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
