Tuesday Morning..last day in April 2019

Well Monday was another hot day with temps close to 90 but the humidity was not unbearable as I worked outside after pickle ball and then again after supper piddling around in the gardens and yards. I got in a decent workout at the rec. for nearly 2 hours before pedaling home on my bike. Nancy was at the dentist for a cleaning and x-rays and she scheduled me for next week for the same. At a 140 bucks a person no wonder the dentists likes us every 6 months but I choose to go once a year, oh well.

I started the day much the usual with a before 6 roll out to my usual cup of hot green tea laced with turmeric and fresh ginger while I post this ramble and then lifted up several to my Creator as well as give thanks for my blessings in life. All seem well except for a 5 year old grand nephew who some how injured his wrist and contracted sepsis. He is in the hospital on antibiotics for a week or so and no one has any idea how this happened. Pray for Eli and his family. Everyone else seems to be as well as can be expected.

I grilled a couple rib eye's for our supper and they were marvelous and accompanied by some fresh steamed asparagus. We had a fresh garden salad for our lunch after eating hearty over the weekend with jalapeno poppers, concasio and salsas and smoked wings and then ice cream cake for dessert; it's no wonder I picked up a couple pounds when I got on the scale Monday morning. I didn't do much after lunch as the sun was blazing hot so I sat in the a/c and read until it was time to grill. I'm a big fan of James Lee Burke who writes about the south around the New Orleans area and from a detective perspective in the Dave Robicheaux series. He does flash backs to his time in Viet Nam and with the NOPD but is now in a small town north of the big city but still has connections. Interesting stories and his writing is very introspective.

Well that was about it as I tuned into the Ray's game but it was after 10 and the sandman was calling so I tuned out with the Ray's leading by a run in the 8th inning. I'll check the box scores later but they have been hitting the ball quite well so far and were leading the division over the Yankees, LATER

Monday Morning

Well I skipped my usual post for Sunday Morning which caught us up on Saturday's activities. I played pickle ball in the morning on Saturday for an hour or so before getting ready to head to Brandon for Annsley's gymnastics meet. She did exceptionally well for her age group and came away with 4 medals. We headed home right away and got ready to attend the supper for Ava which had Nancy making jalapeno poppers and several other finger food dishes to take with us. We celebrated Ava's 12 th birthday again with family, Bobby's family couldn't make it but the GAB did, along with one of Ava's friends from church.

Sunday found me up at 5'ish for the load in and set up for BridgePoint Church at St.Pete College. We had almost every seat filled with several new folks attending for the first time and many for the first at any worship service in years. It was great to be able to greet them and show them around as I was in my arena as a greeter to give handshakes and hugs. I attended the first service and heard a great message on just what I had been doing with greetings as Jesus prompted his disciples and followers to spread the gospel. I stayed outside and worked the doors for the second service and once again we had lots of new faces and a great crowd.

We got back to the house after a stop at the grocery on the way home for some steaks on sale but since we had such a late lunch we decided to eat the steaks on Monday night. I settled into the Ray's game in Boston and we won again with another sweep of that series although the first game was rained out. We had decent pitching and some good hitting two games in a row. I settled in to some hockey before we ate a lite supper of a frozen pizza and then I headed out to hand water the gardens and yards. The collard's just keep on producing as I gave away three bags of them at church and another handful to our neighbors behind us. The tomato's are still producing as is the kale but everything else is drying up with the heat. I hand watered the front yards as well and lots of the weeds were stunned and died with the liquid weed killer and fertilizer I sprayed a week or so ago. The back yard has really done quite well with that application.

I hit the shower then watched some TV in the bedroom as I had the big TV all afternoon which is something we never do during the week until after supper. I watched the show of the two who are dropped off in a wilderness without much of anything to survive for three weeks. The biggest issue is the bugs and then finding enough to sustain energy as the food sources at the most are minimal. I was ready for some horizontal at 10, LATER

Saturday Morning...37 days until we leave for the cabin

Well Friday was a basically a fun day that saw us with some rain and it was a welcomed relief after nearly a week with hot temp and a drying out breeze. I did not have to water the garden or the yards for a change. We met up with our life group from BridgePoint at 5 to share finger foods and then play Bunco which requires a large group or at least 8 folks. We had 18 players total with one youngster who was the 9 year old grand son of the folks house we were at.

I started the day much the usual with a before 6 roll out to my cup of hot green tea laced with turmeric and fresh ginger while I posted this ramble and then spent some quiet time with my Creator in thanksgiving and some intercessory prayers for many by name. All seem well as can be expected. I got ready and headed out on my bike for two hours of pickle ball at the rec. Our numbers have lessened down over the past couple of weeks but we still have enough A players to make the activity fun and challenging. I got a ride home as the rain was rather heavy then rode back with Nancy when she drove to the rec. for her workout, so I could ride my bike home.

We settled into some lunch and I finished up the ham and bean soup along with some ham salad on crackers. I spent the next couple hours reading and eventually took a power nap some time during the afternoon. Nancy was busy with her prep work for the concasio dip and salsa we were bringing to Bunco Night as well as making 70 some jalapeno poppers for Ava's birthday supper on Saturday evening. All of the jalapeno's I grew and they are still producing. One of the best years ever for growing them and I attribute it too spraying the plants with liquid epson salts almost weekly as well as spraying the tomato plants which have just gone crazy this year with bearing fruit.

Bunco was a hoot and this is the first time I ever rolled three bunco's through out the evening and Nancy was he big winner overall on the total number of wins. It was a great evening of food and fun and then afterwards we did some cleansing of the soul with prayer requests and sharing from the heart. It was after 9 when we finally left there. We dropped Dan off as Carol was still under the weather from her earlier cold.

I hit the shower then watched the Carolina Hurricanes beat the N.Y. Islanders in OT for the Stanley Cup playoffs 1-0. Wow what a great game, LATER

Friday Morning

Well Thursday was another busy fun filled day with just a little work thrown in for good measure. I love this life of being retired and not having to answer to any clock or radio call and as I reflect back on these last 15 years since I hung up the gun belt and badge, I often wonder when did I ever have time to work 60 hours a week or more.

I started the day off with a before 6 roll out to my cup of hot green tea laced with turmeric and fresh ginger while I posted some thoughts and actions from the day before then spent some quiet time with my Creator in humble thanksgiving and lifting up several by name for comfort and healing. Some will need a miracle to regain their old selves and some just need some solace in their time of need and as for me I'm just thrilled that I can run and play and still do work physically as well as have a some what good mind.

I headed out on my bike around 9 for the rec. for three hours of pickle ball with some good players and I can tell I'm starting to get back into shape. I'm maintaining my weight about where I want it despite eating more bread than usual and I'm not tiring after long work outs on the court. I do like an afternoon power nap while I read after lunch which will change in about 6 weeks. I never lay down in the mountains after lunch as there is always something to do which I love doing, but here in hot Florida there isn't much to do in the hot afternoons except read which of course makes me drowsy after eating.

We got ready to head to Keswick School for the Spring concert to see Ava Mae perform with the intermediate band and they were really great. She plays the saxophone and while her band is rather small in numbers at 13 players they had a big sound. The large band was just unbelievable in sound and we were throughly entertained by the 32 members many of which are freshman. They have 10 or so seniors graduating this June. We were really impressed with the dedication of the instructor to her students, not only in music but with mentoring them as well for life.

We headed back to Amy's for a birthday celebration as this day was Ava's 12th birthday and then again on Saturday we will celebrate again with a family supper in her honor. She is such a beautiful young girl with a sweet spirit and is growing up too fast, LATER

Thursday Morning

Well Florida weather is back with high heat and some what humid but not horribly yet, but its coming. After lunch its really hot outside in the sun so that's when I usually read and then head out after supper to piddle around. I did get in a good two hours of pickle ball in the morning at the rec. and a little yard work after I got back home before lunch.

The day started much the usual with a before 6 ish roll out to my cup of hot green tea laced with turmeric and fresh ginger while I spent some quiet moments with my Creator lifting up several and giving thanks and honoring our Lord, Jesus Christ. It seems that tradition is being swept away by the PC crowd and the biased media as their emphasis is on making sure no one dishonors other faiths but at the same time thrashing Christianity. I'm not sure where they are coming from especially when one in particular wants to cut off your head if you do not conform to their idiotic beliefs and constantly chant death to America.

Amy and Eliza came for lunch and she just's gets cuter every day. Nancy bought her some clothes and she was so cute carrying one particular piece around on a hangar. We fixed BLT's as our tomato's are just so flavorful and we made that our big meal of the day as Nancy had her Bible Study class later in the evening. I did finished up some leftover veggies from the Easter dinner before heading out to hand water after she left for the class. The Ray's played in the afternoon and wow did they ever get blown away by the Royals. They looked like the old Ray's in that game for some reason after winning the first two games in that three game series.

I watched Fox cable news and I'm heartened by the news several in the obama administration are looking at criminal referrals for their attempt to destroy this duly elected POTUS Trump, not only prior to the election but after he was installed as the 45th Potus. I get the real unbiased report of news from that channel. It's a total disgrace the other msm networks are in collusion with the dem's and their attempt to still discredit this Potus and take down the country, all because of their hatred for this man who wants to restore integrity to the government and drain the swamp of the bad guys and Make America Great Again. It's unbelievable those on the left are so filled with the hate of this man.

I did watch a little of the NHL playoffs but my interest has slipped away with the sweeping loss of the Lightning, LATER

Wednesday Morning

Well April is moving right along with just a week to go, wow, we are just about 40 days or so until it's head to the cabin for the summer and I'm getting antsy and excited all at the same time. Tuesday wasn't much to write about as it was much the same however the heat has come back but the humidity didn't seem as bad as the day before. I did my morning routines that start with a before 6 roll out to my cup of hot green tea laced with turmeric and fresh ginger while I posted this ramble then lifted up several during my quiet moments with my Creator. I spoke briefly with Paw Paw as he was on the road with Pat and Keith and he seemed in the best spirits in quite awhile. We lost connection as they headed up the mountain but it was good too hear him make light of his situation and age. I also spoke with our "mountain mom" Helen and she was in good spirits as well with temps in the high 70's and bright sunshine. Summer is coming to the mountains without any Spring.

I headed out to the rec. on my bike for a good 2 plus hours of pickle ball play and left just before noon whupped. Nancy was out shopping so I hand watered the gardens and picked tomato's. They are still producing but a few of them are starting to dry up along with the cucumber plants and of course the lettuces have gone to seed. I'm going to dry and dry out some of the lettuce seeds to see if they will make this summer. We finished up the leftover Zuppa soup for lunch and then she boiled off the large ham bone from our Easter supper and made a pot of pasta fozzule soup for supper using cannoli beans, yeow was that ever delicious and there is enough for a couple lunches.

It was too hot in the early afternoon so I read for a couple hours then after supper I headed out as the heat had retreated and a nice breeze made it quite comfortable to be outside watering the gardens and yards. I piddle around outside until the Ray's game came on at 7. I did watch some of the FOX Cable News in between innings and the lowly dem's are in imploding to say the least from what I read and see on the news. They are such low lives in my book and I will never vote for anyone in that party again and there are a few rino's I will never vote for either. Anyhow our duly elected POTUS is staying the course and now I'm hoping the criminal refers by those who are investigating the investigators will be made public. We need to see some top heads roll from the last administration corrupt leaders who attempted to bring down the is POTUS. Unbelievable to think this occurred in America led by the last fake and fraud of a potus obama.

The Ray's are playing good baseball and won again last night with good pitching and great hitting over the Royals at the Trop by 6-2. Our Lightning sure let us down after one to the best seasons ever in the NHL but sure flopped in the playoff's after getting swept in 4 games, oh well. Let's hope the Bucs have at least a winning season for a change this Fall but if these guys disrespect the anthem I will not be watching them on the field. That was about it for the day, LATER 

Tuesday Morning

Well Monday was almost a perfect day, much like the many we have in the mountains at the cabin. It was 59 degrees this morning with just a slight breath of air which gave you the sense of being chilly and for Florida this time of the year is almost unheard. It's usually hot humid, mosquitoes buzzing your head and sweat when you just walk out the door let alone ride your bike to the rec. at 8 in the morning and wish you had worn a flannel shirt, oh well. I'm sure this weather will cease and when it does it will be in unmerciful.

I started the day much the usual with my cup of hot green tea laced with turmeric and fresh ginger while I posted this ramble and then lifted up several by name to my Creator which by the way we celebrated the resurrection on Sunday and really I celebrate it every day. All seem as well as can be expected and I've heard nothing to the contrary. I rode out to the rec. on my bike for two solid hours of non stop pickle ball play before heading home a little after 10. I hand watered the gardens and picked more tomatoes and found a large fruit rat which had been eating the poison I put out for mice as I could not find the old D-Con rat poison; but the rat was somewhat not well and I finished it off with a shovel then buried in the garden for the worms to eat this summer. It surely ruined a couple dozen tomato's while it feasted on my tomato plants, oh well.

I started to clean out where the water softner was located in the garage which meant moving the dryer so a technician could get in to service it and removing a hundred pounds of salt out of the container by hand. I needed new valves, seals and the jelly looking stuff in the round cylinder which actually filters the water. It's been 10 years since I last had it serviced and the same tech did it then. It's amazing I've never done anything except add salt when it gets low in the large round container in all those years. My system is somewhat outdated but still works as the new system is nearly sixteen hundred bucks. The tech says mine is a good system without all of the bells and whistles but it works great so I'll keep it. I blessed him with some collards and tomato's as well and learned he is from Virginia.

Well that project kept me busy for a couple hours as I assisted him or really kept him company. I read for the next couple hours and then we ate some left over soup for supper and finished up some leftover desserts of which I had the lemon pie at lunch and a small slice of cheesecake for supper. Wow have I ever been bad with the sugar this weekend. I was holding at 180-182 for the past several days but I'm afraid to jump on the scales after all of the carbs and sugar, oh well. I tuned into the Ray's game after supper and they came from behind with their big bats booming and won the first game of three against the K.C. Royals. Tyler took Sam and they had a fun time with some selfies they sent home. That was about it for the day as after a shower it was horizontal lab for me. We had the windows open all day but closed them for the night, LATER

Monday Morning

Well Sunday was awesome day of worship at BridgePoint where we worked both services and then I stayed afterwards to help with the load out and the rearranging of the auditorium. It was close to 1:30 before I finally got back to the house and then helped with getting our house ready for 9 adults and 3 kiddos. What a busy day but it was worth every minute only I'm a little sore in the arm muscles lifting close to a 100 chairs and stacking them into a closet, oh well.

We had Bobby, Katie, Betsy, Gus and Braden along with the five in the Ross Family for a supper of ham, tater casserole, sauteed spinach, corn and fresh garden salad with crusty bread and then a lemon pie, chocolate cake and left over cheese cake for dessert. I stayed away from the desserts except a small slice of lemon pie from the Village Inn which makes the best pies ever. Myself and Braden hid about a 100 plastic Easter eggs in the back yard which was stuffed with change and a few one dollar bills. Sam found all of the eggs with the dollar bills which were unmarked with what was inside except there was no weight which some of the kids rejected; little did they know they contain bills, oh well.

Everyone left around 8'ish and then we put the house back in order and I hit the shower and then watched a little of the NHL until I fell asleep sometime before 10. Nancy must have shut the TV off when she came to bed what ever time, LATER

Sunday Morning..Easter ..He is Risen

Well for All of us who are Believers its a great day in our faith and for those who came to this land to gain freedom to worship our GOD it's a great day, but it seems that has some how been over shadowed by the liberal PC crowd today in our nation. Our duly elected Potus Trump is bringing back GOD and his son JESUS into the white house and we are thrilled. I fear there maybe a war between those who denigrate Christianity, conservatism and those precepts founded in the constitution and the rights of freedom loving folks.

Well Saturday was a day of awesome weather with lots of activities with family, friends and with our life group from BridgePoint. I would have never believed we had to bundle up in the evening due to a cold wind out on the beach with that group here in April, oh well. It's been unusual temps this year thus far; one day it's hot and muggy and the next its below normal with strong cold winds. We initially were going to be in Brandon at Bobby's house around 9:30 in the morning but Annsley had a bug that has caused some throwing up, so we nixed that idea which kept the Ross Family away as well. We did decided to go around lunch time and take their Easter baskets to the kiddos as they will be with their mom and not come to the family dinner and Easter egg hunt this evening at our house. We left around 1 ish and headed back to Seminole.

I did head to the college around 9 in the morning to help with the load in for BridgePoint as we were allowed an early day before Sunday load in. That helped with making extra room for the anticipated crowd with an additional couple hundred chairs. We had our service on Friday night for ALL volunteers as we will be working to help with visitors for both services. We left for Brandon shortly after I got back from the load in. I was up early and with the north wind the grass was devoid of any dew so at 8AM I mowed both front and back yards and then helped my neighbor Carol whose back yard was over grown mow her yard when we got home from Brandon. Her mower is not self propelled and she was struggling. We got it done in no time plus we bagged the grass which I also took away for my garden compost. I did my good deed for the day plus Jesus said to help the widows when the need arises.

We headed out around 4'ish to pick up the Botbyl's and head to our life group on Sand Key. The Johnston's live in a 10 story condo right on the beach and its beautiful. We brought our own meat and dishes to share and believe it or not the wind coming off the Gulf was so chilly everyone was bundled up especially when the clouds covered the sun. We grilled and ate outside until nearly 7'ish when it got just too windy and cold so we headed inside where the dozen or so of us had desserts and sat on their outside balcony looking over the area. That would not be my kind of living but they seem to really like it as they have been there 3 years.

Well we got back home around just after sunset and it had really cooled off. The hot shower felt good and then I watched the last inning of the Ray's game and they lost again in the 9th. That's two games in a row they lost in the last inning, oh well, LATER

Saturday Morning

Well Friday was another busy day and we celebrated the Good Friday service with hundreds of other volunteers at the main campus of BridgePoint with a supper and a service. Most of us volunteers will work both services on Sunday as we are expecting thousands to attend one of what will soon be 4 campus in Pinellas County.

I started the day much the usual with a before 6 roll out to my cup of hot green tea laced with turmeric and fresh ginger while I posted this ramble then spent some quiet time with my Creator lifting up several by name and giving thanks. This first day of the three days which are the most important days of a Christ Follower as Jesus fulfilled GOD's plan to reconcile us back to Him through the crucifixion. It was a day that changed the world for many and for history as well and when you become a believer it will change your life as well. The third day which is Easter and the resurrection from the tomb and death gives us all hope at the end of this earthly life.

I headed out to the rec. on my bike for two hours of pickle ball play and had a good workout. There was an overcast and what looked like storm clouds building and the forecast was for severe weather heading our way so I did some errands until lunch time then waited for the storm to hit. Thankfully it wasn't so severe here but we did get some heavy rain at times with some wind but no tornado's which was predicted due to the conditions. It did cool down considerably after dark. I read part of the afternoon away then helped Nancy with some prep work for the family dinner on Sunday.

We headed down to the main campus of BridgePoint at Tyrone for our Easter service where the staff from all campus did our duties even serving us supper. We reconnected with many we haven't seen in a year where we once served. It was a great time of worship and fellowship and the message was awesome with the usual Easter resurrection theme but with a different spin. Head pastor Tim is a marvelous communicator that leaves you wanting more after the 40 minutes or so. The music was inspiring as well as we lifted our praises in song.

We got back around 9 and I tuned into the Ray's game and they were winning initially but the pitching gave way to the hitters from Boston and they lost for the second night, oh well they are still leading the division at this point in time, LATER

Friday Morning...Good Friday

Well Thursday was a fun day all day as we traveled with neighbors and good friends Dan and Carol to visit the Tracy's near Dade City which is about an hour or so north of us for day that included some new adventures as well as some fine eatin' at their hacienda later in the afternoon.

I started the day much the usual with a before 6 roll out to my usual cup of hot green tea laced with turmeric and fresh ginger while I posted this ramble and then lifted up several to my Creator as well as gave thanks. I headed out to hand water the gardens as I knew it would be dark when we got back later in the evening from our adventure. I even ate a large breakfast as we would be skipping lunch except for some snacks while away from their place another hour or so north to the blueberry orchard. It is a place we visited 2 years ago after leaving the Villages and picked berries and loaded up with some blueberry wine.

The area we visited was marked with lots of farms, horse as well as cattle of all kinds many Texas Long Horns which was unusual too see in Florida and many sod farms. The hills are rolling but nothing to write home about except for very large oak trees and a few citrus groves but after picking blueberries we found a U Pick peach orchard and picked several bags from an organic orchard. They were rather small but oh so tasty. The blueberries were as large as the end of your finger and we picked 4  gallons with the 6 of us in less than an hour. Some of us tasted the vino and brought some. I was driving so I passed on the tasting but we did get a couple bottles for a later dinner date. The berries were 20 bucks a gallon and the peaches were 15 bucks a gallon.

We got back to their house around 4:ish and had some cheese and crackers as the frozen lasagna needed an hour to bake so we taught the Tracy's the game"dice" which we learned from Toni and Mark when they were visiting this winter. Dan was the last to meld but won the game as he hit 10,000 points right on the nose. Nancy was the first to get close to that mark then Carol and then me but hitting that total takes some luck and we were rolling several times in the area. It was a hoot and very raucous to say the least.

The meal was awesome and delicious with a fresh salad and crusty bread to accompany the lasagna. After the cleanup we walked outside as the evening had mellowed from the heat of the day and watched three alligators in the back yard pond. One was a large gator at 7-8 ft and the two other ones were in the 3-5 ft in length. We tuned into the FOX Cable News and it was all about the Mueller Report which cleared our POTUS Trump of any collusion but the dem's are having a fit as they thought Mueller was their gift to impeaching our Potus. It's such a shame the dem's are so filled with the TDS its laughable if it wasn't so obvious they want this businessman to fail as well as the nation he is trying to save from their past 8 years of failure and division with the fake and fraud potus obama.

We tuned into the Ray's game and they were leading while we had a delicious dessert of blueberry short cake.(I do not know if they won as I turned the lights at 10) My that was so good and then we decided to head for Seminole which took us an hour drive. Thankfully it was clear sailing for a change but the traffic was still quite heavy. It was a great day and filled with new scenery in the rural areas just a few miles north of Tampa. There were some magnificent estates and beautiful farms, LATER
 

Thursday Morning

Well Wednesday was a some what busy day that started with pickle ball in the morning and then some yard work until a late lunch with Amy and Eliza and then a couple trips to the Ford place to pick up the truck which wasn't finished our first mid morning trip so it was back again after lunch around 2:30. Then a couple stops on the way home for gas and groceries before getting back close to 5.

I started the day much the usual with a before 6 roll out to my cup of hot green tea laced with turmeric and ginger while I posted this ramble and then lifted several up to my Creator as well as gave thanks for my many blessings. All is well as far as I can tell. The heat has returned but the humidity seems to have taken a break since that storm came through on Sunday night. I'm hand watering the gardens daily and still harvesting lots of veggies. The tomato's have over run us and I'm giving away lots as well as more collards and kale as well as cucumbers for a change. One vine seems to be on the way out but the other one still has some small ones which with watering will mature.

Our Ford gal Shawna is such a great person as she helps us with making appointments and now again she spent an hour helping us with our GPS maps on the screen in the truck from Nancy's phone to talk to us. We are so challenged in that area and thankfully when I bought the phone for her they gave us a USB chord to fit in the phone and to the truck. We nearly bought another one for 30 bucks but I remember the box the chord came in and it works perfectly. Anyhow we are now connected with hands free texting by voice, maps that speak to us and making calls with voice only. Its amazing the technology of today and why folks still kill themselves texting and driving when its voice activated.

Since we ate such a late lunch of Zuppa and crusty bread we both skipped any supper at the suppertime. Nancy had a Bible study class and I worked outside after getting back with the truck. I hand watered the gardens, yards, pulled weeds and then fertilized the yards again until nearly dark. I came in and ate a hard boiled egg with a couple crusty pieces of bread leftover from lunch and had a cold brew while watching the Ray's vs Orioles. The Ray's were playing long ball with good pitching and whupped the birds 8-1. I hit the shower afterwards and was watching a little of the FOX CABLE NEWS with Hannity and the shoe or hammer is about to drop on many in the "deep state" and their attempted coup against our duly elected POTUS Trump. I'm hoping Hillary is indicted also for her and Bill's many crimes and corrupt dealings with enemies of US(A), LATER

Wednesday morning

Well Tuesday was an eventful day and a first ever at the social security office in St.Pete for Nancy as she turned 62 and is now eligible for some money as well as driving a new Ford Escape which is now parked in the garage. (It's a loner from the Ford dealership where a recall was being done on my F 150).

I started the day out much the usual with a before 6 roll out to a cup of hot green tea laced with turmeric and fresh ginger while I posted this ramble and then I lifted several up to my Creator  by name. All seem well at this point in time. I headed out to the rec. at 8 and played for nearly two hours as we had an appointment in St.Pete around 11 for Nancy's benefits which as it turned could or should have been done over the phone and was completed while we drove back, oh well and there are those who want the gov't to control all phases of our lives. We stopped in Pinellas Park at the PDQ for a lunch which was very delicious and on top of that we had a buy one get one free coupon. The food was as good as Chick filet or I thought even tastier as we both had chicken breast sandwiches with fries/tater tots.

I had a 1'ish appointment with Walker Ford and we met our sales gal there who has become a friend. They had to change the door locks on the trucks as it was a recall item and would need the truck the rest of the day so she got us a loner for the rest of the day. I will take it back after pickle ball this morning then she will help us to set up the GPS that talks to you when you want to find a place on the map. We could never get it to talk to us, oh well. We are somewhat challenged when it comes to electronics, apps for phone etc. I learned one thing is that smart phone is a blessing at times as you can receive emails which allowed the Ford place to get an update card for my vehicle insurance as I had an expired card in the truck, oh well that saved me for getting the loner vehicle as the insurance company emailed them a copy of my current policy.

Nancy made a huge pot of Zuppa soup and the smell permeated the house causing my taste buds to water until we ate around 6. I harvested a beautiful mess of kale which she adds to the soup and the kale was gorgeous if kale can look that good. I hand watered the gardens and then set the sprinkler on the front yard until dark. The grass is so green and has filled in really nice since I've been fertilizing and watering it and even the back yard is doing much better. The gardens are winding down as the lettuces despite daily watering are bolting as the heat is taking its toll. I'm still getting tomato's from the one dominant plant but it to is fading with just a few green fruits. The other side of the garden where the squirrels love to break and chew the tomato plants is starting to give us fruit and we should have some for several weeks or at least until we leave in June.

Well the Lightning season is over and with them being the best team all year and I thought sure they would bring the Cup to Tampa, but they were smothered in 4 straight games by a team who never beat them in the regular season. I don't know if they rested on their record as it was the best ever but this Columbus team took them to the woodshed and slaughtered them. What's ironic is their coach was the same coach who took the Lightning to their first ever Stanley Cup win a few years back, oh well. The Ray's won again over the Orioles at the Trop with great pitching and hitting. I do not know if we are a Cinderella team but with our small payroll and inexperienced players we are in first place in a division that is the toughest in MLB, LATER   

Tuesday Morning

Well Monday was an uneventful day except for the wind and cool temps. I was surprised when I left the house a little before 8 on my bike for the rec. as to how much cooler it was after the overnight storm and rain. I almost headed back to get a flannel shirt it was that cool.

The day started much the usual with a before 6 roll out to my cup of hot green tea laced with turmeric and ginger while I posted this ramble and then spent a few quiet moments with my Creator in humble thanks giving and lifting up several by name. I spoke with Paw Paw around 5'ish and he sounded great and was enjoying what life he had left with his middle daughter Pat. He has some health issues but who wouldn't at 91 years young. He goes back to the VA next month for a follow up visit and seems excited about that. Nancy spoke briefly with our "mountain mom" and she seems well also. Nancy was preparing supper so she didn't talk long. I had a basket of peppers, onions and mushrooms on the grill sauteeing for our fajitas.

I got in two good hours of pickle ball play at the rec. and once again it was a final get together with our friend John who is heading back to Canada for the summer. He and his wife Anne love BridgePoint and we will surely miss them. I'm so glad I invited them to visit our church as they are strong Believers and are now regular attenders as well as serve on the volunteer team with the Cafe a couple mornings a month. I came back around 10 and hung a load of laundry as it was a perfect day for drying clothes on the outside clothes line. I piddled around in the garden for an hour or so and then trimmed some hedges until lunch time.

After lunch I settled into some reading in the back yard and the stiff breeze was rather chilly in the shade which is unheard of this time of the year. John and Anne are heading back to snow on the ground in the Toronto area of Canada. They will surely miss these awesome temps. That was about it for the day as we tuned into the Fox Cable News and they had an interview with the socialist Bernie on and he is so full of misinformation and hatred for this POTUS that he will sell the nation down the river for his plans to give away the country for votes to get into power. America had better wake up as the dem's play to the millennials and the liberal radicals to destroy our culture and economy. They are such liars and so deceitful to tell of all the free stuff they will give away in order to gain power. GOD help US(A), LATER

Monday Morning

Well here it is the middle of April already and 6 weeks or so until we head north to the cool mountains. The heat and humidity is back but there has been a cooling breeze or one that dries the sweat which does make it feel tolerable when outside in the radiant sun.

Sunday was an awesome day of worship that started with a 5'ish rollout to help with the 6 AM load in at the college for our BridePoint "church in a truck" now "church in a trailer" which we now have two large ones as the truck will now be used for the new Clearwater campus. We had lots of new faces in both services. Nancy and I each worked the second service and sat in on the first one. Pastor Tim is an excellent speaker with great messages and you are so surprised when the 40 minutes or so he speaks is over. We headed down to the main campus at 4:30 for a communion service which was highly attended by folks from all 4 campus's. Afterwards we made a stop at the Texas Roadhouse eatery for a delicious supper and gave out several invites to those who work there to our Easter service. All were very receptive and had heard of BridgePoint at the college campus.

I tuned into the Ray's game on the TV and they won again in Toronto and have a winning record thus far in the division, but there are some strong teams we have to contend with who have huge payrolls. It was a different story for the Lightning as they lost their third straight playoff game and it's looking like the season will be over with one more loss over a team they beat three times during the season. It's not over or the fat lady hasn't sung yet but she's getting warmed up it seems. They did play better last night but just not enough with one of their star scorer's benched for a violation, oh well.

It wasn't long after the game it was horizontal lab for me after an early start to the day. We did get a thunder storm with heavy rain during the night as we needed the moisture from heat and the wind which dries everything out so quickly, LATER

Sunday Morning

Well Saturday was another warm one but the stiff breeze kept it tolerable to be outside and except for the mid afternoon thats where I was. I did play pickle ball for an hour or so at 8 but afterwards I was  on the road to Brandon for Gabe's ball game and then some hand watering of the gardens. Nancy had taken Ava shopping for clothes for her birthday. We got the kiddos for supper and then games afterwards as Amy and Tyler had a date night.

I started the day much the usual with a before 6 roll out to my cup of hot green tea laced with turmeric and ginger while I spent some quiet time with my Creator lifting up several by name. All seem as well as can be expected. I got ready and headed out around 8 for the rec. for an hour plus of pickle ball. I cut it short due to driving in traffic to Brandon for Gabe's 10:30 ball game. They won in the bottom of the last inning. I got to help coach the last inning or so as one of the base coaches had to leave. It was a come from behind game for Gabe's team and he had several extra base hits.

Well I just got back from the load in for Bridgepoint at the college after a 5'ish roll out. We had plenty of help so I got back in time to make this post. We will be there until 12:30 then head down to the main campus this evening for a communion service and then an early supper out. Nancy made tacos for the kiddos for supper last evening and now Eliza Faye likes them and she put away 2 of them which is unheard of. Sam and I got into 4 games of chest which he is now learning and he whupped me the first game but after much concentration I finally put a win on him. He is very good and I can remember teaching Bobby to play years ago. They all had showers by 9:30 so I got mine and when I got out they were gone. It was a fun evening with the grands.

Well that was about it except the Ray's coaching staff lost this game with their dumb pitching change in the 7th inning. Oh well some times they coach too much, Later

Saturday Morning

Well Friday was a busy day with pickle ball play in the morning and then some yard and garden work until it got too hot outside. I read for a couple hours then we got ready to head out around 5:30 for a church group meeting at a residence until after 9.

The day started much the usual with a before 6 roll out to my cup of hot green tea laced with turmeric and fresh ginger while I posted this ramble then spent some quiet time with my Creator in thanksgiving and lifting several up by name for healing and comfort. Paw Paw is back from the VA with new meds for some of his health issues and is being cared for by his middle daughter Pat who is a retired Lutheran pastor. All the others I've heard nothing to the contrary.

I got in two good hours of pickle ball play and left at 10 worn out and got another workout on the way home on my bike pedaling against a strong head wind. I washed a load of laundry and hung them on the line outside as it was a perfect day for drying in the hot sunshine. I had put out some poison for the fruit rats and 2 out of the 3 cubes were gone and I noticed none of the large tomato's were eaten into. I placed more cubes out in hopes this will fill their bellies and send them packing. I did pick a couple large tomato's off of the other side of garden as they just now are starting to ripen with some huge fruits.

Nancy was off to the rec. for her workout on the treadmill and when she got back we had some leftovers for lunch. I decided it was too hot outside so I sat in the a/c and read for a couple hours and even took a power nap for a few. We got ready around 5'ish to make plans to leave after she made a large bowl of guacamole and fresh salsa to take with us to share at the group meeting. We had around 20 folks there and enjoyed the evening as we studied some of our core valves in a class titled Rooted. The church wanted everyone who calls Bridgepoint their home to go through this 4 part class of which we had already completed two parts during a second service when we weren't serving. We caught up on the two we had missed plus this class was much more informal with food and fellowship. There were a few tears as well as some laughter and we got to know some folks who we didn't know who serve in different areas as all of us are part of the volunteers team. We have such a large number of volunteers which really is a church unto itself as we have that many.

We missed the Lightning game which I'm glad because while being the best team in the NHL the whole season they are playing like the worst team in this second playoff game. They were losing 5-1 at home, yikes to a team they had beaten three time this season, oh well. The Ray's won again in Toronto. I got to watch the last two innings and the hitting was great with a 11-7 victory. Well today Saturday it's an hour or so of pickle ball before I head alone to Brandon to watch Gabe play ball and Nancy takes Ava Mae shopping for up coming birthday later this month. We will keep the kiddos for supper as Amy and Tyler have a date night, LATER

Friday Morning

Well Thursday was a mixture of play and work and some good eatin' and making friends at a pickle ball players luncheon. The weather is getting into that typical Florida summertime heat and humidity with temps in the middle 80's but a nice breeze in the evening made it pleasant to work outside after supper.

The day started much the usual with a before 6 roll out to my cup of hot green tea laced with turmeric and fresh ginger while I posted this ramble and lifted up several to my Creator for healing and comfort. Just got word that Paw Paw who will be 92 in December was having some issues and was seen at the VA in W.Va. Seems he is having severe prostrate issues and is now back on a catheter until his next visit in April. I've heard if we men live long enough we will all have prostrate issues. I take a saw palmetto supplement everyday for the past several years in hope of thwarting that issue and so far it works; but I'm not his age yet, oh well. Everyone else is about the same or as well as can be expected due to their ages and health issues.

I headed out for nearly three hours of pickle ball play and then 9 of us players met for lunch at Big Jim's eatery in Seminole for a fine lunch. We laughed, cut up and told stories about his past years play as a few of us were either leaving this coming week or in the near future to back to the north. A couple of Canadians are facing a severe winter storm in their regions and are not looking forward to leaving this hot weather, oh well. We still have about a month and a half before we leave for the mountains. The temps there are really nice but it does drop down over night but the freezing cold is gone for now.

We took off for Sam's club to gas up and the price has gone up considerably the last couple of weeks to where its close to three bucks a gallon. We stocked up on a few things then made a couple more stops before getting back to the house with our goodies. After a very lite supper I headed out to hand water the gardens then mowed both yards and sprayed the yards with a liquid weed killer and fertilizer combined using the garden hose. Afterwards I set out some mouse/rat poison bait along the tomato plants. They have ruined at least a couple dozen beautiful fruits. It was close to 7:30 when I decided to call it a day and head in. We watched the Fox Cable News and once again were filled with hope the crooks and the corruption in the obama administration will be exposed and charged. Seems his white house counsel is being charged and we just need to get the head of the whole coup attempt which is obama himself and then Hillary. I would love to see the two put on trial for their crimes and exposed to the whole world of their criminal behavior.

After a hot shower I tuned into the other NHL playoff games and saw some great action. It wasn't long after 10 it was lights out for me and then some horizontal lab, LATER   

Thursday Morning

Well Wednesday saw us with another typical Florida summer day after another rain shower during the night. I'm not watering the yards at all with the almost daily rain and the gardens just once a day. There wasn't much happening except for the usual routines except for the sports on TV and the Ray's blew out the White Sox in their stadium 9-1. It was cold there enough to see the players breath. The Lightning went down in defeat after being up 3-0 in the first period and lost 4-3, yikes. That's almost unheard of especially against the best team record in the NHL.

I started the day much the usual with a before 6 roll out to my cup of hot green tea laced with turmeric and fresh ginger while I posted this ramble then spent some quiet moments with my Creator. All of those I lift up daily seem to be doing well. I got ready and headed out to the rec. on my bike a little before 8 for two hours of pickle ball play. We are slowly losing many of the snowbirds which are heading back to Canada and the northern states. It's been a jam packed gym many days with players and we still have a few good ones left to play for another week or so. We will have at least four of the A players for a couple weeks until I leave in June for the mountains as well and by then school will be out and the summer camps will take over the gym except for a couple time slots during the week for pickle ball, oh well its been a great year for play.

Amy and Eliza came for a lunch which GG loved to make and we dedicated the bacon, egg and onion sandwich lunch to her and with my fresh tomato's it was even more delicious. I had two of the sandwiches which held me the rest of the day as we didn't eat until 1 PM when Amy got to the house. I did have a few cashews along with my glass of vino around 6 but that was it for me for the day after an apple for breakfast. I'm holding between 180 and 183 which is awesome. I would like the lower number which I hit occasionally but at least its been steadily below 185. That is down from the 196 I hit after getting back from the mountains in November.

I piddled around in the garden after pickle ball, hung a load of laundry outside on the clothesline and pulled weeds in the garden and found several more tomato's either a squirrel or rat ate into; I've thrown away dozens now of chewed fruit. Today I'm heading out to Sam's with a stop at Home Depot for some rat poison. I figure what the heck. I have another row of tomato's on the other side of the garden which has tons of green fruit and I want to stop them before they locate this patch. I have chicken wire along the top of these plans to help keep the squirrels from jumping off the fence onto the plants; breaking the limbs and then chewing the stems off. I've never in all my life seen this happening before this year, oh well.

The collards, kale and cukes are still producing but the sweet sugar peas and green beans have dried up despite the daily watering as has the lettuces. The jalapeno peppers are going crazy with new fruit and tons of flowers. I sowed a couple seeds in hope they will give me some seedlings for the summer garden and I have tons of volunteer tomato seedlings as well to take with me. It was a hot afternoon so after lunch I tuned into the Ray's game in Chicago where they had rain and some sleet. It was in the 30's there but after the rain delay they played the game and the Ray's swept another series. They are on fire and playing like world beaters. Let's hope they continue with great hitting and fantastic pitching from little known players.

The Stanley Cup playoffs started in Tampa and with three goals in the first period it looked like a definite win for the Lightning but the next two periods they looked like a minor league team and lost the game to a team they had beaten every time this year. I remember the saying"on any given day any team can win or lose" and this was their day to lose after thinking the game was in the bag, oh well. Nancy was at her Bible Study class and got back going on 9'ish. I was watching some of the FOX Cable news in between commercials and the new AG Barr has the dem's in a tizzy with his announcements there was evidence of spying on Trump by the dem's.  He said he was going to go back to 2016 and start over with a through investigation so just maybe Hillary will get her just dues as well as those in the "deep state" of the obama administration. The talking points in the biased fake news networks are besides themselves with commentary on how this AG is in bed with Trump. Just like before they thought Mueller would give them their cause against Trump and they turned on Mueller and now this highly respected former AG who took on this new job is bad according to the dem's and liberal media. I love watching their heads explode and I'm hoping they will receive some investigation for their fake news and being complicit with the dems. Oh well we will see, LATER

Wednesday Morning

Well Tuesday was totally a fun day which started on the pickle ball court for me, then some baseball on TV before we headed to Dade City area which is about an hour north of us to the Tracy's. We met with another couple and the 8 of us went to their club house for an ALL You Can Eat Prime Rib and Shrimp dinner, oh my what delicious food and then afterwards waddled back to their house where we taught them the new card game "31". We had a hoot but left around 8:30 so as to get back home around 9:30 or so.

I started the day much the usual with a before 6 roll out to my cup of hot green tea laced with turmeric and fresh ginger while I spent some quiet time with my Creator in thanksgiving and lifting several up by name. All seem well as I write. I got ready and  headed out to the rec. for nearly three hours of pickle ball play with some really good players, a couple of which leave and head back north this week. One couple we meet each year for a couple weeks raise hogs for pork production in Indiana and are Believers. I invited them to our Easter service but they will leave before that but one of their friends attended BridgePoint last Sunday and were thrilled with the service so next year they will attend as well. We said our good bye's and promised to keep in touch on Facebook until next year.

I got back to the house around noon and we ate a lite lunch before we chilled until 3 'ish when Dan and Carol picked us up to head north to the Tracy's. I watched the Ray's once again beat up on the White Sox's in Chicago for the first 4 innings and they did complete the game for another win 7-2. The Lightning have their first playoff game tonight in Tampa as Nancy is at her Bible Study class from 7 to 9. The Virginia NCAA team came out winners and the best team in basketball finally after last years debacle that sent them home defeated. I have plenty of sports to keep be entertained. I am missing out on some of my reading time but I love the physical game of pickle ball everyday and of course baseball in the afternoon and now hockey at night.

Let me tell you about this buffet dinner at the Tracy's club; the prime rib was sliced at a bar area which was to your taste, medium rare for us with you peel shrimp on ice and on the buffet line there was fresh salads, delicious mixed veggies, smashed taters and two kinds of fried shrimp in a batter one of which was coconut and then all of the sauces plus bread. Well I made two trips to the beef bar and buffet line for taters and shrimps, oh my what a feed all for under 25 bucks per person. Unbelievably delicious and prepared to perfection, best meal this year anywhere outside the house. It's a far bit to travel but worth it and the time together with friends was awesome as well. The Tracy's place is very nice with a great back yard that features a pond with live gators many of which come and go from the many bodies of water in the area. We saw a 5 footer near the waters edge and then a smaller one swimming. Its mating season so beware. There has been cougar sightings as well as the small critters which are indigenous to any wooded, swamp like area which describes their back yard area and beyond.

Well we had a great time teaching them the new game"31" which Nancy won and of course the banter around the table was loud and raucous whenever all 8 of us get together. One of their neighbors Tom is retired USAF and his wife Elizabeth who is a hoot as well is part of the gang when we visit the Tracy's. We carry on together and get along and they to travel quite a bit as they have family in Hawaii, Alaska and Colorado. She has a few medical issues but seems as well as can be expected for their ages, oh well. I've taught all of them pickle ball and they have played from time to time and love it. The club is building two new courts and renovating the existing tennis court for pickle ball.

Well we got back to the house around 9:30 and made plans to go up again next week to a blueberry farm and pick berries and purchase some blueberry wine where we stopped last year on one of our many outings. It should be another fun filled day, LATER

Tuesday Morning

Well Monday saw us with tons of humidity which is typical along with high heat and some very strong winds through out the day. The evening clouded up with what looked like tornado weather but thankfully none appeared but we did get some light rain and then again this morning its raining.

I started the day much the usual with a before 6'ish roll out to my usual cup of hot green tea laced with turmeric and fresh ginger while I posted this ramble then spent some quiet time with my Creator lifting up several by name. All of them seem well at this point in time. We did speak with our mountain mom Helen after supper and the weather has finally broke in the mountains with temps up into the 70's. The leaves are springing out as well as the flowering trees and the grass is greening after such a long cold wet winter.

I headed out a little before 8 on my bike for the rec. for two solid hours of pickle ball play and left whupped. After leaving the rec.I harvested a nice mess of collards and cleaned them and got them to cooking before heading out to hand water the gardens. The blasted squirrels continue to ruin tomato's and now maybe I'm thinking a fruit rat may also be a culprit which eats just enough to ruin the fruit before moving on to another one. Several of the tomato's were eaten deep into the fruit so I'm think a squirrel would have a hard time eating that deep, anyhow some critter is taking it toll on my tomato's both plants and fruit.

The collards smelled so good throughout the day and I had bought some fresh corn in the shuck and long with a grilled sirloin we feasted for supper, wow what a feed. I chopped a fresh jalapeno in my bowl of collards and does that ever enhance the flavors. I did turn on the TV during the day which is quite unusual as the Ray's were playing a day game in Chicago and they won 5-1. They are winners in their last 8 out of 10 games and lead the division for a change. We watched the Fox Cable news after the cleanup from supper until the national college basketball game came on at 9. I watched the first half before turning the lights out as I was dozing during commercials. 10 PM has become my bedtime and before 6 AM I'm wide awake, oh well. Virginia was winning at half time and I'll have to check the scores later on who won the bragging rights, LATER

Monday Morning

Well Saturday and Sunday were totally busy and filled with pickle ball Sat. morning then supper out in downtown St.Pete along Beach drive with the Botbyl's and Tracy's. This area is so nice with great eateries, parks and boats galore along the sea walls and yacht clubs. Very touristy. We came back and played cards the Botbyl's until 9 ish then on Sunday morning I was at the early load in for BridgePoint Church at the college. Nancy worked both services whereas I was able to sit in on the second service and then helped to break down the upstairs Kidspoint area before we headed home around noonish. There was great attendance for both services with many new faces and several families.

Sunday after church we had our large meal of the day with leftover spaghetti and meatballs which held me the rest of day. I managed a power nap on the couch watching some sports and then we both watched the Ray's take 2 out of 3 games from the Giants in San Francisco. They broke a team record with 3 series wins to start the season and I believe are leading their division at this point in time. We then tuned into the NCAA women's basketball final between Baylor and Notre Dame and it was an exciting second half with the lead changing on almost every basket. Baylor came through at the end with a 1 point victory over last years winners.

I had set the sprinkler on the garden during the afternoon then just before dark gave the tomato plants a coating of Sevin dust to help prevent the squirrels from chewing on and ruining several tomato each day. I've thrown away at least a dozen in the last couple days where they chew and eat several beautiful tomato's each day as well as break down the plants. I did harvest another mess of collards for the neighbor behind me and he was most appreciative as he takes them to work and shares with co workers as well. I'll harvest another mess for us this coming week. The heat is coming back so I don't know how long they will last but up to this point they are producing new leaves almost daily. Well it wasn't long after 10 until I was ready for some horizontal lab as it was an early start to the day, LATER 

Saturday Morning

Well Friday started out with an overnight early morning storm that left the appliances flashing from the power being interrupted and heavy down pours of rain and along with it the humidity we dread so much is back as well. 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 some quiet time with my Creator while lifting up several by name and giving thanks for my many blessings. All seem well at this point in time. I got ready a little before 8 and headed out on my bike to the rec. for two good hours of pickle ball play. Needless to say with all of the rain I didn't have to hand water until late in the evening.

We decided to have the Botbyl's for a supper of salmon fillets, Brussel sprouts and a fresh garden salad. Carol brought a bowl of yellow rice which fit perfectly with the meal. We all shared a glass of the fruit of the vine before chowing down. The meal was to perfection in taste and color and then later we all had a delicious cup cake she also brought which was decadent to say the least and if kept me up through out the night as it was nearly 9 before we decided to have dessert. Dessert at that hour is a no no for me, oh well but it was so good.

Dan and I watched the last inning of the Ray's vs Giants in San Francisco and the Ray's won again 5-2. while girls cleaned up from supper. They are now 6 out of 8 games as winners, what a great start for this ball club. We decided to show them our two new games we play called "31" and "dice" that we learned from Toni and Mark. It was a raucous time with Carol and I each winning 31 of the two games we played and then I won the dice game in a close match with Carol, oh well its seldom I ever win over her. It was a fun time and something we hadn't done in awhile as they have been so busy with his dad's health and babysitting their new grand daughter who is just a cutie at 6 months. It was also their anniversary weekend so we will meet in downtown St.Pete with Tracy's this afternoon for supper and then come back for games as well.

That was about it for Friday, LATER

Friday Morning

Well I awakened this morning in a huge storm with lightning flashing as well as everything in the house due to the power going off. The rain pored as well throughout the night so maybe this is the start of the rainy season with high humidity once again, oh well its been very nice thus far.

Thursday was basically a fun day as I played pickle ball for two solid hours until 11:30 then came home and hand watered until lunch time. We were heading out around 2:30 for Tampa area to beat the rush hour and then attend Gabe's ball game after having supper with the family. Nancy had made spaghetti and meat balls as she had promised Gabe she would and he was thrilled. We brought it all along with a salad and the fare was delicious to say the least. I did manage a 20 minute nap before we left for Tampa.

Well the ball game was a bust for the first three innings when Gabe's team scored 8 runs but if was too little too late as they lost 15-8. It seems despite our good hitting it was right at someone whereas everything they hit was between our defense. Oh well is was close to 8:30 before we left the ball field in perfect evening for base ball.

We got back to Seminole around 9:30 and I hit the showers and watched the last 5 minutes of the Lightning game which they won 3-1 over Toronto. Afterwards I shut the lights off and was ready for some horizontal lab, LATER

Thursday Morning

Well Wednesday was another gorgeous day with tons of sunshine and not a lot of humidity. The sun was very hot but a nice breeze once again made it quite comfortable working in the yards and gardens especially towards the evening hours.

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 while I posted this ramble and lifted up several by name to my Creator. All seem as well as can be expected. I got ready and headed out on my bike around 8 for the rec. for a solid two hours of pickle ball. Today Thursday I'll go in around 9 and stay until noon when we have an extra two hours with mainly A players. I must say many of our winter B players have left for the frozen north so the 8 o'clock meetings aren't quite as congested which makes for better play. We still have a few both men and women who will never progress to the A or even B levels of play; but they do come almost everyday.

I left at 10 and headed home in a stiff wind on my bike which gave me another workout. Nancy was getting ready to ride her bike to the rec. to workout on the thread mill as she is trying to shape up for the mountain hikes which is a real work out especially up the back trail from the cabin. It's less than 2 months until we head out. I'm getting pumped about getting the garden and flower beds ready for planting. I'm drying out some of these delicious tomato seeds to start here in Florida and take with me for the summer garden. The collards are still producing as it the kale where as the lettuces are starting to bolt due to the heat, so we are eating up as much lettuces as possible as well as giving it away.

Nancy had her Wednesday night Bible study at the rec. so after an early supper of rotisserie chicken, fresh asparagus and parsley taters I headed out to hand water and pull weeds from the front yard. I had mowed the yards after getting back from pickle ball and they are looking green but with lots of weeds in the front yard.  I worked outside until nearly dark as I did nothing after lunch but watch the Ray's play a day game which they lost in 11 innings 1-0. They had the bases loaded several times but could not get a run home to win the game.

It wasn't long after Nancy got back to house around 9'ish that it was shower time and then some horizontal lab, LATER

Wednesday Morning

Well Tuesday saw us with some rain during the early morning hours and then it cleared off and once again a stiff breeze brought some much drier and cooler temps into the area. 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 while I posted this ramble then spent some quiet moments with my Creator in thanksgiving and lifting up several by name. All of them seem as well as can be expected. We did speak with our mountain mom Helen and the temps have finally warmed up some in the mountains. They are just sick of this cold wet winter and are ready for summer or at least spring.

I headed out to the rec. on my bike just dodging the rain clouds which let loose as I entered the building and played for three solid hours. Nancy actually decided to workout in the weight room due to the rain my last hour there. By the time I left just before noon the skies had turned blue and the sun was shining but the stiff breeze made it hard pedaling home against the wind, so I got another extended workout. Luckily I had for a change eaten a breakfast of soft boiled eggs with grits which helped to keep up my energy level whereas I usually just eat an apple when I play at 8.

I didn't do much the rest of the afternoon except Amy and Eliza came for lunch around 1. We had a nice fresh garden salad with delicious tomato's and cucumbers. I picked 5 yesterday with several more small ones coming on. This year has been the first in many with the cukes doing so well. The tomato's are producing faster than I can eat so I'm blessing friends and neighbors as well as are the collards. The cool temps have kept them producing and delicious as well.

I grilled a couple fillets and along with the leftover collards for our supper which was awesome. After the cleanup I settled into the FOX Cable News in between the Ray's game which they won again against the Rockies and the Lightning game in Canada which they lost for a change. Many of their main players were either hurt or resting since they have home ice in the playoffs which start next week. It wasn't long after 10'ish I was ready for some horizontal lab, LATER

Tuesday Morning

Well Monday was rather overcast and we did get a little rain for a couple hours, no down pours but a nice soft rain which also dropped the temps once again. It was just plain nice out for this time of the year. It's hard to believe its April already and although the a/c is on its really not that bad for our area.

I started the day with my usual 6'ish roll out to a cup of hot green tea laced with turmeric and fresh ginger while I posted this ramble then lifted up several to my Creator. I spoke with Paw Paw a couple days ago and he sounded really good. He and Pat were sitting in the warm sunshine on her porch in W.Va. He seems to be in a good frame of mind but related the incident in the nursing pavilion where he had his arm and shoulder injured several years ago but remembers it as last month or so. Oh well at 91 we can give him a bye. All else seem as well as can be expected as I've heard nothing to the contrary.

I headed out a little before 8 on my bike to the rec. for two good hours of pickle ball play and then made a stop at the library before heading home to hand water the garden and harvest carrots to take to Amy's for supper around 6. After a lunch of fresh salad we made a run to Home Depot, gas station and Audi's for some goodies in the rain. I did harvest and cleaned another two colanders of lettuces, kale and Swiss chard so we would have plenty of fresh salad. This maybe our last couple weeks of lettuces but if it stayed this cool they may survive a little longer. Lettuces and extreme heat don't go together.

I read the rest of the afternoon then we got ready a little before 6 and headed to Amy's for a delicious supper of what she calls "sour belly". It's smashed taters with noodles in a chicken cream sauce on top of the taters. Lots of carbs but oh so delicious. The kiddos love the carrots both cooked and raw from the garden. We visited until 7:30 as it was a school night and they have their routines now that Amy is working half a day at the school. Hopefully next year they will only pay half of their regular amount for three kiddos which will be a big savings because she will be full time employed there at the school.

After the cleanup we got back to the house around 7:30 or so and watched both the Ray's and Lightning and both were winners last evening. It wasn't long afterwards I was ready for some horizontal lab, LATER

I have to admit I got both Nancy and Amy on April's joke every year and they always lament thinking next year its their turn to get me.

Monday Morning ...April Fools Day

Well the month of March just slipped right out of here with the winds and did we ever have some winds and now April is here which if I remember is the month of showers, oh well. I'm not sure if that happens here in sunny Florida. We did have another beautiful day on Sunday with lots of sunshine and low humidity which is seldom seen this time of the year and I have a feeling that is about to change this month. I didn't post anything for Sunday as I started the day early with the 6 AM load in for BridgePoint Church at the college and then we were there until 12:30 worshipping and serving. The rest of the day was being a couch potato watching baseball; the Rays took 3 out of 4 games from the Astros and then two very good March Madness NCAA games. I was shocked that both N.C. and Duke were beaten as they are usually in the finals and have been over the past several years.

I don't think I mention what we did on Saturday but I did get in a couple hours of pickle ball in the morning before we got ready to attend the memorial service for Dan's mom who passed a couple weeks ago. They have a large family and to get relatives from around the country all in one place was a compromise on the date and time for this service. Dan's dad is in very bad shape as well and I'm sure he was holding out for this memorial. He is unable to feed himself or do anything manually which is so sad to see. They had been married for close to 60 years I believe and one of their close friends of 50 years gave the eulogy which had us all in tears. There was a nice lunch afterwards and we got to meet all of Dan's family.

We decided to have a date night at the Outback eatery around 5'ish. Nancy had a great rib eye steak grilled to perfection and I had a coupon for a free blooming onion which is a meal unto its self. We came back and chilled watching the Ray's game. I had to get up early on Sunday morning so I was soon ready for some horizontal lab by 10, LATER