Well Saturday turned out to be one of those "why we live in Florida during the winter" days. The temps were a little chilly to start with the lows in the 40's and by late afternoon it was in the middle or low 70's with bright sunshine and no humidity. Just a perfect day weather wise and we had a great dinner out as we celebrated our dear friend Patrick's birthday at the Bonefish Grille in Largo.
The day started with a 7'ish roll out to 68 degrees in the house so we took the chill off and then it maintained inside at 70 for the rest of the day. Just about perfect as that was the inside temp we kept the cabin the last month or so before coming home. After a boring breakfast of oatmeal and our quiet times I headed outside to move some seedlings up into bigger pots before transplanting them in the garden. I piddled around in the garden until lunch time when we had some of the leftover turkey that GG had ground up with celery on crusty bread, yikes was that ever delicious. I then settled into some of the best college football games that I watched all season. Wow these rivalry games made for some great extra effort plays and were fun to watch.
Tyler and the kiddos came by to see our tree and brought us a beautiful wreath from the Home Depot while Nancy had gone shopping with Amy and Eliza. He also gave me a few heirloom lettuce seedlings that I later moved up into larger pots. The day was so beautiful with the windows and doors open and the fresh air was magnificent. We got ready to head out a little after 4 o'clock to meet up with Patrick and Kathryn.
Well I must say the dinner was beyond excellent with great service and we sampled all different fares that started with great appetizers of bang bang shrimp, crab dip and of course the sourdough bread dipped in seasonings and olive oil. We moved onto a Thai dish for me, fillet for Kathryn and mountain rainbow trout for Nancy and Patrick did a salad while we all sampled each others fares. We had a great dining experience for nearly 2 hours as we caught up and made plans for next years trip to Reno, Nevada in August. We want to pair up with Dan and Carol and possibly Sam and Marcia from Elk Creek, Va. and visit that area where we have the use of a summer home owned by Kathryn's brother. Nancy has never been west of the Blue Ridge Mountains and I of course have been to all of those area's while living in California and find it so different than what we are use to here. Hopefully we can make the trip as we all love to sight see, eat and play games and share one common goal of our belief in JESUS.
Well we headed back to their condo on Indian Rocks Beach for some Euchre and the guys finally won the best 2 out of 3 games. That was our first win against these gals and did we ever enjoy the victory. Their beautiful unattached daughter, Lauren was visiting over the Thanksgiving Day week end and we enjoyed seeing her. She is quite the wanderlust as she is now trying to get a job in the Nations Capital. She once lived and worked in New York City and as been in the Tampa area since we have know the Tracy Family. Such a beautiful girl but she does not let too much grass grow under her feet.
Well we headed out somewhere around 9:30 and will attend Seminole First Baptist Church today as Element is having house church Sunday which means there is no gathering at the warehouse. Since most of our house church is in the beautiful mountains of Helen, Georgia. We will worship with our daughter Amy's family who have been a constant in the church where she grew up, LATER
Sunday, November 30, 2014
Saturday, November 29, 2014
Saturday Morning and once again it's down into the 40's
Well Friday started out with a chilly wind keeping the temps down into the low 40's which actually felt even colder. Thankfully the sun was shining but it never reached above 55 for the day. Now I know that is a heat wave if your in the mountains with snow on the ground but for us snowbirds and flat landers it was 2 shirts and a jacket weather. Out of the wind and in the sun it was cozy.
We started the day around a 7'ish roll out and had to take the chill off the house. This is much too early to be having the heat on in the mornings. I use to swim everyday up until Christmas and we still have a month to go before the real cold is supposed to settle into the area. Yikes were are those global warming theorist. That is just a bunch of political crap perpetrated on the public to squeeze money out of us to line their pockets and Al Gore was a just a perfect example of that scam.
We had a decent breakfast of ham and eggs to keep the gastric juices flowing after that delicious supper the day before, as a matter of fact we cleaned up most of those leftovers from that meal last night for supper as GG joined us as well. We took off mid morning to get a Christmas tree and made a stop for lights at Big Lots. Well they have redone the store near GG's and it was quite a surprise to shop there as well. They had some great buys on toys for the kiddos with the second toy 1/2 off in price for one day only. We loaded a shopping cart with some great toy gifts as well as some new lights for the tree. We then headed to Home Depot for a tree and saw Amy and Tyler there choosing one as well. We loved up on the kiddos as well.
We spent the afternoon and evening putting up the tree and decorating the house and then we sat down for supper with GG. After the clean up and a visit Nancy drove her home and then after showers I tuned into the Gold Rush program and then read until it was lights out around 11'ish, LATER
We started the day around a 7'ish roll out and had to take the chill off the house. This is much too early to be having the heat on in the mornings. I use to swim everyday up until Christmas and we still have a month to go before the real cold is supposed to settle into the area. Yikes were are those global warming theorist. That is just a bunch of political crap perpetrated on the public to squeeze money out of us to line their pockets and Al Gore was a just a perfect example of that scam.
We had a decent breakfast of ham and eggs to keep the gastric juices flowing after that delicious supper the day before, as a matter of fact we cleaned up most of those leftovers from that meal last night for supper as GG joined us as well. We took off mid morning to get a Christmas tree and made a stop for lights at Big Lots. Well they have redone the store near GG's and it was quite a surprise to shop there as well. They had some great buys on toys for the kiddos with the second toy 1/2 off in price for one day only. We loaded a shopping cart with some great toy gifts as well as some new lights for the tree. We then headed to Home Depot for a tree and saw Amy and Tyler there choosing one as well. We loved up on the kiddos as well.
We spent the afternoon and evening putting up the tree and decorating the house and then we sat down for supper with GG. After the clean up and a visit Nancy drove her home and then after showers I tuned into the Gold Rush program and then read until it was lights out around 11'ish, LATER
Friday, November 28, 2014
Friday Morning the day after the turkey and I were both stuffed
Well Thanksgiving Day was such a beautiful day all around. I spent the morning in short sleeves outside after a nippy 51 degree start that reached the low 70's, but no comparison to what is happening at the cabin. Yikes it's in the 20's there with several inches of snow on the ground. Our "mountain mom", Helen was right on with her snow predictions as well as her old time almanac.
We started the day with sleeping in until nearly 7. After our usual morning routine(s) of a few quiet moments and the posting of this ramble I put a load of towels in the washing machine then headed out to work in the garden before hanging them outside on the clothesline. The birds were singing and the bright sunshine made for a very beautiful morning to catch up on some honey-do chores. We were having a houseful for a 5 o'clock meal with our family, GG and Betsy's boys. All together we had 14 including the 5 grand children for roasted turkey, dry stuffing, smashed taters and gravy, candid yams, green peas and onions, crusty bread and then pecan and pumpkin pies, Yikes what a spread and we did a rather good job of cleaning it up with the "to go" plates made for a neighbor of Amy's and Tyler's and Betsy's husband.
Bobby came around 2'ish and we took his kiddo's to the rec where they ran around and played on the playground equipment for an hour or so. It was beautiful out in the sunshine but in the shade the breeze kept it a bit chilled. Amy and Tyler came around 4'ish with GG and their kiddo's and we all had some snacks of spinach dip and crackers and some fruit of the vine while waiting for the turkey to finish roasting. The kiddos ran and played together and little Eliza Faye loved playing in the same room with the bigger kids. She was having such a great time and never fussed once. It was so cute to see the others share in their toys and playing with her at times.
We sat down and suddenly the house became so quite as the delicious fare quickly filled our mouths and at one time I noticed no noise except for the football game on in the background. Even little Eliza was loving her food on the tray. The odor of roast turkey permeated the house along with candied yams.
After the cleanup we decided to play a game called Logo which was quite interesting. Bobby eventually smoked us in the end after I had what I thought was an insurmountable lead, Tyler was second and I finish third. The gals never made a showing except for Amy who finished fourth. We had lots of fun and the laughter was so much the kiddos came from watching a movie to gather around the table and watch
us play. Little Eliza was so tired after her bath she slept through all of the excitement.
Well after everyone left somewhere around 9'ish we put the house back into some order and then got ready for a hot shower. It wasn't long before I felt the sandman calling myself somewhere around 10:30 after a chapter or two of Sandra Brown's book, LATER
We started the day with sleeping in until nearly 7. After our usual morning routine(s) of a few quiet moments and the posting of this ramble I put a load of towels in the washing machine then headed out to work in the garden before hanging them outside on the clothesline. The birds were singing and the bright sunshine made for a very beautiful morning to catch up on some honey-do chores. We were having a houseful for a 5 o'clock meal with our family, GG and Betsy's boys. All together we had 14 including the 5 grand children for roasted turkey, dry stuffing, smashed taters and gravy, candid yams, green peas and onions, crusty bread and then pecan and pumpkin pies, Yikes what a spread and we did a rather good job of cleaning it up with the "to go" plates made for a neighbor of Amy's and Tyler's and Betsy's husband.
Bobby came around 2'ish and we took his kiddo's to the rec where they ran around and played on the playground equipment for an hour or so. It was beautiful out in the sunshine but in the shade the breeze kept it a bit chilled. Amy and Tyler came around 4'ish with GG and their kiddo's and we all had some snacks of spinach dip and crackers and some fruit of the vine while waiting for the turkey to finish roasting. The kiddos ran and played together and little Eliza Faye loved playing in the same room with the bigger kids. She was having such a great time and never fussed once. It was so cute to see the others share in their toys and playing with her at times.
We sat down and suddenly the house became so quite as the delicious fare quickly filled our mouths and at one time I noticed no noise except for the football game on in the background. Even little Eliza was loving her food on the tray. The odor of roast turkey permeated the house along with candied yams.
After the cleanup we decided to play a game called Logo which was quite interesting. Bobby eventually smoked us in the end after I had what I thought was an insurmountable lead, Tyler was second and I finish third. The gals never made a showing except for Amy who finished fourth. We had lots of fun and the laughter was so much the kiddos came from watching a movie to gather around the table and watch
Well after everyone left somewhere around 9'ish we put the house back into some order and then got ready for a hot shower. It wasn't long before I felt the sandman calling myself somewhere around 10:30 after a chapter or two of Sandra Brown's book, LATER
Thursday, November 27, 2014
Thursday Thanksgiving Day in Florida
Well Wednesday started out wet and soggy but by the afternoon the wind had moved in dropping temps down to a very comfortable afternoon while drying things out. I was drizzled on while riding out to the rec for some pickle ball around 8 but by the afternoon I was working outside in the driveway cutting out some seats for my ladder back chairs. The sun was bright and very warm as the humidity had taken a hiatus when the wind moved in.
The morning started much the usual with a 6' ish roll out. After my cup of hot tea with cinnamon and honey, a few quiet moments and then the posting of my ramble from what happened yesterday I had a handful of grapes before heading out on my bike. We only had about 10 players for the day as it was an open day but we had a mixture of advanced with the intermediate players. I worked up a wet shirt after nearly 2 hours of play and then stopped off at the library for a new read before heading home. The sun was peeping through and the wind had arrived so I decided to mow up the leaves and weeds that had accumulated in the yards. Afterwards I hoed my seedlings as the rain had ready packed down the soil. I only lost 1 broccoli seedling to a cut worm and 2 of my kale plants that I had brought back from the mountain garden. All of the rest of that bunch is now putting on new leaves and all most ready for harvesting.
Amy decided to stay home with the kiddos as Nancy had an after lunch doctor appointment so we ate a salad for lunch and then I headed back outside to work on making seats for my chairs. That kept me busy until 4 o'clock and then we headed in to read until supper time. I grilled some hamburgers and hot dogs and along with some tater tots we called it our fast food dinner. We knew we would be eating heavy on Thursday with all kinds of delicious rich foods with the traditional Thanksgiving Meal.
After the cleanup I settled into the news and I must say I'm totally sick of hearing about the criminals in Ferguson, Mo. They are a disgrace to this nation and this situation could happen to anyone who wears the uniform of a law enforcement officer. The uniform and police vehicle should be a warning to all who want to hurt the person wearing it that deadly force with be used if necessary to avert injury to the wearer. How much clearer can that be and that is why the vehicle has markings and overhead lights as well as the uniform with a badge and a gun. These people are criminals and have no respect for authority or the rule of law. I to without a doubt would have shot the person if I feared for my safety, especially as he was the aggressor and refused to back down. The race baiters have exacerbated the situation and have done nothing to protect those who live respectfully and obey the law. Such a sad travesty of our race relations that a couple radicals including some people in higher positions of authority have denigrated all of the good that has been done with regard to the civil rights of all of us. I feel sick to my stomach that some people still believe in this administration and all of the harm it has done to our once great nation.
Well I watched the Lightning beat the Rangers in hockey and wow is that ever a spectator sport and one that never ceases from action. At least hockey is the best sport in our area right now as the Bucs really stink up the field. There should be a few football games on today so that will help with digesting this memorable dinner. Hope all of you have a safe warm Turkey Day, LATER
The morning started much the usual with a 6' ish roll out. After my cup of hot tea with cinnamon and honey, a few quiet moments and then the posting of my ramble from what happened yesterday I had a handful of grapes before heading out on my bike. We only had about 10 players for the day as it was an open day but we had a mixture of advanced with the intermediate players. I worked up a wet shirt after nearly 2 hours of play and then stopped off at the library for a new read before heading home. The sun was peeping through and the wind had arrived so I decided to mow up the leaves and weeds that had accumulated in the yards. Afterwards I hoed my seedlings as the rain had ready packed down the soil. I only lost 1 broccoli seedling to a cut worm and 2 of my kale plants that I had brought back from the mountain garden. All of the rest of that bunch is now putting on new leaves and all most ready for harvesting.
Amy decided to stay home with the kiddos as Nancy had an after lunch doctor appointment so we ate a salad for lunch and then I headed back outside to work on making seats for my chairs. That kept me busy until 4 o'clock and then we headed in to read until supper time. I grilled some hamburgers and hot dogs and along with some tater tots we called it our fast food dinner. We knew we would be eating heavy on Thursday with all kinds of delicious rich foods with the traditional Thanksgiving Meal.
After the cleanup I settled into the news and I must say I'm totally sick of hearing about the criminals in Ferguson, Mo. They are a disgrace to this nation and this situation could happen to anyone who wears the uniform of a law enforcement officer. The uniform and police vehicle should be a warning to all who want to hurt the person wearing it that deadly force with be used if necessary to avert injury to the wearer. How much clearer can that be and that is why the vehicle has markings and overhead lights as well as the uniform with a badge and a gun. These people are criminals and have no respect for authority or the rule of law. I to without a doubt would have shot the person if I feared for my safety, especially as he was the aggressor and refused to back down. The race baiters have exacerbated the situation and have done nothing to protect those who live respectfully and obey the law. Such a sad travesty of our race relations that a couple radicals including some people in higher positions of authority have denigrated all of the good that has been done with regard to the civil rights of all of us. I feel sick to my stomach that some people still believe in this administration and all of the harm it has done to our once great nation.
Well I watched the Lightning beat the Rangers in hockey and wow is that ever a spectator sport and one that never ceases from action. At least hockey is the best sport in our area right now as the Bucs really stink up the field. There should be a few football games on today so that will help with digesting this memorable dinner. Hope all of you have a safe warm Turkey Day, LATER
Wednesday, November 26, 2014
Wednesday morning in wet soggy Florida
Well Tuesday started out with heavy fog which eventually turned to rain and by dark heavy rain squalls which caused some concern for local flooding. We are situated about 30 some feet above sea level which is the highest in our part of the county. We go from 3000 feet at the cabin to 30 feet in about 700 hundred miles and 12 hours traveling time which makes for a very interesting life style.
I started the day with my usual 6'ish roll out and after my morning routine(s) and a few quiet moments and the posting of this ramble I rode out to the rec for nearly 2 hours of pickle ball play. We had all advanced players and the games were highly contested with some long rallies. There were lots of wet shirts. I headed home to work in the garden afterwards. I had spilled a few radish seeds when sowing my rows last weeks and every one of the spilled seeds came up, so I transplanted them into another couple rows. I didn't have to water today so I just piddled around outside until it was time to greet Amy and the kiddos for lunch. Nancy was off for a doctor's appointment and then picked up GG on her way home who also came for lunch.
Little Eliza Faye had a rough night with being fussy due to more teeth coming in. She finally gave us some smiles after being pampered and loved on. Ava and Sam have been eating wild energy pills as either of them are having are hard time sitting still. They finally went out into the back yard and played until it was time for them to head out. I read for most of the afternoon as it was just to wet and damp outside. We still have the a/c on due to all of the humidity. The temps are in the upper 70's but so damp.
Nancy fixed baked flounder along with black beans and Jasmine rice for supper, all of which were delicious. We are trying to cut back on our portions as we ate leftover salad for lunch. After the cleanup we spoke with our "mountain mom" Helen and learned they are expecting some snow over this holiday period. Our temps here in Florida are only to be in the low 60's starting Wednesday as another front is moving through following this much needed rain. The winds are supposed to be very strong which will make it feel even cooler. We go from a/c to heat in just a matter of hours here in what is usually sunny Florida, LATER
I started the day with my usual 6'ish roll out and after my morning routine(s) and a few quiet moments and the posting of this ramble I rode out to the rec for nearly 2 hours of pickle ball play. We had all advanced players and the games were highly contested with some long rallies. There were lots of wet shirts. I headed home to work in the garden afterwards. I had spilled a few radish seeds when sowing my rows last weeks and every one of the spilled seeds came up, so I transplanted them into another couple rows. I didn't have to water today so I just piddled around outside until it was time to greet Amy and the kiddos for lunch. Nancy was off for a doctor's appointment and then picked up GG on her way home who also came for lunch.
Little Eliza Faye had a rough night with being fussy due to more teeth coming in. She finally gave us some smiles after being pampered and loved on. Ava and Sam have been eating wild energy pills as either of them are having are hard time sitting still. They finally went out into the back yard and played until it was time for them to head out. I read for most of the afternoon as it was just to wet and damp outside. We still have the a/c on due to all of the humidity. The temps are in the upper 70's but so damp.
Nancy fixed baked flounder along with black beans and Jasmine rice for supper, all of which were delicious. We are trying to cut back on our portions as we ate leftover salad for lunch. After the cleanup we spoke with our "mountain mom" Helen and learned they are expecting some snow over this holiday period. Our temps here in Florida are only to be in the low 60's starting Wednesday as another front is moving through following this much needed rain. The winds are supposed to be very strong which will make it feel even cooler. We go from a/c to heat in just a matter of hours here in what is usually sunny Florida, LATER
Tuesday, November 25, 2014
Tuesday Morning in warm foggy Florida
Monday was the foggiest day we've had in Florida in quite a spell. It was so foggy the birds were sitting a top the power lines through out most of the morning. I started the day with a 6'ish roll out and after my quiet time and the posting of this ramble I got ready to head out to the rec on my bike for almost 2 hours of pickle ball. We had 2 courts in action with advanced players and the wet shirts were evident after awhile. Wow it felt good to sweat and hopefully I worked off some of this spare tire. I stopped off at the library to pick up a new Sandra Brown read before heading home. I took a copy of Bobby's book up to my barber who wanted to give a signed copy as a Christmas gift for a relative.
The garden loves this warm and wet condition. I noticed I now have carrots peeping through the ground and if they do as good as last years we will have an abundant crop. The sandy soil is perfect for growing them here. We did get a little sunshine after lunch for a couple hours but by late afternoon the sea fog had rolled in once again. Amy brought the kiddos by for us to watch them while she shopped with GG and then we had ham rollups for lunch. Ava and Sam are just so full of energy they can hardly be still. Eliza Faye was her sweet charming self but oh does she fight nap time. She is just like Amy as a baby with not wanting to take naps or even go to bed at night. We always commented if you want Amy to wake up.. put her in bed!
We took off to run some errands and get an estimate on covering 3 ladder back chairs with a solid seat. Well it was outrageous what they wanted to do this project so I think I can do it it myself. The chairs aren't worth nearly what they wanted to recover one chair, oh well. We made a stop at Home Depot to look at artificial trees and they are ugly and way over priced. We had a real one last year and I hope we do the same this year as we have lots of lights and bulbs in the attic, oh well. We made a grocery stop again and now Nancy is complaining the fridge is too small. We live just 5 minutes from the store and go there nearly every day or so. I don't know why we have to stock up so much at one time.
We were invited over to Amy and Tyler's for supper along with GG. Tyler grilled brauts and GG made Greek potato salad and Nancy made a garden salad. Wow did that combo ever compliment each other with the potato salad on top of the garden salad and then doused with Greek dressing. The dining was superb. After the cleanup I taught Amy and Tyler how to play Euchre and the gals won big over Tyler and me(I was helping GG on Tyler's team). Amy picked it up real quick despite her moaning about not knowing what she was doing, oh well. Ava and Sam played together great although they are a bit boisterous while little Eliza Faye tried to sleep. She must be cutting some new teeth as she was a bit cranky with a low grade temp. She has such personality and is just so cute.
We dropped GG off and then headed home as it was going on 10. I tuned into some of the NFL and was bored with the game. After my hot shower I felt the sandman calling so it was lights out for me around 11 after reading for awhile, LATER
The garden loves this warm and wet condition. I noticed I now have carrots peeping through the ground and if they do as good as last years we will have an abundant crop. The sandy soil is perfect for growing them here. We did get a little sunshine after lunch for a couple hours but by late afternoon the sea fog had rolled in once again. Amy brought the kiddos by for us to watch them while she shopped with GG and then we had ham rollups for lunch. Ava and Sam are just so full of energy they can hardly be still. Eliza Faye was her sweet charming self but oh does she fight nap time. She is just like Amy as a baby with not wanting to take naps or even go to bed at night. We always commented if you want Amy to wake up.. put her in bed!
We took off to run some errands and get an estimate on covering 3 ladder back chairs with a solid seat. Well it was outrageous what they wanted to do this project so I think I can do it it myself. The chairs aren't worth nearly what they wanted to recover one chair, oh well. We made a stop at Home Depot to look at artificial trees and they are ugly and way over priced. We had a real one last year and I hope we do the same this year as we have lots of lights and bulbs in the attic, oh well. We made a grocery stop again and now Nancy is complaining the fridge is too small. We live just 5 minutes from the store and go there nearly every day or so. I don't know why we have to stock up so much at one time.
We were invited over to Amy and Tyler's for supper along with GG. Tyler grilled brauts and GG made Greek potato salad and Nancy made a garden salad. Wow did that combo ever compliment each other with the potato salad on top of the garden salad and then doused with Greek dressing. The dining was superb. After the cleanup I taught Amy and Tyler how to play Euchre and the gals won big over Tyler and me(I was helping GG on Tyler's team). Amy picked it up real quick despite her moaning about not knowing what she was doing, oh well. Ava and Sam played together great although they are a bit boisterous while little Eliza Faye tried to sleep. She must be cutting some new teeth as she was a bit cranky with a low grade temp. She has such personality and is just so cute.
We dropped GG off and then headed home as it was going on 10. I tuned into some of the NFL and was bored with the game. After my hot shower I felt the sandman calling so it was lights out for me around 11 after reading for awhile, LATER
Monday, November 24, 2014
Monday Morning in warm Florida
Well Sunday really got hot and humid so we turned the a/c back on until the next cold front heads our way. Last week we had the heat on and now it's back to the a/c while the north is digging out from 6 feet of snow, yeow. We started the day with a 6'ish roll out as we were making food to take to Element for the quarterly Table. That is where we all bring some food to share with others and we not only partake of some good eatin' but share some personal highs and lows. What an awesome morning we had after our worship in music. We had a really nice crowd in attendance and heard some moving testimonies of what GOD is doing in the lives of these folks in the Tampa Bay area.
Today was also Shoe Box Sunday for those who participated in filling shoe boxes for the needy kids over seas. We had one house church member who volunteered to have a pie in the face to the house church that filled the most boxes. We had such a fun time after the service as whipped cream pies were squished into and around his face. I would estimate our church filled close to a hundred shoe boxes for Samaritans Purse which speaks a lot to the generosity of our small group of folks. I must say Jordan Thurmond did an excellent job with handling the pies in the face and silly putty.
The food was very good with everything from egg dishes, fruit, pigs in a blanket, pastries, dips and pies. Yikes was it every tasty and we had plenty of leftovers as well. We moved all of the chairs out afterwards so the floor could be cleaned by our volunteer cleaning crew as well. I see a lot of resemblance between the folks here and at our mountain church Cornerstone with their hearty participation and camaraderie.
We got back to the house just before 1 PM so it was watch some NFL on the tube for me. The Bucs played a decent first half and was winning 10-0 over the Bears but something happened in the second half that was consistent with the bumbling Bucs. They played like a high school team or either threw the game as it was down right terrible. I'm so surprised as last week they played like real pros for the whole game in beating a decent Redskin team in their stadium, oh well. So much for my enthusiasm for pro football.
I noticed my beans and peas have put on a second leaf during the day as they like these warm temps. I also noticed some of the Zinnias seeds I sowed last week are showing some color as well. We love Zinnias and they one of the hardiest flowers I know of especially in the cold weather. When we had the snow at the cabin a couple weeks back they were still looking hardy while blanketed in the cold wet white stuff. Well I have lost a couple of the kale plants I brought back but everything else is producing new leaves, especially the beets, collards and Swiss chard. Well that was about it for this day. I hope you took the time to worship, give thanks and pray for our nation as we once more are getting ready to celebrate this coming week one of our founding fathers greatest recognition's to our nation, Thanksgiving Day, LATER
Today was also Shoe Box Sunday for those who participated in filling shoe boxes for the needy kids over seas. We had one house church member who volunteered to have a pie in the face to the house church that filled the most boxes. We had such a fun time after the service as whipped cream pies were squished into and around his face. I would estimate our church filled close to a hundred shoe boxes for Samaritans Purse which speaks a lot to the generosity of our small group of folks. I must say Jordan Thurmond did an excellent job with handling the pies in the face and silly putty.
The food was very good with everything from egg dishes, fruit, pigs in a blanket, pastries, dips and pies. Yikes was it every tasty and we had plenty of leftovers as well. We moved all of the chairs out afterwards so the floor could be cleaned by our volunteer cleaning crew as well. I see a lot of resemblance between the folks here and at our mountain church Cornerstone with their hearty participation and camaraderie.
We got back to the house just before 1 PM so it was watch some NFL on the tube for me. The Bucs played a decent first half and was winning 10-0 over the Bears but something happened in the second half that was consistent with the bumbling Bucs. They played like a high school team or either threw the game as it was down right terrible. I'm so surprised as last week they played like real pros for the whole game in beating a decent Redskin team in their stadium, oh well. So much for my enthusiasm for pro football.
I noticed my beans and peas have put on a second leaf during the day as they like these warm temps. I also noticed some of the Zinnias seeds I sowed last week are showing some color as well. We love Zinnias and they one of the hardiest flowers I know of especially in the cold weather. When we had the snow at the cabin a couple weeks back they were still looking hardy while blanketed in the cold wet white stuff. Well I have lost a couple of the kale plants I brought back but everything else is producing new leaves, especially the beets, collards and Swiss chard. Well that was about it for this day. I hope you took the time to worship, give thanks and pray for our nation as we once more are getting ready to celebrate this coming week one of our founding fathers greatest recognition's to our nation, Thanksgiving Day, LATER
Sunday, November 23, 2014
Sunday Morning
Well Saturday was once again a very mild day with warm temps and mainly a sunshine day. The temps reached a balmy high 70's and the humidity didn't seem to bad at all despite there being some low clouds handing around. We started the day with a 6'ish roll out and after our quiet moments and a lite breakfast of oatmeal we got ready to head out to Twill Auto where our house church was doing it's quarterly Free oil changes for single moms or dads and spouses of active duty service members. We had a small crowd this signup period but we serviced 5 vehicles and did safety checks as well as served them fresh donuts and coffee and them gave them a $10 gas card. One of our newest signups was in tears of gratitude and found it unbelievable we as a church ministry would do such a nice thing for those who are struggling at this point in their life. She blessed our hearts with her hugs and well wishes.
We were finished by 10:30 and then made a stop at the new Walmart nearby before heading over to visit with Amy's before heading home. We had a lunch of salad and got things ready for our 2'ish departure for Bobby's place as we were taking Ava and Sam with us as we watched Annsley and Gabe for the afternoon and evening. The Ross Family came by and Tyler helped to update our computer and ipad. We headed outa little after 2 and made it to his town house in about an hour despite ever northerner being in the bay area. Wow the traffic was unbelievable but we jumped on the crosstown toll road and made it there in plenty of time for him to leave to do a wedding service.
The kiddo's played great together and not one fuss situation did we encounter. They ran up and down the sidewalk for nearly an hour before settling in to their own little worlds. The boys were playing cars and trucks, lego's and the girls were into creating art with beads that once were wet stuck together. I managed to watch some football games. Nancy made fresh chocolate chip cookies which thrilled everyone including myself. We brought fresh ground meat for burgers and then ate around 6'ish after Bobby got back from his wedding. They were grilled to perfection along with tater tots.
The kiddos bathed and showered together and had their night clothes on when we left some where around 8'ish. Sam fell asleep on the way home and its no wonder as they were up and down the stairs all evening playing. Well after a short visit with Amy and Tyler we headed home around 10'ish. It wasn't long after a hot shower I wanted to finish a great read titled THE AUSCHWITZ ESCAPE. While it's written in a novel form Joel C. Rosenberg does a fantastic job bringing back to life the horrible conditions associated with the death camps and this remarkable escape. This is truly a page turner from the start to the end.
It was nearly 11:30 before we turned out the lights, LATER
We were finished by 10:30 and then made a stop at the new Walmart nearby before heading over to visit with Amy's before heading home. We had a lunch of salad and got things ready for our 2'ish departure for Bobby's place as we were taking Ava and Sam with us as we watched Annsley and Gabe for the afternoon and evening. The Ross Family came by and Tyler helped to update our computer and ipad. We headed outa little after 2 and made it to his town house in about an hour despite ever northerner being in the bay area. Wow the traffic was unbelievable but we jumped on the crosstown toll road and made it there in plenty of time for him to leave to do a wedding service.
The kiddo's played great together and not one fuss situation did we encounter. They ran up and down the sidewalk for nearly an hour before settling in to their own little worlds. The boys were playing cars and trucks, lego's and the girls were into creating art with beads that once were wet stuck together. I managed to watch some football games. Nancy made fresh chocolate chip cookies which thrilled everyone including myself. We brought fresh ground meat for burgers and then ate around 6'ish after Bobby got back from his wedding. They were grilled to perfection along with tater tots.
The kiddos bathed and showered together and had their night clothes on when we left some where around 8'ish. Sam fell asleep on the way home and its no wonder as they were up and down the stairs all evening playing. Well after a short visit with Amy and Tyler we headed home around 10'ish. It wasn't long after a hot shower I wanted to finish a great read titled THE AUSCHWITZ ESCAPE. While it's written in a novel form Joel C. Rosenberg does a fantastic job bringing back to life the horrible conditions associated with the death camps and this remarkable escape. This is truly a page turner from the start to the end.
It was nearly 11:30 before we turned out the lights, LATER
Saturday, November 22, 2014
Saturday Morning
Well Friday turned out to be a beautiful day with just a morning chill in the air. There was plenty of sunshine and blue skies and we may have reached the middle 60's by late afternoon. After my usual routine for the morning I headed out to the rec for another 5th straight day of pickle ball and I stuck it out for an hour and half before heading to the library for a couple new reads for the weekend.
Nancy was baby sitting Eliza Faye while Amy and Tyler attended the Thanksgiving program at Keswick for Ava and Sam. When I got home from the rec Nancy had just gotten her to take a nap which is quite rare for this little busy body. She slept for a good 1/2 hour before awaking. We had such a great time playing with her until Amy and the kiddos arrived for lunch. We cleaned up some delicious leftovers and then I headed out to water the gardens.
I decided to refurbish 3 ladder back chairs that had the fiber rush seats that had finally worn out after several years use. Sam and I took 2 of them outside to clean the seats of the broken fibers and get them ready for an upholstered vinyl covered seat that we will have done locally if its reasonable. If not I will try to redo the seats using the same material that comes in a cord. I watched a video on how to redo the seats and it looks somewhat complicated but manageable, plus the material is rather inexpensive and available at Wal-Mart. So we will see what the estimate is for the vinyl seats.
After Amy and the kiddos left I settled in to a new read about an escape from Auschwitz during the Holocaust period. It's a sad but action packed read and very graphic. Nancy took off on a hike through the hood then stopped and visited with neighbor Carol. I read right up to supper time which was fried flounder, asparagus and steamed yellow squash, yikes was that ever tasty. After the clean up I settled into some Fox News to see what this usurper of power in the white house is doing to destroy our Constitution and our nation. He is reminding me of another usurper that held the world at bay in Germany during the start of WWII. The failure to uphold the laws and the lack of the separation of powers is looking more like Hitler and the Nazi's everyday. Wake up America before it's took late, LATER
Nancy was baby sitting Eliza Faye while Amy and Tyler attended the Thanksgiving program at Keswick for Ava and Sam. When I got home from the rec Nancy had just gotten her to take a nap which is quite rare for this little busy body. She slept for a good 1/2 hour before awaking. We had such a great time playing with her until Amy and the kiddos arrived for lunch. We cleaned up some delicious leftovers and then I headed out to water the gardens.
I decided to refurbish 3 ladder back chairs that had the fiber rush seats that had finally worn out after several years use. Sam and I took 2 of them outside to clean the seats of the broken fibers and get them ready for an upholstered vinyl covered seat that we will have done locally if its reasonable. If not I will try to redo the seats using the same material that comes in a cord. I watched a video on how to redo the seats and it looks somewhat complicated but manageable, plus the material is rather inexpensive and available at Wal-Mart. So we will see what the estimate is for the vinyl seats.
After Amy and the kiddos left I settled in to a new read about an escape from Auschwitz during the Holocaust period. It's a sad but action packed read and very graphic. Nancy took off on a hike through the hood then stopped and visited with neighbor Carol. I read right up to supper time which was fried flounder, asparagus and steamed yellow squash, yikes was that ever tasty. After the clean up I settled into some Fox News to see what this usurper of power in the white house is doing to destroy our Constitution and our nation. He is reminding me of another usurper that held the world at bay in Germany during the start of WWII. The failure to uphold the laws and the lack of the separation of powers is looking more like Hitler and the Nazi's everyday. Wake up America before it's took late, LATER
Friday, November 21, 2014
Friday morning in Florida
Well Google is still not running smoothly for me for some reason as I have to reset my password each morning which is getting to be a pain in the you know what before I can tune in to my blog and create my ramble, oh well!!
Thursday started with a 6'ish roll out to start the day. After a few frustrating moments trying to log in I did my quiet time and them my ramble about the events of the day before. I headed out around 7:45 on my bike to the rec for about and hour and a half of pickle ball with the advanced players. I'm finally working my self up to the full daily 2 hours of play. I will say by 10 PM at night I'm ready for some horizontal lab after these workouts.We had 3 courts in action and lots of wet shirts as the play was great.
I headed out in a stiff cool breeze but not nearly as cold as the day before and by 10 o'clock it had warmed back up to the middle 60's with bright sunshine. I worked in the garden until lunch time. I now have new lettuce up from seeds as well as 1/2 runner green beans, radishes and sugar peas all breaking the ground. I put my basil and parsley in the ground as well as 3 tomato plants I had dug up and repotted when we first got back from the cabin. I've only lost one broccoli seedling to a dang cutworm thus far which is rather amazing. I sowed some more kale seeds as well as these I brought back are doing OK but not really making any great leafs. I used them all summer and while they survived I want large leaves and plenty of them. I will replace them when these seeds mature in to larger kale plants.
Amy, GG and the kiddos came for a lunch of leftover Zuppa soup and ground ham sandwiches GG brought. Wow was that ever a delicious lunch. After they left around 2 PM Nancy and I ran errands to fill up our 4 Christmas Shoe Boxes that we will take to Element on Sunday. We then headed to Sam's to stock up and then Aldi's to top off the grocery list. We picked up GG and brought her with us as we were having her and Amy and the kiddos for supper as Tyler was at ESL at church. We did chicken breasts over a plate of linguine with capers, asparagus and fresh mushrooms, yeow was that some fine eatin' and the kiddos chowed down as well.
Well after the cleanup they got ready to go. Amy dropped GG off at her house and then I settled into some Fox News and then the hockey game where the Lightning failed to show up with their good play. After my hot shower I slipped under the covers and by 10 PM I was gone, LATER Here are a few pics Nancy took with the kiddos here for lunch.
Thursday started with a 6'ish roll out to start the day. After a few frustrating moments trying to log in I did my quiet time and them my ramble about the events of the day before. I headed out around 7:45 on my bike to the rec for about and hour and a half of pickle ball with the advanced players. I'm finally working my self up to the full daily 2 hours of play. I will say by 10 PM at night I'm ready for some horizontal lab after these workouts.We had 3 courts in action and lots of wet shirts as the play was great.
I headed out in a stiff cool breeze but not nearly as cold as the day before and by 10 o'clock it had warmed back up to the middle 60's with bright sunshine. I worked in the garden until lunch time. I now have new lettuce up from seeds as well as 1/2 runner green beans, radishes and sugar peas all breaking the ground. I put my basil and parsley in the ground as well as 3 tomato plants I had dug up and repotted when we first got back from the cabin. I've only lost one broccoli seedling to a dang cutworm thus far which is rather amazing. I sowed some more kale seeds as well as these I brought back are doing OK but not really making any great leafs. I used them all summer and while they survived I want large leaves and plenty of them. I will replace them when these seeds mature in to larger kale plants.
Amy, GG and the kiddos came for a lunch of leftover Zuppa soup and ground ham sandwiches GG brought. Wow was that ever a delicious lunch. After they left around 2 PM Nancy and I ran errands to fill up our 4 Christmas Shoe Boxes that we will take to Element on Sunday. We then headed to Sam's to stock up and then Aldi's to top off the grocery list. We picked up GG and brought her with us as we were having her and Amy and the kiddos for supper as Tyler was at ESL at church. We did chicken breasts over a plate of linguine with capers, asparagus and fresh mushrooms, yeow was that some fine eatin' and the kiddos chowed down as well.
Well after the cleanup they got ready to go. Amy dropped GG off at her house and then I settled into some Fox News and then the hockey game where the Lightning failed to show up with their good play. After my hot shower I slipped under the covers and by 10 PM I was gone, LATER Here are a few pics Nancy took with the kiddos here for lunch.
Thursday, November 20, 2014
Thursday Morning in Florida
Well I know this is a bit late for all of you who just love to read my ramble but for some reason the past couple morning Google has thrown me a curve and I've had a dadgum difficult time getting on to my blog. Anyhow here it is afternoon and I finally got on after a much challenging for me run through this keyboard, Oh well.
Wednesday was a rather chilly day and we had the heat on once again but not nearly as cold as Tuesday. But I find it rather balmy when compared to what is going on at the cabin with high's only into the 20's for the day. I do think the temps have moderated a little from the day before and now it back up close to above freezing. At least we don't have 6 feet of snow on the ground. That's almost unbelievable. Where are the global warming rip off artists like Al Gore?? Oh well that's another story in and of itself.
The morning was much the same as after my quiet moments and the posting of an abbreviated ramble I pedaled out in the cold wind to the rec for about and hour plus of pickle ball. We had a mixed group on Wednesday with a few of the intermediate players in attendance and most of the advanced stayed away. Me I just love the game and will play with anybody. At least I helped out several of those who are learning the game. I got in a decent workout before heading to the library. Amy and the kiddos game for lunch and then they all took off shopping while I watched Sam. He has such an imagination and is always making up these pretend warriors he fights with from Star Wars.
Nancy made a nice pot of Zuppa toscano soup for lunch and we each had a couple of bowls on a chilly day. Wow was it ever tasty and hit the spot. We were doing supper with our house church gang at the Botbyl's at 6 with taco's and the fixings. Nancy made salsa and the cheese dip with Rotell 'maters and sausage. I forget what's that's called but it was delicious along with the taco stuff Kathryn prepared. We sat around and talked until going on 9 before we headed out. We will get back into an agenda after Thanksgiving.
Well that was about it for the day and after a little Fox News it was hot shower time and soon after some horizontal lab for me at 10'ish, LATER
Wednesday was a rather chilly day and we had the heat on once again but not nearly as cold as Tuesday. But I find it rather balmy when compared to what is going on at the cabin with high's only into the 20's for the day. I do think the temps have moderated a little from the day before and now it back up close to above freezing. At least we don't have 6 feet of snow on the ground. That's almost unbelievable. Where are the global warming rip off artists like Al Gore?? Oh well that's another story in and of itself.
The morning was much the same as after my quiet moments and the posting of an abbreviated ramble I pedaled out in the cold wind to the rec for about and hour plus of pickle ball. We had a mixed group on Wednesday with a few of the intermediate players in attendance and most of the advanced stayed away. Me I just love the game and will play with anybody. At least I helped out several of those who are learning the game. I got in a decent workout before heading to the library. Amy and the kiddos game for lunch and then they all took off shopping while I watched Sam. He has such an imagination and is always making up these pretend warriors he fights with from Star Wars.
Nancy made a nice pot of Zuppa toscano soup for lunch and we each had a couple of bowls on a chilly day. Wow was it ever tasty and hit the spot. We were doing supper with our house church gang at the Botbyl's at 6 with taco's and the fixings. Nancy made salsa and the cheese dip with Rotell 'maters and sausage. I forget what's that's called but it was delicious along with the taco stuff Kathryn prepared. We sat around and talked until going on 9 before we headed out. We will get back into an agenda after Thanksgiving.
Well that was about it for the day and after a little Fox News it was hot shower time and soon after some horizontal lab for me at 10'ish, LATER
Wednesday, November 19, 2014
Wednesday Morning in chilly Florida
Well it's a bit nippy here at temps just above the 30's. I had to turn the heat on for the first time since last February, yikes and it's still November here. Tuesday was also a bit nippy with temps to start the day in the 50's and stayed there most of the day. It was mostly cloudy and a strong breeze made it feel even colder. After my usual routines I headed to the rec for some hour or so of pickle ball with nearly 3 courts in play. I cut in short as I'm building back my stamina gradually plus I had some other chores to do around the house.
I reset another post to the broken off one on the back fence. That required tying the fence forward and digging another hole and then attaching the broken post to the new one. Hopefully this will add years to the life of the already 20 plus years on that fence. I spent the rest of the afternoon reading as it was just to chilly to work outside after cleaning the roof of broken limbs and debris from the big oaks.
I'm cutting this ramble short as for some reason I went through a long routine with Google this morning to get back onto my site and continue with this blog. For a moment I thought I would have to desert this blog and start a new one like I had to in 2013, LATER
I reset another post to the broken off one on the back fence. That required tying the fence forward and digging another hole and then attaching the broken post to the new one. Hopefully this will add years to the life of the already 20 plus years on that fence. I spent the rest of the afternoon reading as it was just to chilly to work outside after cleaning the roof of broken limbs and debris from the big oaks.
I'm cutting this ramble short as for some reason I went through a long routine with Google this morning to get back onto my site and continue with this blog. For a moment I thought I would have to desert this blog and start a new one like I had to in 2013, LATER
Tuesday, November 18, 2014
Tuesday Morning in Florida
Well Monday the weather started out rather nice but around mid-morning it quickly changed. Clouds moved in and the rain began and it stayed that way until late evening. The coldest weather of the year is supposed to infiltrate the area today which gusty winds. There is a freeze warning for the counties north of the bay area but I don't think we will see or feel it unless it's from the wind chill.
I started the day much the usual now that I'm back on the pickle ball court at 8 with a rollout around 6:30. I did my quiet time and posted my ramble for the day before heading out on the bike for a little over an hour of continuous play. I went the first 8 or 9 games with different partners and never lost a set. It's been over a month since I last played so I must have forgot my weakness or had good partners. I think the latter. I stopped at the library for a new read before heading home.
I hung a load of laundry as the sun was shining and then hand watered the garden; not knowing we were in for a drenching rain the rest of the afternoon. I made a guacamole for lunch as Amy, GG and the kiddos were coming with fresh bread and lunch meat. Little Eliza was all smiles and she entertained us with her antics. She is such a cutie and so smart for her age and she stands alone quite a bit.
After they left I spent the afternoon in the reading room as there wasn't much I could do outside. It felt good to do nothing but read for the rest of the day as the workout had worn me out. Nancy made fried rice with fresh broccoli on the side for supper. A meatless day except for the smoked turkey sandwich at lunch. After the clean up we settled into the Fox News and once more saw where our Potus is lying about his connection with the author of Obamacare. These crooks in D.C. should be locked up for their incompetence and down right disregard for the Constitution, LATER
I started the day much the usual now that I'm back on the pickle ball court at 8 with a rollout around 6:30. I did my quiet time and posted my ramble for the day before heading out on the bike for a little over an hour of continuous play. I went the first 8 or 9 games with different partners and never lost a set. It's been over a month since I last played so I must have forgot my weakness or had good partners. I think the latter. I stopped at the library for a new read before heading home.
I hung a load of laundry as the sun was shining and then hand watered the garden; not knowing we were in for a drenching rain the rest of the afternoon. I made a guacamole for lunch as Amy, GG and the kiddos were coming with fresh bread and lunch meat. Little Eliza was all smiles and she entertained us with her antics. She is such a cutie and so smart for her age and she stands alone quite a bit.
After they left I spent the afternoon in the reading room as there wasn't much I could do outside. It felt good to do nothing but read for the rest of the day as the workout had worn me out. Nancy made fried rice with fresh broccoli on the side for supper. A meatless day except for the smoked turkey sandwich at lunch. After the clean up we settled into the Fox News and once more saw where our Potus is lying about his connection with the author of Obamacare. These crooks in D.C. should be locked up for their incompetence and down right disregard for the Constitution, LATER
Monday, November 17, 2014
Monday Morning
Well Sunday turned out to be a little warmer than the past week with temps close to 80 and the humidity crept back into the picture. I had transported Tyler to the ER at Morton Plant Hospital around midnight as he was suffering some pressure in his head and had an uneasy feeling about him that caused him to worry. So I took him and then came back home and went to bed until around 3'ish when he called to pick him up again after several involved tests and scans. They found nothing but did think the discomfort maybe from an inter ear problem. He seemed somewhat better later in the evening at GG's for super but still had some dizziness while attempting to drive. He has an appointment with his regular doctor today, Monday.
We headed for Element Church in Tampa with neighbor Dan around 9'ish. It was great to renew old friendships and we were made welcome by many. They are still functioning with different speakers each Sunday and have a great core of regular attendees since Bobby stepped down last May. He still helps with the music which was awesome and very worshipful and Melody did an excellent job of bringing a super message on love. Wow, she had me in tears. We headed back to Pinellas and then lounged around after a lite lunch of salad. We knew we were eating a roast beef supper with all the trimming for super at GG's around 6 as we celebrated Betsy's 60th birthday. The Ross Family, Bobby, Braden and Nancy and I feasted on medium rare roast beef, smashed tater's, spinach casserole and salad and then chocolate cake with white icing for dessert. Yeow what a feed!!
After the cleanup we headed out around 8:30 and it wasn't long afterwards I decided to call it a night as I tried to watch a little of the late football game. The shorten sleep on Saturday night had me dozing by 9:30. I did get to see the Bucs win their second game of the year by a convincing win over the Redskins 27-7. I know it sounds silly but we are only back two games from leading our division which is the lowest in the entire league in wins. We do have a shot at the division leadership, LATER
We headed for Element Church in Tampa with neighbor Dan around 9'ish. It was great to renew old friendships and we were made welcome by many. They are still functioning with different speakers each Sunday and have a great core of regular attendees since Bobby stepped down last May. He still helps with the music which was awesome and very worshipful and Melody did an excellent job of bringing a super message on love. Wow, she had me in tears. We headed back to Pinellas and then lounged around after a lite lunch of salad. We knew we were eating a roast beef supper with all the trimming for super at GG's around 6 as we celebrated Betsy's 60th birthday. The Ross Family, Bobby, Braden and Nancy and I feasted on medium rare roast beef, smashed tater's, spinach casserole and salad and then chocolate cake with white icing for dessert. Yeow what a feed!!
After the cleanup we headed out around 8:30 and it wasn't long afterwards I decided to call it a night as I tried to watch a little of the late football game. The shorten sleep on Saturday night had me dozing by 9:30. I did get to see the Bucs win their second game of the year by a convincing win over the Redskins 27-7. I know it sounds silly but we are only back two games from leading our division which is the lowest in the entire league in wins. We do have a shot at the division leadership, LATER
Sunday, November 16, 2014
Sunday Morning as we head off to see our Element Church Family
Well if Saturday's weather could have been any nicer you would have had to be in Hawaii. It was such a splendid day and to top it off we got to spend the evening with the Ross grandchildren while Amy and Tyler did a date night out.
The morning started with a great semi-mountain breakfast with sausage patties, a couple of cackleberries and the last of the homemade bread from Becca's Shoppe in Sparta. Yeow was that ever tasty and the only thing missing were the buckwheat cakes in place of the bread, but we didn't want to waste the bread. After my quiet time and the posting of this ramble we checked in with our "mountain mom" Helen to see if she was frozen as the temps in the mountains were down into the teens with a wind chill even colder, yikes! There was just a slight dusting of the frozen white stuff on the ground but the sun was shining which doesn't make it seem quite as cold for some reason. Overcast skies, freezing temps and snow on the ground to me is depressing after awhile.
I headed out to water the new garden and it looked great. Lots of new leaves on the transplanted beets, Swiss chard, collards and the repotted tomato's are perking up as well. So far this winter garden is looking great. All of the recently purchased seedlings are looking great as well. I piddled around cleaning up a pile of old lumber by sawing into fire pit pieces for my next door neighbor as they have a nice pit. We decided after a lite lunch of peanut butter crackers we would head over to Walsingham County Park were we took off on foot to the 6 mile course. Yikes was it ever nice out and just a touch of chill in the shaded areas. We spotted a small armadillo looking for food in the palmetto's and got quite close and they really are a freak of nature with their body armor and weird looking face and mouth.
We decided to cut the 6 mile course down to about 4 1/2 miles despite it being on flat level ground as our feet and legs were getting tired. We headed back home to fold the sun drying laundry and I tuned into the college football games as we awaited the arrival of the grand kiddos. We made tacos for them as that is one of their favorites and then nutty buddies cones for dessert. After their baths we put on a movie and they had pop corn. No wonder they are growing up so fast. Eliza was just such a cutie and she only fussed when it was her bedtime and she missed going to sleep while nursing. After about 10 minutes of fuss she fell asleep on Nancy's lap and was out until Amy and Tyler got home. What a grand time we had and it was great to reconnect with them.
Well That was about it for the day as we get ready to head over to Tampa for worship with our Element Church Family. Here are a few pics taken on our hike in the park and Eliza saw me brushing out Ava's hair after her bath and then she too decided to play with Ava's hair, LATER
The morning started with a great semi-mountain breakfast with sausage patties, a couple of cackleberries and the last of the homemade bread from Becca's Shoppe in Sparta. Yeow was that ever tasty and the only thing missing were the buckwheat cakes in place of the bread, but we didn't want to waste the bread. After my quiet time and the posting of this ramble we checked in with our "mountain mom" Helen to see if she was frozen as the temps in the mountains were down into the teens with a wind chill even colder, yikes! There was just a slight dusting of the frozen white stuff on the ground but the sun was shining which doesn't make it seem quite as cold for some reason. Overcast skies, freezing temps and snow on the ground to me is depressing after awhile.
I headed out to water the new garden and it looked great. Lots of new leaves on the transplanted beets, Swiss chard, collards and the repotted tomato's are perking up as well. So far this winter garden is looking great. All of the recently purchased seedlings are looking great as well. I piddled around cleaning up a pile of old lumber by sawing into fire pit pieces for my next door neighbor as they have a nice pit. We decided after a lite lunch of peanut butter crackers we would head over to Walsingham County Park were we took off on foot to the 6 mile course. Yikes was it ever nice out and just a touch of chill in the shaded areas. We spotted a small armadillo looking for food in the palmetto's and got quite close and they really are a freak of nature with their body armor and weird looking face and mouth.
We decided to cut the 6 mile course down to about 4 1/2 miles despite it being on flat level ground as our feet and legs were getting tired. We headed back home to fold the sun drying laundry and I tuned into the college football games as we awaited the arrival of the grand kiddos. We made tacos for them as that is one of their favorites and then nutty buddies cones for dessert. After their baths we put on a movie and they had pop corn. No wonder they are growing up so fast. Eliza was just such a cutie and she only fussed when it was her bedtime and she missed going to sleep while nursing. After about 10 minutes of fuss she fell asleep on Nancy's lap and was out until Amy and Tyler got home. What a grand time we had and it was great to reconnect with them.
Well That was about it for the day as we get ready to head over to Tampa for worship with our Element Church Family. Here are a few pics taken on our hike in the park and Eliza saw me brushing out Ava's hair after her bath and then she too decided to play with Ava's hair, LATER
Saturday, November 15, 2014
A chilly Saturday morning in Florida
Well it seems as if Nancy and I brought some of the cool temps back to what is usually a hot and humid land. It was down in the high 50's on Sat. and now the high 40's this AM. The sun was bright and it eventually warmed to the high 70's and maybe even an 80 at late afternoon but what made it seem even colder was the dry air. We went out just before dark and needed an extra shirt or light jacket as we walked up to our neighbors Dan and Carol for supper with Patrick and Kathryn.
Friday started off with a late 6'ish roll out for me and then a few quiet moments and the posting of this ramble before some oatmeal with cinnamon and honey for breakfast. I wanted to rest up totally before hitting the pickle ball court on Monday plus I still have a touch of the sore throat which is improving daily. I decided to head over to my female barber who had 4 people waiting in front of me. I noticed a fellow in the chair and I thought to myself I know that man from somewhere then it dawned on me he helped me build the 2 additions to our house back in '88 and then again in '93. Bobby was just about 12 or 13 of age and into guns so this fellow named Jack took us with him one Sat. down to the skeet club and taught us to shoot trap. That's been 20 plus years ago and he has since retired after working for a friend of ours who owned a masonry company which has now also retired and the primary owner was killed in an accident the year I retired. Well it took a few minutes for him to recall but when he called me "butch" I knew he remembered my family and me.
After the ear lowering I headed to Home Depot for carrot and radish seeds to plant in my side garden. I covered them with chicken wire to keep the pesky squirrels out of the soil as they are diggers and hiders of acorns and are constantly digging in the yard and garden. It was a bit chilly with the dry air at a constant breeze despite the bright sunshine. Nancy had gone off with Amy to do some shopping before lunch so I made a chicken salad complete with fresh grapes, celery, onion and mayo for when they picked up GG from hair dresser and Sam from school and then all came for lunch. The garden looks great so far and I haven't lost any seedlings I brought back from the cabin and so far none of the recently purchased seedling.
I spoke with our "mountain mom" Helen and she said they had a dusting of snow with temps down into the low 20's and the wind chill down into the single digits. Yeow this cold at this early of the year looks like its going to be a hard cold winter for the mountains and even for us here in Florida. We haven't had the a/c on since coming back on Tuesday and that is really strange and different for us.
Well Neil and Dan at Twill Auto who are also our house church member's installed new plugs and coils for each cylinder on the truck but wasn't able to determine just yet the pecking noise, but thinks it may be a lifter that is sticking and causing the noise; so it will go back in the shop next week. The plug extraction is a big deal for this model on Ford trucks as they usually break off in the block after their life at around 100K miles but that procedure went smoothly. We just now need to fix the noise in the engine and hopefully it either the lifter or a fuel pump, oh well. The truck is nearly 9 years old and getting close to the 100 K as well. The price of trucks is outrageous and a repair shop is much less expensive than the purchase of a new one plus this '06 model still looks good both inside and out.
Well the evening brought to Dan and Carol's house just a couple doors up for a supper and then Euchre. We made a huge salad and Kathryn brought a dessert of hot fudge cake with ice cream and whipped cream(bad dog) and Dan picked up the best veggie pizza I've had since leaving Sparta from Domino's. We had a grand time and the guys whupped the gals 2 straight games in Euchre. We said our good-bye's around 9:30 after making plans to reorganize our house church and maybe planning a week trip to the Reno Area next August. Kathryn's brother owns a rental house there and she thinks it would be ours for the week for basically no charge. I love that area and it not that far from 'Frisco which is just a great place to visit and sight see. I lived in that area, 50 miles to the north for over 7 years before moving to Florida in '73 and I just loved the west coast of California. It would be great to visit the city where I spent some great years while flying in the Air Force from '66 to '73, LATER Here is the latest picture of my beautiful grand babies who came for a visit on Thursday after Ava came from school.
Friday started off with a late 6'ish roll out for me and then a few quiet moments and the posting of this ramble before some oatmeal with cinnamon and honey for breakfast. I wanted to rest up totally before hitting the pickle ball court on Monday plus I still have a touch of the sore throat which is improving daily. I decided to head over to my female barber who had 4 people waiting in front of me. I noticed a fellow in the chair and I thought to myself I know that man from somewhere then it dawned on me he helped me build the 2 additions to our house back in '88 and then again in '93. Bobby was just about 12 or 13 of age and into guns so this fellow named Jack took us with him one Sat. down to the skeet club and taught us to shoot trap. That's been 20 plus years ago and he has since retired after working for a friend of ours who owned a masonry company which has now also retired and the primary owner was killed in an accident the year I retired. Well it took a few minutes for him to recall but when he called me "butch" I knew he remembered my family and me.
After the ear lowering I headed to Home Depot for carrot and radish seeds to plant in my side garden. I covered them with chicken wire to keep the pesky squirrels out of the soil as they are diggers and hiders of acorns and are constantly digging in the yard and garden. It was a bit chilly with the dry air at a constant breeze despite the bright sunshine. Nancy had gone off with Amy to do some shopping before lunch so I made a chicken salad complete with fresh grapes, celery, onion and mayo for when they picked up GG from hair dresser and Sam from school and then all came for lunch. The garden looks great so far and I haven't lost any seedlings I brought back from the cabin and so far none of the recently purchased seedling.
I spoke with our "mountain mom" Helen and she said they had a dusting of snow with temps down into the low 20's and the wind chill down into the single digits. Yeow this cold at this early of the year looks like its going to be a hard cold winter for the mountains and even for us here in Florida. We haven't had the a/c on since coming back on Tuesday and that is really strange and different for us.
Well Neil and Dan at Twill Auto who are also our house church member's installed new plugs and coils for each cylinder on the truck but wasn't able to determine just yet the pecking noise, but thinks it may be a lifter that is sticking and causing the noise; so it will go back in the shop next week. The plug extraction is a big deal for this model on Ford trucks as they usually break off in the block after their life at around 100K miles but that procedure went smoothly. We just now need to fix the noise in the engine and hopefully it either the lifter or a fuel pump, oh well. The truck is nearly 9 years old and getting close to the 100 K as well. The price of trucks is outrageous and a repair shop is much less expensive than the purchase of a new one plus this '06 model still looks good both inside and out.
Well the evening brought to Dan and Carol's house just a couple doors up for a supper and then Euchre. We made a huge salad and Kathryn brought a dessert of hot fudge cake with ice cream and whipped cream(bad dog) and Dan picked up the best veggie pizza I've had since leaving Sparta from Domino's. We had a grand time and the guys whupped the gals 2 straight games in Euchre. We said our good-bye's around 9:30 after making plans to reorganize our house church and maybe planning a week trip to the Reno Area next August. Kathryn's brother owns a rental house there and she thinks it would be ours for the week for basically no charge. I love that area and it not that far from 'Frisco which is just a great place to visit and sight see. I lived in that area, 50 miles to the north for over 7 years before moving to Florida in '73 and I just loved the west coast of California. It would be great to visit the city where I spent some great years while flying in the Air Force from '66 to '73, LATER Here is the latest picture of my beautiful grand babies who came for a visit on Thursday after Ava came from school.
Friday, November 14, 2014
Friday morning in Florida
Well Thursday was another total work day for me as I stayed outside for most of the day except for a lunch break. This weather has been just fantastic for working in the garden with the high's in the middle 70's and little or no humidity. What a difference from the cabin temp's this morning as it's 18 degrees as I write this post with some snow flurries, Yeow!! Looks as if we left the cabin at the right time of the month.
The day started with me once again rolling out around 6'ish. I still haven't acclimated myself to this bed and of course to all of the outside noises that are prevalent in suburbia with sirens blaring at all hours and of course those young fellers on their crotch rockets without proper mufflers. Sometimes I think they are going to explode as they wind them up to such a high pitch. After my usual routine which is much like being at the cabin except for the ambiance. I sure miss looking out from the windows seeing the woods and no one or houses in sight. No matter which window I look out here, there is a house within 20 feet on both sides and across the street which has a constant flow of vehicles and in the back yard except for the fence more houses. This is a change that takes some getting use to and this year it seems to be taking longer than usual. I sure miss the hikes, views and of course our mountain top friends.
After my quiet time and the posting of this ramble I had a bowl of oatmeal with cinnamon and honey to start the day then headed out to fire up the lawn mower. The oak tree has dropped some leaves as well as buckets of acorns and small twigs. I managed to suck up most of them and them mulched them for my gardens. It was shrub trimming time as well which kept me busy until mid-morning when I once more tackled the garden planting. I turned the areas I wanted to plant over with a shovel which is so much different than the mountain garden. It's very rarely I strike a rock with the shovel here and that is usually a seashell one of the kids has brought back from the beach and lost it in my garden. My mountain garden seems to grows rocks like nothing I've ever seen.
Twill Auto called and it seems the plug and coil change out went fine with the truck but now there is a ticking noise in the engine. They warned me this could be one of several problems which developed recently. I've yet to notice the noise but Nancy did mention it a couple time while we were in the mountains after getting back to the cabin in October from Florida. Hopefully they can detect and correct the problem with out having to take out a second mortgage.
Amy, GG, Sam and little Eliza Faye whom we will now call LeeLee all came for lunch. Nancy had a nice toss salad and they brought frozen pizzas. After lunch I headed back out to transplant 10 hills of cabbages and 9 hills of broccoli as well as Swizz chard and about 50 little green onion seedlings; what a back breaking job that is but they are so good which matured. I sowed some Black seeded Simpson and red leaf lettuce seed in containers as well as turned over the side garden between the houses. I want to sow carrots as they did awesome there last year along with some radishes. I have sugar peas planted along that portion of the chain link fence as they do well climbing. I sowed a long row of 1/2 runners along the back fence and when and if they come through the ground I will attempt to train them on chicken wire strung on the back fence. I have just a small section of the garden area left for the potted tomatoes I transplanted as well the basil and parsley that I separated into individual pots. If all of these seedlings make I will feed the 'hood.
Amy brought Ava by after school and Nancy made a batch of ginger snaps which quickly disappeared. The kiddos had a grand time outside running around and playing in the yard and LeeLee sat on my lap watching them. She is so observant and doesn't miss the least of anything. She is such a charmer as well and melts you with her quick smile. She is now learning to shake her head yes and no as well as waving bye-bye. She loves to be around Ava and Sam and Sam is a little rough on her but she never cries. Nancy caught him dragging her by her arms around in the living room after lunch and she made nary a peep. Such are brothers and sisters.
Well we ate healthy again for 2 evenings in a row with just parsley and rosemary roasted taters' in the oven, sautéed asparagus and a fresh salad with Greek dressing. Yikes was that ever tasty and after the cleanup which by the way was pitch black outside except for the street lights, I headed in to see what the news was all about. I trust only FOX News for the truth about what is happening to our beloved nation by those who for some unknown reason want to ruin it. Such is those on the left(secular progressives) who want big government to coddle them. What happened to the ideology of personal achievement( the American dream), responsibility for your actions and to treat others as you want to be treated? Wasn't all of this learned or taught by our Judeo-Christian values and principles? Well I'm thrilled with the message this past election sent to this administration but there are those there who will defy the will of the electorate and continue with their own agenda. I'm lost as to why!!! LATER
The day started with me once again rolling out around 6'ish. I still haven't acclimated myself to this bed and of course to all of the outside noises that are prevalent in suburbia with sirens blaring at all hours and of course those young fellers on their crotch rockets without proper mufflers. Sometimes I think they are going to explode as they wind them up to such a high pitch. After my usual routine which is much like being at the cabin except for the ambiance. I sure miss looking out from the windows seeing the woods and no one or houses in sight. No matter which window I look out here, there is a house within 20 feet on both sides and across the street which has a constant flow of vehicles and in the back yard except for the fence more houses. This is a change that takes some getting use to and this year it seems to be taking longer than usual. I sure miss the hikes, views and of course our mountain top friends.
After my quiet time and the posting of this ramble I had a bowl of oatmeal with cinnamon and honey to start the day then headed out to fire up the lawn mower. The oak tree has dropped some leaves as well as buckets of acorns and small twigs. I managed to suck up most of them and them mulched them for my gardens. It was shrub trimming time as well which kept me busy until mid-morning when I once more tackled the garden planting. I turned the areas I wanted to plant over with a shovel which is so much different than the mountain garden. It's very rarely I strike a rock with the shovel here and that is usually a seashell one of the kids has brought back from the beach and lost it in my garden. My mountain garden seems to grows rocks like nothing I've ever seen.
Twill Auto called and it seems the plug and coil change out went fine with the truck but now there is a ticking noise in the engine. They warned me this could be one of several problems which developed recently. I've yet to notice the noise but Nancy did mention it a couple time while we were in the mountains after getting back to the cabin in October from Florida. Hopefully they can detect and correct the problem with out having to take out a second mortgage.
Amy, GG, Sam and little Eliza Faye whom we will now call LeeLee all came for lunch. Nancy had a nice toss salad and they brought frozen pizzas. After lunch I headed back out to transplant 10 hills of cabbages and 9 hills of broccoli as well as Swizz chard and about 50 little green onion seedlings; what a back breaking job that is but they are so good which matured. I sowed some Black seeded Simpson and red leaf lettuce seed in containers as well as turned over the side garden between the houses. I want to sow carrots as they did awesome there last year along with some radishes. I have sugar peas planted along that portion of the chain link fence as they do well climbing. I sowed a long row of 1/2 runners along the back fence and when and if they come through the ground I will attempt to train them on chicken wire strung on the back fence. I have just a small section of the garden area left for the potted tomatoes I transplanted as well the basil and parsley that I separated into individual pots. If all of these seedlings make I will feed the 'hood.
Amy brought Ava by after school and Nancy made a batch of ginger snaps which quickly disappeared. The kiddos had a grand time outside running around and playing in the yard and LeeLee sat on my lap watching them. She is so observant and doesn't miss the least of anything. She is such a charmer as well and melts you with her quick smile. She is now learning to shake her head yes and no as well as waving bye-bye. She loves to be around Ava and Sam and Sam is a little rough on her but she never cries. Nancy caught him dragging her by her arms around in the living room after lunch and she made nary a peep. Such are brothers and sisters.
Well we ate healthy again for 2 evenings in a row with just parsley and rosemary roasted taters' in the oven, sautéed asparagus and a fresh salad with Greek dressing. Yikes was that ever tasty and after the cleanup which by the way was pitch black outside except for the street lights, I headed in to see what the news was all about. I trust only FOX News for the truth about what is happening to our beloved nation by those who for some unknown reason want to ruin it. Such is those on the left(secular progressives) who want big government to coddle them. What happened to the ideology of personal achievement( the American dream), responsibility for your actions and to treat others as you want to be treated? Wasn't all of this learned or taught by our Judeo-Christian values and principles? Well I'm thrilled with the message this past election sent to this administration but there are those there who will defy the will of the electorate and continue with their own agenda. I'm lost as to why!!! LATER
Thursday, November 13, 2014
Thursday morning in warm sunny Florida
Well Wednesday turned out to be one of the less humid days ever in Florida for this time of the year. After a somewhat restful night I rolled out around 7'ish to start what would be a very busy day with only a break to Home Depot, lunch and then to drop my truck off at Twill's Auto for new plugs and coils. The truck really started missing on the way home at certain speeds and now that it's close to a 100 K on the odometer the time has come for this major rejuvenation.
After my usual morning routine here in Florida and a few quiet moments I posted this ramble before heading to the Depot for some vegetable seedlings, Osmocot(time release fertilizer) and fuel for the mower. I bought broccoli, cabbage, Swiss chard, 3 types of lettuces, parsley, cilantro, onions seedlings and basil. Well that purchase kept me busy the rest of the day and up to suppertime and I'm still not completely finished with putting them all in the ground. I brought back kale, collards, beets and my thyme plant from my mountain garden as well as my geranium's. The garden area was in much better shape this year as it was kept mowed or weed whacked down over the summer.
Well it hard to say where the best place was to start as the yard was loaded with the numerous sticks and limbs from the big oak trees. I wanted to plant the areas where the most sunlight would be beneficial to certain plants so I dug up 3 of the tomato seedlings that survived the 6 weeks we were gone in October and repotted them. Hopefully I can place them in the other garden which gets the morning sun and gets most of the sunlight. Until all of the leaves are off the oak tree the other garden gets limited sunshine and only in the afternoon hours. Most all of the seedlings or plants I brought back look good and it depends on whether they will make or not if I try this again except for the beets. The beets do good in their transplant and are very hardy. I grow them mainly for their tops or greens as they are very tasty in a salad.
Amy and the kiddos came for lunch and talkative Sam helped me by picking up sticks in the back yard. He is so much like me at that age with his non-stop conversations. Little Eliza Faye now know as LeLe was her charming self with lots of smiles and now she waves bye-bye and shakes her head no when she is through with something. She is just so cute and very adventurous as well. She will probably walk early as she stands unassisted at times.
I decided since I still have a touch of the sore throat I would give up any activity not associated with work so no pickle ball until at least maybe Friday or next week. I still have a ton of work to do and if I get a little more rest as I acclimate to the new bed maybe I can shake this minor cold or whatever and get back to playing the game. I have decided to watch very carefully what I eat and to eat more fruits and vegetables and less carbs especially with proteins. That seems to be a favorable fat storing conditions when the two are eaten together. I will only regulate this at our meals times and not when we are eating with friends and family.
Well after a supper of grilled Rosemary marinated chicken breasts, fresh green beans and a salad I cleaned up the dishes. It was time to watch a little of the Fox News channel before a hot shower and then lights out for around 10'ish. I haven't really slept a lot in the past couple days so I decided to get some sleep before Nancy came to bed as she is a night owl, LATER
After my usual morning routine here in Florida and a few quiet moments I posted this ramble before heading to the Depot for some vegetable seedlings, Osmocot(time release fertilizer) and fuel for the mower. I bought broccoli, cabbage, Swiss chard, 3 types of lettuces, parsley, cilantro, onions seedlings and basil. Well that purchase kept me busy the rest of the day and up to suppertime and I'm still not completely finished with putting them all in the ground. I brought back kale, collards, beets and my thyme plant from my mountain garden as well as my geranium's. The garden area was in much better shape this year as it was kept mowed or weed whacked down over the summer.
Well it hard to say where the best place was to start as the yard was loaded with the numerous sticks and limbs from the big oak trees. I wanted to plant the areas where the most sunlight would be beneficial to certain plants so I dug up 3 of the tomato seedlings that survived the 6 weeks we were gone in October and repotted them. Hopefully I can place them in the other garden which gets the morning sun and gets most of the sunlight. Until all of the leaves are off the oak tree the other garden gets limited sunshine and only in the afternoon hours. Most all of the seedlings or plants I brought back look good and it depends on whether they will make or not if I try this again except for the beets. The beets do good in their transplant and are very hardy. I grow them mainly for their tops or greens as they are very tasty in a salad.
Amy and the kiddos came for lunch and talkative Sam helped me by picking up sticks in the back yard. He is so much like me at that age with his non-stop conversations. Little Eliza Faye now know as LeLe was her charming self with lots of smiles and now she waves bye-bye and shakes her head no when she is through with something. She is just so cute and very adventurous as well. She will probably walk early as she stands unassisted at times.
I decided since I still have a touch of the sore throat I would give up any activity not associated with work so no pickle ball until at least maybe Friday or next week. I still have a ton of work to do and if I get a little more rest as I acclimate to the new bed maybe I can shake this minor cold or whatever and get back to playing the game. I have decided to watch very carefully what I eat and to eat more fruits and vegetables and less carbs especially with proteins. That seems to be a favorable fat storing conditions when the two are eaten together. I will only regulate this at our meals times and not when we are eating with friends and family.
Well after a supper of grilled Rosemary marinated chicken breasts, fresh green beans and a salad I cleaned up the dishes. It was time to watch a little of the Fox News channel before a hot shower and then lights out for around 10'ish. I haven't really slept a lot in the past couple days so I decided to get some sleep before Nancy came to bed as she is a night owl, LATER
Wednesday, November 12, 2014
Wednesday Morning in Florida
Well Tuesday was a travel day that actually started Monday night with me as I just can not sleep the night before. At least it's down to just the night before as it use be several nights before we travelled anywhere. I rolled out at 3:45 in the wee hours of the morning after watching the clock all night long. It was rather chilly at the freezing level and we learned there was a heavy frost throughout Glade Valley but at the time we left it was just a heavy dew on the windshield. It seems it always gets colder just before sunrise and that is probably when the dew turned to ice.
After empting out the refrigerators and loading the last of our luggage I winterized the water pipes by draining them through the water heater in the basement and added RV antifreeze into the commodes and drains. I cut the power and we locked up and left by 5 AM. We saw a few live deer on the way out our road and several that had been whacked with vehicles along the road and interstates as we headed down the mountain. We would hit pockets of very cold air even off the mountains that were at the freezing level.
We had the heat on and by the time we reached Georgia we were shedding the heavy clothing and by the time we reached Florida we changed into shorts and a t-shirt. It was in the upper 80's as we reached the Jacksonville area and yet it was only in the 70's when we reached home. Pinellas County is surrounded by water on 3 sides so the breeze off the water kept things a little cooler. I must say it felt good as the cold temp's had been with us for several weeks in the mountains. I haven't worn shorts in the past 6 weeks since going back up in October. We made really good time despite stopping 6 times to walk about every hour and half to keep the blood moving in our legs and joints as per doctor K's orders.
We reached the Tampa city limits and everything came to a stop with several lanes of vehicles in a normal evening rush hour creeping along. We saw more cars than we saw all summer in the mountains and the 5 and 6 lanes were just so congested. Almost made me want to turn around and head north again. We reached home around 4:30 and everything looked good after being away for the past 6 weeks or so. I had brought back some volunteer tomato, pepper and cucumber seedling in October and a couple of them survived despite having no care for that time. I think they may produce with a little watering and fertilizing.
We unpacked and then headed over to Amy and Tyler for a delicious supper of salad, chicken casserole, rolls and a cherry pie GG made. We played and listened to Ava and Sam perform for us as she has really done well on the piano and Sam sang us some songs he had learned. Little LeLe(Eliza Faye) was active as well and entertained us with her smiles and charm. She let both of us hold her and was quite the charmer at times. Well we left somewhere around 8'ish dropping GG off at her house. I hit the shower and then tuned into the Fox News channel in the bedroom and got the best sleep I had in a couple days until Nancy came to bed. After that I could not get back to sleep as she has a tendency to saw logs at night and I can hear a mosquito sneeze. Needless to say the composition of the bed is quite different than our cabin bed with the extra foam top, oh well. I developed a little touch of a sore throat from son Bobby this weekend or just the change in temperature but I will lay out from the pickle ball for at least this morning and maybe the rest of the week depending on how I feel, LATER Here is a picture of our "mountain mom" Ms Helen who I write about often. She spends the winter there alone with her brother who is not far away. She is quite the worker at the ripe young age of the middle 80's and loves to work out side and especially on a riding lawn mower. We will miss her and she probably like wise. It was cold that afternoon in the shaded areas before we left despite the bright sunshine.
After empting out the refrigerators and loading the last of our luggage I winterized the water pipes by draining them through the water heater in the basement and added RV antifreeze into the commodes and drains. I cut the power and we locked up and left by 5 AM. We saw a few live deer on the way out our road and several that had been whacked with vehicles along the road and interstates as we headed down the mountain. We would hit pockets of very cold air even off the mountains that were at the freezing level.
We had the heat on and by the time we reached Georgia we were shedding the heavy clothing and by the time we reached Florida we changed into shorts and a t-shirt. It was in the upper 80's as we reached the Jacksonville area and yet it was only in the 70's when we reached home. Pinellas County is surrounded by water on 3 sides so the breeze off the water kept things a little cooler. I must say it felt good as the cold temp's had been with us for several weeks in the mountains. I haven't worn shorts in the past 6 weeks since going back up in October. We made really good time despite stopping 6 times to walk about every hour and half to keep the blood moving in our legs and joints as per doctor K's orders.
We reached the Tampa city limits and everything came to a stop with several lanes of vehicles in a normal evening rush hour creeping along. We saw more cars than we saw all summer in the mountains and the 5 and 6 lanes were just so congested. Almost made me want to turn around and head north again. We reached home around 4:30 and everything looked good after being away for the past 6 weeks or so. I had brought back some volunteer tomato, pepper and cucumber seedling in October and a couple of them survived despite having no care for that time. I think they may produce with a little watering and fertilizing.
We unpacked and then headed over to Amy and Tyler for a delicious supper of salad, chicken casserole, rolls and a cherry pie GG made. We played and listened to Ava and Sam perform for us as she has really done well on the piano and Sam sang us some songs he had learned. Little LeLe(Eliza Faye) was active as well and entertained us with her smiles and charm. She let both of us hold her and was quite the charmer at times. Well we left somewhere around 8'ish dropping GG off at her house. I hit the shower and then tuned into the Fox News channel in the bedroom and got the best sleep I had in a couple days until Nancy came to bed. After that I could not get back to sleep as she has a tendency to saw logs at night and I can hear a mosquito sneeze. Needless to say the composition of the bed is quite different than our cabin bed with the extra foam top, oh well. I developed a little touch of a sore throat from son Bobby this weekend or just the change in temperature but I will lay out from the pickle ball for at least this morning and maybe the rest of the week depending on how I feel, LATER Here is a picture of our "mountain mom" Ms Helen who I write about often. She spends the winter there alone with her brother who is not far away. She is quite the worker at the ripe young age of the middle 80's and loves to work out side and especially on a riding lawn mower. We will miss her and she probably like wise. It was cold that afternoon in the shaded areas before we left despite the bright sunshine.
Monday, November 10, 2014
Monday Morning our last full day in the mountains
Well the weekend sure went fast with Bobby and the kiddos here for a short whirlwind visit. They headed out around 3 'ish for the airport in Charlotte and got back to Tampa somewhere around 10'ish. We were completely on the go either on golf cart rides, hiking or just walking and shopping the downtown area of Sparta. We made several stops and took lots of side roads. The kiddos had a grand time at the festival that supports the local Christian school on Saturday. The cold weather thrilled them as well as did the morning frosts which was as close as they have come to seeing snow.
Bobby being the gourmet part time chef he is perked our taste buds with some of his special sauces for beef and pork as well as a great spaghetti dinner to the kiddos delight. He also made homemade pancakes which were the best ever; even better than Nancy's buckwheat cakes with a banana in the batter. Now that is saying something. We decided since they had to leave in the early afternoon that we would have our large meal in the early part of the day around 2. We got in another hike to the top of the mountain where we quickly took off our jackets and sweat shirts as the temps quickly warmed to the middle 60's. It was just a beautiful day with a lite breeze and lots of sunshine. The kiddos were outside having a grand time.
Annsley got to drive(steer) the golf cart and that was one her biggest high lites of the trip along with scrapping the frost off of my truck. It was sad to see them go but they had a grand time and we will see them again in less than a week. We got busy and started putting the cabin in
shape for the winter. I managed to put all of the porch furniture and the grill in the shed while Nancy stripped beds and worked on the inside upstairs. We decided to skip any food for the evening except for a bowl of pop corn done the old fashion way since we ate around 2'ish. The pork chops, smashed taters and broccoli were filling.
After dark we settled into some NFL and then a couple Alaskan shows before a hot shower and then some shut eye. This will be my last post for a day or so as we leave early in the AM after a 4 o'clock wake up on Tuesday, LATER
Bobby being the gourmet part time chef he is perked our taste buds with some of his special sauces for beef and pork as well as a great spaghetti dinner to the kiddos delight. He also made homemade pancakes which were the best ever; even better than Nancy's buckwheat cakes with a banana in the batter. Now that is saying something. We decided since they had to leave in the early afternoon that we would have our large meal in the early part of the day around 2. We got in another hike to the top of the mountain where we quickly took off our jackets and sweat shirts as the temps quickly warmed to the middle 60's. It was just a beautiful day with a lite breeze and lots of sunshine. The kiddos were outside having a grand time.
Annsley got to drive(steer) the golf cart and that was one her biggest high lites of the trip along with scrapping the frost off of my truck. It was sad to see them go but they had a grand time and we will see them again in less than a week. We got busy and started putting the cabin in
After dark we settled into some NFL and then a couple Alaskan shows before a hot shower and then some shut eye. This will be my last post for a day or so as we leave early in the AM after a 4 o'clock wake up on Tuesday, LATER
Sunday, November 9, 2014
Sunday Morning
Well Saturday was a busy day that started with a 7'ish wake up by Annsley and Gabe. The yards were covered in a heavy coating of frost which thrilled the kiddos as that was the closest they have ever seen snow. They were thrilled and skated down the hill after breakfast while bundling up against the cold morning. Luckily it looked as if it was going to be a sunshine day despite the breeze which made it feel even colder.
After a breakfast of sausage, egg and biscuits we ventured out on the golf cart to take a ride to the top of the mountain. We even visited Ray and Audean but they were not at home. It was rather chilly as we rode the mountain top despite having the windshield up on the golf cart. We headed in the cabin to warm up and decided to stay inside until after lunch when we took off for Sparta. DJ Carlson came by around 11'ish as he had been in the Stone Mountain trout stream earlier in the morning fly fishing. We all warmed up with some of Nancy's Italian bean soup and sandwiches.
We took off for Sparta after lunch and visited several shops. The kiddos picked out stuffed animals and toys for themselves and for their cousins Ava, Sam and Eliza. After drinks and candy we headed out to the Blue Ridge Christian School for their fall festival. The kiddos did all kinds of games to win toys and then took a hayride as it was going on 5 'ish before we headed out. The air was really starting to turn cold once again. Our old friend "Buffalo Bob" was driving the tractor for the hayride. We use to get milk shakes and cones at his business on the parkway years ago when we first started coming to these mountains as well as trout fish in his pond. He and his wife Janice were such really nice folks and he remembered us from days gone by. Our kids loved to visit his unique store with antiques and of course the great food. Bobby and I use to catch some really nice trout which we prepared the same day.
We made a stop to see if our "mountain mom" was home but she was still out for the day. We came home and heated up the already made meat balls from earlier and put the noodles on for spaghetti. Wow what delicious fare as Bobby added his touch to the sauce. Nancy made a peach cobbler for dessert with lots of whipped cream.
After the clean up the kiddos got their baths and jammies on as they all watched the Lego movie. I muted a football game and watched a little of the movie as well as the game. Annsley pulled another one of her loose baby teeth during the movie and was rewarded with a dollar bill over night under her pillow. It wasn't long after my hot shower that I was dozing during the game and shortly thereafter it was time to hit the sack. Bobby had already preceded me after his shower to bed as well. We had a busy fun filled day with non stop action and some mighty fine eatin', LATER
After a breakfast of sausage, egg and biscuits we ventured out on the golf cart to take a ride to the top of the mountain. We even visited Ray and Audean but they were not at home. It was rather chilly as we rode the mountain top despite having the windshield up on the golf cart. We headed in the cabin to warm up and decided to stay inside until after lunch when we took off for Sparta. DJ Carlson came by around 11'ish as he had been in the Stone Mountain trout stream earlier in the morning fly fishing. We all warmed up with some of Nancy's Italian bean soup and sandwiches.
We took off for Sparta after lunch and visited several shops. The kiddos picked out stuffed animals and toys for themselves and for their cousins Ava, Sam and Eliza. After drinks and candy we headed out to the Blue Ridge Christian School for their fall festival. The kiddos did all kinds of games to win toys and then took a hayride as it was going on 5 'ish before we headed out. The air was really starting to turn cold once again. Our old friend "Buffalo Bob" was driving the tractor for the hayride. We use to get milk shakes and cones at his business on the parkway years ago when we first started coming to these mountains as well as trout fish in his pond. He and his wife Janice were such really nice folks and he remembered us from days gone by. Our kids loved to visit his unique store with antiques and of course the great food. Bobby and I use to catch some really nice trout which we prepared the same day.
After the clean up the kiddos got their baths and jammies on as they all watched the Lego movie. I muted a football game and watched a little of the movie as well as the game. Annsley pulled another one of her loose baby teeth during the movie and was rewarded with a dollar bill over night under her pillow. It wasn't long after my hot shower that I was dozing during the game and shortly thereafter it was time to hit the sack. Bobby had already preceded me after his shower to bed as well. We had a busy fun filled day with non stop action and some mighty fine eatin', LATER
Saturday, November 8, 2014
Saturday Morning startes with a heavy frost
Well Friday was a day of anticipating Bobby and the kiddos arriving from warm Florida. Seems Delta Airlines had a malfunctioning airplane on the runway so they were delayed for an hour causing them to miss their connecting flights which put them in here around 3 PM instead of around noon. It was rather cold with the high wind gusts which made for even colder wind chills. At least the sun was shining which made for some outside activities. After a lite lunch when they arrived we headed out to burn off some energy.
I had piled up nearly an acre of dried leaves down below into the dry gulch so Annsley and Gabe had a fun time jumping off of the bank into the pile of leaves. I wish I could pack these leaves up and give them to them for a present as they had a grand time. We then took off on a hike to the top of the mountain. We ran into Sarah with her little fluffy dog and the kiddos had a grand time playing with Lexie. We headed back down the mountain as the cold wind whipped through the trees. The kiddos wanted a campfire so I built a small one and they played with it for about as long as it took to build it. Nancy made hot chocolate for them as they sat around the campfire sipping their drink
and then the temps started to drop precipitously.
We headed into the cabin to the smell of pot roast prepared chef Bobby's way. Wow was it ever tasty and we cleaned the pot of carrots and taters in a rich gravy. Yikes was that ever tasty. After the clean up the kiddos had their baths and then put on their flannel jammies and then settled into a Chronicles of Narnia movie. It wasn't long afterwards the kiddos were out like lights and after my hot shower I managed to watch Gold Rush and then son Bobby and I to were heading to bed. They had a long day and the outside activities had them plum worn out, LATER
I had piled up nearly an acre of dried leaves down below into the dry gulch so Annsley and Gabe had a fun time jumping off of the bank into the pile of leaves. I wish I could pack these leaves up and give them to them for a present as they had a grand time. We then took off on a hike to the top of the mountain. We ran into Sarah with her little fluffy dog and the kiddos had a grand time playing with Lexie. We headed back down the mountain as the cold wind whipped through the trees. The kiddos wanted a campfire so I built a small one and they played with it for about as long as it took to build it. Nancy made hot chocolate for them as they sat around the campfire sipping their drink
We headed into the cabin to the smell of pot roast prepared chef Bobby's way. Wow was it ever tasty and we cleaned the pot of carrots and taters in a rich gravy. Yikes was that ever tasty. After the clean up the kiddos had their baths and then put on their flannel jammies and then settled into a Chronicles of Narnia movie. It wasn't long afterwards the kiddos were out like lights and after my hot shower I managed to watch Gold Rush and then son Bobby and I to were heading to bed. They had a long day and the outside activities had them plum worn out, LATER
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