Tuesday Morning..last day in February 2017

Well we are moving right along with this new year and in just a few short months we will thinking about heading to the high country for some relief from this heat and humidity. Monday was a work day except for a work out at the Rec. on the pickle ball court for an hour or so. I had made contact with our floor installers and they are to be here on Thursday and finish up the two small bedrooms and the appliance company called and will bring our new fridge as well on the same day.

I started the day with a before 6 roll out to my usual morning routines that started with a cup of hot green tea laced with turmeric while I posted this ramble. I spend some quiet time with my Creator in humble thanksgiving and some intercessory prayers and thoughts for those I know and love who are hurting. No updates on Paw Paw or brother Joe as I write. I haven't spoken with our "mountain mom" in a couple of days as we've had company and then GG last night for supper. After pickle ball I worked outside until lunch time in the garden. The weeds have taken over in some areas so it was time to rid the garden of them and then I transplanted a couple dozen lettuce seedlings from seeds into the ground and watered them. I did harvest several small tomatoes which are so good in salads and they are producing a handful daily. I harvested the last of the beets and we had them for supper along with grilled bone-in pork chops and grilled asparagus.

Bobby came by for lunch along with GG, Amy and Eliza Faye. We ate some leftover smashed taters and cabbage rolls and they were as good as they were on Saturday night. There is something about red sauce left over the next day or so to me. After Bobby left I started stripping the carpet and padding along with the tack strips from this room(computer room) which kept me busy until 4:30. What a job as I moved furniture and tried to keep most of the contents within the room. Today(Tue) I will tackle the other room(toy room) after Eliza leaves as she plays in it each day. I want to paint all of the floor moulding before the installers come on Thursday and the closets as well. That should keep me busy for most of the afternoons until then. This kitchen redo has become a total house redo.

Well after a delicious supper we watched the news On the Fox Cable Channel and once more see where Trump is moving the country right along despite all of the negative publicity by the left and the biased media. I think we may see some deeds that were less than honest by the last administration and I'm hopeful the rest of the nation is made aware of just how crooked and corrupt they were. We who are Trump supporters are hopeful for the best for the nation and that all of Obamas executive orders are rescinded, especially the health care fiasco which was strictly and income redistribution act. We are taking the fight to eradicate the radical Islamic terrorist in Iraq and hopefully limit any immigrants who may be suspect with their ties to the group from coming to our land from these countries. I'm so surprised common folks here want to let these people in after seeing the death and destruction they caused in Europe with their open borders. The left or liberals are so set on their agenda they are almost dangerous in failing to support measures to keep us safe from these radicals. Academia is partly responsible for this mind set as they hate America and along with the special interests groups who want socialism. Liberalism is the mind set that a few can run your life better than you can and this is taught in our higher education and they think they are the privileged few, oh well, LATER

Monday Morning

Well Sunday found us once again at Bridgepoint Church for worship where we helped with greeting  those who attended by handing out bulletins, opening doors, shaking hands and hugging. We had a full house at this 9:30 service both on the main floor as well as in the balcony. We went again at 4:30 for a meeting on the start of the Seminole Campus where a hundred or more showed up to commit to being a part of this start up group. We made it know that we could only help until the end of May when we head to the mountains.

The day started with much cooler temps with some 50's in the area. I did my morning routines that stared with a cup of hot tea laced with turmeric while I posted this ramble and then spent a few moments with my Creator in thanksgiving and prayer for those I know who are hurting. I spoke with Paw Paw yesterday and he seemed in good spirits awaiting some word from the VA in what is going on with the decision about his hip. Hopefully he will find out this coming week. I haven't heard any news on our friend Joe but he was supposed to be released from the hospital on Saturday. Hopefully he is doing better as well. Both he and Paw Paw are up there in years and that is playing a big part in their recovery.

After church we headed to Sam's Club to fill up at 2.11 a gallon and then headed home to meet up with the Botbyl's and Tracy's to have lunch out. After one stop which didn't open until 4 we settled again on the Texas Longhorn Eatery and was not disappointed. We had a cute server and the food was plentiful and very tasty. One of the best places I've eaten at in quite awhile and they are very patriot and pro military with many salutes to the veterans. Afterwards we settled into the Daytona Race and watched that until it was time to go back to Bridgepoint for the startup meeting for the Seminole campus which lasted until 6. Carol wasn't  feeling well so we skipped the evening service and headed home. We dropped them off and got home in time to watch the last three laps of the race and saw a good move by the Ford Car to win the race. The Fords were in the money with several in the top 10 finishers for a change.

I popped some corn and we watched the building of cabins in Maine and Montana. It wasn't long afterwards that I got ready for some horizontal lab, LATER

Sunday Morning

Well Saturday was basically a fun day except for the early morning trip to Home Depot to pick up the additional flooring to do the two small bedrooms which I had at first decided to leave carpeted; I wish now I had chosen to do the whole house, oh well. We headed out around 10ish to Ava and Sam's school where we watched Ava Mae's 4th and 5th grade class basketball team win the championship in a two game playoff very convincingly. She had several assists and was awesome on defense but didn't score any buckets. We then headed home to have lunch around 12;30 and to get ready for the Cool Peoples Club for supper at 5'ish.

The day stared with my usual 6'ish roll out. I had my cup of hot tea laced with turmeric while I posted the blog then spent a few quiet moments with my Creator in humble prayer and thanksgiving before heading out a little before 7 to Home Depot. I had 10 boxes of flooring weighing about 55 pounds each to load and unload which didn't take all that long. I got them stacked nicely in the garage and I made room for Patrick to store his MG 2 door/ convertible overnight which is about 60 years old. He wants to drive it to their new house in Dade City where he can store it but first it looks as if he will have to have it worked on before driving it that distance as it quit on him on his way to our house. Dan will work on it at Twill Auto this coming week. It's such a small car and so antique but very cute.

We worked around the hose after lunch as Nancy put together a huge pot of stuffed cabbages, smashed taters and a guacamole for our supper. Carol brought a salad to add to the meal. The red vino lowed before and during the meal. Afterwards we watched the last few laps on the race from Daytona and then settled into a modified game of Phase 10 of which Kathryn smoked us big time. It was going 10'ish before they headed out after a raucous game and full tummy's and Nancy even made chocolate molca cookies. I had one or two for a change as the smell as so inviting. It wasn't long after a hot shower and few moments with Fox News Channel that it was time for some horizontal lab, LATER

Today is a day set aside for corporate worship with others who believe and honor our Judeo-Christian faith. We are a blessed people and a nation and we should not take that for granted. It's great to be in the presence where The LORD told us "if two or more are gathered in His name He is with us"; what an awesome promise.

Saturday Morning

Well Friday was basically a fun day as we met at Ava and Sam's school around 8:30 for grandparents day and then we brought them home with us after a stop at the the new Earth Fare store in Seminole Mall. Wow that is one unique store with supposedly all natural, organic foods, meats and veggies. It was something to see even with a selection of wines and homeopathic medicines. We picked up a couple pizzas that were ready to bake along with a few other items then headed home where Amy met us with Eliza and GG for lunch.

I started the day much the usual with a 6'ish roll out to a cup of hot tea with turmeric while I posted this ramble then spent some quiet time with my Creator in thanksgiving and prayer for those I know who are hurting. Paw Paw is still in the hospital as I write but sounded good over the phone considering all the issues he is facing and our dear friend Joe is also in the hospital in Sparta and he too is facing some issues and both he and Paw Paw have advanced age which makes it more difficult to over come their maladies. I skipped pickle ball as we had the event at Keswick School with the grand kiddos. We did take a long bike ride before supper.

They had a nice program honoring us(grand parents) and then we met with the teachers of both Ava and Sam and then stayed in their rooms where they had planned out some activities for us to complete as well as Ava read a short message about us and our influence upon her. Sam had some desk activities that reflected our looks. We signed them out for the day. We made a couple stops before the new Earth Fare store of which they both were familiar with. It was my first time there and while the items are a little pricey the place was hopping with customers and their prepared foods looked amazing. You can even eat there as they have a lunch area with tables and you can purchase hot and cold dishes as well as a juice bar. We sampled some freebies set out and spoke with some attendants who were quite pleasant and knowledgeable about the departments they worked. All of the meats, seafood were supposedly organic and wild caught with nothing farm raised.

Well I spent the afternoon doing my taxes and e-filed them for another year. Hopefully president Trump's tax message will allow us to keep more for ourselves in the future instead of supporting illegals who are living on our dime. I watched his CPAC address and he laid it out there for all of us. Get off welfare and get back to work as he is trying to bring employment back to the country as well as keeping us safe from those who wish to harm us. He is brash and to the point and that is just what we need as we have been led by an inept politician who let our national debt explode as well as let jobs leave the country and made so many depend on the government for assistance whether they needed it or not. It was a vote buying way that assured the libs would stay in power as many did not want to work but garnered welfare as a way of life. We saw what happened to that life style in Europe and the voters decided they had enough with this last election. Thank God for the results.

I sauteed Swiss Chard from the garden and grilled some deer burgers all of which were awesome for our supper. Betsy and Gus came by and I loaded them up with fresh carrots and collards from the garden and she tasted the Swiss Chard. After the cleanup we settled into the FOX NEWS Channel and heard the real news. It wasn't long after a hot shower and Tucker Carlson show I was ready for some horizontal lab. Home Depot called late Friday evening and my flooring for the bedrooms is in so I'm off this morning to pick it up as soon as I sign off, LATER

Friday Morning

Well Thursday was a mixture of play, work and some down time to read for a couple of hours. We had more rain overnight and while it was wet outside I was able to ride my bike to the Rec. where I got in a great hour plus workout on the pickle ball court. We had our usual lunch crowd except for Bobby who must have been working away from our area. Nancy was off with her mom shopping for most of the morning.

Well the day started with my usual before 6'ish roll out. I had my cup of tea with turmeric while I posted this ramble and then spent some quiet time with my Creator. I did speak with Paw Paw and he is still in the hospital in Winchester where he is getting some medications for the pain in his hip. The VA hasn't made a decision on what to do but things are starting to move towards some action according to his doctor in Martinsburg. Hopefully he will be strong enough for a replacement or whatever they do to give him some relief. They now think the infection is arrested and that he just needs to build his strength up for the surgery. Also if you have a moment lift up our "mountain mom's" brother Joe who we learned on FB that he wasn't doing well as his daughter ask for prayer. Joe is 90 years young.

I did some small projects now that most all of the painting is done until we get the final two bedrooms with new flooring installed then Nancy wants to change the wall colors in the master bedroom and in the living room. We have really noticed a difference in the coolness of the house since the carpet is gone. Amy say's her house is so hot while she complains of ours being chilly and we have no a/c on at the present. I really has stayed very comfortable with the new floorings. I managed to read for an hour or so on a book titled GIRL ON THE TRAIN. It's different and at times I almost pout it down for good but there is just enough intrigue to go on to the end. I did spent a couple hours on getting my paper work ready to file my taxes.

We headed over to GG's around 5'ish and had a delicious meat loaf supper accompanied by my pot of collard greens which I had cooking since 10 am. They smelled so good and they were a hit. This new recipe is fabulous. We had a few oven taters as well as a side salad. I washed the dishes afterwards and Nancy dried. We visited until it was time for VP Pence to give a speech at the CPAC meeting on the Fox News channel. We are blessed to have two great men at the head of the nation with the countries interests at heart and who want to bring the influence of our GOD back into the nation. I love the fact that these two men plus their cabinet members are willing to put politics aside and seek what is best for America. I'm still at a loss why the left or libs want to have illegals in the nation who have killed so many innocent people and bring their so called religion of radical Islamic terrorism. Just look at Europe and now Sweden with all of their issues of riots, protests and suicide killings. It's just crazy to think we have elected folks in the congress who subscribe to this ideology, oh well. Hopefully that will change with this new America first administration.

Well that was about it for Thursday as after a hot shower I watched the Tucker Carlson show on Fox and he asks the real hard line questions of those who seem to be on the front line of not supporting our new president and his policies. He actually makes them look foolish and uneducated with their beliefs. The nation is under attack from within more so than from abroad and we must keep our new leaders in our prayers and thoughts and dismiss the biased fake news media. We need a media but not one which lies and makes up stories about those whom they do not support. They got Obama elected because they failed to do their proper vetting of this inept politician. They do not own Trump who beat their candidate of choice, Hillary and the best they can do is to smear, lie and create false stories about him and his cabinet. Trump has done more in 1 month to make the nation great again than Obama did in 8 years. Obama never wanted the nation to succeed and now we are seeing the back room deals, the deliberate destruction of the economy with give aways and the lack of vetting for immigrants who want to destroy us from within which I believe was his intentions all along, LATER

Thursday Morning

Well we finally got some much needed rain overnight and it was a soaking rain which was great for the gardens and nearly dried up lawn. It was still raining as I got ready to head out to the Rec. so Nancy gave a ride in the truck as she had to pick Amy up from Twill's Auto about the same time. I had a good workout and then worked painting the rest of the wood work including all of the crown moulding and one of the home made dressers. I'm basically through with the wood work except for the final touch up when the quarter round goes in next to the walk and the floor.

I started the day with a before 6 rollout as the rain awakened me and I couldn't go back to sleep. Nancy wanted up early as well as she was picking Amy and Eliza up from having new tires put on her SUV. I had my cup of hot tea laced with turmeric while I posted this ramble then spent some time with my Creator before getting ready to head out to the Rec. We had three courts in action with several visiting players all of which were B+ players and maybe a couple of A's in the mix. I left when I noticed the rain had stopped around 9:30 or so as I was walking home after a quick stop at the library. One of my neighbors noticed me walking in the parking lot and gave me a ride home.

I went right to work painting the crown moulding and finally finished up around 4:30. Wow was I ever beat after reaching over my head as well as up and down on the step stool. Everything looks so bright and clean and with the white wood work against the dark rich flooring it looks like a completely different house on the inside. We are still waiting for the delivery of the fridge and for the delivery of the flooring so I can schedule the installers once more.

Amy, GG, Eliza and Bobby all came for lunch around 12:30. I finished up the leftover supper and the carrots, and smashed taters and gravy were just as tasty as the night before. The carrots had such wonderful flavor as Amy couldn't believe how good they were being leftover. I finished lunch and then went back to painting listening to music while Eliza Faye entertained us with her dancing moves. She has such vivid imagination and converses like an adult as she and Nancy played doll house in the toy room.

After they all left for the day I settled into some garden work as the rain had stopped. I cut another huge cabbage as well as picked green beans for our supper and a few tomatoes and couple of huge green peppers. I gave them a shot of Ebson salt spray which most plants love especially peppers and tomatoes. I grilled marinated chicken breast and along with the green beans in a solution of onion and bacon had a great supper. The broth was so tasty. After the cleanup we settled into the FOX News which presents the real news and commentary and once again Trump was right after being excoriated by the media on the Sweden comment. Folks we have a real problem with the radical Muslim community that now has a foot hold in America and its only going to get worst. Their religion is not a religion but an ideology that all are infidels if we don't honor their prophet and must be annihilated with the chopping off of your heads. What in the world do these libs want with those kind of folks immigrating to our country.

I applaud Trump for making a stand and I agree with a total ban on all Muslims entering the country despite just his ban on certain ones. That kind of ideology is fatal for the nation which Obama has allowed to become so prevalent and of which I believe he is ascribes to. There is no doubt he has courted these folks and allowed them in positions of influence in the state and local as well as some federal levels of government. The "snowflakes" can scream and protest all they want which I believe they are being paid to do so by the lib's such as Soros, the Clinton's and of course at the very heart is Obama as they will do anything to derail Trumps attempt at righting the nation from this scourge of radical Islamism. This is a major problem and while we are a nation of legal immigrants they are being used as the cover for illegal immigration which no doubt comes from nations who chant "death to America", LATER

Wednesday Morning

Well Tuesday was both a mixture of fun and play with mostly work after lunch. I had a good work out at the Rec. on the pickle ball court for an hour and half then headed home to harvest the last of the Romaine and clean it after a trip to the barber shop which is just a few blocks down the road. Nancy had picked up her mother and took her grocery shopping as she was just back in town after being in Miami for about 10 days.

I started the day with a 6'ish roll out to my usual routines that started with a hot cup of tea laced with turmeric while I posted this ramble. I then spent a few quiet moments with my Creator in humble thanksgiving and lifting up several by name who are hurting. I haven't any new news on Paw Paw for the past couple of days since they are waiting on the VA to make a decision. It could be he will be wheel chair bound for some time.

Nancy got back to the house with GG around 12:30 and then Amy and Eliza Faye came and we had a lunch of sandwiches and salad. I started painting the inside doors of the bedrooms and then the folding doors as well which kept me busy until 4'ish. I had a few cracks in the crown molding I wanted to seal with caulk and then I will paint all of them as well. Nancy wants to change the color of the living room and bedroom walls as well. She received her new white comforter by Fed Ex today and quickly replaced the dark brown one on the bed. I do like the look and it really brightens up the room minus the chocolate brown curtains which she and Amy took down as well. That really brightens up the bedroom. This has turned into a whole house redo.

Nancy had a pot roast in the oven with fresh garden grown carrots which are delicious. I worried they would never make but they are fat and juicy and perfectly formed whereas last years carrots were long and slim but delicious to taste. The recent transplant of the lettuce seedling from seeds seem to be doing fine and we will need them in a few days as all but the black seeded Simpson lettuce is now gone. I cut and stored the last of the Romaine. The kale and Swiss chard which are both good fillers in salads are still doing great. I've been setting the sprinkler for hours on the garden as the hand watering just isn't doing enough. The cucumber plants are dead and I need to pull them out. The beans are blooming again as they love this weather. The collards, egg plant, peppers and herbs are doing fine but I'm still waiting on the sweet onions to bulb up.

Well Nancy picked up her mom around 5'ish to have supper with us and I must say the smell of the pot roast was awesome throughout the afternoon. We had roasted carrots, smashed taters and a gravy from the juice of the roast which made for an awesome supper. I had a small salad as well as they all had salad for lunch. After the cleanup we settled into the Fox News and once more Trump was right on about the Muslim crime in Sweden which the "fake news" outlets excoriated him after his comment the day before. The libs and the left will never be on the team to make America Great Again and its a shame. The demo's continue to hold up any progress on helping him with his cabinet picks. It a shame we have such a divide and that all comes from the past potus who is now acting treasonous with his attempt to thwart any progress by Trump, LATER

Tuesday Morning

Well Monday was a total work day until 4 ish when we headed over to Brandon to watch grand son Gabe play ball. The trip took us over an hour and half with the interstates clogged with stop and go traffic for nearly 20 miles or more. I will not take that route again at that time of the day. It wasn't as clogged on the way home around 8'ish but still the traffic was quite heavy even then. When are these snow birds heading home?

I started the day much the usual with a before 6'ish roll out. I had my morning cup of tea with Turmeric while I posted this ramble and then some quiet time with my Creator in thanksgiving and lifting up those I know and love for healing and comfort. I had planned a work day as the Rec. was closed for this national holiday. I headed to Home Depot to purchase 3/4 inch round molding to encase the new flooring against the wall. I bought about 250 linear feet but needed I figured about 350 but they were out of ones I desired that were already primed. I got the 16 ft. long pieces back to the garage where I gave them a coat of white paint and let them dry the rest of the day. Since I had the sponge roller out and in use with white paint I decided to start painting the doors and then the trim in the dining room which kept me busy the rest of the day and except for a lunch break I was on my knees painting until it was time to leave for Brandon.

We met up at Bobby's and he served us a delicious supper of grilled chicken breasts, grilled asparagus and brown rice. It hit the spot and was grilled to perfection. I don't know why I never grill asparagus but I'm going too next time instead of par boiling. We cleaned up after supper then headed to the ball field which is just 5 minutes away for a 6:30 start of the game. Bobby is the manager so he is there early getting the equipment set up and then we drilled some of the team members with grounders, pop up's and some throwing exercises. These boys are all 6 years of age and are just learning the mechanics of throwing and catching and have to be reminded which base to run to or which base to throw to as well. It's a fun time watching each player develop over time. The team played much better than on Saturday scoring 5 runs but the fielding was atrocious and they let 14 runs in by the other team. Everyone seemed to do better despite the loss.

Annsley was at gymnastics which is right next to the ball field so Nancy divided her time watching her with Katie. She has progressed enough to move up into the competition stage which was a big first for her. She was so excited to show us the letter informing her that she could move on into an advanced stage. She is so small and highly athletic for her age as well as extremely smart. We headed by to Seminole shortly after the game.

Well after a hot shower I watched the Fox Cable News(the real news channel) and then it wasn't long after 10'ish I was ready for some horizontal lab, LATER

Monday Morning

Well Sunday was spirit filled morning at Bridgepoint Church as we heard a great message as well as some awesome worship music. I sure hope you took the time to honor, give thanks and show some love for others because that is what GOD is all about; love in the form of Jesus. We were one short of our usual 6 persons in the Cool Peoples Club as Carol was suffering from a migraine. After the service we stopped at Texas Longhorn Steak House which was on our route. This was our first trip there and we were pleasantly surprised with the quality of the lunch as well as at a decent price.

Nancy took off rug shopping while I washed and then painted the baseboards throughout the house. Needless to say that is a back breaking and knee bending job but I gotter done in just a couple of hours. The furniture moves so easily now on the vinyl flooring which makes that job so much more easy as well. I want to prime the doors and then paint them today(Mon.) as well as pick up some moulding and prime it while getting ready to finish off the two bedrooms. This kitchen redo has turned into nearly a total house redo and I do like the results. The flooring has really made a great difference as well.

I want to spray paint the two large lamps in our bedroom and change the color of the bases and I see where you can even spray paint the shades. I'll give it a try and maybe save a few bucks. The results I've seen on the internet look very nice with that project. I have noticed the house seems much cooler without the carpet which is a plus on the a/c bill and with the new led lights that should help even more on the electric bill, Yea. I did speak with Paw Paw around 5 ish and he sounded in good spirits. Josie and Wayne were visiting and she heard the phone ringing so I was able to converse for a few minutes with him. The doctors are wanting to build up his strength before any decision is made on the hip replacement as that infection he had for so long as eaten away the bones in that area. They must consider his age and if it takes place it will be at Walter Reed in D.C.

Well we skipped any supper except for hand full of nuts as the large lunch held me. I did hand water the garden just before dark and noticed several more egg plants starting to form. We love them fried. The okra never made as did the cucumbers. There is one still hanging on the vine but the vines are nearly dried up despite the daily watering. I'm starting to get the teardrop tomatoes ripening and they are so good in salads. The half runners are blooming again and we should have plenty to give away. I transplanted from seeds several packs of lettuces as our first crop is about used up except for a couple of romaine heads. It has been a bumper crop on the salad making lettuces as well as the kale.

That was about it for the day as I starting a new book and finished THE OUTSIDER by Frederick Forsyth. It's memoir of his life and he was a very interesting person of intrigue. A great must read and if you like adventure and some of the most harrowing experiences you will love reading his memoir. It wasn't long after a hot shower and few chapters into the book THE GIRL ON THE TRAIN that I was ready for some horizontal lab, LATER  

Sunday Morning

Well Saturday was a fun day that saw us in Tamps twice with Gabe's ballgame in Brandon and then out for a celebratory dinner at Bahama Breeze on the Courtney Campbell Causeway near Rocky point with the Kool Peoples Club(the Tracy's, Botbyl's and us). We were celebrating their new home in Dade City, Fl. We had good weather to start the day but a monsoon hit us on the bridge coming home from Brandon around 2'ish with high winds and heavy rains. The rain was most welcome to the gardens and yards.

The day started with a 5'ish roll out as I did my morning routines and that started with 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 thoughts and prayer. Paw Paw is back in the Woodstock area but for some reason doesn't answer the cell phone the girls provided him. I've tried several times but it just rings and rings. We had to leave around 9'ish to make the 10:30 AM ball game and I was amazed at the traffic on the interstates in both direction at that time of the day. It looked like a parking lot traveling at 70 mph and on the way home it was even heavier with the rain but at a much slower speed thankfully.

Gabe was so cute and excited about wearing his uniform and he made a couple of nice catches and plays but some of his teammates are just not into the game. What can you expect from 6 year olds and a couple of them are being forced by their parents to participate on the team which hurts those who want to do well. We stopped off at Chic Filet for lunch with Bobby and Katie and do I ever wish I had some stock in that company as it was totally packed both inside and out. We headed home around 1:30 and ran into the storm that was coming from the west coast of Pinellas across the bay and into Tampa. Wow what a storm and the wind was blowing the truck around on the big bridges.

We were picking up the Kool Peoples Club members around 3:15 for the trip back to Tampa for a 4 PM  dinner reservation and this place was packed as well. The venue has a tropical setting right on the water where you can either dine inside or out. The food was very tasty with a hint of Jamaican spices and the servings were rather substantial. The prices were about what you would pay at a Bonefish or Outback. Everyone enjoyed their meal and then we came back and played a game of Phase 10 with a our own made up rules that Mark and Toni taught us. Patrick was the big winner and it was close for all except me who could not get the wild cards, oh well. We headed home around 9'ish and it was hot shower time for me and then I finished a book and was soon out like a light, LATER

Don't forget to spend some time today with others Believers in corporate worship today. We have been given a reprieve from the corruption in our elected officials when Trump was voted in by the working class and the patriots over the crooked and corrupt Clinton and Obama machine. Honor GOD by worshiping Him and pray that we the people will turn from our wicked ways like killing the defenseless unborn, senseless killing of our police officers and to stopping the surge of the radical Islamic terrorist from illegally entering the country and destroying our culture to just name just the most important except for honoring our right to worship. Wake Up America

Saturday Morning

Well Friday was basically another work day except for the early morning hours when I headed to the Rec for and hour and half of pickle ball. It had been three days since I last played and it felt great to be back on the court. I did some yard work after the Rec. while Nancy was at her Friday Bible Study group then Amy and all three grand kiddos came for lunch and stayed most of the afternoon. The neighbor boy Phonix who is Ava's age came over and played with the kiddos outside.

The morning started with an early rollout around 5'ish as I was wide awake from Nancy's snoring and the anticipation of heading to the Rec. and all of the work I had planned for the day. I of course hit the sack around 10'ish so I'm getting plenty of rest for the night. I did my usual morning routines of a hot cup of tea laced with turmeric. It was rather chilly to start the morning with lows down into the 50's and it didn't get much over 65 for the day. The chilly breeze made it great for working outside despite the bright sunshine and blue skies.

I mulched up 7 large black bags of oak leaves from my neighbors yard and spread them in the garden for the earthworms to digest and make me new soil. That is the best fertilizer ever and I have an abundance of the leaves in the hood plus my own two oak trees. I pulled my first egg plant and Nancy fried it up for lunch. Ava and Amy love it as well and it was very tasty. I of course added fresh cilantro, thyme and basil to mine as did Ava along with some ground red pepper. The flavor is awesome and that held me until suppertime.

I did manage to sand down the old base boards outside under the oak and give them a coat of primer. They are cut to fit around the bay window seat which took me forever to make the cuts and so I saved them and filled in the nail holes with putty. I want to refurbish all of the base moulding and give it a fresh coat of paint as well. I headed down to Home Depot and ordered another couple hundred square feet to accompany the hundred or so feet of leftover flooring to do the bedrooms and closets. I now wish I had planned to do the whole house as we love the flooring and it has a lifetime warranty. It's very thick and made of tough vinyl and is clipped together with and 1/8 underlayment which makes for nice walking on.

Well we had visitors a couple of times during the evening to view the kitchen and flooring. We are awaiting the delivery of our new fridge as we have the old one in the garage. It makes for a little extra walking to retrieve anything cold but we are adjusting. Hopefully the new one arrives the first of the week along with the re-order on the flooring. Well after a supper of Brussel sprouts and rotisserie chicken from Sam's Club we settled into the Fox Cable News and see where Trump is giving the liberals and the biased media a fit. Never before have anyone defied them and they are besides themselves. It's about time to call them out for their biased reporting as they were the ones who gave Obama a free ride with out proper vetting about who he was and where did he come from and his associates. We now see that Obama is doing all that he can to destroy the Trump agendas in a nefarious behind the scene actions with his cronies in the the government. It's a disgrace and I think borders on treasonous actions.

This morning we are heading over to Brandon to watch grandson Gabe play ball. He has two games a week and it seems the Saturday morning games will be the easiest to attend then we will meet up with the Kool Peoples Club members for dinner at Bahama Breeze in Tampa. The Tracy's have closed on their house in Dade City and will soon be moving there which is about an hours drive or so depending on the time of the day with traffic north of Tampa, LATER

Friday Morning

Well Thursday was another work day that started very early for me as I had trouble sleeping with Nancy in her snore mode. The other bedrooms were cluttered with our belonging from the master bedroom so I was up and on the computer by 4:30 in the AM. I did sleep soundly for about 5 hours or so thus I did feel fine. The floor installer finished up what I had contracted with their company but I decided to go ahead and do the other two small bedrooms while I was doing this major project plus the carpet was showing some age and didn't look that great against the new flooring. I will order more flooring and underlayment as well as the 3/4 round to finish off the project hopefully sometime next week.

I started the day with a cup of hot tea laced with some turmeric while I posted this ramble. The temps had dropped considerably over night and with the new flooring being vinyl it made for even cooler temps in the house. I've learned the house will be much cooler with the carpet gone as the terrazzo floors were cold to touch. I did my quiet time with my Creator giving thanks for all of the blessing I've been afforded and then lifted up those I know who need some special considerations by name to the "great healer". I haven't any new updates on Paw Paw but the girls are there especially Josie and Dee who check on him daily. Pat and I are quite some distance away so that puts the biggest burden on them and I'm eternally grateful for all their extra work.

I refurbished the commode with a new rubber flange and rubber washers between the tank and bowl, did some touch up painting in the kitchen, painted the closets and reinstalled the doors, moved the fridge out into the garage as the installers were finishing up behind it, whew. What a work day and I was whupped by day's end. Neighbor Carol came down down for a gander then invited us up to share a meal of Shepard's Pie around 6'ish. Then both Dan and Carol came down for a visit until nearly 8 when it was time for a hot shower. We really like the richness of the wood faux flooring and of course that will change all of the paint colors and decor for the whole house. Nancy was getting Carol's opinion on those issues as she has an eye for decorating. She at least was in my corner on some changes to be made with paint.

Well after a hot shower it wasn't long until I was in the horizontal lab mode after watching some of the Fox Cable News. President Trump has the nation at heart in his decisions and is giving the liberals "what for" in their fake news and often biased reporting. The major media news outlets are so biased and anti-Trump it's down right criminal. America has spoken in his win except for two welfare states such as Calif. and N.Y. that we are no longer a P.C. nation and we want our culture and values back to before the secular progressives took control in D.C. We want our nation to be strong against those who chant"death to America", we want jobs back, an education system that does not reward incompetent educators and turns our students that are promoted socially, we want strong immigration vetting and closed borders except for those coming here legally and we want the sanctity of life protected for the innocent and unborn and most of all we want to drain the swamp of the corruption promulgated with the Clinton's and Obama's. I want America to be great again and Trump is the only one not beholding to lobbyist, politicians and special interests, LATER

Thursday Morning

Well Wednesday was another work day as our floor installers where here until nearly 7 PM. They are doing a magnificent job and work great together as a husband and wife team. She is a very strong gal and handles these 50 plus pound bundles of flooring like nothing. We finally got into the kitchen where about 2/3 rd's of it was laid before they left for the day. They live on the other side of Tampa and have at lest an hour or more drive over depending on rush hour.

I started the day with my usual before 6 roll out. I did my morning routines that started with a cup of hot tea laced with turmeric while I posted this ramble then spent some quiet time with my Creator in humble thanksgiving for another day and then lifted up those I know who need some special thoughts for healing and comfort. Afterwards I started working on some minor projects after making a run to Home Depot for some needed items for our installers.

I painted the calendar holder for Nancy which we installed in the kitchen and then did some dry wall mudding along the areas where the old backsplash was removed. They got here sometime around 10'ish and went right to work finishing up the guest bathroom and closets which take up so much time with cutting into the door frames so the flooring can go underneath. The transition from the flooring to carpet in the two bedrooms isn't going smoothly so I'm thinking of having them continue to do the bedrooms as well. I need to get an estimate as well as order more flooring materials to do those rooms. We love the deep dark rich color of the flooring and it so looks like real saw cut boards and the texture on bare feet imitate that as well.

We set the commode and got the water hooked up and now we just need to do the master bathroom and the kitchen. We need to remove the fridge today(Thur) and move it into the garage where I will get rid of the old freezer. The new stainless steel fridge should be here sometime in the next couple of days. We still have tons of work to do but starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. I of course have lots of cosmetic work to do with repainting the inside of the house now to match the floor and furniture. Nancy ordered a new white comforter set as the chocolate brown was just too much with the dark flooring, oh well.

I skipped pickle ball and will do so again today as I have so much work to be done with painting closet doors and inside closets as well. We ate a frozen pizza with a fresh garden salad for our supper and then watched some Fox Cable News before I hit the shower and then some horizontal lab for me around 10'ish, LATER

Sunday Morning

Well Saturday was another nearly perfect winter day with temps in the low 70's No humidity and tons of sunshine and blue skies. I spent all of the morning and part of the early afternoon finishing up the grouting of the Subway style backsplash. (Wow did my arm and back muscles every hurt this morning from that movement). I have to shine it with a clean dry cloth for the final act before sealing them. I set the water sprinkler on the gardens while I did this as the garden really needed watering despite the daily hand watering. We were heading out to Brandon around 3 as we wanted to see Bobby and Gabe march across their ball field with about 40 or so other little league teams and their managers. Bobby is the manger of the Cardinals triple AAA team. Gabe was so cute along with 9 other 6 year olds in their uniforms.

I started the day with a 5'ish rollout as I had tons of projects and the big to start the day was to be ay Home Depot at 7 to pickup the flooring for the house. Dan and Patrick volunteered to help with that project and were there at 7 as well. We couldn't the two pallets of stacked boxes of flooring in his open bed truck as the pallets were too large but I did notice we could slip the pallets under the topper on my truck so it worked well after all. The pallets were very heavy and the truck was loaded down to the overload springs.

We broke apart the pallets then the three of us unload 55 cases of flooring into the garage where each box must weighed 35 to 45 pounds. They were very heavy and it was no wonder the truck tires were flattened. I'm glad I did't have far to go. That project to about and hour from start to finish which left me lots of time to start on the grouting. It was a little messy despite covering the countertops with an old sheet but I finished up about an hour before we had to leave out for Brandon. Nancy is thrilled with the final look as I am. It really classed up the kitchen and now with new flooring and a stainless steel fridge the make over or redo will be complete except for some minor changes.

We met up with Bobby and Gabe at the ball park and stayed there until nearly 6 with hundreds of boys and girls in uniforms with their managers and coaches and thousands of parents and sibling. What a turn out this is for the area We met lots of new folks and hope we can travel over to see a couple of Gabe's games. He will play two games a week with one in the evening and one in the morning on Saturdays. It should be a fun time as we did the same for Bobby and Amy when they played school ball at Indian Rocks.

Well Bobby had smoked a brisket for about 15 hours and it it melted in your mouth. Nancy brought a very delicious baked potato casserle, a fresh garden salad and guacamole and chips as well as a cheesecake. I did brak my no dessert diet and had a piece of that along with some dip and chips. We didn't until nearly 7 and all of us were famished. We were celebrating Bobby's birthday as well. It was going on 10'ish before we left for home and the long drive took us through downtown Tampa as the interstates would be clogged with state fair goers. We noticed how all of the roads around the fair ground were completely blocked at 4 in the afternoon and decided to take a different way home, oh well. I have no idea where all of these people come from as the roads looked like a parking lot. Oh how I long for the mountain traffic.

Well we had a grand time together and I could barely keep my eyes open as we travelled home but we did see some very unsafe and erratic drivers. One car passed the whole line of 4 lane traffic of which we were doing 70 plus on the big bridge at 80 to 90 miles an hour in the the break down lane; I felt sure he would wreck up ahead and kill someone. Luckily we never saw this idiot again and we wonder why there have been so many fatalities lately. Today we serve at Bridgepoint Church so we have to be there at 9 sharp. We serve as door greeters, offering collectors and hand out programs on one of the four doors in the balcony. We each have a door and really enjoy our volunteering duties. We will meet up with the Ross's, Arianne and GG some place after church for a lunch together before Arianne takes GG back to Miami with her for a week, LATER

Wednesday Morning

Well Tuesday was a total work day that started with the removal of the carpet and tack strips from the master bedroom. We did some cleaning in the process as we moved the furniture around plus all of the drawers were removed and placed in another spare bedroom. The contents in those will also be evaluated and cleaned out. The floor installers were here about 8 hours and did a lot for two people. I helped them by taking up the master bathroom floor with a hand scrapper, hammer and chisel. What a job that was as the glue I used to put that floor in years ago was definitely a good one. We needed to have the floor smooth and level and that job kept me busy for a couple hours as they continued to install the clip together floating flooring in other areas.

Well the day started much the usual with a 5'ish rollout for me despite the work day on Monday. I skipped pickle ball as I wanted to get a head start on the master bedroom and I'm so glad I did as I was whupped Tuesday night. Amy had us over for a supper of chicken dumplings and smashed taters which was fabulous. We lingered for awhile listening to Ava entertain us with some piano playing after supper but I was sinking fast and needed a hot shower. We watched a little of the Fox Cable News and once more the media has distorted President Trumps agenda while promoting fear for the illegals. His promise to deport the criminal element of the illegals is one reason so many voted for him and I wonder why the liberals and biased media is so against that honorable decision. The criminals are killing innocent Americans and the ban will help keep the radicals out from the country while thwarting another 9-11. The media and the left are so ignorant an anti-American its unconscionable.

I did my morning routines with my quiet times to honor my Creator and lift up those who are hurting by name. Paw Paw is in another nursing facility near Dee in Woodstock awaiting doctors orders for his hip. Everyone else is doing as well as can be expected with that situation. Bobby came by for lunch and thought the backsplash looked great and was thrilled with the look of the flooring we chose. Well that was about it for the day. I must say this flooring we are having installed weights about 50 pounds a box and is rather thick as well. It's made of vinyl which emulated sawed wood with grains that look like the real boards and dark in color.

Well that was about it for the day except for some small honey do jobs like painting her calendar holder a blue and installing her paper towel rack which is brushed silver finish. We are anticipating doing the kitchen today (Wed) and finishing up the one bathroom before tearing down the other commode in the master bathroom. I want to refurbish the rubber bushings between the tank and bowl. I closed off the drain hole with tape in the guest bathroom overnight until that floor is installed, LATER

Tuesday Morning

Well Monday saw lots of changes to the house after the carpet ripping out party on Sunday. Our installers got here around 11'ish and stayed until 4:30 and did they ever make a beautiful change to the flooring. They are a young husband and wife team and very conscientious with their work and very pleasant to be around. They did most of the living and dining rooms and we are wowed with the difference and the flooring looks just like old sawed boards.

I was up at my usual before 6 and did my morning routines that started with a cup if hot tea laced with turmeric while I posted this ramble. I then spent some quiet with my Creator in thanksgiving and prayer for others and for those I know who are hurting. Paw Paw was discharged from the VA and sent back to the Winchester area for some care at a facility where he will get some attention for his immobility due to the hip. I got ready and headed out on my bike for a workout on the pickle ball courts for an hour or so.

The installers got right to work and where thrilled I had removed the carpet, tack strips and cleaned the floors which put them way ahead of schedule in laying the floor. They installed an underlayment and then soon had enough of the front room completed so we could move the furniture on to it. I worked on replacing all of the electrical outlets and switches which was quite chore and then putting face plates on. I gave the recently grouted backsplash a final shinning and it turned out beautiful as well. I ordered a new fridge that Nancy wanted so it should come within a week or so as it comes from the manufacturer at Whirlpool. It will be a close fit into where the old one now sits and I will move it into the garage where I will get rid of the 40 year or so freezer. Things are moving right long with the redo.

Well after the installers left we headed to Home Depot once again for wax rings for the toilets as they will be removed and reinstalled after the flooring goes down  and a few other items. I want to refurbish one commode as it seems to leak when we come back whenever we are away for the summer.  The rubber seal dries out between the tank and the bowl. Well we finished up some egg rolls and a salad for supper and then I watered the gardens and we finally sat on the couch and watched the Fox Cable News before I headed into a hot shower. By 10'ish I was ready for some horizontal lab, LATER

Monday Morning

Well Sunday was an awesome day of worship at Bridgepoint Church in St.Petersburg. Nancy and I volunteered as a greeter for one door at each of the upstairs balcony doors of which there are four. We shake hands, hug, give out programs and take up the offering an assist when ever we do communion. We do this at least twice a month and sometimes three. We enjoy meeting the different folks who attend this 9:30 service of which there maybe upwards 5-600 folks in the building which is usually packed for one 1 of the 5 services through out the day.

The day started with a before 6 ish roll out for me. I did my usual morning routines that started with a cup of hot tea laced with turmeric while I posted this ramble then spent some quiet time with my Creator in thanksgiving for another day and lifting up those who are hurting. The last word on Paw Paw is that he is back to the VA hospital in W.Va. and is in good spirits and awaiting word on his results from the doctors on what is next for his hip.

We headed out around 8:45 for our morning meeting at church and then left there around 11'ish after finishing up our duties at the end of the service. We headed to Publix for lunch fixin's as GG, Arianne and Amy's family where all coming for a lunch of sandwiches, soup and salad. Arianne was taking GG back to Miami with her for about a week or so, so I loaded them up with cabbage, collards, lettuces and carrots from the gardens. They left sometime around 2'ish along with the Ross Family. Nancy wanted to shop for fridges so we headed to Home Depot and then up to Largo where we thought we would find the Apsco store. Well they had moved and Famous Tate had taken over their store and we later learned Apsco was closed on Sunday. They had the best price for what Nancy wanted but it would take several days longer to get than she wanted to wait. The difference in cost was about 400 bucks and Home Depot would match the price with a written estimate from Apsco and they could get the same item within about 4-5 days, oh well Nancy is impatient.

We came home around 3:30 and I started on removing the carpet as Carol wanted the large living piece for one of her half way houses as our carpet was still in good shape. I had to move the furniture around and did so with the help of Dan and Patrick's.  We got what she wanted and they hauled it away. I decided to go ahead and help the floor installers by removing all but the master bedroom's carpet. I took out the tack strips and padding and then we cleaned the terrazzo floors. It was amazing how much fine dirt had filtered through the carpet and padding to accumulate on the bare floors. We stopped briefly to have a salad and pizza for our supper then I cleaned out the dining room as well. We finished sometime around 8. We were mazed at the coolness of the floors with no carpet.

After a hot shower I sat and read for an hour before calling it a day around 10'ish. I got an email the installer won't be here until sometime around 10 in the morning as they all live in Hillsborough County so I will get in a workout on the pickle ball court. Well that was about it for the day and the weather is holding very nicely with no humidity and temps in the upper 70's with bright sunshine, LATER

Saturday Morning

Well Friday was a busy mostly work filled day except for an hour or so in the morning as I headed to the Rec for a workout on the pickle ball court and then the tile setting gave me a workout for the next couple of hours. I finished the backsplash while Nancy was off to her Friday morning Bible study then shopped until lunch time.

The day started much the usual with a before 6 rollout to my morning routines, quiet times and then ride out to the Rec. It was a bit nippy considering the day before it was in the upper 60's to start the day but the low 50's this morning. I got word that Paw Paw made it to D.C. and back to the VA hospital in W.VA safely. I have no word on the decision the doctors made at Walter Reed about the hip. We should know something in the next couple of days.

Home Depot called and my flooring is in so I set up the installers for Monday morning to start so that means I need to be getting the carpet up and as much of the cabinets emptied out and the furniture moved around to help with the installation. I'm heading to Home Depot in just a few minutes to haul the 50 boxes of flooring plus the underlayment to the house and store in the garage. We have to be in Tampa around 4 ish for a birthday celebration for Bobby and to see Gabe and him at an awards ceremony for the base ball team Bobby will coach and to see Gabe play. The Ross's plus GG, Arianne, betsy and Braden are coming as well for at least the smoked brisket supper.

We took for Bonefish around 5 and took the Botbyl's and then met up with the Tracy's for supper. I had my usual chowder and Bang Bang shrimp with an extra loaf of their delicious bread for my supper. I skipped on the dessert as everyone else had some decant looking dish, but I stayed true to my commitment to skip sugar in dessert.; however Nancy made a cheesecake for Bobby's birthday dinner so I will have a small piece.

That was about it as I was whupped after a hot shower and was soon in the horizontal position reading until I fell asleep around 9:30, LATER

Friday Morning

Well Thursday was anything but my typical day except I did start the day with a before 6 roll out. It was a total work day and by the evening my muscles were tired and hurting with putting up tile underneath the cabinets. I didn't realize how fatigued my back and arm muscles were until after a hot shower. I did get in a short talk with Paw Paw who in the VA hospital but is going to Walter Reed hospital in D.C. today for a consult on his hip. Hopefully they will give him some relief as it seems the ball joint has deteriorated.

I did do my usual morning routines that started with a cup of hot tea laced with Turmeric while I posted this ramble and the spent some quiet time with my Creator in humble thanksgiving and intercessory thoughts and prayers for those I know and love. It wasn't long after that I decided to skip pickle ball as last evening all the play and work had me whupped by dark so I wanted to get as much done on the backsplash as possible today. Neighbor John was lending me all of his tools including a wet saw which made the job so much more easier and I wasn't sure when he needed his tools back but I did learn he wouldn't be working on his kitchen again until Sunday. I just about finished the job but I do have to move the fridge to complete the tiling so decided to start on that area after pickle ball today. It's not a whole lot to do and I should complete it by the afternoon.

Nancy is thrilled with how the backsplash adds to the kitchen as am I. I will start the grouting probably on Monday as I want the mastic to set up completely. I have some cleaning to do on some of the tiles before grouting. Nancy made a pot of Zuppa Tos Cana for our supper which was awesome using kale from the garden. It's the potato soup you find at Olive Garden and it has become one of my favorites. Today Friday a cold front is supposed to drop the temps down from the 70's to close to 40 and the leftover soup will be perfect for lunch.

Well that's about it for Thursday as we did watch the Fox News after the cleanup from supper. An activist judge has handed down a decision to stop the president from keeping unvetted persons from seven countries that are know beds of Islamic terrorist until they can be properly checked out. It's a disgrace that keeping us safe from them takes second place to these liberals who are trying to destroy Tump's presidency. What has happened to the judicial branch of the government and with those within the country who have their agendas to disrupt, riot and destroy our way of life, LATER

Thursday Morning

Well Wednesday started out much the usual with a 5:30 roll out. I was so keyed up about starting the backsplash I had a hard time sleeping. I did my morning routines then had my cup of tea laced with turmeric while I posted this ramble then spent some quiet time with my Creator in thanksgiving and lifting up those I know by name who needed some special thoughts and prayers. Afterwards I got ready to ride out to the Rec for a workout on the pickle ball court for and hour or so and left there with a wet shirt. I didn't need to hand water the gardens as we had a storm which brought some much needed rain during the night.

I started on the job of hanging tile or laying which ever you prefer on the backsplash areas of the kitchen. It came in sheets which make for a good pattern and keeping the grout line straight but the cutouts around the electrical outlets is a real job. The second outlook looks so much better than the first one but the switch plates will cover that first ever tile cutting disaster, oh well. You learn by trial and error and this was a learning experience. So far I've completed about 1/3 of the area to be tiled and by late afternoon I had mastered the job to an extend that now I have to make a decision on how to tile behind the stove that has no base on which to sit the bottom row of tiles. The countertop provided that base which keeps the tiles straight and level and no slippage.

Amy, GG and Eliza came for lunch and they ate in the dining room as the kitchen was torn up with my project. I worked through until nearly 5 then took a break. I had been on my feet all day with lot of it bending over to tile underneath the cabinets. Our friends and neighbors visiting from Michigan wanted to get together for some cards after supper so I took a hot shower and then we went to visit around 7 'ish after a delicious supper of grilled bone-in pork chop and fresh broccoli. We played a new version of Phase 10 and one game of Euchre and I caused us(BOYS) to lose. Nancy won the first game of Phase 10 and the girls beat us badly in Euchre the second game; by 9'ish I was fading so we walked across the street and I hit the sack and watched a little of the Fox News channel before lights out for me, LATER

Wednesday Morning

Well Tuesday was another beautiful winter day in Florida but the humidity is starting to creep back into the picture which led to an overnight storm that brought lots of lightning, thunder and some rain. The rain was needed but the storm took out a transformer in the hood and left us with no power during the nighttime hours. It is back on as I post this ramble this morning but all of the clocks and stove needs to be reset.

I started the day much the usual with a 5:30 roll out. This redo of the kitchen has me working in my sleep. I did my morning routines that started with a cup of hot tea laced with turmeric while I posted this ramble and then I spent some quiet time with my Creator in thanksgiving and lifting up several I know and love for comfort and healing. Nothings changed since a couple of days ago with Paw Paw as he is still in the hospital and waiting to be moved to the VA hospital in Martinsburg, W.Va. We still haven't heard whether he has a broken hip from his fall or if its a prior fracture from a long ago fall.

I headed out to the Rec. for a workout on the pickle ball court and left with a wet shirt around 9:30. I made a stop at the library for a couple new reads before heading home on my bike. The weather was perfect with temps in the low 70's with lots of bright sunshine but we did have a strong breeze. I hand watered the gardens before heading out with Nancy to Home Depot where we met up with Bobby who helped us pick out an order the flooring, backslash tile, mastic and grout. He then had a quick lunch with us before his next appointment in Land of Lakes which was over an hour away. Amy and Eliza came for lunch and then I repainted the kitchen door and window seat. I set up the backsplash and began to layout how I wanted to install it. Neighbor John Perry is just finishing up doing his whole kitchen as well and lent me his tile saw and tools needed to do the backsplash. What a big help that is and will save me some extra bucks.

Nancy had to go over to her mom, GG's house an assist her with some odd jobs while I read for an hour or so. Today Wednesday I will start on the first tile setting adventure in quite awhile. I watched several DIY videos on this project and feel confident about the job. This will be my first attempt at back splashing, oh well. We had burritos for supper using our fresh cilantro, green pepper, onion and tomatoes. Delicious along with some refried beans. After the cleanup we settled into the Fox News Channel for the real news on what's happening in the country. We are heartened to see Betsy Devos was seated as the next education secretary and now maybe the kids of our nation can get a decent education in schools of their choice with quality teachers.

That part of our society has become so politicized its unimaginable with the dumbing down of the nation because we have secular progressives running the asylum and trying to run the government. Trump put a stop to that as of now and hopefully his executive order on the immigration ban for folks coming from terrorist affiliated nations with be upheld for the next 90 days or so until we can properly vet them for their intentions. What is so wrong about who we let into the nation and do they want to be here for assimilation or for nefarious reasons. Yikes, even I country boy can understand that ban and the logic. Well after a hot shower and the Tucker Carlson Show on Fox it was horizontal lab for me, LATER

Tuesday Morning

Well Monday started out with some starling news that Paw Paw fell out of bed or either fell while having a diabetic issue but either way he was taken to the local hospital with a possible hip fracture. The x-rays showed what may have been an old earlier break but either way he is confined to the bed and then will be transferred back to the VA in Martinsburg. He has a consult at Walter Reed Hospital in D.C. on the 17th so no one wants to do anything but keep him comfortable and out of pain until then and a possible hip replacement.

I started the day with my usual before 6 rollout. I did my morning routines and then spent some quiet time with my Creator lifting up those I know and love who need healing and comfort in this their hour of need. Afterwards I go ready and headed out to the Rec. for a good nearly two hour workout on the pickle ball court. I was whupped with a wet shirt when I left for home on my bike. It had warmed up nicely since the chilly early morning ride. I piddled around in the garden watering and pulling some weeds before everyone came for lunch. Little Eliza Faye was still running a low grade fever so Amy took her to the doctor after lunch and found out she had a UTI. The doctor put her on a script and let's hope that gets her back to normal.

We finished up the leftover "super bowl" chicken wings along with a fresh garden salad and after the cleanup I once more painted the cabinets a final coat with a sponge roller, wow what a difference that makes using this roller. I have enough paint for another coat so I will give them another coat after the flooring goes is laid which will be hopefully in the next couple of weeks.There is the issue I may have to drop everything and go see Paw Paw if he doesn't get better or has surgery. We will have to play that by ear and day to day. I then painted the window seat and the back door all of which will another coat to seal them. I then changed out the two way switch after consulting with my electrician buddy and got it to working properly after finding the correct circuit breaker. I got zapped the other day and decided it was best to cut the breaker before messing around in the wires, oh well.

GG spent the afternoon with us and then had supper as well. She loves Swiss chard and I had some that needed harvesting so we had that along with chicken fried deer steak, rice and gravy, yeow did we ever lick the platter clean. After the cleanup we settled into the Fox News channel and once more watched where some liberal judge put a hold on Trump's immigration ban to those who come from countries that export terrorists and are know as Islamic radical's. What in the name of common sense will it take for these people who want to make it easier for these folks who chant "death to America" to wake up. Europe specifically Germany and France are examples of what happens when you have open borders and allow these radicals in with out any extreme vetting.

I know the left want to see Trump fail but I must say they are playing with the lives of innocent Americans when they use their political beliefs to fulfill their ideology. We had better get some folks in the congress with some guts to stand up to the secular progressive left and get behind this Potus who wants whats best for America. I'm through with those who are globalist as is some other countries such as England. Their leadership is making changes with the Brexit from the EU and while they aren't quite as radical as Trump in making the change they are following his lead. Our country is in complete denial especially the biased media, Hollywood crowd, millennials, sycophants of the democrat party and the elitist in both parties in D.C. while leaving America vulnerable to these who want destroy our culture. We definitely need term limits and a shake up. You would think 9-11 would be a great reminder of what these immigrants can do when not properly vetted, Oh well, LATER  

Monday Morning

Well first I must say that was one of the most exciting Super Bowl games ever and the first ever to go into overtime. More on that later and why I pulled for the first ever in the Patriots to win. Sunday was an awesome day of worship at Bridgepoint and they too had a contest where the folks brought in cans of soup to help determine who was going to win. The Falcons at one point had the most cans they collected throughout the day and were hoping for 10 thousand cans of soup to add to the food bank for the needy in our city.

I started the day awakening in the spare room as Nancy had her snore on from about 1 in the morning. It was a bit chilly with some fog and overcast skies but by mid morning the sun broke through and warmed up the area. I did my usual morning routines before getting ready to head out for worship around 9. It still didn't get much out of the low 70's but was just a great day for outside activities. I actually sat out in the back yard and read for a couple hours while grilling the chicken wings we were taking to a super bowl party around 4. We all road together to Bridgepoint(cool peoples club minus Kathryn who was having a migraine)and heard a great message on getting in the game(no pun intended) or just being a spectator and being on the sidelines with regard to sharing the gospel and making a difference in someone's life. Pastor Tim will have to eat some crow next Sunday as he was a Falcon rooter.

We came home and I ran some fresh veggies over to Eddie my friend and plumber who came by and saved me Friday night on hooking up the drain for the new sink. He was back at work helping another friend all day Sunday as well. He has always been there for folks when needed in his expertise field. He turned out to be the best kid of all his 6 siblings as I knew the whole family when they were growing up near my old neighborhood when I was on school property for security reasons.
Nancy took off to Home Goods to once again buy accents for the new kitchen with neighbor Carol.

I sat outside after hand watering the gardens and read then put on a grill full of chicken wings to take to the party around 4'ish. We decided to eat early and then watch the game and have a Mexican pastry dish for dessert which was awesome. It was much like the elephant ears pastry you see at fairs but we did our own rendition of shooting whip cream into the inside and cover them with honey and then sprinkle cinnamon on top and powdered sugar. I left the sugar off mine and wow where they ever delicious. I can't remember the name but I'll never forget the taste. I pigged out and had several albeit they were not huge about 3x3 in size. We ate these during half time so our meal of wings, sloppy Joe's, layered dip and bruschetta had digested somewhat. We actually played a game of Euchre after eating while waiting for the game to start and it was a close match but the guys prevailed.

I've never been a Patriot fan because of their coach for some reason, actually I got tired of them winning all the time but anyhow after hearing Tom Brady come out in strong support of Trump I changed my tune and pulled for the team because of Tom. I was the only one in the room pulling for the Pat's and did I ever get some needling up and until we left in the third quarter. We came home and I turned the game on and the Pat's had made it somewhat respectable with a TD but missed the PAT, oh well it was a night thus far for the Falcons as their defense was the key to causing Brady to hurry his throws. I must have dosed because with just a few minutes to there was a 8 pt gap in the score. The announcers had counted the Pat's out when all of a sudden the score was tied and into overtime. Well Brady and his small college receivers went to work and they drove down in a couple plays and won the game after being down 25 points in the second half.

Awesome final game of this season and despite who you were pulling for Brady is with out a doubt up there with the best of the QB's and a Trump supporter. Let hope Trump can turn the country around and bring the nation back to being the beacon on the hill for the rest of the world and get back to honoring our Christian values, our working men and women and supporting the military and law enforcement community who are always on the front line and in constant danger from those who want to destroy our nation from within and abroad. The past administrations have so abrogated their duty to keeping us safe by being strong against those radical Islamic terrorist and the domestic terrorist who hide under the cloak of liberalism. Some will never see the need for strong leadership to keep us safe because of their blind allegiance to the corrupt who kill unborn babies and who welcome those who want to enter the country illegally and try to kill us in the name of their foreign and unholy god, LATER

Sunday Morning Super Bowl Sunday

Well Saturday was another great day with fine weather. The cool nights and warm days with no humidity is such a plus. I did some work on the kitchen and in the garden and then we headed up to the Botbyl's to sit outside in the evening around the gas fire pit and had snacks and some vino before eating a delicious meal.

I started the day much the usual with a before 6 roll out. The grand kiddos Sam and Eliza spent the night and she was having some issue with a slight fever and was a bit uncomfortable. She awakened a couple of times during the night but eventually slept in until 7. Nancy fixed cakes and eggs for breakfast but she wasn't interested as she just wanted juice. She eventually perked up when her mom and dad came which made us think she was somewhat homesick. They left somewhere 9'ish and then I headed out to work in the gardens. I gave away several heads of lettuce and kale as they are starting to mature. I eventually pulled my first carrots for the year so Nancy could put in a Cole slaw she was making for supper. The cabbage and green pepper all came from the garden and had such a delicious flavor.

I did some more painting under the cabinets as well as started changing out more electrical outlets to the white ones. I did run into a problem with the double switch outlet that didn't work the separate lights as did the old switch. I will have to consult my electrician or one at Home Depot, oh well. Nancy was off shopping for accents and new towels that match the new look as well as ammonia free Windex to clean the granite countertops. We are learning what to do and how to care for this new stone beauty.

Dan Botbyl had 4 racks of baby backs smoking for most of the afternoon and Kathryn had her so delicious mac and cheese and Nancy made an awesome Cole slaw and guacamole, yeow what a feast. We were so satiated we didn't play any games after the cleanup as the girls ventured down to our house and checked out the new granite addition and my work while we guys settled into some of the super bowl publicity. Eventually they came back and we settled into an old movie titled Dirty Harry. It was rather hokey after all these year but Eastwood did have a head of hair. We left for home somewhere in the middle as I could barely keep my eyes open. It wasn't long after a hot shower and a quick check on the news about the snowflakes still having a hard time digesting that Trump was our president that I turned the lights out, LATER

Saturday Morning

Well Friday was a busy day that saw me with a great workout on the pickle ball court then it was kitchen redo work until after 7. I did manage a trip to Home Depot during the afternoon for plumbing supplies but the rest of the day was spent painting, plumbing and helping with the countertop cleanup. We got Sam and Eliza for the night as Amy and Tyler celebrated their anniversary with dinner out somewhere in Tampa. Ava had a sleep over with some classmates.

The day started with a 5:30 rollout. It seems I need less sleep as I grow older but I do hit the sack around 10 or before each night unless there is something special going on. I did my usual routines then had a cup of hot tea laced with turmeric while posting this ramble. Nancy spoke with Bobby sometime in the afternoon to wish him a happy birthday. We had to move the phone from the kitchen as the countertop guys were here ripping out the old countertops and installing the beautiful black granite ones called Uba Tuba. They are gorgeous and the installers did a magnificent job. Bobby using these guys for all the work he has done on the houses he redoes with his job. It's a father/son operation who were born in Cuba called Special Granite. I blessed them with some collards and lettuces and they were thrilled with my recipe for preparing the collards.

They came around 10:30 and left around 2 'ish. I discovered with the slide in sink under the granite top the old plumbing for the drain no longer would match up and I needed some professional help with deciding how to finagle this new drain system. I managed to hook up the new Moen single handle/sprayer faucet and soap dispenser as well as install the new basket/strainers for the sink but could not figured out the hook up for the dish washer/sink drains to the old outlet. I knew it needed sawing through the PVC pipe and some gluing but I wasn't confident on making that decision. An old friend and skilled plumber who I've know since he was just a kid who I use to take water skiing saved the day. He came by on his way home from another drain job and fixed the problem in about 30 minutes time including the sawing, gluing and hook up. He has helped me several times over the years and I'm indebted to him and he wouldn't take a penny but he lives a short bike ride away and I will bless him with a gift card and some fresh vegetables later today.

Nancy had to go to her mothers and prepare supper for them and the kiddos as we had no water or drain for the kitchen sink until Eddie left around 7'ish. She brought me a supper of baked chicken and pasta and the grand kiddos had a Klondike Bar while I ate. They watched some TV while I put the kitchen back together and then got baths and showers. Eliza was soon asleep after her bath as she has been having a low grade fever and runny nose issues. Sam got a shower and then was up playing the I- Pad until I got ready for bed which was shortly after 10, Wow what a day and Nancy is throughly tickled with the countertops and the Moen faucet.

We make a decision on Monday on ordering the flooring and with Bobby's help we should get started on that as it takes about a week to be delievered to our store in Seminole, LATER

    

Friday Morning Feb 3rd ..our son Bobby was born on this day 36 years ago

Well Thursday was another beautiful day with nice temps and no humidity so the windows and doors were open after a somewhat chilly start in the upper 50's. It reached the low 80's by the afternoon. I had a busy day and finally got Nancy to make a decision on the vinyl flooring for the house which has helped to ease the tension regarding this make over or redo.

I started the day with an earlier than usual roll out somewhere around 5'ish. I did my customary routines that started with a cup of hot tea laced with turmeric while I posted this ramble. I then spent my quiet time giving thanks and lifting up those I know who are hurting or in need of some divine attention and our nation and new president and his administration. This last administration left so many land mines for President Trump with unauthorized funds going to the terrorist in Palestine and now the acceptance of illegal immigrants from Australia. It's no wonder the nation is in a fix with the inept leadership of the Obama white house for the past 8 years. Trump is moving quickly as promised and I see hope for the nation to once again be a beacon for those who seek a better life through hard work and justice for all. He has put the terrorist state of Iran on notice as well with their violations in missile testing, finally a Potus who stands up to these terrorists.

I headed out on my bike around 8 for a good work out on the pickle ball court for close to two hours. We had some new very good players which gave me a wet shirt by the time I left close to 10. I hand watered the garden and pulled weeds then transplanted the recently rooted Thai basil into small containers. This is the best basil ever for flavor. I noticed the squirrels have been eating from the tomato plants again with a couple half eaten green tomatoes scattered in the yard. I went to war on them with the BB gun. Unfortunately I only stung one who scampered off.

I cut a huge cabbage and Nancy and her mom, GG made stuffed cabbages with a red sauce for our supper over smashed taters, yeow was that ever delicious. Bobby, Amy and Eliza along with GG came for lunch. Bobby is working over on this side of the bay as he remodels houses for a company that buys houses sight unseen then he gets crews to do the remodeling. He is doing several in our area so we get to see for lunch a couple times a week. It's hard to believe he turns 36 today, so we ask ourselves where did that time go. We are planning a birthday celebration with a family dinner at his place next weekend with some smoked brisket.

I stopped of at Home Depot and returned some electrical outlets that were the wrong type and then picked up the right ones and Nancy decided to go with a flooring they distribute called Sawcut Dakota by Allure. I really like it and its a floating floor that clips together so it shouldn't be to difficult to install. I'm using one of Bobby's flooring contractors to install it. This will save me a couple thousand from the estimate from Flooring America. Every little bit helps in this redo that has now moved from the kitchen into the rest of the house, oh well. Today we are scheduled to have the granite countertops installed and then we will order the flooring on Monday. I want to give the cabinets one more coat of paint using a sponge roller to ease out any lines which are few and not noticeable.

After supper and the cleanup we settled into the Fox Cable News and the riots in California are unbelievable with the destruction at Berkley College in protest of free speech. What has led these millennials and liberals in an attempt thwart the first amendment to the constitution. These rioters should be prosecuted and jailed as they have become dangerous to our liberty and freedom while using the excuse to disavow the election of Trump, LATER

Thursday Morning

Well Wednesday turned out to be an awesome day with temps in the low 70's, bright blue skies and sunshine; a typical Florida winter day. We did have the heat on in the early morning to take the chill out of the house but by the afternoon the windows and doors were open. I had a morning workout at the Rec. then Amy and Eliza came for lunch and we visited more flooring stores and looked at tons of samples. I'm through with this process as its now becoming no longer fun and exciting.

The day started with a 5'ish roll out as I couldn't sleep due to the snoring of Nancy, so just got up and read. I got at least 5-6 hours of sleep which is really all I need to function. I did my routines of a hot cup of tea laced with turmeric while I posted this ramble and then spent some quiet time with my Creator in thanksgiving and intercessory prayer for those I know and love. I did speak with Paw Paw and he seemed much better with his situation and didn't complain of much ill health except for his knee. He mentioned the fact they may replace it if its warranted by the VA. He says he is walking some but uses his wheelchair when going to the cafeteria.

I had a great workout on the pickle ball court with 6 other A players and was whupped by 10'ish. I stopped off at the library on the way home for a new Ken Follett read. The ride to the Rec. on my bike was chilly to start but by the time I left it had warmed up considerably. I hand watered the gardens and then we took off floor shopping and finally to Home Depot for some new electrical receptacles and switches that were white instead of the almond color. Needless to say I purchased the wrong ones because when I went to replace the old ones they were different in the number of poles, oh well at least the store is just a couple miles away.

Nancy took off shopping so since I couldn't do any more work I sat and read for a couple hours then chased the squirrels out of the gardens with the BB gun. They are so brazen now with their desire to eat my green tomato's until I pick up the gun then they scamper away up the trees. As soon as they hear the door close they are right back in the garden so now I'm tricking them and did manage to sting one as he flipped in the air and ran off. They are such a pest and a destroyer of my garden, oh well. I had picked half runner beans the day before so I snapped and took the strings out and we boiled them with some smoked ham and chicken broth for our supper. Delicious is all I can say.

After the cleanup which wasn't much we settled into the Fox Cable Shows and see where the media is blasting this immigrant ban with false exposure. They are right in there with false news about the vetting of these who are coming from countries with terrorist ties. They along with left are trying their best to destroy Trump and his administration and the safety of us the people which he is supposed to consider first and foremost. I'm just besides myself with the liberals and secular progressives and the distortion of the truth. We finally have a Potus who cares about the safety of the nation and wants to make us whole again and the media is doing all they can to destroy his executive orders along with the democrats. It's shameful we have so many anti-Americans in the government and among the millennials. I know a lot of it comes from academia's false teachings about our history in the universities and they want a socialist society with open borders. We can just look at the example of Europe and see where this ideology has destroyed their culture and has advanced terrorism with these Muslim immigrants. What ever happened to common sense, Oh well LATER  

Wednesday Morning Feb 1st 2017

Well January left us on a really nice day that started out a bit nippy. By the late afternoon we had the windows and doors open to bright sunshine and temps in the low 70's. I got in some more painting on the second coat for the kitchen walls and now we are getting the countertops installed Friday morning. We will then get serious about choosing flooring to match.

I started Tuesday much the usual with a before 6'ish rollout. I had my cup of hot tea laced with turmeric while I posted this ramble.  Nancy actually ran the heat to take the chill off as the inside had dropped down to 68. I thought it felt great. I did my quiet time to honor my Creator and give thanks for another day and to pray for those I know who are hurting. No news or updates on Paw Paw at the ALF. I got ready and headed out to the Rec. around 8 for a good hour and half workout on the pickle ball court with several A Players. My shirt was soaked when I left.

I hand watered the gardens then we took off to the flooring store to get our estimate which was rather high but not what I had anticipated. Bobby thinks we can do better with some more shopping around and we are waiting to make sure the color matches up with the granite tops. We headed over to the Largo area to pick up a twin bed for grandson Sam as he is about to be moved into his own room and Eliza Faye will bunk with Ava in a room together. We picked up GG from the hair salon and brought her to the house to have lunch with Amy and Eliza. We took GG home then stopped at Home Depot to return some items before heading home to paint the afternoon away. I managed another coat of gray paint on the walls which keep me busy right up to 5'ish.

Nancy took off on her walk and I picked another huge mess of half runner beans as well as cut several heads of lettuces and blessed the Botbyl's and Tracy's. I had new lettuce seedlings coming up when the dang squirrels got into them and dug them up. They are having a field day on my green tomatoes. I found two half eaten ones on the ground and a couple times seen them on the back fence with one in their mouths. I may have to try to trap them with peanut butter, oh well. They are such a pest and have no enemies to keep them under control, oh well.

We finished up the leftovers for supper and then settled into the FOX Cable News channel watching O'Reilly and then Tucker Carlson. It wasn't long afterwards I hit the hot shower and was soon ready for some horizontal lab by 10'ish, LATER