Monday Morning

Well Sunday morning was the start of a full day of ice packs and ibuprofen every 6 hours and while the throbbing pain has abated the swelling and internal pain is still prevalent to the right knee area. I really think its a muscular or ligament injury more than the actual knee capsule. The muscles that bind the knee are swollen above the knee and seem to exhibit the most pain and swelling. I laid around all day and propped the leg up so as to employ the RICE method for leg and knee injuries. Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation. While its only been about 24 hours of using this method I was hoping for quicker results but this morning (Monday) it seems to be about the same with the swelling. Today I will walk around using a pair of crutches to take more weight off the leg as possible and help to speed up the healing. I'm also taking turmeric and ginger in a hot drink both of which are good for inflammation and joint pain.

I was reminded yesterday by my "mountain mom" Helen that I wasn't as young as I once was and to slow down and take care of this aging body. I think this has been a wake up call for me. I should have payed attention to the signs that were exhibited with the minor pains and aches after pickle ball each day and the spading in the garden. I guess I will have to buy a rotor tiller for next years start of the gardening process. Speaking of the garden I did hobble outside a couple times to hand water the gardens. It seems everything is looking good and I did harvest some tender beet greens and Swiss Chard leaves to add to the store bought lettuces for our salads. The Romaine lettuce is just about big enough to start picking the outer leaves to add to the mix as well. The squirrels continue to be a nuisance with their digging in the loose ground where I plant my seeds so I'm still using chicken wire to cover the rows until the seeds mature and show some size.

Well I missed seeing and hearing my son, Bobby bring the message at First Baptist in Riverview but Nancy rode with friends Dan, Carol and Patrick. Kathryn was under the weather with the start of a cold so she stayed home as well. I did my quiet time first thing in the morning along with making this post before starting the biggest part of my day with the leg propped up. I did manage to watch the Bucs play football which only added to my pain and misery. They played terrible especially the defense the second half and lost the game all of the commentators said was a lock to win. I saw lots of penalties which is a result of poor coaching and the co-ordinator for the defense seemed to be the co-ordinator for the other teams offense. I could have played as well as these guys did even with this bum leg it was that bad. Pittsburgh played the Seahawks tough despite losing but they actually played good ball.

We settled into the Alaskan Last frontier shows and watched that until I began to fall asleep around 9:30 ish sitting on the couch. The Broncos I noticed were playing the Patriots in a snow storm in Denver but I was through with football for the day. We could use a little of that cooler weather but no snow or freezing temps as we still have the a/c running, LATER

Sunday Morning

Well Saturday started out with another dang raccoon in my trap which I hadn't even set with any bait. This is the third 'coon in as many days. What is with these critters so when I brought the cage back after dumping it off at the habitat trail I kept the cage closed. It's a good thing as I messed up my good knee at pickle ball and then too much spading in my garden. Needless to say I have iced it overnight and now I'm taking lots of ibuprofen to help get the swelling down. So I will be laid up for awhile hobbling around like Chester from Gun Smoke.

The morning started with me up at my usual time of before 6 and then a few quiet moments, posting of this ramble and then a piece of pecan pie for breakfast before loading the raccoon up in the back of the truck and dropping it off on my way to pickle ball at the rec. We had 3 courts in action and despite having the knee wrapped (I should have taken the day off) as it was a little sore from all of the garden digging; but I felt I needed the exercise after all of the rich eatin' over Thanksgiving. I will learn one of these days to pay attention to what my body is telling me as I'm know longer as young as my mind wants me to be.

I spent the afternoon on the couch with ice packs and was holding off on any OTC pain relievers but eventually gave in later in the evening as the pain became rather intense. Needless to say there was no sleep over night for me. We did entertain the Botbyl's and Tracy's for a pulled supper and a new word game called Quiddler or something to that affect but after one game my knee was starting to begum a distraction so we called it a night around 9'ish.

I will miss heading over to Riverview to hear Bobby teach this morning as the lead pastor as I was looking forward to that but I'm sure it would be most beneficial for me stay home with my leg elevated and iced. That is about it for here in hot sunny Florida as we have the a/c back on, LATER

Saturday Morning

Well Friday the heat and humidity returned with vengeance so we turned the a/c back on once again. It was also the day we usually put up our Christmas Tree so off we went to Home Depot to pick one out and the second tree we looked at was the one for us. It is a Nobel Fir which is one that the needles don't stick you when handling it. It was a pricey one for a 6 foot tree but it made Nancy happy. So I spent the afternoon getting down all the boxes of decorations and ornaments from the attic and helped to trim the tree.

The morning started with us actually sleeping in for a change until 7 ish. That seldom happens and it could have been because of the all the rich food the day before while eating later than normal. Anyhow after waking the morning was the usual with a few quiet moments and the posting of this ramble. I had to have a piece of Amy's apple pie so that was my breakfast along with a piece of her pumpkin; I know that not good for the spare tire but that held me until we had a wrap around noon with some turkey. We had to take GG to her 10'ish hair appointment so we decided to get our Sam's shopping out of the way and then look for our Christmas Tree before picking her back up and taking her home.

Well Amy and the family came by around 4 ish for a visit then we decided to get take out Chinese food from a local eatery they occasionally visit. The food was plentiful and tasty and the kiddos love it which is very unusual as they are somewhat picky eaters. They had noodles and rice everywhere especially Eliza Faye. It was a fun time time as we had to replace several ornaments that she loved picking off. They too bought their tree the same place we did and we saw them in the parking lot on our way home. They too spent the afternoon trimming their tree as well. All of the kiddos are so excited and especially little Eliza.

Well after they left and we cleaned up and it was some couch time with Fox News and I tuned into Gold Rush which is one of my favorite reality type shows. I watched the two shows during commercials as the series began for the coming season. It wasn't long after a shower and a few minutes that I was ready for some horizontal lab as the sandman calleth, LATER

Friday Morning

Well I hope everyone had as memorable Thanksgiving Day as we did with family and such fine eatin'. Yikes I had to force myself to stay away from some dishes and the dessert completely and to limit myself to one plate; however I did partake of the shrimp ring, olives and pickles before hand with a glass of vino throughout the eating period. I'll get back to the part of the day later in this ramble.

 I started the day with my before 6 roll out and my usual routines of a few quiet moments with my Creator, the posting of this ramble from yesterday's activities and then a breakfast of soft boiled eggs for a change. I think thats the first eggs I've eaten since we left the mountains. I do them in the microwave for just less than a minute so there is no mess. I noticed the cage or trap in the back yard was once again holding another large raccoon. That is 3 of them and a large possum since we've been here in less than 3 weeks. I didn't even bait the trap the last 2 times so the 'coons must be smelling their predecessors caught before them, oh well!! I loaded it up in the truck and headed for a county park a couple miles away to turn it loose.

I piddled around in the garden hand watering and hoeing some weeds. It was really windy and at times gusting heavily so that of course dried out the new plants which I must have watered at least three times during the day. The temps were on the cool side with the wind so we left the windows open and we decided to start cleaning windows and screens. I started with just a couple in the kitchen and they cleaned up so well I went ahead and did the whole house. What a nice difference that made. We decided around 4'ish to turn the a/c on as we were expecting a house full of folks for supper. Amy and Tyler picked up GG and came around 4 ish with some great looking dishes and pies. We had a glass of vino while watching football that was less than interesting with blow outs for the winners; the Panthers who are now 11-0 and the Lions who were a couple weeks ago the worst team in the NFL were winners today. They sure looked like world beaters today as they took apart the Eagles( of course the Bucs beat them last week end so that says it all).

Bobby and Katie came around 5'ish after they left her family where they ate a big meal around 2 'ish so they weren't exactly hungry. The turkey fell off the bones and made some of the best gravy ever along with GG's candied yams and her special coating with Triple Sec liquor as well as her dried stuffing and a couple shrimp rings with sauce. We doctored the sauce up with more horseradish, Worcester sauce and some lemon juice which made a difference. Amy had made an apple pie and two pumpkin pies and then Betsy arrived with her famous spinach casserole loaded with fresh mushrooms and cheese and a frozen cranberry concoction that is very good as well. Nancy had smashed taters, corn and a 22 pound turkey that was very tasty. The dark meat fell off the carcass.

We had all basically skipped lunch except for Bobby and Katie who did partake but sparingly. Katie brought a cranberry concoction that was an old family recipe that was very tasty as well. Well, we sent three large plates home with Betsy as only she came to eat and some other goodies as well went home with everyone else. We sure missed having Annsley and Gabe as they were with their mom for this time of the day on this holiday. We are so thrilled to have Katie in our life and hopefully in the family sooner rather than later. She is such a sweet unpretentious person and has added so much joy in Bobby's life and is just beautiful as well. After the cleanup and the dishing up of leftovers to send home we settled into relaxing for a few with the kiddos entertaining us and each other they headed out around 9'ish. It wasn't long after a hot shower and more football that I could feel the sandman calling a little after 10'ish, LATER

Thursday Morning..Happy Thanksgiving Day 2015

Well Wednesday turned out to be just another gorgeous day with bright sunshine and temps in the 50's to start the day and then by late afternoon we reached the upper 70's with a stiff breeze which made for great working conditions. I started the day with a before 6 roll out and then my usual morning routines of a few quiet moments, the posting of this ramble and a light breakfast before heading out on my bike to the REC for 2 hours of pickle ball play. We had 3 courts in action once again with a few A players and a couple newbies who were visiting with one of the A players from Cleveland for the holidays. They had never played before and picked the game up quickly and were very good by the end of the session. I had a wet shirt after two hours and was ready for a break.

I headed home to hand water the gardens and everything looks great especially the recently transplanted lettuce seedlings into 9 packs. I'm hoping by the first of the week I can get them in the ground and then we can start looking forward to home grown salads. The kale seedlings are about ready as well to be put in the ground. I did pick up a dill and tarragon herb plant yesterday while we were out at the veggie stand. There is a small nursery next door to the stand and they sell herbs and other plants and I got to talking with her and ask if she knew Gene Mooney as I knew he was associated with Seminole Nurseries and she was thrilled I knew him. I didn't know if he was still "kicking" as the last I heard he was suffering from prostrate cancer. She said she would give him my regards as he is her boss.

Amy and the kiddos came for lunch and spent the rest of the afternoon playing outside in the back yard. Sam was in usual mode for grazing my herbs and Eliza Faye was having a grand time playing as well. They are so cute together and Sam occasionally gets a little put out with her as she wants to be right in there with what ever he is doing. She can throw a hissy when she wants to but is so dang cute in doing it. Ava May was at the Botbyl's house with Carol making costume jewelry and she made a couple really nice pieces. We decided to have fresh corn on the cob at 4 for a buck for supper and the left over venison which was still delicious. I always say if I could get venison on a regular bases I would never eat beef again; it's that tasty and good for you.

After the cleanup we settled into the FOX News cable and then I headed for the showers after O'Reilly and then tuned into the Lightning hockey game which was tied going into overtime. I will have to check out the final score as the sandman calleth at 10, LATER

Wednesday Morning

Well Tuesday once again saw us with temps into the 50's to start the day and maybe reached the low 70's by late afternoon. It was breezy which kept it great for working outside and for drying clothes on the line. We still have the a/c off which is great and a couple windows open for clearing out the house smells and stagnant air. We had no one for lunch for a change which made it quiet and lonely around here so I did get in some great reading time outside under the big oak in the back yard.

The day started much the usual with a before 6 roll out and my usual few moments to give thanks to my Creator during my quiet time. After posting this ramble I ate a light breakfast before getting ready to ride to the REC when I looked out into the back yard and there was another raccoon in my trap. I didn't use anything for bait but it must have smelled the last one I caught a couple days ago and wondered into the trap so I had to take up the woods and turn it loose before heading out on my bike. That's a possum and two 'coons so far plus the neighbor's cat since setting the trap and our return to Florida in just a little over two weeks.

We had 3 pickle ball courts in action by the time I left around 9:30. A couple of the A players showed and we had a good workout for an hour and half before we had to give up the challenge court to the many B players. It was plenty of playing time for me as my knees are still somewhat sore from the spading of the garden and breaking through the many roots with the shovel. I think next year I may look into buying a rotor tiller and save my knees and back with all of this spading by hand. I stopped off at the library to return some reads before heading home to hang clothes for Nancy. She had her mother out to some of her many appointments and then for shopping. It was close to 1 before she got home. I decided to mow the yards and then work in the garden until lunch time then I sat and read for a couple hours.

I grilled deer burgers for my supper and Nancy had "chicken fried deer steak" for hers. She contends the ground deer from last year is too old for her but I can't tell any difference so she prepared this years kill for herself which was delicious as last years kill. After the clean up I settled into my new read and she tuned into the FOX News channel. Our potus is so uninformed or just plain ignorant and I really think a little of both and that doesn't speak highly of those who voted for him twice. Hillary is a crook and the party she represents is once again burying its head in the sand. I'm afraid partisan politics is going to become the down fall of our nation along with getting away from what made us a great land and that's our Judeo-Christian principles. It's so sad to think we have elected those who campaign on the killing of our innocents, taking in and supporting illegals who want to kill us and forgetting about the men and women in uniform who gave of themselves to preserve our freedoms and liberties and now backing the racial divide and hatred for our laws because of political correctness. Maybe this is the beginning of the end times as mentioned in the Bible as what use to be right and good is now wrong and bad and that isn't even mentioning the evil in the rest of the world with these radical Islamist that our leaders fail to call it by name, Oh well, LATER

Tuesday Morning

Well I must say we did get a cold front with temps in the low 50's to start the day and it stayed for most of the day in the 60's, wow what a change and so the a/c is finally off for the first time in months. What a welcome change and so I brought out the flannel shirt for my bike ride to the REC. After my workout on the pickle ball courts as we had three courts in action I headed home. It was still rather nippy with the strong breeze. I spent the next couple hours in the garden as I had a lot of soil to turn over with a shovel. The nearby trees had sent their roots once again into the garden so I had lots of them to cut off and rake out as I get ready to transplant lettuce and kale seedlings.

I started the day much the usual with a before 6 roll out and then a few quiet moments with my Creator, the posting of this ramble all before a light breakfast then my chilly ride on my bike to the REC. Amy, GG and all the kiddos were coming for lunch after their grocery shopping. We played outside while I worked in the gardens. Sam was a chatterbox as usual who is very interested in all of the different plants. Ava and Eliza ran and played hard as they had a good time entertaining us with their make believe cooking. Where do they get all of this energy. It was rather chilly in the shade so the girls moved into the sun and then got too hot so they moved to the back yard.

Well Nancy had a big pot of Zuppa soup cooking so she invited GG to eat and then took a some over to Amy's as Sam was excited grandma was making Zuppa soup. That is one of his fav's as well as ours. They won't be coming today as they have other plans with school friends. We will have all of them again on Thursday for the traditional Thanksgiving dinner along with Bobby, Katie, Betsy and Braden. I hope the weather stays this nice as it will add to the holiday spirit. It wasn't long after the cleanup we settled into the Fox News cable and learned once again we have no leadership in the war on the Islamic Radicals who want to terrorize and kill indiscriminately.

Now we are learning the administration has been changing the outlook on how strong that bunch has become and the potus has been lying to the country about their strength and influence for quite awhile ago. I feel he is definitely a sympathizer to their cause and wouldn't be a bit surprised he is a Muslim at heart. I only hope we can survive this next year and that others will come forward and enlighten us with whats going on with this inept administration and their first responsibility to keeping us safe. I find it difficult to think and say it but I think all of those in leadership in this government especially the Democrats are clearly supporting this potus and his agenda.  We know the media is supporting him and the less informed have no idea his goal of destroying or changing our way of life. We need some military men who stand up to this man and tell the truth and now we have one who has come forth to tell the truth how this potus is less than honest about this threat with ISIS. We all know he is a big liar but to think he is less than honorable is traitorous, LATER
 

Monday Morning

Well Sunday morning was a bit hectic round here as we had all 5 grand kids spend the night for a sleep over. Little Eliza Faye awaken around 5 in the morning so I put her in bed with us and she and Nancy slept until nearly 7. I of course was up at my usual before 6 despite the kiddos wearing you out the night before. They were so good and play great together which is a big plus and Eliza was right there with them as she wanted to be with the big kids. She really has an attachment to Gabe and wanted to be around him as much as possible. He was very kind and gentle with her while Sam puts up with her to some extent but eventually moves her out of his play area. Nancy and Eliza awakened and she made sausage and pancakes for everyone. They all ate well but some wanted different combo's on their cakes and Ava wasn't to thrilled with the sausage. Amy and Tyler came and helped with getting their kiddos ready for church and then they left around 9'ish.

We headed out for Riverview which is just about an hour away on the cross town toll road. The traffic was light for Sunday morning so we made good time. That route is usually a half hour longer during the work week. The kiddos wanted to visit their Sunday School classes so we signed them in and then met up with Bobby as he prepared to go on stage to lead the worship music. We met several who we had been introduced from the last time there and Bobby's position has been a big influence on our recognition and greeting.  I mistakenly called Jeff the pastor Craig for some reason but eventually realized my mistake and he laughed it off as this was only the second we had met. The service was awesome and one of the members shared her bout with clinical depression and even lived to tell how her suicide attempt with a gun. She now is into Christian comedy and make light of her failed attempt.

We headed to Subway for sandwiches after church and brought them back to the apartment where we got into the Bucs vs the Eagles. Wow what a game for the Buc's as they annihilated the birds 45 to 17. I settled into football the rest of the day and evening as Nancy headed to the mall for more Christmas shopping. It wasn't long after dark I caught myself nodding off from the busy weekend so I headed into the bedroom to watch the late game and fell asleep several times before finally turning out the light around 10. Nancy soon followed as well. Just having the responsibility for the safety and well being of the little ones tires you out more than the physical and we were exhausted to say the least, LATER

Sunday Morning

Well Saturday was a busy day that started early with a before roll out for me and then some pickle ball and finally the grandkids came sometime after 1'ish and they are sleeping as I write this post. Wow what a busy afternoon and evening and if only I could absorb some of that energy.

We were so looking forward to having all five of the grand kids for a sleep over and it went find until Eliza Faye became a little fussy sometime after her bath. She was plumb wore out but would not go to sleep. I think it was after 10 before she finally fell asleep in Nancy's arm. The girls were out cold and the boys were somewhat subdued but still bright eyed. Around 5 this morning little Eliza awakened so we put her in bed with us and she is in there now with Nancy. I'm awake at my usual time of before 6. It has rained a soft rain for most of the afternoon and night so we didn't get any outside play in the park time. Nancy had the girls making crafts and the boys were into their own make believe world and eventually games on the IPAD.

We made hard and soft tacos with black beans and rice for supper and everyone ate well, even Eliza had two bowls of beans and rice and then I popped them some popcorn while they watched a movie after their baths. I was ready for horizontal lab by 10'ish after two hours on the pickle ball court in the morning and then some garden time before the rains came. I moved up some kale seedlings into bigger pots and did some spading as I get ready to transplant some lettuces. I did transplant more zinnias seedlings along the fence and then hoed everything that was starting to show some small weeds and grass sprouting in the rows. My soil is black and looks so good. Its all those mulched leaves and grasses that are composted using earthworms. I'm thrilled that so many worms are still thriving in the soil after the past several weeks of being dry. The hand watering has saved them as well as the seedlings and those two go hand in hand.

Well today after we feed the gang breakfast and get them dressed for church we head to Riverview to worship at Bobby's church where he is the worship leader then we will get lunch together and watch the Bucs at his place before heading back to Seminole. Oh I almost forgot to mention I caught a huge raccoon on Friday night in my trap so I took it to the county park a couple miles away and turned it lose on my way to the REC and it was not a happy camper, LATER

Saturday Morning

Well Friday was a busy day that started with pickle ball and ended with a dinner out to the famous Columbia Restaurant on Sand Key near Clearwater. The original place was started in Tampa over a 100 years ago and is still an historic place. Nancy had never been and it has been over 45 years since I last ate there but I do remember the food was excellent but a bit pricey. I'll give more details later.

I started the day with my usual 6'ish or a little before roll out and then my usual routines of a few quiet moment to get into GOD'S word, lift a few folks up in consideration especially those brutally murdered by Islamist terrorist and some folks we know who are facing some health issues. After the posting of this ramble and an apple for breakfast I pedaled out on my bike to the REC for nearly two hours of pickle ball play. We had a full gym with three courts in action. I stopped off at the library on the way home for a couple new reads.

It had rained overnight so I didn't have to hand water the garden. Nancy was getting her hair colored and cut and wouldn't be home until lunch time so I made arrangements to return the new tv delivered yesterday as the durn thing would not work or at least there was no picture, just the sound. I purchased this with a ribbon gift and they immediately sent me a return postage slip for UPS and was sending me out another tv that very day. This is the second tv we have purchased on line from the ribbon gifts that are exclusive with Amway and they have been very good about making sure the customer is satisfied with no questions and they pay for all the shipping as well. I had spoken with the warranty folks at RCA and they weren't the least bit helpful or friendly and wanted to charge me a fee as well. So I took it back to the ribbon gift customer service and they made it right and did everything to be of assistance and even they apologized for any inconvenience because of the defective unit. The great customer service folks were calling me back and getting the new unit on the way and all in a day was a plus I had too share. The customer has this satisfaction guarantee for up to 6 months as well on all ribbon gifts.

Well I read until it lunchtime and when Nancy got back with the truck I ran the defective tv to UPS and they were very helpful as well; in an out in less than a minute. We piddled around the house until it was time to pick up the Botbyl's and then the Tracy's for the ride to Sand Key for supper. I must say this eatery is very large and there are no dinners sitting next to you. Our servers were exceptional friendly and very knowledgable about the food and its contents and how each dish was prepared. We had a salad that was prepared at the table and also the girls had a sangria prepared at the table as well. Both of our servers were very artistic and showman. The food was delicious and plentiful and I must say the Cuban bread was awesome. It was freshly baked and hot coming from the oven and I could have made a meal on that alone it was that good.

The soup's, salad and entree's were seasoned in the Cuban tradition. I had a bowl of the Spanish bean soup which was a meal in an of its self along with a couple skewers of grilled chicken and pork and a type of ham. Nancy did the sampler plate which had several different meats, beans, rice, plantains and yucca. All of us exclaimed the food was very good and our servers were awesome as well. We waddled out of the place and then headed back to the Tracy's where we played two rounds of Euchre. The gals were on fire and completely smoked us in both games with huge wins. It was after 9 when we headed out for home with our bellies still full.

Well today Saturday we get all 5 grand kiddo's in the afternoon and evening for a sleep over. Sam is so excited about this as he has been asking Amy all week about how many more days before they will all be together with their cousins. It should be a fun time for them and the many memories they will make together. Nancy bought a new movie for them to watch and of course be will be on edge when all of them are here. We will take Annsley and Gabe back to Riverview on Sunday and go to Bobby's new church and then out to eat. This week has been a tremendous slaughter on my spare tire reduction with eating out at least four times since Sunday and then we have a Thanksgiving meal on Thursday with all of the favorites and gravy, yikes!!!

Well I see where our lack of leadership on the world scene has embolden the terrorist in Africa to once again take innocents hostage and kill them wantonly. When are we going to get some strategy and take some action to defeat these lunatics? I hope this community organizer will finally do something or at least support the French leader who has declared war on the Islamists terrorists along with the Russians. It's terrible to think we have to rely on foreign governments to battle those who want to destroy our way of life or maybe this has been our potus's plan all along when he said he wanted to fundamentally change America, LATER    

Friday Morning

Well Thursday started out hot and muggy and finally by the evening just before dark we saw some rain and it quenched the much needed thirst the ground was seeking. This front is supposed to usher in some cooler air. How about some 70's which is much is much cooler than the high 80's. Some even forecast a wintery day in the 60's, that would be so nice. The garden welcomes this rain as well.

The day started much the usual with a before 6'ish roll out for me and after a few quiet moments and and the posting of this ramble I got ready to ride out to the REC on my bike for some pickle ball. Initially we had one court in action and then by 9'ish we had three courts in action with several waiting to get on and we haven't got our winter visitors here as of yet. We did lose several of the A players as they refuse to mingle and play with some of the B players. There are now several different venues throughout the county that offer pickle ball play as well. It has become the sport of the day and especially with seniors who are 55 and older.

I stopped off at the library for a couple new reads then headed home to watch little Eliza Faye as the girls took off Christmas shopping. Le Le as we call her at times is so cute and very smart for her young age. We are pals now and we had a great time together with the movie Frozen on in the back ground. She is quickly learning to communicate with you and her cute little voice is just so sweet. The girls got back at lunch time so I quickly ate a left over deer burger then headed out for an appointment with my financial manager. He definitely feels the market crash is coming or what is know as a correction and especially with the first terrorist attack that takes place on American soil. He feels that should start the market to a major correction. We are at a loss as to why the market is still in the green with all of this deficient spending and huge debt. I think it being artificially supported by the feds to help make this potus look good for his legacy.

I received via UPS my just ordered 19 inch LED/HDTV for the bedroom and can not get a picture to show on the face. I'm getting the sound from each channel so today I will try again but RCA wasn't very helpful on the phone with helping me trouble shoot the problem. I'm almost tempted to send it back but I must say it quite small in bulk compared to my old GE 19 inch. I can pick this one up with one hand the old one nearly breaks my back lifting it up and down off of the night stand, oh well such is progress but the dang thing won't work properly.

Well we picked up GG and headed to Pinellas Park where we have come to enjoy the food at Jade's Bistro. A Vietnamese family operates this small eatery and the food is fabulous and very plentiful. We have made friends with the mother(the cook) and her three children two of whom help with waitering. Her youngest looks to be in middle school age and was doing her homework in one of the back booths. I tried a new dish this evening that started with a cup of hot and sour soup, oh my that was so delicious its hard to describe the flavor then I had basically had a vegetable concoction over steamed rice which was awesome as well. The sauces are so good to the palate. Nancy and GG both had the clay pots which were fresh veggies, chicken strips over rice and baked in a clay pot, yeow we left with burnt tongues as well as full tummies. I can't recommend this cuisine enough and the atmosphere is friendly and all most family like as well.

Well stayed and visited with GG for an hour so before heading home in a light rain. The grass and gardens needed this soaking rain but the roads where like a skid pan with lots of wrecks along the way. I always hated these rains after a period of dry because the roads became so slick and the fender benders were everywhere especially for those who are always in a hurry and follow to closely.  We tuned into the Fox Channel and see where the supposed master mind of the murder of 129 people in France was killed in a raid. Good riddance to the scum of the earth and I hope this sends a message to all the Islamist terrorist that death will happen when you no longer want to be a part of a society that values life. Now if we just had some leadership on this side of the pond maybe we could help rid more of this scum from earth. I find it hard to believe there are still those who support this inept potus who has radically changed our values in this once great country as he promised when elected. I don't believe anyone saw all of the divisiveness surrounded with this mans agenda and especially his inability to tell the truth with a straight face. I'm amazed at all of the Believers who fell for this mans lies, oh well, LATER

Thursday Morning..Thanksgiving is just a week away

Well Wednesday turned out to be another stifling hot day with the return of high humidity, yeow I am ready for some cooler temps and while we did have some freezing weather and ice in October at the cabin I'm definitely ready for something in the 60's. We didn't have anyone for lunch today so it was rather quiet around here so we took off to do some shopping in the afternoon for groceries and some early Christmas shopping for the grand kids.

The morning started with my usual rollout around 6'ish and then my routines of a few quiet moment and then the posting of this ramble before a lite breakfast of just a crisp apple before riding out to the REC for nearly two hours of pickle ball. I'm finally starting to get back into shape stamina wise with daily PB but I'm still lugging this spare tire of about 7-8 pounds extra pounds despite eating lightly at times. I'm trying to get back to where I was before the summer and that's about 180. We had a smaller turnout today with just two courts in action and it was mostly B players but still I had a good workout. I stopped off at the library for couple new reads before heading home.

I piddled around in the garden hand watering and then I transplanted some Zinnias seedling. The carrots are really showing some color and the beans, peas and radishes are leafing up as well. Two different kinds of lettuces are sprouting as are the extra kale seeds breaking ground. The Swiss chard is doing so well along with the beets I brought back from the cabin that I'm picking their tops today to add to our salads and do they ever add such flavor and color.

Nancy took off to the REC for her workout on the treadmill. We both are working on our spare tires of which we added to this summer with all of our entertaining and being entertained with some fine cooking. That really hasn't stopped since we got back to Florida either, oh well!!! I grilled marinated chicken breast slathered with fresh rosemary and garlic for supper along with fresh broccoli and a salad. After the cleanup we settled into the Fox News cable channel and learned this JV Isis team is really wrecking havoc on the world and we have no leadership among us here in the states. Trump is right we have a bunch of idiots and incompetent people in our government and the biggest is the potus. Trump is very bombastic but speaks the truth and can't be bought by the special interests and crooks. So I really think we need an outsider from the corrupt government in D.C. , LATER

Wednesday Morning

Well it was another warm day with temps up into the middle 80's and a steady breeze which kept it bearable to be outside. There was plenty of sunshine to accompany the warmer than normal day but a front is expected in the next day or so which could drop the lows somewhere into the 60's and the highs into the low 70's. We sure could use some rain as I'm watering by hand the garden at least twice a day. I babysat Eliza Faye while the girls took off shopping for a couple hours after lunch and she and I have become buddies again.

The day started much the usual with a before 6 roll out and then my usual few quiet moments with my Creator and then the posting of this mundane ramble. I ate a lite breakfast before getting ready to ride out on my bike to the REC for hour and half of pickle ball. A couple of the A players were back but we had 20 plus others, some of whom I've never seen before. The mixture of these different caliber of players made it difficult to keep the challenge court going but we did for quite awhile. On Tuesday and Thursday the gym is open for all morning so we really get a mixture of the talent. Anyhow it was really good to see all of the interest of so many folks playing the game.

I stopped off at the library for a new read before heading home. I noticed the carrots are poking through the ground and the green beans have added another leaf or two. Everything is looking good and I have some new lettuce seeds sprouted as well. Hopefully they will be big enough to transplant in a couple days as I'm hungry for my home grown salads. We ate salad and some left over ham salad on a bun for lunch and then the girls(Amy, GG and Nancy) took off to the mall. Eliza and I watched her favorite kids cartoons on the laptop and then watched Frozen the Disney movie as its one of her favorite shows. I sat and read in between her moments when she wanted attention. She is such a cutie and becoming very smart as well and she loves books where there is counting in the story. She knows her colors and most all items as she associates them with things she sees in her surroundings.

Well we had some stir fry for supper and after the clean up we settled into the Fox News channel where we see some in the drive-by media is finally commenting negatively on this potus and his decision to confront the Islamic Terrorists with real force. It's about time some of those who have given him a free pass on his incompetence regarding these radicals and how to deal with them. Several state governors are refusing to go along with allowing many of the Syrian refugees he wants to be allowed to enter the country. Who knows their allegiance or even if they are terrorists themselves as one of them was responsible for planning and carrying out the massacre in France.

Thanks to Fox News for giving us the real scoop and not some watered down pablum that favors this inept potus. I hope we survive as a country until he finally leaves office and we can get some real leadership on all fronts for our nation. This potus has favored the special interests economically, the divisiveness in racial fronts and the lack of supporting what is right with what is wrong and now he is letting drug dealers out of prison and commuting their sentences. This potus is an abomination to our country and I'm sure he will give Hillary a free pass as well when the FBI bring charges. They both have ruined the nation in so many ways with their arrogance and above the law attitude. How did so many people let these two become so influential in our country. Wake Up America as we are being led down the road to destruction not only on the world scene as we let our allies suffer without any real support militarily but here economically with this out of control spending for the illegals, refugees and welfare for the lazy, LATER

Tuesday Morning

Well I must say Monday the temps are once more climbing back into the middle 80's with lots of sunshine but an Eastern  breeze seems to have kept the humidity at bay. I managed some garden time and even sat out under the big oak in the afternoon and read for a couple hours. I survived sleeping alone for the first time in years as Nancy had spent the night with her mom, GG who was having some anxiety about being alone so shortly after her surgery of less than a week ago. Nancy took her to the doctor and they gave her a good report so she is back to staying alone at night in her house. We are of course just 10 minutes or so away and see her daily either for lunch, taking her to her appointments and or having her for supper.

The day started with me awake before 6 and so I rolled out to start the day. It was rather quiet without Nancy beside me during the night. I was awaken sometime around 4 ish with a helicopter circling over the neighbor looking for some burglar or home invasion suspect. The sign of the times isn't good with increased crime, racial unrest and now the radical Islamic terrorist killing without mercy. We absolutely have no competent leadership in the government and I actually think the potus is the cause for all of the disharmony as he definitely wants to see our country fail and be paid back for the colonization we did in the world. His father was a big proponent of this mind set.

I did manage a couple hours of pickle ball. We had 2 courts in action and then I came home to watch Eliza Faye while Nancy did her workout on the treadmill at the REC. Eliza or LeLe as we call her is so cute and smart as well. She is starting to put together sentences and is just a sponge for information. We watched this special set of cartoons on the laptop, read books and played toys. She likes her snacks as well. Amy had picked up GG and took her grocery shopping then they all came for lunch. I headed outside after lunch to plant some onion bulbs I brought back from the cabin. I had some multiplying green onions that Jetta had given me that never made, so I dried the bulbs and brought them back here for the winter. Hopefully they will produce and I will dry the bulbs once again and take them back next year for my summer garden.

The bush beans are up as are the radishes and sugar peas and the bell pepper plants I brought back and all have new growth but the jalapeno pepper which hasn't shown any new growth as of yet. The Swiss chard, beets, parsley and thyme all show new growth as well so I think they will produce this year. The tomato plants are blooming and hopefully will set some fruit as both of the plants were volunteer from my compost pile. The Zinnias seeds I sowed have started sprouting and I have lots of the seedlings about and inch in height as well as are some of the marigolds seeds. We just need a little cooler weather for the leafy green veggies but I'm hand watering them twice a day so they are surviving.

I grilled venison burgers for supper and it was delicious. GG stayed and ate with us and she loves the meat as well. We had Brussel sprouts and a salad to accompany the burgers. After the cleanup we settled into the FOX News channel and see where our potus is so inept and relinquishing any leadership responsibilities for the free world. He is so incompetent and arrogant and has surrounded himself with the same in advisors. I honestly believe he is delusional about those who want to destroy the western civilizations that we have been so much a leader in establishing. This form of terrorism will shortly be here if we let those Syrians refugees in our country. We have no way of knowing if they are part of this group who want to kill indiscriminately as they did in France. Someone in the government better step up and enlighten this potus. He is the direct cause of the chaos and killings in that region as he has failed to follow through on his "red line" directives. We are quickly becoming a non entity for peace and stability for the world as he and those in his party should be ashamed for their foreign policy decisions and blindly following his lack of competence, LATER

Monday Morning 11-16-15

Well Sunday turned out to be another great day with temps in the upper 70's but low humidity with plenty of sunshine. The coolness that was here on Saturday morning has moderated upwards but it was still really quite comfortable outside. We did turn the a/c back on as we had the house closed up for some reason, oh well!! It was a day we were going to try another church service in our area and while it was really packed despite having three services it was somewhat "showy" with the use of Pixar movies to make a point(no pun intended). We did see an old neighborhood young man who has overcome drug addiction and has started a ministry to help with those who are suffering addiction and we are considering becoming a part of that program. We as a group(our house church) that started at Element have been talking about what or how we can become more involved in sharing the love of Christ other than setting in a pew and being a weekly listener. This maybe what we have been looking for and it's with someone we have known since he was just a kid.

After the service we took our gang; the Tracy's and the Botbyl's as we all rode together in my truck. Seems when we want to all ride together I'm the chauffeur as my vehicle is the only one large enough to accommodate all 6 of us together to a new eatery for them. We had been to the Jade Bistro with Amy and Tyler and loved the Asian food. The group was a bit skeptical at first as the small restaurant is in a strip mall in Pinellas Park but they were pleasantly surprised with the cleanliness and the quality as well as the quantity of the delicious food. The owner was very sweet and friendly as well as was her family who served us throughout. We had a wonderful meal of Pho, rice claypots, soups, egg rolls and fried rice. Yeow everything is so fresh and made to order so don't be in a big hurry when eating there. It was a dining experience and hopefully we will try it again, I know we will. The owners are from Viet Nam who was able to get out of the country before the communist take over in the 70's.

Well we came back and watched the Bucs come from behind to beat the Cowboys in a close game. It's hard to root for a team that makes some many mental errors and penalties but they are still our home town team and have 4 wins so far this season. The Panthers in our division is still one of the three undefeated teams in the league so I have mixed feelings about who to root for when they play each other. The Bucs have no chance of making the playoffs while the cats have a chance to go all the way to the big game, oh well! We had to cancel our trip to Sarasota for a dinner that son Bobby was preparing for our Amway Team as GG was having some anxiety about being left alone since her surgery since Eric left for Michigan. Betsy stayed with her Saturday night and Nancy went over and stayed last night with her. I managed to watch football all evening which kept me entertained. It was a little lonely at bedtime as we haven't spent the night apart in years, oh well, LATER

Sunday Morning

Well mark the calendar on Saturday we actually turned the a/c off and opened the windows for the first time since sometime last March. It was awesome with temps in the low 60's or maybe even the high 50's to start the day in Florida in November. It is still off overnight and we had a couple windows still cracked although Nancy is not one for leaving the windows open in this crime infested country except for the bathroom window. The temps stayed down all day long and by late afternoon it was perfect for sitting outside enjoying some finger foods and vino with friends and neighbors. I passed on the vino as I want to experiment with the non-consumption of vino and the girth to my belly, oh well.

I started the day with a 6'ish roll out which is becoming almost a daily occurrence even when I stay up late. That internal alarm actually goes off somewhere between 5 and 6 and I lay there hoping for sleep to overtake me once again, oh well I'm usually out by 10:30 at the latest so I'm getting enough daily rest. I'm reading about those who can not sleep at all during the night so I'm feeling lucky. I did my usual quiet time and posted this ramble before eating just an apple for breakfast and then heading out to the REC for nearly 2 hours of pickle ball with a half dozen other players. We had a good workout with mainly B players as usually Saturday is for open play. I headed home and the brisk air felt so good for a change. I piddled around in the garden watering and saw where I had captured the neighbor's cat in my animal trap so I released him. I'm hoping to catch this raccoon that occasionally comes running through the yard and who I think is digging in my compost at night. I want to take him and release him into a park a couple miles from here.

We decided to go and visit GG and Eric again before he leaves this morning for the Detroit area. We ate a light lunch from a relatively new Lebanese eatery located near GG's house. The food was excellent in taste and very reasonable. Amy and her family ate there last night and gave it high marks as well. It's a small family run eatery and we are delighted to find some unique place besides the big chain restaurants. Today after church we will take the Botbyl's and the Tracy's to the Vietnamese eatery where Amy took us last October in Pinellas Park. We so enjoyed their food as well.

Well I piddled around the house and the gardens until it was time to head up to the Botbyl's for supper. The Tracy's were coming as well and we dined on delicious grilled chicken breasts, Kathryn's decant mac and cheese, Nancy's Cole slaw and a new recipe for a dessert that has coffee in the batter. The eating was fine once again and we sat outside on their patio area while chatting about our trip. Patrick put together several questions regarding our trip out West and we were so involved we barely got through the first couple questions. It was so enjoyable to get together with some fine cuisine, table conversations and what we plan to do now that we will no longer call Element Church our home church in Tampa. We plan on visiting some local venues the next couple weeks and then visit Bobby's new church in Riverview from time to time but the drive each week is just too far away to get involved. We still plan to get together weekly for some fellowship and some local ministry involvement with the 6 of us and anyone we invite.

Well it was going on 9'ish when we headed out for the house which was just a couple doors down the street. The night air has some coolness. I tuned into some college football and then a shower before some horizontal lab shortly after 10'ish. Don't forget to take some time to honor our Creator at some local place of worship today and lift up those who were massacred by some Islamist terrorist and fanatics in France yesterday, LATER      

Saturday Morning in Florida

Well this time last week we were already on the road for Florida after winterizing the cabin for another year. After having the heat on there it was quite a change when we reached the Florida border and we haven't turned the a/c off since arriving. We have been having some very unseasonable hot temps this past week but are in for some cooler, less humid weather for this weekend. I do love seeing the sunshine and we had a spell in the mountains of about a week where we saw little of the ball of fire. It's also been a week of some uncertainty with Nancy's mom GG having carotid artery surgery on Wednesday and having her brother Eric visiting from Michigan. So it also been a week of family suppers and some great meals and of course some added expansion of the spare tire around my middle. I have been on the pickle ball court almost daily and working outside in the gardens but that has done little to reduce or lessen the added pounds, oh well!

I started out the day on Friday with my usual roll out before 6 and then after my usual routines of a few quiet moments and the posting of this ramble I choose to eat only an apple for breakfast (as I've done this past week). I headed out on my bike for the REC for nearly 2 hours of pickle ball play. We had another advanced player to return so we had 6 A players and for most of the morning with the other 2 courts were a mixture of B and C players. It was good turnout and I'm off this morning once again to play and get back into shape for a couple hours. The gym is now open for pickle ball 6 mornings a week and two night or evening time slots. This game or sport is really becoming popular here and if your an old tennis player or racket ball player its easy to play this game. It's an eye hand sport with not nearly as much running as tennis and just perfect for the older folks.

I noticed the Zinnias seeds I brought back from the cabin have sprouted in just a couple days. I'm still waiting on many of the seeds I've sowed to sprout but was completely shocked to see these breaking ground. I've used the organic "garden magic" powder when setting out all of the seedlings I brought back and purchased here and so far everything looks good and healthy despite the extreme heat of this past week. The big oak in the back yard has added some relief for the new seedlings as well as having to water twice a day. We are looking forward to our lettuces to start producing. The dang squirrels keep digging and uprooting some of the new seedlings so I may have to start trapping them and moving them out of the hood along with a raccoon or possum which also likes to dig in my compost piles.

Amy, Eliza, GG and Eric all came for lunch and we finished off the smoked ribs from last night's supper as well as a huge salad and then GG and Eric came last night for grilled fresh Salmon, yellow rice and salad. After the cleanup we played 4 rounds of Euchre with the guys and gals tied after the 4th round. It was a fun time had by all. Eric leaves early Sunday morning so we won't see him again before he leaves as we have other obligations for supper tonight. GG seems to be doing fine and except for some bruising around her neck and wrist. She is eating great and has shown no ill effects of the surgery and was sharp last night in cards.

Well that was about it for Friday as we eagerly await what is a cold front heading our way with temps supposedly down into the 60's to start the day, LATER

Friday Morning

Well Thursday was a busy day that started with a 6'ish roll out for me. The temps were a little on the warm side but some of the humidity has left the area for now so it was tolerable to say the least while working out side. I even managed a few minutes outside sitting under the big oak later in the afternoon reading until the mosquitoes decided I made a good meal. I had the smoker on from 11 o'clock loaded with pork ribs for the next 6 hours and the hickory and applewood smoke was delicious to my senses. We were having a big family dinner to help with easing GG back home from the hospital and not having to cook. Eric will be here until Sunday so we will once again tonight cook for them and Amy's family with Salmon on the grill.

After my usual morning routines of a few quiet moments and the posting of this ramble I got ready to ride out to the Rec on my bike for and hour and half of pickle ball. I'm slowing getting back into shape or at least conditioning myself to a daily workout. I will eventually work back up to two full hours of play as my knee is holding up quite well on this flat land. Wow what a difference from walking around on level ground as opposed to the unevenness of the cabin yards and the daily hike to the top of the mountain and no stairs to climb, oh well! Nancy was off with brother Eric to retrieve GG from the hospital and then they made some grocery stops before they all came for lunch.

Amy and her kiddos came around 5'ish as well as did Betsy. Tyler had to work late so we sent a plate home for him for later. The ribs were perfect as was the guacamole with a glass of vino. We chowed down on baked spuds, fresh asparagus, salad and crusty bread. Amy brought brownies with fudge and ice cream but most of us except for the kiddos, Nancy and Amy passed on that delicious looking dessert. I'm working on losing the 7 or so pounds I added to the belly this summer. It's so much easier to add to than take away especially when tempted with these dessert delights. I was strong and didn't give in plus I ate one too many ribs, oh well!!! The Perry's from across the street stopped by so Phoenix could visit with Ava and Sam. Melinda is with child and is due in March. It's a girl and they will name her Scarlett.

Well everyone left at the same time as many were nodding off around 8'ish. The kiddos had school the next day and truthfully I was bushed as well after the cleanup. It wasn't long after they left I was in the shower and got to see some of the O'Reilly Factor on Fox. The Lightning were playing against a Canadian team in Tampa but that came was tied when I decided to turn out the lights out a little after 10'ish.  

Thursday Morning

Well Veteran's Day was an usual day for me as I spent the day alone at the house and mainly in the back yard except for a lunch break. Nancy was up at 4'ish to be ready to be at the hospital by 5:30 for when her mom, GG was supposed to check in for her carotid artery surgery. I managed to roll over and go back to resting for another hour or so before awakening for good sometime before 6. The REC was closed for the holiday so I decided after my usual routines of a few quiet moments and a lite breakfast to spend the day in the yards and gardens. A weak front came through and moved a lot of the humidity and high heat out so it was really rather pleasant working outside mainly under the big oaks in both yards.

I started a new regiment of adding the spice turmeric to my hot tea as I've been reading where this spice or herb is a natural joint and pain killer. I've had this left shoulder pain and even a shot of cortisone hasn't really helped to cure or cause this pain to go away. It's strange I can work all day using it in some limited fashion with no real pain pain but at nights it bothers me considerably especially when using it during the day. I think it a rotator cuff injury from the excessive use during my stump removals the last two summers. I can get some relief from OTC pain meds but I want to stop using them as much as possible and I read where this spice has been known to help with that type of pain relief, oh well we will see. It's very nasty in color and taste and I think its used in far eastern cuisine especially in India. Oh well!!!

I mowed and edged both yards adding mulch to the front shrubs and then worked in the back gardens until lunch time. Nancy kept me informed on GG's status and I think it was late morning before she actually had the surgery. I updated her status on our FaceBook page and I must say the responses were heartwarming. So many folks were keeping GG and us in their thoughts and prayers for this procedure which at her age of 88 could be devastating. She came through with no "hiccups" as the doctor announced to those in the waiting room and said she could go home today if she did well through the night. GG said she felt fine and was ready for supper and her glass of vino. Thanks to all who prayed for her.

Amy brought me over a sample of the delicious smoked fish spread that Tyler made from fresh Kingfish their neighbor gave them last weekend that he had caught. That was the best ever and GG and Eric ate the same type of fish for supper that she fried on Tuesday night. This must be the annual run of these fish off shore. They can reach up there in size and are very fun to catch. Kingfish is a oily fish and great for smoking and fish spread but I don't ever remember eating it fried but they said it was delicious. I will have to try it sometime as I love fresh fish. After she left I cleaned out my grill and made some repairs as well as got my electric smoker out for preparing tomorrow's supper of baby back ribs smoked with hickory and applewood. We will have GG, Eric, Arianne and Amy's family all here for supper as we celebrate GG's successful operation and recovery.

Nancy finally got back sometime after dark and we settled into the Fox News channel and then shortly after O'Reilly I headed for the shower. Today the REC is open so I will head out for a couple hours of pickle ball and then a stop at the library. The recently transplanted plants from the mountain garden seem to be doing alright at this time. The cooler temps in the low 80's headed this way for the weekend will also be a plus in their recovery, LATER

Veterans Day Wednesday Morning 2015

Well Tuesday was a busy day for me as I started with a 6 'ish roll out. I'm still awakening several times during the night due to the a/c and the street noise. It surely is so much nosier here. I did my usual morning routines of a few quiet moments to give thanks and lift up those I know to my Creator and Lord. After posting this ramble and a lite breakfast I headed out to the Rec on my bike for some hour and half of pickle ball. We had a full gym today with lots of new faces and some were rather good. We did have a few of the advanced players which made it great for a challenge court. I was worn out and it will take a few weeks to get back into shape plus I had a soaked shirt which for me is always a good sign of a successful workout .

It was going on 10'ish and while the heat wasn't too unbearable at this time of the day I decided to work outside in the gardens. I've just about finished with the planting on one side of the garden after turning it over with a shovel. The soil here is very sandy however the thick layer of leaves the earthworms have devoured over the summer left a nice black layer of compost. I sowed two rows of bush beans, two rows of radishes and two rows of sugar snap peas. I also planted two rows of cabbage and collard seedlings each. I took a trip down to the Home Depot for some new lettuce seeds as well as green bean seeds and stopped by the veggie stand and picked up some cilantro and sweet basil seedlings.  I transplanted the kale seedlings into different soil in hopes they will survive for some reason I had lost about half of the kale and cilantro seedlings I brought back from the cabin. Those two were very small as for the rest of the transplants from the cabin they look hardy.

After a light lunch I was back out in the gardens as I had to fix the back fence as some of the boards were loosening so I pedaled around to the back neighbors yard and took care of that situation. They are renters and take very little care of the yard. It was going on 4'ish and Nancy came back from the hospital with her brother and mom as they did some pre-op for her carotid artery surgery today. If Elizabeth(GG) crosses your mind she needs some extra prayers due to her advanced age. Nancy took off on a walk around the hood and I gathered in the clothes from outside on the line. We had plenty of sunshine and the humidity wasn't as bad as the day before and the temps were only in the high 80's. What a break from the 90's.

Well the REC is closed for this holiday today and Nancy left around 5:30 this morning for the hospital to be with GG  prior to her surgery along with her brother Eric, sister Betsy and niece Arriane who came up from Miami last night. I will work outside in the yard and gardens once more and then watch little Eliza Faye so Amy can visit GG in the hospital later in the day. That was about it except for the delicious pasta that Mechelle Dalton brought back from Italy last summer that
we had for supper along with fresh corn on the cob I picked up at the veggie stand, Yikes was that ever good as I have enough leftover for lunch today. We tuned into the Fox News and see where the left or liberals in the mainstream media are going crazy on the candidates for the upcoming presidential election next November. I'm at a loss for their determination to destroy the nation when those in this government are corrupt and are doing all they can to see America fail; especially this potus. He and Hillary are the two biggest liars I have ever seen in public office and yet the lib's give them a pass. I truly feel they want the country to go the way of Europe with their socialist policies which we all know don't work, because nobody wants to work when the gov't will give it to you free, Wake Up America...LATER  

Nancy drug out an old Air Force picture of me taken at my grandmothers house when I first came home home to Mountain Falls, Va. from California on leave around 1966-67. She wanted all to know I served the nation during the Viet Nam Era from 1966-73 as a loadmaster on a C-141A jet cargo plane.

Tuesday Morning in Florida

Well we got a little rain yesterday which helped with cooling the temp's down to a manageable level. I got in a work out on the pickle ball court with a dozen or so other players and made a library stop before heading home on my bike in a lite rain shower. The rain was a warm rain so I quickly donned some work clothes and headed out to the back yard gardens. There were dark rain clouds all around which looked as if any minute it would pour buckets but only just a light rain fell which actually helped to keep me cool. Amy, Eliza, GG and Eric all came for lunch around noon and then the skies opened up with a steady rain.

I started the day much the usual with a roll out at 6'ish despite being awake an hour or so before that. It will take some getting use to this bed again plus I have so much on my mine that once I awaken it difficult to go back to sleep and the fact I'm over working this left shoulder and the rotator cuff is giving me a fit. Luckily its the left shoulder so that doesn't affect my pickle ball play. The knee seems to be doing much better since I'm walking on flat land and there are no stairs to navigate. After my quiet time and a lite breakfast I pedaled out to the Rec and received a warm welcome back. I learned a lot of the advanced players have left for different venues because of the large number of intermediate players which they complained hampered their play. We are trying to get a special time slot which we use to have for the more advanced to play; but the Rec director became incensed with their attitude and their unwillingness to cooperate so the gym is now open for any and everyone, oh well. We still have enough advanced players to keep the interest for me and plus we get to help others get better in their play. After two hours I was bushed and called it a day with a wet shirt.

I turned over some new ground and sowed two rows of carrot seeds and then covered that with chicken wire as we have an over abundance of pesky squirrels which love to dig in the garden. The recently set out seedlings all seem to be doing find at this point and so I headed to Home Depot after lunch to pick up some collards, cabbage, cucumber and Romaine lettuce seedlings as well as a sack of Black Cow( dried manure in a bag). We are forecasted for cooler weather as a front moved in the area this morning, so the highs will only be in the 80's, not 90's. Wow a cold front!!! I see where it's in the 40's at the cabin and a real cold front, oh well.

It rained rather steady for most of the afternoon so I ran some errands as I couldn't work outside. We decided on pork chops with some Swiss chard I brought back from the cabin garden and fried taters'. Yeow, did that ever taste great except we had to do the chops in the oven. After the clean up we settled into the Fox News channel and O'Reilly before I headed in for a hot shower and then a few quarters of Monday Night Football. At least Nancy can channel surf as we have a second TV which is for my sports in the bedroom. It wasn't long before the sandman calleth as the pickle ball and the yard work had me whupped as well as the heat and humidity, LATER

We got the 5 grand kiddos to sit still somewhat for a moment Sunday Night at GG's house!!!

Monday Morning in Florida

Well it's a change being back to the hot and humid flatland of Florida. The a/c continues to keep me awake at night despite the loss of a night or two of sleep and the street noise is something that always takes awhile to get use to as well. We met up with our friends and neighbors (Tracy's&Botbyl's)at a new church for us and its huge and more traditional than what we have been use to. We enjoyed the message with a different spin on Hagar the maid servant for Sarah and Abram(ham) and the role she played in all of that scenario with her bearing him a child. The church did a recognition of the veterans in the congregation which was very moving and brought tears to many of us who gave of ourselves through service for the liberties and freedoms we now possess in this country. We decided to try several different church's in the area before deciding on one as well as are our buddies who we have called Element Church our home for nearly 6 years or more.

We made a stop at Aldi''s on the way home and their produce and some stables are very competitively priced with the big supermarkets as you have to bag your own groceries but the savings is well worth it. We stocked up on many items and then what Nancy doesn't find there she shop's at Publix just down the road. One of the many good things about here is the proximity of the everything which is just a few minutes down the street. We made a homemade pizza as we had lots of cheeses that needed to be consumed and then I headed out to work in my garden. It was still in the upper 80's and even reached the low 90's during the hottest part of the day. Luckily I still have some shade in the back yard. With a shovel I turned over enough soil to get my beets seedlings in the ground as well as the Swiss chard, bell peppers plants and a jalapeno pepper plant all of which still looked good.  I dug them up on Friday and had them wrapped in wet newspaper for the trip back here. They hadn't wilted as I kept them in the shade and damp. I also replanted the parsley and thyme plants that I brought back as well.

The volunteer tomato plants were still looking good and one even had blossoms so I decided to stake them right where they were growing. I found a couple smaller tomato plants in different areas of the gardens so I repotted them for further replanting. They all came up from my composted table scraps. I will try to get some seeds in the ground this week but I'm wondering if it's just too dang hot for purchasing some lettuce seedlings and starting my own, oh well!!! The Rosemary plant is getting huge and it survived the hot and rainy summer here. I managed to sweat some of this 6 plus pounds I acquired this summer with all of the good eatin' and entertaining we did. It was a hot day and we finally saw a few rain clouds and then a nice soft rain just about dark.

We headed over to GG's for a birthday dinner for Nancy's older sister Betsy. GG had a 12 pound roast in the oven along with smashed taters and gravy, green beans and crusty bread with a coconut cake and ice cream for dessert. I passed on the dessert but made up for it on the good things. We got to love up on our son and daughter as well as their 5 kiddos. They of course are now playing great together and little Eliza Faye stoled the gathering with her now new personality. She sat with the older kids while eating at the table and now is talking and loving up on all of us. She is just precious. We are having all of them for sleep over at our house towards the end of the month of which they are so excited about.

Well we watched the hapless Bucs lose another game in which they should have won but the Carolina Panthers are now 8-0 which is gives us some hope for our division. Many of our mountain family are Panther fans and we salute them despite being in the same division with the Bucs. I turned the lights sometime around 10'ish and awakened at my usual time of 6'ish or a little before this morning. I'm heading out to the rec around 8 for a couple hours of pickle ball. I sure miss the daily hikes to the top of the mountain which kept our bodies cardio in some sort of condition. It's back to the treadmill for Nancy, LATER

Sunday Morning in Hot Florida

Yikes!!! It's bloody HOT and Humid here, oh well such is life. I must say the change is quite a shock to your system but I will adjust shortly.

We made extremely good time traveling back south after an early morning start. I never sleep the night before traveling for some reason. I have so much on my mine with closing up the cabin and winterizing it for this coming cold months until we open it up again usually in late May or early June. We had spent the better part of the week packing, cleaning and storing for the up coming close up. We did have a very nice day on Thursday and then the last half of Friday was nice as well. When we left at 4 in the morning the stars and moon was out and the temp was nearly 60 degrees. That was a shock in and of itself as the past couple of weeks we barely saw it that warm for the high of day, let alone to start out the day.

We got in a final hike around lunch time on Friday and saw no one on top of the mountain. The views were hazy off in the distance as we nearly reached 70 by the afternoon. We stopped over for a brief visit with our "mountain mom" Helen as she was under the wether with a bug so we didn't tarry as we said good-bye. We drove around the mountain for the first time this year and saw where one of the residents at the foot of our mountain is setting up to sell spring water to some major water company. There were 3 huge tank trailers parked waiting to be filled from this spring. We sure hope he doesn't cause our wells to go dry out in that area or there will be another lawsuit as he a couple years ago set a lawn mower racing venue on his property which created very loud noises on Saturday nights. It took a court order for him to disband that operation.

We encountered very little traffic as we headed south and with a few rain showers in the Charlotte area it was great conditions all the way. We stopped every hour and a half for a brief walk as well as to eat and fuel up at 1.82 a gallon in S.Carolina. When we got close to the Tampa area it was a scene right from California with heavy traffic despite it being a Saturday. We only saw a few idiots weaving in and out of traffic and of course a few driving slow in the left lane with traffic backed up. When we backed into our driveway we noticed a car quickly entered ahead of us and it was our friends and neighbor The Botbyl's and The Tracy's. They had been out together and saw us arrive so we had a quick reunion and then made plans to join them later at the Bone Fish Grille in Largo.

We got busy and unpacked what we could before heading out and enjoyed a sumptuous meal of rainbow trout and a spicy Thai shrimp dish for me. We had a good time and caught up on all that's happening since our California trip in September. We made plans to join them for church in the morning at a new venue since we won't be going back to Element Church in Tampa. Bobby our son is no longer there and its nearly a hundred miles round trip as well. We will miss those who stayed the course at Element and who over the years have become family. We wish them well and hope some time in the future they can get another pastor. We will try to find a church over here in Pinellas County to plug into, LATER

Friday Morning and our last day at the cabin for 2015

Well I know I've been complaining about the rain, fog and overcast skies for the past 6 days or so but I must say one day like yesterday and you seem to forget about the days spent pent up inside. It was just a beautiful day that started almost at sunrise and I quickly donned cutoff's and a short sleeve shirt as it was unseasonably warm. I spent the day outside except for the morning start and lunchtime. I even hung a load of laundry outside on the clothesline.

Well after my usual 6 ish roll out to start the day and a few quiet moments to reflect and give thanks and lift up those who need some special consideration I ate a breakfast burrito loaded with fresh jalapeno pepper and taco sauce, yeow is that ever some fine eatin'. I donned my gum boots as the ground was once more soaking wet from the past several days of rain and fog. I fired up the leaf blower and spent the next couple hours clearing the yards one final time for this year, Wow did the green grass ever add some color to the starkness of the leafless trees. The new grass seeds are up a couple inches or more as they really love this wet weather and now with the sun shining and warm temp's they should get a good start on sinking their roots even further into the ground.

I had a roll of dead leaves going down the hill that was almost as big as all of the leaves I've blown so far the year. Most of the trees are bare around the yards except for a couple big oaks which still managed to make themselves present overnight on the grass. This morning it's really foggy once again despite the forecast for warm temps and lots of sunshine. It did rain lightly for most of the night as we awakened to it dripping down from the dormer onto the tin roof, oh well. The forecast for tomorrow Saturday is for more heavy rain and then much colder temps down into the 30's to follow; so we are excited about leaving this cold damp climate.

Well after the leaf blowing and a bowl of leftover chili for lunch I burned trash and starting gathering up what we would take back to Florida from down below. I have lots of wood for the smoker bagged as well as my seeds, flower heads and onion sets and garlic bulbs. Today I want to dig the seedlings from the garden and wrap them in wet newspaper for the trip as well and then start packing the truck. Nancy spent the day inside cleaning out the fridge and the cupboards and packing as well. We did take a nice hike to the top of the mountain and it was so warm and bright with sunshine I was sweating upon reaching the top. We stopped and had a long visit with Browning's and when we decided to leave the clouds had moved in and the temp had dropped considerately, wow what a difference in just about a 1/2 hour or so.

Well we finished up the soup for supper along with some salad and the last of the ice cream. I was whipped from being on my feet walking up and down this hilly yard as well as the hike so It was a hot shower for me after the O'Reilly Factor around 9"ish. I curled up with a Civil War book until the sandman calleth a little later, LATER

This will probably be my last ramble for a day or so as we leave sometime around 4 'ish tomorrow Saturday morning for Seminole. Today will be spent packing and a visit to our "mountain mom" Helen who we hope is over the bug she acquired a couple days ago.

Here are a couple pics of the sunshine we hadn't seen in several days coming through the leafless trees as the sun broke over the mountain.

Thursday Morning with rain dripping off the roof

Well this wet weather has continued through out the day and night once again. It's mainly a light rain, heavy mist and fog but still we haven't seen the sunshine since last Friday except for a moment or two on Saturday. We have definitely decided we just might as well set in the truck on the way back to Florida on Saturday as to set in the cabin in N.C. to wait and leave on Sunday which was our original plans, oh well. I hate to think a little wet weather would cause us to leave these mountains a day early but we are starting to rust and mildew and get cabin fever. We were talking with our friends the Carlan's yesterday as they came for a late lunch and then spent the afternoon until early evening about how short our time was here this summer. We were gone exactly a month when we were out west and then a couple weeks in Florida before coming back for the last month or so. We had two trips to northern Virginia as well over a couple weekends.

We started the day very much the unusual as we worked up a couple beautiful venison hams freshly killed on Monday evening and kept on ice. Neighbor Gerald blessed us with them and the meat was so fresh and lean. I cut it off the bone then sliced up several packages of steaks to be chicken fried which is our favorite way to eat venison and then hand ground up several packs for burgers, chili's and tacos. If I could get this meat regularly I would never eat beef again, it's that good, even Nancy concurs. I think proper dressing the killed animal and keeping it on ice or cold until worked up and then frozen is the key. I know our "mountain buddy" Caleb and his dad, Andy do a magnificent job as meat they bless us with is always so fresh and delicious when thawed. That chore kept us busy for the next couple hours.

We ate a late breakfast and then started on the house cleaning and food preparation for our friends Sam and Marcia who live in the oldest log cabin in Elk Creek, Va. It's huge and absolutely furnished beautiful on a small knoll over looking that area with the mountains in the distant. The look out their window reminds me of the Shenandoah Valley with the mountains surrounding their relatively flat landscape. The valley area is probably a couple miles wide as you travel up Rt 21 north of Independence. We dined on Zuppa soup, a salad Marcia prepared and crusty bread with a new chocolate dessert served later in the afternoon with vanilla ice cream. Everything was delicious and around 4'ish the rain stopped briefly so we took off up the back trial to the top of the mountain for a much needed hike. About half way up the heavy mist settled in once again but we had completed the difficult part so we headed back down the slippery woods trail.

I gave Sam some "lighter knot" or "fat wood" as some call it for fire starting this winter. They have a fire place and only use it when it really gets cold. I dug him a few white pine seedling that just grow almost out of control in my woods as well as a mess of Swiss chard, a vegetable they have never eaten before. Mine seems to love this soil here and the ice and frost hasn't effected it either thus far. I will try to take some back for my winter garden along with beets, kale, parsley, thyme and a jalapeno pepper plant that will eventually die from the cold. It was great to spend some time with them and they are lovers of the LORD as well. Well it was pitch black at 6:30 when they headed for home and the lite rain and fog once again had settled in.

We spoke with our "mountain mom" Helen and learned she had suffered a bug overnight and wasn't feeling well. We decided to cancel her and her brother Joe's supper plan for Thursday night as she sounded hoarse and we certainly didn't want to take her bug back to Florida with us. We will have to make up that supper date first thing next June. Well day light is here in the mountains and once more the fog and wet weather seems to be the theme so far for this morning, LATER