We took our walk this morning on Sand Key. We walked on the beach - I walked in the water and Dave walked near me! That was a good way to walk. It was hot out, but the water cooled me down. We don't have many more days this season to walk on the beach and I will really miss it.
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I had to be at the clinic at 7:45 this morning for a mammogram. I actually got there a bit early, checked in, and sat down in the waiting room. The gal who does them, came out to talk to me. Seems the doctor shouldn't have ordered a bilateral mammogram...he should have just ordered the side I had my cancer in. Since it was so early, they couldn't get in touch with him to change the order. She said they would talk to Dr Jooma and get it worked out, then call me. I haven't heard from them and I got up way early so I'm a little grumpy about it!
Since I was up and going, we went for a walk. We went to both Eagle Lake and to Largo Nature Preserve. There are babies everywhere. We saw little green heron fledglings and moorhen babies and baby ducks everywhere!
We've had some hot, muggy days here. Today was another one, although we had a nice breeze today too. We ran errands today and got almost everything done. We went to church to deliver a card for Pastor Jack's retirement. Also stopped at the clinic to get Bob one of Dr Pandja's (sp?) business cards. One of our stops was at Lowe's because our door lock broke. While we were out, we used the rest of our gift card to JD's by having lunch there. Then we got our last orange/vanilla ice cream cone of the season.
This evening we said our good-byes to Gayle and John because they're leaving between 4:00 and 4:30 in the morning.
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Here are a couple of pictures from last night's sunset on Madeira Beach and our chance encounter with a shark.
Dave and I went up to the clubhouse this morning. There were 3-4 people already there, doing some more shopping. By mid-afternoon everything was boxed up ready to be taken to Amvets or Hospice. We've even got 7 of the tables cleaned and disinfected. They'll be able to play cards tonight and bingo tomorrow.
We took John & Gayle and went to the new Caddy's in Madeira Beach this evening. After dinner, we took our chairs out to the beach and watched the sunset. It was beautiful tonight. Then while we were there, we watched a guy who was fishing catch a shark!!! Now that's something you don't see every day Somebody said it was a shortfin mako shark, but I don't know if they truly knew or were only guessing. It was about 3 feet long and very sleek looking. After the family all got pictures with it, they released it and it swam away. Pretty eventful evening!
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Since it was Sunday, we did our usual church services online. Then we got ready for a late lunch at Tom & Karen's Legion. It's also a very nice place. Huge swimming pool and nice ourdoor seating. We all had a good time. We kept waiting for the rain, which never happened!
I finally posted a bunch of pictures on Facebook. I was able to get all through my April pictures. I have already edited the March pictures. Now I'll go backwards and work on February!
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We finally had an activity today. We had our annual Chinese Auction. We made around $200 on the auction and had a lot of fun doing it. We're all very tired tonight, though. We've still got lots of stuff left. We'll be taking it to the Amvets or Granny's Attic on Monday.
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I worked at the clubhouse again this morning. Everything is ready for tomorrow morning. I'll be glad when this is over!! Dave is working on his widows and orphans list of things to do. This afternoon, we both went to one lady's house to hang a mirror and a very heavy picture. Cross one off! Also, another lady wanted him to hang a couple of towel racks, but she texted him that they were on hold for now...cross off another one! He put RV antifreeze, etc. in sinks and toilets for another one...cross that one off! He also checked the level-ness (is that a word??) of another one...yay, Dave! He's still goot another job or two on his list. Hope he can get them done tomorrow while I'm working at the auction tomorrow.
We went to Largo Nature Preserve for our walk today. Saw a little alligator, probably about 2 1/2 feet long. That's the first young one we've seen there. We also saw both a black crowned night heron and a yellow crowned night heron. Of course, we did...we didn't take any cameras today!
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I wemt up to the clubhouse to help with setting up for Saturday's Chinese Auction. We have every table in the clubhouse full! Two years worth of stuff...plus we've already taken a bunch of excess stuff to Amvets. We'll work again tomorrow since the auction is Saturday.
I had to leave to take my heart monitor to the cardiologist. It was itching under the monitor so I was really glad to get it off. Unfortunately I have blisters where the monitor was...must have been something I was allergic to in the stuff that made it stick to my chest. The blisters are a lot smaller tonight, thank goodness.
Dave painted Bob & Ann's driveway so he got one of his projects done...he's got at least 6 more to do and time is getting short. We went to Taylor park to walk. We saw a couple of nice sized alligators. Then I had to go have a blood draw before I get my Prolia shot on Tuesday.
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I got up at 4:50 AM so I was able to say goodbye to Bob and Ann before they left this morning. Actually Dave got up a bit later and told them goodbye too. They didn't get away until about 5:30 but they made it to Dyersburg, TN tonight. They'll finish the trip tomorrow now...Lord willing.
Dave and I helped stage and sort things for the Chinese Auction on Saturday. I picked up some little yellow earth movers and dump trucks to put in the camper for the grandkids. They'll like them! This afternoon I had a board meeting.
We ended up taking our walk around 6:00 when it was cooler.
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We had another rainy, drizzly day here. It was a good day for doing things inside! Bob and Ann are all packed up ready to leave early in the morning! I didn't get to say goodbye to Ann - she was playing bingo and I was tired, so I'm already in bed!
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Rainy day!! I didn't think it was going to quit raining...it rained, sprinkled, drizzled, or misted much of the day. I had a doctor's appointment for an Echo test this morning. Again I walked up the steps rather than taking the elevator. By the time I got to the reception desk I was breathing pretty hard. I slipped my mask down a bit and got some fresh air so I felt better! The Echo was easy. Then I got my new heart monitor put on my chest. It shows in almost all of my shirts! I have to keep it on through Thursday morning, then I can take it off and return it to the clinic. Then I wait to hear from the doctor.
We finally walked late this afternoon. We quit early because it was starting to sprinkle heavier!
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We are home! We met Jami, Tom, Megan, and Danny at Lester''s Diner at 10:00 this morning. We all had breakfast and it tasted really, really good. I've been wanting to have breakfast at a restaurant for a long time. Lester's has one of the best breakfasts around! After breakfast, we headed for Clearwater. We listened to a book while we were in the car. When we got to I75 at exit 217 (Lakewood Ranch), we saw that 75 was pretty much at a standstill. What do you do when the interstate is blocked??? You go shopping - we went to Bealls. I was able to get some things I needed before we head for Iowa. Yay!
This evening, we were watching American Idol, but now they've broken in with a tornado warning! We won't know the outcome - grrr!
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We're in Ft Lauderdale with Jami and her family. It's so good to be with them again. We had a great drive over. We listened to The Wolf (an Alex Cross mystery) on Hoopla all the way over. It was a good thriller!! I have to find another one for our trip home tomorrow. Yesterday afternoon and evening, we just got caught up on changes they'd made to their home and what everyone was doing.
Today we got over there mid-morning and then Jami, Dave and I went for a drive sight-seeing. We drove down to the pretty beach across from the Elbo Room and then we drove down Millionaire's Mile in Hillsboro Beach. We had a great time and saw some beautiful homes. I didn't take a single photo of the beach - it was too full! Too many people!! We ate lunch (a piece of pizza and a Greek side salad) and Carlucci's in Pompano Beach. Dessert was ice cream from Razzleberry's. Delicious!! This afternoon we sat outside and took short naps. Then Danny fixed chicken breasts in the air pot...yummy!!
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We went to Sawgrass Lake Park for our walk today. We DID see an alligator and a wooly worm...and that's about all we saw. There are millions of spiders there, but I refuse to take pictures of them. It was hot and humid today. We're leaving in the morning for Pompano Beach to see Jami and her family. We're staying at Palm Aire this time...no ocean view...bummer!
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I had two doctor appointments today...one at 9:15 and one at 11:00. Both were late. Good thing I had my Kindle with me. I just sat in the corner and read!! My EKG was normal as was the last one. I go back Monday for an ultrasound of my heart. I hadn't been to see my regular doctor since 2017 so I spent quite a few minutes with her.
It was pretty hot here today. We didn't walk until after 7:00 PM. By then it was really, really nice out. We didn't go anywhere; we just walked the park. I walked several flights of steps at the Clinic. I feel like I got my exercise!
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Happy birthday, Dave!! He's 70!! Oh my gosh! He's had a good day. First of all it was beautiful here today. He went to Publix to pick up his birthday cake. When he drove in, there was a soft-shelled turtle trying to make his way across to the pond on the west side of Publix...but he was in the road and was going to get squished. So Dave picked him up and moved him to the pond! Yay, Dave!
After he got back, we went to JD's for lunch and I got us a table outside at least 6 feet away from everybody else. Our lunch was good, but the restaurant started to fill up before we left. We were glad to leave. Our walk today was at the Botanical Gardens. It's easy to walk 2 miles there. It was hot, but we enjoyed it anyway. I've got a bunch of pictures to work on again.
At 4:30 the nine of us who hang out together enjoyed birthday cake and ice cream and conversation. Lovely evening!
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It was sure beautiful here today. Dave had an appointment to have his C-Pap machine checked out. He has been fussing with his mask. He got a new one today so we'll see how he does with it.
We went to Largo Nature Preserve for our walk. We saw two alligators kind of close together! One was "king of the hill."
No walk today - it rained all day! Just when we thought we might sneak in a walk, the rain would start again. We've had 5+ inches in the last two days! I don't think we'll need to water plants tomorrow.
Since we couldn't walk, I worked on tax papers. Yuck! I've still got some stuff to figure out - like medical expenses, etc., but I'll get it done this week!
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Dave and I walked to the top of the Bellair bridge today. It was harder walking because the wind was blowing almost gale-force. Dave was sure his cap was going to blow off and I was sure WE were going to blow off! I had made the comment that I sure hoped there was a breeze blowing when we got there. It was blowing...hard!
Dave fished for a couple of hours. He caught two fish. The fish were just stealing his bait right and left. Since the wind was blowing so hard, he couldn't tell if he had a bite or if it was just the wind moving the waves. I read and enjoyed the beautiful scenery!
Today we went to the Legion to meet Sudi and Howard for lunch. We got there early enough to get a water-side table and saw a bunch of dolphins just as we were sitting down. That's 2 days in a row of seeing dolphins - fun!! We had a good lunch and good conversation before we left. It's so good to get together with "old" friends!
We stopped at a Beall's Outlet on our way home. I didn't find anything, but Dave got a pair of shorts and a shirt. I watched Allison play ball this afternoon. We didn't even go for our walk until 8:00. But at least we got it done!
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Our adventure today was to Sand Key where Dave fished. He caught two fish - a sheepshead and a cute little silver fish with a yellow tail. He had fun, which is the whole point of these adventures! I took my book and my camera and I was a happy camper!! So it was a win-win for both of us.
We had a gorgeous day here. We went to Boyd Hill Nature Park...we've been there before but we've not been there for several years. It was a great 2-mile walk. It was a little hot...and a snake slithered near me so it wasn't perfect. We bought new tennis shoes for walking and today was our trial run. We knew that Boyd Hill didn't have boardwalks, just shell/dirt/gravel paths. It was a good trial for our new shoes. My foot doesn't hurt so I would call it a successful trial. The only thing I didn't like about the shoes was that they were hot because I had to wear socks!
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We took John & Gayle to Pass-a-Grille today. We found a spot on the beach and set up our chairs. Gayle and I walked to the end of the beach and had a nice visit on one of the park benches there. After we walked back, we went to the Brass Monkey for lunch. We wanted to sit outside so we had to wait for a bit. We finally got our table and enjoyed sandwiches on the balcony. After lunch, we went back to the beach but a couple of spring-breaker couples had set up their canopy pretty close to us and none of us were very comfortable being that close to others so we didn't stay too long after our lunch. It was beautiful there today!
After visiting with Bob and Cousin Steve, we went fishing. Dave didn''t catch any fish, but we were visited by a couple of manatees who hung out around us for over an hour. That was pretty cool. We also talked with a family of Latinos from New Jersey who shared their squid bait with Dave. Then we visited with a black lady and her kids who were visiting Florida from Charleston, SC. They were so friendly!! It was a good time by the water.
After lunch, we went to LNP to do our walk. We saw an alligator and lots of baby ducks.
Now we're watching Idol. Wow!! These kids are awesome!
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Happy Easter!! I hope everyone had a fabulous day! It was beautiful here and it was beautiful at home, too!! In fact at one time it was 71 here and 80 in Waterloo. How about that!!
This morning, Dave and I did our 3 church services. Our Easter dinner was at PF Chang's at Countryside Mall. There were 9 of us - John & Gayle, Ron & Marsha, Bob & Ann, our cousin Steve, and Dave & me. We had our own private dining room so we felt pretty safe. Our waiter was very careful to always have his mask up when he came into our room. It was a nice outing!!
This evening, we talked to Jami and then go to say Happy Easter to Bryan, Erin and the kids. The family got haircuts - I think Grandma Jan gave them all haircuts. Aidan was so cute - his long curls are gone - he looks like a boy again! Plus, he had on a shirt and tie!! He couldn't wait to show us his new toy. Kaitlyn told us Happy Easter and showed us her new toy! Fun conversation tonight!
Right now, we're watching American Idol and I'm trying to vote. You get 10 votes for each of the first dozen singers...tomorrow night is the same thing. So far, I can't pick any of them who I think should go home...they are all fantastic!! I've given all but 3 all 10 of my votes!!
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Beautiful day here. After breakfast and getting ready for the day, I went to visit with our cousin who is staying with Bob and Ann. When Dave got ready, we went to Oldsmar on an adventure. We were both hungry for caramel corn, so we went to the flea market to see if we could get some. Can you believe, they had kettle corn but not caramel corn!! Bummer! Dave got a couple of hats and some socks. We also got a couple of ears of corn and some fresh strawberries so the trip wasn't a total bust!
When we got home, I got on the computer to watch Allison pitch the first game of a doubleheader softball game. Dave napped.
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It was in the 40s when we got up this morning. We decided the best thing to do on a cold day was to clean house. So we did laundry, vacuumed, dusted, and mopped the floors. Later in the day, we walked at Largo Nature Park, stopped at Verizon to see how to capture screenshots now that they updated our phones, stopped at the bank, and picked up groceries at Sam's...we also got gasoline at Sam's. We were busy little people today.
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It rained this morning and for that we are grateful! With it came a cold front, though. Tomorrow is only to be in the 60s. Today wasn't too bad. We went to Sawgrass to walk. Unfortunately we didn't get to see any alligators and only a few birds. It was just too windy.
This evening we "attended" Maundy Thursday service at 1st Presbyterian Church in Ottumwa.
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