Well Monday was not anything like a typical Florida morning. The skies were heavy overcast with a chill in the air that bordered on being cold and it stayed that way most of the day until late evening when we saw a few streaks of sunshine break through this heavy barrier of clouds that are typical for the Michiganders this time of the year. The reason I know is we still have family on Nancy's side that live in that part of the country that seldom sees the sun this time of the year, oh well. The change in the temperature was a welcome relief along with the rain that fell on Sunday was awesome, especially for my leafy green veggies in the garden. The a/c is finally off again and the windows and doors are closed due to the coolness in the air.
I started the morning much the usual around a little before 6, had a cup of hot green tea, a leftover buckwheat cake for breakfast after my quiet time and the posting of this ramble before heading out on my bike for the 10 minute ride to the rec. It was really dark outside and the traffic was very lite as I crossed the 4 lane for the complex; for just a moment I thought maybe I looked at the clock wrong before riding out. Anyhow I was at my usual arrival time around 7:30'ish and saw one other pickle ball player. We put up one net for pickle ball then 2 others arrived and we were in business for some 2 plus hours of play. Once again I had a wet shirt from the continuous play when we stopped at 10.
I stopped off to pick up and return a couple reads from the library on my way home from the rec. It was still quite wet and cool as no sunshine was available so I didn't need to water and it was too wet to work in the garden so I read. Nancy was on her walk through the 'hood and after she got back we waited for the arrival of Amy, GG, Ava and Sam for lunch. We had some leftover pasta fousle soup and ham salad GG made on fresh bakery rolls. Sam and I like fresh garden grown cilantro on our sandwiches and eventually the others tried it as well and did agree that added some extra piazzas to the flavor. After lunch the kiddos played awhile before Nancy had a doctor appointment for her consultation on an endoscopy and colonoscopy. She is still having heartburn, acid reflux and gas beyond what is normal so she will have the works done on both ends to determine what could be the problem(s).
She was gone for several hours as this doctor is in quite a demand for his expertise and luckily still takes our insurance plan that we still have at this time. I really feel for those Americans who were sold a less than honorable bill of sale on this Obamacare law that was passed by those who were loyal to this president in the congress. Health care especially as we age is one thing we hope we can decide for ourselves what is best and not some bureaucrat that is appointed and is exempt from the law. What's with that??? Oh well, I sure hope we make our voices heard when it comes time to vote these thugs out of control in the mid-term elections in November and send a message to those who make laws that pertain to only a few. What happened to our Constitution the founding fathers gave to us to prevent this from happening by an arrogant special group in the government??
We need to take back our country and prevent this from happening and to exercise the checks and balances between the 3 branches of the government. It's too big and out of control and we are seeing the terrible behavior that happens when one branch is too powerful. Pretty soon we will lose not only our health care choice but any choices on how we spend our money and live our life. Already we are being forced to accept behavior styles we fine unacceptable and slowly our freedom to worship is being eroded as well. What happened to protecting the weak, promoting strong family values, worshiping GOD, loving our country's values that made us a strong privileged nation; instead we are seeing just the opposite and it's happening more so with this administration in power and will continue with the appointing of federal judges that have this secular progressive philosophy without being properly vetted by a congress that has the majority in the senate. I sure hope we wake up before all is lost to us in the Constitution.
Well I've said my piece and entered my thoughts and being a student of history I can see where this president is leading us(USA) down the road of destruction. We no longer have allies who trust us and he was right about changing America but I'm afraid the change is not for the good of us but for the good of a few who want to retain power and do away with individual rights and choices. That really is what this is all about.
We will be starting a new year tomorrow and hopefully this country will tune into what is happening to us(USA). I'm about to have another grandchild as Amy is due any day according to her size while she is officially due around the 10th. Anyhow I fear for my grand kids especially as they will never get to know America as the bastion that once was the ideal of the world. What made us great, the liberty to choose, and the freedom's to seek a better way of life all because of rugged individualism. The market place gave all who were filled with ideas and hard work to shine but now we are filled with laws and taxes that rob all of any incentive to excel or produce the very best, LATER
Tuesday, December 31, 2013
Monday, December 30, 2013
Monday
Well Sunday turned out to be everything but a sunny day. The morning saw sprinkles and by the afternoon it rained in buckets at times. Did we ever need some of that rain and by late afternoon the temps dropped considerably. We turned the a/c off but never opened the windows. Nancy donned a sweat shirt while we ate supper.
We had Annsley and Gabe until nearly 2 PM as Bobby and Jill got a late start from their island getaway. Seems they had an interesting week end stuck on a sandbar at one time for a couple hours as well being housed in a beach shack that had an outdoor shower. Bobby said he felt the walls actually move in the wind it was that much of a shanty. We had a grand time with the kiddos as they both slept in until nearly 8. We fixed a large breakfast of cakes, eggs and ham and then they played together until lunch time. This was the 5th Sunday and there was no gathering at Element as that has become designated as house church Sunday. The kiddos had a great time and of course their dog Sugar was no problem at all. She is well mannered, quite smart and once in her cage for the night never made a peep.
After they headed out for Riverview I watched some really good football for the last regular season game all except for our hometown team which stunk up the T.V. Luckily there were other good close games on a different channel so that made up for the terrible play we had to watch by the Bucs. Looks like our second choice of teams the Panthers have a shot at the big game as they have a bye in the first round of the playoffs. We had skipped lunch due to the big breakfast so we ate some left over Christmas day dinner; sliced roast beef, mashed taters and gravy and canned peas. Yeow that was tasty as the day it was first prepared. The rain stopped just before dark and the skies cleared and it's supposed to be cooler for the rest of this year(2 days away) before the heat and humidity come back into the forecast. Well that's about it for this last Sunday of 2013, LATER
We had Annsley and Gabe until nearly 2 PM as Bobby and Jill got a late start from their island getaway. Seems they had an interesting week end stuck on a sandbar at one time for a couple hours as well being housed in a beach shack that had an outdoor shower. Bobby said he felt the walls actually move in the wind it was that much of a shanty. We had a grand time with the kiddos as they both slept in until nearly 8. We fixed a large breakfast of cakes, eggs and ham and then they played together until lunch time. This was the 5th Sunday and there was no gathering at Element as that has become designated as house church Sunday. The kiddos had a great time and of course their dog Sugar was no problem at all. She is well mannered, quite smart and once in her cage for the night never made a peep.
After they headed out for Riverview I watched some really good football for the last regular season game all except for our hometown team which stunk up the T.V. Luckily there were other good close games on a different channel so that made up for the terrible play we had to watch by the Bucs. Looks like our second choice of teams the Panthers have a shot at the big game as they have a bye in the first round of the playoffs. We had skipped lunch due to the big breakfast so we ate some left over Christmas day dinner; sliced roast beef, mashed taters and gravy and canned peas. Yeow that was tasty as the day it was first prepared. The rain stopped just before dark and the skies cleared and it's supposed to be cooler for the rest of this year(2 days away) before the heat and humidity come back into the forecast. Well that's about it for this last Sunday of 2013, LATER
Sunday, December 29, 2013
Sunday
Well Saturday was a busy day with having a sleep over with all 4 grand young'uns on Friday night. After getting them all situated with drinks, bathroom breaks and breakfast they settled into playing with one another until it was time to head out to the rec for some playtime at the playground. They chased one another, up and down the slides, on the swings and monkey bars. We were hoping to wear them out but it seemed as if the more they ran the stronger their batteries were charged, oh well!
Amy and Tyler showed up around mid morning and they helped with the rec activity and after coming back to the house for lunch they took off with all 4 to their house so the kids could enjoy some of Ava and Sam's toys. They played about 5 hours there so Nancy and I took down the Christmas tree and put the house back in shape. I even got in an hour of gardening before they picked up pizzas for supper along with a fresh garden salad. The kiddos cleaned up the ice cream then settled into the ipad playing games until it was bath time.
We got in 18 rounds of Golf(card game) and Nancy beat us big time while we let the kids soak in the tub in between rounds. Amy and the family headed out before 10 and dropped GG off on their way home. She spent the evening with us as well. I hit the shower and wasn't long before I was doing some horizontal lab. Boy those kiddos can wear you out, LATER
Amy and Tyler showed up around mid morning and they helped with the rec activity and after coming back to the house for lunch they took off with all 4 to their house so the kids could enjoy some of Ava and Sam's toys. They played about 5 hours there so Nancy and I took down the Christmas tree and put the house back in shape. I even got in an hour of gardening before they picked up pizzas for supper along with a fresh garden salad. The kiddos cleaned up the ice cream then settled into the ipad playing games until it was bath time.
We got in 18 rounds of Golf(card game) and Nancy beat us big time while we let the kids soak in the tub in between rounds. Amy and the family headed out before 10 and dropped GG off on their way home. She spent the evening with us as well. I hit the shower and wasn't long before I was doing some horizontal lab. Boy those kiddos can wear you out, LATER
Saturday, December 28, 2013
Saturday
Well Friday was a busy day that started around a 6'ish wake up and roll out. The temp's were a still on the cool side with overcast skies but pleasant for a winters day in Florida. We were getting ready for the 2 of the grand kids coming sometime after lunch. Amy, GG, Ava and Sam were eating lunch with us and then Ava and Sam would be spending the rest of the day and night with us. I'm sure glad we had kids when we were young as they can plumb wear you out.
I headed out to the rec after a few quiet moments and the posting of this ramble. We had a 2 courts going with mostly advanced pickle ball players. The play was continuous for 2 plus hours and by 10 I was worn down and ready for a break. I stopped off at the library to return and pick up a couple new reads. Nancy had taken GG to the doctors and was then bringing her by here for lunch afterwards with Amy and her gang. Bobby and Jill came by with Annsley and Gabe around 1'ish and dropped them off before heading down to the Sarasota area for a week end on an island with their house church. That sounded like fun but the weather is calling for rain and overcast skies for most of the weekend. At least it's not real chilly with temps in the 70's for a high. It's very seldom we don't see the sunshine sometime during the day.
I grilled a chicken for supper and along with a baked tater, salad and some macaroni for the kiddos as they don't eat taters we had a feast. Amy and Tyler stayed and ate with us and helped with the cleanup and then later with baths. Nancy made ice cream sundaes for the kiddo's and then later during movie time I made them old fashion popcorn. We got their sleeping bags out and then I headed into the bedroom for some college football until it was shower time and then lights out for me. Ava woke us up around 2 with a bad dream and then again about an hour later. We heard Gabe cry out during the night as he too was dreaming but never woke up.
We managed to get them to sleep in until after 7 AM all but for Sam who was still asleep on the floor until after 8 despite all the rest of the kids and dog playing around and over him. Did I mentioned we were keeping Sugar their dog as well. She slept all night in her cage and never made a peep. Sam did have a crash yesterday in the back yard with one of the lawn chairs running from Sugar. He has a nice scuff mark on his chin but after a short meltdown he was back at it again. Well its bedlam around here this AM and they are getting fueled up for another day of play, so I will cut this post short as Nancy is calling from the kitchen. I have already wiped 2 butts this morning as the boys are doing better but can't reach their behinds to wipe, LATER
I headed out to the rec after a few quiet moments and the posting of this ramble. We had a 2 courts going with mostly advanced pickle ball players. The play was continuous for 2 plus hours and by 10 I was worn down and ready for a break. I stopped off at the library to return and pick up a couple new reads. Nancy had taken GG to the doctors and was then bringing her by here for lunch afterwards with Amy and her gang. Bobby and Jill came by with Annsley and Gabe around 1'ish and dropped them off before heading down to the Sarasota area for a week end on an island with their house church. That sounded like fun but the weather is calling for rain and overcast skies for most of the weekend. At least it's not real chilly with temps in the 70's for a high. It's very seldom we don't see the sunshine sometime during the day.
I grilled a chicken for supper and along with a baked tater, salad and some macaroni for the kiddos as they don't eat taters we had a feast. Amy and Tyler stayed and ate with us and helped with the cleanup and then later with baths. Nancy made ice cream sundaes for the kiddo's and then later during movie time I made them old fashion popcorn. We got their sleeping bags out and then I headed into the bedroom for some college football until it was shower time and then lights out for me. Ava woke us up around 2 with a bad dream and then again about an hour later. We heard Gabe cry out during the night as he too was dreaming but never woke up.
We managed to get them to sleep in until after 7 AM all but for Sam who was still asleep on the floor until after 8 despite all the rest of the kids and dog playing around and over him. Did I mentioned we were keeping Sugar their dog as well. She slept all night in her cage and never made a peep. Sam did have a crash yesterday in the back yard with one of the lawn chairs running from Sugar. He has a nice scuff mark on his chin but after a short meltdown he was back at it again. Well its bedlam around here this AM and they are getting fueled up for another day of play, so I will cut this post short as Nancy is calling from the kitchen. I have already wiped 2 butts this morning as the boys are doing better but can't reach their behinds to wipe, LATER
Friday, December 27, 2013
Friday
Well Thursday turned out to another beautiful day and just a few degrees warmer than Wednesday but still comfortable. It was so quiet around the house after lots of folks were here yesterday. We did some home body chores and I started the day on the pickle ball court.
After a 6'ish roll out, a cup of hot green tea, a few quiet moments and a bowl of leftover fruit salad I pedaled out to the rec. We had 8 players for most of the time and except for the teenage sons of one player it was all advanced players. The sons are going to be great players and because of their youth they played up there with us as they were able run down most all shots along with very quick reflexes. I had a soaked shirt when I left after 2 plus hours of play.
I stopped off at the library on the way home and then headed home to work in the garden until lunch time. We cleaned up some leftovers and then I spent the better part of the afternoon reading until it was time to start the grille for some salmon steaks loaded with fresh dill from the garden. I cut some Swiss chard as well and Nancy sautéed it with some butter instead of oil and we left the garlic out as well and just used sea salt and pepper for seasoning. Yeow that was the best ever and along with that a can of butter beans. Delicious eating.
After the cleanup we headed in to watch the news and the more we find out about this Obamacare the more we are thoroughly discussed with those in the Congress who passed this law. What a terrible thing to put on the American people and I hope this next election the people who voted for this travesty are canned. After a hot shower I tuned into the Pitt vs Bolling Green bowl game and it was a good one right down to the last seconds and Pitt came away as the winner. There are bowls games every night this next week right through New Years and afterwards, LATER
After a 6'ish roll out, a cup of hot green tea, a few quiet moments and a bowl of leftover fruit salad I pedaled out to the rec. We had 8 players for most of the time and except for the teenage sons of one player it was all advanced players. The sons are going to be great players and because of their youth they played up there with us as they were able run down most all shots along with very quick reflexes. I had a soaked shirt when I left after 2 plus hours of play.
I stopped off at the library on the way home and then headed home to work in the garden until lunch time. We cleaned up some leftovers and then I spent the better part of the afternoon reading until it was time to start the grille for some salmon steaks loaded with fresh dill from the garden. I cut some Swiss chard as well and Nancy sautéed it with some butter instead of oil and we left the garlic out as well and just used sea salt and pepper for seasoning. Yeow that was the best ever and along with that a can of butter beans. Delicious eating.
After the cleanup we headed in to watch the news and the more we find out about this Obamacare the more we are thoroughly discussed with those in the Congress who passed this law. What a terrible thing to put on the American people and I hope this next election the people who voted for this travesty are canned. After a hot shower I tuned into the Pitt vs Bolling Green bowl game and it was a good one right down to the last seconds and Pitt came away as the winner. There are bowls games every night this next week right through New Years and afterwards, LATER
Thursday, December 26, 2013
Thursday
Well Christmas Day found us with chilly temps to start the day and by afternoon it had warmed considerably enough so I had donned shorts once again. The windows and doors were open and the nice breeze made it very comfortable. Once evening arrived and darkness fell we closed some of the windows once again. This was the winter day we are accustom too.
We slept in until after 6'ish then roll out once more to start the day of delicious eating. Its a wonder I'm not as big as a barn. Nancy had the breakfast casserole of ham and eggs sitting out to warm up before baking in the oven. I headed over to pick up GG and her fruit salad. The aroma of the hash browns cooking had our mouths watering along with the sausage frying for gravy over hot biscuits. The Botbyl's showed up with a large pan of cheese blitz's and thus the eating began at 10 AM. What a delicious meal we shared together with Bobby and Amy's families, GG and Dan and Carol our neighbors. We sat around for another hour before any of us could move after sampling a little of each dish.
The kiddos were so excited not only to be together but seeing all of the presents under the tree had them in a tizzy. When we decided to open the gifts we started with the youngest to the oldest. Well of course with 2 boys and 2 girls many of the gifts were duplicates but were opened in different order. There were many big hits but the jets for the boys kept them flying the rest of their time together as they flew from room to room. The girls were into their dolls and were off in another room playing make believe. We all sat around digesting.
Bobby and family headed out around 1'ish as they were doing supper at Jill's folks and the kiddos were soon asleep on the trip back home. Amy and family headed out shortly thereafter and dropped GG off at her house on the way. We cleaned up the kitchen as well as I vacuumed the house again and shortly thereafter got a 13 pound rib roast ready for the oven. I put sliced pieces of fresh garlic into the meat and put fresh rosemary on top of it along with some Montreal spices. We baked it at 325 after searing the outside of it at high heat to keep the juices in. I took it out of the oven when the inside temp reached 125* and let it set for 30 minutes and the meat was a perfect medium rare. It was tender enough to cut with a fork and oh so tasty. That roast was one of the best we have had in a long time to go along with smashed spuds and gravy, green beans and carrots and a fresh garden salad.
Betsy and Braden came as well and we had 9 for supper. The house was filled with great aromas and GG made 2 types of pumpkin pies as well as a delicious lemon pie. Since we had skipped lunch after the large breakfast brunch the spinach dip, salsa and cheese dip as well as the smokies soon disappeared (thankfully) while waiting to carve the roast. We sent 2 large dinner plates home with Betsy for Gus and Garrett as they stayed home. After the clean up Ava wanted to play a game of Sorry she got as a present from us. So Tyler, Amy, Braden and Ava played the game and they had a raucous time with Ava winning in the end along with help from grand ma. I held down the couch and nearly fell asleep while they played the game. The kiddos crashed with me while the rest of them played LOGO another game until nearly 10. They decided to call it a night as did I shortly after all left and I once more vacuumed up the crumbs and Nancy tided the house for the night.
Well everything went as planned with the eatin' just awesome and even the weather made it nice for a cool Christmas Day. It's always great to get together with family and friends around the table as we celebrated the birth of our saviour, Jesus. I spoke with several family members by phone in cold frozen areas of Virginia and W.Virginia. Our widow neighbor across the street had her daughter and family arrive from Michigan where there was 3 feet of snow on the ground when they left yesterday. We visited with them while standing outside in the yard in the beautiful afternoon sunshine, LATER Here are a few pics from yesterday!!!
We slept in until after 6'ish then roll out once more to start the day of delicious eating. Its a wonder I'm not as big as a barn. Nancy had the breakfast casserole of ham and eggs sitting out to warm up before baking in the oven. I headed over to pick up GG and her fruit salad. The aroma of the hash browns cooking had our mouths watering along with the sausage frying for gravy over hot biscuits. The Botbyl's showed up with a large pan of cheese blitz's and thus the eating began at 10 AM. What a delicious meal we shared together with Bobby and Amy's families, GG and Dan and Carol our neighbors. We sat around for another hour before any of us could move after sampling a little of each dish.
The kiddos were so excited not only to be together but seeing all of the presents under the tree had them in a tizzy. When we decided to open the gifts we started with the youngest to the oldest. Well of course with 2 boys and 2 girls many of the gifts were duplicates but were opened in different order. There were many big hits but the jets for the boys kept them flying the rest of their time together as they flew from room to room. The girls were into their dolls and were off in another room playing make believe. We all sat around digesting.
Bobby and family headed out around 1'ish as they were doing supper at Jill's folks and the kiddos were soon asleep on the trip back home. Amy and family headed out shortly thereafter and dropped GG off at her house on the way. We cleaned up the kitchen as well as I vacuumed the house again and shortly thereafter got a 13 pound rib roast ready for the oven. I put sliced pieces of fresh garlic into the meat and put fresh rosemary on top of it along with some Montreal spices. We baked it at 325 after searing the outside of it at high heat to keep the juices in. I took it out of the oven when the inside temp reached 125* and let it set for 30 minutes and the meat was a perfect medium rare. It was tender enough to cut with a fork and oh so tasty. That roast was one of the best we have had in a long time to go along with smashed spuds and gravy, green beans and carrots and a fresh garden salad.
Betsy and Braden came as well and we had 9 for supper. The house was filled with great aromas and GG made 2 types of pumpkin pies as well as a delicious lemon pie. Since we had skipped lunch after the large breakfast brunch the spinach dip, salsa and cheese dip as well as the smokies soon disappeared (thankfully) while waiting to carve the roast. We sent 2 large dinner plates home with Betsy for Gus and Garrett as they stayed home. After the clean up Ava wanted to play a game of Sorry she got as a present from us. So Tyler, Amy, Braden and Ava played the game and they had a raucous time with Ava winning in the end along with help from grand ma. I held down the couch and nearly fell asleep while they played the game. The kiddos crashed with me while the rest of them played LOGO another game until nearly 10. They decided to call it a night as did I shortly after all left and I once more vacuumed up the crumbs and Nancy tided the house for the night.
Well everything went as planned with the eatin' just awesome and even the weather made it nice for a cool Christmas Day. It's always great to get together with family and friends around the table as we celebrated the birth of our saviour, Jesus. I spoke with several family members by phone in cold frozen areas of Virginia and W.Virginia. Our widow neighbor across the street had her daughter and family arrive from Michigan where there was 3 feet of snow on the ground when they left yesterday. We visited with them while standing outside in the yard in the beautiful afternoon sunshine, LATER Here are a few pics from yesterday!!!
Wednesday, December 25, 2013
Wednesday (Christmas Day)
Well Tuesday saw a big change in the temperature and just in time for Christmas. I still wore shorts and a t-shirt for most of the day but there was at least a 10 degree or more change and the humidity seemed to go away. It was downright pleasant so we opened the doors and aired out the house with the a/c off.
The morning started with me doing my usual morning routine; a cup of tea, a few quiet moments, a lite breakfast then a ride out to the rec on my bike for some 2 plus hours of pickle ball. We had a smaller crowd of about 6 players which kept me on the court for most of the time as the winners split after each match to pair up with a different players. My shirt was soaked from the workout by 10 AM. I stopped off at the library for some extra reading material during my down time.
I headed home to hand water the gardens and then to help with getting ready for tonight's get together after the candle light service. Nancy was busy making an egg casserole as well as a multitude of other snack dishes. I washed dishes, vacuumed the house among some of the chores she had laid out for me. After a salad for lunch I took off to the grocery to pick a 13 pound rib roast which we will prepare for Christmas supper tomorrow.
We headed out around 5:30 for the candle light service at SFBC after picking up GG. It was a packed house and we saw and hugged lots of friendly necks once again. It's going on 6 years since we left there to be full time at Element in support of Bobby's ministry when we are in Florida. We were made to feel welcome and missed by those we once served there as Nancy cooked the fellowship meals for many years and I served there as a deacon as well as a dishwasher on the Wednesday night meals. Next year they announced they will hold 2 services on Christmas Eve due to the added interest. That's a plus but I think I will skip the 11 PM service. We sure missed our Element Family this year and we learned from the Tracy's they had a full house as well.
Well Amy and family along with GG, Dan, Carol and Jessie came back to the house for a late evening meal of Zuppa and pasta fousele soups, spinach dip, salsas, cheese dip, stuffed mushrooms and pastries. Yikes what a spread. Patrick, Kathryn and daughter Lauren came late from Element and Andy the Botbyl's son showed up for a plate as well. The kiddos were wound up with all the excitement of seeing the presents under the tree as well as being sugared up from the pastries. They were having a grand time and were still going strong at 9:30. We were all meeting back here this morning(Wed) at 10 AM for breakfast with Bobby's family included. The excitement and chaos should be a mountain top high.
Nancy put together a ham and egg casserole along with hash browns, Bobby will make his sausage gravy for the biscuits and GG her famous fruit salad and I think Carol will make her cheese blitz's for the breakfast on Christmas morning. Should be another great meal this morning and then we will eat again(skipping lunch) around 5'ish for our usual Christmas rib roast with all the trimming's as Nancy's sister Betsy along with son Braden will attend. Well it sure was nice to feel the cool air outside and to smell the wood smoke from someone who had a fire either in the fireplace or a campfire outside. Reminded us of the mountains and our many campfires over the past years. Hopefully we remember to take pictures for those who are interested today. Best to all and have a Merry Christmas with friends and family, LATER
The morning started with me doing my usual morning routine; a cup of tea, a few quiet moments, a lite breakfast then a ride out to the rec on my bike for some 2 plus hours of pickle ball. We had a smaller crowd of about 6 players which kept me on the court for most of the time as the winners split after each match to pair up with a different players. My shirt was soaked from the workout by 10 AM. I stopped off at the library for some extra reading material during my down time.
I headed home to hand water the gardens and then to help with getting ready for tonight's get together after the candle light service. Nancy was busy making an egg casserole as well as a multitude of other snack dishes. I washed dishes, vacuumed the house among some of the chores she had laid out for me. After a salad for lunch I took off to the grocery to pick a 13 pound rib roast which we will prepare for Christmas supper tomorrow.
We headed out around 5:30 for the candle light service at SFBC after picking up GG. It was a packed house and we saw and hugged lots of friendly necks once again. It's going on 6 years since we left there to be full time at Element in support of Bobby's ministry when we are in Florida. We were made to feel welcome and missed by those we once served there as Nancy cooked the fellowship meals for many years and I served there as a deacon as well as a dishwasher on the Wednesday night meals. Next year they announced they will hold 2 services on Christmas Eve due to the added interest. That's a plus but I think I will skip the 11 PM service. We sure missed our Element Family this year and we learned from the Tracy's they had a full house as well.
Well Amy and family along with GG, Dan, Carol and Jessie came back to the house for a late evening meal of Zuppa and pasta fousele soups, spinach dip, salsas, cheese dip, stuffed mushrooms and pastries. Yikes what a spread. Patrick, Kathryn and daughter Lauren came late from Element and Andy the Botbyl's son showed up for a plate as well. The kiddos were wound up with all the excitement of seeing the presents under the tree as well as being sugared up from the pastries. They were having a grand time and were still going strong at 9:30. We were all meeting back here this morning(Wed) at 10 AM for breakfast with Bobby's family included. The excitement and chaos should be a mountain top high.
Nancy put together a ham and egg casserole along with hash browns, Bobby will make his sausage gravy for the biscuits and GG her famous fruit salad and I think Carol will make her cheese blitz's for the breakfast on Christmas morning. Should be another great meal this morning and then we will eat again(skipping lunch) around 5'ish for our usual Christmas rib roast with all the trimming's as Nancy's sister Betsy along with son Braden will attend. Well it sure was nice to feel the cool air outside and to smell the wood smoke from someone who had a fire either in the fireplace or a campfire outside. Reminded us of the mountains and our many campfires over the past years. Hopefully we remember to take pictures for those who are interested today. Best to all and have a Merry Christmas with friends and family, LATER
Tuesday, December 24, 2013
Tuesday
Well it's still hot and muggy here in central Florida and the a/c is still on. I see where other parts of the nation is rather warm for a day or so but a cold front is on the way with nearly 2/3 rds of nation supposedly covered with snow on Christmas Day, yikes!!! The garden continues to do well except for the lettuce which is starting to bolt due to the heat. I harvested several heads of romaine which really never came to a head but just starting growing upwards, oh well.
The morning started much the usual with a before 6 'ish roll out, a few quiet moments then a lite breakfast before heading out on my bike to the rec for some 2 plus hours of pickle ball. We had 2 courts going and a visiting player from Texas who really turned out to be nice player that would fit right in with our advanced group. He will be here for just a couple days visiting family. We all had wet shirts at the end of our play period. I stopped off at the library to return some books on my way home.
Amy, GG, Ava and Sam came for lunch and I made a huge salad to go along with the leftover grilled chicken legs. The kiddos munched their way through a couple each. After they left I vacuumed then shampooed the carpets which kept me busy until it was time to run a few errands on the way to GG's for supper. She had Swedish meatballs on a bed of egg noodles, green beans and a salad as well. Amy had given her a large piece of her chocolate cake with chocolate icing and we split a piece of that, yeow what a delicious supper. We hung around after the cleanup until after 8 before heading out an another stop at Aldi's.
Well I tuned into the 49 Niners vs the Falcons and the birds were winning when I turned the lights at 10:30. This was the last game of any kind played at Candle stick park in San Francisco. I once watched in person the great Willie Mays of the Giants hit a line drive home run off Jerry Goosman in that park back in the late 60's or early 70's before I left California and relocated to Florida. Candlestick replaced the old Kesar Stadium in down town 'Frisco where I had attended several 49 Niner games. John Brody was the QB and Steve Spurrier was the backup. Wow was that ever a few years ago.
Well today is Christmas Eve and we are attending SFBC service tonight with our daughter Amy and her family as well we are taking GG and a neighbor widow lady. We will come back here for soups, dips and finger foods afterwards. The kiddos where so excited yesterday as they found the stash of wrapped presents in the closet and wanted to help put them under the tree. Ava now reads quite well and was calling out the names on the presents. Sam was beside himself when his name was called on several gifts. It will be a fun time when Bobby and his family come for Christmas breakfast and all of the grand kids get to open gifts. We will have a houseful tonight, in the morning and then again Christmas evening for a supper of prime rib with Nancy's sister and her son as well as GG and Amy's family.
Well we want to wish the very best to everyone and hope you all take a few moments to give thanks for the reason we celebrate this holiday; the birth of JESUS. Merry Christmas to all, LATER
The morning started much the usual with a before 6 'ish roll out, a few quiet moments then a lite breakfast before heading out on my bike to the rec for some 2 plus hours of pickle ball. We had 2 courts going and a visiting player from Texas who really turned out to be nice player that would fit right in with our advanced group. He will be here for just a couple days visiting family. We all had wet shirts at the end of our play period. I stopped off at the library to return some books on my way home.
Amy, GG, Ava and Sam came for lunch and I made a huge salad to go along with the leftover grilled chicken legs. The kiddos munched their way through a couple each. After they left I vacuumed then shampooed the carpets which kept me busy until it was time to run a few errands on the way to GG's for supper. She had Swedish meatballs on a bed of egg noodles, green beans and a salad as well. Amy had given her a large piece of her chocolate cake with chocolate icing and we split a piece of that, yeow what a delicious supper. We hung around after the cleanup until after 8 before heading out an another stop at Aldi's.
Well I tuned into the 49 Niners vs the Falcons and the birds were winning when I turned the lights at 10:30. This was the last game of any kind played at Candle stick park in San Francisco. I once watched in person the great Willie Mays of the Giants hit a line drive home run off Jerry Goosman in that park back in the late 60's or early 70's before I left California and relocated to Florida. Candlestick replaced the old Kesar Stadium in down town 'Frisco where I had attended several 49 Niner games. John Brody was the QB and Steve Spurrier was the backup. Wow was that ever a few years ago.
Well today is Christmas Eve and we are attending SFBC service tonight with our daughter Amy and her family as well we are taking GG and a neighbor widow lady. We will come back here for soups, dips and finger foods afterwards. The kiddos where so excited yesterday as they found the stash of wrapped presents in the closet and wanted to help put them under the tree. Ava now reads quite well and was calling out the names on the presents. Sam was beside himself when his name was called on several gifts. It will be a fun time when Bobby and his family come for Christmas breakfast and all of the grand kids get to open gifts. We will have a houseful tonight, in the morning and then again Christmas evening for a supper of prime rib with Nancy's sister and her son as well as GG and Amy's family.
Well we want to wish the very best to everyone and hope you all take a few moments to give thanks for the reason we celebrate this holiday; the birth of JESUS. Merry Christmas to all, LATER
Monday, December 23, 2013
Monday
Well once more it was another hot day in sunny Florida and it doesn't look as if that will change any time soon. We are hoping for at least to turn the a/c off for Christmas but that is looking doubtful as of right now. The temps for the cabin is calling for below freezing as the high for the day, oh well I guess I should be thankful I'm not there.
We started the day much the usual as we got ready for worship at Element Church in Tampa. After our morning routine we headed out with Christmas cookies for Bob and family. That just about wiped out the many dozens Nancy baked last week and I'm not the least bit sad as they have added to my girth. One more week of delicacies and then I can go back to normal eating. I love this time of the year but all of the snacks, finger foods, soups, cakes and cookies and then heavy eating for Christmas Day dinner just seems to add to my spare tire which will take at least a couple weeks and lots of pickle ball to work off, oh well!!!
Bob had another awesome message about the birth of Jesus, the prophecy and the circumstances surrounding the event. The music was inspiring as well. We headed out shortly thereafter for Seminole for a lite lunch before heading down to the local nursing home to assist with pushing the infirmed to the church service at 2 PM. We had a large number of wheelchairs we pushed to and from the service. We got back around 3'ish and I watched our bumbling Bucs lose another game they could have won except for some penalties and down right poor play. We only have to watch them lose one more game for the year as the season will finally be over and the playoffs begin.
We headed out a little after 6 to our newest house church members Patrick and Kathryn's condo on the beach for an open house. There were lots of their neighbors as well friends from their past and we enjoyed finger foods, shrimp, wings, dips and an assortment of good eats. We got back around 8 and I settled into some football until it was lights out around 11, LATER
We started the day much the usual as we got ready for worship at Element Church in Tampa. After our morning routine we headed out with Christmas cookies for Bob and family. That just about wiped out the many dozens Nancy baked last week and I'm not the least bit sad as they have added to my girth. One more week of delicacies and then I can go back to normal eating. I love this time of the year but all of the snacks, finger foods, soups, cakes and cookies and then heavy eating for Christmas Day dinner just seems to add to my spare tire which will take at least a couple weeks and lots of pickle ball to work off, oh well!!!
Bob had another awesome message about the birth of Jesus, the prophecy and the circumstances surrounding the event. The music was inspiring as well. We headed out shortly thereafter for Seminole for a lite lunch before heading down to the local nursing home to assist with pushing the infirmed to the church service at 2 PM. We had a large number of wheelchairs we pushed to and from the service. We got back around 3'ish and I watched our bumbling Bucs lose another game they could have won except for some penalties and down right poor play. We only have to watch them lose one more game for the year as the season will finally be over and the playoffs begin.
We headed out a little after 6 to our newest house church members Patrick and Kathryn's condo on the beach for an open house. There were lots of their neighbors as well friends from their past and we enjoyed finger foods, shrimp, wings, dips and an assortment of good eats. We got back around 8 and I settled into some football until it was lights out around 11, LATER
Sunday, December 22, 2013
Sunday
Well it's another hot muggy day in central Florida with temps breaking records here for December, yeow. I want just enough cool weather so we can turn the a/c off and get fresh air through the house. It's not to bad in the shade but still for December.
The morning started with a sleep in until nearly 6 as the rec doesn't open until 8 on Saturday. Nancy was heading out for a baby shower for Amy at SFBC around 10 so I decided to get in a little pickle ball to help pass the morning. We had 3 courts going with quite a mixture of players but the play as always for me is fun and I had a wet shirt when we finished at 10. I stopped off at the library on the way home and picked up a good read about an undercover state trooper from New jersey who infiltrated the mob and lived to tell about it after being shot in the back of the head in an attempted hit. Its a good read and the title is guess what UNDERCOVER COP by Mike Russell.
I worked out in the garden pulling a few weeds and then once again hand watering. It's so dry here that the front yard is slowly despite my weekly hand watering turning brown, yuck. I think there is some rain as well as cooler temps around Christmas Day in the forecast for us.
Amy seems to have received quite a few articles to help with the new baby and there was a good turnout of gals for the shower. The church does that for all expectant mothers now and that really is a nice gesture as well as an in reach ministry. We just chilled the rest of the afternoon, cleaning house and getting ready for Ava and Sam for supper as Amy and Tyler headed out to a deacon party. I grilled chicken legs which both Ava and Sam love as well as black beans, rice and a salad. We had GG for supper as well. The kiddos ate really well and we topped the meal off with a few of the Christmas cookies that are about gone, thankfully. My they are delicious but oh so fattening. Anyhow I took GG home around 8 after giving the kiddos a bath. Amy and Tyler came around 9'ish and it wasn't long after they left we were in the shower and then lights out for me around 11, LATER
The morning started with a sleep in until nearly 6 as the rec doesn't open until 8 on Saturday. Nancy was heading out for a baby shower for Amy at SFBC around 10 so I decided to get in a little pickle ball to help pass the morning. We had 3 courts going with quite a mixture of players but the play as always for me is fun and I had a wet shirt when we finished at 10. I stopped off at the library on the way home and picked up a good read about an undercover state trooper from New jersey who infiltrated the mob and lived to tell about it after being shot in the back of the head in an attempted hit. Its a good read and the title is guess what UNDERCOVER COP by Mike Russell.
I worked out in the garden pulling a few weeds and then once again hand watering. It's so dry here that the front yard is slowly despite my weekly hand watering turning brown, yuck. I think there is some rain as well as cooler temps around Christmas Day in the forecast for us.
Amy seems to have received quite a few articles to help with the new baby and there was a good turnout of gals for the shower. The church does that for all expectant mothers now and that really is a nice gesture as well as an in reach ministry. We just chilled the rest of the afternoon, cleaning house and getting ready for Ava and Sam for supper as Amy and Tyler headed out to a deacon party. I grilled chicken legs which both Ava and Sam love as well as black beans, rice and a salad. We had GG for supper as well. The kiddos ate really well and we topped the meal off with a few of the Christmas cookies that are about gone, thankfully. My they are delicious but oh so fattening. Anyhow I took GG home around 8 after giving the kiddos a bath. Amy and Tyler came around 9'ish and it wasn't long after they left we were in the shower and then lights out for me around 11, LATER
Saturday, December 21, 2013
Saturday
Well Friday was another day to turn back on the a/c as the humidity and temps once more reached the high 80's despite the early morning chill. The sunshine was hot and the breeze went away again. It's hard to believe that today(Sat) is the first day of winter but after today being the shortest day of the year we can look forward to the day's getting longer and before long we will thinking of heading back to the mountains.
Friday started much the usual with a before 6'ish roll out then my cup of green tea, a few quiet moments and then a grapefruit before riding out to the rec for some 2 plus hours of pickle ball. We had 2 courts going with a mixture of players but we did have lots of wet shirts as a result of the continuous play. I stopped off at the library on the way home for some new reads.
Nancy had gone to Ava Christmas program at school and then Amy, Ava, Sam and GG came to make more Christmas cookies the kiddos could decorate. The kitchen showed the results of their actions with toppings everywhere. I stayed out in the yard piddling around in the garden until it was lunch time then I headed to the reading room. Amy took off for some errands then Nancy and GG took off so that left Ava and Sam here. They have an ipad which is a great babysitter as it's loaded with games they both can play and enjoy.
I gave out cookies and a little tip for our garbage guys and they were most appreciative. Nancy came back from her shopping trip with GG and she decided we would go out to the Olive Garden for supper with Dan and Carol. We had a good meal and afterwards we stopped off at their house for a game of oh hell, which is a card game. I won the game and then we started a game of golf but Dan was tired after working all day so we quit and headed back down the street around 8:30. I tuned into O'Reilly and the big news is Duck Dynasty's patriarch is being banned from the show because of his beliefs about homosexuality.
Frankly I agree with him and what the Bible teaches and at the same time I feel if its your lifestyle so be it, just don't rub it in my face. The liberals in gov't have tried to legislate a morale code that is just the opposite of what we(Christians) believe in and now people are starting to see where that is something you can not do. They have pushed out in the open this lifestyle until we are fed up with having to see it in some form in every T.V. show. They have made it open in the military and in the congress; personally I could care less what you do in the bedroom but keep it there and that's is where, I believe Phil is coming from. There is this push to change America's morals and the gov't is complicit in this move to do so, oh well!!! I wonder if those in the media who see the popularity of this show and the ever increasing dismay at A&E ever think why! Most of America still loves our family lifestyles; heterosexual, church going, baby loving, a strong military and capitalism and the motto that if you work hard you will be better off than the previous generation. We do not want the gov't in our lives anymore than keeping us safe from those who want to take over our beautiful nation. That's where I stand and I'm happy Phil voiced his opinion and I'm with those who support his family and what they bring to America, LATER Here are a few pics from Ava's class program at school.
Friday started much the usual with a before 6'ish roll out then my cup of green tea, a few quiet moments and then a grapefruit before riding out to the rec for some 2 plus hours of pickle ball. We had 2 courts going with a mixture of players but we did have lots of wet shirts as a result of the continuous play. I stopped off at the library on the way home for some new reads.
Nancy had gone to Ava Christmas program at school and then Amy, Ava, Sam and GG came to make more Christmas cookies the kiddos could decorate. The kitchen showed the results of their actions with toppings everywhere. I stayed out in the yard piddling around in the garden until it was lunch time then I headed to the reading room. Amy took off for some errands then Nancy and GG took off so that left Ava and Sam here. They have an ipad which is a great babysitter as it's loaded with games they both can play and enjoy.
I gave out cookies and a little tip for our garbage guys and they were most appreciative. Nancy came back from her shopping trip with GG and she decided we would go out to the Olive Garden for supper with Dan and Carol. We had a good meal and afterwards we stopped off at their house for a game of oh hell, which is a card game. I won the game and then we started a game of golf but Dan was tired after working all day so we quit and headed back down the street around 8:30. I tuned into O'Reilly and the big news is Duck Dynasty's patriarch is being banned from the show because of his beliefs about homosexuality.
Frankly I agree with him and what the Bible teaches and at the same time I feel if its your lifestyle so be it, just don't rub it in my face. The liberals in gov't have tried to legislate a morale code that is just the opposite of what we(Christians) believe in and now people are starting to see where that is something you can not do. They have pushed out in the open this lifestyle until we are fed up with having to see it in some form in every T.V. show. They have made it open in the military and in the congress; personally I could care less what you do in the bedroom but keep it there and that's is where, I believe Phil is coming from. There is this push to change America's morals and the gov't is complicit in this move to do so, oh well!!! I wonder if those in the media who see the popularity of this show and the ever increasing dismay at A&E ever think why! Most of America still loves our family lifestyles; heterosexual, church going, baby loving, a strong military and capitalism and the motto that if you work hard you will be better off than the previous generation. We do not want the gov't in our lives anymore than keeping us safe from those who want to take over our beautiful nation. That's where I stand and I'm happy Phil voiced his opinion and I'm with those who support his family and what they bring to America, LATER Here are a few pics from Ava's class program at school.
Friday, December 20, 2013
Friday
Well Thursday was not as nippy as I rode out in the early morning and by late afternoon in was really nice out with temps close to the 80 mark.
The day started much the usual around 6'ish with usual cup of hot green tea, a few minutes of quiet time then the posting of this ramble before a grape fruit then a ride to the rec on my bike for some 2 plus hours of workout on the pickle ball court. We had 2 courts going and some good play despite several of our regulars being away on the Christmas holiday. Afterwards I headed home to work in the garden after a stop off at the library to return some books.
I worked out side in the gardens and once again a possum dug down into my buried compost looking for a meal. He sure leaves a big hole and mess of stuff he won't eat so I have to rebury it all again. I set the trap last night and I'll check when I head out this morning to see it I captured him. I hand watered the gardens then the flowers in the front yard. It sure is dry here despite the rain last weekend.
Nancy had made her last batch of Christmas cookies while I was at the rec this morning and the house smelled yummy. Amy and Sam came for lunch and we heated up a frozen pizza that was doctored up with fresh mushroom, yeow was that ever tasty. After lunch I delivered plates of cookies to the neighbors and the mailman. All were very appreciative and amazed that Nancy had baked all of these different varieties herself. I came back and settled in the reading room for the rest of the afternoon.
I grilled a couple marinated chicken breast and along with asparagus and rice with almonds for our supper. A fresh garden salad accompanied that as well loaded with my fresh basil and arugula. We settled in after the cleanup to Fox News and then Nancy started wrapping Christmas gifts for the family, yikes it looked as if Santa and had been here a couple times already. I got interested in a girls college volleyball semi-final match with Texas vs Minnesota and what a match that saw the #12 seed beat the #1 seed Texas. I hit the showers and turned the lights off at nearly 11, LATER... Here is a sampling of the cookies Nancy baked and a few house church pics from Wednesday night as we wrapped presents for a couple of aged out of foster care kids.
The day started much the usual around 6'ish with usual cup of hot green tea, a few minutes of quiet time then the posting of this ramble before a grape fruit then a ride to the rec on my bike for some 2 plus hours of workout on the pickle ball court. We had 2 courts going and some good play despite several of our regulars being away on the Christmas holiday. Afterwards I headed home to work in the garden after a stop off at the library to return some books.
I worked out side in the gardens and once again a possum dug down into my buried compost looking for a meal. He sure leaves a big hole and mess of stuff he won't eat so I have to rebury it all again. I set the trap last night and I'll check when I head out this morning to see it I captured him. I hand watered the gardens then the flowers in the front yard. It sure is dry here despite the rain last weekend.
Nancy had made her last batch of Christmas cookies while I was at the rec this morning and the house smelled yummy. Amy and Sam came for lunch and we heated up a frozen pizza that was doctored up with fresh mushroom, yeow was that ever tasty. After lunch I delivered plates of cookies to the neighbors and the mailman. All were very appreciative and amazed that Nancy had baked all of these different varieties herself. I came back and settled in the reading room for the rest of the afternoon.
I grilled a couple marinated chicken breast and along with asparagus and rice with almonds for our supper. A fresh garden salad accompanied that as well loaded with my fresh basil and arugula. We settled in after the cleanup to Fox News and then Nancy started wrapping Christmas gifts for the family, yikes it looked as if Santa and had been here a couple times already. I got interested in a girls college volleyball semi-final match with Texas vs Minnesota and what a match that saw the #12 seed beat the #1 seed Texas. I hit the showers and turned the lights off at nearly 11, LATER... Here is a sampling of the cookies Nancy baked and a few house church pics from Wednesday night as we wrapped presents for a couple of aged out of foster care kids.
Thursday, December 19, 2013
Thursday
Well it was once again a rather cool morning as I pedaled out to the rec at 7:30. The cold wind had my eyes watering for most of the 10 minute or so ride; however by 10 AM the cold wind had moderated and once more it was quite comfortable and by early afternoon we were back in the 70's.
The morning started with a before 6'ish roll out, Nancy was still sawing logs. I had my cup of green tea, did a few quiet moments and then posted this ramble before a grapefruit for breakfast. We had a small group of about 7-8 players at times as today many of the more advanced players stay away due to it being an open day of play. There were a few of us die hard players there and I find it sort of refreshing to help with teaching newbies about the game. We had a first timer and since he is a tennis player he did quite well. I never sat down for much of the 2 plus hours of pickle ball play and left with a good sweat.
I stopped by the library for a new read non-fiction read titled A HOUSE IN THE SKY. It's memoir about a gal who was kidnapped in Somalia and held for ransom. It really is a good read which starts out with life of a young lady from Canada, Amanda Lindhout. Its a page turner and I read nearly half of it yesterday. She obviously survives as she lives to tell her story. Very graphic.
I fed my plants in the garden and noticed I have some new beans breaking through the ground. I then decided to mow both front and back yards. The oak leaves and beggar weeds which get all over your shoes and pants legs are about the only things that are growing. I filled up 2 trash cans with them and then I used them as mulch around my exiting plants. The oak leaves are the small oval leaves from the pin oak tree and they mulch down rather easy and the earthworms love them.
I made a guacamole from the last 2 avocado's for lunch as Nancy bought 5 the other day to take with us to domino night but they never ripen enough to do so. I learned it you want them to ripen fast but them in a paper bag as they emit a gas that speeds up the process, oh well. Avocado's are extremely good for you but rather bland in taste and texture so with a little chopped sweet onion, a couple cloves of garlic chopped fine, a tablespoon or so of olive oil, a handful of fresh chopped cilantro leaves, and a couple springs of fresh chopped dill, a half of a lime squeezed and a little ground black pepper and a dash of salt with a couple ripe smashed avocado's, some salty tortilla chips makes an awesome and healthy snack or even a lite lunch.
Nancy took off after lunch for her hair appointment to our long time friend Mary who had been keeping her hair in shape for years while in Florida. Nancy took some of her home baked cookies to her as well and I think she has one more batch to bake then the handing out begins. I forced myself to only try one of each so far and it's been difficult as they are delicious. She took a large plate with us to house church tonight where we wrapped gifts for 2, 18 years old who have been moved out of the foster care program and are now on their own. We bought shoes(they specifically asked for) and gave them gift cards for various stores where they could purchase clothes and other necessities they need. We pulled a snack supper of dogs in a blanket, bacon wrapped jalapenos, mini tostados, dips and chips and of course Nancy cookies. We chatted up what is happening for the holidays with each other, etc.
Wow was the moon ever full tonight as we walked back to the house. It was almost daylight out it was so clear and bright. After a few e-mails sent it was shower time then I tuned into the Kelly Files on Fox News and she asks the real questions that needs to be answered. I think she is as good as O'Reilly when it comes to investigative reporting. I learned a federal judge has rebuked the administrative for keeping secret from us the people, some of its dealing as they try to centralize power secretly. Folks we are in trouble with this supposedly transparent bunch in D.C. and the main stream media will not report it factually. This is the biggest bunch of liars and obfuscator's ever and they knew we would loose our health care coverage as well as our doctor's with this Unaffordable Health Care Act. This is a Dem's problem as they pushed this on us without even reading what was in this terrible bill that became law. I'm almost afraid to think what else they have done we don't know about. We had better start to get interested in what those we send to Washington are doing and pull our heads out of the sand.
Well that was about it for the day and Christmas is just a week away. Do me a favor when someone says "happy holidays" say "Merry Christmas" because this is the season we celebrate the birthday of Jesus. Don't let a few tell us(USA) we have to change. Those who aren't believers have a right to not believe that has always been a choice in our beloved nation, but I don't want a few trying to take away my right to live my choices which is part of our nations heritage. Live and let live I say but the liberals, atheists and political correct folks are not satisfied with their choices as they want us to change because of their beliefs and agendas. So be it I say but stay out of my right to choose, my bedroom and bank account; sorry, don't me get started, LATER
The morning started with a before 6'ish roll out, Nancy was still sawing logs. I had my cup of green tea, did a few quiet moments and then posted this ramble before a grapefruit for breakfast. We had a small group of about 7-8 players at times as today many of the more advanced players stay away due to it being an open day of play. There were a few of us die hard players there and I find it sort of refreshing to help with teaching newbies about the game. We had a first timer and since he is a tennis player he did quite well. I never sat down for much of the 2 plus hours of pickle ball play and left with a good sweat.
I stopped by the library for a new read non-fiction read titled A HOUSE IN THE SKY. It's memoir about a gal who was kidnapped in Somalia and held for ransom. It really is a good read which starts out with life of a young lady from Canada, Amanda Lindhout. Its a page turner and I read nearly half of it yesterday. She obviously survives as she lives to tell her story. Very graphic.
I fed my plants in the garden and noticed I have some new beans breaking through the ground. I then decided to mow both front and back yards. The oak leaves and beggar weeds which get all over your shoes and pants legs are about the only things that are growing. I filled up 2 trash cans with them and then I used them as mulch around my exiting plants. The oak leaves are the small oval leaves from the pin oak tree and they mulch down rather easy and the earthworms love them.
I made a guacamole from the last 2 avocado's for lunch as Nancy bought 5 the other day to take with us to domino night but they never ripen enough to do so. I learned it you want them to ripen fast but them in a paper bag as they emit a gas that speeds up the process, oh well. Avocado's are extremely good for you but rather bland in taste and texture so with a little chopped sweet onion, a couple cloves of garlic chopped fine, a tablespoon or so of olive oil, a handful of fresh chopped cilantro leaves, and a couple springs of fresh chopped dill, a half of a lime squeezed and a little ground black pepper and a dash of salt with a couple ripe smashed avocado's, some salty tortilla chips makes an awesome and healthy snack or even a lite lunch.
Nancy took off after lunch for her hair appointment to our long time friend Mary who had been keeping her hair in shape for years while in Florida. Nancy took some of her home baked cookies to her as well and I think she has one more batch to bake then the handing out begins. I forced myself to only try one of each so far and it's been difficult as they are delicious. She took a large plate with us to house church tonight where we wrapped gifts for 2, 18 years old who have been moved out of the foster care program and are now on their own. We bought shoes(they specifically asked for) and gave them gift cards for various stores where they could purchase clothes and other necessities they need. We pulled a snack supper of dogs in a blanket, bacon wrapped jalapenos, mini tostados, dips and chips and of course Nancy cookies. We chatted up what is happening for the holidays with each other, etc.
Wow was the moon ever full tonight as we walked back to the house. It was almost daylight out it was so clear and bright. After a few e-mails sent it was shower time then I tuned into the Kelly Files on Fox News and she asks the real questions that needs to be answered. I think she is as good as O'Reilly when it comes to investigative reporting. I learned a federal judge has rebuked the administrative for keeping secret from us the people, some of its dealing as they try to centralize power secretly. Folks we are in trouble with this supposedly transparent bunch in D.C. and the main stream media will not report it factually. This is the biggest bunch of liars and obfuscator's ever and they knew we would loose our health care coverage as well as our doctor's with this Unaffordable Health Care Act. This is a Dem's problem as they pushed this on us without even reading what was in this terrible bill that became law. I'm almost afraid to think what else they have done we don't know about. We had better start to get interested in what those we send to Washington are doing and pull our heads out of the sand.
Well that was about it for the day and Christmas is just a week away. Do me a favor when someone says "happy holidays" say "Merry Christmas" because this is the season we celebrate the birthday of Jesus. Don't let a few tell us(USA) we have to change. Those who aren't believers have a right to not believe that has always been a choice in our beloved nation, but I don't want a few trying to take away my right to live my choices which is part of our nations heritage. Live and let live I say but the liberals, atheists and political correct folks are not satisfied with their choices as they want us to change because of their beliefs and agendas. So be it I say but stay out of my right to choose, my bedroom and bank account; sorry, don't me get started, LATER
Wednesday, December 18, 2013
Wednesday
Well Tuesday was rather cold as I pedaled out around 7:30 for the rec, so cold my eyes watered most of the way there. I didn't see any frost but there was evidence of the white frozen stuff just to the north of us. However by the afternoon we were back into the low 70's with bright sunshine.
The morning started with a little before 6'ish roll out for me. After my usual cup of green tea, a few quiet moments, the posting of this ramble and a banana for breakfast I headed out for some 2 plus hours of workout on the pickle ball courts. We had upwards of 8 advanced players which made for continuous play throughout the morning. There were lots of wet shirts. Afterwards I stopped off at the library for a new read before heading home.
Amy, GG and Sam came just as I got home and they were going to bake Christmas cookies so I headed out to the Home Depot as I wanted to get some new polyurethane for the kitchen table. Seems the old I had in a plastic jug had set up and wasn't any good for the protection of the recently sanded top. I also found some granular fertilizer that had extra phosphate in the ingredients with some added boron and trace elements which helps with the maturing of onions. I have 2 patches of the sweet bulb onions. I grew them successfully last year and want to duplicate their maturing. I'm hoping for the same results this year as I'm an onion lover. I also picked up a new air filter for my lawn mower which was really caked with dust and dirt.
The girls were baking up a storm with several cookies laying on the counters and already stuffed in Tupperware container. Nancy's big thing at Christmas is to give to the neighbors, mailman, garbage folks and of course for all the family. She is big time with this project. I sampled a few over the course of the day and evening but now I have to draw the line on only a couple a day until they are given away or eaten up. The buckeyes, pecan candies and the green slugs with white powder are very tempting and of course add girth to the spare tire I'm trying to lose, oh well!!
I grilled some delicious venison, along with sautéed spinach and a butter squash for supper. I even made a Caesar salad from the fresh cut romaine lettuce from the garden, yeow was that ever some fine eatin'. After the cleanup I headed in to see what was happening in the world on the Fox news channel. Once again our congress has decided to forgo any Cola's(cost of living adjustments) for the military and the veterans. What a terrible thing to have happen to those who put themselves in harm's way; yet we can spend 400 million bucks on how sex is displayed on the Internet and how some cartoon is effective for kids. Wake Up America or we will have no America. This cut was by the Dem's in the Harry Reid led senate; disgusting.
Now don't get the opinion that I don't care for the Dem's because that is not true as I really like the philosophy of senator Joe Manion from W.Va. He was interviewed on Fox and this man is an American and a stand up guy. Very pragmatic and W.Va is lucky to have such a representative for that state. I find most of the senate Dem's are strictly political and really could care less about the people they are supposed to be working for. Our whole system needs revamping with term limits and everyone must obey the laws that are enacted by the congress. I see us going down the road towards an executive branch that is governing by fiat and orders with no accountability. Why have we let ourselves be duped by those that were elected to serve us and now it's just the reversed as we are to serve them like some monarchy, oh well just my opinion.
Well after a hot shower it wasn't long after flipping channels that I found the news so disgusting about what is happening to our men in the military. We spent nearly a quarter of a million paying the salary of an avowed Muslim who killed several men at Ft Hood because the DOJ called it a work place violence and not an act of terror; now the Pentagon is trying to court marshal a military major who tried to warn of another terrorist in Afghanistan who executed 3 soldiers on a base because his superiors failed to take heed. There is more to this story but if you don't watch Fox News you would never hear of the story. I as well as others think there is some political implications to this action by the higher up and maybe all the way to the top, LATER
The morning started with a little before 6'ish roll out for me. After my usual cup of green tea, a few quiet moments, the posting of this ramble and a banana for breakfast I headed out for some 2 plus hours of workout on the pickle ball courts. We had upwards of 8 advanced players which made for continuous play throughout the morning. There were lots of wet shirts. Afterwards I stopped off at the library for a new read before heading home.
Amy, GG and Sam came just as I got home and they were going to bake Christmas cookies so I headed out to the Home Depot as I wanted to get some new polyurethane for the kitchen table. Seems the old I had in a plastic jug had set up and wasn't any good for the protection of the recently sanded top. I also found some granular fertilizer that had extra phosphate in the ingredients with some added boron and trace elements which helps with the maturing of onions. I have 2 patches of the sweet bulb onions. I grew them successfully last year and want to duplicate their maturing. I'm hoping for the same results this year as I'm an onion lover. I also picked up a new air filter for my lawn mower which was really caked with dust and dirt.
The girls were baking up a storm with several cookies laying on the counters and already stuffed in Tupperware container. Nancy's big thing at Christmas is to give to the neighbors, mailman, garbage folks and of course for all the family. She is big time with this project. I sampled a few over the course of the day and evening but now I have to draw the line on only a couple a day until they are given away or eaten up. The buckeyes, pecan candies and the green slugs with white powder are very tempting and of course add girth to the spare tire I'm trying to lose, oh well!!
I grilled some delicious venison, along with sautéed spinach and a butter squash for supper. I even made a Caesar salad from the fresh cut romaine lettuce from the garden, yeow was that ever some fine eatin'. After the cleanup I headed in to see what was happening in the world on the Fox news channel. Once again our congress has decided to forgo any Cola's(cost of living adjustments) for the military and the veterans. What a terrible thing to have happen to those who put themselves in harm's way; yet we can spend 400 million bucks on how sex is displayed on the Internet and how some cartoon is effective for kids. Wake Up America or we will have no America. This cut was by the Dem's in the Harry Reid led senate; disgusting.
Now don't get the opinion that I don't care for the Dem's because that is not true as I really like the philosophy of senator Joe Manion from W.Va. He was interviewed on Fox and this man is an American and a stand up guy. Very pragmatic and W.Va is lucky to have such a representative for that state. I find most of the senate Dem's are strictly political and really could care less about the people they are supposed to be working for. Our whole system needs revamping with term limits and everyone must obey the laws that are enacted by the congress. I see us going down the road towards an executive branch that is governing by fiat and orders with no accountability. Why have we let ourselves be duped by those that were elected to serve us and now it's just the reversed as we are to serve them like some monarchy, oh well just my opinion.
Well after a hot shower it wasn't long after flipping channels that I found the news so disgusting about what is happening to our men in the military. We spent nearly a quarter of a million paying the salary of an avowed Muslim who killed several men at Ft Hood because the DOJ called it a work place violence and not an act of terror; now the Pentagon is trying to court marshal a military major who tried to warn of another terrorist in Afghanistan who executed 3 soldiers on a base because his superiors failed to take heed. There is more to this story but if you don't watch Fox News you would never hear of the story. I as well as others think there is some political implications to this action by the higher up and maybe all the way to the top, LATER
Tuesday, December 17, 2013
Tuesday
Well Monday found us finally with some cooler weather as the front that moved through on Sunday morning brought us some much needed rain and much cooler temps. It reached the middle 60's today with bright sunshine yet the wind made it feel even cooler.
The morning started much the usual with a before 6'ish roll out for me while Nancy luxuriated with a sleep in. I did my hot cup of green tea, a few quiet moments and the posting of this ramble before a grapefruit for breakfast. Afterwards I pedaled out to the rec for some 2 plus hours of pickle ball. We had 8 players for the morning and we got one of our best players, Larry back after a short hiatus. What a workout we had and I was looking forward to a rest by 10 AM.
I stopped off at the library for a couple new reads I had ordered last we and one is a memoir titled ETCHED IN THE SAND by Regina Calcaterra. She has a very sad story to tell about the mistreatment she and her siblings suffered at the hands of their mother and the New York State foster parent system. It's hard to imagine a mother could be so self centered with no regard for her children. Oh well this is a tough read and not one for the faith hearted.
I came back to the house and piddled around in the garden. I see where the opossum was in the garden last night and was looking for a meal from my buried compost. He had dug another nice hole looking for food. I need to set the trap and bait it with some real food before he digs up my garden plants. So far he or she has just dug in between the rows. Speaking of the garden the bush beans are blooming, green tomato's are getting bigger and another row of carrots has popped through the ground. The herbs are doing wonderfully especially the cilantro, basil and dill as they are fast growers. The rosemary looks healthy but is a much slower grower for some reason. The cucumbers which looked rugged after the last cold snap have bounced back and are sending out runners. I hope this cold snap doesn't stun them again. I made up a huge bowl of guacamole using cilantro and dill from the garden for lunch. Amy, GG and Sam came to eat with us. After lunch they left to run errands and do some shopping while I read the afternoon away.
I just got word that our team leaders decided to extend the promo for December through the end of the month with the Ribbon gift albums which are buy 2 and get 1 free. Initially it was to end on the 15th but a malfunction on the phone service caused a delay so they decided to extend the offer. Note if you order now you probably won't get them until after Christmas but they still make awesome gifts to give. Check out the website at our store; www.amway.com/JNTriplett and use these extra days to make your purchases. Also if you haven't checked out the website for Bobby's book promotion here it is; http://epicofhaven.com/kickstarter watch the video and the out takes. If your inclined to be a part of this endeavor an adventure make a pledge however large or small through Amazon's kickstarter program as they intend to self publish the books. He has a great team assisting him and they are all volunteers and most of them are church members. What an awesome group of people or as Bobby would call it community.
Well we had a supper of grilled salmon, sautéed yellow squash and a salad and after the cleanup we retired to the living room to watch the Fox News channel; fair, balanced and unafraid to report the facts and let us decide. Wow do we ever need more of that from those who are sycophants for this administration. I received my notice from social security today telling me my monthly increased will be less than the cost of a meal for one evening, yet we give billions (of which we don't have) away to those who hate America's way of life as foreign aid and on top of that they want to redistribute what so many of us have worked and saved for all of our lives. They promoted change alright but give me my freedom to decide, my health care, my guns to protect me and my savings that I worked for and they can have their change. I do not need the feds telling me what is best for me. They are to protect me from foreign danger and now I'm not to sure they even want to do that as once again they cut support for the military and their families. We need to wake up America before it's too late and it maybe to late already, oh well! They in the senate did away with the nuclear option so now those in the majority(Dems) can railroad through any appointments by the administration to the judicial bench. Wait until you read about who will be appointed to the bench and who will decide the fate of us all and once again we will begin to fall like the great Roman empire. History tells us the fall begins within the nation and the system of corrupt leadership, LATER
The morning started much the usual with a before 6'ish roll out for me while Nancy luxuriated with a sleep in. I did my hot cup of green tea, a few quiet moments and the posting of this ramble before a grapefruit for breakfast. Afterwards I pedaled out to the rec for some 2 plus hours of pickle ball. We had 8 players for the morning and we got one of our best players, Larry back after a short hiatus. What a workout we had and I was looking forward to a rest by 10 AM.
I stopped off at the library for a couple new reads I had ordered last we and one is a memoir titled ETCHED IN THE SAND by Regina Calcaterra. She has a very sad story to tell about the mistreatment she and her siblings suffered at the hands of their mother and the New York State foster parent system. It's hard to imagine a mother could be so self centered with no regard for her children. Oh well this is a tough read and not one for the faith hearted.
I came back to the house and piddled around in the garden. I see where the opossum was in the garden last night and was looking for a meal from my buried compost. He had dug another nice hole looking for food. I need to set the trap and bait it with some real food before he digs up my garden plants. So far he or she has just dug in between the rows. Speaking of the garden the bush beans are blooming, green tomato's are getting bigger and another row of carrots has popped through the ground. The herbs are doing wonderfully especially the cilantro, basil and dill as they are fast growers. The rosemary looks healthy but is a much slower grower for some reason. The cucumbers which looked rugged after the last cold snap have bounced back and are sending out runners. I hope this cold snap doesn't stun them again. I made up a huge bowl of guacamole using cilantro and dill from the garden for lunch. Amy, GG and Sam came to eat with us. After lunch they left to run errands and do some shopping while I read the afternoon away.
I just got word that our team leaders decided to extend the promo for December through the end of the month with the Ribbon gift albums which are buy 2 and get 1 free. Initially it was to end on the 15th but a malfunction on the phone service caused a delay so they decided to extend the offer. Note if you order now you probably won't get them until after Christmas but they still make awesome gifts to give. Check out the website at our store; www.amway.com/JNTriplett and use these extra days to make your purchases. Also if you haven't checked out the website for Bobby's book promotion here it is; http://epicofhaven.com/kickstarter watch the video and the out takes. If your inclined to be a part of this endeavor an adventure make a pledge however large or small through Amazon's kickstarter program as they intend to self publish the books. He has a great team assisting him and they are all volunteers and most of them are church members. What an awesome group of people or as Bobby would call it community.
Well we had a supper of grilled salmon, sautéed yellow squash and a salad and after the cleanup we retired to the living room to watch the Fox News channel; fair, balanced and unafraid to report the facts and let us decide. Wow do we ever need more of that from those who are sycophants for this administration. I received my notice from social security today telling me my monthly increased will be less than the cost of a meal for one evening, yet we give billions (of which we don't have) away to those who hate America's way of life as foreign aid and on top of that they want to redistribute what so many of us have worked and saved for all of our lives. They promoted change alright but give me my freedom to decide, my health care, my guns to protect me and my savings that I worked for and they can have their change. I do not need the feds telling me what is best for me. They are to protect me from foreign danger and now I'm not to sure they even want to do that as once again they cut support for the military and their families. We need to wake up America before it's too late and it maybe to late already, oh well! They in the senate did away with the nuclear option so now those in the majority(Dems) can railroad through any appointments by the administration to the judicial bench. Wait until you read about who will be appointed to the bench and who will decide the fate of us all and once again we will begin to fall like the great Roman empire. History tells us the fall begins within the nation and the system of corrupt leadership, LATER
Monday, December 16, 2013
Monday
Well Sunday turned out to be a busy day and we received some much needed rain. During the early morning hours Nancy said it poured rain but I didn't know it until after awakening. Today was our travel day to Tampa for worship with our Element family and then we decided to stay over in the area for the first kids choir at 6 PM. Dan and Carol stayed away due to other commitments so it was just Nancy and I on the drive over.
The morning started much the usual for a Sunday morning as we did our own breakfasts, quiet times and then got ready to head out around 9 AM. It was sure nice to see some rain water in the streets as it has been a long dry spell. I'm sure my garden and yards are drinking in every drop that fell during the night time hours. We made the trip with plenty of time to spare. I happened to see an old friend who I first met while working an off duty job at Sports Unlimited. Doug Garner and his fiancé Laurie Fingers were there to speak about their mission in Costa Rica. He started an adventure ministry titled Going The Distance and that has become quite successful. Many of Element have been on his adventure trips including Bobby and Jill. I met Doug way back before our kids were even born and its such a small world to think our friendship has developed in opportunities to serve mankind while indulging oneself into the wild. I just wish he would marry Laurie as she is just a beautiful person inside and out.
We had a nice visit with them and Bobby had a great message once again about our expectations in between the down times of our life. The music was awesome as well and despite it being a home game Sunday for the Bucs we still had a good crowd. Speaking of the Bucs they played a good team the 49 Niners well until the 4th quarter when once again they fell apart with mistakes and miscues. The final score was not indicative of the play for most of the game. We were on a drive that would have put up by a point and the possibility to win the game until everything went down hill, oh well!!
We took off after the service to find a Cracker Barrel as we had a gift card so we found one outside of Tampa on I-4 that was packed. After a 30 minute wait we got in and had a fine meal along several hundred other people. I wish I had invested in that restaurant as they do a great business. I had the fried chicken breasts with steak fries and turnip greens while Nancy had the broiled trout fillet, hash brown casserole and green beans. Everything tasted down home and the rolls and cornbread was awesome as well.
We then headed back to the Brandon mall with several thousand other shoppers only to find we could not purchase a gift card on Sunday because the customer service for the mall was only open during the week. So it looks as if we will have to give cash instead of the gift card for one of the family members who live in that area, oh well!!! We then headed down to Riverview for a couple hours visit with Bobby and family as we had to be at the church for the 6 PM kids choir program. We got in a few minutes of the Bucs game and watched a little of the Cowboys blow out the Packers in the first half only to find out they lost the game in the second half after some great play from the boys from Green Bay, unbelievable. I think the Bucs and the Cowboys have been drinking the same stuff, oh well!!!
The kids choir was awesome and this program is our first ever at Element and it was done in wonderful fashion. There were lots of first time grand parents there as well as some old familiar faces that have moved away. It was great to see and hug their necks. Our Annsley was the first to sing solo and she did a great job on Away in the Manger as did all of the kiddos. There were 23 kids on the stage and some as young as 3 participated. Kudos to the directors and the kids for an awesome evening. Afterwards we had an ice cream social with a birthday cake for JESUS.
Well we got back home to Seminole somewhere around 8 and it seemed like we had been gone all day which we had. I tuned into the late game where the Steelers were ripping apart the Bengals on a cold windy night in Pittsburg. I shut the lights off around 10'ish and called it a day. It was a fun day seeing our son and his family, old friends and of course worshipping with a great group of believers especially this time of the year. There were many unwrapped gifts brought for the foster kids to be delivered this week by Element, LATER
The morning started much the usual for a Sunday morning as we did our own breakfasts, quiet times and then got ready to head out around 9 AM. It was sure nice to see some rain water in the streets as it has been a long dry spell. I'm sure my garden and yards are drinking in every drop that fell during the night time hours. We made the trip with plenty of time to spare. I happened to see an old friend who I first met while working an off duty job at Sports Unlimited. Doug Garner and his fiancé Laurie Fingers were there to speak about their mission in Costa Rica. He started an adventure ministry titled Going The Distance and that has become quite successful. Many of Element have been on his adventure trips including Bobby and Jill. I met Doug way back before our kids were even born and its such a small world to think our friendship has developed in opportunities to serve mankind while indulging oneself into the wild. I just wish he would marry Laurie as she is just a beautiful person inside and out.
We had a nice visit with them and Bobby had a great message once again about our expectations in between the down times of our life. The music was awesome as well and despite it being a home game Sunday for the Bucs we still had a good crowd. Speaking of the Bucs they played a good team the 49 Niners well until the 4th quarter when once again they fell apart with mistakes and miscues. The final score was not indicative of the play for most of the game. We were on a drive that would have put up by a point and the possibility to win the game until everything went down hill, oh well!!
We took off after the service to find a Cracker Barrel as we had a gift card so we found one outside of Tampa on I-4 that was packed. After a 30 minute wait we got in and had a fine meal along several hundred other people. I wish I had invested in that restaurant as they do a great business. I had the fried chicken breasts with steak fries and turnip greens while Nancy had the broiled trout fillet, hash brown casserole and green beans. Everything tasted down home and the rolls and cornbread was awesome as well.
We then headed back to the Brandon mall with several thousand other shoppers only to find we could not purchase a gift card on Sunday because the customer service for the mall was only open during the week. So it looks as if we will have to give cash instead of the gift card for one of the family members who live in that area, oh well!!! We then headed down to Riverview for a couple hours visit with Bobby and family as we had to be at the church for the 6 PM kids choir program. We got in a few minutes of the Bucs game and watched a little of the Cowboys blow out the Packers in the first half only to find out they lost the game in the second half after some great play from the boys from Green Bay, unbelievable. I think the Bucs and the Cowboys have been drinking the same stuff, oh well!!!
The kids choir was awesome and this program is our first ever at Element and it was done in wonderful fashion. There were lots of first time grand parents there as well as some old familiar faces that have moved away. It was great to see and hug their necks. Our Annsley was the first to sing solo and she did a great job on Away in the Manger as did all of the kiddos. There were 23 kids on the stage and some as young as 3 participated. Kudos to the directors and the kids for an awesome evening. Afterwards we had an ice cream social with a birthday cake for JESUS.
Sunday, December 15, 2013
Sunday
Well Saturday once again was a usual winter day for Florida with heat and humidity back in the forecast. The cool front just stopped by for a day or so then it headed on out of here so we had to close the windows and once more turn on the a/c. Our family and friends are having some really nasty winter weather in the mountains and the northeast, oh well!!
Our Saturday started with a sleep in for me until nearly 6:30 since we had been out late on Friday night. Nancy was still sawing zzzz's when I rolled out. After my cup of tea, and few quiet moments then the posting of this ramble I headed out to work in the garden until it was time for breakfast. I could smell the buckwheat cakes out the kitchen window and the tummy said it was time for some cakes with molasses and cackleberries on top. There is nothing like a mountain breakfast to start the day especially if your working outside.
It hadn't warmed up yet as Nancy helped me carry the round kitchen table outside. I wanted to refinish the top as the polyurethane has disintegrated . Well that turned out to be a bigger job than I anticipated but after 2 hours of hand sanding I finally got through to the wood. I then re-stained the oak wood with a honey oak finish and let that dry in the sun. I need to re-polyurethane it on Sunday after a good 24 hours of drying. The top turned out nice. The next time I refinish something that has been polyurethaned I will use a heat stripper to remove the gummy finish, oh well.
We had a late lunch of leftover sandwiches from last nights domino party along with some spinach dip. Afterwards I worked on several of the oak chairs from the kitchen that needed some gluing. It was a good day for that as we were having no company thus giving the glue a change to set up and dry. I could feel the humidity suddenly come back into the air in the late afternoon and at times I thought we were maybe in for a rain shower. Well the wind picked up from the south and there went our rain chance and then it was time to close the house up once again with the a/c on, yuck.
Well we just piddled around and then we spoke to our "mountain mom", Helen and learned one of her long time neighbors passed away suddenly this morning. We knew her quite well also. The passing was unexpected and sudden and she was still relatively young at the age of 82. She had lived alone for several years and we would wave at her as we passed by her house on the golf cart. Well that was about it for Saturday as I grilled a short rack of spareribs and with that a fresh garden salad for supper. We just chilled the rest of the evening until it was shower time. I actually got into the movie on the history channel about Bonnie and Clyde until after 11 after watching some boxing earlier in the evening.
Don't forget that tonight at midnight the promo for the Ribbon gifts ends. The promo is if you buy 2 you will get a third one free from me and our team leaders. That is a great offer and they make great Christmas gifts especially for folks hard to buy for or for out of towners. The Ribbon gift album have several varieties to choose from but I personally like the Delicious Ribbon one. The meat is very good and comes from the mid-west frozen in dry ice. I have given several of these as gifts and the recipients like them as well; but there are albums from every occasions. The recipient gets to choose from a long list as well as the gifts are shipped free and the album never expires. Now that's a bargain.
Well today is corporate worship at Element Church this morning in Tampa plus there is the kids choir this evening at 6. Grand daughter Annsley is singing a solo. We will either spend the afternoon in Tampa and then attend the program or make 2 trips to Tampa. I'm hoping we can just do the one trip and maybe do lunch out and then finish up some Christmas shopping in Brandon and then maybe visit with son Bobby for an hour or so in Riverview, LATER
Our Saturday started with a sleep in for me until nearly 6:30 since we had been out late on Friday night. Nancy was still sawing zzzz's when I rolled out. After my cup of tea, and few quiet moments then the posting of this ramble I headed out to work in the garden until it was time for breakfast. I could smell the buckwheat cakes out the kitchen window and the tummy said it was time for some cakes with molasses and cackleberries on top. There is nothing like a mountain breakfast to start the day especially if your working outside.
It hadn't warmed up yet as Nancy helped me carry the round kitchen table outside. I wanted to refinish the top as the polyurethane has disintegrated . Well that turned out to be a bigger job than I anticipated but after 2 hours of hand sanding I finally got through to the wood. I then re-stained the oak wood with a honey oak finish and let that dry in the sun. I need to re-polyurethane it on Sunday after a good 24 hours of drying. The top turned out nice. The next time I refinish something that has been polyurethaned I will use a heat stripper to remove the gummy finish, oh well.
We had a late lunch of leftover sandwiches from last nights domino party along with some spinach dip. Afterwards I worked on several of the oak chairs from the kitchen that needed some gluing. It was a good day for that as we were having no company thus giving the glue a change to set up and dry. I could feel the humidity suddenly come back into the air in the late afternoon and at times I thought we were maybe in for a rain shower. Well the wind picked up from the south and there went our rain chance and then it was time to close the house up once again with the a/c on, yuck.
Well we just piddled around and then we spoke to our "mountain mom", Helen and learned one of her long time neighbors passed away suddenly this morning. We knew her quite well also. The passing was unexpected and sudden and she was still relatively young at the age of 82. She had lived alone for several years and we would wave at her as we passed by her house on the golf cart. Well that was about it for Saturday as I grilled a short rack of spareribs and with that a fresh garden salad for supper. We just chilled the rest of the evening until it was shower time. I actually got into the movie on the history channel about Bonnie and Clyde until after 11 after watching some boxing earlier in the evening.
Don't forget that tonight at midnight the promo for the Ribbon gifts ends. The promo is if you buy 2 you will get a third one free from me and our team leaders. That is a great offer and they make great Christmas gifts especially for folks hard to buy for or for out of towners. The Ribbon gift album have several varieties to choose from but I personally like the Delicious Ribbon one. The meat is very good and comes from the mid-west frozen in dry ice. I have given several of these as gifts and the recipients like them as well; but there are albums from every occasions. The recipient gets to choose from a long list as well as the gifts are shipped free and the album never expires. Now that's a bargain.
Well today is corporate worship at Element Church this morning in Tampa plus there is the kids choir this evening at 6. Grand daughter Annsley is singing a solo. We will either spend the afternoon in Tampa and then attend the program or make 2 trips to Tampa. I'm hoping we can just do the one trip and maybe do lunch out and then finish up some Christmas shopping in Brandon and then maybe visit with son Bobby for an hour or so in Riverview, LATER
Saturday, December 14, 2013
Saturday
Well it was down right chilly as I pedaled to the rec on Friday morning. That certainly was comforting for a change as it's been nasty hot here in central Florida ever since we've been back from the mountains except for one other day. Friday was another busy day that found us in Riverview late in the evening for our annual domino's game at the Kuyatt Home.
The morning started much the usual with a before 6'ish rollout. I could feel a slight dip in the temperature in the inside of the house as I started my morning routine with a hot cup of green tea, a few quiet moments, a grapefruit for breakfast before getting ready to head to the rec on my bike. I needed a flannel shirt as the rather brisk breeze was quite nippy. The sun was shinning so I knew it would warm up by mid morning and I was not wrong as by the afternoon I was sitting under the big oak in the back yard reading. Ahh was it ever so delightful outside with the warm sunshine and cool breeze that kept the mosquitoes at bay.
We had a good crowd of advanced players for some 2 1/2 hours of pickle ball. The play was fast and the rallies were long extended with some great play. My shirt was soaked once again due to the fast play. Afterwards I headed out for the house to work in the garden until lunch time. Nancy was at her Friday morning ladies Bible study. Amy, GG and Sam came for a lunch of deli meat sandwiches, hummus and crackers. The hummus was awesome as Nancy found a container that had 4 different flavors at Aldi's which all were very tasty and hummus is really good for you.
After they left I settled into the Lee Childs book and finished it by late afternoon. We were heading over to Brian and Susan Kuyatt(Jill's folks) for our annual domino/Christmas party later in the evening. Nancy made a delicious spinach dip and small deli meat sandwiches for the event. We were riding with Dan and Carol and it was nearly 6 before we headed out. We saw more cars on the way there than we will see in a lifetime in Sparta as it took us an hour and a half just to get there. The interstates were clogged so we took the toll road and it was backed up as well. Seems all the snow birds are back and can you blame them with all the cold winter weather north of Florida.
We had a mixture of food to satisfy our hunger with a potato/leek soup, meat balls, smokies, salad, cheeses, sandwiches and of course cup cakes. I stayed away from the sweet stuff but did indulge in at least a tasting of the others. We had a large group of players that eventually numbered 8 depending on which grand child was mixed in with the group. We managed to get 6 rounds in before the kids needed some horizontal lab as well as did a few of us, especially me. I'm use to being down by 10:30 at the latest and sometimes even before that as I'm relocated to the bedroom T.V. while Nancy flips in the living room and sometimes even before as I'm usually awake around 5'ish. I was sure glad Dan drove as I nodded off on the way home several times. I'm not quite the night owl I use to be especially when I was working all those off duty jobs that lasted all night long on those road projects.
It wasn't long after midnight and I was in the horizontal position as I had showered before we headed to the party. Nancy had to shower yet as she didn't want to ruin her makeup so I never heard her come to bed. I have to relate an interesting story that happened with grand daughter Annsley at her kindergarten class on Friday. Seems the teacher had to be out of the room for something and it was time for the daily story to be read so the teacher had Annsley who is reading 4th grade level do the story time. How cute and awesome as well. She was also adding up her grand mother Susan's domino's at the end of the games. The kid is just to bright, oh well, LATER
The morning started much the usual with a before 6'ish rollout. I could feel a slight dip in the temperature in the inside of the house as I started my morning routine with a hot cup of green tea, a few quiet moments, a grapefruit for breakfast before getting ready to head to the rec on my bike. I needed a flannel shirt as the rather brisk breeze was quite nippy. The sun was shinning so I knew it would warm up by mid morning and I was not wrong as by the afternoon I was sitting under the big oak in the back yard reading. Ahh was it ever so delightful outside with the warm sunshine and cool breeze that kept the mosquitoes at bay.
We had a good crowd of advanced players for some 2 1/2 hours of pickle ball. The play was fast and the rallies were long extended with some great play. My shirt was soaked once again due to the fast play. Afterwards I headed out for the house to work in the garden until lunch time. Nancy was at her Friday morning ladies Bible study. Amy, GG and Sam came for a lunch of deli meat sandwiches, hummus and crackers. The hummus was awesome as Nancy found a container that had 4 different flavors at Aldi's which all were very tasty and hummus is really good for you.
After they left I settled into the Lee Childs book and finished it by late afternoon. We were heading over to Brian and Susan Kuyatt(Jill's folks) for our annual domino/Christmas party later in the evening. Nancy made a delicious spinach dip and small deli meat sandwiches for the event. We were riding with Dan and Carol and it was nearly 6 before we headed out. We saw more cars on the way there than we will see in a lifetime in Sparta as it took us an hour and a half just to get there. The interstates were clogged so we took the toll road and it was backed up as well. Seems all the snow birds are back and can you blame them with all the cold winter weather north of Florida.
We had a mixture of food to satisfy our hunger with a potato/leek soup, meat balls, smokies, salad, cheeses, sandwiches and of course cup cakes. I stayed away from the sweet stuff but did indulge in at least a tasting of the others. We had a large group of players that eventually numbered 8 depending on which grand child was mixed in with the group. We managed to get 6 rounds in before the kids needed some horizontal lab as well as did a few of us, especially me. I'm use to being down by 10:30 at the latest and sometimes even before that as I'm relocated to the bedroom T.V. while Nancy flips in the living room and sometimes even before as I'm usually awake around 5'ish. I was sure glad Dan drove as I nodded off on the way home several times. I'm not quite the night owl I use to be especially when I was working all those off duty jobs that lasted all night long on those road projects.
It wasn't long after midnight and I was in the horizontal position as I had showered before we headed to the party. Nancy had to shower yet as she didn't want to ruin her makeup so I never heard her come to bed. I have to relate an interesting story that happened with grand daughter Annsley at her kindergarten class on Friday. Seems the teacher had to be out of the room for something and it was time for the daily story to be read so the teacher had Annsley who is reading 4th grade level do the story time. How cute and awesome as well. She was also adding up her grand mother Susan's domino's at the end of the games. The kid is just to bright, oh well, LATER
Friday, December 13, 2013
Friday
The temps have finally dropped from the sub-tropical to almost normal for at least a day or so. Thursday found us with a much cooler and breezy day compared to what we have been having. The wind was from the northeast and it was actually a little chilly due to the lack of humidity. I would say it reached the low 70's for a high so I aired out the house with the windows and doors open.
The day started much the usual with a before 6'ish roll out for me. I did my usual routine of a cup of green tea, a few quiet moments, the posting of this ramble before having a lite breakfast and then riding out to the rec around 7:20 or so. There were just 2 of us players for the first few moments at pickle ball but then we had 4 and then shortly afterwards we had 2 courts in full action by 8 AM. The play was for the advanced players the first 2 hours and we had a good mix. Lots of wet shirts due to the continuous fast play. I headed out around 10 with a soaked shirt for a quick stop at the library before heading home.
Nancy was at the doctors office for her yearly women's checkup so I piddled around in the garden sowing some replacement seeds and then hand watering until lunch time. Amy, Sam and GG came for lunch and then afterwards they all took off around 2. Nancy and GG went to the mall and Amy and Sam headed home. I sat out in the back yard under the big oak as it was that nice and read for a couple hours. That helped to keep the pesky squirrels from digging in my garden as they go into hiding as soon as they see me.
Nancy and GG got back around 5'ish so we had pork chops on the grill along with some fresh green beans and yellow rice. After the cleanup we drove GG home and then made a Home Depot stop. Nancy commented she was chilled in the night air as the outside temp was 65. I thought it was just perfect and would have been a good night for outside activities. We tuned into the Fox News channel and watched some of our favorites; Greta, O'Reilley and then Megyn before I headed off to the shower. I tuned into the last of the Lightning game with the Red Wings and it was tied when I decided it was lights out for me around 10:30, LATER
Just a reminder if you haven't watched the video on our son Bobby's latest endeavor you must watch it. Bobby or should I say R.G.Triplett is about to be a published author. The book is an allegory and it's the first in a trilogy titled THE EPIC OF HAVEN. Check out this video at http://epicofhaven.com/kickstarter He is raising funds to self publish the book and so far the goal is within sight. If your inclined to be a part of this project there is an opportunity on the website to pledge through Amazon.
The day started much the usual with a before 6'ish roll out for me. I did my usual routine of a cup of green tea, a few quiet moments, the posting of this ramble before having a lite breakfast and then riding out to the rec around 7:20 or so. There were just 2 of us players for the first few moments at pickle ball but then we had 4 and then shortly afterwards we had 2 courts in full action by 8 AM. The play was for the advanced players the first 2 hours and we had a good mix. Lots of wet shirts due to the continuous fast play. I headed out around 10 with a soaked shirt for a quick stop at the library before heading home.
Nancy was at the doctors office for her yearly women's checkup so I piddled around in the garden sowing some replacement seeds and then hand watering until lunch time. Amy, Sam and GG came for lunch and then afterwards they all took off around 2. Nancy and GG went to the mall and Amy and Sam headed home. I sat out in the back yard under the big oak as it was that nice and read for a couple hours. That helped to keep the pesky squirrels from digging in my garden as they go into hiding as soon as they see me.
Nancy and GG got back around 5'ish so we had pork chops on the grill along with some fresh green beans and yellow rice. After the cleanup we drove GG home and then made a Home Depot stop. Nancy commented she was chilled in the night air as the outside temp was 65. I thought it was just perfect and would have been a good night for outside activities. We tuned into the Fox News channel and watched some of our favorites; Greta, O'Reilley and then Megyn before I headed off to the shower. I tuned into the last of the Lightning game with the Red Wings and it was tied when I decided it was lights out for me around 10:30, LATER
Just a reminder if you haven't watched the video on our son Bobby's latest endeavor you must watch it. Bobby or should I say R.G.Triplett is about to be a published author. The book is an allegory and it's the first in a trilogy titled THE EPIC OF HAVEN. Check out this video at http://epicofhaven.com/kickstarter He is raising funds to self publish the book and so far the goal is within sight. If your inclined to be a part of this project there is an opportunity on the website to pledge through Amazon.
Thursday, December 12, 2013
Thursday
Well Wednesday did have a small break in the heat wave. We actually opened the windows and turned the a/c off for at least a day or so as the temps and humidity were somewhat reduced. It felt so nice to have the house aired out and working in the garden was a pleasure. I believe its to be this way for a couple days before we get back into the upper 80's.
The day started much the usual with an early roll out for me then a few quiet moments with my cup of green tea before a grapefruit for breakfast. I got ready then pedaled out to the rec for a couple hours of pickle ball. Today was an open play day which meant some of the lesser skilled players mixed in with the more advanced. I had a good workout despite the play being somewhat toned down. I was able to work on some different aspects of my game and stayed away from the power strokes. We had 2 courts going with a few waiting to get on. It was a good workout with a few wet shirts.
I stopped off at the library to return a couple books and then picked up a new Lee Child book titled A WANTED MAN. Child is a really good fiction/mystery author and always has the same main character, Jack Reacher. I headed home to work in the garden as the weeds are growing fast. I picked a nice mess of collards and seasoned them with some hickory smoked bacon. They were on the stove simmering for about 5 hours and they melted in your mouth at supper. We had them along with a grilled marinated chicken breast and a fresh garden salad, yeow what fine eatin'.
Nancy had taken off on a shopping trip just as I came home from the rec as no one was coming for lunch today. I worked on the kitchen table that needed to be refinished. I still need to finish sanding it outside once I get some help to get it out the door, then stain and polyurethane it. I ate a piece of cheese for lunch along with an apple as I'm trying to reduce this food intake while exercising daily. Just maybe I can keep this spare tire in check as the next couple weeks we will see some awesome baking and cooking.
Nancy came back and we read for a couple hours then I headed out to hand watered the flowers in the front of the house and the yard. The grass is barely hanging on as we have had no real rainfall in about a month. I'm keeping everything alive with my shallow well. The garden also received a good watering. I think my cucumber plants are making a come back after that one day cold snap a couple weeks ago. I see some new growth. The spinach plants I brought back from the mountain went belly up and I'm afraid a couple of the Swiss chard plants are looking rather poorly while a couple look great. There must be something they are lacking from soil so I must miracle grow them a little more often, oh well.
After the supper cleanup we tuned into the Fox News channel to find out what is happening. It seems the liberals(secular progressives) are once again attacking Christmas and what it stands for. When did America become an atheist country? We have so many on the left who want to destroy us(USA) from within and engage in class warfare that at times they are ridiculous. Now a six year old boy has been suspended for kissing a girls hand and labeled a sexual offender. CBS has finally fired one announcer for trashing Sarah Palin in a vile way and the next to go should be Al Sharpenton who is really a racist. Why have all of a sudden the main stream media given recognition to the extremists. We are on the verge of a cultural breakdown where no longer are people made to be held accountable for what they say and do. Just look at the incompetents in this administration for starters who always blame someone else for their ineptitude. No none has been held responsible for this health care debacle, Benghazi murders, the IRS targeting political opponents and of course the NSA spying and now they are using money extorted from Goldman Sachs to give to their political friends. We are in huge trouble if we don't vote out those in the government who want to see America fall by the wayside and become like Europe. Oh well!!!
Well we watched the Christmas special of Duck Dynasty and it was a hoot, good clean family entertainment. They certainly had added some levity to all we are seeing in the corruption of our society, LATER
The day started much the usual with an early roll out for me then a few quiet moments with my cup of green tea before a grapefruit for breakfast. I got ready then pedaled out to the rec for a couple hours of pickle ball. Today was an open play day which meant some of the lesser skilled players mixed in with the more advanced. I had a good workout despite the play being somewhat toned down. I was able to work on some different aspects of my game and stayed away from the power strokes. We had 2 courts going with a few waiting to get on. It was a good workout with a few wet shirts.
I stopped off at the library to return a couple books and then picked up a new Lee Child book titled A WANTED MAN. Child is a really good fiction/mystery author and always has the same main character, Jack Reacher. I headed home to work in the garden as the weeds are growing fast. I picked a nice mess of collards and seasoned them with some hickory smoked bacon. They were on the stove simmering for about 5 hours and they melted in your mouth at supper. We had them along with a grilled marinated chicken breast and a fresh garden salad, yeow what fine eatin'.
Nancy had taken off on a shopping trip just as I came home from the rec as no one was coming for lunch today. I worked on the kitchen table that needed to be refinished. I still need to finish sanding it outside once I get some help to get it out the door, then stain and polyurethane it. I ate a piece of cheese for lunch along with an apple as I'm trying to reduce this food intake while exercising daily. Just maybe I can keep this spare tire in check as the next couple weeks we will see some awesome baking and cooking.
Nancy came back and we read for a couple hours then I headed out to hand watered the flowers in the front of the house and the yard. The grass is barely hanging on as we have had no real rainfall in about a month. I'm keeping everything alive with my shallow well. The garden also received a good watering. I think my cucumber plants are making a come back after that one day cold snap a couple weeks ago. I see some new growth. The spinach plants I brought back from the mountain went belly up and I'm afraid a couple of the Swiss chard plants are looking rather poorly while a couple look great. There must be something they are lacking from soil so I must miracle grow them a little more often, oh well.
After the supper cleanup we tuned into the Fox News channel to find out what is happening. It seems the liberals(secular progressives) are once again attacking Christmas and what it stands for. When did America become an atheist country? We have so many on the left who want to destroy us(USA) from within and engage in class warfare that at times they are ridiculous. Now a six year old boy has been suspended for kissing a girls hand and labeled a sexual offender. CBS has finally fired one announcer for trashing Sarah Palin in a vile way and the next to go should be Al Sharpenton who is really a racist. Why have all of a sudden the main stream media given recognition to the extremists. We are on the verge of a cultural breakdown where no longer are people made to be held accountable for what they say and do. Just look at the incompetents in this administration for starters who always blame someone else for their ineptitude. No none has been held responsible for this health care debacle, Benghazi murders, the IRS targeting political opponents and of course the NSA spying and now they are using money extorted from Goldman Sachs to give to their political friends. We are in huge trouble if we don't vote out those in the government who want to see America fall by the wayside and become like Europe. Oh well!!!
Well we watched the Christmas special of Duck Dynasty and it was a hoot, good clean family entertainment. They certainly had added some levity to all we are seeing in the corruption of our society, LATER
Wednesday, December 11, 2013
Wednesday
Well Tuesday found us eating supper at Amy's with one of the tastiest meals eaten in quite awhile. I will elaborate on the fixin's later in this ramble.
The day started with a 6'ish or a little before with a roll out to another warm day with temps that reached into the lower 80's. We had a cold front come through and dropped the temps down about 5 degrees. Wow any little bit helps but the a/c is still on and no rain in sight. I had my usual cup of green tea, a few quiet moments and a grape fruit before pedaling out to the rec for some 2 plus hours of pickle ball with 8 other players. I was beat when I left there at 10.
After a quick stop at the library to pickup and return a couple books I headed home to work in the gardens. The pesky squirrels have just about eliminated one row of small lettuce seedlings that I started from seed with their constant digging and hiding acorns in the garden. I managed to pick a nice mess of romaine lettuce and beet greens for a fresh garden salad. I now have 2 small rows of bush beans up as well as another row of carrots in the side garden. I don't usually plant that garden as it only gets a couple hours of direct sunlight during the day.
Sam and I hung out for a couple hours while Amy and Nancy headed off to shop. He was into a movie while snacking the whole time as he get really hungry as soon as his mom leaves. He is so cute with his expressions when he really wants something. I heated up the oven and we had a frozen pizza along with a salad for lunch when the girls got home from shopping. Amy and Sam left shortly after lunch and I took off on the bike to my barber where I had my ears lowered.
I came back and Nancy took off for a walk through the hood to get in her 45 minute workout. She was beet red from the heat when she came back. We chilled and read until it was time to head over and pickup GG and then go to Amy's for supper. I had given Amy some venison from the mountains that had been run through a meat tenderizer and she first used some oil in a pan and floured the meat and seared it on both sides before layering the steaks in a dutch oven with a can of mushroom soup, a can of beef broth and a cup of whipping cream. She baked it in the oven at 325 for about 2 1/2 hours and it was so tender and delicious. The gravy we put over smashed taters and with fresh broccoli on the side the meal was fit for a king. Absolutely one of the best meals ever and the meat was so tender you could cut it with a fork. It fell apart taking it out of the pot with a fork. Very tasty and one would never know it was venison. Amy also made a chocolate cream pie with real whipped cream on top and I passed on that delicious looking dessert.
Well we stayed until nearly 8 as we wanted to see Tyler. He had to work late and it was going on 8 before he got home. I hand watered his garden for him and his plants are looking good except for some pesky squirrel holes among his plants. He had a mess of collards the night before and said they were awesome. I think we will fix a pot tonight as I have some leaves that are beginning to mature. Well that was about it for the day as it was shower time when we got home and then I watched the Lightning loose in a shoot out in overtime, LATER
The day started with a 6'ish or a little before with a roll out to another warm day with temps that reached into the lower 80's. We had a cold front come through and dropped the temps down about 5 degrees. Wow any little bit helps but the a/c is still on and no rain in sight. I had my usual cup of green tea, a few quiet moments and a grape fruit before pedaling out to the rec for some 2 plus hours of pickle ball with 8 other players. I was beat when I left there at 10.
After a quick stop at the library to pickup and return a couple books I headed home to work in the gardens. The pesky squirrels have just about eliminated one row of small lettuce seedlings that I started from seed with their constant digging and hiding acorns in the garden. I managed to pick a nice mess of romaine lettuce and beet greens for a fresh garden salad. I now have 2 small rows of bush beans up as well as another row of carrots in the side garden. I don't usually plant that garden as it only gets a couple hours of direct sunlight during the day.
Sam and I hung out for a couple hours while Amy and Nancy headed off to shop. He was into a movie while snacking the whole time as he get really hungry as soon as his mom leaves. He is so cute with his expressions when he really wants something. I heated up the oven and we had a frozen pizza along with a salad for lunch when the girls got home from shopping. Amy and Sam left shortly after lunch and I took off on the bike to my barber where I had my ears lowered.
I came back and Nancy took off for a walk through the hood to get in her 45 minute workout. She was beet red from the heat when she came back. We chilled and read until it was time to head over and pickup GG and then go to Amy's for supper. I had given Amy some venison from the mountains that had been run through a meat tenderizer and she first used some oil in a pan and floured the meat and seared it on both sides before layering the steaks in a dutch oven with a can of mushroom soup, a can of beef broth and a cup of whipping cream. She baked it in the oven at 325 for about 2 1/2 hours and it was so tender and delicious. The gravy we put over smashed taters and with fresh broccoli on the side the meal was fit for a king. Absolutely one of the best meals ever and the meat was so tender you could cut it with a fork. It fell apart taking it out of the pot with a fork. Very tasty and one would never know it was venison. Amy also made a chocolate cream pie with real whipped cream on top and I passed on that delicious looking dessert.
Well we stayed until nearly 8 as we wanted to see Tyler. He had to work late and it was going on 8 before he got home. I hand watered his garden for him and his plants are looking good except for some pesky squirrel holes among his plants. He had a mess of collards the night before and said they were awesome. I think we will fix a pot tonight as I have some leaves that are beginning to mature. Well that was about it for the day as it was shower time when we got home and then I watched the Lightning loose in a shoot out in overtime, LATER
Tuesday, December 10, 2013
Tuesday
Wow is it ever hot here in Florida and just 700 miles away at the cabin it's freezing with snow and ice everywhere. I spoke with Paw Paw again today and they had between 6 and 8 inches of the white stuff and now it's turning to a freezing rain. I remember those days and after a few good sled runs down the hills I was ready for it to go away, oh well.
The day started much the usual here with a 6'ish or a little before roll out to a cup of green tea, a few quiet moments and the posting of this ramble before a lite breakfast and then a ride out on my bike to the rec. We had a smaller group of 8 players which made for constant play for most of the 2 1/2 hours. Many of the players have returned home for the holidays but we still have a good core gang. The wet shirts were in abundance. Afterwards I stopped off at the library before heading home to work in the gardens.
Amy, GG and Sam came for lunch so I made a guacamole with 3 avocado's so there was plenty for the 4 of us, yikes was that ever delicious with some salty tortilla chips for lunch. I used my home grown cilantro and dill for the dip as well. I spent the next couple hours reading as everyone left to go shopping after the cleanup. I bask in the stillness with a good book titled ONCE THEY MOVED LIKE THE WIND by David Roberts. It's the true story of Cochise and Geronimo and the Apache wars. I've learned I have some Apache blood in our ancestry as two brothers married Indian sisters from the Oklahoma area and brought them back to the Virginia's. Interesting to say the least and who knows I may be related to some of these infamous people.
It finally cooled down around 4 PM so I headed out to work in the garden as the weeds are growing. I weeded both onion patches as well as hoed around the leafy green plants. They are growing nicely despite the hot dry weather. We need rain but thankfully my shallow well allows me to water twice a day if needed.
Well I grilled a couple hamburger steaks for supper and with some tater tots we called it a meal. After the cleanup I headed in to watch Fox News. Thankfully we have a news organization that reports the facts and let's us decide. Once again this administration is violating and circumventing the constitution by executive orders. We had better get in tune to what is taking place as we are literally throwing away our liberty. Well enough said as I know I have stepped on a few toes but we are on the down side of what made America great. We longer will be able to decide what individually is best for us but now will be told by a powerful government in D.C.what to do. Really what it comes down to is a transfer or redistribution of wealth and the loss of the freedom to choose, oh well!!!
I tuned into the Monday Night Football game being played in Chicago and it looked brutal with the cold temp's, Yikes I can remember playing high school football with freezing temp's and it wasn't a pleasant experience as the field was frozen, your hands were frozen and when making contact with a cold helmet was agonizing. Yeow those were the days; of course now you can wear gloves and the equipment is so much better and there are heaters on the sidelines, LATER
The day started much the usual here with a 6'ish or a little before roll out to a cup of green tea, a few quiet moments and the posting of this ramble before a lite breakfast and then a ride out on my bike to the rec. We had a smaller group of 8 players which made for constant play for most of the 2 1/2 hours. Many of the players have returned home for the holidays but we still have a good core gang. The wet shirts were in abundance. Afterwards I stopped off at the library before heading home to work in the gardens.
Amy, GG and Sam came for lunch so I made a guacamole with 3 avocado's so there was plenty for the 4 of us, yikes was that ever delicious with some salty tortilla chips for lunch. I used my home grown cilantro and dill for the dip as well. I spent the next couple hours reading as everyone left to go shopping after the cleanup. I bask in the stillness with a good book titled ONCE THEY MOVED LIKE THE WIND by David Roberts. It's the true story of Cochise and Geronimo and the Apache wars. I've learned I have some Apache blood in our ancestry as two brothers married Indian sisters from the Oklahoma area and brought them back to the Virginia's. Interesting to say the least and who knows I may be related to some of these infamous people.
It finally cooled down around 4 PM so I headed out to work in the garden as the weeds are growing. I weeded both onion patches as well as hoed around the leafy green plants. They are growing nicely despite the hot dry weather. We need rain but thankfully my shallow well allows me to water twice a day if needed.
Well I grilled a couple hamburger steaks for supper and with some tater tots we called it a meal. After the cleanup I headed in to watch Fox News. Thankfully we have a news organization that reports the facts and let's us decide. Once again this administration is violating and circumventing the constitution by executive orders. We had better get in tune to what is taking place as we are literally throwing away our liberty. Well enough said as I know I have stepped on a few toes but we are on the down side of what made America great. We longer will be able to decide what individually is best for us but now will be told by a powerful government in D.C.what to do. Really what it comes down to is a transfer or redistribution of wealth and the loss of the freedom to choose, oh well!!!
I tuned into the Monday Night Football game being played in Chicago and it looked brutal with the cold temp's, Yikes I can remember playing high school football with freezing temp's and it wasn't a pleasant experience as the field was frozen, your hands were frozen and when making contact with a cold helmet was agonizing. Yeow those were the days; of course now you can wear gloves and the equipment is so much better and there are heaters on the sidelines, LATER
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