Thursday Morning

Well Wednesday started out very chilly and it did warm up some in the afternoon but cooled off again in the late evening. We have had the heat on for several days during the night but shut it down during the day as it gets to about 72 in the house.

I started the day much the usual with a 6'ish roll out and believe me its hard to do since Nancy put the flannel sheets on the bed two nights ago. Yeow are they ever snug and so soft and they stay so warm throughout the night, oh well. I did my morning routines that start with the cup of hot green tea laced with turmeric and ginger then spent some time with my Creator in thanksgiving and lifting up several by name for comfort and healing. Some will take a miracle such as my old college room mate Richard and then there is Eddie and Skip as well as Paw Paw who is in the first stages of dementia related to old age and with several other health issues. There are so many in need and we all need to pray for our Potus Trump who is being excoriated by those who are corrupt and biased as he tries his best to save America from the evil liberal dem's who murder babies in the womb, who want to steal from the treasury and our bank accounts with socialist ideology and allow illegals to enter the country where they kill US(A) as well as allow jihadist into the government. America is on the road to destruction unless we stand behind him and his endeavors to save the nation.

I headed out before 8 on my bike and it was a cold ride to say the least for a good two hours of pickle ball at the rec. We didn't have as many beginners as usual so we A players had one court all morning and wow what a workout. I stopped off at the library for a new read then headed home to work in the garden and then scrapped the front porch as I get it ready to paint as soon as it warms to the 70's which should be this weekend. I can not imagine the cold the north is facing as the 40's gives me a chill. I spoke with Paw Paw today and sister Pat and they have snow on the ground and in the 20's but for a wind chill of the 50's below zero is almost unreal unless you're at the North Pole.

I made a fresh guacamole for our lunch on a bed of fresh garden salad and then we finished up the soup for our supper around 5. Nancy had a Soul Sisters Meeting at 6:30 so I had the channel changer all to myself which found me flipping on and off to Fox Cable and the Lightning game. The Bolts were being whupped by the Penguins and of course Fox always brings to light the real corruption with the liberal dem's and their corrupt hypocritical leaders. It's so sad to think we are now murdering babies with the help of the mother and some supposedly doctor right up to their birthing. GOD help them and this nation as we have become so immoral and degraded, LATER

Wednesday Morning

Well basket ball season is over for this year with Ava and her team and they won again in a hard fought match with a team in the Seffner area which is east of Tampa. She played hard and is the best defensive player on the team and while she didn't score this night she make the most steals and rebounds and assists. She played the whole game and was a big reason they managed to squeak a another win over 5 girls who were 8th graders and were playing their last game. Ava's team has only 6th graders and one 7th grade girl.

I started the day much the usual with a 6'ish roll out to a cup of hot green tea laced with turmeric and fresh ginger while I posted this ramble then did some quiet time with my Creator in lifting several up by name and giving thanks for my blessings. All seem well as I'm heard nothing to the contrary. We had a killing frost that covered all of the roof tops around our house but the big oak in the back yard saved my garden all except the half runner bean vines which were touched slightly. I'm hoping with the good watering I gave them and the warm temps during afternoon, bring them back as it seems just the outside leaves were touched. I had to put wire up around my tomato plants as the dang squirrels were in them again and chewed off two large tops and branches. They have become a real nuisance and I'm thinking of way to annihilate them now, oh well. Since the large front yard oak is gone and the back yard one did not produce any acorns this you would think they would leave for one of the neighboring oaks and their yard.

I headed out to the rec. around 9 as we have the gym until noon instead of 10. I played hard for nearly 2 1/2 straight hours as was whupped when I left for home. It was a cold early morning ride with my eyes watering all the way but when I left at noon I didn't need my sweater it had warmed up to the upper 60's with bright sunshine. Typically Florida winter weather. It did cool off as we left the gym in the Tampa area and thankfully the traffic while heavy, there were no back ups and we breezed home in about 45 minutes on the interstate. We took Amy and the kiddos with us and then we all came back for a supper of homemade vegetable beef soup which was so good on this cool evening. Tyler was in D.C. for his job and he showed snow pictures. He will be back on Thursday if he doesn't get snowed in there.

Well if wasn't long after eating Amy headed home with the kiddos to get them ready for bed after showers and home work that we cleaned up, vacuumed and then tuned into the FOX CABLE News and the way the left wing radicals of the dem's are wanting to destroy our nation is unbelievable. The failure of the Mueller hit job on our Potus to investigate the real corruption within that party is also devastating to our sense of equal justice with the main stream media acting as his point man. It is so frustrating to see the double standard and the lack of true honesty by those who are hell bent on bringing down this duly elected POTUS Trump and destroying our culture with platforms on killing unborn babies and now taking the "under GOD" portion out of everything. We are in a spiritual warfare with the dark side and the dem's have subscribed to it with the left wing of the party, LATER

Tuesday Morning..last Tuesday in January

Well this month has surly flown by and with it we got some cold temps. Monday was another cold morning here in usually warm Florida for this time of the month. No frost or freeze but down right damp bone penetrating cold in the high 30's and up to the low 60's for the day. One thing is for sure is that it seldom's stays bone chilling all day long especially if the sun breaks through the clouds; but Sunday was one of those exceptional days.

I started the day much the usual with a 6'ish roll out to my cup of hot green tea laced with turmeric and ginger root while I posted these thoughts and then spent so quiet time with my Creator in thanksgiving and lifting up several by name. All seem well as I've heard nothing to the contrary. We ALL need to keep our once Christian-Judeo country in our thoughts and prayers as the radical left wing progressives have a foot hold in not only the national government but local state governments. The murder of our babies a day before the actually birth is evil and diabolical to say the least. The corrupt politicians are actually using this abortion pledge as a campaign platform to get elected. What does our Creator think of this kind of nation; we as a nation have been blessed but I feel our halo of goodness and bounty is falling apart. I have never seen so many prophecies in the Bible of the end days coming to be. We are on a downward spiral from within much like the days that destroyed Rome.

I headed out to the rec. for a good two hours of pickle ball play. We made a big decision to designate players of their ability to certain courts and most everyone agreed except for a few which is understandable. Some think they are better players than they are and left but we have too many players for three courts so we needed to put the beginners together on one court and then the intermediate players on another and then have a challenge court for those who play decent. It worked out well and there was a waiting list for each court. I left around 10'ish after a good workout and pedaled home in a stiff north cold wind. The breeze was with us all day but the sun did finally start to warm things up around noon. I stopped by the barber for an ear lowering before settling in for the day at home. I piddled around in the garden and actually had to give the new lettuce seedlings a drink in the afternoon despite the couple inches of rain on Sunday as the sun and wind dried up the sandy soil. Everything looked good especially the kale plants as I had to put chicken wire around them again due to the squirrels daily munching away on them.

I made a guacamole for our lunch along with some salad then I settled into a new read. I sat outside on the front porch in the sun which was away from the north breeze and read for a couple hours. Nancy was off shopping so I had some read time. We were watching Eliza and Sam during evening hours as Tyler and Amy drove to Tampa for Ava's next to last game. They won and today we are taking everyone but Tyler to the Seffner area for her last game. Tyler is flying up D.C. for a business meeting. Bobby is supposed to meet us there for the game as well.

Nancy baked chicken legs which the kiddos like plus yellow rice. They ate good and then Nancy gave Eliza a bath before Amy and Tyler got back from Tampa. Sam is a constant talker especially if he finds a subject that intrigues him. After their homework and bowls of ice cream they settled into the movie Shrek until it was time to leave which was going on 9. I read until 9:30 then hit the shower and soon was watching some FOX CABLE NEWS  which seems to be the only non biased network for news left. The MSM is completely in the tank for the radical left wing dem's and are totally Trump haters. History tells us the dictators of old like Hitler, Stalin and Lenin used these factors in their countries to apply their evil actions that killed any and all who opposed them. It's starting to look like that here in our America where there is a double standard of justice for the corrupt and the networks are in bed with them, LATER

Sunday and Monday Morning

Well Saturday was a fun filled day with mostly sunshine but much cooler temps as the front really set in. We were getting ready for the big birthday celebration for Bobby as Nancy had to schedule it early due to his and ours social calendars. She had been in the kitchen most all day making two batches of sauce for the lasagna as one had to be garlic free due to Tyler's allergy. We had our nephew and his family as well as aunt Betsy came by after work. the food was excellent with awesome appetizers, garden salad and of course garlic bread and the lasagna. Nancy had enough to give away, froze one pan for later and leftovers for a couple days. She has no concept on how much to prepare plus she gave Tyler his whole pan to take home which I could barely taste the difference, oh well.

Sunday morning found me up earlier than usual for the load in at the college for BridgePoint Church. It was raining when I headed out and its did not stop the whole day long which is very unusual for Florida and it was a cold rain that permeated to the bone. We still had a good turn out for both services despite the dreary conditions but the cold was unbelievable. It was going on 1'ish when we got home after serving the second service so we heated up some of the leftover lasagna and feasted big again. I had skipped breakfast except for my cup of hot green tea laced with turmeric so I was hungry and that meal held me for the rest of the day.

We had the heat on all day long which is quite unusual and by bed time we put an extra blanket on the bed. I got a call from an old friend who now lives in the pan handle of Florida. He is now a grand dad for the first time with a little girl, named Magnolia Grace. They were hit really hard by the hurricane in Oct. and the area looks like it was carpet bombed. He had major damage to his roof which needs to be replaced as well sheds, etc but all survived. We chatted for nearly an hour remembering the old days while on patrol in Pinellas County. He is also retired from FHP.

Well I ordered a new 8x10 shed for the back yard as this old one was crushed in one corner by the same storm when a tree limb blew down across the fence. It was old to begin with and rusting out but it was a good one. This new one is made of steel reinforced hard plastic so no need to worry abut rust. It's supposed to be here the 15th of Feb. Well that was about it for Sunday as we hunkered down to the rain and cold damp temps, LATER

Saturday Morning

Well Friday started out on the chilly side with temps in the 40's but by late afternoon it had reached the upper 60's to low 70's and then by dark it started dropping again. Not enough to turn the heat on as the house stayed in the 70's which was quite comfortable when we got home last evening around 8:30 after Ava's game and then another game before stopping at a local eatery called Momma's Kitchen. The food was very tasty and plentiful.

I started the day much the usual with a 6'ish roll out to cool temps and my usual routines that start with a cup of hot green tea laced with turmeric and ginger while I posted this ramble then spent some time with my Creator in thanksgiving and lifting up several by name. Afterwards I got ready to head out to the rec. on my bike for a solid two hours of pickle ball play. We had one of our better weeks of play as we managed to keep one court for the A players most of the week which is always a plus when you can keep your game sharpe with good players.

I headed home a little after 10 and decided to start cleaning out the garden shed which needs to be replaced. A huge limb last year caved in a little of the roof which caused some minor leaking and I have some rusted out spots on the sides,  plus its over 25 years or more since Mr. Bill my now deceased neighbor helped me build it back when. I loaded up 3 huge garbage cans of stored stuff from old wood to whatever I've been meaning to throw away but instead stuck it in the back of the shed. I still have some more cleaning and tearing down the benches I built to store stuff on as I'm ordering a plastic shed which will not rust and its very nice to look at. Its a little more pricy but should out last me unless a hurricane takes it away. I will need to find a way to anchor it once I get it up, oh well thats down the road.

We took off around 3:30 for Keswick School to watch Ava's last home game and she scored the first points in the game and they went on to win by a huge margin over Northside Christian. Ava is great on defense and doesn't usually score much but she did twice and made several great steals and rebounds. She is a go getter on the court. We stayed and watched the JV boys win big over another school as several of those players attend BridgePoint with us. It was a good night thus far for Keswick teams. We stopped at Momma's for supper around 7'ish and the place was still packed with diners. We met the owner as he got us a large round booth and I mentioned it was our first time there and he was really intrigued since we've lived in Seminole for years. I mentioned the place use to be called Sambo's and he bought the business when they went out of business. He guaranteed we would like our food and he was right.

We got back to the house and since we ate so late we watched some of the FOX CABLE NEWS and discovered the witch hunt to destroy this Potus is in full mode with indicting some of the folks he has had as advisors for the things the Hillary and DOJ and FBI are guilty of. This is such a double standard on Mueller's part and his bunch to destroy Trump. It makes me sick to think all of the corruption in D.C. if she had been elected and we would never had any idea this occurs in these two major bureau's. Well it will come back to bite the dem's when we get a new unbiased attorney general and corruption in the obama administration will be made know, LATER

Friday Morning

Well Thursday turned out to be almost another beach day despite the front that move through during the night with heavy rain and wind. An area north of us sustained some heavy damage in a mobile home park but no one was injured. It was supposed to turn much cooler but that has stayed away as of now but the models do show some cooler temps heading our way.

I started the day much the usual with a 6'ish roll out to my usual routines that start with my cup of hot green tea laced with turmeric and ginger while I post this ramble and then some quiet time with my Creator. All seem well to those I lift up daily and then give thanks for my many blessings. I headed out around 9:30 to the rec. on my bike for what turned out to be a good 2 1/2 hours of pickle ball with A players. I left with a wet shirt after 12'ish and the bike ride back to the house was surprisingly warm. I expected the temps to drop with the breeze but it stayed in the low 70's all day with bright sunshine and blue skies.

We had a salad for lunch then I headed out to work in the garden and yards. I didn't have to water but the heavy rain packed the soil so I loosened around all of my new lettuce seedlings and gave them a dose of miracle grow as well as potted up 24 new lettuce seedlings into 6 packs to be transplanted when they get another couple leaves into the garden proper. I noticed several egg plants starting to make fruit as well as the tomato's are loaded. The collard greens where wonderful and we had enough leftover to go with our hamburger steak on the grill for supper. My they are so good and the new way we prepare them is the best ever. I finished up another historical novel by Dennis Lehane about the mafia in Ybor City/Tampa back in the 30's and it was a real page turner. After the cleanup from supper we settled into the FOX CABLE NEWS and see once again the dem's and Pelosi will not compromise anything with our duly elected POTUS Trump to put the government back to work and secure our southern border. I'm wondering how many more illegals will enter the nation and do harm to US(A) along with the drugs and terrorists. It's down right hypocritical to what she is doing to not give Trump another win, LATER

Thursday Morning

Well Wednesday was a beach day after a some what cool morning, in the 50's but soon warmed up to the low 80;s by the afternoon. It was almost a/c time but the breeze kept the humidity down. I played pickle ball, worked in the garden and finished putting this desk together as we got the two parts delivered via FedEx.

I started the day much the usual with a 6'ish rollout to my cup of hot green tea laced with turmeric and ginger while I posted this ramble and then spent some time lifting several up by name to my Creator for comfort and healing. All seem well except we did speak briefly with Paw Paw and his care giver Pat and she mentioned he had spent a couple days at the VA hospital but was back home with her in W.Va. Everyone else seems to be doing as well as can be expected considering their ages and health issues.

I headed out to the rec. on my bike for a couple hours of good play and then stopped off at the library for a couple new reads by Dennis Lehane who has now struck my interest with his historical novels especially the one relating to the mafia in Ybor City which is in Tampa, Fl. We decided to have collards and pork ribs for supper so I cut a nice mess from one plant that needed harvesting, rinsed them and chopped them up for the pot while Nancy got the fixin's ready to add to the pot for the all day simmer. Yeow, what a feed and I added a fresh jalapeno pepper from the garden to my bowl. They were so good and I have enough leftover for a large bowl for lunch today. I did tie up several of my tomato plants that have exploded with little green ones. I ended up with about 12 or 13 plants some of which are further along than others that should supply us and our family and friends with fruit for a long time.

I cut more lettuce for another neighbor as I have a couple dozen lettuce seedlings up which will need to be potted up into 6 packs until they are big enough for the ground. It's been a banner year for everything even the cucumbers as they are blooming and climbing the fence I made for them. After  lunch we headed in to finished the last directions of putting this new desk together. We had the old one since the kids were still at home and while it worked for me it did not fit the decor for Nancy. We also cleaned out, separated and then threw away stuff we had been hoarding for some unknown reason over the years.

Afterwards I headed out to hand water the gardens, pull a few weeds and piddle around out front in the yard where the grass is finally starting to fill in around the tree which had died over the summer. Its taken a lot of work but the new grass is so much better than the old one I put in last fall and it doesn't get cinch bugs or fungus so it should hold the green all summer. I grilled bone in ribs and they were great with the collards, yeow what a feed and I have 5 more plants that will need harvesting in a few days.

The forecast is for below normal temps for this next week starting today after a front moves through the area and I awakened this am to rain and cloudy skies after a beach day yesterday. I sure hope the temps don't get to freezing especially with the garden producing, LATER 

Wednesday Morning

Well it warmed up yesterday into the low 70's yeow was that ever nice after a somewhat chilly start in the high 40's. The sun was bright with blue skies yet there was a slight breeze which made it almost a perfect day with little or no humidity.

I started the day much the usual with a 6'ish roll out to my cup of hot green tea laced with turmeric and ginger while I posted this ramble and then lifted up several to my Creator for healing and comfort and to give thanks for my many blessings. I headed out around 9'ish for the rec. on my bike for two plus hours of pickle ball play and left with a wet shirt. I finally broke the 184 mark after my workout but of course that changes after eating two meals before going to bed. I'm hoping to stay somewhere between 184 and 185 but would like to see 180 before summer, oh well. The spare tire has shrunk slightly but I suppose with age I'm stuck with the sag in the middle and no longer a six pack.

I worked in the garden after the rec. until lunch time which was just a salad and then read outside in the sun for a couple hours. We had to leave around 3:30 for Ava's basketball game at Keswick and then again around 7'ish for the Blessed Life study at the rec. with several other BridgePointers. Ava's team seemed like they were still tired after the three games over the weekend in the tournament. This team from Bradenton was well coached and had two complete teams to replace each other every few minutes and the fresh legs were evident on the court. We saw Keswick only lose for the second time this season. They have three more games with the last home game on Friday and then two games in the Tampa area the week after next.

The Botbyl's invited us up for supper after I made a trip down to St.Pete to pickup Dan who dropped a truck off at a muffler shop but as it turned out that trip was not necessary as Carol got her wire crossed, oh well. She had a pot of nokkie soup and Danielle and baby stayed for supper as well. The baby Palmer is a cutie and growing like a weed. I picked them up a little before 7 as the class was being held in the rec. building up stairs in one of the class rooms which is very nice. Seems there were two classes being held in the building. We had about 20 folks or so to do the study by the book by Robert Morris titled the Blessed Life. Looks like it will be very interesting and many in the class are in our Life Group. Should be fun as well, LATER

Tuesday Morning

Well Monday was probably our coldest morning thus far this year with temps in the upper 30's but the breeze made it feel even colder with the wind chill; of course its a summer day compared to many parts of the nation. It did finally reach 65 by the late afternoon so off we went on a bike ride through the 'hood. Since it was MLK Day the rec. and library were closed as well as Keswick School so Amy and the grands came for lunch and the zuppa soup which they love. They cleaned up the leftover pot in no time. We had a large breakfast so I wasn't hungry for lunch but there was just a small amount left so Nancy had me clean it up. It was no doubt very delicious.

We slept in until 6:30 then we had our hot drinks and turned the heat up as it was cold outside for Florida standards. We each did our quiet times lifting up several by name then around 9:30 Nancy decided we should eat an egg omelette with some grits. I added a fresh jalaleno pepper right from the garden to mine and it was delicious which held me until suppertime except for the small bowl of zuppa. After the cleanup I donned a sweat shirt and headed out to work in the garden. The sun was shining brightly and the wind had calmed down and soon I was too hot in the sweat shirt and really by late afternoon had to move back into the shade as the sun was too hot. I transplanted the remaining bibb and romaine lettuce seedling after harvesting the last two romaine heads and cleaning them for the salad bowl. I'll have at least a dozen or more black seeded simpson lettuce seedlings to dig up and transfer to 6 packs so with all of the new seedlings we should have a fresh salad bowl for the next month or so until it gets too hot.

I harvested our first mess of Swiss chard for supper. I've added the fresh leaves to the salad bowl but this was our first sauteed batch to accompany baked pork chops. I fed all of the seedlings with some liquid miracle grow and sprayed the peppers and tomato's with liquid epsom salts which is a must when growing especially these two veggies. The soil is leeched from this nutrient which comprises this material and I use it weekly. I have ton's of tomato's set and some big enough to fry. The collards are ready for harvesting as well. The new radishes are up so I took the chicken wire off where I had sowed the seeds to keep the squirrels out but they are still a nuisance as they constantly dig and chew on the smaller plants and the tomato's. They love the small green tomato themselves and I see them on the back fence eating them like acorns, oh well. We have a running battle daily with them.

Well that was about it for the day as we see where the biased fake main stream media constantly reports negatively about our duly elected Potus Trump. It just makes me sick and once again they got egg on their faces about the Catholic students who they thought because they are christian harassed a native American when it was a bunch of racist who started the confrontation and they reported just the opposite and then the buzzfeed story which was just one of many stories that left them looking the biased they are. I've never in all my life seen such hatred for our potus and his family and any and all who are christian in this government, LATER

Sunday and Monday Mornings

Well Saturday saw us with another beautiful day but by evening the winds were moving a front into the area and the temps had dropped a little but nothing like Sunday evening. We spent the biggest part of the day at St. Pete Christian School watching Keswick play in a basket ball tournament. The first game was at 10 'ish and then the championship game was at 6 'ish against a much more mature team with mainly 8th grader whereas Ava's team was mainly 6th graders. We had won the Friday evening game by a huge score and then the first game on Sat. with a convincing win but when we went up against this last team of 8th graders we were blasted by 20 points. I must say this team had won all of their other games by 50-60 points and we kept them to a 20 point deficit which in a way was a win for our girls. We ate out at Buffalo Wild Wings on the way and saw no bells on their food.

Sunday morning I was up early for the 6 am load in for BridgePoint Church at the college. It had rained overnight but the temps were still warm enough to ride to the college on my bike in shorts but as the morning progressed the temps turned much colder and by late afternoon we had the heat on. I covered one hill of cucumbers as they are not a lover of the cold temps but the wind was so strong I don't know if the blankets stayed on. I don't think we were getting below freezing but the wind chill sure made it feel that way.

We had an awesome service at BridgePoint with many new faces and we sat in on the first service and worked the second service as door holders and greeters. Our attendance has increased dramatically over the last few weeks. Nancy and I will attend a weekly class at the rec. titled a Blessed Life which is a Bible study in between all of our other engagements. I watched football during the evening and while neither of the teams were my favorites the games were close and both went into overtime. I would have liked to see the Saints the win and they were actually robbed on a blown interference play by the officials which let the Rams win at the end and of course the Patriots came back in overtime and marched right down the field with the old man Brady at the QB position who regardless of what you say is one of the best ever at that position. I'm not a fan of their coach but they have dedicated players who give everything to win.


The Super Bowel should be a good one as well with the Rams vs Patriots but in all honestly I think Brady will once again prevail with his receivers and the defensive line being the real stars. It will be the east coast vs west coast it seems. I turned the lights out after the game and hit the sack but Nancy awakened me sometime around midnight to see the lunar eclipse and blood moon and it was red. This morning I'm looking out the kitchen window as I make this post and the moon is a big ball of brightness in the western sky.

Well is seems the earth's warming specialists are keeping a low profile with another winter storm blanketing the eastern part of the nation with cold temps, snow and ice. They are just like the naysayers who fail to call the illegal immigration a crisis. I'm hoping our duly elected POTUS TRUMP calls for a national emergency and builds the barrier or whatever the libs want to call it to stop the illegals, the drugs and the cartels who use innocents for human trafficing. It's such a shame as the dem's refusing to support this security barrier while promoting the killing of the innocent unborn with abortion on demand and paid for with tax paper money. Well that's about it for the past two days. The rec. is closed today along with library and most schools for M.L. K. Day, LATER 

Saturday Morning

Well Friday was a busy fun day that started with pickle ball in the morning, some garden time and then Amy and Eliza came for lunch and visited awhile before we headed out to watch Ava play basket ball in her first tournament in St.Pete at 4 PM. It was chilly once again but by mid morning the windows and doors were opened to bright sunshine and temps in the high 60's low 70's. A beautiful day to say the least.

I started the day much the usual with a 6'ish rollout to my routines that start with a cup of hot green tea laced with turmeric and ginger while I posted this ramble then lifted up several by name to my Creator for comfort and healing. All seem as well as can be expected as I've heard nothing different. The mountains have finally got above the freezing mark but an even colder front is on the way bringing more bad winter weather and here in Florida they are calling for our coldest temps yet for the year with this front. I may have to cover some plants in the next day or so.

I had a decent workout at the rec. but after an hour or so many beginners started showing up so I headed out to the library for a new read which is the second book in a trilogy by Lehane titled LIVE BY NIGHT. He is another awesome writer and his stories are historical fiction with the first one based in Boston and now this second one based mainly in Tampa. I'm about a third of the way through this second book as its that good. I gave up on the TV last evening after getting back from Ava's game which by the way they won big and must play again this morning (sat) at 10:15. If her team wins they play again later in the day and maybe even a third game. I'm not sure but there are 6 teams in the tournament and they have played and beaten all of them but one team.

Well that was about it as we had our large meal with Amy at lunch as she wanted spaghetti and meat balls we brought back from Bobby's on Wednesday. It was so delicious and I did not want anything else for the day much like we do on Sunday's after eating out for lunch. I did have my glass of vino while watching FOX CALE News until 7'ish then hit the showers and read until 10. Well that was about it for the day as we leave early this morning for St.Pete and the day inside with basket ball, oh well. Ava is playing nice and is a real go getter on the court especially on defense as she is one of the taller girls on the team. She is a great rebounder and scrappy stealing the ball and making good passes, LATER

Friday Morning

Well it was another chilly morning to start the day and Nancy had the heat on which did feel nice until around lunchtime when it warmed up to be a very nice afternoon. We shut the heat off and opened the windows and doors for the rest of the afternoon until we left around 4 for Ava's game. It cooled off again during night but not quite as cold as the night before. I see where our mountain family is going through some rough winter weather with snow, ice and very cold temps.

I started the day much the usual with a 6'ish roll out to my cup of hot green tea laced with turmeric and ginger root while I posted this ramble then spent some quiet time with my Creator in thanksgiving and lifting up several by name. All seem as well as can be expected for their ages and conditions as I've heard nothing to the contrary. I did my morning routines then headed out a little later as it was one of the morning we pickle ball players have an extra two hours in the gym with better players although lately a few of the B players have been staying longer and getting in our matches which doesn't make some of us happy, oh well.

I got back to the house around 11:30 and piddled around in the garden hand watering before we had lunch. It had really warmed up to short sleeve temps so I headed out to transplant some bibb lettuce seedlings into the ground as well as tie up some of my tomato plants. I have several new tomato's set and some are large enough to fry. We love fried green tomato's. I harvested some lettuce, kale and beet greens for our salad bowl which we try to keep filled for daily use and now the collards and Swiss chard are ready for harvesting.

I cut up the old desk and put it in garbage cans and got it out to the curb for the pickup today. I'm still waiting on the replacement parts so I can finish the new desk and reorganize that room. Nancy took off for her hike through the hood while I worked the garden and the front yard until it was time to head over to Indian Rocks School for Ava's 4:30 game. Well it was a close game and they were down 6 points with just two minutes to go and they managed to score 8 points in a row and won the game by 2 points. Wow what a finish and today they play again at 4 in St.Petersburg.

We came back and had grilled salmon fillets, cauliflower and sauteed peppers and pea pods , yeow what a delicious supper. I'm still holding at around 185 and these last 5 pounds are so hard to lose but 180 is my goal as I achieved it last year before heading out in June to the cabin, LATER

Thursday Morning

Well Wednesday was rather a down right chilly all day long and then into the evening it got cold again. Nancy turned the heat on for the first time this winter when the inside temp reached the low of 69, oh well. What made it feel even colder was the cloudy skies and the north breeze which went right through your clothing.

I started the day with my 6'ish roll out to a cup of hot green tea laced with turmeric and ginger root while I posted this ramble. All seem as well as can be expected but no one knows when your time is up as it was unexpected that uncle Mike's dad passes quietly in his sleep. He will be greatly missed by many and we had the pleasure to meet him several times over the years. He was a strong Believer and is now rejoicing in Heaven.

I headed out a little before 8 on my bike for a chilly ride to the rec. for two good hours of pickle ball play. It never really warmed up much from the low 40's until later in the day when it did reach the high 50's. Still is wasn't as bad as those in the mountains are experiencing the winter. The garden did not seem affected by the cold as of yet and the leafy green's are actually doing quite well. I'm not to sure how the cuke's which had blooms will fare as they aren't a fan of cold temps. We will see and I may have to cover them with blankets if it gets any colder. I think we are in for a gradual warm up before another front moves into the area next week.

I or we worked on that desk Nancy ordered on line and what a job that has become and to make it even worst one of the many pieces was not drilled with holes on both sides. I attempted to drill the holes but because the material is fiber board and so precise that did not work, so Nancy called the company and supposedly they are sending us that piece with the drilled holes and some more dowels, on well such as it is when your order is made in China. The bedroom is still in disarray from the cleaning out the old desk and parts of the new one laying around.

We left a little after 3 for Tampa and the traffic was unbelievable with back up's for miles on the interstate. We traveled the toll road and even that has tremendous traffic. I could never live or work in Tampa or the metro area. We made it there before 5 and Nancy had prepared the dinner ahead of time which was absolutely delicious. The kiddos always love her spaghetti with meat balls, garlic bread and garden salad. After supper I helped Gabe with his reading which he has come a long way from a year or so ago. Annsley is still tops in her class with straight A's and Gabe is close to her as well with good marks on his report card. They got their showers while we cleaned up then we played a wacky game which had you wearing different colored lens while drawing figures on paper. It was much like pictionary but with a twist. The kiddos loved it and while this one was more for kids we had a difficult time drawing with the glasses on. It was after 8 when Bobby got back from his baseball tryouts for the upcoming season.

 We headed out and got back home a little after 9. Thankfully the interstate wasn't backed up and it was smooth driving home. I hit the shower and was soon snuggled in watching the FOX cable News and the evidence the FBI and DOJ knew what some of the higher up were doing in these departments to subvert our duly elected POTUS is discomforting. I'm certainly hoping this to A.G. Barr will indict these criminals who have helped to destroy these two branches of government, LATER

Wednesday Morning

Well Tuesday was a busy day that started much the usual with a 6'ish roll out to my cup of hot green tea on this chilly morning laced with turmeric and ginger while I posted this ramble this spent some quiet time with my Creator in lifting up several by name. All seems well with them but we got a phone before I left for the rec. telling us a family friend and the father of Mike had passed away in his sleep. I believe he was in his late 80's with no real health issues that were pressing. We are saddened to hear of this news.

I headed out to the rec. at a later time as we A players have the gym from 10 to noon for our play which was exceptionally good with at times three courts in action. A few of the better B players mingled with their A partners as they get tuned up for a tournament next month. I'm not sure if I will play or not as of right now. I played until noon then headed home in a stiff north wind on my bike that was in the 50's but it did warm up to the low 60's as the sun finally came out.

We had a lunch of fresh salad then I worked on the new desk Nancy ordered on line from Wayfair. Well what a job after I unpacked this huge box with hundreds of parts and a direction at times was quite confusing. I mentioned after getting the base together we should probably finish the job in the room where it will rest; as getting the old desk out was not possible in one piece. So I deconstructed the old desk and we removed it from the computer room and put the base of the new desk in and then called it for the day. We still have several pieces to put together with lots of hardware for another time.

It was vino time at 5'ish and it was a welcome relief after stressing about the correct way to assemble the base of the desk. The Chinese must laugh at those who buy their products when deciphering the directions for constructing. So far everything fits.  Nancy made a red spaghetti sauce with meat balls to take to Bobby's this evening (WED) as we watch the grand kiddos while he has a baseball meeting and Katie is away on business. We will leave here around 3 and hope to get there by 4'ish or so which can be rather tricky with all of the rush hour traffic. It will be late when we get back and then on Thursday evening we have another Ava basket ball game so we will be busy the rest of the week, LATER

Tuesday Morning

Well Monday was a bit nippy as I rode my bike to the rec. a little before 8; but it warmed up to the low 60's with sunshine and blue skies however the northern breeze kept it long sleeve weather throughout the day and by late evening while grilling salmon fillets I needed a flannel shirt to ward off the chill.

I started the day much the usual with a 6'ish roll out to my cup of hot green tea lace with turmeric and fresh ginger root while I posted this ramble then spent some quiet time with my Creator in thanksgiving for my blessings and then lifting several up by name. One of those associates who I only met once is really suffering from the cancer that has spread throughout her body and while she fights it using natural ways she is losing the battle. She writes about it every day and while I commend her for her courage she is suffering horribly.

I did get a call from Paw Paw and he is fighting a cold but said he was on the mend but his memory is waning from the questions he asks. I'm so glad he is out of that house and living with is middle daughter who looks out for him. Every one else is holding despite their ages and health issues. The weather is making it hard on some with the snow, ice and cold temps. These winter storms make it all the more clear that I'm not planning on living at the cabin year around plus I would lose my winter garden which is doing fantastic.

I noticed a bloom on my cucumber plant as well as the half runner green beans are loaded with blooms and the sugar peas are blooming as well. The collards are ready for picking again as is the Swiss chard and I've transplanted new bibb lettuce seedlings which all have made it thus far. The tomatoes are blooming as well as I have a half dozen green ones on the original plant that was broken in half by a squirrel and the broken top which I stuck in the ground now has blooms( turns out to be a bogo plant). Anyhow I love my garden and I harvested the last of the bibb lettuces I brought back from the cabin as seedlings in Nov. I still have 5 romaine plants that need harvesting but they can wait a couple days as they last a little longer while making heads. I sowed more black simpson seeds along with radish seeds and I'm waiting for them to germinate.

Amy and Eliza Faye came for lunch which is now a rarity due to her working at the school a half day. We ate late with a frozen pizza and a garden salad. They visited until it was time to pick up the kiddos from school. We took off and made a Sam's Club run for gas at 1.92 and Nancy wanted some goodies. We then made a stop at Publix on the way home for some goodies as well. I read the rest of the evening until supper time when it was time to grill some salmon fillets. Along with them we had Brussels sprouts in dijon mustard and butter sauce, delicious to say the least and so good for you.

We watched the news until Aunt Betsy came by for and hour or so. I'm so amazed the higher ups in the FBI were so corrupt in their attempt's to bring this Potus down and they have ruined their credibility. All are from the Obama administration and I truly believe they had his backing as part of the deep state to insure that Hillary would be the next potus. This is and was a coup to over thrown the duly elected gov't by them and the DOJ. It's truly hard to believe the corruption in D.C. with these two agencies and the collusion by the main stream media to help with that coup. What has happened to our nation and the rule of law. None of us are safe from illegal actions and injustices when the POTUS is falsely accused by a rogue agency which is supposed to be the supreme law enforcement agency of the nation. We have become like a "banana republic" in a third world country and the dem's and lib's support this action. Only GOD can help us, LATER

Monday Moning

Well here are a couple days of thoughts from Sat. and Sun. as I skipped the Sunday morning post due to the load in at the college for BridgePoint Church. Sat. was a gorgeous day and with no humidity, bright sunshine and blue skies with a nice gentle breeze. I piddled around the house during the early morning hours before heading over to the neighbor behind me to get his blessing for removing the huge vine that was destroying the wooden fence between us with its weight and clinging ability to the old wooden slats which was actually eating away the wood. Anyhow I spent the next four hours or so in his yard (as he has some health issues) removing this vine and then tossing it over the fence so I could cut it up and get rid of it with my trash collectors over the next week or so. This vine was huge and as large around as my arm in places. I hope to get another year or so before having to put up another new fence that separates out yards.

That job kept me busy until it was time to clean up and get ready to head to the Ross's house to celebrate little Eliza Faye's 5th birthday with a supper of smoked chickens and all the fixin's as well as a party with Bobby and Gabe, the Austin Everett family as well as aunt Betsy. What a feed Amy and Tyler put on and Eliza was a diva to say the least with her crown. She is just so cute and precious as are all of the kiddo. It was going on 9 before we left and headed home as I had an early morning rise for the load in.

BridgePoint was also busy with lots of new faces and families as well as several new volunteers. We are hoping for a building where we can put down our roots as the weekly load in and load out does get old but we have a great bunch of volunteers who make it happen as we drawn new folks to the gospel. We had our largest second service ever as well as a near full house for the early service and many of our regulars where out of town. We really enjoying serving with so many folks who make this happen every week as well as the Life Groups and study courses offered weekly. We got back to the house around 1'ish and settled into a garden salad for lunch instead of eating out as we want to cut down on our carbs as much as possible as the night before we splurged with mac and cheese, baked bread and I had a bowl of ice cream but did forgo the birthday cake, oh well.

I settled into the playoff games and then we ate some shrimp with cocktail sauce for our supper around 6 and then I headed into the shower and watched the Lightning lose big time in N.Y. They played back to back games and were worn out after a great win the night before. It was their first lost in a dozen or more games and our record is still the best in all of the NHL. I'm hoping this is our year to win the Stanley Cup, LATER

Saturday Morning

Well Friday was basically a fun day with pickle ball in the morning and then some honey do's around the house and then out to supper with our life group folks and some game playing until nearly 10'ish. It was chilly to start the day but quickly warmed up to the low 70's with bright sunshine under a blue sky.

I started the day much the usual with a 6 ish roll out to a cup of hot green tea laced with turmeric and ginger root while I posted this ramble then spent some quiet time with my Creator lifting up several by name. Nothing has changed except for Eddie who is now back to breathing on his own but still in the hospital and all of the others seem to be as well as can be expected. Our POTUS needs our prayers as the radicals on the left are doing their best to discredit him and his polices while leaving the nations borders unprotected against the vile illegals who run drugs, human traffic and kill and injure our citizens. It's unbelievable this has become an issue by the dem's on the left who give sanctuary to them in place of US(A) who make this country our home. Maybe it is close to the end times as predicted in the Bible when everything that once was good is now bad and vice versa.

I headed out on my bike in the cold 40's degrees which had my eyes watering to the rec. for a good two hours of workout on the pickle ball court. It seems many of the B players stayed home which gave some of us A players a separate court for our play for nearly two hours. I was whupped when we finally ended a little after 10. It had warmed up by at least 20 degrees from when I started out before 8 and the ride home was quite pleasant. I piddled around in the garden hand watering and harvesting more lettuces to take with us later in the evening to our friends house.

I sat and read for a couple hours enjoying the new read before we had to get ready to head out around 5:30. We picked up Dan and Carol and headed over to the Nymarks where along with two other couples met for a supper of salad, chicken ala king over biscuits and broccoli. I stayed away from the carbs as much as possible as well as the cheese and orderve plate and the dessert. I registered 185 on the scale just before leaving for the evening with just another 5 to go. These last 5 pounds always seem to be the hardest to lose.

We had a grand time as we played Spades and Euchre as well as Kings on the corner. We headed out just before 10 to our 15 minute drive home. It wasn't long until I hit the shower and then read a few before turning the lights out around 11, LATER

Friday Morning

Well Thursday was a sleep in morning for me until nearly 7'ish which was kind of nice since it was in the 40's and a bit nippy but it soon warmed up the the high 60's by late afternoon with bright sunshine and clear blue skies. I didn't head to the gym until 9:30 so the sleep in didn't effect my morning routines.

I did my usual routines that start with a cup of hot green tea laced with turmeric and fresh ginger while I posted this ramble then lifted up several by name. I spoke with sister Pat who is now caring for Paw Paw at her retirement house in W.Va. and she mentioned they all were under the weather with a bad cold but felt everyone was starting to get a little better. They were anticipating some snow in the future as another cold front was moving into the area and then down in our mountains around our cabin. "Mountain mom" Helen said it was miserably cold and windy there and another snow was expected any moment.

I headed out on my bike for a good two hours of pickle ball play at the rec. with A players and worked up a good sweat. It had warmed up considerably by lunch time when I headed home. We had a late lunch for our big meal of the day as were attending Ava Mae's basketball game at Keswick at 4 PM. The temps had started to drop a little by ten and you needed long pants and a long sleeve shirt or jacket by the time the game was over. Her team won again and she scored 6 points and was awesome on defense and assists. She is becoming quite the player. We stayed and watched the boys play to halftime then headed home around 6. The temps had really dropped and once again it was supposed to get down into the 40's over night.

I watched the Fox Cable News until the Lightning Hockey game came on and then I headed to the bedroom to watch the game after a hot shower. The Carolina Team was a good team and lead nearly the whole game until the final period when the Lightning put together some great plays and won 3-1. They are the best team in all of the NHL and seem to be proving it every time they get on the ice. Well that was about it for the day except the liberal dem's continue to prolong this shutdown without any support for our POTUS to secure the border from the illegals, shame on them and I certainly hope American will remember this in the next election, LATER

Thursday Morning

Well Wednesday was a perfect day for working outside after some early morning pickle ball. The humidity skipped town and left us with some bright sunshine and cooler temps and by late evening I had to don a flannel shirt while grilling out in the back yard. I hadn't slept to well the night before after the hockey game and then getting in late broke my routine. It was a work day outside for the rest of the day and evening.

I started the day much the usual with a 6'ish roll out to my usual routines that start with a cup of hot green tea laced with turmeric and fresh ginger root while I post this ramble then spend some quiet moments with my Creator in thanksgiving and lifting several by name. Nothing has changed with those as of right now. I headed out around 8 on my bike for the rec. and got in an hour of play before so many newbies arrived to play that I headed out for home. Most of them are beginners and some will never be good enough to compete and so  I headed out. Thankfully we have two morning of good play without them on Tue. and Thur.

I had a couple of posts on the back yard fence which had broken and rotted off so I added new posts beside them and fastened them together with supports. Sure is cheaper and easier than putting a total new fence plus I don't think the neighbors who are renters behind me would help with the expense. There was this heavy vine which was taking over the fence and crushing the boards so I cut it back and loose. Hopefully they will not complain but it should give the old fence some extra life without this heavy clinging vine crushing it. I spent the biggest part of the afternoon cutting it up and off the fence.

I did transplant several bib lettuce seedlings into the ground and then worked up an area to sow radishes as I think its the proper time to sow seeds that produce under ground which is in the dark of the moon. I spent the whole afternoon until suppertime working in the back yard and by 9'ish I was dozing while watching FOX Cable News. It is unbelievable the dem's in the congress will not work with our POTUS to secure our safety from the illegals. I sure hope no one else is killed needlessly by them but it's very unlikely that will occur. There is so much hate by the left for him who wants to make this nation great again and the economy is proof his policies are working. How can the MSM be so biased and in collusion with them to thwart this man's efforts. They are bound and determined to undermine him and set this nation towards socialism which is an abject failure; just look at South America and much of Europe for examples, LATER

Wednesday Morning

Well Tuesday was an eventful day that started with a 6'ish rollout to a cup of hot green tea laced with turmeric and fresh ginger root while I posted this ramble and then spent some quiet time with my Creator while lifting several up by name and giving thanks for my many blessings. I got in a good two hour workout on the pickle ball court with some good players then headed home on my bike to piddle around in the garden after lunch.

It was a beautiful 60 degree morning but quickly warmed to the upper 70's by early afternoon with bright sunshine. Nancy put the a/c back on after a day or so of having no humidity. I harvested a bunch of lettuces for both neighbors as the temps have caused the lettuces to mature quickly. I still have to harvest and then replant with some seedlings I've moved up to 6 packs. Everything in the garden is flourishing as I'm still hand watering daily.

I read for a couple hours prior to getting ready to head to Tampa and meet up with son, Bobby to attend the Lightning Hockey game at Amalie Arena. We had tickets that were given to him through his office and they were the VIP ones. The traffic was horrendous as I attempted to enter the toll road from Gandy Bridge which was backed up for miles and moving at a snails pace. Luckily we planned on two hours to make the game time. We had awesome seats in the exclusive area which featured buffet style food and an open bar through the course of the evening. We sampled a few items and then I had some cabernet before the puck drop. The Lightning were playing great with a 4-0 shutout to a very good Columbus team. We took the trolley down town from where we parked in Ybor City at a metered lot. When we got back to our vehicles there was a 30 buck parking ticket on our windshields. We are at a loss as to why we paid 5 bucks to get a 30 buck ticket, oh well.

It was after 11 before getting back to Seminole and then the excitement of the evening kept me awake for another hour or so as well as trying to figure out why we both got tickets, LATER

Tuesday Morning

Well Monday was another beautiful day with bright sunshine and after a cool start the temps reached the upper 70's. Just absolutely a gorgeous day. I played some pickle ball, did some gardening and read before we walked up the street to meet with the Tracy's at the Botbyl's for a delicious low or no carb supper with a grilled turkey burgers, salad from the garden and a veggie tray with home made dressings and NO dessert. That is our new mantra for this group as we lessen our use of alcohol(vino), low carbs and no sugary treats.

I started the day with my usual roll out around 6 to a cup of hot green tea laced with turmeric and fresh ginger root while I posted this ramble then lifted up several by name while I gave thanks for another day and all of my blessings. All seem well except for friend Eddie who is still in the hospital in N.C. and the fact he is a paraplegic. I'm surprised he has made it this far after the accident that left him with a broken back and neck and confined to a wheel chair for the rest of his life. He needs prayers and a miracle so if you find a moment lift up him and Kimberly for comfort and healing.

I had a good workout on the court then stopped at the library for a new read in another new trilogy by Dennis Lehane who was recommended by son Bobby. I started it and already know its going to be an author I will read all of his writings which are quite a few. I headed over to Amy and Tyler's to pick up the ladder and give them some fresh harvested lettuces as well as a couple tomato plants that I didn't have room for in my garden. I have 12 or 13 of them and one has 5 tomatoes set already. I also gave Dan another three for his garden box All of these I started from seeds but one which I bought. The garden is doing great with these cool nights and warm day but it does require watering at least once a day. I need to set in the garden the 24 bib lettuce seedlings I moved up last week into 6 packs as well as move some romaine seedlings into 6 packs for a week or so.The half runner bean plants are sending out runners for the chain link fence and the collards are almost ready for another harvesting.

After the supper at the Botbyl's we headed home to watch the college game between Alabama and Clemson and I had a feeling Clemson was going to be hard to beat despite the record of 'Bama beating up on everyone this year. I kind of favored them from the start and wow did they ever perform with a freshman QB and some awesome receivers. It was really a blow out when I turned the lights out at the end of the third quarter and the Tigers held 'bama scoreless in the second half.

Tonight I head to Tampa to meet up with son Bobby who has tickets to the Lightning game in the box seat area which comes with food and drinks plus an awesome view of the ice. I sure hope they continue being the best team in all of the NHL thus far. I haven't been to a game in years and this arena is first class plus looking forward to some father/son time. He is doing so well with his job as he takes on more responsibility for this corporation that will probably go public sometime in the near future. He does have to travel around the country but he seems to love what he is doing and that is managing people to get the job done. I'm thrilled this job opened up for him instead of the law enforcement route which at one time he was interested in doing.

I got lots of hugs from the grand kiddos when I visited the Ross household and especially from Eliza Faye as she is just full of love for us. She is so cute and now that she is going to be 5 this month and in school a half day she is really maturing. All of them looked as if they grew the two weeks they were gone, LATER

Sunday and Monday Morning

Well Sunday as usual was an early rise for me to help with the load in for BridgePoint Church at St.Pete College so I didn't post any for the day as we not only worked the second service which's gets out around 12:30 but we then went to lunch at Willie Jewels Barbecue. So I forgot about the blog as I vegetated on the couch watching two really decent playoff games for a change as the scores were very close and the winners weren't decided until the final moments and even seconds of the games. I didn't care who won for any of the weekend games as the season for the Bucs is over, thankfully.

Saturday found us with some of the nicest weather with bright sunshine and blue skies and temps down into the 60's, wow was that ever nice as we turned off the a/c and opened the house up to a nice no humidity day. We did some house cleaning and then took a hike through the hood as I stayed away from the rec. with so many beginner players that come out on the weekends. I did some garden work and then sat outside and ready in the sunshine for a couple hours. We did deer burgers for supper and they were delicious as usual.

Amy and the fam. got in after I went to bed around 10'ish from their long trip to Kansas. They had a cooler of frozen beef from Tyler granddad's farm to put in our freezer which is now plum full. I missed seeing them but will today as they do not go back to school until Tuesday. I want to load them up with fresh lettuces and greens from the garden.

Well we are supposed to meet up at the Botbyl's this evening(Mon) for a get together with them and the Tracy's for supper. We are bringing a fresh garden salad to the event and hopefully no none will bring dessert. I checked the scales and I'm down to 185 Sunday morning which was awesome. I've dropped 7 pounds since I decided no carbs, smaller portions and no beer. I'm still doing my glass of red wine before supper as I think it had medicinal properties especially for the prostrate along with Saw Palmetto which I take every morning. So far so good with that organ.

Well Nancy took off with sister Betsy Sunday afternoon as I watched football so I had an enjoyable evening after hand watering the garden. I need to move some romaine seedling up to six packs as I did bib lettuces last week. So far they are flourishing as the old lettuces are maturing and ready for harvesting. I noticed a tomato about the size of a golf ball on one plant which has tons of blooms. I'm ready for some home grown tomato's. Well that was about it for Sat. and Sun. as the weather is just perfect for the past couple of days, LATER

Saturday Morning

Well Friday saw some changes in the weather as we had sunshine to start the day with some rain clouds and by late afternoon the skies darkened and the rain fell. I did not have to hand water the gardens today but did harvest a nice mess of lettuces and kale and cleaned them for a huge salad.

I started the day much the usual with a 6'ish roll out to my cup of hot green tea laced with turmeric and ginger while I posted this ramble then spent some moments with my Creator in thanksgiving and lifting up several by name who are infirmed and suffering some life threatening illness. My list grows each day. I especially want to lift up our POTUS who is doing his best to MAGA despite the radical dem's and progressives on the left who care nothing about the safety of us Americans and our culture. It's down right despicable such hate filled folks were elected to the congress and now we see their biased actions and evil attitudes to destroy this man, his family and those of us who love this nation.

I headed out around 8 on my bike for a couple hours of pickle ball play at the Rec. and left with a wet shirt. The achilles seems to be healing and I suffered no pain during the workout. I made a stop at the library on the way home for a couple new reads. I did piddle around in the garden but saw where the rain was coming in later in the day so I did not hand water. The new lettuce seedling seem to be doing well despite the falling oak leaves which cover them in the garden. I'm betting the oaks will bud out early this year as its been so warm with all of the leaves on the tree now drying up and falling in the yards and gardens.

Nancy took off to shop for LeeLee's birthday which is this month so I laid around and read the afternoon away. We had salmon filet's baked in the oven with fresh cauliflower and a salad for our supper. I've dropped 4 pounds so far since New Years as we've stayed away from carbs and my beer at lunch and the sweet things. We do have a handful of mixed nuts around 4'ish with my glass of red vino and nothing after supper. So far so good with only 6 more pounds to go, LATER

Keep Amy, Tyler and the grand kiddos in your thoughts and prayers for traveling mercies as they left Kansas on Friday on their way home to Seminole. They stopped overnight somewhere in Mississippi and then will drive on in today.

Friday Morning

Well Thursday found me back on the court after a day lay off from playing as my achilles heals. I did get in an hour without any real pain and then iced it when I got home after doing some garden work which was mainly hand watering. The day was hot and muggy once again so Nancy had some laundry on the clothesline.

I started the day much the usual with a 6'ish roll out to my cup of hot green tea laced with turmeric and fresh ginger root while I posted this ramble then lifted several up by name for healing and comfort. I got two phones calls from Paw Paw during the day just a few hours apart so I know his short term memory is going as we spoke about the same things twice in such a short period of time. He always brings up the time he hurt his shoulder while in the health care facility and where were we living at now as well as he doesn't have his house any longer. He mentioned he is eating regularly and is being cared for by his middle daughter as he lives with her now in W.Va. All of the others are holding their own as well as can be expected as I've heard nothing to the contrary.

I headed out around 9'ish on my bike as it was the long morning for having the gym and got in a good hour and half of play before heading out and a stop at the library. I piddled around outside hand watering the gardens and I have lettuces to harvest today for a salad. We had a huge salad for lunch along with some leftover grilled chicken breasts. Delicious! I noticed a few pounds off with the morning weight in in just a couple days with little or no carbs and a reduction in my intake. I did do some oatmeal and granola for breakfast but that was it for the day on carbs. I'm going to stay on this routine for at least a month until I reach my goal and then maybe add a few carbs and desserts on special occasions but stay with the reduced intake. No second helpings.

I read the afternoon away and finished the book The Outsider by King. It was a good read and of course lots of twists and turns throughout with some supernatural occasions but very interesting and a real page turner. I'm looking forward to the trilogy about the mob in the Tampa Bay area written by a student who graduated locally from Eckerd College. This will be and historical novel and as soon as I get it in my hands I will give more info.

Well, somehow the socialist progressive lib's got control of the House in the congress(voter fraud in my opinion) and they have already started their idiotic impeachment hearing on this our duly elected POTUS Trump. It's down right despicable and the most biased moves they can make while not paying any attention to those who migrant illegally and murder our police and citizens. I wonder how these folks manage to stay in their leadership positions in the government. The MSM is a culprit in collusion with these radicals who want to destroy the best leader we have had in years in turning the country around from down fall by the last fake and fraud potus Obama. I'm just at a lost of their lack of intelligence and patriotism. We are a nation of legal immigrants but NOT illegals who hurt not only US(A) economically but our safety.

We need a barrier, a wall or some means to secure the borders from those who come here illegally. It's just that simple but the dem's refuse to give this POTUS another victory in fulfilling another campaign promise and now are attempting to charge him with the very things they did and are doing with the corrupt investigation by the FBI and the DOJ. We will never learn all of the corruption by the Clinton's, Obama's and those in the congress who were slapped with sexual suits and the suitors were paid off with tax paper money. Now that is despicable and so hypocritical, LATER 

Thursday Morning

Well Wednesday was another very warm day with temps in the low 80's but the humidity was back with a vengeance. It was sweat time when you did any physical work outside and since I didn't go to pickle ball due to the achilles issue I mowed the yards and then moved some bib lettuce seedlings up into 6 packs before I set them out into the garden. I was drenched in sweat, oh well I'm looking forward to some cooler less humid days but we still have 6 months to go before heading to the mountains.

I started the day much the usual with a 6'ish roll out to my cup of hot green tea laced with turmeric and fresh ginger root while I posted this ramble then lifted up several by name to my Creator for comfort and healing if it's His will. Most everyone I mention by name are doing as well as can be expected regarding their health issues. Some we know are hurting due to the loss of close family members who were killed in a tragic accident on Christmas Eve which has just devastated the family. We must all keep our POTUS Trump in your prayers as he tries his best to right this ship called America from the hordes of libs who are trying their best to destroy him and his agenda to make America great again and restore our love of GOD, family and country.

I decided since the leg was feeling better after the dip in the cold pool water on Tuesday to take the day off and not do any running, twisting and sudden stops and take off's which occur in pickle ball. I noticed the ankle area did have some swelling but basically the leg pain was gone so I iced the area and then rested most of the afternoon reading a book by Stephen King who I usually do not read but found this book intriguing to say the least. It's titled The Outsider and I must say its a page turner. Nancy took off to Sam's to exchange a calendar which she did not like and pick up a few goodies.

I grilled marinated chicken breast along with fresh asparagus for our supper. She gave Betsy the leftover chocolate cake when she stopped by and I went the whole day with out any sugar or desserts and no carbs. We both decided to limit our carbs and sugar intake as we had a fresh garden salad which I now have plenty to share as well as eat daily so we had one for our lunch. We even stayed away from the crackers. We are hoping to lose a few pounds and after this past holiday delights of cookies, cakes and carbs its no wonder I'm 10 pounds over my 180 goal which I did achieve last year before we headed to the cabin. Even there we always had desserts when we entertained so I'm cutting them out until I reach my goal again, LATER

Wednesday Morning 1-2-2019

Well Tuesday was a beautiful day as we awakened about an hour or so north of us near Dade City, Fl. at the Tracy's hacienda along with the Botbyl's. Really neither of us(Dan or me) got much sleep after staying up to see the old year out and the new year in. We watched a christian music station instead of the one in New York City which featured pole dancer type entertainment through out the evening which really did nothing for us; maybe if we had been drinking and 30 years younger, neither of which we are. It has come to where all we ever see that is promoted on TV. is lots of skin, homosexuals, mixed marriages and transgenders. I really do not think most average Americans are interested in what the progressive liberals push along with the biased media who is trying their best to change our culture. Seeing what has happened in Europe and elsewhere should be a clue to the left but they are clueless or just do not want America to be a stand out, oh well.

Since I posted some of our activities last evening when we got back to Pinellas County/Seminole I won't digress except to say we guys did watch a lot of college football as well as got in some pickle ball. We ate more than usual with a variety of delicious dishes of soup, dips, etc. and no alcohol this time to honor Kathryn who is doing quite well with her cold turkey stand, but I do like a little red vino before or with meals. We had some great hilarious laughing moments with one of the games we played for a couple hours. I never laughed so hard at times with some of the set answers to some of the set statements. I do not remember the name of the game  but it was something called reality. My oh mine it was funny. We also played another similar game called Bleep this which had you writing answers and then the group voted on what you would say. Another funny hilarious game.

Well I hit the sack before 10 and was soon out like a light. I never heard Nancy who is a night owl and sleeps quite well wherever she goes. She is a snorer and despite the ear plugs I wear nightly she usually requires me to awaken her a couple times during the night to roll over but not last night as I was plumb wore out. Let's hope this is a good New Year for many but one dear friend suffered a setback who I lift up daily and is in the hospital. Pray for Eddie as he is a paraplegic and now has some breathing issues as well as some heart issues, LATER

Tuesday New Years Evening

Well Monday found us heading north with the Botbyl's to the Dade City area which is about an hour north of us for an over nighter with the Tracy's around 1'ish  n the afternoon. We had a splendid time with great food and fun watching the old year out the new year in and today neighbors Tom and Elizabeth came to eat supper with us and along with their son Ryan. We just visited on Monday afternoon and snacked until it was time to settle in with playing some new games and watching the clock strike midnight.

We slept in until 7'ish this morning after the late night because really we didn't sleep much but stayed in bed because everyone else was still asleep. Their new house backs up to a nature preserve with a pond and woods looking out their patio. It was a fabulous morning as we had our hot drinks looking out of their screened in patio. We actually ate out there last evening and played one game until dark then moved inside. The soup Nancy made was awesome and along with smokies in a bun and other spreads and dips the eating was fine. We decided since Kathryn wants to stop any use of any alcoholic beverage that we too would forgo the use of any as well to give her support; we didn't miss it at all.

Today we had a late breakfast then the girls headed out to browse the Hobby Lobby store in the area while we guys when Ryan their son came headed to the pickle ball court and played outside for and hour and half then headed to the pool for a dip. The main club house was closed so we weren't able to get into the hot tub but the cool pool felt great after the work out. We stayed in the pool until nearly 4 then headed back to dine on barbecue ribs, black eyed peas and collared greens along with lots of dips and cheeses. I did not use any desserts the night before and passed on the dessert tonight. My new resolution is to forgo desserts for at least a month until I can lose some of this spare tire and to stay away from the carbs as much as possible, LATER