Sunday Morning Mar 31st Easter Morning 2024

 Well Saturday was another cool morning to start the day but eventually if warmed up to the low 80's but not as much humidity as normal. We worked the fun time at the church for the kids from 10 until noon then took off for Sam's Club for some items for the big dinner(s) we are having here today. Actually we are doing two meals for family as Bobby doesn't have the big kids except for lunch so they will all come here for lunch and receive their Easter baskets then we will be having another big supper with Amy and family again along with Betsy's family and then cousin Tammy's Family. Nancy was in the kitchen all afternoon and evening prepping for these meals.

I had started the day with my well before 6 rollout to my routines that begin with some quiet times to honor my LORD, give thanks for another day and to lift up several by name. Helen is now in rehab and we spoke with her and she seemed in good spirits and now knows of the seriousness of her condition. She mentioned if she lived through this she maybe like brother Joe and not be able to live alone again. Everyone else is holding as I've heard nothing different.

We started at 10 at the church setting up several home made games from football tosses to put put golf. I believe we had 9 different games the young kiddos could play. We had 5 volunteers helping with manning these games as there were hundreds of families moving the campus. We got relieved at noon and headed down the road to Sam's which was booming as always with shoppers. We got what we needed then headed home to have a bite of lunch before starting the preparations for todays lunches and suppers. I managed to watch the Ray's win on TV as well as some of the women's March Madness games up and until bed time.

We will work the front doors at church in the second service this morning and then head directly home to put the marinated chicken on the grill for a lunch of fresh garden salads with grilled chicken. For supper we are doing a ham and all of the fixin's with folks bringing dishes to add to what we have already prepared. Nancy made a huge fresh squash casserole as well as pickled eggs and beets and of course crusty bread.

Well I wish blessings on all those who have accepted Jesus as their savior because with HIM we will be spared from paying for our sinful nature and to all who have never taken that gift, wise up because the end times are looking closer each day with what has been prophesied in the Bible. What was once bad is now being celebrated as good and just vice versa. This world is in turmoil and soon the powerful will make loving GOD a crime, as well, LATER

Saturday Morning Mar 30th

 Well Friday was  quite a relief day for my ears as I got them finally flushed out despite all of the home remedies I used wouldn't work, anyhow I can now hear much better and the clogged ears are gone for now. I have no idea why I make so much wax and it could be that comes with old age. I wasn't the only one having this issue it seems as the P.A. told me she had done 5 others this week with the same problem. You never think of that as a medical issue but it sure is, oh well.

I started the day with my usual well before 6 rollout to routines that begin with some quiet time to honor my LORD, give thanks for another day and to lift several up by name for comfort and healing. We spoke with our "mountain moms" son, Rick last evening as she was eating her supper and had been moved to the rehab/ nursing facility near the hospital. He said she was doing quite well for her age and we are thrilled to hear that. She is a tough gal but I doubt she will be able to go back home alone much like her older brother Joe, who also will not be living alone again. Everyone else is holding except for a doctor who did Nancy's surgery on her lip several years back. He died unexpectedly from a heart attack at 62. I can only imagine he took those covid vaccines which I think is the culprit.

I drove Nancy to the chiropractor visit and then we headed to Walker Ford to finally get the floor mats we first ordered and got to visit with Shawna our sales lady and friend. She once again gave a lesson on using the navigation system in the truck and now we are all set. So far we love the truck and its a nice ride. We came home around noon and had a large salad for me as we weren't eating any supper which was finger food until 8:30, which was after the Friday 7 PM Good Friday service. The church was nearly full with close to 7 to 800 folks in attendance. It was very sacred as we took communion and heard a great message on the real meaning of this day. It wasn't a good Friday in the the moments after the cross for the disciples and friends but today because of the results of life over the tomb in the resurrection we now call it Good Friday. This gives all of us hope for life on the other side when we choose to accept the gift of Jesus as our savior.

Well we had picked up Dan and Carol and they rode with us to church and then we came back to their house with the Tracy's and us and had some delicious finger foods and discussed the problems facing us patriots and lovers of Christ. This gov't is doing everything to destroy US(A) not only economically, but spirituality as well with all of their wokeness socially. America is becoming a third world country and these leaders are directing its demise along with Israel. Many now happenings has been prophesied in the Bible and they are coming to fruition as we speak.

Well that was about it for the day and today Saturday we will help with the huge Easter Celebration at church for families in the area with a fun time of egg hunts, bounce houses and games for kids, LATER

Friday Morning Mar 29th

 Well Thursday morning found me back on the courts for a couple hours after giving my left knee a rest on Wednesday and I played quite well with no pain, which is a blessing. I had started the day with a well before 6 rollout to my usual routines that begin with some quiet times to honor my LORD, give thanks for another day and to lift up several by name. I mentioned we didn't hear from our "mountain mom" Helen for a day and found out why. She had fallen and broken her hip and had emergency surgery at Elkin hospital where she is at present. Her son Rick must have flown up from Florida to be with her as we spoke with her last evening. She sounded strong and in good spirits but I doubt very seriously if she will ever be strong enough to live alone at her cabin. I hope she recovers enough at her age to be in no pain, oh well. Her younger sister Martha did the same thing and passed away a couple years ago. Everyone else seems to be holding at this time.

Nancy was off to her women's Bible class at SRBC so I headed out on my bike to the Rec with overcast skies and the threat of rain which it did pour at times during the morning. I got in a good workout after missing a couple days and the knee felt great which I some how tweaked on Tuesday. The ears are still blocked but not solid with moments of being open but I have a doctors appointment this coming afternoon to get them flushed out, despite everything I've done to help with getting rid of this ear wax blockage.

We headed out after supper to watch Ava play flag football at Keswick. It was a close game and the other team scored first but we rallied and beat them by 2 touchdown on another brisk chilly evening. The wind was so strong and after the sun went down it got down right cold.

All of the rain we got during morning kept the garden wet enough that I didn't have to hand water but did harvest another dozen or so tomato's and another egg plant and blessed neighbor Carol with it. I still have several small ones on the plant that should mature in a week or so. Well that was about it for a Thursday except I did watch the Ray's opener and it was not good as they lost to the Jay's at the Trop by 8-2 score. Not a good start for the opening of this season. The Lightning continue to win so they should make the playoffs despite not being the over powering team of last year, LATER

Thursday Morning Mar 28th

 Well Wednesday found me once again not on the pickle ball court due to these ears being blocked some what with ear wax and a tweak in my left knee so I gave it and them a rest. I suppose I need to go see the doctor to have these ears flushed despite doing all I can with home remedies which aren't working satisfactory.

I started the day much the usual with a before 6 rollout to my routines that begin with some quiet times to honor my LORD, give thanks for another day and to lift several up by name for comfort and healing. All seem to be holding as of this post but we never heard back from our "mountain mom" yesterday when we checked up on her. Hopefully she is alright and just never got back to calling us.

I piddled around in the gardens after a breakfast harvesting more tomato's and giving away several to neighbors and then we took off shopping for more bathroom accessories. We took back the broken boxes of tiles and purchased 4 more to replace them and then looked at three more stores trying to find suitable flooring for both showers. We found the two vanities at Lowe's we want and was assured by the worker they would be there the first of May because so many were in the inventory and the price may drop from what it is now. Buying them now and storing them would be a problem as we are limited on space for storing. I'm already over this shopping for the bathrooms as Nancy has a difficult time choosing and making up her mind. We have already returned the original floor patterns we first bought when she saw some brown in them which was not seen on the original piece, oh well.

It poured buckets of rain in the late afternoon so I decided with not being able to hear with these stuffed up ears to remain home from our Wednesday night meeting at church and so she did too after noticing Dan and Carol weren't going either. The roads were wet and slippery so it was a good thing she stayed home. I guess I'll call the doctor back on getting these ears flushed and hopefully restore some hearing. I was unable to use the hearing aids because of the solution I was using to clear the ear wax, oh well. At least I slept well since I didn't hear Nancy snoring, oh well, LATER

Wednesday Morning Mar 27th

 Well Tuesday was a busy mostly work day after a couple of hours of pickle ball first thing after my usual routines to start the day. I did my quiet times to honor my LORD, give thanks for another day and to lift up several for comfort and healing. All seem to be holding with this post. I got in two hours of pickle ball play with all good players but did tweak my left knee which pained me some what the rest of the day and evening. I think I'll give the knee a day or two to rest.

I came back and hand watered the gardens once again picking tomato's that seem to turn almost over night. I gave neighbor Carol a half dozen or so and now want to give the folks across the street some as well as take some Thursday to the game and give to our elderly couple Dave and Alice who regularly attends most all the games the girls participate in. They are such a dear sweet couple, who also attend our church as well.

I had a 1:30 VA appointment for a blood draw and then I came home and picked up Nancy and we went shopping for the new bath room renovations that our friend Brian will do over the summer. Well we spent a ton just on tile and grout just for the walls and floors in the new walk in showers. We will get rid of the tub in the one bath room and then redo all of the tile in the other with new fixtures. It's not going to be cheap but its time to redo according to Nancy. I'm satisfied with what we have but HGTV has sparked her desire to remodel, but thankfully we have a friend who does this for a living and will do it while we are gone during the summer. We unloaded boxes of tiles but noticed 4 boxes had some broken tiles so we will head back to Lowes and hopefully get them replaced as well as change out some flooring tiles she now doesn't like, oh well the event has started and now there is no turning back, oh well.

I grilled a couple of steaks for supper and along with it we had some tatters that needed to be used and with it some broccoli. Fine eatin' for supper. I watched a little of the college basketball on TV until shower time then it was some ROKU until lights out at 10, LATER

Tuesday Morning Mar 26th

Well Monday turned out to be another nice day with moderate temps to start the day and then some overcast skies towards evening which kept it quite pleasant to be out at Ava's flag football at 7. I started the day with my well before 6 rollout which I should now say before 5:30 rollout as it seems my body is ready for the potty by then, oh well. At least I'm regular which is so much healthier for you than not.

I headed out on my bike to the REC around 7:30 and got in a couple of sets inside the gym, before 4 of us headed outside to play on the one outside court. We eventually picked up two players so it gave you a little rest period between sets. I played well despite the sun and a breeze which made it more challenging at times. It was going on 11 before we finally called it a morning and I headed home on my bike against a strong head wind. Nancy was just getting back from her chiro visit and wanted to boil some eggs for her Easter mixture of eggs in beets and its juice which is alright but Tyler loves them and so do Bobby. I like hard boiled eggs and beets but the combination is alright.

I headed out to hand water the gardens and harvest tomato's which are ripening all at once it seems and some are huge as well. So far the fruit flies haven't been an issue except for one tomato and I quickly buried it it hopes that would stop them multiplying, thus far its working but I do have tons of small butterflies that are on everything, oh well. I picked another dozen or so and have that many more turning. I'm going to leave them on the vine to get totally red before picking as I'm been picking them when they first start to turn and then setting them in the window sill in hopes to keep the flies away but there is no serious threat from the flies thus far.

I had to visit my primary doctor for some reason according to the office and then again the middle of May which I thought was useless, but everything seemed as well as expected. I'm off to the VA for some blood work after lunch and then again in May before we go to the mountains. At least they have helped me immensely with the Eliquis prescription and its cost and I think that is whats this is about. Its a non fast draw which is unusual.

I harvested two nice egg plants and Nancy fried them up for our lunch and they were so delicious with some herbs to garnish as well as a couple japlapeno pepper slices. Wow were they ever tasty and so mild and that held us until a supper of baked turkey burgers and a salad. Ava's team beat a team from the Tampa area by some 25 points and have won every game since dropping their first game by huge scores. It was shower time when I got home and some ROKU TV until lights out for me at 10, LATER 

Monday Morning Mar 25th

Well Sunday was an awesome day of worship both on line before we headed out to SRBC where we both worked the front area, I was greeting, shaking hands and holding the door and Nancy was welcoming and meeting with first visitors. We both love serving in that capacity for the second service weekly as we will be gone for 5 months staring the end of May.

I started the day with a well before 6 rollout to my morning routines that begin with some quiet times to honor my LORD, give thanks for another day and to lift up several by name. All seem to be holding with this post. After church we met up with Ed and Kathy whom we helped move on Tuesday to their new villa in the Palm Harbor area and they took us and the Botbyl's out to lunch at Carmelitas. We had good food and talked for nearly an hour afterwards before heading home. Nancy took off with Carol shopping and I brought Dan back home with me. He headed up to his house and I vegetated on the couch watching college basketball better known as March Madness. I watched some good games right up until bedtime on different channels with games being played for both men and women.

I skipped any supper except for a glass of vino and some almonds around 6. Nancy made popcorn for herself after getting back from shopping with more new clothes and other items. She is a shopaholic and continues to load up her closet which I will have to carry to N.C.. Thankfully I have a truck which will be filled with items that never will be worn, oh well. Now she is shopping for new vanities for both bathrooms she wants remodeled while we are gone as well as many other items and accessories, oh well. Thankfully I've saved over the years and we can pay for them as we go, especially since living in the same house for 45 years and growing a garden which helps with cost of food these days. Speaking of gardens I had watered mine when we got home from lunch and harvested another couple tomato's turning and now the egg plant is ready for picking as well. The lettuces are starting to head up for the Bibb and the green beans I believe with be ready for Easter Sunday's dinner.

I'll head out to pickle ball this AM and then I meet with my primary doctor at 4 for a 6 month follow up and then to the VA tomorrow for a blood draw. We are now about 8 weeks or less until we leave for 5 months and I'm getting excited. We have so much to do and buy for the remodel plus many ball games to attend for the grands and a couple of large family dinners, LATER

Sunday Morning Mar 24th

 Well Saturday turned out to be another busy fun filled day with nice weather except for a slow drizzle at the T-ball game for just a few minutes and then a nasty 10 minute rain shower at Gabe's game in Plant City. But over all it was blue skies and with plenty of sunshine and short sleeve temps. I had started the day with my usual before 6 rollout to my routines that begin with some quiet time to honor my LORD, give thanks for another day and to lift up several by name. All seem to be holding as of this post.

We headed out around 8 for Brandon to watch the twins play t-ball with son Bobby the coach. What an interesting bunch of 4 year olds who elected to play on his team. Some are very dedicated and a couple could care less about playing, but all are so cute in their uniforms which is really for the parents although Huck and Ryder now have badges in their uniforms for the fridge like big brother Gabe(bubby). We left the field and headed directly over to Plant City Recreation compound which is huge with several ball diamonds and soccer fields. The traffic to and from there on I -4 is like a parking lot on all 6 lanes. That area which was once agriculture has now become a bedroom community for Tampa and the traffic shows it.

Gabe won the first game and was starting the second game when we arrived. They blew a 7-2 lead before the rain storm which caused a 30 minute delay with a wild pitch and then some bad pitching. They eventually lost that game by a run. They will again play today but we won't be able to attend, first because of church and second because its over an hour and half away. Hopefully they play better with their pitching tactics.

We got back to Seminole around 1:30 and had a lite lunch before I settled into some college basketball and then Brian and Nancy came to give us a list of things he will need to remodel both bathrooms while we are gone this summer. Personally I like them the way they are but HGTV and Nancy want them remodeled which is going to cost big bucks. The good thing is Brian will do the work over the summer and we won't be there in his way and or be exposed to the mess. Anyhow he is a master remodeler as we have seen some of his work and is a church friend from way back when their son and Bobby went to school together at IRCS. I'm sure this will be the last time for me on any major remodeling here at the Seminole house. It will be a good selling event if and when we sell out and move to N.C. which I'm sure the way things are in this world we may have to, to be safe. Oh well thats down the road.

We all headed up the neighbor Dan and Carol's for a delicious supper of pasta, salad and crusty bread. Nancy Ellen brought a peanut butter pie from Yoder's which was delicious as well. We then played a game of hand and foot and the guys smoked the gals and then a game of Euchre and guys smoked the gals in that as well. All in fun for a change as they have been whupping us the last couple of times we have played. It was going on 9 when we called it a night because of church today, LATER

Saturday Morning Mar 23rd

Well Friday was mostly overcast with rain off and on through out the day and evening and the temps were mild to say the least, but wind was fierce at times even blowing over my tomato plants. I wasn't too happy about that, but did manage to get a stake in the ground to keep the cages upright. I started the day with my usual before 6 roll out to my routines that begin with some quiet time to honor my LORD, give thanks for another day and to lift up several by name, all seem to be holding with this post.

I headed out to the REC in the truck because of the wet weather and the fact I had to drive Nancy to a 10'ish doctor's appointment but I wanted to get in some pickle ball play for at least an hour and half. She was ready when I got home at 9:30 so we soon left for the appointment which was just 15 minutes away. I dropped her off at the door as it was raining litely but the wind was blowing hurricane strength it seems. She was in there for over an hour so I finished a book while sitting in the truck and then picked her back up at the door around 11ish.

 We made a stop at Panera for a loaf of sourdough bread which was awesome for a tomato sandwich we had for our lunch. The tomato's are turning all at once and we now have several to give away. I'm picking them as they slightly turn because if I let them get ripe on the vine the flies get in them and ruin them. I've already found one large tomato they had ruined. The egg plant have just filled out in the last day or so and with this rain we should have one ready to fry today or tomorrow. The same with the green beans as they too should be ready to pick by next week.

Well I spent the afternoon on the lap top watching the war in Israel and reading a new book by William Johnstone. He writes westerns and about old gun slingers who settle "rights from wrongs" in the frontier. It's a fun read and easy which pits the good guy against the bad evil ones, much like what I did for 30 years as a trooper. Oh well nothing like justice for those that deserve it. I finished the book by E.B. Sledge titled WITH THE OLD BREED which is unbelievable what the marines went through in WWII. It's the personal memoir of this young man who survived and left his writing to those who never fought overseas against the Japanese. What these men went through and saw is unbelievable during these battles to take these islands in the Pacific. I don't recommend it for the faint at heart, its that extreme and graphic to what both sides did to those fighting against each other. I'm sure some of this occurred in Viet Nam as well with the brutally of those fighting each other.

Well Ava had a 7 PM flag football game at Keswick despite the rain and wind but we went and managed to find a parking space over looking the field, so we sat dry and snug in the truck watching the game. At times it rained so hard it was coming down in sheets but the game went on and the girls won big again against a team from Countryside High. We got home around 8:30 and I tuned into the NCAA tournament and watched Perdue outlast Grambling in a hard fought game to move onto the next round. After the game it was lights out for me around 10'ish.

Today we travel to Brandon for T-ball with the twins and then to Plant City for Gabe's game and then later in the evening out to supper at neighbor Dan and Carol's place and then for cards with Brian and Nancy. Another busy fun filled day, LATER

Friday Morning Mar 22nd

 Well Thursday was another busy day that lasted from before 6 in the morning until nearly 9 in the evening. I started the day with a well before 6 rollout to my usual morning routines that begin with some quiet moments to honor my LORD, give thanks for another day and to lift up several by name for comfort and healing, all seem to be holding with this post. I headed out on my bike to the REC for two plus hours of pickle ball, all with really good players. I managed to win most of my sets before getting tuckered out and heading home around 10'ish. I had started close to 7:30 with really good play and it stayed that way until I left. It was a tired ride home against the wind. I settled into some garden work and hand watering until Nancy got home from her Bible class around noon then we had a delicious garden salad for lunch. The tomato's are coming in and I had two nice ones on my salad. Nancy is still limited due to her tummy issues on eating tomato's, but I'm making up for her lost.

The green beans are adding blooms and now I've notices some small fingerlings on the plants. Hopefully I should have some ready by Easter which is just less than two weeks away. Seems we will have some extras here for Easter dinner which will included Amy's family, Aunt Betsy's family and now Tammy's family. We are looking at a large gatherings which is always fun with family. After lunch I watched some of the war in Israel and I sure hope they continue to wipe out those barbarians and not listen to our corrupt potus who is being run by the Obama administration, who is a muslim and also hates the USA. I pray that America still stands behind Israel despite those in the dem party who hate US(A) and to think the leader of the democrat senators wants Israel to cease fire and give the barbarians a chance to regroup.

Well that was about it as I picked up Dan a little after 6 and we headed over to the mens Bible class at SRBC. Nancy was off with Amy to watch Ava's team beat Largo High in flag football in Largo. After getting back from the class I watched a little of the March Madness basketball and saw where powerhouse Kentucky got beat by a little know school from Michigan, oh well. Then it was shower time and lights out around 10:30.

Today Friday its some pickle ball in the morning then to take Nancy for a doctor's appointment and then another flag football game at Keswick later in the evening. On Saturday its ball games in Brandon, Plant City and then supper at the Botbyl's and card games afterwards. Another busy fun filled weekend with family and friends, LATER

Thursday Morning Mar 21st

 Well Wednesday started out a little on the cool side but warmed up nicely for the biggest part of the day and then cooled down a little, unlike the night before when it got down right cold at night. I started the day with my usual well before 6 roll out to my routines that begin with some quiet times to honor my LORD, give thanks for another day and to lift up several by name. All seem to be holding. I soon headed out on my bike for the REC for two solid hours of pickle ball play and while the more advanced players never showed up I still managed to get in a good workout on the courts helping some players to improve on their games. I managed to stay on the courts for most of the morning winning with different partners. It felt great after missing play on Tuesday.

I worked in the gardens after getting home loosening up the soil and hoeing some weeds and then hand watering after harvesting some tomato's. They are finally turning and I gave several away to neighbors and ate a couple for lunch before heading back to Walker Ford because the floor mats were not the right ones for my new truck, oh well. If I hadn't already paid for them along with the bed liner, bed topper and darken glass I would cancel the mats and just buy them else where. Its just another trip to the dealer which is getting old, oh well.

I watched the news on the war in Israel and then read the afternoon away as Nancy was off with sister Betsy shopping once again. We had pot pies for our supper as we were heading to SRBC for our Wednesday night 242 meeting. The crowd is getting larger each week and last nights topic was on anxiety and how we all at some times in life face it, but biblically speaking how to handle it so that it doesn't rule your life. Give it GOD, be thankful, pray about and humble yourself. I remember the old saying "let go, let GOD" handle the issues.

We got back home around 8:30 and I hit the shower and then some ROKU time before lights out at 10, LATER

Wednesday Morning Mar 20th

 Well Tuesday was basically a work day as I helped a church friend move his house in Seminole to another house in the north area of the county. We had a huge truck loaded full of his belonging some of which required a dolly to help with the move. Dan and I rode together and it was just 3 of us to load but eventually a son in law came to help with the unload which helped immensely.

I started the day with my usual before 6 rollout to my routines that start with some quiet times to honor my LORD, give thanks for another day and to lift up several for comfort and healing. All are holding at this point. Dan picked me up a little after 8 and then dropped me off a little after we finished with the move a little after 12'ish. We never stopped loading and unloading except for the ride from the old place to the new. It was a chilly morning which was rather nice for working but then when we headed out to watch Ava play flag football it got down right cold with the breeze. It did warm up to the middle 70's with bright sunshine and a stiff breeze but when the sun went down it turned cold for us although some teens at game were in short sleeve shirts and shorts.

Ava's team won big and she intercepted two passes and made good defensive plays as well. It was a fun time and they play again on Thursday and Friday nights. I'll miss the Thursday night game as I have a mens Bible study class.

Well Tyler was able to fix their washing machine for 10 bucks which was great as a repairman wanted a hundred bucks just to come to their house. It was a belt that had broken and the part was obtained on Amazon. Dan does a lot of those repairs as well and gets the parts on line for the ones he repairs. That's good to know in case that happens with us.

Well Nancy went to the chiro yesterday and goes again today as we paid upfront close to a thousand bucks for what ails her. Seems she is having all kinds of issues with her neck and spine. I was able to return the loner vehicle and pick up my truck yesterday evening. I like what they did and hopefully will be a good investment down the road. I've never had a spray on bed liner but like the looks of this and it should coat the bed and give it plenty of protection. Not sure how it will be sliding things both in and out while packing for the cabin, oh well, LATER

Tuesday Morning Mar 19th

Well Monday was a busy day that started out with my usual before 6 rollout to my routines that begin with some quiet time to honor my LORD, give thanks for another day and to lift up several by name for comfort and healing. All are holding as of this post. I headed out on my bike to the REC for two hours of pickle ball play outside with all good players in the heat and humidity and left whupped and wet from sweat. What a tired ride on my bike heading home.

Nancy had already been to the blood draw lab at Bardmor clinic and was home after her fasting draw.  I headed out to hand water despite the threat of rain which never came and harvested the last of the sugar peas and several turning tomato's. I did find and squashed several green worms that were dining on a couple tomato plants before they got too large. I also pulled two cucumbers which may be our last because for some reason the plants are turning brown despite the daily watering. The egg plants are growing large and in a couple days will be big enough to eat which we are looking forward to. The new lettuces are still maturing and hopefully will make it despite the heat.

I made arrangements to take my new truck back to the dealer to have the accessories installed and the new bed liner sprayed on. They were going to give me a loner but didn't tell me Nancy had to be present in order for her to drive it so I had to take her back up in rush hour to sign for her to be able to drive it as she has a chiro appointment on Tuesday and I'm helping a church friend move, oh well what a fiasco that was. Anyhow we have a Ford Flex as the loner vehicle and it drives nice and we will have it until Wednesday. Nancy had been off with sister Betsy shopping for the grands for Easter so we just made it to the dealer before 5. The traffic is unbelievable here as more and more folks move here from up north, oh well.

Nancy had put together a shepherds pie and had it in the fridge so that was easy for our supper. Amy came by to do laundry as her machine broke and hasn't had a repairman by to see if its still under warranty, so she is doing her laundry here. Today I'm helping a church friend move from Seminole up to the Clearwater area along with neighbor Dan, so I'll miss pickle ball but hopefully be back on Wednesday. This evening we are heading to Keswick to watch Ava play flag football at 7 PM, LATER

Monday Morning Mar 18th

 Well Sunday was another beautiful day with some overcast skies to start but eventually it cleared off to the highs in the upper 80's and bright sunshine. We worshipped both at home on line and then again at our local SRBC. Nancy and I worked the second service as I greeted at the front door and she at new guests outside desk. We had a few newbies which is almost every Sunday now and how I enjoy shaking hands and hugging so many. Once again I got compliments on my greeting job and my warm smile by so many and if that draws folks closer to JESUS then I feel its worth working every Sunday. Actually its not work but a great small ministry serving wherever.

Afterwards we headed over to Panera for some lunch and then to Sam's Club for some goodies we needed as we first thought we were hosting our community group from church for supper Monday night. That all changed throughout the day as many cancelled due to health issues, etc. So we cancelled the dinner and get together for tonight but Nancy went ahead and made a Shepards's pie for us since she had purchased two large packs of ground beef and 10 pounds of tatters, oh well.

I had started the day much the usual with a before 6 rollout to my routines that begin with some quiet times to honor my LORD, give thanks and to lift several up for comfort and healing. All seem to be holding as of this post. We watched Gary Hamrick at Cornerstone Chapel and then headed out to SRBC around 9:45 for the 10:30 service. We must of have several hundred in attendance in both services and Pastor Derek was back in the pulpit. We so love his messages and the many folks we have grown to know and love there.

After getting home around 2'ish I settled into the college basketball playoff's and saw some close games with some great play. After a light supper of a burger because we had a huge sandwich at Panera I headed in to read until 8:30 before calling it a night and watching some Alaska show on the ROKU, LATER 

Sunday Morning Mar 17th

Well Saturday was a total work day that started after a hearty breakfast of eggs, ham and toast which held me until suppertime, except for a hand full of nuts around mid afternoon. I started the day with my usual well before 6 rollout to my routines that begin with some quiet time to honor my LORD, give thanks for another day and to lift several up by name for comfort and healing. All seem to be holding with this post.

I headed out around 8:30 to harvest some leafy greens such as Swiss chard, a couple kales that still looked edible and three kinds of lettuces as well as a couple beet greens, all for the salad bowl. I cleaned them and then spun the water before breaking all up into a huge stainless steel bowl for later use this coming week. I like to harvest before the sun gets to the plants now that the heat is back. After that chore I headed out to weed wack the yards and then fired up the mower. It seems the gas carb on the mower is acting up but I managed to get both front and back mowed. Neighbor Dan who is a mechanic came down after lunch and thought it best to change it out before we leave it for the summer for the grands to mow while we are gone. He mentioned it was a quick fix with a new one, so he ordered what parts I need.

I took the afternoon off and watched some of the college basketball playoffs on TV the rest of the day and  evening and saw some great play. The Florida gators team survived and several of the number one teams were upset, anyhow it fun to watch the March Madness which starts next week to see who is the best college team in their divisions. We just love watching the high school teams play especially our Crusaders at Keswick. Our grand daughter will be a senior next year and hopefully will get some sort of scholarship to play basketball in college.

Well not much else going on as we cleaned up some leftovers for supper and then after the cleanup we retired to our respective TV's until shower time and then lights out for me at 10, LATER

Saturday Morning Mar 16th

 Well Friday turned out to be another hot sunny day after a very pleasant morning that found me outside on the pickle ball court for two hours with three other good player. What a workout and I left whupped with a wet shirt.

I had started the day with my usual well before 6 rollout to my routines that begin with some quiet time to honor my LORD, give thanks for another day and to lift several up by name for comfort and healing. All seem to be holding at this time. I headed out on my bike to the REC and while it was the day when lots of beginners filled the inside gym with players, 4 of us headed outside in the crisp morning air to play the game. We had great rallies and I was able to win with different partners through out the morning. I was able to play 5 mornings this week and hopeful will be able to next week despite the heat coming back into the air. The afternoon reached 90 for the first time this year as we drove back from Tampa Bay Downs around 3:30.

We met up with the Nymark's after Nancy got home from her chiropractor visit which now has turned into another big issue according to him; more on that later. We headed to the horse racing track in Tampa to buy some horse feed but was entertained in the process with 6 or so races. I believe there was 10 but we only stayed for 6 and while I didn't bet or pick any horses, Nancy did all the choosing. None of them won despite her picks. Sheri bet on horses to show which meant they would come in either the first, second or third place. She won a few bucks using that method while Nancy bet her horses to win. Like I say we bought some horse feed but it was fun to say the least and Sheri had some deal with Groupon that got us in, some special seating , a 2 buck bet and 5 buck snack, plus a program all for 8 bucks each. Not a bad deal.

After we got back from the track I hand watered the gardens and then settled into reading until supper time which was grilled onions and peppers along with marinated chicken breasts, black beans and rice. What a feast and I have enough left over for a lunch, today. After the cleanup it was some laptop time before a hot shower and then some ROKU TV in the bedroom before lights out at 10, LATER

Friday Morning Mar 15th

Well the new leaves have just about formed on all the trees in the area and of course with that comes the little green worms hanging down and thus summer begins with high temps in the low 80's almost daily. Now the grass has started its growth as well. The kale in the garden has just about finished as has some of the cucumber plants and other leafy greens.

I started the day with a before 6 roll out to my routines that begin with some quiet moments to honor my LORD, give thanks for another day and to lift up several by name for comfort and healing. All are holding as of this post. I headed out on my bike to the REC for 2 hours of pickle ball that started inside with mainly advanced players but we had so many 4 of us went outside to play and eventually two others joined us. It was a perfect morning for outside play and I left whupped with a wet shirt. I can feel my stamina returning and I've actually dropped a pound or two with all of the playing this week. I just need to cut back on my food intake to hopefully reach the 190 mark which is my new goal.

After pickle ball I made a stop at the library for a new read and then pedaled home. Nancy was off to her weekly Bible study group so I piddled around in the gardens, hand watering, etc. I can tell the garden crops are starting to wan with this daily heat an about the only promising crops will be tomato's, egg plant, green beans, sugar peas, carrots and some new lettuces that I will start harvesting some for the salad bowl today. Its been a great year for this winter garden and I'm getting excited about planting one in the mountains in about 8 weeks or when we get there sometime in the later part of the month of May.

Well after a lunch of salad I retired to the computer room and watched the war in Israel on their news channel and then read until supper time. We had a kielbasa along with yellow rice an asparagus which were all delicious. After the cleanup I retired back to the reading room until 8:30 reading until my eyes starting falling asleep so it was shower time and then some TV time before lights out at 10 for me, LATER

Thursday Morning Mar 14th

 Well this month is moving right along as we get closer to heading north to the mountains. I'm ready as the heat is once again showing itself, although yesterday was pretty nice especially outside yesterday morning on the pickle ball courts. I got in two solid hours with good play but the sun was quite warm, yet the cool light breeze made for a great time to be outside.

I started the day much the usual with a before 6 rollout 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 are holding and we spoke with our "mountain mom" last evening and she is doing as well as can be expected for her age as she ate out at one of the local eateries with family. Great to hear she is getting out and that folks are visiting and giving her some company.

I headed out to hand water the gardens and piddle around hoeing some weeds. The garden is still holding all except for the kale which doesn't like this high heat. The tomato's are forming and I'm hoping they begin to show more colors in the coming days. The green beans are blooming so we should get a mess or two in the coming weeks. The cucumbers are starting to die or at least one of the plants is in one garden but another bunch that I started later is still showing blooms and some little ones. I noticed another couple of egg plants showing purple so we should have a plentiful harvest there in a week or so as well.

After a lunch of a salad Nancy decided to go with Betsy shopping for tile for the bath room remodels we want done while we are gone this summer. I decided to change out the shower seats and one of the spigots  in doing so broke, so I had to call Nancy home so I could use the truck and head over to a plumbing supply place in Pinellas Park and purchase a new kits for the shower in our bathroom. I hoping they can be used again when we have that shower remodeled as well. Thankfully the new Gerber kit worked when used in a plumbing setting of 40 years or more when we added that bathroom onto the house.

The rest of the afternoon and evening I spent on the laptop watching the videos on the war in Israel and "living off the grid". This inept potus is pressuring Israel to pause their effort to destroy the barbarians in Hamas which is unbelievable. We can only hope he will NOT be selected again by fraud in November, LATER

Wednesday Morning Mar 13th

Well Tuesday was a busy fun filled day that started with my usual before 6 rollout to my routines that begin with some quiet moments to honor my LORD, give thanks for another day and to lift up several by name for healing. All are holding at this post. I headed out on my bike  to the Rec for two hours of good pickle ball play and left whupped with a wet shirt around 10'ish. I came back home and harvested a couple messes of collard greens to drop off at  a friend place of business before heading to my local barber for a hair cut. It was going on noon before I got back home so I ate some leftovers from the night before and some fresh melon. Nancy put together a casserole dish of zucchini boats for our supper and stored it in the fridge while she took Amy, Ava and Eliza shopping for Easter.

I stayed home and caught up on some social media and watching the war in Israel. They were gone until 3:30 so I headed out to hand water the gardens and harvest some sugar peas. The green beans plants are blooming and I picked another Roma tomato but found another red one on the one vine the gnats and flies had laid their eggs in, yikes was it ever a mush. I quickly buried it in hopes of killing anymore flies to bury into my tomato's. I have plenty of Sevin dust and may have to use some as last year I lost so many fruits to the flies. The lettuces are almost large enough to harvest as the heat is causing everything to mature.

Well after a delicious supper of zucchini boats which were filled with Italian sausage and covered in a tomato sauce with cheese on top we got ready to head over to the Nymark's for cards with another couple who are dear friends of them. Jim and Sandy are my age and they have been friends for years. She retired from the VA and Jim was once an LEO up north. They are fun and the gals whupped us guys in all three games we played last night. One game of hand and foot and two games of Euchre, Oh well It was nearly 10 when we left for home and then a hot shower for me before bedtime, LATER

Tuesday Morning Mar 12th

Well Monday was chilly to start with and the stiff breeze kept it cool despite the bright sunshine at times had me sweating on the outside pickle ball court. I did play outside for about an hour or so after playing a couple games inside with all the beginners and intermediates at first, but soon they became too many, so 6 of us advanced players headed out doors to play.

I had started the day much the usual with a before 6 rollout which is when my body tells me its time to get up which was with my usual DST schedule, so now I'm back to where I was before we sprang forward. Its crazy how your body adjusts but mine never did as I always awakened around 5 and now its 6 ish or a little before, oh well. I did my usual routines that begin with some quiet time to honor my LORD, give thanks for another day and to lift up several by name for comfort and healing. All on my regular list which is growing by day it seems are holding, but I'm still saddened by an old LEO friend who passed a couple days ago who was much younger than I.

I headed out on my bike to the REC for a couple hours of play, most of it was outside which is a totally different game when playing not only an opponent, but the elements especially the wind. I got in a good workout after being off basically for a whole week except one Friday. It was fun and I was whupped by the time I left a little before 10. Nancy had to be in St.Pete for a doctors appointment with a chiropractor to straighten out her "whatever" which is expensive and not covered my medicare or our insurance, oh well. She was feeling alright but went ahead with the treatment and now has to go back again on Friday.

We came home and had some lunch then I hand watered the gardens and harvested a mess of sugar peas. The wind has been terrific here and had blown over the pea vines clinging to the fence and one of the plants had died and started to turn brown, but the other vines ones are still producing. One of the tomato plants which had grown to the top of the fence also had been blown over so I tied it up. I piddled around in the gardens then headed in to spent the afternoon on the laptop watching the war in Israel and some "off the grid" videos until supper time. 

Amy came by and I gave her a check for Ava's new used vehicle she needs now that she will be driving to school next year. I promised her when she was a kid I would but her a car and now that time has come. She is a beautiful sweet young lady and deserves some help with getting some wheels. I just hope she stays safe and not be like some kids her age and abuses that privilege with wild driving. I saw so much of that as a trooper and some times it wasn't good with kids her age, LATER

Monday Morning Mar 11th

 Well Sunday started rather nice with moderate temps but lots of wind which blew over a couple of my tall tomato plants, but it stayed rather nice all day long. We worshiped on line at Cornerstone Chapel and then again at SRBC with a quest speaker as it was spring break and our pastor and family were away some place with snow. They must have gone to the mountains because a friend of mine had a big snow storm in W.Va. yesterday. I started the day with my usual before 6 rollout and my body was ready because since the time change it finally back on schedule and I did my routines that begin with some quiet times to honor my LORD, give thanks for another day and to lift up several by name. All seem to be holding and I found out an old sheriff friend from back in my days with the patrol, passed away in Tennessee yesterday. He was a great LEO pal and use to assist me as back up on many night time stops when I was on patrol. He was a couple years younger and I never knew if he was having health issues or passed suddenly.

We had the chaplain for the Detroit Tigers speak in place of Derek yesterday at SRBC and he did a great job and brought forth lots of info about MLB and the players in his organization who are wintering in Lakeland, Fl. He did a great message from Colossians on Paul's letter to the church he had never visited about portraying Christ upwards, inwards and outwards in our daily walk. Nancy and I both worked the front area, me on the door hand shaking and greeting and Nancy at the guest desk welcoming first time visitors. We love our jobs which is getting to welcome folks and one fellow took a picture of me with his friends stating how I make his day with my smile and warm greeting. I felt honored and a little embarrassed by his remarks but that went along with message Paul had for sharing Christ outwards to others. That made such an impression on me with his sermon and this fellows remarks.

We came back home and settled into some leftover dogs and a salad for lunch which held us the rest of the day except for a lite snack around suppertime. Carol is under the weather so we skipped eating out and Dan came to church and he seems to be some what over his cold. I think with all the yellow pollen in the air from the oaks and pines everyone is experiencing some allergy discomforts.

 I harvested two tomato's from different plants and now need to harvest sugar peas today. many of the kale plants are rotting from the rain and heat which happens this time of the year. The couple egg plants on my one huge plant are growing and my mouth is watering for them both fried and in a parmesan. The carrots are growing as well and the new lettuces will need picking this week. The collards are ready for harvesting again and I promised a friend from church some this week. 

Well I spent the afternoon and evening watching some videos on the new truck on the operation of the systems of the 12 screen that is much like a lap top in size. So many functions for someone who is illiterate to all this technology today and I feel useless at times. Bobby is up to date and showed us many functions that come with starting the truck without us being in it to do so, oh well, LATER

Sunday Morning Mar 10th

Well Saturday was a busy fun filled day that started with a before 6 rollout to my routines that begin with some quiet times to honor my LORD, give thanks for another day and to lift up several by name, all are holdings with this post. We were heading to Brandon to watch the twins play T-ball which was a hoot to say the least. At least Bobby's team are learning some basic skills about the game and are hitting the ball much better which pitched to by him than off the tee. They all get to hit at least twice and run the bases which takes about an hour which is pushing their attention span. We stopped by his house afterwards for a few before heading home. Traffic is still unbelievable on the interstate with tons of vehicles on the road and the new truck ran smooth and so far is living up to its standards. I'm impressed with the ride and comfort and while the milage per gallon isn't the best thus far it will hopefully get better as it still has only has a hundred miles or so.

We came back and had some lunch then I headed out to hand water the gardens which are still doing well despite the heat and wind which seems to be drying it out quickly. Some of the leafy greens are wilting during the day and its usually this time of the year when they start to bolt. I noticed another tomato turning so we should start to get them abundantly in the next week or so. I should have plenty to share with family and friends up until we leave in May. I'm hoping we can leave right after Amy's birthday which is the 19th.

We had an early supper of baked salmon loaded with fresh dill and spices from the garden and some garlic buttered linguini. Both were so delicious and we have enough salmon leftover for either sandwiches or another supper. After the clean which was around 5'ish we headed out to Keswick school to watch the All Stars in high school basketball play others from around the county. Keswick had two girls in the JV team that played on separate teams and the varsity had our two seniors play together and they won big over a team that featured almost all black girls who were very tall. Our Ava Graham was the MVP who scored 26 points and led all players. The gym was packed as well with visiting family who were there to support their players and teams.

Well it was a fun day and of course by the end of the game with the time change it was shower time and then some TV before lights out around 10'ish. Today is church day as we both work the second service at SRBC and then no plans for the evening, LATER

Saturday Morning Mar 9th

 Well Friday morning saw me after a week of no play back on the pickle ball courts at Walter Fuller complex in St.Pete. All decent players and mostly seniors with a few exceptions. I met and made some new friends both women and men who I played with and against. I won most of my matches but lost a couple through out the 2 plus hours of play. My friend Terry who is 71 and married to a much much younger beautiful gal will be having twin boys in September, picked me up in his Tesla which is all electric but powerful to say the least and drove me there.

I started the day with my usual before 6 rollout to my routines that begin with some quiet moments to honor my LORD, give thanks for another day and to lift several up by name for comfort an healing. All seem to be holding at this time. After getting back right at noon Nancy also got back from her doctors appointment we had some lunch then I headed out to hand water the gardens. I noticed I finally have a celebrity tomato changing colors despite tons of greens ones and a now a couple egg plants are showing some purple as well.

I harvested a mess of greens for next door Bobby who he and his wife love and turn into juice. The kale seems to be on its way out with this heat the past couple of days but the sugar peas are producing like crazy as is the cilantro and dill herbs. The recently transplanted lettuces seedlings are adding leaves and will be ready to harvest next week. This heat will soon slow down most of the garden except for the hot weather plants like beans, peas, tomato's, cucumbers and egg plant which are about to explode with fruit.

We took a trip to Aldi's for some groceries after lunch and then I read the rest of the afternoon as well as caught up on the war in Israel with some videos. We had a delicious pot roast that had been frozen and just needed microwaved along with some leftover taters and fresh carrots for our supper. All so tasty. Well we are loving the new ride in the Lariat thus far and will take it Tampa for our first extended drive this morning to watch the twins play T-Ball at 9 AM so we are up early for the 8 AM departure and then again tonight we lose another hour when we set the clocks forward to DST, oh well. This does mean we are getting closer to departing for the cabin the end of May, LATER

Friday Morning Mar 8th

 Well Thursday was another busy fun filled day that lasted almost to 10 PM. I had started the day with my before 6 rollout to my routines that begin with some quiet time to honor my LORD, give thanks for another day and to lift several up by name for comfort and healing, all are holding with this post. No pickle ball at the REC this whole week so I piddled around in the gardens, harvesting more leafy greens and cleaning them for the salad bowl while Nancy was off to her women's Bible class. I was on line making changes and getting info on the new truck as well and paying some bills.

After she got home around lunch time we grabbed a bite to eat then headed back to Walker Ford to order the accessories and pay for them so they could be ordered and then once again Shawna our seller gave us more info on the truck. So far we love driving it and I think it will do alright and hopefully live up to its advertised name on the TV of being the best in the truck industry, oh well. We do love the looks of its including all of the safety features. We spent a couple hours there and got a five hundred bucks first responders benefit that Ford offers to Leo's, military, etc. I'll get back that amount I spent on the service to the 2017 the day I bought this 2023, oh well.

We picked up Steve and Sheri and headed over to some old church friends from BridgePoint who bought the whole 4th floor of a condo right on the beach. Such beautiful sunset last evening at their place which is gated as well with first class amenities at the price of a couple million a few years ago. They had a nice spread of snacks, smoked salmon, shrimp, dips etc and Nancy brought oatmeal cookies which I ate a couple as they were that tasty. We played several games of hand and foot and the gals won 2 out of 3 games with none of them going into the fourth round or even the the third depending on the score. The gals were dominant except for the last game which the guys barely won by a hundred points, oh well.

It was a fun evening and we left just before 10 and headed to Seminole and dropped them off then headed home to shower and get ready for some horizontal lab, LATER

Thursday Morning Mar 7th

 Well we have a new F150 Lariat truck in the garage after spending 5 plus hours at the dealership in Clearwater with our favorite sales lady who attempted to teach us all about the features on this vehicle, Wow you almost need a PHD to understand everything and now its all electronic to boot which both of us are challenged up to a point, Oh Well. 

I started the day with my usual well before 6 rollout to my routines that begin with some quiet moments to honor my LORD, give thanks for another day and to lift up several by name for comfort and healing. All seem to be holding at this time. Nancy had a doctor's appointment for a mamogram at 10 and then we ran an errand before heading over to do the paper work on the new truck. Well that was a feat in and of itself and we finally got home in the rain around 5'ish for supper. We had to leave around 6:30 for church for our 242 meeting at SRBC. So we did very little at home during the day. Once home and I had a salad for supper and Nancy a chicken salad sandwich then we headed out once again. We got the truck home after dark and carefully got in the garage which I was wondering if it would fit with the larger tires. I need to replace the antenna as it scrapes the inside of the garage door and I broke off the old antenna on the 2017 and never replaced it. I think I can get a shorter one for this truck. 

I still need to order the bed liner, cover, mats and glass tint over the next week or so before we head to the mountains the end of May. I'm sure glad this event is basically over for now except for these add on items and having it done. 242 at SRBC had a missionary from Uganda speak to us and had a video of a young couple from our church who is there now serving for the past month or so with their two kids. Pastor Derek was there for a few then left for another meeting and will be gone from the pulpit this Sunday on vacation. We have another commitment this evening with friends over on the beach for cards with Sheri and Steve and then on Friday I'm hoping to get back to some pickle ball at Walter Fuller, LATER

Wednesday Morning Mar 6th

 Well Tuesday was another busy day that ended with friends over for cards and the gals prevailed once again, winning two in a row of "hand and foot". Oh well. I started the day with my usual before 6 rollout to my routines that begin with some quiet time to honor my LORD, give thanks for another day and to lift up several by name for comfort and healing. All are holding as of this post. I piddled around the graden assembling my new electric rotor tiller and wow does it ever tear up the ground of course it very sandy with no rocks but still it does a great job, so when I get back next fall the garden will be much easier I hope to plant right away. I tore up a couple areas and tehn transplanted some lettuce seedlings with some space between the plants.

We were expecting company after supper for cards so Nancy went to cleaning the whole house and I even vacuumed and moped the floors. We ate healthy except for supper which was a frozen pizza which was easy and doctored up with fresh mushrooms and black olives. We had the leftover egg casserole from the nights before supper and then a garden salad for lunch . I even headed out with neighbor Dan to help him load and unload a refrigerator for ETC at one of the houses in Largo.

After lunch and all of the house work I settled into watching the videos on the war in Israel and some You Tube travel videos. I did clean out some drawers looking for the title to the truck but never found, hopefully they can pull it up via electronically which they now do. so having the paper title in hand is not necessary, oh well such technology.

Well that was about it for the day and we are off to Nancy's doctors appointment this morning and then hopefully finalize the deal on the new truck at Walker Ford later this afternoon. Tonight we have 242 meeting at church and then tomorrow it off to the beach for more fellowship with friends and cards, LATER

Tuesday Morning Mar 5th

 Well Monday was an interesting day that started with a 5:30 rollout as I wanted to be first in line at the Ford place to get my truck serviced ,but ended up trying out a new truck during the day after spending a ton of bucks on several things on my 2017, oh well. I took Nancy up and she liked the second one I showed her as she didn't care for the hybrid model, but ended up stepping up a model from the XLT to the Lariat.  Its basically the same engine but the bells and whistles are almost overwhelming, any how we got a good trade-in that Car Max certified and the dealer went with it, so we will be owneers of a new truck come Wednesday since our sales lady is off on Tuesdays.

I spent most of the day there after my morning routines that began with some quiet time to honor my LORD, give thanks for another day and to lift up several by name, all seem to be as well as can be expected. I grabbed an apple and left the house at 7 and was one of the first in line to have the truck serviced when they opened at 7:30. That was about it for most of the day and our sales lady who we know personally gave us the royal treatment both during the negotiations and the tutorial upon taking the truck for a test drive. 

We got back home around 4 and had to be in Largo at 5:30 for a dinner meet with our small group from church. Nancy had put together an egg casserole much like the one she makes for Christmas breakfast as we were having breakfast for supper at the meet. There were tons of delicious foods and afterwards we played a game of "catch phrase" which is a hoot to say the least and gals won 2 out of three games. It was after 9 when we dropped Dan off and got in the house. I hit the shower and was soon ready for some horizontal lab at 10. LATER

Monday Morning Mar 4th

 Well Sunday was an awesome morning of worship both on line first with Cornerstone Chapel in Leesburg, Va with Gary Hamrick and then again at our home SRBC with pastor Derek parker. Great sermons from both and Nancy and I served as greeters at the front door which we both love doing. I even had one gentleman tell me I was great at what I was doing and it made his day and to keep up the job. We worked with our dear friends Brian and Nancy who worked the first guests desk. Its quickly becoming our niche at the outside area in the second service which had over 800 folks in attendance.

After getting back from church we had a bite of lunch then got ready to head down to St.Pete to watch Gabe play ball. Well Nancy decided not to go as Katie, Annsley and the twins came by to chill until supper time at Amy's, so instead Katie went with me down to the park where we watched the last of one game and then the team win another one which was two so far but then had to play another game which lasted until after 8. They lost that game by a run. Bobby and Gabe never made it to the birthday supper which was delicious with smoked ribs, mac and cheese, tatter tots and broccoli with Nancy's chocolate cake and white icing and ice cream for dessert. Wow, what a feast. It was a great time had by all and the boys are so cute and played so well with Rocky the big dog. We sent a plate home for Bobby and Gabe.

Gabe's team played three games on the day winning two out of three and two games on Saturday, so it was a busy weekend for them. We or I got to watch a couple of the games which were some good play and the stadium down near the Trop was a very nice venue. It had a covered grand stand with real bleachers and the field was very nice. I think the Ray's had spent some money on fixing it up to practice on at one time. 

I had started the day with my usual before 6 rollout to my routines that begin with some quiet times to honor my LORD, give thanks for another day and to lift up several for comfort and healing. All seem to be holding at this point in time. We knew we were eating large for supper at Amy's so we held down our breakfast lunches  with just some oatmeal to start the day and a salad for lunch for me. Not much else going on except it was a family day of celebrating both Nancy and Sam's big days together with out Bobby and Gabe who were on the ball field, LATER

Sunday Morning Mar 3rd

 Well today my bride of 44 years turned 67. Happy Big Day to her and also today for my first grandson Sam who celebrates his 14 th birthday, Wow does time ever move on and so quickly. Saturday was a fun filled day that ended late last night with the final showing of MY FAIR LADY at Keswick School. Both grand daughter who played her part so well, albeit wasn't a major part but her acting with great British accent was awesome and Sam had a couple dancing acts within a couple group scenes. The play ran nearly 3 1/2 hours and we finally left the school some where around 11:30 after receiving all of the actors outside in a common area. We saw lots of SRBC folks there as our church does give some support to the school as well as lets the school use our huge auditorium for special occasions.

I had started the day with my usual 6'ish rollout to my routines that begin with some quiet times to honor my LORD, give thanks for another day and to lift up several by name. All are holding as of this post. There was no pickle ball this morning so I spent some time on the computer and then headed out to hand water the gardens around 10ish. Nancy made a delicious breakfast burrito to start the day which held us for most of the rest of the day except for a snack before heading out to the ball field around noon which was just minutes away, where we watched Gabe's team tie with another team at 2 runs each. The time limit was up as other teams were attempting to play on that same diamond.

We came back around 5'ish to the ball field dressed for the evening at Keswick and watched all but the last inning of the game when we had to head out to Keswick for the play. Gabe's team was down a run in the last inning but we never heard if they won or lost. They all will be coming to Amy's for a family supper around 6'ish later today after Gabe's games. They are supposed to play at 10:30 this morning but its storming as of now but the forecast has the rain out of here around 9'ish. We will miss that game as we have church at that same time but may stop on the way home if the game is still on.

Well I was pleasantly surprised how these high school kids played such older characters in this play and the British accents were brilliant and so convincing. What a great production and there were four showing and last night while it wasn't totally packed there was great attendance. It was going on midnight before we finally got into bed which was two hours past my bedtime, LATER 

Saturday Morning Mar 2nd

 Well Friday was a fun filled day that saw us with much warmer temps and humidity so the a/c is on probably until we leave for the cabin in May an of course it will stay on all summer while we are gone. Its that time of the year when the leaves have fallen and the fuzzies are in every oak tree and the new leaves will form. I started the day with a 6'ish roll out to my routines that begin with some quiet time to honor my LORD, give thanks for another day and to lift up several by name for comfort and healing. All seem to be holding at this time.

I headed out to the Rec a little before 8 on my bike for some pickle ball but the gym soon filled up with beginners so one of my friends and an advanced player said we should head down to St. Pete to the Walter Fuller Rec center to play and he drove his Tesla and we took along another advanced player with us. Well we joined the Rec there with no fees and then played for the next couple of hours with all good players and left around 10:30 with a worn out body and wet shirt. Wow, what good players and all were seniors both men and women. I managed to win every match with different partners except for the first match but that soon changed after playing for awhile. My game was on and the body held up as well. So much fun playing with good decent players in a gym that has good lighting.

After getting back I piddled around in the garden before lunch hand watering the gardens then had a garden fresh salad which held me until supper time when I grilled lamb chops with fresh rosemary from my garden, delicious to say the least along with fresh broccoli. After the cleanup I settled in to some You Tube videos on the war in Israel and some social media until it was shower time. The high light of the day was playing pickle ball and how well I played despite being so stiff in the lower back to start the day after yesterdays play, oh well. Old age slipped by on the court today and I played like a teenager. 

We got a message from our mountain neighbor Gerald that all was well there but a mountain lion was seen on a camera on our road, yikes. Along with bears last summer and now a big cat things could get interesting when hiking this coming summer, oh well. I'm getting antsy about coming up the end of May and so looking forward to it and seeing all of our mountain friends and neighbors and getting the yards and gardens in shape for the summer. The gardens here are producing abundantly except for tomato's ripening. The one Roma plant is now setting fruit again and I ate the last ripe one it produced a week or so ago but now just waiting on the other plants to ripen. I'm afraid all of a sudden I'll have so many ripening at one time, oh well, LATER 

Friday Morning March 1st

Well Thursday was a leap year day and it went out with gorgeous weather for a winter day with temps reaching the upper 70's and just a little humidity creeping in once again. So just maybe this is the start of the summer here in central Florida. The gardens are awesome and I harvested 4 cucumbers and noticed so many tomato's on the vine, but none ripening just yet, but when they do look out. All of the new lettuce seedlings have added leaves so I should have leafy greens for the next month or so.

I started the day with my usual 6'ish rollout to my routines that begin with some quiet time to honor my LORD, give thanks for another day and to lift several up by name. All are holding as of this time. I headed out on my bike to the REC for two hours of pickle ball play and left whupped a little after 10. Wow did I ever play hard and I felt it the rest of the day with being stiff, especially the lower back. I must not strain it again, so today I'll play but not nearly as hard or make the moves that I did when I was younger, oh well. I remind myself I'm closer to 80 now than 70 but still think I'm in my 30's oh well. I managed to win most all of my matches with different partners.

Nancy was off to her Bible study class and got home around lunch time. Just in time for a salad with some of her home made bread instead of crotons. Her breads while not the most beautiful are so delicious and they have drawn me to them the past couple of days, especially with butter on top. We had frozen pot pies for supper as we both had events during the evening. I was at my mens Bible class and Nancy was I the first showing at Keswick School play featuring MY FAIR LADY. It was going on 11 when she got home. It was going on 9 when I got home, so I watched the Lightning lose in OT, then took a shower and was laying down and must have fallen asleep when she finally got home. Ava and Sam were both in the play and Nancy said it was exceptional and so entertaining. It lasted close to three hours or more.

Well today Friday is the start of the birthday celebrations as both Nancy and Sam share the same day on Sunday, the third. Sam will be 14 and Nancy 67 as she closes in on the 10 1/2 years difference in our ages. Many folks thought we would never make because of this age difference but we showed them with going on 44 years together this September. Saturday and Sunday will be ball games near us for Gabe's team and then the big supper at Amy's to celebrate birthdays with all the family. Should be a great weekend with awesome food and fellowship with family, LATER