to his chicken buddies until around 2 then Amy took GG home and headed over to pick up Ava from school. I cut her a nice head of cabbage for stuffed cabbage rolls for her supper as we used her cabbage for the Cole slaw on Saturday. Nancy headed out to the rec for her workout and I read The O'Reilly Factor The good, bad and completely ridiculous in American Life. It's a good read and he is quite writer with tons of facts and examples.

I headed out to hand water the front yard flowers and grass as its really dried up. I had picked a nice mess of 1/2 runner beans from the garden and I had them snapped and washed and ready to cook so Nancy put Salmon patties together and along with that we had a fresh garden salad for supper; time to start eating right after this weekend of some very rich and belly busting eats. Oh but it was fun!!! After the clean up it was FOX News then Nancy watched her dance moms and I tuned into the other talk shows on Fox, Later 

Tuesday Morning

Well Monday started out cold for us down in the low 40's and no frost. The skies were clear and yet a breeze out of the northwest kept it chilly most all day. We did see some low 60's by late afternoon. The morning started much the usual with a 5:30 wake up from the dueling roosters next door. After my cup of hot green tea, a few quiet moments and a lite breakfast I pedalled out to the rec for a couple hours of pickle ball.

We had a large gang today with 3 courts going and a couple folks waiting to get on to play. The gym was rather cool inside all morning and despite the play I never did soak my shirt but I felt like I had a good workout. One of our better players twisted his knee and fell trying to retrieve a drop shot thus he was out the rest of the period and maybe out for a while as he already has a zipper on both knees. I headed for home and temperature had risen a little by 10 AM.

I spent the next hour or so watering the gardens, cutting lettuces and picking tomato's. We were heading over to Riverview later in the afternoon so I took Bobby a nice bunch of lettuce and a spaghetti squash plant. Nancy was making her second chocolate birthday cake in 3 days to take with us as well as we are once more celebrating her birthday and daughter-in-law Jill's. Jill's is on Tuesday(today). We headed out around 2:30 as we were picking up GG and bringing her with us as well. Her plans changed from visiting with her older sister and hubby down on Long Boat Key for a week as he fell and hurt his knee, Uncle Warnie is in his 90's. I hung GG's new clock for her before we headed to Tampa.

We met up with Jill and Annsley at the Golden City Gymnastics in east Tampa around 4 PM to watch Annsley perform with her gymnastics group. She is coming along quite nicely and some of those young teen age girls are Olympic prospects for sure. What a busy place with kids running around everywhere doing all kinds of flips, dances and somersaults, yeow I was thoroughly impressed with some of the talent on display there. We headed back to Bob and Jill's for supper as Bob was preparing a gourmet meal.

Their new puppy "Sugar" is a sweetie no pun intended and just so playful with the kids. Amy and Tyler came shortly thereafter and the kids were in their own little world playing together. Sam and Gabe had a few altercations but Ava and Annsley where great together. Bob fixed a meal of grilled marinated skirt steak and brown rice also he roasted beets and carrots and put them over a bed of beet greens with a homemade dressing and of course crusty bread. The chocolate cake was very good as well and we left the rest of the cake there when we headed for home after the kids all took baths.

Well it was after 9 before we pulled out for Seminole and the temps were starting to drop again; already it was down in the 50's. We dropped GG off then headed home for the shower. It wasn't long afterwards I called it a day and hit the sack watching some news before lights out. Boy the spare tire has been inflated since Friday night with 3 pieces of chocolate cake, crusty bread, potato's and rice. All the stuff that will add to the tire but they tasted good, Oh well!!! LATER

Monday Morning

Brr it has turned cold here once again for a couple days, especially with the strong wind around 15-20 mph. Yikes I even wore a coat to church yesterday. It did warm up to the low 50's but the wind chill kept it somewhere in the 40's. Our heat has been on for 2 days now and we are ready for it to warm up. I think the forecast is to be back in the 70's by Tuesday. I sure hope the frost stayed away last night.

Well Sunday started out with once again the feathered fowl next door crowing at 5:30 in the AM; boy would he look good in a roaster at 325 degrees for a couple hours especially at that time in the morning. We got ready after our quiet time and a light breakfast for our ride to Tampa at Element Church with Dan and Carole for worship. The wind in the bay waters had white caps on all the waves and the air was just plumb cold. Seems the more humid it is the cold goes right through your clothing to the bone. There was a nice crowd with several new faces and tons of little ones. Bob had a nice message once again on our perception of getting to know just who GOD is and how we can get to know HIM. The music was awesome as well and then we all took communion together with the loaves of bread and wine(grape juice).

After the service Dan who is an elder had a join meeting with the church council so Carol, Nancy and myself went to the Brandon Mall for lunch. We had a great soup and sandwich at Panera Bread then checked out the Disney Store for a doll for Ava on her birthday in April before heading back to pick up Dan and then head home. It got the warmest for the day at 53 so I headed out to hand water the gardens as the wind has just dried everything out plus the moisture at the roots of plants seems to help with keeping damage to a minimum when it gets close to freezing or with cold temps. We sat around and read the rest of the afternoon until it was time to pick up GG. I'm reading a new book, its a novel GG was reading she said I would like it and I do. It's titled GONE GIRL by Gillian Flynn. Different but a real page turner.

Well we were taking GG with us to celebrate Nancy's birthday again with a dinner out at the Bone Fish Grille. Betsy(sister) and Braden(cousin) were to join us but somehow they were nearly an hour late. She is always late but that is her trademark, anyhow we had a delicious meal with 2 shrimp appetizers and crusty bread dipped in herbs and oil. We even had a glass of vino as well. Nancy had the pecan crusted rainbow trout and I had shrimp and scallops and GG had the salmon. All of the meals were tasty and we licked the platters clean. I don't believe we have ever had a bad meal there and so do a lot of other folks there as well, as the place was jumping(busy) all evening. We left there just as darkness was falling and drove GG home.

The temperature was starting to drop once again but they weren't predicting a freeze for us and with the wind I wasn't to afraid of frost; anyhow I will know in a few minutes as daylight approaches. Well I just checked and none of the neighbors roof tops are covered in the white stuff and the local temp says it's 42. Looks like the garden survived another cold snap as today its back to the 60's and tomorrow its back to the 70's. Well I better git out of here and get ready for the rec and a some pickle ball. Only 3 days this weeks as a local festival takes over the rec for 3 days and the gym will be closed, LATER
 

Sunday Morning

Well Saturday the weather cooled down considerable with strong gusty winds that made it feel even colder. The morning started early with the feathered guys next door crowing their fowl heads off. I was awake and up much like the week day morning as I had a friend coming down from Jacksonville to visit his widowed mother and he was into pickle ball. Luckily this was the last Saturday for PB play at the rec as the junior basketball league was to start so we got in a good hour or so before we were kicked out of the gym.

After  my usual cup of green tea, a few quiet moments and a lite breakfast I pedalled out into a dark rain cloud hovering over the area. It did open up with a hard down pour for about 30 minutes and by the time I exited the gym a little after nine the sun was shining. I had Mike follow me home and I loaded him up with a big mess of collard greens. I use to give his folks and still do his mom as his dad passed away in November collards greens as they grew up in the Va./N.C. area. We visited for awhile and promised to keep more in touch.

I put a load of clothes in the laundry then Nancy fixed us some left over taters and eggs for breakfast that held me until supper. I then worked on changing out some hardware on the well pump after making a trip to Home Depot after picking up GG from her hairdresser and taking her home. We were going to Amy and Tyler for pulled pork, mac and cheese, Cole slaw, collard greens and chocolate cake around 6 PM. Tyler had a 10 pound Boston butt on the smoker since 6 AM with hickory and apple wood for the smoke. Yeow was it ever delicious. Sam opened our presents for him as we won't see them today and he was delighted with his monster truck and buzz light year toys plus clothes and books. His other grand parents and aunts sent presents from Kansas as well so it looked like Christmas around the living room. We stayed until after 9 PM when  everyone was starting to yawn.

Well today is church day at Element in Tampa so we will ride with Dan and Carol and also today is Nancy's birthday. We talking this morning and it was also the day I enlisted in the Air Force 47 years ago and flew out of Charlotte, N.C. to Lackland AFB in Texas. I was 20 and Nancy was 9. Well that's a scary thought and we laughed about it. It's 45 degrees outside here in usually sunny warm Florida according to the Internet with overcast skies and if it were a 10-15 degrees colder I believe we would see some snow flakes. I remember one year while I was still on Patrol the snow flakes were falling, citrus froze on the trees and my tomatoes were frozen hard as a baseball. That is not a common occurrence here in central Florida.

Well once again this evening we are celebrating Nancys birthday at the Bone Fish Grille with GG, Betsy and her son Braden. There goes the spare tire and then again tomorrow we will travel to Riverview where son Bobby will make a meal for Nancy and once again another chocolate cake as his family was unable to attend the dinner last night at Amy and Tyler's, LATER