Tuesday Morning

Well Monday warmed up just a bit from Sunday but it still was chilly with the breeze but we did have blue skies and bright sunshine. Except for the "cool peoples club" get together to clean up the leftover fajitas supper on Saturday it was a work day after pickle ball. I did solve the issue of the lighting in the kitchen and Nancy was throughly pleased after much wavering and consternation, Phew I'm glad that debacle is over.

I started the day with a before 6 roll out and did my usual morning routines that started with a cup of hot tea laced with turmeric while I posted this ramble. I then spent some quiet moments with my Creator in thanksgiving and prayers for those I know who are in need of being recognized before our Lord. I haven't heard from Paw Paw for the last couple of days; usually the girls put up posts on Facebook. The mountain folks were getting some cold snowy weather but I think most of it has melted according to the webcam despite the cold temps. I headed out to the Rec. on my bike in a strong northern breeze for about an hour and half of pickle ball and got in a good workout before heading home around 9:30.

I hand watered the gardens while Nancy got a load of laundry on the clothesline then I started on removing the the two large fluorescent lights that had been encased in oak molding. Nancy wanted to try the 15 inch circular LED lights in their place and did they ever class up and modernize the kitchen. Bobby came for lunch and helped me wire and hold the four bulb light fixture over the sink as well as one of the circular light fixtures He thought they were perfect for our kitchen with the low ceilings. Wow did they ever give us plenty of light and are so more more energy efficient and gives off no heat. I will replace all of the bulbs in the house with the LED's when the time comes especially the light over the dining room table as it really gives off the heat when we have family suppers.

Bobby bought me a gallon of ceiling paint from his stockpile so after installing the other circular light I painted the entire kitchen ceiling and just finished around 5 ish and before our supper gang arrived. They to were in agreement over the lighting choices and my ability to wire them into the ceiling with little notice of rearranging the drywall. The leftover's were awesome but I did sauteed additional peppers and onions as well as added additional black beans and rice. There was still enough meat leftover for a fajitas for lunch; that much shows how much Nancy over prepares, oh well I love leftovers.

Nancy made fresh banana nut bread and served that with butter and preserves for dessert. I did partake of slice for a change as its not saturated with sugar. I'm still around 181 and holding and I'm surprised and delighted. I' really don't miss the sugar at all. They all left around 7:30 so I got to watch O'Reilly and the Fox Cable News before hitting the showers. Trump is shaking up the world with his desire to keep us safe and make US(A) great again on the world scene.

 We are learning the last potus did so many unsavory actions to cripple the country and bow down to the special interests. It's no wonder they are still in disbelief as their  "golden goose" has been taken away from them. There is much protest over Trump putting a hold on any immigrants from the 7 countries that are know terrorist countries many of which are Muslim radicals. Trump is merely enforcing the laws already on the books which Obama rejected and never enforced as the commander in chief. We finally have a leader who is taking action to defeat the killers of ISIS which we will find that Hillary and Obama supplied with armament through Benghazi. Mark my words that is why these men were never rescued and left to be murdered because of this illegal action by these two people and they never wanted this to be known that they were helping the terrorist. I think that is treasonous and I hope their actions will be found out and be held accordingly, LATER

Monday Morning

Well Sunday found us with dreary overcast skies with rain dripping off the eves and it was in the low 50's, yikes was it ever chilly. I know 50 isn't cold but with the other conditions it required extra clothing for warmth and was no where near your typical Florida winter day, oh well we sure needed the rain and it looked as if we may have got a half inch or so.

We had Annsley and Gabriel overnight and they slept in until after 8 just before Bobby and Katie arrived to pick them up for their ride back to Brandon. We did our morning routines with the only exception I posted this ramble from the kitchen table as Annsley was asleep in this room. Despite the outside weather the inside was cozy at a 70 degrees and we didn't have to turn the heat on. We did have an extra blanket on the bed overnight. We got ready to head out for church and actually rode with the Tracy's for a change as the Botbyl's had to drive separate.

Pastor Tim at Bridgepoint was finishing up a four part message on leveraging your life which was an awesome message and it challenged us to use all of our GOD given talents and who we know to share the gospel message. He is a fantastic speaker and does not fit the mold for most pastors but his messages are right on. You can watch his messages on line either as an archived one or direct live streaming on Sundays. Just check out bridgepointchurch in st.petersburg.com.

Well after the service we came back and I harvested lots of lettuces, kale, swiss chard and cabbage which we cleaned and made a huge salad to take with us up to the Botbyl's for a late lunch prepared by Kathryn. She has become the main cook while they stay with Dan and Carol until their new house is completed in Dade City. We had pot roast, smashed taters and gravy, green beans from our garden and salad as well. The meal was perfect for the cold overcast day. After the cleanup we all headed over to the large Home Depot store in Largo to check out their lighting fixtures for over the sink and for the kitchen ceiling as Nancy isn't thrilled with what we chose earlier. We did find a four bulb with globes track lighting that will work although it was much more expensive than I really wanted to pay but Carol came up with a suggestion on decorating the present 4 foot ceiling lights with some crown molding and then painting them again. I was thrilled with that idea as none of the lights thrilled us. We have such low ceiling so we are limited to what we can install. The ones we have now are encased in oak and do give off good lighting albeit fluorescent. With some beautification and LED tubes I think we can make them work.

The girls went on shopping while the guys and I headed home. I dropped them off then we to work cutting the dry wall to make the electrical wire disappear and to line up the fixture over the sink. I will install the new light today(Mon.) as I needed for the putty to dry and harden. That kept me busy until 6'ish when Nancy got back to the house. I picked at some left over pork chops and Nancy had popcorn since we had a late lunch. Well today we head out to several flooring places to get estimates on a certain vinyl plank flooring before making a decision on our selection. We found one we like and now I need to get prices. We already have a good estimate on the installation but this is becoming a major expense as now Nancy wants to do the whole house, LATER

Sunday Morning

Well Saturday turned out to be a fun family day but the temps were chilly with an overcast sky and a breeze which made it feel even colder. I didn't get any work done on the kitchen but did a new idea on hanging the light over the sink that has stumped me. Bobby helped with that perspective so I'm ready to start that project on Monday.

I started the day with my usual 6'ish roll out to temps in the high 40's and it didn't get much over 55 for the day. We were all bundled up as we played at the park after lunch with all of the grand kiddos. I did my morning routines that started with the cup of hot tea laced with turmeric while I posted this ramble about the activities from the day before then I spent some quiet moments with my Creator. I piddled around in the gardens then had a lite breakfast of soft boiled eggs, grits, jalapeno pepper and a ripe tomato, yeow this was my semi mountain breakfast that I so enjoyed when the peppers and tomato were in abundance this summer. I have been eating just an apple for breakfast for most of the last couple of weeks and now I'm down in weight to my goal.

I didn't want to start any new projects today as Bobby and family were on their way. They stayed the afternoon and then we met up with Amy's family at the park where the kiddos ran and played hard. We adults to keep warm got into pitching and catching baseball and then played some wiffle ball with some of the other kids at the park. We soon warmed up and then the ball got stuck up in a tree and we had a grand time finding it and finally knocking it down with a basketball. It was going in 4'ish when Bobby and Katie took off for home as they had a date night at the theatre in Tampa.  Amy and Tyler took all of the kiddos to their house so they could play until suppertime and then we kept Annsley and Gabe overnight.

I grilled bone-in pork chops for supper along with tater tots and salad to accompany them. Nancy had made a large batch of ginger snap cookies which is Bobby and Gabe's favorite. We picked up GG and brought her to eat as well. After the cleanup and the kiddo's baths it was going on 10'ish and everyone was worn out from the park. Amy took GG home on their way so I soon hit the hot shower and by 10:30 I was ready for some horizontal lab. I awakened in the night to hear rain dripping from the tree onto the roof which was a good sign as we are still very dry.

Don't forget to take a moment and worship our Creator with other Believers on this sabbath day. Pray for healing for our nation and this new president and administration. We have been given another chance from those who wanted to destroy our culture and way of life, LATER

Saturday Morning

Well Friday was another busy day with a workout in the morning then a work out in the kitchen with the paint brush until around 4:30 and then a delicious supper with the "cool peoples club"followed by the game of Sequence.

The day started out much the usual with a 5:30 roll out due to Nancy's head cold which leads to some strong snoring, anyhow I got 6 good hours of sleep which is really all I need as I'm out like a light around 10'ish. I had my cup of hot tea laced with turmeric while I posted this ramble then spent some quiet time with my Creator in thanksgiving and praying for those I know and love who need some extra considerations for whatever. I haven't heard any update news on my nephew Justin but did hear that Paw Paw does not have the infection again which great news. His daughters Josie and Dee have been taking him to his many appointments and basically taking care of things. I doubt very seriously if he will ever be able to go back and live alone in the Winchester House.

I headed out to the Rec around 8 on my bike and the temp's were starting to drop so we cut the a/c off again and by late evening it had really cooled off enough to warrant a lite jacket or sweater. I got in a good hour and half workout and left with a sweat despite most of the A players were at a different venue on Fridays. I headed home to try once again to figure out how to hang the light over the kitchen sink and its becoming a major issue as there is no junction box but worst than that all of the fixtures are made so I can not slide the wire in and through it to the hook up since the hook up is 7 inches off center of the sink, oh well. I decided to call back my old electrician friend and he and I will put together a plan on Monday for installing a new light fixture. We are wanting LED lights and that does make for a different fixture in its construction.

I headed to Home Depot and purchased hopefully the final decision on the kitchen wall paint color. Since the old walls were a deep yellow it will take two coats to successfully cover the old paint. I did give the whole kitchen the first coat which took a lot of cutting in. I removed all of the base boards, wall hanging and electrical plates and will eventually replace all of the electrical outlets with white switches and outlets. Nancy is still undecided on the flooring as Bobby thinks we should go with the glue down vinyl planks which looks like real wood and its also much less expensive which he puts in all of the homes he renovates. I guess its the new modern flooring and is also easy to install once the floor is prepared. Anyhow we are at a loss on the style and color and hopefully we will use the folks he uses in his business which is completely renovating homes.

The Tracy's and Botbyl's came around 5:30 and I had the marinated chicken breast on the grill and while we shared a glass of vino I got the grill hot for the quick grilling of the marinated flank steak. We had the onions and peppers sauteed and the rice and black beans ready for serving. It was a delicious meal accompanied by a fresh garden salad as well. Later on during the game time Carol had made a very lite dessert of fresh strawberries, whipped cream and Angel food cake. I did partake and it was very good with little or no sugar. This morning I got on the scales and I was almost at my goal of 180. I have one more pound to go. I've dropped 13 pounds since getting back from the mountains and it feels great, oh well.

The boys won the first two games in Sequence and then the gals decided no way were we going to be winners so we had to play 3 more games and they won those three which put them up one for the year thus far. Instead of winners they became whiners after the first two games, oh well. Needless to say it was a raucous game. When they left sometime before 10 the outside temps had dropped considerably. It's supposed to stay cool for most of the weekend. We are getting Annsley and Gabe for an overnighter so all of the grand kiddos will be here or at the park for most of Saturday. That should be a fun time. Bobby and Katie are going to the Straz Theater in Tampa for a broadway show called Cabaret on Saturday night.

Well that was about it for a Friday and once more it was a busy fun and work filled day, LATER

Friday Morning

Well Thursday was another gorgeous day here in sunny Florida but the humidity did creep back into the atmosphere so the a/c is back on until this next cold front which is supposed to settle in for the weekend. I had a good work out at pickle ball then the usual lunch crowd came and GG was able to ride with Amy as her leg is much better. We stopped at Home Depot and then Betsy and Gus came by for an hour or so then we had Toni and Mark over for card games after supper.

I started the day with an early roll out as Nancy is having some allergies so her snoring was unbearable. I did my morning routines that started with a cup of hot tea laced with turmeric while I posted this ramble then I spent some quiet moments with my Creator giving thanks and lifting up those I know by name. I have a nephew, Justin who is suffering from a blood clot and needs some prayer. I don't have the whole story but he about the same age as our son Bobby. Keep him in your prayers for healing. Afterwards I got ready for my ride to the Rec. on my bike. I had an hour and half workout on the pickle ball court with some new really good players and left with a wet shirt. I wanted to do some painting in the kitchen before the lunch crowd came.

We had a rep from Flooring America come by around 11 and give us some more samples of flooring and he also measured the kitchen and house for new flooring throughout. Nancy is leaning towards a "floating floor" which is more expensive but supposed to be waterproof and very durable.

We took GG home after Amy and Eliza left to pick up Ava and Sam from school. We made a stop at Home Depot where Nancy picked out another sample of grey paint for the kitchen walls all of which look very close in color to me. She is so undecided in what she is looking for and is easily swayed by other peoples suggestion but not mine, oh well and I'm the one doing the painting. We never heard back on the estimate for the granite tops which was supposed to happen, oh well. We also purchased a new sink that slides under the counter top and a new Moen faucet with the sprayer attached to main handle. Moen is a little more in price but guaranteed for life. The one I have in the kitchen has been there for nearly 30 years and every few years I have to replace the cartridge which they send to you free of charge. I also got a 4 bulb light bracket for over the sink which should do the job with 4 LED bulbs. The bulbs cost twice what the fixture cost but are supposed to last for years and draw very little electricity.

Well Betsy(Nancy's sister) and husband Gus came by to see the cabinets and were impressed. I blessed them with some fresh lettuce and kale from the garden and then we had a lite supper of Marie Callander chicken pot pie, yeow they are very delicious and just the right about with a fresh salad on the side. After the cleanup Toni and Mark old friends and neighbor Carol Heckman's daughter who are visiting from the frozen north came over to play some games. We played Euchre and the gals one and then LOGO and I won for the very first time. It was after 9 when they headed out and I was beginning to fade. It wasn't long after a hot shower and after 10'ish, then I was in for some horizontal lab, LATER

Thursday Morning

Well Wednesday was another busy day with great weather and typical Florida winter temps. The a/c is still off with the windows and doors open. We finally got our granite man to come by and measure the kitchen around 6'ish. That man is one busy guy and he said if we went with him he would do the install sometime next week, so I need to get busy and get the ceiling and walls painted as well as get the new lights installed as soon as Nancy decides on her paint color which has become some what of a difficult decision for her.

I started the day with a very early roll out around 5'ish Nancy has a cold and her snoring was just to much after 4'ish in the morning. That happened again this morning as well so I may be moving into the spare room so I can get a good nights rest. I did my usual routines that started with a cup of tea laced with turmeric while I posted this ramble and then spent some time in thanksgiving and prayer with my Creator. I got ready and headed out on my bike for a good hour and half workout on the pickle ball court and left with a wet shirt around 9:30.

I headed home and hand watered the gardens. I now have a black egg plant about the size of a golf ball along with several blooms and buds. I can already taste fried egg plant topped with some fresh cilantro, thyme and ground red pepper, yikes we make a meal on that veggie. I have tons of lettuces coming to heads and the bush beans are blooming again as well. We had a mess of half runners night before last and they were oh so good. The tomato's have slowed down ripening for now but I do have lots of green ones on the vine. I blessed our granite man with some lettuces to take home with him and share with his family.

I sowed more Bibb lettuce seeds and now have more black seeded Simpson seedlings just breaking ground. I like to have new plants ready for harvesting as these older ones get used up. We are expecting some cooler weather and temps this weekend so I will hold off on transplanting the Thai basil into containers as basil likes warm temps and these are just setting roots in a cup of water in the kitchen window. I took down the fluorescent light over the sink and discovered the wire coming through the drywall was off 7 inches from center, so I will have to find a light fixture to cover that default as well as try not to destroy the dry wall. There was no junction box either so I will have to improvise with hanging the fixture, oh well. We returned the original light for that area as the base wasn't large enough to cover the wire protruding from the drywall. I'm hoping the other two large fluorescent fixtures in the ceiling will have junction boxes but I won't know until I take them down.

Well we headed out to Sam's with GG and then brought her back for a spaghetti and salad supper. Nancy then took her grocery shopping after supper as we wanted to be here for the granite man. We have chosen a black top called Uba Tuba which really looks almost like our present counters but with a shine. I will need to pick up an under the counter sink and a new faucet next week as well before they install the counter top. We were under the impression it took several weeks to get the tops templated and really for installation. All of a sudden there is much to be done, oh well. That was about it for the day. We settled into the Fox Cable News and learned Mr. Trump is putting his campaign promises into action. Kudos to him and his cabinet. If we could just get the other party to be more cooperative maybe we can save the nation and heal some of the division this last potus created during his 8 years of doing nothing but wasting millions on vacations, golfing and give aways, LATER

Wednesday Morning

Well Tuesday found us waiting for the granite rep. to come by and show us some samples and give us an estimate but once again he was a no show but did call. He is supposed to come by later in the week and do a face to face meeting. We were a little disappointed as we were anticipating putting an order in on Monday but that never happened, oh well. We had the usual lunch crowd and then after they left we headed out to check out a kitchen display room as well as stop at Lowes for some more ideas. We did get one estimate on flooring and another rep. is coming on Thursday for another flooring estimate.

The day started with a before 6'ish roll out to my usual morning routines. I had my morning tea laced with turmeric while I posted this ramble then spent some quiet time with my Creator lifting up those I know and love. Nancy's mom is back to walking without a walker and Paw Paw said he was up an about as well. Both are good news as they are about the same age and once you get down and quit being mobile serious problems begin to arise. I headed out before 8 for the Rec. on my bike. I got in a good hour and half workout on the pickle ball court then headed home to hand water the gardens. The temps have dropped a little and we are supposed to get only in the high 50's for the week end, Yikes finally some winter weather. We did have the windows and doors open during the afternoon.

We didn't find anything at Lowes that Home Depot didn't have, so we will stay with what we purchased. I did manage to do some yard work before supper as the rain last week brought up the weeds in the back yard plus I had lots of oak leaves to suck up and mulch for the garden. Speaking of the garden I picked another mess of half runners, lettuces, kale, green peppers and beet greens. I cleaned them for a salad. The sugar peas are starting to bloom as well so we will soon add them. The recently started Thai basil has roots I started from the stems. I have them soaking in a cup of water in the kitchen window. This basil has a most unique flavor and I love it. I brought the stems from my lunch of Pho the other day at an Asian eatery and decided to give them a try on rooting in a cup and they have.

Well that was about it for the day as we had a delicious supper of fried venison steak and gravy with Gold rice we purchased in Charleston and half runner beans, yeow did we ever eat healthy and the milk gravy with lots of pepper was fantastic. We settled into the Fox Cable News channel after the clean up and see where Mr. Trump is leaving no grass to grow under his feet in setting the country on a course of making us great again. The libs are having a fit as he has done more good for the nation than their guy did in 8 years and now he is bringing jobs, unions together and our natural resources to benefit the country as well as cutting waste and freezing federal workers in D.C. DRAIN THE SWAMP. We learned Obama on his last few minutes in office pardoned more violent drug offenders and gave the terrorist in Palestine over 200 million in cash to wage war on Israel against the advice of the congress. What a snake in the grass. I always knew he was suspect as a leader but this is outrageous. He was once a drug user and pusher in college according to his biography and now we see his love for the druggies who have permeated society. Most of these will be back in prison just like the terrorist he released. They too will be back to the battle field to wreck havoc on our troops in the fight against the radical Islamic terrorist organization that he and Hillary created, unbelievable. We actually have journalist saying when was America ever great, LATER  

Tuesday Morning

Well we had some heavy rain and winds throughout the day but dodged any severe weather once again. The humidity did seem to abate by the afternoon so we turned off the a/c and opened a couple of windows. We are fore casted for some 50's towards the latter part of the week with the highs only in the 60's, yes we will finally get a few wintery days with no a/c.

The day started much the usual with a before 6 ish roll out as I did my morning routines with a cup of hot tea laced with turmeric while I posted this ramble and then spent some time with my Creator in thanksgiving and lifting up those I know who need some special attention. I did speak with Paw Paw yesterday afternoon and he is back in Stephens City at the ALF. He was discharged over the weekend from the VA and he said he was up and walking and sounded much like his old self. Our mountain mom, Helen sounded good on the phone as well as winter is still there. The Shenandoah Valley was getting some rain which turned to snow and old friends posted some winter pictures. I sure don't miss that scene so give me the a/c any day.

I headed out on my bike around 8'ish to the Rec. for a good hour and half of workout on the pickle ball court. I was whupped when I left there around 9:30. We had three courts in action with some good new players who are down here for the winter. It had been over a week since I last played and I could feel the lactic acid buildup by days end. I'll be back for the rest of week on a daily basis if all goes well. I stopped off at the library for a new read as I finished a Ken Follett book titled A PLACE CALLED FREEDOM. It's a great read and an historical novel on the struggle of the laborers both in Great Britain, Scotland and the new world of America before the revolution.

Nancy picked up GG and brought her for lunch then Bobby came and finally Amy and Eliza after she found her car keys. We were supposed to get a visit with the granite man but he had a issue with some order and cancelled at the last minute. Hopefully someone from his office will come today and bring some samples. I painted some areas in the kitchen with two different but very similar paint colors Nancy picked out. It's very hard to tell the difference and she is very difficult to please at times as well as in the choice of the flooring for nearly the whole house except two bedrooms. I'm doing the painting and hope she makes a choice soon as there is lots to do with hanging new light fixtures, painting the ceiling and walls, countertops and flooring, yikes. At least the cabinets are about 95% completed with just a finish coat with a sponge roller after the countertops are installed, oh well.

We settled into left overs of collards and black beans and rice as well as a salad for supper, delicious. After the cleanup we settled into the Fox Cable News and our new Potus is making changes that will help our nation and get us on the right path to being great again. It's amazing how a business man can right the ship when politics are left out of the equation. I'm hoping he will term limits installed for all politicians and get rid of those who benefit exclusively off of the gov't and care only their re-election. Mr. Trump is a worker and takes no stuff from the biased media who is determined along with special interest groups to make this administration fail. I'm amazed at those who say America never was great and these are well know pundits in the media. I say rid the whole bunch and give them no quarter or acknowledge their very existence. I still watch only FOX Cable News and thankfully Megyn Kelly has been replaced by Tucker Carlson who is nearly as informative as Bill O'Reilly, LATER

Monday Morning

Well I must say Sunday found us late in the evening under a severe weather watch with tornado's all around us after an awesome day of worship at Bridgepoint Church. We dodged any real bad weather except for some high winds and eventually we did get some rain and its windy and raining again this morning which awakened me around 4'ish. We were so fortunate the severe storms passed to the north and south of us as we watched the doppler radars pinpoint the areas of circulations. Many areas in Alabama, Georgia and North Florida suffered some major damage as this storm moved through bringing death and destruction to many and our thoughts and prayers are with those who lost their lives and homes.

The day started much the usual with a 6'ish roll out. I did my usual morning routines before we got ready to head out around 8:45 for church. We were serving today so we wanted to be at the morning meeting of volunteers before each service. We had a packed house with several hundred in attendance and Pastor Tim's message was awesome on how to leverage your life. After the service we headed over to Sam's Club to fill up the gas tank at $2.21 a gallon as the price has dropped 18 cents in a week. We then stopped at GG's so Nancy could assist her in getting in and out of the bath tub then Nancy took off to grocery shop for her. It was after 1 before we finally got home and had a bite of lunch.

We were meeting up at the Botbyl's for a get together with the "cool peoples club" around 3 ish to watch the the playoff game(s) neither of which were exciting to say the least. It would have been more exciting if it hadn't been a blow out by both winning teams. I'm for neither team but do think the final matchup in the big game will be won by the Falcons. They took the Packers apart but Brady is a better QB than Rodgers, oh well. The occasion will give us a reason to eat, drink and be merry. Kathryn had a pot of chili simmering and we brought a fresh garden salad to go along with the dips, chips and cornbread. I've about reached my goal of 180 with 2 more pounds to go. Nancy thinks I shouldn't drop any more weight but 180 was my goal and I'm close. The cornbreads with butter and honey are my weakness so I may have picked up some weight after three muffins last night, oh well.

Today Monday we have the counter man coming with granite samples and I have some more painting to do behind the fridge and side base cabinets. I'm pleased with the overall look of the white kitchen cabinets so far but the redo is escalating into a complete remodel and the work has just begun, LATER

Sunday Morning

Well Saturday was any thing but usual except the 6 ish roll out for me. We met up with the Botbyl's and Tracy's(cool peoples club) around 10 and took off to San Antonio to see the Tracy's new house that is basically finished in the construction process. The house is gorgeous. The area is just a few miles west of Dade City which is the county seat for Pasco County. We actually visited there in the early afternoon and had a delicious lunch at a very unique eatery called Kafe Kokopelli in Dade City. The food was very good and plentiful. We then caught the early matinee in Zephyrhills to see the Resurrection of Gavin Stone. It was after 5 before we cleared the cinema and headed back to Pinellas County. On the way we stopped at Cracker Barrel for supper.

The new house is in the Tampa Bay Golf and Country Club which is really about 45 miles north of Tampa. It's a beautiful area with a few rolling hills and their new house backs up to a wildlife preserve. We actually saw two gators in their back yard pond which could prove to become a menace one of these days. It's a gated community and about an hour or so from Seminole depending on traffic which could be heavy at time. It's mainly interstate travel for most of the journey. The house is a 3/2 and set in a 55+ community with a very nice club house and pool. It's of course a golf community as well. There are 1800 homes in this project and its just about sold out with just a couple of new constructs left to be completed. They move in next month.

We ventured over to the small town of San Antonio and saw the beautiful huge St.Leo College on our way over to Dade City. This is a rural area with lots of farms that dot the landscape. Dade City is much like the town of Sparta with that small town feeling. We ate lunch among lots of stuffed animals that surrounded the interior walls as well as the pictures of this old building from its inception of a Ford Motor Co. showroom in the early 20's and 30's. Very unique to say the least with the decor of Indian artifacts and hand carved items from the past. We perused several shops in the area and this city is famous for its Kumquat Festival. Kumquats are very small citrus fruit which are made into jellies and jams and are indigenous to the hot climate of the south.

We decided since we missed the movie showing in Tampa to head south on 301 into Zephyrhills and catch the 3:45 showing of the new Christian movie the Resurrection of Gavin Stone. It was a very good movie and not cheesy as so many Christian movies seem to be. This very well could have been a real life episode with no vulgarity, no sex scenes and or violence except that which was portrayed when reenacting the crucification scene. It had great acting with unknown characters and a super story line. We got out of the movie before dark and headed south towards Tampa. The traffic is unreal with I-75 and I-275 wall to wall with vehicles. It was dark by the time we got to Pinellas and around 6'ish so we stopped and had a delightful meal at Cracker Barrel before heading home.

Well don't forget to take some time today and give thanks to our Creator by honoring Him in a corporate worship gathering. We have chosen to volunteer at our place called Bridgepoint Church in St.Pete which also streams live our service which is one of five during the day. We choose the 9:30 AM service and act as greeters for the balcony. The other two couples in our "cool peoples club" are going to downtown St.Pete to our new worship center and will see our service on the live stream. We have much to be thankful for especially with our newly inaugurated Potus who has made a vow to make the country great again with jobs, a health care system, a strong military, law enforcement, education and safety from the radical Islamic terrorist who have become a major threat in the world with their ideology of terror to accept their religion. The last Potus failed in all of these areas except to divide the nation with racial strife and to violate the mores of our Judeo-Christian faith based culture. He did a good job of trying destroy our nation with his secular progressive ideals and we the working and evangelicals turned away his programs and his candidate to succeed him and his policies. GOD said in his WORD that if we confess and turn from our sins, He will will heal our land and I'm hoping this will start to occur with Mr. Trump as our new leader, LATER  

Saturday Morning

Well we have a new president and I'm hopeful he along with his administration will bring some positive change to the nation. Just the mention of our Creator was a refreshing start as well as the battle against ISIS and the radical Islamic terrorist which the outgoing Potus refused to mention by name. I'm praying that he will keep his campaign promises of repealing the AFC act which was a redistribution of wealth and the deporting of criminal illegal immigrants would help with the crime and drugs which have become so pervasive in our society.

The day started much the the usual with a 6'ish roll out. I did my morning routines that started with a cup of hot green tea laced with some turmeric while I posted this ramble and then spent some quiet time with my Creator in prayer and thanksgiving. Afterwards I got ready to meet with an old friend electrician who wired this new kitchen in '88 and who does mainly small jobs and repairs. He advised against the "can LED's" in the ceiling as the structure of the flat roof would cause too much ceiling damage, so we decided to just put 15 inch round ceiling lights where the 4 ft fluorescent lights now hang. At first I'd thought about painting them white to hide the oak appearance but Nancy didn't like that idea so we went the other route.

Friday found me once again staying away from the pickle ball court. I did do some work on the kitchen so I did get in plenty of exercise. The initial painting is just about completed on the cabinets and doors and they are now all attached. I'll do one finish coat with a sponge roller after the install of the countertops and before the new flooring goes down. I will need to paint the ceilings after the new lights are installed and then the walls before the flooring project. We had a floor man come by and bring some samples and then we stopped on the way over to GG's at Flooring American and got some ideas as well and different samples.

I put a pot of collards on about noon and had them cooking all afternoon and the smell was mouth watering. We took them along with a kielbasa to GG's and she had fried up a couple taters which made for a delicious supper. Amy and Eliza Faye had come for lunch and we had a fresh garden salad.  I did take an hour long break to watch the inauguration ceremony and was relieved to see Trump sworn in and his speech was so much different from the regular established politicians. He says he is bringing the gov't back to the people and that America will be first in every aspect of society with jobs, education, a strong military and border control and he mentioned GOD several times in the speech. I sure hope the other party will give him a chance to put his ideas into place as the nation is on the verge of collapse with such disrespect for law enforcement and the radical left rioting along with the racial strife and welfare abuse. Pray for him and his family and for our once great nation, LATER

Friday Morning

Well Thursday was once again another work day on the kitchen and another warm one to boot. Nancy spent the night with her mom, GG again to make sure she could maneuver without help. She has a rolling walker and is managing albeit slow but at 88 what more could you expect. She was here with us most of the day and afternoon when Nancy came home around mid morning. We eventually took supper to GG's and I did some outside work for her before supper. After the clean up we headed home around 8'ish.

The day started with a 6'ish roll out after spending the night alone for the second night in a row. I missed my sleeping partner but she needed to be there for her mom who is doing really good with just a sprained hamstring muscle. She is on the mend after icing and resting it throughout the day and say's the pain is minimal which is a great sign of recovery. I did my morning routines that started with a cup of hot green/ginger tea laced with some turmeric while I posted this ramble then spent some quiet time with my Creator in thanksgiving and intercessory prayers for those I know and love. I haven't any news on Paw Paw who is back in the VA hospital as of yesterday.

I headed out to hand water the gardens as I'm skipping pickle ball until next Monday. The ankle is completely pain free with no stiffness so the lay off helped with that minor injury. The gal I choose for my partner went a head and played in the tournament with a different player and they won first place. So I'm thrilled for her after bowing out. I taught her the game and coached her along for about a year or so and while she is considerably younger she has great enthusiasm for the game and a quick learner.

I worked on installing the doors to the base cabinets as well as installing the pulls. I have one more set of doors to install and that project will be finished for the time being as I want to give a final coat of paint with a sponge roller to roll out any brush marks. I have an electrician coming this day to give me an estimate on installing "can lights" in place of the two large ceiling lights. He did the wiring for the kitchen when we built it in '88 and is an old friend as well. I thought best to get a pro opinion before I start cutting up the ceiling and trying to run wiring, oh well. A floor guy is coming later today, Friday to give me an estimate on new flooring as well and then the granite man is coming on Monday for an estimate as well. I did save 5500 on the estimate to have the cabinets repainted which probably cost me a couple hundred in supplies and material so I'm ahead at this point.

Nancy made a meat loaf, baked tater and fresh broccoli for supper at GG's which was very tasty. We watched the concert in front of the Lincoln Memorial as today we finally get a real leader and the libs are put out to pasture with them kicking and screaming that Hillary should be president. We have put up with this inept potus for 8 years and now its time for some real leadership and the demo's can take a back seat as they have tried to destroy all that had once made us a great nation. I was pleased with the number of folks who came out to support Trump at the Mall. I want to watch as much of the ceremony as possible and hope he will immediately start transforming the nation with voiding most if not all of Obama's executive orders. This inept potus has let hundreds of convicted criminals out to once again prey on society as well as released some of the most harden terrorists to go back and once more hurt American's military. I just don't understand his thinking yet now he has built a security wall around his residence to protect him and his family, LATER

Thursday Morning

Well I just spent a second night alone as Nancy is staying with her mom overnight to make sure she can get around by herself since she twisted and sprained her leg. GG is managing to walk with the help of a rolling walker and is even able to get into the bathroom which is a big relief(no pun intended). She spent the day here from mid morning until nearly 8'ish before Nancy took her home and got her settled in for the night.

The day started for me sometime around 7'ish as I slept in for a change and then again this AM is was after 7 before I finally got up. It was rather quiet around the homestead and I'm definitely sure I wouldn't want to be alone at this stage in my life. I did my morning routines that started with a cup of of hot green/ginger tea while I posted this ramble and then spent a few quiet minutes with my Creator in thanksgiving and prayer for several who are hurting. It seems Paw Paw(dad) is back to fighting the same infection that he had been on an antibiotic drip for several weeks. He needs lots of prayer but seems to have a good attitude as well as an appetite which he will need to fight this persistent infection.

I piddled around in the garden waiting for Nancy to bring GG over so I could help get her out of the car and into the house. I skipped pickle ball again and then cancelled out on the tournament for today(Thur.) The ankle seems find after a couple mornings of stiffness. I worked in the kitchen for the rest of the day hanging doors and installing the hardware and pulls. There where a few touchup areas that needed painting. Bobby came by for lunch as well as did Amy and Eliza. I have one of his floor specialist coming on Friday to give me an estimate as well as a look at some new flooring samples. Nancy wants some recessed lighting in the kitchen so I will have to speak with an electrician on the best way to run the wiring and if possible to even have them in the ceiling since our roof over the kitchen is a flat roof, oh well. Well I picked lettuces, tomatoes, kale and greens for a huge salad and along with marinated chicken breast and our first taste of half runner beans from the garden had a delicious supper. I skipped on the boxed rice dish which Nancy and GG shared.

 After the cleanup they headed out for GG's house and then I settled into the FOX Cable news and after O'Reilly it was shower time for me and I soon was in the horizontal lab position, LATER

Wednesday Morning

Well I must say Tuesday was nothing usual as I awakened in the night to a painful ankle after some hard playing pickle ball matches on Monday, so I skipped any physical activity except for working on the cabinets. The ankle loosened up during the day and I never noticed it again until I sat around after supper. Nancy's mom GG twisted her leg and fell after getting home from a luncheon out with her girl friends so she was confined to the couch until she could be taken to the ER. Nancy spent the night with her as she gets up several times during the night and the walker wouldn't fit through the bathroom door, oh well.

The day started with a 6'ish roll out with a painful right ankle. I tweaked it on Monday when I played several pickle ball matches with some of the top players in the county. One couple played in the national U.S. open tournament. They of course were much younger than I but I held my own against the male player. Our team eventually lost by one point after being ahead through out the match. It was fun to play against different players with varying degrees of talent. I hyperextended the ankle during one of the matches but never felt any real pain until I quit playing and awakened Tuesday morning. I cancelled my tournament play for this Thursday while taking a precaution against further injury. I'm able to get around but again this morning it was stiff and somewhat painful until I started moving around. I'll lay off any pickle ball play for the rest of the week.

I did my morning routines of a hot cup of green/ginger tea while I posted this ramble then spent a few quiet moments with my Creator in humble thanksgiving and lifting up those I know and love. I got word from youngest sister Dee that Paw Paw was taken back to the VA hospital in Martinsburg, W.VA. as there seems to be a reoccurrence of the infection that has so plagued him these past couple of months since he fell in September. He was readmitted there last night for further treatment. Please keep him and Nancy's mom GG, in your thoughts and prayers for healing. After my morning routines I got to work on the cabinet redo and managed to give them another coat of paint. The dark oak color has taken two coats of primer and now three coats of finish paint. I managed to hang a couple of the doors and attach the new pulls. What I have finished has met Nancy's approval so far.

I picked a peck of half runner green beans and gave some away to neighbors but still have enough for several suppers. These are the best tasting green bean ever and the only one my grandmother would ever grow in her garden. I also picked a couple more tomato's as well as a couple green peppers. I need to pick collards again as well. The lettuce is flourishing and I need to harvest that again. Amy brought me some leftover pinto beans from the family supper so that's what I ate for supper as Nancy was at the ER with her mom. She later came home to shower and get her clothes for the night as well as her meds since she was spending the night with GG. The x-ray didn't show any broken bones but today Nancy will take her to see an orthopedic doctor as she is in lots of pain in the knee area. Hopefully she will recover and be able to maintain her lifestyle because if not our lifestyle will change drastically, oh well. It wasn't long after 10'ish when Nancy left for the night that I was in the horizontal lab mode, LATER
 

Tuesday Morning

Well Monday started out much the usual with a 6'ish roll out and then to my morning routines. I was playing Pickle ball at a new venue with two other players around 10'ish because our Rec. was closed due to MLK Day. I piddled around the house not getting involved into any project before heading out. I had my morning cup of hot green/ginger tea while I posted this ramble then spent a few quiet moments with my Creator before heading out to check on the gardens. I picked another handful of ripening tomato's and then later in the evening a large mess of Swiss chard for our supper to accompany a marinated flank steak. That chard is so tender and delicious and all you have to do is rinse it, take out the big stems and sauteed' it in a little water. No other seasoning or oil is needed.

I rode my bike to the Rec. and met up with another player and then carpooled down to this huge church complex where pickle ball is played everyday but Sunday. They have several times for different classes of players and the 11o'clock time period is for the A players and there must have been 20 or more really good players. I won several of my matches with different players and got shut down on a couple matches but over all played quite well except I tweaked my ankle. It was rather sore and stiff this morning so I'm going to give it a day or so of no play. It didn't bother me as I painted most of the afternoon until suppertime. I'm scheduled for a pickle ball tournament on Thursday and want to play in it as it benefits Hospice in the name of one of our former players who passed a couple years ago.

Nancy picked up GG and brought her for supper as she loves Swiss chard. She had marinated a flank steak and I grilled it medium rare with a little rosemary on top. It was perfect and very tasty along with some baked beans. Well we settled into the Fox Cable News after the cleanup and while Nancy took her mom home around 8, I removed all of the cabinet doors I had painted in the afternoon and was drying in the garage. Today I want to give some a third coat of paint and then start to reassemble them to the base cabinets with hinges. Nancy is thrilled with the paint job and they have turned out better than I expected. I want to give them a final go over with a sponge roller to clear any brush marks but so far they haven't been obvious.

Amy and Nancy both entertained all five grand kiddos a half day yesterday as Bobby brought Annsley and Gabe with him while he worked in our county. I missed seeing them as I didn't get home until nearly 1:30 and they were long gone by then. That was about it for the day except it was another warm one with bright sunshine and temps in the low 80's. The a/c is still on and we are still dry and no rain in the forecast, LATER

Monday Morning

Well Sunday was another awesome day of worship at Bridgepoint Church with about 5 hundred folks in the second service. We now have 5 services on Sunday as our attendance is sky rocketing. Pastor Tim is a magnificent speaker who is very unimposing in stature and dress and if you get the chance check out the service which streams live on Sunday and each service is also archived. We rode together in the truck with the Tracy's and Botbyl's. Afterwards we had a delicious lunch at our favorite Asian eatery called Jade's Bistro in Pinellas Park.

The day started with a little after 6 roll out for me which was unusual.  I did my customary routines that started started with a cup of hot green/ginger tea laced with turmeric while I posted this ramble then I spent some quiet time with my Creator in thanksgiving and prayers for those I know and love. Afterwards I got ready to head out around 9 for the trip to Bridgepoint.  We decided to head over to Jade's Bistro after the service where we met the owner Kim's sister Haun who was our server. The whole family is from Viet Nam who immigrated here at the start of the war in the 60's. The diner is very successful and the whole family works hard to make it that way. We have become good friends and so enjoy eating and visiting with them. My grand kiddos love to eat there as the food is very good especially the Pho which is what I usually order. The sweet and sour soup is very good and a meal in itself as is the spring rolls and the fresh veggie dishes.

After lunch I settled into reading and watering the gardens as Nancy took her mom grocery shopping and was gone most of the afternoon. I tuned into the Cowboy vs Packers playoff game and it was definitely one of the best games ever with the Packers winning on the last play of the game with a field goal. The late game wasn't as exciting as the Steelers were winning when I turned the lights off around 10'ish, LATER

Sunday Morning

Well Saturday was another warm sunny day which required the a/c to be on as the humidity was ever present. I did actually sleep in until nearly 7 for a change and then we had a large late breakfast of cakes, bacon and eggs. That held me until me had supper with our "cool people club around 6'ish at the Botbyl's residence just up the street. I did manage to put some pulls on the drawers of the cabinets but didn't do any painting today. I piddled around in the gardens and then hand washed the truck under the big shade tree during the afternoon.

After my morning routines and the posting of this ramble while I had my cup of hot green/ginger tea with turmeric I spent a few quiet moments with my Creator in thanksgiving. I tried to call Paw Paw but got no answer until late afternoon. At first he didn't recognize my voice but eventually he we spoke for several minutes. He is still in limbo about any rehab from the VA but is awaiting some MRI results on his knee and hip. He mentioned it was cold and wet with gray overcast skies there. He seemed in good spirits and was lucid after hearing who I was.

We had hamburgers and Nancy had made a bowl of tater salad to go along with the chips and dips for our supper. We guys were into the playoff game through out the supper hour and then after the cleanup we got into the new game we got called "catch phrase". It's fast and makes you think as there is an electronic timer which makes you pass the device as soon as the answer is given. If your left holding it you give the other team a penalty point. Well the gals vs guys was about evenly matched through out the evening until nearly 10 when we decided to call it a night. That time just flew by.

Today we will attend Bridgepoint Church together and then out to our favorite Asian eatery for lunch together. My truck is the only vehicle big enough we can all travel together in so I'm the designated driver, oh well. We have such a raucous time together and have really bonded in these last couple years. The gals are always figuring out ways to up grade our house and now they think I should put crown moulding on top of the cabinets. I'm vetoing that because of the accessibility of painting the ceiling. Right now I have too much to do with this total redo on the kitchen which they started putting the ideas in Nancy's head, oh well.

Take time and go worship with other Believers on this day and pray for a smooth transition if possible for the Trump Team as they take the reigns of government away from the secular progressive libs and democrats. Hopefully all will go well this coming Friday but the biased media and the sycophants of Obama and Hillary are going to make it anything but smooth an uneventful. Already we have seen more positive progress in the last month or so since the election than we saw from the 8 years of his rule by executive edicts. Trump's cabinet selections are so positive and they are in for the country and not to pad their personal fortunes like the Clinton's and Obama's. GOD BLESS AMERICA, LATER  

Saturday Morning

Well Friday started much the usual with a 6'ish rollout and then to my usual morning routines that started with a cup of hot green/ginger tea laced with some turmeric. I posted this ramble then spent a few moments in humble thanksgiving for another day and all of the blessings of life with my Creator as well as lifted up several by name for healing and comfort. We all need to lift up the president elect as the secular progressives, elitist and libs are at their wits end in trying to disrupt and destroy this man and his family the working class of America elected. They are stooping to a new low as the biased media is also in the loop with these false accusations. If Trump survives to lead it will be another divine appointment as was the election. Folks we are in for some rough times ahead as even the most senior elitist in the party are trying to destroy him and his choices for a cabinet that will put America back on the right track. He needs our prayers if we conservatives who voted for him want our country to be great again.

I headed out to the Rec. on my bike for and hour and half of pickle ball play and left with a wet shirt around 9:30. I had lots to do with the cabinet redo's so I wanted to get an early start. I've just about finished all of the primer except for an area behind the fridge and wanted to get the first and second coats of finish paint on some of the base cabinets. The main coat dries in about two hours but I wanted to give them 3-4 hours before repainting just to be sure and the primer dries in 15 minutes. I had to take several of the drawer fronts off just to get the handles or pulls off as well which was time consuming but I did manage to get a first coats on all the doors and a second coat on several as well. I soaked the hinges and used a old tooth brush to clean them before spray painting them a first coat and let them dry in the sunshine.

Well it was a busy day and Nancy was gone for most of the morning as she is back into her weekly Bible study at our old church and then she shopped afterwards. I had a quick lunch of some leftovers and was soon back on the painting redo's. I'm pleased with the final results and now need to start putting the doors back on the hinges. There is no more oak finish showing in the kitchen and its really made a difference as to the new white look. I'm still an oak guy but will hopefully like this new look as well especially after all of

the other changes to come. It been 29 years since we added this kitchen on and its stood the ages of time so I guess I should be glad for the change.

We headed over to Amy and Tyler's around 5'ish to celebrate Eliza Faye's 3rd birthday with a splendid supper of smoked pulled pork, pinto beans, mac and cheese and salad with chocolate cake and vanilla ice cream for dessert with a little vino before hand. Eliza was so cute and so excited when we arrived as we carried in several presents and she said"are all those for me". We got her a tiria to wear while she opened her presents and we all sang the birthday song to her. She was just so cute with her many facial expressions. Bobby and family came as well as GG and Uncle Eric. The kiddos had a grand time together.

We got into a game of "Things" after the cleanup and the older girls played a few rounds but soon quickly left to play together. We played several rounds and Katie and Amy were tied when the game was over with the correct choices on who wrote what. It's a fun family game. It was going on 10'ish when we finally got home and it was a hot shower for me with lights out soon afterwards. I actually slept in past 6 this Saturday morning, LATER

Friday Morning today is Eliza Faye's 3rd birthday

Well Thursday was another rather warm sunny day but was a bit nippy early to start the day. Eventually it caused us to turn the a/c back on due to the humidity and temps. I got in a good workout at the Rec. then worked out on the cabinets with the paint brush and redo's. Nancy's brother Eric along with GG, Amy and Eliza Faye all came for lunch as well. Later in the evening we went over to GG's for a supper of baked spaghetti and salad.

The day started with my usual roll out around 6'ish. I did my morning routines that started with a cup of hot green/ginger tea with turmeric while I posted this ramble then I spent a few quiet moments with my Creator in thanksgiving and lifting up those I know by name who are hurting. I haven't heard any more news on Paw Paw or uncle Frankie up in Virginia. The mountains which were having cold temps have moderated again and its well above freezing. I got ready and headed out to the Rec. on my bike for a good hour and half of pickle ball play. We had three courts in action and I left around 9:30 with a wet shirt.

I hand watered the gardens and picked a couple of more ripening tomato's as well as picked the neighbor Bobby and his family a mess of fresh collards. I gave him my recipe which is simple but the best ever which is a whole onion,1/2 lb. of bacon and a box of chicken broth. That's it. That makes the best tasting collards ever in my opinion. After watering I slipped into my paint clothes and went to work on the cabinets. I now have only one section that is still showing brown oak cabinet and thats the lazy Susan in the corner which I have to take apart to get the old handle off. I sure hope that's not a major problem as its on a turn stile, oh well. I now have all of the base cabinets coated with primer and many of the doors have their final coat with just a touch up left with a sponge roller. I still have several more days work ahead but I'm starting to see some results which so far Nancy is thrilled about. I made an appointment with the countertop man to come out on the 23rd so we can choose the granite she wants, so things are moving along.

Well we had a delicious supper at GG's and her siblings were there along Gus and myself. After the cleanup we got into a game of OH -ELL. It was after 9 when we finished and I was slowing feeling the days activities. Being on my feet all day leaves me ready for a hot shower and bed time by 10 at the latest despite the ribbing I take. I now can use the excuse of being 70 when it comes to not staying up later. I did stay up until midnight on new year's eve while our much younger friend Kathryn went to bed early, oh well, LATER

Today is little Eliza Faye' 3rd birthday and we will celebrate at her house with a supper. Nancy made her cake yesterday and she helped. She is such a sweet little girl but oh so smart.

Thursday Morning

Well Wednesday was much the same with fantastic weather clear blue skies and plenty of sunshine. It's hard to believe just a few days ago we had the heat on and now we are contemplating the a/c once again. Today saw me doing the usual except placing a 11 pound pork shoulder on the smoker after having it in the oven over night at 200 degrees and then for about 6 hours in the smoker with apple, hickory and some plum wood. The smell from the wood was awesome along with the flavor of the pork.

I started the day much the usual with a 6'ish roll out to my morning routines of a cup of hot green/ginger tea with some turmeric while I posted this ramble. Then some quiet time with my Creator lifting up many who are hurting as well as giving thanks for my many blessings. Afterwards I got ready to ride out to the Rec. on my bike for and hour and half workout on the pickle ball court and when I left at 9:30 I had a good sweat. I hand watered the gardens then settled in to the redo's on the cabinets. Bobby called and said he was in the 'hood and would come by later for lunch. Amy and Eliza brought GG as well for a lunch of left over soup and sandwiches. I ate and then got back to working in the garage on the cabinet doors; sanding, priming and painting them. I've decided on two coats of the final paint before reinstalling them to their base. Bobby seemed really impressed with how they were turning out and he gave me the name of the granite guy who installs countertops for his houses that he redoes. He is giving us some great ideas on the total kitchen redo which I knew would lead to after painting the cabinets white. That includes everything even new appliances, floors, electrical outlets and lighting as well as changing the color of the walls. I will have my work cut out for me until we had out to the mountains in May.

I stopped somewhere around 4:30 as we were heading over to GG's for a supper with cousin Erica and her 9 kids. Eric rode up from Miami with them and then Amy's family as well as Betsy's family were all there. I think there were 21 people in attendance and the 11 pounds of pulled pork were eaten up as well as the huge baked beans and green bean casseroles all of which Nancy made and then GG had a huge salad as well as the cookies Nancy made. With our kitchen in remodel mode we couldn't have them here besides GG has a bigger living room so it was easier to prepare the food at our house. A good time had by all especially the cousins who played great together. Erica's family leaves on Thursday to go back to Miami.

After the cleanup at GG's it was going on 9 o'clock so we headed out for home. I hit the hot shower and was soon ready for bed around 10'ish. What a busy day and it was good to see Eric, Nancy's brother and his daughter Erica with her 9 kiddos. We usually only see them once a year at the most but it been twice in the last couple of months, LATER

Wednesday Morning

Well Tuesday was another great day weather wise with cool temps in the morning and then warm sunshine up to nearly 70'ish in the afternoon. I got in a good workout at the Rec. then worked the rest of the day on the cabinets both in the garage and in the kitchen. We had Amy and Eliza for a lunch of our delicious vegetable soup and while we were scheduled to have supper ay GG's all that changed completely with Eric(Nancy's brother) missed his scheduled flight here from Detroit.

I started the day much the usual with a 6'ish roll out. I spent some quiet time with my Creator after posting the ramble and I did have a short conversation with Paw Paw in the late afternoon. He seemed well and complained some about the knee pain but he has grown accustom to the wheel chair with getting around in the ALF. He mentioned it was very cold there with snow on the ground. We did speak with sister Dee later in the evening as well and she is taking him today(Wed.) to the VA for an appointment. It was good too hear him talk on the phone.

I got in a good hour and half play on the pickle ball court and we had lots of new players many of whom were beginners. I tried to help them learn the game as well as gave some pointers. We had one court mainly for A players which gave us a good workout. I headed home around 9:30 to hand water the garden and then picked a couple of more tomatoes. The cucumbers are showing the effects of the cold temps the past couple of days with many of the leaves turning brown but there is still some new growth with lots of blooms. Maybe they will make but every thing else is doing great with no obvious ill effects of the cold mornings. I did have to take the blower and clean off the roof as well as the gutters as the wind did drop lots of small twigs and acorns on the roof.

Well I hung a couple of cabinet doors with the newly painted hinges and they look great. I want to give them another finish coat of paint after they are hung especially the flat front surface. Nancy is thrilled with how they have turned out as am I. I still have a ways to go but I'm seeing some progress. I didn't see the second half of the college playoff game but learned Clemson beat the Tide in the last play of the game. Wow from what I read it was an exciting finish to a game I thought 'Bama and clearly won when I cut the lights out at half time, Oh well. I couldn't stomach to watch this inept potus give himself a pat on the back in his farewell speech for attempting to destroy our nation and which he nearly completed. Thankfully the working class of America soundly defeated his programs and he will go down as the worst potus of all time and the left leaning elitist will be recognized as corrupt and nothing but a special interests party, LATER

Tuesday Morning

Well Monday was rather chilly to start the day with temps into the low 40's but by early afternoon it was up to the middle 60's and even reached a delightful 70 by late afternoon. The sun was shining and a gentle breeze kept it very comfortable. I managed about 5 hours work on the cabinets after a morning workout at the Rec. Nancy was driving her mom to various appointments and was gone most of the afternoon.

The day started with my usual 6'ish rollout to start the day. It was rather chilly in the house so Nancy had the heat on but not nearly as cold as Sunday Morning. The wind had died down to a gentle breeze whereas on Sunday it was blowing rather hard which made the 30 degree temps seem much colder with the wind chill. I had my cup of hot green/ginger tea laced with turmeric while I posted this ramble then spent a few quiet moments with my Creator in thanksgiving and intercessory prayer for those I know and love who are hurting. Afterwards I grabbed an apple and got ready to head out to the Rec. on my bike for a workout on the pickle ball court. It was a chilly ride to say the least. I had some good workout for about an hour and half before heading home to hand water the gardens after picking another nice mess of green beans, kale, parsley and cabbage leaves to go into the huge pot of vegetable beef soup Nancy was putting together for supper. Yeow was that ever tasty and of course the pot grew which means leftovers for a day or so.

I started on the other side of the kitchen cabinets and removed 5 doors taking the hardware off then sanded them before applying two coats of BIN primer. This primer dries in about 15 minutes and is almost like water in its texture but it binds so well and so hard. I worked on the hardware as well giving it another coat of spray paint. I stayed busy until almost 5 o'clock then headed over to Amy's to pickup the ladder and take them three volunteer tomato plants I had started for their garden. I picked 6 ripening tomato's from my side garden. I wanted to pick them not quite ripe as either the squirrels or fruit rats have a tendency to bite them if I leave them to vine ripen.

The vegetable soup was awesome and was perfect for this weather as the evening began to quickly cool down. Patrick came by to see the progress on the cabinets and stayed and had a bowl or two with us as well. It was delicious. After the cleanup I settled into the Fox Cable News and once again the Hollywood left made a fool of theirselves with their left leaning elitist pablum with Merrill Streep embarrassing herself. She has played some great parts in movies but that is all. She is a pretender to be something that's she's not and why she thinks she is so right in politics is beyond me. These elitist need to keep their jawing within their body of believers who are pretenders, oh well. I'll boycott her movies and most movies as well. I'm one of those who like sports and real news; not the fake stuff that most of the main stream media babbles about.

I headed for the hot shower and afterwards tuned into the last college football game of the season. Alabama was ahead when I cut the lights out around 10 and this AM I found that Clemson came back for a win in the closing seconds. What I saw in the first half was a hard hitting game between both clubs and the Tide was running the ball right up the field. I'm very surprised they lost. There must have been some good adjustments at half time. Well that was about it for the day. I think out winter may be behind us as the two day cold front seems to have melted away. The cucumbers were touched by the cold wind but I didn't see any other obvious damage to the garden, LATER

Monday Morning

Well Sunday was an awesome day of worship at Bridgepoint Church where we also volunteered as greeters at one of the several doors that lead into the auditorium as well as the balcony which was filled with several hundred folks in the second of five services during the day. Pastor Tim had a great message on "leveraging your life". I was surprised at the number of folks out on our coldest morning of this year with temps in the low 30's and the wind was constant which made it feel even colder. Afterwards we made a stop at Wal-Mart which is on our route home and then around 2:30 we picked up neighbors Dan and Carol and headed over to the Salt Rock Grille for a meal with 16 other folks who are with Amway and our 300 point club.

The morning was a cold one as we started the day with 6'ish rollout. The heat pump came on several times through out the night and I was worried the cold would damage my garden. It's really too big to cover with old blankets and they would cause more damage than the cold as they break off the tender limbs. If it was a major freeze with constant below temps for hours I would give the blankets a try but since the forecast was for the 30's and only for a couple of hours I would take the chance of not covering them. I gave the garden a good watering in the afternoon which helps the roots to better cope with the cold. We did our morning routines and then got ready to head out to church.

We headed over to Redington Beach to the grille and had a very good late lunch/early dinner meal that started with a little vino for me as well as most of us, a bowl of grouper cajun style soup, crusty bread and then a rare seared Ahi tuna steak with some Jasmine rice. Yeow I licked the plate clean. Nancy had some sort of beef steak plate after some escargot as an appetizer. We all had a very small cup of blueberry cobbler with ice cream for dessert. That was my first dessert of 2017 and it did taste great. The whole meal was awesome and we dined for a couple hours as all of us are not only in the business as IBO's(independent business operators) but our team leaders are the most generous and friendly(like family) as well. We are all Believers as most of them attend Element Church in Tampa and are on staff there as well 6 of us over here in Pinellas County attend church. Our son Bobby and wife Katie are up there in the business with their huge down line folks which Nancy and I are one. We are users and do promote the products but we aren't into the business aspect except for our few customers and of course buying for the family which keeps us in the 300 point club and benefiting from it. We each received a party gift bag of new products as we left the eatery.

We helped Carol out with a couple stops on the way home as she manages some houses for wayward folks who have made the choice to go straight or either go the jail. These are small time criminals either from alcohol, drugs or small misdeeds who would otherwise be incarcerated but they have to have a job and stay in a house paying for their rent, food, etc. during their recovery period before they reenter society. Nancy use to volunteer in the office weekly but it has become so large that paid staff now does the job on a weekly basis.

Well I tuned into the first half of the Steeler vs Dolphin game and the Curtain was too much for the Fish and then we got to see the last half of the Packer vs the Giant game and the Packers were just too much on the frozen tundra for the Giants. Wow was it ever cold there and I do remember my football days at James Wood playing on the frozen ground on Friday nights. It was miserable and the equipment was nothing like for todays players especially with the ability to wear gloves which was unheard of in the early 60's. Tackling a hard helmet with bare hands often brought skinned knuckles and jammed fingers, how well I remember the pain on a frozen field with cleat marks in the bare frozen ground and what grass was still growing when you made a tackle.

Well it wasn't long after the game that I watched a little of Alaskans Last Frontier on the History channel and then read until I fell asleep with a book around 10'ish. I got lots of cold snow pictures from our friends in the mountains and beyond and they are experiencing unbelievable record setting cold temps with tons of snow, another sign this global warning theory pushed by the libs is a scam and if you question it or them your not being sensitive to the earth. Well one volcano unleashes more carbons into the atmosphere than all of the combined vehicle emissions, Wake up folks and realize the tree huggers are a special interest group who seek authority over you and your property with the help of the corrupt politicians in D.C. and now they make that a morale issue so you feel bad about being a user of the earth's properties, LATER      

Sunday Morning

Well Saturday started out with dreary skies that fortunately brought us some much needed rain overnight and into the early morning hours and along with a drop in temps. I actually changed into long pants and a long sleeve shirt as the day progressed and by late evening it had turned cold and this morning our coldest yet at 35 degrees. I don't believe if got down to freezing but with the wind it sure felt like it. Nancy has the heat on for the first time as the inside temp was 67 this morning(Sun.)

It was so wet and windy that I didn't want to take the chance of the paint not working properly in garage plus we had an overnight guest on Friday and didn't leave until 9:30 in the morning that we both decided I shouldn't do any cabinet work today. I took it easy after four straight days of cabinet work and read. We did get Sam and Eliza for a couple hours on Saturday morning as Amy had Ava at basketball camp and Tyler was in meetings at church.

After they left around lunch time Nancy took off to visit her mom, GG so I laid on the spare bed and read and eventually took a nap. Oh how I've missed those afternoons reading and napping. We were invited up the street to the Botbyl's for supper as Patrick and Kathryn are staying with them for a couple more weeks until their new house in finished in Dade City. Kathryn had made a lasagna and we were bringing a salad to add to the fare along with some extras finger foods and some red vino. After the cleanup we settled into the new game called"catch phrase". Its much like charades but at a table with a time period that you didn't want to be holding the device when the buzzer went off. It's fast with over 5000 phrases that one had to get his/her team to guess. I think the gals won the rubber game and of course we had a grand time. Afterwards we played a game of Oh -ell which is a card game based on bidding how many tricks you can take with or without a trump card. Nancy won that game on the last hand.

It was a fun evening as well as we had our tummy's full from some excellent eatin'. The walk home(4 houses away) was a chilly one especially after dark, yikes where did our warm temps go? Anyhow after a hot shower and a few minutes watching one of the playoff games it was horizontal time for me. We spoke with several up on the mountain during the day as the snow pictures came in on the internet. They got some great snow with depths of 6 to 10 inches but the real story was the cold that accompanied the snowfall. The wind chills was dropping the temps to below zero which made it even colder but the snow drifts will be the big issue of getting in or out of your drives and roadways. I can remember one year we were snow/drifted in for a week before we could get a bulldozer big enough to open up our nearly mile road to the old home place. The neighborhood boys and myself attempted to dig the drifts out with shovels and scoops but in places it was over out heads with drifted snow. I'll never forget walking on frozen snow drifts that were nearly as high as the barn roofs and that we had to shovel out the barn doors to get the milk cow in and out of the barn, oh well.

That was about it for the day as I finished a Ken Follett book titled EYE OF THE NEEDLE and started a new James Lee Burke book. It was a great not hearing the a/c running for a change but now we have traded that for the heat pump running, oh well so much for Florida winter weather. Don't forget to honor our Creator today with corporate worship. We have been given another chance to restore some honor and dignity to the nation with the defeat of the Clinton Crime family. I do not understand sensible folks who thought she was the better candidate to lead the nation and I truly believe there was some divine intervention with Trump getting elected and the liberals and secular progressives getting shown the door and now they want to blame Russia for their defeat, LATER

Saturday Morning 1-7-17

Well Friday was another work day for me with the kitchen cabinet redo after a morning workout on the pickle ball court. The weather has change a little with less humidity and it reached the middle 70's today whereas it had been the middle to upper 80's but there was plenty of sunshine. I'm ready for a good soaking rain as we are very dry here in Central Florida.

I started the day much the usual with a 6'ish rollout with a cup of hot green/ginger tea laced with turmeric while I posted this ramble and then I spent some time with my Creator in thanksgiving and prayer for those I know who are hurting. I haven't any news on Paw Paw or Uncle Frankie but did try his cell phone but no answer. There are few within our circle of friends and extended family that need some lifting up for healing and comfort and one is our sweet daughter in law Katie's grandmother Nancy, who had a knee replacement but something failed so she is back in the hospital awaiting that procedure again.

I headed out on my bike a little before 8 to the Rec. for some hour and a half of continuous  pickle ball play with two courts in action. I left with a wet shirt and whipped and headed home. I wanted to get in at least 5 to 6 hours of work on the cabinets. I did get the first coat of the final paint on about a third of the cabinets and the hinges spray painted their first coat as well. Nancy is thrilled with how they are turning out as am I. It's really a little weird seeing half of the kitchen still in oak and then next to them are these brilliant white base cabinets, oh well. It sure does brighten the kitchen but makes it smaller to me.

Nancy was on the go taking her mom shopping and looking for birthday present s for Eliza Faye as she will be 3 on the 13th of this month. Where has that time gone? They all came for lunch but I ate earlier finishing up the leftover green beans and venison as well as a ham and cheese rollup. I've noticed since I'm on my feet for an extra time my appetite has increased as well. I'm still holding at around 185 or so. I have a feeling I'm not going to reach the 180 mark but I'm getting in better shape since I'm on my feet more.

Nancy made baked pork chops along with tater tots and Brussel sprouts for supper and I licked the platter it was that tasty. I did get in a little outside work before dark as the gutters were full of leaves and rain was in the forecast along with much cooler temp's. The garden is looking great and I managed to hoe a few weeds and I noticed a couple of small cucumbers starting to form. I did notice a couple to tomato starting to turn as well as they have been in the ground since September.

Well we have an overnight guest Lynn, who is attending an Amway conference in Clearwater and she lives on the other side of Tampa. Lynn is Katie's mom. She came in last night long after I was in bed as the meeting lasted until after 10 at the conference in Clearwater. Well that was about it for Friday as we count down the days until this inept potus finally leaves office. There will be a celebration among real conservatives and patriots when this traitor leaves office and guess what he is doing to his 5 million dollar mansion; building a brick wall around it, but he would not consent to securing the border against illegals and criminals who enter the country with his blessings. Of course he will have secret service protection with their guns but wanted to limit the use of guns for our protection against the criminal element, what a hypocrite, LATER

Friday Morning

Well Thursday was much the usual with pickle ball in the morning and then work on the kitchen cabinets. It did turn a little cooler over night with some lite rain that didn't amount to much but every little bit helps. Nancy was gone for most of the morning and afternoon helping her mom. Amy and Eliza Faye all met at GG's to take down her Christmas tree and decorations which left me alone to work. It reached the low 70's which was great for work in the garage which I've transformed into a work place.

The morning started with my usual 6'ish or a little before roll out. I had my cup of hot green/ginger tea laced with turmeric while I posted this ramble then I spent some quiet moments with my Creator lifting up those I know and love who need to be remembered for healing and comfort. I got ready to head out to the Rec for close to two hours of pickle ball play. We had a couple of new A players back to add to the mix and the play was fast with some long rallies. Many of the once intermediate players are moving up with their ability which made changing partners much more enjoyable. I headed home with a wet shirt to hand water the gardens before Nancy and I headed to Home Depot.

She had an idea on the pulls and knobs for the redo cabinets and settled on a 4 buck item which was nickel in color. We also priced out a new faucet and a double bottom sink that will fit under the granite countertop. Well after she dropped me off I changed clothes and began once again to work on the cabinets for the next 5 hours. I was whipped when I finally put the garage back in order to accommodate the truck overnight. We settled into left over venison and green beans for our supper.

Well it seems liberal Megn Kelly is leaving FOX and will take her opinions of the sycophant followers of liberalism to a different network. I never watch or give any credence to any network except FOX. I will miss her beauty but not her pablum which denigrates Trump. People are idiots with their hysteria about him becoming our president but loved the fact that Hillary allowed our security to be compromised by using a personal email server which was illegal and then lied about it and so many other criminal acts and scandals. They love Obama who has done everything to destroy our way of life and leave US(A) without jobs, a realistic health care and no economic growth. I'm not sure where these folks come from but it's certainly not from my generation where we honored GOD, country and family in that order. Everything that was wrong for the nation has now been made to be right and just the opposite with this bunch Obama brought with him. The biased media and she included cry that Trump will be like Hitler. It's would be funny but these folks actually believe that correlation. The hate crimes because of the vote for Trump is outrageous and the black vs white has become insidious with the bias press disregarding it pervasiveness. The lack of respect for our police is due directly to this potus who has a scandal ridden legacy and law breaking as a college student. Honestly I don't believe he is who he said he is with the fraudulent birth certificant he filed with the feds which has been authenticated to be a duplicate of a fake. Who knows where he came from but he has done nothing to help the nation except cause disarray.

Well I tuned into the Lightning game and they getting blown out 4-1 when I shut the lights off around 10'ish. I was whipped as I'm not usually on my feet all day long after a good workout at the REC., LATER

Thursday Morning

Well Wednesday was another work day on the kitchen redo of the cabinets. It's a slow and meticulous job but when finished it should be an improvement and a more modern look as now white kitchens are in, oh well. I can see where this is going to ballon into a much bigger project(s) with a major do over of the house, oh well its exciting but sad knowing this will be my last major renovation to the Seminole house as it's been nearly thirty years since we added the kitchen onto the house.

The day started much the usual with a before 6'ish roll out. It seems I work almost as much at night in my sleep as I do during the daytime. I did my morning routines that started with a cup of hot green tea laced with turmeric while I posted this ramble. I then spent some quiet time with my Creator in thanksgiving and then remembering those I know and love who need some special consideration with that Creator for comfort and healing. I haven't heard much lately on how Paw Paw is doing but from what I last heard he is having more appointments with the VA as well as living at the ALF. I suppose they have his blood sugar monitored closely as we haven't heard of any lately instances of bottoming out during the middle of the night. That's good news as the old saying goes"no news is good news".

I headed out on my bike a little before 8 to the Rec for about an hour and half workout on the pickle ball court. We had a decent turnout which made for some good play and I left with a wet shirt once again. I headed home to hand water the garden then to Home Depot for some supplies. I learned that Kilz isn't the best bonder for cabinets but a shellac based product called BINN is the best. It dries within 15 minutes and bonds well and the base cabinets don't need sanding when using this product. I have taken off about 1/3 of the cabinet doors and sanded them in the garage but this stuff bonds so well I probably didn't need to do that once the cabinets are scrubbed with a good cleaning solution; any how I will continue to take the doors and hardware off as the hinges need to be painted or replaced. The knobs and pulls all have to be replaced with a more modern look.

I worked for nearly 6 hours on the cabinets then decided around 5 to take a break as the garden needed some attention. Nancy was at the ophthalmologist due to her dry eyes and the treatment they want her to do is outrageous. One prescription is over a thousand bucks, yikes. I think we will try something else like getting rid of some cosmetics that caused this condition in the first place. I should have been a doctor as I mentioned to quit using a certain cream around her eyes which leeched into her fluids and eye lids, oh well.

Nancy brought GG over for a supper of chicken pot pies and fresh green beans on her way home from the doctor. I managed to mow up the recent bagged oak leaves from her place and put them in the garden while waiting for them. The mowed up leaves are reduced to about a third of their normal size and the earthworms will do the rest once they are broken down and placed in the garden. This is the best natural organic fertilizer ever.

We tuned into the FOX Cable News and learn that liberal Megyn Kelly is leaving the network. She is nice to look at but has become so liberal for the secular progressives with a total distain for Trump. I really like Tucker Carlson as he asks the tough questions to his guests who are usually on the opposing sign of conservatism. He rebukes them with the facts and I think he will take the place of O'Reilly in the future with his wit and reporting of the truth. He is a breath of reality and really the spin stops with him. It wasn't long after a hot shower and some catching up on the laptop that I was ready for some horizontal lab, LATER

Wednesday Morning

Well Tuesday saw us once again with hot and muggy weather with temps up into the upper 80's. There was lots of fog early in the morning but eventually it burned off by lunch time. I got in some pickle ball in the morning and then started on the changing the color of the beautiful oak cabinets to white. Not my idea but I'm doing it and so far so good as its a several step prep before actually doing a final coat of paint. I surely hope this is the last time we do this major renovation.

The morning started much the usual with a 6'ish roll out for me. I did my routines of a cup of green tea laced with turmeric while I posted this ramble then spent a few quiet moments with my Creator in thanksgiving and prayer for those I know who are hurting. Paw Paw is still at the ALF but now it seems his younger brother Frankie who is 79 is having some kind of heart surgery this Thursday. His daughter Debbie put a message on Facebook to inform us of this procedure. Keep him and Paw Paw both in your prayers.

I headed out around 8'ish on my bike for the Rec where we had two courts in action and some good play. We should get another A player back today who was snowed on in Canada. They really had some tremendous snows and very cold temps. He had to go back for the holidays as he lives there most of the year. I got in a good workout for an hour and half before heading home to hand water the gardens. I picked more green beans and then gave some away to Bobby who visited for lunch today. I finished up the black eyed peas with a fresh jalapeno pepper for my lunch along with a kielbasa.

I took all off the 8 doors of one side of the cabinets and sanded them down after giving them a good cleaning with an all purpose cleaner and gave one side a coat of Kilz primer. I also primed the cabinet bases giving them a light sanding by hand and then gave them a coat of Kilz as well. I think I may give them a second primer coat as the dark oak stain shows through, any how this is not going to be a fast job as there are 35 doors to take off, clean the hinges, sand and prime both sides while allowing time to dry before ever putting a final coat of paint. I sanded the doors in the garage which helped to keep the dust down but hand sanded the permanent base cabinets, oh well.


Nancy made one of my favorite dishes which is beef and green beans in a gravy but instead of beef we used venison which made it even tastier. She cuts the meat into small pieces and then browns that will fresh garlic and then adds fresh green beans into a beef broth and serves that over Jasmine rice, yeow. Very tasty and you could substitute chicken as well but venison is my favorite. After the clean up we settled into the Fox Cable News and then I hit the showers as I had been on my feet after the Rec. workout all afternoon until after 5 when I stopped for the evening. I'm use to reading and even napping in the hot afternoons but not this day as I sweated in the garage. It wasn't long after a hot shower I was ready to lay down and rest and eventually cut the lights out around 9:30, LATER

Tuesday Morning

Well Monday was another warm day which required the a/c on once again. We decided at the last moment to go to Tampa and see the brother of our mountain top friend Eddie Harris who bought the old Shally Place that we walk by on our every day hikes while we are at the cabin. There was a picture on Facebook the business was in Tampa at the Quarter Horse Show where they sell their awesome leather and silver work saddles, bridles etc. We had the privilege last summer to tour the plant where they manufacture these gorgeous pieces of hand tooled leather and silver works.

Well Monday started out with my usual roll out around 6'ish. I did my routines of a cup of hot tea laced with turmeric while I posted this ramble and then spent a few quiet moments with my Creator in thanksgiving and intercessory prayers for those I know and love. Afterwards I headed out to check on the gardens and give it a drink. Nancy decided we would go by her mom's and take the lawn mower and suck up the leaves which have covered her yard. I loaded up the mower when she received a text from Eddie Harris who was still in N.C. that his brother Phil was at the horse show in Tampa and that he was expecting us to visit. Well that changed the order in which we do the day. I knew I would need to shower after working in GG's yard before going to Tampa so I decided lets do that chore last and that's what we did. We did drop off the mower on the way.

Well we found the entrance to the fair ground which is not the normal one. We were allowed in at no charge to roam around the stables and exposition rings and watched several competitions. The horses and their riders were the real stuff that's seen on TV and in magazines. Nancy was in her glory as she heard the names of horses that she is familiar with in her quarter horse journals. We visited the Harris Tractor/trailer shop which was loaded with all types of horse and rider equipments and clothing many of which were decorated with silver. The prices on these were top dollar but the hand tooled craftsmanship is spectacular.  Most of the riders and the horses in the competitions were using Harris Products and the riders were wearing their line of clothing as well which featured hand tooled silver. They made for some beautiful combinations that coordinated with the horse and rider.

We left there sometime around 4'ish after about 3-4 hours in the hot sun and headed to GG's where I sucked up the oak leaves and bagged them. We collected 6 large bags of leaves then headed home. I had to wear a mask as the lack of rain made for a dusty job. Nancy took off on a walk through the hood while I picked green beans and harvested lettuces for a salad. We decided to eat left over pork and sauerkraut for supper and saved the salad for lunch. After the clean up I settled in to the Rose Bowl game and saw a good game down to the last play. It was a great game between USC and Penn State with USC winning by a field goal. I didn't watch as many of the usual New Year's Day bowl games for a change this year as the format has changed for the championship game next Monday in Tampa.

Well that was about it for the day so after a hot shower I watched a little of the late game but found it boring so it wasn't long before the late night hours caught up with me. We met and made new friends from the mountains as Phil and his wife gave us the grand tour of their huge vehicle which they take to shows throughout the country. It is just magnificent and much like the vehicles the NASCAR teams use to transport their race cars. It was a fun day and we saw some gorgeous animals and one little boy must have been between the age of 5-7 who showed a beautiful horse in the big ring who was decked out on a Harris Saddle as well, LATER