Tuesday Morning Jan 31st

Well Monday turned almost summer like with temps in the 80's with the sun bright and hot. Thankfully there was a slight breeze that kept it bearable to be outside in the afternoon. I started the day with a before 6 roll out to my morning routines that start with some quiet time after posting this ramble to honor my Lord, give thanks for another day and to lift up several by name. All seem to be holding as I make this post. I finished up my morning talk with the Creator on the bike ride to the Rec for two hours of pickle ball.

 I piddled around in the gardens and yards after getting back from the Rec harvesting my first mess of 1/2 runner green beans and another bunch of leafy greens for the salad bowl. I cleaned and then got them ready for the salad bowl which I had some for my lunch. Every morning I come out to check to see if the rat poison is gone and it is and last night I saw what has been eating it; a huge possum was in the back yard and had just finished one of the two trays of poison. I'm surprised it didn't make him sick. I've been noticing some extra poop in the yard which is between a small dog and a cat and its been his, oh well. I'll set the trap again tonight in hopes I catch him and take him away to the park and let it loose.

The garden is doing well and I have new lettuce seedlings popping through the ground in hopes they will make but with this new heat I'm not too sure. I'm hoping it will cool back down into the upper 60's and 70's as I'm not ready for this heat and humidity. It does cool back some over night but yesterday it was blazing. We took a shopping trip to Sam's Club and then to Aldi's where we stocked up once again for the week. We met up with some friends for supper at Miller's Ale House for ribs which is a special on Mondays. A whole rack for 15 bucks which is rare so we both ate out for about 10 bucks as we shared the rack and ordered and extra side dish. Its usually about 20 bucks a person when we eat out with tax and tip but last night was a deal. The place was doing the business with the tons of old folks like us.

We met over at the house of one of the couples after eating who we had visited with before Christmas and played Chameleon which was a lot of fun until close to 9:30. There was 4 couples so we all had a grand time and promised to do it again next month. After a hot shower I was ready for some horizontal lab, LATER

Monday Morning Jan 30th

Well Sunday was an awesome day of worship both on line and in house at S.R.B.C. and the temps really warmed up enough Nancy had the a/c on by days end. Its almost like heat in the morning and a/c in the afternoon and then heat again at night, oh well. There was plenty of sunshine and blue skies as well.

I started the day much the usual with a 6'ish rollout to my daily routines that start with some quiet moments after posting this ramble to give thanks and lift up several by name. All seem as well as can be expected due to ages and health concerns. I headed out to check on the gardens afterwards and the rat poison had been eaten over night once again so I refilled the trays for another night of their foraging in hopes they continue to eat it and eventually wipe out their family. I had watered the garden before heading in to watch Gary Hamrick at Cornerstone Chapel in Leesburg, Va. for a powerful message on the Holy Spirit. Our pastor Derek Parker spoke on the salt and light that Jesus shared in the gospel of Mathew to his disciples. What a powerful message for the world and especially for us who attend this church.

We rode with the Botbyl's as I still help with Dan's scooter as he is still recovering from heel surgery. They along with the Nymark's came for a lunch of Zuppa soup, salad and crusty bread which we had leftover from the night before. After the cleanup which was brief we settled into a game of Euchre with the guys once again winning on the last hand and then it was time for Dan, Carol and Nancy to head off to the cinema to watch a movie titled Left Behind. I'm not a fan of the movies, plus I wanted to watch the NFL play off games. The Eagles took out the 49ners when their QB was injured in the first quarter and the Chiefs won with seconds to go in a cold close game. So we will see them play each other in the big game in two weeks.

I did harvest a nice mess of leafy greens for the Ross Family who came by after Nancy got back from the movies. It wasn't long after the game and a hot shower I was ready for some horizontal lab, LATER

Sunday Morning Jan 29th

Well it was a bit nippy to start the last Saturday of this month but it did warm up enough by late evening to where a jacket wasn't needed to be out after dark. The wind finally died down which helped considerably. I piddled around in the gardens after my morning routines that start with some quiet time after posting this ramble to give thanks for another day and lift up several by name for comfort and healing. All seem as well as can be expected. There was no pickle ball this morning as the gym is being used by youth basketball until sometime in March so I took a nice long bike ride after lunch which got the heart rate up and help keep the leg muscles in tune.

I piddled around outside hand watering the gardens and once again filled the rat poison tray with pellets. My neighbor Bobby came over with some bait as well and we placed it in a couple different areas as we both think our yards are a buffet table. There must be a huge family of them somewhere as this poison should have killed a couple by now as its been a week since I first put the poison out. There is a house behind me that has some openings in the fascia board that could house rats in their attic and this must be where they are living, oh well.

I read and a watched You Tube travel videos for most of the afternoon until it was time to get ready for the Botbyl's for a supper of salad, Zuppa soup and crusty bread. Afterwards we introduced them to Hearts and Carol won 2 games and me 1 game.  They say they had never played the game before and they really enjoyed it as did we. It was going on 9 before they headed out for home which is just about 3 houses up from ours. I tuned into the last period of the Lightning game and they won 5-2 over the LA Kings here in Tampa.

Today is corporate worship day at S.R.B.C. and we have a new couple coming from our old church who is also not happy with the leadership there and the wokeism that is being slowly let into their thinking. We now have at a dozen or more who have found our church who is preaching the truth and has moved here with us. We still love the folks from the old group but no longer their ideology and I'm afraid this is happening in America as well with many churches. Standards are being stripped away from the Word to include sin which is forbidden by GOD and has now infiltrated many churches such as abortion and homosexuality to just mention a few that is being accepted by many churches as a norm. Well that was about it for the day as it was soon shower time and lights out around 10'ish. Today there are a couple NFL games on the tube so for us who are sports lovers it will be a day of playoff football, LATER

Saturday Morning Jan 28th Last weekend of January 2023

 Well this month has just flown by especially as we have been so busy with basketball games at night, sometimes three in one week. Last nights game in Tampa was a bust for our girls as they were man handled by a well coached team with very good players and it was a big night for this school as well as many of their seniors were playing their last game. They definitely were a cut above our division but we kept the game close for the first period even taking a 4 point lead to start the game. That was the end of our good play as we were missing a point guard and ball handler which hurt the team and one senior, oh well. District playoffs start on Tuesday and we should win our district class of 2A handily.

I started the day much the usual with a before 6 rollout to my routines that start with some quiet time after posting this ramble to lift up several by name and to give thanks for another day. I finished up my talk with the Creator on my cold bike ride to the Rec for two hours of pickle ball. It was a chilly morning with temps in the high 40's and a stiff breeze which made the ride even colder. It eventually warmed to the upper 60's by lunch time and was pleasant out until darkness fell then it cooled off rapidly once again.

Nancy was off to lunch with neighbor Carol and a friend they knew from church so I piddled around the house doing some honey do's and then had a great salad for lunch. I harvested and cleaned another mess of the leafy greens to take with us to the game as there is an older couple who comes to all the girls games and everyone especially the players love them. They have no immediate family here so they have adopted the girls basketball team and really its the other way around. They are in their middle 80's. It was read the rest of the afternoon away until 4'ish when Tyler picked us up to head to the ball game in Tampa. The traffic is unbelievable this time of the year as tons of folks are here to escape the cold weather up north. Tampa and it surrounding are huge with new constructions and housing while roads are still clogged with traffic. It took us an hour and half to get there which was around 40 miles at most, oh well.

We got back to Seminole around 8:30 or so and had a small snack and then it was shower time for me and some documentaries before lights out around 10, LATER

Friday Morning Jan 27th

 Well it didn't get as cold as once thought, but the low 50's are some what chilling especially with the stiff breeze. I started the day with my usual routines of a before 6 roll out to my quiet time after posting this ramble to honor my Lord, give thanks and lift up several by name. All are holding as this time. I headed out on my bike to the Rec bundled up with an extra shirt and ball cap while finishing up my morning talk with the Creator. I got in two solid hours of pickle ball play with mainly good players and left around 10 for home against a stiff wind. I harvested three messes of greens and cleaned one for us and filled the salad bowl, while harvesting for neighbors and friends as well. The leafy greens are beautiful and growing quite well. The garden is doing well with lots of blooms on most everything that blooms. The rats or whatever is still eating the poison at nights and I keep refilling the trays. So far they haven't eaten any more veggies which is why I bought the poison.

I didn't do much after a lunch of fresh garden salad which held us until we got back from Ava basketball game in St.Pete. She played awesome once again especially on defense and did make a couple buckets as well. She isn't usually a starter as she is just a sophomore but does come in and makes it known she is a go getter by causing turnovers and crashing the boards for rebounds. She can use either hands on layups but makes great passes to her team mates who score. We love watching her play and she always adds to the team play when in the game. She is on the floor at times going after loose balls and hustles down the court. She will be a star one day.

Well after getting back from dropping off Amy and Ava we settled into some pop corn and then I into the Lightning game against the number 1 team in the NHL. We beat them 3-2 here in Tampa and it was a hard fought game against a tough Boston team. After a hot shower it was lights out at 10, LATER

Thursday Morning Jan 26th

Well Wednesday was a pleasant day with mostly sunshine but a stiff breeze was felt through out the dat and evening. It was supposed to rain in the evening and we did get a brief shower bringing in another cold front over night. Thus far it doesn't seem that cold in the house this morning. I started out the day with my usual before 6 roll out to my routines that start with some quiet moments after posting this ramble to honor my Lord, give thanks and lift several up by name for healing; all seem to be well at this point in time. I finished up my talk with the Creator on my bike ride to the rec for two hours of pickle ball leaving worn out and then I had to pedal home against the wind. What a morning workout.

I piddled around in the gardens and once again noticed all of the rat poison had been eaten overnight so I refilled the lids and set them under some cover. I did do some hoeing and then replanted a couple rows of lettuce seedlings and beets once again. Maybe with the killing of the rats these new seedlings will survive. I have lots of blooms on the sugar peas, squashes, 1/2 runner beans and tomato's. I'm sure they will come due all at the same time like the lettuces are now. I'll harvest again today and give away bags of the leafy greens for the salad bowls.

After a lunch of a garden grow fresh salad I settled into reading and watching documentaries. I was shocked at seeing one about Jerusalem and the scamming that goes on in the holy city with the selling of fakes in artifacts, coins and the pick pocketing that occurs. The man filming this had finally exposed the corruption and had the merchants attest to what they were doing was selling fakes and frauds. Wow was I ever taken back by the merchants and their dishonesty. It's no wonder Jesus threw them out of the synagogue back in his day as they should be thrown out of the city today.

We met up with Dan and Carol and headed over to a small eatery in the Bardmoor area for a delicious supper. We met another couple who attends church with us and saw another couple already there. We learned the owner of this eatery is a member of our church and is an AWANA leader; such a small world. Nancy had the pot roast supper and I had a bowl of soup and half a BLT with fries, delicious and just perfect amount. It closes at 7 but serves breakfast all day and evening. I will definitely eat there again.

We got back and I read for awhile before hitting the shower and then watching some documentary on the Farmland on Prime TV. Excellent show, it was lights out at 10, LATER

Wednesday Morning Jan 25th

 Well Tuesday warmed up to almost normal for this time of the year. A bit nippy to start the morning but shorts and was the clothes of the day except it was some what over cast to start but as nearly always with Florida, sunshine prevailed in the afternoon. I started the day much the usual with a 6'ish rollout to my routines that start with some quiet moments with my Lord to give thanks and lift up several by name for comfort and healing after posting this ramble. I finished up my morning talk on the bike ride to the Rec for two hours of pickle ball play.

I had a good workout with several newbies which are here for the winter plus a few that are still in the learning process, but I never the less got in a good workout and left whupped. After pedaling against a stiff breeze home I settled into the garden and yards hand watering both and once again filling the rat poison lids which they cleaned up over night. I'm hoping this poison works but they are still eating it unless. I may have a family of rats and its taking longer than expected. It's supposed to work according to the reviews.

I harvested a nice mess of collards for the Ross Family yesterday and now need to harvest lettuces once again for our salad bowl as they are maturing quickly. I gave away to neighbor Bobby a nice mess of both kale and lettuces and will see if the Botbyl's want some of both. I'm still waiting on the small and pink tomatoes to set fruit but I do have some Romas that have nice size fruit; I just need them to start to turn pink for the salad bowl.

I read the afternoon away and then we got ready to meet Steve and Sheri Nymark at Cody's roadhouse eatery in Belair for supper. Afterwards we came back and played hearts and euchre until 9'ish. The guys won euchre and Nancy won hearts. I settled into the last period of the Lightning game after they left and the Bolts won 4-2. It was shower time and then lights out a little after 10, LATER

Tuesday Morning Jan 24th

 Well it got cold again and the stiff breeze made it feel even colder than the 50's which started out the day and evening. I know 50's is a warm trend for some but in Florida with a northern wind its cold and so we bundled up to go out to Ava's basketball game around 5:30. I started the day with my usual routines of a before 6 rollout to some quiet time after posting this ramble to honor my Lord, give thanks and lift several up by name. All seem well as can be expected due to ages and health issues.

 I headed out on my bike to the Rec and on the way finished up my morning talk with the Creator. I got in two hours of constant pickle ball play and since I hadn't played since Friday I soon felt it on the way home in the chilled breeze. I piddle around in the gardens and noticed once again all of the rat poison had been eaten so I refilled the trays and set them out around the back yard. This time I added some old mole poison pellets as well I had stored for ages. I must have a family of rats to have eaten so much of the poison and to keep cleaning the trays two nights in a row. I'm anxious to see if they ate it again for a third night.

I didn't do much after a lunch of leftovers except read the afternoon away. I finished a Patterson book titled BLOWBACK which started out awesome but as it progressed I lost interest as it seemed far fetched. He usually writes down to earth despite fiction but this one ended out there, oh well. I have a new Brad Thor book titled RISING TIGER which seemed to be a page turner about China. We had leftovers for supper and then headed out to watch the JV and Varsity girls games at Keswick School. Both teams won big by 30 points against the all black girls teams. Our Ava played hard and scored as well. It was 9'ish before we got back to the house on this chilly evening so it was a hot shower for me and then some documentary on the Farmland until lights out a little after 10, LATER

Monday Morning Jan 23rd

 Well Sunday was an awesome day of worship both here at home and then again at S.R.B.C. where we had the head of the Life Solution Group that saves babies from abortions. What a speaker and a man dedicated to saving life and the innocent. We had no idea he was a member of our church and the head of the deacons as well. Such a love for Christ and love of the unborn. Every church should have him as a quest speaker especially on such a momentous occasion of the Roe vs Wade decision 50 years ago.

After the service we met up with three other couples and had a delicious lunch at Carmelitas Mexican eatery where we use to eat often. The food was delicious and plentiful as well and Nancy brought part of hers home for another lunch for me. Mine lasted me the rest of the day and evening. We took Dan and Carol home then walked down to the house as I'm still driving him in his car and helping with the scooter he rides due to his injury which is still healing after 8 weeks.

I tuned into the NFL games and the one up North was a real cold and snowy one with the home town being eliminated by the Bengals in a one sided game but the second game was a lot closer than I anticipated with the 49 ners winning over the Cowboys who beat us (Bucs) last Sunday. So it will be a final playoff series next week end to decide who plays in the big game in February called the Super Bowl.

I headed out to check on the gardens after my morning routines of quiet time after posting this ramble to honor my Lord, give thanks and lift up several and noticed all of the rat poison I had placed in two separate containers and areas of the garden were eaten up; so I filled them both up again last evening in hopes they are eaten again which I think a family of rats has infiltrated my garden. I need to wipe them out and save my plants. I have 4 large Roma tomato's on the vine and tons of 1/2 runner beans growing as well which the rats have chewed many leaves away. I did hand water the gardens both in the morning and then again just before dark as the stiff breeze really dries it out along with the warm temps, LATER

Sunday Morning Jan 22

 Well Saturday saw us with some overcast skies and slightly cooler temps and just a sprinkle of rain in the late afternoon before we headed over to the Ross house to celebrate Eliza's 9th birthday with family minus Bobby and Gabe who had baseball practice. Katie brought the twins and Annsley for the delicious supper and celebration.

I started the day with a sleep in for a change as there was no pickle ball until after basketball season for the junior league which uses the gym on Saturdays so I didn't do much until later in the morning except social media and the internet. I did head out to work in the gardens hoeing and weeding as well as feeding every plant as it looked like rain. I did get my rat poison so I set it out in lids under the protection of some garbage can lids from the rain and any moisture. I'm hoping they chowed down on it instead of my plants.

I caught up with an old school classmate about a fellow football player who's family name came up in an article in the local paper from the Civil War era and learned he became a school teacher as well as did she who they graduated together a year after me. It was fun to chat via the internet after 60 years of no communication between us. She is also a retired school teacher at the same school we attended and is a grand mother as well and still lives near where she grew up.

I took a nice long bike ride through the hood for exercise and then ate the leftover deer burger for lunch before settling in to do some reading and eventually the Lightning game which I learned they finally lost on this 5 game road trip in Canada. The NFL game was coming on as we arrive at the Ross house and Tyler and I watched the biggest part of the game. It was a better game than anticipated with the Chiefs against the Jax Jaguars which I thought would be a blow out but the second NFL game which I thought would be closer was a blow out for the Eagles against the Giants. I actually cut the game off at the Eagles leading 28-0 and watched a documentary before calling it a night, LATER

Saturday Morning Jan 21st

 Well Friday turned out to be another beautiful day and one where the heat and humidity showed up so Nancy has the a/c on again as her internal thermostat is some what messed up in my opinion, oh well. I started the day out with my usual routines with a before 6 rollout to some quiet moments with my Lord giving thanks and lifting several up by name after posting this ramble and I finished up my talk with the Creator on my bike ride to the Rec, where I played pickle ball for close to two hours. I was whupped after pedaling home against a breeze to work in the gardens and yards until lunch time.

I did harvest a huge mess of greens for both neighbor Bobby who keeps my yard edged and supply's us with fresh honey from his hives. I cleaned the greens and then spun them dry to add to the salad bowl. I harvested three types of lettuces, two types of kale and added a couple collard leaves to the mix as well. I still do not have any beet or Swiss chard leaves as the rat or whatever critter keeps them eaten off. I have a surprise coming for it this coming week as I've ordered rat poison on line from Amazon since I can't find D-Con any longer in the hard wear stores. For some reason its no longer available because it worked, oh well.

We headed out around 4:30 for Walmart on the way to Keswick to watch Ava's varsity team lose to a well coached team from Tampa. They are a school much higher classed than Keswick and already have a girl who is being courted for college play. They played well and actually won the first period but ended up losing the game. We stayed and watched the first half of the boys varsity team as it was senior night for both teams. We finally saw our new pastor whose son is a senior player and introduced ourselves to him and his wife. He just had a hip replacement less than two weeks ago and was able to walk with a cane for support onto the gym floor with his wife and son. I was amazed at how great he looked and walked after such an operation.

We came back and fired up the oven for a frozen pizza which we ate around 9'ish, probably not the best time to eat anything but we did it and then I hit the shower and watched som TV until nearly 10:30, LATER

Friday Morning Jan 20th

 Well Thursday turned out to be a typical Florida winter day with cool temps to start the day and by day's end it was still very pleasant outside with temps in the low 70's. I started the day much the usual with a before 6 roll out to my routines that start with some quiet moments after posting the ramble to honor my Lord, to give thanks and to lift several up by name for comfort and healing. All seem to be holding as I make this post.

 I headed out on my bike to the Rec and finished up my morning talk with the Creator on the way. I played for over two solid hours of good play with all good players and left with a wet head, wet shirt and whupped. It was a struggle against the wind to get home and then I head out to hand water the gardens and front yard. That critter that has been eating my kale at nights has now turned on to eating my half runner green bean plants so I decided enough is enough and ordered some rat poison through the internet. I need to stop it and its buddy's now. I put Sevin dust on the kale and that stopped them from eating those plants but now they are attacking my beans and thats a no no, oh well.

We were heading down to Bradenton to watch Ava's basketball game so we decided to eat our big meal around 1:30. I grilled deer burgers which are so delicious and have another one leftover for today's lunch. We picked up Amy around 4:15 and headed down to Bradenton Christian School which has a beautiful campus south of the Skyway bridge. The traffic was horrible going down but had cleared out on the way home. Rich and the two girls Megan and Brooke came to the game and their neighbor is the coach of the girls basketball team we played. What a small world. Tammy was at a business meeting so she didn't get to see the game which was a barn burner and we won with just seconds to go after being behind in the final minute of play. Ava played great on defense and missed a couple of shots but her passing and rebounds were great which helped with the win. We beat this team earlier this year by 30 points but they came to play last evening. It was after 10 by the time we got home and dropped them off after a stop for some food for Ava, Amy and Nancy, Later

Thursday Morning Jan 19th

 Well Wednesday turned out to be beautiful warm day with little humidity and lots of blue skies. It may have reached the middle 70's by days end. I started the day with my usual before 6'ish rollout to my routines that start with the quiet moments to honor my Lord , to give thanks for another day and to lift up several by name for comfort and healing. All seem to be holding at this point in time. I wasn't planning on the early morning PB session at the rec until 11'ish as some of the main players wanted to wait and play then, however only half of the gym was open for PB. I'm not a fan of playing so late in the morning but I did want to try it for a change. I doubt if I will be back for this session again as I like to play early and be done by 10'ish, oh well. We had 7 players so there was plenty of action.

I did make a stop at library on my way to the Rec and picked up a couple new reads since I'm waiting on a couple books I had ordered. Nancy had wings ready to eat when I got home along with a fresh salad and fresh green beans. They were delicious and held us the rest of the day and evening except for a snack just before leaving for the evening new members class at S.R.B.C. We rode with Dan and Carol once again and helped with his scooter. It was going on 9 before we got home so it was shower time and then some TV documentaries before  lights out at 10 for me, LATER

Wednesday Morning Jan 18th

Well Tuesday started out with frost once gain on the roof tops in the 'hood despite the temps being in the 40's when I awakened around 6, yikes. Thankfully I didn't noticed any on the garden as the big oak seemed to keep it free of the white stuff. It quickly warmed up and by late afternoon was in the upper 60's with ton of sunshine and blue skies.

I headed out on my bike after my morning routines that always start with some quiet time to honor my Lord, give thanks for another day and lift up several by name after the posting of this ramble. All seem as well as can be expected. I finished up my morning talk with my Creator on the bike ride to the Rec where I played two solid hours of pickle ball. I hadn't worked out in the past three days and I felt it as I pedaled home around 10'ish to work in the gardens.

I fed some of the seedlings and hoed around the lettuces and then hand watered as the soil was dried out from the steady breeze the past day. I then set the sprinkler on the front yard for a couple hours hoping to give the new grasses a good drink in the bright sunshine. I still have a couple large bare spots but did notice some new grasses from the past several waterings.

Nancy was off to shop so I finished up some leftovers for lunch then settled into reading until it was time to get ready to meet and ride with the Ross's who were going to Ava's game in Tampa. We left around 4:30 for the hour or so drive with traffic so heavy. We made it there in time for the 6 game. This is a good team they played and while they took an early lead they let this team back in the game with turnovers and poor play from a few players and they lost to them again. Ava was a stand out as usual with her defense and she scored several points but her team mates seemed to be not in to the game at times, especially one player who in the few minutes she played gave away 6 points immediately with poor ball handling , oh well.

It was going on 9 before we got back to the house on this cool evening so I hit the shower and watched some documentaries on the the TV until lights out at 10, LATER

Tuesday Morning Jan 17th

Well it was a frosty morning on Monday but did eventually warm up to the upper 60's which made for a pleasant afternoon with tons of sunshine and slight breeze that kept it cool in the shade. I didn't do much outside until the late afternoon when I took a long bike ride and then transplanted some carrots into the side garden. I mainly sat and read and then watched some travel videos before a supper of delicious collards which I had harvested early in the morning and had them slow cooking for several hours.

I started the day much the usual with a 6'ish rollout to my routines that start with some quiet time to honor my Lord, give thanks and lift up several by name. All seem to be holding as I make this post. It was social media and watching the news until time for some breakfast which was banana and cereal and then around 1, I grilled a couple of deer burgers which were delicious as well and then around 6 we dished up the collards with some Jasmine rice and black beans over it with some onions, yeow did we ever eat good today.

I tuned into the wild card game featuring the Bucs vs Cowboys and it wasn't even close. I shut the game off and went to bed when they were down 24-0. It's no wonder as the team has slid down hill from the start after after barely beating the Cowboys to open the season. The final score was 31-14, I learned this morning. I look for the GOAT to retire or at least leave the Bucs as they have a ton of problems with the coaching staff and no line to protect any QB, Oh well. On a good note the Lightning won out in Seattle 4-1 over a good Kraken team, LATER

Monday Morning Jan 16th

 Well Sunday was awesome day of worship both on line and then again in person at S.R.B.C. We had some more friends from Bridgepoint join us as well so now there are about 10 of us who have moved on seeking a church that speaks the WORD.

I started the day much the usual with a 6 ish roll out on the chilly morning, but this AM there is frost on many of the roof tops in the 'hood. Thankfully the big oak tree in the back yard acts as an umbrella and keeps the icey white stuff off my garden plants. We met up with two other couple who have been to our cabin last summer at Miller eatery in the Seminole Center for a delicious lunch then came back to the house for 9 rounds of Sequence. The guys prevailed for the win on the tie breaking 9th round much to the gals dismay. It was raucous to say the least. We sat around before the football game afterwards before everyone headed out around 5'ish. It was good to get together again as we all had been together at the same time at the cabin. I suppose we will try to do it again this summer.

I skipped any supper since I had a huge cobb salad with shrimp and chicken for lunch and then just a handful of nuts around 7'ish. I did stay tuned to the NFL games and they were good ones except for the blow out with the Dolphins by the Bills. I stayed up late to watch the Bengals win over the Ravens and the Vikings lost in a close game to the Giants. Sheri is a devote Viking fan and I' m sure they a lamenting over the loss. The Buc's play tonight here in Tampa against the Cowboys and we are hoping for a win with Brady at QB. Go Buc's, LATER

Sunday Morning JAN 15TH

Well Saturday started out on the nippy side with temps in the middle 40's and it did warm up to the low 60's but the wind had the chill down for most of the day and then in the evening the temps dropped once again. Nothing close to freezing but cold. I did hand water the gardens around lunch time as the wind had it dried out and I took a bike ride mid afternoon at its warmest but the wind made it hard pedaling after a couple miles so I headed back to the house to warm up and watch some football.

I started the day much the usual with a before 6 roll out despite no pickle ball until Tuesday but the old internal alarm wakes me up daily about the same time, oh well. I did my usual routines, quiet times and then settled into the internet checking social media and the news. This inept corrupt potus is the worst ever hypocrite and god only knows how much he has done for to the communists Chinese. We know he is trying his best to destroy US(A) or Obama is who is behind his decisions and the elites in the dem party who want control. I wonder what else they have done to undermine the nation for their own power and greed. I'm just fed up with what these dem leaders have and are doing to bankrupt the country.

Bobby and the twins came around 4'ish and we had a great time playing with them. They are maturing so fast and are so smart. Nancy made a huge sheperds pie for supper along with a fresh garden salad and then made chocolate chip cookies and sent the rest home with the boys. I tried a couple for a change as they smelled so good. It was a fun afternoon and early evening and after the boys had their baths they headed back to Brandon on this chilly evening. We put the house back in order and cleaned up after supper then settled into some football for me which wasn't all that exciting. I did watch the last of the Lightning game and they won in St.Louis.

Today is church day and worship first online with Cornerstone Chapel in Leesburg, Va and then at S.R.B.C. our new church family here in Seminole. Afterwards we are meeting up with dear friends from our old church for a lunch out and then back to our house for cards and games. It should be a fun time, LATER

Saturday Morning Jan 14th

Well Friday was a busy day that started with a before 6 roll out to my usual routines of some quiet time with my Lord after posting this ramble to honor, give thanks and lift up several by name. One of those passed away yesterday but was expected as she has been terminal for days; but every one else seems to be holding. I headed out around 7:30 for the Rec despite it being very wet outside after a morning storm moved through the area. It soon cleared up enough to ride by bike and then the cold front blew in from the north with much cooler temps and strong winds. It is down into the 40's this Saturday morning.

I had a great workout on the courts and look forward to a day or two of rest but we will have three days off as the Rec is closed on Monday for MLK Day, oh well. I'll take a long bike ride weather permitting. We met up with the Nymark's at Cracker Barrel eatery for a delicious lunch. I had the fried chicken dinner and brought a piece home for lunch on another day. Two of us had the fish fry and one had the chicken and dumplings. It was a sumptuous meal to say the least and we were served nicely. Nancy had some tummy issues with the fried fish so we headed home instead of venturing out to check out the Nymark's park they are staying in. It seems now they will be able to stay in the park through the end of February as their renovations are being completed on their home a couple of doors down from Amy and Tyler.

I watched travel vlogs the rest of the afternoon and evening and found some really interesting and beautiful places on our earth as well as some interesting folks who inhabit it. We are a blessed nation and should think about those who want to destroy our culture and standard of living with their idiotic "wokeism" and socialist ideas. The fact our gov't leaders in the present administration is corrupt is bad enough but we still a chance to correct some of the idealism that is destroying us(a) with electing honest folks who care for the nation rather than their purses. America needs to wake up and hopefully this new house of representatives with some honest leadership will do that. We need to get rid of the MSM that promotes this current and corrupt administration as well.

Our youngest grand daughter Eliza who we call Lee Lee turned 9 yesterday and we will celebrate next weekend with a huge family dinner, LATER

Friday Morning Jan 13th

 Well its pouring as I make this post and supposed to turn cold once again the next couple of days. Hopefully it won't be as cold as the last cold snap which did some minor damage to the garden but nothing serious.

Thursday turned out to be another beautiful winter day here on the Suncoast with chilly temps in the low 50's and warm temps around 75 for the high. I did some yard work after my two plus hours of pickle ball that started around 7:30. A few of us better players now like to start early and get in a good work out before the rest of the group start, but today it was just 6 A players and the work out was awesome and tiring.

I started the day with my usual routines that start with a before 6 rollout to some quiet time after posting this ramble to honor my Lord, give thanks and lift several up by name. All are holding as I make this post. I headed out on my bike to the Rec and finished up my talk with the Creator on the way. It's not exactly the serenity of a mountain hike first thing in the morning but it will do until I get back to the cabin. I played hard and well and left whupped with a wet head and shirt. I'm down to 188 a couple of morning in a row and I'm thrilled. With the pickle ball, eating less and holding off on the desserts I'm making head way on reaching my goal of 185 by summer.

I came back and mowed the yards then hand watered the gardens and yards. I sowed more beets and Swiss chard seeds and hope they survive or at least germinate. I miss both in my salads but for now have plenty of greens for the bowl. The 30 or so onion seedlings I transplanted seem to be doing O.K. as long as the squirrels don't dig them up We ate out big meal of the day around 1'ish as we were heading up to Clearwater around 4:30 with Tyler to watch Ava's team play basketball. She was awesome again and is a tiger on defense. Her skills are improving almost weekly with ball control and driving the lane. We beat the team by 30 points once again but our JV and Varsity boys both suffered losses.

It was 8'ish before we got back home and I tuned into the Lightning game and they were winning 5-2 once again. Well that was it for this day as it was lights out at 10'ish, LATER

Today the 13 th is our youngest grand daughter Eliza Fay 9th big day.

Thursday Morning Jan 12th

Well Wednesday started off on the chilly side with temps close to the upper 40's but it soon warmed up to the 60's by mid morning and maybe even the low 70's by the afternoon. Typically winter weather for Florida. I even sat outside under the oak tree and read for a couple hours basking under the sun shaded oak.

I started the day much the usual with a before 6 roll out to my morning routines that start with some quiet time to honor my Lord, give thanks and lift up several by name for comfort and healing. All seem to be holding at this point. I headed out on my bike to the Rec, finishing up my talk with the Creator on the way to play pickle ball for two hours. Wow, what a workout and then I came home to work around in the gardens and yards. I resowed some Swiss chard and beets which this unknown critter ate off as seedlings as well as another row of 1/2 runner green beans. The garden is just about filled. I have a small egg plant set as well a a couple more blooms. They take such a long time to develop but oh so delicious when fried or in a parmesan.

I read and watched some travel blogs until supper time and then we got ready to head over to S.R.B.C. for a new members class and WOW do they ever have a family of community based program of believers. The campus is huge and they have it all from nursery to senior programs and no debt of any kind. They are supporting of several missionaries and the start of another campus in Pasco county which is several miles north of us. I'm looking forward to plugging in with this congregation that is community minded but yet speaks the WORD with no cultural wokeism. They are an independent Baptist church so no allegiance to the convention and they choose their folks on the mission field to support as well as many local organization including Keswick School which is near and dear to our hearts. They are big supporters of the foster programs as well as single moms with financial support while sharing the gospel.

It was close 8:30 after getting back from our first week of meeting for the new members class. We had around 20 or so who had signed up for this 4 week class and we took a tour of the campus as well on this chilly evening. I soon hit the hot shower and read until bedtime, LATER

Wednesday Morning Jan 11th

 Well Tuesday was a bit nippy to start the day but by mid morning it was short sleeve temps once again which is typical for Florida winter temps. I started the day much the usual with a before 6 roll out to my routines that start with some quiet moments to honor my Lord, give thanks and lift up several by name for comfort and healing after posting this ramble. All seem to be holding although one is slowly dying of thirst and hunger; the rest is doing as well as can be expected. I finished up my morning talk with the Creator on my bike ride to the Rec for 2 plus hours of pickle ball play with some great players. I think all of us could be graded at close to a 5 which is the top grade for players. I love this game and hope and pray I can continue for years to come and play at this level.

I came back and worked outside in the gardens and then harvested my first really good batch of lettuces, kales and collards for the salad bowl. I rinsed and then spun them dry and added them to the salad bowl. I've harvested small amounts for the past couple of weeks but this is the first real harvest. I also harvested some for the Botbyl's as well as neighbors as it seems they are coming mature quickly. I transplanted some onion seedlings into the garden proper as well and noticed I have 1/2 runner beans on the vine as well.

We had a salad for lunch and then I grilled marinated chicken breasts for supper loaded with fresh rosemary from the garden. I'm still waiting on the tomato's to show but none thus far, but do have tons of blooms. I hand watered the gardens and then headed out to hand water the front yard until lunch time. After lunch it was watch You Tubers around the world and then a great speaker on the demise of churches in America much like the churches and christians that happened with Germany when Hitler took over; Eric Metaxas letter to the churches in America will startle you when you see the comparisons.

After the clean up from supper I headed into read some Brad Thor and then hit the showers around 7'ish and settled into the Lightning game over the Columbus hockey team 6-3 in Tampa, LATER

Wednesday Morning Jan 10th

Well Tuesday was a bit chilly to start but quickly warmed up into the upper 60's and by the afternoon in the middle 70's. Perfect with little humidity and lots of bright sunshine and blue skies.  This is winter weather we long for here in Florida.

I started the day much the usual with a before 6 rollout to my usual morning routines that start with some quiet moments after posting this ramble to honor my Lord, give thanks and lift several up by name for comfort and healing. All are holding as I post. I finished up my talk with the Creator on my bike ride to the Rec for two plus hour of constant pickle ball play. What a workout and I left whupped with a wet shirt and head. I pedaled home to work outside with some honey do chores and then settled into hand watering the gardens and the front yards until lunch time. We had our big meal of the day and our only meal as we had basket ball games in the evening.

Nancy sauted pea pods, sweet onions and yellow squash along with some yellow rice and leftover salmon. That held me the rest of the day as it was after 9 before we got back to the house from Ava's game. More on her game in a minute. I did harvest some collards and kale for Betsy who came by around 5'ish when we were heading out to Keswick to watch the JV girls beat their opponents by 20 points or so and then the varsity played and it was a barn burner with her team down by as much as 12 points to go in the second half; but they battled back and won by 7 in the first overtime game this year. They had beaten this team from St.Pete High twice before and they were up with some great defense and 3 point shooting. We were sloppy to start as we have beaten most of our opponents big all season except for a couple of schools and this game sharpened our play and made us better with their play. It was a fun evening and one we throughly enjoy. 

We came back and I hit the shower and then watched just a few minutes of the college game which was a blow out by Georgia over TCU. I turned the lights out at 10, LATER

Monday Morning Jan 9th

 Well Sunday was another awesome day of worship that started with watching Cornerstone Chapel in Leesburg, Va. with Gary Hamrick and then at S.R.B.C. with pastor Derek Parker and afterwards we met up with three other couples at the Botbyl's for a delicious lunch. I started the day with my usual before 6 roll out to my routines that start with some quiet moments to honor my Lord, give thanks for another day and to lift up several by name. All seem as well as can be expected.

We met a couple of senior widowed ladies who sat in the same row with us at church and found out the grand daughter of Mary (who sat next to me) was Sam's third grade teacher at Keswick. What a small world. We had a great conversations before and after the service and at met her grandson as well. Not much to write about except when we got back from church I hand watered the gardens and found where a critter ate off another kale plant. I can not for the life of me figure out what critter is eating my garden up. It must be squirrel because they can climb the fence or a fruit rat, but both of these critters don't usually eat plants, oh well.

We tuned into the Buc's game and they played lousy once again. They benched many of the starters as they are in the playoff spot and wanted to save them for next weeks game and it looks as if they will play the Cowboys in Tampa. I sure hope they do better than their record indicates, LATER

Sunday Morning Jan 8th

 Well Saturday was a bit nippy to start the day with temps down into the upper 40's but it quickly warmed to the upper 60's by lunch time and may have reached the 70's by late afternoon. Lots of sunshine and blue skies which is typical for Florida this time of the year. There was no pickle ball or much garden work except some hand watering but some critter ate all of my cilantro seedlings and then ate my whole cucumber seedling. I can not figure out who or what is the culprit. The yard is fenced in so it must be a fruit rat or a squirrel. It did eat some lower limbs of one tomato plant and one collard plants weeks ago but as been quiet since then.

We headed out before lunch to do some shopping or Nancy did as I sat in the truck and read then waited outside for her at the Target Store and then again at Sam's Club. We got back around lunch time and I finished up some leftovers as we were having two couples; the Botbyl's and Nymark's over for a salmon supper and then we played "chicken foot" dominoes for a change. It's not my favorite as it takes too long to play and I had the highest score which means I was last out of 6 players, oh well.

The food was delicious with squash casserole and a caesar salad plus the salmon and a little fruit of the vine with some guacamole and salsa to start the gastric juices flowing. Everyone was whupped and it was going on 9 when everyone left and I hit the shower and watched some of the NFL game until 10'ish. It is church day this morning as we will watch Cornerstone Chapel from Leesburg, Va with Gary Hamerick and then head to Starkey Road to hear our pastor Derek Parker speak who brings the WORD. We love our new church thus far and while we loved the folks at BridgePoint the staff has gone woke, oh well, LATER

Saturday Morning Jan 7th

Well Friday was basically another routine morning that started with a before 6 rollout to my usual quiet time after posting this ramble, lifting several up by name for comfort and healing. I finish up my talk with the Creator on my bike ride to the Rec for two plus hours of pickle ball play with good players. I'm looking forward to two days off the court as this week has been hard constant play on the court. I came back and worked in the gardens until lunch time. One of Nancy's teen age friends and who was in our wedding party came by for a 6 hours plus visit. We had lunch together and then they sat and talked as well as devoured a pan of fresh baked cookies through out the afternoon.

After lunch I settled into reading until it was time to leave for Keswick to watch grand daughter Ava play basketball. They played hard and won big over a very tough and aggressive team from Bradenton and Ava was awesome again, especially her defense and rebounding. I think she scored a couple baskets but her defense was out standing, causing several turnovers and mistakes by their opponents. We stayed and watch a little of JV boys until nearly 8 before heading home with a stop at Aldi's on the way.

We snacked a little after getting home and I tuned into the Lightning game and then hit the shower and was soon in the horizontal position a little after 10. It had turned cooler with the front that brought us rain the night before and I added an extra blanket to the bed, LATER

Friday Morning Jan 6th

 Well Thursday was very foggy and overcast to start the day as during the night it rained hard and was still quite wet and damp to start the day. We did see some sunshine by the afternoon and the temps were moderate but this storm is bringing in another cold snap which is needed since we've had upper 70's and even some 80's the past several days. I started the day with a before 6 roll out to my usual routines that start with some quiet moments to honor my Lord, give thanks and lift up several by name. Haven't heard any thing so must assume all is well with these folks. I finished up my talk with the Creator on the bike ride to the Rec for two hours of pickle ball play.

I didn't do anything in the gardens or yards as they were still quite wet so I went on the internet and watched videos and documentaries the rest of the afternoon until it was time to head to Keswick to watch school basketball. We watched the JV girls win big and then Ava's team won very big over their opponents; it was like 50 points or more in this lop side victory and then we watched the first half of the varsity boys who were up 20 points on their opponents all from the same school.

We got back to the house around 8 and had a snack since we skipped any supper after a large lunch of leftovers. I hit the shower and was in the horizontal position for the night at 10, LATER

Thursday Morning Jan 5th

 Well Wednesday was another hot day with temps close to 80 but a stiff breeze kept it bearable during the afternoon, but the morning was gorgeous. I started the day with a before 6 rollout to my daily routines that start with some quiet time after posting this ramble to honor my Lord, give thanks for another day and to lift several up by name. All seem as well as can be expected at this time as I've heard nothing to the contrary. I headed out on my bike and finished up my morning talk with my Creator on the way to the rec for two hours of pickle ball. We had some new players who weren't bad but the few A players made for a great morning work out and I left whupped and with a wet head and shirt.

I piddled around outside in the gardens and yards until lunchtime then settled into some You Tube videos and then read some as well until it was time to head out to the Botbyl's where we packed up Dan and his scooter and headed down to the Seminole Center for a supper at Outback with the Nymark's. We all came back to our place and played Euchre where the game were split with one win apiece. It was another fun day and the eatin' was delicious.

Just as we called it a night a storm was blowing through with lightning, thunder and heavy rain. I tuned into some documentaries on Idaho and the western parks which was awesome until bedtime, LATER

Wednesday Morning Jan 4th

 Well Tuesday was another warm day and at times hot, especially for January. There was a nice breeze which kept it comfortable to be outside and the humidity wasn't terrible. The garden is loving this weather after the cold snap last week which has now seen a 50 plus degree swing in the outside temps.

I started the day with my usual before 6 roll out to my routines that start with some quiet times after posting this ramble to honor my Lord, to give thanks and to lift up several by name. All are holding but I've added a couple new names to the list who have suffered medical issues which are life threatening. I finished up my talk on the bike ride to the Rec where I spent two solid plus hours on the pickle ball courts. What good play and I was whupped while riding home on my bike a little after 10.

I piddled around outside hand watering the gardens and the front yard before lunch then we had a huge salad with some leftover veggies before getting down the Christmas containers from the attic. We took down the tree and stored it along with all the decorations for another year. The house looks so bare but its good to put things back into place. That kept us busy for a spell and then I read the afternoon away until supper time. We worked on cleaning up some leftovers from the big dinner on New Years Day before leaving for Keswick school to watch the varsity girls played a really good team from Tampa. They were blowing us out in the first half by 20 points but we came back and had a chance to win the game with 4 seconds in the game but made an error and lost the ball out of bounds and lost the game 45-44. What a second half come back and we made so many errors we should have won by 20 against this really good team. I've never seen us so sloppy in the first half but did get better as play progressed.

We got back to the house around 8:30 so I hit the shower and watched the Lightning play in Chicago and the score was tied when I shut the lights out at 10, LATER

Tuesday Morning Jan 3rd

 Well Monday saw us with summer time temps once again as the afternoon showed up in the middle 80's, wow what a change from just a week ago when we were in the low 30's and even 20's yikes. The humidity was back but not terrible, yet. We went over to the beach area with the Botbyl's and met with the Tracy's for supper at Dockside Dave's. It was our first time there and won't be our last as the food was delicious and plentiful and it seemed everyone in the area was there when we left. The atmosphere is nothing to write home about except its a beach style bar and dinner but the food was excellent. I had the smoked fish spread with a cup of chowder and everyone else had fried grouper. The prices were a bit on the upper side but for fresh grouper and the amount they served it was reasonable.

I started the day with my usual before 6 rollout to my routines that start with some quiet time after posting this ramble to honor my LORD, to give thanks and to lift up several by name for comfort and healing. I added my oldest sister, Josie's mother in law who is in dire shape and under hospice care and not expected to last long, but everyone else seems to be holding as I write. I finished up my quiet time on the ride to the Rec for two hours of pickle ball. I left whupped and headed home to piddle around in the gardens and yards. The heat had the leafy greens wilting and I hope its not a sign that summer is here in January.

We came back to Dan and Carol's after supper and played a game of Euchre and the guys won and then we played some Chameleon which was a hoot. We never really kept score but everyone was good at picking out the chameleon from our clues. We walked home and watched a little TV before calling it a day. I tuned into the NFL and one of their players passed out on the field which sent the game into a delay which was still happening when I shut the lights off at 10, LATER

Monday Morning Jan 2nd 2023

Well Sunday was an awesome day with great worship for Lord both here at home in the morning with Gary Hamrick of Cornerstone Chapel in Leesburg,Va. and then with our local pastor Derek Parker at Starkey Road Baptist Church. We rode with Dan and Carol as I'm still driving them due to his foot still not able to walk on it from his surgery a few weeks back.

I started the day sleeping in until 7 after the late night of welcoming in the new year. I did my morning routines that start with some quiet time after posting this ramble and then we watched Gary on FB answer some questions by the congregation. He made it clear as did pastor Derek there is no need to allow the culture to dictate our beliefs which have become influenced by this "wokeism" that has now turned what was and is sin into being O.K. and many churches have been caught up in this movement. That was one of the reasons we left our old church which we once had become an active member and supporter, before the leadership became under this new influence.

We came back and started on preparing this feast for the many who were coming for dinner as well as touched up the house. I managed to watch the Bucs come from behind to beat the Panthers after a wild game that finally saw some great throws by Brady to win the game and move them into winning the division. Bobby and family minus Annsley and Gabe came and then Amy and family and finally Tammy and family minus Megan. The dinner was delicious with roast pork, smashed taters, sauerkraut, kielbasa, dogs and of course black eye soup with crusty bread. Tammy made her famous cheesecake and Amy a pecan pie for dessert.

We played "chameleon" a game which was hilarious with the group and then Bobby bathed the twins and then they headed off for Brandon around 8 as did everyone else. It was a fun time and we ate well, LATER

Sunday Morning Jan 1 2023 Happy New Year

 Well Saturday was a wet day starting around lunch time and stayed that way throughout the day and evening with a steady light rain at times, but this morning it's really foggy and more rain is expected. The gardens and yards love this weather as its mild. Nancy has the a/c on again due to the dampness after being off for the past weeks and the heat on, typical Florida weather in the winter.

I started the day much the usual with a before 6 roll out to my routines that start with some quiet time to honor my Lord, to give thanks and to lift several up by name after posting this ramble. All seem well as of this moment. I got in a bike ride through the hood for about 30 minutes before the rain started and I did give the plants some food in the form of milorganite as I knew the rain would wash it in.

It was the read for awhile in the afternoon and then watch some college football and both semi final games were excellent. TCU and Georgia both won in close contests. We headed up to the Botbyl's around 5'ish to eat and play games and watch the ball drop for the new year. with friends. The Tracy's cancelled out but the Nymark's and us made the occasion. The girls won every thing in the games we played and then we watched a video about the second coming of Christ and when that will be. Of course no one not even Jesus knows when that will be so we must be ready at all times as only the Creator, or the Father knows when the bride groom(JESUS) comes for the bride(church). The message is clear in the scriptures when that day will come like a thief in the night with no fan fare.

We were watching the football after the video right up until the old year left and the new year began; the bull dogs won after the buckeyes missed the field goal. We headed out side to light some sparklers and watch the neighbors who were putting fireworks off big time. The ground seemed to shake with some of them. It had stopped raining but was still foggy and overcast so we packed up and everyone headed for home. Sheri and Steve had to drive to their park and the motor coach whereas we walked home past several who were still lighting fire works. We finally got into bed around 12:30 which was over two hours past my bedtime but did sleep in until nearly 7. We have a 10:30 church service at S.R.B.C. and will drive with the Botbyl's once again, LATER