Sunday Morning..last Sunday in 2017

Well I'm late with this post as I was up at 5:30 to head out to SPC where I helped with setting a jacuzzi for our last baptism of the year and loading in with all of our equipment for BridgePoint Church. We had several who came to help with this weekly operation but we did miss several who are out of town for the holidays.

Saturday was a bit chilly to start the day with temps in the low 50's but it quickly warmed up to the middle 60's and stayed that way most of the day with plenty of sunshine. There was no pickle ball today so after our quiet times and the posting of this ramble  around the mid morning mark we took off on a nice bike ride through the hood for a half hour or so. I did another short ride to the library for some new reads as well, so with piddling around in the garden and the rides I did get some exercise.

I spoke with Paw Paw and he sounded good and tickled to hear from me. He wanted to know if we were still in N.C. as I'm starting to think his short term memory is slipping. We chatted for awhile and he mentioned he had just come in from sweeping the sidewalk clear of an inch or so of snow and that it was in the 20's. We then spoke with our "mountain mom" Helen and she mentioned it was very cold there as well but no snow. Her son Rick had left and was on his way back here in our area. Joe was doing so much better that he was being discharged from the rehab and would be out on his own. She mentioned his house with 18 acres has already sold to some one from the Mocksville, N.C. area for a nice price.

Nancy was off to the store for goodies for this evenings get together with friends to celebrate the new year so I vegetated watching some college football. After a supper of leftovers which are just about gone except for some roast beef which we will eat after church today, we headed up to the Botbyl's for some games until 9'ish. Dan won most of the games we played called "smart ass" and we will probably play it again tonight with the Tracy's. I did watch a little of the Miami game and they were getting beat when I turned the lights around 10'ish, LATER

Take some time this morning and give thanks with other Believers in worship for our many blessings and the fact we now have a POTUS who is looking out for America first.

Saturday Morning

Well Friday was the last day for pickle ball in 2017. It has been a good year of play as I've gotten stronger in my play and the body had healed to some extent in the knees and arms. I did develop a little plantar fasciitis later in the year when we went to all hardwood floors in Florida. I started going barefoot which is a no no an as a result I now have to wear some type of shoe in doors; but that hasn't effected my play on the court. Anyhow since the gym is not open for our play on this Saturday, today was the last time this year until next Tuesday.

The day started with my usual 6'ish roll out to a cup of hot green tea laced with turmeric while I posted this blog and then spent a few moments with my Creator in thanksgiving and lifting up several by name for healing and comfort. The update on GG seems so much better when Arianne visits from Miami. Nancy said GG sounded like her old self before she had any health issues as she is pampered by Arianne which is good for both of them. They have been preparing all kinds of meals now that several of the brothers and sisters are visiting while Arianne is there. It's cold as blue blazes though so they have been confined to the house. I haven't heard any news on Joe or Paw Paw. Will try to give Helen and him a call today.

Neighbor Dan came for the first time in days to the Rec. and played quite well. He wanted me to help him move some furniture donated to the ETC foundation so I drove my truck to pickle ball instead of my bike and he brought his and around 9:30 we headed over to one address to pick up beds, dressers and assorted items before stopping at another residence where we picked a sofa, lamps, end tables and cabinets. We made two trips to the ETC house on the beach with both trucks loaded to the brim with items. This one house has a three car garage so we unloaded both trucks into it for further distribution to houses for both men and women. This one house houses 20 women as they try to work and stay clean for their entry back into society without jail time. The rules are very strict and if they break them they are back into jail. It was close to one before I got back to the house for some lunch.

I piddled around in the garden and then read for a couple hours and cat napped as well. I hadn't stopped since pickle ball at 8 this morning. Amy and Tyler wanted us to go and watch Sam at his Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu class in Largo and then have supper out with the family. Well he did fantastic with the nearly hour of workout with 10 other youngsters and he even received a knot on the forehead with an accidental bump but he never cried despite it bruising later. We were over an hour wait everywhere except Miller's Ale House in Seminole City Center, so we went there for a late evening supper. Everyone had a delicious meal and I tried their jambalaya which was very good and spicy as it was loaded with sausage, chicken and shrimp on a bed of rice with fresh peppers in a Creole sauce. I will try that again as it was plentiful.

Well it had finally cooled off enough to turn the a/c off again and there is some forecasts for some really cold temps this next week north of us that may bring some freezing temps. I'm hoping that doesn't occur as my tomatoes are trying to set fruit and and the green beans are blooming. The leafy green veggies love these cool nights and warm days. I blessed neighbor Carol with a bunch of lettuces, beet greens, kale and Swiss chard for a salad for her. Well that was about it as I watched the Lightning loss to the Flyers in a close back to back game for them. I don't know how these skaters do it night after night but the Lightning are still leading their division, LATER

Friday Morning

Well Thursday was another busy day as I played pickle ball for two hours, worked in the garden until lunch time and then read for an hour afterwards before helping to take down all of the Christmas decorations. The grand kiddos came for the afternoon and luckily the neighbor hood boy Phoenix came over and kept them busy playing until it was time for them to go. They plumb wear me out in about an hour.

I started the day much the usual with a before 6'ish roll out. It had cooled down into the low 60's overnight so I donned my new robe Amy purchased for me as Christmas present, Nancy had bleached my old one leaving unsightly spots so it will be used to wipe down the truck the next time I give it a bath, oh well. She is crazy about bleach. I did my quiet time while sipping on my cup of hot tea laced with turmeric and then posted this ramble. Speaking of cold yeow is it ever cold with below freezing temps at the cabin. I got ready and rode out to the Rec. on my bike with a flannel shirt on.

The update on GG is better as she is getting some additional attention with Arianne being but its below zero cold there. No word on Paw Paw or Joe as Helen has her son visiting so I hate to disturb her while he is there. Nancy's cousin Chris has a new grandson and both Allison and the boy are doing fine. She had a still born boy a few years back and everyone was praying for and this new baby about the same time of the year. That would be hard to accept but she has had now two children since then and both have been healthy.

I got in two solid hours of pickle ball without a break on the court as we only 6 players and one court going with winners always splitting after each game so I never sat down even with a couple of C players in the mix. I left with a wet head and shirt and made a stop at the library. I picked up an excellent true story read that a movie was made about for the fellow who was the most sought after con man, Frank Abagnale. This is a hoot to read and the action never stops as he is on the run from around the world from authorities. The title of the book is CATCH ME IF YOU CAN and it's a real page turner. I don't think his con would work today as he milked the banks of millions of bucks as well as the airlines and even his friends. A must read to say the least.

Well it was back in the attic to retrieve the containers for the Christmas decorations and then packing them up and putting them back into the attic for another year. The tree was turning brown and the needles had littered the floor. I miss the smell of the evergreen tree but for some reason this one turned brown before the limbs we had on one piece of furniture that wasn't in the water, oh well. After that chore it was time to once more clean up some leftovers for our supper. After the clean up we settled into the FOX News cable and then I headed into the bedroom to watch the Lightning play a tough low scoring game with the Canadians. We finally came through with a win in the third period. It wasn't long after my shower I was ready for some horizontal lab, LATER

Thursday Morning

Well Wednesday was a busy day that started with pickleball and then the Ross kiddos came over for lunch and most of the early afternoon. I got in some garden work after getting back from the Rec. then some reading for an hour or so. The weather is nice with the a/c off but the humidity is starting to come back so that may change. Our family and friends up north are having the coldest weather of the year with freezing temps and some snow, yikes. I love Florida in the winter time.

The day started much the usual for me with a 6'ish roll out to my cup of green tea with turmeric while I posted this ramble and then spent some quiet moments with my Creator in thanksgiving for another day and all the blessings of life while lifting up several by name for healing and comfort. Nancy spoke with GG and she seemed a little better especially with Arianne is coming up for a few days from Miami. The news on Arianne is she is finally pregnant and we pray she will carry to full term which has not been good for her. Paw Paw seemed in really good spirits when I spoke with him on Christmas day at Dee's house and Joe is improving a lot. Except for the cold and freezing temps everyone seemed in good spirits.

I got in two hours of pickle ball at the Rec. with some good A players and left around 10 with a wet shirt. I made a quick stop at the library before heading home to hoe and weed the garden and then to hand water it. We got some rain one night but not enough for this sandy soil as it requires watering almost every day. The garden is producing lots of leafy green veggies and yesterday I harvested a dozen radishes for a change. The tomato's are blooming and should be setting fruit on the two oldest plants. The cabbage is heading but I have only three out of the 6 seedlings that are going to produce heads anyhow the jalapeno pepper is setting fruit from the one plant I brought back from N.C. It went through some shock but is now starting to produce.

We had garden salad for lunch and then again for supper with some leftovers on top as we clean out the fridge from all the food the past couple of days. I got in a couple hours of reading after the kiddos left and Nancy went shopping for containers to put her tree ornaments in to protect them. Today the tree comes down and we put away everything until next year. I watched a little college football in between the Fox Channel. Once again we learn new revelations about the corrupt last administration and their ineptness and appeasement to get through the Iran deal while doing nothing to hinder the N.Korea ability to become a nuclear power. I'm beginning to think there are few in the democrat party who are legit and care about the nations security, LATER

Wednesday Morning

Well Tuesday was another busy fun filled day and we cut back on all the heavy eatin' as well. I was at the Rec. for two hours then we headed to Tampa after picking up Amy and the kiddos so they could play with Annsley and Gabe for a few hours before heading back around 4'ish. We then picked up our pot of soup and headed to Amy's for a supper of soup and then we played a couple of games we received for Christmas.

The day started much the usual for me with a before 6'ish roll out. I had my cup of hot green tea with turmeric while I posted this ramble and spend a few quiet moments with my Creator in thanksgiving and lifting up several by name. All of those are doing well and holding their own albeit some of their situations are less than memorable but it better than the alternative I suppose especially for GG as she is not a believer. It's very cold anywhere north of the bay area here in Florida with snow and freezing temps. Yikes the cabin is in a deep freeze as well.

I headed out to the Rec. for two hours of pickle ball and we had a full gym with lots of visitors some who were very nice players. I managed to stay on the court for nearly the whole time and left with several still playing. I headed home with a quick stop at the library. I ate some of the leftover egg casserole and a couple biscuits with apple butter before we got ready to head over to pick up the Ross Family minus Tyler who had to work, for a trip to Bobby's. The roads were full but we suffered no backups for a change and we got there around 1'ish. The kiddos were in their own world and Bobby and I did get into a shooting match with the boys using nerf guns. They had a grand time as did we hunting them in his large yards with lots of trees and bushes where they tried to ambush us. They finally tired as did we and returned to working on Lego projects which both of them got for Christmas.

We sat out in the shaded back yard and got in some good father/son time together. His new job is treating him well and he is off to Atlanta tomorrow to establish some training for their new office personnel being opened in that market. He will soon be the director for all of the southeastern area of the nation. Bobby has the people skills in managing workers in a huge corporation of which he is now fast becoming a leader. He is also establishing an office in Charlotte, N.C. as the corporation expands into that market which will put him close to the cabin for future vacations and days of rest during the summer months.

We loaded up the Ross Family and headed out and came back the crosstown toll road which made for easy traveling this time of the day. We dropped them off at home and then headed to our place to heat up a pot of pasta fasoule soup to take back to their place for supper. They had leftover zuppa toscana soup so we shared and they were delicious on this cool evening. Afterwards we opened the two new games we got for a present and Tyler won every game. It was a fun evening and by 9'ish I was ready to head home and hit the showers and then some horizontal lab. I watched a little of the FOX news channel and once more learned of the less than honorable folks in the high ups of the FBI who were biased against Trump and tried to destroy his becoming elected. Here is real collusion and corruption and the bureau needs to be completely gutted in my opinion of those in charge. I think when this is finally over we will see how the last administration used this bureau as well as the IRS against those who would find out the truth of their collusion with Hillary and the DNC in bringing down this duly elected Potus Trump, LATER

 

Tuesday Morning

Well Monday Christmas Day was a fun filled day with some good eatin' for breakfast and then again later in the evening with family and friends for supper. Yeow I tried to stay away from some of the fatty foods but did break down for some dessert after supper. We had all the family here for the mid morning breakfast and then added Nancy's sister and husband for the evening meal minus Bobby's family. The house was full through out the day except for a couple hours during the early afternoon.

I started the day with a 7'ish roll out which is quite unusual for me. I think since we ate so late the night before then went to bed a little later it messed up my internal alarm. We weren't expecting company until around 9:30 so we had plenty of time to get ready for them. I heard it pour rain in the middle of night which ushered in a cool front and it was welcomed as I cut the a/c off and opened the windows and doors to some fresh cool air which held through out the day and by late evening every one was complaining about the cool breeze. I did my quiet time and posted this ramble while having my hot cup of green tea laced with turmeric. Nancy spoke with her mom later in the evening and I got a hold of Paw Paw as he was setting down for lunch in Woodstock with daughter Dee and family as well as daughter Josie and husband. Dee's daughter Kelly was there with her family as well. It was really cold there but the sunshine was brightly shining.

Bobby came around 9"ish and put a couple pounds of bacon in the oven and Nancy had an egg casserole baking as well with tater's in a frying pan and biscuits baking. There was a fruit salad and then some cheese blintzes, juices and coffee. Well it was a feast to say the least and held us until we sat down around 6'ish for a roast beef dinner. After eating breakfast we opened gifts as the kiddos were all excited. Dan and Carol left and it was just us for the remainder of the time before Bobby had to get the kids back to go to their mothers house. Everyone had a grand time and the presents were plentiful all around.

I settled into cleaning up after everyone left for their homes and then was able to get in a nap for an hour while reading. The gentle cool breeze was awesome while taking my nap. There was plenty of sunshine and I think it may have reached 70 during afternoon. I gathered some fresh herbs from the garden and got the 12 pound beef roast ready for the oven around 2:30 and the smell of roasting beef filled the house the rest of the evening. We had smashed taters(which I passed on) and gravy,  spinach casserole which is so delicious and its Betsy's speciality which she always brings, cooked carrots and a garden salad with dinner rolls  and two pies from the Village Inn; lemon and apple. I broke down and had sliver of each which were delicious. I cooked the roast to a medium rare which was perfect. We sent two huge plates home with Betsy for her boys and Amy took a bag home for their lunch tomorrow.

Well I survived the eating tournament that started Christmas Eve, breakfast and supper last night. The next family dinner will be New Years day with out traditional sauerkraut and pork meal with all of the trimming and then it's back to bread and water for a few days to lose these put on pounds; but everything tasted so great its hard not to partake. We are making memories for our grand kiddos and hopefully they will carry on the tradition like we have. GG was missed this year as its the first year of not being here with her fruit salad and presence. She isn't all that happy being away from here but her circumstances and health have taken priority. We missed her deeply as well as Carol's mom who use to join us for several years but she too is gone.

Well after everyone left around 9'ish we put the house in order and then I hit the shower. I watched a little of the NFL while flipping channels. Did I mention this new provider gave us a premium channel free so I've been watching snippets of movies for a change plus it a bunch cheaper than the other provider. Well it was a gastronomic delight the past couple of weeks. The cookies, cakes and pies are gone and its back to staying away from the sugars and carbs. Today we will pick up Amy and family and head over to Brandon so the grand kiddos can have another half day of playing together at Bobby's. They are in their own world when together, LATER 

Christmas Morning on Monday

Well Sunday was a very busy day that started with our roll out around 6'ish. It was another warm and muggy day with lots of fog until around noon when it cleared off to bright sunshine and temps had moderated some what. Nancy was busy in the kitchen as she prepared for the evening get together with family and friends. We were leaving the house and wouldn't be back again until nearly 7'ish. We are a brunch to hold us over until later in the evening. We did our quiet times and lifted up several by name as well as gave thanks for our many blessings.

We headed out for the waterfront area in south St.Pete to the Mahaffey Theatre which is located next to the Dali Museum along the beautiful waterfront near Albert Whitted air field. Yeow what a beautiful setting for this theatre which is nothing but a first class act. We were scheduled to be at our posts an hour before the next service at 2 Pm. The first service was at noon and then every two hours until the last one at 6 PM. The place was packed with close to two thousand folks and every one had to have a ticket to attend all of which were free of charge. We greeted, hugged and gave lots of smiles and warm greetings to the close to two thousand who entered through the doors one of which Nancy and I manned. meanwhile we had to clear the first service out as the new folks arrived.  We had some down time between the services but manned out doors until our reliefs appeared around 3'ish to work the 4 PM service. The volunteers are well managed and with great leadership. I would say close to a hundred were working each service as this event was to bring the public into a relationship with GOD and we too could set in a service. We weren't able too as we had a prior event in Tampa where son Bobby was leading the worship.

We left the area around 4'ish and headed over to Ballast Point which is out near the MacDill AFB to attend a 5 o'clock service of which Bobby was the interim worship leader. Wow, this was also a really nice church with lots of young families and when we introduced our selves as Bobby's folks when we first got there we were warmly welcomed. He is held in high esteem by the folks as he has been working there until they can get a full time worship leader. This place also was packed for their third service of the day with two more to go during the evening. We met Katie with Annsley and Gabe and a couple of her girlfriends came as well. It was an awesome worship service. We left there and headed back to Seminole where we soon met up with Amy's family, Dan and Carol, Patrick and Kathryn for finger food and soups. Everything was delicious and so much of it as well. I invited neighbor Carol over as well and she took some home as she was expecting her grand children.

Well it was after 10 when we finally had the house to ourselves and while being stuffed it was close to my bedtime. Nancy was still puttering around in the kitchen as we are having many of the crowd from last night plus Bobby's family for a breakfast around 10 this morning. Well I'd better get off here and get to work as its Christmas morning and it looks like Santa came during the night. The kiddos were like Mexican jumping beans with their excitement for opening presents of which there are many under our tree, LATER

MERRY CHRISTMAS to all and now we wish a great NEW YEAR as well. Remember to give GOD the glory for all and pray for our nation in these troubled times.

Sunday Morning

Well Saturday was an eventful day despite it being another warm and humid one. It was rather foggy and overcast to start the day but that quickly burned off while I was at the Rec playing pickleball until 10'ish. Nancy was busy in the kitchen with preparations for tonight(Sun) and then again on Christmas Day. I made a trip to Sam's for a beef roast and then we went out for supper with the Ross Family and then a walk through the park in Largo where the place was lighted with thousands of Christmas displays.

The day started with my usual before 6'ish rollout to a cup of hot green tea laced with turmeric while I posted this ramble and then some quiet moments with my Creator. The update on GG is she was talking quite lucid on the video chat and getting ready for lots of Eric's family to visit in the next couple of days. She was wanting her recipes from Betsy so she and Dianne can make some of her more famous dishes. I did speak with Paw Paw and he sounded good and had just got back from visiting his old girlfriend for the day. It was cold and rainy there and the update on Joe was also promising as he is doing much better in the rehab and may be moved into an ALF. Helen's son Rick was on the way up from here to spend the next few days with her over the holidays and may see snow again as its in the forecast.

I met up with several other players and had a good workout at the Rec. on the pickle ball courts for two hours before pedaling home on my bike. I did give the gardens a quick drink before heading out Sam's to pick up a sirloin roast for Christmas Dinner on Monday. That place was packed and already we can see the effects of the tax law our Potus signed a couple days ago. Consumer confidence is at a high level. The biased MSM will not report the good news from anything Trump does and none of the corrupt things the last administration was involved in but slowly its starting to leak out from other sources.

I piddled around the house helping Nancy with her prep for tonight after the evening service at the Mahaffey where we will work the 2 o'clock service and in then over to Tampa with Bobby and Family where he will lead worship at 5'ish afterwards the Tracy's, Botbyl's and the Ross Family visit for soups and finger foods. Should be some good eatin'. I picked up a 14 pound sirloin roast which we will roast on Monday and then have Amy and Betsy's families for supper after a huge mid morning breakfast with Bobby's gang, Amy's gang and the Botbyl's; I've already put on a couple of pounds just thinking about the good eatin.We will open presents with the kiddos after breakfast.

Amy and family picked us up around 5 and we tried out a new pizza place in Seminole. The food was good and the fried zucchini appetizer was awesome as was the pizzas. I passed on the cannoli's but they looked amazing. We then headed over to Largo to Central Park where the place was lite up like a Christmas tree. Lights everywhere and tons of folks. We spent a good hour and half visiting the many displays and the kiddos had hot chocolate. They dropped us off around 8'ish and I tuned into the Lightning game and watched them beat another good team from Minnesota. I hit the showers during intermission and then tuned into the old movie "Good Morning Vietnam" during commercial breaks. With this new provider I get four free HBO channels. Robin Williams was awesome in that movie and its such a shame we lost his talent a couple years back, oh well, LATER 

Saturday Morning

Well Friday was a busy day to start with as I got in two good hours of pickle ball and then some garden work. It was another warm muggy day but the temps are supposed to drop as we approach Christmas Day.The garden is loving these cool nights in the 60's and warm days in the low 80's. I'm still having to hand water at least once a day. I did harvest my first mess of collard greens and they were fabulous.

The day started much the usual with a before 6'ish roll out to my cup of hot green tea laced with turmeric while I posted this ramble and then spent a few quiet moments with my Creator in prayer and thanksgiving. The update on GG was about the same as Nancy video chatted with her on her new phone. I called Paw Paw and got no response from either phones as I wanted to give him our new phone number since we cancelled the home phone. I got ready around 8'ish and headed out on my bike for the Rec. where we had four A players. We occupied one court for the whole two hours and was whupped by the time we decided to call it quits with tired legs and wet shirts. The other two courts were in use as well and we are getting some more new competition with in the group of B players.

I stopped off at the library for a couple new reads one for Nancy and a couple for me then headed home. Nancy had been to the lab to have her blood draw for testing purposes and was having some breakfast. I decided to harvest a nice mess of collard greens which were so tender and young. Wow did they ever make for a delicious meal for our supper. I cut up a half pound of smoked bacon and sauteed that with a whole cut up onions and then chopped the collards after rinsing and added to the pot with a box of chicken stock. I brought that to a boil then cut it down to a simmer for the next 4-5 hours with the lid on the pot, yeow delicious to say the least and they melted in your mouth. I have enough leftover for lunch today.

Nancy cooked off a ham and then made ham salad and saved the broth for pasta fasoule soup for Christmas Eve supper get together. The real eatin' begins again starting with the get together after the candle light services with family and friends. I'll head to Sam's Club today for a top sirloin roast for the big dinner on Christmas Day with Amy's and Betsy's families. We will sure miss GG this year. Bobby and family will come for Christmas Day breakfast then share his time with the kiddos with their mother. We will have a group here the eve, next morning and for dinner, yeow there goes the spare tire again.

I called Spectrum and cancelled my service and they tried their best to talk me out of doing so but I explained they continued to raise my rates and wouldn't budge on their newest rate rise a day or so ago but now they wanted to negotiate and I turned them down. Anyhow I seem to love this new service and we now get 4 HBO channels and a DVR with much less cost. Finally getting out of the stone age; of course I usually only watch FOX until its time for bed unless there is a sport on and I get several of those channels as well. The only thing I miss is the RFD channel and Dr. Pol for Nancy but she will survive, LATER

Friday Morning

Well Thursday was another warm and humid day which required the a/c to be on. We were close to records again for the shortest day of the year and the official start of winter; now I'm not complaining but just want a few degrees colder especially for Christmas. I did some big changes today as well with our internet and cable provider and got rid of Spectrum which once again was raising my services and went with WOW for half the cost which will pay for Nancy's cell phone. What a savings and the service looks to be just as good if not better. The only thing we lost was her RFD TV which we have at the cabin but we got a premium channel free so I choose HBO.

The day started with my usual before 6'ish rollout to a cup of hot green tea laced with turmeric while I posted this ramble and then spent some time in thanksgiving with my Creator while lifting up several by name. The package we sent to GG at Eric's finally arrived with the cookies still together and they all were enjoying them. GG seemed in good spirits as Nancy, Amy and Eliza Faye chatted with her. Joe is doing much better in the rehab center in Elkin where Helen and Martha visit him. He has improved remarkably from a couple weeks ago which is awesome. I still haven't heard from Paw Paw in a couple days so I will try again today.

I headed out to the Rec around 8'ish and got in two good hours of pickle ball with mostly B players which I helped with improving their game. We had three courts in action with a couple A players in the mix which kept it competitive through out the morning. I headed home on my bike to cleanup the smoker and to hand water the gardens. It is looking great and the collards are ready for harvesting which I might have a mess tonight for supper. Amy and Eliza came for lunch and Nancy made a delicious broccoli/cheese soup  which was the best ever. We still have enough left over smoked chicken for a couple of lunches as well. The WOW salesman came by to check on my status and what my plans are and he waived the installation fee as well as gave me great deal on the internet and cable with a DVR which we have no idea how to use. I now can receive digital HD channels in the bed room whereas before I couldn't and they have a built in modem in their transmitter, oh well we will see.

I missed my 6 o'clock meeting for working the Mahaffey Theater in St.Pete on Christmas Eve but Nancy made it as we are door holders for those attending the services. We are the 2 o'clock workers and how much instruction do I need to open the doors, hug, handshake, smile and greet those attending and wish them a Merry Christmas; but all the same our leaders are dedicated to bringing the best out of those who volunteer to serve others. I had a lite supper as the installers left just before 6 and Nancy was gone. We don't have a house or land line phone any longer so you must contact us with our cell phones. I still have the Trac phone number which is a N.C. area code and of course Nancy's is the Florida area code. Instant message me on FB for our numbers if you don't already have them or at my email address.

Well I tuned into the the Lightning hockey game and they won in a shootout over the Ottawa team after a hard fought game. We still have the best record in the NHL and are bringing some pride to the sports in the Bay Area. The hapless Bucs are about the 2nd or 3rd worst football team in the NFL which in my humble opinion have lost their mystic with their refusal to honor the flag and the anthem. I could care less for their political opinions and we all have one but we watch them for their  entertainment value which is why they are paid the big bucks. We elect people for their political ideals which is why we elected Trump and not some football player or actor or some comedian or crooked Hillary, LATER 

Thursday Morning

Well Wednesday started out with the makings of another warm humid day. We were forecasted for the possibility of some rain but never saw any so I hand watered my gardens twice during the day. I loved the smell of the smoker from the apple wood I brought back from the cabin as I had two chickens with beer in rear along with some herbs from the garden. They turned out delicious when I took them off around 5'ish. They had been on since 11'ish.

I started the day much the usual with a before 6 roll out to my hot green tea laced with turmeric while I posted this ramble and spent a few moments in humble thanksgiving to my Creator. I lifted up several by name and the latest on GG is about the same as Nancy spoke with her and video chatted while Amy and Eliza were here. I could hear Eliza speaking to GG telling her she really missed her as did everyone else. She isn't looking all that great with her hair turning white and not styled at all but she sounded like she is adjusting to this life style.

I headed out for the Rec. for a good two hours of pickle ball. We had another visitor from Colorado Springs who will be here for nearly two weeks and he brought good play with him. I'm looking forward to his play as we have lost a couple A players to going back home for the holidays. We had only 4 players for an hour until a couple B ladies came to play, oh well. I headed home afterwards and hand watered the garden and got the smoker ready for the birds. Nancy was at her yearly checkup and when she got home we got them ready for smoking. Yeow were they ever moist and delicious with flavor and the herbs added a little flavor as well that I had packed into the cavity along with a can of beer. The applewood leaves such a mild smokey flavor much sweeter than oak or hickory.

The Tracy's and Botbyl's came down around 4:30 and we had some salsa and chips along with some vino while getting the appetite warmed up. Kathryn made her decadent mac and cheese which is so good but full of calories and Nancy had a fresh Cole slaw. Carol had picked up 6 small pastries from a pastry kitchen which were very tasty and light. We had the dessert about two hours after eating while we played Sequence. Well I have to say the guys start out fast winning the first two games but after that it was all down hill as the gals won the next three games and on the last play, dang it. It was that way last time when we won three in a row then lost the next four games, oh well we were at least sleeping with winners.

Everyone left around 9'ish so it was time to hit the shower and get ready for some horizontal lab. I tuned into Hannity where Judge Jeannie was filling in for him. Fox makes no bones about the corruption with in the FBI and the Justice Department and that Mueller is biased as well. The big news is the tax plan passed and the liberals and dem's are in a fit over giving the American folks a break on their taxes which the dem's love to give away to the special interests and illegals. Trump will put and end to that and now lets hope they cut the funding to the UN as well who condemns Israel as terrorist state in the General Assembly as well as the US(A). The real Palestine terrorist are given a pass by them.

Well that was about it as I learned the Lightning loss in a late game the night before but are still in the lead in their division, LATER

Wednesday Morning

Well time is just moving by so fast with Christmas here in less than a week and the New Year in two weeks. One would never know if from the weather as we have the a/c back on with temps near the record level and the humidity is high. Yesterday morning the fog was so thick even the birds were roosting and no where to be found. By the time I left the Rec. around 10'ish it had cleared off and the sun was hot.

I started the day much the usual with a before 6'ish roll out to a cup of hot green tea laced with turmeric while I posted this ramble and then spent some quiet time with my Creator in thanksgiving and lifting up several by name for comfort and healing. Many of those are on the road to recovery so who know but only GOD if those prayers for others worked. We have lost a few friends this past year and some continue to hurt in various ways but I truly believe prayer makes a difference. The update on GG is some what promising as Nancy spoke with her during the day. She is settling in at Eric's place in Michigan. I haven't heard any more updates on Joe and Paw Paw since the last news which was good.

I got in two hours of pickle ball at the Rec. and we had a couple new players one which will fit right in with our group of A players. He is a retired dentist from Maryland and knows much about my home town of Winchester quite well. He usually plays outside but decided to try the inside game and he did quite well. There was another new couple and she has great potential and moves quite well who lives in the area as well. I left with a wet shirt around 10'ish and headed home to piddle around in the garden. Amy and Tyler were both at the house so I knew something had gone wrong at their house. The power company turned their power off to the trim trees, so since Tyler works from home he needed the internet. They stayed most of the day and left close to 4'ish.

Ava was singing and performing in her school play at 7 so we ate a quick supper with me using my new grill on a couple of burgers and had a fresh garden salad. I harvested and cleaned three types of lettuces, kale, beet greens and some Swiss chard. I cleaned them all and then used the salad spinner to drain the excess water and broke them all up into a huge bowl for Nancy to add onions, carrots, red cabbage, cucumbers and tomato's. The garden is loving these cool nights and warm days. I finally have half runner beans up which will climb the chain link fence as well as sugar peas on the other fence. They both are climbers and it helps with me in the harvesting process.

Ava was magnificent in her play and she was the best in her part with clarity of speech. While her part was small she has a great speaking voice and out shined her classmates in voice inflexion. She is a natural in front of a crowd both Sunday night in her church play and then again last night at school. 

Well that was about it for the day except some interesting decisions with our internet provider who wants to raise my bill up again. Spectrum is going to lose me as a customer as they want nearly 175 bucks a month for my business. There is a company called WOW which will provide the same service for half that amount and I'm changing to them in the new year. I will lose the phone service but since we have the cell phone who needs a house phone, LATER

Tuesday Morning..1 week left in 2017

Well Monday found us waking up in Brandon at Bobby and Katie's house. The grand kiddos were involved in a Christmas program at Bell Shoals Academy where they attend school and there was one part where at the end of the program all of the siblings sang together on stage. Once again the program was first class with hundreds of elementary kids grades 1-5 participating.

We had to spend the night as the program started at 8:30 and we being over an hour away on a good drive would have spent two hours on a rush hour drive to get there. The traffic is unbelievable in this area just east of down town Tampa. We were able to enjoy the morning not having to fight the traffic backups and got to the school in plenty of time to spare.

We got back to the house in Seminole around 11'ish so we did our quiet times and I posted this ramble around lunch time. Amy and Eliza came for lunch then I headed out to put together the new 3 burner gas grill. Yeow what a job which took me nearly 4 hours to complete as some of the schematics are less than clear on assembling, oh well. It is a quality grill much like the one we have at the cabin only smaller. I'm looking forward to cooking on it as we use the grill several times a week.

Nancy took off on her bike for a ride through the hood while I finished up and put the card board boxes into the recycle bin. The weight on the grille was 140 pounds but 20 of it must have cardboard. We turned the a/c back on as the humidity was back with the temps in the low 80's. Nancy prepared a delicious supper of fresh broccoli and mushrooms in a garlic butter sauce over pasta and shrimp. We licked the platter clean it was that tasty. I had a glass of red vino while she cooked and checked on the local news with our paper from Sparta. There were lots of snow pictures from last week which showed some good depth for their first snow of the winter. The temps were brutal at times but has moderated back to the 50's today.

The updates on GG are somewhat better as Nancy spoke with her. She was directing Elise on how to decorate the Christmas Tree with ornaments so that was a good sign, Joe is doing much better in Elkin in the rehab facility and they may move him to an adult living place and Paw Paw sounded good on the phone as well.

Well we tuned into the FOX News Network and caught up on the world news and heard parts our POTUS and his speech and desire for the nation on our national security. So much different from the last apologetic potus who gave away everything to make the Iran Deal so they could chant death to America and export their terror to groups who want to dominate the middle east and acquire nuclear weapons to blow us up. What part of treason do the libs and dems not acknowledge. It's down right criminal what he allowed Iran to get away with in support of Isis, Hezbollah as well as Al Qaeda in their attempt to destroy Israel and promote radical Islamic terrorists with their jihadists all over the globe.

I did watch a few minutes of the hapless Bucs who were losing big to the Falcons when I shut the lights out at 10, LATER

Monday Morning(early afternoon)

Well Sunday was a busy day that started with me being at SPC for a load in for BridgePoint at 6 AM.  I'm usually up so that was no big deal for me. I rode my bike in the early morning hours and helped with unloading the huge truck that carries every thing we need to covert the college into a church like atmosphere along with several other volunteers which start to show up around 6:30. The load in guys are few but we get the job done by 6:30 and then we stick around until 7:30 helping with the set up. I headed home on my bike to get ready to leave the house once again around 8:30 for our morning meeting before getting ready for the crowd.

I was able to attend the worship service at 9:30 then worked a couple different areas before the service began and then handed out the bulletins to the start of the second service before heading out to the Blood Mobile. I donated my O Positive blood for the first time in a couple of years as I use to give at Element Church every 56 days or there about. It felt good to be able to contribute to maybe saving or giving some life to some one less fortunate than myself or in dire need of the life giving blood.

After the service we met up with Dan and Carol and headed to the Texas Roadhouse for a good meal of steak, baked tater and a salad along with a blooming onion to get the juices flowing. I had a free coupon for the onion which was quite tasty. We dropped them off after eating around 2'ish then headed home to vegetate on the couch for the next couple of hours. The meal held me through the rest of the day and evening. We packed up enough clothes and needed articles to spend one night away from the house with Bobby and the family in Brandon. We met up with the Ross Family at SFBC to watch Ava, Sam and Eliza participate in their Christmas Program which was a hit. Ava and Sam both had major parts and Eliza made a cameo appearance with 4 other little ones bearing the name of Jesus in letters on the back of their clothing. They were so cute but Ava and Sam were magnificent in their speaking and singing parts.

We mingled with the crowd afterwards renewing old friendships with lots of hugs and handshakes before driving to Brandon which is east or the other side of Tampa. The trip was uneventful but the interstates were busy to say the least. Where do all these folks come from, oh well. We sat and visited with the grand kiddos before they headed off to bed and then we shared an adult beverage before getting ready for some horizontal lab ourselves. They have a separate room which is quite large off the garage and all to ourselves. The bed was very comfortable and we did get some rest. It was actually 6 before I awakened this morning and then we got ready for the school program with both Annsley and Gabe singing at 8:30. It was close to 10'ish before we got away from the school and headed back to Pinellas County. We made a stop at Sam's for some goodies and filled up again with gas.

Bobby had picked me up a new 3 burner grill through Ace Hardware which Katie' dad, Bruce owns while giving me a good discount. It was so big(in the box) that it took two of us to load it and then unload it once we got home. I will now spend the afternoon putting it together. Its quite warm out in the direct sunlight but at least the humidity has stayed away despite the 80 degree heat, LATER 

Sunday Morning

Well I'm a little late with this posting as I usually am every Sunday morning as I just got back from helping to load in the equipment we need to set up BridgePoint Church at the college from a huge truck at 6 AM. Once the truck is unloaded and the different huge roll on cases are distributed to the different areas I head home which is around 7:30. There are so many volunteers setting up the sound and stage areas, kids areas, cafe and parking lot areas that come after the loadin is completed that we can leave. There must be 50-60 folks each Sunday morning that make this commitment to turn the college auditorium and classrooms into a church friendly atmosphere for two services with the first one at 9:30 and then an 11 AM service. Afterwards we have to load out everything we brought in and turn the college back to its original setting. It is such a joy to serve along with so many volunteers to make this happen as we help folks get closer to GOD.

Saturday I headed out around 8 to the Rec. for two hours of pickle ball and left with a wet shirt once again after my usual morning routines that started at 6'ish. I did my hot tea laced with turmeric while I posted this ramble and then spent some quiet time with my Creator in thanksgiving for another day, lifting up several by name for comfort and healing as well and prayed for our nation that is seeing some disturbing events with the past administration. Hopefully we will find some honest men and women with some integrity to lead and guide our nation during this period. It's almost hopeless to think those we held in high esteem in leadership are so corrupt and treasonous. I always had my doubts about the truthfulness of the Clinton's and Obama's but never did I think they had such contempt for America and their desire for money and power along with so many in the congress. I'm beginning to think the MSM is a complicit partner in their desire to destroy the nation as we once knew it.

We had the grand kiddos for the evening and for supper. Nancy prepared fried ham, taters tots and green beans for them along with ice cream for dessert. Eliza Faye wanted popcorn as well. She fell asleep waiting for Amy and Tyler to pick them up as they attended a deacon party and supper. Well I got ready for bed around 10'ish as I had to be up bright and early for the load in this morning so I don't know what time they came to pick up the kiddos, LATER

Don't forget to meet with other Believers today in a corporate setting to worship our LORD through songs and a message.

Saturday Morning

Well this month is just flying by and already its about a week away from Christmas. You wouldn't know it here by the weather as today was a rather warm one with temps in the middle to upper 70's. It does cool down some what over night and its rather dry again so I'm hand watering the gardens at least and sometimes twice a day.

I started the day with my usual 6'ish rollout. I wasn't playing any pickle ball today due to attending the Christmas program at Keswick Christian School where Ava and Sam attend. It was just Sam this morning and he did a terrific job playing a musical instrument as well as pantomiming during the songs about the birth of Jesus. He is such a sweet inquisitive boy and loves to dwell on the facts about particular subjects. Some times he talks incessantly much like I was when all of my report cards always showed I had a problem with talking in class, oh well.

We made a stop at Wal-Mart on the way home and then again at Aldi's for some goodies. We headed home and Nancy started baking cookies again to ship to her mom in Michigan along with her presents. I took them to the Fed Ex and spent 33 bucks on shipping costs, yeow that was almost as much as the clothing, oh well. I headed out to the library to pick up a couple reads I had ordered on the way home. We decided to have fried egg plant and pork chops for our supper, either of which we hadn't eaten in some time. The egg plant was delicious when sprinkled with some red pepper and different fresh herbs from the garden especially Thai basil and thyme. The chops were grilled to perfection while we munched on the egg plant right out of the skillet after cooling on a paper towel.

We did get in a ride on the bikes around 4'ish through the hood since I missed my morning PB workout. The temps were a bit warm but with the evening coming on we could feel some cooling in the air which made for a great ride. Nancy stopped off at the Botbyl's for a visit while I hand watered the gardens. After the cleanup we settled into the Fox News Channel and are learning more each day of the corruption from within the last Obama administration as they first attempted to steer the election towards Hillary and then after she lost they tried everything to sabotage Trump with false innuendo and charges of collusion with the Russians to influence this election and now we are learning they paid for women to make false claims about sexual harassment towards him. There was a "deep state" with this collusion between the DOJ with Lynch as the AG and the FBI with Comey as the director. We will see all of this come out in the final IG report which may require another special prosecutor. Mueller needs to go as he is tainted with his hiring of mostly Clinton supporters and his close friendship of Comey and his failure to notify the congress months ago when it was learned that top leadership in the FBI was corrupted with the text messages and moved out of the interviewing process. This corrupted investigation and attempted cover up is very disturbing to our rule of law.

Well we are watching our Ross grand kiddos this evening as Amy and Tyler attend a deacon's meeting and supper. We will feed them supper and then watch a movie of some kind with them or play a board game. They are always so full of energy and fun to be around, Later

Friday Morning

Well Thursday was much the usual with a before 6'ish roll out to start the day. I did my routines that started with a handful of Nutrilite vitamins and supplements washed down with some orange juice while I waited for my green tea to steep and then lace it with some turmeric. I headed into the computer room(spare bedroom) to create this master piece and post it while sipping my hot tea then spent some quiet time with my Creator in humble thanksgiving and intercessory prayers for several by name.

The update on GG is promising for now as Nancy spoke with her. It's really cold in Michigan so we bought her some new warm fuzzy clothes yesterday and now we need to them in the mail along with some fresh baked cookies Nancy will bake today. No word on Joe or Paw Paw but the old saying no news is good news is true I suppose. I checked on the world news and we have come to a cross road within our government and the DOJ(department of justice) which overseas the FBI. Both of the branches have been compromised by the last administration into doing the corrupt undermining of our rule of law. There should be no double standard of justice no matter who you are and that has become evident with the start of the Clinton e-mail investigation or lack there of by the FBI. Finally this corruption is starting to come to light in so many different areas and I'm thinking we are going to find out more corruption that started from the last potus on down the line. There is so much hatred for our duly elected POTUS Trump that laws are and have been broken and the loss of the integrity within these departments have become a threat to our democracy.

I had a good workout at the Rec. for an hour and half as we wore ourselves out with constant play. I left with a wet shirt just before 10 and headed home on my bike to work outside until lunch time. I will skip play today(Friday) as grandson Sam is in a school Christmas program at 8:30 in the morning so we will attend and I'll go later to the Rec. for a workout on the treadmill or just ride my bike through the hood; either way I will get in some exercise. The spare tire has stopped decreasing as I've been keeping Nancy from eating the cookies, yeow were they ever delicious and thankfully the containers are empty. It's back to no desserts or sweets for a few days.

Nancy had a pot of tortilla soup cooking for the Ross Family minus Tyler who was on his way back from Virginia with his company. He had a one day/night turn around for a big meeting. The kiddos all came for supper then hung out until 7'ish as it was a school night. After they left we settled into the FOX News and then I switched to the Lightning game at 8'ish. They were winning again when I turned the lights out 10'ish, LATER 

Thursday morning

Well Wednesday was bit cooler in the morning and by late evening it had really cooled down again; however it was almost perfect temps during the rest of the day. Chilly enough to wear long pants but warm enough for a t-shirt.

I started the day with my before 6 ish roll out to a cup of hot tea laced with turmeric while I posted this ramble and spent some quiet time with my Creator. The up date on GG was better as Nancy spoke with her while we were at Sam's Club. We purchased her some warm fuzzy clothes as its really cold in Michigan. She actually called Nancy which is a change and they had a nice conversation. She is back home with Eric for now and is awaiting a new hospital bed with all of the bells and whistles. I haven't heard anything on Joe and how he is doing in the rehab facility in Elkin and no word on Paw Paw as he has forgotten to call. I'm wondering if he received those gift cards in the mail for his birthday. He use to call every week but hasn't called me in months, oh well.

I headed out a little before 8 for the Rec. on my bike and it was a rather chilly ride with my eyes watering from the cold north wind. It wasn't cold enough for a frost plus the wind kept it away but it was nippy. I got into almost two hours of continuous pickle ball play as there were four A players today and we managed to have one court to ourselves. I left with a wet shirt and worn out legs by 10'ish and headed home on my bike in a stiff breeze, yikes. I hand watered the gardens then dug a post hole for my neighbors mailbox that had rotted off and replaced it in the ground. Her teenage son is useless when it comes to doing anything for her. He won't even mow the grass so she has to pay someone to do it. The mailbox had been partially down and leaning for a week and it finally just fell over and was laying flat on the ground. He made no effort to fix it.

We took off after lunch to run some errands and then a shopping spree at Sam's to stock up on salmon, pork chops, shrimp, chicken breasts and some dry goods. They have excellent meat and the fresh steel head trout was awesome on the grille for our supper along with some fresh Swiss chard. That veggie has become one of our fav's and its so easy to prepare as all you do is sautee in a little water and eat. It's delicious to say the least and I have three rows of it growing and it's fast growing as well. I brought all of these plants back from my N.C. garden in Nov. and they have done wonderful here in this sandy soil.

After the cleanup we settled into the Fox News cable and once again see the biased investigation of the DOJ and the FBI in their collusion with the Clinton Crime Family and the fake news networks. It's a disgrace to see the integrity of these departments be destroyed by their upper management and their love for their pants suit goddess Hillary. She is such a criminal and their foundation as well. They have shielded her from being investigated along with the corrupt DNC. It just makes me wonder who all are corrupt in the last Obama administration, LATER

On a business note everything in our on line store with Amway is BOGO through tomorrow the 15th. It makes no difference the cost of the item(s) you will receive another duplicate item Free and shipped to you Free as well. There is no limit but you must have your order in before midnight tomorrow. EVERYTHING is BOGO and that comes only from me and my team leaders. Check out our store at www.amway.com/JNTriplett

Wednesday Morning

Well Tuesday found us with much warmer temps than the day before to start the day. It was just about perfect during the mid morning hours and as the evening progressed there was a chill in the air. We were in Brandon which is just east of Tampa for a school Christmas program that Annsley was singing in and then we met up with the family for a late evening supper at a barbecue house. It was going on 10'ish when we finally got home.

The day started much the usual with a before 6'ish roll out for me. I had my cup of hot tea laced with turmeric while I posted this ramble then lifted up several while I honored my Creator with prayers of thanksgiving for another day. I headed out a little before 8 for the Rec. on my bike and it was a pleasant ride as compared to the day before. I had two good hours of pickle ball play non-stop with 4 other A players. We now have been allowed to have a challenge court which keeps the less skilled players away. I left around 10:30 with tired legs and a wet shirt and made a quick stop at the library for a couple new reads one of which was a book by a former deputy who I knew personally while I was on patrol.

 He eventually left the department and became an entertainer writing songs and doing nightly gigs at local upscale bar rooms and eateries. The book I'm reading of his is titled SHADOWS by Daryl May and there was one instance in the book where he mentions a story about the killing of a man who tried to kill him with his bare hands and he had to use deadly force to stop this menace. The dead mans friends came to see him at local pub one night to get revenge. Well myself and another trooper were there with our wives and fellow LEO's and May mentioned to the dead mans friends we were all his buddies and packing firearms so they got up and left quickly. He writes about this in one of his stories he tells. It's a very interesting read and I learned he has three more books. Check him out as there are pictures of him and his cohorts.

I piddled around in the garden feeding the new seedlings and finally the carrots are popping through the ground. The cold hasn't seemed to affect the garden at all and the green leafy veggies seem to thrive on the cool nights as the collards are about ready for me to pick my first mess. I put chicken wire around the three tomato seedlings in hopes they will survive the squirrels. Amy and Eliza came for lunch and then neighbor John came over with his 2 year old to play with Eliza for an hour or so. We soon got ready to head to Tampa as the rush hour found us in a large backup on the toll road. It took nearly two hours to go 40 miles or so as the traffic was stop and go.

The Christmas Musical was a hit with the audience and the auditorium was filled with family and friends. We saw some old friends we see yearly as their grand kids also attend Bell Shoals Academy. We along with Katies mom and granddad headed out to a local barbecue house for some brisket and pulled chicken for me. It was tasty but I'm not into eating at 8:30 any more plus we had the ride back to Seminole. Thankfully the ride back was less than half the time on the way over, LATER

Tuesday Morning

Well Monday was our coldest morning so far this winter. There was frost on several of the roof tops but the trees around the house kept it off my garden. It was a bitter ride out to the rec around 8 on my bike causing my eyes to water; but by 10'ish it had warmed up considerably but still chilly. Nancy spent most of the day in the kitchen with her final day of cookie baking and by late afternoon Eliza Faye and I started handling them out to the neighbors and mail man. She loved doing that and wishing all a Merry Christmas.

I started the day with my usual 6'ish roll out to a chilled house. It was still in the 70's inside so we didn't turn on the heat. The day before the a/c was on so there was plenty of residual warmth. I had my hot cup of tea laced with turmeric while I posted this ramble and then spent some time with my Creator in thanksgiving and lifting up several by name. I haven't heard much on GG or Joe over the weekend but Paw Paw had a great birthday bash in the basement of St. John's Lutheran Church where we attended and he still does when he can get there. His two brothers Junior and Frankie were there and all of the daughters, Sharon(Josie) Pat and Dee with their spouses and lots of their kids as well as friends. Those of us who are long distance didn't head up especially with the threat of snow in the forecast. The mountains already had several inches of the frozen white stuff plus we were traveled out this past year with Miami and Michigan We were with them in spirit and through pictures shared by many.

I got in two hours of pickle ball at the Rec. with several good players and left with a wet shirt and worn out legs. I made a stop at the library on the way home. I did get in a couple hours of garden work before lunch as I hoed weeds which grow like crazy. It's a good sign that tells me the soil is fertile. I transplanted the three tomato seedlings I started from seeds and set wire cages around them as well as harvested 3 lettuces, kale, Swiss Chard and beet greens for a salad. I also picked enough Swiss chard to sautee for our supper which is becoming one of our favorite green dishes. It is so clean tasting and all you use is a little water in a skillet and it cooks down like spinach to almost nothing; so flavorful. The garden is doing quite well and the cucumber plants(2) are still adding leaves. They are not a great lover of the cold temps. The two tomato plants that something originally broke off the tops have rebounded and now are a foot or more in height and should be setting blooms soon. The sugar peas are up an inch or so but the new carrots seeds are slow in breaking through the ground, oh well.

I got in some reading in the afternoon while playing doctor with Eliza Faye. She was the doctor and had me in the hospital where she was giving me shots and taking all of my information about who I was and my real names. We settled on grand dad for the record as she pretended to type on a lap top which was a toy check out that had buttons. She is such a play actor. Normally Nancy is the patient but she and Amy were finishing up the cookie baking and packaging so I became the patient. I was able to read a little after she gave me the shots and medicine to make me get better.

It warmed up close to 60 and the sunshine was plentiful. There is suppose to be another cold front coming this way in a day or so which will keep the a/c off for now. The Christmas Tree loves this weather as well and the smell is so delicious. It would be nice to have these cool temps for the big day as everyone likes to have hot soups and dips on Christmas eve. I grilled a steak burger and along with Swiss chard and a fresh all garden salad we dined deliciously and the fresh baked cookies I tried for dessert were decadent; there goes the spare tire again, oh well. I will skip eating anymore but had to try at least one from every kind or maybe it was two, anyhow they were awesome.

After the cleanup I headed into to watch the Fox Cable News and there are still stories of women accusing this potus of harassment paid for by the DNC and Soros as they try to discredit this man and another conservative running for the senate in Alabama. The Mueller investigation is a total sham by a Clinton sycophant who is also trying to discredit and overturn the election won by this potus. Politics are dirty when run by career politicians and we now definitely need term limits to drain the swamp. GOD help us as a nation as we now have very few news networks who are not biased for Clinton Crime Family and their associates. It's such a shame and down right criminal, LATER

Monday Morning

Well Sunday found us with some much cooler temps into the 40's and the brisk breeze made if feel even colder. There was plenty of sunshine and finally we cut the a/c off and now I'm sure this morning(Mon.) we will have the heat on. We spent the entire first half of the day helping at BridgePoint with the set up as I was there at 6 AM for the load in and then two services and then load out which got us back to the house around 1'ish or a little after.  We sat in on the first service and heard a great message on the "unexpected" which was related to the Christmas story between Mary and Joseph with her being with child and how he handled the whole situation.

We came home and ate some leftovers from last nights party and I vegetated on the couch watching our hapless Bucs lose again for the ninth time this season in front of the home town crowd. Bobby and Katie and several of her family members attended the game. The weather was crispy but with lots of sunshine. We headed up to the Botbyl's where Kathryn and Patrick had driven down and wanted to prepare a supper for all of us. She made her signature lasagna and a Caesar salad and Nancy brought a chocolate cake made without flour which is difficult to imagine but Amy has made this dessert several times as Tyler is gluten intolerant and its quite tasty and very lite.

After the cleanup we settled into the best of 9 games of Sequence and the gals won the 5th game in a barn burner on the last play. Needless to say they were thrilled and we were shocked as we also had the winning play but Kathryn surprised us with her move. We made arrangements to get together again before Christmas and then again on Christmas Eve for soups and finger foods and then again for breakfast at our place Christmas morning for breakfast with all of our family. We said our goodnights then headed home into a cold brisk breeze, yeow its such a change from 24 hours ago, LATER

Sunday Morning

Well Saturday was a fun day with pickle ball in the morning and then our get together with the volunteer group at one of the volunteers huge house and we played a game called "dirty Santa" where you can take some one's gift after opening a gift. It was a hoot and the food was amazing as everyone brought a dish of finger foods and desserts, yeow there comes the pounds I worked so hard to lose, oh well it was worth it.

The day started with wet weather and some wind. I guess it poured rain during the night as there were puddles in the street but I never heard nor did I hear a transformer blow during the night as the appliances were blinking and threw off the correct time on the bed side clock. I got up about 45 minutes earlier than normal when I headed in to open the lap top. oh well. I just stayed up for the day. I must have been sleeping good to miss all of that excitement as I usually can hear a mosquito sneeze.

I did my morning routines, quiet times and then got ready ready to head out around 8 for the Rec. where I got in two good hours of pickle ball. I checked the scales before heading out and I'm holding below 190 for now. I'm sure that will change with this weekend and all the good eatin' we will be subjected to at the party and then again on Sunday evening with the Kool Peoples Klub of the Botbyl's, Tracy's and us. We will probably get in a game of Sequence and Euchre as well.

We heard from our "mountain mom" that she was snowed in with several inches of the cold white stuff and it was still falling. Several of our mountain friends posted pics and videos of the countryside which you have to admit was beautiful with the leafless trees holding the white stuff as well as the ground cover. We loved its presence for a couple days but after that give me shorts and t-shirt weather. We finally shut off the a/c on Saturday as the temps dropped a little but this morning Sunday its down right cold and windy. I headed out a little before 6 on my bike over to the college which is next door to the rec. to help with the load in for our BridgePoint Church. Our campus is the third one of the church where we rent the college each week and keep our equipment in a huge truck which has to be unloaded and then reloaded each week to make the college ready for our service. This venue is so much more accommodating than the rec was when we met there. It was 45 degrees this AM and the wind was out of the north, yikes my eyes watered on the 10 minute bike ride.

Well that was about it for Sat and this Sun. morning as we get ready to head out around 8:30 for the 9:30 service. We will work one service then attend the other as we greet, hold doors, pass out programs, work the cafe giving out donuts, coffee and waters(all free). It is a pleasure to make folks welcome as we help them get closer to GOD, LATER

Saturday Morning

Well Friday was a play day in the morning that went into a work day until lunch time and then a relaxing day while reading until supper time. It also was the birthday of my uncle who took me in when I was but a small lad around the age of 4 or 5 to live with him and his new wife who later gave him 3 daughters who always called me their brother. I refer to him as Paw Paw and her as Maw Maw to my children and grand children. He was 90 years young today and is quite the story teller much of which we aren't really sure is factual but he keeps us intrigued with his memory of how things were.

I started the day with my usual before 6'ish rollout. I had my cup of hot tea laced with turmeric while I posted this ramble and spent a few minutes with my Creator in thanksgiving and lifting and remembering several who are in need of some divine intervention at this point in their lives. GG and Joe(Helen's brother) are both in a hospital; one in Michigan and one in N.C. We never heard back from Nancy's brother Eric on how GG was doing yesterday but we did hear from Helen that Joe is in rough shape with terrible pain in his legs and now he has no desire to eat. Joe is 90 and his health is not nearly as good as Paw Paw's. GG is not quite 90 and her health has been no good since she went to Miami last May to visit grand kids.

We got word from Helen that snow had enveloped the area with some totals in the 5 to 6 inches. We were hoping for some before coming back this year as a couple years ago we had a 6 inch snow which was delightfully fun especially for Nancy. Me I could take it or leave it as I had to shovel it as a kid on the farm and did not welcome the cold mornings when I had to feed the farm animals and milk the cow(s) by hand and then walk nearly a mile to catch the school bus. Luckily I had shoes. Those were the days my friends and I'm thrilled I don't have to work in the cold and snow any longer. We at times were out of school for weeks on end as the snow accumulations were in the 40 plus inches at a time. We were always drifted in back at the old home place and myself and the Bucher boys(Brian and Pud) had to shovel the road our so Buck(their dad) and Billy could get to work.

Well I had a good two hour workout on the pickle ball court from 8 to 10 then made a library stop before coming back to the house. Nancy was off shopping so I put a load of laundry in and then mowed the back yard before hanging the clothes. It was another very warm and muggy day. I decided to trim two rather large oak limbs handing over my garden so up the ladder with a long hand pole saw and managed to get them down while working up a wet shirt once again. I worked those two limbs up and have a wheel borrow of oakwood for someones fireplace.

Bobby called and was in the area so he came by for lunch and then Amy and Eliza Faye as well. We called Paw Paw who was out with the youngest daughter Dee at an eatery for lunch. We all wished him the best and even little Eliza Faye spoke with him. That would make her a great grand daughter to him. He has never seen her but has seen Ava and Sam her siblings. He sounded good on the phone and was looking forward to a birthday celebration at St.John's Church with others in the family and friends this weekend. Hopefully it doesn't snow them out.

Well we had Italian sausages and a salad for our supper. I'm finally below the 190 mark and even saw 187 yesterday after PB. Of course that changes throughout the day but I'm now shooting for 185 in the next couple of weeks. I know eating less has made a difference and staying away from the carbs for supper has helped. It tough when Nancy is baking cookies nearly everyday and so I broke down and sampled a couple different ones yesterday when Bobby brought out the buckeyes, Yeow they are so decant and delicious.

After the cleanup from supper I settled into the Fox News and then watched the President live from Pensacola, Fl. What and awesome speech he gave and the folks were packed both inside and out to hear his remarks. This man is doing a fine job to restore our credibility in the world and at home. The economy is bursting with new growth which will eventually find its way into our pockets, unemployment is the lowest in years and the democrats are complaining and obstructing at every turn along with the fake and biased news of the networks. I love that he calls them out and is not beholding to the special interests except for the military and law enforcement. We finally have a Potus who is for America first and the libs can not stand it. We need border security as the illegals continue to kill, rape and bleed our welfare system as seen in the murder of Kate in California. We need real politicians to take a stand for what is best for we the people of this nation. We need to scrap the PC crowd and get back to making a secure nation for our children. He has brought back the influence of our Judeo-Christian mores into the fore front once again and now we say Merry Christmas instead of happy holidays, God Bless this man who is not a politician, LATER

Don't forget on a business note as I'm an IBO(independent business operator) with the world wide corporation of Amway the special for this month of December. Everything in the catalog or on our network website store is BOGO. This is good only from me and my team leaders in the corporation. This offer expires on the 15th of the month. Stock up on all those great vitamins and supplements grown on our organic farms and processed in America only. Nothing comes from overseas. All cosmetics, cleaning products, etc EVERYTHING is BOGO. Any questions email me here on this website or IM on FB.

Friday Morning

Well Thursday saw us with some weather changes as the front moved in with some much needed rain. It wasn't much but with the fog, drizzle and overcast skies everything got a drink. I didn't hand water the gardens or yards for a change.

The day started much the usual with a before 6'ish roll out. I had my hot cup of tea laced with turmeric while I posted the ramble and then spent some quiet moments in thanksgiving for another day with my Creator and then to lift up several by name for healing and comfort. Nothing new to say about GG as she is still in the hospital. Nancy speaks with her everyday but I didn't hear if there was any change. Paw Paw will 90 years young today so I will call him later and the update on Joe isn't good but he will be coming back to the town of Elkin at the foot of the mountain for rehab and nursing care. He will be somewhat close to Helen and Martha and his home on the mountain about 20 miles away.

I got in two good hours of pickle ball play in the morning and left the gym with a wet shirt. I did piddle around in the garden hand feeding some of the seedlings before the heavy mist/drizzle ran me inside. Nancy was baking cookies and was watching Eliza while Amy ran some errands. I got to watch the live hearings on the laptop with the new FBI director Wray being questioned by the congress judiciary panel. The question by the dem's were milk toast with their remarks being somewhat evasive but the republicans asked straight forward questions regarding Comey and Mueller and his team of biased pro-Clinton people. Much of what was answered were put off with the usual "can not reflect because of the present investigation going on" but the issues came out that the FBI has lost its integrity with the upper managers in the bureau and that Clinton and Obama made the new Trump administration's transition miserable but first the DNC tried to influence the election with a false dossier in collusion with the Russians backed up and paid for by Clinton and the DNC.

I was a little skeptical about a "deep state government" term that was thrown around but now I see it was set in place by Obama and his cronies. I think we are going to find out so much more corruption from the past administration than we first thought and Hillary was financing the payoffs with her foundation that was receiving hundreds of millions of dollars. I welcome the investigation of her, foundation and finally the server which she used to transmit all of her emails that she tried to destroy. It's unbelievable the FBI granted immunity to her most inner staff and never recorded the interview with her or put her under oath. There is more to come no doubt but its down right frightening the Clinton's have got away with so much corruption and Obama assisted in that occurring. I believe they will take him down as well in the end.

Well I watched the Lightning beat the Colorado team in Tampa in a good hard fought hockey game. We are still leading our division as of now, LATER

Thursday morning

Well it was definitely another warm day on Wednesday but changes are coming this weekend which will be a relief from the heat and humidity. After lunch it was just to hot out to do much of anything but stay inside and read. I had a great workout in the morning on the pickle ball court and then did some garden work until lunch time. Nancy and Amy baked another batch of Christmas cookies after lunch and put them in the freezer so as to add them next week when she does a marathon day of baking.

I started the day much the usual with before 6'ish roll out to my cup of hot tea laced with turmeric while I posted this ramble and then spent some quiet time with my Creator in thanksgiving and lifting up several by name for comfort and healing. The update on GG is somewhat better and Nancy spoke with her on the phone and she sounded lucid and was sitting up in a wheel chair. Maybe the antibiotics are working against the UTI which causes her to talk out of her head. Her O2 level is better but she is still in the hospital which she said her room was beautiful and very spacious. I spoke with Paw Paw for a spell he seemed quite well as we reminisced about several in the family. He sounded strong and said he was doing good on the stairs which was his workout and good for him. I thought so as well as the climbing is good for him but he said he uses his cane for balance and takes his time on the stairs.

Amy and Eliza Faye came for lunch and she is such a cutie and becoming so grown up in so many ways. She loves to dance and do ballet especially with the Christmas music Nancy had on the player. She of course helped with the cookie baking by adding the sprinkles to the top. She came in to tell me there were cookies she made if I wanted one. I did put together a present for Annsley which took me a couple of hours just figure out the directions. I only had to take apart one section once which was encouraging as the schematics are less than clear, oh well. After Amy left to pick up Ava and Sam Nancy took off on her bike for a ride through the hood and I read until it was time for supper.

We had fried fish which I love with asparagus and a fresh garden salad. I finally reached the 189 level for the first time in months before I headed out for pickle ball and even saw 188 after playing for two hours. My goal is 180 but since its taken me a month to drop from 197 I'm hoping for 185 by the first of the year. I have been reducing my portions and just an occasional dessert and in addition to the two hours of workout 5-6 days a week the excess spare tire is going down. I love the feel I get when working out.

Well after the supper clean up we settled into Fox News the only channel that brings fair and balanced reporting. The dem's are showing just how corrupt they are with this biased investigation of our POTUS. The hypocrites in Hollywood and among the liberal congressman are getting their due as well with all of the sexual harassment allegations they learned from their mentor Slick Willy. Finally a couple are resigning from the congress and further investigations are being conducted into the Mueller fiasco of destroying this president with innuendos and false reporting with the major networks. I want to see all of the biased fake networks have to apologize. They are the biggest hypocrites ever and now we see where their CEO's are being investigated for harassing subordinates. The chickens have come home to roost for many and it disturbs me so many on the left still idolizes these sycophants of Hillary and Obama who are the most corrupt political figures ever, especially the Clinton crime family, LATER

Wednesday Morning

Well Tuesday was another warm day with the a/c running as the humidity has returned despite the nice breeze which has kept the temps into the low 80's. There was plenty of sunshine and blue skies but we are in for a drastic change this weekend with the lows in the 40's, yeow that will be a change. Nancy started her cookie baking and has decided instead of a marathon one day baking to do one a day and freeze them until we are ready to give them out to the neighbors, mail man, garbage collectors, etc.

The day started much the usual for me with a before 6'ish roll out. I need to go back to taking my herbs before bed that has helped with sleeping. Nancy had me awake off on during the night with her log sawing. The supplement hops and valerian together did seem to help with sleep but I quit using it for no reason, oh well. I did my customary routines that started with a handful of vitamins washed down with some spiced V-8 while I waited for my tea to brew. I laced it with some turmeric then headed into the spare room to compose this ramble and to spend a few quiet moments with my Creator in thanksgiving for another day and to lift up several by name for comfort and healing.

The update on GG hasn't changed as she is still in the hospital at the University of Michigan. I haven't heard anything from Paw Paw as he seems to have forgotten his weekly call to me and seldom answers the phone at his place in Winchester. Brother Joe is in Tennessee with his daughter/doctor where she once practiced and they are awaiting the results of tests from his condition. Age seems to be playing a major role in his condition as well as GG and Paw Paw. All of them are in their 90's or close to it so the best we can hope for is comfort from any unnecessary pain and discomfort.

I headed out for the Rec. and got in two good hours of pickle ball with good A players. We had one court to ourselves and worked up a good sweat before heading home around 10'ish. I piddled around in the garden and yards until lunch time when Amy and Eliza came. Afterwards I settled into finish Guthrie's book FAIR LAND and was startled by the ending. There are two more in the 6 book series that started with the movement west of mountain men, exploration and eventually settlements into the west coast and then coming back into the mountains and plains to adventures with the native Americans. Guthrie puts you right in the moment of how life was to the early settlers and adventures of living off the land and with the Indians as he eventually married a squaw and had children.

I grilled marinated chicken breasts along with Brussel sprouts for our supper which was "plate licking" delicious. We had a huge fresh all "from my garden" salad for lunch. The garden is doing well but I had to resow the half runner beans as the seeds must have been old. I did save some seeds from last years harvest and I may have to sow them if these seeds don't germinate. The sugar peas are sprouting and should pop through to start climbing the chain link fence. Another cucumber seedling is showing some color as well. The collards should be big enough in a couple of weeks for harvesting as well.

We settled into the FOX cable news and its disgusting as well as disheartening to see where the FBI has been politicized with their biased investigation to bring our president down while letting crooked Hillary skate on her lies and corruption as well the handling of classified data that put his nations security in harms way. Mueller has surrounded himself with Never Trumper's in the deep state ideology to preserve the power they have lost with Trump as the POTUS. Hopefully all of this will be black and white to the average citizen and justice will prevail and this witch hunt of collusion with the Russians will be shown to be what it really is; and that is too destroy this president and his agenda which is to make the nation great again. I'm at a loss to think we have folks in such high positions of power and decision making who would sacrifice the nation for their own greed and the retaining of power.

 This is no doubt a new call for term limits and a judicial system to punish the abusers and crooks that have ingrained themselves in the government for political purposes. Just think if Hillary would have been elected we never would have known the total corruption of the liberal democrats and their influence in all of the departments. To think the integrity of the FBI has been abrogated as well as the attorney generals office to subvert the justice department is a total disgrace. FOX news tells the unbiased truth. I did watch a little of the Lightning game versus the Islanders and we won 6-2 in a great game, LATER

Tuesday Morning

Well Monday was another warm day but the forecast is for a front to move through later this week with some cooler temps. It wasn't unbearable outside as I worked in the yards and gardens until lunch time and then later in the afternoon after a good two hour pickle ball workout in the morning at the Rec.

I started the day much the usual with a 6'ish roll out. I had my hot tea with turmeric while I posted this ramble and then spent a few quiet moments with my Creator in thanksgiving and lifting up several by name for comfort and healing in this their time of need. GG is still in the UM Hospital and the update hasn't changed much; brother Joe Sheetz was taken back to Tennessee with his daughter/doctor to her hospital for treatment and care. His days of living alone are in jeopardy in his beautiful mountain home unless he gets nursing assistance or round the clock care and even that is in doubt with his health issues. He is just too much to care for by his sisters Helen and Martha who still live in the area.

I learned one of the pickle ball players has prostrate cancer and its spread into his bones and now he is facing chemo. He still comes and plays almost everyday and I wouldn't have know by his energy level but his wife who also plays mentioned his issues to me. Bob is his name and while he had the cancer years ago and the prostrate was removed due to the cancer it has metastasized and spread further. Keep him in your prayers. I think playing the game has helped to give him a reason to continue fighting this cancer.

I harvested lettuces and kale and then cleaned it and made a huge salad. I also harvested Swiss chard for our supper and it was awesome along with chicken fried deer steak, gravy and green beans. I 'm still waiting on the recently resowed green bean seeds to poke through the ground as well as the sugar peas and carrots. A couple of what I thought were volunteer tomato seedlings turned out to be weeds. I had to rub the leaves and smell to make sure they were tomato seedlings; they were weeds that look just like tomato plants, oh well. I have another cucumber seedlings poking through the ground so it looks like I will have a back up to the one seedlings that is now adding leaves.

I piddled around in the front yard hoeing up this terrible weed that has a root extremely long and hard to pull up. I don't know where it came from but it spreads like crazy and the hurricane rain only added to his longevity. It is one tough weed and while it gives the ground some green it chokes out any grasses so I'm working a little each day in eradicating it from the front yard which is slowly coming back after all the downed tree limbs laid for so long killing most of the grasses.

Well we are finding out just how corrupt the government became under Obama as potus and Hillary in the cabinet; especially with the preferential treatment she got from the FBI. Unbelievable this could happen here in America; I would expect this in a banana republic but not here. I'm beginning to wonder how widespread this corruption is within the congress. We know the fake news networks are in collusion with the corrupt Clinton's and now the special prosecutor and the DOJ are corrupt within their higher ups. That is why they hate Trump so much because he is pointing them out and the American people are are starting to see just how crooked and corrupt they are, LATER

Monday Morning

Well Sunday found us at SPC with our BridgePoint Church Family from 8:30 until nearly 1:30 as we served the late service and attended the early one and then we helped pack up and load out to the big truck. There isn't as much electronics to pack and unpack each week as the college has a great sound system for the band and the stage screen upon which the video is shown of Tim bringing the message.

The day started for us around 6'ish as Nancy also awakened to get ready for church. I did my routines that start with a hand full of vitamins washed down with some V-8 and then had my cup of hot tea laced with Turmeric while I posted this ramble and prayed for several as well as gave thanks for another day. The update on GG went down hill during the day and her oxygen level required her to be taken back to the hospital. She has also been having sundowners at night which doesn't give her any sleep as well as the possible UTI which is always known by the weirdest things they see and say. She is back in the UM hospital in Ann Arbor. For how long we don't know. It seems she does well for a couple of days then goes backwards for a couple of weeks losing all she has gained, espically being able to walk a little.

Pastor Tim had a superb message and if you get a chance look at it on line at BridgePoint Church in St. Pete.com. It's archived. We were supposed to meet up with the Botbyl's and Tracy's for lunch but since there were so few folks helping to load out at the college we stayed and helped. We stopped at Culver's and had grilled chicken sandwiches and fries for our lunch around 1:30 then headed home to drop me off as Nancy along with Carol headed out to a jewelry party for one of the ladies in the church who helps with the homeless. I watched the Buc's play a lousy game and then when she got home we stopped at Home Depot for a new flapper for the commode and then headed over to GG's to shut the water off and mend the door where a chip of wood had been knocked out. There was a For Sale sign in the front yard which means Eric and Diane are moving swiftly to sell the house, oh well.

We skipped any supper except for some popcorn after the late lunch. I fixed the commode and then hand watered the gardens before dark. I will need to harvest lettuces today as they are growing beautifully as well as set out some tomato plants into the garden. That was about it for the day as I got ready for my 10 PM lights out, LATER

Sunday Morning

Well Saturday was another warm one and the humidity is still around however the evenings are very nice with a gentle cool breeze as it drops down into the upper 50's and 60's overnight. We were planning on meeting with our new Life Group from BridgePoint around 5'ish for a supper and gift exchange. I started the morning outside with an impromptu pickle ball game with three other good players for a couple hours.

The day for me started with my usual 6'ish rollout to a cup of hot tea laced with turmeric while I posted this ramble and spent some quiet time with my Creator in thanksgiving and lifting up several by name. The update on GG isn't getting any better as she continues to have breathing issues from the congestive heart failure and possibly another UTI. Our dear friend Joe from the mountains is also having serious health issues and is back in the hospital now with pancreatitis and isn't doing well at all at the age of 90. He needs lots of prayer for comfort as he is in a lot of pain and discomfort as well as his sister our "mountain mom" who checks on him and took him to the hospital. Everyone else is doing OK at this point in time as best we have heard.

I got a call around 8:15 from three of my pickle ball buddies that they were at the Rec. and didn't get word the gym was closed for basketball so they set up the net outside on a basketball court which had been converted with the lines painted for one PB court. So I hightailed up there and we played several sets outside for a couple hours. Outside PB is a completely different game with a different ball which requires you to play a much softer dink and dunk play. The hard ball does not allow you to use the power game as the ball flies out of bounds. There were some good rallies and the exercise was awesome as well. The use of the lob is limited as well with the outside play which is used in the gym as an offensive tactic, anyhow we had some great play and being outside was rather a plus with the lighting conditions.

Nancy had made a huge fresh salad as well as her mousse tarts to take to the Life Group. There were at least 25-30 folks there and the house we visited was huge; over 3 thousand square feet. It seems this has become the party house so to speak as all attendees were over 60 plus and most were retired as well. We did a fun gift exchange after eating and getting to know many who are also volunteers on Sunday morning at BridgePoint. We had lots of "in common" associates from Indian Rocks Church were many of these who now attend BridgePoint came from. It was a fun time and the Italian Food theme was awesome with finger food to soups to Lasagna. The desserts were many and very tasty as well. We each introduced our selves and told a little about our life. How we came to the church, our kids and grand kids as well as hobbies, etc.

Well we got home around 9'ish and I settled into some college ball and then read a little before lights out at 10'ish. Today is corporate worship day or as Bobby likes to say a day of "gathering of believers" to worship, praise and honor our GOD. We are a blessed nation and even more so since He had a hand in defeating the corrupt Clinton Family in the last election. Their corruption runs deep into many departments of the government with their desire for power and money and even into the FBI and DOJ as seen by this special prosecutor and the last director of the bureau who is doing their best to bring down our POTUS Mr. Trump with this collusion accusation of the Russians and the last election which was started by Hillary herself, LATER

Saturday Morning

Well Friday was another warm day but not quite as humid as the day before with lots of sunshine and blue skies. I played pickle ball for two hours, worked in the garden and then headed over to GG's house where I cleaned out the gutters and the garage. I left before Nancy and Betsy who stayed and finished with getting the house ready to sell. We hooked up with the Botbyl's and the Tracy's for supper in Largo then came back and played Euchre.

The day started with me rolling out around 6'ish. I had my usual routines that started with a cup of hot tea laced with turmeric while I posted this ramble and spent some quiet time with my Creator in thanksgiving and lifting up several by name. The update with GG as Nancy spoke with her and Eric by phone are her breathing issues from fluid retention. She is back on oxygen as well as diuretics and another possible UTI. Seems this runs in cycles so there will be a couple days of setbacks despite the fact she got our of bed by herself and into the wheel chair which is a big plus. Sister Dee had a procedure on her hip which has been a pain in the rear(no pun intended) and that surgery went well as she is on the road to recovery. Everyone else is doing fine including Bobby with his sinus infections gone for now.

I had a great two hours of pickle ball at the Rec. with 5 other good players and left whupped with a wet shirt around 10'ish. I'll take the next two days off as the gym is being used this Saturday for basketball. I piddled around in the garden until it was time to head over to GG's and finish up some jobs too big for the girls. I was on the ladder and then in the garage with the blower cleaning it out. After bagging all of the debris and leaving it out for the trash I headed home to catch up on some of my chores. Afterwards I read for a couple hours until Nancy got home and then she was in the shower to get ready for an evening out with friends at the Bonefish Grille in Largo. I had my usual bowl of chowder with crab meat on top and an appetizer order of Bang Bang shrimp with an order of crusty bread, yeow very tasty and then we had several desserts shared by all. Dan Botbyl turned 63 today so it was a celebration for and about him.It was a good meal but a little pricey.

We came back to our humble abode and played Euchre and the gals won despite acting as if they don't understand the game at times. They played well enough to win two in a row. We sat around and talked for another hour watching some college football afterwards while Nancy looked at islands for the kitchen with the gals. All of a sudden she has decided she needs an island whereas we haven't had one for over twenty years. I finally relented and gave in so she is going to order it and then I will have to put it together. I'm against having one as everyone gathers in the kitchen no matter what the occasion so there goes our space; but against my better judgement and brow beating I gave in.

It was close to 10 when they all left as the Tracy's are spending the weekend with the Botbyl's. We are all getting together with our life group from BridgePoint this evening and the Tracy's are invited as well and will attend church with us on Sunday. I got ready and headed for some horizontal lab shortly afterwards, LATER