Happy New Year to all of you! We had a party at the clubhouse tonight - had lots of people there, some who never come to anything. That was nice - maybe they'll attend more things now that they've been to one of our parties. We came home about 11:00 and now we're just hanging out waiting for the ball to drop!
Today was a sad day for us Cyclones. Coach Orr passed away today. He was so well loved! You can't go to Hilton Coliseum without thinking about his entrance to the Tonight Show's theme song, "Here's Johnny!" He always told jokes and even if the jokes weren't very funny, you laughed because Johnny was laughing so hard it was contagious! RIP Coach!
More later...
Tuesday, December 31, 2013
Monday, December 30, 2013
Monday
This is the last Monday of 2013 - this year just flew by! We had a good day. The weather wasn't so fun - it was chilly and gray, but it got better as the day went on. Jami had some work to do, so she worked on her computer while the rest of us got ready for our day. When she was ready we headed to Sarasota to see Dad & Roberta, and lunch at the pool. When we left for points south, we had tons of traffic! You can sure tell that it's after Christmas as the traffic has increased to close to twice as much as it was. We were in two close calls - thank God for the safe trip. Traffic was equally as heavy on the way back up to Clearwater.
Jami and the kids got home safely too, so all in all it was a good day!
Tonight we had bingo because we couldn't have it tomorrow night. I won! I'm only $10 in the red now! Would sure be fun to get into the black next wek. The bonus number was up to $102 tonight and no one won it!!
More later...
Jami and the kids got home safely too, so all in all it was a good day!
Tonight we had bingo because we couldn't have it tomorrow night. I won! I'm only $10 in the red now! Would sure be fun to get into the black next wek. The bonus number was up to $102 tonight and no one won it!!
More later...
Sunday, December 29, 2013
Soggy Sunday
We all got up this morning and went to church. We had one of the elders of the church who spoke in the absence of the minister. He wasn't very good - too bad when you have "guests" you want them to enjoy the experience. Not so much today!
After church we went to Post Corner for lunch. That was fun!
Then we went across the street to the beach. Even though it was raining, we were able to see a bunch of dolphins. There were at least 7-8 of them just playing in the rain!
This afternoon I took a nap and the family went to the park again. This evening, after supper, Dave fixed a bonfire (in the Weber grill) and then we made S'mores on Dave's redneck marshmallow cookers!! Notice the electrical tape!
He's so funny!!
More later...
After church we went to Post Corner for lunch. That was fun!
Then we went across the street to the beach. Even though it was raining, we were able to see a bunch of dolphins. There were at least 7-8 of them just playing in the rain!
This afternoon I took a nap and the family went to the park again. This evening, after supper, Dave fixed a bonfire (in the Weber grill) and then we made S'mores on Dave's redneck marshmallow cookers!! Notice the electrical tape!
He's so funny!!
More later...
Saturday, December 28, 2013
Saturday
The kids got here about 11:15 and we've had a full day! We had tenderloins for lunch and the girls each ate two of them! They helped me bread them! They thought that was a lot of fun. They even whipped the eggs! When they're being good, they're so much fun! After lunch we borrowed bikes and went for a looonnnggg bike ride! They kept riding while we sat on the lanai and watched them! Then we went to the nature preserve where the alligator usually is, but we didn't see him today!
Supper was brats and/or hot dogs and salad. After supper I skyped with my family while they went to the Largo Park to see the Christmas lights! Now they're home and all 3 kids are pooped! They're watching a movie and I'm about to crash, too!
More later...
Supper was brats and/or hot dogs and salad. After supper I skyped with my family while they went to the Largo Park to see the Christmas lights! Now they're home and all 3 kids are pooped! They're watching a movie and I'm about to crash, too!
More later...
Friday, December 27, 2013
Rainy Day
We didn't get to go to the Legion today because it was raining! Bummer! Instead, we cleaned the house and got ready for Jami and the kids to come. They were supposed to be here tonight, but decided to wait until tomorrow morning instead. They'll stay for a couple of days, so we're hoping for good weather while they're here. Tomorrow is supposed to be nice, but Sunday doesn't look so good. We were hoping to take them to the pool in Sarasota tomorrow, but that will depend on when they get here.
More later...
More later...
Wednesday, December 25, 2013
Christmas
We had a lovely afternoon & evening with Sudi & Howard and now I'm watching the "heartattack kids" play basketball! In case you don't know who the heartattack kids are, they're ISU. It seems they go ahead and then Boise State ties up the game. I'm finding myself holding my breath! I'm sure Fred's mom isn't watching - she'll be a wreck!
Back to our day. We went to the beach before we had dinner. It was a beautiful day! For dinner, I made Ruth Chris' sweet potato casserole and it was wonderful. Unfortunately it made a 9 x 13 pan full, so we'll be eating sweet potatoes for a while! Sudi had fixed ham, green bean casserole, fresh fruit, and crescent rolls. Plus we had key lime pie for dessert! Great job, Sudi! After dinner we played cards...interesting version of Wild Card, which HB won!
More later...
Back to our day. We went to the beach before we had dinner. It was a beautiful day! For dinner, I made Ruth Chris' sweet potato casserole and it was wonderful. Unfortunately it made a 9 x 13 pan full, so we'll be eating sweet potatoes for a while! Sudi had fixed ham, green bean casserole, fresh fruit, and crescent rolls. Plus we had key lime pie for dessert! Great job, Sudi! After dinner we played cards...interesting version of Wild Card, which HB won!
More later...
Tuesday, December 24, 2013
Christmas Eve
We had a beautiful day here - a little on the cooler side, but beautiful anyway! I slept until 11 because I didn't get to sleep until 4:00 AM. Then I went for a bike ride. This evening we went to Chris & Wolfy's for a pot luck, then we went to church for Christmas Eve services. Church was packed! We were a hair late, but we really didn't miss much. I'm glad we went because it's very important to us that we go to church on Christmas Eve.
When we returned to the park, most everyone had already left. It was cold sitting outside, so we didn't stay long either.
More later...
When we returned to the park, most everyone had already left. It was cold sitting outside, so we didn't stay long either.
More later...
Monday, December 23, 2013
All confused!
I'm really confused now! Last night we played cards, so it should have been either Monday, Wednesday, or Friday. Tonight we played bingo, so it must be Tuesday....NOT! It's Monday and I am struggling with this schedule!
We went to Sarasota today. Had a great time. Dave, Merle & Dad went fishing and only dressed out 3 fish. Nothing much biting today. Roberta and I went shopping and then we went to St Armand's Island for lunch at Columbia Restaurant on the circle. The guys met us there. I had a 1905 salad and since I brought home half of it, I get to eat it again tomorrow!
More later...
We went to Sarasota today. Had a great time. Dave, Merle & Dad went fishing and only dressed out 3 fish. Nothing much biting today. Roberta and I went shopping and then we went to St Armand's Island for lunch at Columbia Restaurant on the circle. The guys met us there. I had a 1905 salad and since I brought home half of it, I get to eat it again tomorrow!
More later...
Sunday, December 22, 2013
Sunday
We went to church this morning after we went to Publix and to Office Depot looking for envelopes for Christmas cards Dave bought. It seems all of the envelopes were sealed shut!! This definitely wouldn't work! Well, we didn't find any envelopes either place, so after church we had to go buy some more cards! We give cards to people in the park and that was all I had left to do, or so I thought. Tomorrow we're going to Sarasota and wanted to give Dad & Roberta their gifts. Guess what? We didn't get Roberta's yet! So we'll be leaving early to stop at Beall's and get her a gift card...she loves that!
At church today, the choir did a Christmas cantata called "Morning Star". It was beautiful music, but the choir is so bad, it sounded awful...all except for one song and that one they nailed. One lady who stands in front is always flat and her voice is the loudest one! Plus she breathes after every 2-3 words, not at the end of a phrase. Becky would have a cow! I wish I had taken my phone so that I could have recorded it just to see what she said! It was still a great message about the Christmas story!
This afternoon, after we finished our cards, we went swimming - it was very hot here. The pool felt very, very good. Tonight we played cards because tomorrow night we're playing bingo because Tuesday night is Christmas eve...got all of that? Anyway, I'm a loser tonight. We got beat by about 2,000 points! My Cyclones won, though, so the evening wasn't a total loss!
More later...
At church today, the choir did a Christmas cantata called "Morning Star". It was beautiful music, but the choir is so bad, it sounded awful...all except for one song and that one they nailed. One lady who stands in front is always flat and her voice is the loudest one! Plus she breathes after every 2-3 words, not at the end of a phrase. Becky would have a cow! I wish I had taken my phone so that I could have recorded it just to see what she said! It was still a great message about the Christmas story!
This afternoon, after we finished our cards, we went swimming - it was very hot here. The pool felt very, very good. Tonight we played cards because tomorrow night we're playing bingo because Tuesday night is Christmas eve...got all of that? Anyway, I'm a loser tonight. We got beat by about 2,000 points! My Cyclones won, though, so the evening wasn't a total loss!
More later...
Saturday, December 21, 2013
Saturday
It was a hot one today! It's 10 PM and it's still 75 degrees! We had to turn the air on and it's December 22nd!! Amazing!
We went to Sue & Penny to the farmers' market in St Pete this morning. It was very fun - lots of interesting booths. Produce, jewelry, prepared food, and artwork. We stayed for a bit over an hour because it was hot out there in the sun. We got our sweet potatoes, celery, grapes, green beans and some wonderful guacamole! We'll probably go back to it sometime in the future. It wasn't nearly as big as the one in Des Moines, but I swear there were more dogs!! Several of the vendors had doggie dishes with water in them for the 4-legged visitors!
I worked on Christmas cards for the park. Dave got me a new box of cards from CVS so I started with them. Unfortunately all of the envelopes were sealed shut! Now we've got to try to get them exchanged because they're no good the way they are.
More later...
We went to Sue & Penny to the farmers' market in St Pete this morning. It was very fun - lots of interesting booths. Produce, jewelry, prepared food, and artwork. We stayed for a bit over an hour because it was hot out there in the sun. We got our sweet potatoes, celery, grapes, green beans and some wonderful guacamole! We'll probably go back to it sometime in the future. It wasn't nearly as big as the one in Des Moines, but I swear there were more dogs!! Several of the vendors had doggie dishes with water in them for the 4-legged visitors!
I worked on Christmas cards for the park. Dave got me a new box of cards from CVS so I started with them. Unfortunately all of the envelopes were sealed shut! Now we've got to try to get them exchanged because they're no good the way they are.
More later...
Friday, December 20, 2013
Pretty day
It was another pretty day here. High in the low 80's and not much humidity until tonight. We went to the Legion and had lunch with sever from the Ranch. We also toasted Bob for his birthday! Sorry he's not down here where the weather is nice. When I called him he was at work, but no customers because of the icy roads..
Tonight 12 of us played cards. Sandy and I were partners and we won! It was really a close game. We were 5 points behind going into the last hand and we beat them by about 400 points today...those darn 7's!!
More later...
Tonight 12 of us played cards. Sandy and I were partners and we won! It was really a close game. We were 5 points behind going into the last hand and we beat them by about 400 points today...those darn 7's!!
More later...
Thursday, December 19, 2013
Fun day
We had another beautiful day today - one that was filled with fun! We left at 8:00 for Sarasota for the day. Dave, his dad, and his dad's friend went fishing. They caught a good mess of whitings and got back to Dad's about 2 minutes after we got there. Roberta and I went shopping. We went to Beall's and to Home Goods and Big Lots. Big Lots and Home Goods were so busy - the check out lines were horrible, so we ended up putting things back and leaving the stores empty-handed! So, we went back to Dad's and fixed lunch. About 3:00 we came back to Largo. We both took naps and then about 6:30 we went to Largo Central Park to take a walking tour of the Christmas lights. They were beautiful and free!
When we got home, I took a picture of our place with the nativity flag up. I think it looks good!
This is our tree in the lanai. It's pretty, too.
More later...
When we got home, I took a picture of our place with the nativity flag up. I think it looks good!
This is our tree in the lanai. It's pretty, too.
More later...
Wednesday, December 18, 2013
Productive Day
I got lots of things done today! We went to coffee first thing and following coffee, we had our annual Christmas cookie walk. I think we had 25 different kinds of cookies at $3 a pound! Some of them look really, really good! After the meeting, Dave took Ron & Marcia to the Tampa airport while I worked the cookie walk. Once we'd cleaned up I came home and printed labels for our Christmas cards. Dave got home and helped me stuff and sign everything! He had to go to the grocery store, so he came home with stamps and we even got our cards in the mail! I also mailed gift cards for Cheyenne and Allison to Bob, along with Bob's birthday card.
At 1:00 we went to the clubhouse and helped collate and staple the 2014 directories for the park. That project is now done. All that is left is to distribute them!
Dave is done painting at Sue & Penny's for now. Sue's bedroom is really pretty! It's two shades of gray and will have a hot pink/orange bedspread and some wine colored curtains. After the first of the year, they are tearing up the carpet in the bedroom and will put down new gray carpet, too. Their home is lovely now.
Tonight we played 7s and my team won BIG! We were ahead by almost 5,000 points going into the last hand which we won. Because we won it before they got everything they needed, we didn't even count those points! It was a good day!
More later...
At 1:00 we went to the clubhouse and helped collate and staple the 2014 directories for the park. That project is now done. All that is left is to distribute them!
Dave is done painting at Sue & Penny's for now. Sue's bedroom is really pretty! It's two shades of gray and will have a hot pink/orange bedspread and some wine colored curtains. After the first of the year, they are tearing up the carpet in the bedroom and will put down new gray carpet, too. Their home is lovely now.
Tonight we played 7s and my team won BIG! We were ahead by almost 5,000 points going into the last hand which we won. Because we won it before they got everything they needed, we didn't even count those points! It was a good day!
More later...
Tuesday, December 17, 2013
Tuesday
B & B day! It went pretty well. I bowled fairly good - I improved each game, which is what you're supposed to do! I got a 120, a 121, and a 130. I couldn't pick up a 10 pin for anything and that's one I'm usually pretty confident that I'll pick up...not today, however. I missed them all! If I'd gotten spares every time I left a 10 pin, I'd have had a great score! We're done bowling until after the new year gets here!
At bingo, I won bottom line with the number 66. I just had a feeling I was going to get it - the girls of 66 helped me, I'm sure. All 3 of us at our table won - Tanya won $10, Mary Etta won $40 and I won $24. Pretty cool.
I made crock pot peanut clusters today. They'll go with me in the morning for our "cookie" exchange. Dave's going to take Ron & Marcia to the airport while I go to the coffee and cookie exchange. Then we'll pick them up on the 26th.
More later...
At bingo, I won bottom line with the number 66. I just had a feeling I was going to get it - the girls of 66 helped me, I'm sure. All 3 of us at our table won - Tanya won $10, Mary Etta won $40 and I won $24. Pretty cool.
I made crock pot peanut clusters today. They'll go with me in the morning for our "cookie" exchange. Dave's going to take Ron & Marcia to the airport while I go to the coffee and cookie exchange. Then we'll pick them up on the 26th.
More later...
Monday, December 16, 2013
Monday
It's a little chilly here today and pretty darn cold tonight. Should be down in the 40's - brrrr! I made some cards today. Nancy and Sandee joined me and we made a bunch of cards! Nancy made 10 Christmas cards and Sandee made 3.
This evening Alan had a surprise birthday party for Bobbi's 75th birthday. She was really surprised! Twelve of the ladies played cards after the party, but I was tired and didn't want to stay. I came home and now Dave's asleep in his chair. I'm ready for bed, because tomorrow is a bowling day!
More later...
This evening Alan had a surprise birthday party for Bobbi's 75th birthday. She was really surprised! Twelve of the ladies played cards after the party, but I was tired and didn't want to stay. I came home and now Dave's asleep in his chair. I'm ready for bed, because tomorrow is a bowling day!
More later...
Sunday, December 15, 2013
Sunday
The children had the sermon this morning at church. Actually, they put on a Christmas program with lots of singing and a great message. Good job, kids! Church was well attended today. After church, we hurried home, changed clothes and went to the clubhouse to register for Poker on the Run. We don't run - we ride our bikes and follow clues to get 5 cards. When we get back to the clubhouse, we see who has the top 3 poker hands. Dave didn't have anything and I had a pair of 3's. Needless to say, we didn't win anything. Each hand costs $2 and then all of the $$ is given back to the top 3 winners. I have yet to see any of that money - we're losers!
This afternoon, Dave painted the ceiling at Sue & Penny's. Tomorrow he'll paint walls since it's supposed to be cold out. It'll be a good inside project. I've got to make cookies or candy for the cookie walk on Weds. and Tuesdays are really, really busy so guess I'll make them tomorrow. I'm trying to decide if I should make cookies or crockpot peanut clusters...both are good!
More later...
This afternoon, Dave painted the ceiling at Sue & Penny's. Tomorrow he'll paint walls since it's supposed to be cold out. It'll be a good inside project. I've got to make cookies or candy for the cookie walk on Weds. and Tuesdays are really, really busy so guess I'll make them tomorrow. I'm trying to decide if I should make cookies or crockpot peanut clusters...both are good!
More later...
Saturday, December 14, 2013
Beautiful here!
I had a sleepless night last night. I didn't get to sleep until around 4:00 AM and I got up at 7:30...ugh! Not enough sleep for me! Dave & I went out today and drove around some neighborhoods looking for a great place to take some pictures of a lighted boat parade, in case we decided to go tonight. We were going to the Madeira Marina, but the boats wouldn't be there until around 10-10:30 so we elected to stay home!
We also went to the Wagon Wheel flea market today - that was a first! It was really, really busy! I found a pair of sunglasses and we bought some oranges, but other than that I didn't see much I couldn't live without! We came home around noonish, ate a Subway sandwich, and while Dave went to the store, I tried to nap...nothing doing! After he got home, he took a nap, so I was able to also! Now we're watching Ironman and we're turning into pumpkins. It's past our bedtime!!
More later...
We also went to the Wagon Wheel flea market today - that was a first! It was really, really busy! I found a pair of sunglasses and we bought some oranges, but other than that I didn't see much I couldn't live without! We came home around noonish, ate a Subway sandwich, and while Dave went to the store, I tried to nap...nothing doing! After he got home, he took a nap, so I was able to also! Now we're watching Ironman and we're turning into pumpkins. It's past our bedtime!!
More later...
Friday, December 13, 2013
Oh my gosh!
Again, the Cyclones are going to keep me up all night! Right now it's 82-81 Iowa with 25 seconds to play. They're going to kill me! I get too excited and then I can't sleep! Come on guys! Ok, we're up by 1 with 18 seconds left...hold on guys!
We went to the Legion today - it was a perfect day weatherwise. It was about 77 and plenty of sunshine! It was great sitting at the Legion, but we didn't see any dolphins today.
Woohoo! We won! Now I don't have to send any $$ to my Cyclone friend, Ed. He bet me $1 that his Hawks would win this game...we bet way back in October! So now I get to keep his dollar! Sorry, Ed!
More later...
We went to the Legion today - it was a perfect day weatherwise. It was about 77 and plenty of sunshine! It was great sitting at the Legion, but we didn't see any dolphins today.
Woohoo! We won! Now I don't have to send any $$ to my Cyclone friend, Ed. He bet me $1 that his Hawks would win this game...we bet way back in October! So now I get to keep his dollar! Sorry, Ed!
More later...
Thursday, December 12, 2013
Wasted days and wasted nights!
I wasted all of my day today and so far, all of my night! Ok, so that's not what the song lyrics meant, but that's all I'm hearing tonight! I guess I didn't completely waste my day. I made a call to an insurance company (that Dave wanted me to do) and got answers on a different insurance policy. But mostly I just hung out while Dave was in Sarasota fishing with his dad! I took a bike ride, too!
When Dave got home, we took another bike ride and had popcorn for supper. It was a little chilly riding around the park. I'm glad I had a jacket on. Tonight we've just watched a noisy movie (him, not me).
Hopefully tomorrow will be more productive! If it's nice, we'll go to the Legion.
More later.
When Dave got home, we took another bike ride and had popcorn for supper. It was a little chilly riding around the park. I'm glad I had a jacket on. Tonight we've just watched a noisy movie (him, not me).
Hopefully tomorrow will be more productive! If it's nice, we'll go to the Legion.
More later.
Wednesday, December 11, 2013
Cold front coming!
We have a little cold front moving through the area today...it's down to 68 right now! It's 0 in O-town, though, so it's not a big cold front!! I think it's supposed to be in the 70's tomorrow, instead of the 80's!
Today we had coffee, then an HOA meeting. After lunch we tried to play some shuffleboard, but there were only 9 of us. So we had 2 courts going and 1 scorekeeper and 3 new shufflers! That was fun - teaching them how to play with no pressure. We played 2 games at 1:00 and 2:00. Around 3:30 we went to Post Corner with Sue & Penny for pizza. Then home for 7s from Hell where Penny & I were partners. We are winners tonight - by about 5,000 points!!
It was a fun day! We even got out Christmas shopping mostly done!
More later...
Today we had coffee, then an HOA meeting. After lunch we tried to play some shuffleboard, but there were only 9 of us. So we had 2 courts going and 1 scorekeeper and 3 new shufflers! That was fun - teaching them how to play with no pressure. We played 2 games at 1:00 and 2:00. Around 3:30 we went to Post Corner with Sue & Penny for pizza. Then home for 7s from Hell where Penny & I were partners. We are winners tonight - by about 5,000 points!!
It was a fun day! We even got out Christmas shopping mostly done!
More later...
Tuesday, December 10, 2013
Perfect Day
It was a perfect day weatherwise again today! I could really get used to this beautiful weather. I must admit, though, I'm having a very hard time getting in the mood for Christmas! I've got to think about my cards and the gifts I've got to get. It's hard when it's in the 80's! Hopefully I can get most everything done by the weekend!
Bowling today was fun. I bowled pretty well. I had a 130, 132 and a 113. We had our holiday party today - everyone brought treats. Dave and I chose not to go to lunch with the group...we came home to eat leftovers! I tried to take a nap, but couldn't so I just read. Dave sprayed for bugs - we have millions of little box-elder-type bugs...boy does it stink around here. I hope the breeze picks up so the smell will go away!
Bingo was typical...I didn't win again. I only needed 1 number in every game but 2, but my number didn't get called...:( - I just needed a little luck and I didn't get it. Oh well, it was fun anyway!
More later...
Bowling today was fun. I bowled pretty well. I had a 130, 132 and a 113. We had our holiday party today - everyone brought treats. Dave and I chose not to go to lunch with the group...we came home to eat leftovers! I tried to take a nap, but couldn't so I just read. Dave sprayed for bugs - we have millions of little box-elder-type bugs...boy does it stink around here. I hope the breeze picks up so the smell will go away!
Bingo was typical...I didn't win again. I only needed 1 number in every game but 2, but my number didn't get called...:( - I just needed a little luck and I didn't get it. Oh well, it was fun anyway!
More later...
Monday, December 9, 2013
Beautiful again!
It was definitely another beautiful day here! We met Sudi, Howard, Nancy & Rod at S & H's place and then went to lunch at the Seabreeze Island Grill in Redington Shores. Our food was really good, the drinks were potent, and the company was fantastic! Thanks you guys - it was great to see you all again!
Tonight at cards wasn't quite as much fun! My team lost by about 1,000 points. That Sandy is quite a card shark!!
More later...
Tonight at cards wasn't quite as much fun! My team lost by about 1,000 points. That Sandy is quite a card shark!!
More later...
Sunday, December 8, 2013
Sunday at The Ranch
Another beautiful day here! I know I'm beginning to sound like a broken record! It truly is beautiful here. We had the windows open all day - there was a nice breeze coming in! Dave's closing them as we speak.
We went to church this morning where we lost some faith in humanity. There were 3 older ladies who were very rude in church. Two of them talked in their normal voices while Pastor Laura was trying to give the announcements. Then we had a baptism and the great-grandma talked most of the time during the sermon and during the pastoral prayer. She was just busy "loving on little Bentley"...but it's rude to talk all the time the Pastor is talking, especially during a prayer. Just common courtesy to be quiet and listen...at the very least, you could whisper!
I made ham balls this afternoon. Boy, are they good! We ate out on the lanai and came in after the Christmas lights turned on. Speaking of lights..here's our place!
I took the picture last night and Dave changed out the flag for a nativity flag today. I think it looks pretty cool. We have lots of units decorated here in the park...it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas (minus the snow and cold weather!) It's still 70 here tonight!
More later...
We went to church this morning where we lost some faith in humanity. There were 3 older ladies who were very rude in church. Two of them talked in their normal voices while Pastor Laura was trying to give the announcements. Then we had a baptism and the great-grandma talked most of the time during the sermon and during the pastoral prayer. She was just busy "loving on little Bentley"...but it's rude to talk all the time the Pastor is talking, especially during a prayer. Just common courtesy to be quiet and listen...at the very least, you could whisper!
I made ham balls this afternoon. Boy, are they good! We ate out on the lanai and came in after the Christmas lights turned on. Speaking of lights..here's our place!
I took the picture last night and Dave changed out the flag for a nativity flag today. I think it looks pretty cool. We have lots of units decorated here in the park...it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas (minus the snow and cold weather!) It's still 70 here tonight!
More later...
Saturday, December 7, 2013
Beautiful day!
It was another beautiful day here. In fact, it was almost hot! We returned some of the Christmas stuff we bought yesterday and got a few more things. Now our house looks pretty darn good! We also bought some risers for our beds so we could store stuff under them. Now we need a ladder to get into bed!! After we worked on Christmas decorations, we decided to go to the pool. The water was absolutely wonderful today!
Tonight we had taco night at The Ranch. It was really, really good! Ten of us ladies decided to play cards tonight! I was a loser, but since this wasn't a regular night, I don't think it should count!
More later...
Tonight we had taco night at The Ranch. It was really, really good! Ten of us ladies decided to play cards tonight! I was a loser, but since this wasn't a regular night, I don't think it should count!
More later...
Friday, December 6, 2013
Beautiful day!
This was another gorgeous day! We went to the Legion and had a great time sitting out on the water eating lunch. The dolphins were plentiful and very active. It was really fun watching them today! I think there were 19 of us from The Ranch at the Legion today.
Dave and I went to Home Depot and bought some Christmas lights. Dave put some of them up this evening while I was playing cards. We need some color though, so we'll get some other lights tomorrow. I hope to go to the flea market tomorrow since I've not been there before. Maybe they'll have Christmas lights. We've still got 4 little spiral trees and 2 larger ones to put up tomorrow.
More later...
Dave and I went to Home Depot and bought some Christmas lights. Dave put some of them up this evening while I was playing cards. We need some color though, so we'll get some other lights tomorrow. I hope to go to the flea market tomorrow since I've not been there before. Maybe they'll have Christmas lights. We've still got 4 little spiral trees and 2 larger ones to put up tomorrow.
More later...
Thursday, December 5, 2013
A Day Early
We came home a day early. Our middle grandchild has the flu or something which kept her up all night vomiting, so Jami didn't want us near her. We decided since we were leaving early tomorrow morning, we'd just come home today instead. It was a lovely day for driving - 86 degrees and abundant sunshine! We're grateful for a safe trip and we're grateful that Bob & Ann got home safely also.
After laundry and resting for a bit, we took a bike ride in the dark to see all of the Christmas lights. Our park is certainly festive. We've got to get some more lights up - our place looks puny compared to many others!
More later...
After laundry and resting for a bit, we took a bike ride in the dark to see all of the Christmas lights. Our park is certainly festive. We've got to get some more lights up - our place looks puny compared to many others!
More later...
Wednesday, December 4, 2013
We're almost pumpkins!
Today was a beautiful day! We went to ride the water taxi and had a great 3 1/2 hour ride! The day was just perfect for a boat ride! We found a lot of homes for sale and a lot for sale...the lot is 7 million, but it has 8 trees on it!! I might just buy 2 of them!!
The is the lot for $7 million! Then the picture below is just a pretty house!
Just one of the bridges we went under.
Below is a picture of the Carrie B, a river boat that does tours like the water taxi.
These 2 little puppies jumped into the water chasing an iguana. They were just having a great swim. Their mom & dad, plus 2 other dogs were on the opposite bank waiting for them to give up and come back.
The house below was for sale for $45 million...2 acres, 20,000 sq feet, but 8 bedrooms and 8 baths!
Great day for a boat ride!
More later...
The is the lot for $7 million! Then the picture below is just a pretty house!
Just one of the bridges we went under.
Below is a picture of the Carrie B, a river boat that does tours like the water taxi.
These 2 little puppies jumped into the water chasing an iguana. They were just having a great swim. Their mom & dad, plus 2 other dogs were on the opposite bank waiting for them to give up and come back.
The house below was for sale for $45 million...2 acres, 20,000 sq feet, but 8 bedrooms and 8 baths!
Great day for a boat ride!
More later...
Tuesday, December 3, 2013
Merry Christmas to us!!
We bought ourselves a Christmas present today. We are now the proud owner of a Nikon D5200 DSLR camera!!
Isn't it cool? I'm going to sell our Sony and our Canon, so if you know someone who needs a camera, let me know.
Obviously with a new camera, I had to take some new pictures! This camera has some special effects that Danny thought were cartoonish, so we had to experiment with the effects!
This is Danny without any special effect...
and this is him with special effects!
Here's Megan's special effect...
and Kelly's.
Danny taught me how to finger-knit. I'd never done that before, but I know how now!!
More later...
Isn't it cool? I'm going to sell our Sony and our Canon, so if you know someone who needs a camera, let me know.
Obviously with a new camera, I had to take some new pictures! This camera has some special effects that Danny thought were cartoonish, so we had to experiment with the effects!
This is Danny without any special effect...
and this is him with special effects!
Here's Megan's special effect...
and Kelly's.
Danny taught me how to finger-knit. I'd never done that before, but I know how now!!
More later...
Monday, December 2, 2013
Weak signal
I'm at the condo on the beach tonight and we've got a really weak signal - just two bars. So I'm not sure I can even get this posted, but I'm going to try!
Dave & I had a good day today. I slept until 8:45 and about lunchtime we went to Royal Vista for our annual update from Wyndham. It was much more interesting the way they did it today. It was in a group setting for the first time ever. Then our rep came to our table. We'd had him a couple of years ago and I'm sure he wrote in his notes that we weren't interested in buying, so he passed us off to a supervisor, who answered many of our questions.
This afternoon we went grocery shopping, went to Beall's Outlet for some shirts for Dave. Then we went to watch the blimp. It had evidently just come in and they were parking it. We loved the fact that it was being guided by a John Deere tractor!
Back in the hangar until the next trip!
More later...
Dave & I had a good day today. I slept until 8:45 and about lunchtime we went to Royal Vista for our annual update from Wyndham. It was much more interesting the way they did it today. It was in a group setting for the first time ever. Then our rep came to our table. We'd had him a couple of years ago and I'm sure he wrote in his notes that we weren't interested in buying, so he passed us off to a supervisor, who answered many of our questions.
This afternoon we went grocery shopping, went to Beall's Outlet for some shirts for Dave. Then we went to watch the blimp. It had evidently just come in and they were parking it. We loved the fact that it was being guided by a John Deere tractor!
Back in the hangar until the next trip!
More later...
Sunday, December 1, 2013
Wet Sunday
We're in sunny South Florida, right? Where's the sun? It rained and rained here today. When we went to church it was starting to mist a little and when we finished lunch at Bru's it started pouring. We took Dad & Roberta out to Alligator Alley and it quit raining just as we got there. It poured on us before that - I mean it was raining cats & dogs! We were proud of the people on the road. Everyone was driving sensibly in that part of I95 and I595. After we dropped them off and we headed back to Jami's, we saw two 1-car wrecks. We're pretty sure they hydroplaned and hit the barrier wall. Dad called and told us they were in the sun - lucky them! When we got back to Jami's it started pouring again. Their pool was level full! I bet we had 2" of rain at least.
Even though it was a wash out, we enjoyed the day. Church was good, lunch was good, and we all got home safely. Plus, Jami & Dave got several more things done on Jami's daddy-do list. Tom started with the Christmas decorations and the kids made a gingerbread house! Fun times!
More later...
Even though it was a wash out, we enjoyed the day. Church was good, lunch was good, and we all got home safely. Plus, Jami & Dave got several more things done on Jami's daddy-do list. Tom started with the Christmas decorations and the kids made a gingerbread house! Fun times!
More later...
Saturday, November 30, 2013
Woohoo!
I finally have computer access in the evening!! We've been hanging out with Jami and her family, Bryan & Erin, Dad & Roberta, as well as Tom's mom. It's been a hectic couple of days. Bryan, Dave & Jami have been busy doing Jami's "daddy-do" list. I think there's only a few things left on her list. Bryan & Erin fly home tonight, so Dave & Jami will have to work by themselves tomorrow afternoon.
I got to watch my Cyclone football team tonight, but Dave was starting to get congested from the dogs, so I said let's go home...the score was 21-38 (we were behind). By the time we got back to our condo and I turned on my Facebook page, I saw that we were in OT. My gosh...I can't believe it. So I asked Dave to see if we could possibly get the game here in the condo and we found it. So we got to watch us win in the 3rd OT!! That ending was awesome...the rest not so good. Go Cyclones!
Tomorrow we'll go to church and then meet up with the family at Bru's Room (sorry Sudi & Howard - wish you were here!)
More later...
I got to watch my Cyclone football team tonight, but Dave was starting to get congested from the dogs, so I said let's go home...the score was 21-38 (we were behind). By the time we got back to our condo and I turned on my Facebook page, I saw that we were in OT. My gosh...I can't believe it. So I asked Dave to see if we could possibly get the game here in the condo and we found it. So we got to watch us win in the 3rd OT!! That ending was awesome...the rest not so good. Go Cyclones!
Tomorrow we'll go to church and then meet up with the family at Bru's Room (sorry Sudi & Howard - wish you were here!)
More later...
Wednesday, November 27, 2013
Pre-Thanksgiving
It is cold here tonight! It's only 53! I'm glad we're heading further south tomorrow! Ooops, I guess cold is relative - it's 22 in O-town right now! Now I don't feel so bad.
We had our weekly coffee this morning. Then tonight we played 7s. My team got clobbered!! I guess it was our turn to lose.
I finished the phone directory for The Ranch today. That's a big thing to have off my plate! Now it can get printed and I can wait for people to tell me my information is wrong! :)
More later...
We had our weekly coffee this morning. Then tonight we played 7s. My team got clobbered!! I guess it was our turn to lose.
I finished the phone directory for The Ranch today. That's a big thing to have off my plate! Now it can get printed and I can wait for people to tell me my information is wrong! :)
More later...
Tuesday, November 26, 2013
Successful day!
It was a pretty successful day all around. First off, bowling was pretty darn good for both of us! I had a 137, a 152, and a 142. Dave had a 126, a 116, and a 151. The 151 was Dave's best ever he thinks! Not only that, we had a good day at cards! We play both poker and cribbage each line of bowling. Dave won $11+ in cribbage and I won $9.75 in both cribbage and poker! Not a bad day at the bowling alley!
Lunch was at Village Inn - must have been 20 of us at lunch!
This evening I actually got to say bingo. Unfortunately 3 others said it at the same time, so I only won $3. I was close many other times, but just no luck!
It's raining tonight and we're under a tornado watch. I sure hope that doesn't happen!
More later...
Lunch was at Village Inn - must have been 20 of us at lunch!
This evening I actually got to say bingo. Unfortunately 3 others said it at the same time, so I only won $3. I was close many other times, but just no luck!
It's raining tonight and we're under a tornado watch. I sure hope that doesn't happen!
More later...
Monday, November 25, 2013
Monday
Wahoo! I feel so much better!! It took until noon, but I finally feel like staying out of the bathroom!! I even went on a bike ride before cards tonight AND, as you can tell, I even played cards!! I also won at cards!! Oh, and I also ate some food today! So I guess it was a successful day!!
Dave had to go to Sarasota by himself today because I was still having issues this morning!
More later...
Dave had to go to Sarasota by himself today because I was still having issues this morning!
More later...
Sunday, November 24, 2013
Sunday
It was a cool day today - not nearly as nice as most of our days are! When we went to church it was pretty nice. After church we picked up Sudi & Howard and went to Sanding Ovations 2013 in Treasure Island. The sand sculptures were again wonderful, although I thought they were a little "out there" this year. Sometimes you really had to wonder what the sculptor meant with his creation and with what he named it. For instance, this one was called Ascension...
What is ascending? I loved the sculpture, but I didn't understand the title.
This one was the winner - it was fascinating, but I wonder what made him think of this concept.
Yes, this man is buried in the sand!
This next one is called What Now? These little "people" walk up the spiral and get to the top edge...what now?
This won the sculptors' award - it was wonderful. Enlarge this last photo and look at the itty bitty people clear down in the spiral. Clever!
It was a good day for viewing the sculptures - it wasn't so hot that you melted!
I am not feeling well today. I got up at 3:00 this morning with a very bad intestinal problem (if you know what I mean!) I finally was able to go back to bed at 6:00, but I've had my problem all day! I'm a little tired of it, but at least I'm functioning. I didn't eat much at lunch and I've only had a few crackers tonight. I hope I feel better tomorrow.
More later...
What is ascending? I loved the sculpture, but I didn't understand the title.
This one was the winner - it was fascinating, but I wonder what made him think of this concept.
Yes, this man is buried in the sand!
This next one is called What Now? These little "people" walk up the spiral and get to the top edge...what now?
This won the sculptors' award - it was wonderful. Enlarge this last photo and look at the itty bitty people clear down in the spiral. Clever!
It was a good day for viewing the sculptures - it wasn't so hot that you melted!
I am not feeling well today. I got up at 3:00 this morning with a very bad intestinal problem (if you know what I mean!) I finally was able to go back to bed at 6:00, but I've had my problem all day! I'm a little tired of it, but at least I'm functioning. I didn't eat much at lunch and I've only had a few crackers tonight. I hope I feel better tomorrow.
More later...
Saturday, November 23, 2013
Saturday
Dave and I spent the day together today...he's usually working, so we don't do that often. We went shopping this morning. Went to CVS and to BB&B. Then we stopped at Subway to get us a sub. This evening we went to Marv & Betty's for a fish fry. The guys who were on the fishing trip got together. All of us brought side dishes and Marv and the guys fried the fish. The Grouper was especially good. We also had grunt and mackerel. I didn't try either of those, but someone else said the mackerel was the best. It was a fun evening with fun people and good food!
We got home in time to find the ISU-Kansas ballgame on TV. Dave went to bed, but I'm watching my boys. Sure glad I'm not there. It's 3 degrees at the stadium and it's 70 here! Where would you rather be? Let's win this one, Cyclones!
More later...
We got home in time to find the ISU-Kansas ballgame on TV. Dave went to bed, but I'm watching my boys. Sure glad I'm not there. It's 3 degrees at the stadium and it's 70 here! Where would you rather be? Let's win this one, Cyclones!
More later...
Friday, November 22, 2013
Beautiful Friday
What a beautiful day. We went to the Legion with Sue & Penny. They had not been there before and the dolphins put on quite a show for them. We saw over 100 dolphins - some large, some small. None were very close, but they were constantly on the move today. Must have been a good feeding day for them! The beauty was wonderful! The food was good, too!
We came back home and I took a nap while Dave raked behind our mobile home. Then I went to play cards while he was socializing! When I got home from cards (where I was a loser), Dave stirred while I put together my grape salad for tomorrow's fish dinner. The six guys who went on the fishing trip get to eat all of the fish...and spouses, of course. Oh goody!! You know I don't like fish much, but I'm sure I'll get enough to eat anyway.
More later...
We came back home and I took a nap while Dave raked behind our mobile home. Then I went to play cards while he was socializing! When I got home from cards (where I was a loser), Dave stirred while I put together my grape salad for tomorrow's fish dinner. The six guys who went on the fishing trip get to eat all of the fish...and spouses, of course. Oh goody!! You know I don't like fish much, but I'm sure I'll get enough to eat anyway.
More later...
Thursday, November 21, 2013
Sad Day
We found out this morning that one of our fellow Ranchers was killed in a car accident yesterday afternoon over by Home Depot. Howard & Barb had gone out to get a fan for their mobile home and were t-boned turning into the store. Howard was killed and Barb has numerous injuries including spleen damage, possible head trauma, broken ribs, broken leg just to name a few. They are from Indiana. RIP Howard - we'll miss you around the park. Barb, hurry up and get better so we can love you back to health. Barb lived real near Dave's family when he was growing up and her son was in school the same time as Dave.
We had to go to Walmart, so we went to 5 Guys first! That was the first time we'd been there this season. Boy was it good! After we got home, Dave power washed the carport and the front porch as well as our car. Then we took 2 laps around the park on our bikes! Tonight we've just hung out! Felt good!
More later...
We had to go to Walmart, so we went to 5 Guys first! That was the first time we'd been there this season. Boy was it good! After we got home, Dave power washed the carport and the front porch as well as our car. Then we took 2 laps around the park on our bikes! Tonight we've just hung out! Felt good!
More later...
Wednesday, November 20, 2013
Wednesday
We had a great day here today. Dave and 5 other guys went deep sea fishing. They had a great day. The notch for one of the fish they were catching was 20". They threw away over 100 fish, most of which were from 19.5 to 19 7/8" long! Needless to say, they were excited and tired when they got home. They were about 22 miles out in the golf off of Madeira Beach.
They were catching 3 different kinds of grouper, but the long thin fish is a mackerel. Good job, guys!
In the meantime, back at The Ranch...we were shuffling this afternoon. I got beat both games today. Ann beat me the first game. She put me in the kitchen 3 times! The last time, we were tied in the last frame. I couldn't do anything to beat her unfortunately. I had some good shots today, but the kitchen did me in. Marv put me in the kitchen 3 times, too. No wonder I don't cook...I don't like being in the kitchen! (For those of you who don't shuffle, being in the kitchen is -10 points!) You can go from a positive score to a negative one pretty quickly!
Tonight we played cards - I'm a winner again! There were 14 of us tonight...one table of 6 and 2 tables of 4. It was fun and a little raucous!
More later...
They were catching 3 different kinds of grouper, but the long thin fish is a mackerel. Good job, guys!
In the meantime, back at The Ranch...we were shuffling this afternoon. I got beat both games today. Ann beat me the first game. She put me in the kitchen 3 times! The last time, we were tied in the last frame. I couldn't do anything to beat her unfortunately. I had some good shots today, but the kitchen did me in. Marv put me in the kitchen 3 times, too. No wonder I don't cook...I don't like being in the kitchen! (For those of you who don't shuffle, being in the kitchen is -10 points!) You can go from a positive score to a negative one pretty quickly!
Tonight we played cards - I'm a winner again! There were 14 of us tonight...one table of 6 and 2 tables of 4. It was fun and a little raucous!
More later...
Tuesday, November 19, 2013
Winner!
I finally won at bingo! I didn't win enough to get me out of the hole, but at least I got to say "bingo"...in fact, I got to say it twice.
We won't talk about bowling! It was absolutely awful today. I couldn't do anything!!
Tomorrow Dave's going deep sea fishing - hope he catches a BIG fish or two! Everything is in season now, so they can catch to their heart's content!
More later...
We won't talk about bowling! It was absolutely awful today. I couldn't do anything!!
Tomorrow Dave's going deep sea fishing - hope he catches a BIG fish or two! Everything is in season now, so they can catch to their heart's content!
More later...
Monday, November 18, 2013
Monday
We went to Sarasota this morning again. Dave and his dad went fishing again...whiting are really biting and Maury says it's way too early for whiting. They caught 14 today - unfortunately a blue heron got the biggest one!
The front left fish is a flounder and the second left fish is a grunt...the rest are whitings!
Roberta and I went to the beach to meet the guys for lunch. We took sandwiches from Jimmy Johns and these two little guys wanted a bite of our sandwiches! Dave finally started shaking his fishing pole like a whip to shoo them a way! Maybe they didn't want our sandwiches as much as they wanted the fish!
The fish are in the white bucket in the foreground!
We had a great day in spite of the fact that I had a splitting headache. I didn't even go play cards tonight...my head hurt too much. So I stayed home and watched DWTS - Max was on as a judge! I miss him on the show!!
More later...
The front left fish is a flounder and the second left fish is a grunt...the rest are whitings!
Roberta and I went to the beach to meet the guys for lunch. We took sandwiches from Jimmy Johns and these two little guys wanted a bite of our sandwiches! Dave finally started shaking his fishing pole like a whip to shoo them a way! Maybe they didn't want our sandwiches as much as they wanted the fish!
The fish are in the white bucket in the foreground!
We had a great day in spite of the fact that I had a splitting headache. I didn't even go play cards tonight...my head hurt too much. So I stayed home and watched DWTS - Max was on as a judge! I miss him on the show!!
More later...
Sunday, November 17, 2013
Gorgeous Day
We didn't make it to church this morning. Our stool started leaking so Dave ran to Home Depot for parts and came home to fix it. It wasn't a big fix - the rubber between the tank and the base was worn on one side and needed replaced. I'm sure glad he knew what he was doing! He then went down to 441 and finished up down there. Then we went to the Legion for lunch since the sun was shining! It was beautiful sitting out on the water! No dolphin sightings today, though.
We came home and I watched the race while Dave went to Heckarts to help Bob. When the race was over, I flipped to ESPN2 to watch the 2nd half of the Michigan-ISU basketball game. Whewee - that was a barn burner! Hilton was rocking!
More later...
We came home and I watched the race while Dave went to Heckarts to help Bob. When the race was over, I flipped to ESPN2 to watch the 2nd half of the Michigan-ISU basketball game. Whewee - that was a barn burner! Hilton was rocking!
More later...
Saturday, November 16, 2013
Gray day again
The sun came out for about 3 minutes today...I wonder if the people from St Petersburg who say that St Pete averages 361 sunny days a year would count today as a sunny day? I wouldn't!! I'm tired of gray - it's been this way now for 2 days...I need the sunshine!!
We had a good day, though. Dave went to 441 to clean up his stuff. I went down and helped him. I also put up curtains and uncovered furniture. Jim & Nancy came over so they helped, too. I think Dave's got a bit more cleaning up to do and he missed one 7" piece of trim, so he's got to paint it and put it down and then he's completely done!! Until the next project - the back bedroom is the only room that hasn't been painted and it looks mighty drab now!
At 2:00 a bunch of us went to the clubhouse for a surprise 65th birthday party for Donna, one of our Canadian friends. She was totally surprised! I counted at one time 44 people. Good party! So, we had breakfast at the clubhouse and mid-day snacks, cake & ice cream...no cooking today!
More later...
We had a good day, though. Dave went to 441 to clean up his stuff. I went down and helped him. I also put up curtains and uncovered furniture. Jim & Nancy came over so they helped, too. I think Dave's got a bit more cleaning up to do and he missed one 7" piece of trim, so he's got to paint it and put it down and then he's completely done!! Until the next project - the back bedroom is the only room that hasn't been painted and it looks mighty drab now!
At 2:00 a bunch of us went to the clubhouse for a surprise 65th birthday party for Donna, one of our Canadian friends. She was totally surprised! I counted at one time 44 people. Good party! So, we had breakfast at the clubhouse and mid-day snacks, cake & ice cream...no cooking today!
More later...
Friday, November 15, 2013
Pumpkin
I've got to get this written because at 10:00 Dave turns into a pumpkin and wants to go to bed! It's funny because he says this every night and if it's after 10 he says he turned into a pumpkin 10 minutes ago or however minutes it is past 10!! He's so predictable!! I'm tired tonight, so I don't mind going to bed at 10!!
Today was a drizzly day, so I didn't even get my bike ridden! Connie came over and we worked on the phone directory for about 2 hours. I've got to figure out how to get this formatted so that it'll print on 8 1/2 x 11 paper - 2 pages to each sheet. I formatted it to fit on 8 1/2 x 14 paper...ugh. I'm not sure how to do this to get it to where we can read it. I'm afraid the print will be too small!
I played cards tonight while Dave painted at 441. He's finally done painting, but now he's got to get all of his tools out of there and move things back where they belong. I'll help him with this. He also worked at Heckarts this morning - they've got the floor done except for the lanai. I think they'll start it next week. The guys are ready to retire from putting down flooring...it's getting too hard for them to get up and down as many times as they need to. As for cards, I'm a winner again! Maryetta and I cleaned up tonight!!
More later...
Today was a drizzly day, so I didn't even get my bike ridden! Connie came over and we worked on the phone directory for about 2 hours. I've got to figure out how to get this formatted so that it'll print on 8 1/2 x 11 paper - 2 pages to each sheet. I formatted it to fit on 8 1/2 x 14 paper...ugh. I'm not sure how to do this to get it to where we can read it. I'm afraid the print will be too small!
I played cards tonight while Dave painted at 441. He's finally done painting, but now he's got to get all of his tools out of there and move things back where they belong. I'll help him with this. He also worked at Heckarts this morning - they've got the floor done except for the lanai. I think they'll start it next week. The guys are ready to retire from putting down flooring...it's getting too hard for them to get up and down as many times as they need to. As for cards, I'm a winner again! Maryetta and I cleaned up tonight!!
More later...
Thursday, November 14, 2013
Free Day
Thursdays are free days for us, normally. I didn't have anything I had to do today until 4:00. We had a kickoff wine & cheese party at the clubhouse. This is the "official" beginning of the winter season, as most of us snowbirds are back and ready to do things. We had lots of people there - the cheese balls were wonderful. Marv made his famous cheese log and the wine was flowing. I had a partial glass of the sangria and loved it. Unfortunately it was really, really loud in the clubhouse and I got a bit of a headache. So we left early, but several others did too.
Dave worked with the guys today, trying to get Heckarts' flooring in. They'll work tomorrow morning again and hopefully get done so we can go to the Legion for lunch.
More later...
Dave worked with the guys today, trying to get Heckarts' flooring in. They'll work tomorrow morning again and hopefully get done so we can go to the Legion for lunch.
More later...
Wednesday, November 13, 2013
Cold Day
It is sure cold here today. We only got to 63 degrees with a very brisk wind out of the north! Today we had coffee and then a FMO meeting at the clubhouse. After the meeting, we started our fun shuffleboard. I was fine in the first game, but the second and third games this afternoon got a little colder, even though the temperature was higher! I shuffled pretty well. I got beat my first game, but I had some good shots. Then I won the second game. Hope it's a little warmer next week when we shuffle again!
Dave painted at 441 and went to help Bob, Gary, and Ron put down flooring in Barb & Gary's mobile home. It is really going to be pretty!
More later...
Dave painted at 441 and went to help Bob, Gary, and Ron put down flooring in Barb & Gary's mobile home. It is really going to be pretty!
More later...
Tuesday, November 12, 2013
B&B
I bowled pretty well today...at least for the first two games! I had a 150, a 153, and then a 106. By the 3rd game my back and my elbow were hurting pretty badly. For some reason I was throwing the ball all wrong in the 3rd game, thus the pains! Bingo was same old, same old - I couldn't win if I tried. I was waiting for one number for all but 3 of the games...but just didn't have any luck! I may retire my daubers - it's not much fun when you never win!
We're supposed to have a cold front move thru tomorrow - high of only 69 with brisk winds. That's not very cold in my mind!
More later...
We're supposed to have a cold front move thru tomorrow - high of only 69 with brisk winds. That's not very cold in my mind!
More later...
Monday, November 11, 2013
Monday
We went to Sarasota very early this morning. Dave and Maury wanted to get a jump start on the fish they were going to catch. They had a pretty good day - they brought home 7 fish, some whitings included and it's early for them. So they were happy. Roberta and I went to Bealls and Bealls Outlet, so we were happy. Unfortunately we ran out of time. There were still other stores we wanted to hit!
Tonight I played cards...and I won again! We had to come from behind, but we sneaked ahead in the 3rd hand and then we won the 4th hand big!! There were 12 of us tonight!
More later...
Tonight I played cards...and I won again! We had to come from behind, but we sneaked ahead in the 3rd hand and then we won the 4th hand big!! There were 12 of us tonight!
More later...
Sunday, November 10, 2013
Busy Sunday
We had another beautiful day here. Mid 80's and abundant sunshine. We went to church this morning and then home for a quick lunch before Dave went to 441 to paint some more. When he came home, we went for a bike ride and we took another one right before dark. I got some paperwork taken care of, plus I installed our new printer on my computer and Dave got it installed on his. I also got Roberta's tablet working so I can take it back to her tomorrow.
Tomorrow we're going to Sarasota early so Dave and his Dad can go fishing. I don't know what Roberta and I will do...we may end up shopping.
More later...
Tomorrow we're going to Sarasota early so Dave and his Dad can go fishing. I don't know what Roberta and I will do...we may end up shopping.
More later...
Saturday, November 9, 2013
Beautiful Saturday!
It was a beautiful day here. Dave worked at 441 this morning and then around noon, we took off for the beach. I had packed a lunch and we took our chairs. We went to the Sunshine Skyway Bridge rest area and then turned back north under the highway. We parked among the kiteboarders on the beach and arrived just in time to see them land their kites for a while - there just wasn't enough wind. So we ate our lunch and waited. The wind came up again and we had a wonderful afternoon enjoying the sun, the water, and those talented people "flying" their kiteboards!
This young man is originally from Britt, Iowa (the Hobo Capital of the World). He was fun to watch and fun to talk to...he wasn't too bad to look at either!
We came home, took a bike ride, rested for a bit and then it was suppertime.
More later...
This young man is originally from Britt, Iowa (the Hobo Capital of the World). He was fun to watch and fun to talk to...he wasn't too bad to look at either!
These kits are really bit. This one is 13 meters, which would be over 40 feet. We saw one that was 18 meters - it was huge!
This guy is from Czech Republic and is a bit of a daredevil. He said he preferred skydiving, but he'd had a bit of an accident recently - hit the ground a little too hard. So when it's too windy, he kiteboards! He was also fun to watch!We came home, took a bike ride, rested for a bit and then it was suppertime.
More later...
Friday, November 8, 2013
Legion Day
I'm not sure, but I think the American Legion in Madeira Beach would close if all of the HR people stayed away! Today there were at least 27 of us there! That's a lot of $$ they would lose if we ever decide to boycott them. It took a long time today, but finally the dolphins showed up. Once they started coming back up-river, there were bunches of sightings! It was really hot there today and now it's wonderfully cool! We can leave the a/c off tonight!
Tonight at cards, Doreen and I won big time! Yay! I'm a winner again!
I went to Sweet Bay today. I'd never been in one of them. What a nice market! Things were much cheaper there than at Publix; i.e., Oreos at Publix were $4.17 and at SB they were $2.99. Almonds at Publix were over $8 for a bag, but at SB they were $6.99. Those two items were big savings. I will probably switch supermarkets!
More later...
Tonight at cards, Doreen and I won big time! Yay! I'm a winner again!
I went to Sweet Bay today. I'd never been in one of them. What a nice market! Things were much cheaper there than at Publix; i.e., Oreos at Publix were $4.17 and at SB they were $2.99. Almonds at Publix were over $8 for a bag, but at SB they were $6.99. Those two items were big savings. I will probably switch supermarkets!
More later...
Thursday, November 7, 2013
Free Day
We had a free day today. By that, I mean no cards, no activities, just whatever we wanted to do. So, Dave worked at 441 painting AND he worked at 104 under the trailer, using spray foam. He had so much foam on him when he got home, I had to scrub his back and arms with WD40 trying to get it off. He finally used something else on his hands! I, on the other hand, went to have a pedicure. My toes are so pretty!
This evening we went to Post Corner with Bob, Ann, Gary, Barb, Ron, and Marcia. Today is Ann's birthday, so we celebrated with pizza. Unfortunately Dave dropped a piece in his lap and got grease and tomato stains all over his shorts and shirt. His clothes are currently on the kitchen counter with flour on them, hoping the flour will soak up the grease. Tomorrow I'll put some Resolve on the stains and wash them. The sunset tonight was gorgeous, but I had the wide angle lens on my camera instead of the zoom, so I didn't get a good picture.
Tomorrow is Legion day! Sure hope it's a nice sunny day!
More later...
This evening we went to Post Corner with Bob, Ann, Gary, Barb, Ron, and Marcia. Today is Ann's birthday, so we celebrated with pizza. Unfortunately Dave dropped a piece in his lap and got grease and tomato stains all over his shorts and shirt. His clothes are currently on the kitchen counter with flour on them, hoping the flour will soak up the grease. Tomorrow I'll put some Resolve on the stains and wash them. The sunset tonight was gorgeous, but I had the wide angle lens on my camera instead of the zoom, so I didn't get a good picture.
Tomorrow is Legion day! Sure hope it's a nice sunny day!
More later...
Wednesday, November 6, 2013
Hot, Humid is back!
It sure got hot here today...and humid. We still don't have the a/c on, but I'm wondering if we should. Hopefully, it'll cool down a bit tonight and I'll feel better about having windows open! This afternoon, we went to the pool to cool off! It was very refreshing!
I took the car today and went shopping. I'm still trying to find plain corn puffs so I can make caramel corn puffs. I need to still try Sweet Bay - maybe I'll do that tomorrow.
I won at cards tonight. Ann, Connie and I beat Sandy, Pat, and Coreen! Good job, ladies!!
More later...
I took the car today and went shopping. I'm still trying to find plain corn puffs so I can make caramel corn puffs. I need to still try Sweet Bay - maybe I'll do that tomorrow.
I won at cards tonight. Ann, Connie and I beat Sandy, Pat, and Coreen! Good job, ladies!!
More later...
Tuesday, November 5, 2013
Nice day!
This was a busy, busy day. We bowled for the first time this season. You have no idea how many muscles you use bowling until you're 65 years old and bowl for the first time in 6 months or so. I hurt in my back, my buns, my shoulder, my elbow, and my toes! I didn't bowl so well the first game or the last game, but I had over 100 all 3 games at least! My middle game was a 138. Dave did very well both his first and second games, then fell apart in his 3rd game! We had fun and that's the name of the game!
After bowling, we took off for Sarasota to see Dave's sis & BIL before they leave for Indiana tomorrow. We sat by the pool - it was a lovely day for that! We got home in time for a short nap before bingo...I'm still a loser! I only needed 1 number for the $104 pot, but do you think they'd call my number? Nope, someone else won :(!
More later...
After bowling, we took off for Sarasota to see Dave's sis & BIL before they leave for Indiana tomorrow. We sat by the pool - it was a lovely day for that! We got home in time for a short nap before bingo...I'm still a loser! I only needed 1 number for the $104 pot, but do you think they'd call my number? Nope, someone else won :(!
More later...
Monday, November 4, 2013
Marvelous Monday
Although the sun didn't shine a whole bunch today, it was still a lovely day! I cleaned the whole house today - vacuumed, ran the swiffer, and dusted. Plus, I even took the car and went to Target. I finally found the icicle lights with green wire, but I still haven't found the corn puffs! I'm not sure they exist in Florida! I've still got two more stores to look in, but no luck so far!
Tonight at 7s, Ann and I were partners and we WON!! Yay! Tomorrow is a busy, busy day. We bowl in the morning (for the first time this season) and then we head to Sarasota for an afternoon by the pool. Hopefully we'll be back for bingo tomorrow night, but if not the world will not end for me!
More later...
Tonight at 7s, Ann and I were partners and we WON!! Yay! Tomorrow is a busy, busy day. We bowl in the morning (for the first time this season) and then we head to Sarasota for an afternoon by the pool. Hopefully we'll be back for bingo tomorrow night, but if not the world will not end for me!
More later...
Sunday, November 3, 2013
Beautiful Sunday
I loved church this morning. Pastor Laura's message was that Jesus is a friend of sinners and part of the Bible reading was the story of Zacchaeus. She had us all sing the children's song about Zacchaeus, complete with actions! Fun!!
After church we went to Walmart for a few things and then just took it easy this afternoon. Tonight we had a movie in the clubhouse. We saw "Bird Cage" with Robin Williams and Nathan Lane. If you haven't seen it, you should! It's a hilarious movie!!
More later...
After church we went to Walmart for a few things and then just took it easy this afternoon. Tonight we had a movie in the clubhouse. We saw "Bird Cage" with Robin Williams and Nathan Lane. If you haven't seen it, you should! It's a hilarious movie!!
More later...
Saturday, November 2, 2013
Rainy Day
Ok, so this was one of the 4 days a year with no sunshine...no, I can't say that...the sun shone just for a little while this afternoon. There was also enough sunshine to get a beautiful double rainbow! Then it was back to gray and a sprinkle or two. We got sprinkled on while we were riding our bikes this evening! We had about 1 1/2 inches of much needed rain!
It was still nice enough to have the windows open and the a/c off! We also met Sudi & Howard at JD's for lunch and sat outside...in the covered deck. It was fun to see them again. After lunch we went to their house to see it. It is gorgeous and just a short walk away from the beach. I know they'll be happy there this winter!!
My poor Cyclones...I feel so badly for them.
More later...
It was still nice enough to have the windows open and the a/c off! We also met Sudi & Howard at JD's for lunch and sat outside...in the covered deck. It was fun to see them again. After lunch we went to their house to see it. It is gorgeous and just a short walk away from the beach. I know they'll be happy there this winter!!
My poor Cyclones...I feel so badly for them.
More later...
Yesterday
For some reason when I got home from playing cards last night, I just blew off posting my thoughts and actions for the day yesterday.
It was a beautiful day with plenty of sunshine. Bob, Ann, Barb, Gary, and I went to the Legion around noon after a brief stop at Hammerheads. We sat there for about 2.5 hours just soaking up the sun and the water! Dave went back to Bradenton to finish up the tile job (yay). When we got home from the Legion, it wasn't long until it was time to go play cards and Dave still wasn't home.
More later...
It was a beautiful day with plenty of sunshine. Bob, Ann, Barb, Gary, and I went to the Legion around noon after a brief stop at Hammerheads. We sat there for about 2.5 hours just soaking up the sun and the water! Dave went back to Bradenton to finish up the tile job (yay). When we got home from the Legion, it wasn't long until it was time to go play cards and Dave still wasn't home.
More later...
Thursday, October 31, 2013
Happy Halloween
Dave went to Bradenton this morning - Milt and he are putting in a new tile floor in their condo...the carpet had gotten wet from a leaky water heater and now they're replacing it with tile. He has to go again tomorrow because they didn't get done in one day. I stayed here and just enjoyed doing nothing.
Tonight we had our Halloween party here at the Ranch. I'll get some pictures uploaded tomorrow morning.
There were lots of great costumes this year! Hope the pictures are good!
More later...
Tonight we had our Halloween party here at the Ranch. I'll get some pictures uploaded tomorrow morning.
There were lots of great costumes this year! Hope the pictures are good!
More later...
Wednesday, October 30, 2013
Beautiful day!!
It was another gorgeous day in this beautiful place. We had coffee and donuts in the rec center this morning. It was good to have Bob/Ann/Barb/Gary with us. We heard about lots of upcoming activities - the first one was today! Fifteen of us ladies had a Red Hat outing to Bahama Breeze in Tampa. This is a beautiful restaurant right on the water only about 15 minutes from here. Fun time - pictures to come!
Tonight was 7s from Hell...and my partner and I were winners!! Yay!
Sudi & Howard started out today but they haven't been on facebook yet...I sure hope everything is okay with them.
More later...
Tonight was 7s from Hell...and my partner and I were winners!! Yay!
Sudi & Howard started out today but they haven't been on facebook yet...I sure hope everything is okay with them.
More later...
Tuesday, October 29, 2013
Loser, Loser
I sure wonder why I have such a hard time winning at bingo? I can get down to 1 number and someone else will bingo. Ann got to bingo twice tonight...not me...I just sit there while everyone else wins!
It's getting hot here again. It's still 78 outside at 10:00 and it's very humid! We turned the air on so that we'll sleep better. It's supposed to be around 90 the rest of the week with some showers this weekend. Our flowers need some water!!
More later...
Monday, October 28, 2013
Beautiful fall day!
It was such a beautiful day today! We did turn on the a/c for a bit, but that was because I had the oven going baking scalloped potatoes. We had Bob, Ann, Gary & Barb over for lunch so that they didn't have to cook today. Dave cooked brats, burgers, and pork chops on the grill while I made baked potatoes and squash. We had cookies for dessert. Good food and good company. We turned off the a/c this afternoon because it was so nice outside.
Tonight I played 7s. My partner and I lost on the last hand..we led for 3 hands, but just couldn't get it going on the last hand. Oh well, there's always Weds.
More later...
Tonight I played 7s. My partner and I lost on the last hand..we led for 3 hands, but just couldn't get it going on the last hand. Oh well, there's always Weds.
More later...
Sunday, October 27, 2013
They're here!
We went to Sarasota today to help Pat & Milt get Dad & Roberta's place ready for the winter. We worked so hard...all of us had sweat just running off of our faces! Pat & I had wet hair - just like we'd been in the shower...only it was sweat! The a/c was on, but we were working hard!! Most of the house is done now and Pat/Milt will finish what's left during their time here.
Bob & Ann and Gary & Barb got here this afternoon and got everything unloaded at least. They were on the road Sat at 5:00 AM and yesterday at 6:00 AM (or vice versa??) so I know they're pooped tonight. We had pizza with them this evening and then left them to do whatever they're going to do tonight. I'm sure we'll see them tomorrow!
More later...
Bob & Ann and Gary & Barb got here this afternoon and got everything unloaded at least. They were on the road Sat at 5:00 AM and yesterday at 6:00 AM (or vice versa??) so I know they're pooped tonight. We had pizza with them this evening and then left them to do whatever they're going to do tonight. I'm sure we'll see them tomorrow!
More later...
Saturday, October 26, 2013
Saturday
It was an almost perfect day today. Dave went to his Dad's to help them clean their park model and I got to stay here. I was able to watch my Cyclones...even though they got trounced, I still enjoyed the game! The weather was perfect - 81 with a wonderful breeze. Low humidity so the windows were open.
When Dave got back home, we rode our bikes and ate supper out in the lanai and then we tore into our lighted palm tree. I guess I should say our once-lighted palm tree! Most of the lights had stopped working, so we took all of them off and redid the trunk of the tree. We also got all of the lights off of the fronds. Now we just have to get a set of icicle lights with green wire for the fronds...I hope they make such a thing! It might have been better to just buy a whole new tree!
Tomorrow both of us are going to Sarasota to help Dave's family. Also, my brother should arrive sometime tomorrow afternoon and I'm hoping they want to go to Post Corner for pizza tomorrow evening!
More later...
When Dave got back home, we rode our bikes and ate supper out in the lanai and then we tore into our lighted palm tree. I guess I should say our once-lighted palm tree! Most of the lights had stopped working, so we took all of them off and redid the trunk of the tree. We also got all of the lights off of the fronds. Now we just have to get a set of icicle lights with green wire for the fronds...I hope they make such a thing! It might have been better to just buy a whole new tree!
Tomorrow both of us are going to Sarasota to help Dave's family. Also, my brother should arrive sometime tomorrow afternoon and I'm hoping they want to go to Post Corner for pizza tomorrow evening!
More later...
Friday, October 25, 2013
Friday
This was an absolutely perfect, beautiful day! It's still 70 degrees at 9:00 PM! I didn't sleep last night - I was still awake at 3:00 this morning! So after we went to the Legion for a while today, we came home and both of us took naps! I sure hope I can sleep tonight...I feel sleepy now, so hopefully!
Tomorrow Bob & Ann and Heckarts are to leave to come down here. It'll be good to have them here! Next week it's supposed to be in the 80's again!
Here we are at the Legion!
There were dolphins galore today. The first 3 that we saw were really jumping...waaayyy out of the water! It was fun to watch them. The others were just doing what dolphins normally do, but these 3 were showing off! Dave tried to get a picture of them jumping, but this is what he got:
Better luck next time, huh??
More later...
Tomorrow Bob & Ann and Heckarts are to leave to come down here. It'll be good to have them here! Next week it's supposed to be in the 80's again!
Here we are at the Legion!
There were dolphins galore today. The first 3 that we saw were really jumping...waaayyy out of the water! It was fun to watch them. The others were just doing what dolphins normally do, but these 3 were showing off! Dave tried to get a picture of them jumping, but this is what he got:
Better luck next time, huh??
More later...
Thursday, October 24, 2013
Thursday
It was only in the 50s when I got up this morning, and by 10:00 when it was time for water aerobics it was in the 60s. So, I didn't go. I really doubt that anyone did! We didn't do much today...just kind of sat around with the windows open, enjoying just doing nothing!
I made chicken salad for lunch and we were able to eat on the lanai. Then this afternoon, I baked chocolate chip cookies. For supper, we made beef & noodles over mashed potatoes. Did the dishes and just sat around tonight, too. We did get our bicycle ride in, though.
Here are a few pictures from this year! Here we are sitting at the American Legion enjoying the sunshine and water. Looks like Dave needs some more iced tea!
This is the view from our table at the Legion. A dolphin went by about 10' in front of the dock!
This is near the St Pete Pier...just watching the boats come and go.
My first bird picture of the year!
It's supposed to be back up in the 80s this weekend, so we'll get to go to Sarasota in the sun!
More later...
I made chicken salad for lunch and we were able to eat on the lanai. Then this afternoon, I baked chocolate chip cookies. For supper, we made beef & noodles over mashed potatoes. Did the dishes and just sat around tonight, too. We did get our bicycle ride in, though.
Here are a few pictures from this year! Here we are sitting at the American Legion enjoying the sunshine and water. Looks like Dave needs some more iced tea!
This is the view from our table at the Legion. A dolphin went by about 10' in front of the dock!
This is near the St Pete Pier...just watching the boats come and go.
My first bird picture of the year!
It's supposed to be back up in the 80s this weekend, so we'll get to go to Sarasota in the sun!
More later...
Wednesday, October 23, 2013
Wednesday
What a beautiful day today was! It was 78 with a nice breeze out of the north. We finally got to turn off the a/c and open up the house. We also opened up Bob & Ann's and Gary & Barb's - it sure makes a difference in them after they've been closed up all summer!
This morning we had our coffee and donuts. Then this afternoon we went grocery shopping and later we went to see if the alligator was at the Largo nature park. We didn't see him. All the wildlife we saw today was an ahinga. We also saw a dragonfly or two and a whole flock of wild parrots flew over while we were there! They are so noisy that you can't miss them!
Tonight I played 7s while Dave closed up the mobile homes. Tomorrow's an off day - no activities planned!
More later...
This morning we had our coffee and donuts. Then this afternoon we went grocery shopping and later we went to see if the alligator was at the Largo nature park. We didn't see him. All the wildlife we saw today was an ahinga. We also saw a dragonfly or two and a whole flock of wild parrots flew over while we were there! They are so noisy that you can't miss them!
Tonight I played 7s while Dave closed up the mobile homes. Tomorrow's an off day - no activities planned!
More later...
Tuesday, October 22, 2013
Tuesday
I had water aerobics again this morning. The water felt a little chilly at first, but it turned out to be quite nice! Dave and I went shopping after lunch. I bought some undies and Dave bought some shoes! It was a good day to go to Beall's - 15% off if you're over 50. They didn't even ask us to prove it - can you believe that?!!
This evening I went to bingo...I didn't win...I was close on several games, but didn't win, darnit! One lady won about 6 times and another won 3 games. I don't like being a loser!
Tonight it rained - supposed to be a cold front come through. I'm ready for it to be a little cooler. Since we've been here, you can melt just walking outside.
More later...
This evening I went to bingo...I didn't win...I was close on several games, but didn't win, darnit! One lady won about 6 times and another won 3 games. I don't like being a loser!
Tonight it rained - supposed to be a cold front come through. I'm ready for it to be a little cooler. Since we've been here, you can melt just walking outside.
More later...
Monday, October 21, 2013
Monday
I started my day off at the pool with water aerobics. There were only three of us today, so I was able to have sun for the whole hour. It was fun and really helps. Other than that, though, I didn't do much. I did take a little nap this afternoon and then took a bike ride with Dave.
Dave worked on spraying for weeds and bugs at all of our mobile homes (104, 208, 441 and ours!) He's also got to get started painting at 441 - I just don't know when. I'm already tired of him working at everyone's place! I may be forced to go shopping one of these days while he's off working on someone's MH.
Tonight I played 7s and lost again!
More later...
Dave worked on spraying for weeds and bugs at all of our mobile homes (104, 208, 441 and ours!) He's also got to get started painting at 441 - I just don't know when. I'm already tired of him working at everyone's place! I may be forced to go shopping one of these days while he's off working on someone's MH.
Tonight I played 7s and lost again!
More later...
Sunday, October 20, 2013
Super Sunday
It was another beautiful day in this "paradise". We are so fortunate to be able to spend time here. After church this morning, we came home, changed clothes and ate lunch. Then we were off to St Pete to see if the Pier is still there. It is, but you can't get out to it...it's all closed down. Such a shame...I guess they rejected the lens design and now it's just sitting there waiting for either a new design or repairs. Too bad they moved the small businesses out of there before they had all their ducks in order. There were lots of people milling about in the parks around The Pier. We sat for a while, but it was very hot, so we didn't stay long. I took some cool pix, but so far I haven't found my cord so I can't upload them to my computer until I find it.
This evening we went for a bike ride, did laundry, and just chilled!
More later...
This evening we went for a bike ride, did laundry, and just chilled!
More later...
Saturday, October 19, 2013
Beautiful Saturday!
I got up this morning, took my shower, and went out for my bike ride. Dave was cleaning out the gutters so I had to ride by myself. It was okay though - I got to say hello to several people I hadn't seen since we got here. After lunch and a short nap, we went to Walmart to get a couple of things we'd forgotten to get yesterday and then we took off for the Gulf. We hadn't been down there yet and it was beautiful this afternoon. There were lots of thunderheads in the sky with the sun peeking around corners! We decided to eat an early supper so went to the Post Corner for our first pizza since we'd been back. It is still as good as we remembered! It was a beautiful evening to sit out and eat! Interesting people at the beach today!
We got home, called Bright House because our box wasn't working properly and got it going with 1 minute to spare before the Baylor Bears slaughtered my Cyclones. I'm done watching it - the score's 64-0 with 5 minutes left...yuck! I guess Baylor met the betting line!
More later...
We got home, called Bright House because our box wasn't working properly and got it going with 1 minute to spare before the Baylor Bears slaughtered my Cyclones. I'm done watching it - the score's 64-0 with 5 minutes left...yuck! I guess Baylor met the betting line!
More later...
Friday, October 18, 2013
Beautiful - but hot!
It was hot down here today! My car registered over 90 degrees at 2:00 so I know it got hotter by 4:00! I just didn't check later. It's 79 now, but it's still very humid outside. We've had our a/c going ever since we got here!
I went to water aerobics this morning. Then Dave and I went to the American Legion for lunch. Several people from the park were there. A huge dolphin went swimming by - within 10 feet from the end of the pier! They said there were many, many dolphins last week. Tonight I went to play 7s from Hell and my partner and I won by about 9,000 points! It was fun!
More later...
I went to water aerobics this morning. Then Dave and I went to the American Legion for lunch. Several people from the park were there. A huge dolphin went swimming by - within 10 feet from the end of the pier! They said there were many, many dolphins last week. Tonight I went to play 7s from Hell and my partner and I won by about 9,000 points! It was fun!
More later...
Wednesday, October 16, 2013
Safe & Sound
We're here safe and sound! We left Clarksville, TN about 4:30 this morning and got here about 7:30. We stopped at Fat Cat and ate supper - sort of becoming a tradition. It's right on the way home! Then we stopped at the clubhouse and said hi to all of the ladies playing 7s from Hell. Then it was home to unpack, start the water, the electricity and the A/C.
It is humid down here - my hair got really, really curly in a short amount of time! It's so good to be here - tomorrow will be another hard day, washing cupboards and unpacking...but at least we're not in the car anymore!! 15 hour days are a little much!
More later...
It is humid down here - my hair got really, really curly in a short amount of time! It's so good to be here - tomorrow will be another hard day, washing cupboards and unpacking...but at least we're not in the car anymore!! 15 hour days are a little much!
More later...
Monday, October 14, 2013
Tomorrow?
As most of you now know, we didn't get to go on Sunday, or even today. Hopefully we'll leave in the morning. We have a sewer pipe that has roots in it and when RotoRooter came out to "snake" away the roots, the guy dropped part of the cap into the pipe. Then he fixed a magnetic contraption on the end of his snake and promptly dropped that into the pipe, too. Therefore we couldn't use water for fear the water going down the drain would push those two things further in. So a different RR guy came today. He also couldn't get the pieces out, so poor Dave rented a jackhammer and tore up the floor in one room in the basement. Then poor Dave had to dig out the mud and clay over the sewer pipe so the RR guy could cut into the pipe and retrieve those parts. The pipe is now draining...unfortunately it has a leak in it. which has been there a while (caused by the roots no doubt!). So, while it's dug out this is the time to fix it properly. The RR man assured Dave that it wouldn't hurt a thing to wait until Spring to do this, so we're leaving tomorrow with the basement a mess! When we get home in the Spring, poor Dave will have to rent the jackhammer and dig out some more floor and remove some shelves to the RR man can get to the "Y" in the sewer pipe and it'll be fixed once and for all...or until more roots break it another place and then we'll have to start over! This is going to be an expensive venture!
We're going to leave somewhere between 7 and 8 in the morning and just go until we want to stop. We're both tired so won't overdo it.
More later...
We're going to leave somewhere between 7 and 8 in the morning and just go until we want to stop. We're both tired so won't overdo it.
More later...
Saturday, October 12, 2013
Ready?
I think we're pretty much ready to go tomorrow. However, this evening our sewer appears to be plugged. Tomorrow Roto Rooter is coming out to run the snake in our line. Old houses! We've had to do this 3-4 times recently. It seems we have roots clogging the drain pipe. They route it out and then it works well for a while until the roots grow again! The joys of home ownership!
We had a good morning SU class. We only had 5 people attend, but it was fun. Everyone liked the cards and we actually got done on time! I didn't get the cards scanned and I'm not going to get them in before we leave.
Tonight we had game night at church. The table I was at played BuzzWord - lots of fun. Others played Spoon. We had a popcorn popper and delicious popcorn!! Fun time. Too bad there weren't more there!
More later...
We had a good morning SU class. We only had 5 people attend, but it was fun. Everyone liked the cards and we actually got done on time! I didn't get the cards scanned and I'm not going to get them in before we leave.
Tonight we had game night at church. The table I was at played BuzzWord - lots of fun. Others played Spoon. We had a popcorn popper and delicious popcorn!! Fun time. Too bad there weren't more there!
More later...
Friday, October 11, 2013
Friday Fun
I started my day at N HyVee where one of my sorority sisters and I asked shoppers to contribute to the Lord's Cupboard. We took in about 1 1/2 carts full of groceries and probably at least $200 in cash. I know that several people put in $20, so it may have been more than that. It was a good 2 hours spent helping others less fortunate. When I finished, I went to the chiropractor so that my back's in alignment before I go south.
This afternoon I got in a little nap and I finished up preparing for our card class tomorrow morning. Tonight we were invited over to our Pastor's home for dessert and conversation with both him and his wife, plus their guest (they have a B&B). We had so much in common with their guest who was from Wyoming, that the conversation never waned! It was a lovely evening sitting outside by their fireplace, eating an apple dessert with a wonderful sauce on it.
More later...
This afternoon I got in a little nap and I finished up preparing for our card class tomorrow morning. Tonight we were invited over to our Pastor's home for dessert and conversation with both him and his wife, plus their guest (they have a B&B). We had so much in common with their guest who was from Wyoming, that the conversation never waned! It was a lovely evening sitting outside by their fireplace, eating an apple dessert with a wonderful sauce on it.
More later...
Thursday, October 10, 2013
Beautiful Day!
It was another beautiful day here! I love 75 degree days! I had to deliver some Stampin' Up orders today, so while the cleaning lady was here I got that done. It was fun finding out that Bev S had my name for secret sister and I love my magnetic yard sign. We've decided to use it here in Iowa, but we're not going to put it out until when we get back in the Spring.
I also got a bunch of my stuff packed today AND I got two of my cards ready for Saturday morning's class! I've still got one more to do and I think I can get it done tomorrow afternoon!
This afternoon I ran to Libertyville to pick up one of Aunt Helen's paintings. I opened the sun roof and cranked the 50's tunes - it was a beautiful day for a drive!
More later...
I also got a bunch of my stuff packed today AND I got two of my cards ready for Saturday morning's class! I've still got one more to do and I think I can get it done tomorrow afternoon!
This afternoon I ran to Libertyville to pick up one of Aunt Helen's paintings. I opened the sun roof and cranked the 50's tunes - it was a beautiful day for a drive!
More later...
Wednesday, October 9, 2013
Wonderful Wednesday
Another beautiful fall day in SE Iowa...and even in Central Iowa! We got up really early and left for Ames at 7:30 AM. Got to Cindy & Joel's at 10:00 and had a wonderful time. They built a new house out in the country west of Gilbert about 5 years ago. It's a lovely home about 8/10 of a mile off of the County Line Road. They've got lots of room when their 3 kids are there with their families. Their flowers look far better than ours - the city deer are worse than the country deer! Cindy told me that a deer was up on their porce, though. She has a picture to prove it! They also have deer eat all of the bird seed, plus the raccoons help themselves to the bird seed, too! We stayed until mid-afternoon and then came home. Fun day! Love, love seeing them. They are the kind of friends where when you're together it's as if you've never been apart...you just start in talking right when you left off. I miss seeing them and I pray that Cindy continues living her miracle for a LONG time!
Dave packed the food stuff in the trunk this evening and said the trunk is already 3/4 full. Gee, I may have to buy new clothes when I get there!!
More later...
Dave packed the food stuff in the trunk this evening and said the trunk is already 3/4 full. Gee, I may have to buy new clothes when I get there!!
More later...
Tuesday, October 8, 2013
Tuesday?
This week is really going fast. We are trying to get everything done before we leave...but we keep getting interruptions, too. Today the furnace guy came to make sure our furnace was okay. Tomorrow is our trip up north. Thursday the cleaning lady comes. Saturday morning I have a card class that I haven't even started preparing for - eeeek!! That's scary!
I was able to get my secret sister's Christmas present today, plus I got stuff for the Christmas shoeboxes at church. I paid bills and got Quicken working on my laptop. I also went thru all my magazines and threw away all I'd already looked at and made a pile to take on our trip with us. I've still got lots to do, but I've made a big dent on my list!!
More later...
I was able to get my secret sister's Christmas present today, plus I got stuff for the Christmas shoeboxes at church. I paid bills and got Quicken working on my laptop. I also went thru all my magazines and threw away all I'd already looked at and made a pile to take on our trip with us. I've still got lots to do, but I've made a big dent on my list!!
More later...
Monday, October 7, 2013
Beautiful Day
I went to my last BRT for the summer this morning. I'm really going to miss this group. I have learned so much about Jesus and his short 3 years of teaching because of this group. We not only have our Pastor David, but we also have Pastor Jane in the group, too. Plus Mary and Fran are Bible scholars and very well versed in the Bible...it's extremely intimidating to be in their presence sometimes! The rest of us (about 6 of us) are just novices when it comes to the Bible, so it's really been fun for us! We almost got through with John 19 today, but not quite. I'm going to go ahead and read and study the rest of the book. Pastor Jane talked about Skyping me, so we'll see.
I got all of the utility companies called today - that's one of my special jobs. I've got the post office form filled out to give to my mailman tomorrow. Then I've got to start packing some paperwork, etc. Since we're not coming home for Christmas, I have to take all my receipts with me so I can get the tax papers together. I'm also in charge of setting timers on the lamps and changing addresses for prescriptions. Plus we're going to Ames to see Cindy on Wednesday and I've got a couple of church events this week and I am working for the Lord's Cupboard on Friday morning! Whew - I'm busy, busy, busy!!
More later...
I got all of the utility companies called today - that's one of my special jobs. I've got the post office form filled out to give to my mailman tomorrow. Then I've got to start packing some paperwork, etc. Since we're not coming home for Christmas, I have to take all my receipts with me so I can get the tax papers together. I'm also in charge of setting timers on the lamps and changing addresses for prescriptions. Plus we're going to Ames to see Cindy on Wednesday and I've got a couple of church events this week and I am working for the Lord's Cupboard on Friday morning! Whew - I'm busy, busy, busy!!
More later...
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Dave and I were shopping for a lot of the day today. We found the coffee table and end tables finally - just when we were ready to give up....
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It was another beautiful day in the neighborhood! Bob and Ann are all packed and will leave early in the morning.. They're heading bac...
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Took Dave in to see the eye doctor this morning. He said Dave's eye is on schedule. Thought he'd get better sight all day...and he...